A BIG TEXAS MERRY CHRISTmas YOU ALL

Merry CHRISTmas from our house to your house. May your day be festive, your tummies be full, and the Reason for the Birthday Celebration be forever in your hearts. Sandy and I will be spending this CHRISTmas with her family here in Lone Star and Longview. We will go to Houston next year for CHRISTmas with my family.

After we finish the celebration here we will probably travel to Canton to bring in the New Year with our friends there. Its hard to believe this year has go by so fast. It was thirteen years ago this month that I retired from my job in San Marcos,TX and relocated here in Lone Star which has served as our base. Until recently we traveled much of the 48 states. Our traveling is less now due to Sandy being the primary care giver for her 90 year old Mom.

I must be doing a little better in my recovery from  my surgery. I let Sandy talk me into going shopping with her on Friday. I was surprised it wasn't the zoo that I imagined it would be. I managed to get through most of it before retiring to the Jeep on our last stop at Target.

Did a dumb thing this morning or maybe I’m getting to that age I shouldn’t self med myself. I check my blood sugar every morning and this morning it was at a level that I only need to take my Lantus shot. I usually take 60 units as it is a slow release in my system. I reached in the refrigerator where I store both my Lantus and Novolin R insulin. Novolin R is a fast acting insulin that lowers your blood sugar pretty fast. I normally take no more than 4 units but this morning not paying attention to what I was doing I gave myself 60 units. I did not even realize what I had done until I went to put it back in the  refrigerator.

Naturally I just panic and told Sandy that I had over dosed on my Novolin R.  She called our dear friends who are nurses and work in the Emergency Room at a local hospital. They said I needed to monitor my blood sugar very close. To make this short I was able to keep myself pumped up on jelly beans and some of her oat  meal cookies that I did not go in a hypoglycemia coma as the result of this carless act. I now have separated the two insulin's on different shelf's in the refrigerator.

Until next time. . . .MtnAire Travlers.

Been Awhile

It's hard to believe my last post was a month ago today. In fact it now has been two months since I had my colon surgery. I saw my surgeon on December 9th and he was pleased with my progress with the exception of my lack of activity. He felt my energy level wasn't where it needed to be and encouraged me to do more walking. I've really had to push myself even though at times I didn't fell like it.
I don't have to see my Doctor until sometime this next March. Hopefully my strength will return by then.

Yesterday I used The Solution on the lower two thirds of the motorhome and at the end of the day I certainly felt like I had done a days work. I'm not ready yet for climbing my ladder to finish the upper third. Also I need to climb up on the roof and clean it but Sandy says no way we will hire someone to do it. We also raked leaves, well mostly Sandy, yesterday and it won't be long we will be burning the many piles now that the burn ban has been lifted.

Our weather here has been great the last two days even though we had a good rain both nights it cleared during the day to allow those outside chores. Speaking of outside chores I rode the big tractor mower last week and mowed the three acres next door. I also mowed our little area. Mainly this mowing was mulching leaves and pine needles. Now let me tell you that event laid me up the next day as my guts were screaming from the torture I put them through riding that bumpy tractor.

Until next time. . . .MtnAire Travlers.

One Month Ago Today

Yes, one month ago today I was in ICU VA Shreveport starting the road to recovery from my colon surgery. My strength is gradually getting better and I'm able to walk a little further each day. Believe it or not I've also done several chores around the motorhome.

One being with Sandy's help we winterized our fresh water hookup by wrapping the conduit stub up and the 25' fresh water hose with
Insulation tubing . So, we should be good to go for winter. I also took my electric leaf blower and blew off leaves around the patio and yard. This project will be on going for a while as we've not had that first frost and the oak trees are still full of leaves. We are still under a burn ban so we won't be burning leaves any time soon.

My last visit to see my surgeon was this past Tuesday and he was pleased with my progress. In fact my next visit won't be until after the Thanksgiving holidays. Sandy is a good nurse and continues to dress and pack the incision area.

I read where Retired Rod is having to go back for another procedure.
I hope I'll be able to avoid that as this has to be a bummer for him particularly since he was doing so good in his road to recovery. Hopefully it will go well and he will recover quickly for their trip to Arizona. We are thinking of you Rod.

There is still one thing that I just do not enjoy doing and that is riding in the Jeep. It has no mercy on my stomach and just beats me to death. Sometimes I think Sandy picks out those spots in the road on purpose to punish me for not being a good patient. Naw….. not really! She goes out of her way to avoid the real bad spots. It's just the nature and ride of a Jeep.

Until next time. . . .MtnAire Travlers.

Veterans Day

 

(Author unknown)
He was getting old and paunchy
And his hair was falling fast,
And he sat around the Legion,
Telling stories of the past.
 
Of a war that he once fought in
And the deeds that he had done,
In his exploits with his buddies;
They were heroes, every one.
 
And 'tho sometimes to his neighbors
His tales became a joke,
All his buddies listened quietly
For they knew whereof he spoke.
 
But we'll hear his tales no longer,
For old Bob has passed away,
And the world's a little poorer
For a Soldier died today.
 
He won't be mourned by many,

Just his children and his wife.
For he lived an ordinary,
Very quiet sort of life.
 
He held a job and raised a family,
Going quietly on his way;
And the world won't note his passing,
'Tho a Soldier died today.

When politicians leave this earth,
Their bodies lie in state,
While thousands note their passing,
And proclaim that they were great.
 
Papers tell of their life stories
From the time that they were young
But the passing of a Soldier
Goes unnoticed, and unsung.
 
Is the greatest contribution
To the welfare of our land,
Someone who breaks his promise
And cons his fellow man?
 
Or the ordinary fellow
Who in times of war and strife,
Goes off to serve his country
And offers up his life?

The politician's stipend
And the style in which he lives,
Are often disproportionate,
To the service that he gives.
 
While the ordinary Soldier,
Who offered up his all,
Is paid off with a medal
And perhaps a pension, small.
 
It is not the politicians
With their compromise and ploys,
Who won for us the freedom
That our country now enjoys.
 
Should you find yourself in danger,
With your enemies at hand,
Would you really want some cop-out,
With his ever waffling stand?
 
Or would you want a Soldier--
His home, his country, his kin,
Just a common Soldier,
Who would fight until the end?
 
He was just a common Soldier,
And his ranks are growing thin,
But his presence should remind us
We may need his like again.
 
For when countries are in conflict,
We find the Soldier's part
Is to clean up all the troubles
That the politicians start.
 
If we cannot do him honor
While he's here to hear the praise,
Then at least let's give him homage
At the ending of his days.

Perhaps just a simple headline
In the paper that might say:
"OUR COUNTRY IS IN MOURNING,
A SOLDIER DIED TODAY."

Quick Trip Back To VA Shreveport

Canton's First Monday was a barn burner. Record crowds and sales all four days. Sandy worked an average of twelve hours a day except for Sunday. She helped the people she worked for in tearing down and packing out their three booths of market stuff. She didn't get back to the motorhome until 2:30am Monday morning. One tired lady she was when we got up around 7am for our return to base in Lone Star.

My surgery on the 20th still has me doing very little. I'm able to walk a little more. This morning when Sandy changed out my bandage she noticed there was a color change in my drainage. She called the VA and after some discussion it was decided we need to make another trip over to VA for my surgeon to look at my belly.

Naturally I was a little upset but off we go arriving a little after noon. We didn't have a long wait as the doctor saw me right away. It was decided I had no infection but he wanted to make that area a little larger for better drainage.

Sandy will have to do some packing of the wound and they want to see me again in a week. I might add here before seeing the doctor my blood pressure was borderline of being too low and during the procedure I felt a little faint. Never saw so much hustling and commotion in my life. Finally came out of it and was allowed to head back home around 3pm.

This is what faced us on our return trip. Lots of heavy rain, lighting with thunder bangers and high winds. A little scary but we certainly are thankful for getting just under an inch at Lone Star.

Until next time. . . .MtnAire Travlers.

Trip To VA To Have The Train Track In My Belly Removed

We headed to Shreveport this morning on I20 East to let my surgeon look at his craft work and remove the 50-55 staples in my belly.
While driving Sandy commented that there were a lot of big gorgeous coaches headed west on I20. There were Featherlite, Newell, Prevost, American Coach and Foretravel to name a few. They all seemed to be 43-45ft tag axle, beautiful full paint and one thing in common with most was they were pulling either a pickup or trailer with golf carts in the back of them. Then it dawned on us these were the NASCAR drivers coaches headed to the Texas Motor Speedway track near Dallas for the big race their this weekend. We must have passed 15-20 coaches that fit this description. Sandy commented she would love to be a coach driver for one of the NASCAR drivers. I told her she would make a dang good one as she loves driving our motorhome.

Shortly after we saw these beautiful coaches pass by we started seeing the haulers zipping by two to three at a time. How exciting was it to see them with the driver car or sponsorship painted on their sides. Lets see we saw Lowes, UPS, Ford, Dodge, NASCAR, Camping World, Pass Track and Speed to mention a few.

We arrived at VA just before my appointment but it wasn't till about an hour after my appointment that I saw my surgeon. He said that my incision was healing nicely and while he doesn't have the hard copy of my pathology report he had spoken with the pathologist by phone and every thing looked good. Praise the Lord.

Shortly after this good news a young Internist came in and began the job of removing my staples. Each stung a little but it certainly felt good to have them out. He then took 20-25 small strips of tape and laid them across my incision to give that area added support. He said these will eventually fall off in about two weeks.

The two and half hour trip there and two and half back literally wore me out. We love our Jeep but this is one time I wished we owned one of those huge limos. The Jeep just bounced my insides apart. It emphasized every bump, hole, bridge expansion joint and crack we hit coming and going. It was nice to crash and burn in my big lounge chair.

Until next time. . . .MtnAire Travlers.

We're Baaack.......

At Canton First Monday that is :-) One of Sandy's best friends who runs several booths called Sandy saying she certainly could use her help this month. Sandy just loves Canton and naturally jumped at the chance to help her. I believe she has three booths of holiday market stuff.

Usually November is a crowd breaking month which also generates the years best sales. We could tell right away this has the potential of being a good month as when we pulled into the grounds Sunday just about every available RV site was already taken. Being vendor helpers we were able to find a spot along side Pavilion 4000 and the booth Sandy will be working is next door in Pavilion 4500. It won't be as close when we parked the motorhome right behind our old booth location but it will work. We have 50A hookup and water.

It's been ten days since my surgery. I'm still laid up a bit and Sandy is having to do it all. My incision is healing quite well I just can't squat, bend over or turn without some discomfort. My hardest part is getting into and out of bed. The lounge chair is a piece of cake and I usually have very few problems. Tuesday we drive to VA Shreveport to have the staples taken out and get the pathology report.

Until next time. . . .MtnAire Travlers.

Free At Last.....

To bring things up to date I checked into the VA Hospital Shreveport on October 19th. Went through the standard colon cleaning procedure that evening along with lab, X-rays in preparation of my surgery Oct 20th. The surgeon decided before they did the actual colon surgery they wanted another colonoscopy since it had been six months since I had my last one. The next morning they reeled me out early and the next thing I remembered I was been awaken by the surgical staff in the OR. They had completed both procedures. Wow what a surprise it was all behind me.

My next trip was two days in the ICU unit where I received the best of care. I learned here they had removed 14" of my upper colon along with a flipper valve between the stomach and colon??? My highest pain level never got beyond a seven during this ordeal. The cut on the old belly is about 12-14" long with 50 + stables. Ouch......not looking forward to having these taken out next week.

After two days in the ICU they moved me up to the sixth floor where my care level wasn't that critical. Here I was able to get off the liquid diet, take walks with the help of a walker, and best of all get back to some solid food. Last night they moved me to the eight floor first removing all the leads I was connected to and my IV Drip. I was told when you reach this floor you are pretty close to being kicked out of the hospital. Sure enough this morning before breakfast a RN came in and told me I would be going home today. I called Sandy to come and get me.

I might add here poor Sandy had to deal with a bad stomach virus for two days where she didn't come to the hospital. On top of this her brother called to inform her their Mom had fallen and broke two bones in her left arm.

We checked out of the hospital around 9:30am and drove to Diamond Jacks RV Park to make ready the motorhome for travel to Lone Star. Since I can't lift anything over 5lbs for the next six weeks nor bend over without extreme discomfort Sandy got stuck with all the outside blue jobs as well as connecting the Jeep to the BlueOx tow bar. I'm so thankful that she learned these chores way back when for days like these. So, guys teach your wife's the things required to travel as you never know when you may have to call on her to do these things for you.

Last but not least it sure was good to get back into my lounge chair back here in the motorhome.
Until next time. . . .MtnAire Travlers.
Sent from my iPhone

Our Move To Shreveport

This morning came early as I had not done any of those make ready to travel chores yesterday. I wanted to eat breakfast at the McDonalds over in Dangerfield. So we drove the six miles and had our usual Egg McMuffins.

When we got back I started on the make ready chores. Since we have no slide out toppers I had to climb my ladder to blow off all the leaves and acorns with my leaf blower. At our other spot we dealt with sweet gum balls hitting our roof now we have to deal with acorns by the hundreds.

We pulled out a little before 10am and headed East on I-20. We stopped at the Flying J for fuel. $180.00 later we were back on the road to Diamond Jacks RV Park where we will stay or I should say where Sandy will as I will be in the VA Hospital for my surgery on Thursday the 20th.

We arrived a little after lunch and was assigned to spot #28 with 50 amp FHU. When we went to unhook the Jeep Sandy noticed what appeared to be oil film on the door handle. Usually this is not good. I looked toward the motorhome I could see a trail of fluid and fresh fluid running down the drivers front wheel. Now this was all I needed but felt good that we were at the RV Park and off the highway. As I looked closer at the spill the oder smelled like diesel. I then opened the fuel door and to my relief I saw the problem. Yes, I forgot to put the fuel cap back on after filling up at the Flying J.

Our next task was to either drive back to the Flying J about 16 miles back or track down a auto parts house. We opted for the parts house about three miles from us. I took the other filler cap with me to make sure the one we were buying would fit. They had one for $9 so back we go to put it on. It worked so we have that out of the way.

Later in the evening we decided we wanted to eat dinner out. I recalled there was a good Mexican Food place not to far from us. We did a search on our IPhone and sure enough Posados was only about four miles from the park. The food was good as we remembered.

Well tomorrow I have to check in the Hospital pretty early so off to bed I go.
Just as soon as I'm able I'll update you.

Until next time. . . .MtnAire Travlers.

New Surgery Date

Finally heard from my doctors PA and it looks like it is a go for my colon surgery on Oct 20th. We will drive over to Shreveport in the motorhome on the 18th and stay at Diamond Jacks RV park. This way Sandy won't have so far to travel to the VA Hospital. I will check in on the 19th.

I had an appointment with the Podiatry Clinic on Friday 14th. While there we dropped by the pharmacy to pick up my Lovenox shots which I’ll take before my surgery. I've never had a pedicure done by a professional but it was great. Don't know why I waited so long. I guess it's that man thing.

After we finished up with VA we decided to drive over to the Diamond Jacks Casino and check it out. We've stayed there before but wanted to check the exit we would take for the casino. Glad we were in the Jeep as when we exited we ended up in the wrong lane that would not allow us to go straight into the casino parking lot. Our only recourse was to turn left as the right lane was a turn left or go straight. I looked to the lane to our right the lane where we should have been and there were no cars. I told Sandy that it was safe to go straight and off we went when the light turned green. We made it then Sandy said.....guess what there was a policeman two cars behind us and I hope he doesn't come after us.  As we entered the parking lot I saw the police car turning left. Yippee!

To our surprise the park wasn't that full especially this being a Friday before the weekend. We decided to go ahead and make our reservation for next week arriving on the 18th. On our way back to Lone Star Sandy's brother James called and wanted us to meet him and his wife Bev for dinner at the Texas Roadhouse in Longview. What great fellowship and wonderful meal we had together. When it came time to pay James would not let us pay and said this was a late birthday treat. Thanks James.

Until next time. . . .MtnAire Travlers.

Taking Back My Bay With The Sliding Tray

For the past seven years that we've been selling the purse inserts I lost the feature I like the most on the motorhome. That feature was the bay that had the large Joey Bed sliding tray. We stored in that bay our purse insert inventory, table top covers and some of the displays we used to show the product.

Now that we are no longer selling the purse inserts at Canton First Monday. Sandy and I took advantage of our cool morning and took everything out of all our bays for a major reorganization of the bays. We first removed everything that had to do with the purse inserts including the inventory. We did a inventory count and boxed up all the purse inserts for their return to our supplier. It took two large boxes which we will ship back tomorrow.

After that was done we took inventory of everything we had in the bays and began a methodical reorganization of the storage boxes, 19 “ TV/DVD, drawers, folding chairs, Baby Q grill, Break Buddy, etc. While Sandy was busy doing her thing I started putting all the stuff I used to keep the motorhome looking and running proper into different boxes. I ended up with two boxes of wax and cleaning products, one box for lubricants and touch up spray paint. I was able to put in my large multi-drawer where I keep fuses, parts, water filters, nuts and bolts. I even found room for the Klasse Wax bag that also is the home for my orbital polisher and polishing pads.

We purged those items we haven't used or needed for the past year. Surprisingly we sure had a lot of stuff that just wasn't needed.  Not only will the motorhome be a little lighter now the big plus is all I have to do now when I need something is pull out the sliding tray. And there it is without me having to drop to my knees or crawl on the old belly to get something.

Here is my tool bay. The tools are mounted to a peg board and behind the board are our holding tanks. (click to enlarge)

In this bay we have the TV/DVD, 7ft ladder, folding chairs, Break Buddy, Baby Q grill and the storage tube for our front windshield screen. Still have room for more stuff.

This is our outdoor freezer bay.

The last storage bay is the small one which we store our drinks, extra towels and other miscellaneous item.

Until next time. . . .MtnAire Travlers.

We Bid Farewell To Canton's First Monday

After nearly 22 years of being a vendor at the famous First Monday Market Days this month was our final month. We did take a three year break when we were traveling full time across the US.

We had hoped our sales would have been strong enough to finish out the year but it just wasn't meant to be. There is an old saying that you can dig into your pocket just so many times before you realize the business isn't paying it's way and it's time to pack it up.

So, we bid farewell to something that Sandy and I have enjoyed for these many years. It's not just the fact of added income it's the friendship you build with your fellow vendors. We've established many many friends that we call family. The happy hours, stories and meals we've shared in the evenings are so memorable and will be dearly missed. Thanks to Canton our lives are brighter, happier and we have had so much fun. We will from time to time come back for a visit with old friends.

On another note I made it to the three quarter of a century mark today and that in it's self is an accomplishment. I'm so thankful the good Lord as been by my side for these many years and the good Lord willing.... I'm looking forward to many more.

Until next time. . . .MtnAire Travelers

Another Delay For My Surgery

The alarm went off at 4:30am this morning. We had to get up this early for the two hour drive to VA Shreveport for my pre-op visit and lab work. We were on I-20 heading East by 5:10am. We stopped for breakfast in Marshall, TX.

The sunrise was just outstanding as pictured here. The closer we got to Waskom, TX the smell of smoke was very evident. Through this area is where one of the large wildfires was a couple weeks ago. We hit the state line just before 8am and decided since my appointment wasn't until 9:30 we would drive over to one of the RV parks, Cash Point Landing off Highway 3 (Benton Road).

This park is a little over ten miles from VA. We took the 220 bypass and found the park without any problems. The park is a so-so park with gravel roads and grass pads with quite a few trees. Not sure how difficult it would be to find a satellite signal from the roof of the MH. Most antennas were ground mounted out away from the trees.

There is one thing about entering the road to the park from Highway 3 that Sandy and I had a little concern about which was the railroad crossing had a pretty good rise to it and we weren't sure if one would high center this in a 40ft motorhome.

While driving through the park we only noticed two motorhomes and they both were short wheelbase. The other RV's were either fifth wheels are pull behinds. The RRX may not be a problem but we decided not to take chance it and would stay at the RV Park at Diamond Jacks Casino. They are about $60 per week higher than Cash Point but with the RRX issue and with Diamond Jack being only three miles from VA I felt more comfortable with Sandy staying there rather than Cash Point. When we left the park the traffic going into Bossier City/Shreveport was a nightmare (bumper to bumper) all the way to I-20.

We arrived at VA around 8:45am checked in and waited in their waiting room. We weren't there very long and they called my name to report to the surgeon PA. When we walked into the room I sensed something was wrong as the PA had that look about her that just didn't look right to me. She said I hate to tell you this particularly with all the other delays you’ve experienced but due to a death in the surgeon's family last night he was flying to the Philippines to attend the funeral. Naturally my heart just fell to the bottom as I have been anticipating this nervously for the past four weeks and now another delay. I pulled up my Big Boy britches and decided to accept what ever date would be available after the surgeon returns. Besides you just don't want anybody cutting on you and when you do you want the best available.

We now have a tentative date of 10/20/11. They went ahead and did some of my pre-op while there so at least I won't have to drive back over for another pre-op. They will wait and do my lab work the day before my surgery.

Well I guess I will be back detailing and cleaning the home on wheels anticipating another date for the knife. We got back to Canton around 1pm and are in the process of finishing setting up our booth for sales this weekend.

Until next time . . . .MtnAire Travlers.

Getting Down To The Wire

I've been busy doing some of those chores of maintaining the home on wheels before my pending surgery on October 6th. Things like washing and cleaning the coach, washing the roof, applying 303 to all the roof vents and applying The Solution to the sides. Another reason for all this is to get my mind off the surgery and for these kind of chores I know I want be able to do for a while after my surgery.

We are at Canton now for the big fall show this next weekend. This show generally produces our largest crowd of the year. Let's hope there are buyers in amongst them as it's been awhile since we've had a good show.

We have checked out a couple of RV Parks near the VA Hospital and will stay at one so Sandy won't have that far to drive when she visits me. There is a nice RV Park at Diamond Jack Casino and another park about ten miles called Cash Point. We don't know which park yet but they beat the other alternative of driving back and forth to Lone Star which would be about 180 mile round trip. One of the pluses of having a home on wheels. Our plan is to check out Cash Point when we drive from Canton to Shreveport this coming Wednesday for a pre-op meeting and some lab work.

Another chore I did earlier in the week is to mow my BIL James three acres and our little spot. In the process of mowing I managed to knock down a old dead tree with the mowing tractor. The tree wasn't that big but when it fell I threw my left arm up to avoid being hit in the head. This really did a number on my left forearm and put a big bruise on the old noggin. I guess you can say this guy must be one big accident looking for a place to happen or a clumsy cluck. I believe both would be applicable. I know Sandy would agree that I fit both categories. When I walk into public places I get these stares like what happened to your arm??? I would take a photo but it does look gross.

Well I've managed to bore you to death with all my past and future events and will sign off until next time.....

MtnAire Travlers

ONE DOWN - TWENTY THREE TO GO

This is the weather system that blew in last night around 8pm. We finally had some heavy rain, lots of thunder and lighting. To be on the safe side we let down the Wineguard Trav'ler antenna. Glad we did as the winds were viscous. You could fell the motorhome just a rocking. Also we had several small tree limbs and a lot of leaves on the ground when we stepped outside this morning.

Last night's rain fall was a little over a 1.0. inch. It was a start toward cutting into our deficit and very much welcome. We may have a little more today. We’re 24 inches behind in rainfall this year, so it will take a lot of water to put a dent in that deficit. Any rain at all is better than nothing.

It hasn’t just been the lack of rainfall, the record high temperatures we've had all summer have dealt us a double-whammy, especially with regard to our lakes, rivers, and creeks. The drought in Texas is sort of a relentless disaster in slow-motion. Day after day of high heat and no rainfall has really taken its toll on the land not to mention all the horrible wild fires. On our way into Longview this morning for my Doctors' appointment you could here the trees and grass giving a big sigh of relief and crying for more. We're so thankful for the rain the good Lord sent our way.

I finally have a tentative date for my surgery at VA Shreveport. Check in Oct 5th and they will perform the surgery Oct 6. The surgeon said I probably will spend two days in ICU and 7 to 8 days in Hospital. This by no means is firm as he said it really depends upon the patient. Then I hopefully can come home can't drive or lift anything heavy for six weeks.

Until next time. . . .MtnAire  Travlers.

Change In The Winds Brings Smoke

I won't go into all the details about the wild fires we're having in Northeast Texas. But, there is one that is fairly close to base called the Bear Creek fire. It has consumed about 30,000 acres and last report I believe nine homes. I mention this as it started to our east and as the crow flies that is about 15 miles from us. The winds have pushed this system toward Jefferson and Lake O' The Pines.

Until today we've managed to escape the smoke and smell but with the wind shifting more from the North we are now experiencing smoke and the smell of burning. We don't expect the fire to head our way at this time but we remain vigil and prepared to pull out of here in the event things change.

Our hearts and prayers go out to all those that have lost their homes. We also don't want to forget the firefighters who have been battling the fires across Texas. My BIL James has been helping fight a fire over on one of the oil leases where he is a pumper. He came home the other evening completely exhausted. He said there are just to many fires going on that there is just not enough fighters to contain them.

Sandy and I drove through where one of the fires had passed through and it was so sad to see all the devastation that has been caused by these fires.
We need rain so bad and the weatherman is not giving us much hope.

On another note we've been out of transportation for two days. The Jeep is at the local Chrysler/Jeep dealer getting it's speed sensors replaced. This is tied into the ESP/BAS system causing the idiot light on our dash to come on. We also notice a difference in the handling. It seems the sensor thinks we are on wet pavement and tries to correct the travel of the rear wheels. We just heard from our service writer and he tells us to come and get our car as the part had to be ordered and won't be in until next Monday. So we have another appointment set up for next Tuesday. I guess they just no longer keep parts at the dealership and strictly depend upon shipment from their warehouses. Fortunately for us we took out the extended warranty and this is covered by it and all it will cost us is the $100 deductible. Something finally going our way for a change.

I'm publishing this post on the new blogger for IPhones that Rick with Rick and Paulette mentioned in his most recent blog. Hope it works. Haven't figured out the photo thing yet. Maybe next time.

Until next time. . . .MtnAire Travlers.

We Have HD Direct TV

We were up early this morning at Camping World for our 8am appointment. We were there just before 8 and it wasn't until 8:30 before they took the home into one of their bays. We showed the tech our old system and told him where the receiver was located along with the mode switch which operated the old outdated KVH antenna. We also showed him our DVD player, amplifier, and surround sound systems. We wanted to make sure all of these items would still work after he installed the new Wineguard Trav'ler antenna and the DTV HD receiver. He said no problem as he has done many of these. This is probably where Murphy's Law first reared it's ugly head.

We then retired to their customer waiting room where we waited and waited. We spent most of the morning watching the news on Hurricane Irene. About three hours had passed and we were getting a little anxious hoping to see the tech come in and say he's finished as he said it shouldn't take over four hours to complete the job. Murphy's Law stepped in and whispered in my ear that I needed to go check on the progress of the installation.

Well as the saying goes if it's going to go bad hope it happens early in the game. Not the case here as I went out into the shop where they were working they had the old KVH system and RCA receiver out. Our entertainment cabinet had all these wires, RCA jacks and cables dangling out of it. Our TV was out of it's mount and laying against the back of my chair.

I asked how are you progressing and he replied the new Wineguard antenna was installed but he was unable to connect the HD receiver to coaxial cables and it needed to be connected with a HDMI cable to our TV. All the new receivers now as I understand him to say do not have a second connector for our TV in the bedroom. It seems he did not realize that a motorhome built in 2002 had a switch box and used coaxial cables for most of it's wiring and switching from one function to another?????? He saw I was getting a little upset and quickly assured me he would make everything work and we would be out of there by 4pm. And as he assured me everything did work but for us to have TV in our bedroom he had to install a RF Modular that would allow RCA jacks and coaxial cable to run this TV. If we had two receivers and separate wiring to the back TV this module probably wouldn't be required????

He installed the HDMI cable between the TV and HD receiver and we have excellent HD TV. We also have surround sound but in order to get this feature we must unplug the RCA jacks from the RF Modular audio and plug the audio RCA jacks from our amplifier into the audio jacks on the receiver. We then have audio in the bedroom TV but no audio. What we need is a RCA cable that has two male jacks with four female jacks to make everything work without plugging and unplugging. Do they even make anything like this????? I probably haven't explained this like I should but it is as I understand what we need to do.

I might add the Wineguard Trav'ler antenna works like a champ and we are very pleased with how quite it is and how quick it finds the Satellites.
Overall we are pleased with the tech for getting us up and running. Even though they had us in their bay for a little over seven hours Camping World stood by their fixed labor rate of $156.

My only recommendation is if you have an older coach that uses coaxial cables and a switch box stay away from HD TV.

Until next time. . . .MtnAire Travlers.

Travel To Camping World Ft Worth

We were up before dawn this morning and did the final blue jobs for our departure for Fort Worth. We pulled out at 6:35am and arrived at Camping World a little before Noon. We would have made it a little sooner but the navigator (being me) missed our turn for 35W toward Waco. We've made this trip many times and I have no excuse as to why we missed our turn. In fact I didn't even recognize that we missed our turn until I looked over and saw a sign for Benbrook.

To late now to turn around and head back East so we continued on down to FM 2871which is the exit for our good friends Mark and Dortha daughter's house and where they base when in Fort Worth. Mark and Dortha are in Gillette WY attending the Escapade rally . Otherwise we just might have dropped in on them. We made our turn around and headed back on I20 east till we made the correct turn to Camping World on 35W.

We learned that McClain RV now owns the overnight parking spots that use to be If you were having work done by CW you could park free on a first come first served bases. Now that McClain owns this they want $30/night. We debated on just parking in the CW parking lot for the remainder of the day and tonight. When we looked at the temperature at that time being 106F we decided that was just to much for the GenSet and elected to pay the $30. Also McClain has just about taken over the entire parking area with their new RV's where it would have been very difficult to pull in with a 40ft MH and toad.

After we got parked in a space and plugged in to 50amp service no sewer, we loaded into the Jeep and headed north to the Apple Store on S. University Blvd to see if they can replace the screen on my IPhone 4. In a previous post I reported the phone fell out of my shirt pocket and busted the screen. We arrived and checked in at the Genius's Bar. In about 30 minutes a very nice young lady approached me and asked if I was Weldon and asked what could she do to help me. I explained my problem and was prepared for the worst but she said since I've only had the phone for less than 90 days that Apple had a one time courtesy to customer policy to swap my cracked screen Iphone 4 for a brand new one. Both Sandy and I where overwhelmed with this gesture. Thank you Apple!!!!

We returned to CW and checked in with the service manager. They will install a new Wineguard Trav'ler Slimline automatic antenna and DTV receiver starting at 8am in the morning. They said the job should take less than four hours and if all goes well we'll probably head out for Canton tomorrow afternoon. After we first check the system out to make sure we understand how to operate it and all is in working order.

Until next time. . . .MtnAire Travlers.

That Time Of The Year Again

Time has rolled around again where we needed to get the motorhome state inspected and tags. You already know about the big jump in our registration went from $197 to $352. As I explained in that post we contacted the State Representative and here is their reply.

Ms. Roffe,
These are our findings:
Our Vehicle, Title and Registration Division looked into your file and found that you did pay $197.10 last year. Your motor home with a gross vehicle weight of 26,800 pounds. Previously, for a motor home in the weight category between 26,000 lbs and 40,000 lbs, the registration fee was in the range of $182 to $421.
During the 81st Legislative Session, the Legislature passed HB 2553 in order to simplify the registration fees on motor vehicles. The Legislature simplified more than 1,700 different weight groups down to 9 weight groups, resulting in some registration fees increasing and some decreasing.
Under HB 2553 which goes into effect September 1st for registrations expiring at the end of August 2011, there is a single registration fee of $340, in addition to other applicable and local county fees for vehicles in this weight category.
Please do not hesitate to contact me if you need further assistance.

So, there we have it in a nutshell.

In regards to the State Inspection I normally pre-check everything before going to the garage where they will inspect motorhomes. You know all the lights, horn, wiper blades, turn signals, insurance card to mention a few.

During my walk around I noticed two if the red clearance lights on the back of the coach were not working. Up top I go to check them out and I find one to have a burned out lamp while the other had a bad socket. Off to the local parts store to see if by any luck they would have a replacement socket. Would you believe they had a GM socket that was a perfect fit.

In the process of trying to push the new socket in it's mounting frame I accidentally pushed to hard and the 12v wiring disappears in the hole. Now what do we do to recover the two wires . I know I will get a heavy wire put a hook on one in and go fishing. Fishing I did for about fifteen minutes and naturally came up with nothing.

Sandy said let me try….. I replied you probably won't find it either and no telling where it is. Up the ladder she goes and I be danged in less than five minutes she pulled the wires through the hole. I asked her how did you do that??? She replied…. very simple I just ran the wire horizontally to the area where the middle clearance light was and there they where????? Okay I admit that women can do some things better than men and in this case I was over whelmed. The main reason I didn't catch the wires is the thought of fishing toward the middle light never entered my mind. Yes, positive thinking and patience she has where my thoughts were not positive and patience....... what is that????

After re-wiring the new socket and buttoning up with the lens cover our next step was go get the coach inspected. The  next morning we finally got off about 8:30am. We would have gotten off sooner but the HWH jacks at first didn't want to store properly as the jack warning light would not go off. I guess the home setting for sixty days, they just forgot what they needed to do. After running them through a second cycle they stored okay.

At the garage a young mechanic greeted us and started the inspection process. Oh no.......the right front turn signal did not work and he said we must have a short somewhere down the line. Now he can not pass the coach because of the light not working. I explained to him I did my walk around the day before and all seemed to be in good working order. What would cause this to all of a sudden jump up and bite me. So, we headed back to base with me scratching my head wondering where to start. I told Sandy the first thing I was going to do was check the bulb. Yep, it was burned out and after replacing it we go back to the garage and it passed with flying colors. So now we are good to go for another year.

On our way back to base we stopped at the propane place to fill up our propane tank. In talking with the manager who is an avid horseman was telling us that hay for his horses in this area was going for $100 a roll. He said it was cheaper to drive to Mississippi to buy hay and haul it back to Texas. This drought is certainly hurting all of us.

We leave for Fort Worth Friday to have Camping World install the Trav'ler antenna Saturday morning. Also I have an appointment with the Apple Store that Friday afternoon to see what we can do about fixing the cracked screen on my IPhone 4. After they finish the installation of the antenna, receiver and remote control we head back to Canton for First Monday the next weekend.

Until next time. . . .MtnAire Travlers.

Everyone Is Not On The Same Page

This past week we've been dealing with some issues with our outdated KVH satellite system, Direct TV and numerous techs on the phone. It seems we never get the same answer to a question about trouble shooting our existing system, replacement equipment recommendations or just basic answers to basic questions. I don't believe some of the Direct TV people are working on the same page as you just would not believe the different answers we received on the same question when talking to different techs.

The circus started this past Tuesday when I noticed we were not getting certain TV programs like ESPN, any West Coast channel and certain movie channels. We did some preliminary checking of our system like signal strength from our roof mount antenna and everything appeared to be in working order. We called our cable company about our problem and after following some of their recommendations we lost our signal strength totally and could not recover it.

Sandy being the patient one went through the steps, I lost count of the number of times trying to reestablish the signal. First of all our KVH system is quite old and we learned the last time we had it worked on that there were no more system updates and if something happened again we probably should consider replacing it with a more up to date system. At that time we were given a ball park figure of $3000 to $3500. Ouch!!!!

Now we thinking that time has arrived. But, we wanted more opinions as to what out problem might be. So, we called the RV dealer where we had it worked on before and the tech who had worked on the system gave us some steps to try to restore our TV channels. None at first didn't work all we could get on our screen was "Searching for satellite signal”. We could never get the system to initialize. While talking about 15 minutes had gone by we all of a sudden got a signal. Yea!!!  So we hung up and sure enough we had all of our TV channels. We thanked the tech and hung up.

That evening I switched to the Hallmark channel to watch Frasier. Yep you got it…… no signal. We went through the steps again and this time we lost everything again and as of this writing we still don't have a signal. The RV tech said its probably our receiver that’s gone bad. He said he could check it out for $300 minimum. No thanks we are not putting anymore money in this old system. So if it is the receiver that's finally bit the dust what do we want to replace it with another KVH?  Sandy and I both have been wanting to upgrade our system to HD television and perhaps throw in a DVR receiver.

We contacted the tech at The RV dealer and he suggested we consider another KVH. So we asked him to work us up a quote and he said somewhere around $3000. We also understood that the system would be a mid range KVH travel in motion with capability to receive HD TV and all the trimmings that went that kind of system. So, an in depth research program got underway to get all the pros and cons we could gather from the manufacture, satellite provider and reading several RV forms.

This was enough to really boggle your mind and forced us to seek more answers to our questions and perhaps another system all together. We learned that any roof mounted dome that was plastic would not support Direct TV HD channels. I might add we did get answers contrary to this from Direct TV as well as some techs we talked to.  We also learned from the RV dealer the system we were quoted is not a mid range system but just the bear basic. For $3000 I don’t think so. Back to square one we go.

I happened to remember my good friend Mark Hall telling me sometime back he wasn't real pleased with his Kingdome ( it didn't get HD Direct TV). He had heard some good reports on the Wineguard Trav'ler and was considering changing his system out to the Trav'ler. Yes, back to the drawing board we go and again we get all kinds of different feed back from the RV dealer tech, Direct TV and reviews on the Internet. The RV Tech said he thought its weight (53#) would be a maintenance problem.

I finally told Sandy that we can ride this horse right into the ground and we needed to move on and make some kind of decision. While thumbing through the recent Camping Word catalog I noticed they had the Wineguard Trav'ler Slimline on sale and most importantly their labor to install was $156 instead of $326. They will however charge $85 to remove the old KVH system. So we have an appointment for August 27th in Ft Worth.

Our last experience, we hope, was the mix information we got from Direct TV on the right receiver for the Trav'ler. That's another story in it's self and I have bored you enough. We will update you on the Camping World install next Saturday.

Until the next time. . . .MtnAire Travlers.

Mowed Our New Grass Twice Now

The four and one half pallets of grass we've laid down is really coming along. In fact I mowed the yard for the second time this past Tuesday with my BIL’s riding lawnmower. Due to our lack of being able to get rain in this area we've been using well water from BIL James place next door. It is deep and spring fed. We run three 100ft 5/8” water hoses to the edge of the grass and from there we use two 50ft water hoses with sprinkler heads. As you can see from the photos it certainly keeping our grass good and green. (click on photos to enlarge)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The well water has a lot of iron ore in it and the water is so cold. In fact the water hoses actually sweats while watering. I'm not sure if the iron ore is the reason the grass is so green and growing so fast but it certainly hasn't harmed it.

We also have recently laid down several rows of the Centipede grass squares around the FHU area. As you can see it's coming along just fine. Next spring we will expand this area with more grass squares. We are hoping to do some flower bed work soon. Right now its just to hot to do anything other than maybe sit on the patio and watch the grass grow.

I plan to check with one of the local hardware stores for a stick of the 4-3/4” square x 98” fiberglass fence tubing for placing the hook ups inside it for a little cleaner appearance. At least the sewer hose and maybe the water hose.

Until next time. . . .MtnAire Travlers.

A Day Of Ouches

Yesterday was just one of those days you wish had never came around. But, if it hadn't we wouldn't be here.....right!
Yes, a day of Ouches! First ouch was dropping my IPhone 4 on the concrete patio and cracking the lens. Stupid me put it in the top pocket of my t-shirt and when bending over to pick up my reading glasses. Yep, you know what happened next. I'm hoping Apple will be able to replace it.

Day before yesterday Sandy's brother showed up with two more pallets of grass. We learned that the owner of the grass place had called James and said he really needed to get rid of some grass before it died. He knocked off $75 per pallet and that's the reason we have two more pallets of grass to put down. So, this is where ouch number two occurred.

What we do is use the BadBoy to haul about 15-20 squares of grass to where we want to put it down. Well on one of the trips as I was backing the BadBoy to load some more grass I heard this awful sound of glass breaking and a big crunch. I then heard Sandy screaming to the top of her lungs "Watch it"!!!!! Naturally that was a little late as when I turned to look to see what had happened I saw the Jeep.

My God.....now what have I done. You got it I just backed the BadBoy into the left rear quarter panel breaking the rear left lens and dented in the piece just below the lens. Fortunately I was able to pull out the dent even though it left a scratch in the paint which I might be able to buff out. As to the lens it was busted out at the very bottom. You can hardly see it. I will address this at a later date. I would say being nearly blind in my right eye is my excuse for this ouch which I won't do......it's purely being stupid and not paying attention do what I'm doing.

Ouch number three was when setting on the patio in front of the fan trying to cool off. I had left one of the cargo bays open where I had took out the fan. Now this ouch was a physical one as I hit the right side of my head on the corner of the open door. Lesson learned.... when you are through always close the bay door. What is that Forrest Gump saying......"Stupid is as stupid does". So my friends out there in blog land have you had any ouch days????

While going into Longview this morning for Sandy's doctor follow-up, we drove pass the grass place and saw he has about three more pallets of grass left. Oh, how we pray that he doesn't call brother James and make him another offer he wont be able to refuse. It's not that we are not appreciative of what he has done for us, I just don't think our bodies can take anymore abuse particularly in this heat. Our high yesterday was 111F. This evening its 109F.

Sandy's follow-up visit with her doctor went well. He did remove one of the internal snitchers that had made it to the surface of her stomach. He said she could resume normal activities which she has been doing already anyway. Tomorrow we venture over to VA Shreveport where I have a pre-surgery clinic visit with the surgeon that will do surgery on me sometime in the very near future.

Until next time. . . .MtnAire Travlers.

Two Big Projects Down And More To Come

Yesterday morning about 8:30 am I was setting outside enjoying the cooler morning and doing a little bird watching. I heard a scrapping noise coming from the front of the motorhome and I went to investigate. As I approached the front it was BIL James shoveling the area we were going to lay down the asphalt cold patch. I grabbed my shovel and began to shovel the asphalt into the section he had previously trenched out for his waterline.

About midway through his phone ranged and it was the grass people advising they just had a big load of grass come in and did we want them to set aside a pallet. James said we weren't really looking for more grass but if they had a good price on it we might consider it. The guy on the other end said he would knock off $25 if we would pick it up today.

We hooked up the trailer and headed to Longview. Upon arriving we saw ten to twelve pallets of fresh Centipede grass. After talking with the owner we learned he had this brought in for a local landscape contractor and he never showed up. James being the negotiator that he is asked if he would cut us a better deal if we brought two pallets instead of the one and paid in cash. The owner thought a minute and said I really can't knock off anymore than the $25 per pallet. James then said okay just load the one pallet. The owner then said if we would take two pallets he would knock off $35 per pallet. Like I said "What a negotiator"!!! (Click photos to enlarge)

So, we came home to base with two pallets one in the trailer and the second on the bed of his truck. When we got to base we unloaded the pallets and said maybe we would attack the job of laying out the squares late that evening when it would be cooler. As I set in the motor home I set looking at the two pallets of grass and couldn't stand it anymore and went outside and laid down just about one pallet by myself.

This is what one and three-quarters of pallets added to our coverage. The remaining grass will be used to extend the width of the  sides. Evidently the landscape contractor was a no show today as the owner called James this afternoon and said he would really make us a good deal on the grass. Naturally we declined as we feel the area we have covered will suffice for now. Besides it is so darn hot we don't want to be outside anyway. I cant imagine what the water bill will be this month.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Until next time. . . .MtnAire Travlers.

Some Progress Reports

Sandy is improving everyday from her gallbladder and appendix surgery on the 20th. She still cant lift anything over 10lbs. She has started driving again so my services are no longer required in that area. I know she feels better when she is  behind the wheel instead of me. She's doesn't seem to be as nervous as she was when I was driving.

Chucks, I'm really going to miss driving her around. Instead of "Driving Miss Daisy" it's been "Driving Miss Sandy". We are hoping she will be released to all normal activities by her Doctor when we see him on the 4th.

The next progress report is on our new base location. We haven't done a lot since it's been so blasted hot and Sandy's surgery has sidelined my help. Our new grass is coming along just great. (Click on photos to enlarge)

I even mowed it for the first time today. With the leaves falling like they are now, due to our lack of rain, I've been busy raking them into piles in order to burn them when our burn ban is lifted.

Tropical Storm Don is expected to reach landfall sometime tomorrow evening near Corpus Christi. I'm afraid this is a little to far southwest and probably won't do us any good. We were hoping to get some benefit from the storm to break our heat and drought spell.

Today would have been our first day of sales had we gone to Canton First Monday. It's feels real strange we are not there but with it so darn hot we are glad to be at base under the shade of the large oak and cedar trees. Also our voltage here versus Canton is so much better. Our two A/C's struggle at Canton due to the low voltage at our site. Here they hum along without any strain whatsoever.

BIL James picked up some asphalt cold patch for filling in the area between our patio and driveway. We also will use it to patch up the driveway where he had to dig up when he laid the waterline. We hope to do this project this Saturday. With the threat of rain (which we really need) it may be postponed.

 

 

Each day we make a little more progress toward getting everything like we want it to be.

In retrospect we've come a long ways from the abandon home that use to set here back in April 2009 to today a RV base for our motorhome.

Until next time. . . .MtnAire Travlers.

Two For The Price Of One

On Tuesday July 19th I took Sandy to the ER in Longview. She had been experiencing pain on the right side of the stomach area. Her symptom's pointed to a gallbladder problem. After several tests including a sonogram and CT scan it was determined her appendix was the culprit and needed to be removed. Since the gallbladder also showed it was inflamed they said we might as well remove it too.  Therefore two for the price of one.

Wednesday July 20th they wheeled her to OR and did Laparoscopic surgery to remove the two culprits . The total procedure lasted about 45 minutes.

Laparoscopic gallbladder surgery (cholecystectomy) removes the gallbladder and gallstones through several small incisions in the abdomen. The surgeon inflates your abdomen with air or carbon dioxide in order to see clearly.
The surgeon inserts a lighted scope attached to a video camera (laparoscope) into one incision near the belly button. The surgeon then uses a video monitor as a guide while inserting surgical instruments into the other incisions to remove your gallbladder.

They made a total of six small incisions in the stomach. She went through the procedure in flying colors. She did have quite a bit of discomfort. Her biggest pain while in the hospital was her IV needle.
They had a hard time finding a good vain and actually moved it twice during her stay. Her sister Pam brought her home Thursday July 21st. She is doing much better but still has a lot of gas though. Her stomach still appears to be blotted.

She can't lift anything over ten pounds and can not drive the car for awhile. So guess who gets to do the driving now......me. Yippee!!!!
Glad we are in a small town as I feel a little more comfortable when driving. Still make her nervous though particularly when cars are on my right side.

With the weather being so hot and Sandy not fully recovered, we will not do Canton First Monday next weekend. Our first time to miss in quite awhile. During the dog days of August we normally don't have that large of crowd anyway. If the outside temperature is in the 100's you can count on the temperature inside being 115F or better because of all the tarp back drops.

A big welcome to Kitty our 46th Blog Supporter. Glad to have you along.

Until next time. . . .MtnAire Travlers.

Phase II ….. Our Grass Has Expanded

About noon today Sandy's brother James called and asked "How about some more grass?" He further went on to say the grass people had just called and they were holding a pallet of Centipede grass for him. Unbeknown to us he had ordered the pallet the same time he put down the half pallet  the latter part of May while we were in Canton.

Naturally we both were surprised and a little concern about paying for it right now particularly being faced with that big jump in the cost of our Motorhome tags. He said not to worry as we could reimburse him later. So, off he goes with his trailer to pick up the grass. No more than ten minutes after he left he called and asked us to join him at Big Dave's BQ which is in Diana TX about 22 miles south of Lone Star and 18 miles from the grass place in Longview. We joined him for some excellent BQ sandwiches and pork ribs.

After lunch he went for the grass while Sandy and I returned to Lone Star to do some more leveling of the areas where we would put down the new grass. About 2pm James drove up with the trailer load of grass. He positioned the trailer so we could tackle the job tomorrow morning while it was cooler.

I be dang no more than setting down to do some jawing James jumped up and started pulling grass squares off the pallet. Naturally we could not just set there, so Sandy and I joined in laying down the squares. Before you could say "diddly squat" we had laid down all the new grass. Looks pretty good doesn't it! (Click on photo to enlarge)

James said this grass was in much better shape and greener than the half pallet he purchased at the beginning of the month. Our weather climbed back to the century mark today with a heat index of 106F. Not good for new grass but we will water it like we did the first phase and watch it grow..

Until next time. . . .MtnAire Travlers.

What A Shocker We Got In The Mail Today

We went to the post office today to pickup our mail. We normally do this once a week when at base. In the mail we had our Registration Notice for tags on the Motorhome.

When Sandy opened it I thought I was going to have to pick her up off the floor. She said surly this has to be a mistake! I asked if she would tell me what's going on she replied our new rate for our 2011 tags was $352. Now I nearly had heart failure as last year our tags cost $197 and has been around that for years. This is a 78% increase and surly this has to be a mistake. I know the State Coffers are in trouble but a increase this much is absurd! Are we becoming another California????

They gave us a number to call for questions which we did and the county clerk first said that it could be a mistake but she would check. Placed on hold and about 5 minutes came back and said the county has had no increase but she recalls something where our state representatives voted in some kind of increase starting in August. She said we should call our state representative. When we called we were told the number had been discontinued. Hmmmm I wonder why!

I don't mind an increase but this kind of jump is dam right ridiculous and putting the screws to the residences of Texas and particularly on us that live on fixed income. Do you think they put an explanation about the increase……..well nooooooo. With increases like this and with the higher fuel costs we might just as well park it and take the wheels off it. Then the city will want to increase our property taxes because of being a permanent residence. Just a vicious circle where does it end. Let's see how does it go "the only thing certain in life is taxes and death."

Until next time. . . .MtnAire Travlers.

A Break In Our Weather Pattern........

Sandy and I were up at 5am this morning for our 65 mile trip to Tyler. I had an appointment at the heart clinic for some blood test. We checked in about 30 minutes before my appointment and were out of there in little under one hour.

We headed back to Longview for some grocery shopping at Walmart. Afterwards we had lunch with her sister Pam. We headed back to Lone Star about 2pm and on the way we saw some pretty nasty looking weather to our Northeast. I told Sandy we probably won't get a drop of rain out of it as we have seen systems similar to this and nothing never materialized……well  little do I know.

We got home about 3pm and unloaded our groceries before Sandy went over to her Mom's to get her ready for fish night at the "All you can eat catfish place". Once a week Sandy's brother James takes his Mom out for fish. Just after Sandy left the wind picked up and it really looked bad .

Before I could get out to let our window awing's in the bottom dropped out. We had a very nice rain shower for about 45 minutes and it felt so good to see it coming down providing the much needed moisture for our area. We are so thankful for not only the rain but for the much cooler weather. Our temp never quite reached the 100 degree mark but our heat index did climb to 102 just before the system rolled in. It's amazing how everything looks so clean after a rain storm. Even the trees and what little grass we have appeared to look so much cleaner and alive. We no longer have dust around us..... mud yes,  but we won't complain as we finally received some much needed rain.

This was our sunset tonight on our way home from eating fish. Yes, we decided to join them tonight as her cousin from Georgia on their way back from a 49 day Alaska trip in their 5’ere had dropped by for a visit.

Until next time. . . .MtnAire Travlers.

Thirteen And Counting. . . .

Today was our thirteenth day in a row where our temperature have been 100+. June was our hottest on record. The weatherman is saying he sees no relief for us in the near future. He's also saying that it may take a tropical depression to break this current heat wave we've been experiencing for the past several months. Our heat index's have been running from 103-112.

We are so dry it is causing some trees to loose a lot of their leafs earlier and the grass is just burned up. Most of the counties in this area are under a "Burn Ban". Even then we've had several grass fires in our area. Our lakes, creeks and stock ponds have just about dried up in many places. We've not been able to do a lot of work outside on our place due to the extreme heat. We can do a little early in the mornings and that's about it. Our air conditioners just about run continuous all day. For them to even cycle we have to run the thermostats up to 80-81.

I guess what I'm trying to say is we sure need a break from the heat and drought. We are not wanting a bad depression or a hurricane just something that will bring us the much needed rain and cooler weather. We water our new grass every morning and it's staying green and alive. I'm just thankful now we don't have a yard full of it as I couldn't imagine what the water bill would be like.

I spent most of my day at the VA Hospital in Shreveport under going test for a upcoming surgery. It appears I'm in good health for the surgery and all I have to do is set back an await their scheduled date. Waiting games are never any fun. LOL

Until next time. . . .MtnAire Travlers.

Thanks To James…. We've Got The Starting Of Grass

When we arrived at base from Canton we went through the normal procedure disconnecting the Jeep from the motorhome. Due to the way we pulled into the circular driveway we had  difficulty of disconnecting one of the Blue Ox tow arms. As I was walking to the side of the motorhome to get my sledge hammer I noticed where grass was around our patio. I called for Sandy to come around for a look and see. We both looked at each other and said...... "James" at the same time.

That BIL and brother James had gone out last Monday and purchased some Centipede grass squares. As you can see he  planted it round the edges of our patio. What a guy! We quickly called him and in toying around with us he said "it must have been that fairy gardener" Yes, magic he is.......as he has been a miracle worker in helping us getting settled into our new base.

As we can afford it we will do a little adding of squares. We also have some Centipede seeds that we will maybe plant on the south side later this summer. Will wait until it starts getting cooler.

This evening with all the weather systems near us the weather has managed to cool off significantly allowing us to set outside and enjoy the patio. May not have to water this evening as we have rain clouds coming from the Northwest..

James came over this evening and gave us a heads up that we may have a trailer load of oil dirt delivered tomorrow. We will use this to patch some areas of the driveway and the area where it has cracked away from our patio when we put it in. He also brought our first electrical bill $132.00 for the month of June. Little higher than we expected but its been so hot with our temps beating all kinds of records for June.

As we set here we can hear the rolling of thunder to the west. The wind has picked up from the Northeast and our temps dropped nearly 20 degrees. Just had a hummer come up to the feeders. Life is good!

Until the next time . . . .MtnAire Travlers.