Once again it's been a long time since I've updated the blog.  I keep a pad with me at all times to make notes of our events.  If I didn't do that - I'd never remember what all we've doing - especially at my age.  Let's start back on 11/9. We met the Heartland gang at the Bakery for lunch, then we all rode over to Camper Clinic RV Sales.  They were going to have an open house all weekend, and we were going to have a table there on Saturday so we decided to check it out.  Back to Camper Clinic on Saturday the 10th.  Stayed there until late afternoon.   Packed everything up and headed to a great Mexican restaurant for dinner. On Sunday Lee and I rode over to Flour Bluff (just outside Corpus Christi) for the Super Plus HEB (a grocery store on steroids).  There was an advertisement in the Sunday paper for flamingos with Santa hats and scarf.  You'll see those in pictures to follow.

On the 14th after working out, I sent Lee outside so I could "clean house".  It doesn't take long to clean the rig, but I like to have it by myself.  Late afternoon we took the ferry to the island to have dinner with John and Carol.

On the 16th went to get my hair cut (that was long overdue!!!!!).  After our workout we started packing for our trip to my sister's house in Austin for Thanksgiving.  Left bright and early on Saturday.      Stopped at our favorite place - Bucees for a coffee refill.  If you ever see one of these in your travels.....stop!  It's a great place to stretch your legs, shop for food, goodies, etc. etc. and fill up your gas tank.  We were very excited to hear that Texas had opened up another addition to their toll road leading into Austin.  The good news ---- it was only a few miles up Interstate 10 close to Bucees.  We are only approximately 195 from Austin, but with the toll road we can get there a lot quicker.....especially with the speed limit at 85!!!!  Now -- that's an issue with me.  I'm too old to go that fast, besides I'm not in that big of a hurry (LOL).  We did give it a try.  Glad we didn't put the windows down.....otherwise we would have a G-force problem.  Even when Lee slowed down to 80 it was still too fast.  With very little traffic and no traffic lights, you can sure move right along -- quickly.

Started our "vacation" with Debi having a Mexican breakfast.  She insisted on driving so she could get her car washed.  Now -- I included that bit of info because of the experience in the car wash.  First of all -- you SHOULD NEVER go to a car wash if you have a window that won't roll all the way up.  With much care - Lee and Debi pushed the window up and inserted a screw driver to hold it in place before entering. Lee was sitting next to that window because Ryder's car seat is on the other side.  I bet you can see where this is going.  Once the car is in place -- and the water starts --- the window won't hold up.   OH MY GOSH - we laughed so hard we could hardly breathe.  Lee is getting soaked. Luckily someone's jacket was in the back, which was used to block the water......but not before Lee got washed and waxed.  Pictures also to follow.

The following morning we all went to have a pedicure......so relaxing!!!  On the way back we stopped at their new Super Plus HEB (another grocery store on steroids) to do our Thanksgiving dinner shopping.  That was an experience.......half the population of Austin was there!!!  Back to the house to unload groceries and headed for the mall.  I needed to get some new tennis shoes.  Having problems with my feet, and with working out, I definitely needed shoes with better support.  We figured the mall would be fairly empty because most of the people were grocery shopping at the new HEB!!!  We were right -- and I got some new shoes (workouts much better now).

On Tuesday Lee and Todd (nephew) went to Cabelas and on to some property Todd's in-laws own to do some shooting (looking for those big awful looking hogs).  Debi and I headed to the airport to pick up Elmer (our stepdad).  Very excited to have him with us!!!  He'll be here for a week.  I think this helped all of us to be together.  It was just a little over a year ago when we lost mom.  Took it easy the following day.  We started preparing stuff for our Thanksgiving dinner.  Busy Thanksgiving morning preparing the finishing touches.  Turned out GREAT!!  After watching some football games and some taking a nap, we went to Todd's in-laws for dessert.  Busy and happy day had by all.

On Friday the 23rd Todd and Ryder came over and we all loaded up and went to the Oasis for lunch.  This is one of our favorite places.  Pictures will follow.  On the way Debi took to an area by the Oasis where we did many hours of boating in prior years.  Oh how sad!!!!!  Due to the drought over the years, there is NO water at all --- only weeds!

                                         Jim and Pat from Kansas

                                           John  and Carol from Charleston Tn.

                                                Dan and Karen From Michigan  Theyre UPPERS

Car Wash

l

                                            Hog Hunting

On Saturday we picked up Chad (nephew) and headed for Lukenbach and Fredricksburg.  Elmer had heard us talk about these two places a lot, so we wanted to show him around.  We forgot about this being Thanksgiving weekend.  Those folks I told you about in the HEB -- well --- they had headed for Fredricksburg also.  In other words, it was a bit crowded.  One of Lee's favorite places - Rustlin' Bobs was packed from wall to wall.....but that's where you can sample hundreds of sauces, jellies and jams. Lee can/and did consume his lunch in there. Lee picked up a new Cowboy Hat.   A fun time had by all.

On Sunday the 25th we packed up and headed back to Rockport.  We made our usual stop at Bucees and headed south.  The buffalo you'll see below were just north of Cuero, Texas.  Pictures don't do them justice.  Another huge by large animal in Texas!!!  On Monday we set out our Christmas decorations, along with the rest of the park.  Everyone was enjoying the beautiful weather -- 87 degrees.

On Tuesday we met the Heartland folks at the Beach House in Old Town Rockport.  This lunch was to discuss the Meet & Greet we're having in February for Heatland Owners.  Seems we think better at these meetings if we eat.

We had a great experience on Wednesday night.  We were invited to the island to a bon fire and to watch the sun set and the moon rise.  No big deal - right???  WRONG!!!  Every full moon a local couple go to the beach, dig a huge hole in the sand and builds a bon fire.  People come from all over the area.  He said as many as 200 people have attended this event.  The sunset was beautiful, but the moon rising above the ocean was breathtaking.  Including pictures....but again....I don't think they'll do the scene justice.  It's also a big night for what is called party boats.  That's the tiny lights you'll see below the moon.  Will definitely be going back for the next full moon.

We end the month of November by having lunch with all our Heartland friends at Trout Street.  It's hard to believe that another month has passed.  All the Winter Texans have now arrived.  The park is full.

Tonight there is a free Fish Dinner at the Fulton Convention center for all Winter Texans.  In the morning Lee, John and a new friend is going Kayak Fishing.  More on that one later.

Until the next time......take care!

A bit late updating our blog.  But it's been very busy down here.

As of 10/22 we were still working out.  Wearing us out, but so far we're sticking to it.  I'll just be glad when some of the muscles quit hurting.  Our temperature here was still in the 90's, with a cool down coming over the weekend.  A cool down here is 50's during the night and 70's during the day.  Went to town today for a pedicure and a Walmart run.

On 10/25 we met some of Heartland friends (Jim & Pat, John & Carol) at the Bakery Cafe for breakfast.  You've probably guessed by now this is a favorite spot for breakfast.  It's a very popular resturant in Aransas Pass.

On 10/27 we drove over the the island (Port Aransas) and had lunch with John & Carol.  Afterwards we just HAD to go to the different fishing shops.  How much fishing stuff can a person own??????

Lee had to report to kayak class on Sunday afternoon 10/28.  This class runs through Tuesday.  Monday he had to be there with his kayak at 6:15 am.  This day included fishing in the am, with class time in the afternoon.  Back to class on Tuesday --- also at 6:15 am.  Needless to say, he really enjoyed the class and learned a lot........but.........getting up at 5:15 am was NOT an easy task.  He caught a mess of fish each day and gave them to a father and son team from Dallas that didn't have a lot of luck.  

On the 31st we went to Jim & Pat's in Fulton for "Happy Hour" and dinner with John & Carol.  Had a wonderful time.  I've got a title for Pat -- The Heartland Story Teller.  OH MY GOSH...we all hurt from laughing.......and her stories are true, unblieveable but true about their travels.

November 1st was a BIG DAY for me.  I celebrated my 1 year anniversary as a non-smoker!!!!!  It was also a big day for John.  Because of conversations with Lee about the kayak, he decided he wanted to take a look at them.  John, Carol, Lee and I rode over to Corpus Christi (where Lee purchased his).......and yep.....John now owns what a lot of folks call a "banana".

Our Heatland friends (Dan & Karen) arrived in Rockport on the lst, so back to the Bakery Cafe for breakfast.  You can tell a lot of winter Texans have arrived.  Most of the folks in the cafe are over 60 years old (LOL).

For all you folks who own a camper, PLEASE make sure you have everything connected to surge protectors.  You hear how things are BIGGER in Texas......well so are their storms.  OMG - I have never heard thunder that loud or lightning that bad.  A horrible storm came through on the 3rd.  Knocked our power out.  We have a surge protector at the main connections, but also throughout our rig so no damage inside or outside.  The guy next to us had no protectors (inside or outside).......he lost both of their tvs.  Ouch!!

On the 5th we all went to Dan & Karen's for a pot luck dinner.  Had a wonderful time.  Once again our Story Teller had more tales.  

On the 6th Lee and John loaded up their kayaks and went kayak fishing.  They had a great time and caught several fish (no keepers).  They've already scheduled another trip next week.  I will post a picture of John's first Redfish from his new Kayak here for dubbed the Duck,

The Resort has started to fill up with more arriving each day.  Friends that we made last year are returning each day.  Men's coffee started this past Monday and it is good to see and talk to them about their summer and wher each on did something different.  We are going to a open house today at one of the RV dealers and we will set up a booth tomorrow that our Heartland Club members will man.  Still working out each day and enjoying it.  increasing the time on the treadmill and increasing the reps and weight.  Lee gets on the scale every once and a while and is down to 225 lbs. so far.  

Til next time.

Front Porch and trip to beach

Here are a few more pictures associated with the last post.  Enjoy

The beginning of this blog starts on Saturday, October 6th when we went to the Rockport Seafair.  Many vendors with some really cool stuff, entertainment, the "old timey" fair rides, cardboard boat races, crab races, etc. etc.  Very enjoyable.  The following day we did what I call "the circle".  We take highway 35 to Corpus Christi, on the return trip we take highway 361 which I call the "back way" into Port Aransas to the ferry bringing us across to Aransas Pass then back home to Rockport.  Corpus is where everything is located - shopping center, Academy, Bed Bath & Beyond, Freebirds, Starbucks...all the really good things.

On the 9th we headed back to Port Aransas and rode along the beach for miles.  It was absolutely beautiful.  The sound of the ocean is so peaceful to both of us.  Of course we don't go to the beach without going to the jetty.  You're not only entertained with all types of fishing folks but that's the way the BIG ships come into port.  Some of those ships look like they're 5 miles long.  Lee now has the proper fishing rod to fish at the jetty, so we'll head out there next week with his fishing equipment, our chairs, my kindle and spend the day.

On the 10th our good friends (Jim & Pat) came after us and we went to Trout Street for dinner.  If you know of anyone that knows about Port Aransas -- then they definitely know about Trout Street.  The highlight of that evening was not only a great dinner but getting to ride in a CAR!!!!!  I haven't been in a car since we left Tennessee.  It's hard to explain what it's like riding in a big truck without that air ride suspension unit (LOL).

On the 13th Lee went on a Kayak Paddle-In.  There were 38 people which paddled approximately 8 miles.  They all had a great time.  They would have gone further, but the wind interferred with their plan.  His big event will start a week from tomorrow.  He will be attending a 3 day class on kayaking.  I will have him give you an update on that adventure in a couple weeks.

Now to the steps at our front door (picture to follow).  We had noticed these at several rigs last year, so we decided to check around to see if you could rent them.  Long story short......a family that had been camping here for the summer has let us use theirs for the winter.  It keeps him from having to store them.  Well -- let me tell you -- these are the GREATEST!!!!!!  Lee has put some solar lights on each step......with the top light containing a butterfly.  It doesn't take much to excite us --- but this is such a neat addition to our winter home.

We are now making use of the fitness room.  We started on Monday.  Will we stick with it?  Who knows.  But - so far we're doing good.  These machine let u know how much out of shape you are!!!  As of today, both of us were able to add a few minutes/reps.  We should be able to add more next week.

On a closing note.....we came down here for the warmer weather.  Just an update - we have been in the 80's just about everyday, but on the 10th the weather was 94 degrees with a heat index of 100.  Now I would say that's WARM, but we don't mind.......good beach weather and the humidity is not as bad as Tennessee.

This blog is going to be presented by Linda.  Giving Lee a break (LOL).

Our trip to Texas for the winter began on September 21st @ 5:25 am (EST).  It was a very cool 56 degree. I'm really surprised we didn't get on the road sooner.  Due to excitement neither one of us could sleep past about 3:00.  We stopped for lunch at the Mississippi Welcome Center @ 11:28 (CST).  It was too early to check into the RV park.  After relaxing for a few we were back on the road.  Stopped in Meridan, Mississippi @ 12:07 for the night at the Benchmark RV Park, after traveling 361 miles.  Lee felt like he could go another 100 miles or so, but I insisted we "kick back and relax" for the afternoon since we had gotten up so early.  Obviously he thought we made a good choice since he took a 2-1/2 hour nap. (All times going forward will be CST.)

Day 2 started @ 7:47 am.  It sure felt good to sleep in!!!  Warmer temperature this morning -- 68 degrees.  We stopped for the day at 3:12 at the Twelve Oaks RV Park in Lake Charles, Louisiana.  We traveled 388 miles today for a total of 749.  So far we have been very lucky in reference to having very light traffic and very nice weather.  It would all be perfect if  I-59 and I-10 were more driver friendly.

Day 3 started @ 7:31.  Set the alarm clock for us on this morning.  Our plans were to get through Houston before noon.  Houston is worse that Atlanta in regards to traffic.  We were VERY LUCKY......never had to slow down and most folks that know me ---- I didn't have to roll my window down and yell at people for cutting us off.  We arrived at the Texas state line @ 8:10 and at our final destination for a week - Rio Raft in Canyon Lake - @ 2:04 pm.  We did 335 miles today for a total of 1,084.

After updating everyone of our arrival, Debi (my sister) and her family were insistant that we come up to Austin for dinner.  Tried to tell them how tired we were......but........I LOST that battle.  You see - it's only 60 miles from the campground to her house.  And - we have a "Texas Tag" which mean we can take the toll road and if we want to ---- go 85 miles an hour and .get there in a hurry.  Don't worry - I kept an eye on the
speedometer. We did take clothes, etc. and spent the night.  Headed back to Rio Raft on Monday morning.  Our spot was perfect!!!!!  Overlooks the Guadalupe River.
.
My sister joined us on Tuesday in her Class C.  The three of us played tourist for a couple days.  Her son Todd, his wife Chelsea and their son Ryder joined us over the weekend.  What a WONDERFUL time.  Ryder is now 15 months old and loads of fun.  Had to take a couple aleve after playing with him.....but it was definitely worth it.  I'm just not an young and mobile as I use to be.

We left Canyon Lake on Monday, October 1st heading south to Rockport @ 9:40 am.  We only have 150 miles so this will definitely be a short day on the road.  We arrived at our winter home @ 1:30.

Everything is set up and we have played tourist again for a couple days.  A favorite of mine is riding the ferry to Port Aransas and go to the beach and the jetty.  The jetty is where people fish.  While we were there a guy hooked something that was giving him a "fit".  Interesting catch --- a huge by large stingray.....estimated weighing 50 pounds.  We have also caught up with a nice couple we met last year (Jim & Pat Doggett) for breakfast.  Several of our other friends will be arriving in a couple weeks.

Please enjoy the pictures we have posted......but I do feel I need to clarify the yard art.  That is NOT my doing.......but Lee's!!!  Our front yard is definitely the talk of the park.