Wednesday march 7,2012

Hi,
 Just a note to let you all know, we have had a good winter trip and are almost home.  We are in Hershey, PA and expect to make the final leg home tomorrow.  Our trip is nothing like we had planned. We had planned to stay in port A until March 27th but as you have read we left on feb 27th. Due to weather, Linda and I deciding that we were not ready to settle down in one place, and us being concerned about Linda's dad we left early. We tried to take our time on the return journey but as most of you know, when your headed home, it seems that you just want to get there.  we have had alot of fun, met a lot of great people, made some new great lifetime friends, seen the signs of tornados(once is enough), stayed in our first state park, connected with friends and family, and spent time enjoying just us.  We want to thank Brian and Suzy for watching the house and watering plants, Jeff and Katrina for keeping the homestead cleared of snow and watching over it, all our friends that have stayed in touch , our new, and old, road friends for such fun. Jess for being ready to make us well when we return. you all have made this trip possible, fun, and kept us smiling all the way.   Tom and Deb, thank you for keeping us informed about your dad and making it easier for Linda to not worry as much.  In closing, Linda and I have so very much to be thankful for it's hard to explain it.  I trust that you all know just how much we love you all and want to see you as soon as we can. 
PS; be thinking of what we should plan to see next year. I need all the help I can get to find all the neat things in this massive country of ours.  Hugs and Smiles, Russ(the pilot) Linda( the phone talker) GPS for getting us there and back.    rember: life and all it's pleasures are made possible by making the right choices along the way. hope yours are paying off in the best way.

March 5, on the way home

Hi-
Its Linda and we are now in Milton, WV.  We left Nashville this morning, heading to Hershey, PA, but had to spend one night on the road.  It was a longer day than we usually spend travelling.  Thought we had found a place to stay in this area, while looking yesterday, but they didn't answer the phone today, so spent quite a bit of time doing that today.  I am just so amazed with technology.  I have had my phone for almost two years, and never realized, or if I did, used it as a 'smart phone' which I guess it is.  I was able to google the weather, maps, campgrounds, all sorts of things.  I was exhausted!!  Russ only had to drive-I had to do all the work!!  We were able to find a KOA park to spend the night in and tomorrow we head to Hershey, PA; our last destination prior to getting home.  Fortunately that's only about 300 miles, and we get to see Tim, Jaime, Gavin and Peyton, our PA family.  Always love to spend time in Hershey.  But I want to mention what we did in Nashville, if only so I will remember.....
We made it into Nashville on Saturday, after weathering the chance of tornadoes in Alabama.  We were fortunate and are so grateful for that.  There are alot of people who weren't so lucky; many of the areas had been hit just last year and are still recovering. 
So onto Nashville.  We decided to stay at a park which is close to the Grand Old Opry-just about a mile from there.  But that's not where we saw it.  The show on Saturday night was at the Ryman, in downtown Nashville.  We went into town around 3-4 and just started wandering around.  There's about two blocks where all the 'action' seems to be.  All sorts of bars/saloons/restaurants with live music playing.  We wandered for a while and went into one place.  Music was soooooo loud, but good. (note from mr traveler, some old gray haired guy in one place leaned over to me and said that I was too old for bar hopping and that he had them turn up the volume so I could hear it)  Glad I didn't spend my younger years in a town like that.  And it seems that the groups play for several hours and play for tips, and the tip jar is passed around by a loyal friend of the band.  Had a drink and an appetizer-can you believe they didn't have WINE!!!! and left.  Wandered some more, went into a few more 'establishments'; Russ was still hungry, so stopped for a hamburg, but were able to listen to some decent music.  Its great that you can just go in for a while, put some money in the tip jar, and not even bother to eat or have a drink. 
It was finally time to go to the Ryman.  Some of the folks appearing were ones we saw last year:  Little Jimmy Dickens (91); Jeannie Sieley (or something like that); and the Rocky Top players/singers-I don't need to see them again.  Just in case you were not aware of this, the Opry is a live radio show and has intermissions and host for each half hour segment.  One host was Mel Tillis (anyone remember him); he's the one who stutters and he still does.  He's tall-didn't know that he was so tall, but remember that I really liked him on whatever it was that I saw him on.  The last group was EXILE, which sounded familiar to me, but certainly didn't sound Country.  The last song they sang and the last song of the night was: I'm going to kiss you all over!  I looked at Russ and said, 'this isn't country!' but boy did it rock the house.  It was great fun, again for us.  I'm not sure if I would want this to be my 'destination' vacation, but I'm glad that we are able to stop since we are 'in the neighborhood'. 
On Sunday we travelled to Carthage, TN.  We spent the afternoon with Killian Adams, his mother Kelly, and grandmother, Miss Dorothy.  Killian is the nephew of our good friend Glenn Adams, and was Glenn's best man at his wedding to Jaimie this past summer.  They  spent a day with us up at camp the week before they were married.  We had a great day then, and told Killian that we wanted to stop to see him while travelling this winter.  Carthage is less than an hour from where we were staying in Nashville, so we took advantage of that.  It was a really good afternoon.  Killian is an enjoyable teenager, and he and his grandmother took us on a tour of the area.  It was really fun-and then we had dinner back at their home with them.  Russ spent some 'guy' time out with Killian and four wheeler and mini bike, while I thoroughly enjoyed chatting with his Mom and Grandmom.  Killian, we are looking forward to seeing you this summer and having more fun with you up at camp!!!  More tubing...maybe some water skiing and just enjoying your company.  RUSS writting now, Maybe Glenn will even let us hang out during the days he has to work. I hope so, as I need your design and build help on a flexable bike. I just read that Mrs. Navigator has noted her hard work. I did offer to let her drive while I played on the phone, GPS, and maps, but she said no thank you in a very pleasent tone.  When it started spitting snow, I got a little concerned as we were still in the " HILLY" part of the trip. Roads stayed dry and it wasn't a bad drive. Looking forward to getting home, but sad to have the heat on and see that the outside temp is dropping and now at 35 and expected to get down to 22 before morning.   I am now going to try and insert a few pictures. wish me well.  The Driver.



McComb, MS  at our first stay at a state park (sunset)

 Clouds before Tornado alerts (Cottondale, AL)

From the back this guy looked just like our friend Charlie Angers

 Mrs Traveller at a  scenic overlook in Difficult,TN near Carthage

 Mom Kelly with Killian

 Mr and Mrs Galavanter with Killian (don't you just love Russ's spelling)

 Grandmom Dorothy and K.

We are still here

Hi gang-
Just to let you know, we are alive and well and sitting in Cottondale, AL.  After listening to the weather last night, we decided we would just sit here for another day.  The weather has been pretty great here today, but there have been some extremely dark clouds passing through every so often.  Since we were going to be here for an extra day, we did laundry-just in case.  That took up the morning and we both got some reading done.  That worked up an appetite, so we went to lunch at Ruby Tuesday's.  Thank you to whomever gave us a gift card for that restaurant.  The manager came over to look out the window we were sitting near.  He told us about having the Ravens team sitting in that area when the last tornado hit.  Course, neither Russ nor I were sure what he said (didn't pick up on the Ravens-not a team we are familiar with), but he had the football team in the downstairs cooler to protect them from the storm-or so his story goes.  He offered us his cooler if we thought we might need it.  Hopefully we won't. 
After lunch, we sat outside in the sun for a while, until it rained; then came in for a while, until the sun came out again and then went back outside.  Doesn't seem to be much in the area-oh we didn't find a Paul Bryant housing development.  Russ recognized the name as the Alabama football coach.  I didn't-would have had it said Bear Bryant.  Tomorrow we will be heading to Nashville, about 5 hours away.  Hope our campground is there-and hope everyone is safe there.
So, we are safe and continue on with our homeward bound travels.  Get rid of the snow you are getting in NH/Me.  Talk to you all soon.  Love-linda

Hi. Trying something different. I was supposed to blog last nite but we were watching an interesting show on the tsunami in Japan so I didn't
We stayed at a state park in Mississippi. Very quiet park with very little television reception. That's why we watched the Japan story. Well today we are headed to Cottondale, AL and then tomorrow we will be in Nashvile. We have the radio on (which is unusual) to try to get info on the weather. There have been tornadoes in the state so we would like to stay out of their way. Never heard anything on the radio and after chasing stations and finily realizing that I was listening to Church radio and even liking the new christian music (not hyms) I gave up on the forcast(local that is not for the hereafter that I was hearing). 
Thursday-
We made it to Cottondale, AL. and got setup in a highwayside RV park. Bad internet reception, but good cable and tv. The weather is predicted to be severe so we are comptemplationg staying here thru Friday.
Friday AM-
the weather was great here yesterday afternoon and all nite. The weather channel and all other weather info is saying severe weather and possible tornados. The worst is predicted for Nashville and north so we have decided to stay here another nite and head to nashville Saturday morning. We called the Nashville rv park and they agreed that it might be wise. It is overcast now but the rain and winds are expected for this afternoon and evening. I am a little concerned and not being used to weather like this doesn't help. We hope it's just being overly cautious but I feel better staying on the lower end of the alert area and not driving into what is predicted to be the "storm center".  We actually made coffee and are going to do laundry and check out the area this morning.  I NEED to turn off the Weather Channel and do something.  

Tuesday Feb 28,2012

Hi
we left Port A as expected on monday morning and drove north along the coast . Made it thru Houston without issue. A real feat if you ask most seasoned travellers. Midday worked for us. Linda with GPS and maps in hand were all I needed, I didn't even have to sqwark at all.  We ended up stopping at a nice rv park just outside Beaumont, TX. We could have gone further but didn't know where we wanted to go. we got setup about 2pm and spent the rest of the day and evening deciding what we wanted to see and do. At first it was BatonRouge, then it was Houma(down on the coast below NOLA) and then it was Nashville. Not alot open at this time of year at any of the places. I guess if we liked to gamble we could stay occupied, but it isn't for us. Today we travelled into the HOTSPOT of Beaumont to find some Cajun food and maybe find a place that would have music tonite. Most of the places are only open on Friday and Saturday nites. we did have a lunch at a Cajun place, it was good, but not jumpin like I had hoped for. We walked thru the Beaumont Firemen Museum and took a picture of me acting like a dog on the country's largest fire hydrant out in front of the place. No one was around there either. We went and saw the little staged village of Spindletop, just a few old shacks to show folks how the first oil rigs were set up. Spindletop was the name of the area where oil was first really drilled and produced in the nation. Note- Pennsylvania was actually the first, but not a BOOM town) . we looked around for other places to see and I had actually asked a number of folks on the street, in the restaurant, and museum but noone had any suggestions. Think of this in your hometown.  What would you suggest to an outsider who had time to kill. I know what mine would be and we did that here, we went to Walmart and walked around. bought a couple of things we needed and a couple of things for something to carry. 1800 miles from home and we go to Walmart! well it works well as it is an easy place to get cash. No! Charlie, Steve, Glenn and all you other "friends" we have to pay for it with a credit card. I know how you all think.  Came back to the park and I sat outside and chatted with a guy from So Dakota for a while and then FaceBooked, checked mail and now I'm keeping myself occupied telling you all this.  We have decided to head towards Nashville for our Grand Olde Opry night on Saturday.  It is being held this time in the old Ryman auditoruim, where as last year it was in the new opryland.  Mel Tillis is one of the performers. We had tried to get tickets for when Charlie Daniels would be there but it was sold out.  We are taking a kind of roundabout path to get there but want to see a different route.  Not much else to tell Y'all but Texas has been fun and now we will see about Louisiana for a day or so.  Keep breathing hard so all the snow will melt before we get home. You snowbirds in Fl, send some heat and sun to the north to keep it clear sailing along our way towards NH. if anyone has suggestions for us to see or do along the way please let us know.  Russ
Hi y'all.  Its Linda.  Just wanted to add something.  If you remember last year's blog, we spoke alot about the trains and all the campgrounds we stayed at seemed to be bordered by train tracks.  Well, just now, we had heard a train, and it passed just on the other side of the park fence.  Did some tooting along the way.  Made us feel at home. 
See you all soon.......linda

Sunday Feb 26,2012

It is with sad feelings I write my last post from Port Aransas, TX and the Pioneer Beach Resort.  We have notified the post office to the return change of address and all that stuff. They make it pretty easy but timing is everything.
 I have heartfelt feelings about leaving here. It is sort of like leaving a good friend behind. We have made some good friends, enjoyed the activities and seen quite a few attractions in this area, and when it comes down to it, there is lots more to see. I can say this because when I got up this morning the sun was coming up and the way the rays were coming above the horizon it looked like a star.  if it had been this way more often we might even be staying longer. Our neighbors are a great group of folks from around the country and have accepted us into their family of multiple year returnees. I still have some times that I feel like a real newbie, and they are just dealing with us. sort of like a little sibling feeling. I had really hoped that we could pull off a "happy hour" and treat these folks to some camp koolaid, and other northern specialitys, but weather has not ben condusive to sitting outside in the evenings.  of course it will be great today and make it even harder to leave, but we have made our decision and will leave tomorrow. we have really no idea where we are going first, except it will be north of Houston. The weather will be our controling factor, along with any places that we find to be worth checking out. For those unfortunate friends that have not experanced the "wandering life" of travelling throughout the great USA, you can't amaging just how much there is to see. Travelling down the road, at every exit,crossroad,side street,and intersection, we wonder just what might be down that way that would be wonderful to see and visit. There is really no way to know unless some one has told you about a specific place or thing to see. We don't plan our travels to any certian route as we want that free feeling, but unless you plan specificly to see noted attractions and follow from one to another you may miss some things but as it works for us you get to see many unexpected wonders. I am rambleing but want those(Allane,Steve,Charlie,Mary plus others) that may be comtemplating roaming around the country to understand that it is HUGE and there is no one place to find  everything to see written down. Start looking for things you might like to see or do and then let the road take you to them by a round about way. (note-travelling around bad weather can increase your planned milage)  Well, I hope you can understand my frame of mind and you all know me well enough to understand that my family and friends are everything to me and leaving them is very difficult to do. so I say this with a quiver in my voice "goodbye Port Aransas, hope to see you again very soon.   your freind, Russ

Saturday in Port Aransas

Hi-
We again woke up to rain on our tin roof.  That was a bit discouraging since it is our last Saturday here on the island.  But, we were doing laundry this morning, and no one else was in the laundry room.  Nice surprise.  Got all our laundry done, while having breakfast in the Rec Center with folks we have met from Nebraska, Dennis & Diane.  They are also leaving on Monday, so we exchanged important info such as last names, email addresses, mailing addresses and phone numbers.  This year is also their first year at Pioneer, and they are not planning on coming back here next either, so there's always a possibility that we will be travelling in the same are next year, or the year after, or at sometime.  It will be nice to keep in touch with people we have a possibility of meeting again. 
The rain stopped, so I went for a bike ride in the park and then a walk on the beach.  Not many people on the beach today, as the rain stopped but the temp hasn't gotten much warmer.  I have loved my walks on the beach-just wish now that I had walked more often.  Later this afternoon, Russ and I hit a few of the tourist stores, watched the boats coming up the river, watched some locals fish, and then went for dinner at Virginia's.  Its one of the many restaurants on the island that we haven't been to before.  Its on the water, amongst the many huge private boats here, and we got to see the sunset.  It was pretty. 
The weather has not been as great as we would have liked, but I am sad that we are leaving.  The park is lovely, lots of activities, and right on the beach.  Had the weather been bright and sunny, it would have been ideal.  Right now we feel that we are not quite ready to settle into one place for the winter, but need to do more exploring.  There's still so much to see, and we will continue to see more as we make our way homeward.  We are hoping to stop by Nashville and get to the Grand Ole Opry again.  We'll see which way the wind blows on our way home.
See you all soon-love-linda

mexico/ so pardre Island 2012

we went to Mexico!!!!!

Proof of us being "over the border"

dance hall with Tom and Aggie live band, DJ, live calf roping, Texas Buffett , heating system made out of 55 gal drums welded together.

Remember this beer keg next time you start drinking draft beer. In case you can't tell, it's a urinal. no, that is not a light bulb, it's the white pvc flush fitting.

yesterday we came south to Indian Lake, near South Padre Island, TX to visit with our friends Tom and Aggie. We decided that we should go to Mexico and knowing that T and A had been there and felt safe to go again. we parked on the US side and walked across the bridge into Progresso, Mexico. The Mexicans don't even ask questions upon entering, I guess they like our $'s to much  to bother. We walked the streets that are full of street vendors, shops of all kinds of everything. lots of pharmacys and dentists, and everything is very inexpensive. We ate great food at a place called the Arizona, and the Marguretias were excellent too.  I think I need to go back there with a tractor trailor and load up with all the neat stuff.

today we did some shopping in S.P I. area and  then went to a great resturaunt saloon, bar, dance hall. it is huge with all kind of neat stuff. lots of music, food, dancing calf roping, and intertainment, along with very tasty $2 Magrueritas.  We are sorry to have to leave here in the AM, but need to get back to our RV and do our last Mustang Island/ Port Aransas touring before we head in a slow treck homeward. 

Pioneer park/Port A Mardi Gras 2012

Wow!!! today was the best day we have had. The sun was out bright all day, just a slight breeze, and warm!!!  We went uptown so Linda could have her nails done, and I found a place to get my hair cut. I also go a new electrical outlet for the RV. It was luch time so we went to Cancun mexican restaurant. good food and hot salsa. came back home and Linda went right to the beach while I changed the outlet. I went down and sat with her for a couple of hours. We both now have some color. I actually walked into the water up to my knees and it wasn't bad, not hot remind you but warmer that York Beach at home ever has gotten. last nite there was a Mardi Gras parade here in the park and today there was the Port Aransas parade. Both were a blast!! lots of golf carts all decked out and folks dressed up. all the no partisipants in the park just sit out by our park roads and they drive by and throw beads and candy. You should see some of the outfits.  this afternoon we drove into town and parked and set up our chairs along the parade route. I'm glad we went early as it soon got really crouded and busy. We had a great spot as it was near the bigining of the route so we got lots of beads. I did have to show some leg to get a couple of the ladys to give me beads.

Sunday feb 19,2012

Hi,

 Just to keep everyone up to date, we wanted to let you know that we are moving. This week we are taking the truck and going down to see Tom and Aggie for a couple of days, then come back here for a few days and then heading north. Not in any rush but due to the difficult weather we have deturmined that we are not getting enough sun time. As I sit out at the picnic table and write this, it is a beautiful day. The sun is out and the wind is only blowing 5-10 MPH. the extended forcast here isn't very good so reluctantly we will move on. We have met some wonderful folks and we hate to leave them, but our sanity will be in question if we have to stay cooped up any longer. I don't feel so bad as another couple that we have spent time with are moving along for the same reason. I guess I will be sorry not to see "spring break" with all the foolishness that goes with it, but I am sure our friends at home will assist in our own spring break when it hits new england.  I am going to try and attach some pictures of some of the things in the area. If this internet stays up long enough to finish it.  I do hope like I am not whining to much as i know it's warmer here than in Barrington.   we will keep you posted as to our travels and where we are headed next.  your friendly folks from "on the road" 

Thursday feb 16, 2012

good Morning,
 Life here in Texas continues, we have been hanging around the Rv staying out of the wind and rain. I 'm joking, yesterday our friends , Tom and Aggie King. from PA that are also "winter Texans" came north from South Padre Island area for a visit. they called and said they were close but their GPS couldn't find our address and they were close but wanted to know if they should go on the ferry. I was sure that the GPS would have brought them north on RT 361 that I said not to take the ferrry ride and that they must have gone right by us and to turn around and head the other way about 3 miles. They  started calling out roadside places so I could explain where to go but none of them sounded familiar, not that I know hardly any places that well yet. As they went a little further I did realize they were going away from us and we finely figured that they had come the shoreside route around Corpus Christi vice the island side. well they got turned around and returned and took the ferry and got here shortly after that.  we had chatted at the rv and then went up town , found them a hotel just up the street from us and then drove around seeing the few sites in our area.  we stopped a "Fins" a local resturant that Linda had been wanting to try and as it was nice and warm we sat out on the deck overlooking the marina. we wre all surprized when Linda had a hamburger and even more astounded when I had chicken. I always have beef, but they advertized that they used the same type batter on the chicken as they use on their well loved fish, so I wanted to try it. I would never order fish and figured it was a good chance to check it out. It was good, but who ever heard of using a cornflake type batter on fish. The burgers were huge!   after eating and chatting we started out for more island viewing and decided to take the ferry ride , it is a blast and only takes about 5 minutes to get across. once across and into Aransas Pass, we stopped at the "big" grocery store H.E.B. (they have clean restrooms). killing two birds at once we picked up some supplys and headed home. we came back home and just sat and taked until after 8pm.  what fun it is to have them here!! this morning we are going out for breakfast. Tom loves beans and mexican and I think Aggie would rather have good old fashion breakfast so I think we will go to Taqueria San Juan as they have both. we haven;t been there yet but hear that it's pretty good. them maybe we'll take the truck and go for a beach ride along the sand and see the hearty soles that live along the way. I think it's neat but something about living on sand with the wind blowing and waves crashingg that I feel would get old quickly. heck, we here the ocean waves crashing from our place and we have huge dunes between us and the water and it's still loud.  OH, I almost forgot, as we were checking out the jetty park yesterday we saw our first Maine plate. tom was driving so we followed the pickup around the huge beach parking lot until they slowed down enough so we could pull along side a say hi. they are form some town up by Bridgton,me and are staying "on the beach" not real talkative but it was nice to know someone else from New England likes it here.
Tuesday evening Linda and I went to the Valentine dinner dance in the park, great food, great band good people. we met more folks and had fun. we sat with our neighbors and found out that they are both very good dancers. everyone here dances and does the Texas two step and I mean they dance. I usually love to dance, but I felt kind of intimidated as they whirled, waltzed, two stepped, and linedanced to very song. Dennis, our neighbor asked Linda to dance so he could teach her the T.T.S (2 step) and he made her look really good on the floor. She won't admit it but I know she won't remember how to do it again. We are talking about having a "neighborhood" street dance so we can all learn from each other. if it happens  I hope to get pictures.  well, I need to get ready for the day, but wanted everyone to know we are wll and really enjoying our visit with Tom and Aggie!!  love ya all, stay warm, healthy and happy, Russ

we love texas but where is the HEAT

	Today	Tonight	Tomorrow
Cloudy / Windy	Few Showers / Wind	Rain	AM Showers
48°F	54°	53°	69°
Feels Like: 41° Get FREE weather on your desktop	High	Low	High
Past 24-hr: Precip: 0 in Snow: 0 in	Chance of Rain: 30%	Chance of Rain: 70%	Chance of Rain: 70%
Wind: From NNE at 22mph gusting to 29mph	Wind: ENE at 22 mph	Wind: SE at 17 mph	Wind: SW at 13 mph
Through 2pm: Rain, becoming more intermittent around noon. Cloudy and windy. Temperatures reaching the mid 50s. Winds ENE at 15 to 20 mph. Chance of rain 90%.	Windy with a few showers possible. High 54F. Winds ENE at 20 to 30 mph. Chance of rain 30%.	Rain showers early will evolve into a more steady rain overnight. Low 53F. Winds SE at 15 to 25 mph. Chance of rain 70%.	Showers in the morning, then partly cloudy in the afternoon. High 69F. Winds SW at 10 to 20 mph. Chance of rain 70%.

Saturday Feb 12, 2012

I'm backkkk. Sorry for the delay in writting, I have absolutly no excuse other than I am retired.  We have been keeping a low profile as the weather has been cold, overcast and windy. We have been visiting folks ,we met in NOLA, that have come to our park  and have loved spending time with them all. Linda and I have been invited to go to British Columbia during the summer and have actually looked on the map and seeings as it's only 3333miles it might just come to fruishion(how do you spell those big words).  we have been to an open mike nite, been out to dinner, ate at friends rv, ate dinner here at the rec center, ate breakfast at the rec center, ate at our rv, and keep eating. now Linda needs to exersize, and I can just keep eating. retirement at it's best..  the sun finely came out for about an hour last evening and is out today but it's only 56 and the wind is cold. I know you northeners have no simpathy for us and i do understand that. OH, so you will be sad that your not here to join me today, I am going to the belt sander races this afternoon!!! it should be a hoot.  Tom and Aggie, our friends from PA that winter further south from here are coming up for a visit next week and we are excited to see them. we had so much fun with them last year. i hope we can show them a good time here in Port A. at least they will eat well.   well I need to sign off and go outside and hold Linda down in her chair before she blows away. I wish I had a wind speed indicator as I know if I put out our awning this craft wood sail like a kite.  OH, for your info, the Hovacraft we build this fall had it's seatrials and had a couple of issues. on the first day it sheared the key in the thrust moter. that repaired the second trial commenced and it went well for a bit and then something happened and the thrust moter shaft broke and the prop hit the duct, broke the ends off the prop, and did some damage to the duct. Brian(the owner) sent me pictures and we still don't know what happened first. the prop hit, the shaft broke or what but repairs are needed. The good thing is that it floated, went over land, water, and ice so we know that styrofoam and wood floats and the "skirt" held in the air.  If anyone in a metalergist and wants to view the shaft parts to see if they can tell what caused the breakage, let me know.   send notes and emails, as if the weather doesn't break soon, I will have to start reading maps.  love and miss you all. your friendly winter Texan, Russ

Saturday Feb 4 2012

hi,
 First!! We went to Rockport today and stopped and ate at Steve Lews BBQ, and it was the best we have ever had!!! the brisket , sausage, pulled pork were all melt in your mouth and not drenched with sauce. Amazing!! I was so impressed that I checked to see if I could ship some to our friends and family but they aren't set up tp do it yet. It's run by a family, the dad takes the order, the son ( maybe 15yr old) slices the meat and pulls the pork, one daughter gets the sides , another runs the register and the mom clears tables and talks to the customers.  young kids and a real great place.

 we had written a couple of long blogs but they crashed when posting and we got fed up and to be honest nothing really exciting has happened for a few days. Yesterday Linda and I sat on the beach for a few hours. I had a ball as they had big graders and a few loaders scraping and moving sand.  The grader would just move sand back and forth across the beach for 1/2 mile or so and then head back, I guess he was actually flattening the beach but I have no idea why. You can drive on the sand but it's quite hard anyway. Well, i had fun watching.
In case it didn't make the last blog, folks we met in New Orleans showed up earlier this week and we have spent time with them. Today on our way home we got call from other folks we met and befriended in NOLA.  They were close to us and didn't like the park they had picked so wanted to know where we were and ended up coming here. They walked over and we chatted for quite a while. They may come back this evening but will be back in the AM so we can play and visit. This is a blast! Mom, they are the ones from near Dawson.
One thing keeps getting proven to me and that is it is a small world. When we were at a quilt shop this morning we found out that the woman waiting on us was from Bristol, ME. This happens quite often and it's fun to find out what got the folks to move away from Maine and it varies all over the place.
Now that I have dumped everything in my mind, I'll slide the contraption over to my Valentine so she can write the important stuff. 
Not much to add-our days have been busy, but doing what, just the normal stuff.  Plus we have been biking, and riding around our new home, and visiting with our new neighbors.
Hope all is well you everyone.  Chat with you again soon.  Love-linda & Russ

Tuesday jan 31, 2012

Good evening,

We had another good day. Linda went up to exercise this AM and I did something, can't remember what , but I did it. When she got back we decided to go off the island and into Aransas Pass. We stopped at the quilt shop here in town to thank the lady there that was so nice last year that helped us decide to come back to Port A. We took the ferry across and went to Walmart. We got some things we thought we needed and I got some RV wash and wax stuff, as I am to frugal to pay for someone else to detail the RV. We have wanted to stop at Sonic to eat but with the the camper attached we could never get into their lots, so today with just the truck we could. It was good and quite funny when a bird almost came in through Linda's window while we ate. The birds hang around like they do at Mc Donald's and one landed on Linda's mirror and as the window was open, Linda jumped and squawked and the bird flew off. We came back across and stopped at the visitors center and picked up some more info and discount coupons. Made a couple more stops before coming back to the park. The neighbor ladys were out so Linda went visiting while I started washing the RV. What a pain! I now almost wish I wasn't so frugal(cheep is the real word). I got the front and one side done. I had a great phone call with Steve P. . He's my old boss and a good friend. We talked for quite a while and as normal, I feel kind of guilty talking about the great weather and all the fun we are having, while some folks have to stay up North and deal with the snow and cold. I really do feel bad that you all can't be here with us, and do hope that at some point you can travel as you may wish. I will try and attach some pictures that we took today and a couple of our RV and the neighbors I took tonite. Spoke with Mom and Dad today and am glad to know they are getting over their colds. The guy across the street just told me he caught a 35LB red drum fish today along with a lot of other large fish. I guess I am going to have to get my gear out and try my hand at it too. I won't have a clue as to what kind looks like what and won't know what to do with any if caught, but if they are biting, it sounds like fun.

The Ferry

 A tug boat named after our granddaughter

 yes were are here

our neighbors after dark

another neighbor

one more

Iwe have put out a couple of solar lites but the picture didn't come out. I'll try again.

Sunday Jan 29 2012

Well, here is Linda in the Gulf Of Mexico the day we arrived. She says it was warm but I haven't tried it yet.  Today we walked two miles of beach and as if we didn't get enough, my lovely wife wanted to ride the bikes. I told her to have a ball and off she rode around the park.  It looks like a couple of months of exersize if you ask me.  We drove the couple of miles to town and checked out the local hardware store, and I love it!  We went to eat at the Wildhorse Saloon, a little dark shaby bar, but it had the best burgers and fries!!  Brian S. you would love it!!! We are going up to the rec hall later for the Ice Cream social, and I am quite pleased about this venture!! The neighbors have us all signed up for the pot luck supper for tomorrow nite so we are figuring out what to bring. if I could get some "Snows" clam chowder I could make lots of frineds, but we are thinking of Zitti Lasagna but still not sure. I would love tomake something from the "north".  maybe snow cones  haha.   The other neighbors have planned a outting to the local pizza buffet for Wednesday nite and quite a few folks are coming so we can all meet and I guess they may want to watch how the folks from away eat pizza. They are all pumped up about it, as the place has chocolate pizza and they all love it.  I plan on grazing thru the whole deal.  The lady across the street came and got me this morning and took me across to her house and introduced me to her husband and a few of his friends and it was just like hanging out with my normal friends, joking about who had the most junk and who could get the best deal on a golf cart. Alot of folks have these "hi ride" golf carts. the have lift kits, super shocks and mud buggy tires for riding on the beach. some are very tricked out and appear to be quite expensive. you can't have "rented" carts in the park but you can lease them by the month, but have to return them by spring break time. I think that may be about the time we leave here. To listen to all the guys, it is quite the sight here with over 60,000 kids all over the beach.  The guys across the way(older than me) get all excited and brag about whos going to get "lucky" this year. You can amagine these old farts having a ball about all the excitement.  We've only been here a couple of day but seem to be fitting in pretty good. linda has all the names down and I just say Hi and introduce myself again, as I know most guys don't remember my name any more than I do theirs.  Linda and I sat out behind the rv , out of the wind but it was still a little cool so came in to clean. ya right! i have already washed the truck, Armoralled the tires. I think the truck will get more attention here than it does at home. that is untill I figure out the fishing tricks. They are all catching Whiteing, red drum, and other fish that I have never heard of, and they say it's one right after the other. I plan on observing the fellow a couple of spots down as he is from PA and all he does is hunt at home and fish here.  Rick C. a man after your own heart, and I will learn from him as I have from you.  As I wrote yesterday Linder, is what everyone hears me say when I introduce Linda to them, most are polite enough to figure out that I do know her name but just can't pronounce it like the rest of the world. I am from Maine and that doesn't seem to change. nor would I want it to!!  My next adventure is to find a banjo player and get some instructions so I can play something.  Well I have

Monday JAN 30,2012

Well, we just got home from Happy Hour. We started by going across the street and visiting at the neighbors and a lot of other folks from right in the area. We then went up to the Pot Luck supper at the rec  hall. Linda and I had made a big Zitti Lasagna that went over pretty good.  We rode up with our next door neighbors  and got introduce to the whole croud as Russ and Linda from new hampshire and met some nice folks.  The folks we went with were staying for bingo so we walked  back and went across the street again. It was so much fun.   The folks there took a golf cart and went and got the “bingo” couple. We took the left over lasagna  and it was pretty much all eaten. They had music and some were dancing and we all had a ball. Linda has made fast friend with the ladys and the guys too. They all are so accepting and most have been coming here for a number of years.  The rain finely kind of washed things out and we old folks all broke up by 8pm.  There are now three Lindas in the group so it’s kind of interesting to watch when someone calls out for Linda. I am trying to get everyones names down , and some are pretty easy but some just won’t stick.   Earlier today we went into town.   Back to the hardware store, the IGA and just finding our way around.  Not a lot there but everyone is really pleasant and chat’s up a storm.  The wind was quite calm so we could sit outside for awhile.  I patched a small hole on the roof that my earlier  putty didn’t stick, glad I got it done as it’s rained quite hard, off and on all evening. Not a lot to tell but we are excited to meet a lot of great people that want to show us everything and better yet want us involved with them.   I know all our friends would fit right in and wish you all could be here to meet them too.   (Linda now)  These folks are just like everyone we spend time with at home.  They enjoy having fun and have more time to have that fun-no work.   I am thinking that Russ must be the youngest one here, but then age doesn’t seem to make any difference here.  It might in the morning, when people are creaking as they get up, but we are having fun.  Tomoroow I go for aerobics at 8:00 and then who knows what  else after that.  We feel right now that we have found a home for the winter.  Who knew it would be in Texas
betsy our neighbor took alot of pictures and I hope to get some to post here

Saturday Jan 28

hi,
 We are here!! We got to Port Aransas yesterday afternoon, after a long drive. It felt long but not that far mileagewise but long because of very strong head winds and a little "Garmin" GPS issue when we got close. The much antisipated ferry ride across the channel was so easy that I wondered why I had been concerned. We got setup and had and early nite. This morning we went up to the REC hall and had a great breakfast and chatted with some of the "locals" as we have started calling the park regulars. We walked around the park and met some more folks and then Linda went for a long walk on the beach and I met John our next door neighbor. He's quite the character and has taken me under his wing to learn the park and introducing me to everyone. as he says he has a little dememtia so may repeat stuff. he  doesn't lie. I met the builder of all the steps, fences, stairs etc , he's been coming here for 9 years. I should explain that I feel pretty young around here, as I met "stairbuilder"(I can't remember his name) when he came from next door to see if I had a bandaid as he had just drilled a small hole into his finger and that because he's on Cumidum he bleeds very easy. Well, I got him aided up and then chatted and held things while he finished building steps  I had a ton more written and the internet crashed so from now on I'm going to write in windows and then copy and paste into this online contraption.  we met lots of folks and are having a blast. your friendly folks from away.  Russ and Linder( the Conners will understand)
Russ is a bit frustrated as he had written more and seems to have lost it.  We have also met Betsy (John's wife); and our neighbors to the left who have a dog and she loves yellow, and their names are Mary and Larry; and the folks next to them who are from PA, who's names are Mike and Kathy.  I am trying to jot their names down so that we can remember them all. 
We have been invited to go out with Betsy and John for a pizza buffet on Monday along with any of the neighbors who would like to go.  I think we are going to like this place.  We really haven't met the folks across the street, but there's always tomorrow

Finally here!!!

HI!!!!
We are in Port Aransas.  We have been talking about this place for the past year and we finally, finally, travelled across the route 361 ferry, onto Port Aransas, and into the Pioneer Beach Resort this afternoon.  We can't believe that we are here.  Backed into the spot where we will be spending the next 8 weeks or so, and got the camper ready for time at the beach.  It is beautiful.  We walked to the beach-490 steps to the beach.  490 steps!!!!  There's a boardwalk across the dunes, and then we hit the beach.  Our campsite is so close.  Can you tell how excited I am!  I rolled up my jeans, and went into the water.  It is beautiful.  So WARM!!!  Its warmer than York Beach ever was while we were spending our weeks there for a number of years.  I was so happy.  Last year when we were 'investigating' Port Aransas, I went into the water and it was cold, but today was beautiful.  Tomorrow is breakfast at the club house or rec center or whatever it is called.  We are looking forward to meeting our new neighbors.  Took a walk around the park, after a walk on the beach, and didn't see any NH plates.  Closest I think was Ohio!  Oh, and we have the camper door open right now, to feel the breeze from the beach. 
We'll send pictures soon.  Going to shake the sand our of my toes now.  Love Linda

I think its Thursday!

Hi, its Linda and it is Thursday as I just asked Russ.  Its hard realizing what day of the week it is, even with two calendars in the camper.  We are back on the road after four great days with Joey & Brenda P in Mineola.  Last night we went into Plano, TX, for an evening of listening to Jolie Halliday.  She's a good friend of Joey and Brenda and quite the singer.  It was great fun, I'm beginning to appreciate this western music as long as there is no twang!  We are all hoping that  she makes it big in Nashville!
It was great to be able to spend time with them, but always difficult to leave.  But, we know that we will be back this way next year, and we are hoping that Joey & Brenda will be visiting us either this year or in 2013. 
Today we are in Bryan, TX, home of Texas A&M.  Big campus, and we know as we went to the George H. W. Bush museum and library. It seemed extremely hard to find, but once we found it, it was huge.  No viewing of the library as we are not researchers 'writing the history of the future', so we had to settle for just the museum.  It was interesting.  Lots of things to look at and read, and listen to.  I'm glad we stopped.  Its interesting to see so much that we can actually remember. 
But, we decided that we liked the LBJ ranch last year so much better.  Shouldn't compare them as what we saw last year was not a museum, but an actual working ranch.  It was a good afternoon.
And tomorrow we get to Port Aransas.  It will be nice to get settled into one place for a while.  Then we can straighten out our kitchen cabinets.  Everything has been getting jostled around while travelling on some of these concrete roads.  Russ says its like driving on a washboard, and it certainly is.  And we are looking forward to walking on the beach, and riding our bikes-getting out in the sun.  I'm not sure if I have told Russ that yet or not.  See you in Port Aransas!!

Jan 24 2012 Miniola,TX

Hi,
 we arrived in Miniola on Sunday and have been visiting our good friends Joey and Brenda Paradis. It is so great to see them again. We stayed up late talking and catching up. Joey and I had a ball looking at classmates pictures on Facebook and triing to figure out who was who. posted a couple of comments and got alot of responces very quickly. They had to work for a few hours yesterday so Linda and I went to Tyler,TX and stopped at a couple of quilt shops, Walmart, and then at a Northern Tool store(lots of neat stuff). We were deciding where we might eat when Brenda called and said we could meet them for supper in a little town on they're way home. We got on the highway and drove about 50 miles and we had a nice dinner. It is so strange for us to drive so far for anything. it was like driving to Boston for us, but for Joey and Brenda it's just a skip down the road. They drive over 80 miles to work(one way). You MUST remember that everything in Texas is HUGE, including the state itself. Linda and Brenda drove one car and Joey and I drove the truck and we all had fun chatting. Today they have a funeral to attend so Linda and I will go touristing in the area. Tomorrow nite we are planning to go to Plano to see their friend , and great singer, perform . Should be a blast. I think we are headed south on Thursday but do hate to leave here. They weather is nice and sun shining so we are happy.   Love to all, Russ

jan 21 2012

Hi,
We left NOLA this morning andtravelled to Marthaville,LA ( just south of Shrevesport). We are about 75 miles out of nola and we both wondered why we left. There was so much more we could have done there. We had met some great folks and were having fun, but we continued on. I MUST tell you all that my butt is sore! let me explain,  US 10 and then Rt 49 are they most corupt roads I have seen.  As I told linda, the is nothing along 40 other than BUMPS!!!!!!!!!! This so called road in nothing but concrete washboard!!!! We have do some travelling and have seen :nothingness" before but there is really nothing along this route. I am sure the locals would skin me but I have no idea why anyone would live out there unless they want to be alone. Linda will tell you I am exagerating and I might be pushing it a little but not much.  We did take a little side trip and went to one of the highest rated Boudin meat shops in the country to get some of this fine saugage. the place was quite small but very busy and hopefully it will cook up to be a tasty meal.  We had found this very nice campground online last nite and it is very nice. The lady owner said to pick the spot we wanted, there was abot 50 open sites. The only question is why do they call it "countryside". The is noithiung here BUT county!!!! nothing else, not even a gas station. there is a pile of logs across the road and I have seen abot 4 cars in the last 4 hours. Country is an understatement!!! I hope you all know I am not complaining but trying to be honest and keep you coming back to out blog. Tomorrow we expect to leave here in the morning and get to our friends Joey and Brenda's in a few hours.  We are both looking forward to spending some time with them. This will be the second time in 45 years that I have seen Joey P, last year was the first.  > J.A  we  haven't found the sauce yet, but still looking.    now I must let my most ardent supporter review this for spelling and gramacital errors.  Smiles and Hugs, Russ 
I am not correcting his spelling.  Its just Russ! 
Yes, it was fun in NOLA and I wish we hadn't left.  As Russ said we met some great couples, and left our email address on their windshields.  We apparently get going in the morning early then them.  The are all going to be in Texas and looking for places to visit, and know where we are going, so we are hoping to hook up with them again.  I'm sure we will. 
Tomorrow into Texas, and eventually to Port Aransas.  Hope the weather will be warm.
Talk to you all later-linda

Thursday, January 20, 2012

We have just been too busy to post.  I thought that Russ had this morning and he thought I had.  Just not enough time during the day, so now that we are back to the campground for our last evening here, we can catch up on the past two days.  Yesterday we got the laundry done, always a chore when you have to use the machines here at a campground.  That done, with a couple of things hanging in the camper, we went on a rum distillery tour, that was just round the corner.  How convenient.  We were there a little too early for the next tour, but it was suggested that we could go around the corner for bite to eat at Sammy's.
This is a place that appeared on Guy Fieri's Diners, Drive-ins & Dives.  Good food.  My first cup of what I thought was creole, but may have been gumbo.  Sausage, beef, shrimp and rice in a spicy broth.  Very good, and just enough in the cup.  Russ really went out on a limb and had a Ground Beef Po boy- its just a sub!  Had to be a good place to eat as there were several officers from the Sheriff's department!!
Then we went for the tour.  Just a small place on a dead end road, next to a concrete plant.  Four types of rum from the Old New Orleans rum company.  And we had samples of all four.  Didn't have to buy any this time though, because they do ship to Maine.  We'll order some when we get  back as we have a recipe for rum balls made with vanilla wafers which we will just have to try for our Christmas Gathering. 
Lunch over, and drinks done, we rested up for an evening in the French Quarter.  We really do like the shuttle into town, as we would never have been able to find a parking spot for the truck.  We wandered up the streets and down the avenues for a while until we figured out where Pat OBriens was.  Jeff, you had 4 Hurricanes!!!!!  Well, we ordered one each and they were huge.  Thought it was odd that depending on where you were sitting, courtyard, patio, and dining area, beverages were priced different.  We have our souvenir Hurricane glass, but I wasn't able to finish mine.  Just too much  fruit juice, I think.  Very touristy very loud, and lots of empty glasses on the tables.  It was fun, but I needed a glass of wine and we both needed something to eat.  Fortunately the restaurants all seem to have menus outside and we were able to find some beef for Russ.  The restaurant had seats on their balcony which was great for people watching. Food was good also.  Russ ventured out from his beef and had Jambalaya with chicken and I had Chicken creole.  His meal was spicier than mine-very good.  He also had another Hurricane which I liked better than he one from Pat O'Briens.  Then more wandering and a stop at a bar we had been to the night before for a strawberry daiquiri, and back on the shuttle. 
So today being our last full day in New Orleans were went on a tour of a Creole Plantation.  The creoles had it right. We went to 'Laura' the name of the plantation.  The Creoles have working plantations, made for work, and without the huge ballrooms that the Americans have.  (Our's is the garage!)  And the color of it was yellow with a red roof.  They spent 9 months of the year, from April to December, tending to their sugar cane plantings and then come back into New Orleans for January through March for partying and the Mardi Gras.  Sounds like a great way to live!  Our tour guide was wonderful and it was a great tour.  Another good idea from a neighbor in the park.  Now we are sitting here in shorts at the picnic table writing the blog.
Russ & I have decided that New Orleans is a place that should be added to people's bucket list and we are already planning on coming here again.  So, if anyone is interested, we may just be back here next year at this time.  Anyone interested??????
Headed into Texas tomorrow.   Not sure if we will get to the border yet, but we will be closer.

Old New Orleans Rum Distillery

Entering the camp ground

Me on Bourbon St

Boubon St

Huge beers

The Bar at the campground

Talk to you soon.  Linda

Great Day in New Orleans

We just came back from downtown New Orleans.  I thought that this campground was on the bus line into the city, but instead it has a shuttle.  I may have mentioned that before.  Anyways, we took the early shuttle into the city (at 10:00) and returned on the last shuttle at 8:00.  Went on the Hurricane Katrina/City Tour this morning and the Cocktail Walking tour.  Both were great fun.  But, while on the shuttle bus into the city, and while waiting for the bus tour this morning, we found ourselves chatting with lots of other people.  Of course, 'Where are you from?" is the first question and I have found myself saying we are from Portsmouth.  Well one guy was stationed at Pease and another drove through Portsmouth to go Motorcycle week at the Weirs.  Another couple were from British Columbia who participating in the conversation.  I told the guy who had been stationed at Pease, that he went by my old house when he went out the back gate of Pease!.  Then the conversation went to where everyone had been, and have you been to Alaska.  Several folks had and one couple had had tour guides from Portsmouth.  For anyone who has worked on the Shipyard for a number of years, does the name George Haskell ring a bell?  His wife is Cindy Haskell and I remember them from Portsmouth!  The world is getting so small!  Then the woman from British Columbia told the folks who had been to Alaska that they had all been by her house as she lives at mile marker 50 on the Alaskan Highway-so Russ knew where that was.  It was just such fun to all have a connection of sorts. 
Back to the tour of the City-it was an extremely interesting tour with a native New Orlean.  She had lived through Katrina and was very vocal as to what caused the damage, and we saw alot of it.  Also saw alot of the repairs that had been made.  She talked non-stop for 2.5 hours and gave 5 hours of information.  We even got to walk through one of the cemeteries while on the tour, and had her describe the 're-cycling' process that occurs.  I won't go into detail, but it was extremely interesting. 
     Then we went on the walking cocktail tour.  Another good choice.  It wasn't exactly what we thought it would be, but so much more.  The tour guide was a retired high school English teacher, who actually developed the tour.  I think he must have spent alot of time drinking in a bunch of bars after retirment.  No problem with that!!  Well, we went into four bars while on our walk.  Oh, and in NO you can walk on the streets with a drink as long as it is in a 'to go' cup.  Each of these bars/restaurants have a history and a special drink so we were able to order them.  Fortunately, Russ and I shared.  In one of these restaurants, we were able to go into dining rooms which the public are not generally allowed into.  Our guide, Joe, has written a book with the history on these sites as well as the 'recipes' for these drinks, so of course we had to buy one.  Of course we will be using it once we get home! 
So that's it for now, but should anyone want to spent time in New Orleans, let us know.  We had a great time, but NO would be a great place to share with friends.
Tomorrow we plan on visiting a rum disillery and a plantation.  Friday, I'm not sure what we will do, but I bet we will go back into the city.
Talk to you soon-love-linda

Tuesday 1/17 New Orleans

Hi All,

 we drove from Hellena(hell-eee-na) AL to New orleans today. Good trip, not so good fuel, but we made it and have refilled the truck and things are running good. We are right on the tip of lake Pontchartrain in a nice rv park. It's about 5 miles to the French Quarter and we have made reservations to take the shuttle into town at 10am and do two tours. the first being a tour of the city, encluding the cemetarys, the French Quarter, Katrinia destrucction, and more. the second is the original cocktail walking tour that includes a trip though alot to "establishments" and some samplings. We figured that it would be good to get some info about the city before spending time on our own on Thursday and Friday.  We went to the parks Pizza bar tonite and met some really nice folks form here and other travellers. It was fun. the weather has been in the 80's today and at 6:30 it's still 70 degrees outside.  The Hibiscus right outdide our door has some blossoms on it and looks nice.   we are having fun and enjoying each others company. It would be horrible if we didn't get along, that being connected at the hip most of the day.  I will try and attach some pictures but please be patient as I haven't done this in a year.  Hope you are all doing well and enjoying the winter whereever you are.  I might not get to the blog tomorrow nite, as it looks like a long day of "RETIREMENT" with all our plans. 10AM to 9PM and alot will be walking.   My wonderful co - pilot, navagator, wife and playmate may have more to add, so I'll close my ramblings by saying " TAKE ONE FOR THE GIPPER. 
Nothing much to add but we not only have trains in the distance, but are under the flight line for an airport.  Don't think its a major airport, but just some flights every now and then.  We also have some Mexican/hispanic neighbors across the way, who have just finished dinner and are quiet now.  Think we might pick up some spanish.  Its great to be able to sit with the door open, and get out the sneaker socks.  We are looking forward to the tours tomorrow and being on our on for the next two days.  We are catching onto the accents, as well as their catching on to ours (not mine, Russ's).  It will be an early night as we have lots to see tomorrow.  I just love being able to do all of this with my best buddy and friend-who also happens to be my husband.  We are both very fortunate.  Love to all-talk to you later.