Livingston, Texas

Had breakfast Saturday at the C.A.R.E. Center here at Rainbow's End RV Park, which is Escapees Headquarters. What a breakfast they provided. For $4 you got 2 eggs, that were basted to perfection, sausage patties, bacon, hash browns, grits, and biscuits and gravy. What a feast!



C.AR.E. stands for "Continuing Assistance to Retired Escapees". Its mission "is to provide a safe haven with professional assistance at affordable prices for members whose travels are permanently ended because of age or temporarily interrupted because of health problems." It is a 501 (c) (3) non-profit organization that is supported by donations from Escapee members. We belong to the Class of 2007 because we "graduated" from working to fulltime rving in 2007. This group of rvers have been in contact with each other via discussion forums and gathering in Quartzsite, Arizona, January 2008. We made a collection there for C.A.R.E.

We also raised money from the Dessert Rose Beauty Contest at the Gypsy Journal Rally in Casa Grande, Arizona, in February 2008. Altogether the Class of 2007 donated $1,200 to C.A.R.E last year.

We had our name engraved on a plaque kept at the C.A.R.E. center. So when we went to breakfast yesterday I took a photo to show at our Class of 2007 Reunion in San Antonio next week.

I'm sure we will collect more money at the reunion and it will be happily sent to C.A.R.E. in the name of the Class of 2007. It is such a worthy cause and a wonderful facility for fulltimers who have to "hang up their keys" as we say on the road. It is also a place to recuperate from an illness or surgery at whatever age. It's not a nursing home. You live in your own rv placed around the C.A.R.E. Center, you have all your meals and a full day of activities in the Center. Once a week personnel will come to your rv and collect your laundry, which they will do for you.They do your laundry once a week. Twice a month someone comes and cleans your rv. This costs a total of $800 a month. There is an additional cost for meals for the caregiver.

This is a major reason we became Escapees because of the C.A.R.E. Center as our time will come when we can't drive around the country anymore and Livingston and C.A.R.E. will become our home then. God willing, it will be many more years down the road.

Tomorrow we leave to Boerne (pronounced Bernie) outside of San Antonio. It might be a convoy or caravan as Trish, Lesle, Bill, Jim and I will all be traveling together for the day. Should be quite a sight going down the highway!

Goodnight for now, dear friends, more tomorrow. Remember - you are loved!