#parking lot cleaning in Morris County

[rafanello12-blog]

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[stephenjaymorrisblog]

That Summer of 1994

By Stephen Jay Morris

January 2, 2019

©Scientific Morality

On the afternoon of December 13, 2018, we were at Pet Haven Cemetery in Gardena, California, having our beloved Golden Retriever, Benny, laid to rest.  Pamela and I were in a difficult state of bereavement.  We decided on a kind of self-medication by way of an impromptu picnic at the park where I’d worked 24 years ago.  We headed for Cerritos Park East.  

Navigating L.A. County freeways has become an exhaustingly horrendous task.  Finally, after traveling east on the 91—less than five miles in 30 minutes—we reached that nostalgic off ramp I’d used so many times back then:  Bloomfield Avenue.  After a couple of wrong turns, we reached our destination.  My memories came flooding back into focus.  I’d worked there as a summer gardener for 96 days. I can count on one hand the number of jobs I actually ever liked.  One was a mail clerk for some law firm in Century City; the other, a temporary grounds keeper at Cerritos Park.  My “dream” job had always been that of an on-site gardener in some park, university, or a rich man’s Bel Aire mansion.  There were two other dream jobs, but I never held either:  one was that of a gardener at the White House in Washington D.C.; the other, a groundskeeper at Dodgers Stadium.  I really hated working for any private landscaping company on a route, or for a municipality, going from place to place on a city truck. I liked being in one location the entire day.  This job was it.

Here are a few facts about the City of Cerritos.  It was incorporated in 1956 as the City of Dairy Valley.  Miles upon miles of dairies occupied the area until California’s rising property values and taxes supported large-scale development over agriculture.  The dairies were forced out and replaced by housing tracts and shopping centers.  In 1967, the city was renamed Cerritos, after the nearby Spanish land grant, Rancho Los Cerritos.  All of the cattle that had grazed the extensive landscape made for very fertile soil.  It is no wonder that the neighborhoods were, and still are, so lush; I mean really green.  Hundreds of trees cast shadows on the sidewalks and streets the entire day.  There are plants, shrubs and parcels of grass everywhere you look.  At the time, it made the hot summer bearable.

Cerritos—Spanish for “little hills”—is known primarily for the car dealerships constantly advertised on local television.  There is their landmark Cerritos Center of the Performing Arts.  Once in a while you’ll hear about that auditorium when some group or person, who was famous for 15 minutes in the 60’s, plays a concert there.  Someone like “Gary Lewis and the Playboys.”  Or when they present some high school play. The downtown area is small.  The City is what is referred to as a “bedroom town;” a community where people have their homes, yet commute long distances to work in central Los Angeles.  When I worked there, residents were predominately Asian and White.  I don’t know what the demographics are now. Cerritos is next to the City of La Palma, and east of that is Orange County; i.e.: Cerritos is the next to the last city from the county line

The summer of 1994 was a strange and exciting time in history.  I remember how, on June 17, O.J. Simpson in his Ford Bronco was being chased around the county by L.A.P.D. squad cars.  At one point, O.J. drove by the park on the 91 freeway, police cars in tow.  News helicopters were televising this SUV car chase all over the local channels.  It was a Friday.  Pamela and I watched, transfixed, after I arrived home in Palmdale.  Then, on August 12, Major League Baseball went on strike.  All of a sudden, baseball fans were so desperate to see a game they came in droves to Cerritos Park to watch little league games!  Guess who cleaned up the after each game?  Talk about a mess!  In the dugouts, there were piles of Sunflower seeds and candy wrappers.

Music was good.  The top pop group was “Ace of Base,” a Swedish group.  You might say they picked up were “ABBA” left off.  Of course there was the Grunge thing going on. I listened to this alternative station called, “Y-107 FM”.  It didn’t last long.

East Cerritos Park, now called Cerritos Park East, has hardly changed.  The only thing I noticed that was different was that the once vacant field next to the park’s west end was now a gated housing tract.  Before that, Whitney High School’s athletic field was viewable from the park’s grounds equipment garage.  The garage was located just behind of the building that housed the Olympic-sized swimming pool.  It was largest pool in the county.  I also recall that I never saw any bathing beauties come through the pool’s exit door. Only young kids senior citizens.

Pamela and I ate our picnic lunch at a table under a large tree.  I was turning my head around like an owl, reminiscing about that summer in 1994.  As I focused on one open area, I remembered how, every morning, I used to see elderly Asians doing Tai Chi exercises there.  (The last time I’d witnessed such an activity was on my high school’s front lawn, Fairfax High.   However, the participants were Jewish Hippies.)  Every location I saw evoked a memory.  First, the tennis courts, with which I was tasked to clean daily.  I soon recalled how, on the basketball courts, my crew and I would use a hydro powered sprayer over the expansive pavement.  Then, there was the parking lot that had hosted teenage couples having sex in their parents’ cars.  I never witnessed it, of course; they’d frequent the place only at night.  But, I had to clean up the parking lot each morning and, without fail, I’d find used condoms.  Gross!  I also found used hypodermic needles, which I’d been instructed to leave alone for some special crew, in hazardous gear, to came and retrieve them.  After I finished my lunch, I walked over to the nearby equipment garage where my crew would hang out during the day, on breaks and between assignments.  At the time, we used equipment that was 30 years old.  I immediately noticed the brand new sit down mowers now parked there.

I first wrote about this place in my manuscript, “Uncivil Service,” Chapter 13.  It was nice being in that park again.  It was a reminder that my life didn’t suck so much.  It shall always be “East Cerritos Park” to me.  

[theparadorinn]

Reggae former PUSA Hays Eagles

Hi,

I may have figured out how to post pictures on the blog.  I went shopping got three bags of rock salt (a rare commodity these day) and a cheap TV, Preferred IT Solutions installed my new phone system Thursday, my hat's off to John and his crew.  They got my phone bill cut in half and quadrupled my internet speed and best of all I figured out how I will be able to again play my Reggae in the mansion.  So I had to get a smart TV and found this for $100:

Yea it worked.  :)

Business seems to be picking up.  I was sold out for Valentine's Day and almost sold out this past weekend.  I've even been picking up some weekday business.  Room sales (not room revenue) is going to be very good for a February (with my covid special-revenue is mediocre but that's better than many of my fellow small businesses and I am grateful for that.  A lot of my reservations are again  coming through my hated Expedia Group that charge me a 15% commission and I'm converting my new guests to booking directly through my website instead of from Expedia.  I've had several already book repeat visits from my website.

Recently came back from 2 weeks in Florida, darn I needed that.  Split the first week between my friend Jeff that owns The Inn on the Mexican War Streets in St Pete and my brother and his family in Tampa.  Then second week I spend in Lake Worth where I used to live.  Saw a bunch of old friends and ate my fill of Spanish street food.  Came back to this nasty cold weather and snow.  My electric Snow Joe does such a great job when the snow is cold and dry.  It's light and easy to maneuver.  I can do the 140' side walk and parking lot in about 2 hours instead of all day with a shovel.  If you are looking for an affordable snow blower that generally works great checkout the Snow Joe.

Thank god that idiot is out of the White House.  He's left such a mess for poor President Biden to clean up. One of the big things he ignored was this pandemic.  I think the cold blooded bast*** did on purpose to "cull" the dependents on society that aren't multimillionaires.  Get rid of the old people that collect SS and subsidized housing and the poor people.

The best part of his demise, two on my radar, all the companies severing ties to the Trump organization best of all Deutsche Bank has said when his loans are up they will not renew or renegotiate a $400M loan.  So he's going to have to go out and find other lenders and everyone has seen how he operates and I don't think a bank is going to be stupid and buy his bluster, so his terms won't be as favorable as in the past.  And he won't be able to use our Justice system (whom he despises and maligns like our Intelligence agencies) for free and will have to hire lawyers to defend himself from all the civil and criminal law suites.  He may actually go belly up.  :)  :)  :) :)   Mitch Mitch McConnell even suggested that people bring civil and criminal suites against him, damn did that invoke a nasty tweet from DJT.  He did not go out with grace, his legacy will be the first president impeached twice and the first to incite an insurrection.  I never liked the man and you even could say despised him as our PUSA.  In case I haven't said before I worked for him (actually his first bought bride Ivana) at Trump Towers in Atlantic City for a year and knew the small business owner (Nicolas Jacobsen) in West Palm Beach he refused to pay the $33,977 for three chandeliers he installed in Mar-a-Lago ballroom in 2005.  And here we are in 2021 and Mr. Jacobsen is now filing a defamation lawsuit against Trump for $1M.

The Problem with America isn't a racial issue.  We are all fed up with the lies and deceit coming from our elected officials or their appointed persons.  The double talk out of them is so infuriating.  Big and small issues, you can't believe anything they say,  And we all know they are lying to us.  Water quality is a blatant example of this.  Flint MI bureaucrats lied for years about lead in their water system and then PGH water authority did the same.  Until the feds came in and called them up on it.  DJT really hit the nail on the head with this, maybe he's not as stupid as I think he is. His constant whining about the fake news really hit home with many people.  Instead of focusing on all the "fake news" out there he only zeroed in on news against him.

While I'm whining, I went to Penn State and was fed up with the ivory tower mentality of the administration way back then.  When the Jerry Sandusky scandal broke and the then president Graham Spanier did all the double talk and back tracking "he didn't know anything" the l lost all respect for PSU's administration.  And Spanier continued to receive his pay, even though he was accused of criminal behavior.  Shouldn't universities set an example of how things should be run?

Speaking of higher education, I like what Robert Morris University is doing.  They have teamed up with local community colleges where you can enroll at the community college and get direct credits much more affordable than RMU's cost.  A nice alternative if you have anyone thinking of pursuing a college degree. I know they already have an agreement with Beaver County Community College and believe they are working on an agreement with Community College of Allegheny.

Have you been watching the Hay's Eagle nest on the web cam?  They now have 3 eggs.  The other day, some stupid racoon climbed the tree to get at the eggs, mom would have nothing to do with it, she really got upset and showed him who's boss before dad showed up as back up.  It was pretty funny.

Celine Dion is scheduled to perform at PPG Paints Arena September 24, get your tickets because she's sure to sell out and be sure to book at The Parador.  Remember it's a five minute walk from my Inn to the "T" (our light rail system) and then a five minute walk to the Arena from the Steel Plaza station and the "T"'s free.  No hassles driving, parking or if you imbibe concerns about a DUI.  Book soon here if you want a one night visit, when I start selling out, I will bump it up to a two night minimum.  :)

Speaking of concerts, Kenney Chesney will be at Heinz Field June 12 and I still have 2 rooms left.  Def Leppard, Mtley Crue  Joan Jett will be at PNC Park July 22 and I still have some rooms left.

Well, I'm tired and going to sign off, I should have my Reggae set up by Thursday, waiting on a part.  That might motivate me to do another blog this coming weekend.  Take care, keep warm, stay safe and say hi to a neighbor,

ed

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[longislandweekly-blog]

An eco-conscious vacation to San Francisco and Marin County

The iconic Golden Gate Bridge connects San Francisco to Marin County. (Photo by Kimberly Dijkstra)

San Francisco, the hilly city by the bay, has captured the hearts of many. Even Tony Bennett left his heart there among the cable cars and morning fog. Just beyond the bridge lies Marin County, a respite from city life with a charm and beauty all its own. Marin itself features in a song or two. The Bay Area has lots to offer as a vacation destination and is the perfect choice for the environmentally conscious.

San Franciscans prioritize sustainability in their daily lives and these practices extend into the hospitality industry. Many hotels boast eco-friendly practices, such as Hotel Spero, which is so committed to sustainability, it launched on Earth Day last year. The renovation took careful steps to pay homage to former owner Lizzie Glide, a well-known San Francisco philanthropist and activist.

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Guests receive a pencil embedded with forget-me-not seeds.

Hotel Spero strives to be Earth-friendly.

Hotel Spero, which is just steps from Union Square and located centrally to major attractions, invites guests to be a part of its mindfulness, philanthropy and environmental efforts, which ultimately makes your stay there more enjoyable. For example, the water filling station in the lobby helps minimize plastic bottle waste. The BeeKind products in every guestroom are made from all-natural ingredients, have recycled packaging and the company supports the Honey Bee Research Program at UC Davis. Guests will also find graphite pencils with forget-me-not seeds embedded that can be planted after the pencil is used.

Also, a discount is offered at Jasper’s Corner Tap & Kitchen, the hotel’s restaurant, if you turn down housekeeping service during the duration of your visit. And luggage racks in each room double as ‘giving racks,’ where you can leave spare clothing behind to be donated to the St. Anthony Foundation.

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Go Go Go

Lots of different things attract travelers to San Francisco. The Go Card (smartdestinations.com) offers admission to nearly all of them including bus tours, cruises, museums, historic monuments and family activities. The Aquarium of the Bay, located at historic Pier 39, is great for kids and pretty fun for adults as well. Home to more than 20,000 aquatic animals in 700,000 gallons of water, the aquarium works to protect and preserve the bay. It hosts shoreline cleanups and promotes green infrastructure projects. A walk through the aquarium, with all of the interactive opportunities it offers, is a walk through a living museum.

The Embarcardero, San Francisco’s pleasant bayside walkway, has a wide variety of restaurants, parks, attractions and piers to enjoy as you travel by foot or by bike. Stop at Pier 45 for a tour of the USS Pompanito, a World War II submarine that has been restored to its prime. An audio guide provides a glimpse of what life was like for sailors back in the day. More than 100,000 people visit the National Historic Landmark every year.

Across town in Golden Gate Park, one of this country’s great urban parks, the de Young Museum stands as an integral part of San Francisco’s art scene for the past century. The fine art museum has a Monet exhibition on display through May 27 and a Gauguin exhibition on through June 23. Its permanent collection includes paintings, sculptures, decorative arts, modern and contemporary art, and pieces by artists from all over the world and different time periods. One must-see piece is Salvador Dali’s Portrait of Dorothy Spreckels Munn (1942)—the surreal painting glows in an unearthly manner.

Alcatraz Island can only be reached by Alcatraz Cruises. (Photos by Kimberly Dijkstra)

Welcome to The Rock

Alcatraz Island, the former military fort and supermax prison, is known as The Rock due to its reputation for inhospitality. But you’d be surprised by how lush and inviting it truly is once you see it up close.

Alcatraz Cruises (www.alcatrazcruises.com) is the official cruise concessioner for the National Park Service, which operates the island. Tours depart every half hour from Pier 33 and it takes only about 12 minutes to cross the bay. Then you’re free to roam around and explore. Head up to the cellhouse and pick up an audio guide for first-hand accounts from former prisoners and guards. While walking the hallways and cellblocks of the prison, you’ll learn about the worst-of-the-worst convicts who were held there, as well as the well-known 1962 escape by Frank Morris and brothers John and Clarence Anglin.

The cascading gardens are an unexpected highlight of Alcatraz Island.

The history of the island is fascinating and well worth spending an afternoon hearing about. The real treat however is the beautiful gardens that cover every slope and terrace. Maintained by the Golden Gate National Parks Conservancy, National Park Service and Garden Conservancy since 2003, these ornamental beds breathe life into a seemingly lifeless landscape and attract a variety of seabirds.

Alcatraz Cruises has been using hybrid ferries for the past ten years. The Hornblower Hybrid is 40 percent more fuel efficient than standard passenger ferry vessels. In addition to many other energy efficient and sustainability practices, the cruise line recycles more than 70 percent of solid waste and provides recycling bins to passengers and the food available on board is primarily organic and purchased from local vendors.

To learn more about what San Francisco has to offer, visit sftravel.com.

Drake’s Bay (Photo by Dennis Anderson)

Over the Bridge

Once you’ve gotten your fill of the city, spend some time in Marin County and you will get a fuller experience of Northern California. Nature lovers, history enthusiasts and foodies will all love Marin, which has been at the forefront of the environmentalism movement for decades.

A stay in Olema is central to many points of interest in Marin. Bear Valley Cottage is a private guesthouse on the property of the former Bear Valley Inn that’s large enough for a family and cozy enough for a couple with access to a lovely backyard and an electric car charger. Owners Amanda and Ken extend warm hospitality to guests as if they are family and eager to share their love of the area. Amanda recommends an excursion to nearby Chimney Rock to see wildflowers or take in a gorgeous sunset over the ocean. 

Play a game of giant Scrabble in the backyard at Bear Valley Cottage.

The cottage sees a lot of return guests, including those with environmental sensitivities. Amanda uses ‘clean’ cleaning products and stocks the cottage with EO soaps and lotions, a local brand that uses natural organic ingredients. She had a greywater system installed for laundry and uses sulfite-free laundry detergent that, when it runs out into the garden, doubles as plant food for the hydrangeas. And she’s so committed to sustainability, she also gives discounts for taking the bus, riding a bike and walking instead of driving a car.

Punto de los Reyes

Less than a mile down the road is Bear Valley Visitor Center, one of three visitor centers in Point Reyes National Seashore, a national park with beaches, rolling hills and meadows, forests, complex ecosystems and miles upon miles of hiking trails.

In the 1906 earthquake that destroyed much of San Francisco, the triangular peninsula of Point Reyes moved about 16 feet northwest up the California coast. In recent years, people have traveled from all over the world to see the famous fence that was split apart by the rupture. Bear Valley Visitor Center’s self-guided Earthquake Trail is dotted with historic photos and interpretive panels about the San Andreas Fault leading up to a replica of the original fence.

Follow the Chimney Rock trailhead to the ocean viewpoint known for its wildflowers. (Photo by Dennis Anderson)

A destination for about 400,000 a year, the visitor center itself is filled with educational exhibits that highlight the geological history of the peninsula, the human history, the variety of animal habitats that the Park Service protects and sustainability messages.

The Point Reyes Lighthouse is also a major draw for tourists, for its historical value and for whale-watching during the first half of the year. Originally constructed in 1870, the lighthouse is currently undergoing a complete restoration, hopefully to be complete this summer.

About three miles north, Point Reyes Station serves as the commercial center of the area, with downtown eateries, a grocery store and shops of local artisans. Station House Café offers up locally sourced organic breakfast, lunch and dinner. Menu highlights include oysters on the half shell, the farmstead cheese plate, flank steak salad and macaroni & cheese.

Osteria Stellina and Cowgirl Creamery are also essential dining stops and don’t miss the buffalo milk soft serve ice cream at Palace Market.

Find a little slice of paradise at Heidrun Meadery. (Photo by Kimberly Dijkstra)

Get No Kick From Champagne? Try Mead

Travelers interested in wine tasting experiences must book a tasting at Heidrun Meadery. The inviting tasting room welcomes visitors into the world of honey wine. Mead has a certain reputation for being the cloyingly sweet drink of choice for Vikings and Medieval townfolk, but Heidrun’s founder Gordon Hull is turning that stereotype on its head with his dry and delicate Champagne-style meads. 

The picturesque grounds of the former dairy farm are home to wildflowers and the honeybees that pollinate them. Heidrun creates varietals from this honey, as well as honey obtained from migratory beekeepers. Since no syrups or additional flavors are added, the unique flavor of each bottle comes directly from flower pollen the honey was harvested from.

For a one-of-a-kind experience, go for a tasting at Heidrun Meadery.

“We’ve found that the chemical composition of honey is largely dependent on the source of the flower nectar from which it is derived, and most of them differ slightly,” Hull said. For example, a floral citrus flavor comes through the California Orange Blossom varietal while the Hawaiian Macadamia Nut Blossom can be characterized by the same richness of the macademia nut. Much eucalyptus can be found among Heidrun’s wildflowers, giving that varietal a distinct herbal taste.

Since there’s no aggressive farming involved and honey is a byproduct of pollination, Hull’s mead business actually has a positive impact on the environment. Bees have seen a steep decline in population over recent years and need all the help they can get these days.

Each sparkling wine varietal is tied to a different location, whether it be Point Reyes itself or nearby Sonoma Mountain or Nopa (a neighborhood in San Francisco). Every bottle becomes an intimate souvenir of that place to share and enjoy even after you’ve left.

With its natural splendor and ideal climate, Marin has so much to offer. Learn more at visitmarin.com.

For more about Marin County, see Point Reyes National Seashore Is A Bay Area Treasure and Planning A Green Vacation

The Bay Area is a perfect choice for an eco-friendly vacation. Enjoy all that San Francisco and Marin County have to offer, including green places to stay like Hotel Spero and Bear Valley Cottage, activities like the Aquarium of the Bay, USS Pompanito, de Young Museum, Alcatraz Island, Heidrun Meadery and Point Reyes National Seashore. An eco-conscious vacation to San Francisco and Marin County San Francisco, the hilly city by the bay, has captured the hearts of many.

[travelingtheusa]

TEXAS

18 Jan 2019 (Fri) – First stop was at the Dallas Diner for breakfast next door to the Elks Lodge.  We both got senior breakfast meals – 2 eggs, bacon or sausage, hash browns, and a biscuit.  It was good. Then we did the laundry so I could have some clean socks and underwear to take with me on my trip.  While the laundry was drying, we drove to the nearest Navy FCU 17 miles away.  I deposited 3 checks and asked if they could cash a $20 check I had made out to me. For some reason, it would not photograph for mobile deposit to USAA.  The clerk said it was the background on the check that was preventing the picture (apparently, it is a common problem).  Since I don’t have a personal account at Navy FCU (just the SMART Nomads business account), she had me deposit the check in that account and withdraw $20.  It was an in-and-out transaction.

     After we brought the laundry back to the RV and put everything away, we grabbed Bonnie and drove to the park at White Rock Lake. There was a large dog park there and we wanted to give Bonnie some social time with other dogs.  There were at least 20 dogs running around the large dog park, and another 20 in the little dog park.  Bonnie wasn’t interested in interacting with anyone. She sniffed, peed, and pooped but did not play.  We took her out of the park and went for a walk along the lake front.  There were many birds on the water and in the trees. The sky was heavily overcast and the temp was in the low 50s.  The forecast for today was 68 degrees but we did not see it get that high.

     I am feeling a little anxious about my trip to New York.  Winter Storm Harper is headed to the northeast this weekend.  Temps are projected to be in the single digits with snow and sleet and flash-freeze conditions.  Why am I going back to New York in January???  We will have to adjust these visits back home for more temperate times of the year.

 17 Jan 2019 (Thu) - We went to the mall so I could pick up a few things for my trip to New York then went to AMC Movie Theater to watch “Replicas” with Keanu Reeves.  It was OK. Keanu just couldn’t pull off acting like a scientist.  We stopped at PetCo to pick up a few cans of food for the animals, and stopped for lunch at Saltgrass Steak House.  We were back home by 5:00 p.m.

16 Jan 2019 (Wed) – We packed up, made a stop at the dump station, and headed out from Caddo to Dallas.  It looked like some kind of stevedore had worked around the campground last night.  A lot of grass was dug up.  We figured it was either (or both) possums and javelinas.  They like to root in the ground for grubs and worms.  We never saw any wildlife other than deer during the 9 days we’ve been here.

     We stopped for lunch at McDonald’s.  Paul pulled into a WalMart parking lot and I walked across the street to get the food.  Of course, we had to include a burger for Bonnie and Sheba.  

     Traffic was pretty good most of the way.  When we got to the last few miles, the GPS goofed up. There is construction in that area and we guessed the GPS was trying to put us on a road that wasn’t there any more. At any rate, we managed to find our way to the Elks Lodge.

     The Lodge is on the outskirts of town near Garland. There are 7 sites lined up along the back fence with water and electric hookups.  I had called two days ago and made a reservation for the one and only empty site.  When we arrived, there was a motor coach in our site.  The guy didn’t know it was reserved.  There is a sign on the front door of the lodge that says the sites are first come, first served.  It is a confusing system.  They were gracious, however, and moved over to park by the fence.  We pulled in and set up.

     Once set up, we drove into town.  It seems like all the stores we shop at are close by on the main road.  Kroger is two buildings over.  U-Haul (where we get propane) is a mile and a half down the road.  Between here and there, there is a PetCo and a Lowe’s along with dozens of other stores and restaurants.  Very different from the last place we camped.  lol.

     We got the propane tank refilled, refueled the truck, and picked up groceries at Kroger.  We also picked up dinner and took it back to the RV.  After we ate, we went into the lodge.  The parking area is gated and we needed to get a key card for the gate.  We also asked about extending for an additional 3 days.  We had reservations through to January 25.  I will be in New York from the 19th to the 24th.  The weather forecast is for a fierce winter storm to hit the northeast.  We figured we should extend a few days to the 28th just in case my return flight gets delayed by the storm.  There was a little confusion as to who had reserved the site, but the gal finally said they hadn’t paid so we were set.

    The lodge cooks dinner every Wednesday night. Tonight’s meal was tomato soup and grill cheese.  We had already eaten so we passed.  Next Wednesday Paul will be able to enjoy a meatball sandwich if he wants.  They are also having a steak dinner on Saturday.  I called and made a reservation for him. We had a drink and returned to the camper.

15 Jan 2019 (Tue) – Again, we stayed in the campground.  Temps never got over 50 today and the sun never showed its face.  We have been using a 30’ leash to walk Bonnie.  She has been enjoying the extra freedom very much. It’s also given us a better walk. We don’t have to stop all the time so she can sniff at something.  She has room to walk ahead, stop to sniff, then catch up to us without getting pulled on the 6’ leash.  Everyone is happier with the walk.

 14 Jan 2019 (Mon) – We stayed around the campground today.  Temps still cold and skies overcast.  A second camper showed up overnight.  Now there are four of us in the campground.  The tenters left.

 13 Jan 2019 (Sun) – We stayed around the campground today. The temperatures remained in the 30s all day.  A new camper showed up and the motor home left.  I spotted a campfire on the point where the tenters had been.  Guess more tenters are staying here for the weekend.

12 Jan 2019 (Sat) – We drove 45 minutes north to Graham today.  The Post Office Museum and Fine Arts Center was closed.  There wasn’t anything else to see in the town.  We drove around looking at the buildings and homes.  It looked very much like a western town – not rich, not poor although there were some very run down areas.  

     We stopped at the number one rated restaurant (according to Trip Advisor) for lunch.  Neri’s on the Square was housed in an old historical building that has served as a mortuary, an antique stop, a hardware store, and a restaurant.  The building was large and very open.  There were paintings right on the walls and a set of stairs going to the second floor.  The waitress was a little weird.  Paul thought she was mentally challenged.  I thought she was a young kid who was just given the job, was coached to be upbeat and smile all the time, and then was let loose.  She was extremely enthusiastic, gesticulated a lot, and ended every sentence with a breathless smile.  The food was good and we enjoyed the meal.

     On the way back to the campground, we took time to drive around Possum Kingdom Lake.  We drove through neighborhoods and summer retreats that were pretty deserted.  We found the Brazos River Authority Observation Point and Possum Kingdom Reservoir created by the Morris Sheppard Dam.  The dam was built as a flood control and water conservation project in 1941.  It is over 2,700 feet long and 190 feet high. A very cold wind was blowing so we did not walk around the observation point for very long.  

     We stopped at WalMart to pick up some nice crusty French bread to have with the potato soup I made yesterday.  They had French bread but it wasn’t crusty.  They need to come to New York to see what REAL French and Italian bread is like.  We settled for a frozen loaf of garlic bread.  It was OK but didn’t hit the mark.

11 Jan 2019 (Fri) – It rained during the night and intermittently all day today.  We drove south to the town of Breckenridge.  First stop was at the Swenson Memorial Museum.  The museum was all about Stephens County.  It consisted of two floors located in the former First National Bank building.  The place was packed with artifacts and photos.  There was a resident of the town who was an amateur photographer who took pictures of everything.  Because of that, they have pictures of every aspect of life in the late 1880s through the early 1900s.  It was a very interesting museum.  We spent about two hours wandering among the exhibits, followed (most of the time) by the curator who kept up a rambling story about the town’s history and its colorful occupants.  The curator recommended two restaurants for lunch and also suggested we go to the Breckenridge Fine Arts Center after the Swenson Museum.  We thanked her and left.

     We had lunch at the L&L Family Restaurant. It was very local.  Paul and I both got fried chicken with mashed potatoes and cole slaw.  The potatoes automatically came with gravy without the waitress even asking if we wanted it. We were able to bring home enough left-overs to have supper later.

     After lunch, we drove to the Breckenridge Fine Arts Center.  What a great stop!  The ladies of the town compete in the Festival parades in San Antonio and Tyler. They donate their beautiful gowns to the museum for display.  The curator brought us back into the exhibit room where we could see the gowns close up.  The gowns are worth thousands of dollars and reminded us of the costumes they create for Mardi Gras.  Another room had a doll collection on display, and another had the most beautiful and stunning water colors we have ever seen.  A temporary exhibit had paintings by an impressionist artist who actually came in to get her pictures just after we finished viewing them.  Talk about timing!

     When we got back to the campground, we did the laundry in the campground’s two washers and two dryers.  An RV was just pulling in.  The other two that were here left yesterday.  It is pretty deserted in the campground now.  The distance the park is from main routes might have something to do with the lack of campers.  We are enjoying the beauty of the park and the lack of crowded facilities.  The weather has been more in the normal range – high 60s in the day; 40s at night.  The weather forecast for the weekend is for lows in the 30s.  Looks like we will have to turn off the water at night again.

 10 Jan 2019 (Thu) – We drove into the town of Mineral Wells today, 51 miles northeast from here.  It took almost an hour just to drive the park road to get to the main route.  There wasn’t much to see in town.  It is obvious the town is barely hanging on.  There were many stores closed up and dilapidated buildings with broken windows lined the streets.  The Baker Hotel, which opened two weeks after the great crash in 1929, was boarded up and the inside gutted.  We walked around it.  Then we drove to the original Mineral Water Company.  They produced Crazy Water in both liquid and crystal form.  The water from wells in the area had several elements in it, to include lithium.  Early settlers found the water made sick people better.  Soon, in combination with the oil boom, Mineral Wells swelled to a population of 30,000 people.  People came from all over to drink and bathe in the water.  Then the FDA was formed and better medical treatments were discovered and the town kind of faded away.  We stopped to eat at the Mesquite Pit.  The food was good.

     We got back to the campground a little after four. Paul said we drove 117 miles for lunch.

 9 Jan 2019 (Wed) – We spent the day relaxing. Just stayed in the campground and enjoyed the day.  There are only two other RVs in the park.  Paul spotted a couple of tents on another point.  They had a campfire going.  We agreed we needed to get some firewood.

 8 Jan 2019 (Tue) – We packed up, used the dump station, and hit the road at 9:20 a.m.  It was a long drive from San Angelo to Caddo (5 hours).  We stopped at Cracker Barrel for lunch.  The food was good as always.

     We pulled in the Possum Kingdom State Park campground at quarter after two.  The campground is very far off the main route and away from any local towns.  It was 17 miles on the park road from the main route to the campground.  The town of Caddo was very small and Trip Advisor has nothing listed for it.  We might explore some of the small towns around the area but there isn’t much here in this part of Texas.

     Our campsite is right on Possum Kingdom Lake. So far, we have not seen any opossums but there are lots of deer in the area.  There are only 2 or 3 other campers here.  It is pretty isolated.  We have electric and water hookups and will have to find a dump station when we leave.

 7 Jan 2019 (Mon) – We went out to get fuel and groceries in preparation for our move tomorrow.  We stopped at the Pack Saddle for lunch.  Their ribs were so good last time but not this time.  The meat was tough and less flavorable.  That was very disappointing.

 6 Jan 2019 (Sun) – We spent the day hanging around the campground today.  Made a reservation at our next campground – Possum Kingdom State Park in Caddo, TX. I wonder if there are a lot of opossums in that park?

5 Jan 2019 (Sat) – We went to the Railway Museum of San Angelo this morning.  It was a small museum located in an old depot.  There were several train setups but only one worked.  The most interesting thing was the list of depots between the start of the line in Kansas City to its terminus in Mexico. Almost every station had its name changed over time, which seemed unfair to earlier settlers.  Stations would be named after a family member or someone who settled the town then years later it would be changed to honor someone who served on the railway board or donated money.  Outside were five rail cars – two engines, one caboose, and two cars.  

      After the museum, we went to the Cork & Pig Tavern for lunch.  It was odd to have a place with such a name and there was very little pork offered on the menu.  Paul and I wound up sharing a pizza.

    Following lunch, we went to the Chicken Farm Art Center.  It was a former chicken farm that has been converted to an artists’ compound.  Some artists live on the property; two of the chicken coops were divided into small shops.  Most of the wares were handmade items – soap, jewelry, ceramics, clothing, etc. There was a group of musicians sitting around in chairs in the courtyard.  It was more like a jam than a performance.  

     On the way back to the campground, we stopped at PetCo and WalMart.

4 Jan 2015 (Fri) – We went to lunch at the Pack Saddle BBQ at noon.  The ribs were excellent!  Paul had a brisket dish, which was also very good.  We returned to the campground where Paul continued to insulate all the cabinets in the RV.  

     I got a notice from USPS that our forwarded mail would arrive on Monday.  I had asked for it on Saturday thinking they would send it out on Monday and it would arrive on Friday or Saturday.  Escapees didn’t send the mail out until yesterday so it won’t arrive until Monday. Consequently, I had to go to the office and extend our stay here for one more day.  We were planning to leave on Monday but now our departure date is Tuesday.

     The weather was soooooo much nicer today.  It was 33 degrees when Paul got up this morning and it climbed all the way into the high 60s today.  Hopefully, the cold front has passed and the weather is returning to normal.    

3 Jan 2019 (Thu) – We drove into town and had lunch at Miss Hattie’s Café and Cathouse Lounge.  It was in an old bank building built around the late 1800s.  It had the original tin stamped ceiling and red brick walls.  I had pot roast and Paul had fried shrimp.  The food was good.

      After lunch, we walked down the street to Legend Jewelers where we bought tickets to see Miss Hattie’s Bordello Museum.  Three more people joined the tour and we all walked up a double flight of stairs over the jewelry store to where Miss Hattie ran her bordello.  There were some original pieces from the actual bordello, and the rest was furniture and artifacts from that time period.  We looked into bedrooms where there were story boards recounting the tale of each of five mistresses.  It was a very interesting tour.

     We then drove to San Angelo State Park on the outskirts of town.  It was a very large park with two separate entrances.  First, we went through the south entrance.  There are long horn steers and bison kept in this area.  Unfortunately, neither were near the road.  There were some pens in the distance and it looked like several bison laying on the ground nearby.

     We then drove back out onto the main road over to the north entrance.  There were campgrounds on either side of a creek but not many people camping.  We poked around then left.

2 Jan 2019 (Wed) – It was 30 degrees when we went to bed and it was 30 degrees when we got up this morning. Brrrrrrr.  WTH???  It’s not supposed to be this cold way down south here in Texas!  There have been all kinds of winter advisories and storm warnings for the past two days.  The weatherman reported today that temperatures across the nation are 20 to 30 degrees below normal.

     We went back to Lowe’s today and picked up half-inch pipe insulation tubes and stuffed them under the edge of the kitchen slide. There is no insulation under that slide and it is noticeably colder in the kitchen area.  Paul completed insulation of all the cabinets and closets today.  We’ve had to disconnect the water hose for the last two days.  The water pump is an on-again, off-again, affair.  When the weather gets warmer, Paul will try to figure out why it keeps shutting off.

     I looked up the number one restaurant on Trip Adviser and we went there for lunch.  What a weird experience!  The name of the place was listed as Peasant Valley Restaurant but the sign outside said PV Deli.  It was an old house-turned-restaurant.  We walked through the main door into a large dining area.  To the left was another room with a couple reading a menu on a chalkboard.  We assumed it was the lunch menu, so we walked over and read it, too.  Then a mentally challenged young man told us that was the dinner menu (it was just 11:45 a.m.) and he handed us some photocopied menus to choose from.  We walked back into the main dining room, took a table, and reviewed the menu.  The young man tried to answer questions but he was extremely difficult to understand.  Every time I asked him to repeat himself, he said something different. I tried to order a chicken salad sandwich but he said there was no chicken.

     I was beginning to feel really uncomfortable and somewhat annoyed about the whole place and told the young man we were leaving because I wanted chicken but they were out of it.  Then a young woman came into the room, stated that the young man was her brother and sometimes talked too fast, and said there was plenty of chicken; just not chicken salad.  Too embarrassed to leave, we sat back down to look over the menu again.  She told us when we decided what we wanted, we should walk down the hall and place our order at the counter.  We got up and walked down the hall to place our order.  There was a sign on the wall that said if you didn’t know what you wanted, get out of the line and don’t come back until you know what you want.  I wound up ordering a Rueben sandwich.  The whole thing was just weird.

     When we got back to the campground, we packed up the dirty clothes and did the laundry at the campground.  They have two washers and two dryers, which is enough for us. While the clothes washed and dried, we tried to put together a puzzle.  There was a shelf in the room with books and puzzles.  We didn’t have much luck.  Neither one of us had our glasses and got a headache after a while.

     The temps never got out of the low 30s today. Paul spread cat litter on the steps because they were slick with ice.  Hope this cold spell passes soon.

 1 Jan 2019 (Tue-New Year’s Day) – It was very cold today.  We went to Lowe’s and picked up some silver insulation sheeting to put in the windows. I worked on the caravan book for May; Paul measured and fit the insulation in the windows.  It’s a little disturbing not to be able to see out the windows.  One of the best things about this RV is the panoramic views out the windows.  Oh, well.  If it keeps us warmer, I guess it’s a good thing.

31 Dec 2018 (Mon) – It started raining last night around 8 or 9.  Some times we had thunder and lightning; sometimes there was just a gentle rain. The ground was pretty wet this morning.

     We drove into town to the post office and got the address to have our mail forwarded.  Then we drove to Fort Concho.  It is the most intact Indian Wars Fort in the U.S.  There were about 20 buildings arrayed in a horseshoe around a large parade field.  A couple of the buildings were open to tour but most were closed up.  There were more than 40 buildings on the fort at one time but many were torn down over the years.  Like many frontier posts, it was only in service for 23 years then abandoned by the military.  We walked around the fort, looking in the few buildings that were open.  There was also the Museum of Telefony located in one of the old buildings.  It was quite interesting to see all the very old phones back from a time when telephones were first invented.  Today’s kids wouldn’t know what to do with them.

     After exploring Fort Concho, we went to lunch at the Angry Cactus.  It was a bar and grill decorated in some very unusual ways.  There were pots turned upside down hanging from the ceiling as lights. They used old fashioned light bulbs to give an old look to the place.  They had a special - $5 margaritas all day along with tacos or taco salad.  We found the food very good.

     On the way back to the campground, we stopped in the San Angelo Nature Center.  It was a parking lot fronting on a lake.  Not much wildlife to look at.  We stopped at the Hotel Concho.  It is now out of business.  The first two floors are used by local businesses.  They were setting up for a wedding at 5 p.m. today.  It was a beautiful old building.

     We also stopped at H.E.B. and picked up groceries then ran to PetCo to pick up pet food.  The town of San Angelo has almost 96,000 people, yet much of the town is run down with many broken windows and boarded up buildings.  It feels like they are struggling to keep the town going.  Hope they make it.

 30 Dec 2018 (Sun) – We took Bonnie on a long walk around the campground.  It was 37 this morning and never got warmer than 45 degrees.  When done, we drove into town to the San Angelo Visitor Center. It was a very fancy building with a small office.  There were two elderly gentlemen there who were very happy to tell us everything there was to know about the town.  After getting a handful of brochures and flyers, we walked down by the Concho River. There were Christmas light displays set up.  We decided to come back after dark to see the light show.

     We had lunch at Zero One Ale House.  It was an old building with a tin ceiling and brick walls.  I had roast chicken with seared asparagus and deep fried potato balls.  Paul got a signature sandwich.  Everything was delicious.  We brought a pint of potato soup and left-overs home for dinner.  

     At 6 p.m. we drove back into town and drove through the Christmas lights display.  It was especially nice because they were set up along the river and the lights reflected in the water.  It was like a two-for-one show.  Bonnie seemed to enjoy the ride.

29 Dec 2018 (Sat) – We packed up and pulled out of Fredericksburg at 10 a.m. The weather was cold – in the 30s all day.  We drove three hours to arrive at Goodfellow AFB Recreation Area a little more than three hours later.  There are two parts to this campground – a new part and an old part.  The old part has full hookups and looks like it’s full of long-termers.  That area has lots of trees.  The new part is in a parking lot with just electric and water hookups.  There are no trees and no wifi either.  After set up, we drove to the office and checked in.  Then we drove over to the base (the campground is five miles off base), and shopped for a few things in the base exchange. We returned and just tried to hunker down and stay warm.  WTH?? This is Texas!

28 Dec 2018 (Fri) – After Bonnie’s walk, we went next door to Nury’s for breakfast.  I tried something called Divorced Eggs and Paul had biscuits and gravy. The food was good (again).  Sorry we discovered this place so late in our stay. We would have eaten a few more meals there.

     At around 1:00 PM, there came a banging on the door.  A campground employee was asking when we were leaving.  Apparently, the schedule said we were leaving today when we thought we were leaving tomorrow.  We walked up to the office and found conflicting information in the files – one item said we were leaving today; another said we were leaving tomorrow.  The clerk told us the winter Texans were coming in today and the campground was full.  After some discussion, we had to move from site 80 to site 1.  We called and made a reservation at our next place arriving tomorrow so we needed to stay here one more night.  Luckily, they had a spot.

27 Dec 2018 (Thu) – We spent the day taking down the Christmas tree.  We sure do have a lot of ornaments!  We also went next door to Nury’s International Restaurant for lunch.  It turned out to be something like a Mexican restaurant but with an eclectic menu.  There were the usual tacos, enchiladas, and quesadillas, but there were also some other more exotic offerings – coconut shrimp, egg rolls, etc.  The food was good and the staff was super friendly.

26 Dec 2018 (Wed) – At noon, we rode into town for lunch.  We wanted to go to a barbecue place but it was closed for Christmas vacation.  That was disappointing.  So we stopped at Hilda’s Tortillas.  The parking lot was full, which is always a clue that the food is good.  And it was. We took a quart of chicken tortilla soup home for dinner.

    Thunderstorms rolled in tonight. There was also some hail.  The TV news reporters were all warning about heavy hail and tornados.  It was a little scary.  

25 Dec 2018 (Tue-Christmas Day) – We stayed in the campground today working on putting together the caravan book for next May.  At 12:15 p.m.  I prepared green beans for the potluck luncheon and at 1:00 p.m. we went to the community center for the campground Christmas meal.  I think everyone in the campground must have been there along with a few family members.  The hall was full!  We haven’t seen that many people at the other two events we have been at.  I would have made more beans.  As it was, the meal was delicious.  The choices were very plentiful.  The dessert table was laden with goodies.  We came home stuffed.

24 Dec 2018 (Mon) – We did the laundry today. At 6:30 p.m. we went to the Fredericksburg United Methodist Church for their traditional candlelight service. It was similar to home with a few minor differences.  The minister went on a little too long with his sermon but it was a good message.  I always loved the Christmas Eve candlelight service.  It became especially important to me as my children grew up and left.  Our daughter would come back and attend the service occasionally.  At those rare times, I would feel close to her again as we sang “Silent Night” and hugged one another.  There is no more closeness with my children today.  Not like it was when they were bound to me as children.  Now they have families of their own and that special parent-child closeness is gone, only to be recaptured in rare moments like the Christmas Eve service.  I miss my babies.

 23 Dec 2018 (Sun) – We stayed around the campground today.  At 5 p.m. we went to a Christmas Eve Eve party.  Everyone was supposed to bring an appetizer and grab bag gift.  Unfortunately, the “bag” was supposed to include a gift bag to put your gift in.  We just wrapped our pathetic little gifts and they were the last ones to be chosen. Now I know.  The appetizers were all good and included a couple of dessert items.  We both got wine for our gifts.

 22 Dec 2018 (Sat) – We went to Becker Vineyards at 11 a.m. for a wine and food pairing.  It was very nice.  There was just one other couple and us in the “special room” where we had our tasting. A young woman gave us samples of five wines, each with a special tidbit to eat with it.  It was all very good.  Afterward, we went into the general tasting area and bought a glass of wine to drink out on the patio.  We also picked up some water crackers, fig jam, and truffle honey as well as three bottles of wine.

     We then drove to the grocery store and picked up some items.  This time we remembered to pick up some meat to put Bonnie’s pills in.  We also drove down the road to find the United Methodist Church in town.  Now that it’s located, we will attend service on Christmas Eve.  We stopped for lunch at a very German restaurant – Friedhelm’s Bavarian Inn.  The food was very good.

     I started a diet on December 10th.  I had a great initial start – lost 8 pounds in 4 days.  Then I lost not an ounce for the next 7 days despite strict adherence to the program.  When you don’t see any progress like that, you feel like giving up.  Who starts a diet just before the holidays any way? Unless you deliberately want to sabotage your efforts.  Yesterday’s appetizer event followed by last night’s outing to the Airport lounge was the final straw.  That break with the diet was cemented by today’s exotic food samplings.  Guess I’ll have to get back on the diet train as a New Year’s resolution.  *sigh*

21 Dec 2018 (Fri) – We drove into town and picked up a few items at WalMart.  Then we drove out to the Old Tunnel State Park, about 12 miles out of town.  There was a short hike down the trail and back.  They have benches where people can sit and watch the bats emerge from the tunnel at night.  Just like they do at Carlsbad Caverns.

     The 920-foot tunnel was originally built in the 1910s by the townspeople themselves.  They needed a route from Fredericksburg to San Antonio.  It ran for three years then was scrapped in the 1940s.  Now the tunnel is home to 3 million Mexican free-tailed bats from May to October each year.

      We discovered a café next door.  When we checked Trip Advisor, the café was rated 5 out of 89 restaurants in Fredericksburg.  It was a small café with yellowed signs on the walls.  There was a wood burning stove sitting in the middle of the room and a column supporting the main support beam with signatures all over the column.  I ordered chili and Paul got a ham sandwich. His sandwich was huge.  My chili was very spicy and I could only eat little more than half of the bowl.

     At 5 p.m. we went to the community center in the campground for social hour.  We made prosciutto and melon for our contribution to the appetizers.  We met an interesting couple from Iowa.  They invited us to join them at the Officer’s lounge at the airport for drinks later.  At 6 p.m. there was a golf cart parade.  It consisted of six carts decorated with lights and other items that slowly wound their way back and forth among the RVs.

     After the parade, we took Bonnie for a quick walk then drove to the Airport lounge.  A man who has been blind since birth was playing the grand piano in the lounge.  He was very good.  We stayed for about two hours.

20 Dec 2018 (Thu) – After Bonnie’s long walk this morning, we drove into town.  First stop was at WalMart to pick up a few items.  Unfortunately, we forgot to get something to give Bonnie her pills with so we’ll have to go back tomorrow.  After WalMart, we walked up and down the Main Street looking for gifts. We will be attending a Christmas party here at the campground and everyone is supposed to bring a grab bag gift. We also stopped by UPS to mail off the last of our Christmas packages.

     For lunch, we went to The Auslander.  It was an old historical building built of stone. Inside were several cuckoo clocks on the wall.  None of them chimed on the hour so I guess they were turned off.  There were animals heads mounted around the restaurant – a moose, an elk, a deer, and a long horn cow.  I cannot understand the need to cut the head off something and stick it up on a wall.

     As we’ve been driving around town, we are discovering there are many lodges, inns, hotels, motels, and B&Bs.  I guess this really is a destination place.  Last year, someone told us that they have a big population of college students here during spring break.

19 Dec 2018 (Wed) – We’ve fallen into the habit of taking Bonnie for a long walk each morning.  She eats.  We have our breakfast.  Then around 9:30/10:00 a.m. we go for a 20-30 minute walk.  She looks forward to them very much.  She’ll start barking at us when she’s decided it’s time to go.  It’s funny.

     We spent the day in the campground.  At 4:30 p.m. we brought Bonnie to the vet.  He found she has a UTI and put her on antibiotics. We dropped Bonnie off back at the campground, then drove into town for dinner and the show.  There are not that many restaurants on Main Street, as we discovered when we went looking for one.  We finally wound up at The Rathskeller, a basement eatery in what used to be a hospital back in the 1800s.  There wasn’t much of a menu choice but we managed.  When done, we went to the Rockbox Theater where we spent two watching a musician who looked like John Denver play those great songs from the 70s.

 18 Dec 2018 (Tue) – We drove to Fredericksburg today and are staying at the Fredericksburg RV Park.  It is a higher-end campground.  The nightly fee is normally $49.  We got a weekly rate that equals $45 a night, and then a daily rate of $49 for three nights.  We wanted to stay through until the beginning of January but they only had a site available until December 29.  Guess we’ll spend New Year’s somewhere else.  This campground is pretty nice.  They have excellent wifi (we haven’t see THAT in a long time), and a good selection of cable TV channels.  We have full hook-ups.  There is a dog run in the campground.  The place is neat, clean, and orderly.

     While thumbing through some of the literature we picked up in the office, Paul spotted an ad for a John Denver Musical Tribute tomorrow night.  We drove into town, bought propane, then went to the theater to buy tickets.  They weren’t open.  We got the website address then went back to the camper and ordered two tickets online.  It sounds like a great show.

 17 Dec 2018 (Mon) – Bonnie has a urinary infection.  She paced, didn’t seem able to sit still for long, and whined to go out every hour or two last night.  She kept us going all night long.  We pulled up stakes today and drove to Luling.  It was a one night stay on the way back to Fredericksburg for the holiday.  Bonnie was better this morning.  Now I think she might have had a kidney stone that she passed.

16 Dec 2018 (Sun) – I called the next campground and made a reservation for tomorrow night.  We still need to decide where we are going to stay after that. We drove into town to make a deposit at Navy FCU.  I got two checks for dues to the Nomads in yesterday’s mail delivery. Unfortunately, the bank would not accept the deposit through the ATM because I did not have the ATM card with me. Aaarrrgggghhhh!  We then drove to Pet Smart and picked up about ten days worth of food. Fredericksburg (where we are ultimately headed) does not have a Pet Smart or PetCo close by.  We then got fuel and stopped for lunch at the Long Horn Steakhouse.  The food was just as good as it was the other day.  We both took leftovers home to enjoy again.  We returned to the camper and began to make preparations to move on tomorrow.  Yay!!!  It will be fun to be on the move again.

 15 Dec 2018 (Sat) – We hung around the camper all day.  I worked on the books for the Utah caravan.  Paul did some work on the computer and around the RV.  We got our forwarded mail from Escapees.  There was a delightful ornament from our dear friend, Jan, back home in New York.  It made us both happy to be remembered and sad to be apart.  We also got some towels and placemats from Paul’s sister, Joan. They are so “us” with an Americana theme.

14 Dec 2018 (Fri) – We went shopping today for jeans and shoes.  Their “shopping mall” was nothing like it is back home.  It seems to be stores that were separately built and slowly connected over time by additions, overhead bridges, and tunnels.  We turned into Dillard’s parking lot thinking it was the anchor store for the mall.  We walked through the store only to come out into the parking garage.  No other stores.  WTH?  Across the street was a 25 story building titled Galleria tower (as in administration). We crossed the street and walked behind the tower and found the mall in buildings that interconnected in back. The mall itself was four stories high. There was an ice rink on the lowest level.  We wandered around trying to find shoe stores.  The mall is billed as an upscale mixed-use urban development retail complex. Most of the stores were higher end (Dillard’s, Nordstrom, Neiman-Marcus).  We stopped in several shops before we got what we wanted.

     On the way back to the RV, we stopped at Saltgrass Steak House for lunch.  Everything was delicious.  When we got back, we fed the animals then went into the Elks Lodge to get our mail and pay for another three nights here.  We had planned to leave on December 13th but we have been held up waiting for all our packages to arrive.  All that’s left is our forwarded mail, due to arrive tomorrow.  We’ll move on Monday.  

13 Dec 2018 (Thu) – It rained on and off all night.  At 2:00 AM, the skies opened and came down in buckets.  At 4:30 AM, the water sensor alarm in the basement went off.  Paul put on his swim suit and rain jacket and ran out to reset it.  He no sooner stepped back in the RV when the alarm when off again.  He went back out into the deluge and pulled the alarm out. He was soaked.  The entryway was soaked.  The towels to dry everything off were soaked.  What a mess!  It finally stopped raining around 6:00 AM.

     Paul replaced the water pump this morning.  It went on a kind of strike.  When we were hooked up to a water source, the pump worked. When we were not hooked up, it would not work.  It seemed to forget that its whole purpose in life is to pump water from our onboard tanks when we don’t have a water source.  Paul also tried to find out where water was leaking into the basement.  The basement door has shifted downward a bit. Apparently just enough to let a heavy rain drive through it.  

     I got a text from Best Buy that the laptop was ready for pickup.  That was unexpected (but welcome).  We drove over and picked it up.  Also stopped at the post office to mail off the additional Christmas cards I wrote out, and at the UPS customer center to mail off a package to our other grandson. I also picked up some lottery tickets to mail as a gift.

     Now, the weather forecast is for winds coming down from Montana.  Wind speed projected to be between 10 and 25 mph with occasional gusts up to 40 mph.  

 12 Dec 2018 (Wed) – It was a busy day today! I finished most of the Christmas cards and we went to the post office to mail them off along with a package to our grandsons.  We then stopped at Pet Smart, Kroger, and Total Wine where Paul finally found 43 (he loves that stuff).  I needed to pick up more Christmas cards so we made a stop at Dollar Store.  There was a pleasant stop at Long Horn Steakhouse where the food was exquisite.  We also dropped the laptop off at Best Buy and asked them to clean it up – remove viruses and malware.  The tech said they were busy and wouldn’t have it done until Saturday.  

     The weather forecast is for rain tonight going right into tomorrow morning.  The ground around here is already so soaked.  Guess they’ll have more flash flooding.  Hope things don’t get too bad.

 11 Dec 2018 (Tue) – We spent the day at the camper today.  I spent it working on Christmas cards.  Paul worked around the RV.  We got our new laptop computer this afternoon and now Paul is working on getting that set up.

10 Dec 2018 (Mon) – We went out to get propane today.  There was also a stop at the post office to mail a card, then a stop at Office Depot to pick up ink and labels.  Then I spent the day working on Christmas cards.

9 Dec 2018 (Sun) – We drove 45 minutes to Tomball to go to the German Fest. It was a street fair with a Christmas theme.  There were elves, a Santa, and a snow queen.  Musicians dressed in colorful costumes roamed the walk playing Christmas music on accordions.  There were also five tent areas with musicians and dancers entertaining the crowd.  The festival was set up on Cherry Street and ran for about 4 or 5 blocks.  The booths were interspersed with vendors and food.  There was a good mix of items.  The people who coordinated the festival made sure there were very few duplicates.  That made it very interesting.  There was lots of food – I think a food vendor was in every fourth or fifth booth. We stopped in Brautigams Barn Grill for lunch.  It was an old building decked out in western style.  We tried mulled wine at one booth and sampled delicious tarts at another booth.

8 Dec 2018 (Sat) – It really poured most of the night.  The rain was thrumming on the roof and there was thunder cracking every so often.  The ground was good and soaked this morning with lots of puddles around.  Some areas around Houston experienced flooding.   The news showed pictures of cars and streets underwater.

     It didn’t rain today but it was heavily overcast and chilly.  The temperature was in the high 40s with a crisp cold wind blowing in from the west. We went to Sweet Tomatoes for lunch. That is such a great place.  I hope they expand to Long Island soon.  I think everybody back home would like them very much.  

     After lunch we went to the movies to see “Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald.”  The plot was hard to follow and the English(?) accents made it hard to understand some of what was being said.  The graphics were very good but overall, we didn’t really enjoy the show.

     We stopped at WalMart to pick up a few groceries. After we put them away, we stopped in the lodge for a nightcap.  They had a steak dinner last night and about 25 people showed up for it.  We didn’t want to leave the camper in that rain so kudos to those guys!

 7 Dec 2018 (Fri) – Paul picked up a few items at Home Depot in order to clear clogs in the bathroom and kitchen sinks. At noon, we went to Best Burger for lunch.  It was like a Chinese restaurant that wasn’t making it so they added burgers and tacos to the menu.  We both got burgers but we could just as easily have ordered goo gai pan or chicken chow mein or any one of a dozen other Chinese or Mexican dishes.  

     We drove to the UPS distribution center to pick up packages.  They were Christmas gifts we ordered and had to put a hold on.  There were three packages to pick up.  We will get two more packages but they’re going to be delivered to the lodge.  Had we known the lodge accepted mail, we would have sent everything there.  This will teach us to ask first before placing orders.

     We drove to the BAPS Shri Swaminariyana Mandir Hindu Temple.  They open the niches where the religious statues are kept at specific times during the day.  We were not there at those times.  The temple was absolutely striking.  The inner or bottom portion of the temple is made of Italian marble.  The outer portion of the temple is made of Indian sandstone.  The carvings were exquisite.  The docent told us the marble was sent to India for carving by craftsmen.  It took two or three years for the work then the temple was shipped in pieces to Texas where it was put together.  We had to remove our shoes before entering the building. There was a separate room for men and for women.  You took your shoes off and then had to walk back outside and up the temple steps before entering the building.  It was raining when we came out and we had to walk on the wet cement in our stocking feet. We were not allowed to take pictures inside.  There was a separate building that housed a gift shop that was full of food items, incense, and other items from India.

      Thunderstorms rolled in at night and it was pouring when we went to bed.  There were many warnings coming over the TV and phone warning about flash flooding.

 6 Dec 2018 (Thu) – The day started out drizzly and overcast but cleared up in the afternoon.  We took Bonnie for a walk and wandered through the Chung Mei Buddhist Temple across the street.  It looks like it started out really nice but they just didn’t have the money to keep up with things.  It is neat and attractive with a large tiled roof and a tea house inside.  Across the street from that is a columbaria.  It is an ornate building with a tiled roof and lots of terra cotta animals.  There is a nice garden walk with statues in concentric circles.  There were several concrete pads with no statues on them. Guess they’re waiting for people to buy the space.  It looked like the statues opened up and you could put an urn in.

     At 6:30 PM, we drove to the Houston Zoo for the Zoo Lights display.  It got warmer and the walk was pleasant.  The place was pretty full but not packed like it would be on the weekend.  The zoo collects used lights and refurbishes them (I guess) to put around the walkways for the holidays.  We bought a spiked chocolate for me and a Christmas for Paul and we sipped while we walked along the pathways.  It was all very pretty.  We even took a ride on the carousel.

 5 Dec 2018 (Wed) – I had an appointment with Dr. Ahmed at M.D. Anderson Cancer Center this afternoon.  The results of the bone marrow biopsy will not be back until next week so we made a date for a telephone appointment.  The doctor didn’t want me to have to pay a co-pay just to hear those results.  That was very thoughtful of her.  The bloodwork was mostly within normal limits.  No problem there.  The CT scan showed one particular lymph node in the abdomen has been growing.  It is now 7cm x 5cm.  It is starting to press on my bladder and left ovary.  The one that was supposed to be 8cm turned out to be maybe 1.8cm.  Looks like a typo.  The doctor wants me to have another scan in three months.  She gave me a list of symptoms to watch for.

     Paul and I finally figured out the shuttle bus system. We park in an open lot at the Texas Medical Center.  They run shuttles on a blue and a white route.  One stops in the back of the hospital; the other stops at the main entrance. We take the blue bus to get in the entrance easily, then take the white bus because it has a shorter route and we get back to the parking lot faster.  There is a pay-for-parking machine where you put in a poker chip called a SMART chip, pay with cash or credit card, then take the chip to the gate. The machine did not cooperate with me and wouldn’t accept my credit cards (I tried 3 different ones and a debit card).  Paul was able to get the machine to work.  Technology can be very frustrating.

      On the way home, we stopped at Corelli’s Italian Café for dinner.  I have not eaten pasta is a very long time.  I gave in and had lasagna.  We had to ask for Italian bread.  It was not the nice crusty type but more like a white bread.  It was still good.

4 Dec 2018 (Tue) – We went to M.D. Anderson Cancer Center this morning.  I had a bone marrow biopsy/aspiration at 8:30 a.m.  After that, I had a CT scan.  The doctor wants to verify the size of the nodes.  My last PET scan states that one node is 8 cm.  She thought that was very large and should be prominent, but it’s not.

     After all that stuff, we stopped at Pappas Bar-B-Q. It is a very old looking restaurant with lots of cars in the parking lot.  There was a female guard standing outside the restaurant.  I was curious as to why they had a guard.  Was the area dangerous?  When we came out, I asked her: “Do you stand security here all day?” She pointed at some tables on the patio behind her and said that she sits down when she gets tired.  Paul thought her answer was so funny that he had to walk away without laughing in her face.  I spoke further with her and explained that I was curious about why there was a guard in the parking lot.  She said she was responsible for watching over the parking to make sure people didn’t back into each other as the lane between the rows is narrow.  I didn’t ask her why she needed a gun to do that. There is a large number of homeless people around.  They hang out around the intersections with their cardboard signs and down trodden eyes. You can see where they sleep up under the bridges.  Paul has taken to giving them a bottle of water.  Soon, he’ll be known as the Water Man.

      The Elks Lodge had dinner tonight.  They were serving red beans and rice.  It was pretty good.  They had cornbread with it instead of the one slice of white bread all the other barbecue places give you.  That seems kind of dumb because you can’t even make a sandwich with the one slice of bread.

 3 Dec 2018 (Mon) – We went to the National Museum of Funeral History.  We didn’t know what to expect but it turned out to be quite interesting.  It was a large museum with many exhibits.  There were hearses, stories about burials, coffins, mourning clothes, urns, and storyboards.  A crematory was set up to look at and placards explained how cremation works.  It takes the human body two to three hours to be reduced to ashes.  The bones are then put in a pulverizer and everything is reduced to a fine, sand like texture.  In Japan, after the body is reduced to ashes they are given to the family with the bones. The family uses chopsticks to pick out the bones to transfer to an urn.  They make sure the feet go in the urn first and the head goes into the urn last. This is so the dead doesn’t go into the urn upside down.

      There were some of the most beautiful urns on display as well as the many ways people display the ashes of loved ones.  There was jewelry, and hair ornaments, and monochrome photos made from ash.  There was a section named Thanks for the Memories.  Inside were videos, photos, and storyboards dedicated to famous people who have passed on – Marilyn Monroe, Adam West, Bob Hope, etc.  Another section discussed the burials of popes and another addressed the treatment of presidents.  A bunting that has hung at the White House in the past had been borrowed for display at President George H.W. Bush’s coffin tomorrow.  The whole museum addressed the culture of death and burial/cremation with respect and professionalism.  It was very informative.

2 Dec 2018 (Sun) – We stayed around the camper today.  Paul tried to place an order for a laptop with Dell.  What an aggravating experience!  He tried to place the order online but there was a technical error. So we called Dell.  Of course, the rep we spoke with had very poor English skills (that always drives Paul crazy).  They needed to verify our information on file so they wanted to send a code to our email on file.  We no longer have that email address.  They wanted to send a text message to the phone number of file.  We have a different number now.   The agent then suggested sending the code – by mail – to the address on record.  Of course, we no longer live in New York.  It was maddening.  I told him to cancel the order and hung up.  

     A few minutes later the phone rang.  It was the salesman we had initially placed the order with over the phone.  He was appalled to hear of the problems we were having and suggested we open a preferred account in my name.  That would give us a year to pay for the computer with no interest charge and gave us additional discounts off the price.  It was a creative solution.  There’s nothing like a hungry salesman!

     We placed other orders online.  And I spent some time corresponding with our new tailgunners.  We went for a walk this afternoon.  While walking, we found a bunch of mail on the ground.  It looked like someone had stolen it then dumped it, or a postal worker had decided not to deliver it and just threw it out the window.  There were some advertisements but also statements from various companies.  It was all addressed to different people who live on the same street.  We collected it and will try to notify the post office about what we found.  There were some red ants crawling on the mail and I got bit several times.  Ouch!

1 Dec 2018 (Sat) – We did laundry today.  That was quite an experience!  We were driving along, looking for a laundromat and saw “Washateria.”  We stopped and went it.  It was a large facility and entirely Spanish.  The signs were Spanish; all the people in there were Spanish; the only language being spoken was Spanish.  We found two washers open and put our clothes in.  The laundromat was in a small strip mall on a corner.  We walked down to a café next door and got lunch.  The menu consisted of a large batch of pictures on the wall with descriptions in Spanish.  Paul got a quesadilla and I got something with corn tortillas, beef, beans, rice, lettuce and tomato.  

     We made several other stops  - RV store, groceries, vitamins, fuel, and pet food. It was a pretty busy day.

 30 Nov 2018 (Fri) – We spent the day again restricted to the RV.  Finally, Ford called at 3:30 p.m. to say the truck was done.  The shuttle service stopped running at 3 p.m. and there was none over the weekend.  We pressed Ford on the topic and the agent relented and sent a mechanic to pick Paul up. There was a hose and clamp that needed replacing and a bad sensor.  Total repair cost = $780.

     The Elks Lodge had a dinner tonight.  It turned out to be a hamburger and fries. Wasn’t that good but it was a meal.

     I got an email from Jon & Nancy, volunteering to be the tail gunners on our caravan.  They have led three caravans – two to the Maritimes and one to Calgary – and offer great experience.  We gladly accepted.  We will have to figure out when we can get together.  They agreed to take on the responsibilities for the campgrounds. Carl & Gwen have all that information so they’ll have to figure out how to get that info from them.

29 Nov 2018 (Thu) – Paul dropped the truck off at the Ford dealer this morning at 7:30 a.m.  A shuttle brought him back.  We spent the day in the RV, having no transportation to go anywhere.  Also, it started raining in the afternoon.  The weather app is warning about thunderstorms, hail, and tornadoes tonight and tomorrow.  Oh, boy.

     The tail gunner on our Utah caravan called tonight to say they had to step down.  Gwen’s mother has been diagnosed with pancreatic cancer and has been given 6-9 months to live.  That would be about the time our caravan is scheduled to go.  We wished them our best.  I’m starting to think this caravan is cursed.

 28 Nov 2018 (Wed) – We drove into Houston proper today to the M.D. Anderson Cancer Center.  We pulled into the parking garage that was posted at 7’0” clearance.  Three floors up, it changed to 6’10”.  We couldn’t fit under that so we had to turn around and go back down.  We stopped at the office and got a map taking us to an open parking lot a couple of blocks away.  After we parked, we caught a shuttle on the Texas University Medical Center bus that dropped us off near the main building entrance to the cancer center.

      We found our way up to the sixth floor and the Lymphoma/Myeloma Center.  I checked in at 9:25 a.m. (appointment was for 9:30 a.m.).  I didn’t get called into the registration office until 10:00 a.m. I grabbed the wrong purse and did not have my driver’s license or insurance cards with me.  I felt so stupid!!  Instead of turning me out on my ear, the nurse checked me in and let me use my Army ID. After registration, I went back to my seat.  Then I was called in for weighing, height measurement, temp, oxygen measurement, and blood pressure.  Then it was back to my seat again.  Finally, even though my doctor’s appointment was for 10 a.m., I was called into the exam room at 11:30 a.m.  

     A soft spoken Vietnamese young man with an accent and a face mask checked my records.  He was hard to understand but we got through it.  That was followed by a young female P.A. who reviewed my medical history then did a perfunctory physical exam.  A doctor from the research department came in and asked if I would consent to donating my bodily fluids and left over blood for research. I said yes; she recorded my answers; then left.  Finally! The doctor arrived.  It was a middle aged woman who was impressed with our lifestyle.  After talking about how she and her husband would like to explore the country, we got down to brass tacks.  She wants to do a CT scan to verify the results of the last scan I had. She is also ordering a bone marrow biopsy in order to see what kind of cancer I have.  Apparently, there are some markers that indicate whether a cancer can be cured or if it will come back after treatment.  I made the appointments for next week.

     After navigating our way out of the building, we boarded a shuttle and got a ride back to the parking lot.  When we pulled in, we got a SMART chip (which looks just like a cheap plastic poker chip).  When we left, we put the chip in a machine, paid with our credit card, and received the SMART chip back.  We used that to exit the parking lot.  It was all quite an experience.

     We stopped at La Gallitas for lunch.  It was a Mexican restaurant with excellent margaritas. The food was good, too.  Then we drove to a local U-Haul and got our propane tank refilled.  After that, we stopped at a Ford dealership to make an appointment to get the truck repaired.  The CHECK ENGINE light has been on for about a month.  Also, we are still getting a coolant leak from the radiator.  The Ford rep told us we did not need to make an appointment.  Just bring the truck in and drop it off in the morning.

27 Nov 2018 (Tue) – We packed up and pulled out of our campsite at 9:30 a.m.  After a stop at the dump station to empty the tanks, we left Fort Hood Belton Lake Outdoor Recreation Area and headed out to Houston.  It was a long drive – five and a half hours!  We stopped once to use the restroom and once to pick up lunch at Checkers.  The weather was clear and the traffic was good until we hit the outskirts of Houston. As with all big cities (and this is the third most populated in the U.S.), the traffic was slogging along.  We arrived at the Elks Lodge in Stafford (a suburb of Houston) at 3:00 p.m.

     After set up, we went into the lodge to pay for our site.  They have a daily rate of $25, a half-month rate of $250 (number of days are dubious), and a monthly rate of $500.  We paid for half a month.  We’re guessing that’s 16 days.

     Next, we drove to MD Anderson Cancer Center to see where it is.  Oh. My. God. The number of medical buildings in the one area is humongous!  I had to find Parking Garage 10.  We saw signs indicating there were over 23 entrances.  We found the garage but the height is too low for the truck.  It looks like we’ll have to use the valet tomorrow.

     The lodge hosted a chicken and dumplings dinner tonight.  It was pretty good.  Everybody was very friendly.

26 Nov 2018 (Mon) – We drove into Temple today to see the museums but they were all closed.  That just didn’t seem fair.  They were already closed for the Thanksgiving holiday – Thursday, Friday, Saturday, and Sunday.  Why should they be closed on Monday, too?

     We finally gave up and went to H-E-B.  They have a counter where they serve a lunch meal. We had something to eat before shopping, and then picked up some groceries.  Afterward, we got fuel and headed back to the campground.  Paul got a campfire going and we enjoyed the heat as the temperatures have dropped in the last two days.  After it was dark, we took a last drive through the Christmas light display around the lake.  It was all very pretty. With Christmas music playing on the radio, I think we are getting into the seasonal mood.

25 Nov 2018 (Sun) – Many of the RVs left today.  After they were gone, Paul walked around the campsites and collected firewood people left behind.  He brought it back to our site and we enjoyed a campfire all afternoon.  We spent the day in the campground.  We walked Bonnie down by the lake to see how much the water has receded.  Part of the roadway are still underwater.  Some of the picnic tables and barbecues are starting to come out of the water.  The water level is dropping about four or five feet a day.  They have quite a while before everything resurfaces.

 24 Nov 2018 (Sat) – We went out at lunch time to the Dead Fish Grill for lunch.  After sunset, we walked out around the campground to look at the Christmas lights.  A lot of cars were driving through the route.  We watched “A Christmas Story” tonight.  That was a pretty funny movie.  We enjoyed another campfire.

 23 Nov 2018 (Fri) – We went out for lunch at Benny’s Ristorante.  We tried going to two museums in the area but they are closed for the holiday weekend. Bummer.  We drove around Belton Lake and checked out the two campgrounds around the Belton Dam before returning to the campground.  The campfire was so nice last night that Paul bought more firewood and we had another fire tonight.

22 Nov 2018 (Thu-Thanksgiving Day) – We stayed in the campground today.  I cooked a turkey breast, mashed potatoes, green beans, and gravy.  I tried some desserts ketogenic style but they didn’t turn out very good – blueberry pie and chocolate coconut milk ice cream.  Yuk.

      We went for a walk at sunset.  The light show was just coming on.  We were surprised at the number of cars driving through.  We thought nobody would come on a holiday.  We were wrong!  When we walked down by the lake, we saw signs of recent flooding.  The road is actually underwater by the lakefront so we can see why the lights down by there have not been turned on.  It looks like they either started putting up the light show when the flood started or it was set up when the flooding happened.  Either way, the roadway leading down that way is cordoned off.  It was pretty to look at the lights that are on.  They have miles and miles of Christmas lights lining the road and then loads of lighted figures.  It is all very nice.  We could hear the kids excitedly exclaiming about the things they were seeing as they drove by. 

      We had a campfire tonight.  It was so pleasant.  When we camped during our work years, it was such a pleasure to disconnect from the TV and radio and just enjoy nature.  Now, since we are living on the road full-time, campfires are rare.  And we use the Internet every day to check on the weather, to explore campgrounds, to find out news, to see what’s happening back home, etc.  Things are very different between full-time and just camping.

      We watched “It’s a Wonderful Life” tonight.  That’s my favorite Thanksgiving movie. 

 21 Nov 2018 (Wed) – Last night, we took a ride through the Christmas lights display.  It was pretty awesome.  LEDs have sure made for brighter and better light shows as well as making the cost so much cheaper.   There were some, but not many, cars driving the course.  We suspect it will be really busy over the weekend.  There is a part down by the beach with trucks set up to sell food that was closed.  It is probably only open on the weekend.  We’ll see.

     We drove over to Fort Hood today.  That base is huge!  It has to be the largest military base we have ever been.  We drove in and out of gates on different segments of the base. We finally found the campground we wanted to stay at but couldn’t because they were full.  The clerk in the office gave us a base map and showed us where Club Hood was as well as the PX, commissary, and museums.  We drove over to the Museum of the 1st Cavalry Division. The museum was small but comprehensive. Outside were dozens of tanks, APCs, trucks, cars, and helicopters.  We strolled around the concourse reading the descriptions of the displays.

     When done, we found our way to Club Hood. That was also very large!  After wandering around the halls and peeking into ballrooms set up for banquets, we got to the office and asked about Thanksgiving dinner tomorrow.  They have 80 tables set up and will have two servings – one at 11 a.m. and the other at 2 p.m.  Unfortunately, they were full and no reservations were available.  They told us we could go to any of the mess halls to eat as they do a nice meal set-up, too.

     We left the base and found a barbecue place to have lunch.  It was small and was one of those places where you order by the pound at a counter. Paul got pulled pork and I got ribs. The food was OK.  The clerk taking orders was an Asian woman who barely spoke English.  She was very hard to understand.  There were also religious pictures hanging in the bathrooms.  It was all just weird.

      Next stop was at H-E-B. for groceries.  The place was so packed.  It seemed like everyone was doing their Thanksgiving shopping. We returned to the campground. They had closed part of the roadway for the light show and it bypassed the entrance to the area of the campground where our rig is parked.  We had to drive around a bunch of cones then drive the wrong way on a one-way road to get home.  Ugh.

20 Nov 2018 (Tue) – We left Fredericksburg at 9:30 a.m.  The temperatures were in the low 40s.  The sky was clear.  Traffic was easy.  Three hours later we arrived at Fort Hood Belton Lake Outdoor Recreation Annex. The campground is not on the actual military base.  The road into the camp area is decorated with Christmas lights.  Apparently, they use the road into and within the campground to do a drive through the lights like many other places do.  It is open to military and civilian alike.

     Our campsite is a back-in on a concrete pad. Trees are heavy around the area and we had to adjust entry to avoid overhanging branches.  We only have 30-amp electric and water hookup – no sewer. According to Trip Adviser, there really isn’t anything to see in Killeen.  And we’re here for a week!  Oh, boy. Priority for now is to find out where the dining facility is so we can enjoy a Thanksgiving dinner on Thursday.

 19 Nov 2018 (Mon) – We drove to the Texas Ranger Heritage Center expecting to tour a museum about Texas Rangers.  It is something in the process of being developed but there was no museum to tour.  There was a large open area where a band was playing music too loudly.  We left there and drove to the Pioneer Museum. This is a 4 acre complex that has several original buildings to the town.  Two are sited on their original places.  We read a plaque that said over 6,000 Germans came to America to start a new life.  They didn’t get picked up and taken to their new land as was agreed, and many died of starvation and illness at the port.  Finally, some pioneers decided to go to their new land on their own rather than waiting to be picked up.  They made their way to Fredericksburg and created a new settlement.  

     We then decided to explore some of the wineries in the area.  There are about 30 to 40 vineyards on Route 290 coming into the town of Fredericksburg. We went to three of them and bought several bottles of wine.  We also enjoyed a cheese and meat board for lunch.  It was a pleasant day.

     We stopped to get our propane tank filled and then at the gas station to top off for tomorrow’s move.  We also went to Tractor Supply to try and find some food for Bonnie.  There is no PetCo or Pet Smart in town and her being on this special diet makes it difficult to find food for her.  We picked up two cans of fish and potato, hoping that there will be a better supply in Killeen.

 18 Nov 2018 (Sun) – We went back to the National Museum of the Pacific War to finish touring the exhibits.  Again, there were people hanging around all over the sidewalk waiting for the tour buses to go to the wineries. 

      After wandering around the museum for two hours, we walked uptown to the main street.  We looked in the many storefronts and restaurant windows finally stopping at the Auslander Restaurant for lunch.  The food was authentic German fare and was very good. 

      We drove out to Enchanted Rock.  This is a large monolith dome that second only to Stone Mountain in Georgia.  The tail up to the dome was very steep so we did not climb it.  We came.  We saw.  We left. 

17 Nov 2018 (Sat) – We went to breakfast at the Airport Diner.  Right across the street from our camp area (you can’t really call it a campground), is a small regional airfield with two old hangers converted to lodging and entertainment venues.  The diner was at the end of the hanger facing the airfield.  We watched some planes come and go.  A P38 Mustang was giving a ride to a customer.  When we were done eating, we walked over to the Airport Hotel to look at it.  The Officer’s Club was a delightful room with small intimate areas for playing cards, having a cigar, or sharing a drink.  There was a balcony on the second floor where we went out and watched the planes.

     We drove to the Museum of the Pacific War where they were doing a reenactment of a battle.  There were between 50 and 60 actors dressed in period uniforms.  The session began with an explanation of the gear soldiers wore followed by a demonstration of each of the rifles and pistols marines and soldiers used during World War II.  They also paid tribute to the women who participated in the war.  Once all the descriptions of equipment, uniforms, and personnel were done, the actors engaged in a very realistic battle.  There were tanks, a trench, a bunker, a “cave,” and lots of weapons fire.  The entire demonstration took about an hour and a half and was great!  We enjoyed it so much.

     After the battle, we walked back and began to tour the museum.  It is huge with tons of story boards, equipment, artifacts, videos, and recordings. We walked for about two hours and were only half way through the museum when we called it quits for the day.  We walked down to the main street and had lunch at the Fredericksburg Brewing Company.  The beer cheese soup was so good that I took a quart of it home for supper tonight.  We left the restaurant and strolled down the street, popping in and out of stores to see interesting displays.  In the MarktPlatz, the town already has their Christmas tree and giant German figure candle erected.  We looked through the Vereins Kirche – the oldest social structure in Fredericksburg.  

16 Nov 2018 (Fri) – We packed up and left Austin at 9:30 a.m.  After a short stop at the dump station to empty the tanks, we drove for two hours to Fredericksburg.  We are camped at the Gillespie County Fairgrounds.  There are 20 sites lined in a row along the road with a large open field in back facing a race track with bleachers.  There are no trees but we do have full hook up with 50-amp service.  I hate when we have 30-amp because I forget and wind up blowing the breaker.  The temperature has been getting warmer each day and today it was 41 when we got up and reached 70.  

     After set up, we drove into town to do some laundry. We drove around to look at some of the older buildings.  This town, like so many others we’ve been to, was settled by German immigrants.  They seem to like stone very much as most of the buildings and homes are built with it.  We had lunch at the Backwoods BBQ.  It was a large barn like structure where you ordered the meat by the pound at a counter with some sides.  The food was excellent.  All the sides were outstanding, too.  They had creamed corn, cheesy green beans, and loaded potato salad.  There were pinto beans on the side board.  

     We stopped at the visitor center to see what is happening in town.  The agent gave us a whole schedule of events for the week as well as a map of everything in the area.  We watched a video about the town.  Their depiction of the Christmas holidays was compelling and we are going to come back here for the holidays.

 15 Nov 2018 (Thu) – We went out for lunch to Kerby Lane Café.  Afterward, we stopped at WalMart to pick up a few grocery items.  When we got back, we took Bonnie with us and hiked a trail around the McKinney Falls.  It was not easy to get near the river since a lot of the area was either fenced off or fallen in.  There was a very interesting rock ledge overhanging the trail.  It was big enough that someone could live under it.

 14 Nov 2018 (Wed) – We toured the Capitol today.  Standing outside and counting the floors, the building is ten floors high.  We discovered that they outgrew the building (which, by the way, was the tallest in the U.S. at one time), they decided to go down rather than up or out and change the shape of the original building.  They dug down 62’ and built another huge area underground.  The original building was erected in 1853.  It burned down like so many buildings of that time period.  A temporary capitol was built across the street from Capitol Square.  The new capitol building was completed in 1888.  In 1993, the underground Capitol Extension was completed which added two lower levels.

     After the Capitol, we went to the Scholz Biergarten for lunch.  The hall is supposed to be the oldest biergarten in Texas(?).  We’re not exactly sure where.  We shared a sausage platter.  There were three kinds of sausage, three kinds of mustard, sauerkraut, red cabbage, and potato pancakes.  It was all very good.

     We then drove to the Texas Military Forces Museum.  There was no charge for admission.  The museum was housed in an old hangar and was located on Camp Mabry, home of the Texas National Guard Headquarters.  It was an excellent museum.  There were storyboards, equipment, and artifacts that told the story of Texans involvement in all the armed conflicts around the world. There was excellent coverage of the war between Mexico, Texas and the United States.  Texas has flown six different flags – Spain, France, Mexico, the Republic of Texas, the Confederate States of America, and the United States of America.  Inside the museum was also the French Gratitude train car (Merci Boxcar).  It was sitting at an American Legion post for years before it was restored and moved to the museum.  

     When we were finished touring the museum (I think we walked around for about 4 hours), we drove to the Texas State Cemetery.  There were three buses parked outside and groups of school children touring the cemetery.  It seemed like a strange field trip.  We parked and walked around the cemetery.  There are many famous Texans buried there, including Stephen Austin who’s considered the Father of Texas.  It was he who convinced the Mexican government to allow American citizens to settle in the territory.  Austin died at the battle of the Alamo.

 13 Nov 2018 (Tue) – Gremlins are certainly in the works.  The furnace stopped working overnight.  When Paul got up, he turned it on, it ran for two minutes, then shut off.  He turned it on again and it ran most of the afternoon.  It again shut off on us a few more times.  It was 35 degrees outside and 55 in here when he got up.  Brrrrrrr.  We’ll have to make sure we put out the ceramic heater tonight.  We have to be careful with the electric since we only have 30 amp.

     We ran to the post office this morning to check on our forwarded mail. The mail clerk told me there was nothing.  I pushed back, saying the two packages had been mailed a week ago from Livingston. He went back and looked again and found the packages.  They had been put in the wrong place.

       We packed up and left Canyon Lake a little after noon.  Aside from the cold, the weather was good and the drive was about an hour and a half to Austin.  We pulled into McKinney Falls State Park around 1:30 p.m.  When we checked in, the clerk asked us if we wanted a pull through or back in.  We said a pull through would be convenient so she assigned campsite #59.  We also bought a Texas State annual pass for $70. That gave us a discount on the fee and paid the daily entrance fee of $6 per person.  

     We got to site #59 only to find out that it was sharply curved and we couldn’t fit in it.  The campsite next to that one, #60, was a back in but would fit our rig. So we pulled in there and tried to call the office to see if we could change.  After trying to get through for half an hour, we dropped the trailer and drove back to the office.  There were now two clerks at the counter.  It was apparent the second girl is full time because she knew right away that #59 wouldn’t fit our size rig.  The other clerk is a volunteer and doesn’t know the campground that well. At any rate, we got reassigned to #60. We returned to the campsite, Paul sawed off an overhanging branch, and we set up.  It was really cold so we stayed in the rest of the day.  We had to turn off the water again tonight because of a freeze warning.  The temperature is supposed to drop down to 29 degrees.

12 Nov 2018 (Mon) – The day was cool – overcast and misty. There was a freeze warning in effect but it never got below 40 degrees.  Paul turned off the water overnight just in case.

     We’ve been having problems with the water pump.  Paul thinks it is a loose wire in the pump.  It’s buried deep inside the bowels of the RV so it will be a major job to repair or replace it.  That’s a job left for when I fly back to New York.

     At 11:30 a.m. we drove into New Braunfels and I got a haircut.  The girl did it just right!  I get so many bad haircuts that it is delightful when I get a good one.  We then drove over to Gruene.  We walked through some of the stores then went to the Gristmill to await Jim & Theda. They arrived and we had a wonderful meal together.  They were the tailgunners on the Canadian Maritimes caravan this year and they will be the tailgunners on the Alaska caravan next year.  Lots of exciting trips for them.  They are full timers, like us, and are wintering in San Antonio near their kids and grandkids.

 11 Nov 2018 (Sun) – We spent the day hanging around the campground. At 4:30 p.m. we drove into town and had dinner at Gennaro’s Trattoria.  The waiter was great.  Zach started out by describing the specials in such a way that your mouth was watering by the time he was finished.  He was attentive, efficient, and funny.  Paul had a lamb chop and I had a grilled fish.  Everything was excellent.  The evening was delightful.

     I got a call from Jim & Theda.  We met them on our Alaska caravan in 2015.  They winter in San Antonio and invited us to meet them for lunch tomorrow.

 10 Nov 2018 (Sat) – It was in the low 40s this morning.  We brought out the electric heater last night. It will soon be time to put the flannel sheets on the bed.  We went to Willie’s Grill & Icehouse for lunch.  The restaurant was in a large, newly built mall.  It looked like the typical restaurant-in-an-old-warehouse with the customers ordering their food at the counter.  But at least they had regular items to order; not the meat by the pound option.

     After lunch, we decided to go to the movies but had to wander around for over an hour until the film started.  We went to Hobby Lobby where Paul decided they are rally a craft store; not a hobby store.  We watched the new Disney movie Nutcracker & the Four Realms.  Unfortunately, we couldn’t fully enjoy it because the seats in the theater were in such bad condition.  They were ripped and taped and worn and the back of the seat was broken so that if you tried to lean back, it was like falling over.  We stopped at the UPS Store to fax off some medical records to MD Anderson Cancer Center.  I am trying to get bloodwork done and they want me to see a doctor and review my case. It’s all about the money!

     We returned to the campground and stopped at the camp store to get our propane tank refilled (we ran out of propane overnight).  It was 3:45 p.m.  The clerk told Paul they stopped filling tanks at 3 p.m.  He just didn’t want to get up and walk outside.  The lazy bum!

9 Nov 2018 (Fri) – It rained pretty hard last night.  We had thunder, lightning, and hail.  A cold front has moved in and the temperatures are now down to the 50s in the daytime and low 40s at night.  We spent most of the day just hanging around the campground.

     At 4:30 p.m. we drove to San Antonio for dinner.  We ate at Saltgrass Steak House right on the San Antonio Riverwalk.  We were on the patio with the heaters going.  The boats riding by on the canal had all different kinds of colored lights. The walkway was very busy with all kinds of people walking by.  All the restaurants were very busy.  Our meal was delicious.  Afterward we walked along the Riverwalk with all the other tourists.  It was a very pleasant evening.  

 8 Nov 2018 (Thu) – It was a cold, gray day today.  We spent most of the day hanging around the camper with the fireplace on.  We brought our laundry over to the Fort Houston Army campground.  There are two washers and two dryers in our campground but the washers are out of order.  The laundry room in the other campground has five washers and five dryers.  We put the wash in and sat in the rec room watching TV or playing around with the stationary bikes.  When the wash was done, we put the clothes in the dryer then drove to the Post Office to pick up our mail that was forwarded here.  I got the birth and baptism certificates for my grandmother.  That was exciting to get.  I now know my great grandmother’s name!  She and great granddad both emigrated from Ireland (not together).  Now I need to work backwards in Ireland.  I hope I can find the information.  We got our laundry and returned to the campground where I spent the evening exploring Ancestry.com.

 7 Nov 2018 (Wed) – We went to Granny D’s for breakfast this morning. The food was so good.  Paul got biscuit and sausage gravy.  It had loads of meat!  I had a bacon omelet.  It was full of chopped bacon.  It was cute to hear the waitress addressing us a y’all.  Paul saw corn chowder on the menu so we ordered a quart to take home. It turned out to be a roux that we would have to add milk to.

     We ran back to the camper to drop off the chowder then drove to the Texas Heritage Museum of the Texas Hill Country.  The website said it was open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.  When we arrived, a sign strung across the fence said it was open from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m.  Bummer!

     We then drove into New Braunfels to the Sophienburg Museum.  It told the story of how a prince brought 202 royal families from Germany to America.  Prince Carl of Solms and his group of colonists came to escape war, taxes, and religious persecution.  They were deeded half acre town lots and 10 acre farm lots by the Mexicans in 1845. Mexico was trying to bring settlers to the area to prevent the new America from attacking if its own citizens lived there.  That didn’t work.  lol. At any rate, over 7,300 Germans emigrated to Texas over a 3-year period.  The museum displayed lots of artifacts from the royal families.  Storyboards told how they formed new societies here.  It was very interesting.

     After the museum, we decided to drive the Devil’s Backbone Scenic Drive.  While it looked nice driving over the hills, it was nothing like the views we’ve seen elsewhere.  If hard pressed, I could buy a house on one of the hills overlooking Canyon Lake.  

     At 2 p.m. we stopped at the Heritage Museum of the Texas Hill Country. It was a tiny little house telling mostly the story of how they found fossil footprints on the property in the early 1980s.  When the owners realized what they had, they stopped clearing the land and contacted the local college.  Archeologists have been coming to the museum on a regular basis with their classes to teach their students about the animal prints found there.  In 2008 a pavilion was built over a portion of the track bed to protect it from the effects of the elements.  A walkway built all around the area allows visitors to get different views of the track bed.

     We got back to the campground around 3:30 p.m. and let the babies out to play.  I feel like we are living in the middle of a deer sanctuary.  Wherever you look, there are white tail deer.  It’s ridiculous!  I hope we won’t have any tick problems.

6 Nov 2018 (Tue-Paul’s Birthday) – There was a nice, thick fog this morning.  We left at 8:45 a.m. for a 10:00 a.m. appointment in San Antonio.  It was over an hour to get there – the traffic was heavy. I had a lymphatic drainage massage at Oak Haven Massage.  I endure these massages because it (hopefully) cleans out the lymph nodes and robs the cancer of a place to live.  I got completely undressed and lay on a heated table covered with a sheet and blanket.  The massage therapist methodically worked on each limb and my head, each time moving the covers over so she could work on my skin.  When it came time to work on the underarms (the groin, neck, and underarms are concentration points for lymph nodes), she left the sheet in place and massaged the skin through the sheet.  She did the same thing with my stomach.  All other therapists I have been to work the entire body with direct contact.  This experience was weird.

     After the massage, I got a chiropractic adjustment.  Oak Haven Massage not only has 60 therapists on staff, but they also have a chiropractor.  And the first appointment is free! The doctor was from Iowa, moved to Minnesota, and now lives in Texas.  We talked about the Midwest and Minnesota in particular. Since we just toured that state this summer, it was fresh and delightful to talk about.

     When I was all done with the workup, we were going to go to San Antonio to the Riverwalk but Paul decided he wanted to go to a town we passed yesterday.  It looked like it had a historic area with several old buildings.  When I put the name of the town in Trip Advisor – Gruene – nothing came up.  It turned out that the City of Gruene is no more.  It became part of New Brunfels and now it is just a tourist area called the Gruene Historical District.  There are a couple of blocks with old style buildings; some built new to look old and some original from the late 1800s.  We ate in a restaurant that looked like a renovated and converted barn but turned out to be newly built.  It was like some kind of sham!  We walked along the main street, stopping at a winery for a tasting.  It was an enjoyable day.

5 Nov 2018 (Mon) – We went to the office to extend for three nights. Looking at the calendar, we realized that this coming weekend is Veterans Day.  A three-day weekend down here will surely make it hard to find a campsite so we want to stay here through Tuesday.  The woman in the office told us we had to go to the other campsite where the manager works.  He is the only one who can change campsites.  Someone is scheduled to come into our site this weekend.  But the person in Site #9 left early so they could put that person in #9 and leave us in site #7.  So we drove over to the camp store and spoke with the manager.  He said that he will not change people’s campsites unless under extremely dire circumstances.  It was done in the past and people got very upset.  However, he told us we could move into site #9 if we wanted to and we could do it today, why wait?  So we went back, packed up, and moved over two spaces.

     After lunch, we drove to New Braunfels to the Wurstfest.  We got there at 3 p.m. only to find it didn’t open until 5 p.m.  There was a nearby park with a natural spring, a swimming pool, a volleyball court, and a small scale train that circled the park.  It was quite large and we spent an hour strolling around it.  At 4 p.m. we returned to the gate, took a seat on the bench, and waited until they opened.  The line started to grow until it was all the way down the block.  The gate opened at 5 p.m. and we entered. First thing was to buy drink tickets. Then we found our way to biergarten to get a beer and glass of wine.  Then we sat in the great hall and listened to the German band and watch people moving about the large dance floor.  When our drinks were done, we went out to the concessions stands and bought a dinner to potato pancakes and sausage.  We went back into the great hall to eat and listen to the band.

     The Wurstfest is the biggest Octoberfest we’ve ever seen.  There were dozens of concessionaires – many of them run by nonprofits (Boy Scouts, Elks, Masons, Children’s Hospital, etc.).  We found a place selling Christmas ornaments and was able to buy one for Wurstfest 2018. We wandered around and listened to the different bands playing around the facility – there were six of them.  It was a delightful evening.  We left at 6:30 p.m.

4 Nov 2018 (Sun) – We let the animals play outside this morning. Every once in a while, a deer would run by and both the dog and cat would freeze and watch them.  It was funny to see.  At noon, we tucked them safely in the trailer and went out for lunch. First stop was at Granny D’s but it was so crowded and we could see people waiting outside (we forgot about Sunday brunches) so we passed on it.  We then continued on to Alpine Haus Restaurant.  It was an old house converted to restaurant.  The walls, inside and out, were all brick.  The place was small but exquisite.  The menu was very German and our meal was delicious. We made sure to take left-overs home for dinner.

     After lunch, we drove around New Braunfels.  They are having a Wurstfest this week.  From what we could read online, it is an annual festival that is like an Octoberfest but bigger.  There is free parking Monday through Wednesday so we decided to go tomorrow or Tuesday.  

     We drove to the overlook on Canyon Lake.  They built two dams.  We looked at one and then walked across the point to look at the other one.  There is a huge earthen dam on one side and a spill way going down into a gorge on the other side.  We drove past the gorge and weren’t impressed at all.  We’ve seen much better in many places.  

     While we were out, we stopped at a Buc-EE’s.  Several people have told us that they love the place. It was like a gas station on steroids. Outside were about 120 gas points. There were two long rows with two gas pumps at each column and about 30 columns in each row.  Inside the store, it looked like a WalMart.  There were loads of snacks, many cashiers, about a dozen coffee dispensers, refrigerators with drinks and food, clothing, shoes, souvenirs, and tons of “stuff.”  It was a department store at the gas station. And the place was buzzing with people everywhere!

     When we got back to the campground, we took Bonnie for a long walk along the lakefront and through the other campgrounds.  It looks like they used to have trailers but pulled them out and built cabins.  There are a bunch of trailers stacked in the woods at one corner.  It was a nice and easy day.

 3 Nov 2018 (Sat) – We packed up and left Kingsville at 10:00 a.m. It was five and a half hours to our next campground – Joint Base San Antonio Sunnyside Park in Canyon Lake. It was a long drive on back roads through small towns and past many farms and ranches.  Randolph AFB and Fort Sam Houston Army Base were joined.  They both had campgrounds out on Canyon Lake. Now they are JBSA-Sunnyside Park (8 spaces belonging to the old Air Force Base) and JBSA-Hancock Cove Park (60+ campsites belonging to the Army).  It appears that the Army Corps of Engineers built two dams creating Canyon Lake. They then gave the land down the center to the military and the land on either side to the civilians.

     When we arrived at the gate, a lady checked us in.  The Sunnyside Park only has 9 campsites.  We got the last one as they are fully booked for the weekend. It is an old campground and the sites are narrow and close together.  There are loads of bushy trees in the area and deer are everywhere. Four were grazing next to us as we set up.  They have absolutely no fear of people.  That’s bad for the deer.

      After set up, we walked around the campground.  We are right next to the lake.  There is a marina with about two dozen boats docked at a pier but you can’t get to them.  The walkway out to the dock fell into the water.  You would have to swim to get out to your boat.

2 Nov 2018 (Fri) – We drove to the Big House BBQ for lunch.  It was not their usual order-by-the-pound place. We actually got to sit down at a table and order from a menu.  The tortilla soup was so good that I ordered a quart to take home for dinner.  Paul had roast chicken and I had ribs.  There was so much food that we took leftovers home to go with the soup.  Everything was delicious.

     After lunch, we drove to the King Museum Henrietta Memorial Center. It used to be an ice house and was donated by the King family.  It was a huge building!  We spent about an hour and a half wandering around the place, looking at the displays, watching videos, and reading storyboards.

     When we got back to the campground, I tried calling Fort Sam Houston and Lackland AFB to get a campsite but they were both booked.  There were three Joint Base campgrounds on a lake but they closed at 4 p.m.  I’ll have to call on the way there tomorrow.

 1 Nov 2018 (Thu) – We drove to IHOP for breakfast.  The place was terrible.  We were seated quickly and got our menus right away.  Then it took a while to give our orders and it was about 20 or 30 minutes before we got our food.  One waiter walked around with one hand in his pocket all the time.  I thought he was holding his phone to see is he got a message or call.  Paul thought he was holding up his pants.  lol.  Whichever it was, it was weird to see a waiter with his hand always in his pocket. While waiting, I looked around and realized that the place was filthy.  An overhead beam and fans had dust and dirt dripping over the edges, a light was out, windows were filthy, the baseboard near our table had all kinds of stains on it including ketchup (at least I HOPE it was ketchup).  When Paul unrolled his silverware from his neatly wrapped napkin, he found the spoon and fork to be filthy.   I ordered corned beef hash, eggs, and hash browns.  My meal arrived with a big serving of hash browns covered with corned beef hash and the eggs on top.  This came with a side order of hash browns.  Why?  Were they trying to empty the potato pantry?  The food was OK but I felt skeevy eating it.  What kind of dirt was in my food?  We waited for the bill and after a while, the manager ran over with the bill and included a military discount.  Paul thinks his frown was what brought the manager running.  Apparently, the entire restaurant staff is under threat.  They were nervous and asked if we enjoyed our meal. I thought our waitress was going to cry.

     After breakfast, we drove to the King Ranch.  The ranch is comprised of more than 825,000 acres. That’s bigger than the state of Rhode Island!  The King family started the ranch in 1853.  They grew to have businesses in many states and foreign countries at the peak of their ownership.  Today, their income is derived from four primary sources:  raising, training, and selling quarter horses; growing corn and sorghum crops; providing hunting areas for sportsmen; and oil operations.  They bred thoroughbred race horses until 1989, and had one Triple Crown winner (Assault) and one horse that won two of the three key races.  They gave that up and now just breed horses for ranch operations.  We took a one and a half hour bus tour of the ranch.  We saw the Santa Gertrudis cows, which are a breed that was developed by the King family.  They also have wildlife areas on their property.  One such property is a major stop along the migration flyway. The business is now run by seventh generation descendants of the Kings.

     We left the ranch and drove into town to look at the King Saddle Shop. It was a small shop that sells many leather items, cowboy outfits, and other items with the running W brand embossed on them.  I thought everything was expensive.  After wandering around the store, we drove around town for a little bit than stopped at the King Museum.  It was 3:00 pm and the museum closed at 4:00 pm.  So we decided to return tomorrow.  

     We got back to the campground and did the laundry.

31 Oct 2018 (Wed) – We packed up and hit the road at 10 a.m. The drive was only two hours.  The weather was good and the traffic wasn’t bad at all.  On the way, I called a couple of campgrounds only to be told they were all full.  As we were casting about for a place to go, we happened to pass a campground with a sign outside that read NOW OPEN.  Paul turned at the next road and we went around the block to get back to it.  There is a Valero gas station in front, a Mexican restaurant, a hotel, and a campground in back.  We parked and wandered around the place trying to find the check in point.  We finally wound up in the restaurant where the on-site manager had to call the owner to see what the rate was.  We went back out to set up while they made contact.  There are 58 sites; three were taken right up front. We backed into a site in the center of the campground but found out the electric was not on yet.  The place is so new that they haven’t even finished all the hookups.  We pulled out and parked in front near the other RVs.

     After set up, we went back into the restaurant and ordered lunch.  I had tacos and Paul had enchiladas.  The manager came over and said the rate was $30 a night.  We paid and left.  First stop was at the Naval Air Station to see if they really were full.  There was only one open space and it was too small for us so they were right.  Then we drove into town where I mailed off some cards at the post office.  Next, we wandered around the historic district and main roads.  The I-77 (like in so many other places) bypassed the main street and there were many closed stores.  I guess they’ll try to bring the district back in a few years.

 30 Oct 2018 (Tue) – Hank & Brenda picked us up at noon and we went to Smoke Texas BBQ for lunch.  It was a large warehouse converted to a restaurant.  You ordered at the counter: meat by the pound and small, medium, or large sides.  That style restaurant seems to be popular down here.  There was a counter serving the food along the back wall.  In the center of the room was a square bar with beer and liquor.  We had a great time visiting with each other.

     After they dropped us off at the lodge, we drove to H.E.B. and picked up a few items.  Then we dropped off letters at the post office and got fuel for tomorrow’s drive.  We had planned to head southwest to Laredo but that migrant caravan is headed toward the border.  President Trump is sending 5,000 troops to join the DHS and Border Patrol forces. We don’t want to get caught in that mix up so we’re heading back north to Kingsville.

29 Oct 2018 (Mon) – We drove to the Palo Alto Battlefield National Historic Park in Brownsville.  It was the site of the decisive battle of the Mexican-American War in 1846.  We walked along the battle trail, envisioning the bloody battle that took place there almost 200 years ago.  The result of that battle was that the U.S. doubled in size and Mexico lost half its territory.  We got 7 states out of that conflict.

     After the battlefield, we went to lunch.  We were following a suggestion by Siri when we passed McCarthy’s Irish Pub.  Being lovers of Irish food, we did a quick turn around and pulled into the restaurant. When we walked in the door, the first thing I noticed was that everyone in there was Mexican.  Few people were speaking English.  The menu didn’t have a single traditional Irish meal on it. There was a soup billed as Irish Soup but it was “delicious onion soup with garlic, served with bread croutons (is there any other kind?) and gouda smoked cheese.”  There was a large display case on one wall that had “Luck of the Irish” posted above it.  Nothing in the case had anything to do with Ireland or the Irish.  There was a Norman Rockwell picture (maybe he was Irish?), a doll dressed in Mardi Gras costume, a lamp with flowers in the base, an Antiques sign, etc.  It was so funny.

     We went back to the Marine Military Academy and toured their small museum. It was tiny but jam packed with all things Marine.  Many historical pictures covered the walls and artifacts were stuffed into display cases.

     At 6 p.m. Hank & Brenda picked us up and we went to La Playa for dinner.  It was a Mexican restaurant with a large menu.  Everything was very good.  We got margaritas and there were olives in the drinks.  When we returned to the RV, we all went into the Elks Lodge for drinks. It was a pleasant end to a pleasant evening.

 28 Oct 2018 (Sun) – We went to the Koffee Klatch for breakfast. It was a little house with the porch walled in.  Cute. And the food was OK.  We then drove over to the Marine Military Academy.  It is a private high school with a military focus. On the parade field across the street is a large statue of marines raising the flag at Iwo Jima.  This model was used as the basis for the monument in Washington, D.C.  We arrived at 12:30 p.m. but a sign on the door said they were open from 1 to 4 on Sunday. So we drove around the school grounds. Also, the airport is adjacent to the property so we took a quick swing through there (it is a very small facility). We walked around the monument and read some of the memorial plaques around the area.  At 1:05 p.m. the museum still was not open.  I went on the website to double check the opening time and it said they were closed on Sunday.  Somebody needs to fix the sign on the door!

     We stopped at H.E.B. for groceries and Pet Smart to pick up pet food. At 4 p.m. we drove to Hank & Brenda’s home for steak on the barbecue.  They have a lovely home in a 55+ community.  It was a delightful evening.

27 Oct 2018 (Sat) – Hank & Brenda picked us up at 11:00 a.m. and we drove to South Padre Island.  First stop was at the Padre Island Brewing Company for lunch.  I ordered fried flounder and got a plate piled high with two large filets, a crab cake, and three large shrimp – all accompanied by a Caesar salad and grilled vegetables.  It was enough for three people! I took most of it home.

     After lunch, we drove down the Beach Blvd to a parking area with access to the beach.  Three of us took our shoes off (Hank had compression socks and couldn’t take them off) and we walked up the beach wading in the warm Gulf of Mexico waters.  We watched dogs and people cavorting in the water, saw pelicans diving into the water for fish, and searched for shells. We topped the day off with ice cream at one of the local parlors.  A gift shop was attached to the ice cream parlor and I was able to pick up a Christmas ornament while Brenda found that perfect pair of flip flops.  It was a very enjoyable day.

26 Oct 2018 (Fri) – We packed up and left Corpus Christi at 10 a.m. Wouldn’t you know it?  The sun was out and shining brightly!  The drive was three and a half hours past many acres of ranches, farms and refineries.  It was mostly two lane highway that passed through occasional towns but there’s not a lot of population down this way.

                                           sunrise this morning 

    We pulled into the Elks Lodge in Harlingen about 1:30 p.m.  We are about 20 miles north of the Mexican border. There is a caravan of 7,000 to 10,000 South Americans headed toward the border right now.  President Trump has called out the military to join the Border Patrol and National Guard.  All this on the eve of Election Day.  I just hope no one gets killed in the fray.  It is tense!

     We went into the lodge to pay for five nights lodging.  It was $60 ($12 a night).  The “campsites” are composed of a row of hookups aligned along the edge of the parking lot in the back of the lodge.  We have 30 amp and water hookups.  There’s no worry about a sewer dump.  There are dozens of campgrounds down here along the border. This is where the Winter Texans come from December through April (they don’t call them Snowbirds, like we do on the east coast).

            There’s only us and one other RV.  The rest are in storage.

     At 6:30 p.m. we went into the lodge for their fish fry.  The Bush Riders (a local band) was playing cowboy music. Our friends, Hank & Brenda, joined us.  They live in Harlingen and offered the names of places to see and eat at.  They will go to South Padre Island with us tomorrow. We met Hank & Brenda on the Maritimes Caravan and reunited during the National Muster in Mineola this year.

     As I sat there and watched the couples dancing, I was struck by how people’s bodies change but their spirits remain the same.  Almost all the folks on the dance floor were in their 60s and 70s (maybe even 80s).  Everyone held their dance partner and moved around the floor – some quite lively and some just scuffing along due to stiff joints and other elderly ailments.  There was one really rocking mama who looked like the typical grandma – short, gray curly hair; glasses; pointy chin and wrinkled face.  Yet she wore white jeans and boots and was gleefully dancing away with her more reserved partner.  She was 16 years old inside!  When a group of folks got up and did some line dancing, a rather grumpy looking old man with a paunch joined them.  He was very adept at the steps and was singing along with the band.  I would have imagined him just sitting in a corner grouching about the world at large if I hadn’t seen that.  It was another reminder not to judge people by the way they look.  Especially older folks!

25 Oct 2018 (Thu) – The day was warmer – in the high 60s.  It was also drier but still overcast.  The forecast predicted sunshine this afternoon but it never happened.  At 2:30 p.m. we drove over to Mustang Island and had lunch at Fin’s Grill & Icehouse. We sat out on the deck and watched barges moving up and down the canal.  Afterward we drove around the area.  The ferries at Port Aransas were incredibly busy.  Cars were coming in non-stop from both sides.  They had six ferries working at the same time.

     On the way back to the campground, we stopped at WalMart to pick up a few items then fueled up in preparation for tomorrow’s move to Harlingen.

24 Oct 2018 (Wed) – We toured the U.S.S. Lexington today.  It was an aircraft carrier built during WWII and decommissioned in 1976.  They had several TVs around the ship at strategic places with someone telling a story about that part of the ship.  There was also a 25-minute 3D movie that showed a joint naval training venture of the U.S. with other countries in the Pacific.  I was blown away by all the technology and mission operations depicted on the screen.  We spent four hours exploring the ship.

    Before we went to the U.S.S. Lexington, we had breakfast at Cracker Barrel.  It was like coming home.  I love eating at that place!  The day was foggy and overcast and it started to rain softly in the late afternoon. There is a hurricane that hit Mexico on the Pacific Coast and will be crossing South America and coming up into Texas.  The forecast is for rain the next two days.

    Before we went to the U.S.S. Lexington, we had breakfast at Cracker Barrel.  It was like coming home.  I love eating at that place!  The day was foggy and overcast and it started to rain softly in the late afternoon. There is a hurricane that hit Mexico on the Pacific Coast and will be crossing South America and coming up into Texas.  The forecast is for rain the next two days.

23 Oct 2018 (Tue) – The day was overcast, windy, damp, and cold. We hunkered down inside our nice and cozy trailer until 2 p.m.  We drove over to the post office on base and mailed off Halloween packages to the boys and a birthday package to Caiden.  We then went next door to the Navy Exchange (NEX) and bought another external storage device.  Now when we save our pictures, we will save to two external storage devices.  The laptop will also be backed up by Carbonite, an online storage system in the cloud.  If all that back up doesn’t work, we’re in big trouble.

     When we were finished at the NEX, we drove into town to Rudy’s Country Store and Bar-B-Q.  It was a gas station with a restaurant.  The restaurant was like a big barn with long picnic tables covered with white and red checked tablecloths.  Everything was ala carte.  You ordered the meat and whatever sides you wanted and a drink to go with it.  The food was pretty good.  You then took your food from the counter and sat down at a table in the dining room.  Signs all over the place said “Your Momma Does Not Work Here – Clean Up Your Own Mess.”

     We had been hoping the weather would get better.  When we first got here, the forecast was for the weather to clear up on Tuesday and Wednesday.  We left our visit to the USS Lexington for the nice weather.  Unfortunately, things have not cleared up.  In addition, there is now a hurricane hitting the coast of Mexico that will move up and right into our area in the next day or two.  The weather is only going to get worse. Guess we’ll have to tour the USS Lexington despite the bad weather.

22 Oct 2018 (Mon) – We went to the Texas State Aquarium this morning.  There was a dolphin show and we got splashed several times.  We spent the rest of the time drying out.  It was chilly!

      After the aquarium, we drove over Padre Island to Mustang Island. The water and sky were gray and the waves were very rough.  There is evidence that they got hit with a big storm – I think it was Hurricane Harvey in September of last year.  There were a couple of resorts that were closed and undergoing some repairs.  Some houses had blue tarps on the roof.  Some buildings were destroyed and simply closed.  We stopped at a restaurant right on the beach – Mikel Mays – and had an early dinner.  A long pier ran about a half mile out into the water but there was a charge to walk on it.  That ticked me off.  I refuse to pay to just walk out on a pier so we didn’t go.  Everywhere we look it is obvious that Texas has gotten more rain than it needs.  Besides getting occasional warnings about flooding on my cell phone, many places have water overflowing their area.  

      We stopped at H.E.B. Plus on the way home to pick up some groceries. That place is huge!  It is a combination giant supermarket with a giant department store.  We found every single thing we wanted.

21 Oct 2018 (Sun) – We didn’t do much today.  At 11:30 a.m. we ran to the commissary and picked up some groceries.  We also shopped at the Navy Exchange (NEX).  I got a fitbit and Paul picked up a grill.  The day was overcast and drizzly all day.  The weather is a real disappointment.  We are in some of the most beautiful coastal areas in the U.S. and the crappy weather is degrading the experience.

 20 Oct 2018 (Sat) – We went to the Art Museum of Texas at 12:30 p.m. after doing laundry this morning.  I can never figure out why art museums have so much wasted space.  The art is displayed on walls in big halls. Most of it was head scratching kind of stuff.  A few pictures were nice but most of the artwork made no sense to us.  Guess we’re just not artsy types.

     We had lunch in the café of the art museum.  They were hosting a wedding there today so a couple of the floors were closed to the general public.  When I complained about having half the museum cut off, the clerk let us in at no cost.

    After the museum, we drove across the channel to Padre Island.  It was ten miles over undeveloped land to the visitor’s center.  We got there at 4:45 p.m. and they were closing at 5 p.m.  We did a quick walk around the gift shop, picked up an ornament and patch, then walked out on the deck and admired the water. We then drove through two campgrounds on the island.  They were pretty rustic.

19 Oct 2018 (Fri) – We packed up and left Galveston at 9:05 a.m. It was 220 miles to our next destination.  The route was mostly two lane highway past miles of open grassland, grazing cattle, crops, farrow land, and occasional small towns.  There was high water everywhere and some roads were threatened by flooding.  There were many oil refineries.  They are such a maze of pipes and columns that they look very sci-fi.  I bet when they film movies like Mad Max, they use old oil refineries as their setting.  The weather went through sunshine, clouds, and bouts of rain during the six hour drive to Corpus Christi Naval Air Station.

     We checked in at the RV Office and the gal told us we could choose from five open sites.  When we got to the campground, we saw that one was undergoing some kind of construction project, two were under water, and one had a very narrow driveway.  The one that was left had a low hanging tree.  We pulled in at an angle to avoid the tree and are on the grass and not the hard pack.  Since the ground is soggy from lots of rain, Paul put boards under the levelers.  There is more rain in the forecast and I hope that won’t cause us any problems.  Our campsite looks out at a bay.  It looks like there used to be a runway that was used by water planes that landed and drove up concrete ramps onto the former runway. There is a laundry room with free washers and dryers.  The wifi is excellent!  We will be here for a week.

 18 Oct 2018 (Thu) – We drove to the Bryan Museum this morning. It was a former orphanage-turned-museum. The building was gorgeous.  It had originally been built as a non-denominational orphanage (there were two Catholic homes in Galveston).  The museum showcased the history of Galveston and the American West.  It was a beautiful house.

     After the museum, we drove to The Moody Mansion.  The Moody family was among the wealthy citizens of Galveston. They owned many businesses around town – banks, hotels, etc.  The 32-room mansion was built in the late 1800s.  The last of the family left the home in 1984 when the home was donated to the historical society.  The house was gorgeous.  There was silk wallpaper and exotic woods everywhere.

     The next stop was at the Bishop’s Palace.  The 19,000 sf house was made of stone and was able to withstand the hurricane of 1900 that wiped out most of Galveston. It was sold to the Roman Catholic Diocese in 1923 before it opened to the public in 1963.  It cost $250,000 to build the house and today’s value is over $5.5 million.  You pay the admission fee and get a hand held player with numbers on the screen that match numbers posted in the various rooms.  You press the appropriate number and a narrator tells you someone about the history of the family and diocese.  It was OK but we really wanted to hear about the house and its architecture, not the comings and goings of the original owners.  The Moody Mansion used the same system to tour that house as well.

     It was now mid-afternoon so we stopped at Willie G’s at Pier 21 for drinks and appetizers.  We sat out on the patio.  Although the sky has been overcast and threatening for the two days we’ve been in Galveston, the wind was balmy and our seat on the patio was pleasant.  Paul ordered Story Point Cab-Sauv.  The waiter brought Story Point Chardonnay instead. It turned out they were out of the Cab-Sauv and the bartender just chose the other wine.  The waiter replaced the wine but in the meantime, I sampled the wine and found I liked it.  I now have another favorite wine.

      Before we returned to the truck, we walked The Strand.  That is their historical main street with many warehouses converted to restaurants and shops.  In the late 1800s, The Strand was known as the Wall Street of the Southwest and Galveston was the second most active port for immigrant arrivals after Ellis Island.  In 1871 alone, over 41,760 passengers arrived by sea.  We wandered into a shop and wound up buying two jackets with world maps printed on them.  I also found a Christmas ornament for Galveston.

17 Oct 2018 (Wed) – We packed up and left Livingston at 10 a.m. The sky was overcast and there was some fog initially.  There was also some rain on the way.  We arrived at Galveston Island State Park at 1:00 p.m.  The park has two campgrounds – one on the ocean side and one on the bay side. We were told when I made the reservation that there were no sites available on the ocean side. Furthermore, there was space on the bay side but only Wednesday and Thursday night.  The campground will be completely booked for the weekend.

     After we crossed the causeway, we saw no signs for a campground office so we headed toward the bay side.  There were two circles, each with 20 campsites in them.  Neither had a single camper in it.  There was no office either.  So we drove back to the other side of the island to the park headquarters office.  We were able to complete our registration there.  The clerk – a very lovely and friendly young woman – chose the perfect spot to view the bay.  With our site assignment in hand, we drove back to the bay side campground and found our place. The site faces the bay on an angle. Unfortunately, the campsite was on an angle.  The side facing the water only has one small window.  We chose another spot and parked there.  

     Once everything was set up, we drove back to the office to let the clerk know that we changed our assigned campsite.  She was not happy.  She lectured me for five minutes on how I should have called first before changing sites, that someone else might have been assigned to that site, that there are more people coming in today and we shouldn’t have been fooled by the emptiness of the campground, etc., etc., etc.  When she was done giving me her tongue lashing, I was given new paperwork for the site we now occupy.

     We then drove into town to have lunch at Landry’s Seafood Restaurant. It sat right on the coastal highway and had a great view of the Gulf.  Although the place was expensive, the food was good and we enjoyed the meal. Afterward, we drove to PetSmart to pick up food for Bonnie.  They had her can and dry food but no venison treats.  We’ll have to look somewhere else.

     We then drove around the area.  There is some flooding and I keep getting notices from the weather bureau warning of such.  Most of the houses in the area are on stilts.  Galveston Island is very much a beachy town like so many others we have seen. Lots of hotels, souvenir shops, palm trees, long beach front, and houses on stilts.

16 Oct 2018 (Tue) – It was in the 50s and drizzly this morning. The sky was overcast and the air has a chill in it.  There is a smell of sewer around the campground.  It’s probably caused by all the rain and the waste lines being overtaxed. My phone keeps getting notices from the weather station about flooding in the county.

     We took a tour of Escapees Headquarters this morning.  After five years of having our mail handled by this organization, we finally got to see the operation and how they do it.  It was so fascinating!  They have a machine they dubbed “Howee” that sorts 300 pieces of mail in just 3 minutes.  They have three large rooms filled with buckets of mail.  There are about 900 people who have their mail scanned and at least 14,000 who have their mail forwarded.  They get huge containers of mail every day from the local post office. They have so much mail that they qualified for their own zip code.  

     I am glad we stopped in Livingston to visit the Escapees Headquarters. This is an incredible operation. There is nothing like it anywhere else in the U.S.  We will probably come back to volunteer just to help them out.

     After the tour, we drove into town to pick up a few groceries. Then we went to Patron Grill for lunch. They had regular and grande size margaritas.  Paul went big; I went regular.  The food was good.  I had so much, I took leftovers home for breakfast tomorrow.  

 15 Oct 2018 (Mon) – It was a pretty light day.  There is a cold front moving in.  The temperature dropped from 71 in the morning when we got up to 57 tonight when we went to bed.  There was rain on and off this evening and even a brief thunderstorm that sent Sheba bolting for the closet.

     We took a tour of the Escapees Care Center this morning.  The Club provides a place for RVers to stay when they can no longer RV or just need a place to sit while they recover from illness or accident.  Volunteers who work at the center can get a free space with full hook up and three meals a day.  They provide a bus (driven by volunteers) that takes people to doctor appointments or shopping. They even provide an adult day care so caregivers can get a day off.  It was quite impressive.

14 Oct 2018 (Sun–Birthday) – Paul took me down to the Courthouse Whistle Stop Café for breakfast.  It was a really old building with lots of historical pictures on the walls. Connected to it was a gift shop with loads of knicks knacks.  

     We went back to the campground to get Bonnie then headed for the Lake Livingston Dam Observatory.  When we got there, the road to the observatory was closed by an electric company doing some construction.  Paul thought they were building a power plant.  We drove along the lakefront looking for a way around the construction but couldn’t find anything.  We discovered a campground and drove through that.  It ended at some cabins on the water.  We parked and walked along a pathway.  Lake Livingston is the largest reservoir in Texas.  It was a lovely day.

13 Oct 2018 (Sat) – We packed up and left Bullard at 9:35 a.m. The drive was easy as the weather was good and the route was direct.  We arrived at Livingston at 12:30 p.m.  We pulled into the Escapees HQ campground called Rainbow’s End.  It is a large campground with both transient and long term RVers.  Our campsite is a back-in on worn gravel.  The interior roads are asphalt.  There are trees around the area.  It looks like it’s been around for a while.  We have full hook-ups and access to Wifi (but very slow).  They also have a laundry room and a pool.  We ‘ll be here for four nights.

12 Oct 2018 (Fri) – The cat threw up on the bedspread during the night.  We pulled the bedspread, blanket, and sheets off the bed and threw them in the wash.  We got the bedspread with our very first fifth wheel camper in 2006.  It was time to replace it.

     We drove to several stores looking for a new bedspread.  I wanted something to cover the bed but not be too warm at night; more of a decorative cover.  We looked in Kirkland’s, Burlington, Bed Bath & Beyond, and WalMart.  A stop in World Market found us delighting over a deeply discounted favorite wine on sale.  We didn’t get a bedspread there but we did walk out with eight bottles of wine. WalMart finally yielded something close to what I wanted.  

      We grabbed lunch at Whataburger.  There was a sign outside saying it was the Hot Rod Café.  There were 1950s themed model cars and decorations all around the eatery. It was cute.

     Last stop was at Brookshire’s.  We picked up groceries then got fuel at their gas station.  We had accumulated over 500 points which resulted in our getting 50 cents off a gallon.  That saved us about $15!  Now we get ready to move on.

 11 Oct 2018 (Thu) – I had an 11 a.m. appointment at the dentist today to have my teeth cleaned.  After that, we stopped at Cork Food & Drink for lunch.  It had a very eclectic menu but the food was good.  The service, unfortunately, was sooooo slow.  There was a smoker outside emitting all kinds of mouthwatering smells but there were no smoked meats on the lunch menu.  That was disappointing.

     We stopped at another modular homes center to look at some homes.  The saleswoman kept telling us about models then saying she didn’t have any on the lot to show us.  We looked at two or three models, then Paul told her the workmanship was shoddy and he wouldn’t buy the product.  We walked back to the office in silence and said a terse good bye.  He was annoyed by her pointing out all the things we wanted on paper and telling us to go online but then showing us homes that were bigger than we wanted.

10 Oct 2018 (Wed) – We worked around the camper today.  Paul focused on stuff around the rig.  I worked on writing the documentation required to get the Women Veterans chapter of SMART established.  We both got so involved in our projects that I missed my dental cleaning this morning. My appointment was at 12:15 p.m. The office called at 12:25 p.m. to see where I was.  I apologized profusely then we jumped in the truck to get there in time for Paul’s appointment at 1 p.m.  He got his teeth cleaned and a fluoride polish applied.  The tech told him not to eat anything crunchy or hard for four hours. That killed lunch!  My appointment was rescheduled for tomorrow at 11 a.m.

     After the dentist, we stopped at a couple of modular home centers – Solitaire, Pratt Homes, and Clayton Homes.  We looked at several models and are slowly forming an opinion of what we would like in a house when we decide to come off the road.  It looks like we’re interested in a house between 1,300 and 1,600 square feet.

     When we were done exploring model homes, we stopped at Clear Springs restaurant for dinner.  It had a statue of a swordfish out front.  Tyler is just about as far away as you can get from the coast in Texas. I had salmon and Paul had a combo of fried chicken and shrimp.  The food was good and plentiful.  We both took left-overs home.

9 Oct 2018 (Tue) – We dropped Bonnie off at the vet this morning at 7:30 a.m. (*yawn*).  We then went to WalMart to get an oil change on the truck.  While we waited, we had a bite to eat at Subway then strolled around the store, picking up a few things here and there.  When the truck was done, we drove to the bank and got the paperwork notarized that we’ve been trying to complete.  It only took six trips to the place to get it done!  Next stop was at PetCo where we tried to find exotic food for Bonnie.  We wound up buying a sweet potato and venison menu for her.  We got both can and dry food as well as treats (the vet said everything had to be the same).  We also picked up a glucosamine for her stiff joints and some omega-6 vitamins for Sheba’s dry skin.

     About then, the vet called to say that Bonnie’s teeth cleaning was done and we could pick her up.  It turned out that she has a skin infection around her rear end and that was probably causing all her scooting.  We got an antibiotic for the infection, a steroid to reduce the swelling, and a cream to put on her yoo-hoo.  Animals can be such fun.

     At 3 p.m. Paul and I had appointments at a local dentist for exam, x-rays, and to schedule teeth cleaning.  The receptionist had us sit in front of computers and fill out medical histories (I guess it was faster than having her do it).  She then walked us around the place introducing us to all the staff.  All the women were Miss So & So and the men were Dr. So & So.  I am now curious about this “Miss” thing.  Is this a cultural thing?  Am I supposed to call them Miss So & So?  She introduced us as Paul and Melody.  Not Mr. or Mrs.  I’ll have to ask somebody about this.  They had the most modern technological tools.  The tech took x-rays with a portable machine and never left the room.  Then she took digital pictures of the inside our mouths.  She capped it off with a picture of us to put in the file so the staff would know what we look like.  The dentist came in, poked around, and said everything was fine.  We made appointments to come back for the teeth cleaning.

     After the dentist, we went to the Texas Roadhouse right next door for dinner.  They sure make good steaks there.  Clouds had moved in and it was raining pretty hard when we came out.  Later, sunset was gorgeous with the horizon turning orange then red as it shone out from under the dark storm clouds.  

8 Oct 2018 (Mon) – We took the animals to the vet this morning. Sheba’s exam went fine and we picked up some heartworm medicine for her.  Bonnie’s exam found lots of plaque on her teeth so we scheduled her to have a teeth cleaning tomorrow.  Also, she has put on ten pounds in the last five months.  That’s quite a bit and we are eager to see what the bloodwork shows. The vet suggested we feed her exotic meats like bison or venison.  We’ll try that.

     We returned to the campground and packed up.  We were supposed to move to another site tomorrow but we decided to do it today. Once we were set up again, I worked on completing the current roster for the Nomads and sent it to the membership by email.

7 Oct 2018 (Sun) – Paul and I worked on sorting out all the paperwork for next year’s caravan.  We created two binders with various materials.  Then I spent a couple of hours creating a suspense roster for all the things we have to follow up on.  At 3 p.m. we ran out to Brookshire’s and picked up groceries.  It was a pretty quiet day.

6 Oct 2018 (Sat) – We drove to the bank today to try making the deposit to the Nomads account (again).  I could not remember the PIN number so I couldn’t make the deposit (again). We then drove to Camp Ford.  It was the largest Confederate POW camp of the Civil War west of the Mississippi.  It was only open from August 1863 until May 1865.  A storyboard described a large cabin but there were only logs laying on the ground.  Either they intended to build it or someone took it apart and lined up all the logs. The camp grew to 11 acres before being closed as the prisoner population swelled to 5,000.  It is now a public park and has been allowed to fall into neglect. The asphalt walkway was broken and full of debris.  There were three small cabins on display but they were falling apart.  It is a shame.  Thousands of men suffered terrible deprivations and hundreds died. The only reason the death toll was higher was because the first prisoners built catch basins and their drinking water never got contaminated.

     After the park, we stopped to look at some modular homes.  They were interesting.  Next stop was at a shopping mall where we had lunch at the Mandarin Express.  Then I picked up some items at Dillards.  We drove through the town of Bullard just to look around.  The town is small but cute.

     Before returning to the campground, we stopped at the M6 Winery. The owner’s name was Moody and there were six brothers in the family.  We tasted several wines.  I bought three bottles; Paul bought one.  We came back and took a nap.

5 Oct 2018 (Fri) – I spent the morning trying to find various services in the area.  I made an appointment to bring the dog and cat to the vet on Monday, and to bring Paul and me to the dentist on Tuesday.  I also spent an hour working on documenting the monies brought in during the Nomads musters and trying to find a Navy FCU to make a deposit.  There is no credit union in this area.  I contacted an agent online and was told I could deposit the money at a Texas Community Bank.  When we got to the bank, I was told to put the money in the ATM.  They don’t touch it.  (But don’t they take the money out of the box at the end of the day?)  I was very confused.  At any rate, I went around to the ATM only to find I needed an ATM card to make the deposit.  I did not have it on me.  I’ll have to come back tomorrow.  Ugh.

     We went to F.D.’s Grillhouse for lunch.  It is rated #3 of 302 restaurants in Tyler by Trip Advisor.  We both got firecracker shrimp for an appetizer then a modified Philly Cheesesteak – cubes of steak with onions, green peppers, and mushrooms covered with mozzarella cheese on Texas toast.  The side was roasted corn trimmed from the corn cob today.  Everything was excellent.

     We then stopped at Best Buy so Paul could buy an adapter for the video projector.  We were going to loan our projector at the National muster but it turned out we didn’t have the right cables to connect the laptop to the projector.  We stopped at Brookshire’s to pick up a couple of items then drove to Keipersol Winery.  They have wine tastings and right next door is a distillery with rum and bourbon tastings. We went to both places and bought some wine.

     The campground is starting to fill up for the weekend.  All our friends left today and it feels a little lonely.  I went over to the office today to extend our stay.  They would only let us go to next Saturday.  There is a rally coming in on Tuesday so we will have to move to another spot for three days.

 4 Oct 2018 (Thu) – Eight of us took a ride on the Texas State Railroad from Rusk to Palestine.  It was an old diesel engine and historical cars.  Paul’s comment was that we’ve seen better scenery on the commuter train from Long Island into New York City.  There was really nothing to see from the train during the hour and a half ride.  When we got to Palestine, there was a grill serving food at exorbitant prices - $8.50 for a hotdog and $11.00 for a hamburger.  We were a captive audience as there was nowhere else to eat.

     We had happy hour at 4 p.m. then drove to Jalapeno Tree for dinner.  It was the last night of the Nomads post muster before everyone heads to the four winds.  It was a good time.

3 Oct 2018 (Wed) – Carl & Gwen came over early and we worked on the plans for the caravan next year.  At 10 a.m., we took a break and carpooled with the group over to Love’s Lookout.  You were supposed to be able to see 35 miles but, frankly, the view wasn’t that grand. I guess we’re spoiled.  We’ve seen some breathtaking views.

     We left the overlook and drove to the Catfish King.  It was a restaurant that specialized in (you guessed it) catfish.  Paul and I have studiously avoided catfish for the past 40 years.  We gave in and each had the lunch special that included 3 pieces of fried catfish, pinto beans, cole slaw, and hush puppies that looked like fried mozzarella sticks.  The food was actually quite good.  We were glad we tried it.

     After lunch, we drove down the road to the Texas Basket Company.  It was a real country store with all sizes of baskets for sale along with lots of other bric-a-brac and other items.  We then left and rode (with Carl & Gwen driving) to Brookshire’s where we picked up some groceries.  Once our groceries were put away, we resumed working on the plans for the Utah caravan.  Carl & Gwen will follow up and contact all the campgrounds to verify information and let them know of the change in Wagon Masters and Assistant Wagon Masters (Tail Gunners).  We will handle the restaurant and entertainment venues.

     At 4 p.m. we went to happy hour.  After an hour, we all dragged out the leftovers from our dinner yesterday, reheated them, and had a second potluck dinner.  Everything seemed to taste better.  Guess the food had a chance to sit and strengthen the flavors.  Later, Paul and I went for a walk with Bonnie around the campground. There is a small lake advertised on their website as a fishing spot for anglers.  There was a sign on the fence saying an alligator had been spotted in the water and no one was to kayak or row boat out into the water.  We didn’t know gaters came this far north.

     Mike hunted us down and said there were several people going on a train trip tomorrow.  He invited us to join him.  We said we’d go.

2 Oct 2018 (Tue) – We did laundry this morning.  Then I cooked some cornbread for the potluck dinner later. Paul went into town with some of the other guys to a liquor store to buy some “supplies.”  Since this is a dry county, they had to drive to the next county to make their purchases.  At 1 p.m. Carl & Gwen came over and we worked on the plans for the Utah caravan next year.  We got through the first four legs then took a break.  Happy hour was at 4 p.m. then dinner at 5:30 p.m.  After dinner, we had a quick Nomads meeting.  Our errant RVer who had the starter problem returned to the campground today.  They spent the night in a hotel.  The RV repair center found that the problem in his motor coach was a bad relay.  It was a simple fix and they’re back on the road again.

 1 Oct 2018 (Mon) – We ran down to the post office to see if our external storage device had arrived yet.  The clerk told me the package was returned to the sender (she didn’t know why). I called UPS to see if we could intercept it and they said the package was refused by the post office. Aaaaargh!!!  

     We made a quick stop at Brookshire’s to pick up some items for the pot luck dinner tomorrow and returned to the campground.  Most of the RVs had already left.  We hooked up and were on the road at 11 a.m.  The drive was a little over an hour from Mineola to Bullard. We are staying at Bushman’s Camp & RV Park.  One of the other members of our group who is camping here (this is the Nomads post-muster) was stuck in the driveway.  Apparently he burned out his starter and had to call for a tow truck.  

     We checked in and drove to our pull through site.  This is a very nice campground.  The interior roadways and campsites are poured concrete.  We have full hookup and there is low band Wifi available.  They have a laundry room and a meeting room for our group.  There is an indoor pool and hot tub as well.  There are dog pens with a sign saying dogs can be left there for up to one hour.

     At 4 p.m. we went to happy hour.  There are twelve rigs, 21 folks here.  At 5:15 p.m. 16 of us drove to Jalapeno Tree (a Mexican restaurant franchise) for dinner. Bullard is also a dry county but that restaurant serves margaritas.  They were very good.

30 Sep 2018 (Sun) – SMART breakfast this morning was a sausage casserole.  There wasn’t much sausage in it.  After breakfast, there was a general membership meeting where the leadership talked about what the Board of Directors has been up to.  Awards were given for recruiting and as outstanding chapters.  Following the membership meeting, a member of SMART got up and recounted stories of his trip around the U.S.  He has a motor home that is painted in Americana style with eagles, freedom quotes, and the five military service symbols.  Everywhere he goes, people come over to look at his coach and share stories of their military service.  He’s met some pretty interesting folks in his travels.

     After a break for lunch, we went to a seminar for wagon masters.  It was interesting.  We knew most everything that was covered.  We learned by either being on a caravan or discussing issues or planning our own caravan for next year.

     At 4 p.m., I called for a meeting of women veterans.  We want to start a new chapter and I agreed to prepare all the paperwork and file for the charter.  While looking over the paperwork, I found we needed a minimum of five members and we only had the four who said they would be officers (President, VP, Secretary-Treasurer, and Muster Master – I volunteered for Muster Master). I asked for a committee to develop bylaws and standing rules.  I volunteered to head the committee.  We have to find a name for our group (the Women Veterans Chapter just sounds too plain) and agreed to think on it.  At next year’s national muster in Urbana, VA, we will have a formal installation of officers.

     Social hour was 4 to 5 p.m. followed by a SMART dinner of pork loin, rice, green beans, dinner roll, and chocolate cake.  There were more door prizes and 50/50 drawings.  The civic center where we are holding our national muster also awarded door prizes.  Finally, it was over and everyone bid each other fair winds and safe travels.

 29 Sep 2018 (Sat) – There was a SMART breakfast this morning. Eggs (powered), sausage patty, and pancakes.  After breakfast, Paul and I attended some more seminars.  At 4:00 p.m. we met with other people from the Nomads and ran through the talent show skit we are doing tonight.

     After the “rehearsal” we went back to the RV and reheated leftovers for dinner.  We returned to the

Auditorium at 7 p.m. for last minute checks on our props and participants then settled down to watch the show.  There were some interesting things.  One man played the ukulele and harmonica as his wife strolled across the stage. Three women draped in very glittery capes performed a lip sync of a Supremes song.  There were also lots of door prizes and as always, the 50/50 drawing. Our skit was the last one to perform. We did a spoof of Jeff Foxworthy’s “Ten Indications You Might Be A . . . .”  We were “SMART Long Time RVers.”  It was pretty funny thanks to one particular member of our group who was very hammy. Everyone had a good time watching as well as performing the skit.  We ended by commenting on how we see more things in one year than most people see in a lifetime.  That was followed by everyone singing America the Beautiful.

 28 Sep 2018 (Fri) – We attended some seminars today.  I met with Michelle and Ed about the talent show we are putting together for tomorrow.  No one else showed up despite my email asking them to do so.  Woooh, boy.  I sure hope this thing comes off ok.  There were the men’s and women’s luncheons.  The guys had hot dogs and hamburgers at the pavilion; the women had chicken Caesar salad with a cookie for dessert.  We were supposed to have a guest speaker but he cancelled out at the last minute.

     The SMART dinner tonight was Tex-Mex.  It was a chicken and cheese enchilada with soupy beans, chips and salsa. There was apple pie for dessert. There were about a dozen door prizes awarded and three winners from the 50/50 drawing.

     After dinner, we all went outside and spelled out the word “SMART.” Paul and another guy sent their drones up in the air and took a picture from the air.  It came out looking really cool!  After the picture taking, SMART folks conducted a flag retirement ceremony. This is where they take flags that are no longer usable and ceremoniously burn them in a formal ceremony.  It was very moving.

27 Sep 2018 (Thu) – There was a panel discussion today about RV Tips at 8:30 a.m.  I was on the panel with three other people.  About 20 people attended the seminar.  We shared our experiences with the audience and they shared their experiences with one another.  Even I picked up a few tips!

     When I came out of the center, Paul was walking up.  It turned out that the projector is not compatible with our laptop.  As we thought about it, we bought the laptop about six years ago and have not used the projector with it.  The cables don’t work between the two.  Paul will not be able to do a slide show on the screen.  How frustrating to spend hours preparing the show and not be able to project it!  We’ll bring the laptop and just let people look at that on the computer screen.  It won’t be as big as a projector screen but it’s all we’ve got.

     We drove to Canton to a flea market billed as the biggest one in the U.S. (does Shipshewana know that?)  We stopped for lunch before going into the market at a place called Dairy Palace. It was an old, kind of run down place but the parking lot was full.  That usually means a place has good food so we stopped in.  It was a farm-to-table place serving beef that has been free ranged and not given any drugs or antibiotics.  I got a patty melt; Paul got a spam burger.  We have never eaten chicken fried spam.  It was different.

     The flea market was huge!  It was laid out helter skelter.  As we wandered in and out of large buildings and hundreds of booths, we gradually moved deeper and deeper into the bowels of the place.  Paul finally got his hands on a map but it was difficult to read.  We were lost among the booths and with some trial and error, found our way out after two and a half hours wandering around the market.  My tootsies were singing by then!  We picked up a few things for the grandkids.

     There was a SMART dinner tonight.  They had hamburger steak, mashed potatoes, green beans, gravy, and a dinner roll.  The food was good.  After dinner, they did a 50/50 drawing and awarded many door prizes.  Following that, a DJ and entertainer played 50’s and 60’s music for the group.  It was heart warming to see so many older people dancing.  You could almost imagine them as they were when they courted each other back in the 40’s and 50’s.  Young teenagers in love starting out on their life paths.  Now here they were 40, 50, 60 years later still holding hands and dancing in each other’s arms.

 26 Sep 2018 (Wed) – There was a SMART breakfast this morning. There were scrambled eggs, sausage, potatoes, gravy, and a biscuit.  After breakfast, Paul and I attended a meeting of the Travel Committee.  The Assistant Travel Coordinator wanted to meet with the wagon masters and assistant wagon masters for the upcoming caravans.  He had suggestions on planning and directing a caravan.  There were questions and answers for an hour.

     Following the meeting, we returned to the camper.  Paul worked on putting together a slide show for the caravan seminar on Friday. I worked on completing some paperwork for the bank and our mail forwarding service.  Mail has been arriving at our mail box addressed to the SMART Nomads.  Some kind of postal regulation is violated in some way and I have to get a form notarized swearing that the mail is not for a business.

     There was a chapter fair at 4 p.m.  This was an opportunity for each chapter to describe their activities to potential members.  We did not have anyone approach us.  I have already signed up 24 new members over the past few days.  That’s quite a lot!  The Nomads had a meeting at 5 p.m. tonight.  Mike chaired the meeting; I took minutes.  We didn’t have any food tonight so there were less than half of the folks we had three days ago and the meeting was done in half an hour.

     When the meeting was over, several of us planned to go out for margaritas. Since this is a dry county, none of the restaurants in this area serve alcohol.  We finally found a restaurant in Lindale, about 15 miles away.  We drove to Posados, a Mexican restaurant. The food was good, the margaritas were excellent, and the waiter was a hoot!  Nine of us had a great time.

 25 Sep 2018 (Tue) – We went on a tour of Tyler today.  The bus left the campground at 8:30 a.m.  The drive was about 40 minutes.  First stop was at the Tyler Rose Museum & Gardens. One-third of all the roses sold in the U.S. come from Tyler.  Quite a celebration takes place every October where they elect a Queen of Roses and have a big parade.  There is also a football game takes place during the celebrations.  It’s quite an event and reminded us of the Mardi Gras celebrations.  We walked around the gardens but there were few roses in bloom.  The season is well over.

     We then drove to the Brook Hall School.  There was an American Freedom Museum.  The tour was delightful.  They had two rooms.  One recounted all the conflicts America has taken part in, from the War for Independence through to today’s Afghanistan/Iraq conflict.  They had many original artifacts that were very interesting to look at.  The second room was the Hall of Presidents.  Starting with our first president, George Washington, there was a biography of each one along with parts of speeches they made and statements they made about their faith.

     The last stop on our tour was at the Goodman-LeGrand Home.  It was built in 1853.  Three generations of a family lived in it until 1963 when the last descendent passed away.  She left the home and all the furnishings to the city with the stipulation that the house be maintained in its current state and kept open to the general public. That makes it pretty unique as far as old homes go because all the original furnishings have remained with the house from the very first day the state took possession.  The house was originally built as a one-story, four-room home with a center breezeway.  The family that purchased it completely changed it – added two stores, sweeping staircases, wrap around porch, etc.  

    We returned to the campground at 4:30 p.m. then quickly changed and fed the animals, and went to the Opening Ceremonies of the National Muster. The meeting opened with a posting of the colors, prayer, the Pledge of Allegiance, and singing of God Bless America. I can’t tell you how moving such events are.  With all the controversy going on around the Pledge and other American traditions, everyone spoke louder and sang stronger than I have ever heard before.  Over 300 voices raised in unison in patriotic song gave me goose bumps.

     The mayor of Mineola spoke as did the director the civic center where we are having our rally.  The guest speaker was Sheriff J. B. Smith.  He was a sheriff of the county for 36 years.  What a phenomenal speaker!  He had us laughing, crying, nodding, and sighing with jokes, reminisces, and stories of his days in the military and law enforcement.  He has written two books and was selling one at the dinner.  Then it was time to eat.  There was brisket, sausage, turkey, potato salad, baked beans (the standard Texas fare), and fruit cobbler.  The food was excellent.  After dinner, there was a 50/50 drawing and then about a dozen door prizes.

 24 Sep 2018 (Mon) – We ran out to the laundromat this morning. After putting the clothes in the washer, we went for lunch at Taco Bell.  After returning to put the clothes in the dryers, we drove to WalMart and picked up some groceries and other items.  We then returned to the laundromat, retrieved our clean clothes and returned to the campground.

     There was a hot dog barbecue hosted by the past presidents at the pavilion at 4 p.m.  We brought our chairs over because there weren’t enough picnic tables for everyone. It rained while the barbecue was going on and we had to pull our chairs under cover.  

 23 Sep 2018 (Sun) – It rained last night (again) and was cloudy all day with sprinkles on and off.  We drove into town and had lunch at Whataburger.  It was OK.  We returned to the campground and worked on getting ready for tonight’s Nomads meeting. We sat in a quick meeting of the Travel Committee.  They discussed some changes to the policies regarding carvans and will pass the suggestions on to the Board of Directors (BOD).

     We had social hour at 4 p.m.  Following at 5 p.m., we had a dinner for the Nomads. Shirley picked up the brisket from the BBQ place.  Mike, Cheryl, Paul, and I worked at setting up and serving the food.  After dinner, we held a meeting.  Mike presided, VP Rider joined us, and I took minutes.  The meeting was over at 7 p.m.  Whew!  It was a long day.

22 Sep 2018 (Sat) – It rained all night long, moving from a light sprinkle to heavy downpour alternately.  We drove into Dallas this morning.  It was almost two hours to get there.  There was flooding everywhere.  Several of the lower, smaller roads were under water.  All the creeks and rivers were swollen and breaching their banks.  I kept getting notices on my phone that there was a flash flood warning in the various counties we were passing through.

     We dropped the external storage unit off at Ace Recovery Services. We were going to stop at Cracker Barrel on the way back but the place was crowded with people spilling out of the restaurant and waiting outside.  We continued on and finally stopped at a Mexican restaurant.  The salsa was very good.  Neither of us was fully satisfied with our meal but we ate it.

     At 4:00 p.m. we went to happy hour for the Nomads.  We have picked up 16 new members during this muster. I coordinated with the president, Mike, on picking up the food tomorrow.  Paul sold 50/50 tickets and I continued to accept advance payment for tomorrow’s dinner.  

21 Sep 2018 (Fri) – Paul has spent the last couple of days working on creating a video of our Maritimes caravan from 2016.  Luckily, he had transferred the pictures he wanted to use onto the hard drive before our external drive broke.  It is an 8 terra byte storage device and it won’t power on.  I called Western Digital (makers of the drive) and got some tech in India.  I asked for someone else to speak with since I couldn’t understand her and she transferred me to her Level 2 tech who was even harder to understand.  I pushed for someone who speaks English well and he gave me a phone number for corporate headquarters in San Jose, California. When I called, I got the usual voice offering an array of buttons to push.  When I pushed #4 for tech support, a tech in India picked up the phone! Aaaaargh!!!  I complained and was transferred to a Level 2 tech in India. *sigh*  I gave up and tried to work through the problem.  Western Digital warranties the hard drive but we will have to pay to have the data stored on it recovered by a company recommended by them.  I stated that I bought the item to store AND retrieve data and the cost of recovery should be covered by them in addition to replacing the drive.  The tech essentially told me “too bad” and after telling him I wanted to make a formal protest, we went on to exchange the necessary information for a replacement.  They will send the drive with instructions to return our defective drive.  He took my credit card information for a security hold until they get the drive back. It must be returned within 30 days.

     I then called Ace Data Group/Recovery and was told they will do a free evaluation to assess the problem.  If they have to recover the data, the charge will be $149 per hour with a minimum of 3 hours up to 18 hours.  I said that was ridiculous!  I only paid $200 for the drive and I’ll have to spend at least $450 to get the data off it???  We HAVE to find a better solution.

     In the meantime, Paul had been making a video of our Maritimes caravan from 2016.  When we tried to play it, the format wouldn’t work.  Paul then told me to open it with Windows Media Player.  I did that and the video played.  He was not able to save it on a CD (he kept getting an error message). He saved it on a stick.  But by having changed the format, he was unable to go back into the file and make any changes.  And some of the pictures he had wanted to include in the video weren’t there but we can’t get them off the storage drive.  I have a headache.

     We drove into town with Mike & Cheryl (President of the Nomads and his wife) for lunch and ate at the Golden Chick.  He wanted to see how the food tasted in case he wanted to change our order from beef brisket to chicken for the Nomads dinner on Sunday. The food wasn’t that good so we’ll stay with the brisket.

     After they dropped us back off at the campground, Paul and I drove to the post office and picked up the mail we had forwarded.  Then we stopped in at Brookshire’s Supermarket to see what the cost would be to buy some items to go with the brisket.  We knew Brookshire’s would be more expensive than WalMart but it was just to get a cost estimate.  

     We had the Nomads happy hour at 4:00 pm.  A few more people showed up over yesterday and several brought snacks.  I collected money for the dinner and dues.  Paul got wrangled into selling 50/50 tickets.  Mike gave me two of the three Nomads shirts I ordered.  One is the wrong design – it is a woman’s shirt. I do not wear women’s polo styles because they are too tight across the shoulders and back (caused by my weight lifting days).  It was a frustrating day today.

20 Sep 2018 (Thu) – We ran some errands this morning.  First stop was at the post office for stamps. We did try to visit the local RR Museum but it either wasn’t there or was too small to bother with.  Paul picked up some steel wool at Ace Hardware. We also picked up a few groceries at WalMart.  For lunch, we ate at Mack’s Split Rail Pit BBQ.  The brisket just fell apart but Paul felt it was too dry.  My ribs were delicious!

     There was a lot of running around talking to people about Nomads issues. The President and VP arrived today and I spoke briefly with them.  We met with Shirley who is the muster master for our pre-muster (meeting of the Nomads before the National muster begins).  She was trying to coordinate for a fried chicken dinner but couldn’t find a decent place to buy the food.  After the president asked her to try to coordinate with a BBQ place, she arranged for beef brisket sandwiches.

     At 4 p.m. the Nomads gathered in the Dogwood Room (that was changed from the Pecan Room) for happy hour.  At 5 p.m. Paul and I left and drove to the local VFW Post.  They invited SMART to dinner for $10 pp.  The place was crowded with SMART members and a few lodge members.  They served fried chicken and brisket, potato salad, baked beans, cole slaw, and iced cake (seems to be standard Texas fare).  We returned to the campground at 8 p.m.

19 Sep 2018 (Wed) – We left Shepherd AFB FamCamp at 9:30 a.m. The ride was basically uneventful and took about three and a half hours.  We stopped at a gas station to get fuel and I got a sandwich at Subway.  Paul does not like Subway (they have too many choices) so he didn’t get anything.

     We pulled into Mineola Civic Center at 1 p.m.  We were directed to our “parking area.”  The main camping area is basically a wagon wheel with campers parked back-to-back on the grass.  We are in the inner circle.  The sites are very close to each other.  We got a site with a telephone pole next to us so there are no campsites right there. There is someone parked in the campsite on the other side of the pole but that leaves us room on that side to put out our awning and camp chairs.  This is a dry county and we were warned to be discreet with any drinks.  Keep beer cans in cozies and wine in paper cups.

     After set up, I walked over to examine the pavilion where the Nomads will be meeting.  Then Paul and I walked over to the main administration building.  The two gals from HQ were in a small room getting set up. We got the name tags we ordered and a refund check from our Minnesota caravan.  Whenever there is money left over, they send it back to the participants. They refunded $172 per person. That was a pleasant surprise.

     We returned to our rig and found that Carl & Gwen had arrived. They weren’t expected until tomorrow. Sandy & Tom had to step down as Wagon Masters of our Utah caravan next year.  We are now the Wagon Masters and we asked Carl & Gwen to be our Tail Gunners.  They agreed. We will have to find time during this National Muster to fill them in on what we have put together so far.

 18 Sep 2018 (Tue) – We left the Elks Lodge in Guthrie, OK at 9 a.m. It was a four hour ride to Shepherd AFB Recreation Area in Whitesboro, TX.  We stopped at a travel plaza run by the Chickasaw Nation.  They had some kind of fried burritos that were overcooked. Boy, these long runs sure result in our not eating very well.

     We arrived at the turn off for the FamCamp.  It turned out to be nine miles off the main highway along narrow country roads with overgrown trees and sporadic potholes.  The campground is beautiful.  It sits right on Lake Texoma.  The area was built by the ACOE and then given to the military in the 1950s. It has a rustic feel to it but the pull through site had full hookups.  There is no wifi in the campground.  We are so far away from everything, we didn’t even leave the campground.

[lewishamledger]

Grove is in the heart

Grove Park Youth Club was once the beating heart of the local community, but closed its doors in 2013. Now, as a campaign to save it from demolition gains momentum, people who visited the club share their memories of the space

Words Alice Troy-Donovan; Photo Rob Clayton

Tracy Strudwick was 12 when she started religiously attending the Monday night discos at Grove Park Youth Club. “This was the mid-1970s and I remember lots of glam rock,” she says. “They were almost always fancy dress and they did special themed ones like Halloween.”

The club’s main hall hosted two discos on the same night for “juniors” and “seniors”. They drew in kids from the neighbouring Chinbrook Estate and from further afield, including Mottingham, Downham and Eltham.

“It was a real focus for the community,” Tracy says. “I was a quiet person and it did me a world of good mixing with all sorts of people.”

The club hosted its first dance on July 30, 1966 and was formally opened five months later by the Right Hon Angus Ogilvy – cousin of Queen Elizabeth and chairman of the National Association of Youth Clubs at the time.

Tracy’s mother Ann Strudwick got a cleaning job at the club in 1968, when the building still felt new and her daughter wasn’t old enough to hit the parquet dance floor.

“I polished that floor every Monday,” she recalls. “They rented out the hall for weddings and parties at the weekend, so it had to be cleaned each week.”

Tracy has since moved away, but the Strudwick family – including Ann, her husband George, who coached the Grove Park Youth Club football team for two years, and their daughter Sandra – still live in Merryfield House, one of the Chinbrook Estate’s attractive medium-rise blocks about 50 yards from the club.

Aside from disco night, Tracy spent three less structured evenings at the club every week, enjoying the “general social atmosphere”. “It was just a good place to meet rather than hanging out in the street. It did a lot for me [at that age],” she says.

“I remember some of the older boys would walk us home after the discos. I went to a girls’ school, so the youth club gave me an opportunity to socialise with boys – not just as boyfriends, but as friends.”

Jill Austen was a frequent attendee at the club in the six months after it opened and met her future husband, Morris, at a Saturday night dance. She remembers the initial excitement of a purpose-built youth club hosting grown-up dances.

“It was such a nice place to be – I remember everything looked so very modern and bright,” she says. “It made you think, ‘Is this really for me?’

“There were other ballrooms around, like the Black Cat in Woolwich and one in Welling called the Embassy. But [as a teenager] you felt slightly out of place in those. Grove Park Youth Club was highly unusual – it was built for young people but it felt a bit sophisticated.”

Spread over two storeys with inward facing windows to contain the noise of late-night socials, the youth club was the final addition to the Chinbrook Estate, which is situated in the south-east corner of Grove Park.

The estate had been planned from 1961 and was finished by London County Council in 1965. The youth club’s architect, Leo Hallissey, was one of a world-renowned team working for the LCC’s education department, and says he drew inspiration from the Bauhaus movement and mid-century modernist architecture for the building’s design.

“[The LCC’s] was the largest architectural practice in the world and the mid-1960s was an exciting time to be part of it,” he says.

“We used to have regular visitors from around the world interested in so-called ‘state architects’: France, Germany and Holland, even Japan. We were quite proud of what we did and wanted to show it off.”

From the initial 1961 plans, the Chinbrook Estate was to include facilities for all ages in the community, including an old people’s club room and a purpose-built youth club. The youth club itself was designed to accommodate up to 100 people and comprised a main hall, coffee bar, “girls’ room”, leader’s office and a series of lock-up garages.

“It was planned with every care and attention to detail,” says John Boughton, a social historian whose blog Municipal Dreams profiled Chinbrook and the youth club last year. “For me, the whole estate exemplifies the quest for community in council housing that emerged in the post-1945 period.”

Compared to the bleak interwar estates criticised by sociologists and residents for their lack of communal facilities, Chinbrook exemplified a collective desire for reform.

John says the estate was one of the post-war rehousing programme’s “practical dreams”, implemented by a progressive council with the support of a government determined to rebuild a better country. “‘Placemaking’ is a contemporary term,” he says, “but that’s exactly what they were doing back then.”

In 2013, the club was closed by Lewisham Council, who stated that it was no longer financially sustainable. Prior to this, it had served the Chinbrook Estate and the wider south Lewisham community for almost 50 years – from casual table tennis sessions to keep fit classes for adults.

A computer room materialised in the latter years where a hairdressing salon had been, but Michael Beale, who attended from 1986 to 1996, remembers football and uni hock in the main hall as well. He played football there with older boys before later embarking on a professional career in the sport.

He says a large number of young families moved into the estate in the 1960s, “with hundreds of kids within a five-year age group”. “My nan lived just adjacent to the club, and my aunt and uncle had gone there in years past,” he says. “An old lady working there at the time knew three generations of my family.”

The old people’s club room was demolished and replaced by flats in 1999. When similar plans for the youth club were proposed by Lewisham Council, a volunteer youth worker, Tommy McNally, went to the press with the story.

“I had been coaching football to a variety of ages there for the past six months, and I knew how important it was to those kids,” says Tommy, who now lives in Orpington with his family and volunteers at a local youth club there.

Around that time a 14-year-old boy who was stabbed outside a youth club in Ladywell was found by a youth worker, who saved his life. The incident prompted Tommy to take action.

“I knew it was the only safe place for [kids] to go in the area,” he says. “My mum used to run a youth club, so I knew how important it was – not only as a safe place, but somewhere with a positive influence.”

But it wasn’t until 2015, when local resident and mother of five Farrah Thomas contacted her local councillors and MP about the lack of local youth provision, that the Save Grove Park Youth Club campaign was launched.

A community consultation was held by councillors and Heidi Alexander, following an announcement by the council at a local assembly meeting that they intended to demolish the building.

“There’s this idea that the club was nothing more than table tennis and kids hanging out,” says Rob Clayton, a local resident, father of two teenage daughters, and chair of the youth club’s Building Preservation Trust. “But, in a way, spaces for young people to hang out is still what’s most required, so they can congregate and make things happen.”

The Trust was set up by Rob and Stephen Kenny – who grew up in Grove Park and moved back in recent years – in 2016 as a campaigning body aiming to protect the building as a local heritage asset and reopen it for the community.

Property guardians are currently occupying the building, but the campaign has gained momentum in the past six months and the group are now working with Lewisham Council.

They are in negotiations with a variety of organisations to take over the day-to-day running of the club, and are putting in funding bids to get the project off the ground. Rob is hopeful that it could reopen in the next year.

An increasingly critical level of young victims of knife crime has brought the campaign into broader conversations about young people’s safety. In March, Stephen was interviewed by BBC London News outside the club alongside the Green Party’s Sian Berry, who has been lobbying Sadiq Khan to invest in provision for young people since late 2016. Garfield Clarke, a local resident, also appeared in the feature speaking about how some of his five sons used to use the club.

Roc’Kye Halladeen-Brown, 14, attended for three years before the club closed and remembers horse-riding outings, snooker games, and graffiti art sessions. His mother, Latoya, hopes he and his four younger siblings will be able to use the facility again.

“The youth club provided a safe and secure way for them to be doing something productive, especially during the summer holidays,” she says. “I would love for my children to be part of that again.”

“The club was built because, at the time, it was felt that young people needed a safe place to go where they could socialise, learn and play,” says Stephen. “And that is still what’s needed.”

Six years before the club was opened, the Albemarle Report was published, which formed the basis of statutory youth provision in Britain.

“It’s so striking that Albemarle recommends a generous and imaginative building programme as essential to rehabilitate the youth service and enable its expansion,” says John Boughton, who sees a strong link between the report and the construction of Grove Park Youth Club.

Around 14 youth clubs were built in London between 1964 and 1966 by the LCC’s education department. Stephen suspects Grove Park Youth Club is one of the few remaining, and perhaps the only one with original features still intact.

But, as the Strudwicks recall, the club was always a hub for the whole community and not just its young people. During the day it was used for adult education, including sewing classes, ballroom dancing lessons, and a choir.

War games were a very popular event, held once a month on a Friday. And, of course, wedding receptions and engagement parties at the weekends (the Strudwicks alone had a 21st birthday party and two wedding receptions there in the 1980s).

Rob and Stephen hope the new youth club will offer employment opportunities for young adults and a place for the community to congregate. First and foremost, however, it will exist to serve local youth.

“Youth clubs do have a bit of an old-fashioned label to them,” says Rob. “However, they’ve been denigrated and closed and knocked down and people have forgotten what youth clubs can be. When you speak to people over 30, up to the age of maybe 60, there are many people with great memories of how much they meant to them.”

[furiousconnoisseurcomputer-blog]

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"Teton Idaho Cheap car insurance quotes zip 83451

Teton Idaho Cheap car insurance quotes zip 83451

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Teton Idaho Cheap car insurance quotes zip 83451

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Can anyone give me a ballpark estimate of how much it would cost me to get car insurance. 18 years old, recently bought a 1983 Pontiac Firebird Trans Am. I just need cheapest possible. Starting to get pissed off how it's legal to discriminate against someones age and jack there insurance premiums. How is that any different then racism?""

Car accident and insurance/how much in repairs?

I got into a minor car accident yesterday afternoon while I was parallel parking on Walnut Street in Philadelphia. I was backing up and I hit the curb. The front end of my vehicle was still sticking our quite a bit, so I pulled out a little bit so I could pull in the rest of the way. The person behind me thought that I was done parking so pulled around me and I ended up hitting her. Her fender and her door skin need to be replaced. Does anyone know around how much this would cost to repair? She had the police come so I am assuming that she wants the insurance company to cover the damage, however I would rather pay for it out of pocket. Obviously, my insurance company is going to find out about the accident, but after the insurance companies decide the breakdown of the fault, would I be able to pay for my part of the damages without my rates going up? Or at that point would it not matter, my rates are going up anyways? I ask this because I'm 19 years old and would prefer to not have my rates go up.""

How can i get insurance with penalty points?

My friend was caught driving without insurance (please no moral highground) and he has to get insurance before he can pick up his car. He is searching for insurance that will cover him but he cant find any as he now has 6 penalty points. Could you advize on which companies he could contact? He is in the UK.

""Healthcare insurance is a good and necessary product, that can literally save your life...?

...in many situations. Why are Conservatives playing the ridiculous charade that Obama is some horrible tyrant for doing his best to make sure every American has it?

""My husband and I are self employed.....We are shopping for health Insurance, what do recommend?""

We are looking for affordable health insurance, but I don't even know where to begin....If you are self employed, who is your provider and why?""

Do you have health insurance?

if so, How much is it per month? How old are you? What kind of deductable do you have? Feel free to answer also if you do not have insurance, also, do you support obamacare?""

How much would the car insurance be on a 2013 Dodge Challenger R/T.? I'm under the age of 25 so I know it will be pricey. Any opinions?

How much would the car insurance be on a 2013 Dodge Challenger R/T.? I'm under the age of 25 so I know it will be pricey. Any opinions?

If I apply for life insurance through a different company will they know what I told the first company?

I have life insurance with State Farm. I quit smoking on a daily basis 2 years ago but had a cigarette and 1 hit of marijuana on June 18th of this year. I told this to the underwriters because I wanted to be completely honest. All blood work came back negative for nicotine (Cotinine) and THC. State Farm charged me the smoker's rate and said I can get it reevaluated in 1 year. My agent told me I should have lied since it was just the 1 cig. I am not happy paying the smoker's rate as I don't consider myself a smoker. I called an Allstate agent and she says I can go thru her and just say no this time when asked by the underwriters about smoking. My question is, do they have the State Farm phone interview with the underwriters stored somewhere in some database and they will know I smoked the one cigarette or will I be ok just going thru Allstate and saying no to the smoking question this time?""

Can Racing Seats lower Car Insurance?

If you have a car that has no airbags and you put in Racing seats with a 4-point safety harness would that lower the payments?

How much is insurance for a motorbike?

I am 18 years old, own a 125cc 2011 brand new honda cbr, currently m1 license holder. Live in the suburbs, so not a lot of traffic. That's all the info I can think of that's relvent. So can anyone with information tell me how much insurance might cost a month?""

""Car licence ,where to get a cheaper car insurance?""

Hi there, Looking for cheap insurance? Im 17 near 18 ;) yesterday I past my exam and now Ive got the licence, but insurance is so expensive for me. Ive done the compare and the result was 17 000 for a year :( Please any advice to make it cheaper? Thank you all in advance. Cheers and have a good day.""

Classic Car Insurance for Colorado?

I know theres alot of insurance companies that cover classic cars, but i want an insurance company that has an office in Colorado.. that has a low yearly amount of under $400 for a 1966 Mustang...""

Why do my car insurance quotes keep changing price even though its the same car I keep trying to insure?

Hello I keep getting different prices for insuring my car. I entered all the same details and reg number and on Saturday I got quoted 1313 , but I tried again today and its over 3000. Why is the price changed even though I entered the same details and reg number ? Getting frustrated with it all now.""

What is the best car to buy with cheap insurance for a 17yo? ?

as above, UK only thanks in advance""

How much will my car insurance go up after my exhibition of speed (racing) ticket?

He didn't write down a speed or anything on the ticket. I'm 17 and have allstate if that helps.

Whats the average cost for insurance for a corvette? but monthly?

well i want to get a corvette but i want to know the average insurance for it?

Family car insurance cheaper?

Hi, my parents currently have car insurance with a bank. they want to include me into the insurance. is there a family insurance bundle that is cheaper than individual car insurance?""

How much is good car insurance for a uk driver?

I am looking around at car insurance comparison websites, and I want to know if the quotes I'm getting back are reasonable. How much would a reasonable monthly insurance payment be for a UK driver with more than 15yrs experience? Also, how much would it be if you added a newly qualified driver as secondary driver to that. The car is a 2006 Ford Galaxy. I know it depends on the other extras etc, but I just want to get a rough idea of what would be a reasonable amount to expect for this, on average.""

Can my insurance company deny my claim...?

Lots of info, sorry! My car was parked on the street and hit during the night. I drove the car to the repair place the following morning and the airbag deployed on the way there. (Stupid, I know, I wasn't thinking). My insurance company, GEICO is insisting that the damage is not consistent with a hit and run accident. They have taken recorded statements from me and my boyfriend. They have contracted an independent accident reconstructionist to read the airbag deployment. The reconstructionist originally told me that he was unable to retrieve the data, but the insurance company is now telling me that he was able to get a partial reading. And that it shows that the airbag deployed as a result of impact. The airbag did not actually fully deploy. There is no powder or injury to me to justify a complete deployment. Does anybody know if they have the right to deny my claim based on suspicion? They keep trying to make me say that my boyfriend was driving the car, which he wasn't. We were in the house together all night. Also: car was in previous fire; severe damage to front of car, all repaired. accident happened in CA, full coverage policy written in GA I know its a lot of info. Thanks for reading and I appreciate any helpful answers. Thanks!""

Is there a point in learner driver insurance?

It costs circa 100 a month, but Go Compare and such are saying I could get fully insured on my girlfriend's car (which I want to learn in) for around 700 a year. Shouldn't I just go for that?""

On average what is the cost of mobile home insurance in the state of Florida?

Im looking to purchase a mobile home and put it on 2.5 acres. on average how much is home owner insurance in the state of florida if its a newer manufactured home?

Car Rental Insurance?

Liability Insurance Supplement 11.95 USD Loss Damage Waiver 19.99 USD Personal Accident Insurance / Personal Effects Coverage 5.95 USD Which ones are really needed? We won't be carrying any luggage. We are only driving from San Antono to the coast and back for business. One day trip.

Can I carry car insurance for a car that's not in my name?

Our car just broke down and we can't afford a new one. My father-in-law wants to finance a new car in his name but let us drive it. Is it possible for my husband and I to carry car insurance on the car that's in his name? I heard this might be possible. We have progressive insurance.

NJ private health insurance.Which health insurance company is best?

My spouse has health insurance.To add me on would cost over $900 monthly.Which health insurance company gives the lowest cost coverage in new jersey? I am self-employed .We have no children.We are in our 50's.

What kinda price for rego and insurance?

I what a 2000 TOYOTA CELICA ZZT231R SX what kinda price for rego and insurance?

Teton Idaho Cheap car insurance quotes zip 83451

Teton Idaho Cheap car insurance quotes zip 83451

Who really has the cheapest car insurance?

its gotta be cheap

Forcing to get car insurance?

Two years ago, my ex and I bought a car under her name. It was registered in her name, and the loan was in her name. The insurance was in mine. We split up, and now neither of us drives the car. She didn't have a license at the time of purchase, and she still doesn't, but I did. The dealer told us that we could get the loan in her name, and register it in mine, even though she didn't have a license. When we got the plates, it was registered in her name. The dealer said that was fine, and it was nothing to worry about. We found out that this is illegal to do in New Jersey. We tried to get the dealer to rectify the situation, but they wouldn't touch it. Now, the car doesn't have any insurance or a registration, and a representative from the bank says that they can force her to get car insurance, even though she doesn't have license. Is this legal? Can a bank force someone to get insurance, even if they aren't even legal to drive in NJ? Please help me with this.""

Where to find cheap auto insurance in florida?

We are relocating to port richey florida and I am trying to find a cheap auto insurance company

Insurance Rates on Cars?

If you happen to know off hand....what would the estimate insurance rate be for any of these cars 2000 Honda S2000 2001-2002 Audi TT 2006 Mitsubishi Eclipse 2008 Ford Mustang 2004-2005 Mazda RX-8 2007 Altima 2.5 Even if you don't have the year....if you know the car thats good enough...The insurance websites are blocked here and i won't be able to check them so any help would be appreciated....

Are there any affordable insurance companies that cover preexisting conditions?

Is regular insurance better than repricing when you ned to have surgery and the condition is considered preexisting?

Auto insurance listed driver question?

My question is as follows: What is the difference between me allowing someone to drive my car and me having someone listed as a second driver on my insurance policy when it comes to an accident. What are the differnces in the two situations at the time of an accident claim being filed? I know if the person I let drive my car had no fault in the accident, my rate wouldn't go up if I settle with my own insurance company. But if its the person who is driving my car's fault, are my insurance premiums affected? If yes, then what is the difference in not having the person listed at all and still making a claim through my own insurance. I ask because I am thinking of putting my girlfriend who drivers my car sometimes listed as a driver on the policy. Would this protect me or my premiums in anyway in case of an accident compared to not having her listed at all?""

What is the cheapeast insurance company for a teenager female driver?

I am curious about what good insurance companies are cheap for teeenager female drivers.

Car insurance confusion?

Hi i'm 18 and my driving test is coming up soon and i always look for quotes on cars to see for the future. My mum said she will possibly give me her car and get a new one if i pass. But on insurance quotes for the car i will be getting i will be the main driver but not the policy holder or registered keeper as i still live at home with her and she will still use the car to go shopping and things like that but I will drive that car the majority of the time. So because i am the main driver on this quote and will drive it predominantly it is not fronting? However my mums no claims will be put on this quote as opposed to her other car so is that still ok? And who will get the no claims bonus at the end of the quote the main driver or the policy holder and if its the main driver will my mum still be able to use her no claims on another car if i gain my own? Sorry for all the questions i just want to make sure i'm not going to be breaking the law on any possible quotes i may take out Thanks in advance.

My new job has a waiting period of three months for health insurance but we need medical treatment now!?

My wife has been having serious difficulties with her joints, fatigue, etc. Got bad enough that she ended up losing her job. Doctor told her a couple weeks ago she has rheumatoid ...show more""

Which car insurance? (10 pts)?

I am a 19 yr old female, first time driver and am planning to buy a used 2003 honda accord ex. i wonder which insurance is cheapest for me. i live in san diego, ca and am wondering how much geico, progressive, etc would charge under these circumstances. please dont tell me to check online quotes. i will do it later. im just wondering how much you are paying as a comparison and what you think i should go with. thanks""

Anyone know any Vision Insurance Companies?

Trying to find vision insurance.

What exactly does car insurance cover?

If I left my car out in the rain with the sunroof and stuff open and my car suffered water damage because of it, would I be screwed? Or would the insurance help pay for the damages or just compensate me for a new car?""

Switching Car Insurance?

Next year when I get married my fiance and I are going to start a new car insurance policy. However - I currently have co-signed the car I own with my mom. She is the primary owner, but my name is on everything too and I make all the payments myself. How will that work with the car insurance? Does it matter that I am not the primary owner? Does it need to be insured under her name?""

Any idea how much motorcycle insurance for a 19 yer old Female in Texas would cost?

i been driving for at least 13 years (since i was 7 i was driving a 150cc) at 15 i started driving a 1600cc yamaha royal star :D (so dont say i dont know) i had a mexican motorcycle license for about 4-5 years (i am verly gonna get tx Licence) And i am planning on getting maybe a 600cc sportbike to use in TX

Car insurance Age: 18?

How much is insurance on average for a 18 year old in the UK

What is the required age for a young driver to drive a VW T4 or T5?

What is the minimum age limit to drive either a T4 or a T5 VW van and does anyone know a rough estimate on how much the insurance would be?

Teen insurance for cars/driving?

I'm not allowed to learn how to drive till I'm 18 but I was wondering about all the costs?Like how much a cheap car would be, how much insurance I'd need/cost, and how much is it to take driver's ed? If I left anything out, please tell me.Help?!""

Average Motorcycle insurance?

thinking about getting one. best route take as far as insurance, bikers course, type of bike. its my first bike.""

What would be the average pay for car insurance per month?

i am 18 years old and my parents dont want me on there car insurance because they dont want to be liable .what would be the average pay for car insurance per month if i went on my own for the first time?

Who pays for the home insurance when you let your house?

I ask this question on behalf of my friend, who lives in Malaysia. He wants to know what the law in England will be in this case. My friend is gonna let his house to another, so that he can have some income. A question arises: They need to buy a home insurance in case there is an accident like fire. Apparently in Malaysia, a homeowner doesn't have to buy insurance for his house. So in this case, who should pay for the home insurance, the homeowner or the tenant? I mean, the rental period is 2 years, and the insurance, if paid, will cover for 2 years only.""

Which auto insurance companies in California offer auto insurance for international driving license?

I already called a few but they tell me there don't offer auto insurance for someone w/ IDL

Is the 2011 Kia Forte Koup considered a sports car by insurance companies?

It looks like a nice first car but if the insurance is too high I can't get it.

California or Ohio ?

Which place would be better to stay ?

""18yr old car insurance, on my own.?""

im looking for cheap car insurance for a 2000 vauxhall corsa envoy 1.0, i have to have my own policy cause my dad has passed and my mom don't drive, my uncle has offered help me but we have been told its illegal for him to be the policy holder if i own the car, does anyone know a cheap insurance company??""

WILL MY CAR INSURANCE BE HIGH?!?

I am 16 male, and I have a 2006 Honda Civic Sedan 4 door black currently living in NYC Long Island and I want to know what is my Insurance rate. How much would I have to pay every month please tell me every month not year !! Thanks ALSO FOR POINTS PLEASE TELL ME HOW MUCH FOR A 2002-2006 Honda accord !!""

Teton Idaho Cheap car insurance quotes zip 83451

Teton Idaho Cheap car insurance quotes zip 83451

https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/why-good-health-insurance-companies-jayden-graham/"

[chasenewton911-blog]

Houses For Sale in Naples, TX

Tbd Cr 4218, Naples, TX

Price: $129900

2+- multi use acres located just south of Naples. The tract has gentle rolling topography with around 40 feet change in elevation predominatley made up of sandy loam soils for growing grass or native pine trees as well. The tract has approx 3000 feet of county road frontage along the entire west line with several access points of entry. The tract had a timber harvest a couple years ago and is at the point could be replanted in pine without an extensive site prep done.

813 County Road 2599, Naples, TX

Price: $129000

Secluded 27+ acres with a two bedroom, two bath mobile home on a private 35+ acre lake. Beautiful setting, great hunting and fishing. Bring your horses, small pole barn. Call Choice Smith at (903) 277-3745 or csgofish10@hotmail.com for more information or a showing of this property.

300 County Road 4219, Naples, TX

Price: $349900

looking for 20 acres with a beautiful home and privacy in a great community? this may be your lucky day. this home was dreamed of for years and wanted a home that the adult children and grandchildren would want to come home to for visits. they hit their mark with this one. this home has 2,558 sq ft and features 4 bedrooms and 3 baths and 3 living areas. there is a formal dining room and the cooks kitchen features double ovens and open concept. the dishwasher and microwave are only 3 years old. the kitchen also offers an island breakfast bar. another good feature of the home is that the ac compressor was replaced 3 years ago. another feature of this farm to enjoy is a built on site 30×30 shop with a loft, roll up door, room for storage or equipment. there is also a newly constructed rv port with 2 carports and loft space for more storage overhead. the covered back porch invites you to come sit a spell. this private oasis with impeccable details awaits you today.

5820 Us Highway 259 N, Naples, TX

Price: $29500

This Lot/Land located at 5820 Us Highway 259 North, Naples, TX is currently for sale and has been listed on theochomesearch for 82 days. This property is listed by Redfearn Real Estate Co for $29,500. 5820 Us Highway 259 N is in the 75568 ZIP code in Naples, TX.

1132 County Road 2590, Naples, TX

Price: $119000

Beautiful country home! If you are looking for a quiet, peaceful home, look no further! This extremely clean 3 bedroom, 1 bath home sits on 13+ acres with lots of shade trees, a small pond and beautiful land. The land is fenced and divided into 3 sections with water and electricity! The sale includes a fully equipped workshop, a nice barn and 17 x 20 metal building..Don't let this piece of property pass you by, call today for your private showing!

5820 Us Highway 259 N, Naples, TX

Price: $84000

Very well maintained property sitting on a acre with a 2014 3 bedroom 2 bath single wide mobile home and 25×35 shop with electricity and three car carport. Property has really nice mature trees. Great property at a good price.

215 Daingerfield St, Naples, TX

Price: $129000

Charming 2 BR and 2 Bath with a large Bonus room that could be a third bedroom. This home has plenty of storage and large open rooms, an inviting sun room and romantic back yard. The carport has a neat design and the adjacent lot and what used to be a beauty shop building are also included. This property is laid out really nice and offers options to a new owner.

100 Reynolds St, Naples, TX

Price: $79950

Great for starter or retirement home. Close to town. Home need a little TLC. Garage enclosed into a large Family room. Inside photos coming soon.

113 Baker St, Naples, TX

Price: $89000

Lovely 3 bedroom, 2 bathroom home sits on a Spacious Corner Lot with mature pecan trees. This well-kept property features a large living area, a split master bedroom, and a cute kitchen that opens to a large breakfast area. Second bathroom boasts double lavatories for extra space and storage. Covered patio allows for taking in the peaceful view of the shaded backyard, while mature lawn and storage shed top off the property's exterior.

405 Pace St, Naples, TX

Price: $88500

Nice 3 bedroom 2 baths with formal living area. Newly built 20×30 metal shop on a quiet dead end street in Naples, TX.

111 Wheatville Rd, Naples, TX

Price: $98500

Step back in time with this well-maintained,spacious 2 bd/1ba on 4 acres. Home has a welcoming living room, relaxing family room/office/3rd bedroom with fireplace and a peaceful screened sun room. Features country living within walking distance to downtown. Won't last long, call today.

201 First St, Naples, TX

Price: $57000

4 bedroom, 2 bath home in town. Large living area with plenty of built in for storage. Master bath has spa tub. Attached carport, 2 lots with large trees for shade. Close to shopping and schools.

215 County Road 2592, Naples, TX

Price: $85000

Secluded three bedroom, two bath Jim Walters home on 5.3 acres. Fenced, cross fenced, shed, storage building, chicken coupe. Updated home built in 2001. Call Choice Smith for more information or a showing of this property at (903) 277-3745 or csgofish10@hotmail.com.

45 County Road 4312, Naples, TX

Price: $230000

This property is for the family who wants to get away from the city for relaxation and fun.Great for horses or 4 wheelers with Pines planted for future income.

1 Geo16cam001, Naples, TX

Price: $2145200

PRESTIGIOUS 3-STORY VILLA – nestled in the hills of Sorrento, with sunset terrace views over the Gulf of Naples. This property is located in Vico Equense, a coastal town in the Metropolitan City of Naples, in southern Italy. Features include a large kitchen with dining room, swimming pool, hydro-massage shower and Jacuzzi. Large garage. For an addit'l fee, our partner, UNIQITALIAN, provides English speaking location consultants, travel and logistics, in-country chaperones, and onsite design, renovation and personal shopper services. This property is advertised under a marketing agreement.

Cr 2512, Naples, TX

Price: $139900

With a scenic 8 acre lake, beautiful pines and oaks, majestic homesites and lakesites, what do you have? 46.64 acrs of fun! Hunt, fish, hike, bike and enjoy the "Park Life" Hdqs. area overlooking the lake! Centered around a 20/25 concrete slab, you have a perfect steak cooking, picnic table, campsite! Joining us on two sides is the "US Gov. Wildlife Area" A 2700 acre game managed property that includes a 225 acre green tree waterflow reservoir plus two 120 acre "wetlands" duck hunting lakes. This recreation property has it all – The perfect place to kick back, relax or just luxuriate at the lakeside! Property has electricity, water and sewer on site.

506 Wl Doc Dodson E, Naples, TX

Price: $29900

Priced to sell!! Approx. 1886 square feet. Needs a lot of work but well worth the asking price. Perfect for investors, call today!

303 Daingerfield St, Naples, TX

Price: $15000

Cute home inside the city limits of Naples. Nice yard with mature trees, partially fenced and .75 of Acre plenty of room to relax and play. Home has a little over 1400 sf, 3 bedrooms, 1 bath and wood burning insert.

5810 Hwy 259 N, Naples, TX

Price: $165000

Make your dream of starting a business a reality! Formerly the Morris County VFW Post #1890. Steel Frame building with 5580 sq ft. Huge bar w/stools, featuring beer cooler, ice maker, 3 bay stainless steel sink, refrigerator and ice cooler. Built-in electronic gaming stations. Multi stall male and female restrooms. Large kitchen with two electric ranges, an abundance of cabinetry and prep space, refrigerator, chest freezer, misc. small kitchen appliances and window service to main bar area. Storage and large walk in cooler. Accordian style partition allows separation near the mid point of the building. Office with desk and file cabinet. Large dance/meeting area. Carpeted stage, large freestanding speakers with stands, 3 TV's, tables, chairs, display cases and smoke eater fans. Privacy fenced area off the back with metal storage building, huge stationary BBQ/Smoker and small BBQ/smoker. Handicap ramp and rock drive/parking lot.

[ejanitorialcompany]

Why Special Cleaning is important ?

Eastern Janitorial is committed to providing tailored solutions for our clients' every need. Popular special projects and services include: event related clean-ups (such as post-emergency, flood or construction), exterior maintenance and janitorial services (such as parking lot cleaning, pressure washing) and much more!

janitorial cleaning in Morris County

Eastern Janitorial is committed to providing tailored solutions for our clients' every need. Popular special projects and services include: event related clean-ups (such as post-emergency, flood or construction), exterior maintenance and

janitorial services

(such as parking lot cleaning, pressure washing) and much more!Why it's important

Pressure washing makes your facility look appealing. Cleaning the outside of your building can be as crucial as maintaining the interior offices and showrooms. The first thing customers see when they pull up is your building's exterior. So having professionals maintain its appearance will have a positive impact on your business as a whole.

Safety and regulatory compliance are ensured. Hiring a professional to cleanup your construction site is not only safer for the crew and clients, it will ensure that the proper cleaning products and tools are used and that full adherence to disposal regulations are met.

Cleanroom maintenance cannot be taken lightly. Whether it's a biotechnology or a semiconductor application, regular and proper HVAC preventive maintenance on clean rooms is essential for the safety of all involved. A commercial cleaning company with this knowledge and experience will ensure the entire process runs smoothly and is safe for everyone.

janitorial services passaic county

[gillespialfredoe01806ld]

Top 10 Most—and Least Expensive—College Towns, 2017 Edition

What’s so great about living in a college town, long after the days of nootropics, Kegerators, and miserable dorm food have begun receding in your rearview mirror?

Simple, really: College towns aren’t just for college kids. They’re hot tickets for those looking to buy a house, too.

“In the same way that department stores serve as anchors in shopping malls, colleges and universities operate as anchors within a city,” says Michael Harris, director of the Center for Teaching Excellence at Southern Methodist University in Dallas. TX. “Cities with colleges receive tremendous benefits, from a better-educated workforce to improved arts, culture, and leisure.”

That’s why these towns “tend to attract the young and old alike, and everyone in between,” says Libby Morris, director of the Institute of Higher Education at the University of Georgia, in Athens. “Where can you hear a Pulitzer Prize-winner lecture, view contemporary art, attend a musical performance or a sports event—all, or most, for free—but in a college town?”

And did we mention that colleges and universities are huge job generators, off campus and on?

But not every community with an institution of higher learning offers equal value when it comes to buying a home. That’s why the studious data team at realtor.com® stepped in to rank college towns on our homeowner-centric grading curve. We looked at median home prices to find the 10 blessed with the least expensive homes—and for buyers for whom money is no object, we also tallied up the 10 priciest college towns.

In selecting “college towns,” we chose places where 20% of the population is enrolled in an institute of higher education—at the undergraduate level and beyond. The total number of students in the town needed to be greater than 2,000. We limited the final results to two cities per state, to provide some geographic diversity.

Going with the theory that it’s best to break the good news first, here are the 10 least expensive college towns.

10 least expensive U.S. college towns 1. California, PA

Median home price: $73,500

Student population: 39.9%

Who knew there was a college town called California in Pennsylvania? Or that it would hit our vaunted No. 1 spot? Minds: blown. But of course, the people who live and work in this picturesque place about an hour outside Pittsburgh, or who attend the 165-year-old California University of Pennsylvania, are well-versed in its charms.

“California is your typical all-American small town,” says local Realtor William Brahler of Century 21 Belle Vernon. He notes that most of the jobs in the area are associated with the school, but there are a variety of other employers nearby, including a steel mill. “The prices here are very reasonable for first-time home buyers.”

For those seeking a bit of R&R, there’s the Monongahela River, with plenty of boating and jet skiing. Yearning for a less wholesome rush? Check out the three—count ’em, three—casinos in the vicinity.

2. Muncie, IN

Median home price: $74,9002

Student population: 25.6%

The Bracken Library at Ball State University

lydiabilby/iStock

Muncie is not only the home of Ball State University, it’s also a regional health center, thanks to Indiana University Health Ball Memorial Hospital. It’s a definite plus for young families and seniors—even for those students who get a little carried away on Saturday nights.

The university has had a substantial green influence on the community. Starting in the mid-2000s, all building projects here were required to be Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED)-certified. The university is setting an example by working to reduce its carbon footprint, with the construction of one of the largest geothermal energy conversion projects in U.S. history.

To enjoy all that extra-fresh air, residents can explore the Cardinal Greenway, a 62-mile trail on an abandoned railway corridor. There’s also the Minnetrista, a nature, history, and arts museum, and the Muncie Children’s Museum.

Buyers can nab single-family houses for less than $10,000. But be warned: These houses need some serious TLC. Maybe home buyers can take a continuing education class in carpentry?

3. Charleston, IL

Median home price: $82,500

Student population: 38.5%

Far from the hustle and bustle of a major city, Charleston is located about an hour outside of fellow university town Champaign, IL, and two hours from Indianapolis. This small town, home of Eastern Illinois University, has long worn its college pride on its sleeve. They’re long sleeves: The school was originally established as a teachers’ college back in 1895.

Sports are a big deal here. The university’s NCAA Division I football program has fostered a number of NFL stars, such as Tony Romo, former starting QB of the Dallas Cowboys, and head coaches Sean Payton (New Orleans Saints), Mike Shanahan  (Washington Redskins), and Brad Childress (Minnesota Vikings). Phew! That’s a lot of high-flying gridiron firepower.

The real estate market is a bit lower-key, and reflects the town’s small population of just more than 21,000. That means there are usually only about 150 homes on the market at any given time. However, there’s good variety among the mostly single-family homes available, ranging from to a $7,900-four-bedroom house that needs some updating to a $749,000 four-bedroom abode on the Charleston Country Club golf course.

4. Pittsburg, KS

Median home price: $84,500

Student population: 26.5%

If your family traces its roots to Southeastern Europe, you’re likely to feel right at home in Pittsburg. The town is known for the Little Balkans Days festival, which includes entertainment, a parade, competitions, and arts and crafts. Grab some tasty Sremska Kobasica and chill!

Pittsburg State University is the major institution of higher learning here, with about 7,500 students. The school is home to the $30 million Kansas Technology Center, touted as one of the most prestigious tech schools in the nation, and partners with local businesses to create a pipeline of skilled future employees. Nearby, the $80 million Kansas Crossing Casino + Hotel opened this spring, bringing about 400 jobs to the community.

The abundance of penniless students (the median age of Pittsburg’s residents is only 26.5 years old) may be one reason that housing prices are so low. It may also explain why the majority of locals are renters (about 57%), rather than homeowners, who account for nearly 43%, according to NeighborhoodScout.

There are plenty of homes under $30,000 on the market, but buyers need to act fast. Anything under $60,000 in relatively good shape is likely to fly off the market quickly, says local realtor Barbara Koch of Pro X Realty. The main buyers for these homes are investors, who rent out the properties to students and first-time homeowners.

“By the time you’re going to show cheaper houses, they’ve already sold,” she says.

5. Alfred, NY

Median home price: $89,000

Student population: 90.3%

You won’t find a more committed college town than Alfred, NY, in Allegany County. It is in the far western part of the state, and students here make up more than 90% of the population. Three institutions of higher learning are located in this town: Alfred State College, Alfred University, and the New York State College of Ceramics at Alfred University. Yes, ceramics.

Residents interested in continuing their education might want to look at Alfred State (officially known as SUNY College of Technology at Alfred), where tuition is only $6,470 per year for in-state residents. That’s a whopping 69% cheaper than the average New York tuition of $20,710 at the state’s four-year colleges. It’s a good place for getting a second (or third, or fourth!) degree.

If you’d rather channel that degree money into a home, you can score a four-bedroom fixer-upper for under $40,000 in town, less than a single year’s tuition at lots of private schools across the United States.

———

Rounding out the 10 least expensive are college towns are Fort Valley, GA, where the median home price is $103,500; Macomb, IL, at $104,500; Geneva, NY, at $109,900; Orangeburg, SC, at $114,500; and Kirksville, MO, at $118,500.

OK, ready to tap into the trust fund? Let’s take a walk on the luxury side.

———

10 most expensive U.S. college towns 1. Berkeley, CA

Median home price: $1,000,000

Student population: 30.5%

The Hearst Greek Theatre in Berkeley, CA

Greg Chow

The University of California, Berkeley, is known as one of the nation’s most liberal institutions of higher learning—the Bay Area school has made plenty of headlines recently, thanks to its politically driven student protests. And that open-minded, progressive mind-set can be felt throughout the community.

More than 38,000 students call the crunchy college town home, although they’re certainly not the ones paying the mind-bogglingly high real estate prices. The tech boom is sending real estate prices soaring all over the San Francisco Bay Area.

 “It’s a college town, but it’s not,” says Berkeley graduate Juliana Jones, who shares a rental house with three roommates. She works in the clean-tech industry. “There’s a great, thriving scene here for non-students as well as students, with concerts, bars, specialty restaurants, farmer’s markets, art walks, yoga, volunteer opportunities, and all sorts of creative outlets.”

She admits, though, that few of her pals can afford to buy a home in the area.

2. Santa Cruz, CA

Median home price: $985,000

Student population: 31.7%

Santa Cruz is a quintessential Northern California beach town, with sweet Pacific waves, a scenic boardwalk, and even an old-timey amusement park. It’s got college students, too, lots of ’em: 17,000 enrolled in the University of California, Santa Cruz.

All of this certainly makes the city appealing. But zoning laws and various restrictions have resulted in protected farmland to the north and south, says Janet Romanowski, a realtor with David Lyng Real Estate. And with the ocean to the west and the mountains to the east, there isn’t much land left over to build new housing on. Hence the nosebleed-inducing prices.

Romanowski came from San Diego over 30 years ago to attend the university, and never left. “We have world-class surfing, art, music, bakeries, wineries, yet it’s still like a small town in many ways,” she says. “People come here and stay.”

Too bad most recent grads and young families can’t afford to buy in the area these days. Those who want to purchase starter homes are better off moving to cheaper inland cities like Stockton and Modesto.

3. Cambridge, MA

Median home price: $924,500

Student population: 28.6%

MIT’s Ray and Maria Stata Center in Cambridge

DenisTangneyJr/iStock

Cambridge has been a college town since 1636, long before the U.S. of A. was a spark in the eye of our founding fathers. That was the year that Harvard University opened its doors. More than two centuries later, it was followed by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in 1861.

The bustling city of future world leaders and tech stars offers a mix of popular amenities, such as top-notch restaurants and bars, world-class entertainment, and no shortage of cultural activities. That, plus its proximity to Boston, ensures that housing prices remain high.

Although tech companies such as Biogen and Genzyme are located in Cambridge, the city’s economy revolves around the universities. They employ more than 20,000 people, and service close to 33,400 students.

Those who can’t afford a nearly $1 million house can consider purchasing a condo instead. One-bedroom, one-baths start at about $425,000.

4. Boulder, CO

Median home price: $839,000

Student population: 30.1%

While it’s not surprising to find the home of an Ivy League university, a California beach town, and a San Francisco-area community on our priciest college towns list, Boulder’s ranking here is a bit more unexpected.

There’s no mystery, however, about what makes the place so attractive for both for students and non-students alike: Boulder’s location at the foothills of the Rocky Mountains means the opportunities for outdoor recreation are almost unlimited.

And with the University of Colorado in town, there are a number of entrepreneurial startups that employ grads, health care facilities to treat those injuries that result from enjoying extreme sports, and lots of microbreweries to salve the pain.

All this, plus limited inventory, gives Boulder an extremely hot housing market. Median home list prices are up a whopping 14% year over year as of June 1 in this college town. And they show no signs of slowing down.

5. Princeton, NJ

Median home price: $744,300

Student population: 27%

Here’s a fascinating statistic: 98% of Princeton University students live on campus in dorms. But if you think that leaves plenty more housing in this Ivy League town for everyone else, well, it’s good enough if you can afford it.

Homeowners here seem particularly ambitious when attempting to sell their homes. The median listing price is about $744,000. However, the median closing price is just around $583,000, according to realtor.com. So savvy negotiation skills may really pay off for the buyer!

Residents have historically endured the town’s cold, snowy winters, hot, humid summers, and high housing prices, however, in order to live close to intellectually prominent graduates and such professors as Presidents Grover Cleveland and Woodrow Wilson, Albert Einstein, T.S. Eliot, Saul Bellow, Toni Morrison, Joyce Carol Oates, John Lithgow, and Ethan Hawke. Unless they’re affiliated with the university, students often move to larger cities in major metropolitan areas once they finish school.

———

Rounding out the most expensive college towns are Golden, CO, where the median home price is $704,900; Hanover, NH, at $699,000; Bozeman, MT, at $629,000; Chapel Hill, NC, at $520,000; and Bellingham, WA, at $499,500.

The post Top 10 Most—and Least Expensive—College Towns, 2017 Edition appeared first on Real Estate News & Insights | realtor.com®.

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Top 10 Most—and Least Expensive—College Towns, 2017 Edition

What’s so great about living in a college town, long after the days of nootropics, Kegerators, and miserable dorm food have begun receding in your rearview mirror?

Simple, really: College towns aren’t just for college kids. They’re hot tickets for those looking to buy a house, too.

“In the same way that department stores serve as anchors in shopping malls, colleges and universities operate as anchors within a city,” says Michael Harris, director of the Center for Teaching Excellence at Southern Methodist University in Dallas. TX. “Cities with colleges receive tremendous benefits, from a better-educated workforce to improved arts, culture, and leisure.”

That’s why these towns “tend to attract the young and old alike, and everyone in between,” says Libby Morris, director of the Institute of Higher Education at the University of Georgia, in Athens. “Where can you hear a Pulitzer Prize-winner lecture, view contemporary art, attend a musical performance or a sports event—all, or most, for free—but in a college town?”

And did we mention that colleges and universities are huge job generators, off campus and on?

But not every community with an institution of higher learning offers equal value when it comes to buying a home. That’s why the studious data team at realtor.com® stepped in to rank college towns on our homeowner-centric grading curve. We looked at median home prices to find the 10 blessed with the least expensive homes—and for buyers for whom money is no object, we also tallied up the 10 priciest college towns.

In selecting “college towns,” we chose places where 20% of the population is enrolled in an institute of higher education—at the undergraduate level and beyond. The total number of students in the town needed to be greater than 2,000. We limited the final results to two cities per state, to provide some geographic diversity.

Going with the theory that it’s best to break the good news first, here are the 10 least expensive college towns.

10 least expensive U.S. college towns 1. California, PA

Median home price: $73,500

Student population: 39.9%

Who knew there was a college town called California in Pennsylvania? Or that it would hit our vaunted No. 1 spot? Minds: blown. But of course, the people who live and work in this picturesque place about an hour outside Pittsburgh, or who attend the 165-year-old California University of Pennsylvania, are well-versed in its charms.

“California is your typical all-American small town,” says local Realtor William Brahler of Century 21 Belle Vernon. He notes that most of the jobs in the area are associated with the school, but there are a variety of other employers nearby, including a steel mill. “The prices here are very reasonable for first-time home buyers.”

For those seeking a bit of R&R, there’s the Monongahela River, with plenty of boating and jet skiing. Yearning for a less wholesome rush? Check out the three—count ’em, three—casinos in the vicinity.

2. Muncie, IN

Median home price: $74,9002

Student population: 25.6%

The Bracken Library at Ball State University

lydiabilby/iStock

Muncie is not only the home of Ball State University, it’s also a regional health center, thanks to Indiana University Health Ball Memorial Hospital. It’s a definite plus for young families and seniors—even for those students who get a little carried away on Saturday nights.

The university has had a substantial green influence on the community. Starting in the mid-2000s, all building projects here were required to be Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED)-certified. The university is setting an example by working to reduce its carbon footprint, with the construction of one of the largest geothermal energy conversion projects in U.S. history.

To enjoy all that extra-fresh air, residents can explore the Cardinal Greenway, a 62-mile trail on an abandoned railway corridor. There’s also the Minnetrista, a nature, history, and arts museum, and the Muncie Children’s Museum.

Buyers can nab single-family houses for less than $10,000. But be warned: These houses need some serious TLC. Maybe home buyers can take a continuing education class in carpentry?

3. Charleston, IL

Median home price: $82,500

Student population: 38.5%

Far from the hustle and bustle of a major city, Charleston is located about an hour outside of fellow university town Champaign, IL, and two hours from Indianapolis. This small town, home of Eastern Illinois University, has long worn its college pride on its sleeve. They’re long sleeves: The school was originally established as a teachers’ college back in 1895.

Sports are a big deal here. The university’s NCAA Division I football program has fostered a number of NFL stars, such as Tony Romo, former starting QB of the Dallas Cowboys, and head coaches Sean Payton (New Orleans Saints), Mike Shanahan  (Washington Redskins), and Brad Childress (Minnesota Vikings). Phew! That’s a lot of high-flying gridiron firepower.

The real estate market is a bit lower-key, and reflects the town’s small population of just more than 21,000. That means there are usually only about 150 homes on the market at any given time. However, there’s good variety among the mostly single-family homes available, ranging from to a $7,900-four-bedroom house that needs some updating to a $749,000 four-bedroom abode on the Charleston Country Club golf course.

4. Pittsburg, KS

Median home price: $84,500

Student population: 26.5%

If your family traces its roots to Southeastern Europe, you’re likely to feel right at home in Pittsburg. The town is known for the Little Balkans Days festival, which includes entertainment, a parade, competitions, and arts and crafts. Grab some tasty Sremska Kobasica and chill!

Pittsburg State University is the major institution of higher learning here, with about 7,500 students. The school is home to the $30 million Kansas Technology Center, touted as one of the most prestigious tech schools in the nation, and partners with local businesses to create a pipeline of skilled future employees. Nearby, the $80 million Kansas Crossing Casino + Hotel opened this spring, bringing about 400 jobs to the community.

The abundance of penniless students (the median age of Pittsburg’s residents is only 26.5 years old) may be one reason that housing prices are so low. It may also explain why the majority of locals are renters (about 57%), rather than homeowners, who account for nearly 43%, according to NeighborhoodScout.

There are plenty of homes under $30,000 on the market, but buyers need to act fast. Anything under $60,000 in relatively good shape is likely to fly off the market quickly, says local realtor Barbara Koch of Pro X Realty. The main buyers for these homes are investors, who rent out the properties to students and first-time homeowners.

“By the time you’re going to show cheaper houses, they’ve already sold,” she says.

5. Alfred, NY

Median home price: $89,000

Student population: 90.3%

You won’t find a more committed college town than Alfred, NY, in Allegany County. It is in the far western part of the state, and students here make up more than 90% of the population. Three institutions of higher learning are located in this town: Alfred State College, Alfred University, and the New York State College of Ceramics at Alfred University. Yes, ceramics.

Residents interested in continuing their education might want to look at Alfred State (officially known as SUNY College of Technology at Alfred), where tuition is only $6,470 per year for in-state residents. That’s a whopping 69% cheaper than the average New York tuition of $20,710 at the state’s four-year colleges. It’s a good place for getting a second (or third, or fourth!) degree.

If you’d rather channel that degree money into a home, you can score a four-bedroom fixer-upper for under $40,000 in town, less than a single year’s tuition at lots of private schools across the United States.

———

Rounding out the 10 least expensive are college towns are Fort Valley, GA, where the median home price is $103,500; Macomb, IL, at $104,500; Geneva, NY, at $109,900; Orangeburg, SC, at $114,500; and Kirksville, MO, at $118,500.

OK, ready to tap into the trust fund? Let’s take a walk on the luxury side.

———

10 most expensive U.S. college towns 1. Berkeley, CA

Median home price: $1,000,000

Student population: 30.5%

The Hearst Greek Theatre in Berkeley, CA

Greg Chow

The University of California, Berkeley, is known as one of the nation’s most liberal institutions of higher learning—the Bay Area school has made plenty of headlines recently, thanks to its politically driven student protests. And that open-minded, progressive mind-set can be felt throughout the community.

More than 38,000 students call the crunchy college town home, although they’re certainly not the ones paying the mind-bogglingly high real estate prices. The tech boom is sending real estate prices soaring all over the San Francisco Bay Area.

 “It’s a college town, but it’s not,” says Berkeley graduate Juliana Jones, who shares a rental house with three roommates. She works in the clean-tech industry. “There’s a great, thriving scene here for non-students as well as students, with concerts, bars, specialty restaurants, farmer’s markets, art walks, yoga, volunteer opportunities, and all sorts of creative outlets.”

She admits, though, that few of her pals can afford to buy a home in the area.

2. Santa Cruz, CA

Median home price: $985,000

Student population: 31.7%

Santa Cruz is a quintessential Northern California beach town, with sweet Pacific waves, a scenic boardwalk, and even an old-timey amusement park. It’s got college students, too, lots of ’em: 17,000 enrolled in the University of California, Santa Cruz.

All of this certainly makes the city appealing. But zoning laws and various restrictions have resulted in protected farmland to the north and south, says Janet Romanowski, a realtor with David Lyng Real Estate. And with the ocean to the west and the mountains to the east, there isn’t much land left over to build new housing on. Hence the nosebleed-inducing prices.

Romanowski came from San Diego over 30 years ago to attend the university, and never left. “We have world-class surfing, art, music, bakeries, wineries, yet it’s still like a small town in many ways,” she says. “People come here and stay.”

Too bad most recent grads and young families can’t afford to buy in the area these days. Those who want to purchase starter homes are better off moving to cheaper inland cities like Stockton and Modesto.

3. Cambridge, MA

Median home price: $924,500

Student population: 28.6%

MIT’s Ray and Maria Stata Center in Cambridge

DenisTangneyJr/iStock

Cambridge has been a college town since 1636, long before the U.S. of A. was a spark in the eye of our founding fathers. That was the year that Harvard University opened its doors. More than two centuries later, it was followed by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in 1861.

The bustling city of future world leaders and tech stars offers a mix of popular amenities, such as top-notch restaurants and bars, world-class entertainment, and no shortage of cultural activities. That, plus its proximity to Boston, ensures that housing prices remain high.

Although tech companies such as Biogen and Genzyme are located in Cambridge, the city’s economy revolves around the universities. They employ more than 20,000 people, and service close to 33,400 students.

Those who can’t afford a nearly $1 million house can consider purchasing a condo instead. One-bedroom, one-baths start at about $425,000.

4. Boulder, CO

Median home price: $839,000

Student population: 30.1%

While it’s not surprising to find the home of an Ivy League university, a California beach town, and a San Francisco-area community on our priciest college towns list, Boulder’s ranking here is a bit more unexpected.

There’s no mystery, however, about what makes the place so attractive for both for students and non-students alike: Boulder’s location at the foothills of the Rocky Mountains means the opportunities for outdoor recreation are almost unlimited.

And with the University of Colorado in town, there are a number of entrepreneurial startups that employ grads, health care facilities to treat those injuries that result from enjoying extreme sports, and lots of microbreweries to salve the pain.

All this, plus limited inventory, gives Boulder an extremely hot housing market. Median home list prices are up a whopping 14% year over year as of June 1 in this college town. And they show no signs of slowing down.

5. Princeton, NJ

Median home price: $744,300

Student population: 27%

Here’s a fascinating statistic: 98% of Princeton University students live on campus in dorms. But if you think that leaves plenty more housing in this Ivy League town for everyone else, well, it’s good enough if you can afford it.

Homeowners here seem particularly ambitious when attempting to sell their homes. The median listing price is about $744,000. However, the median closing price is just around $583,000, according to realtor.com. So savvy negotiation skills may really pay off for the buyer!

Residents have historically endured the town’s cold, snowy winters, hot, humid summers, and high housing prices, however, in order to live close to intellectually prominent graduates and such professors as Presidents Grover Cleveland and Woodrow Wilson, Albert Einstein, T.S. Eliot, Saul Bellow, Toni Morrison, Joyce Carol Oates, John Lithgow, and Ethan Hawke. Unless they’re affiliated with the university, students often move to larger cities in major metropolitan areas once they finish school.

———

Rounding out the most expensive college towns are Golden, CO, where the median home price is $704,900; Hanover, NH, at $699,000; Bozeman, MT, at $629,000; Chapel Hill, NC, at $520,000; and Bellingham, WA, at $499,500.

The post Top 10 Most—and Least Expensive—College Towns, 2017 Edition appeared first on Real Estate News & Insights | realtor.com®.

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Top 10 Most—and Least Expensive—College Towns, 2017 Edition

What’s so great about living in a college town, long after the days of nootropics, Kegerators, and miserable dorm food have begun receding in your rearview mirror?

Simple, really: College towns aren’t just for college kids. They’re hot tickets for those looking to buy a house, too.

“In the same way that department stores serve as anchors in shopping malls, colleges and universities operate as anchors within a city,” says Michael Harris, director of the Center for Teaching Excellence at Southern Methodist University in Dallas. TX. “Cities with colleges receive tremendous benefits, from a better-educated workforce to improved arts, culture, and leisure.”

That’s why these towns “tend to attract the young and old alike, and everyone in between,” says Libby Morris, director of the Institute of Higher Education at the University of Georgia, in Athens. “Where can you hear a Pulitzer Prize-winner lecture, view contemporary art, attend a musical performance or a sports event—all, or most, for free—but in a college town?”

And did we mention that colleges and universities are huge job generators, off campus and on?

But not every community with an institution of higher learning offers equal value when it comes to buying a home. That’s why the studious data team at realtor.com® stepped in to rank college towns on our homeowner-centric grading curve. We looked at median home prices to find the 10 blessed with the least expensive homes—and for buyers for whom money is no object, we also tallied up the 10 priciest college towns.

In selecting “college towns,” we chose places where 20% of the population is enrolled in an institute of higher education—at the undergraduate level and beyond. The total number of students in the town needed to be greater than 2,000. We limited the final results to two cities per state, to provide some geographic diversity.

Going with the theory that it’s best to break the good news first, here are the 10 least expensive college towns.

10 least expensive U.S. college towns 1. California, PA

Median home price: $73,500

Student population: 39.9%

Who knew there was a college town called California in Pennsylvania? Or that it would hit our vaunted No. 1 spot? Minds: blown. But of course, the people who live and work in this picturesque place about an hour outside Pittsburgh, or who attend the 165-year-old California University of Pennsylvania, are well-versed in its charms.

“California is your typical all-American small town,” says local Realtor William Brahler of Century 21 Belle Vernon. He notes that most of the jobs in the area are associated with the school, but there are a variety of other employers nearby, including a steel mill. “The prices here are very reasonable for first-time home buyers.”

For those seeking a bit of R&R, there’s the Monongahela River, with plenty of boating and jet skiing. Yearning for a less wholesome rush? Check out the three—count ’em, three—casinos in the vicinity.

2. Muncie, IN

Median home price: $74,9002

Student population: 25.6%

The Bracken Library at Ball State University

lydiabilby/iStock

Muncie is not only the home of Ball State University, it’s also a regional health center, thanks to Indiana University Health Ball Memorial Hospital. It’s a definite plus for young families and seniors—even for those students who get a little carried away on Saturday nights.

The university has had a substantial green influence on the community. Starting in the mid-2000s, all building projects here were required to be Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED)-certified. The university is setting an example by working to reduce its carbon footprint, with the construction of one of the largest geothermal energy conversion projects in U.S. history.

To enjoy all that extra-fresh air, residents can explore the Cardinal Greenway, a 62-mile trail on an abandoned railway corridor. There’s also the Minnetrista, a nature, history, and arts museum, and the Muncie Children’s Museum.

Buyers can nab single-family houses for less than $10,000. But be warned: These houses need some serious TLC. Maybe home buyers can take a continuing education class in carpentry?

3. Charleston, IL

Median home price: $82,500

Student population: 38.5%

Far from the hustle and bustle of a major city, Charleston is located about an hour outside of fellow university town Champaign, IL, and two hours from Indianapolis. This small town, home of Eastern Illinois University, has long worn its college pride on its sleeve. They’re long sleeves: The school was originally established as a teachers’ college back in 1895.

Sports are a big deal here. The university’s NCAA Division I football program has fostered a number of NFL stars, such as Tony Romo, former starting QB of the Dallas Cowboys, and head coaches Sean Payton (New Orleans Saints), Mike Shanahan  (Washington Redskins), and Brad Childress (Minnesota Vikings). Phew! That’s a lot of high-flying gridiron firepower.

The real estate market is a bit lower-key, and reflects the town’s small population of just more than 21,000. That means there are usually only about 150 homes on the market at any given time. However, there’s good variety among the mostly single-family homes available, ranging from to a $7,900-four-bedroom house that needs some updating to a $749,000 four-bedroom abode on the Charleston Country Club golf course.

4. Pittsburg, KS

Median home price: $84,500

Student population: 26.5%

If your family traces its roots to Southeastern Europe, you’re likely to feel right at home in Pittsburg. The town is known for the Little Balkans Days festival, which includes entertainment, a parade, competitions, and arts and crafts. Grab some tasty Sremska Kobasica and chill!

Pittsburg State University is the major institution of higher learning here, with about 7,500 students. The school is home to the $30 million Kansas Technology Center, touted as one of the most prestigious tech schools in the nation, and partners with local businesses to create a pipeline of skilled future employees. Nearby, the $80 million Kansas Crossing Casino + Hotel opened this spring, bringing about 400 jobs to the community.

The abundance of penniless students (the median age of Pittsburg’s residents is only 26.5 years old) may be one reason that housing prices are so low. It may also explain why the majority of locals are renters (about 57%), rather than homeowners, who account for nearly 43%, according to NeighborhoodScout.

There are plenty of homes under $30,000 on the market, but buyers need to act fast. Anything under $60,000 in relatively good shape is likely to fly off the market quickly, says local realtor Barbara Koch of Pro X Realty. The main buyers for these homes are investors, who rent out the properties to students and first-time homeowners.

“By the time you’re going to show cheaper houses, they’ve already sold,” she says.

5. Alfred, NY

Median home price: $89,000

Student population: 90.3%

You won’t find a more committed college town than Alfred, NY, in Allegany County. It is in the far western part of the state, and students here make up more than 90% of the population. Three institutions of higher learning are located in this town: Alfred State College, Alfred University, and the New York State College of Ceramics at Alfred University. Yes, ceramics.

Residents interested in continuing their education might want to look at Alfred State (officially known as SUNY College of Technology at Alfred), where tuition is only $6,470 per year for in-state residents. That’s a whopping 69% cheaper than the average New York tuition of $20,710 at the state’s four-year colleges. It’s a good place for getting a second (or third, or fourth!) degree.

If you’d rather channel that degree money into a home, you can score a four-bedroom fixer-upper for under $40,000 in town, less than a single year’s tuition at lots of private schools across the United States.

———

Rounding out the 10 least expensive are college towns are Fort Valley, GA, where the median home price is $103,500; Macomb, IL, at $104,500; Geneva, NY, at $109,900; Orangeburg, SC, at $114,500; and Kirksville, MO, at $118,500.

OK, ready to tap into the trust fund? Let’s take a walk on the luxury side.

———

10 most expensive U.S. college towns 1. Berkeley, CA

Median home price: $1,000,000

Student population: 30.5%

The Hearst Greek Theatre in Berkeley, CA

Greg Chow

The University of California, Berkeley, is known as one of the nation’s most liberal institutions of higher learning—the Bay Area school has made plenty of headlines recently, thanks to its politically driven student protests. And that open-minded, progressive mind-set can be felt throughout the community.

More than 38,000 students call the crunchy college town home, although they’re certainly not the ones paying the mind-bogglingly high real estate prices. The tech boom is sending real estate prices soaring all over the San Francisco Bay Area.

 “It’s a college town, but it’s not,” says Berkeley graduate Juliana Jones, who shares a rental house with three roommates. She works in the clean-tech industry. “There’s a great, thriving scene here for non-students as well as students, with concerts, bars, specialty restaurants, farmer’s markets, art walks, yoga, volunteer opportunities, and all sorts of creative outlets.”

She admits, though, that few of her pals can afford to buy a home in the area.

2. Santa Cruz, CA

Median home price: $985,000

Student population: 31.7%

Santa Cruz is a quintessential Northern California beach town, with sweet Pacific waves, a scenic boardwalk, and even an old-timey amusement park. It’s got college students, too, lots of ’em: 17,000 enrolled in the University of California, Santa Cruz.

All of this certainly makes the city appealing. But zoning laws and various restrictions have resulted in protected farmland to the north and south, says Janet Romanowski, a realtor with David Lyng Real Estate. And with the ocean to the west and the mountains to the east, there isn’t much land left over to build new housing on. Hence the nosebleed-inducing prices.

Romanowski came from San Diego over 30 years ago to attend the university, and never left. “We have world-class surfing, art, music, bakeries, wineries, yet it’s still like a small town in many ways,” she says. “People come here and stay.”

Too bad most recent grads and young families can’t afford to buy in the area these days. Those who want to purchase starter homes are better off moving to cheaper inland cities like Stockton and Modesto.

3. Cambridge, MA

Median home price: $924,500

Student population: 28.6%

MIT’s Ray and Maria Stata Center in Cambridge

DenisTangneyJr/iStock

Cambridge has been a college town since 1636, long before the U.S. of A. was a spark in the eye of our founding fathers. That was the year that Harvard University opened its doors. More than two centuries later, it was followed by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in 1861.

The bustling city of future world leaders and tech stars offers a mix of popular amenities, such as top-notch restaurants and bars, world-class entertainment, and no shortage of cultural activities. That, plus its proximity to Boston, ensures that housing prices remain high.

Although tech companies such as Biogen and Genzyme are located in Cambridge, the city’s economy revolves around the universities. They employ more than 20,000 people, and service close to 33,400 students.

Those who can’t afford a nearly $1 million house can consider purchasing a condo instead. One-bedroom, one-baths start at about $425,000.

4. Boulder, CO

Median home price: $839,000

Student population: 30.1%

While it’s not surprising to find the home of an Ivy League university, a California beach town, and a San Francisco-area community on our priciest college towns list, Boulder’s ranking here is a bit more unexpected.

There’s no mystery, however, about what makes the place so attractive for both for students and non-students alike: Boulder’s location at the foothills of the Rocky Mountains means the opportunities for outdoor recreation are almost unlimited.

And with the University of Colorado in town, there are a number of entrepreneurial startups that employ grads, health care facilities to treat those injuries that result from enjoying extreme sports, and lots of microbreweries to salve the pain.

All this, plus limited inventory, gives Boulder an extremely hot housing market. Median home list prices are up a whopping 14% year over year as of June 1 in this college town. And they show no signs of slowing down.

5. Princeton, NJ

Median home price: $744,300

Student population: 27%

Here’s a fascinating statistic: 98% of Princeton University students live on campus in dorms. But if you think that leaves plenty more housing in this Ivy League town for everyone else, well, it’s good enough if you can afford it.

Homeowners here seem particularly ambitious when attempting to sell their homes. The median listing price is about $744,000. However, the median closing price is just around $583,000, according to realtor.com. So savvy negotiation skills may really pay off for the buyer!

Residents have historically endured the town’s cold, snowy winters, hot, humid summers, and high housing prices, however, in order to live close to intellectually prominent graduates and such professors as Presidents Grover Cleveland and Woodrow Wilson, Albert Einstein, T.S. Eliot, Saul Bellow, Toni Morrison, Joyce Carol Oates, John Lithgow, and Ethan Hawke. Unless they’re affiliated with the university, students often move to larger cities in major metropolitan areas once they finish school.

———

Rounding out the most expensive college towns are Golden, CO, where the median home price is $704,900; Hanover, NH, at $699,000; Bozeman, MT, at $629,000; Chapel Hill, NC, at $520,000; and Bellingham, WA, at $499,500.

The post Top 10 Most—and Least Expensive—College Towns, 2017 Edition appeared first on Real Estate News & Insights | realtor.com®.

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Houses For Sale in Monte Vista, CO

105 1st Ave, Monte Vista, CO

Price: $79500

PRICE REDUCED! Nice stucco home with lots of character! Covered front porch, single car garage, sprinkler system, fenced back yard.

730 Madison St, Monte Vista, CO

Price: $49900

Charming Casita! Fresh and clean 2 bedroom house. Laminate floors, double pane windows and metal roof are some of the updates. Great investment property. Come see the possibilities. Seller to install gas heater.

47 Morris St, Monte Vista, CO

Price: $86500

a very quaint home in good condition with lots of character! really nice updates! a fun kitchen that you want to cook in! the one bath has a private entrance into the master. also has another door for access to the main part of the home. detached garage is nice plus inside garage there is a shop/workout room/ or craft room. move in ready!

1021 N Highway 285, Monte Vista, CO

Price: $574000

Large industrial commercial building formerly known as Schall Iron Works. Formerly used as an equipment repair shop, parts warehouse, showroom, office space, concrete floors and metal buildings. The property sits on 4.93 acres excellent highway frontage, large back yard. Excellent business opportunity, equipment storage facility or heavy equipment repair shop. Building and Property offered for sale in “AS IS, WHERE IS” condition.

664 Mesa Dr, Monte Vista, CO

Price: $60000

this property is in a state of remodel. the previous owners started remodeling and did replace the roof less than 6 months ago, redid one bathroom and remove the floor coverings. the second bathroom has been totally removed and ready for finishing. a bedroom near the bath could be used to enlarge the bath or be a large closet. 2 car garage, large lot and great potential for a great home. property is outside the city limits but does have city sewer at 2x the residence fee. water is supplied by a well that has a newer pressure tank.

2955 Us Highway 285 N, Monte Vista, CO

Price: $39000

out with the old and in with the new. remodeling was started and never finished. new bathroom, new drywall, new kitchen, the start of new electrical. wood floors exposed. here is a project for a handy person. most of the tear out has been completed.

1543 4th Ave, Monte Vista, CO

Price: $40000

Located on a large corner lot, this home has many possibilities. The home has many recent updates, new carpet, an updated bathroom, and more.

620 Clay St, Monte Vista, CO

Price: $50000

This Single-Family Home is located at 620 Clay Street, Monte Vista, CO. 620 Clay St is in the 81144 ZIP code in Monte Vista, CO. The average listing price for ZIP code 81144 is $181,918. 620 Clay St has 2 beds, 1 bath, approximately 1,475 square feet, and was built in 1949

534 Jefferson St, Monte Vista, CO

Price: $23500

This property sits on the corner lot of 6th and Jefferson, The house has two bedrooms and 1 bath, there is a 1 car garage. The place could use a lot of TLC.

8517 E County Road 6, Monte Vista, CO

Price: $94900

This Single-Family Home located at 8517 East County Road 6, Monte Vista, CO is currently for sale and has been listed on theochomesearch for 140 days. This property is listed by Dreamcatcher Properties, LLC for $94,900. 8517 E County Road 6 has 6 beds, 2 baths, and approximately 2,664 square feet. The price per square foot is $36. The property has a lot size of 2.78 acres and was built in 1888. 8517 E County Road 6 is in the 81144 ZIP code in Monte Vista, CO.

997 Co Rd 5 S, Monte Vista, CO

Price: $3100000

Beautiful 963 acre ranch located in the San Luis Valley. Two sprinkler circles, alfalfa ground, hay meadows, and pasture irrigated with early water out of the Rio Grande River. Surface rights are 9 ½ shares of the Rio Grande and Piedra Ditch Company and 60 shares of the capital stock of the Monte Vista Water Users Association. Property has 24 wells in Case #W-1842. World Class Views of Valley and Mountains in every direction!!!

Tbd Corner Of Ray Clay Sts, Monte Vista, CO

Price: $31900

seller is motivated and ready to look at all offers. lots of options for this large parcel of land within the city of monte vista. almost an acre of land. views of the mountains, edge of town but close to all amenities. off of a paved road. build or develop. taps for water and sewer from the city of monte vista and electric poles are on the edge of the property. survey flags in place for property boundaries. seller would consider financing with one-half down and acceptable terms.

419 Morris St, Monte Vista, CO

Price: $319000

Beautiful Custom Home! Completely renovated and updated with hard wood floors, solid wood interior matching doors, and trim. Custom kitchen, upgraded cabinets & granite with Double ovens, Stove top, refrigerator, dishwasher all stainless. Nice open space to dining, and living areas. Custom window through out the home. 4 bedrooms, 3 baths, tile, granite, upgraded fixtures! Custom lighting throughout the home. Hand finished walls with beautiful texture. Formal Living & separate family room. Large laundry area. Oversized 2 Car garage all tiled, New exterior stucco, upgraded shingled roof, and driveway and parking area with slate pavers. Established yard, partially fenced on oversized lots. Beautiful views to the West! Spacious & Beautiful! Call to inquire on the many details of this lovely home!

4296 W County Road 5 N, Monte Vista, CO

Price: $54000

great building site just north of the rio grande river between monte vista and del norte. 25% interest available for lease in a 600 gpm well and 2 shares of the rio grande canal water users assoc. augmented well certificate included for residential and 1000 sq ft of yard and garden. private fishing easement for use of owner on rio grande river and 20% ownership of a 1.22 ac. recreational lot west of the property. 5′ pedestrian easement on the south side of the subdivision for the owners. this is the last lot in this subdivision for sale. seller would consider financing for a qualified buyer.

638 El Rio Dr, Monte Vista, CO

Price: $230000

Stunning 18.25 Acre Parcel of land right on Rio Grande River with Gold Medal Fishing. There are 8 acres of lush meadow grazing pasture lined with mature cottonwoods where you are sure to find deer and elk as regular tenants.

105 W Prospect Ave, Monte Vista, CO

Price: $240000

Beautiful trees and lawn with a circle drive welcome you to this 3,004 square foot home in Monte Vista, Colorado on nearly an acre. Vintage 1884, beautiful windows, rich oak wainscoting with groove for decorative plates, gorgeous hardwood floors, and an elegant corner fireplace (works) in master bedroom all speak of yesteryear. Kitchen is modern with new countertops, oak cabinets, 2 pantries, and a center work area with sink and dishwasher. Eat-in kitchen with delightful sunshine through the windows. New carpet in 2015 for kitchen, dining room, and living room. Entryway on front of hom e leads to a fully equipped apartment with full bath, bedroom and living room with oak flooring, kitchen with new counter top, and second room for another bedroom/hobby room/or office. Is ideal as a rental for family members needing care, or you could open the original door for additional family space. Heat is hot water steam radiators, electrical meters and breakers updated, and a new water heater in 2010. Den was added with a wood stove and storage including cedar lined closet. Domestic well used for watering the grounds; City of Monte Vista for inside water and public sewer. Carport with work shop; garage, and metal storage building. Ask for Karla to view this beauty.

4396 W County Road 5 N, Monte Vista, CO

Price: $399000

new log home between monte vista and del norte. open concept, large fireplace with loft area which has 2 bedrooms and 1 bath. all log inside and out. wood stove, cherry cabinets in the kitchen, pantry area, beetle kill wood trim, ceiling fans with remotes, pergot flooring. many custom features. new appliances. sprayed insulation in ceiling and foundation. house is all set up for solar heat, just needs the panels. in-house well with augmentation for 1000 sq ft of yard and garden. private fishing easement for use of owner on rg river and 20% ownership of a 1.22 ac recreational lot west of the property. 5′ pedestrian easement on the south side for owners. 25% interest available for lease in a 600 gpm irrig well and 2 shares of the rio grande canal. seller will escrow funds at closing to finish the chinking on the outside of the home until weather permits. seller would consider financing for a qualified buyer.

104 Rose Dr, Monte Vista, CO

Price: $189900

Beautiful Country Home on 2.3 Acres! Close to Town of Monte Vista within 3 minutes. This lovely spacious 4 bdrm/3 Bath home has it all! Two living areas, and one room is designated a Theatre Room. Family room with lovely fireplace. Oversized windows for natural light and views. Wonderful kitchen for the cook, and entertaining. Double French doors, Spacious tiled bathrooms, Large laundry room, and storage. Dining area, and office. Situated on 2.32 acres with well/septic. Private fenced back yard with established yard, patio area, and hot tub cabana to enjoy. Carport, and nice entry to ho me! Come see this spectacular home value priced for good country living close to town & amenities.

505 2nd Ave, Monte Vista, CO

Price: $60000

HOUSE WITH GREAT CHARACTER ON A CORNER LOT, VINYL SIDING, WOOD FLOORS, HOT WATER RADIATOR HEATING, BATHROOM HAS SOME UPDATES, OLD FASHIONED CLAW TUB, BUILT-IN IRONING BOARD, LARGE FENCED BACK YARD, AND DETACHED GARAGE. HOUSE NEEDS SOME UPDATING AND TLC. SEWER LINE FROM HOUSE TO ALLEY Replaced in 2013. Master bedroom remodeled but needs baseboard and windows. This house has great potential to be whatever you want it to be! It is a fixer upper bit won’t take a lot!

3596 Hwy 160, Monte Vista, CO

Price: $69500

Store front display area with living quarter in rear of building (old Wilkinson Taxidermy Building?

from Houses For Sale – The OC Home Search http://www.theochomesearch.com/houses-for-sale-in-monte-vista-co/ from OC Home Search https://theochomesearch.tumblr.com/post/158155612065

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Houses For Sale in Flanders, NJ

21 Downstream Dr

Price: $201400

Four bedroom bi-level home in Flanders. Eat in kitchen with designer tiled counter tops. Nice sized yard with mature trees. There are enhancements needed, take a look here and see what you can accomplish.

Mount Arlington Rd

Price: $249900

ZONED COMMER, LIGHT INDUSTRIAL. 2.7 AC LOCATED IN DESIRABLE LEDGEWOOD. PROP. HAS ACCESS FROM MT ARLINGTON RD NEAR RESIDENTIAL. BEHIND BJ’S SHOPPING CENTER. NEAR MAJOR HWYS 80, 46, 10 and 206. JUST 1 MI FROM MT ARLINGTON TRAIN STATION AND RT 80 ENTRANCE RAMP. LESS THAN 1 MI FROM LEDGEWOOD MALL. BUYER PAYS FOR UTILITY HOOKUPS, SOLD AS IS

5 River Rd

Price: $690000

Kennel square ft 2827. Built in 1970. There are 40 Boarding runs; 30 Large, and 10 small with 6 grooming runs. All runs are inside/outside. 5 cat condos and other cat boarding is available.

14 Pheasant Ct

Price: $254142

Investor opportunity! This property is being offered at Public Auction on 03-02-2017. Visit Auction.com now to see the Estimated Opening Bid, additional photos, Property Reports with Title information, Plat maps and Interior Inspection Reports when available. Auction.com markets Foreclosure Sale properties throughout New Jersey for banks, financial institutions and government agencies who are very motivated to see these properties sell to investors. The majority of these properties are priced below market value. Don’t miss this special opportunity to buy homes at wholesale prices! In ad dition to this property, 292 other properties are scheduled for sale at this same Foreclosure Sale. In our online auctions and live Foreclosure Sales, Auction.com currently has 111 properties scheduled for sale in Morris County and 2849 throughout New Jersey. All properties and sale details can be found with a simple search at Auction.com. Create a FREE account today to find more properties like this one, save searches of properties that meet your investment criteria and have the properties you’re looking for emailed directly to you when posted in an upcoming sale event. To view the complete details of this exact property, click the Auction.com link below or paste the Property ID 2342135 into the search bar at Auction.com

4 Vista Dr

Price: $589000

Former Toll Bros Model Home in prestigious Wyndham Pointe, well maintained with lots of upgrades on a half- acre of beautifully landscaped property. Spacious kitchen with granite counters, center island w/adjoinging breakfast area. Formal dining room. Family room with high ceiling and fireplace; First floor office, Master suite with 3 walk-in closets, exercise and sitting rooms. Master bath with whirlpool tub and tile shower. Guest bedrooms enjoy ample closet storage and pleasant treetop views. Unfinished basement provides OPEN Storage space and walk out to new patio. Great house, great price!

18 Hermanne Dr

Price: $369900

Gorgeous Open Floor Plan 4 Bedroom 2 Bath Not your ordinary Bi-level!. Renovated in 2015. Too Many Upgrades to Mention. Located in Sought after Flanders neighborhood in Mount Olive. Move in Ready! Open Floor Plan with Newly Renovated Kitchen complete with Center Island, Granite Counter tops, Farm house sink and New Cabinetry with plenty of Storage Space. Opens to Living room with hardwood floors . New Lower Level lends itself to amble living space. French Doors open onto an over-sized Deck which leads to a Fenced in Backyard which is perfect for Entertaining. SEE DOCUMENT FOR ALL UPDATE S: New Timberline Roof in Oct 2014. New Air Conditioner Fall of 2014, Upgraded 200 amp electric panel with Generator Hookup. New furnace fall 2014. Great Neighborhood, Close to highways and shopping. Must See!!

14 Mountain Ave

Price: $535000

Home is larger than it appears! Gorgeous home situated on tranquil lot in serene cul-de-sac neighborhood. Original model homeupgrades galore. Welcoming two-story foyer. Gourmet kitchen complete w/ 42″ solid maple cabinets, center island, granite counters and s/s appliances. Entertainers dream w/ spacious eat-in kitchen overlooking family room featuring wood-burning fireplace and vaulted ceilings and opening to awesome great room. Lovely frml dining and living rooms. Custom moldings, gleaming hardwood floors. Kitchen sliders to spectacular outdoor retreat w/ both seating and dining sp aces. Master suite offers huge wic and spacious bath w/ jacuzzi tub, shower and large dbl vanity. Fantastic lower level w/ recreation room, exercise and play area, bar, full bath and storage rooms.

41 Emmans Rd

Price: $349900

Looking for something distinctive? This charming Cape offers the perfect blend of orig.character & style complimented by tasteful updates, making this a “Must See”. Arched doorways & hardwood flrs enhance the main level that includes 2 Bdrms, gorgeous Full Bath w/river rock flrs, tub & sep.custom tile shower stall, Living Rm w/Stone Fireplace & Built-Ins, Lrg Formal Dining Rm & beautifully updated sunny Kitchen w/granite counters, newer appliances & tile flrs. The enclosed Porch offers that special quiet place to relax. The upper level offers 2 lrg Bdr ms, each w/walk-in closets & adjoining unique Jack & Jill bath incl. 2 sep. showers & 2 sink/vanities, PLUS a bonus rm Office. The unfin. walkout Bsmnt offers Laundry area, Full Bath and SO MUCH POTENTIALtime to make this house your own!

10 Bordeaux Dr

Price: $324900

Move right into this spacious 4 Bedroom, 2 Bath Cape in charming Clover Hill neighborhood in Flanders. Beautifully re-done eat-in kitchen with granite counter tops, stainless appliances and 42″ maple cabinets. Spacious Living Room opens to formal Dining Room, with sliding door to patio and nice open, level yard. All bathrooms have been updated. Nice-sized bedrooms and 2nd floor MBR with walk-in closet. Central air. Newer furnace and roof. 1-Car attached garage and plenty of storage throughout the home. Walking distance to elementary school and close proximity to major highways and shopp ing. Nothing to do except move in!

19 Clover Hill Dr

Price: $255000

Sunny ranch in popular Clover Hill neighborhood. Mtn View Schl and abundant shopping nearby. Easy access to Rt 206 and Rt 80. Updates include gleaming refinished floors, large windows and fresh paint . An open floor plan and a level usable yard is easy to keep up. Newer furnace, air conditioning, and tilt in windows make it a comfortable home. Nearby are tennis courts and a playground.

30 W Grover St

Price: $479900

Move-in ready CHC w/ great curb appeal on quiet cul-de-sac street bordering farmland w/ many updates. Newer kitchen with stainless steel appliances, granite countertops and large breakfast island. Dry bar in eating area open to the kitchen. Welcoming family room with woodburning fireplace. Hardwood floors found throughout first floor. Newly-renovated Master Bath and spacious walk-in closet fitted with custom California Closets wardrobe organizers. Partially finished walkout basement. New well pump and hot water heater. Professionally landscaped yard with invisible fencing. Convenient lo cation close to shopping, restaurants and downtown Mt. Olive and Chester.

41 River Rd

Price: $289950

New Price! Amazing 4 Bedroom Home with TONS of room and storage! Scenic wooded lot, move-in condition. Terrific location for commuters & mere minutes to shopping &schools. Eat-in Kitchen open to large great room! Newly redone Master Bedroom with en-suite. Unfinished basement with 10 feet ceilings, perfect for a man-cave or workout area! Very generous room sizes throughout. Newer Anderson Tilt-Wash Windows and Pella slider. Well maintained home. Great opportunity at this price! Driveway entrance is being widened and paved for easier access and will be done prior to close.

19 Corey Rd

Price: $249900

Welcome Home to this Charming Spacious Ranch situated on over 2 Acres. Great Location and Value. Potential on Expansion. Upon entering this Lovely Home you have the Living Room and Formal Dining Room with Hardwood Flooring, Master Bedroom and Second Bedroom has Harwood Flooring. The Kitchen is an Eat In Kitchen with plenty of Cabinet Space. The 3 Season Porch is Heated and has Excellent Natural Lighting for any Indoor Gardening. The Basement is waiting for the Finishing Touches in the Family Room that has a Wood Burning Fireplace. There is a Powder Room, Laundry Room and a Workshop. Thi s Basement has a Walkout to the Level Backyard that has a Patio and a Paver Walkway. Convenient to Major Highways, Shopping, NJ Transit, Train Station and Schools.

29 Tinc Rd

Price: $410000

One-Of-A-Kind Custom Home on 1.17 Acres.”Move In Condition” This Home Features: 4 Bedrooms, 2 Full Baths, Newer Gambrel Style Roof, Eat In Kitchen w/ SS Appliances, Tiled Backsplash, Pantry, Crown Molding, Spacious 3 Season Sunroom w/ Newer Floor, Newer Patio Pavers, Paver Wall & Professional Landscape. Wood Burning Fireplace, Gleaming Hardwood Floors, Washer & Dryer, Huge Master Bedroom (25 X 16) Walk In Closet (9 X 7.5). 1st Floor Bedroom. Central Air, Attic, Finished Basement (24 X 22), Recessed Lighting, Lots of Natural Sunlight, Backs To Preserved Land. 1 Car Garage, Ample Parking. All Newer: Water Filtration System, C/A Distributor, Ventilation Self Clean System and More. Great Location. Close To Schools, Shopping, Routes 80, 206 & 46. Sq Ft taken from NJACTB

21 Brearly Cres

Price: $319900

COMPLETELY RENOVATED RANCH IN DESIRABLE CLOVER HILL DEVELOPMENT IN FLANDERS! THIS RANCH IS SPACIOUS FEAT 3 BRS and 2 FBTHS, NEW UPDATES INC BRAND NEW KIT W GRANITE COUNTER TOPS, GORGEOUS TILE WORK and SS APPLIANCES. ALL NEW BATHS, AND REFIN FLOORS. BEAUT MOLDINGS and FRESHLY PAINTED. SUNROOM OVERLOOKING FLAT LEVEL YARD, FULL BASEMENT ADDS EXTRA OPTIONS FOR REC ROOM AND MORE. C A, ALL PUBLIC UTILITIES. HURRY THIS ONE WON’T LAST.

3 Jamason Pl

Price: $334900

You”ll Love this Gorgeous Split Level Home. Located in the Clover Hill Neighborhood. Elementary School Close by, 4 Large Bedrooms, Hardwood Floors 1st and 2nd Floor. Fenced in Yard and Privacy off the Patio. Copper Wires throughout, Newer Roof(2011), Remodeled Bath(2015) New Water Heater (2016) New Large Driveway for 5 Cars (2016). Let’s not forget Sitting on Your Front Porch. A Must See!

15 Tinc Rd

Price: $269900

Beautiful .76 acre secluded, private, peaceful lot with open front porch 12×6, rear outdoor deck 28×16, inground pool 36×18, finished basement with a Rec room 28×19 w/brick floor-to-ceiling wood burning fireplace,and Office/Den 19×12. Living Room has a wood burning fireplace with stone surround and Tudor beam style ceiling, hardwood floors, maintenance free exterior, outdoor shed (stay), bilco doors in basement

117 Clover Hill Dr

Price: $364900

Beautiful Updated Center Hall Colonial located on a large level lot with a fenced-in yard in the Clover Hill section of Flanders. This home features four large bedrooms with gleaming HW floors and crown molding. Master Suite with private bath and plenty of closets. Updated bathrooms and kitchen with Corian counters and tile backsplash. Huge Living Room with plenty of natural light, crown molding and recessed lightening. Formal DR is open to the kitchen that makes it perfect for entertaining! Relax in your backyard with your new brick paver patio, large deck and fire pit. New upgraded el ectric throughout the home with all new switches and outlets. New six panel doors throughout, new driveway, FR freshly painted. Public water and sewer, natural gas, CA. Located with minutes to mjr hwys and shopping Two sheds

165 Flanders Netcong Rd

Price: $479000

Welcome to “165 Flanders Netcong Road”, a wonderful Front Porch Colonial on a fantastic level 1.8 acre lot in Flanders in Mount Olive Township!This beautiful home has a very grand Floor Plan and welcomes you from the gracious Foyer with crown molding and tile flooring to both the Formal Living Room with French Doors, gleaming hardwood floors, crown and chair rail molding and the elegant Formal Dining Room featuring crown molding, chair rail detail, hardwood floors and a custom chandelier. The Gourmet’s Dream Kitchen delights with its abundance of handsome wood cabinetry, butcher block c ounters, stainless appliances, and a stunning Breakfast area with vaulted ceiling, bay window, skylights, ceiling fan, hardwood flooring, and sliding doors leading to the patio overlooking the huge level yard. The large Family Room offers a stone fireplace as a warming focal point, recessed lighting and sliders to the patio overlooking the yard. Continuing on, a convenient 1st Floor Office with crown and chair molding and hardwood flooring, a large Laundry Room and a lovely Powder Room complete this 1st level.The Upper Level is host to the Master Bedroom Suite with a walk-in closet, sumptuous Master Bath featuring a jetted tub and stall shower plus a Master Sitting Room which could be used as an Exercise Room, Nursery, additional Home Office- the possible uses are endless. Three additional generously sized Bedrooms and a Full Bath complete this Upper Level. This fabulous 4 Bedroom, 2 ½ Bath Colonial home has over 3,400 sq ft of living space, offers a popular Front Porch, Full Basement, 2 Car Garage, and an incredible level 1.8 acre lot with sensational views of the countryside Mt Olive is known and loved for!!!The location in Flanders is popular for its convenience for commuters with the major thoroughfares of Routes 206, 80, 24, 10, and 287 nearby. Also in very close proximity are the local award-winning Elementary, Middle, and High Schools.

1 Renault Dr

Price: $357500

Lovely, light filled Colonial in popular Flanders neighborhood! Move in ready! 4 Bedrooms, 2 1 2 Baths, Spacious Kitchen, Family Room and Large Living Dining w Screened Porch and 2 Tiered Deck. Lovingly maintained and updated. Sparkling HW floors, Fresh Paint and Neutral Decor throughout. Updated Windows, Cathedral Ceilings and Skylights provide tons of light in the Living Dining area w Stone Fireplace. French doors lead to a large Screened Porch and 2 tiered Deck perfect for entertaining or just relaxing. Nice sized Eat-In Kitchen w newer Appliances and lovely bay of windows complete t he first floor. Master Suite w attached Bath, 3 additional Bedrooms and full Bath complete the second. Ground floor offers spacious Family Room. Convenient commuting, shopping and schools. Move just in time for Spring!

from Houses For Sale – The OC Home Search http://www.theochomesearch.com/houses-for-sale-in-flanders-nj/ from OC Home Search https://theochomesearch.tumblr.com/post/158018422475