Back Gate Guarding

We are back to the same ranch as we were in February, but different gate.  We don’t have to write anyone in or out; basically we sit outside during the day with the gate opened and wave and smile as the trucks go in and out of our gate to other parts of the ranch.

A lot of gate guards who have blogs have been asked to sign non-disclosure agreements which basically requires them to not write anything about the whole oil/gas drilling industry.  Many have stopped blogging or only blog about things unrelated to their job.  We haven’t been asked to sign that agreement, but I’ve always tried to be careful about what I blog, so it wouldn’t be in conflict with the industry or the company’s competitors.

So most of my blogs from now on will be pretty vanilla…..plain and without much taste LOL.  Also we don’t have very good cell or internet service on the ranch, so I won’t be blogging as often.  I’ll compose on Windows Live Writer and save the drafts.  Then I have to drive ten miles to where there is a good signal and publish it then and there.  Right now I’m parked in the truck in the parking lot of a closed bar typing this out.  I think I’ve got Jim convinced that we need a Wilson cell/data booster….he wants to be able to continue to play with his new smart phone so I might get the booster this time around.

So abide with us for the next four months as we gate guard in southern Texas and make enough money to pay off Jim’s hernia operation and then enough to go play in Louisiana in March when we will spend a month at Betty’s RV Park.  So excited about returning to Abbeville.

Well, my time on the gate is coming up so I’ll close for now.  Keep checking back for blog posts….I’m sure I can find something to blog about besides gate guarding.

Remember, you are loved.
Read the story behind the saying HERE

 

Girl’s Time and More Travel

While at the COE in Cartwright, OK the boys went to a nearby casino to “play” and Linda and I stayed home and made jewelry.  Back in July, Salai and I went to the Creede Beadery and bought some interesting beads to make earrings.  I have a lot of hobbies but beading isn’t one of them so I saved mine till we saw Linda and she could make them for me. 

                        

My hands are too clumsy to manipulate those wires, hooks and pliers, but Linda did a wonderful job with those beads.  In no time she made six pairs of earrings.

We left Cartwright Thursday morning and traveled to Salado, TX and stayed at Tranquil Gardens RV Park and with our Passport America discount paid $20.  It was one of the few RV Parks we’ve stayed at that didn’t back up to a railroad track and was off the interstate 2 miles so there wasn’t any noise of cars and trucks zooming by.  We rested well.

Friday we drove to Schertz, TX which is between New Braunfels and San Antonio.  We stayed at another Passport America discounted park, Stoney Creek RV Park for $18.75. That is a great price as parks in San Antonio can be from $30 to $45 or more.  The Mossman’s have family in San Antonio and we had some friends to see, so we stayed two days.

Sunday we drove to Whitsett and parked in the gate guard yard in preparation to being assigned on Monday.  Oh, boy, soon we’ll stop spending so much money on gas and eating out and will begin “making” money.

Remember, you are loved.
Read the story behind the saying HERE

Visit with Friends

We’ve had a few occasions to visit with folks who have camped with us during the summer in South Fork. 

Such was the case Wednesday when we went to visit Landi, Richard and son, Nathaniel.

 

Landi and I are always “needling” each other as she is a proud conservative Republican and I am a happy liberal Democrat. We enjoy egging each other on, I must say.

We drove to a fav restaurant of theirs called Ranchman’s Café in Ponder, TX. It is a small, macho-type place that serves lots of beef meals to predominately male customers.  Don’t get excited….I had a salad.  But look what the others ordered.

Burger looked good	Chicken fried steak was huge
Daily special was roast pork with roasted carrots, spinach and potatoes.  Looked good.	Homemade coconut cream pie with a mile high meringue

This restaurant was frequented by Faye Dunaway and Warren Beatty during the making of the movie “Bonnie and Clyde” in the late 60’s.

In fact the local bank was used in the movie as well.

 

 

 

The interior of the Ranchman’s Café is filled with memorabilia about the movie, as well as signed photos of celebrities who have visited the restaurant like Richard Petty and John Wayne.

We had a great time with Landi, Richard and Nathaniel and look forward to seeing them next summer in South Fork, Colorado.

Remember, you are loved.
Read the story behind the saying HERE

Eisenhower’s Birthplace–Denison, Texas

We are parked at a COE campground in Cartwright, OK, about 2-3 miles from the Texas border.

The other day we drove to the next town south to Denison, TX.  While looking around we saw signs directing us to Eisenhower’s birthplace, so we thought we’d take a look.

The house was rented by Eisenhower’s parents and they left Denison when he was 18 months old.

On the left of the house is a little garden with a large statue of Eisenhower as a soldier.

We didn’t tour the house but enjoyed the free museum with photos of Eisenhower throughout his career.  The museum is located in a period house and the light filtering through the Camellia vines on the porch was stunning.

We’ve enjoyed our stay on Lake Texoma…quiet….peacefully….just what we needed.

Remember, you are loved.
Read the story behind the saying HERE

COE–Cartwright, OK

We arrived in this southeastern part of Oklahoma last Thursday. When I say we’re close to Texas I’m not blowing smoke cause the border line is about 2-3 miles south. Jim and Linda Mossman have been at Burns Run East COE Park on Lake Texoma before and it was a good meeting place.  We haven’t seen each other since April.

This is a beautiful Corp of Engineer (COE) park. Here is a recent sunset.

Although a large park, for the winter there are only 23 sites opened in the older part of the park.  It was pretty full when we arrived and we were lucky to find two spaces together. After the weekend it did clear out a lot.

The last couple of days it has been pretty hot with high humidity and, of course, our air conditioner wasn’t blowing out cool air.  Now, being that we spend our summers in the cool mountain air of south-central Colorado, we haven’t used it much. Since the area we are going to in Texas still is experiencing temps in the 90’s, we figured we best get it looked at.  Luckily Texoma RV Repair was about ten miles away and carry a stock of a/c in-house. Dig out the extended service contract just in case.

Imagine our surprise when Chris arrived on a motorcycle. What no mobile repair truck, no ladder, no visible tools?  What’s with this???

Chris did a bang up job!  When he went to take off the a/c vent in the ceiling, the whole housing came down.  Seems it wasn’t attached properly and had froze after we used it a bit. A lot of shiny silver tape later and we were in business.  Whissshh, no new a/c needed.  Chris says he repairs a lot of a/c out here at Lake Texoma and after a discussion on the phone initially, he brings the meters and supplies he needs in his cycle’s saddle bags.

We’d highly recommend Texoma RV Repair. Chris was mannerly and efficient in his repairs. Cost us $90 service call fee and $60 repair fee….much better than buying a new a/c.  We were pleased.  Plus he gave us a great recommendation for dinner in Denison, TX….Girasoles Mexican Food.  Yes, we went there.

I don’t think I’ve ever walked into a cleaner restaurant. You could just “feel” the clean. It was apparent in the restroom also and as you looked at the window sills, looked into the kitchen area it was spotless.  The menu was extensive and we all found something we liked.  Good experience. Thumbs up!!!

Oh, you want to see what The Mossman’s look like now???  OK, here they are.  They look good, don’t they?  Sooooo, glad to see them again.

Remember, you are loved.
Read the story behind the saying HERE

Funny Thing We Saw

Back in September we were parked at Hollywood Casino in San Felipe, NM.  Also parked with us was this very unusual sight. Yes, that is a Class A pulling a travel trailer.  Couldn’t be their tow…LOL

I spent an intriguing few minutes imaging WHY was this going down the road, WHAT was it going to be used for and WHERE was it going?

What are your ideas??????

 

Remember, you are loved.
Read the story behind the saying HERE

Palo Duro Canyon State Park

The second day in Amarillo after many friends’ recommendations, we drove to this state park.  Palo Duro has been called the Little Grand Canyon, and I can see that.  Palo Duro isn’t as long, deep or wide as Grand Canyon, but has all the majesty of it.

The views from the top when you come is magnificent

The road to the bottom is at a 10% grade…that is mighty steep, folks.

See the loop on the left going down further?	Steep turns
Going back up the steep road	Click the photo to enlarge; that white dot is an RV going up the grade.

There is a campground at the bottom of the canyon that is very pretty. Look at the vistas you would see camping here!

Here are some other additional photos for your enjoyment.

If you find yourself near Amarillo, do yourself a favor and go visit Palo Duro Canyon State Park. The $5 per person entry fee is a bargain for how this place is a feast for your eyes and feeds your soul.

Remember, you are loved.
Read the story behind the saying HERE

Tucumcari and Amarillo

When we left the Santa Fe area we intended to drive all the way to Amarillo. But there was some rain and high winds before we left and we waited it out and left about 10 a.m., so we stopped at Tucumcari about 2 p.m. and called it a day. Jim was tuckered out.

We stayed at the Elks Club there and their RV park was adequate.  They charge you $15 the first night with the second night free…kind of novel.  We didn’t unhook so we BBQ’d dinner.  Jim had a steak and baked potato and I had a sweet potato, grilled slices of eggplant and a roasted red pepper.  Both of us were satisfied.  We threw up the antenna and watched locally available TV.

Since we didn’t have a long trip to Amarillo, I piddled around online till late in the morning on Saturday.  We finally took off about 10 a.m. and arrived about 1 or really 2 since we passed over the Central Time Zone going into Texas.

We again found our way to the Elks Club in Amarillo and their RV park out back. Setting up was a bit of a chore this time because after sitting up on leveling blocks and blocking the wheels and bringing out the slides, Jim found we were two feet short of our electrical cord reaching the electrical box sitting on their back fence dead center of our rig.  UGH!  So here we go - pull in the slides, move things from tipping over, un-chuck the wheels, re-hooking up to the truck, driving off the leveling blocks, and backing up two frigging feet.  Then go through the whole set up procedure again.  I hate when this happens; luckily it’s only happened a couple of times in the last five years, but it is aggravating when it happens.

I’d received a couple of recommendations for places to eat in Amarillo, but driving into town I spied a Golden Corral and since it’s been a good six months since we’ve eaten at a proper buffet, Golden Corral was where we ate.  The place was very busy at 3 p.m. and continued that way for the hour we were there.  I must say, it was probably the best Golden Corral we’ve been to. The food was hot (I hate luke-warm food) and everything nicely seasoned.  The variety was extensive including a whole roast turkey and a steamboat round of pork, along with sirloin steaks…different.  Don’t worry, I was good.

Back at the Elks Club we stopped into the lodge for a beer and was greeted warmly by several members, making us feel very welcomed.  The lodge has a nice menu and the food looked great.

While watching TV Jim started playing around with the GPS features and spied a Braum’s in the area. Happy, happy day, we’re in Braum country again.  If you’re not familiar with Braum’s it has the best ice cream in the world IMHO.  They have a fast food restaurant, ice cream parlor and a section for groceries all in one building.  Their cheese is very tasty and milk is really fresh tasting. The family farm and dairy is located in Tuttle, OK and they service areas in Oklahoma, Kansas, Texas, Missouri, and Arkansas. But all stores are located within a 300-mile radius of the Braum Family Farm ONLY. Because that is as far as they fleet of trucks can travel in one day to bring fresh items to their stores every other day. We love being in Braum’s country.

Remember, you are loved.
Read the story behind the saying HERE

Technorati Tags: Amarillo,Tucumcari,Elks Club,Braum's,Golden Corral

Family Visit - Santa Fe

We spent a delightful three days seeing members of our family in Santa Fe. With the Balloon Fiesta going on most everything is full or have doubled their prices.  We chose to stay about 30 miles south of Santa Fe at the Hollywood Casino in San Felipe Pueblo.  They have a nice RV park right there and usually charge $10 with electric (water and dump on premises) but, of course, they were now charging $20/night.

We have two daughters, three grandchildren, a son-in-law, a granddaughter-in-law and a great-grand-daughter. Luckily, they all live close to each other. So one day we’d see those working nights or have the day off and the next caught the ones working days.  It definitely hard to get everyone together.

  

We took everyone out in two shifts.  Wednesday we went to Tecolote for breakfast with our two daughters. It had good reviews and had been recommended.

Boy, was it good. So different.  I had the Huevos Yucatecos which was corn tortilla layered with black beans, two fried eggs, green chile, Swiss and feta cheese, pico de gallo, and surrounded with fried bananas; with posole as my side. Jim had the Huevos Ranchero, Beth had the Atole pancakes with Christine having Tortilla Soup, yes she is strange that way.

Server suggested punching a hole in the middle of the pancake and pouring the syrup in there to keep from leaking the syrup all over the place	With her soup she got a nice salad. But look at all the condiments with the soup-lime, avocado, cheese, cilantro, etc.

 Tecolote’s motto (even printed on the server’s tee shirt) is “Breakfast – No toast”. You have a choice of tortillas or a bakery basket. Of course we chose the basket and it had banana, blueberry and green chile and cheese muffins and homemade biscuits….yummooooo.  Good choice. 

The next day Jim and I split up the group and went to two different restaurants for lunch.  Jim took Tom (son-in-law) and Kenneth (grandson) to Horseman’s Haven Café (he didn’t take photos). 

Horseman is known for their dangerously hot chili.  Chili #1 is very hot but then there is Chili #2 is “the hurting one” as Jim described it.  The group enchiladas with Chili #1 and a side of Chili #2.  Our grandson had told us before that just a corner of a cracker dipped in that stuff almost made him hallucinate it was so hot. You all know Jim loves very hot chili, so his opinion? “Chili #2 was tooooooo hot”.  It definitely hurts!!!  But it was nice for the boys to get together and bond.

Our two daughters and the other grandson went to a vegetarian/vegan restaurant called Annapurna.  Beth and Maxx had been here before and were anxious for me to try it. Annapurna has Indian cuisine, which is new to me.

Here’s a photo of some of the food we ordered.  The server was super helpful to me in recommending and explaining all the dishes.  I chose to have a combination plate with lots of vegetables shown on the bottom. Beth had the veggie burger with green chili on the right and Christine had their daily special with noodles, veggies and spicy sauce. Maxx had a Lebanese wrap with eggplant and hummus but I was eating mine by then and didn’t take a photo.

We spent as much time as possible with our great granddaughter when she came to visit. She’s going on three….which she is always anxious to tell you.

                

We had a wonderful time with the whole family at different times….worked out well.  But time to get back on the road, so we said adios and on Friday morning we took off East on I-40.

Remember, you are loved.
Read the story behind the saying HERE

We’re On the Road Again

While Jim went to his final doctor’s appointment I went and saw Naomi one last time and then went to look for a birthday present for Roberta, whom we were going to visit in Espanola for the night.

Stopped by Heartstrings and Heirlooms, the local quilt store, and thought maybe I could find something appropriate for a birthday.  My quilt buddy, Barbara, pointed out some new yarn they began to carry, saying it makes up into a fun scarf.  The yarn pulls apart to reveal an open netting that looks like it was crocheted.  I didn’t have time to make a scarf I told her.  Barb corrected me and said I could make this scarf in 1 1/2 hours! Really???? In fact, you can get two scarves out of the package of yarn.  Here’s half the skein.

So I bought this colorway and started knitting.

After waiting an additional hour and a half at the doctor’s office, Jim got the “all clear”, he’s healing well, we hooked up the buggy and pulled out of town.

We weren’t going far…only to Espanola, NM…so Jim wouldn’t get too tired out.  Roberta and Teddy, as you may remember, are campers we met in Big Meadows back in 2009 who have become personal friends.  We pulled the rig into their large yard and we were set up.

Barbara was right, I continued to knit after we arrived with Roberta remarking how pretty the scarf was.  Another half hour and the scarf was done.  I said “I’m glad you like the scarf because I made it for you”. Doesn’t it work up nicely?

 

 

Teddy smoked up some delicious ribs and also some trout he caught in Colorado this summer.   Dinner was delicious. 

We had a wonderful visit, a good night’s sleep, and took off for Santa Fe Tuesday morning.  More later.

Remember, you are loved.
Read the story behind the saying HERE

Check-Off List

Every year when we finish up our camphosting job in South Fork, we spend a little bit of time back here in Alamosa finishing up chores. 

I have a check-list of things that need to be done before we leave for the winter. Here’s how we’ve done so far….

x Wash dog’s blankets
x    Wash bedspread, comforter, mattress pad
x    Wash pillows
x    Wash couch throws
x    Buy dog’s heartworm pills
x    Get dog’s nails trimmed at vets
x    Defrost freezer and clean refrigerator
x   Clean oven with Easy-Off
x    Buy Jim two new pairs of jeans
x    Buy new underwear and socks for both of us
x    Get perm
~    Oil all wood in rig---I like Orange Glo Oil
No   Shampoo carpet
No    Clean all windows and mirrors
x    Buy all new seasonings at food co-op
~    Use up all pantry items and restock
x    Buy hard-to-find food items to take with us
No    Clean window screens
x    Reorganize basement
x    Go through closet, sort and get rid of stuff
x    Reorganize all drawers kitchen and bedroom
x    Reorganize all cabinets in living room
x    Go through file cabinet and condense

Yes, those are all the things we have done and not quite done the last three weeks.  We’ve also visited with a bunch of our friends and gone out to eat A LOT! 

OK, that’s the list---tomorrow we leave and happily get back on the road.  Hooray!!!!!!

Remember, you are loved
Read the story behind the saying HERE
   
   

  

 

Last Round of Visits with Friends

This is our last week in Alamosa and we have been enjoying having one last visit with our friends before we leave.

I go to see my friend, Naomi, a few times a week at the nursing home.  We have had particularly nice weather the beginning of the week so I took her out for a stroll in her wheelchair.  The trees have turned yellow and red and Naomi loves seeing the trees, flowers and particularly a view of Mt. Blanca on our strolls.  As we walked I picked leaves from different trees so she could see them up close. This really delighted her and we ended up making a bouquet of sorts from stems of leaves.

     
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Another day my buddy, Nora, called and asked “let’s meet at the hospital and have lunch”.  Well, I must say, that was a first.  Actually “go” to the hospital for a meal??  Unheard of!!! 

Mark Lara (formerly of Lara’s Soft Spoken Restaurant in Alamosa) is now the chef at the café at the hospital and the food is magnificent!  (Actually, Mark may be the food director at the hospital, I’m not sure and don’t want to cut him short….I just don’t know his proper title.)  Anyway…….the food was great.  I understand there are a number of doctors and nurses who are vegetarian/vegan so Mark always has a good selection of food for them also.

Here is Nora, me and Nora’s granddaughter, Erica (who I befriended 14 years ago), having lunch on the patio in front of the hospital café.

The food was very good with a nice selection.  This was Mexican day so there was bean tostado, chicken tacos, green and red chili, nachos, a pasta salad, fruit salad and a very nice salad bar…oh, the peach bread pudding was good too.  Uniquely, you selected your food and then paid a flat $4.99 a pound for everything.  Isn’t that ingenious???  I wouldn’t hesitate to go again if asked.  Thanks, Nora and Erica for a delightful time together!

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Thursday I get a series of text messages from our friends Heinz and Angela asking when we would be leaving, and asking if we could get together one last time.  “Sure, come on over.”

Chorizo “claims” Angela immediately when they come over as you can see.

Heinz brought over a very different concoction to drink. Have you ever heard of Jack Daniel’s Tennessee Honey?  I had a taste and it is very smooth with a nice honey background.  The Mountain Dew Throw Back with cane sugar instead of corn syrup is better than the original IMHO, but I’m not a fan of Mountain Dew in any version.  Put the two together and you get this odd colored drink….too sweet for me, but good.

Heinz and Angela are looking to be fulltime RVers in a few years and we continued talking to them about RVing, areas to visit and places online to look for used RVs like PPL Motorhomes in Houston and Pedata RV in Tucson.  It was a great evening with friends enjoying a lot of laughter and smiles!
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Jim has his next (and hopefully last) doctor’s appointment Monday and if all goes well, we’ll leave town by noon. Hip – hip – hooray!!! We’ll be “on the road again” soon!!!

Remember, you are loved.
Read the story behind the saying HERE