ON THE ROAD AGAIN -- FINALLY!

Hi all, Dianne here.   Well, after a year and a half we were ready to once again hit the road.  First, there were a few preparations: 

All of our outdoor furnishings had to be put inside the casita.   This is a rule in our neighborhood, in case there is a hurricane while residents are out exploring the USA.  Our patio looked pretty lonely…

The big day finally arrived, and we were loaded up and ready to go.

 We had one extra passenger for the first portion of our trip. Izzy, a/k/a Isobel Jones, was our house guest the last few weeks we were home.  Izzy’s parents, our good friends Greg and Barb, had a prior commitment to house sit near Asheville, North Carolina and were not able to have Izzy accompany them.  Since we were also headed to North Carolina and the dates jived up perfectly, Izzy stayed with us in Texas and then made the trip to North Carolina with us, to be delivered to Barb and Greg after their house-sitting duties were finished.   As you can see, traveling with one extra dog was really not an issue; Izzy is the perfect house AND rv guest.



Tequila, on the other hand, was always on the lookout for a snack!

Our first overnight stop was at Shady Oaks Campground near Ganados, Texas (see opening photo).  We stopped a bit earlier than we had planned, because all of the campgrounds closer to Houston were “no vacancy” due to oil workers.   Our second day took us to Lakeside RV Park in Livingston, Louisiana.  Our third day gave us our first “adventure” of this summer’s trip…

   As the afternoon progressed, we were trying to outrun a series of thunderstorms that were chasing us across the state of Alabama.  Tuscaloosa was our intended stop for the day.  Roger had had a very difficult time finding a spot to park near Tuscaloosa.  We decided it was too hot to boondock at a Walmart, so we headed to the only private campground in the area.  I’ll let Roger continue the narrative from here….   


 The campground was only about a mile from the interstate and was rated 3.5 stars on RV Park Reviews.  Good news so far.  When we arrived at the “office”, just as the storm was knocking down tree limbs, we found the door locked.  A sign on the door said to go to the welcome center to fill out a self registration.  I ran down the street and found a ramshackle building.  It must have been 100 degrees inside and dark enough to make reading a strain on the eyes.  The hand-scribbled directions said to locate the park map on the wall and pick out a vacant site.  As I was trying to decipher the map, boom --- thunder.  I grabbed a registration card and ran back to the motorhome.  Dianne was urging (very polite verb to describe the intensity of her “suggestion”) me to move the motor home away from the falling limbs and out into one of the empty spaces ahead.  All of them were empty.  We parked in one of the spots and waited until the worst of the storm passed before connecting the electricity which did actually work.

Twenty minutes later, the storm had passed, so we took a walk around the park.  The broken lawn furniture tossed in the woods was a precursor to what we already surmised to be the ambiance of the place.

 This must be one of the deluxe sites.  It obviously was because of the extra amenities --- Adirondack chair (only a couple of missing slats) and most of a privacy fence.

 The view from our motor home gives a clear view of the neighborhood.  We did talk about leaving, but since there did not seem to be any viable options, we locked the doors and watched the forest for peering eyes and listened for banjo music.  We knew Bandido and Izzy would be our first-alert system if anyone came near.


  We awoke the next morning in one piece, unhooked, and departed without ever seeing another soul.   A Twilight Zone experience.

On to Chattanooga and the very nice    Best Holiday Trav-L-Park for two nights, just off the interstate.  The purpose of our stop here was to visit my cousin, Beth, her kids, and her grandkids.  Beth and I were part of a very close extended family.  In our youth, every Sunday involved a trip to grandma and grandpa’s for dinner and fun at the farm and apple orchard.  Simpler times.  We went to the same school, were in the same grade, had the same teachers, and graduated from high school together.  Beth was, and is, more like a sister to me than a cousin.  We had a delicious dinner at her house with her two daughters and three grandkids.

After dinner, young Ethan asked me to help him make his “building” taller.  Someone actually asked me to make something taller!  I got to play with toys.  What fun.  (Roger was really in his element – D.)

The next day Beth arranged for the three of us to do the coolest thing.  At the ESCAPE CHATTANOOGA EXPERIENCE we were handcuffed and locked in a room (resembling a prison cell).  We were given one hour to discover the clues, props and puzzles that would enable us to escape.  It was a rush every time we figured something out.  We promised not to reveal any of the secrets, so I won’t, but it was a unique experience that had us laughing throughout.  Alas, we were not among the 42% who found their way out within an hour.

After our failed escape, Beth took us to the Mellow Mushroom in downtown Chattanooga for some excellent pizza. 

 We at outside in a small city that has a whole lot going for it.  The city fathers have made some wise decisions with the development of the downtown area.  Lots to do and see here.  Neat town. 

Our next stop is in the mountains of North Carolina for fun and adventures at the RV Dreams Rally.  More on that next time.   We will be updating our blog on a regular basis again, now that we’re traveling.

The Pet Picture of the Day was taken at the dog park at our Chattanooga campground.  It was simple to get Izzy and Bandido to climb onto the agility bridge.  1.  Put tennis ball on top  2.  Watch Bandido run to top.  3. Watch Izzy run after Bandido.

Getting Ready to Hit the Road (what we have been up to lately)

Roger here...  Our springtime at Retama Village in South Texas is running short.  We are in the process of getting the motor home ready for a summer sojourn (with more frequent blog posts).  

It is raining today --- an ideal time to let you know what we have been up to lately.

Retama Village is a busy place.  Social events abound during the winter season.  During my time as an officer, we attended most of them (kind of exhausting).  We are not as active now, but we do enjoy joining some of the fun.  

A few weeks ago "friends" approached us and asked us to join them in crashing the first Retama Village Prom.  We were to dress up as the cast of Grease, arriving late with the sounds of motorcycles in the background.  

Here's a photo of the entire group of party crashers:

We were greeted by the school nurse who told us that we looked like trouble and passed out white balloons for us to use as protection.  Hmmmm?  Dianne dressed up as one of the Pink Ladies.

I was one of the greasers.  Our job was to hassle all of the well-dressed prom guests as we strutted through the crowd.  You probably had to be there to appreciate it, but it was really a blast.  

For my old high school friends...  This is how you remember me, right? :-)

It sounds a little corny, but it was really a great time.  You know you are having fun when you catch yourself laughing and smiling nonstop. 

Dianne here:  Part of the fun of this "senior" prom was the option to visit the local ropa stores to find prom attire.   Click the link see a photo of our friends

Greg and Barb, looking fabulous in their $20 ropa attire.

  (I borrowed the photo link from their travel blog.   One great thing about living in an RV community is that we can often keep up with our friends' summer travels by reading their travel blogs.   Greg and Barb's blog is one of those listed on our sidebar).

Oh look...  the lovely Prom Queen (Vicki) and her escort King Greg.  Greg's date, Barb, was one of the princesses.  I actually got to dance with the Prom Queen!

What fun!

One of the simple joys of our winter home is watching nature unfold from our back patio.  The opening picture is obviously of a newly-hatched Monarch butterfly.  Every morning we checked the chrysalis that was hanging from one of our patio chairs to see if it had hatched.

We were quite lucky to see it just before its first flight.

Bandido here....  Hmmm.  What is this and why is it on my patio?  Should I eat it or just chase it away?  Maybe I'll just ignore it.

Roger again...  The planting area at the back of our lot has been growing exponentially.  Here are a few then (a year ago) and now pictures.

Cape Honeysuckle shrubs on the left.  Mexican Poinciana Tree on the right....

Corner shot of a queen palm and a robellini palm with a butterfly weed (attracts monarchs) in the foreground....

I could not find early photos that match these next two pictures, but suffice it to say that the low-to the-ground blue mist flowers  (that attract hundreds of butterflies) emerged from three tiny plants.  The purple skyflower was nothing but a stick in the ground.

The jasmine vines, now in full bloom, that are growing up trellises to the top of the pergola have only been in the ground for a few months.

Speaking of things that grow from the ground, we have enjoyed watching the vacant lot next to us transform into a casita --- just like ours.

We have joked about being the only house in this part of Retama Village, considering ourselves to be the frontier of the subdivision.  It will be great to have Don and Sue as next-door neighbors in a few weeks.

Changing topics...  As you might know, Dianne and I volunteer at Cinderella Pet Rescue, a no-kill shelter for dogs and cats.  I was recently asked to do a recurring segment for the rescue center at the local Fox affiliate.  I have appeared on local Indianapolis TV several times in the past (job-related), however, it was usually (not always) some kind of investigative report --- very stressful.    This time was actually fun.  I was able to take one of my favorite dogs, Phoenix.  Freddie, the host of the morning show, made it very easy to say good things about Phoenix and the rescue center.  Hopefully, I will get to do it again.

Dianne here:  As you know, while we're here in Mission, Roger and I volunteer twice a week at Cinderella Pet Rescue, walking dogs, giving treats and hugs, and in the case of Roger, appearing on local TV.   Last Thursday was a very special day at Cinderella, and I thought I'd borrow a few photos taken by Pam, another volunteer, to shower you readers with some unbearable cuteness.  

A few weeks ago, a skinny but very pregnant stray dog we named Liza showed up at Cinderella.   She was too far along to be spayed, so we joked that we hoped she wouldn't have 10 puppies.   Well....Liza had 13 PUPPIES shortly after she arrived!

We thought with so many pups there would be bottle feeding needed and lots of extra work.   Liza, however, has been a wonderful mommy and all the pups are fat and happy.  

Last Thursday the volunteers were asked to help bathe the puppies and do the first de-worming.

Here are some photos taken by Pam, one of the volunteers that day:

I warned you about the unbearable cuteness part....

We don't know what type of dog the dad(s) were, but the mom is a medium-sized shepherd and sweet as can be.  If you are in the market for a puppy (or Liza, the mom), they will be spayed and neutered with microchips and shots and ready to go in a few weeks.   Let's hope they can all find a loving, forever home quickly!  If you know anyone who may be interested, you can find contact information for Cinderella at the link above. 

If you can't adopt or volunteer, but still want to help, here is a link for our Go Fund Me page to raise money for the spay/neutering and other myriad expenses required for this huge litter of cuteness.  Liza and Puppies Fund.   Needless to say, we are having a population explosion right now with all these new puppies. 

  The best part of the day Thursday was cuddling each puppy in a warm towel until they were dry, then returning them to their freshly-cleaned kennel and newly-bathed mom.   Liza met me with each pup that I brought and immediately licked them to welcome them back.   Roger and I were wet and covered with puppy when we left there Thursday afternoon, but it felt oh, so good!

The pet picture of the day fits with the theme of our impending departure.  Dianne recently bought a couple of elevated dog bed/hammocks to keep the dogs off of the dirt in the campgrounds and RV parks that we will be visiting.  Bandido is keeping an eye on Big Chuck while he tests out his new lounge furniture.

Springtime at Retama Village

Roger here...  After all the traveling we have done, it seems as if we have been in our new home for a very long time.  We spent the summer in extreme south Texas this past year (watching our small home being built).  We have not traveled in the motor home for more than a year, and we are itching to explore new places.  Our stationary status will end soon enough when we hit the road for several months of travel......

..... but first we intend to enjoy springtime at our home in the Rio Grande Valley.

It was 85 degrees yesterday.  Just before dinner we enjoyed a glass of wine under the shade of our covered porch.  As you can see, a house is being built next to us for our soon-to-be neighbors, Don and Sue.

While Dianne did a little browsing on her computer, I wandered around the yard taking a few pictures of the flowers that are blooming in every direction.  These yellow blooms are part of our Mexican Poinciana tree.

The Cape Honeysuckle shrubs are growing like weeds.  They have been covered with orange flowers all winter.

The Hibiscus next to the driveway is blooming....






.... and so is the potted Crown of Thorns.

We used to have Impatiens in our Indiana beds during the summertime.  We have them here, as well.  However, now they thrive throughout the year.

As I wandered around the yard a Great Horned Owl landed in the tree behind our house.  We saw him bend the branch on which he lit.  He was huge.  He was hidden in the foliage, but he was definitely there.  We knew because of all hooting.  

 It looked like we were going to have a nice sunset.

This is not the best picture of the full moon that was rising in the eastern sky, but don't you think that it looks a little hazy around the outer edges?  We looked at the weather ap to see if our idyllic weather was passing on.

Yep, bad news ---- from 85 degrees to 40 degrees over night, then plunging to 33 degrees the next night.  Down here this kind of impending weather is known as a blue norther.  Pretty darned cold for the Mexican border.  

Our quiet relaxation ended.  We needed to cover all those flowers to protect them from frost and cold.  We used to do this in Indiana.  I guess some things are the same.  


The pet picture of the day depicts Bandido guarding his toys.

"These balls belong to me.  No one else can have them.