Tis the Season!

Hi everyone and Merry Christmas to ya'll!

We are in the sometimes warm and, like today, sometimes cold L.A..  That is Lower Alabama to all you Yankees.  How cold is it you ask.  Last night it got down to 34* and tonight it is supposed to be all the way down to 28*.  YIKES!!!  The Brain may have to turn on the old heating pad to stay warm.

The Happy Couple have been just fine.  We arrived here in Foley on December 2nd and have just been relaxing.  The Brain has even done a little work on the house that needed to be done.  As my favorite girl would say "It's about time!".  It wasn't anything major but some things he has been putting off for about a Carnie Burke were here this morning for brunch and all four of them could sit at the table and had room to spare.  The Burkes got sick of the cold weather in Iowa and stopped here overnight on their way to Destin, FL.  It was great that they came to the campground so Moe and I could see them too.
year now.  With the holidays here, Shari has slowed down on the craft making and we can actually see the table again.  In fact Jack and

I guess we leave here on January 2nd and start moseying our way to Texas.  The first question that comes to mind is, "Where in Texas?"  Well that is one heck of a good question!  Other than a few days in the Houston area, no one knows.  We have to be in Austin on February 27th and in Kerrville on March 1st.  It looks like I'm going to get to take the clan on a road trip.  If I'm guiding, they will just have to go where I lead them.  This should be fun on my part.  I might take them on one of those covert missions like I went on last year.  That would be fun!

This is going to be short this time.  My best friend Shari wants to do a little writing to you so I conceded to her.  One stipulation was that the Village Idiot was not to come close to the computer.  I don't trust him!  From me, have a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!!  Don't forget to cheer on the Hawks at the Outback Bowl.

As always,
Tag

Hi everyone!  I can't believe I actually get to write - what an honor. Most importantly, I want to tell you how much Dave and I, and Moe and Tag value your friendship; some of you we see frequently, some occasionally, and some of you we haven't seen for months, even years.  But, honestly, we feel blessed to have you as our family and friends and we certainly enjoy letting Tag update you on our adventures throughout the year.  Our plan is continue this routine during the coming year. 

So for now, Merry Christmas to all and to all a good night!!!  AND, from our home to yours, best wishes for a wonderful 2014!!!

Love to all,
Shari and Dave

We're Going on Further South!

Hi Ya'll

And how are things going in your part of the world? Our part of the world is cold right now.  We are still at Green Acres RV Resort near Savannah, TN and it was just a little cool last night.  It was down to 22 degrees with only a high of 38 today.  YUCK!!!!!!!!

And why are we still in Tennessee you ask.  That my friends is a very good question.  Larry and Diane (the couple who own the campground) are a great couple and I don't think The Happy Couple can bear to leave them.  That, and the fact that Larry and Diane asked the Brain if he would watch the RV Resort a couple of different times for them while they went on road trips.  One week they went to Knoxville to a campground owners' convention and another trip was to Nashville for shopping and visiting friends.  So, being the nice guy the Brain is, he agreed to stay and do some work for them.  Being a nice guy was not the only reason he decided to stay.  He found out there was going to be a nice Turkey day feed going on here and he can't resist filling up his belly on home cookin'. 

I have had a few inquiries into who is The Brain, Dufus, The Village Idiot, and all of the other names.  Well let me tell you a little bit about our little family which, by the way, consists of four different members.  The first, and I might add, most important member, is my best friend Shari.  She IS the leader of the pack.  Number two in command is Moe Jean, the faithful and loving mascot of the group.  Moe's responsibilities include, but not limited to, meet and greet at the front door, Head of Security at night, and cleaning up any food that may hit the floor.  I, Tag-A-Long, better known as Tag, am number three in the pecking order.  My job is trying to keep peace and order to the pack, guiding on road trips, and reporting to all of you, when I deem necessary, to keep you updated on our location and the happenings of the group.  Then we have the fourth member, known to most of you as Dave.  When I first joined the clan about 9 years ago, I too called him Dave.  After years of being around him I have learned his true identity.  He is as about as easy to keep track of as the numbered balls in the Lotto drawing machine.  Have you ever tried to keep your eye on one ball when they are drawing the Lotto?  Try it and you will end up just like the Village Idiot.  Anyway I change his name to fit the situation.  Sometimes, not often, but sometimes, he will do or say something that is about normal and he becomes the Brain.  Then he will turn around and do or say something that will makes your eyes roll and he becomes Dufus.  But normally he just acts himself and you look at him and say "What the h--- was he thinking?"  That is when the Village Idiot comes out.  An example was a couple years ago when he was in Bandera, TX and wanted to buy cowboy boots and a cowboy hat to wear with his shorts so he could become a cowboy.  My friends that was the Village Idiot at his best.  So, when you see me refer to someone in the clan that is not Shari, Moe, or myself, you can bank on it that I'm referring to you-know-who.

The Happy Couple have been having a great time here in Savannah.  The campgound is nice and will become nicer as Larry and Diane, along with their nephew Travis, are making a lot of changes and upgrades to it.  With a pool, the ideas they have for changes to the park, and the tourism in the area, it will become a destination park.  It will be a place where RV'ers will want to come and spend some time.  The Happy Couple are glad they have spent as much time here as they have as they say they really like the area.

One thing you want to do here in west Tennessee is learn to slow down a bit.  Dufus says he has figured out how slow they are around here.  He said the first couple times he went to Walmart (Yes there is a Walmart here or we wouldn't be) he would run into the automatic doors on the way in and out.  Well, he decided to stand back and try to figure out what was going on.  He stood back and watched the locals come up to the door and, at their pace, the door would open just as they got there.  Then he started walking with them in the store and noticed his pace was much faster than any of the locals around.  Then he figured out there was a delay in the door opening.  He went to the Customer Service Counter to inquire about the delay in the door. He was told that the locals are so slow they had to put a 6 second delay in the door opening because the store was losing all their air conditioning during the summer.  The cause was the amount of time it took for people to get to the door after the sensor started opening it.  He asked how Walmart figured out it was 6 seconds and not 5 or 7 and was told they got a $1,275,000.00 grant from the government to study the situation and that's what they come up with.  Isn't it amazing what links this country will go to to save energy.

So what are the future plans of the Happy Couple?  From what I'm told by the Brain we are leaving here Saturday November 30th and working our way to Johnny's Lakeside RV Resort near Foley, AL for the month of December.  We have been there a couple different times and like the park.  While there the Happy Couple will be going to Destin, FL for Christmas dinner with Jack and Carnie Burke.  The Burkes go to Destin every winter and the Happy Couple like to go pester them every chance they get.  In early January the trek will be made to Texas with a stop in the Houston area for a few days to see the Dusenburys.  After that, who knows.  My friend Shari has an appointment in Austin in late February to see the surgeon that did her hip surgery, and the Happy Couple have a reservation at Guadalupe River RV Resort in Kerrville, TX for the month of March.  That leaves about a month or so that is undecided.  I'm sure Dufus will come up with something to get us in trouble. 

I hope life is treating every one just fine.  The Happy Couple are glad to see the Iowa Hawkeyes playing a little better in football and are looking forward to see what the upcoming basketball season may bring.  Hopefully the results will be better than last season.

The clan would like to wish everyone a happy Thanksgiving.  Try not to overstuff yourselves like I know Dufus will.  There will be another update from Alabama to wish everyone a Merry Christmas.

Until then, just try to behave.

Tag

Preparation For The Migration South!

Hi Ya'll,

I said Ya'll because I'm practicing for when we start south.  I had this chance to use the computer so I am going to give you a quick update.

I got on the computer as my favorite girl Shari is out and about doing some work for a group here in southeast Iowa called the Red Flag Tour.  The group is a bunch of old guys that drive old cars and  need somebody to coordinate things for them.  They have hired Shari to do this for them and she really enjoys it.  Duffus says this helps keep her out of the bars. I think Duffus is out jogging.  He says he is in training to enter one of those Iron Man competitions.  That is a contest where you swim a long ways, ride a bike for an even further distance, and then jog home.  I figure by the time he gets in shape, people will be living on Mars and dying there of old age or the Cubs will win the World Series, which ever comes first.

I know we are getting ready to make a big move from Mt. Pleasant sometime in the near future.  The Village Idiot has started to make little repairs to the trailer and getting the truck cleaned up and serviced.  The water heater quit working on the electrical side this summer and I'll be darned if the Brain didn't figure out what was wrong with it all by himself.  The weird part of it is he fixed it by himself also.  And it works.  Miracles never cease.  We have a roof exhaust fan in the trailer that hasn't worked for more than a while and I'll be darn if he didn't get that running again.  The guy just amazes me.  He had one little problem that he didn't tackle himself.  The rinse system on our black holding tank quit working and he had to clean it out manually.  I think he using Shari's toothbrush and sticking his arm down the hole and scrubbing the inside of the tank with it.  He swears up and down that this was not true, but you never know.  Anyway, he bought a part and had a repairman come to the campground and install it for him. Now Shari's toothbrush can come back out of the lock box.  He took the truck in for a physical last week and the vet (or mechanic) says it is in tip top shape and ready to go.  Just a process of getting out the Dri-Wash N Guard and getting it cleaned up.  From what I understand we depart on October 13th and start heading south.  The Brain wants to get a head start on the snow birds as he doesn't fly as fast as they do.  I'm going to start sharpening up my navigational skills as Garmin is not that reliable.

The Happy Couple have had a great summer in Mt. Pleasant this summer.  The RV park has been busy all summer which keeps the Brain in the office and doing park maintenance as well as out of Shari's hair.  Shari hasn't played as much golf as she would like but enjoys knowing she has clubs in the trunk of the car just in case someone asks her to play.  The Village Idiot doesn't play golf anymore, which is a good thing for the golf courses, but occupies his time cheering for the LA Dodgers and rooting against the Chicago Cubs.  You do know the Dodgers are going to the play offs and the Cubs are going home to wait for the 2016 season don't you?  As you can imagine, Bone Head has turned me into a front runner so I'm cheering for the Dodger Blue this year.  Besides, Dodger Dogs are darn good.  The one thing the Happy Couple do agree on is their love for the Hawkeyes.  The Brain told me last night the Hawks finished their preseason 4 and 1 with a loss to Northern Illinois, and victories over Missouri State, Iowa State, Western Michigan, and Minnesota.  Michigan State comes into Iowa City Saturday which marks the start of the real football season.

Moe is doing just fine and she says "Thank you for asking".  She again has gained a little weight this summer.  This is not a good sign as she always gains weight in the winter.  I think she and Duffus are having a contest to see who can gain the most the fastest.  My best friend Shari insists that the two of them not get on the scales at the same time.  She doesn't want to have to buy a new one.  Moe has done a fine job this summer doing her job.  Jeff has hired her to be in charge of meet n' greet, and as head of security.  She has done both in remarkable fashion, although some people in the park think she may be a little on the spoiled side.  She insists on going everywhere the Happy Couple go or she goes up into the bedroom and pouts.  That, and she sleeps in until 9:00 AM, even though Shari makes the bed a lot earlier.  Shari just has to work around her.  At least the Village Idiot is already up!

The Happy Couple have most of their doctor stuff done.  They both go to the same doctor in Cedar Rapids and both needed to get their blood pressure checks so they could get their meds for the winter.  To do this, they made an appointment to get this done together.  Everything was fine; Shari's low and Duffus' high.  When they were getting ready to leave the exam room their doctor gave them both a big hug.  Duffus wants to know how many of you guys get a hug from your doctor after an appointment? 

The Happy Couple are finishing up getting together with many of their great friends before they leave.  They are having their camping buddies come here to Crossroads today for one last get together.  Then they are making trips to Washington, Iowa City, Cedar Rapids, and Burlington this week and next to see some more.  They plan on getting a couple of more trips to West Burlington to see grandson, Luke, play football.  Luke's football season hasn't gone as planned but the Happy Couple enjoy watching the games anyway.  Granddaughter, Emma, is a sophomore at Iowa and, according to all reports, is doing fine.  She is living off campus with some other girls, which can be dangerous, but they haven't made the police blotter yet!!!!  The Happy Couple are sure that won't be a problem.


Well, as you can see, the Happy Couple lead a very exciting, and fast paced, life.  They can be awfully hard to keep up with.  "NOT"!!!!!   I suppose that is to be expected at their advanced age.  Moe and I wouldn't want it any other way.  All we ask is they just keep us in food and water and take us out once in a while to do our thing.  Another thing I would like is for them to quit knocking me behind the sofa.  It gets lonely back there.

I better be getting off this thing.  The Brain should be back from his daily morning jog shortly and he will probably want to check the police log to make sure he wasn't caught speeding.  I'll keep ya'll updated on what happens to us this fall and winter.  I have heard we are definitely going to Green Acres RV Resort in Savannah, TN first, but after that, I, nor anyone else, have any idea what will follow.  It is always good to plan ahead.  Until I get back to you, have a great one!!!!

Tag

Howdy folks,

It's me, Tag.  Do you remember me?  I'm the great little guy that travels around the country with the Happy Couple.  That is, when they travel.  Lately it has been sit and work.  More about that in a few minutes.  Where have I been?  It is a very long story.

We, the Family, left Austin March 30th and traveled to Highlands, TX.  On the way trough Houston we went by a company called Halliburton.  Just for idle conversation I asked the Brain  (who happens to think he knows just about everything) what does Halliburton do?  He said they were a big international contractor that works all over the world.  After we arrived at San Jacinto Riverfront RV Resort I was sitting on the couch thinking about Halliburton and the possibility of traveling the world instead of guiding the guy, who knows everything, around the same old roads.  One day when they took a trip to Kingwood, TX to see Jerry and Cheryl (Shari's cousins) without me, I decided to make my escape.  I got out on I-10 and thumbed a ride to north Houston and the mysterious world of international espionage.  After a very long interview, an in-depth background check, and a little training, I was inducted into a very secret and covert unit and sent to the Bahamas.  Due to the secret nature of the mission I am unable to divulge what, or where, our mission led us as it was highly classified.  You know what the policy is;  "If I tell you then I'll have to dispose of your body."  Besides, what happens in the Bahamas stays in the Bahamas.  Anyway, we completed our mission and our unit was sent back to the States.  After a very intense debriefing, I was put on an unscheduled jet and flown to Mt. Pleasant, IA to rejoin the Happy Couple.  They were so happy to see me again that they forgave me for my actions in very short order.  Don't bother trying to get any information out of the Happy Couple as they know nothing.  I did tell Moe but she has sworn to silence.  I think she wants to join me on my next mission.

As for the Happy Couple, they have returned to Crossroads RV Park in Mt. Pleasant.  For some reason, Jeff asked them to come back for another season.  I understand their return trip was both fun and also sad.  They met friends Ed and Debbie Romeo in Natchez, MS for a couple of days of sightseeing and then up to Vicksburg, MS for 4 days of intense touring and eating.  During that time they had a great time and had way too much food.  The day they left Vicksburg disaster struck.  About an hour north of Vicksburg an elderly gentleman pulled his pickup out in front of Ed and created a deadly accident.  Ed, Debbie, and their dog, Claire, survived unhurt physically but took the event rather hard emotionally.  The man in the pickup died of his injuries.  The Romeo's pickup and trailer were totaled in the accident.  As of this writing, they have given up RVing but, hopefully, sometime they will give it another shot.

The Happy Couple arrived in Mt. Pleasant on April 13th and started working at the RV park on April 15th.  Other than a few quick trips to Cedar Rapids for doctor appointments and trips to Burlington to see the grand kids and friends, they have been staying pretty close to Mt. Pleasant.  I think Duffus is afraid to venture too far away without me telling where to turn.  This happens to people when they turn 70 years old.
The Happy Couple have had many friends stop by the RV park this summer.  Some of them even brought RVs to stay in.  The ones that did not were reminded of the 10:00 PM curfew.  The Happy Couples' RV only sleeps 2 1/2.  Moe is the 1/2 and, because of my superior training, I stand guard at night.  One group that showed up were 5 couples that were at La Hacienda RV Resort last winter.  One couple even drove here from eastern Kentucky just to be in on the fun and excitement.  Actually, from what Moe told me, there was a lot of eating and afternoon naps.  The only down side of the weekend happened on the last morning.  One lady got into her motorhome to check the lights when she slipped on a throw rug, caught her leg under the driver's seat and broke her hip.  It was an ambulance ride to U of Iowa Hospitals instead of a leisurely drive to Clarion.  The last the Happy Couple heard, Ev is home and recovering nicely.

The Happy couple did have big bummer news this past Monday morning.  They got a phone call that a good camping friend, Al Hirschman, from the Chicago area, passed away Sunday night.  Al loved 2 things that the big Duffus really likes.  Camp fires and cold beer.  Al would get up early in the morning, light a campfire and sit and drink coffee, eat cinnamon rolls and tell stories to anyone who would listen.  Then comes the PM part of the day when it was cold beer time.  He loved the Bears, the Cubs,  the Notre Dame Fighting Irish, and his wonderful wife, Pam.  Al will truly be missed.  Damn cancer anyway.

That wasn't the only thing that my best friend, Shari, was bumming about after the weekend.  Her beloved Cubs got swept by the Mighty Dodgers over the weekend at Wiggly Field.  Not only swept but shut out the last 2 games.  She was so despondent, she called her brother, John, to see if she could move in with him and his wife Pat.  John turned her down, reminding her that she married the Village Idiot and she was going to have to pay for her mistakes.  Or, maybe it was because the Cubs aren't playing well this year anyway and they were done for before they ever played the Dodgers!!

Other than all this, not much else going on except a lot of work for Duffus in a much busier park than in the past.  The plan is for the Happy Couple to be at Crossroads (they were overheard remarking about the nice summer they are having working this year - lots of nice people stopping in) until early October and then who knows what.  I heard they are going to Savannah, TN to stay at Green Acres RV Resort.  A couple, Larry and Diane Frisbie, who they meet in Austin last winter and were here for the La Ha reunion, have purchased the RV park.  Duffus wants to go snoop around and see if he can learn any new tips on how to better do his job here at Crossroads.  After that it will probably be off to Alabama or Texas or a combination of both.  Shari has to go to Austin in January or February to have her hip checked. (It is doing just great, by the way)  The Happy Couple will also be spending a month in Kerrville, TX as the have a month of camping paid for at Guadalupe River RV Resort.  They just love that area and may spend more time than just one month.  Duffus still wants to be a cowboy.

This is about it for now.  Unless I am sent out on anther secret mission, I will be keeping you updated in the near future.

As always,

Tag

Hi Everyone,

Yup, it's me again in all my glory.  We are still in Austin where the weather is just great compared to what a lot of the rest of the country has been getting. How great you ask.  It is normally sunny with highs in the mid 60's to mid 70's every day.  Since the Happy Couple brought Moe and I to Austin the RV park has only had two inches of rain.  That is 2 inches of rain during their rainy season.  The locals think this may be a long hot year.

The Happy Couple are generally getting alone just fine.  The Village Idiot has his moments every once in a while.  My girl Shari is getting along great with her new hip.  The in-home physical therapist was here today for her final in-home therapy session.  She starts a month of outpatient therapy on Tuesday and has her final surgeon visit on March 27th.  When she gets through with those two things she should be a new bionic woman.  She is off pain pills and just uses a cane occasionally.  When she walks around the campground everyone tells her how great she looks and how great she is doing.  That sometimes gets under the skin of the Village Idiot.  He says when a woman has a baby, no one ever asks how the father is doing.  They are always concerned about the mother and baby.  He says the same thing is happening to him now.  Everyone is concerned about Shari, they tells Moe how sweet and cute she is, but nobody shows any concern about the SPECIAL CAREGIVER.  Old Moe and I just sit on the sofa and laugh when he gets into one of those funks.  What he needs to do is go find a job.  Something to occupy what is left of his brain.

The Happy Couple really haven't been out adventuring much lately  They have been enjoying their new friends and the activities here at La Hacienda RV Resort. There is always something to do almost everyday if they want to take it all in.  Shari is getting back into doing more but the Brain says a lot of the activities interrupt his afternoon nap.  That might be part of the reason he has gained a little weight this winter.  That and BV and coke.

I told you last time that I would tell you one of the adventures the Happy Couple and the Powells had in January when Ron and Vi were staying here. Near here, northwest of Austin, is Mansfield Dam on the Colorado River; not the one that goes through the Grand Canyon but the small one that goes through Texas, and forms Lake Travis.  Lake Travis is a flood control reservoir, which right now is 53 feet below normal.  It is surrounded by million dollar homes, yacht clubs, and a few Travis County parks.  Shari and the Brain were out on a road trip in November and entered a county park to see what it was all about.  They found out that all the Travis County parks have an entrance fee except for seniors over 62, who are admitted free.  One day the weather was cloudy and cool with the wind blowing and temperatures in the low 50s, so the Powells and the Happy Couple went on a road trip to see the sights around Austin. As the Brain was driving around Lake Travis he saw a sign pointing to Windy Point and Hippy Hollow.  Not knowing what they were about he asked everybody in the car if they wanted to investigate.  Everybody said sure.  So up and down and all around they made their way along the lake and the first park they came to was Hippy Hollow.  The Brain pulled up to the ticket taker booth where a young man was sitting inside.  The Brain rolled down the window while observing that there were not many cars in the parking lot....a few but not a whole lot. The Brain promptly informed the young man that everyone in the car was over 62 but was told there was a $2.00 charge to get the car into the lot.  As the Brain was getting his money the young man asked "do you know what kind of park Hippy Hollow is?" Everyone responded in the negative.  He said it is "a Clothing Optional Nudist Park".  It is the only public park in Texas where nudity is officially permitted.  It is also a very popular place for the liberal, countercultural, and  and gay-friendly Austonians. After a short moment of shock from the four in the car, the Brain told the ticket taker he didn't believe they would be touring this particular park after all.  But the Brain asked him who the heck in their right mind would be taking their clothes off on a beach in this kind of weather.  The young man said he didn't know and was not about to go down there to find out.  He just collected money.  With that, the Brain just rolled up the window and drove back out to the main road.  The Brain told me later that little incident gave him a whole new view on visiting county parks in Texas.  As they say down here,  "Keep Austin Weird"  This place makes Iowa City look very conservative.

How is Moe you ask.  Well she is just fine.  She, like the Village Idiot, is putting on a little weight this winter.  She and the Brain go out for a walk every morning.  They walk about a mile or so and, after Moe does her thing, they stop at the office where the Brain checks for mail and Moe checks out the selection of dog treats.  The dog treats are making her bra (halter) fit tight.  She has found a good hairdresser down here so the Happy Couple take her in for a trim about once a month.  She thought of a new trick last night.  She got my friend Shari out of bed at 1:30 AM because she thought she was a little hungry and needed a drink.  After her cocktail hour was over and dinner was through, she thought a little walk would be nice.  The conversation around the breakfast table this AM was how the Happy Couple may not be too happy if Miss Moe think this is going to become routine.  I don't blame them.  It woke me up too -- all those lights that were on.  It didn't bother the Village Idiot any.  He just keep snoring.

The Brain told me the plans are to leave here on April 2nd and start working north via Houston.  That is if he can afford to fill the truck up with fuel.  That, and if it ever quits snowing in Iowa.  You folks up north better get the weather thing straightened out if you want to see us again.  The four of us are really starting to think nice things about nice weather.  Just keep that in mind.

I guess I have bored you long enough.  The Brain yelled at me to get off the computer.  He says he has got to start working on taxes.  I hope my friend Shari takes Moe and me out for a nice long walk so we don't have to listen to the language that will be coming from the house while he is doing that little job.  He can get nasty.

I'll be back to you some other day.  In the meantime, have a great one.

Later,

Tag

Her's finally has a date!!!!

Hi ya'll,

Just a quick note for now.


Yup, my great friend Shari finally has her hip surgery scheduled.  It is scheduled for February 5th @ 2:00 PM at Seaton Medical Center in Austin.  The surgeon is Dr. Shelby Carter, considered one of the best hip surgeons in the country.  She is really looking forward to it to get rid of the pain.  She told me the doctor said she would be pain free when she left Austin.  I asked her what was she doing, "Are you leaving the Village Idiot in Texas and going back to Iowa alone?"  The Brain is really happy about the scheduled time.  He was afraid it would be at 6:00 AM and he would have to get up at 2:00 AM or maybe even earlier.

After surgery, Shari will be in the hospital for 2 to 3 days and then will have 2 weeks of at home rehab.  She should be out and about without a cane in about a month.  If it works out that way, it will be great.

This is all for now.  I will be writing again soon.  There is a little thing I have to pass on to you about The Happy Couple and the Powells and their adventure to Hippie Hollow.

Later and have a great weekend.  (Oh by the way, the temperature in Austin is suppose to be 71 on Sunday.  Dang, I hate it when it gets that hat.)

Tag.