The Clock Is Ticking Down On 2010

As we draw closer to another year behind us, 2010 for us wasn't that much different than the others. We are sooo thankful for all things the Lord has given us. Both our health's seem to be hanging in there. Perhaps mine might be a bit worse since they diagnosed my CHF.

We continue to do Canton First Monday on the eve of the New Year. It's been this way as long as I can remember. We usually watch a little football as we are doing now. Just maybe we might stay up long enough to watch the ball go down in New York.

Our weather hasn't been all that bad for Canton weekend. It is suppose to turn colder tonight. Our crowds for Thursday and today was as anticipated....light. We don't expect that much tomorrow either. Lot of hangovers and football tomorrow. We have made our expenses and that's about all one can expect this time of the year.

One of our highlights for 2010 is we got to meet up with new friends The Browns from Canada, The Kendall's from Washington and old friends The Halls and Pittman’s from Texas in November. We don’t get to do this often but when we do it certainly was enjoyable.

Until next time. . . .MtnAire Travlers.

Happy New Year

Where has this year gone? Just three more days and we began the new year 2011. It feels the older I get the faster time flies.
We are anticipating rain for the next three days so I was on the roof today spot sealing with silicone caulk those seams that appeared to be the worst. By the way thanks to you who commented on my last blog about the Eternabond tape. After watching their video it appears it will be a easier solution than caulking.  I sent them an email and they replied with the type (EternaBond RoofSeal Size:4" x 50' RS-4-50 Color:White) I should use on a fiberglass roof and cleaning instructions before applying the tape. Taking into consideration the number of vents and other areas which will require sealing I will probably need three rolls.

While out today we drove back over to Toon Town and found these guys out and about.

We also drove by the Frontier Cowboy Church off I20 near Toon Town. It is a large facility and even appears to have its own roping arena.

Well Sandy broke the ice and went to the local Wal-Mart here in Canton. From the number of grocery bags we had in the cart she more than made up for not being in their facility for the past ten days.

It is raining pretty hard now as I write this blog only time will tell if my patch job is going to work.

Until next time. . . .MtnAire Travlers.

Travel Day To Canton

We leisurely got up this morning and started our make ready chores for travel to Canton. We still had moisture in the air and overcast sky's. We were not in a big hurry to roll down the highway so we decided to grab breakfast at a Denny's near us.

We headed north at 9:30am under a light drizzle so much for the washing, but there is always The Solution. To our surprise there was quite a bit of traffic for a Christmas day. There were numerous 5er's and motorhomes on the highway today mostly heading south. This is Highway 59 between Livingston and Cleveland TX.

This was what we were expecting to see. This is Highway 69 between Rusk and Jacksonville TX.

During last nights rain we discovered a small leak in our bathroom. This doesn't come as a surprise after seeing all those cracks when I washed the roof earlier. Someone was telling me there was a real good sealing tape that you can just lay down on your seams without having to apply sealant caulk. If any of you out there know the name and out it is used I would appreciate any information you can give me.

We arrived at Canton at 1:30pm. Other than the higher than anticipated traffic our trip was without incident. The kind we like. Sandy did fight strong winds out of the north 20-29 mph they hit us head on and I'm sure our fuel mileage suffered.

It's much colder up here than Houston. Our low tonight is to be
27F.  You could tell it was cold with the wind howling as all the cattle and horses had their rear ends facing north. Unloading our bays was a chore in itself. Thought I would never thaw out once I got back in the motorhome.

Shoppers Alert….. Sandy has set a record for herself. . . .one week without going to Wally World. While in Houston we did not take one step into a Wal-Mart. I bet their stock dropped a bit.

Until next time. . . .MtnAire Travlers.

Still in Houston

We decided to stay one more day here in Houston. I needed to take care of some business for Mom and we were under threating weather today. We called the RV park to see if there would be a problem and there was not in fact the manager only charged us $15 for tonight. We thought this was awful nice of him. We thanked him as he could have charged us $30 as we had already used up our PA 5 nights at $15 and the remaining two nights are $30/day.

We leisurely got up this morning had breakfast and was off to Moms before 9am. We arrived at Mom’s and took care of some personal business for her. We visited for about two hours said our good byes and see ya again soon.

While at mom’s my cousin Joan called and she and her husband Ronald where here from Camp Wood TX in their 45ft Newmar Essex and in the RV park about eight miles south of us. They where down to visit family for the holidays. She wanted us to drop by on our way back to our motorhome for a get together. We told her we had some earns to run and would drop by for a visit.

After our visit with Mom Sandy wanted one more HEB fix. After buying some groceries we left for the RV park where Joan and Ronald were staying. Arrived right at lunch and Joan fed us some cheeseburgers and for desert homemade pecan pie. Yummy!  Had a wonderful visit and was able to meet their little dog Izey and what a cutie she is. Their motorhome is beautiful and among the many wonderful features it has a bath and a half. They do not fulltime as they have a lovely brick and stick ranch on 2500 acres near Camp Wood.

After our visit and see ya later hugs, we headed back to the motorhome as I waned to replace the anode rod on our hot water heater before the bad weather. Accomplished the anode rod replacement just before the rain hit right at 6pm. We had heavy rain most of the evening. It's suppose to clear out of here before the morning. We certainly hope so as we depart for Canton tomorrow.

Sandy has a Christmas Cactus and as you can see it’s loaded with bulbs. Maybe they will pop tomorrow.

Until next time. . . .MtnAire Travlers.

What A Difference 12 Hours Can Make

Went to bed last night with both air conditioners going woke up this morning cold. What happened to our warmer weather? Going back to the RV park we noticed at the gas station where we purchased fuel the night before had gone up to $2.85/gallon 10 cents higher.
After checking several nursing homes for future residence for mom we changed our plan from yesterday of financing Mom's burial plan to paying it off upfront today. Sandy and my sister dropped me off at Rosemont so I could get in a little visiting time while they checked out some more nursing home. I found her napping.

So, yes what a difference 12 hours can make. Sandy and I both feel we've been in a whirl wind these past six days. I can not say enough how Sandy has stepped right in and helped in all of this we've been involved in with my mom. Appreciate you and love you dear. Well this concludes our six day visit to Houston as we move to Canton tomorrow before the weather turns real bad.

MERRY CHRISTMAS EVERYONE AND HAPPY NEW YEAR

Until next time. . . .MtnAire Travlers.

A Shocker!!!

We met my sister at her home and left for the funeral home to look into the costs of a pre-arrangement burial policy for our mom. Before going to their office we went to the family burial plot where my dad is buried. We will bury mom next to him when the good Lord calls her home.

Friends let me tell you if you don't already know, the cost of funerals today are down right outrageous. It will give you a nose bleed. A smart person would have the foresight to purchase a burial plan long ago to lock in a cheaper rate. Being young you just don't think of things like this until you get old…… “Who me that's a long way off who needs it”.

Well after our experience today if you don't have one you better act now as the rates won't go down. My moms burial plan today which is a basic plan is more than four times the  cost in 1974 when we buried dad. Of course we are in Houston TX and I’m sure that’s some of the reason for such costs.

 

Until next time. . . .MtnAire Travlers.

Washing The Motorhome

Tuesday brought warmer temperatures. Our high today was near 81F. It was a good day for washing the motorhome as it as been nearly five months since it has been washed with a water hose and brush. I've been using The Solution as my choice of keeping it clean.
Sandy helped me get the ladder, wash brush, bucket and hose together. I slowly climbed up on the roof and was really caught off guard as to what I saw. All the seam sealant's showed signs of cracks. Looks like a major job may be ahead.

After washing the roof it was time to come back down. Well let me tell you I thought Sandy might have to call the fire department as I just about was not able to swing my leg over to get on the ladder to come down. Finally made it though and just may have to seek professional help in sealing the roof. We washed the sides, front and rear end caps and were through before 10am. Afterwards we cleaned up and left the motorhome all spiffed up and squeaky clean. We wanted to visit with mom some more and headed in that general direction.

Before going we wanted to find something to eat and found a James Coney Island. They have some of best chili dogs. I managed to get two down. This chain was one of our favorites when growing up as kids. Mom and Dad would take us to one nearby where we lived at least once a month. Usually after church.

After lunch we headed for moms and guess what we finally found that awful Houston traffic and the Christmas shopping crowds. Every where Sandy went was like a zoo and parking was awful. Yep, as to the commercial side it finally felt like Christmas.

We finally made it to moms around 2pm. Caught her taking a nap. Had a great visit with her where we talked about those years growing up and she shared with us some stories about her and dad’s younger years. One particular one they picking cotton 12 hours a day for $1.00 each. It was getting close to dinner time and mom wanted us to eat with her so we went down to that special guest room. Our dinner was fruit, soup and a ham sandwich. While waiting on our dinner Sandy gave her a lesson on the Iphone and all the things you can do with it. Mom was particularly interested in the Bible and Bible Verses Apps.

Well this completes day four of our visit. Tomorrow we meet my sister and go to the funeral home that will handle moms burial when that grand day comes and the LORD calls her home to be with him.

Until next time. . . .MtnAire Travlers.

And Off We Go

We were up at the crack of dawn and off we went for that retail fix for Sandy. To our surprise traffic was light on our way to Deerfield Mall. Upon arrival at the mall Macy's was open but lacking the traditional Christmas shoppers. For the most part it was this way  everywhere we went. The anticipated crowds just didn't happen. Maybe it was the time of the morning 7am and Houstonians just don't get up that early or most everybody has already got their shopping behind them.

While at Macy’s I decided that enough was enough and decided to venture back to the Jeep while Sandy continued to shop. The Deerfield Mall is not to far from the George H Bush International Airport. Must have been the peek time for Sunday morning as there must have been 20 or so aircraft that landed in a very short period of time.

While at Bed and Bath I had this visitor land on some hedges nearby. I lowered my window to take this picture and the next thing I knew  he just about flew into the Jeep.

After our shopping experience we went to my sisters home. Her son Wade was in between jobs and was leaving for Oklahoma Tuesday to be with his family for Christmas. Sis invited us to join them for some pizza and good fellowship. Our visit was great as it has been awhile since we last saw him. Wade is a inspector for a large pipe line company and travels from job to job with his 5th wheel. We returned to the motorhome and watched a little of Ice Bowl 2 between Chicago and the Vikings. Hated to see Brett Farve return and get knock out of the game again. I hope he realizes its time to hang the cleats up. There is life after football.

We have always had a problem with glare of the sun coming into the front windshield with the beige curtain drawn. Sometimes it was very annoying when trying to watch TV during the day. We solved the problem by purchasing some black sunscreen that had a 75% blockage. We cut it to fit the front and installed it with five clips to the curtain rail. It slides open and close with the curtain and blocks that annoying glare. We will remove it for traveling and from the photo below it doesn’t look that bad either.

Until next time. . . .MtnAire Travlers.

Good Visit With Mom

Would you believe this is a Houston Freeway? It is the East Texas Expressway (Hwy 59) in Houston at 7:15 am  Sunday morning. Sandy and I were on our way to Rosemont Assisted living to have breakfast with my mom.

We arrived just before 8 am and mom took us to a room that had been especially set up for the three of us. Wasn’t long after we were seated that a young lady came to our table and took our food order. We had two eggs, four pieces beacon, fruit, two buttered toast, french toast sticks and a glass of orange juice. All this for a mere $5.00 each.

I can not say enough on how this facility takes care of our mom. She has been here going on three years and just loves it. We hope her funds will allow her to stay here as long as the good Lord is willing. After breakfast we went to a setting area across from her room and visited. We then went to her room and went through some of her papers and shredded a lot of old bills, bank statements, Medicare invoices etc.

We had a great visit and headed back to the motorhome. Tomorrow will be Sandy’s day for doing what she loves to do. Lets see I can see a trip to the huge HEB, Macy’s in the Mall, Bed & Bath, Container Store and no telling where else. Hey, its Christmas and sometimes we guys just has to do what we have to do. I believe its called “Get Over It”.

Until next time. . . .MtnAire Travlers.

Our Move To Houston

We did all the make ready for travel chores Friday. The weatherman was predicting temperatures for Saturday morning to be near freezing. All we had to do was pull the shore power, raise the jacks and air up. This morning our temps did get down to 28 degrees. Sure was glad I plugged in the engine block heater as the ISL400 started up without hesitation this morning.  We pulled out at exactly 7:30 am and headed South on Hwy 259.

We stopped at the Post Office in Diana and checked our mail as this would be our last chance till after the first of the year.  From Houston we will be traveling to Canton for the January 2011 First Monday weekend.

We have not had a Whataburger fix in a while so going through Longview we pulled into the SAMs parking lot and walked to the nearby Whataburger for our breakfast.

It seems the fuel prices coming down where about the same everywhere with unleaded going for $2.79 a gallon and diesel $3.19 a gallon. There wasn’t a cloud in the sky and we had a light wind out of the northwest pushing us to Houston.

We arrived at Wild Country RV Park in New Caney at noon without incident which we are always thankful. Last year about this time our "stop engine light" came on just before our arrival and we had to be towed to Cummins Southern Plains where we spent two nights. They never did fine out what caused the alarm to go off. We haven't had that problem again.

We will go to moms this evening and hope to surprise her as we haven't told her we were coming.  When we got to Rosemont she wasn’t in her room and had already gone to the dinning hall for dinner. So, we made ourselves at home and waited, and surprise her we did!

Our plans for this trip are to spend some quality time with her, my brother and sister before we head out probably Christmas Day. While here I hope to get her 1995 Buick Roadmaster on the selling block. Since my sister can no longer take  mom places its no point in keeping it.

 

Until next time. . . .MtnAire Travlers.

Christmas Lights In Jefferson TX

Early records indicate that Jefferson was founded around 1841 on land ceded from the Caddo Indians. At that time a log jam more than 100 miles long existed on the Red River north of present Natchitoches, Louisiana. The Indians said that this log jam had always existed. It was known as the Great Red River Raft.

The Red River Raft (or Great Raft) acted as a dam on the Red River and raised the level of the river and Caddo Lake several feet. This rise in the level of Caddo Lake and the corresponding rise in the Big Cypress Bayou at Jefferson permitted commercial riverboat travel to Jefferson from ports such as St. Louis and New Orleans via the Mississippi and Red Rivers.

Jefferson was one of the most important ports in Texas between 1845 and 1872. The town reached its peak population just a few years after the Civil War and is reported to have exceeded 30,000. During this time, Jefferson was the sixth largest town in Texas.

There were attempts over the years to remove the raft and permit the normal flow of the Red River but these attempts were unsuccessful until the discovery of nitroglycerin. In 1873, using nitroglycerin, the Army Corps of Engineers was finally able to clear the raft from the Red River. This lowered the level of Caddo Lake and Big Cypress to the extent that riverboat traffic to Jefferson was no longer commercially feasible. At the peak of river traffic Jefferson had a population of over 7,000. Just a few years later it had dropped to a little over 3,000. (This info provided by Wikipedia)

Here are those night shots of just some of the Christmas lights we saw with Sandy’s mom the other night in Jefferson TX. (click on photos to enlarge)

Hope you enjoy these as much as we did. Sandy’s mom particularly enjoyed the outing.

Until next time. . . .MtnAire Travlers.

Just Hanging Out

We have not done a whole lot since we returned from Canton. Working on a plan that will take us to Houston, one of my least favorite place to go, to visit my family before Christmas. There are several RV parks near my mom and sister. Surprisingly they are not booked liked they were last year. Our choice will be easy as one is wanting $284 for a week and the other being a POA park want $135. It does not have all the amenities the other park has to offer, but we wouldn't use them anyway as we will be visiting family most of the time. I guess you can say a place to come home to at the end of the day.

It's that time of the year again where we are being bombarded by the sweet gum balls being blown from the tree we are parked near. The winds have been really  strong the past few days. They sound like bombs going off as they hit our fiberglass roof by the hundreds. Sure thankful they don't weigh a lot as if they did we would have to pull up our jacks and get out of here. When you walk out the door you have to dodge them as they fling through the air.

Today warmed up pretty nicely and I suggested to Sandy that we pick up her mom and go sight seeing and look at some Christmas lights. I chose Jefferson TX as I recalled that city did put an all out effort to decorate the town and its historical homes. We picked her up around 2pm and headed east on some of the back Farm to Market roads.

For the most part of the trip we were the only ones on the road. It sure was a nice drive as we saw country that one does not normally see when traveling the main byways. The small towns, farms, churches and homes were so tranquil looking as we drove past them.

We were able to drive as slow as we wanted to without the fear of making someone mad or slowing them down to where they were headed. We arrived in Jefferson around 4pm and drove through town and by the historical homes. Here are just a few photos taken during the day light. I will save the night photos for a later blog. (click on pictures to enlarge)

Until next time . . . .MtnAire Travlers.