Hi gang!
Hope everybody is healthy, wealthy, and wise. We are still in LA (For those of you with short memories, or over the age of sixty, that stands for Lower Alabama.) but our time is getting short. In fact, very short. The Happy Couple have spent today getting the house and the truck ready to move. Tomorrow is the dreaded thing we all knew was coming. You see, tomorrow we start the trek north. It's back to Iowa, and for my friend Dave, it's back to work for the summer.
I would say we have had, for the most part, a good winter. If it had not been for the passing of Shari's dad, it would probably qualify as a great winter. The weather has been decent with only a few days of cold weather. The amount of rain has been exceptionally low and the temperatures here at Foley have been great. In fact I just yelled at the Village Idiot to see what the temperature was now and he reported it was 78* as I am writing this. With a nice NW breeze and low humidity, that ain't bad folks. It's so nice that Shari and Moe are outside sunbathing in the queen's chair. Dave says he's outside working but he seems to come inside quite often to get a cold beer. He says the neighbors came over and are drinking all his beer but every time I look out the window he is sitting in a lawn chair and nobody else is around. I think he is trying to get up his nerve to tell Shari that he doesn't want to leave.
What has the Happy Couple been doing the last month here in LA? Well, enough to put 1800 miles on the truck. It seems I have had to guide them all over and there is a lot to see in this area if you dig deep enough. One day, the two of them had lunch at Lulu's in Gulf Shores. Lulu's is a restaurant, lounge, marina, outdoor recreation place owned by Lulu Buffet, Jimmy Buffet's sister. The food was a little expensive but great on the tasting side. And no, Jimmy wasn't there, although he does show up unannounced occasionally. Twice, the rather Unhappy Couple rolled out of bed early in the morning (before 8:00 AM) and went to Pensacola to see the Blue Angles practice only to not to see a performance. The first time it was the Blue Angles' first day back from California and they had to do fly overs to learn their landmarks. Yesterday they did not practice because of low clouds in the area. The pilots did do some flying both days but not their show routine. All my buddy Dave could say is "Wait till next year." Sounds like a Cub saying. The Happy Couple made a couple trips to Pensacola to Joe Patti's Seafood. If you have never heard of Joe Patti's don't feel bad. The Happy Couple never had either. But they say, they won't come back here again without going to Joe Patti's. This seafood shop is the #2 tourist attraction in Pensacola and ranked #7 in Southern Living Magazine: "10 Things We Love About Florida!" It is a great seafood shop. To learn more go to www.joepattis.com Another great find was The Roadkill Cafe in Eberta, AL. When you have a cafe with the motto "You Kill It - We'll Grill It" you know it's got to be good. They're open Monday through Saturday 11:00 AM until they run out of food. This is authentic southern food served southern style. The Happy Couple had lunch there yesterday and Dave came out with a bright orange t-shirt and his stomach stuck out in front of him about a foot more than normal. He could hardly waddle across the street. I wish I would have had the camera. It would have been great on YouTube. I could go on with this forever but I know you have other things to do so I'll probably bring up some of the other things at a later time.
The Happy Couple have met a lot of nice people during the month they have been here. Actually, most of the people they met were through Moe. The Couple would take Moe for a walk, they would see people out walking, the people always want to talk and pet Moe, Moe would do her normal thing of "Meet N Greet", and then they would say to Shari and Dave "Oh, by the way, who are you?" One couple is Joe and Carolyn from northern Indiana. Joe is a golfer and wants to go play a round with Shari next year. (Golf that is.) Another couple is Paul and Karen from Michigan. Paul and Karen are bike riders and the Happy Couple hope to do some riding with them next year. A third couple is Jerry and Mary from south central Illinois. There is not a whole lot about cooking that Mary and Jerry don't know. Mary is a professional cake baker and bakes for numerous weddings during the spring, summer, and fall. Jerry is great guy but hard to describe. To give you an idea of what he is about, he has a sandwich he makes that starts with rye bread. You put on a thick slice of garlic baloney, a slice of super sharp cheddar cheese, a thick slice of sweet onion, and crunchy peanut butter. Try it! You'll love it! A fourth couple is Marilyn and Duane from the St. Louis area. They were originally from the Wapello area and really know their way around SE Iowa. My only concern about them is if Moe ever disappears, I think I would know were to go look for her. M and D watch Moe when the Happy Couple are out touring and Moe has decided she would like to go live with them full time. It has something about the animal crackers they feed to her all the time. Last evening the Couple took Moe out for her evening walk and she walked right to M and D's motorhome and started right up the steps. I heard she was looking for the doorbell when Dave pulled her away. Now there are times when I would help pack her suitcase if she really wants to move. But I don't think The Happy Couple would go for that.
Even though The Happy Couple are going to miss south Alabama and the new friends they have met, they are looking forward to getting reunited with their family and old friends back in Iowa. The plan is to leave tomorrow and travel to Natchez, MS to meet friends Ed and Deb for the weekend. On Monday the 4 of them are going to Tunica, MS for 3 nights and meet up with friends Al and Pam. Ed and Deb have been in south Texas for a couple months and Al and Pam are coming over from the Atlanta area. Next Thursday, the trek north will continue with another overnight stop and arriving at Crossroads RV Park in Mount Pleasant on Friday, April Fools Day. From what I have heard about the long term weather forecast, I think the joke is going to be on the Happy Couple. I haven't seen Dave in long pants for about 5 weeks. It ain't going to be pretty folks!!!! If there is anybody that would like to take Moe and me for a few weeks until it warms up, we sure would appreciate it. Call me on Shari's phone.
I do have a little trivia question to ask before I sign off. Without using Google or any other search engine, can anyone name Elizabeth Taylor's 7 husbands and which one she married twice? The Village Idiot has trouble remembering all his wives and he has only been married once. There may be a valuable prize for the first correct answer.
Well I guess I had better quit for now. I think stupid is about out of beer so the fight over going back to Iowa or not should be starting shortly. We may, or may not be back in Iowa. Just depends on who wins.
Later,
Tag
A quaint little drinking couple with a camping problem!
Thursday, March 24, 2011
Sunday, March 6, 2011
The Other LA!
And how is everyone this evening? Considering who I'm with, I'm not doing too bad. Moe is doing okay, also.
You are probably wondering were we are and how we arrived here. So am I. The last I wrote, we were in Kinder, LA and about to get kicked out of that campground. (When you pay for 3 nights and stay for 5, the owners start to get a little irritated.) Well, on the last morning we were in Kinder, and while our fearless leader was hooking the trailer to the truck, I made the stupid mistake of asking him where we were headed. His response was, "We're going to LA". I tried to explain to him that we were already in LA (short for Louisiana, which should be spelled Luzyanna as that's the way the locals pronounce it,) but he said we were going to the other LA. Since his intellect must be rubbing off on me, I assumed we must be going to Los Angeles. I had visions of Hollywood, Malibu, Marina Del Rey, and of course, the WORLD FAMOUS DODGERS. Man, was I wrong.
When we left Kinder the Village Idiot would not let me navigate and left everything to Maxine (the Garmin hussy). We proceeded east on US-190 until we got to Baton Rouge and then proceeded across I-12 into Mississippi. Not having any idea where to go from there we stopped at the Mississippi Welcome Center where the Happy Couple found another casino to stay at. This place was called the Silver Slipper and had a campground we could stay 1 night for free. Well, the 2 of them still know how to spell free, so away we went. Actually it wasn't too bad of a place. The campsite we ended up in was about 75 feet from the edge of the beach and about 100 yards from the Gulf of Mexico. After seeing the RV park the Happy Couple decided to stay 3 nights. The 1st night was an absolutely gorgeous night, with a full moon over the bay and a nice cool breeze blowing in from the Gulf. The 4 of us took a nice long walk on the beach and had sand up to our elbows, well Moe and I did anyway. On Saturday (the next day) we all jumped into the truck and took a ride to Gulfport and Biloxi to see how those 2 cities have recovered from Katrina. Dave and Shari have both been to the gulf before Katrina but really didn't recognize the area. Everything is new. On Sunday the Happy Couple decided to venture over to New Orleans to take a look at their recovery project. I wouldn't even think about telling you what the Village Idiot thought of it. It wasn't pretty. They did find a RV resort they would recommend to their high roller friends. The place is call The French Quarter RV Resort in downtown N.O.. The rate is about $90.00 per night with a 30 night maximum stay. Instead of concrete pads and streets, everything is brick. I am assuming for that kind of rate, all utilities would be included. We drove through the park and the most notable units in there were 3 Prevost conversion motorhomes ($1.5 million to 2.5 million per unit) and 2 cheap American Eagles in the price range of $1+ million per unit. That's where the poor people stay. We did take a ride into the French Quarter area and everything is going just fine. I would imagine with Mardi Gras this week, that place is pretty lively.
On Monday morning we continued east on I-10 across Mississippi toward Alabama. Along the way we met truck after truck of NASCAR racing equipment. The previous day was the Daytona 500 and the cars and the support equipment were all being moved to Phoenix for the next race. Some race teams had 6 to 8 trucks in their caravan with all the tractors and trailers painted in their colors. If you are a NASCAR fan, it was a sight to behold. Since the Frantz Clan is into RVing, we were most impressed with the motorhomes that were in the group. They would have fit right in at French Quarter RV Resort.
Well, we ended up in Alabama, or "Bama" if you're a local. We are at Johnny's Lakeside RV Resort near Foley, AL. This is where LA comes into play. Anything south of I-10 in Alabama is known as Lower Alabama or LA. That's where the Idiot got me again. No Dodger Stadium here. Anyway, we are at a very nice RV park and are enjoying ourselves. The weather has been great. Most days are in the low to mid 70's with a couple days in the low 80's and today in the low 60's. Yesterday was the 1st day with any rain. But when it rains here, it rains. Had a couple of inches. The Happy Couple have met a lot of nice Snow Birds (and locals) and Moe has met a few nice dogs, two ducks, and a bunch of squirrels to bark at. Everybody is happy.
The Happy Couple have been taking road trips to get to know the area and find all the things to do. They spent an afternoon at Fairhope and Blakeley State Park. Fairhope is the oldest, and largest, utopia (single tax) community in the world, founded in 1894. Blakeley State Park is the site of the last significant battle of the Civil War. The battle was fought after Lee had surrendered but before the word had spread this far south. They spent another day in the Pensacola area, going to Pensacola Beach and Fort Pickens. Fort Pickens was a fort on a barrier island used to protect Pensacola Bay, and Pensacola Naval Air Station, up until Wold War II.
The Happy Couple have seen friends since they have been here. Ken and Sarah Hoenig stopped for a night at the RV park. They had been in Florida for couple of months and were on their way to Texas via Luzzyanna. The Couple also had lunch with Tom and Helen Seacrist. Tom and Helen are a couple that spent some time a Crossroads RV Park last summer and winter at Gulf State Park in Gulf Shores. It was great to see both couples.
What are the future plans? Tomorrow I'm guiding the Couple on a road trip to Destin, FL to see Jack and Carnie Burke. The Burkes have wintered in Destin for a few years and, for some reason, want us to come visit. On Thursday Shari is going on a dolphin watch cruise with a group from the park. Stupid is not going because he doesn't want to turn green. Some day Stupid is going to venture off by himself on a trip to the Naval Air Museum at the Pensacola Naval Air Station. This is the home base and training facility for the Blue Angels. Shari would go but thinks she would get bored looking at airplanes all day. If the schedule is right, and they can get there, the Happy Couple want to go to one of the Blue Angel practices. The rest of the schedule? Who knows. The plan now is to leave here on the 26th of March and be back to Crossroads RV Park in Mount Pleasant on the afternoon of March 31. The Village Idiot has to go back to work on April 1st. If fuel prices keep climbing the way they have the last week, Dave says he may have to stop and rob a couple banks on the way back to Iowa. The world will be going from the adventures of Bonnie and Clyde to the adventures of Shari and Dave. I can just see the movie now. They'll probably get Charlie Sheen to play the part of Dave.
I guess that's about all I can think of for tonight. I have to get up early tomorrow (before 9:00 AM) to take these two on the road trip. I tell you, keeping up with these two is not as easy as you might think.
Until next time, have a good one.
TAG
You are probably wondering were we are and how we arrived here. So am I. The last I wrote, we were in Kinder, LA and about to get kicked out of that campground. (When you pay for 3 nights and stay for 5, the owners start to get a little irritated.) Well, on the last morning we were in Kinder, and while our fearless leader was hooking the trailer to the truck, I made the stupid mistake of asking him where we were headed. His response was, "We're going to LA". I tried to explain to him that we were already in LA (short for Louisiana, which should be spelled Luzyanna as that's the way the locals pronounce it,) but he said we were going to the other LA. Since his intellect must be rubbing off on me, I assumed we must be going to Los Angeles. I had visions of Hollywood, Malibu, Marina Del Rey, and of course, the WORLD FAMOUS DODGERS. Man, was I wrong.
When we left Kinder the Village Idiot would not let me navigate and left everything to Maxine (the Garmin hussy). We proceeded east on US-190 until we got to Baton Rouge and then proceeded across I-12 into Mississippi. Not having any idea where to go from there we stopped at the Mississippi Welcome Center where the Happy Couple found another casino to stay at. This place was called the Silver Slipper and had a campground we could stay 1 night for free. Well, the 2 of them still know how to spell free, so away we went. Actually it wasn't too bad of a place. The campsite we ended up in was about 75 feet from the edge of the beach and about 100 yards from the Gulf of Mexico. After seeing the RV park the Happy Couple decided to stay 3 nights. The 1st night was an absolutely gorgeous night, with a full moon over the bay and a nice cool breeze blowing in from the Gulf. The 4 of us took a nice long walk on the beach and had sand up to our elbows, well Moe and I did anyway. On Saturday (the next day) we all jumped into the truck and took a ride to Gulfport and Biloxi to see how those 2 cities have recovered from Katrina. Dave and Shari have both been to the gulf before Katrina but really didn't recognize the area. Everything is new. On Sunday the Happy Couple decided to venture over to New Orleans to take a look at their recovery project. I wouldn't even think about telling you what the Village Idiot thought of it. It wasn't pretty. They did find a RV resort they would recommend to their high roller friends. The place is call The French Quarter RV Resort in downtown N.O.. The rate is about $90.00 per night with a 30 night maximum stay. Instead of concrete pads and streets, everything is brick. I am assuming for that kind of rate, all utilities would be included. We drove through the park and the most notable units in there were 3 Prevost conversion motorhomes ($1.5 million to 2.5 million per unit) and 2 cheap American Eagles in the price range of $1+ million per unit. That's where the poor people stay. We did take a ride into the French Quarter area and everything is going just fine. I would imagine with Mardi Gras this week, that place is pretty lively.
On Monday morning we continued east on I-10 across Mississippi toward Alabama. Along the way we met truck after truck of NASCAR racing equipment. The previous day was the Daytona 500 and the cars and the support equipment were all being moved to Phoenix for the next race. Some race teams had 6 to 8 trucks in their caravan with all the tractors and trailers painted in their colors. If you are a NASCAR fan, it was a sight to behold. Since the Frantz Clan is into RVing, we were most impressed with the motorhomes that were in the group. They would have fit right in at French Quarter RV Resort.
Well, we ended up in Alabama, or "Bama" if you're a local. We are at Johnny's Lakeside RV Resort near Foley, AL. This is where LA comes into play. Anything south of I-10 in Alabama is known as Lower Alabama or LA. That's where the Idiot got me again. No Dodger Stadium here. Anyway, we are at a very nice RV park and are enjoying ourselves. The weather has been great. Most days are in the low to mid 70's with a couple days in the low 80's and today in the low 60's. Yesterday was the 1st day with any rain. But when it rains here, it rains. Had a couple of inches. The Happy Couple have met a lot of nice Snow Birds (and locals) and Moe has met a few nice dogs, two ducks, and a bunch of squirrels to bark at. Everybody is happy.
The Happy Couple have been taking road trips to get to know the area and find all the things to do. They spent an afternoon at Fairhope and Blakeley State Park. Fairhope is the oldest, and largest, utopia (single tax) community in the world, founded in 1894. Blakeley State Park is the site of the last significant battle of the Civil War. The battle was fought after Lee had surrendered but before the word had spread this far south. They spent another day in the Pensacola area, going to Pensacola Beach and Fort Pickens. Fort Pickens was a fort on a barrier island used to protect Pensacola Bay, and Pensacola Naval Air Station, up until Wold War II.
The Happy Couple have seen friends since they have been here. Ken and Sarah Hoenig stopped for a night at the RV park. They had been in Florida for couple of months and were on their way to Texas via Luzzyanna. The Couple also had lunch with Tom and Helen Seacrist. Tom and Helen are a couple that spent some time a Crossroads RV Park last summer and winter at Gulf State Park in Gulf Shores. It was great to see both couples.
What are the future plans? Tomorrow I'm guiding the Couple on a road trip to Destin, FL to see Jack and Carnie Burke. The Burkes have wintered in Destin for a few years and, for some reason, want us to come visit. On Thursday Shari is going on a dolphin watch cruise with a group from the park. Stupid is not going because he doesn't want to turn green. Some day Stupid is going to venture off by himself on a trip to the Naval Air Museum at the Pensacola Naval Air Station. This is the home base and training facility for the Blue Angels. Shari would go but thinks she would get bored looking at airplanes all day. If the schedule is right, and they can get there, the Happy Couple want to go to one of the Blue Angel practices. The rest of the schedule? Who knows. The plan now is to leave here on the 26th of March and be back to Crossroads RV Park in Mount Pleasant on the afternoon of March 31. The Village Idiot has to go back to work on April 1st. If fuel prices keep climbing the way they have the last week, Dave says he may have to stop and rob a couple banks on the way back to Iowa. The world will be going from the adventures of Bonnie and Clyde to the adventures of Shari and Dave. I can just see the movie now. They'll probably get Charlie Sheen to play the part of Dave.
I guess that's about all I can think of for tonight. I have to get up early tomorrow (before 9:00 AM) to take these two on the road trip. I tell you, keeping up with these two is not as easy as you might think.
Until next time, have a good one.
TAG
Wednesday, February 16, 2011
Been Kicked Out Of Texas
Howdy and how is everybody this evening? For those of you in the upper Midwest, I hope you're enjoying the warm weather I have sent your direction. I wanted to make sure that white stuff was gone before we started back your way. Just don't forget to cover your pipes if the temperature returns to below 37*.
You may have noticed in the title of this blog. Yes, we have been kicked out of Texas. In the last two to three weeks, if you have been watching the news, you surely heard about the uprising in Egypt and other locations in the Middle East. What you haven't heard, at least on Fox News, is the uprising in Houston, TX. It all started a couple of weeks ago then the weather forecasters started talking about the temperature getting down to 37* and even colder. Everyone was advised to stay home as it was too dangerous to go outside. Schools were all closed because the children would have to walk in the cold from the car to the school building. And of all things, the non-essential government workers were told to stay home and still get paid for the day. (Here's a point to ponder. If you have a non-essential someone on your payroll and you really don't need them, and your business is running just fine without them, why have them?) Did I remind you to cover your pipes? Anyway back to what really happened. Well this weather scare started an uprising in the Houston area. This is the second year in a row this kind of weather has happened in January/February and the locals were up in arms. Well, Shari's cousin Jerry just happened to mention in the barber shop the Frantz clan from Iowa were here both winters during the cold and, jokingly mentioned they may have brought the weird cold weather with them. That was all it took. Committees were formed to find out about this Frantz clan and where they were located. We were traced first from Gladewater, down to Tomball, and finally to San Jacinto Riverfront RV Resort in Highlands. When we were found that's when the protests started. Again, don't forget to cover your pipes. The protesters came out by the thousands. They were unrelenting. Finally, Sunday morning, the Happy Couple could take it no more. You folks in stick homes, for you to move you have to find a realtor, list your home, leave during the open houses, accept an offer with the contingency on selling another house, wait for bank approval, and finally the closing. With this housing market, this may take a year or two. The Happy Couple, when they want to move, they pack everything away, unhook the hoses and power line, hook up the truck to the house, and away they go. About two hours max on a bad day. Fearless Dave always says "If we don't like our neighbor we just pack up and leave". Anyway, about 10:00 AM, with me leading the way, we took US 90 to Beaumont and got on to TX 12 and snuck into Louisiana. Fearless Dave told me to stay off the the big road. Where we ended up is Coushatta Luxury RV Resort near Kinder, LA. This campground is a very high rated RV park with everything you could want for a hide-away and very inexpensive. Jesse James would have been proud. You stay here for 3 nights and get a 4th and 5th night free. Even the village idiot can spell free. Anyway, we are here until Friday. Again, from here, who knows. It will probably be with whoever will take us in. Those places are few and far between.
While we were at Highlands, our leader did take a trip to the San Jacinto Monument, located about 3 miles from the campground. The monument grounds is a Texas State Park where, on April 21, 1836 after the Battle of San Jacinto, Santa Anna surrendered to the Texans, which allowed Texas to declare its independence from Mexico which, 10 years later, lead to them becoming the 28th state of the union. Fearless Dave says it was a very short battle, about 20 minutes, and thinks Old Santa Anna just quit fighting because he didn't like the area all that well anyway. It gets really hot and humid in the summer and bitterly cold in the winter. Clear down to the lower 30's some nights. When it's that cold you HAVE to cover your pipes. While at the park Dave, our resident health nut, decided to take a walk on a nature trail through the marsh land of the park. This is a 3 1/4 mile loop trail and Dave walked until he reached the 2 mile marker. Being tired because he is so far out of shape, and thinking he couldn't finish the loop, he turned around and retraced his steps to the truck. DAHHHHHHHH On the return trip he said he turned a corner on the trail and a wild boar crossed the trail in front of him. (No camera - no pictures) He said the thing stood about 2 1/2 feet tall and weighed about 250 lbs and was as black as black could be. Thinking maybe he was seeing things, he asked a park ranger if what he saw was really what he thinks he saw. The ranger confirmed the sighting was very possible as there are many of them in the park and they do a considerable amount of damage to the grounds. The ranger told our leader he could take him home if he wanted but, fortunately for us, Dave declined. And we could have had pork chops for dinner.
What did you think of the Super Bowl? I thought it was a good game but half time has to go. The NFL should insist there be fewer Black Eyed Peas and more clothing malfunctions in the future. The commercials weren't even very inspiring this year. Maybe I'm just getting old.
Yesterday morning I asked the Happy Couple what they were going to do for the day. Since they didn't have anything planned, I told them to jump in the truck and I would take them on a road trip. With Driver Dave driving, and me guiding, we went into the bayou country of southern Louisiana. After a lunch stop at a local restaurant in Kaplan (Dave wolfed down a catfish po-boy) I took them to Avery Island where McIlhenny Tabasco Pepper Sauce is made. You could call it the world headquarters for McIlhenny as it is the only place in the world where it is made. They bottle over 700,000 bottles per day, 4 days a week, shipping it to 160 countries in the world, with labels in 22 languages. This stop is very well worth the time if you are ever in the area. After about an hour and a half of learning and shopping we continued on our road trip on LA-82 down along the gulf in the middle of no man's land. This highway is a long desolate strip of blacktop in a swamp. There are a few homes and, also, almost a town but nothing else. My advice, if you ever drive this route, go into it with a full tank of fuel and an empty badder. It is about 90 miles from one convenient store to the next one. It is a nice drive and interesting to see the homes down there that have been damaged by various hurricanes and storms. A lot of people live down there full time but I don't think the Clan will be moving there anytime soon. You can be 45 miles from the nearest store and 60 to 70 miles to the nearest Walmart. You just can't survive without Walmart. We returned home about 6:00 PM.
Being home by sundown was very important. Granddaughter Emma plays on the West Burlington Falcons basketball team (17 - 2) and they had a very important game last night. They were playing Mediapolis in the regional quarterfinals of the state basketball tournament. The game was being broadcast on KBUR radio in Burlington and the Happy Couple could receive it on the computer. The Falcons won by 3 points and are now waiting to play Van Buren Friday night at Mt. Pleasant in the regional semifinals. West Burlington and Van Buren have spilt their two games this year, so this is the rubber game. GO Falcons!!! As a junior, Emma does not start for the Falcons but does play a lot as either point guard or off guard. I think she gets the basketball talent from her grandmother Shari. I understand Shari was a star as a Crawfordsville Cyclone. (Or is that Cyclown. I keep getting those mixed up.)
Today has been kind of a quiet day for the travelers. Mutli-talented Dave cooked breakfast outside this morning. It only took 6 eggs to get 3 that were edible. After cleaning up his mess, the two of them took a walk to a casino which is located next to the campground. They could have ridden a free shuttle bus but decided to walk over and ride the bus back. About an hour later, I saw them walking back from the casino. I asked Stupid why he was walking instead of riding the free shuttle and he said after that experience he was so broke he couldn't afford to ride the free bus. I tell you things are really interesting around here some times. Shari and Moe just shake their heads and try not to take anything he says, or does, too seriously.
That should get you up to date for now. I know I missed something these two have done but right now I can't think of what it could be. I'm going to have to teach Moe how to write so she can start taking notes for me. Sometimes the Happy Couple just move too fast for me.
Until next time, as aways. (If it gets below 37* don't forget to cover those pipes!)
Tag
You may have noticed in the title of this blog. Yes, we have been kicked out of Texas. In the last two to three weeks, if you have been watching the news, you surely heard about the uprising in Egypt and other locations in the Middle East. What you haven't heard, at least on Fox News, is the uprising in Houston, TX. It all started a couple of weeks ago then the weather forecasters started talking about the temperature getting down to 37* and even colder. Everyone was advised to stay home as it was too dangerous to go outside. Schools were all closed because the children would have to walk in the cold from the car to the school building. And of all things, the non-essential government workers were told to stay home and still get paid for the day. (Here's a point to ponder. If you have a non-essential someone on your payroll and you really don't need them, and your business is running just fine without them, why have them?) Did I remind you to cover your pipes? Anyway back to what really happened. Well this weather scare started an uprising in the Houston area. This is the second year in a row this kind of weather has happened in January/February and the locals were up in arms. Well, Shari's cousin Jerry just happened to mention in the barber shop the Frantz clan from Iowa were here both winters during the cold and, jokingly mentioned they may have brought the weird cold weather with them. That was all it took. Committees were formed to find out about this Frantz clan and where they were located. We were traced first from Gladewater, down to Tomball, and finally to San Jacinto Riverfront RV Resort in Highlands. When we were found that's when the protests started. Again, don't forget to cover your pipes. The protesters came out by the thousands. They were unrelenting. Finally, Sunday morning, the Happy Couple could take it no more. You folks in stick homes, for you to move you have to find a realtor, list your home, leave during the open houses, accept an offer with the contingency on selling another house, wait for bank approval, and finally the closing. With this housing market, this may take a year or two. The Happy Couple, when they want to move, they pack everything away, unhook the hoses and power line, hook up the truck to the house, and away they go. About two hours max on a bad day. Fearless Dave always says "If we don't like our neighbor we just pack up and leave". Anyway, about 10:00 AM, with me leading the way, we took US 90 to Beaumont and got on to TX 12 and snuck into Louisiana. Fearless Dave told me to stay off the the big road. Where we ended up is Coushatta Luxury RV Resort near Kinder, LA. This campground is a very high rated RV park with everything you could want for a hide-away and very inexpensive. Jesse James would have been proud. You stay here for 3 nights and get a 4th and 5th night free. Even the village idiot can spell free. Anyway, we are here until Friday. Again, from here, who knows. It will probably be with whoever will take us in. Those places are few and far between.
While we were at Highlands, our leader did take a trip to the San Jacinto Monument, located about 3 miles from the campground. The monument grounds is a Texas State Park where, on April 21, 1836 after the Battle of San Jacinto, Santa Anna surrendered to the Texans, which allowed Texas to declare its independence from Mexico which, 10 years later, lead to them becoming the 28th state of the union. Fearless Dave says it was a very short battle, about 20 minutes, and thinks Old Santa Anna just quit fighting because he didn't like the area all that well anyway. It gets really hot and humid in the summer and bitterly cold in the winter. Clear down to the lower 30's some nights. When it's that cold you HAVE to cover your pipes. While at the park Dave, our resident health nut, decided to take a walk on a nature trail through the marsh land of the park. This is a 3 1/4 mile loop trail and Dave walked until he reached the 2 mile marker. Being tired because he is so far out of shape, and thinking he couldn't finish the loop, he turned around and retraced his steps to the truck. DAHHHHHHHH On the return trip he said he turned a corner on the trail and a wild boar crossed the trail in front of him. (No camera - no pictures) He said the thing stood about 2 1/2 feet tall and weighed about 250 lbs and was as black as black could be. Thinking maybe he was seeing things, he asked a park ranger if what he saw was really what he thinks he saw. The ranger confirmed the sighting was very possible as there are many of them in the park and they do a considerable amount of damage to the grounds. The ranger told our leader he could take him home if he wanted but, fortunately for us, Dave declined. And we could have had pork chops for dinner.
What did you think of the Super Bowl? I thought it was a good game but half time has to go. The NFL should insist there be fewer Black Eyed Peas and more clothing malfunctions in the future. The commercials weren't even very inspiring this year. Maybe I'm just getting old.
Yesterday morning I asked the Happy Couple what they were going to do for the day. Since they didn't have anything planned, I told them to jump in the truck and I would take them on a road trip. With Driver Dave driving, and me guiding, we went into the bayou country of southern Louisiana. After a lunch stop at a local restaurant in Kaplan (Dave wolfed down a catfish po-boy) I took them to Avery Island where McIlhenny Tabasco Pepper Sauce is made. You could call it the world headquarters for McIlhenny as it is the only place in the world where it is made. They bottle over 700,000 bottles per day, 4 days a week, shipping it to 160 countries in the world, with labels in 22 languages. This stop is very well worth the time if you are ever in the area. After about an hour and a half of learning and shopping we continued on our road trip on LA-82 down along the gulf in the middle of no man's land. This highway is a long desolate strip of blacktop in a swamp. There are a few homes and, also, almost a town but nothing else. My advice, if you ever drive this route, go into it with a full tank of fuel and an empty badder. It is about 90 miles from one convenient store to the next one. It is a nice drive and interesting to see the homes down there that have been damaged by various hurricanes and storms. A lot of people live down there full time but I don't think the Clan will be moving there anytime soon. You can be 45 miles from the nearest store and 60 to 70 miles to the nearest Walmart. You just can't survive without Walmart. We returned home about 6:00 PM.
Being home by sundown was very important. Granddaughter Emma plays on the West Burlington Falcons basketball team (17 - 2) and they had a very important game last night. They were playing Mediapolis in the regional quarterfinals of the state basketball tournament. The game was being broadcast on KBUR radio in Burlington and the Happy Couple could receive it on the computer. The Falcons won by 3 points and are now waiting to play Van Buren Friday night at Mt. Pleasant in the regional semifinals. West Burlington and Van Buren have spilt their two games this year, so this is the rubber game. GO Falcons!!! As a junior, Emma does not start for the Falcons but does play a lot as either point guard or off guard. I think she gets the basketball talent from her grandmother Shari. I understand Shari was a star as a Crawfordsville Cyclone. (Or is that Cyclown. I keep getting those mixed up.)
Today has been kind of a quiet day for the travelers. Mutli-talented Dave cooked breakfast outside this morning. It only took 6 eggs to get 3 that were edible. After cleaning up his mess, the two of them took a walk to a casino which is located next to the campground. They could have ridden a free shuttle bus but decided to walk over and ride the bus back. About an hour later, I saw them walking back from the casino. I asked Stupid why he was walking instead of riding the free shuttle and he said after that experience he was so broke he couldn't afford to ride the free bus. I tell you things are really interesting around here some times. Shari and Moe just shake their heads and try not to take anything he says, or does, too seriously.
That should get you up to date for now. I know I missed something these two have done but right now I can't think of what it could be. I'm going to have to teach Moe how to write so she can start taking notes for me. Sometimes the Happy Couple just move too fast for me.
Until next time, as aways. (If it gets below 37* don't forget to cover those pipes!)
Tag
Friday, February 4, 2011
We Are In The Tundra!
Hello from the frozen tundra, better known as Houston, TX.
I know I haven't written for awhile, the last you heard from me the Happy Couple had me in Shueyville, IA, but a lot has been going on and I haven't taken time to steal the computer. As you know, Shari's Dad, John Hamil, passed away January 22 and we made a hurried trip back to Iowa. More about that in a little bit.
To get you up to date, the Happy Couple spent the remainder of 2010 in the Cedar Rapids area, finishing with a lavish dinner party New Year's Eve at the mansion of Les and Sherry Minor. In attendance was the usual Friday night support group of the Hawkins, Zahradniks, Minors, and Frantzs but also, Mike and Kathi Benner. The Benners drove from Sanborn, IA especially to join in the festivities and, for Mike to get a free meal. A fun time was had by all!
The next morning, Dave, Shari, Moe, and I jumped into the car and started south. Old Fearless Dave told me my guiding expertise would not be needed that day as he knew where we were headed. I asked him where that might be and he told me Miami and he knew the way. So Moe and I jumped into the back seat and slowly drifted off to sleep with visions of warm Florida sunshine, the beaches of South Beach, young ladies in bikinis, and a fancy high rise hotel. Don't you think Moe would look great in a two piece? Anyway, about 4:30 PM good old Dave, our on-duty tour guide, stopped the car and announced we were in Miami. I jumped out of the car and about froze to death. Then I found out we were in Miami, OK and it was 32 degrees. No Beach! No Warm Weather! No Bikini-clad Ladies! No Fancy Hotel! No, nothing but a Super 8 Motel and football games. YUK! So much for Dave doing the guiding. From now on it is me or Maxine (the lady which does the commentary on Garmin). We just can't trust him no more. On Jan. 2nd I took over and we continued our trip to Gladewater, TX and Shallow Creek RV Resort. After a couple days of getting the house back in order, and seeing Joe and Renee Hanrahan's new country estate near Omaha, TX, the Happy Couple decided to move to the Houston area. So on Jan 6th, I skillfully guided them to Corral RV Park in Tomball, TX, which is a suburb northwest of Houston. The park was a very nice park but Dave and Shari decided it wasn't the area of Houston they wanted to be in so, after a week, we moved to San Jacinto Riverfront RV Resort in Highlands, TX,. This is a 300 unit park located on the San Jacinto River on the east side of Houston. This place is great, with a great view of the San Jacinto river out our rear window. The sunsets are fabulous.
While here in Houston, the clan has spent a couple of days with Shari's cousin Jerry, and his wife Cheryl, in Kingwood. Moe loves to go to J & C's as they have a fenced-in back yard with trees which means a lot of great squirrel chasing. Shari and Dave also like to go visit as there is always a lot of great friendship and great food. On Jan. 16th, friends Ed and Deb Romeo from Moline, IL. showed up at San Jac on their way to Mission, TX. With them came a change in the weather. For the most part, it has been cold and rainy since their arrival. One day it did warm up enough that Shari and Ed were able to get in 9 holes of golf. Since the Village Idiot doesn't play golf anymore, he walks along and gives everyone else technical advise. Shari and Ed said he did up until the 7th hole. That was when a little high school girl came up behind them and Dave invited her to join them. Shari and Ed said they never saw much of The Idiot until they got back to the truck. Sad isn't it?
This brings us up to date to where you received the updates from Shari about her Dad. Shari had been expecting this phone call since we left Iowa Jan.1st. She and Dave said their goodbyes to John on New Year's Eve day knowing he would not be with them when they returned in April. About 1:00 PM on Jan. 22nd, an amazing man returned to his Maker. John had a great 92 years and through those years raised a great family and made a ton of friends. He will be missed. That afternoon we (Shari, Dave, Moe, and I) jumped into the truck and went back to Iowa. After battling a snow and ice storm in Missouri, we arrived in Washington, IA on Sunday about 5:00 PM to see Shari's Mom, Betty, and her brother John. After a quiet visit we journeyed on to Burlington where we stayed with Mark and Beth Steingreaber for the week. The sad couple spent a lot of time going between Burlington and Washington for the next few days with John's funeral being on Wednesday morning. A lot of tears were shed Wednesday. A lot because he was gone and was being missed, but also a lot were shed while remembering all the great things he had done in his life. The man always had a smile on his face and knew how to make others smile. It was just too bad he always insisted on being a Cub fan. I asked Dave what most he remembers about John. He told me it was the way John always said goodbye to him. He told me when he was leaving John, whether it be at his home, at a restaurant, at a ballgame, after a bus trip, or anywhere, he would always hear John yell "See ya Dave". Dave said he would turn around and there would be John standing there with a smile on his face. Dave said he always answered "See ya John" knowing the next time they saw each other, John would still have that smile. Dave told me that, at the funeral, when he and Shari went to see John before they closed the casket, he could hear John's voice say "See ya Dave" and Dave answered "See ya John". Now it is my job to lead Stupid in the right direction to make sure those two meet again.
After the funeral and a couple of Emma's basketball games, Dave asked me to guide us back to Highlands which I did Saturday and Sunday. We got back here to only one day of warm weather. While all our northern friends were preparing for a little snow early this week, Dave was walking around in shorts on Monday. I'll tell you that changed in a hurry on Tuesday. The last two days the highs here have been in the mid 30s which is about 30 degrees below normal. Talk about cold! This whole Houston area closes down when it gets cold. Yesterday the weather forecasters were predicting one to three inches of snow and the whole area closed down. All government office, schools, businesses are closed today. How much snow did we get? None. We received just a light drizzle thru the night, but by 10:00 AM that was gone. These Texans sure are a tough bunch, I'll tell you.
What is in our future? We will be here in Highlands at San Jac until the 12 of February and then who knows. D & S have talked about the hill country of Texas, Gulf Shores, AL, and the peninsula of Florida. Your guess is as good as mine. That is why I write the blog. To try to keep you informed. When I know where we land I'll try to let you know in a timely fashion.
Until then keep warm.
Tag
I know I haven't written for awhile, the last you heard from me the Happy Couple had me in Shueyville, IA, but a lot has been going on and I haven't taken time to steal the computer. As you know, Shari's Dad, John Hamil, passed away January 22 and we made a hurried trip back to Iowa. More about that in a little bit.
To get you up to date, the Happy Couple spent the remainder of 2010 in the Cedar Rapids area, finishing with a lavish dinner party New Year's Eve at the mansion of Les and Sherry Minor. In attendance was the usual Friday night support group of the Hawkins, Zahradniks, Minors, and Frantzs but also, Mike and Kathi Benner. The Benners drove from Sanborn, IA especially to join in the festivities and, for Mike to get a free meal. A fun time was had by all!
The next morning, Dave, Shari, Moe, and I jumped into the car and started south. Old Fearless Dave told me my guiding expertise would not be needed that day as he knew where we were headed. I asked him where that might be and he told me Miami and he knew the way. So Moe and I jumped into the back seat and slowly drifted off to sleep with visions of warm Florida sunshine, the beaches of South Beach, young ladies in bikinis, and a fancy high rise hotel. Don't you think Moe would look great in a two piece? Anyway, about 4:30 PM good old Dave, our on-duty tour guide, stopped the car and announced we were in Miami. I jumped out of the car and about froze to death. Then I found out we were in Miami, OK and it was 32 degrees. No Beach! No Warm Weather! No Bikini-clad Ladies! No Fancy Hotel! No, nothing but a Super 8 Motel and football games. YUK! So much for Dave doing the guiding. From now on it is me or Maxine (the lady which does the commentary on Garmin). We just can't trust him no more. On Jan. 2nd I took over and we continued our trip to Gladewater, TX and Shallow Creek RV Resort. After a couple days of getting the house back in order, and seeing Joe and Renee Hanrahan's new country estate near Omaha, TX, the Happy Couple decided to move to the Houston area. So on Jan 6th, I skillfully guided them to Corral RV Park in Tomball, TX, which is a suburb northwest of Houston. The park was a very nice park but Dave and Shari decided it wasn't the area of Houston they wanted to be in so, after a week, we moved to San Jacinto Riverfront RV Resort in Highlands, TX,. This is a 300 unit park located on the San Jacinto River on the east side of Houston. This place is great, with a great view of the San Jacinto river out our rear window. The sunsets are fabulous.
While here in Houston, the clan has spent a couple of days with Shari's cousin Jerry, and his wife Cheryl, in Kingwood. Moe loves to go to J & C's as they have a fenced-in back yard with trees which means a lot of great squirrel chasing. Shari and Dave also like to go visit as there is always a lot of great friendship and great food. On Jan. 16th, friends Ed and Deb Romeo from Moline, IL. showed up at San Jac on their way to Mission, TX. With them came a change in the weather. For the most part, it has been cold and rainy since their arrival. One day it did warm up enough that Shari and Ed were able to get in 9 holes of golf. Since the Village Idiot doesn't play golf anymore, he walks along and gives everyone else technical advise. Shari and Ed said he did up until the 7th hole. That was when a little high school girl came up behind them and Dave invited her to join them. Shari and Ed said they never saw much of The Idiot until they got back to the truck. Sad isn't it?
This brings us up to date to where you received the updates from Shari about her Dad. Shari had been expecting this phone call since we left Iowa Jan.1st. She and Dave said their goodbyes to John on New Year's Eve day knowing he would not be with them when they returned in April. About 1:00 PM on Jan. 22nd, an amazing man returned to his Maker. John had a great 92 years and through those years raised a great family and made a ton of friends. He will be missed. That afternoon we (Shari, Dave, Moe, and I) jumped into the truck and went back to Iowa. After battling a snow and ice storm in Missouri, we arrived in Washington, IA on Sunday about 5:00 PM to see Shari's Mom, Betty, and her brother John. After a quiet visit we journeyed on to Burlington where we stayed with Mark and Beth Steingreaber for the week. The sad couple spent a lot of time going between Burlington and Washington for the next few days with John's funeral being on Wednesday morning. A lot of tears were shed Wednesday. A lot because he was gone and was being missed, but also a lot were shed while remembering all the great things he had done in his life. The man always had a smile on his face and knew how to make others smile. It was just too bad he always insisted on being a Cub fan. I asked Dave what most he remembers about John. He told me it was the way John always said goodbye to him. He told me when he was leaving John, whether it be at his home, at a restaurant, at a ballgame, after a bus trip, or anywhere, he would always hear John yell "See ya Dave". Dave said he would turn around and there would be John standing there with a smile on his face. Dave said he always answered "See ya John" knowing the next time they saw each other, John would still have that smile. Dave told me that, at the funeral, when he and Shari went to see John before they closed the casket, he could hear John's voice say "See ya Dave" and Dave answered "See ya John". Now it is my job to lead Stupid in the right direction to make sure those two meet again.
After the funeral and a couple of Emma's basketball games, Dave asked me to guide us back to Highlands which I did Saturday and Sunday. We got back here to only one day of warm weather. While all our northern friends were preparing for a little snow early this week, Dave was walking around in shorts on Monday. I'll tell you that changed in a hurry on Tuesday. The last two days the highs here have been in the mid 30s which is about 30 degrees below normal. Talk about cold! This whole Houston area closes down when it gets cold. Yesterday the weather forecasters were predicting one to three inches of snow and the whole area closed down. All government office, schools, businesses are closed today. How much snow did we get? None. We received just a light drizzle thru the night, but by 10:00 AM that was gone. These Texans sure are a tough bunch, I'll tell you.
What is in our future? We will be here in Highlands at San Jac until the 12 of February and then who knows. D & S have talked about the hill country of Texas, Gulf Shores, AL, and the peninsula of Florida. Your guess is as good as mine. That is why I write the blog. To try to keep you informed. When I know where we land I'll try to let you know in a timely fashion.
Until then keep warm.
Tag
Monday, January 24, 2011
Funeral details for Dad
Good morning......I wanted to update you on the funeral details for Dad. The visitation and funeral will both be held on Wednesday morning (the 26th) at the United Church of Crawfordsville. Visitation will be at 9:30 am and the funeral at 11:00 am. Memorials have been established for the United Church of Crawfordsville and the M.L. McCreedy Home.
Thank you for the wonderful messages we have received with so many words of kindness. It is sad to have Dad gone but he definitely is in a better place.
Shari
Thank you for the wonderful messages we have received with so many words of kindness. It is sad to have Dad gone but he definitely is in a better place.
Shari
Saturday, January 22, 2011
My Dad
Thanks Tag for letting me write this note. I have just lost the first man I ever loved - Dad is now on his way to be with our Heavenly Father. More details later.
Shari
Shari
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