MtnAireTravlers

Matinee Movie NFC Title Games and Weather

2012-01-23T17:27:00.001-06:00

Friday
Sandy's sister called and asked if we would be interested in coming to Longview for lunch and afterwards take in a movie. Sandy and I have been to a movie only once that we can recall since moving to North East Texas thirteen years ago. So, the thought of taking in lunch and an afternoon matinee sounded like a winner.

Pam prepared a wonderful chicken soup she had picked up from The Pioneer Woman's website. Pam and Sandy both have prepared some great meals from The Pioneer Woman's recipes. She gives great pictorial instructions of many of her recipes and she is also quite a photographer. She also writes very interesting blogs.

After a great lunch we went to one of the local theaters for a afternoon movie. We picked Red Tails which is based on the real-life story of black pilots in the World War II Tuskegee Air Force training program who, after being kept on the ground because of segregation and racism, are finally called into duty — a chance for them to rise to the occasion and prove their worth. Boy did they!!!! We enjoyed the movie and give it "two thumbs" up for its action and storyline.

Saturday
Our winds began to pickup out of the Southwest and blew pretty hard most of the day. We suspect these winds were the same that blew through southern California and Arizona. The wind blew down quite a number of large limbs from trees nearby. Fortunately none blew down from the large oak trees we are parked near. The weatherman said the wind gust's were around 35-40mph. Besides the high winds our weather has been nothing but outstanding.....high 60's during the day and low 40's a night. We've had only a couple of night's where it got below freezing. In fact the month of January has been very seasonably warm compared to prior January's. Let's just hope that trend continues.

Sunday
Was a day of watching the AFC and NFC championship games. Wow........talking about good games and being close you couldn't ask for anything better. At the outset, we first thought it might be a Harbaugh Bowl in Indy instead of Super Bowl XLVI. But, due to some misfortunes, it turns out we will see a rematch between the New England Patriots and New York Giants. All I can say is they both were excellent games.

Sandy just about wore herself out watching the game between the 49's and Giants. She is an avid Eli Manning fan and there were times during the game that I thought she was going to crawl into the TV and punch out some of those 49's that was knocking Eli around......six sacks and twenty hits. that guy I'm sure was very sore after the game.

Monday
Found us in Longview where we picked up groceries at the local Walmart for her Mom and us. We also paid a visit to Target and the Ultra store. I managed to snooze, guard the Jeep and play games on my IPhone 4. Well maybe mostly snoozed.

Our weather is expected to turn a little messy tonight and tomorrow. The weatherman is predicting rain starting tonight through most of Tuesday. We still need the rain to help our creeks, streams, lakes and ponds recover from the extreme drought we had last year. I might add the rain we've had to date has gone a long way in helping in this recovery.

Our fuel prices are gradually creeping up again. Filled up the Jeep today for over $55 which is the highest we've paid since way before Christmas.

On a side note I went to VA Shreveport last Thursday. My recovery process is still getting better each day.

Until next time. . . .MtnAire Travlers.

Daingerfield State Park

2012-01-15T16:06:00.001-06:00

This morning we decided to drive over to the Daingerfield State Park to see what renovations had been done during last years closure of the park. Daingerfield State Park is a 550+ acre recreational area (including an 80-surface-acre lake), deeded in 1935 by private owners and opened in 1938. It has four camping loops, three for RV's and one what appears to be for tent sites. The park is heavily wooded and quite a ways off the main highway. I believe finding a satellite signal would be just about impossible. I also can see where at nighttime this area could be pitch black.

The park is about 15 miles from us and we have used the faculty several times since we moved up to this area. These visits have been day visits only as we felt the park was not big rig friendly for staying over night. We were hoping the renovation would have included adding larger sites for big rigs.

Upon our arrival at the park entrance office we were greeted by a very polite young lady. We told her we wanted to tour the area to see what renovations were done last year and if they added larger sites for big rigs. She informed us they did not make any changes to the sites other than repaving them and adding sewer hookup to a lot of the sites.

While driving through the park we saw evidence where our drought last year had done a number on the trees. There were a lot of trees down throughout the the area. You could see evidence where they had been cutting some of them up for clearing them out.

The Big Pine camping sites were all pull through with FHUP and what we could tell there only three of the ten sites in this loop would accommodate a big rig like ours. The other two loops, Dogwood and Mountain View sites, were all backend sites. I didn't see anything in these two loops that would accommodate our rig.

We may just plan a weekend getaway trip just to check out the parking accommodation. Here are some photos of this park.

Until next time. . . .MtnAire Travlers.

Little Excitement In Lone Star Today

2012-01-05T14:59:00.001-06:00

This place is usually pretty quite. Every now and then you would here the siren of the local EMS ambulance or volunteer fire truck running down the highway. Today however was a little different. Right before lunch today we heard this loud boom and felt the concussion shake the motorhome. Sandy said wow that seemed awful close. I said naw.....that sounded like it was a far piece from us. Well little did I know.

In about five minutes after the explosion, we heard a siren and looked out our window and saw it was one of our volunteer fire trucks. We both said what ever it was must have been east of us.
About ten minutes later Sandy looked out and said there was a Texas DPS car blocking the highway out front of our motorhome.

No sooner than saying that we heard the rotors of a low flying helicopter. We both ran out and looked in the direction of the sound and saw a ETMC Life Flight helicopter landing on the highway about 400 yards from us.

There is a welding supply plant about this same distance that sells oxygen/acetylene and welding equipment. We walked to the highway where there was a local policeman standing by his truck with his bubble gum machine just a flashing. Sandy walked over to him and he said there was an employee injured at the plant as the result of the explosion and they had to call in Life Flight. It is alleged that the employee was cutting on a empty barrel with a cutting torch that set off the explosion. Now what was in that barrel that would have caused that kind of explosion.

We stood there for about thirty minutes before they brought out the injured man and loaded him into the helicopter. I had my IPhone 4 phone and took these pictures. I had hoped to catch a video as the helicopter lifted off but I failed to hit the start button to make my video. Bummer.......as it was neat as he flew directly over me at tree top height before he finally lifted higher in the direction of Dallas. We have no report as of this posting on the injured man. We pray for him and his speedy recovery.

Until next time. . . .MtnAire Travlers.

A BIG TEXAS MERRY CHRISTmas YOU ALL

2011-12-24T15:04:00.001-06:00

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

2011-12-20T15:59:00.001-06:00

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

2011-11-20T15:04:00.001-06:00

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

2011-11-11T07:48:00.001-06:00

(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

2011-11-09T08:33:00.001-06:00

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

2011-11-01T20:09:00.001-05:00

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.......

2011-10-31T09:52:00.001-05:00

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.....

2011-10-26T20:35:00.001-05:00

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

2011-10-18T19:50:00.001-05:00

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

2011-10-15T07:54:00.001-05:00

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

2011-10-04T20:18:00.001-05:00

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

2011-10-02T20:23:00.001-05:00

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

2011-09-28T15:03:00.001-05:00

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

2011-09-24T13:59:00.001-05:00

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

2011-09-19T18:29:00.001-05:00

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

2011-09-09T14:33:00.001-05:00

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

2011-08-28T00:46:00.001-05:00

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

2011-08-26T21:06:00.001-05:00

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

2011-08-23T21:10:00.001-05:00

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

2011-08-20T20:32:00.001-05:00

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

2011-08-14T12:38:00.001-05:00

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

2011-08-04T16:04:00.001-05:00

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

2011-07-31T21:09:00.001-05:00

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

2011-07-28T19:50:00.001-05:00

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

2011-07-22T22:01:00.001-05:00

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

2011-07-15T21:18:00.001-05:00

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

2011-07-15T10:15:00.001-05:00

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........

2011-07-14T21:59:00.001-05:00

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. . . .

2011-07-12T20:39:00.001-05:00

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

2011-07-04T21:28:00.001-05:00

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.

Only At Canton

2011-07-01T13:21:00.001-05:00

Here is an article from the KLTV News on Canton's storm last night:

"Canton Trade Days open for business, despite storm damage
Story posted 2011.07.01 at 10:13 AM CDT
CANTON, TX (KLTV) - Vendors at Canton's First Monday Trade Days thought all they'd have to worry about was a big Fourth of July crowd.
That was until a micro burst of wind and rain hit the area, sending goods flying all over the site. Tents were destroyed, trees were snapped, and everyone was just trying to save as much merchandise as they could.
Rick Markey was just across the alley, helping a his friend get merchandise covered when he saw six of his friends tents being taken out.
"Everything was blowing everywhere...just a mess," Markey said.
Truman Brown stated he's been selling antique glass at first Monday trade days for more than 20 years, and never experienced anything like what he went through last night.
He says he was sitting in the back seat of his van when a big limb blew off and landed on the top of his van crushing the roof just inches away from where he was sitting.
Much of the city that lines the interstate was also without power until after midnight.
Police tell us no injuries were reported from the trade grounds, just a lot of scattered damage.
Most of the vendors all say that they will not let this storm set them back. They will be opening for the big Fourth of July weekend."

Sandy and I tracked this storm as it headed towards Canton. At the time we both thought nothing about it as it seemed like just a small pop-up storm. We debated if we should let our awing's in and boy are we glad we did right before the storm hit. Our neighbors two doors down had their large awing ripped off the side of their 5'er.

We had lots of small hail, very strong winds and heavy rain for a brief period. The home rocked and rolled several times. Our next door neighbors in a small travel trailer said they felt it moving as if it was going to turn over. Some dealers over on the city side weren't as fortunate as they had several trailers turned over due to the micro-burst of wind.

After this storm passed through we were asked to go to the restrooms as there was another small storm headed Canton's way. We walked over to the restrooms and there was a good crowd already there. All of us who had smart phones were tracking this other system. Fortunately it never materialized and dissipated about eight miles east of us.

I don't know what it is about this area but it sure seems to be a magnet for bad weather.

Happy July 4th everyone!

Until next time. . . .MtnAire Travlers.

Pulling Roots Brings A Little Surprise

2011-06-23T22:53:00.001-05:00

Earlier this week Sandy said her right arm was broken out with several red splotches and it itched. After closer examination we believe it is Poison Oak. We feel the area where we were cutting and pulling roots earlier just might at one time been infested with Poison Oak.

James was over this afternoon and confirmed " yes indeed it was Poison Oak" and the area did have this vine growing in it before he scrapped the area with his tractor blade. So, we will now be a little more careful when out there pulling and cutting roots. Maybe long sleeve shirts and just making sure our skin does not come in contact with the root.

We have had to dumped our black water once in the three weeks we've been here and the gray water twice. This sure beats using the BlueBoy every four to five days. I will dump again tomorrow morning before we leave for Canton's First Monday Trade Days. We have no sewer or water where we park behind our booth. We manage pretty well considering we are there for eleven days. We pull over to the area where they have full hookups Sunday evening and dump before departing for our base Monday morning.

We still have hummers showing up at our passenger side window.This afternoon I got upon our roof and gave it a good washing. Boy was it dirty as this is the first time in a while I've been able to get up there and wash the roof myself. Afterwards Sandy and I washed it and I put on some of The Solution. This just about wiped me out mainly because of the high humidity we are having after our little rain the other day.

We’ve started to work on the areas where we hope to have our bird feeders and bird bath set up. We have looked into some stepping stones and bricks for this area. I've tried to sell Sandy in putting a small fountain somewhere in this area but still have some convincing to do. We have looked at some tables and chairs for our patio and let me tell you that stuff is not cheap.

Until next time. . . .MtnAire Travlers.

Now The Hard Work Begins

2011-06-20T18:17:00.001-05:00

It has been so doggone hot here we find it is best to get up early and get outside before 7am. We have mostly being leveling the ground around the two pads.

Here is a picture of the hookup pad. We have just about completed that area. We have decided to hold off on planting any grass because it's hot and very dry. I still need to get about six more stepping stones to complete the walk to the pad.

We use two metal rakes to pull/push the dirt up to the edges of the pads. This place has so many roots in the ground that you pull up one and it in turns pulls up two to three more.

We started leveling the area around the large patio today. Let me tell you this area is not going to be a push over like the hookup pad. We encountered hundreds of roots and small to large rocks throughout this area. The rocks are mostly iron ore as this area has a lot of iron ore. I don't know how true it is but the town of Lone Star I'm told was originally called Iron Bluff because it was noted for it's rich iron ore through out the area. When Lone Star Steel (now known as US Steel started their plant here because of the iron ore) they changed the name to Lone Star TX. Boy that just about was a tongue twister.

Here are just some of our rock/root piles we've managed to rake up. We probably have six to eight of these through out the area we've been working.

Here is one huge slab that was dug up by Sandy's brother tractor. We will use it as a stepping stone. There are about four more about half this size which we will place later. (click on photos to enlarge)

Until next time. . . .MtnAire Travlers.

Cement Truck Arrives All Pads Completed

2011-06-18T14:53:00.001-05:00

Juan and his crew arrived at 6:30am this morning to finalize the pads before the cement truck arrived. Rather than have the cement for the patio to run up to the jagged edges of the asphalt we asked him to put in a form so the edge of the cement would be smooth. We would later come back and patch these edges with cold patch.
After they completed the patio we sure were glad we took this step as it looks much better.

BIL James called just before 7am advising the cement truck had left Mt. Pleasant and would be here in about 45 minutes and one of us needed to be out near the driveway to flag him down. About 7:30am I drove out to the driveway in the BadBoy and waited. About 7:45am he arrived and I escorted him to where he needed to be to pour the patio.

Here they are pouring the patio on the passenger side. It is 12ft wide x 17ft long with a 4ft x 6ft walkway near the door of the home. You can also see the smooth side near the home verse what would have been jagged near the broken edges of the asphalt.

After they poured the patio they then begin pouring the 5x5 pad around my hookups.

This took no time at all and they then moved over to the pad for James' water well.

When they completed this the driver said he probably had a half a yard left. James had already told me if there were any cement left to pour it in driveway one over at his place. I took the driver a back way so he did not have to remove his chutes.

At 8:35am the cement truck pulled out heading back to his plant to pickup another load of cement.

When I got back to our area Juan and crew were busy trawling and brushing our two pads. The patio was a little slow in setting up so they could not put their final finish work on it until 9:30am. It finally got to the point where they needed it to be in order to brush it. At 10:00am they had cleaned all their tools and where out of here. They will return sometime tomorrow to remove their forms.

We now have a nice patio and slab for the hookups. We are looking forward to being able to set out in the mornings and evenings. All we need now is a change in our weather to work on flower beds and a court yard for our bird feeding area.

Until next time. . . .MtnAire Travlers.

Cement Will Now Be Delivered This Saturday

2011-06-16T18:55:00.001-05:00

At the first of the week we were told by the cement company they would not deliver on Saturday unless they had a 50 yard minimum. Oh cr@# now what do we do as Juan and his crew have a regular job and only do jobs like ours on weekends. BIL James said he would check again today hoping they would have enough requests called in for Saturday delivery that would meet their 50 yard minimum. I understand why they have a minimum policy and our small 5 yard request would be very expensive for them to fill. So, we just will have to wait and hope for the best.

Great news James just called and said the cement company had enough orders for Saturday's delivery to meet their minimum. Since our name was on their first to call list a cement truck with our 5 yards would be here by 7am this coming Saturday. Boy, were we happy to hear this good news. So, he has informed Juan and they will be here around 6:30 am.

As I understand it should not take no more than two to two and half hours to do our two areas. After they finish, James has a small pad where he plans to build a small building for his water well and some patch work on one of his driveways. So, bar no glitches or rainy weather we should have our patio in place Saturday.

Speaking of weather we have had no rain what so ever since the middle of May. With the temps soaring above or near the 100 degree mark for the past ten days we are really dry. Grass is dead and leafs are beginning to fall from the trees. Things are so dry here the ground in some places is beginning to crack. Our area is nothing but powdered sand and when you walk in it big puffs of dust appear. We don't want to put down any grass seed or squares until the weather changes. We may wait and put down some summer or winter rye grass just as soon as we can hoping this will get us through until next spring.

Yesterday morning Sandy and I painted our steps and re-carpeted the top and second step. We also replaced the two steps with treated 2x12 as the original steps were beginning to rot out. My handyman Mark built these for us about five years ago.

Sandy had her first hummer land on her feeder right outside the living room

window yesterday evening. Boy, was she excited. Since we moved our two bird feeders the birds are a little slow in discovering their new location. Or, it may be just to hot and our feathered friends have moved on.

We also wish to welcome our 45th blog followers Doyle and Terri Johnson. Great to have you join us.

Until next time. . . .MtnAire Travlers.

Foundation, Forms Rebar In Place Cement Next

2011-06-11T19:13:00.001-05:00

James arrived with his backhoe right at 9am this morning and proceeded to drive it off his Big Tex gooseneck trailer . (click on photos to enlarge)

We waited for Juan and his crew to get here to start the foundation prep. Shortly around 10am they arrived and Juan took James backhoe and started digging the foundation for the walkway and patio.

While Juan was doing this his two workers started shoveling the dirt out of the area.

It wasn't long they started laying the forms for the patio/walkway.

After the prep for the foundation they cut and laid the rebar wire.

They then moved to the hookup site and prepared the 5'x5’ pad.

Here are the two sites that are awaiting concrete. Say is that the crew boss setting there in the background??

They were finished just a little after 1pm. We will order the cement Monday for delivery this coming Saturday where Juan and his crew will return and complete the job. We estimate it will take about four yards to do these two pads and a smaller pad over at the water well.

In the mean time Sandy is already talking about tables/chairs with an umbrella, flower pots etc. Did I say it was a little dusty around here today. Dusty doesn’t even describe it!!!

Until next time. . . .MtnAire Travlers

Getting A Concrete Patio Poured At Base

2011-06-10T22:41:00.001-05:00

Sandy and I have been discussing with her brother James of having some cement work done around our new base.To our surprise this evening there was a knock on our door. It was BIL James with several men who came to give us a bid for pouring us a 12'x20' concrete patio on the passenger side with a walk way near the front door of the motorhome. We also wanted a 5'x5' pad poured around our hookups with a small walkway. This would give me a nice place to stand when doing our hookups.

After a while they had a pretty good idea what we wanted and would return tomorrow morning to start putting in the forms and rebar wire. James will dig the foundation with his backhoe. It sure is nice to have a BIL that is not only talented but has the equipment to get the job done. They say they will have the forms and rebar wire in place by Saturday evening. The job should be completed before the end of the coming week which is primarily due to the scheduling of the cement truck.

Sandy and I are real excited to get this done. We will put out some grass seed or squares after they finish. Will post pictures of the work in progress. Our next project will be to work on some flower beds.

Until next time. . . .MtnAire Travlers.

Our New Home Base

2011-06-06T22:09:00.001-05:00

We were up at the crack of dawn this morning for several reasons. One being we were traveling to our new home base. The adrenalin was flowing with our excitement of pulling into our new site with full hookups. Another reason for up so early was we wanted to travel in the early morning hours as it was much cooler. We arrived in Lone Star a little before 9am. (click on photos to enlarge)

The area where we park the home is a black top circular drive. You enter one drive and exit the second. We had to make several attempts of jockeying the home so we would be able to reach the sewer drain with our 20ft sewer hose. The 50amp electric cable and 25ft water hose presented no problem as they both were long enough. All of our hookups are located in the same general area.
After we found the right spot we marked the drivers front and rear tires with orange paint so we can find the correct spot when we leave and return.

I marked the drive so Sandy could line up and hit the spots without to much difficulty. After that I took my multi-meter and checked the 50amp receptacle to assure myself it was wired correctly. Better to be safe than sorry. Everything checked okay and we plugged in. It sure was nice to have the breaker in the box that allowed me to turn the power to the box off before plugging in.

After everything was set up we loaded into the Jeep and headed to Mt Pleasant for groceries for Sandy's Mom and us. We got back around 3pm and started the task of moving our stepping stones, bird feeders, flag pole and wind mill over to our new site. We both love our new spot and look forward to working toward getting it like the way we want it to be someday.

Until next time. . . .MtnAire Travlers.

What Happened To Our Cooler Weather

2011-06-05T20:12:00.001-05:00

We've seen the temperatures over a 100F for the past three days. Today's 105F has been the hottest. Our friends in Gladewater had what they believe to be a tornado hit their neighborhood yesterday evening knocking down trees and lifting shingles off some roofs. What was so weird about this is they had no warning as it just popped up. We could see thunderheads in that direction yesterday evening going to dinner.

We also have some more storms building up again in the North East and they appear to be moving our way. Maybe these might break this hot spell that has us in it's grips, okay with me as long as there is no bad weather.

Our June First Monday was a bummer. The crowds where here which really surprised me since it was so dog gone hot.

On an interesting note diesel at the Circle K Truck Stop on I20 jumped $0.30 a gallon yesterday. Friday evening it was $3.71 a gallon and last night we saw it at $4.01 per gallon. Now explain to me why a 30 cent a gallon jump in 12 hours. The price of a barrel of oil is still hanging around the $100 mark.

We got our brief rainfall around 7 pm and our temperature dropped to 76F. Where was this earlier when we needed it. The cooler weather was a welcomed sight and allowed for a cooler motorhome. Our voltage also is better with most vendors gone now. Our voltage meter shows 129V where for the past three days with all the loads on the system we were running 108V-112V with both A/C running. We switched our refrigerator over to gas during the marginal voltage period.

In the morning we will leave and will drive to our new home base. will post some pictures.

Until next time. . . .MtnAire Travlers.

We Now Have Full Hookups

2011-06-02T16:24:00.001-05:00

Sandy's brother James called about 1:30pm today advising the electrical company had completed their work and we now have electricity. So, when we leave here Monday morning we will go to our new home base.

We are not moving that far but it sure is going to be great having full hookups. I just can't imagine how good its going to fill not having to dump our black water every three to four days in the Blue Boy and haul it to the sewer clean out on the other side of the property. We now will be able to do a better job of flushing our holding tanks.

All I can say it is down right hot here at Canton. The weatherman is now saying we could see temperatures near 102F tomorrow. Right now it's 100F and inside the Pavilion with all the back drops it feels like it's 110F-113F. Our neighbors have one of those misting fans and wow does it make a big difference.

Its not even 3pm and several of the vendors around us have already closed up for the day. Our crowds are very small and I can't blame them for not coming here. If we had any sense we would be closed too. Just think this is only June and we have the hottest part of the summer still ahead of us.

It won’t be long before Happy Hour and we may just have to set inside the motorhome instead of outside under the big awing. There are usually five to six of us that gather in the evenings after we close for the day. I have a feeling tonight just might be Mexican food at Robles. They are one of several Mexican Food Restaurants in the Canton area. I feel they have the best cheese enchiladas in town.

Sandy just walked in with the cash register so I guess we are closed for the day. Perhaps a early Happy Hour is in the making.

Until next time. . . .MtnAire Travlers.

35th Wedding Anniversary

2011-06-01T14:38:00.001-05:00

Today is our 35th Wedding Anniversary. It hardly seems like 35 years ago we were happily married. Dear you are truly a blessing from God. Thank you for being my partner, lover and best friend. We've both grown together through these years. Thank you for your love you show me regularly. If I were to buy you roses these would have been my pick.

Yahoo! We heard from the electric company today and they say they will have power to our meter pole either today or tomorrow. So, when we leave Canton next Monday we will go to our new home base. We are looking forward to this move.

I had my Nuclear Stress Test Tuesday and seemed to have handled it pretty well. The test took 2/1/2 hours of which about 35 minutes was setting and waiting on the next level and picture taking. I should have the results hopefully by this Friday.

All I can say is it's hot here in Canton. Our high today through Friday is suppose to be around 98F to 99F. I believe summer just might be here. We should start cooling down by Saturday if you can call 92F cool.

Until next time. . . .MtnAire Travlers.

Friends Visit Canton First Monday

2011-05-30T11:09:00.001-05:00

Around noon Friday the 27th our dear friends Mark and Dortha from Ft.Worth arrived in Canton. We were so glad to see them as the last time we saw them was at The Gathering at Cowtown RV Park last Thanksgiving.

After they got set up, we had a long visit to catch up on all the things they have been doing since our last visit and their new Granddaughter Kinley. Joe and Sherrie joined us that evening for some Chinese food at Chens Buffet. What a great time and visit we had reminiscing when we all did Canton together.

Saturday morning we were off to Tyler TX for some shopping. We first went to Southern RV looking for some beading rope to repair our window awing's. They did not have what we needed so we went to Home Depot where we purchased a package of weed eater string to use as the beading string to hold the fabric of the awing in the c-channel. After we finished up their we went to Bed & Bath for the girls to do their thing. We then went to Juicy’ s for lunch and had excellent hamburgers, onion rings and pinto beans. The meal was just great and the onion rings were exceptionally good.

Joe and Sherrie had told us about a new store concept that Brookshire's had recently had their grand opening. They had stocked the store with what ever they do. The store was very similar to Central Market and they named it Fresh by Brookshire's.
Let me tell you this place will blow your mind. Talking about great looking veggies, meat and can goods they really do a bang up job of presenting the product as attested by the following photos:

After we finished our shopping we headed back to Canton. The girls fixed an excellent salad and we ate chicken strips they picked up at Walmart. More fun visiting and talking about the things we've done together over the years we've known them.

Before dark my handyman Mark was able to fix our awing fabric that came out of it's track about three inches. Thanks Mark for all the things you do for me. He also was able to fix his which had come out of it's channel on one end.

Sunday morning we drove over to Joe and Sherrie's place to visit and see their new Allegro Open Road motorhome and the red barn they had put up to park their home in. Joe is quite a carpenter.
He is very knowledgeable about building and you could see the fruit of his abilities in the things he has done around is place. I need to invite him up to Lone Star when we get moved to our new base.
We had a wonderful visit with them and all returned to Canton.

Monday morning came and brought a little sadness to Sandy and I as our friends Mark and Dortha were departing back to Ft. Worth. All I can add is we had a great three day visit with a lot of laughs and great stories about our friendship we've built over the years. Looking forward to when we can do this again.

Let us not forget our veterans and those on active duty protecting our liberties and freedom. And Especially those that have made the maximum sacrifice and gave their lives. God bless America!

Until next time. . . .MtnAire Travlers.

We're Done Still Waiting For Electrical Company

2011-05-26T21:15:00.001-05:00

We have finished all of our full hookups and now all we need is for the electrical company to do their thing. Sandy called them yesterday for an update and they are now saying next week. They may have some of their crews over in Missouri helping them restore their electrical grid. If they get in all we will have to do is a check with the meter to make sure our wiring is okay.

We're hoping today will be our last day for using the blue boy and Bad Boy to haul our waste water to the sewer clean out. I believe we won't miss this chore at all even though Sandy loves driving it. I use the Bad Boy to pick up trash thrown into our ditches by people who just don't care where they dump their trash and beer cans. I police this area just about every other day and will usually pick up a five gallon bucket of trash each time.

It looks like the 50amp service which we are presently using will stay. We purchased new wire for the run over at our new site. So, we will have a spare if some one should drop in for a visit.
I mowed and edge the three acres here today. It will be a while before I will have to mow next door as we don't have a lot of grass right now. My BIL does use the brush hog on the back forty though.

Here are some more shots of the area where we will be parking soon we hope. Maybe when we return from First Monday in Canton we will be able to park our home over there instead of our current spot. After twelve years it will be so nice to have full hookups. Also as you can see we will have an abundance of shade. (click on photos to enlarge)

Until next time. . . .MtnAire Travlers.

Still Waiting On The Electric Company

2011-05-24T20:48:00.001-05:00

We had hoped they would have been here by today but they were a no show. We picked up our 50amp RV breaker box today with a 20amp receptacle. They wanted $229 for one at the local RV Dealer but we found exactly what we needed at the local hardware store in Dangerfield for $146.

Tomorrow Wendell and James will go ahead and mount the box at our pole. They will then run the wire in conduit and tie in to the meter pole. This way we will have our part done and after the electric company does their part we will have our electrical hookup. Once this is done and everything checks out they will bury the in ground electrical run.

Since its been four days with out any leaks we buried the water line today. Our plans are to put in a concrete slab around the sewer, water lines and the 50amp electrical pole. This way I will have a nice place to walk and do my hookups.

Sandy and I spent a good part of our morning cutting small tree stubs and raking in the area we will be building our patio. Our weather alarm just went off announcing we are under a tornado watch until 3am. There is a system moving our way from the west. Boy with all the bad weather we've had this year you just never know.

Oh I fell to mention we moved our 8x16ft cargo trailer over to the land today. We primarily use this for storage of our seasonal clothes and a couple pieces of antique furniture.

Until next time. . . .MtnAire Travlers.

Water Is In Electrical Next....Then

2011-05-22T20:26:00.001-05:00

This past Friday May 20th, we dug the trench for our water hookup at the new site. We had to drive to Lowes in Mt Pleasant about 26 miles west of us to pick up our PVC pipe and fittings to lay the line. While we were gone Wendell and James dug the trench for the water line. We picked up 6 10ft sticks of Schedule 40 PVC pipe and the fittings.

We were back a little after noon and by 2:00pm the line was in the ground and the turn up with two faucets were secured to our power pole. We waited 24 hours before turning the water on to allow all the glued joints (about 50ft) to set. We did not want the pressure to blow them off. Saturday morning we turned the water on and found no leaks.

All that's keeping us from moving now is the electrical hook up. The electrical company inspectors showed up Friday afternoon and approved our work on the meter pole. They should be out next week to set a new transformer and run the power line to the meter pole.

Sandy and I went into Longview Saturday afternoon looking for a RV 50amp power box. We want something similar to this but neither Lowes or Home Depot had one. Our SIL Bev works for an electrical supply company and is going to order one for us.
The trench for the line from the meter pole to our hook up site is already in place waiting on the box. Soooo when that is all done we will be moving over to our new site. We still have a lot of clean up and landscaping to do but we can do that over there. It's going to be so nice not to have to use the blue boy to dump our waste water.

This is the area we will be landscaping and we are real excited to get in some flower beds, grass and perhaps a concrete patio pad on the passenger side of the motorhome.

Until next time. . . .MtnAire Travlers.

Moving At Warp Speed

2011-05-19T22:36:00.001-05:00

Will I didn't have all the facts regarding the progress we have made on the future site for our home on wheels. I stated in my last post the clearing would come after we had all of our hookups in place. Well things progressed so fast today that the clearing of low lying limbs and underbrush was all done this morning.

Wendell used the backhoe and cleared out the low limbs so that we were able to drive the motorhome over to test fit where we would park it. This also was good as it helped us pinpoint where to locate the electric box, sewer and water for our full hookups.

While doing this the city was doing their part in connecting a 10ft sewer pipe to the main sewer line. After they finished and left Wendell got busy with the backhoe and trenched a sewer line to where we needed it. This was just a little over 200ft.

Tomorrow they will lay the sewer line and install the turn up for the sewer hose connection. He also trenched the electrical line from the meter pole to where we will place the 50amp RV electrical box.

We are not sure yet when we will be able to move over but the way things are falling in place it probably won't be long. As a side note while over there in the motorhome we were able to get out with our satellite for Direct TV.

Here is a photo showing where all the under brush and low limbs have been cleared out. We have some fine tuning to do to this area but as you can see things are falling into place. We are hoping to be able to move some time after Canton First Monday. We need to do some major burning of the many piles we have of the limbs and underbrush.

Until next time. . . .MtnAire Travlers.

Making Progress On The Land

2011-05-18T21:04:00.001-05:00

Sandy and I have taken advantage of the cooler weather we've been enjoying these past two weeks. We've been busy clearing out under growth from my BIL’s land. I've been busy with the weed whacker and Sandy using the chompers to cut back small limbs. We will have to get a crew in with chain saws to take out the larger trees and limbs.

Tuesday my BIL and his sidekick Wendell extended the culvert where we will some day use to enter our new site for parking the motorhome. They added another ten feet to the existing driveway so we now have a 33ft wide driveway to turn into the property.
The next thing will be to trim back some of the trees of the circular driveway where we will park the home when at base.

The electric company came by to see where we wanted the meter pole for electricity to the home. We also have a plan for hooking up to the city sewer sometime in the very near future. All it takes is money and a little time. Time we have a lot of since we are retired.

My other BIL David and his wife Carol pulled out Tuesday in their 09 Discovery Motorhome heading for a small town near Ft Smith, Ark. They have purchased not quite two acres of land where they will live and base. They both are avid fisherman and their place is not that far from the Arkansas River. I see a trip for Sandy and I once they get settled in.

Today they dug the hole for the meter pole and attached the meter and main breaker boxes. Here they are lowering the meter pole into the hole. Afterwards we completed the pre hookup of the boxes and 8ft deep copper ground. The city electrician showed up a little before 3pm and green tagged our work. We await now for the electric company to come and install there meter.

The city will have a crew here early in the morning to dig for our sewer hookup. After that we will run city water to our future site and a RV 50amp/30amp/20amp electrical box will be installed. We will do the limb/tree clearing after all of our hookups are in place.

Until next time. . . .MtnAire Travlers.

Spring In May??????

2011-05-05T20:14:00.001-05:00

Our weather this week has been nothing but outstanding. Our lows at night about 45-52F and highs around the low 70's. This kind of weather and my feeling 90% better has Sandy and I outside by 8am doing lawn, edging and raking leaves. We work until around 2pm each day and then set outside in the evening admiring our work. The birds and squirrels seem to be happy too as they have really entertained us singing and fighting over the one feeder. We just may have to get another one so there is room for all of them except of course Mr. Squirrel who really plays havoc with the feeder.

Here he is preparing for his launch on to the feeder. (Click photo to enlarge)

As you can see we have cleared out the area next to our home on wheels. The grass and small bushes were cleared from under each of these three trees. We must have raked thousands of sweet gum balls along with the leaves. We have about six piles similar to the two in the foreground. The far tree in the left back ground is what the three trees looked like before clearing out the under brush. The building in the background is where we connect our fresh water hose.....about 200ft. Today was my morning to weed wack the four culverts and trim the hedges around my BIL’s home.

In the evenings it is so peaceful setting out side in the shade watching the critters go about gathering their meals. We've had a light breeze that just makes you feel good all over. The crows are really cawing, I wonder if a hawk may be near by. In a distance you can hear the roar and see the concourse of a jet plane.

Here is just some of our entertainment around the home.

This woodpecker was the most entertaining. I was intrigued by the way he hung off the feeder.

This is good therapy for one at the end of a busy work day.

Until next time. . . .MtnAire Travlers.

Health Issues Round Two

2011-05-04T20:33:00.001-05:00

Let's see picking up from my last post of May 1 I stated I had no complications until.....,

Friday the 22nd we left for Canton for May First Monday. Everything was going fine until Sunday April 24th were I passed a large amount of old blood. Our thought was could this be from the polyps removed at VA. The closets' ER was in Tyler so we went to Trinity Mother Frances arriving at 7:30pm. Assigned to a room at 2:30am Monday morning. Monday about 2. pm they rolled be down to their gastro logy surgery room for a EGD (upper GI). About three hours later Dr. Kai came in and told me all the bleeding was coming from the lower third of my esophagus and not the colon area. My Dr. at VA called Sandy several times checking on me

They wheeled me back to my room and said I might to go to our home on wheels Wednesday. They had a heart monitor on me and sometime Tuesday a heart Doctor visited my room. Asking the usual questions and he informed me he wanted to do some further testing. In the mean time Sandy returned to the home on wheels as she had to get our booth set up for First Monday that started that Thursday.
To make this post shorter I want go into the details but at that time things seemed to check out okay. They were going to release me Friday but during the night my heart rate dropped to 33. The night RN Nurse came inane said we need to get up and walk around the room a bit. She said my heart Doctor had scheduled some more test and if it look okay I might get to go home late Friday evening. I called Sandy to give her a heads up as the drive from Canton to Tyler was about an hour.

Friday evening comes no release in sight. The 7-11 shift nurse came in and informed me they wanted to do a couple more test Saturday and depending upon the outcome I could go home Saturday. In the mean time Sandy was in Canton during the bad storm that passed through Canton Tuesday night. The sirens went off five times but no tornados. Thank you Lord! She said they had lots of wind, penny size hail and heavy rain was all they got. This was the same terrible storm that tore up the Southern states. Our heart goes out to them.

To draw this to a close I was released Saturday night around 9pm. Sandy picked me up and we were home around 11pm. The heart Doctor subscribed some new meds and will probably do some kind of stress test later in the month. Bulletin……..Just learned I have a stress test scheduled for May 31st. I have lost 18lbs in the past 12 (mostly fluid) days and my strength is returning. Sandy and I worked in the yard most of the morning. First time I’ve been able to do this in a while.

I close with this I truly believe Trinity Mother Frances hospital was a God send. I feel a lot better and will let you know something as soon as I find out.

A big welcome to our 44th Blog Supporter Froggi Donna.

Until the next time. . . . MtnAire Travlers.

Let's See Where To Begin

2011-05-01T14:16:00.001-05:00

I guess we'll start with my trip over to Shreveport to the VA hospital on April 15th for a shingles shot, a education class for a colonoscopy procedure scheduled for me on April 20th. After the class I got the shot and had an echocardiogram done. Then to pharmacy where I picked up the kit that will clean me out prior to the procedure. Then it was off to home.

They took me off the Warfin blood thinner and B12 iron
supplement meds. Then on Monday I started the liquid diet which consisted of lemon jello, broth and clear liquid drink like water or 7up. I did this for two days and started with the clean out kit on Tuesday the 19th which by the way did it's job. Since I was taken off the Warfin I started the Lovenox shots which is a bridge between the blood thinner med and still prevent clotting.

After nearly starving to death The 20th finally rolled around. we both were up at 5am and on the road to Shreveport a little before 6am arriving at VA at 7:30am. They called my name at exactly 8:45am my scheduled appointment time were they escorted to a make ready room. I put on the open back hospital gown and laid on a stretcher watching TV. About 9:30 they rolled me into the procedure room and gave me the pain and twilight shots in my IV. They did not take me all the way down due to a low heart rate.

So, I was able to watch it all on the Large TV monitor with a little discomfort. After they finished I was able to get dressed and went to another room where they explained the gastroenterology doctor removed two polyps. I should get the pathology report some time this next week. They average 25-30 of these procedures each day of the work week.

It was a little after noon and since I had no solid food for the past three days the first thing we did was stop at a DQ and ate lunch. We arrived home just about 2;30 pm and I crashed in my lounge chair waking up at 10pm to go to bed. I had no complications until . . . .

More to follow………………..

Until next time. . . .MtnAire Travlers

Squeaky Clean

2011-04-13T21:13:00.001-05:00

This morning I was up and outside gathering the things we would be needing to wash the roof of the motorhome. Our temperature was 49F which was a little nippy particularly with a light wind out of the north.

Donnie arrived right at 10am and was up on the roof in no time. We loaded all the things she would need in my 5 gallon wash bucket and using a rope she pulled it up the roof. Next was the brush and water hose. She was on her knees making sure she removed the tree sap and stains. This took her right at an hour and a half.

After a good rinse we hauled up the 303 to apply to all the vent covers, A/C shrouds and satellite dome. She finished at 12:45pm and was off the roof and gone by 1pm. I climb the ladder and let me tell you it was squeaky clean. Donnie thanks for a super job.
Next Sandy and I washed the sides and we now have a clean motorhome.

Until next time. . . .MtnAire Travlers.

A Busy Past Few Days

2011-04-11T18:36:00.001-05:00

We finally got that much needed rain this morning when the system from the west rolled through. We are so thankful however the northwest winds that accompanied the rain I'm afraid will dry us out again.

When filling up our fresh water tank the last time our check valve malfunctioned and the water no longer ran into the tank. I removed the check valve and saw right away that it was defective. I removed the defective valve and replaced the fitting which allowed water to enter the tank until I could pick up another one.

I picked up a new valve at the local RV Dealer in Longview for just under $10. Installed it and it is doing it's job. This is my second valve to replace in less than a year. I don't know if it's a poor design or just one of those things that goes goes bad on an RV.

Since it so difficult for me to get up and down on the roof of the motorhome now, we've found a young lady who does house cleaning to come over to wash the roof. She washed the roof of my BIL David Discovery Sunday and did a superb job. She will be here tomorrow to wash our roof. While up there she will also 303 all the vent covers, A/C shrouds and satellite dome all for under $35.

We went in to Longview today to pick up supplies and have a late lunch at BIL Mike and Sandy's sister Pam's home. Mike recently purchased a new Traeger Pellet Grill and wanted to try it out for us. Instead of wood or charcoal it uses hardwood pellets and cooks indirect. The rib eyes he prepared were delicious. They were cooked just right and had an excellent taste. Thanks Mike and Pam for the great evening meal.

They have a beautiful back yard with a pool and sauna. Pam spends a lot of her time when not working at their church attending to her flower beds as you can see in the following pictures.

Fuel prices in Longview today were $3.79 for unleaded and $4.03 for diesel. We found SAMs Club had unleaded for $3.57 with your SAMs card. It's been awhile since the last time it took over $60 to fill the Jeep Liberty.

I mowed the seven acres yesterday. I should have waited tell this evening while the ground was still moist and I wouldn’t got so dirty from all the dust stirred up by the mower. Sandy would not let me in the motorhome until I rinsed my legs, arms and face off at the outside faucet. Even after this rinse off the shower floor was filthy when I showered last night.

A big welcome to Andy Altes our 44th Blog Follower.

Until next time. . . .MtnAire Travlers.

Finally April Showers and ………….

2011-04-04T19:09:00.001-05:00

We had a little April showers, March winds and the return of old man winter all within one day. Our weather alarm went off at 4:44am advising of severe thunderstorms, high winds and possible hail to the west of Canton. We both got up and dressed….God forbid that we get caught in a storm and blown away in our PJ's. We both checked our weather Apps on our IPhones and this is what we saw headed our way.

According to the weather app there was heavy rain, lighting with thunder and winds could be as high as 60-70 mph headed our way. Sure enough the rains, winds and lighting hit the grounds about 6am. I don't believe the winds reached the predicted level but they were somewhere around 40-45 mph and it rained so hard you could not see the Pavilions across from us. So we set there and waited for the storm to pass before going to breakfast at the local Whataburger.

After breakfast we went back to the motorhome with the thought we would just wait it out before heading back to base in Lone Star. I was able to drain and flush our holding tanks, put in the water hose and electrical cable between rain showers.

Sandy called her brother in Lone Star to see what their weather was like. They had similar weather but in their case they had a lot of hail. We decided to wait a little longer and about 10am the rain stopped and we had very strong sustained winds of 30-35 mph out of the northwest. While this would help dry out the roads it certainly would play havoc with high profile vehicles, but we decided it wasn't going to get any better and hit the road about 10:30 am.

The interstate was pretty dry for our trip but Sandy really fought the winds that where hitting the back corner of the drivers side of the motorhome. We arrived in Lone Star just after noon. Set up the home and headed out to Mt Pleasant to go to the bank and Walmart for groceries.

On our way the sun popped out and nothing but blue skies appeared around us. The winds however where just howling out of the northwest. These winds didn't help our moisture in the ground as by the time we got back to Lone Star the red dirt from the trucking place next door was really blowing across the empty lot from us. Our temperature tonight is suppose to be around 38F. So, when it comes to the weather we’ve had it all today.

Until next time. . . .MtnAire Travlers.

April First Monday Canton

2011-04-02T19:21:00.001-05:00

Well April 1 April Fools Day has come and gone without a single practical joke or hoax which is very unusual around here. Our week started off with overcast skies and cooler temperatures. As we approached the week end the temperatures climbed and we have had just beautiful weather for the April Trade Days. We had several days in their where we had the threat of stormy rainy weather but it never happened. So maybe April showers will hold off even though we badly need rain.

The crowds turned out for us and we're so appreciative of them. The RV parking are all full with motorhomes, fifth wheels and pull behinds. Several who came by our booth where snowbirds heading home after spending the winter in the RGV.

We had a some unusual entertainment Saturday over on The Mountain at The Buffalo Girls Hotel where they had their 12th Annual Chili Cookoff. The Buffalo Whisperer, RC Bridges and his pet buffalo Wildthing made an appearance. They have been on Ripley's Believe It Or Not, and on the Animal Planet. It's amazing what Mr Bridges can get this big guy to do.

While out wandering the grounds I stumbled into a vendor that has the best fried pies I've ever eaten. They are a Mennonite Family and they fry their pies right on the grounds. My two favorites are the apricot and pecan. They also have homemade bread, cookies and other bakery items which I'm sure are prepared in their home. The booth are manned by a husband and wife with their four young teenagers. They are busy every time I walk by their place. They only open on Fridays and Saturdays.

If you want a birds eye view of the grounds their is a helicopter tour you can take that will fly you over the Canton Trade Days grounds. I'm not sure of the fees or how long the flight is over the grounds but looking at the watch and listening for the sound it seems he flies over our area about every twenty to thirty minutes.

We have a new vendor across the way that sells designer pillow cases, ear mitts (he claims he invented) and The Grips sealer tubes for sealing chips, bread or anything you open and do not consume at once. All our vendors around us are saying while the crowds are excellent like a November crowd their sales are not what they should be. I personally feel that some months your product is not what the crowds are looking for.

Until next time. . . .MtnAire Travlers.

March Winds With A Vengeance

2011-03-22T17:24:00.001-05:00

Well we finally have those March winds roaring here in North East Texas. The strange thing is they are not those from Arizona mentioned by Al with The Bayfield Bunch . They are coming directly out of the South. Our winds have been blowing steady at 15-20 mph with gusts as high as 35-40 mph. Our temperatures are climbing as well we've been in the mid to high 80's for the past few days.

The wind and sand are blowing across the motorhome and at times it looks like one of those sand storms in Arizona. It wouldn't be so bad but the trucking company next to us is nothing but a red dirt lot. With their activity and our winds it's the worse we've seen in the 12 years we've based here.

It would help if we had some rain to settle all the red dirt and green pollen. We are so behind on our normal rain fall. Our streams, stock tanks and the lake here are way down. Maybe we will have those April showers that will turn this around.

Did a dumb thing this morning while mowing. I bottomed out the huge lawn mower in the ditch where the drive wheels were not touching the ground. Didn't approach the deep ditch at an angle had I this would never had happened. With this being a heavy big mower I had to get Sandy in the Jeep to pull me out. That wasn't as easy as it sounds as we had to put the Jeep in four wheel drive before we finally got out of there.

Because of the high winds I mowed in a west to east direction so the cut grass and dust would exhaust to the north away from me. I still managed to get filthy dirty though.

I hate to see all the fellow bloggers I read heading back home. It looks like Al and Kelly have started that turn northerly. Mark and Dortha are back in Forth Worth from the RGV. Rick and Paulette say they are getting closer to their departure date sometime in April. There are others who are now home or headed that way.

So, it won't be long and I won't have those beautiful scenic pictures and stories to see and read about their winter adventures. But, I enjoy reading their blogs regardless of the season and where they might be staying.

My sister sent me a email with these pictures of goats eating on the walls of a dam in Italy. Simply amazing how they manage to stay on the dam wall without falling.

Until next time. . . .MtnAire Travlers.

A Brief Visitor And A Lot Of Activity

2011-03-17T15:40:00.001-05:00

Earlier this week I was outside and was greeted by this gal. I believe she has a whole lot of bit bull in her. My guess she was about nine to ten months old. She was a playful thing you couldn't go out without her greeting you, letting you rub her belly and and then taking off running around the house. You couldn't leave anything out as she would run off with it and most the time chewed it to pieces. I guess this was because she still had her puppy teeth and was teething.

Once she took both of my Crock shoes off my step and when I finally found them they naturally had been destroyed. I wanted to kick her butt but then I said to myself.... my fault shouldn't had left them where she could take them particularly knowing she had this trait about her.

You’ve probably noticed I used a lot of past tense describing this gal.This morning I was outside mowing and no dog. Don't know if she found her rightful owner or decided to move on. Hopefully she found her owner and not ran over.

FM 250 here is a very busy highway with all the eighteen wheelers running up and down it hauling tubing to the oil fields. With the price of oil being over $100/barrel now things related to the industry has really picked up here. US Steel here in Lone Star has been busy making the tubing used in the oil industry.

The trucking firm next door to us has been hauling pipe out like theirs no tomorrow. They make a lot of noise using a huge front end loader to load the tubing on flatbed trailers. My guess is there is at least twenty or more trucks in and out several times a day. They even load at night sometimes.

My BIL is also reaping the benefits of the higher oil prices as he has been busy hauling pumping units to West Texas. Naturally we consumers are footing most of this due to the higher fuel prices. I just need to figure out a way to make this diesel pusher run on distilled water. Of course when I do it too will go up in price. LOL

Spring is here! We are expected to see temperatures around the low 80's for the next several days. The dogwoods are beginning to pop. The red buds which to me should be called purple bud are all over the place. The wild fruit trees are also blooming. It want be long when the green pollen will be all over the place. We really enjoy this time of the year in North East Texas. (click on pictures to enlarge)

Until next time. . . .MtnAire Travlers.

Grass Cutting Season Is About Here

2011-03-08T18:10:00.001-06:00

As most of you know I take care of mowing and weed eating the three acres at my BIL James place. Of course he provides the big lawnmower I use to cut the grass. It’s getting that time again where I will resume cutting the grass around here. I first needed to do the annual oil and lube maintenance, sharpen the blades and get it ready.

This will be the fourth cutting season for me using his 48" cut Scag Lawnmower with a 19hp engine. Also this will be the fourth tension spring I've had to replace for the right cutting blade. What gives here is the spring made in China or is their a flaw perhaps in the design? So, after discussing this with James we decided we would approach the dealer. The prior two times I just went in and purchased a replacement and the first time they replaced it under warranty. This time we decided enough is enough and I would go in there with the story of replacing this spring for the fourth time and would ask if this was a fault in the design or perhaps poor quality of the spring.

Today I went in to the parts counter and looked the parts guy strait in the eye and told him about our having to replace this spring for the fourth time. I then asked him has he had other customers coming in with a similar complaint. He looked me strait in the eye and said yes. I thought to myself "got ya" and was preparing to ask for it to be replaced at no cost. But then he followed up and said the breakage is usually caused by running the engine rpm at to low of a speed which in turns creates a huge amount of strain on the blade trying to exhaust the grass. This strain also is put on the tension spring and in turn it breaks over a period of time.

I thought there a minute about my mowing habits and said to myself he is right. I don' t run the rpm up at full bore when cutting and just about every time the spring had broken it would be when mowing in tall grass and particularly when cutting into rows of cut grass is when I would notice the spring breaking. So, I quickly asked him if he could help out a guy whose habits were exactly as he described. The guy was nice enough that he gave me 25% off the regular price. We will give it a test in future mowing's to see if running at the higher rpm will resolve the problem.

Until next time. . . .MtnAire Travlers.

Sure Didn't Last Long

2011-03-06T21:43:00.001-06:00

Our weather that is..... as Saturday we were cold with overcast skies for most of the day. So much for my statement about spring just might be here. The weather I'm sure put a little damper on our crowds. Those that were here were not in a buying mood at least from us anyway.

Sunday turned out to be a much better day as far as our weather was concerned. Our crowd was the typical Sunday crowd mostly locals and with the fuel prices taking the jump they have this week I'm not surprised. Diesel went from $3.48 a gallon when we arrived last week to $3.77 a gallon today. Who knows were it's going to go?

We have to stay over Sunday night behind our booth. We couldn't get out due to some blankly blank parking his cargo truck/trailer in the parking lot behind us. So, rather than dump our holding tanks this evening we have that chore to do in the morning before leaving for base at Lone Star.

Judy and Emma wanted to know what we peddle here at First Monday. We sell ladies purse inserts like that shown below: (click to enlarge)

Most are available in five different sizes, nine different colors and allows a lady to not only keep her purse organized it also makes it easy to change purses. Just lift out the insert and drop it in the other purse, diaper bag, beach bag or briefcase. We have had men buy them to place in their consoles of their trucks and SUV’s.

Until next time. . . .MtnAire Travlers.

A Little Like Spring. . . .A Good Thing

2011-03-04T10:23:00.001-06:00

A big welcome to John & Linda's Travel "Adventure” our newest blog supporters. You might just want to click on their blog. They recently lost their fur kid Pearl who was a beautiful pure breed white Lab. They posted a wonderful tribute to her. Our pets are not only our best friends they are family and its tuff when you lose them.

Our neighbors finally showed up late Wednesday evening. It seems one had been battling a flu virus and the other trying to recover from a Affair Of The Hearts show in Oklahoma. We helped them unload and partly set up their booths. Afterwards we had a little later than usual Happy Hour.

AT&T has finally got around to adding 3G to this area. Things should go a little faster on the mobile and perhaps the cell towers won't overload as bad during the weekend when we have larger crowds.

I set in the booth awhile yesterday as Sandy has been battling a stomach virus. Notice, I said set as I did not sell a thing. Yes, it was a little slow Thursday. We have two new neighbors down the way . We don't know if they are temporary or permanent. One sells signs and the other sells a little of everything from paper towel holders to hat racks. Like I have said before you can expect to find it here.

We are thinking this should be a good weekend for us particularly since First Monday was snowed out last month. Also our weather is turning more like spring. We have clear blue sunny skies with temps in the low to med 70's. Folks probably have cabin fever and want to get out of the house. There are also more RVer’s here. We suspect some are winter snowbirds from the RGV returning home.

Until next time. . . .MtnAire Travlers.

March Canton

2011-03-02T18:15:00.001-06:00

So far we've managed to avoid those lion winds of March. Our winds have been more like a lamp non existence and temperatures cooler than predicated. Of course there is that saying when in Texas if you hang around long enough it will change.

We went to McDonalds this morning for breakfast and on our way out this huge motorhome with an unusual toad, a trike bike, pulled into the parking lot behind the building. I did not have my camera with me so I asked Sandy to take pictures with her IPhone. This trike bike appeared to have been home built and it was supporting a small Chevy V8 engine. They were from Minnesota and we assume were snowbirds returning home.

I said this past Monday in my last blog it has been an usual First Monday when it comes to vendor arrivals and setup. Here it is Wednesday now and we have only one neighbor that has set up. Most of our neighbors around us arrive by no later than Monday and are setup before today. We usually have Happy Hour in the evenings where we share snacks and stories. First Monday starts tomorrow and it appears we will have a lot of vendors setting up later than normal. Sooooo it looks like we will have some catching up to do when they all finally get here.

March can usually bring out the crowds. Let’s hope that is the case this month. With the higher fuel prices that remains to be seen. Diesel here went up 10 cents a gallon in one day to $3.58.

Until next time. . . .MtnAire Travlers.

Canton Weather. . . . You Just Never Know

2011-02-28T11:46:00.001-06:00

We had a surprise awaking this morning around 1am. The wind all of a sudden picked up, then lighting, thunder with a brief period of heavy rain. The winds really rocked the motorhome and our awing's sure did flap. This system I'm sure was the same weather system that brought the snow and colder weather to parts of Arizona this weekend. It rained for several hours and we are hanging in there with no further leaks in our roof.

This morning we still have the strong winds but not the rain. We're about 20 degrees cooler than yesterday. Sunny skies makes one to want to be outside doing something. Since I'm not a golfer, walker, or play tennis I decided it would be a good day to do the aluminum wheels on the motorhome. I gathered up all the cleaner, terrycloth rags and wax and started on the passenger side. Nope, this isn’t going to work, the winds just cut you in half. So, back inside out of the winds and this project will have to await another day.

None of our neighbors are here yet? What's going on that we don’t know about ? Usually most are here by Sunday evening. Maybe they knew about the weather and decided to wait till sometime today to show up. Sandy is off to Walmart to pick up groceries for our stay here this week. I stayed behind and rested my eyes.

Was glad to see Jeff Gordon climb back into the winners circle in yesterday’s NASCAR Cup race at Phoenix. Even though it would had been nice if Kyle Bush who came in second could have won. That would have given him a sweep of Phoenix this weekend by already winning the truck race Friday and the Nationwide Saturday.

Until next time. . . .MtnAire Travlers.

Refrigerator Vent Base And Cover Replaced

2011-02-25T15:52:00.001-06:00

Thursday morning Sandy and I were up early and off to Longview. We needed to pick up groceries for her mom before we leave for Canton and the expected thunderstorm that was to hit that afternoon. We also needed a few groceries for ourselves.

On the way back I asked Sandy to stop by Hayes RV as I wanted to talk to them about what was involved in replacing the refrigerator vent base and cover. They happened to have what I needed in stock and material cost for both the vent base and cover were around $45. I asked to speak with one of the techs about the process of replacing this myself. After he explained the process I asked how much would it cost me for him to replace it. He said $147 labor plus material. I asked when can you do it? He looked at his schedule and said how about Friday morning at 8:30am. I said....Sold put me down.

This is the system that came through just before 3 pm Thursday afternoon. The winds were gusting around 30 mph with lots of thunder, lighting and heavy rain at times.
Are you ready for this….Our recent efforts in resealing and taping our roof has evidently paid off........NO LEAKS!! Yippeeee

The heavy rain fall lasted for about 45 minutes and then the skies just cleared. Let's hope that was a good enough test and you won't be bored to death with anymore posting about leaky roofs. I do have to admit it has provided writing material for my blog posting.

Today we were up and on our way to Hayes RV by 7:40am for our 8:30am appointment. They took us right away into one of their service bays. We went and had breakfast at the Whataburger nearby. We returned and waited in their waiting room eating homemade oatmeal cookies. About 9:45am we saw them pull the motorhome out of the bay. So that didn't quite take the hour and a half but it was close. Total bill was $225. While I was paying Sandy drove the Jeep around to the motorhome had it hooked up and ready to roll. We departed for Canton a little after 10am.

Picked up a Zip-It at Lowe's which Howard with RV-Dreams recently talked about and was able to pull out a lot of yucky stuff from our shower drain. Sure does drain faster now. Thanks Howard for the tip.

A big welcome to Georgina. Thanks for becoming our 42nd Blog Supporter.

Until next time. . . .MtnAire Travlers.

What Happened Here And When Did It Happen?

2011-02-23T17:04:00.001-06:00

Today I was up at 7am and outside applying The Solution to the upper one third and crown molding on the passenger side of the coach. I was using my BIL James 12ft ladder. Boy was it heavy but it sure made it easy on this old body. I started on the passenger side as the pad was much more level than the drivers side. I started in the back of the coach working my way around toward the front.

As I got about midship just where our Dometic refrigerator vent is located I saw a huge crack and opening right at the back corner of the vent shroud. Could this be the area where the rain has been entering and traveling back in the ceiling to the bathroom?

The more I process it I finally convinced myself that this could not have been the original entry point. When we applied the Eternabond tape about three weeks ago I would have certainly noticed this as I was rolling the tape with the steel roller all around the vent. I was down on my knees and would surely have seen this large of a crack. So, my speculation is it might have happened in Canton the Tuesday night we had the bad storm with wind gusts to 60 mph. My BIL Mike said he didn't notice this side of the vent since he did not do any sealing there.

While there trying to figure out what I was going to do I noticed one of the four long screws that holds the vent cover down was loose and raised up about inch and a half. Enough that you could pick that corner up and it would rise up placing pressure on the rear of the cover where the shroud was cracked. The vent shroud appears to be brittle. I imagine the exhaust heat of the refrigerator and UV has done a number on it.

Now what to do? We head out to Canton this Friday and we have a 70% chance of a thunderstorm tonight thru tomorrow. The two RV repair centers here certainly would not be able to deal with replacing the shroud without an appointment.

Sooooo I said let's patch the crack with the Eternabond tape until we get a chance to address a more permanent fix. That my friends is exactly what we did. I also dipped the long screw in sealant and reset it. Now we await the storm and the rain. Hope we have not bored you to much with this leaky roof thing we are currently going through.

Until next time. . . .MtnAire Travlers.

Everything On The Roof Has Now Been Resealed

2011-02-22T19:14:00.001-06:00

A big thank you to BIL Mike who spent most of Monday afternoon on the roof of the motorhome sealing everything that wasn't already sealed. He even went back over a couple areas where the sealant had shrunken from Saturdays work.

We hope we’ve sealed that area where the water has been finding its way into our bathroom. Our big test will be Thursday as the weatherman is predicting a 70% chance of thunderstorms that afternoon. The only other area that has not been addressed are the seals on the two Dometic A/C’s. If we do have water entry we will have them looked at by a professional. Right now we are thinking positive and feel we’ve resolved the leak problem.

We have three Fantastic vents on our roof, two in the bathroom and one in the kitchen. Well guess what we had to leave these opened last night so the covers would not stick to the sealant. Well we had a low of 38F this morning and talking about cold you could have hanged meat in here.

I spent most of the day cleaning the home with The Solution. Boy this stuff is just great! We had some soapy water streaks develop on the sides from when I washed the roof Friday prior to our sealing Saturday. I was able to remove them with ease.

Until next time. . . .MtnAire Travlers.

A Little Of This And A Little Of That

2011-02-20T11:21:00.001-06:00

It's been a little busy for us this past week dealing with the motorhome roof, blood work, start of the NASCAR racing season and hosting Happy Hour for family members.

The re-sealing of certain areas on the roof is progressing thanks to the help of BIL Mike who is Sandy’s sister Pam’s husband. We spent about two hours up there yesterday caulking around the Fantastic Vent covers and just any area that has not been either taped with the Eternabond tape or caulked previously. We ran out of the self leveling caulk and will get some more Monday with the hopes of re-sealing everything up there like the air horn mounts, radio/cb antennas, etc.

After been up on the roof we decided it was time for Happy Hour. We visited and discussed the times of our visit with Mike and Pam when he was in the Navy. We followed them on every tour of duty station they had with the exception of Japan, Norfolk, and Hawaii. Dinner time approached and the next thing we knew Mike treated us to some take out BQ from the Outlaws BQ place in Dangerfield.
What a great day we had and our thanks and gratitude goes out to Mike and Pam for everything you did for us.

Today is the start of NASCAR with the running of the Daytona 500. Both Sandy and I are big time NASCAR fans going back to the early 80's. This Daytona will be the 10th anniversary of losing our all time favorite driver Dale Earnhardt Sr who was killed in a wreck at the Daytona 500 in February 2001. It took us a while to get over this tragedy and it was hard to watch future races without seeing the #3. Yes, Dale Sr is a legend and will not be forgotten.

In fact it was ten years to the day after Michael Waltrip's victory in the Daytona 500 was marred by the tragic death of Dale Earnhardt Sr that Michael Waltrip returned to Victory Lane, winning Friday's nights NASCAR Camping World Truck Series race at Daytona International Speedway. He edged out Elliott Sadler on the last lap of the race and in turn four where Dale Sr had crashed into the wall ten years previously.

Until next time. . . .MtnAire Travlers.

Valentine Poem From Deep East Texas

2011-02-14T07:06:00.001-06:00

It Don't Git No Better Than This-author unknown

Collards is green,
My dog's name is Blue,
And I'm so lucky
To have a sweet thang like you.

Yore hair is like cornsilk
A-flappin in the breeze,
Softer than Blue's
And without all them fleas.

You move like the bass,
Which excite me in May.
You ain't got no scales
But I luv you anyway.

Yore as satisfy'n as okry
Jist a fry'n in the pan.
Yore as fragrant as snuff
Right out of the can.
You have som'a yore teeth,
For which I am proud;
I hold my head high
When we're in a crowd.

On special occasions,
When you shave under yore arms,
Well, I'm in hawg heaven,
And awed by yore charms.
Still them fellers at work,
They all want to know,
What I did to deserve
Such a purdy young doe.

Like a good roll of duct tape
Yore there fer yore man,
To patch up life's troubles,
And fix what you can.
Yore cute as a junebug
A-buzzin' overhead.

You ain't mean like those far ants
I found in my bed.
Cut from the best cloth
Like a plaid flannel shirt.
You spark up my life
More than a fresh load of dirt.
When you hold me real tight
Like a padded gun rack,
My life is complete,Ain't nuttin' I lack.

Yore complexion, it's perfection,
Like the best vinyl sidin'.
Despite all the years,
Yore age it keeps hidin'.
Me'n you's like a Moon Pie
With a RC cold drank,
We go together
Like a skunk goes with stank.

Some men, they buy chocolates
For Valentine's Day;
They git it at Wal-Mart,
It's romantic that way.
Some men git roses
On that special day
From the cooler at Kroger's.
That's impressive, I say
Some men buy fine diamonds
From a flea market booth.
"Diamonds are forever,"
They explain, suave and couth.

But for this man, honey,
These won't do.
Cause yore too special,
You sweet thang you.
I got you a gift,
Without taste or odor.
More useful than diamonds,
IT'S A NEW TROLLIN' MOTOR!!!!!!!!!!

Until next time. . . .MtnAire Travlers.

Puzzled

2011-02-13T15:49:00.001-06:00

We returned to base this past Monday after one of the most dismal First Monday weekends we have ever experienced. Since we were anticipating some rain this week (which by the way never materialized) Sandy and I pulled the tarp over the area where we had that leak last week.

While on the subject of rain what is it about melting snow verses rain? It appears with all the water created from the recent 5-6” snow fall melt, we did not experienced a leak in the usual spot in the bathroom. Where with the heavy rain fall we had recently we experienced a leak?

Is it perhaps the rain fall we had was blowing rain (we did have 60 mph wind come through that Tuesday) that found its way in where the soft snow fall just collected on the roof? If any of you out there in Blog Land have any ideas I would appreciate hearing from you.

We have someone coming over next week to get up on the roof with me to see if we can figure out where this stuff is coming from. It has to be around the Fantastic Fan vent area.

We wish to thank Allan & Jeanne Webster for becoming one of our Blog Followers. Welcome aboard!

Until next time. . . .MtnAire Travlers.

First Monday A Ghost Town

2011-02-05T14:13:00.001-06:00

We awoke Saturday morning to clear blue skies. Our temperature was hovering around 16F. Just maybe they say it might warm up to 39F by this evening. We were hoping this would be a sign that just might bring out the customers. It never happened. Yes, we had a few walk by our booth but you could tell they had some other place in particular in mind.

For the most part vendors decided to just write off this month and some started packing up to go home. We hadn't had breakfast yet so we all packed into a neighbors truck and drove to the near by McDonalds for our morning coffee and meal. You could tell from the traffic and with all the eighteen wheelers parked at a near by truck stop things on I20 were still at a snails pace.

After our breakfast we drove back to the grounds and it looked like a ghost town. The parking lot was virtually empty with only a few vehicles mostly belonging to vendors. We went to the office to pay March booth rent and they told us we could go home if we wanted to.

The weather for Sunday now has a chance for more snow and sleet.
Oh what to do?? We are already in our home which still has about 5" of snow and ice on the roof and slide outs. Our neighbor next door uses a local man to help them pack out. He had a ladder and large snow shovel and was getting the snow off their slide out. I asked him if he would do my two slides and he graciously said he would do it for me. Within ten minutes he had all the snow and ice off both slides. Now if we do decide later this evening to head out to Lone Star we won't have that to worry about.

We helped our neighbors pack out and then turned our attention of tearing down our booth for the move across the way. Then a light bulb came on and we can't move over there as the water was still turned off. No way to dump our holding tanks without water.

Here are some designer snow boots Sandy picked up at Wal-Mart. She seemed to have started a fashion as all the ladies were wearing them today.

While standing out behind the motorhome a honey bucket truck stopped and asked if we wanted him to pump our tanks. He has a fresh water system that he can use to follow up after pumping us. I asked how much He replied $10 so we let him dump our tanks. The wash out wasn't all that great but what the heck at least I won't have to mess with that chore before leaving. I can give them a good washing when we get back to base provided it ever warms up.

Well our neighbors have left and headed home. Here Sandy and I set pondering our next move. Even though there are no customers here the parking area behind us still has a lot of vendor vehicles parked where we can not get out now. So, what the heck let's just stay here and have our own Super Bowl party.

Until next time. . . .MtnAire Travlers.

A Snow Event For Canton First Monday

2011-02-04T15:13:00.001-06:00

In the 26 years we've been coming to Canton First Monday I don't recall where we never failed to open up due to bad weather. Well it looks as if February 2011 might be our first.

The weather is just beyond not being able to deal with anymore. This has the making of being our first ever goose egg for sales. We've always been able to at least cover our expenses but doesn’t look to good this month.

We went to bed last night thinking we just might be able to open up at least by noon today. Not going to happen as when we awoke this morning we had about 6" of snow on the ground and it was still coming down.

What a weather event! We have not been above freezing since Tuesday. We are not expected to see warmer weather before Saturday then our highs will only be in the low 40's.

Only then do we have a chance of all this white stuff melting. Another concern is our propane is getting low and it will be Monday before we can fill up again.

I just can’t imagine the impact this has and will have not only our country but the little town of Canton. The restaurants, hotels, Walmart, convenience stores and of course us vendors. We pay our rent regardless if we are open or not. The only winner is the person who rents out the spots in the Pavilion. He loses some though as he does not collect that $5 per car parking fee if the crowds don’t show. What about Jerry Jones this has to have an effect on Super Bowl XVL.

So what does a guy do in weather like this besides nap....he plays card games on his IPhone.

Tomorrow is another day just maybe we might see some break in this weather.

Until next time. . . .MtnAire Travlers. (click on pictures to enlarge)

And What A Change It Was!!!

2011-02-01T19:38:00.001-06:00

No, I'm not going to bore you about our weather. I'm not going to tell you the coldest weather we've been in a long while came through Canton this morning at 2:40am with a vengeance. Winds 60 mph, thunder, lighting and heavy rain.

No, I 'm not going to tell you that Sandy woke me up a 4 am saying "Weldon… it's leaking again". What!!! You must be kidding me or dreaming. #%###%%%¥\ No she wasn't .....sure enough there was a drip drip coming from the same area as before. This can't be happening as I know we sealed around that area.

Outside of being completely disappointed there is not a darn thing we can do about it now as our weather has completely grown worse. Not as much the wet stuff but just outright cold. We've had sleet and snow flurries the rest of the day. Our high today was 24F our low tonight 17F with a wind chill of 0F.

To top this off we went out in the Pavilion to see how things faired and we had another shocker. Our display tables were all laying down, our neighbors wall on one side was down and the neighbor across from us walls were down as well. What happened was they did not get around to installing the backdrops on the other side of us and the wind played havoc with everything. They finally got the backdrops up and hopefully we won't have that problem again.

Our weather doesn't look good for this weekend as our weather doesn't start a warm up till Sunday. Sunday being Super Bowl XVL who wants to get out of the house. We’re here so we will stay the course.

Until next time. . . .MtnAire Travlers.

In For A Big Change

2011-01-31T10:47:00.001-06:00

Our weatherman is telling us to be prepared for some cold weather that's headed our way. By tomorrow our temps are to drop nearly 35 degrees with a low Tuesday night around 17F and a high 26F. So much for that touch of spring we’ve enjoyed the past several days.

We drove over to get the propane bottle filled to provide some heat for Sandy’s area for the next several days. Even though it doesn’t keep you totally warm it does a good job on the legs and feet.

I don’t normally watch to many movies made for TV but last night the Hallmark Hall Of Fame movie “The Lost Valentine” was a keeper. If you didn't get a chance to watch it look for it when it comes around again. I assure you want regret it. If it doesn’t bring a tear or two somethings wrong with you.

A friend from Georgia sent me the following email and I wanted to share it with you. Amazing pictures ---

FEEDING THE EAGLES

January of this year, 2010, the weather stayed so cold in St. Louis, Missouri and Alton, Illinois that the bald eagles were cruising over houses in hopes of a meal.

They could not access fish that were at the bottom of the river and had gathered together.

Some kind souls decided to feed the eagles so they would survive the cold spell.

They gathered fish and started feeding the group of eagles huddled on the shore.

The photos below show what happened. A retired teacher took these photos in front of his home.

Incredible!

Feeding the Eagles!

A beautiful morning feeding the eagles, Jan. 2010

Once the fish were thrown, the eagles did not seem to fear the good Samaritans and word spread fast!

Eagles vying for the fish, January, 2010.

No zoom lens used here! The photographer was this close!

Here are the men who were feeding them. So close!!

As you know, it was not too long ago that the American Bald Eagle was an endangered species.

Until next time. . . .MtnAire Travlers.

Things Just Happen!

2011-01-29T20:54:00.001-06:00

We are at Canton for First Monday weekend which begins this Thursday February 3rd. Our weather for the past several days has been just great. Today's high is going to be 73F. While the weather was so nice I decided to do some outside maintenance chores. I opened my battery compartment door and noticed the large 3/0 cable was not fitting properly on one of the battery lugs of my house batteries.

When I pulled out the tray for a better view the cable became disconnected from the terminal lug. Yikes! Without this connection we have no 12 volt power. Our water pump works off 12 volt power and without the pump we no flush the toilet, shower or wash dishes.

The little town of Canton has no place that carries a terminal lug this size let along a crimping tool large enough to crimp on a new terminal. What to do? I called several places in the Tyler/Longview area that I thought might carry cable this size and would be able to crimp on a new terminal lug. Found one in Longview but they couldn't or wouldn't deal with it as their tech guy was off on weekends.

I do not understand first of all as to why this cable (3/0) has to be so large. I'm sure it has to do with load etc. but we needed an interim fix. Sandy drove me to an auto parts house to see if I could come up with a temporary solution. I told the parts guy my problem and he said since we were connected to shore power the inverter should not be required to provide a big load. For a interim fix he suggested I use the largest gauge auto battery cable they carried. Sounds good to me so now we a least have 12 volt power to run the water pump.

Yes, things just happen and the next dilemma we faced was the struts for one of my compartment bay doors came off when we raised the door to turn our inverter back on. I had my test today. Sorry to report Sandy will tell you I didn't deal with them very well. grrrrr!!!! This has happened before and my vision being what it is I could not snap them back in place. When it happened before Mark was able to snap them back in when we were in Ft. Worth.

Say we now have a 3G wireless signal with AT&T here in Canton. We're moving up as the Jefferson's would say. Before we only had “E” Edge and things went pretty slow when using your cell phone. The big test will come this weekend when our crowds pick up.

It looks as if our balmy weather is about to change. We have a system headed our way and our temps at night are to return to the thirties. This shouldn't come as a surprise as the weather in February at Canton is always cold. We may also get that test for our recent roof repair as our chances for rain is real good for tonight through Monday.

The photos tonight are from an email I received from a friend. They are tulip fields in the Netherlands.

Until next time. . . .MtnAire Travlers.

Blog Supporters

2011-01-27T20:56:00.001-06:00

I’ve noticed several of the blogs I read have moved their Blog Supporters to the top center of their blog. I first thought about doing this and later decided to do nothing. But, today I’m moving it to the top center. I’m so embarrassed because before with it down on the right side near the bottom I normally never scrolled down that far. Low and behold I did this pm and noticed I now have 40 Blog Supporters. WOW! You are the most important and the main reason I enjoy blogging. Of course I enjoy reading all the other blogs I follow as well. So, a big welcome to all the recent Blog Supporters glad to have you along.

Until next time. . . .MtnAire Travlers.

Eternabond Tape Phase Two

2011-01-27T17:12:00.001-06:00

BIL James called Sandy this morning and said they would be wrapping up their job and would be here about 1pm to finish the tapping of the seams and all vent covers. What near a perfect day it was for getting up on the roof of the motorhome to finalize the sealing of the seams and vents. Our temperature was around 63F and there wasn't a cloud to be seen.

I got everything together and had it up on the roof before they arrived. Wendell immediately went to work with the sander removing all the old caulk. While he was doing that I was right behind him with the leaf blower getting rid of all the caulk powder created by the sander. Wendell then took the wire brush and brushed the seams some more to make sure all the caulk flakes were gone.

Behind this another leaf blower job and then the acetone to clean the seams before laying down the Eternabond tape. I followed right behind him using the special roller to roll over the tape. As you can see from these photos this tape cleans to the seams like when you vulcanize a tire inner tube with a hot patch. The more you rub it and roll over it the better it bonds. By 3:45 pm we were through.

We had a small rain shower last week and had no leaks from the drivers side we done the week before.

As to cost for doing the Eternabond tape we spent $280 for the three rolls of 4"x50' tape and $100 in labor to take off the old caulk and lay down the tape. We had a quote from a local RV dealer at $105 labor per hour and they estimated approximately 8 to 10 hours to do the job. It took two and half rolls to do the roof and we have about 25' left over. The manufacturer says the tape has a five year shelf life and to keep it in my tool box for small repairs.

The tape is guaranteed not to harden, crack, peel, curl up at the edges, fall off and resist mold.We will check the roof from time to time (when we are up on the roof washing it) and will give a update as to how it's holding up.

Until next time. . . .MtnAire Travlers.

Tarp Is Off Ready For First Test

2011-01-19T20:16:00.001-06:00

Our weather has finally been consistent enough where we could work on the roof of the motorhome. I went up on our roof today and removed the tarp. Afterwards I gathered the necessary tools to begin that dreadful task of chiseling the old caulk off the seams and vent areas.

Wendell showed up about 1:00 pm and begin to help me. The caulk was so hard we were having a difficult time in removing it with chisels and scrapers. At the rate we were going I told Wendell we would be up here the rest of the day and would not have enough daylight left to lay down the Eternabond tape.

The next thing I knew he crawled off the roof and was back in about ten minutes with a 4" electric sanding disk that had a diamond cut sanding pad on it. We ran an extension cord up to the roof and within 45 minutes he was able to sand off most all of the old caulk on the seam of the drivers side, around one of the three fantastic fan vents and the shower sky dome. He was very careful and did not get into the plastic vents nor the paint with the sanding disk. Also by sanding the seams we feel we have a better prep for the tape to really bond well to the seams.

I then took our leaf blower and blew off the powder from disking the old seams. We then cleaned the area with acetone and started laying down the tape .

While Wendell laid down the tape over the seams I rolled it with the special steel roller I purchased with the tape. By 3:30pm we had completed the drivers side and the vents. It sure looks good and now we will wait to see if it passes the test as we are expecting rain tomorrow and perhaps snow.

I wanted to get pictures of the finished job but I was just to pooped and didn't want to crawl back up there to take them. Will take pictures when we do the other side which right now looks like might be this Saturday. I feel good about what we accomplished today and the short time it took us to do the drivers side.

Until next time. . . .MtnAire Travlers.

Tarp Doing It's Job

2011-01-16T15:45:00.001-06:00

The rains started Saturday morning, most of Saturday night and a little heavier today. So far the tarp is doing it's job of keeping the wet stuff from coming into the coach.
After we got the tarp in place Friday evening Sandy asked "Is it a good idea to cover the vents for our stove and frig". You know I never gave it a moments thought but she may have something there. So I got up on the ladder and checked to find with the protrusions of the other stuff on the roof there was space to allow venting of these two appliances.

Watched Saturday's NFC playoff games and the Steeler vs. Ravens game lived up to all it's hype. The Packers to my surprise manhandled the Falcons. Today's games should be no different. The weather at Chicago burrr who wants to play in that stuff. It appears the Bears do though.

Now this is really strange. As we set here watching the Bear/Seahawks game our carbon monoxide alarm just started going off. Now why is this happening. Let's see Sandy did use the stove this morning fixing our breakfast but she also used it Saturday and the alarm didn't go off then.

Sandy asked when was the last time I changed the battery? Battery what battery gosh I haven't changed it since we brought the coach nearly three years ago. So I pulled it down from the ceiling in the bedroom and pulled the battery. Put a new one in and so far it's not going off. Strange to write about something and say it looks okay and then have the alarm tell you maybe all is not so well. Time will tell if it just the battery or in fact carbon monoxide amongst us.

A very dear friend of mine who lives in the Texas Hill Country near New Braunfels sent the following photo of wild turkeys in her back yard.

Until next time. . . .MtnAire Travlers.

Bring It On Rain That Is

2011-01-14T19:33:00.001-06:00

This evening James came home early to help Sandy and I place a tarp over the roof of our motorhome. I'm not sure the blue matches our paint but who cares as long as it does its job. It took a little doing but as you can see it's in place sooo bring on the rain. We're not even sure this will do the trick as with all the protrusions from the vent covers, A/C cowlings and Satellite dome the tarp is not perfectly flush on the roof. We let the jacks down lower on one side so what water might get under will run off toward the passenger side. Time will tell if this is going to work as rain is forecasted starting Saturday evening thru Monday.
While I was up on the roof guiding the tarp over the vents there were still signs of ice in places. To avoid slipping I had to crawl around on my knees.

Until next time. . . .MtnAire Travlers.

Some Neat Things For Sandy

2011-01-13T22:26:00.001-06:00

Sandy's sister Pam gave her a solar lighted hummingbird for placing near our entry door. She purchased a package of three at Harbor Freight and gave one to Sandy to try. All I can say it is more ornamental than functional. Doesn't give enough light to help you see the steps. It is pretty though with it's changing colors of white, red and blue.

Most of the ice and snow has melted off the roof and our temperatures are suppose to start climbing through most of next week. Things are not looking good for getting the roof sealed tomorrow or Saturday. The guy that was going to do it hurt his knee. So since its suppose to rain this weekend we will put a tarp over the area and hope to get it sealed next week.

The snow has really brought the birds to our feeder. Here are some that have visited us these past few days. I guess the squirrels are all cozy in their nest or borrows as we haven't seen any out and about.

Sandy finally got her an IPad and she loves it. There are many features she likes about it but the two features she really loves is using it as an eBook reader and the App Paprika Recipe Manager. Here she is preparing one of her favorite chili recipes for dinner tonight. Of course I like to play games on it one particularly I like is Deer Hunter.....very realistic. Many many card games and the Maps App is great when traveling. Of course you have to have Wifi which we do at all times with our Verizon air card and Cradlepoint router.

Paprika allows Sandy to create her own recipe's, save recipes from any website, and organize them the way she wants. She can make a grocery list, plan meals for the week using this app.

Until next time. . . .MtnAire Travlers.

Don't Even Know What Day It Is!

2011-01-12T17:49:00.001-06:00

Can't you tell I'm really retired or maybe it's retarded. As most of you probably figured it out by now I don't even know what day it is. My post on One Eleven Eleven should have been yesterday not today. On well can't win them all even though I thought the title was kind a catchy.

Until next time. . . .MtnAire Travlers.

One Eleven Eleven (1/11/11)

2011-01-12T16:34:00.001-06:00

Now this event won't happen again for another hundred years. Sandy though reminded me that come November we will have an eleven eleven eleven. Hummm I wonder if today would be a good day to go to the casinos over in Shreveport? Our temperature last night got down to 17F. So cold the snow on the ground and particularly the roof tops is still hanging around .... and they said this winter won't be as bad as last year.

We both had cabin fever and wanted an outing. So we were up early and headed into Longview for Sandy's retail fix. While in Longview I picked up some more supplies for sealing our roof. My BIL James has a worker that will do this for a reasonable price. He his scheduled to do this Friday and/or Saturday which has our temps in the mid to high 50's. The product information says you can apply as low as 40F. Will be so glad to see this project behind us. We are scheduled for more rain Saturday night and Sunday.

After Monday nights college BCS championship game between Oregon and Auburn there is no more college bowl games. What is a guy to do? I'm not a big basketball fan professional nor college. So I have to wait for NASCAR which starts up in February and the NFC playoffs before the big daddy of them all.... Super Bowl XLV. I fell the New England Patriots have the inside track to win it all.

We have some very lazy people in this world. I'm waiting in the car at the Walmart parking lot for Sandy to run in to pickup an item she forgot. I just observed a young woman whose car was parked right next door to a cart return leave her basket right in the middle of the empty parking space next to her car. Someone will have to get out of their car and move the basket before they can park. Can't you tell I'm bored and just can't come up with enough interesting stuff to write about.

Our high today managed to get to 28F eleven degrees higher than our low last night. There's that number eleven again. When we got back from town we had that dreadful blue boy chore (dump the black water). We had to pull the blue boy by hand across the snow to the sewer clean out drain. Man was it cold. What's that saying. . . .”You gotta do what you gotta to do.”

Until next time. . . .MtnAire Travlers.

Boy It's Cold Outside

2011-01-10T18:33:00.001-06:00

When we went to bed last night the snow was really coming down. Our temperature dropped to 25F and hasn't been much warmer today 31F being our high. Our total snow fall here was right at 4". Everything is white and so clean looking. Okay the roads were not so clean looking. They had that red Texas dirt looking slush appearance due to all the traffic from people going to work this morning. At least for now the snow and moisture has stopped and we need a warm up to get the snow out of here. This won't happen until later in the week.

Last evening BIL James picked Sandy up in his four wheel drive F150 truck and drove her over to their Mom's to take her evening meal. Sandy could have taken the Jeep as it is four wheel drive too but she just didn't feel comfortable with it. She said the roads did have some areas that had black ice and she was thankful brother James was doing the driving.

After a quick tour of the area I spent the remainder of the day working on our books and 2010 taxes. Our weather for most of the week doesn't look real promising to do anything on the roof. Our highs are to be in the mid thirties and lows in the teens. We may end up putting a tarp over the area that is leaking until such time it warms up again and gives us that window to seal it properly.

Just looked out my window and guess what. . .it's snowing again. I don't recollect the weatherman saying anything about this. They are never right most of the time anyway. Sandy is over at her Mom's doing laundry and fixing her evening meal. Not that she will probably need to I'm glad I went over the proper procedure in putting the Jeep into four wheel drive

Until next time. . . .MtnAire Travlers.

Rain Then Sleet And Now Snow!!!

2011-01-09T15:34:00.001-06:00

What an event! We've had all three of these today but so far it is not sticking to the ground.....roof tops yes.
Prior to all of this I got up on our roof do some sealing but just did not have the stamina to complete the task that was in front of me. It's so frustrating getting older where your body just doesn't allow you to do things like this yourself.

Sooo now we are experiencing a slight leak in our bathroom. It's anybody's guess where it is coming from as water can travel from any possible seam or crack. It looks like the Eternabond tape will do the trick as I was able to seal the front cap seam with it Friday. It’s not the labor of applying the tape. It’s the effort one must exert in removing the old caulk.

Our next step now is to see if we can get an appointment with the RV dealer in Longview to do this work for us.

Say what about those NFC Wildcard playoff games this Saturday? They were the best I've seen in awhile. Sandy being a diehard Payton Manning fan was a little disappointed the Colts lost to the Jets.

As I'm writing the snow fall has really picked up and now it is sticking to the ground. They say we could have 3-4" by night fall. The last measurable snow fall we had was this past February. Maybe in the morning we will have a better coverage on the ground than this photo. It would be nice to be in Arizona but those folks are having a very unusual cold January.

Sandy’s Christmas cactus which didn’t bloom until New Year’s day has really put out some blooms since then as can see here.

Until next time. . . .MtnAire Travlers.

P.S. The snow is really coming down now!

HAPPY 1/1/11

2011-01-01T15:47:00.001-06:00

Today is the first day of 2011, therefore 1111. Now wasn’t that just brilliant on my part. I see on the news the historians are trying to figure out what to call the past decade. The Otzs, 2Ks,Y2Os, 2000 where just some that were thrown out but what do we call it? Something to ponder.

Sandy’s Christmas cactus must be a New Year Day cactus as when we awoke this morning there were blooms on her plant.

Maybe a record for me as since December 18 I’ve managed to watch part or all of 22 college bowl games and there are still 13 bowl games remaining. On top of the college bowl games the NFL playoffs are just around the corner. Sandy says football, football what are you going to do after Super Bowl XLV. I say NASCAR is just around the corner as Daytona is February.

Before the bowl games started I switched over to the Rose Bowl Parade and happened to catch The Wild Mustang float and while I didn't see all the floats this one certainly got my vote for the Trophy float. Of course I like horses. I understand the Ronald Reagan float won this honor.

The float's theme is Mustang Monument, in honor of Madeleine Pickens' proposed eco-sanctuary for horses. Here's her concept: Instead of leaving tens of thousands of wild horses — who have been rounded up from public lands — languishing in substandard, expensive government holding facilities, set them free in a sanctuary on their native range.

One of the things I dislike about the BCS bowl games on New years day is they have more games (4) going on at the same time than I have TV's. Flipping back and forth is not a choice, so you pick one and go with it. I chose the Outback Bowl which had Florida vs. Penn St turns out to be the better of the four. The other three were blow outs.

Until next time. . . .MtnAire Travlers.

The Clock Is Ticking Down On 2010

2010-12-31T21:27:00.000-06:00

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

2010-12-28T15:19:00.001-06:00

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

2010-12-25T18:22:00.001-06:00

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

2010-12-24T21:32:00.001-06:00

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

2010-12-23T20:26:00.001-06:00

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!!!

2010-12-22T21:08:00.001-06:00

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

2010-12-21T19:35:00.001-06:00

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

2010-12-21T08:47:00.001-06:00

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

2010-12-20T07:43:00.001-06:00

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

2010-12-18T21:41:00.001-06:00

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

2010-12-16T10:59:00.001-06:00

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

2010-12-15T21:29:00.001-06:00

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.

What Goes On While You Sleep

2010-12-10T13:30:00.001-06:00

Some friends of ours who live out in the country set up a game camera in one of their back pastures. They wanted to find out what critters were out there prowling around at night.
To make sure they would get some good photos they did spread corn and berry flavored deer food near the game camera. The following are some of the results of their efforts.

Large Buck

Coyote

Doe Family

Raccoons

Small Buck

One Surprised Doe

If you look real close at the photo of the raccoon family the light colored one is an albino raccoon. Soooo my friends you never know what's out there during the night. We really appreciate Don and Carla sharing these photos with us. Thanks guys!

Until next time. . . .MtnAire Travlers.

Remembering Pearl Harbor. . .December 7, 1941

2010-12-07T09:42:00.001-06:00

It was 69 years ago to the day that the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor. They came in two waves the first at 7:53 am and the second at 8:55am. By 9:55am it was over. Behind them they left chaos, 2,408 dead, 188 destroyed planes and a crippled Pacific Fleet that included 8 damaged or destroyed battleships.

Until next time. . ..MtnAire Travlers.