25 Dec 17
Well!! Christmas day has arrived and our Christmas Meal will be in the Rec Hall, 200 other folks at 5:30 PM , which is called supper to us. The tables are decorated and since Senior are just older Kids they all try to do out each other with the decorations.
The schedule said that Cocktails (BYOB) was from 4 to 5 PM and then there will a game which is always a list of test question related to Christmas. This year we had a list of 15 questions and I got 3 correct so you know how interested I was. The winner got 9 correct which my math is 60 % which earned her a bottle wine.
One such question was: Who is Rudolph's Dad? I didn't even know he had one.
Since we were last to the Party we were place at one end of the table. However, the couple we sat beside were really nice except the gentleman was deaf in his left ear and I was on his left side so I got to eat Christmas dinner mainly in silence. I did ascertain that he was once in the Army, had small dairy farm in Minnesota and owned a hardware store. The other 2 hours was spent with me hoping the night would end.
After a function like this all the chairs and tables must be folded and put away so that the Rec Hall would be ready of the next day. Unfortunately, all the sick , lame and lazy beat it for the exit so that leaves about 10 % of us left to do the work. I was close to the rack that held the chairs so I grabbed my chair and Carroll's and put them in the rack thinking that my work was done. However as I turned to walk away there was a lineup of 10 people ready to hand me the chairs to put in the chair rack, So for the next 15 minutes I was the Chief chair "racker" if that is the correct word.
After all the chairs and tables were properly stored we went home the evening. Christmas is done for another year. Cheers
Accept who you are : Unless you are a serial Killer
Sunday, 31 December 2017
Saturday, 30 December 2017
Breakfast at Tiffany,s
24 Dec 17
We went for breakfast with friends at restaurants and since I can't recall the name of it , Tiffany's will do.
Our friend Terry and another couple we met thru Terry last year always do breakfast every Sunday and usually try a different place if possible. This time they selected a restaurant at a hotel in Mercedes, a town 5 miles from our park. I was a little suspect since it had a Hispanic name but I shouldn't have been because as we walked in about 50 Winter Texan must have skipped Church because they were already eating. Gladly, this little known place had seating for 100 so there still was a table for us.
I also noticed a sign giving the menu for Christmas Dinner so obvious they were open. We are going there for breakfast tomorrow so we will check to see if they are open for New Years day; if so we will be there.
Since the weather was still "Shitty", 10 C, windy , cool and misty we decided to check our the Theatre schedule and we seen that "Wonder" was showing, so off we going to kill 2 hours.
The show was about a boy who had a disfigured face and as a result he was Home School until grade 5. His mother insisted that he should go to school and face the world as he had to do it sometime in his life. Of course he was picked on for a while but perceived after which he met some friends who protected him from Bullies. We strongly recommend this show.
All is well that ends well. Cheers
"If at first you don't succeed; then skying diving is not for you"
We went for breakfast with friends at restaurants and since I can't recall the name of it , Tiffany's will do.
Our friend Terry and another couple we met thru Terry last year always do breakfast every Sunday and usually try a different place if possible. This time they selected a restaurant at a hotel in Mercedes, a town 5 miles from our park. I was a little suspect since it had a Hispanic name but I shouldn't have been because as we walked in about 50 Winter Texan must have skipped Church because they were already eating. Gladly, this little known place had seating for 100 so there still was a table for us.
I also noticed a sign giving the menu for Christmas Dinner so obvious they were open. We are going there for breakfast tomorrow so we will check to see if they are open for New Years day; if so we will be there.
Since the weather was still "Shitty", 10 C, windy , cool and misty we decided to check our the Theatre schedule and we seen that "Wonder" was showing, so off we going to kill 2 hours.
The show was about a boy who had a disfigured face and as a result he was Home School until grade 5. His mother insisted that he should go to school and face the world as he had to do it sometime in his life. Of course he was picked on for a while but perceived after which he met some friends who protected him from Bullies. We strongly recommend this show.
All is well that ends well. Cheers
"If at first you don't succeed; then skying diving is not for you"
A TV Day
23 Dec 17
The weather is the "Shits " for the RGV but considering what is offered in the rest of North America, we will take our for a short time. TX voted Republic so you would think the Trump " The Messiah" could do something about it.
Anyway we have Shaw Direct ; we have Hockey and we have Fox news wherever we are bored so all is well. I even found time to read a book called " Liar's Poker " since I go here. It was about the Bond market and how Salomon Brothers were run into the ground by a bunch of overpaid idiots but very rich Bond Traders.
The weather is hazy all day, the temp is around 10 C or 50 F with a 30 MPH wind which qualifies as being cold not cool.
Gas is as low as 2.05 at most stations but I did see one station at 1.99. Since the price of Oil is on the rise our price with probably increase soon . Cheers
The weather is the "Shits " for the RGV but considering what is offered in the rest of North America, we will take our for a short time. TX voted Republic so you would think the Trump " The Messiah" could do something about it.
Anyway we have Shaw Direct ; we have Hockey and we have Fox news wherever we are bored so all is well. I even found time to read a book called " Liar's Poker " since I go here. It was about the Bond market and how Salomon Brothers were run into the ground by a bunch of overpaid idiots but very rich Bond Traders.
The weather is hazy all day, the temp is around 10 C or 50 F with a 30 MPH wind which qualifies as being cold not cool.
Gas is as low as 2.05 at most stations but I did see one station at 1.99. Since the price of Oil is on the rise our price with probably increase soon . Cheers
Willie B'S
22 Dec 17
Tonight we decided to have a Loaded Potato with Brisket and all the trimmings at a cost of 8.50 at Willie B's. The actual name is Willie's Bar-B-Q but it is known to all Winter Texans as Willie B'S. All the meat is Bar-B -Q" with Genuine Pecan ( wood) Smoked" and believe me it is good.
Willie's has been in business since we first arrived in this area of TX since 1999 and probably before that. We have never seen Willie and I have never heard of anyone else mention that they have seen him but the name and restaurant is well known in the Rio Grande Valley.
The restaurant houses about 120 people and the ambiance is somewhat muted, which is to say it as basic as it can be. The tables and chairs are made of wood , done by a Non- finished carpenter. There are chairs and or benches at each table and all tables are 3 ft square so you can join them together to host a large group.
The main menu's selling feature is the Large ( I mean large ) "Stuffed" ( we call it loaded ) potato with Brisket meat. Most seniors , including us, have to share the potato because a normal person could not eat it all.
However the menu has at least a 100 ( probably more ) combinations which includes rice , corn, salads, ribs ,chicken etc etc. They do a lot of takeout and we have never been there that there wasn't a lineup but they are fast and every day has a special which means a dollar off.
Nothing grabs the attention of a Senior like a discount even if it means using 2.00 of gas to drive somewhere to save a dollar.
We have friends who have been coming to the RGV for over 20 years but they have never heard of Willie B's so we will try to get them to "experience" the experience. They are creatures of habit and they mostly frequent the regulars like Olive Garden, Applebee's and the like. Life is too short too miss out on Willie's B's Cheers.
You don't by a Drill because you need a Drill; You buy a Drill because you need Holes
Tonight we decided to have a Loaded Potato with Brisket and all the trimmings at a cost of 8.50 at Willie B's. The actual name is Willie's Bar-B-Q but it is known to all Winter Texans as Willie B'S. All the meat is Bar-B -Q" with Genuine Pecan ( wood) Smoked" and believe me it is good.
Willie's has been in business since we first arrived in this area of TX since 1999 and probably before that. We have never seen Willie and I have never heard of anyone else mention that they have seen him but the name and restaurant is well known in the Rio Grande Valley.
The restaurant houses about 120 people and the ambiance is somewhat muted, which is to say it as basic as it can be. The tables and chairs are made of wood , done by a Non- finished carpenter. There are chairs and or benches at each table and all tables are 3 ft square so you can join them together to host a large group.
The main menu's selling feature is the Large ( I mean large ) "Stuffed" ( we call it loaded ) potato with Brisket meat. Most seniors , including us, have to share the potato because a normal person could not eat it all.
However the menu has at least a 100 ( probably more ) combinations which includes rice , corn, salads, ribs ,chicken etc etc. They do a lot of takeout and we have never been there that there wasn't a lineup but they are fast and every day has a special which means a dollar off.
Nothing grabs the attention of a Senior like a discount even if it means using 2.00 of gas to drive somewhere to save a dollar.
We have friends who have been coming to the RGV for over 20 years but they have never heard of Willie B's so we will try to get them to "experience" the experience. They are creatures of habit and they mostly frequent the regulars like Olive Garden, Applebee's and the like. Life is too short too miss out on Willie's B's Cheers.
You don't by a Drill because you need a Drill; You buy a Drill because you need Holes
Monday, 25 December 2017
Festival of Lights
21 Dec 17
Our friend Terry told us that her and some friends went to Hidago. a small city about 30 mile away to see the fantastic Christmas Light display.
Hidago is a city of 15,000 bordering on the Rio Grande and close enough to MX that could spit across. Hidago was first settled in 1749 and had several named. John Young settled in the town in 1852 and renamed the town Edinburgh after his birth place in Scotland. The town was incorporated in 1876 and it was renamed Hidago 1885. The population is 97.75 % of Hispanic descent so he has all the feature and language of a Mexican city.
Now for the light display. Unfortunately, I can not put pictures on my blog so my description will not do in Justice. However, you can best see the Festival of lights, which collectively has 3 million lights, by taking a trolley around the city parks and building which includes the City Hall. They have every display imaginable and a few are NASA, Cinderella, Star wars, the Nativity Scene and all of the Emergency Services of the city. The trip takes 40 Minutes so it is well worth the 5.00 charge. It boast of the biggest and best display in southern TX .
It is the best Christmas Light that we have every seen and that includes the one in Nashville that cost us 10.00. Cheers
Our friend Terry told us that her and some friends went to Hidago. a small city about 30 mile away to see the fantastic Christmas Light display.
Hidago is a city of 15,000 bordering on the Rio Grande and close enough to MX that could spit across. Hidago was first settled in 1749 and had several named. John Young settled in the town in 1852 and renamed the town Edinburgh after his birth place in Scotland. The town was incorporated in 1876 and it was renamed Hidago 1885. The population is 97.75 % of Hispanic descent so he has all the feature and language of a Mexican city.
Now for the light display. Unfortunately, I can not put pictures on my blog so my description will not do in Justice. However, you can best see the Festival of lights, which collectively has 3 million lights, by taking a trolley around the city parks and building which includes the City Hall. They have every display imaginable and a few are NASA, Cinderella, Star wars, the Nativity Scene and all of the Emergency Services of the city. The trip takes 40 Minutes so it is well worth the 5.00 charge. It boast of the biggest and best display in southern TX .
It is the best Christmas Light that we have every seen and that includes the one in Nashville that cost us 10.00. Cheers
Car Wash
19 th Dec 17
By the time we a got to Weslaco our Van was about 2 weeks past being in need of a wash job.In fact if you brushed against it you would get dirty.
Luckily, there is a Car Wash business about 2 blocks away, run by 4 ambition guys whom washed my car last year. I went over around 10 AM but I was 5 or 6 th in line which means about 3 hours. No appointments at this place, so I inquired about a good time to return. After holding a committee meeting they decided between 3 and 4 PM would be great.
Some people leave their car in morning and pick it up in the evening. That allows these busy guys the flexibility to squeeze us folks " who are to busy to wait in line " to get ours done fairly quickly.
I returned at 4 PM and there was no waiting so I ask about timings. Since there were 4 , 1 st class "Car Washers" they said it would take 1 hour. Bear in mind this is a cleaning of both the outside and inside. They have a power washer , a Shop Vac and plenty of " Elbow Grease". I said I was going to a near by Burger King to read my book and I would return in one hour.
While reading my book Burger King I kind of lost track of time and this guy walks up to me and says " Sir, your car is ready." Now, how is that for service.
When i returned to my car it glistened like a Baby's ass ( I couldn't think of another phase) so I ask the price and they said 25.00. This was the same price as last year so I guess there is no inflation here. I gave them 30.00 as it was well worth it.
These guys would put the Shine Shop in Med Hat out of business. Cheers.
Saturday, 23 December 2017
First Job.... Grocery Shopping
17/18 th Dec 17
Where do you do a big grocery shopping : no not WalMart for sure but the choices in our area are WalMart and HEB. HEB ( we call it Hebby Geeby) is the competition to WalMart and is it much like a Safeway or Sobey's. But we headed for Costco to do the big shopping and apparently everyone else did too.
This area of TX is mainly populated with Hispanic people and when they shop the whole dam family comes and of course they ( along with us ) line up for the Demo Taste Test food. They also drive their food carts like they drive on the roads so there seems to be more banging and crashing then at home. " In Rome do as the Romans do ".
Carroll had a shopping list but as you know, that is merely a starting point so we filled our cart to the overflow level. When I got to the checkout a family of "ten" decided to get a Costco card as there was a discount if you bought one this week and they do the paper work right at the cashier; Go Figure!!!! So there I sit and fume , telling myself to Never, Never take the shortest line again. When I got to the cashier I told him my credit card limit was $15,000 so please don't exceed it. As it turns out our bill was 232.00 USD.
Later in the afternoon we needed some "Dollar Store stuff" and there is a Dollar General ( better known as DG ) about a KM away so we spent another 40.00 there. One thing we needed was a shoe horn and since I couldn't find one I ask the young cashier and she never heard of the word so she asked her supervise who was just as confused. So I explained what is was and then she said OK as if she understood but I knew she did not. So I said; if you don't call it a shoe horn, what do you call it and her answer was, I don't know. Incidentally , they don't stock shoehorns.
That was enough for one day but I do know from the advertisement that there are 3600 DG stores in the US and they are build more. I believe there intention is to build one every mile. cheers
18 Dec 17
As you know, Costco shopping has too many items in a bundle so we did have to got to Walmart , after all for some single item ie . small bottle of mustard and Ketchup and after we bought this and that our few items became 45.00. That did not include the beer I will need later. The Landlord left a dozen beer and a 1/2 a cask of wine and if I don't consume them it will go bad.
We also went to the Rec Hall to sign up for the Christmas Dinner, however there was one table of 16 place left but there were no name on the list so I signed up anyway as the deadline was 21 Dec. Then I contacted a couple from Med Hat who are in this park and she gave us the name ( Gabby ) of the organizer. So we went to see Gabby and she added us to her table and invited Carroll to a "table meeting" tomorrow to sort out the menu. The park supplies a turkey for each table of 16 but someone has to prepare it.
So Christmas dinner is all set... Not so fast; wait for tomorrows notes.
We went to the Hot tub at 8:30 PM where we met the same Hot Tub people from last year. Most Hot tub people are Cdns. Cheers
Where do you do a big grocery shopping : no not WalMart for sure but the choices in our area are WalMart and HEB. HEB ( we call it Hebby Geeby) is the competition to WalMart and is it much like a Safeway or Sobey's. But we headed for Costco to do the big shopping and apparently everyone else did too.
This area of TX is mainly populated with Hispanic people and when they shop the whole dam family comes and of course they ( along with us ) line up for the Demo Taste Test food. They also drive their food carts like they drive on the roads so there seems to be more banging and crashing then at home. " In Rome do as the Romans do ".
Carroll had a shopping list but as you know, that is merely a starting point so we filled our cart to the overflow level. When I got to the checkout a family of "ten" decided to get a Costco card as there was a discount if you bought one this week and they do the paper work right at the cashier; Go Figure!!!! So there I sit and fume , telling myself to Never, Never take the shortest line again. When I got to the cashier I told him my credit card limit was $15,000 so please don't exceed it. As it turns out our bill was 232.00 USD.
Later in the afternoon we needed some "Dollar Store stuff" and there is a Dollar General ( better known as DG ) about a KM away so we spent another 40.00 there. One thing we needed was a shoe horn and since I couldn't find one I ask the young cashier and she never heard of the word so she asked her supervise who was just as confused. So I explained what is was and then she said OK as if she understood but I knew she did not. So I said; if you don't call it a shoe horn, what do you call it and her answer was, I don't know. Incidentally , they don't stock shoehorns.
That was enough for one day but I do know from the advertisement that there are 3600 DG stores in the US and they are build more. I believe there intention is to build one every mile. cheers
18 Dec 17
As you know, Costco shopping has too many items in a bundle so we did have to got to Walmart , after all for some single item ie . small bottle of mustard and Ketchup and after we bought this and that our few items became 45.00. That did not include the beer I will need later. The Landlord left a dozen beer and a 1/2 a cask of wine and if I don't consume them it will go bad.
We also went to the Rec Hall to sign up for the Christmas Dinner, however there was one table of 16 place left but there were no name on the list so I signed up anyway as the deadline was 21 Dec. Then I contacted a couple from Med Hat who are in this park and she gave us the name ( Gabby ) of the organizer. So we went to see Gabby and she added us to her table and invited Carroll to a "table meeting" tomorrow to sort out the menu. The park supplies a turkey for each table of 16 but someone has to prepare it.
So Christmas dinner is all set... Not so fast; wait for tomorrows notes.
We went to the Hot tub at 8:30 PM where we met the same Hot Tub people from last year. Most Hot tub people are Cdns. Cheers
Thursday, 21 December 2017
Arriving at our Winter Home
16 Dec 17
This afternoon we will meet our Landlords but they intended to golf this morning so our arrangement time was 2 PM. Unfortunately, when we awoke it was still raining so I'm sure their golf game was cancelled but we had a few errands so we kept to the 2 PM meeting.
First we had to solve the Cell phone problem because we could not call in or out nor could we send or rec a text. While checking out of the hotel, I ask the clerks ( there were two ) where I could find the closes cell phone repair shop. Now , you would think, that since it was 3 blocks away that it would be easy to direct me since I do know the area. Not a chance!! from their directions I determined that it was near a Ford dealer, behind a Bakery on either Airport Ave or Pike St or both. Christ: even those direction would confuse " Garmin ".
We drove around the area and Carroll's evil eye spotted it. It was a purple, plywood shack sitting on a skid in the bakery parking lot and the customer had to stand outside to do business. This had all the shades of a " Fly by Night " operation and it was closed so kept driving.
Then Carroll recalled an AT&T store in a nearby plaza so we checked it out. It was closed until 10 AM so we went to T-Mobile it was closed also, so we went to Sprint and it too was closed until 10 AM. I kind of like AT&T so I waited until they opened. The techy looked at my phone and said your provider is T-Mobile which I did not notice but Telus has T-Mobile as their provider in the US. So I went to T-Mobile and the Techy looks at phone, played with it and said that someone must have played with it causing it to stop working. I said that's not possible because only two people have touch this phone in the last year and since I'm one person and you are holding the phone you probably know who the other person is. The tech ( she ) said she would remove the sim card and reinstall it as that could be the problem. While taking the phone apart she turned it off ; then turn it back on and " Eureka" it worked. It just had to be reset or rebooted. Crisis Solved.
We went to our Landlords ( our winter home ) around 2 PM and we were welcomed with a very congenial couple. They are retired farmers from MB. They usually spend Nov and Dec here in TX, mainly because they are golfers and then they spend Christmas and the rest of the winter in Florida, near their daughter who is a research Doctor in Psychology.
They showed us around and since we have to do the annual "close up" ) we had to be educated on the procedure. Somethings you would not think about is that all batteries have to be removed as they will corrode during the hot summers. They also put insulated panels in the windows and they have 3 fridges so they have to be cleaned and treated with an absorbent. I will not bore you with the other task.
We stayed overnight with our Landlords as they/we have 2 bedrooms and they were not leaving until tomorrow/Sunday. cheers
This afternoon we will meet our Landlords but they intended to golf this morning so our arrangement time was 2 PM. Unfortunately, when we awoke it was still raining so I'm sure their golf game was cancelled but we had a few errands so we kept to the 2 PM meeting.
First we had to solve the Cell phone problem because we could not call in or out nor could we send or rec a text. While checking out of the hotel, I ask the clerks ( there were two ) where I could find the closes cell phone repair shop. Now , you would think, that since it was 3 blocks away that it would be easy to direct me since I do know the area. Not a chance!! from their directions I determined that it was near a Ford dealer, behind a Bakery on either Airport Ave or Pike St or both. Christ: even those direction would confuse " Garmin ".
We drove around the area and Carroll's evil eye spotted it. It was a purple, plywood shack sitting on a skid in the bakery parking lot and the customer had to stand outside to do business. This had all the shades of a " Fly by Night " operation and it was closed so kept driving.
Then Carroll recalled an AT&T store in a nearby plaza so we checked it out. It was closed until 10 AM so we went to T-Mobile it was closed also, so we went to Sprint and it too was closed until 10 AM. I kind of like AT&T so I waited until they opened. The techy looked at my phone and said your provider is T-Mobile which I did not notice but Telus has T-Mobile as their provider in the US. So I went to T-Mobile and the Techy looks at phone, played with it and said that someone must have played with it causing it to stop working. I said that's not possible because only two people have touch this phone in the last year and since I'm one person and you are holding the phone you probably know who the other person is. The tech ( she ) said she would remove the sim card and reinstall it as that could be the problem. While taking the phone apart she turned it off ; then turn it back on and " Eureka" it worked. It just had to be reset or rebooted. Crisis Solved.
We went to our Landlords ( our winter home ) around 2 PM and we were welcomed with a very congenial couple. They are retired farmers from MB. They usually spend Nov and Dec here in TX, mainly because they are golfers and then they spend Christmas and the rest of the winter in Florida, near their daughter who is a research Doctor in Psychology.
They showed us around and since we have to do the annual "close up" ) we had to be educated on the procedure. Somethings you would not think about is that all batteries have to be removed as they will corrode during the hot summers. They also put insulated panels in the windows and they have 3 fridges so they have to be cleaned and treated with an absorbent. I will not bore you with the other task.
We stayed overnight with our Landlords as they/we have 2 bedrooms and they were not leaving until tomorrow/Sunday. cheers
Wednesday, 20 December 2017
Galveston to Weslaco TX
15 Dec 17
When we got up on Friday morning our plans for today was changed slightly because it was pissing down rain and very cool. What we had planned to do, was to visit old town Galveston and to take a trolley bus tour thru around the city. However, we had spent a few days in Galveston many years ago and since we did not think we would enjoy or endure the cool wet weather we cancelled our plan to visit the city and headed for Weslaco.
Since our "landlords" in Weslaco had ask us to arrive on Saturday afternoon to meet them and to see all the maturation of living in their home and how they would like us to do the "annual close up" ( they are not returning to TX until next fall ) we had planned to arrive on Saturday around noon. However, since a visit to Galveston was now off our list we continued along the coast enjoying the sight of those who live in the area. All of the houses along the coast are built on pilons (posts ) because they are at sea level, have to raise their 2 level house about 20 feet above ground level. That is alot of steps to climb so I assume seniors or handicap people do not live in this area.
Since the drive from Galveston the Weslaco would normally take about 6 hours we were in no hurry so we drove around and thru the city of Rockport This city was 80/90 % devastated during the hurricane last fall. It is slowly recovering but it sure took a hit. I have never seen so many blue tarps covering the roofs of houses, hotels and industrial buildings. I will consider buying the stocks in this company that makes tarp for next years Hurricane season.
Next we were heading to Corpus Christi but we did not want to go thru the hassle of Friday traffic so we ask "Garmin " for the best route. Then we disagreed with Garmin and chose our own route. We should have listen to Garmin in the first place as our route was a disaster. Then we ask Garmin to get us out of the mess and Garmin was also confused so we were on our own and I let Carroll get me out of the mess. I said it wasn't her fault but I blamed her anyway. On this trip the score is Garmin 5 Eslers 3 so far.
Incidentally , we have never been lost but we certainly seen many areas that were not on our planned trip.
We arrived in Weslaco around 5 PM and went to an older hotel that we had used last year and it is a block away from our Park. Since the cost was 59.00, had a King bed and was very clean, I took it. After settling in we decided to call a friend but our cell would not work so I will have it checked tomorrow. Carroll went to use the phone and believe or not there is no phones in the rooms. The office said that part of their renovations is to install a new phone system: really, how about a new building. I suggest the buy a big box of matches a light a fire in the building.
Then we went to visit our friend who lives in another park. Most parks are now gated after 7 PM including this one. However we do not have the code but usually you punch in the persons name and it will ring their phone and they open the gate. Not this park; you need the address which we did not have so we decide to go to a favorite Italian restaurant for supper and call it a day.
While at the restaurant, but unknown to us at the time, our Landlords where sitting about 10 feet away with some friends. Cheers
When we got up on Friday morning our plans for today was changed slightly because it was pissing down rain and very cool. What we had planned to do, was to visit old town Galveston and to take a trolley bus tour thru around the city. However, we had spent a few days in Galveston many years ago and since we did not think we would enjoy or endure the cool wet weather we cancelled our plan to visit the city and headed for Weslaco.
Since our "landlords" in Weslaco had ask us to arrive on Saturday afternoon to meet them and to see all the maturation of living in their home and how they would like us to do the "annual close up" ( they are not returning to TX until next fall ) we had planned to arrive on Saturday around noon. However, since a visit to Galveston was now off our list we continued along the coast enjoying the sight of those who live in the area. All of the houses along the coast are built on pilons (posts ) because they are at sea level, have to raise their 2 level house about 20 feet above ground level. That is alot of steps to climb so I assume seniors or handicap people do not live in this area.
Since the drive from Galveston the Weslaco would normally take about 6 hours we were in no hurry so we drove around and thru the city of Rockport This city was 80/90 % devastated during the hurricane last fall. It is slowly recovering but it sure took a hit. I have never seen so many blue tarps covering the roofs of houses, hotels and industrial buildings. I will consider buying the stocks in this company that makes tarp for next years Hurricane season.
Next we were heading to Corpus Christi but we did not want to go thru the hassle of Friday traffic so we ask "Garmin " for the best route. Then we disagreed with Garmin and chose our own route. We should have listen to Garmin in the first place as our route was a disaster. Then we ask Garmin to get us out of the mess and Garmin was also confused so we were on our own and I let Carroll get me out of the mess. I said it wasn't her fault but I blamed her anyway. On this trip the score is Garmin 5 Eslers 3 so far.
Incidentally , we have never been lost but we certainly seen many areas that were not on our planned trip.
We arrived in Weslaco around 5 PM and went to an older hotel that we had used last year and it is a block away from our Park. Since the cost was 59.00, had a King bed and was very clean, I took it. After settling in we decided to call a friend but our cell would not work so I will have it checked tomorrow. Carroll went to use the phone and believe or not there is no phones in the rooms. The office said that part of their renovations is to install a new phone system: really, how about a new building. I suggest the buy a big box of matches a light a fire in the building.
Then we went to visit our friend who lives in another park. Most parks are now gated after 7 PM including this one. However we do not have the code but usually you punch in the persons name and it will ring their phone and they open the gate. Not this park; you need the address which we did not have so we decide to go to a favorite Italian restaurant for supper and call it a day.
While at the restaurant, but unknown to us at the time, our Landlords where sitting about 10 feet away with some friends. Cheers
Thursday, 14 December 2017
Abbeville to Galvanston
14 Dec 17
We left Abbeville and took the southwestern coastal route to Galvanston. As we left Abbeville we hit the area where they grow rice so the fields are laden with rice field and some have already set their crawfish traps.
Since the rice has already been harvested, each field has a 2 foot bank or levee around it and the field is filled with water to a depth of 2 feet. As a result, the crawfish have come our of the ground and are now feeding in these fields. The crawfish traps are actually floating and they are retrieved with a flat bottom boat driving around the field.
After driving several miles we reached the coast line of the Gulf of MX and there were many boats tied up. This boats fish for Oyster, Shrimp and Muscles. Further along was a massive amount of Oil Rig equipment most of which I did not recognize. However all of the equipment has a Oil/ Gas company name emblazoned on it. This sight carried on for 200 miles along the coast until we reached Port Author TX which is a huge port for the sea-going ships.
There did seem to be many residence along the way except in a few small towns but each of these towns had a big ( brick ) High School. The schools where build on 20 ft pillions so I would assume they get hit with storms surges. All the home where built on 10 ft pillions.
We stopped in one town for lunch at the Dockers Bar and Grill. It consisted of a very long bar, which reached 50 or 60 ft. There where a few tables but I would guess they would be for the ladies to dance on. ( I'm just kidding I don't think the table dance anymore). The food was eatable but I would not recommend it. It had the appears of a rough and tumble bar and the owner also fit the image of the bar.
The map and our Garmin advised us that there were 4 ferry crossings. Both the map and Garmin are misinformed as 2 of the ferry crossing have been replaced with very high bridges so that the fishing boats and barges can pass under them as these areas have many inter coastal waterways. Although I never counted the bridges I would guess that we crossed at least 20 and possibly more. Those Americans can sure build some nice bridges.
We were totally surprised at the vast number of RV sites along the route in Louisiana. I can't imagine why anyone would want to spend any length of time along this route unless you are hiding from the police or maybe wife looking for alimony.
Tomorrow we should reach our destination in Weslaco but we intend to tour Galveston in the morning . cheer
We left Abbeville and took the southwestern coastal route to Galvanston. As we left Abbeville we hit the area where they grow rice so the fields are laden with rice field and some have already set their crawfish traps.
Since the rice has already been harvested, each field has a 2 foot bank or levee around it and the field is filled with water to a depth of 2 feet. As a result, the crawfish have come our of the ground and are now feeding in these fields. The crawfish traps are actually floating and they are retrieved with a flat bottom boat driving around the field.
After driving several miles we reached the coast line of the Gulf of MX and there were many boats tied up. This boats fish for Oyster, Shrimp and Muscles. Further along was a massive amount of Oil Rig equipment most of which I did not recognize. However all of the equipment has a Oil/ Gas company name emblazoned on it. This sight carried on for 200 miles along the coast until we reached Port Author TX which is a huge port for the sea-going ships.
There did seem to be many residence along the way except in a few small towns but each of these towns had a big ( brick ) High School. The schools where build on 20 ft pillions so I would assume they get hit with storms surges. All the home where built on 10 ft pillions.
We stopped in one town for lunch at the Dockers Bar and Grill. It consisted of a very long bar, which reached 50 or 60 ft. There where a few tables but I would guess they would be for the ladies to dance on. ( I'm just kidding I don't think the table dance anymore). The food was eatable but I would not recommend it. It had the appears of a rough and tumble bar and the owner also fit the image of the bar.
The map and our Garmin advised us that there were 4 ferry crossings. Both the map and Garmin are misinformed as 2 of the ferry crossing have been replaced with very high bridges so that the fishing boats and barges can pass under them as these areas have many inter coastal waterways. Although I never counted the bridges I would guess that we crossed at least 20 and possibly more. Those Americans can sure build some nice bridges.
We were totally surprised at the vast number of RV sites along the route in Louisiana. I can't imagine why anyone would want to spend any length of time along this route unless you are hiding from the police or maybe wife looking for alimony.
Tomorrow we should reach our destination in Weslaco but we intend to tour Galveston in the morning . cheer
New Orleans to Abbeville
13 Dec 17
Our intention was to only overnight in New Orleans because we had spend several days here years ago ( we can't remember when and we did not keep a diary ) and we don't need to cover the same ground again. Besides we have to be in Weslaco, TX on Friday.
New Orleans, as you probably know, is below sea level in most areas and if you need further proof you just need to follow the coast line along the south shore. Lots of shipping traffic docks here and departs from here and it seems the the shore line has an abnormal number of huge estuaries where they have built ports. To facilitate the traffic, which include trains and many many trucks, coming and going to the port area, means they had to built bridges, cause ways and /or overpasses. And build bridges they did.
The most famous bridge/causeway is the one that crosses Lake Pontchartrain which is two separate causeways with two lanes each, and it stretching 24 miles across the lake. the lake is only 16 feet deep. It is quite a feat to see.
We actually meandered our way out of New Orleans heading for New Iberia which is an agriculture area. Once outside of the city it was sugar cane field all the way to New Iberia. The fields where full of combines and loaded wagons and the roads where line with trucks hauling the cane to the processing plants in New Iberia.
In TX they burn the canes fields before they combine but in LA there was no burning. I'm not sure why they burn the fields. I was told that when cane was cut by hand they burned the fields to get rid of the Rats.
In New Iberia we stopped at the Welcome Center as we want to tour a Rice Mill. Yes, they grow rice because this is Cajan Country. They Konrico Rice Mill is the oldest one in America and is located in the city of New Iberia. One interesting fact is the brown rice and white rice are the same kernel. The brown kernel is just continually polished until it turns white. And the small minute ( flakes )pieces of the rice that fall off the kernel are also sold separately.
The owner of the Mill and the Company store said that rice is the main staple of the meal in LA. They seldom eat potatoes.
Rice is grow in a paddy field where the field is flooded and then it is seeded by and airplane much like a crop duster. Water is added until the crop matures which looks much like a wheat field. Then the water is drained from the field and the sun dries the ground and the crop is harvested by combine just like the wheat in western Canada. After the harvest, the fields are again flooded and the Craw fish that where buried in the ground will surface and they will be harvested by traps and served in the local restaurants. I have had Craw fish twice; first and last at the same meal.
We left New Iberia for Abbeville which is another small town along the southern coast where we stayed the night. We spent a few days here several years ago so we dropped into the camp site (Betty's RV ) to say hello to the lady who owns it. She always host a Happy Hour every night and her hospitality is great. Most people come to Betty's because of the write in here brochure.
We will continue to Galvaston, TX tomorrow. Cheers
Wednesday, 13 December 2017
Natchez to New Orleans
12 Dec 17
Before we left Natchez we decided to take a 1 hour tour of the city on the Hop On: Hop Off Double Decker bus. There was only one other couple on the bus, but they were from California so they chose to sit downstairs where it was warm, as it was a little cool in the upper level area.
Natchez is 54 % Black and when cotton became in demand in Europe and other countries, the Natchez area was the area to grow cotton. Whites became the Plantation owners but Black slaves planted and Harvested . Also Natchez was a place where Blacks where bought and sold a slaves mainly because they could be moved up and down the Mississippi and also they could bring in new slaves from Africa and other countries. Therefore a lot of the tour was about the Blacks, the Slaves and also about the Plantation and their owners. It was a well conducted tour and the guide was well verse on the history.
After the tour, it was near the lunch hour so we ask about a good restaurant for lunch and we were directed to the "Biscuits and Blue". The menu was great and the food was plentiful for the price. I had 3 ribs, with squash, a bowl of beans and a large salad, which was more that I could eat for 10.00. Needless to say the place was full and the customers were mainly local as we could tell by the conversations.
Then we left for New Orleans which was a suppose to be a 2 1/2 hour drive if we traveled on Hwy 61 which would circumvent Baton Rouge and would avoid I-10 including the area in New Orleans. . However, the signs for 61 abruptly stopped a I-10 just before Baton Rouge and I did not see another sign so we ended up going thru B R and it was a nightmare. I'm sure we lost an hour in B R and I-10 in New Orleans was no better. I think it took 4 hours to do the 2 1/2 hour trip.
After getting settled in our room we got a taxi to take us Bourbon St and the French Quarters where we had hope to hear some really good Blues music. We were disappointed. We only found one Blues band and the bar had 2 tables and no chairs. I guess they wanted everyone to stand, drink and dance. Most of the bars were open but empty. There were quite a few people walking the street but nobody was frequenting the bars. After an hour and a half we were disappointed, called a cab and return to our room. cheers
Before we left Natchez we decided to take a 1 hour tour of the city on the Hop On: Hop Off Double Decker bus. There was only one other couple on the bus, but they were from California so they chose to sit downstairs where it was warm, as it was a little cool in the upper level area.
Natchez is 54 % Black and when cotton became in demand in Europe and other countries, the Natchez area was the area to grow cotton. Whites became the Plantation owners but Black slaves planted and Harvested . Also Natchez was a place where Blacks where bought and sold a slaves mainly because they could be moved up and down the Mississippi and also they could bring in new slaves from Africa and other countries. Therefore a lot of the tour was about the Blacks, the Slaves and also about the Plantation and their owners. It was a well conducted tour and the guide was well verse on the history.
After the tour, it was near the lunch hour so we ask about a good restaurant for lunch and we were directed to the "Biscuits and Blue". The menu was great and the food was plentiful for the price. I had 3 ribs, with squash, a bowl of beans and a large salad, which was more that I could eat for 10.00. Needless to say the place was full and the customers were mainly local as we could tell by the conversations.
Then we left for New Orleans which was a suppose to be a 2 1/2 hour drive if we traveled on Hwy 61 which would circumvent Baton Rouge and would avoid I-10 including the area in New Orleans. . However, the signs for 61 abruptly stopped a I-10 just before Baton Rouge and I did not see another sign so we ended up going thru B R and it was a nightmare. I'm sure we lost an hour in B R and I-10 in New Orleans was no better. I think it took 4 hours to do the 2 1/2 hour trip.
After getting settled in our room we got a taxi to take us Bourbon St and the French Quarters where we had hope to hear some really good Blues music. We were disappointed. We only found one Blues band and the bar had 2 tables and no chairs. I guess they wanted everyone to stand, drink and dance. Most of the bars were open but empty. There were quite a few people walking the street but nobody was frequenting the bars. After an hour and a half we were disappointed, called a cab and return to our room. cheers
Monday, 11 December 2017
Heading for Natchez
11 Dec 17
We left Canton, MS and intended to arrive to the end of the Natchez Trace in Natchez , MS. There are two Natchezs: one on the east side of the Mississippi River and one on the west side of the mighty Mississippi and they are joined with a mammoth bridge. We are staying in the MS Natchez as it seems more prosperous and someone more populated. They are both old cities as Natchez was founded as a French colony in 1716 and the word Natchez is the ancestral language of the Natchez people who historically inhabited MS and LA.
We finally completed the Natchez Trace Parkway journey about 2 PM as we arrived in Natchez and after driving thru town we decided to go to the Visitors Welcome Center to find out what are the " must see " in town.
They have a Hop On: Hop Off bus tour around town so we will do it tomorrow morning. We watch a 15 min video of Natchez which depicted several people glorifying the reasons why the love Natchez ( and right so ) but I only noticed one black person in the documentary. Incidentally, 54 % of Natchez is black. "Go Figure."
Natchez was the home of many wealthy cotton Barons, hence there are some huge mansions. We visited 3 of the the last time we were in Natchez about 8 years ago. After the Civil war the houses were abandon and in reason years wealthy Americans have obtain these homes and are restoring them to there original style as best they can.
Carroll inquired about a Pub or Restaurant that would have music tonight and we were told that there was some Blues music at a Bistro which opens at 5 PM. Thinking we might not get a seat we arrived at 5. On our arrival the Blues player was tuning his instruments so we grab a good seat and order dinner, over priced I might add. After we finished dinner we ask when the music would start and the answer was around 6:30 ish. Well, we couldn't sit around for another hours so we left and toured the town.
As we pulled into our hotel we notice a mini bus pull out with a Casino advertisement on the side so we inquired and the bus will pick you at your hotel free of charge , take you to the Casino and bring back anytime so we went to the Casino for an hour. Because we are first timers at this Casino we each got 10.00 free Play. Carroll managed to win 10.00 but she lost my 10.00 so we took her's 10.00 and came home. Cheers
We left Canton, MS and intended to arrive to the end of the Natchez Trace in Natchez , MS. There are two Natchezs: one on the east side of the Mississippi River and one on the west side of the mighty Mississippi and they are joined with a mammoth bridge. We are staying in the MS Natchez as it seems more prosperous and someone more populated. They are both old cities as Natchez was founded as a French colony in 1716 and the word Natchez is the ancestral language of the Natchez people who historically inhabited MS and LA.
We finally completed the Natchez Trace Parkway journey about 2 PM as we arrived in Natchez and after driving thru town we decided to go to the Visitors Welcome Center to find out what are the " must see " in town.
They have a Hop On: Hop Off bus tour around town so we will do it tomorrow morning. We watch a 15 min video of Natchez which depicted several people glorifying the reasons why the love Natchez ( and right so ) but I only noticed one black person in the documentary. Incidentally, 54 % of Natchez is black. "Go Figure."
Natchez was the home of many wealthy cotton Barons, hence there are some huge mansions. We visited 3 of the the last time we were in Natchez about 8 years ago. After the Civil war the houses were abandon and in reason years wealthy Americans have obtain these homes and are restoring them to there original style as best they can.
Carroll inquired about a Pub or Restaurant that would have music tonight and we were told that there was some Blues music at a Bistro which opens at 5 PM. Thinking we might not get a seat we arrived at 5. On our arrival the Blues player was tuning his instruments so we grab a good seat and order dinner, over priced I might add. After we finished dinner we ask when the music would start and the answer was around 6:30 ish. Well, we couldn't sit around for another hours so we left and toured the town.
As we pulled into our hotel we notice a mini bus pull out with a Casino advertisement on the side so we inquired and the bus will pick you at your hotel free of charge , take you to the Casino and bring back anytime so we went to the Casino for an hour. Because we are first timers at this Casino we each got 10.00 free Play. Carroll managed to win 10.00 but she lost my 10.00 so we took her's 10.00 and came home. Cheers
Sunday, 10 December 2017
A Day in Nashville
9 Dec 17
Tonight we have tickets for the Grand Ole Opry, which if you don't, know is a Music Show not a Place or a Theatre and it is Not always held in Opryland as we originally thought. It is at the Ryman Centre.
Since we had to kill the rest of the day we went to visit Opryland area which housed a huge shopping (surprize surprize ) Opryland hotel, a Convention centre and the Opry House Theatre. Opryland is 20 miles from downtown and from our hotel.
Without "Garmin" we would have had quite a time to find the place. The parking lot holds a zillion people and I think everbody brought two cars
Normally, the Grand Ole Opry would be playing at the Opry House but for the month of Dec the show called the "Cirque Dreams Holidaze" takes over the theatre so the Opry moves to the Ryman theatre which just happens to be 1 block from our hotel. I dropped Carroll off to check out the activities at the Opry House and drove around the parking lot looking for a place to park. Once we found out the Cirque Dreams Holidaze was on just as we got there we bought tickets. The show was excellent and it help to kill a few hours as the Grand Ole Opry did not start until 7 PM.
To travel from our hotel ( downtown ) to Opryland meant we had to traverse several different Freeway, of which most where up to 7 lanes wide. The speed limit on the freeways in Nashville is 55 MPH which I assume to "approximate " since I was being past like I was standing still. I kicked it up to 60 to go with the flow.
We purchased our tickets for the Grand Ole Opry at the hotel so a small bus picked us up and delivered us to the show and brought us home. We had to go thru a security check which was outside but we only took 5 mins. However the line up for the 10 PM show had two lines that were over a block long and it was dam cold last evening , around 3 C. The show was just OK compared to Branson which was great. Karrie Underwood was suppose to perform but she fell and broke her wrist a week ago and apparently you can't sing with a broken wrist.....
Garth Brooks was preforming at the Hockey arena which is about 1/2 a block away so the entire area was a Zoo of people.
The MC said thanks for coming tonight; I guess you couldn't get ticket for Garth Brooks. cheers
Tonight we have tickets for the Grand Ole Opry, which if you don't, know is a Music Show not a Place or a Theatre and it is Not always held in Opryland as we originally thought. It is at the Ryman Centre.
Since we had to kill the rest of the day we went to visit Opryland area which housed a huge shopping (surprize surprize ) Opryland hotel, a Convention centre and the Opry House Theatre. Opryland is 20 miles from downtown and from our hotel.
Without "Garmin" we would have had quite a time to find the place. The parking lot holds a zillion people and I think everbody brought two cars
Normally, the Grand Ole Opry would be playing at the Opry House but for the month of Dec the show called the "Cirque Dreams Holidaze" takes over the theatre so the Opry moves to the Ryman theatre which just happens to be 1 block from our hotel. I dropped Carroll off to check out the activities at the Opry House and drove around the parking lot looking for a place to park. Once we found out the Cirque Dreams Holidaze was on just as we got there we bought tickets. The show was excellent and it help to kill a few hours as the Grand Ole Opry did not start until 7 PM.
To travel from our hotel ( downtown ) to Opryland meant we had to traverse several different Freeway, of which most where up to 7 lanes wide. The speed limit on the freeways in Nashville is 55 MPH which I assume to "approximate " since I was being past like I was standing still. I kicked it up to 60 to go with the flow.
We purchased our tickets for the Grand Ole Opry at the hotel so a small bus picked us up and delivered us to the show and brought us home. We had to go thru a security check which was outside but we only took 5 mins. However the line up for the 10 PM show had two lines that were over a block long and it was dam cold last evening , around 3 C. The show was just OK compared to Branson which was great. Karrie Underwood was suppose to perform but she fell and broke her wrist a week ago and apparently you can't sing with a broken wrist.....
Garth Brooks was preforming at the Hockey arena which is about 1/2 a block away so the entire area was a Zoo of people.
The MC said thanks for coming tonight; I guess you couldn't get ticket for Garth Brooks. cheers
Nashville to Natchez
10 Dec 17
We left Nashville at 9 AM heading for the Natchez Trace which we would follow to Natchez , MS , some 440 miles south. However, the Trace begins about 20 or 30 miles south a Nashville and our Garmin was taken us in circle so I finally told Carroll to turn it off. The Garmin likes to take the Freeways and I knew a much shorter route.
As I turned of the freeway I realized I was low on fuel so I pulled into a gas station and fuel was 2.39 which is high but in the city it was 2.46. I ask the clerk about the best route to the Trace and she keep going the way you are already heading and it is 10 mins ahead.
We have been looking for a couple ( Kevin and Ruth ) who are " Blogger" friends. We know from their Blog that they are on the Trace but not sure where. They are a day or two ahead of us and since they have a MH they will be camping. There are a few camp sites on the Trace so we check each one and about 3 PM we found them. They were just returning from a hike so we stopped and had a cup of tea and swamped "Travel Stories" They are World Travelers. They are leading a Caravan thru MX in Jan for 85 days.
We intended to stop at 5 PM but somehow Garmin missed our turn so we traveled on to the next city, 20 miles off the Trace. There are no facilities on the Trace so if you need, food , gas or lodging you have to venture of the Trace, sometime for miles.
We landed at a Best Western in Canton, MS for 72.00 and it is great. We crossed 3 States today. TN, AL and MS. Cheers
We left Nashville at 9 AM heading for the Natchez Trace which we would follow to Natchez , MS , some 440 miles south. However, the Trace begins about 20 or 30 miles south a Nashville and our Garmin was taken us in circle so I finally told Carroll to turn it off. The Garmin likes to take the Freeways and I knew a much shorter route.
As I turned of the freeway I realized I was low on fuel so I pulled into a gas station and fuel was 2.39 which is high but in the city it was 2.46. I ask the clerk about the best route to the Trace and she keep going the way you are already heading and it is 10 mins ahead.
We have been looking for a couple ( Kevin and Ruth ) who are " Blogger" friends. We know from their Blog that they are on the Trace but not sure where. They are a day or two ahead of us and since they have a MH they will be camping. There are a few camp sites on the Trace so we check each one and about 3 PM we found them. They were just returning from a hike so we stopped and had a cup of tea and swamped "Travel Stories" They are World Travelers. They are leading a Caravan thru MX in Jan for 85 days.
We intended to stop at 5 PM but somehow Garmin missed our turn so we traveled on to the next city, 20 miles off the Trace. There are no facilities on the Trace so if you need, food , gas or lodging you have to venture of the Trace, sometime for miles.
We landed at a Best Western in Canton, MS for 72.00 and it is great. We crossed 3 States today. TN, AL and MS. Cheers
Saturday, 9 December 2017
Heading for the Natchez Trace
Thrusday and Friday 7 and 8 Dec 17
On Thursday we traveled from Branson to Tupelo ( pronounced Two-po-Low ) which was a 7 hour drive and it is where we spent the night. Our "intentions" were to head south Natchez, on Friday morning on the Trace Parkway Express.
Friday:
The Natchez Trace is a 440 mile journey from Natchez, MS and ends 20 miles south of Nashville , TN and it crosses 4 states. Tupelo is approximately 1/2 way between Natchez and Nashville. The Trace Parkway is a beautiful 2 lane highway which winds it way the entire 440 miles with NO billboards, commerical vehicles, gas station or businesses; just cars,light trucks and RV's. You can get off to visit a small town for gas or food. The speed limit is mostly 50 MPH but does drop to 40. This is a scenic hwy, so if you are in a hurry take another road. The trip from Tupelo to Nashville take 3 1/2 hours nonstop but there are so many Historical monuments to see and read that we took 6 hours. Most of the land is farm land and any land that isn't agriculture is covered with forest. I'm sure that originally this land was all forest and it has been cleared since the 1800's.
So why did we change our plans? There is a Visitors Centre in Tupelo before you enter the Trace Parkway so we stopped to pick up some info and to be brief on the journey. The visitors centre had a 15 min movie which we took in. We then realized that we would only see 1/2 of the Trace if we headed south and the visitors center was also advising people not to go south due to snow covered roads. That's when we decided to go to Nashville. Besides that, when we tell people that we did the Natchez Trace we want to say we did all 440 miles. ( I know.... that info and a dollar will get you a coffee at MacDonald's).
If you are interested in the history of the Trace you can Google it so I will be brief. In the 1800's before steam power the Kiantuck people from Kentucky would float their "Wares" down the Mississippi River to Natchez to sell them. And since their flat bottom boat could only go down river they would sell it for the lumber and walk 440 miles back to Nashville on this trail which became the Trace. The trail was narrow, rough, and infested with mosquitoes, flies, alligators and not so friendly Indians. They would form a group for safety.
Nashville is no longer the small city with Music as it's main industry. They have two vehicle manufacturing plants and they are the Hub of the Health Care Industry. The population is between 1 million and 1.8 million if you count the outlying areas.
We took a cab downtown to "Music" street and had supper and then went to a bar to listen to C and W music. It was the Tequila Cowboy bar and it was a Zoo but the music was great. A fight was about to develop about 2 feet from us but the bartender handled it and both parties left by separate exits. Cheers
Thursday, 7 December 2017
Day 3 in Music City
A Long Day 6 Dec 17
Our day started at 10:00 AM with a show at Grand Country Square. Grand Country has several different show so we chose "Down Home Country and Comedy". The music was great and the comedy was hilarious. The comedian was "supposedly " comic of the year but in Branson everyone gets to chosen to be " Someone of the Year": ie Singer , Dancer, Drummer, etc etc. However, the Comedian is a Rodeo Clown in the off season so being a Comedian must not pay the bills all year.
However this show was 2 hours of enjoyment and we strongly recommend it.
Then we took a lunch break as our next show " The Dixie Stampede " and as the name applies it include a horse show. We were told and strongly advised to be the pre-show by 4 PM because it was free and we would enjoy it. We sat from from 4 PM until 4:40 waiting on the music to start which means we talked to the people around until he said he voted for Trump and I should not have said what I said because he quit talking to me. I'm guessing that I won't get a Christmas card from him.
Finally at 4:40 three over-stuffed Hillbillies from Arkansas mount the stage an apparently tried to entertain all 1000 of us but I for one thought they were terrible. Finally, the torture ended about 5:15 and we were lead into the Arena where we were feed a good meal "Medieval Style" ie no eating tools. We received a whole Cornish hen, cob of corn, and a 1/2 a sliced potatoes and an apple turnover for dessert. While we were eating we were provided with a horse and rider show doing trick riding and some other foolish stuff, like a pig race, a chicken race and a dog race. Please do yourself a favour if you go to Branson and drive past this show as fast a legally possible. It was the worst 50.00 I ever spent.
We got out of this show shortly after 7 PM and drove to the Pressely's Family music hall. The show starts at 8 PM.
The Pressely's were the first people to build a music hall in Branson 50 years ago and the building was metal structure with a level floor with flat chairs for the patients. The idea was that if the Music idea fail they would use the building to store boats. The music idea was a hit and they build a new theatre which holds 1000 people and the the seats and stage area are world class.
Most of the musicians are Pressely's or related and they all play several instrument, much like every other all musicians in Branson. I'm amazed at how talent these people are. Mr. Pressely, who is the producer of the show, and also is the comedian along with one of his 8 sons. They are priceless. The "MC" who also is a singer on the show becomes a licenced Electrician during the winter. His wife is also a singer on the show.
This show was excellent and we strongly recommend it. It saved us from the horrible horse show experience and made our finally day a great experience. Tomorrow we head to Tupelo, MS to start our trip along the Natchez Trace, which you can Google if you need to read the history on it. cheers
Our day started at 10:00 AM with a show at Grand Country Square. Grand Country has several different show so we chose "Down Home Country and Comedy". The music was great and the comedy was hilarious. The comedian was "supposedly " comic of the year but in Branson everyone gets to chosen to be " Someone of the Year": ie Singer , Dancer, Drummer, etc etc. However, the Comedian is a Rodeo Clown in the off season so being a Comedian must not pay the bills all year.
However this show was 2 hours of enjoyment and we strongly recommend it.
Then we took a lunch break as our next show " The Dixie Stampede " and as the name applies it include a horse show. We were told and strongly advised to be the pre-show by 4 PM because it was free and we would enjoy it. We sat from from 4 PM until 4:40 waiting on the music to start which means we talked to the people around until he said he voted for Trump and I should not have said what I said because he quit talking to me. I'm guessing that I won't get a Christmas card from him.
Finally at 4:40 three over-stuffed Hillbillies from Arkansas mount the stage an apparently tried to entertain all 1000 of us but I for one thought they were terrible. Finally, the torture ended about 5:15 and we were lead into the Arena where we were feed a good meal "Medieval Style" ie no eating tools. We received a whole Cornish hen, cob of corn, and a 1/2 a sliced potatoes and an apple turnover for dessert. While we were eating we were provided with a horse and rider show doing trick riding and some other foolish stuff, like a pig race, a chicken race and a dog race. Please do yourself a favour if you go to Branson and drive past this show as fast a legally possible. It was the worst 50.00 I ever spent.
We got out of this show shortly after 7 PM and drove to the Pressely's Family music hall. The show starts at 8 PM.
The Pressely's were the first people to build a music hall in Branson 50 years ago and the building was metal structure with a level floor with flat chairs for the patients. The idea was that if the Music idea fail they would use the building to store boats. The music idea was a hit and they build a new theatre which holds 1000 people and the the seats and stage area are world class.
Most of the musicians are Pressely's or related and they all play several instrument, much like every other all musicians in Branson. I'm amazed at how talent these people are. Mr. Pressely, who is the producer of the show, and also is the comedian along with one of his 8 sons. They are priceless. The "MC" who also is a singer on the show becomes a licenced Electrician during the winter. His wife is also a singer on the show.
This show was excellent and we strongly recommend it. It saved us from the horrible horse show experience and made our finally day a great experience. Tomorrow we head to Tupelo, MS to start our trip along the Natchez Trace, which you can Google if you need to read the history on it. cheers
Wednesday, 6 December 2017
Music City Day 2
5 Dec 17
Our day started with a 9:30 show which was a Tribute to George Jones. It was OK and was probably worth the 15.00 but the 4 piece band sang songs from several other Legions but expected more song from Jones, hence I don't recommend it.
The lead singer gave us a little background on their life and he said that he was the lead guitar for Shoji Tabuchi for 10 years but still has to drive a school bus to make ends meet. Hence he does this Tribute around his bus schedule. The drummer works at 3 different shows a day so the pay can't be that good.
Our next show was at 4 PM which was a live show about the " Miracle of Christmas" which was a live show on the Birth of Christ. It came complete with all the animals camels , donkeys, horses and cows. The theme started in the city of Nazareth depicting the way the Romans treated the Jews and ending with the birth of Christ in a Manager. It was interesting to see the animals walking up the idles and going on to the stage. They also had several angels flying thru the entire hall ( much like Peter Pan ).
The show started at 3:30 and ended at 6 PM. The hall held over 2000 people so we thought we would arrive early, like 3 PM but we were certainly not the first arrivals. This building was huge and it had a foyer that actually held most of the 2000 people. Of course most of these seniors had to visit the Rest Room, purchase a bottle of water/coffee and other goodies before the show started. Then , we among the others had to find our seat. We had seats KK which was 20 rows from the bottom or 10 rows from the top, hence we took the elevator and climbed down to our seats. We felt like we were in a football stadium but the seats were excellent. In fact the flying angels were barely above our head, which was great because that's as close as I will get to an angel.
It kind of funny watching the seniors move. On the way in to the show they move at a Snails pace but after the show the moving in and out trying to push by to get to their car quickly. The parking lot holds 2000 cars with one exit; how fast do they think they can get out.
After the show we took in a drive thru Christmas Light Show which was a fabulous which was a display of the Religion of Christmas, the Industrial machines ( backhoes ) of the area and the Farm equipment ( tractors ). It even depicted hockey players and figure skating. The drive thru took 20 minutes with zero throttle speed.
By this type we were hungry so we went to Landry's Sea Food and the meal was great as it came with bread, a large salad and more fish and chips that we could eat at a cost of 18.00 a plate. cheers
I stand for the Flag but kneel for the Cross.
Our day started with a 9:30 show which was a Tribute to George Jones. It was OK and was probably worth the 15.00 but the 4 piece band sang songs from several other Legions but expected more song from Jones, hence I don't recommend it.
The lead singer gave us a little background on their life and he said that he was the lead guitar for Shoji Tabuchi for 10 years but still has to drive a school bus to make ends meet. Hence he does this Tribute around his bus schedule. The drummer works at 3 different shows a day so the pay can't be that good.
Our next show was at 4 PM which was a live show about the " Miracle of Christmas" which was a live show on the Birth of Christ. It came complete with all the animals camels , donkeys, horses and cows. The theme started in the city of Nazareth depicting the way the Romans treated the Jews and ending with the birth of Christ in a Manager. It was interesting to see the animals walking up the idles and going on to the stage. They also had several angels flying thru the entire hall ( much like Peter Pan ).
The show started at 3:30 and ended at 6 PM. The hall held over 2000 people so we thought we would arrive early, like 3 PM but we were certainly not the first arrivals. This building was huge and it had a foyer that actually held most of the 2000 people. Of course most of these seniors had to visit the Rest Room, purchase a bottle of water/coffee and other goodies before the show started. Then , we among the others had to find our seat. We had seats KK which was 20 rows from the bottom or 10 rows from the top, hence we took the elevator and climbed down to our seats. We felt like we were in a football stadium but the seats were excellent. In fact the flying angels were barely above our head, which was great because that's as close as I will get to an angel.
It kind of funny watching the seniors move. On the way in to the show they move at a Snails pace but after the show the moving in and out trying to push by to get to their car quickly. The parking lot holds 2000 cars with one exit; how fast do they think they can get out.
After the show we took in a drive thru Christmas Light Show which was a fabulous which was a display of the Religion of Christmas, the Industrial machines ( backhoes ) of the area and the Farm equipment ( tractors ). It even depicted hockey players and figure skating. The drive thru took 20 minutes with zero throttle speed.
By this type we were hungry so we went to Landry's Sea Food and the meal was great as it came with bread, a large salad and more fish and chips that we could eat at a cost of 18.00 a plate. cheers
I stand for the Flag but kneel for the Cross.
Monday, 4 December 2017
Branson, Music City
4 Dec 17
Today we started to schedule our Music concerts.
Last evening while having dinner a " Cowgirl " walked in a gave us customer a brochure with a 2 for 1 offer at 2 shows at the IMax complex. The shows were a Tribute to John Denver at 10:00 AM and the George Strait show was at 5:PM today. The normal price was 30.00 each so we only paid 15.00. Then, when we left the John Denver show I noticed that there was a Tribute show for George Jones and I inquired about it. Because we went to John Denver show we could get tickets to George Jones show at 1/2 price at 15.00 so we bought them.
We then heard about the show called the Sights and Sound which is the Miracles of Christmas. The show is highly recommended so we visited the "Palace like Building" and got the tickets before they sold out. These ticket cost 45.00 but , Carroll using her best "pleading " voice said do you have a discount for veterans. The clerk no; but if you have a AAA card ( which we do ) I will discount the tickets by 5.00. The tickets cost us 40.00.
While attending the John Denver show. Carroll heard a lady in the seats above us talking about other shows so she ask for a recommendation for a good show and she recommended the Dixie Stampede ( mainly owned by Dolly Pardon ). This is an early afternoon 4 PM dinner show followed by a horse show. There is a music show 40 minutes and the dinner show starts at 5 PM. These tickets were not negotiable and cost 122.00
Now we had to look for an evening show, so we chose the Presley's Country Jubilee, again recommended by people we don't know. This cost 77.00 a pair.
Now we had to get our schedule straight.
Monday John Denver 10:00 AM and George Strait 5 PM
Tuesday George Jones 9:30 AM and Sight and Sound 3:30 PM
Wednesday Dixie Stampede 4:00 PM and Presley's 8:00 PM
We managed to squeeze in an hour to window shop at the Branson Landing which is a Street Maul with no vehicles.
Our schedule is fairly busy but we will likely find another show for Wednesday morning. Cheers
Don't do something permanently Stupid: because you are Temporarily upset.
Today we started to schedule our Music concerts.
Last evening while having dinner a " Cowgirl " walked in a gave us customer a brochure with a 2 for 1 offer at 2 shows at the IMax complex. The shows were a Tribute to John Denver at 10:00 AM and the George Strait show was at 5:PM today. The normal price was 30.00 each so we only paid 15.00. Then, when we left the John Denver show I noticed that there was a Tribute show for George Jones and I inquired about it. Because we went to John Denver show we could get tickets to George Jones show at 1/2 price at 15.00 so we bought them.
We then heard about the show called the Sights and Sound which is the Miracles of Christmas. The show is highly recommended so we visited the "Palace like Building" and got the tickets before they sold out. These ticket cost 45.00 but , Carroll using her best "pleading " voice said do you have a discount for veterans. The clerk no; but if you have a AAA card ( which we do ) I will discount the tickets by 5.00. The tickets cost us 40.00.
While attending the John Denver show. Carroll heard a lady in the seats above us talking about other shows so she ask for a recommendation for a good show and she recommended the Dixie Stampede ( mainly owned by Dolly Pardon ). This is an early afternoon 4 PM dinner show followed by a horse show. There is a music show 40 minutes and the dinner show starts at 5 PM. These tickets were not negotiable and cost 122.00
Now we had to look for an evening show, so we chose the Presley's Country Jubilee, again recommended by people we don't know. This cost 77.00 a pair.
Now we had to get our schedule straight.
Monday John Denver 10:00 AM and George Strait 5 PM
Tuesday George Jones 9:30 AM and Sight and Sound 3:30 PM
Wednesday Dixie Stampede 4:00 PM and Presley's 8:00 PM
We managed to squeeze in an hour to window shop at the Branson Landing which is a Street Maul with no vehicles.
Our schedule is fairly busy but we will likely find another show for Wednesday morning. Cheers
Don't do something permanently Stupid: because you are Temporarily upset.
Arrived in Braanson
3 Dec 17
We arrived in Branson around 6 PM (Temp 23 C ) to the gilts and glamour of the lights but without the Gambling, Drinking and dare I say "ladies of the night ". They even refer to the main street as the "Strip ".
We left Sioux Falls at 8 AM and we knew it would be a 9 or 10 hour drive to Branson but it is/was Interstate all the way. Google says 8 hours but when you throw in a few Pit stops and my 20 minute rest/sleep period, followed by one fuel stop it adds up to 10 hours. Speaking of fuel, the best I got was 2.25 but it got cheaper in MO and the radio said it was on average 2.05 between Springfield and Branson. At 28.00 USD, for a fill up, I say Bring it on!!!
The scenery from Sioux Falls to Kansas City did not change much, just fields and fields of harvested corn stubble , sprinkled with some hay fields. We did see some feed lots and some baled hay nearby. What we did notice in Iowa and MO ( but not in ND or SD) was many large Pivots so I assume they get less rain than the Dakotas.
Although there were many grain Elevators along the way, we did seen long elongated piles of grain, covered with a tarp outside the Elevators so I would conclude that they had a bumper crop this year.
Branson is already decorated for the Christmas theme which we noticed on the way in but we will do a "driveby " tonight for a full picture of the scenery. We have schedule George Strait Country for tonight and the Sight and Sound of Country for tomorrow.
The weather has been great for the drive down but the weatherman has predicted winds of 40 MPH today accompanied with a few hours of rain which will be pushed out of the area but followed with some very cold, Not cool , weather. Brrrr.
We now have 4 days to enjoy Branson. cheers
Jesus Loves You;
It is nice to hear in Church but not in a Mexican Prison
Saturday, 2 December 2017
Winter trip to TX
2 Dec 17
We left Minot, ND at 8 AM and drove for 9 hours to arrive in Sioux Falls, SD. at 5 PM. If you want boredom take a day trip thru the Dakotas. The scenery never changes.
The Interstates are excellent;75 MPH in ND and 80 in SD. They are in general, straight as a die with a few hills which could be called knolls.
These states exist to produce Agriculture, with cornfields already harvested ) that appear so endless that they seem to run off the curvature of the earth. I did notice that after they harvest the corn cobs, they cut the stocks and then bale it so there must be a market for corn straw, if that is what it is called. I did notice that most fields were already "worked up " and ready for planting in the Spring,
In ND there were many small pond, dugouts and slews that were full of water and frozen over to a glass like finish. I fully expect to see a game of shinny popup but it never happened. We did see a huge lake and the Interstate had a causeway right thru the middle. There was a sign with the name of a Dam, so I assumed that this lake was the result of the dam which the Americans are famous for.
The only noticeable difference, from the drivers seat, between the Dakotas is that SD did not did not have many water ponds or slews nor did I notice many Pivots which I did notice a few in ND. Maybe it rains more in SD.
When we arrived at the Best Western I put on my best poker face hoping to get a room with a King bed at a reasonable price. The young lady at the counter was in her early 20's and I thought "Oh shit" she won't have the authority to "dicker". Anyhow I ask for a room and the cost and she said 119.00. I said that is about my pay scale , can you do better. She said I can if you are AAA and I said I am and I'm also a Veteran. She replied she could give me the room for 90.00. The I laid the " I am a Cdn " and I said I thought your company had a special price for us Cdns so she said , OK I'll give you the room for 80.00. I figured that was the best I could do so I took the room. Cheers
We left Minot, ND at 8 AM and drove for 9 hours to arrive in Sioux Falls, SD. at 5 PM. If you want boredom take a day trip thru the Dakotas. The scenery never changes.
The Interstates are excellent;75 MPH in ND and 80 in SD. They are in general, straight as a die with a few hills which could be called knolls.
These states exist to produce Agriculture, with cornfields already harvested ) that appear so endless that they seem to run off the curvature of the earth. I did notice that after they harvest the corn cobs, they cut the stocks and then bale it so there must be a market for corn straw, if that is what it is called. I did notice that most fields were already "worked up " and ready for planting in the Spring,
In ND there were many small pond, dugouts and slews that were full of water and frozen over to a glass like finish. I fully expect to see a game of shinny popup but it never happened. We did see a huge lake and the Interstate had a causeway right thru the middle. There was a sign with the name of a Dam, so I assumed that this lake was the result of the dam which the Americans are famous for.
The only noticeable difference, from the drivers seat, between the Dakotas is that SD did not did not have many water ponds or slews nor did I notice many Pivots which I did notice a few in ND. Maybe it rains more in SD.
When we arrived at the Best Western I put on my best poker face hoping to get a room with a King bed at a reasonable price. The young lady at the counter was in her early 20's and I thought "Oh shit" she won't have the authority to "dicker". Anyhow I ask for a room and the cost and she said 119.00. I said that is about my pay scale , can you do better. She said I can if you are AAA and I said I am and I'm also a Veteran. She replied she could give me the room for 90.00. The I laid the " I am a Cdn " and I said I thought your company had a special price for us Cdns so she said , OK I'll give you the room for 80.00. I figured that was the best I could do so I took the room. Cheers
Friday, 1 December 2017
Winter Trip To TX
1 Dec17 Start of our Journey
As promised to our friends we were on the road at 0700 hr but I was up at 5 AM to finishing packing the Van. Somehow, Carroll seemed to think that whatever came out of our 40 ft MH, which we sold in June could be packed in the Van. In fact I think she found "stuff " to pack that was even in the MH.
Once the front door of the house was locked , we were on our way. Our house sitters where scheduled to arrive later today. Our first stop was to Mac D for a coffee and a egg wrap, neither of which was worth stopping for. ( I know all you English Majors are going to say that you never end a sentence with a preposition ). We hit the TransCanada heading east to Moose Jaw and then south east to Estavan and to the border at North Portal. We stopped at the Duty Free where I picked a litre of Crown Royal $18.00 and a litre of Gibson's finest for 16.00.
The Border crossing was painless, just the perverbal question and then onward to Minot, ND where we planned to stop for the night. North Portal is a 24 hour crossing and it is huge, probably because it handles a lot of trucks.
The Enslens advised us to try the Best Western hotel chain and it turned out to be a bonus. We stopped at the Best Western in Minot and as I was bargaining for a better deal than the first offer of 89.00 I ask for the Veteran's price which surely would better than the first offer. Because I was an AAA member he knocked off 10.00 to 79.00. I agreed to the price and then when I said my address was Alberta, he said Oh, we have a Canadian price which is the best price so I got the room for 69.00. And since I ask for their Rewards Card I get a 10.00 gift card. " Does it every quit"
We are spending the evening at the Best Western, having a dip in the Hot Tub and seeping on a beer. Life is great!!!!
A story about North Portal.
I 1964 I was posted to CFS Yorkton for my first posting and I crossed from the USA into Canada at the North Portal border crossing , on my way from London to Yorkton. At that time , the North Portal crossing consisted of a wooded pole across the road that was not locked. There was a sign that said; Please stop at the white house on the right, which housed the Custom Officer. Itd was around 5 or 6 PM so I said , "Piss on it " and headed down the road. I had gone about 1/2 a mile and a sign read: If you did not check in with Customs at the White House , the RCMP already has you License Number. I did a quick U-turn and returned to the white house where the custom Officer was waiting with a "smerk " on his face and said I knew you would return.
I was surprised at the size of this crossing since it is the first time return here in the past 53 years. I guess the wooden pole rotted away.
As promised to our friends we were on the road at 0700 hr but I was up at 5 AM to finishing packing the Van. Somehow, Carroll seemed to think that whatever came out of our 40 ft MH, which we sold in June could be packed in the Van. In fact I think she found "stuff " to pack that was even in the MH.
Once the front door of the house was locked , we were on our way. Our house sitters where scheduled to arrive later today. Our first stop was to Mac D for a coffee and a egg wrap, neither of which was worth stopping for. ( I know all you English Majors are going to say that you never end a sentence with a preposition ). We hit the TransCanada heading east to Moose Jaw and then south east to Estavan and to the border at North Portal. We stopped at the Duty Free where I picked a litre of Crown Royal $18.00 and a litre of Gibson's finest for 16.00.
The Border crossing was painless, just the perverbal question and then onward to Minot, ND where we planned to stop for the night. North Portal is a 24 hour crossing and it is huge, probably because it handles a lot of trucks.
The Enslens advised us to try the Best Western hotel chain and it turned out to be a bonus. We stopped at the Best Western in Minot and as I was bargaining for a better deal than the first offer of 89.00 I ask for the Veteran's price which surely would better than the first offer. Because I was an AAA member he knocked off 10.00 to 79.00. I agreed to the price and then when I said my address was Alberta, he said Oh, we have a Canadian price which is the best price so I got the room for 69.00. And since I ask for their Rewards Card I get a 10.00 gift card. " Does it every quit"
We are spending the evening at the Best Western, having a dip in the Hot Tub and seeping on a beer. Life is great!!!!
A story about North Portal.
I 1964 I was posted to CFS Yorkton for my first posting and I crossed from the USA into Canada at the North Portal border crossing , on my way from London to Yorkton. At that time , the North Portal crossing consisted of a wooded pole across the road that was not locked. There was a sign that said; Please stop at the white house on the right, which housed the Custom Officer. Itd was around 5 or 6 PM so I said , "Piss on it " and headed down the road. I had gone about 1/2 a mile and a sign read: If you did not check in with Customs at the White House , the RCMP already has you License Number. I did a quick U-turn and returned to the white house where the custom Officer was waiting with a "smerk " on his face and said I knew you would return.
I was surprised at the size of this crossing since it is the first time return here in the past 53 years. I guess the wooden pole rotted away.
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