Cypress Swamps = Cooler Temps

The Ducks above know which way home is and so do we. We will be heading out tomorrow morning and rolling toward home. We have learned a few things on this trip that will make our traveling experience a lot better next time. (1) Don't try to travel too far too fast. Spend more time in one place and you can enjoy the area more and not get so tired. (2) Pick a central location in the area you wish to visit and stay put. Saves miles and Fuel and Money. (3) Travel in spring or fall, not in the heat of summer! It will be much easier on our bodies! (4) Listen to the Navigator, she will generally get me where I need to go. By the time we return to our stick house we will have travelled over 1500 miles, and that is pretty far for a couple of country hicks with a big truck and a Rolling Condo. I will post some more pics when we get home and they get sorted out.

This deer was getting tired of us following him.

The House pic above is gonna be my new home, when my boat comes in or I win the lottery somewhere. I am thinking it will cost a few million if I want the boat threw in with the house.

Finally, the heat wave has broke for a least a day. Here at the Sam Houston Jones State Park in La. the rain came yesterday evening after we got set up and the temps dropped 30 degrees in an hour or so. Everything here is very green with the water nearby and I suppose they are getting some rain on a regular basis. I am trying to upload some pics that Peggy took this morning on our walk about. By the time she stalked the deer trying for the perfect photo it had started getting warm. By the time we got back to the Condo, we had worked up a sweat. Peggy kept an eye out for Water Moccasins and Alligator and I was busy looking for the best photo spots. This park winds around the cypress swamp ponds on one side and the Calcasieu Bayou on the other side of the park. Nice roads, walkways and campsites are here. We will mark it for a return visit in the spring when the birds migrate back from warm climates. There should be plenty of action then. I did spot a bird wading and feeding in the water that I do not recognize so when we get home I have to get my bird book and try to identify the species. Peggy took a real pretty shot of a Butterfly in the edge of the pond and it turned out really well. Until the next adventure, everyone take care.....Charlie

Sam Houston Jones State Park

We have hitched up the Rolling Condo and headed out of Poche's Fish n Camp this morning. First we had to make a stop at Poche's Meat Market for some frozen goodies to take home. Peggy got a quart of Shrimp Etoufee, I got Seafood Gumbo and some Sausage and some Tasso. Tasso is a smoked pork of some kind and I have a recipe or two at home that calls for Tasso but you cant buy it in East Tx that I know of so we got some and packed the little freezer in the Condo with it and finally made it out of town after I listened to the GPS lady who was giving me the best directions out of town but not to Poche's Market, so she and I disagreed but finally worked it out. We headed West on I-10 and traveled about 80 miles then took a right on US Hwy 171 North just on the outskirts of Lake Charles Louisiana. We traveled just a short way to the city of Moss Bluff La. It is a nice little town and we did not eat breakfast so we were hungry and passing Popeyes Chicken, Pizza Hut, McDonalds and a dozen other fast food places. We were very close to the park so we decided to go on and set up the camp then return for lunch. Of course I was feeling pretty good about getting started this A.M. with no problems at all, so of course something went haywire. We registered at park HQ and the young lady took her marker and marked the way to our campsite, we followed those closely and ended up at some cabins with no room to turn the Condo around. The signage lacks a little to be desired here and is not clearly marked so we had to back up for about three hundred yards in a curve to turn around. A nice employee of the park system assisted and we made it fine back to the main road. Then another employee tried to direct me to the our designated spot but he was trying to tell me how to get into it. The site has space for two campers but the space is shared by two campers. If we pulled in from the direction we were going, we would be blocked from leaving if anyone rents the site sharing the drive. If we came the other direction we would not be able to turn the Condo to get out. So we are here and everything hooked up and if someone comes in to the shared spot, I will have to move my truck and sat. Dish because it is on their picnic table. This is a beautiful park with lots of Cypress Wetland areas and walking bridges over them. We will explore them tomorrow. Maybe we can get some good pics of the place. We have already seen deer, ducks, geese and squirrel. This park has a lot of big pines and oak for shade so we will be cooler. It is already cooler since a storm came thru and rained for about 20 minutes. There is north wind so maybe some cooler temps are coming tonight. The weather says maybe in the 60's in the morning. That will be so welcome after the 100 degree days we have had the whole trip. That's all for tonight time for some supper.

Charlie

Pics from Natchez Mississippi

This pic has nothing to do with this trip. It was taken while we were at Sam Rayburn Lake in April. Charlie really liked it and wanted to share it.

When we toured the City Cemetary, I took a few pics. The Cemetary was so big, it went on and on. There were stones dated in the 1700's. It was divided up in diferent sections by religion and race. Lots and lots of History in this cemetary.

While we were touring the Longwood, Charlie took this pic. There were three huge oak trees on a mound behind the main house that was perfect for pics.

I took this pic standing on the bluff of the Mississippi river downtown Natchez. We were staying at Riverview RV park on the other side of the river just below the bridge.
This pic was taken from the same bluff, looking down river.

Weddings at Wal-Mart are Special

Here it is Sunday and we are still at Poche's Fish n Camp. We drove into town to make a visit to the local Wal-Mart and as we were checking out we see a Wedding party enter the store, complete with bride and groom fresh from the wedding along with the best men and brides maids all in their wedding clothes! You dont see that everyday. Peggy watched them and reported as were were leaving that they were carrying beer cases! That would be redneck if we were in East Tx but here in Breaux Bridge La. I dont know what you would call it. However they were all in a stretch Chev Escalade Limo and it was parked at the front door with the driver (a women in uniform and cap) standing by! The Bridal party all looked happy so I guess thats what counted on their special day. We tried to fish a little while today, but it is just to hot to really stay with it and the little fish were in bunches (people feed them fish pellets here so they are waiting at all times) by the bank. The other thing we have never seen anywhere is when we stopped at Poches's Meat Market/ Resturant, it was full both outside and inside. People were getting take out and the inside part was full of set down folks after church. We saw people carrying paper sacks of food out and I wondered by the counter with the lunch items and tried to order take out but the girl told me that I would need to go to the kitchen at the other end of the building. We went down that way and asked another girl and she pointed thru the door toward the kitchen, so I went on in a hallway that leads to the kitchen and found a line of people. I watched as they ordered from one of the cooks, who dished it up in take out boxes. The customer received the grocery sack with the contents written in magic marker on the outside and then the customer takes the bag to the counter up front and pays for it. We stepped up when it was our turn and gave the cook our order. Peggy had the Crawfish Etoufee with Catfish and Shrimp and I had the Smoked Chicken and Dirty Rice. Both plates also contained Potato Salad and Cold Slaw if you want it. It was a good two or three pounds of food each! The cook sacked it up and we left and brought it back to the Condo to eat. Heck of a Deal! The plates cost ten bucks each but you dont go away hungry. We have enough to eat for supper. Both Peggy and I say the Crawfish Etoufee is the Best we ever had. The catfish and shrimp are also very good. This market makes a lot of specialty orders for the public and also ships food all over the country. Some things I cant even pronounce but its all Cajun food. We are gonna go back before we leave and pick up some frozen items to bring home. The place does a land office business in this area. Peggy downloaded some more pics from the camera that we took in Natchez and I will up load some to the blog. We are hooking up in the morning to go find the Sam Houston Jones State Park which is near Lake Charles La. some 90 miles from here. Until the next time, take care and stay out of heat if you can.

Two Poche's or not Two Poche's

Hello Everybody, We are now set up at Poche's RV Park and Fish-n-Camp near Breaux Bridge Louisiana. We left out early this morning from the River View Park in Vidalia with no problems at all. Stopped for fuel and breakfast at a big travel center on US 61 S. then headed south thru St. Francisville. A lot of road construction thru the area and Peggy was steadily pointing out the plantation signs that abound on this road. Even old Jeff Davis homeplace was noted but we did not stop at any of them because I was having trouble just staying between the lines and going over the bumps in the road. The highway dept was kind enough to post a bump sign just before we hit them. Some were small and some jarred a filling or two loose. There was a big difference between the Mississippi highways and the La. highways. Very obvious when we crossed the state line. All went well until we got to Baton Rouge La. and started trying to decide whether to go East or West on I-10. I actually stayed on hwy 61 and we new right away that I had guessed wrong when the nice lady on the GPS told us that she was recalculating. I hate it when she says that. We finally got back on I-10 after touring a small very poor neighborhood who probably have never seen a 34 foot fifth wheel come thru the hood. After leaving Baton Rouge headed West, I thought we were goin the wrong way so after 12 miles managed to exit and start back thru Baton Rouge again. You see I made a big mistake calculating the trip. I printed directions from Vidalia La. to Poches RV Park and Fish n camp, but then went back and looked again because I didnt not want to drive that 118 miles at 40 mph on the back roads of La. When I looked again at the Trailer Life map on the computer I saw a "better way" and wrote those directions down. The girl who took my reservation did not give me the address for the GPS because she said it did not lead one to the park and sent people in the wrong direction off the interstate, so I didnt program their address,,,,sooooooooo, when I glanced back at the map and wrote the directions down, I wrote the directions for Poche's Plantation RV Park. Which we found after traveling some 80 miles toward New Orleans only to find that it was the wrong park!!! So back we go to Baton Rouge again and cross the Mississippi bridge and finally start in the right direction. I knew I had messed up when I flagged down a cop in the Poche's Plantation RV Park and asked him about the fish n camp. He looked at me like I was crazy and told me that there were no fishing areas anywhere near this park. The Chief Navigator called and got it all straight as I pulled away and ran over some decorative bricks at the corner of the place because all of the RV in this park are small! I was steamed at myself but just kept plugging along and we finally made it to the right Poche's park by about 3:30. an extra 100 miles or so and now give out and ready to rest. More tomorrow when I have more energy. Perhaps I will let the Navigator plan the next leg of the trip. We are having some mechanical issues with the truck. Wet glove box from either air condition freezing up or a heater core leak. The leak in the 5th wheel is getting worse but we havent give up yet, even with the 100 degree weather.

Charlie

Deer In Truck

Yesterday, I told that I would tell you all about the buck deer in the back of the pickup. That really is not all that unusual in E. Tx but the deer are usually dead! As we motored toward Vidalia, Louisiana, Peggy dropped off to sleep. I had been dodging tractors all the way from Lake Village Arkansas as this is all Delta bottom lands and farm country. I nearly hit one the day before as I ran up on it to fast before I figured out it was a farm tractor. Big John Deere with dual wheels on rear stuck out over the whole lane of traffic and part way across the center stripe. I managed to miss him and got back up to speed only to run up on a pick up truck pulling a hopper of some sort that was wider than the truck. He was moving about 30 mph so I had to shut it down. I followed him for a few miles really slow until the hwy widened out and I could go around. While all this was happening I saw a pick up driving down the shoulder of the road going pretty slow. As I got close to him I could see a whitetail deer in the back of the truck. It was a buck with a big antler spread. As I started to pass I looked over and saw that it was a mounted deer with some woodland theme around it. The driver was driving slowly to keep from blowing the foilage off of the mount. This was the first time I have ever seen a whole deer mounted! We made it in to River View RV Park and got set up and had to make a Wal-Mart run. We got a camera chip and some needed shorts for Peggy and returned to a cooler condo. This is a very nice park just down from the Mississippi River bridge. I am posting a pic of Peggy and Elvis that we took in Memphis. I am also posting a pic of my first time ever trip to an RV/Truck wash, and another of the party lites we put on the awning. The hummingbirds keep trying to come get a drink from them in the daytime. Today we have spent time site seeing in the Natchez Mississippi area. Checking out the old plantation houses and actually taking a tour of one called Longwood that is 30,000 square feet and four stories but unfinished when the landowner died. The wife and kids lived in the basement which is only 10k sq foot. I dont know how they managed. Gonna role out tomorrow, but not sure where. I guess thats what makes this fun. We decide at breakfast maybe where we are off to next! Until next time.

Charlie

Catching Up

We have been WiFi less for two days! so I am gonna have to back track a bit. We took some pics while we were at Tom Sawyer RV Park in W. Memphis Arkansas but did not have the correct chord for the camera to download them. Well today we stopped at a Wal-Mart and bought a usb type reader that can download the pics from the camera chip! What a neat deal. So we finally were able to download the full chip from the camera and I will try to add some to this blog.

On June 23, we hooked up and started south toward Arkansas and found an Arkansas State Park site at a little place called Lake Village, which is south of Greenville , Mississippi. I have never seen so many Pecan trees in my life. After driving for most of the way in farm land, on both sides of the road, we started seeing those Pecan Orchards left and right. In fact the state park, at Lake Chicot is part of an old orchard, so there was plenty of shade and we were real glad to see it. After viewing the pull through site with very little shade, we changed sites and ended up with big Oaks and Pecans all around us which really made keeping the Condo cooler much easier. Make note of my excellent Satellite set up. Highly designed by yours truly. If folks think there are not any farmers left in the USA, they are wrong. We saw a good bit of one hundred miles with nothing but farm land and crops planted on both sides of the highway, sometimes as far as we could see. We took the self guided tour near the state park on the levee looking for wildlife but say nothing but cattle trying to stay cool. We only drove a few miles on the levee out of the 22 mile long self guided tour as the park brochure said. We did find an interesting place to eat at Rhodas Famous Tamales and Pies. The Tamales were good but that Pecan pie was great. I had read a park review in the area on the web and someone mentioned this place that looked awful on the outside but had great food, and we stumbled on it on St.Marys street in Lake Village Arkansas just driving around. The place is in a portable building and has been there a long time, but the inside was neat and clean and Ms. Rhoda let Peggy take her picture with a pie. We were discussing whether to get the food to go or to eat in and Ms. Rhoda said she didn't care "as long as she got her money"!!! we stayed and had a good meal. The middle pic was taken at Tom Sawyer as a barge and tow boat came by the Rolling Condo!! That's all for tonight, I will rest up and try to add some more tomorrow to catch us up. We are now at Vidalia Lousisiana at River View RV park setting right next to the Mississippi River again, just across the river from Natchez Mississippi. Sometimes I don't know which state I am in but will post more tomorrow. I know everyone is gonna want to know about the big buck deer in the back of a pickup truck!!

Charlie

Sun Rises in the East and Cooks My Goose

We have really been educated on this first long trip. I figured the gas mileage wrong. We are actually averaging 12 miles per gallon and I figured we would get 15mpg. It was even worse coming from Hot Springs to W. Memphis. I did not dump the sewer tank because I thought we had not used it much. It doesn't matter how much you use it. Water is heavy. We only avg 9 to 10 on that 278 mile run! I couldn't figure it out until I factored in the gradual climbing terrain for the first part of the 278 and then the water weight. We will see tomorrow if my calculation is right. I will dump everything but the kitchen sink before we roll out in the morning. The other thing that we did not really think about was the heat! It has been in the high 90's the whole trip. By the time we stop to set up, its sweltering inside the fiver and outside. I believe I have lost several pounds due to sweating a gob! We even asked the office for the front row next to the Mississippi River, which has no trees at all. It has been too hot for the one air condition to keep up. Okay, should have went ahead and sprung the second air. If we are gonna travel in hot temps at any point, two big air machines are a must. Sorry I have not posted photos because we brought the wrong camera line attachment for the computer. But I will post them on our return so everyone can see them. Peggy got some great shots of barges hauling everything from coal to grain and gravel, and who knows what else. We just hung out and rested most of the day today to recoup from the long drive yesterday. Of course with the heat, every time we went outside for anything we melted. So the next park we land in will have to have some shade for us to be comfortable. We did go into Memphis this evening and made the rounds of BB Kings club, and ate supper at the world famous Blues Cafe where the ribs have been featured on the Travel Channel and Bobby Flay's program so that would be great right? Well no, I am sorry but the food was not good, the ribs were overcooked and we were both very disappointed. We were going to sit in at BB Kings for awhile but it was standing room only so we checked out a gift shop or two and headed back to the West Memphis side of the river so that we can get an early start tomorrow. We have decided to not go on to Nashville Tn, but start back south toward Natchez Mississippi. We will stop somewhere halfway for a few nights at Lake Chicot, an Arkansas State Park and do some fishing. We were attracted to the Pecan Orchard setting with plenty of shade trees. We may stay a few days there then head on toward Natchez. The thought of heading toward more concrete and heat and tons of tourist just soured us on Nashville. We really don't want to make this a work vacation and it was turning into one fast with the long, hot drives, and hot set ups. The water leak situation has stabilized somewhat and we think we can go on unless major leaks surface. Peggy did check the sink drains when we arrived and tightened all of them that were loose to the point of leaking. That rough interstate bronc ride really rattled the stuff in the condo.

Everyone Take Care and Be Safe.

Charlie

Hard Days Driving

Tonight, we have a guest blogger, the better half of The Rolling Condo (usually known as Navigator) will be blogging for me as I am tuckered plumb out! She did her first driving and towing a big fiver today and did very well. She can fill everyone in on todays events and where we are now.

Well, we got packed up this morning about 9:oo am and started toward W. Memphis. Charlie told me to put the address of Tom Sawyer RV Park in the GPS and get some directions. Well I did, but I don't know that much about stuff like that so I told him how many miles the thing said it was to the Tom Sawyer Park which was 122 miles. Duh!!! We drove and drove and finally Charlie said he was tired and wanted me to drive. We were on the interstate and it was flat and it didn't look like it would be that bad. I did pretty good till Charlie got the bright idea to stop at the Cracker Barrell to eat lunch. He assured me that there would be parking for RV's so I wasn't too concerned. I'll be darned if there was only about 5 spots big enough to park and they were full of boats. I had to get out of that parking lot without hittin something or someone so Charlie just said to move over and let him drive. Thank goodness!! There was a large parking lot at a truck stop across the road so here we went. Charlie managed to go all the way to the back through all the potholes and gravel and finally parked. It was hotter than hades, but we got out and walked all the way to Cracker Barrell. We both forgot that it was Sunday afternoon and Father's Day too. The place was packed inside and out. We decided to wait cause they said it would be only about 20 minutes. We sat outside in the big rocking chairs for awhile till Charlie gave me the sign that he was ready to go. So here we went back across the highway, dodging cars. We got some chicken strips and sodas at the truck stop and left. I thought it was kinda weird to go out the back door, but Charlie said it would be quicker. So much for quicker, we had to walk through weeds and sand and rocks to finally get back to the truck. By that time, we were both sweating like pigs and more tired.

We saw a sign that said 168 miles to Memphis. Gee whiz, I thought it was only 122 miles and we had already gone about 80 miles. So much for being the navigator. I re-entered the address and OMG, the sign was right. Charlie didn't say too much except that he wouldn't do this again. Bless his heart, he was so tired. I finally asked him if he wanted me to drive and he stopped on a dime and got out, so I drove the rest of the way. We finally got here about 4:30 this evening. We have the perfect spot on the river and Charlie can watch the boats and barges go by. He is in hog heaven.

After we got all set up and were watching the barges go by, Charlie got the bright idea to put the new lights on the awning that he had bought. They are the cutest little lights that are shaped like little campers. I put them up and Charlie was like a kid with a new toy. After I put the lights up, I grilled some steaks to go with the baked potatoes and we ate supper. Charlie was so sweet, he cleaned the dishes while I took a shower. (I probably wasn't supposed to tell that.)

I think that pretty much sums up what our day has been like. I learned how to operate a GPS and pull the condo so it wasn't so bad after all.

That's all for today.

Texarkana Two-Step

I finally have gone and done it folks. Every since we had bought the Rolling Condo and had gone out on a few trips, there was still something missing. I still did not have that real RVer feeling. I figured that it would come with experience and decided not to worry to much about it. We left Lufkin and staggered uphill to Texarkana Texas with one break stop in Carthage TX. I felt so proud to be parking the rig behind the truck stop with the other rigs and did swagger a bit after the break and the purchase of a cool new Aussie style sun shade for my head (made in china).
We arrived in Texarkana and were set up by about 1:30pm and then off to find some lunch and buy the few things that were forgotten (like eggs) back home. We actually brought back to the condo enough leftovers for supper and Peggy was pleased that she didn't have to cook anything, just heat and eat. I actually started giggling just a bit while thinking that this travel business really wasn't that hard for a man with a dream and a truck. As I swaggered around the new looking RV Park admiring the rigs and how dang clean everything was at the Shady Pines RV Park, I actually could not find any dirt on the concrete pads or driveways! Seriously, you could have eaten off of the ground! I opened the basement door to get the cable out to hook up to the free cable at the park and then it hit me. There ain't supposed to be water in here! but there was. So Peggy and I dragged everything out of the basement and stacked it neatly in piles next to the condo and surveyed the situation. A small amount of water was pooling under the basement wall and running across the floor of the basement. I wasn't a big gushing water just a pool, but I mopped it out, climbed in and took a couple of screws out and removed the wall to find a broken fitting in the antifreeze winterizing valve and a leaky hot water heater valve. After mulling it over for a while and going back inside to cool, Peggy got a pan and placed under it so no damage would be done and we checked the manuals with the Condo for answers but got none. Eventually deciding that this was not a huge deal and was not a trip breaker, we packed all the stuff back in and went back inside to the cool. Now I am finally starting to feel like a real RVer!.

Roll Out Tomorrow

While Peggy is working today and making mental list of stuff yet to do, I am shuttling stuff out to the the rolling condo and also making mental list of things not to forget. My coworker Malina and her husband Allen came down and did the install of the new locks on the cargo doors. Allen said it would only take a few minutes, but it took longer than that. If I had been on my own I can see where a lot of cussin and bangin would have happened. Allen knew where all the little parts went and in what order so it went pretty quick. I assisted of course doin what I do best, which is holding something, handing something, (swamping). You always have to have a swamper to do anything with tools. I bought Peggy a new road atlas that she wanted. The one that show all the low bridges in America..Now she can worry about making sure we are not driving toward a bridge that is too low for us to go under. The GPS is charged and ready and we should be able to stagger around and find where we are goin, one way or the other! This evening before dark, I will get out and do the air check on all tires and add when needed. When Peggy gets off, we will load the clothes and she will place everything in the kitchen where she wants it (I could have done that,,but she would not have been able to find most of it. Her idea of putting things away seems to be different than mine! One of those Men are from Mars things I guess. We should be camped near Wright-Patmen lake near Texarkana tomorrow nite.

pic and grin

Oh here is the lucky couple, having just been captured by kpoppa and nonna with Keith's ever present camera. The only trouble is that the camera takes to much detail. Hmmm wonder if I can get my daughter to photoshop it and make it a little fuzzy around the edges and make me look 20 years younger! I cant tell you what Donna said to get this smothered laugh out of Peggy. But I swear it wasn't me, I didn't feel it!!!! I will post a pic of the Rolling Condo on my next post before we blast off on vacation. Packing and stowing for trips is so much fun. Of course I haven't looked in on the house battery compartment for awhile or examined the hydraulic oil etc... but in East Tx you really have to check because as Peggy showed me its time for Red Wasp season here and a few of the rascals had taken up a nest just inside the door. She banished them with a broom and threw the nest away from the house, but one or two wanted to come back and start over. They better not make her mad, or she will get the wasp spray after them and fog the whole place! Fate has been trying to derail our vacation with prosecutors calling and telling me that a trial is set for the two weeks I am gonna be out. Me not checking my "on call " status for the week and scheduling my vacation right in the middle of my two week stint! I have no excuse but being half blind I guess. Peggy missed it also and we were examining the schedule at the same time! I begged a co-worker to take my days and I will take his in the dog days of August so I am covered with work. The prosecutor does not believe I will have to testify and he may get a plea, so maybe it will work out. Yeah me,,,gotta make that road trip!

Gumbo and Garden Produce

Sorry that I haven't posted and have been chastised for not doing so. I have been trying to learn the new software I downloaded from Trailer Life,,,damn I had no idea that there were so many RV Parks, but there are gazillions. I have had a bit of trouble learning how the software works, but I have managed to plot our vacation with possible Parks to camp in on the way. I put a preferred campsite and a back up or two in the trip planner. It is really handy and we will have the laptop in the truck with us so that the Chief Navigator can fire it up should I need driving instructions. You do have to spell the nearby towns correctly in order for the software to work well. You can also put in zip codes or street addresses. I especially like the limit you can put on how many miles from any town or location. It can even figure out when you need a break and how long to take one, but I probably wont be using that function. I am at the age that when I need to stop, I stop. Funny how as you get a little older that the kidneys just don't hold up like they used to! I have never been one of those guys that won't stop for anything and just tell the kids and women to hold it! Now that I have passed the half century mark, I find that after an hour or so my butt goes to sleep, then my back starts aching and its time to stop and stretch. We are not gonna be in a hurry and will stop when the notion strikes or when we are tired. We used to really like stopping at roadside stands and attractions, the odd yard sale or even just a cool looking county square. Pulling a Rolling Condo may not be conducive to just whipping off on the shoulder to do this. Keith and Donna of green2gorv gave us lessons last weekend on using a test meter for the electricity hookups. We even scored some of Donna's garden bounty with onions and new potatoes . Sunday. Peggy made a great Chicken and Sausage Gumbo and the new potatoes were cooked on Monday with a pan of cornbread, and it was really fit to eat! We will keep planning and sorting what needs to be loaded so that on drive out day on the 21st, we will be ready to roll.

New Lawn Furniture

I gotta get my cousin over here to work on the computer (pic above) The desktop has been acting really strange. Peggy tried to print some return shipping labels from two new fold up lawn chairs for the Condo and they just wont print. Maybe I have to stand on one leg while holding an umbrella or something. The printer, an HP Photo printer says its printing and list the jobs to print, but no ink on paper. Dot Matrix from the old days is starting to look good. It never failed until the ink ran out, but it would keep on tryin. I found the chairs on Amazon and they resembled two that we had spotted on Sam Rayburn Lake back in October while we were practicing camping and trying out all the features on the new Condo. One of the new chairs was broken in shipping, the other was okay so I gave it a test sit. Heck, my feet wont reach the ground! gotta send them back. Plus it aint got cup holders, pockets for remote control, Nascar colors, umbrella for my bald head, ash tray, ice cooler,, pocket for snacks and a lot of other needed features. Lawn Chairs have come a long way havent they.

Welcome to all from a first time blogger, long time lurker on many, many, blogs and such concerning Rv travel and exploring. Peggy and I are getting ready to take our first long trip (for us) and I decided in order for me to remember where all we went and what we did, I should write a blog. The family can check in if they just have to know about where we are and what we have been up too, (dont try to find us, cause we will move before I post the last location). I will try to get some pics up soon of the Rolling Condo and both of us together so we may be identified if we run off a mountainside (Peggys worst nightmare ever)