Saturday April 16, 2016

Hello all,

I scared a dear friend yesterday because we haven't posted all week and so she decided she better call us to see if we were okay.  Thank you dear friend!!  We have had not so good of a week.  It has been raining off and on since we arrived the worst of it being Tuesday night when the weather decided to take a turn for the worst and hail golf, baseball and in some cases we have heard bowling ball size hail.  We have been through hurricanes but Tuesday is far worse than anything Jim and I had experienced.  The sound against the windows in the fifth wheel was like someone was throwing rocks at it.  Luckily we did not have one broken window in the fifth wheel.   However our pickup was not so lucky.  We have a broken windshield which we can not have fixed until next Thursday when we will be in Las Cruese, NM.  We did call Safelite the next morning and the waiting period here was 2 months already.  People who needed to rent cars were having to travel 200 miles away.  The hood and top of the truck looks like someone took a ball ping hammer to our truck.  So the better part of the week has been spent calling our insurance carrier and getting the 2 skylights over our bathroom and the cover to the air conditioner replaced. 

Despite the problems we have had a great time at the rally.   We have made some new friends and seen some old ones.   We have had 2 pot luck dinners and a catered breakfast.  Jim and I won a new outdoor carpet.   We gave the one that we never used to Barbara and Howard who are new to RV'ing as they did not have one. 

We did have a beautiful day yesterday so we were able to go down to the riverwalk in San Antonio.  We spent the day with Vivian and Larry new friends that when they aren't traveling live in Oklahoma.   We ate lunch at a very good Mexican restaurant and did some shopping. 

It is raining here again today but hopefully we will not have anymore severe weather.

Have a great weekend,
Jim and Debbie 

Good Morning,

We had a restful time in Beaumont.  There was not much to see but there is plenty of good food and made some new friends.   We had a pleasant dinner at a restaurant called Pappadeus.  Our waitress Janel was a delight.  She gave Jim a free piece of cheesecake for our first visit.  Thank you Janel, please give us a call when you come to Florida next time and we will met you and pay it forward.    

We had breakfast the next day with our new friends Lou and Connie.  Lou said he has retired 17 times.  He works for Northwest University and travels the country teaching.  Connie and Lou have graciously invited us to stay with them in our travel back East.  I think God sends people into your life for a reason, thank you Jesus!!

Jim and I sought out Rao Bakery which was suppose to have a phenomenal Cinnamon Roll and it was, LOL.

Jim went golfing our last day in Beaumont and I did laundry and cleaned the fifth wheel (two things you can't get away from even on vacation, LOL).  We sought out another great restaurant in the area that is suppose to have the best Mexican food, not Jim's favorite but it is mine.  We went to Elena's which has been open over 30 years.  We had the opportunity to meet the owner, Elena. The food and service stood up to it's reputation.  

We had to go through Houston to get to San Antonio and I'm glad Jim picked a Sunday to do it.  The city is huge and with no traffic it took us 45 minutes to go from one end to the other.   Jim is right Highway 10 is flat and not much to see but the wildflowers are amazing.  We arrived in San Antonio yesterday afternoon for the Texas Open Range owner rally.   Other owners arrived early as well so we had happy hour with these owners.  Some of these owners we met in October at a rally we went to in Dandridge, TN.    There is a week of activities planned so we will be busy.  

Love to all,
Jim and Debbie

Thursday April 8, 2016

Howdy from Texas,

Yesterday was a travel day for us.  We are now in Beaumont, Tx.  Our last day in New Orleans we took our big red bus and did some sightseeing.  We had our favorite narrator John.  John works with the homeless people in New Orleans so I left John with some of the homeless bags I make so he could give them to people in need.  

On our tour we saw the oldest church in New Orleans.  This church has withstood hurricanes and flooding for many years.  The Statue of Joan the Arc that is pictured was given to the City of New Orleans by France.  This statue sits in front of the French open market. 

We are off to do some sightseeing in Beaumont!!

Have an awesome day,
Jim and Debbie

Wednesday April 6, 2016

Good Morning,

Jim and I had a full day yesterday. We put in well over our goal of 10,000 steps a day!!  We bought tickets for an on and off bus.  That let us tour the French Quarter with a history lesson by the tour guide and allowed us to get off at the sites we wanted to see.   We saw the Super Dome, Lafayette Cemetery which is the oldest cemetery in New Orleans, the Garden District with some of the oldest homes in New Orleans, Jackson Square and the French Market.   We also saw were the floats are made not only for Mardi Gra World were all the floats are made not only for Mardi Gra but for Disney and other country festivals.   We also so the oldest electrical power building still standing in New Orleans.  This building has been used in many movies like Terminator and Planet of the Apes.  The tower guide said they use this building so much that they keep trailers for the stars on site. 

Jim and I toured the World War II museum which was a humbling experience as they told stories from actual men who fought in this war.  This country has so many hero's!!  It was hard not to shed a tear when you read the stories and see the pictures and movies of our countries military men and women who have fought not only to protect our soil but other countries as well.  

We also spent a little time on Bourbon Street people watching and listening to some Jazz.   We will be leaving tomorrow for Beaumont, TX.   

Hope everyone has a awesome day,
Jim and Debbie

Tuesday April 5, 2016

Good Morning,

Our last day in DeFuniak Springs was a fishing day.  Jim didn't catch anything but we saw a huge bass making a bedding and Jim held back the urge to cast his rod in the water. 

We met Frank and Bonnie of Orlando, Fl.  Come to find they are retired Bell employees and knew a lot of the same people Jim did (small world).  They too are headed out west and we wish them a safe journey. 

We arrived in New Orleans yesterday.  We are staying in an RV park that is about six blocks from the French Quarter.  We walked down to Bourbon Street and to say the least it is a colorful array of buildings and history.   We plan to do some sight seeing today!!!

Have a great day,
Debbie and Jim

April 3, 2016

Made it to our first destination Twin Lakes Camp Resort in DeFuniak Springs, FL. and it is beautiful.  The owner along with the help of his children (who are home schooled and very well mannered) have done a great job along with the help of retired couples that work at camps all over the United States for a small wage and free spot to stay for the summer or the winter.  Pete who we met last night is from Maine and spends his winters in Florida.  Anyone who loves to fish would love this spot.  They have two lakes with what looks like a man made dam.  We noticed that one lake is higher than the other and water was bubbling up from the lake that was lower than the other.   Jim is going to make use out of one of these lakes today.

They also have 4 cabins, a swimming pool and a real nice rec room with a pool table, big screen TV and a small kitchen.  It is a little chilly this morning 42 degrees but should warm up to 72 degrees by this afternoon.  On to New Orleans tomorrow.  Have a wonderful Sunday!!

Jim and Debbie

July 4, 2014  See pictures


Happy 4th of July.  Last couple of days have been travel days for Jim and I.  There is no easy way to go home they way we were coming.  Overnight travel days are a little tough.  We did spend two nights in Branson, MO.  After spending so much time out west we felt a little claustrophobic in Branson as it was very touristy. 


We are spending the 4th and 5th near Memphis, TN.   Unfortunately I fell yesterday at a rest stop and landed on my knees. They are a little swollen and I am having a little trouble getting around today so we plan to just chill, grill steaks and hopefully see fireworks.   I have attached some pictures of our travels from South Dakota to here.  We have enjoyed our travels, the places we have been, the people we have met, the time we spent with family and friends.  Thank you all for making this such a great adventure for Jim and I.   A huge thank you to our friends that have read our blog and enjoyed our adventure with us.  


Enjoy the long weekend!!!!


Love,
Jim and Debbie