After 8 days of travel and 5 different locations for overnight stays, we arrived at our new location safe and tired. The record Texas heat (104 on arrival) was hard to take at first, and we were thrilled our new location has a pool for us to cool down in. It didn't take long to quickly set up the camper and get in that pool.
We stopped at Katie's house to visit their family and see all the kids. It was a short but wonderful visit. From there, we headed west and made a 1-night stop at Canal Campground (site 116). We were a bit worried about how Naomi would do on such a long trip south. As you can see in the pics below, we think she did really well. We tethered her to the back seat and let her have run of the back with water. Pica and Naomi often slept near each other. Willow Beach Recreation Area is right outside Little Rock. Such a beautiful and small place for an overnight stay (Site 4). It was a peaceful spot for a quick recharge before getting to our normal busy schedule. Martin Creek Lake State Park (TX) is another one of our favorite locations. It has beautiful and large sites, and again is right off the freeway (Site 39). Finally, welcoming Houston meant we had 30 minutes to 'home'. We were elated to start this new adventure this year! Arriving at Cullen RV Park was exciting and welcoming. Without giving details, I must say that we really love our new park. It didn't take us long to hit the pool and make friends with the ducks! The animals were tired too, and they quickly rested, then Naomi was loving her new "TV" of watching the birds! After 2 weeks of finding out if we absolutely loved the park, we made contact with the person who was watching our deck They offered to buy it, we so we got to work building a new upgraded deck, and had it built within a week! The park manager loves it, and I made a few hanging baskets with temporary fake fall flowers to decorate. The deck is built lighter, and will disassemble into 5 parts for easy moving.
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This moment is bitter-sweet, as the summer has been WAY too short, and we will definitely miss our kids & grandkids. However, we are also excited about some new adventures this year and Mark is ready to get back to the school he loves.
Traveling always posts some challenges, so we prepare the best we can. Having all the vehicles in top mechanical order is always Marks' top priority. In the meantime, we do have a TPMS system for the tires, leak detecters, temperature alerts and propane & fridge monitors. We also prepare the vehicle for comfortable travel for the pets, fill up with gas, and double-check any reservations. Pica has always done well just laying wherever she wants in the truck, and knows her water and blanket are nearby. Naomi is different. She's still new to us and travel life, so we're getting used to her needs and she's getting used to our schedule. She likes to roam around and softly talk to us, but she is always tethered (just in case of emergency). The night before our travel day, I make sure her littler box is cleaned before I go to bed. Since she likes using a clean litter box, this means she potties during the night and won't need to do anything during travel. So far that's held true. :-) Rest areas are for all of us. We run the bedroom AC on a higher temp during travel so it's kind of cool when we stop.. Napping is something everyone likes to do on long days, and we all have a place on or near the bed. Most days on our way to TX are 200-250 mile days, but there will be one long 350 mile day that's more stressful. On those days, we have a few more stops to walk & stretch. We also read a book or sing to pass the time, or play word games to keep us awake. Pictures below, Naomi has found a nice cozy little spot in Pica's bike basket. She loves the sun on her. Later, Naomi found that her crate doubles as a hammock, and Pica is just as happy to have her basket back. :-) June went by WAY too fast! We got to see Katie's kids, took care of the folks for 2 weeks, met the kids at our home campground to celebrate 4th of July, and even took a trip back to the old farm I used to work at!
Arriving at Katie's house, we got to meet Naomi for the first time! She is gorgeous! And so is our new little 15th grandchild Nadia! Even Atalia is thrilled about seeing us.. :-) Pica and Naomi are traveling well together.. In time, I hope they will sleep next to each other to help make the trip go faster. :-) Arriving at one of our favorite resorts, Arrowhead Lakes in Ohio, we saw first hand what the tornado left. It will take them a while to rebuild, but we are SO glad everyone is safe! At mom & dad's house, some of our kids came for a quick visit, and we were able to take care of mom for a while. It was great seeing her at the table to eat with us! Week 2 with Naomi, it was her first trip outside near the campfire. She absolutely loved it for a while.. Then a pic of both Naomi and Pica.. Laying together after just two weeks? I think that's pretty great! Then, a total of 3 weeks at the campground, 2 weeks with our daughter Maria next to us in her 5th wheel, and 1 week with our son Joe & Ashley staying with us. It was an awesome time for everyone! We even took a trip back to the farm to visit with ole friends that were family too. It was great seeing them, but sad to see the old barn not being used anymore. Bigger and better equipment has been built! :-) This is the month we're making plans to head back to MI for the short summer. It's going to be a fast trip to and from, but we need to make sure we take enough of a break to rest our backs and minds. In the meantime, here are some of our May highlights.
New Congregation: We certainly love our love congregation. Most families are seen like this praying together and over each other. This I think, is very touching, and should be a focus in each family. For Mark and I, taking time to pray with and for each other (together), has strengthened our relationship and helps us know the other one 'has our back'.. Galveston: Just a quick trip to Galveston for a nice bike ride and swim. Mom's Party: Mark took a quick trip to MI to enjoy some family fun at his mom's 85th birthday party. There was a LOT of family there, and it's always great to see the kids too! Our daughter Katie has a friend that is a Ragdoll cat breeder that was going out of business.. So, through some connections, Katie is getting us a purebred Ragdoll kitty. It took some time figuring out which one we wanted, but we chose Naomi because we loved her name and personality. So, we've renovated the RV just a tad and getting ready to adopt our new addition in June. :-). The photo below is Naomi being held by Nora. Just a few pics of Pica, one at the campground and the other on travel day. She loves sleeping in her bike basket during travel. Probably because it keeps her snug & cozy. Our trip home consisted of 5 overnight stops. We chose campgrounds that were close to the freeway so it was a quick on/off. Martin Creek Lake State Park (Texas): This was an absolutely gorgeous campground with very large sites. We will definitely return here. Willow Beach Recreation Area: This was also a gorgeous campground but small and had NO beach. Odd, but we had a beautiful spacious site and we enjoyed 2 nights of rest. Canal Campground: Settled on the north-west side of the Land Between the Lakes, this campground is gorgeous, hilly, and there were no bad sites. Every site had its own private area and view. We loved the many water-view sites, and the swimming beach was good. Still on the way home, our other sites will be in the June Highlights blog. :-) Mark and I decided that since we were going to be just an hour from Galveston this winter, we’d take advantage of going on a cruise as part of our 25th anniversary celebration (March was our anniversary month). From the advice of a few friends and family, we booked a basic cruise with Royal Caribbean (RC) on their Adventure of the Seas. We have never been interested in taking a cruise, so this would be an experience we were nervous about, yet excited to experience together. As the day approached, our excitement grew. We found an awesome kennel for Pica and put our RV to bed for a week. The customs process was amazing! Our pre-checklist created a time for a set amount of visitors so the terminal wasn’t bombarded with hundreds of people at a time. We waited for maybe 10, but walked through most lines and check points. Before too long, we were on the ship and on our mission to explore! Setting Sail - - Our stateroom was on the 11th deck. We were in a hallway of just 6 rooms, and we were on the same floor as all the pools, 2-4 bars, slides, and main buffet restaurant. Because the rooms were in the front of the ship beyond the adult only area, it was not in a main walkway or busy location, so it was extremely quiet! For breakfast, it was a short walk from our room down to the other side of the ship to the buffet. In the evening, the jacuzzi was about 100 feet through the doors and around the corner. VERY cool! * Note: If we go on future cruises, we will always look for this type/location of room. We had 2 days at sea, going to Costa Maya and returning to Galveston. On these days, we booked all the events and shows we could manage. We ended up seeing ALL the shows they had to offer; joined in with many trivia get-togethers, and enjoyed watching all the crazy/fun events that other people were taking part of. For instance; 'Friendly Feud', 'Speed wall climbing', and the 'sexiest man competition'.. Ha! I ended up leaving early on that! Most of these events we just watched a little of. Was never interested in the shopping on the main Promenade, nor the unlimited ice cream or pizza.. What we enjoyed the most was walking outside around the decks and watching other boats, the sea, and the stars. Sitting outside in that sea breeze together was priceless! ~ Click on photos to enlarge... ~ Costa Maya - - Costa Maya was our first experience of an excursion. We booked through a 3rd party company, and could not take advantage of our entire tour because there wasn’t enough time. However, they did move us around a little to make it work, and we were still able to see the Mayan Temple. We had a small group, and a great tour guide, so I consider that a LOT better than the large groups booked by the RC excursions. When departing the ship, we walked through a mall of shops geared toward travelers. Everyone was ‘in your face’ about buying their items, and we did not like the pushy sales people. We quickly had fear of going into any store, knowing that they would somehow convince us into buying something we didn’t want. Otherwise, Costa Maya has a LOT to do away from specific excursions. Bike Rental tours, 4-wheeler tours, Lagoon swimming, beach, and just take a taxi to a great location. There is a LOT more to explore here, so don't be afraid to get online and read the reviews. :-) Cozumel - - Cozumel was a lot nicer, but the Dolphin Encounter excursion was still quite the experience. Once again, we had to walk through a mall where all the sales reps met us in the streets and begged us to buy their product. There was no way around this, so we just kept walking. We were eventually whisked away by one of RC’s vans, to our mini lagoon where they had 16 dolphins and enclosed locations for snorkeling and kayaking. Now, we thoroughly enjoyed meeting our dolphin ‘Achilles’, touching him, and seeing all the dolphin tricks up close! This was probably the highlight of my trip at least.. however, we really expected more and hoped to be in a beautiful, calm logoon. Instead, we were at the edge of the sea, and the choppy waves made kayaking scary. Only Mark went snorkeling, and it was just like being in a basic aquarium. The area was stocked with fish, and even though it was a neat experience, the choppy waters reduced clarity and it just wasn't as brilliant as we thought. After speaking with others that have been on many cruises, they suggested NOT getting any excursions, yet walking into town (past all the piranha salespeople, and asking the local people what’s good to do if you only have a few hours. Then, you’d be supporting the real local people, and going to some pretty and less populated areas (the diamonds in the rough). Note: IF we do this and we don’t make it back to the ship, the ship WILL leave, and returning home is on our dime. If we take the ships excursions and we’re late to the ship, the company will get us back on their dime no matter what happens. Before leaving Cozumel, we swam in the cove near the ships. It was a beautiful 85 degree day, and the crystal clear waters were 82 degrees. We really enjoyed playing around in this little cove. Sunsets - - You know, God makes a LOT of beautiful sunsets.. But for some reason, the ones at sea just seem to be extra special. Cruise Highlights - - Highlights of the Cruise: Being our first cruise, we had no real expectations. We were ‘wowwed’ by everything, specifically the size, grandeur, and the professional atmosphere of the entire staff. The dining experience itself was spectacular. We chose traditional late dining, so we ate near the same people every evening at 7:30. I really believe the Lord puts us by people we can connect with, and this time was no different. We made some wonderful friends, and connected with them on several levels. We ended up exchanging contact information and will hopefully stay in touch with them. A really cool experience was an afternoon at the jacuzzi. I met a deaf individual with his hearing friend. Since I’m in the middle of sign language classes, I was able to sign/speak with them a little and they were more than eager to interact with me, teach me a few things and give me some tips. That was the highlight of that day! Here's a few more pictures detailing the ship itself... Final Thoughts - - We really loved how there was something for everyone on the ship. Those who like to party, gamble, shop, arcade and sports, can do those things. For us, it was the shows, the jacuzzi, the ambiance, and the spectacular dining experience. It was really nice that no matter what you like to do, there is something for you on a cruise. We were amazed by the location of our room, and wouldn’t change a thing! It was quiet and comfortable. We had a wonderful stateroom attendant, that made everything perfect for us, including making a new towel animal for us each night. LOVED it! There were many dining options included for cruisers, and the buffet at the Windjammer was the most popular. It had perfect seating, good food, and awesome servers. It was open from 6:30am-11pm for non-stop dining possibilities. Will we go on another cruise? We are not sure yet. We're more apt to fly to a location and enjoy a week, instead of cruising there. However, for anybody that loves the pools, the arcade, casino, slides, and all that cruises have to offer,,, cruising is definitely a great option for them.
Thank you for letting us share.. Feel free to leave us comments. :-)
We are all nestled in to our home for 3 months. We have our uniforms, assignments, and have started training already. We are really going to love this place! What I’m especially excited about? Holding the baby alligators and showing them to visitors!!
Brazos Bend is one of top visited state parks in Texas, with 5000+ acres, a variety of ecosystems, 37 miles of trails, 13 miles of horse trails, Nature center, ranger programs, with 73 modern campsites and 13 primitive tenting sites. They are home to many varieties of birds, 25 varieties of mammals, and 21 species of reptiles. The most common to this park is the American Alligator (which I might add are less aggressive than the crocodile). We are volunteering as park hosts during our stay here, and will also help the rangers with a variety of tasks as needed. We are very excited about this opportunity, and very thankful that Rob & Helen told us about the TX state park volunteer program. Heading through Arkansas on the way to TX, we wanted to see some of the fabulous places in the Ozarks. This park did NOT disappoint! What a beautiful place to relax, with a gorgeous lake to explore via canoe. All the Spanish Moss made the area look like another world!
Wow! Is there every a LOT to do in Branson! Especially if you want to do the touristy thing, spend money, and eat.. A LOT!
So, it's 95 degrees out this week. The RV is barely keeping up with keeping us cool, so we don't feel like going on a bike or hiking trip in this heat. Mark's cousin Bonnie recommended a few shows, so that is exactly what we did. We decided to see "SIX", which is an a cappella group of brothers that also make all band/orchestra sounds with their mouths. They were absolutely awesome! So if you're ever in Branson, they would be a good show to see. :-) We also wanted to see a large screen production, so we decided to stay in the air conditioning once again to see "JESUS2022". It's a live show about the life of Jesus at the Sights & Sound Theater. I must say.. WOW!!! It was a large wrap-around stage, with a 300' LED panel in the back of the stage. They incorporated a LOT of animals in the play, including dogs, sheep, donkeys, horses and camels! This is by far the BEST play we have every seen! Stay Details: Treasure Lake RV Resort - Branson, MO. Notes: There's not much to say here. It's a very large park with quite a few amenities that we did not enjoy because of the heat. Their outside pool was closed, and most of the sites were built on hills, so they would be hard to get into. We were luckily able to choose our own site, so we drove around until we found a relatively flat area with a longer & wider site. The pool was basic, and so was the putt putt. We did not go into the lounge. Just a reminder, Branson has a LOT of steep hills in and around the area. We took a little side trip to see this well renowned state park. It was definitely pretty exciting to walk the trails and see the castle and beautiful waters. We walked the Castle Trail, Natural Bridge Trail, Colossal Trail, Spring Trail & Island Trail.
Stay Details: Lake of the Ozark State Park - Site 161 Note: This was the only campground nearby Ha Ha Tonka, and it also has some nice hiking trails. It was a very quiet park, on lots of hills, and decently spaced sites. All the sites by the lake are dry camping, so we didn't have electric for the 3 days we were here. We were prepared for this, and knew we'd be using more solar, and needed to fill our fresh water before getting to the site. Last visit of the year, Katie met us at the campground for a day away with the kids. It was a fun day with everyone, but missing her husband. Thanks for meeting us at the campground! :-)
Sunday, the weekend warriors returned home, the kids are back in school, and the campground is SOOOOO quiet! :-) Stay details: Charlestown State Park - Charlestown, IN * Note: We usually stay at this campground because it's pretty close to Katie, and the sites are VERY large and grassy. This campground also has a lot of hiking trails and an island (old amusement park) you can explore, but we didn't do any of that this weekend. We just love it because the sites are huge and they allow tents! |