We Arrived on Friday - No Internet

Friday's drive from Victoria to Weslaco went well.  We did hit a bit of rain, thus upholding the tradition of the last 4 seasons.  Every time we return to Texas, it rains on the day we arrive.  Could be the middle of a drought, it will still rain. 

We don't have internet service yet.  Won't be for a couple more days.  I'm using the clubhouse wifi.

Our house is great.  Will post pictures later.  We are almost unpacked and organized.  A few issues.  The fridge doesn't work.  A repair person is supposed to arrive today.  The park manager arranged for a loaner fridge to be put in our shed.  A little inconvenient but it is workable. 

The dryer wasn't working either.  Wayne checked and realized that the vent hose was capped shut.  Therefore no moisture was being vented outside.  It is supposed to be fixed today.

Last issue is a leaking walk in shower.  Letting it dry out and then Wayne will recaulk.  (Kathy we have to use your shower)

All in all not too bad.  Nothing to lose sleep over.

The weather is very hot and humid.  I think a trip to the pool is in order. 

Will post a more comprehensive entry when the internet is hooked up.

Almost There - Victoria, Texas - Day 4

Full tummies, jammies on - check.  One more sleep and we will be done travelling.

Today was the longest day of all.  Definitely our max limit.  Eight hours of driving.  We were on the road by 6:30 am.  It was pitch black and anyone who knows us, knows we don't like to drive in the dark.  However we were on Interstate 30 for the first hour, there were so many transports on the road that the lines and signs were very visible.  The rest of the day we were travelling through small town central Texas.  Settled in now at a Comfort Inn.  Lovely new motel.  The room is much small than our other ones.  Still very nice though.

Tomorrow is only a half day of driving.  Then we need to check the house, unload the van and start unpacking.  Yeah!

Supper this evening was at the Olive Garden.  One of our favourite restaurant chains.

One dulcine left.  It's a race to get it.  Not really - we shared.  The dessert was even more delicious because we had a phone coupon and it was free.  Hooray for customer loyalty programs.

We haven't indulged in some of our other US favourites such as What A Burger or Chick Fil A.  Oh well, maybe tomorrow.

Texarkana, Arkansas - Day Three

Another long travel day.  The weather is warm and sunny. But no humidity, so even though it is in the high 80's F, it is comfortable.

Supper tonight was at Copelands of New Orleans.  Yummy.  Wayne found a new Texas stout and I enjoyed a peach bellini.

Steak and mashed sweet potatoes for Wayne, fried jumbo shrimp, onion strings and hush puppies for me.  Oh and a piece of chocolate cheesecake.  I forgot to take pictures again.  Trust me - delicious.

We crossed the Mississippi River today.  Always a thrill.

Tomorrow we head south to Victoria.  Getting closer all the time.

Marion, Illinois - Day Two

Short and sweet tonight.  The drive seemed fairly long from Middlebury to Marion.  I think it was because we had a time change today.  We lost an hour switching to Central time.  When the GPS said we would arrive by 2 pm., it didn't mention the extra hour we needed to drive.  Oh well we arrived safe and sound.

Supper tonight was at Cracker Barrel.  Again we just needed to walk across the parking lot.  Kind of nice getting a bit of exercise after sitting in the van for so long.

Did remember to take food pics tonight. We also shared a piece of carrot cake.  One of the best meals I've had at a Cracker Barrel.  Love having supper and then browsing the gift shop.  Bought a little something for the new house.

The weather here in Marion is very mild.  Tomorrow we are ditching the long pants. 

Time to relax. ttfn

The Leaves Are Falling and There's A Chill In The Air - Time To Head South

Crossing the Blue Water Bridge to Port Huron.  It is such a pretty town as seen from the bridge.  Once through customs it was smooth sailing.  We made great time and arrived at our destination with lots of time to shop.  Hehe!

We are staying at Das Essenhaus  Inn in Middlebury, Indiana.  The inn has extensive grounds with 5 or 6 shops, a huge restaurant and a bakery.  It is very beautiful and peaceful.  We wandered the grounds and checked out the shops before supper.

There are many cozy seating areas sprinkled throughout the motel.  Of course quilts are prominently featured as we are in the heart of Amish country.  The carpet was custom designed.  You can see a bit of it in front of the wing back chairs.  The design is a double wedding ring.  It is a classic quilt design.  Very effective.

I love this little framed quilt  The sunflowers are gorgeous.

Wayne relaxing in our very large but cozy room.  Why is he so happy and relaxed, you ask?

Why because he is back in the land of MeTV.  His favourite oldie channel.  Memorable TV even.

I'm also happy.  Why?  I nabbed some new quilting stash.

A pack of 6 fat quarters, a kit to make little felt mitten Christmas decorations and 2 stencils to use on my Lone star quilt.  Whoooee! Love it!

Supper was a great buffet.  Broccoli or chicken noodle soup, homemade rolls, yummy selections on the salad bar and chicken, beef or ham with mashed potatoes, mac and cheese, noodles and many vegetable choices.  I didn't have everything, but what I did try was delicious.  We topped it all off with a piece of pie.  (I forgot to take a picture)

Before heading home, we made a pit stop in the bakery.  But we were so full that nothing needed to come with us.

So all in all it has been a great first travel day.  Tomorrow we head to Illinois.

What a Whirlwind!

At just before midnight on the 31st of May, 2016, a major storm struck Chimney Park RV Resort in Mission, Texas.  The storm has been labeled a tornado, a micro burst or straight line winds.  Take your pick - the result is the same.  Destruction and devastation of a large part of the park.

Our trailer was destroyed.  It moved about 60 feet, flipped onto its side landing on a power pole and a cement retaining wall at the park entrance,

When the RV was pulled off the pole it fell apart.  Total write off.  Our shed was also flipped over and moved a short distance.

We had our insurance with Progressive.  The insurance company was wonderful.  Especially Jessica our claims person and Beto the adjuster.  All the administration was done in a professional and timely matter.  Thank you.

It was a difficult matter to remove the remains.  The first two companies sent to deal with the carcass were not able to handle the job.  They wanted to tow it out.  Not happening.  Lloyd (our park manager) found someone who could handle the job.

Lloyd and Wendi have been amazing.  They have been working non stop since the tragedy.  They have spearheaded the clean up, kept everyone up to date on what's happening.  They have also gone above and beyond any reasonable expectations to help those of us who have lost our homes.  Wendi tried to shield Wayne, Kathy and I from the graphic photos.  We needed to see them so that we could wrap our heads around the whole situation.  Thank you both for all you have done.

Kathy, Wayne and I flew to Texas on the 23rd of June to survey the damage and to find a new winter home.  Because we were spooked by the RV flipping over, we decided to look for a manufactured home that would be firmly pinned to the ground.  Also, since the three of us have shared the RV for several years, we had a better idea of what would suit us to share when all off us are fully retired.  We need more room including space for Jack (Kathy's youngest cat).  This meant that any unit we bought needed to have 2 bedrooms and 2 baths and would be too large to be moved into Chimney Park.

We are sad to leave our Chimney Park family but excited to start a new chapter in our lives.  Our friends and family can visit us.  Since we were starting fresh, we decided we wanted to be closer to the beach.  After much online research, we focused on the Weslaco area.  It is in the mid valley about a half hour closer to South Padre Island than Mission.

We found the perfect unit for us at Ranchero Village, Weslaco.

Carport is about 50 feet long

Wayne will get a shed very similar to this

The living room door is on the left side of the unit.  I think we will mostly use the door under the carport.  It goes into the utility room.

Now a few shots of the interior:

My tub

Wayne's shower

Our bedroom

Living room

Kathy's bedroom

Kathy's bathroom

Ranchero Village has wonderful facilities including a pool and hot tub with both sunny and shaded lounging areas.

There are two halls, a quilting room, carving room, ceramics room, pool tables, pickle ball and shuffleboard courts.  The park covers 55 acres and once around the perimeter is a mile.  We will get good use from our bikes.

So it has been a wild and woolly time.  Lots of ups and downs. Including plane rides.  Yesterday we were flying back from Texas to Kitchener but we ended up in Toronto instead.  Our van was still in Kitchener.  But that's a story for another day. lol

We're Home

Finally home.  Yeah!  Actually we are about 2 days ahead of schedule.  Didn't think we would be moved in until Monday.

However we were able to have our utilities turned on this afternoon.  We unloaded all the buckets from the van and will unpack them at our leisure.  It is supposed to rain and snow this weekend.  Good unpacking weather.

Dad surprised us with some new carvings.  It's always an adventure coming home.

He also made a family of deer.  Thanks Dad.

One last memory from this past winter season.  Not every day is fun and games.  Sometimes life is a little scary and unpleasant.