Florida!

We were up early Monday, not sure why but it did come in handy.  We knew a storm was heading our way so we packed up and hit the road.  Can you believe we were rolling by 0930?   That's early for us!  The drive was pleasant and on highway 85 most of the trip.  Farmland, cotton fields and old derelict buildings...

We arrived at Eglin AFB around noon having gotten sprinkled on only a little.  After setting up we sat and enjoyed a cold beer just enjoying the view



As you can see, it's a bit overcast but no matter, we're almost on the water and that's heaven to us.  This base has two campgrounds, one nestled it the pine trees with all the sites lined up in rows.  This one has about twenty sites on  a peninsula.  The only drawback is no sewer hookups...

The afternoon was cool and a slight breeze was blowing. We took a little walk with Boo in tow and as these pictures show a few people were out and enjoying the Boggy Bayou.  There are a pair of Blue Herons that I've enjoyed watching

We stayed here a few years back and my memory of that stay involves a fall on these rocks and a nasty cut on my hand.  But I didn't get my camera wet!

The pelicans have been showing off too...and we saw a couple dolphin fins.  Not sure how many there were but they churned up the water catching dinner.

Jim said he needed a seafood fix so we headed out to Valparaiso just outside the east gate across the bayou to The Boathouse restaurant.  We sat outside on the deck so we could watch the boats

While we were waiting for our drinks it started sprinkling...so we went back inside and it's a good thing we did because the rain started pouring down!

No matter we enjoyed our seafood dinner and arrived home in time to enjoy our coffee at the usual time of 1600.

We settled in for the evening of rain and wind watching Bones, DWTS and Castle.  Sleep was a bit troublesome because of the wind and those darn slide toppers...

Yesterday the skies cleared and we had sunshine.  But we also had a sick fridge...Had to call out a repairman and hopefully today the problem will be resolved.  After he left we headed to Destin because that's where the nearest Petsmart is.  Boo needed some dry food and a new toy  :-)

We also made a stop at Destin Commons because I wanted to shop at L'Occitane but I had the wrong mall.  We popped into Bass Pro Shop for a bit then headed home.  Sure was nice seeing the sand dunes again!

Back home in time for afternoon coffee.  Tuesday night is NCIS night.  We've also been watching the new show Vegas...it sure is fun seeing all the old cars!  Not sure about the show

Little Bit of this Little bit of that

Last Sunday was chilly!  Upper 40's when I got up.  The skies did clear some but the sun mostly came and went.  We watched some football and Netflix.  Took Boo for a short walk, even he was reluctant to stay out  in the cold weather.  We had BLT'S for dinner because we had apple pie with our coffee and we just didn't get hungry!  Saints finally won their first game and Drew Brees passed Johnny Unitas' record of career passes.  We slept with the comforter....ahhh warmth...

Monday I was up at 0700 and it was a bit 'warmer' with a temperature of 50....lot's of clouds.  My phone battery was dead...does this happen to you?  My phone had a full charge when I went to bed but overnight the battery was drained...and it was turned off!

We decided to stay another week so Jim emptied the black tank into the blue boy and went to the dump station.  While near the office he paid for another week.  This campground is very peaceful and we like it here.  Willow Beach COE park outside of Little Rock in case you've forgotten.  While I was doing some dishes I noticed a bird swoop down into the water and I couldn't quite make out what it was.  Got out my binoculars and the bird turned out to be an Osprey.  While I was watching he decided to take a bath.  Really neat to see!  If I had a different lens I could have taken pictures but the Nikon doesn't zoom out that far.

With our afternoon coffee we finished off the apple pie.  It sure was good.  I picked up some bottled pie mix while in Amish Country.  Just pour into shell and bake....YUM

Jim grilled our dinner, pork loin for him, onions and zucchini for us and I had some re-fried beans.  We watched Bones, some DWTS and Castle

Tuesday I was up around 0700 and there was some fog on the lake.  It's quite pretty.  We believe the geese we're seeing are Canadian Geese and we saw a gazillion of the fly over today.  We made a run to Walmart.  Dinner was Tortellini soup...real easy to make.  about three cups of broth, a package of tortellini and a bag of spinach.  Toss all this together and when the tortellini are cooked, you eat it.  Some good Italian bread and you have dinner.  It was an NCIS night on TV


I guess the front is passing.  Wednesday was not as cold when I got up.  Matter of fact we both found the comforter to warm for sleeping so it's back to the quilt tonight.  The day warmed up to the middle 70's.  Jim washed all the outside windows as they were spotted from the rain we had.  I baked some cookies while Jim napped and we had our coffee outside

Red beans and rice for dinner

Just some relaxing days inside mostly because neither one of us like cold weather

A change in plans

Shortly after I got up this morning I was chatting with Anne and we decided we didn't want to leave for Alamogordo today. It was raining when this decision was made. I let Jim know as soon as he got up :)

We had biscuits and gravy for breakfast. I still don't like biscuits and gravy...

Since we didn't have to pack up and leave we just didn't do much of anything. It was a chilly morning but the rain passed and it turned into a nice day.

Anne fixed BLT's for our lunch. She also fixed spaghetti for our dinner. Scotty and Jim had red sauce and Anne and I had Pesto. We also had a salad and a glass of red wine. We both need to buy groceries and tomorrow we'll make a stop at Walmart in Artesia. The Scotts need some gas for the coach and we can get some food! I need my veggies....

After dinner Scotty and Jim went to the clubhouse for a jam session. While there I noticed cows right outside the front gate.

There were some rabbits munching on the grass but they didn't like me and scampered off.

Jo and Al

Scotty and Jim

I came home just before 2200 and Jim came home about 30 minutes later. I showered and checked emails. Jim showered and then we had some popcorn.

Right now we're watching Bones and Freddie Kreuger (Robert Englund) is on the show!


"When a cow laughs, does milk come out her nose? ~Author Unknown"

I was up shortly after 0700 and it was 37 degrees outside and 51 inside! Time for the furnace and even the fireplace. The sun is out and it should warm up outside reaching the mid-60’s. Soon it was warm and toasty in here. I woke Jim at 0800 after turning on 60’s Revolution on Direct TV.

Today is black tank day and Jim took care of that, braving the chilly weather. That’s my man!

Jim did the breakfast dishes while I dressed and tossed clothes in the wash machine and then he helped me make the bed.

Jim went for a walk and Dave went with him. While he was gone I had lunch. When Jim came home he had a bite to eat then he, Scotty and Dave went over to Retama Village for a Dulcimer jam session.

I watched my soaps and made some jewelry, two necklaces and a pair of earrings. These were projects that needed to be finished. I also put two charms on my charm bracelet.

The day turned out very nice after our cold start. I guess it warmed up to the mid-60's. Once the wind died down a bit it was quite nice. Not that I spent any time outdoors! But the sun was shining and it looked nice out there.

Just as I took my coffee next door to visit with Anne the guys came home. Anne and I enjoyed our coffee and a muffin while the guys sat outside. Soon it was time to get ready for Margarita hour at the clubhouse.

No time to eat before we left so Jim had a plate of goodies from the table. He and Anne had a margarita. I waited until we got home to eat. Anne won the 50-50 drawing and took home $95!

Once home I showered then fixed leftover beans and rice for my dinner. We've been watching Bones and now NCIS.

It's cooling off, 51 degrees outside, it's going down to the mid-40's tonight and that should be good for sleeping.

A good friend is cheaper than therapy. ~Author Unknown

Yesterday I was up at 0645 and it was just a wee bit chilly so I set the thermostat at 65 and turned on the furnace. I’ll sure be glad when we don’t have to heat up using the furnace. I’m tired of wearing long pants and socks. Looks like we’ll be in the 50’s today with little chance of sunshine. Good day to do laundry!

Once Jim got up I started on the bedding, in all I did 4 loads of laundry.

Jim made himself an omelet and toast for brunch. He took out the trash and recycle items. I fixed some soup and crackers for myself along with smoked salmon. Jim did the lunch dishes and cleaned the stove.

Around noon we noticed the temperature was dropping, it was 47! It’s snowing in central Texas.

All afternoon the temperature stayed in the low 40's. I baked some lemon poppy seed muffins. Anne came over and joined us for coffee and muffins. Scotty was at the wood shop. Brave man, it's cold over there normally....

We had red beans and rice for dinner. Watched Bones, NCIS and Nat Geo. In bed around 2200.

Boo, this and that

Boo had his teeth cleaned yesterday and I think he's back to normal tonight. Jim took him to the vet around 0730 yesterday and dropped him off. Meanwhile Anne and I had our hair cut around 0815! Sure was odd to come home to a quiet house. We both spent the day doing this and that. Jim called the vet around 1430 and they said we could pick him up around 1600.

Once we got him home we kept a close watch on him. He was a bit groggy and wasn't interested in eating. The instructions said to keep him warm so we took him to happy hour with his blankie! He did eat some cheese and crackers and perked up a little with all the attention.

Once home he ate his dinner then slept the evening away!

I forgot to mention that last Saturday Jim and I went out. We hit PetsMart to find some dental supplies for Boo. He’s got his teeth cleaned the 26th and we need to be more attentive to brushing/cleaning his teeth. So we picked up some items to help with that.

Then we went to Bed Bath & Beyond. We didn’t need anything; we just like to stroll around the store. I think they changed the layout because it was different to me. Also it reminded me of Walmart with racks of items in the isles. A lot of stuff was priced to sell! I bought three dish towels for $1.50 and a round vinyl tablecloth for a dollar. We also found a dish rack that really appealed to us! It folds up to maybe 4-5 inches, you can use both sides or fold one side up and it fits in our large kitchen sink. Plastic construction.

folded in the sink

Unfolded on the counter, as you can barely see it will hold quite a few dishes. I really like it!

Back at the truck Jim asked ‘where else?’ I said “how about lunch”? So we went to Carino’s for an Italian meal. They have one of those meal deals too. $19.99 and we each got a Caesar salad (you could have soup instead), two entrees and two desserts. Jim chose the shrimp skilletini and I had artichoke angel hair pasta. We both had tira misu for dessert. Lovely meal with my honey!

Monday was Anne's birthday and we went to Hayashi Hibachi restaurant for dinner. Ten of us! Diana and john, Pat and Vern, Karen and Dave, Anne and Scotty and Jim and I. We had a great meal, some had beef, some had seafood but everyone had the veggies pictured below.

We've been her before and we had our favorite Chef.

This is the 'onion volcano' he does, always a hit! We told the staff that it was Anne's birthday and they brought out some ice cream for her with a candle and sang Happy Birthday.

Today clouds moved in and we had wind all day. Boo slept most of the day and around 1500 he actually barked! I'm sure his throat was sore from the intubation and he mostly whined last night and this morning. I fed him around 1600 and he ate all his dinner after skipping breakfast. Once the hair grows back on his leg he'll be back to normal!

There's a nice breeze coming in the windows and I don't think it will get much cooler tonight. Looks like another quilt night. We're watching Bones and we'll watch Leverage later.

Rain, Rain and more rain!

I think this winter in the Rio Grande Valley will be one that RV'ers and winter Texans will talk about for awhile. Between the frigid, cold weather we have bouts of rain! I can't remember the last time we wore shorts. Oh well, this way we're wearing out our winter wardrobe! :)

We've not seen the sun for a few days due to the rainy weather. Starting this evening we'll be in a flood watch.

Of course this means we stay inside all day and in small quarters that could be dangerous! It's a good thing Jim and I like each others company. LOL Jim has been reading a lot. Are you familiar with the TV show Bones? Well Jim decided to read the books by Kathy Reichs that the show is based on. He's already up to book 9. I just started to read 1491 by Charles C Mann.

We do have 'outside' activities. Yesterday was the weekly margarita hour. Everyone brings a dish to share and if you don't want margaritas you bring a drink. I was surprised to see as many people as we did last night. I guess everyone needed to get out. It was announced that the staff had set up for 108 people but more than that showed up. Before we went I fixed some brisket and sweet potato fries so I didn't have much just a piece of fudge and some tidbits. Jim had a margarita (only a dollar) and a plate of sweets. We had a good time and at least twice I was brought to tears laughing so hard!

Tuesday we went to Tinseltown and saw Sherlock Holmes with Robert Downey. Not bad! Of our group I think I liked it the most. Everyone seem to find something about it that they didn't care for. Not a bad way to spend a drippy afternoon.

Last night we watched reruns of NCIS then Jim watched Leverage with Timothy Hutton. I decided to read in bed. Don't get me wrong, I like the show but I just wanted to relax and read before sleeping.

I hope the sun is shining for you today. Make sure you tell someone you love them!

"The nice thing about teamwork is that you always have others on your side" Margaret Carty

better late than never!

I slept until after eight this morning. For some reason I woke around three am and had trouble going back to sleep. I guess I did but when I got up I felt yucky and looked puffy. This should only happen after drinking to much, but I didn't do that!

The day started out overcast and cold. We had breakfast and then I started laundry. Today was black tank day so Jim did that and cleaned the toilet. In all I did four loads and it pretty much took all day because of other projects. Anne asked for my help in painting our New Years Eve glasses. We had fun deciding on the design. Simple was better because we weren't having much luck with the original Happy New Year design. We did stars and swirls in all colors and on the base 2010.

Not sure how long we worked on the glasses but I ran back and forth checking on the laundry and getting a bite to eat. And guess what? While we were painting the sun came out and stayed out!!!! It was really nice seeing everyone coming out and enjoying the sunshine.

Jim took the truck to a car wash and cleaned the bed and wheel wells. He even played some golf on his Wii. I got him the Resort for Christmas and it came with a motion controller. He says that will take some getting used to in golf!

We had pot roast with Anne and Scotty before heading to Margarita hour at the clubhouse. The sun was still out so we rode down. Before long the clubhouse was full of folks socializing and having a good time. We squeezed 5 couples around our table. I took my coffee and I planned to refrain from eating, but Jim, Scotty and Anne had some sweets. Jim brought me some peanut butter fudge and all my resolve flew out the window! After an hour we didn't linger and rode off into the sunset. :) Our sunset was pretty and you should see the moon!

At home we made the bed, we've showered and had some ice cream. We've been watching Bones and all episodes have been new to us.

It's cooling off, 56 degrees outside.

No improvement on the weather

It rained all night long! We had deep, deep puddles everywhere when I got up at 0700. It was chilly inside so I turned on the furnace and it took about an hour and a half to warm us up to 68 degrees!

Jim got up at 0800 and had SOS for breakfast, I had toast and orange juice. I cleaned up the kitchen so I could mess it up again :) Over night I soaked some great northern beans. Along with smoked ham hocks, diced ham, onions and carrot I made a pot of bean soup to keep us warm! There's enough to keep us warm tomorrow too! maybe with some corn bread.

Jim did up the dishes and cleaned the stove. Sometimes I'm not very neat when I cook!

We spent the day just hanging around together. We both spent time on our computers. I did a couple loads of laundry and worked some on my Afghan. Around three I put some meatballs and spaghetti sauce in the slow cooker for Margarita Hour at the clubhouse. Something hot was just what we needed! I asked Anne if she was going (she hates cold weather) and she agreed and even drove us (still raining!). Before I forget, Anne gave me this plaque for my birthday. It hangs by the door so we see it every time we look at the thermometer and when we leave the house.

This was the best picture I could get of it. My camera put to much flash on it so I used my phone camera.

It was nice getting out of the house but it sure was cold in the clubhouse, even after everyone arrived. Chocolate seemed to be the theme today and I even brought home some fudge. After we ate our fill we chatted with friends and made plans for later in the week. Back home about an hour later.

We've been watching TV, Bones and now I'm watching Ed Begley on Planet Green.