Leaving Rockport, Texas, Hello San Antonio!

I am leaving Rockport on Friday with some regrets.  I got here and was feeling a little sorry for myself and down but I have met some of the nicest people since being here that I really hate to leave but I know I must move on for now.  I have had some really good times and have felt very welcome since being at this park.  Not all RV parks have the personality or good friendly management this park has so I plan to come back here again next Winter, maybe in February and March and do some fishing next time.

My neighbors, Lauren and Debbie and their dog Oscar from Arkansas, that I told you about in my previous posting, live in the "Lil Snoozy" travel trailer next to mine.  We have come to know each other well the past six weeks and I have really enjoyed visiting with them daily and in the evenings around our fire.  They have decided they like my trailer and are going to look for one similar to upgrade to.  They love their trailer but it is a little small for full time living.

My other close neighbors, Fred and Judy (Fred is a very young 79 year old) and their dog Cookie from near Austin, Texas and Larry and Nancy and their big dog Buddy, from Nebraska, have been wonderful as well and we have shared some great talks and happy hours together on the patio and around the campfire.  In addition to my close by rv neighbors, fellow rv'ers from the front section (they like to tell us we live in the low rent district since we are in the back section) come down and visit almost daily.  Dickey and his dog Betsy from Tennessee, Margie and her dog Sweetpee from Georgia, like to come down and we turn all the dogs loose and let them play and run.  It is fun for them and us.

I have met so many nice people here.  Jon and Jolene from Illinois, Randy and Martha from wherever they are at the moment, Gail and Rick from Indiana I think, Wanda and Darryl from Iowa I think, Larry and Terrie from way up in the Panhandle of Texas and the hosts, Pam and C.J.  I never imagined I would meet so many folks in such a short time and feel like I have known them for a long time.  I hope to see most of them back here in the coming winters as many of them have been coming here for years.  So to all my new friends, I wish them safe travels and good health.  Here are some pictures of my new friends in Rockport, Texas.

Loren and Debbie and Oscar

Judy and Fred and Debbie and Loren

Debbie, Dickey, Judy, Nancy, Larry and Loren

Don, Larry, Fred, Judy, Nancy and Margie

When I leave here on Friday I am going to Shiner, Texas where Shiner beer is made.  It is a little town of about 2500 but has a brewery that has been putting out beer for over a hundred years.  I am going to take a tour and I will tell you more about it after the tour.  From Shiner I am going through Lockheart, Texas and overeat some of what is called Texas's best bar-b-q.  I will also tell you about that later.  After that I am heading for Canyon Lake, near where we used to live for a few days before I park for a month at Ft. Sam Houston in San Antonio.

I ordered tickets to go to the San Antonio Rodeo and Stock Show on the day Reba is going to be in concert.  I could not bring myself to pay $175 for center area tickets (center going up!) so I bought balcony tickets for $40.  I will need to remember to take my binoculars!

I have a cardiologist appointment while there and want to make sure all is functioning correctly before I go on my summer adventures.  I have a property sitting job lined up April and May on a large lake in East Texas.  All I do is be there most of the time to prevent crime or call the fire department etc on these folks estate while they are on a cruise.  Free rent so going to do that and I will be close enough to visit or have visits (maybe) from my brother and sisters that live close by.  I will tell more about that later.

I have to head toward Montana after that gig as I have committed to a job at Traveler's Rest Lodge in East Glacier Park, Montana from mid June to the end of September.  I will have free parking and utilities plus wages for 25 hours work per week.  I will make that a separate posting as I am sure there will some good stuff to talk about while there and on the way up there and some amazing pictures....maybe even one of the trophy trout I catch!  I am going to learn a lot there like living around Grizzly bears and wolves.! Should be interesting.

After that, I plan to head back to Portland, Oregon and stay there over the holidays with my children and grandchildren until the end of the year.  Until later, be safe and happy trails.

I  just learned that one of my friends only read the email notice of my blog.  To read the real blog in living color, just click on the name of the blog above the Google symbol on the email. and you will be transferred to the whole blog from start to finish or you can add it to your Google page by clicking on the Google symbol.

Happy New Year

Here it is January 2, 2012, my Mom's birth date.  She would be 105 if she were still with us.  She was here 93 wonderful years so longevity seems to be in our genes.  Living so long was not so wonderful for Mom and I recall her saying she didn't understand why she wasn't called to Heaven as she was very tired of living here on Earth.  I hope I don't have to live that long.  Maybe my days will get better but right now I can't imagine 25 more years without Pati.  That would seem like punishment.  My Mom lived 39 years after losing my Dad  in 1954.

Anyway, on a lighter subject, it is, and has been, raining for a few days here.  Pretty cold too....lower 40's out there.  So, living in a travel trailer has it's disadvantages...like now.  Cabin fever. I did put my canopy out since it is not windy but it is cold so not so nice sitting outside.  At least my patio is dry.  I am typing this as I, and Dexter, look out the side window and wish we could go outside.  I will go outside soon since Dexter does his business outside so not a lot of choices there.  My sister in law, Susan, is probably grinning (although I am not even sure she reads my blog) and thinking I need a cat like her cat Mo who doesn't know how to go potty outside!  Oh well, it forces me to get out and get a little exercise so not so bad.  I will say, if, and I really doubt it will ever happen, I had a cat I would want one just like Mo.  He is really a cool cat.

This is how it looked before the rain!

My pal Dexter keeping me company during cabin fever!

I am going to go outside shortly and cook me a Buba-Burger on my grill.  If you haven't tried Buba-Burgers you should treat yourself sometime.  Pretty darn good.  Add some Bushes Bourbon Baked Beans and not a bad meal.  Last night we had an after New Year's gathering at the rec center here at the RV Park.  It was pretty nice and I met a few people I had not met previously and had munchies and some champagne so overall not a bad evening.

My neighbors who live in the little trailer I showed you last posting are having some difficulty with condensation in their trailer.  They were drying it out today with the windows open and the heater on high so I invited them to sit with me and Dexter for awhile in our trailer.  They are quiet impressed with our trailer and said they may consider getting one to replace the small one they have. I have been giving them some pointers I have learned along the way so hope it helps them make a good decision.

I changed my mind about staying here in Rockport (too boring) so I went to the RV park I had reserved a spot with for February and got my deposit back today.  I plan to go to San Antonio and see if they have some space on the military bases for me.  If so, I will stay two weeks at Brook Army Base and another two weeks at Lackland AFB.  Both have real nice rv parks but they can fill up fast in the Winter.  This will give me a chance to get a doctor's appointment and get a check up while I am in the area.  I have been havingsome weird Vertigo spells lately so need to see what is going on.  After that I plan  to go to Canyon Lake, just north of San Antonio, and stay awhile at a real nice Corp of Engineers RV Park called Potter's Creek and look at lots.  I will get a chance to visit some nice friends Pati and I made while we lived in San Antonio so I am looking forward to that.  I hope to get the chance to have a visit with my nephew, Clifford Ray, while I am there.  I have only met him once a few years back but he is our family and I hope to spend some time with him.

I really don't see much to tell you about around here so my next post will probably be after I get to San Antonio.  That is a neat city with lots to see and do so I will keep you posted from there.  Until then...happy trails.