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Winds and Cold and Rain--Oh My!

2/16/2015

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But it was a lovely weekend. Saturday was about perfect so we got the golf, shopping and grilling all in. Great steaks and roasted veggies filled us up. With no other kids around, Jack amused himself climbing trees and throwing down loose branches for the fire.

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With an eye on the forecast, yesterday we packed up all of the outdoor stuff in the morning. Then we trekked to Pat and Jill's with a load of laundry. Mid-afternoon, it was off to Jill's sister's house for an extended family gathering and delighted to find Renee's mother-in-law, Joanie Rump, visiting. There's a little backstory here. In early 1963, I met Joanie when we both lived at 'Murphy house,' an off-campus rooming house in Iowa City. We renewed our friendship several years later when we both had young kids and husbands who loved golf and flying. When Joanie and George's youngest son Nate married Renee Eller in 1991, our son Pat became entranced with the Maid of Honor, Renee's sister Jill, and of course the rest is history. Since Pat and Jill married in 1994, Joanie, Linda Eller, and I call ourselves "friends-in-law."

It's very convenient. When we are with Joanie, we blame the Eller girls for any antics or upsets in our kids' lives but when we are visiting with the Ellers, we blame the Rump boys.  And I'm sure Linda and Joanie do likewise with our kids.


So thanks to Renee and Nate, we had a great visit and wonderful food.  We returned to the campground in time to hook up the trailer and settle in to watch Downton Abbey.

About bedtime, our luck with the weather the last week came to a screeching halt. The rain started and by the time I rolled out this morning, the wind sounds like it is going to put us in Louisiana with no effort on our part. According the radar, the rain is about done; the wind is another matter. But hopefully we head east this morning; we have reservations at Davis Bayou campground near Ocean Springs, MS tomorrow night. I think I see Oz in the distance.


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Everything's Bigger in Texas

2/14/2015

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Well, except trees. Certainly the traffic jams are. We are at East Fork Campground on Lake Lavon NE of Dallas. This is a Corps of Engineers campground kind of stuck in the middle of an industrial and commercial area but has nice spacious spots and a pleasant view of the lake. However, it appears quite old and the facilities are not up to what we have seen before in Corps campgrounds. The shower house is in bad shape and although all of the sites have shelters built over the picnic tables and grills, rust is starting to tilt the grills to an angle not suitable for cooking.

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Yesterday, son Pat came out with a ladder and some caulk to help with a temporary fix on the drip rail. It required serious consulting and back and forth but they got the job done.

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Then we picked up Jessi, who is a senior and doesn't have any classes in the afternoon and went to Top Golf for a great lunch. Jessi and I left the boys to their games and went to McKinney to a quilt shop called Quilt Asylum. Love the name. I will be making her a t-shirt quilt for graduation so we picked out backing, borders, and sashing with the help of a  knowledgeable sales lady--much appreciated since my usual quilting consultants are far, far away.

Today the forecasted high is 77 so we plan to to grill out at our campsite. I think there may be a father-son-grandson golf match up first but I think Jill,  Jessi and I can find something to do.

And on a writing note, Peete and Repeat has been named a finalist in the Chanticleer Mystery and Mayhem contest--category winners to be named in March. The same book is FREE today and tomorrow on Amazon--a little Valentine's gift to my readers. Plus, it is not too late to vote in the bookbzz.com competition:
Peete and Repeat:
http://bookbzz.com/prize-writer-mystery-detective-crime-novel-vote/
The Time Travel Trailer:
http://bookbzz.com/prize-writer-science-fiction-vote/

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February 12th, 2015

2/12/2015

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Our first hump Tuesday morning as we left home was actual--a drift in front of the pickup and camper along the alley, but we managed to bust out and we were on our way. The weather gods favored us and kept the freezing rain in the north part of Iowa. The snow from the February 1st storm that was still on the trailer roof had melted a little each day and refroze each night so that it was well attached and didn't completely melt for five or six hours into our trip. Unfortunately it loosened the rubber strip along the drip rail as it did, so we will be looking for an RV place for repairs in Texas.

We camped the first night at Ballard's in Carthage, Mo--a small private campground with an excellent shower house and friendly owner, Wanda. It had been 16 degrees when we left home and was 62 by the time we got to Ballard's but that was not to last.


We continued on yesterday through Oklahoma to Lake Eufala. I must point out that parts of Highway 69 through eastern OK must have been built over old railroad tracks or something. Our seat belts kept us from hitting the roof of the truck but that's about it. I don't expect to be able to cut diamonds or thread needles when I'm riding shotgun but reading, writing and naps were also out of the question.


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However, we are at Arrowhead State Park on Lake Eufala in the Turkey Flats campground and I highly recommend it. There are spacious sites with cement pads, new a couple of years ago. There is a host camper and one other trailer here; otherwise we are the only denizens. It has kind of a post-apocalyptic feel, you know? That white spot in the distance is us.

But we were heartily welcomed by Ranger Ron, who pointed out that there is also an airstrip, golf course, stables and petting zoo in the 2200 acres of this park. Ranger Ron was promoting their Facebook page, so check it out:
https://www.facebook.com/ArrowheadStatePark

We were here early enough to get in a nap and a hike to the lake. After a simple supper--a sausage-potato skillet and coleslaw--we improved our minds with a little educational TV. We get four channels here--all educational, so you are forced into a new appreciation of the excellent programing on that medium. Today we will head to Dallas and spend several days with Number Two Son, Pat, and family. We'll hope for at least slightly better temps; it is 29 right now.
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Roll Over, Leftovers!

2/9/2015

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As we plan and pack for our Great Southern Adventure, I am reminded of the days on Calhoun Street when our kids were young and there were at least thirty kids the same age on the street. In the summer, they played outside all day (no cable or video games) and were in and out of everyone's yards. None of them could have modeled for Kid's Gap or anything like that. The picture shown was taken one very hot Fourth of July during the summer that all the boys decided wearing shorts was not 'in.' But you could always tell who was going on vacation the next week because then their wardrobes got really tacky--everything better was in the wash.

Today I am wearing and old pair of yoga pants with a hole in the seam and a fleece pullover without much fleece left. For supper we will have soup made from everything left in the fridge that might spoil--a few Brussels sprouts, some beef and Hubbard squash stew, part of a jar of V-8, a little summer sausage, maybe some cheese.

Someone in the Thursday coffee group--all retired and who usually travel in the winter--said they have a 'Rule of Five' for packing: you can only take five of an item. But I forgot to get clarification. Does that mean five tops, or five short-sleeved and five long-sleeved, or five white blouses, five light blue shirts, five sweatshirts, five t-shirts, five turtlenecks, and five pullovers? You can see where it would get sticky.

So a couple loads of laundry, a trip to the grocery story, and ten more trips to the camper without falling on the ice, and I'll be ready for tomorrow's launch.

Not much writing going on in the midst of this but hopefully there will be plenty of time in the next few weeks. However I do want to request a favor. The voting is going on this month in the book bzz Prize Writer competition and I would really appreciate your vote. Go to the following:

http://bookbzz.com/bee-bookbzz-com-prize-writer/

The Time Travel Trailer is a finalist in the science-fiction category and Peete and Repeat in the mystery category. Thank you in advance!


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