Our RV Adventures

Well, we finally got back on the road this morning.

We pulled out of the Lake Conroe Thousand Trails a little before 10 a.m., heading about 210 miles north to Waskom, TX, just a few miles west of Shreveport, LA.  I did check in at the park guard shack to be sure they knew we were leaving early so they would credit our days back, as we were originally booked in here until May 19th.

I also now have to go back and delete all the rest of our TT reservations. Before we knew how Jan’s health problem would be resolved, I booked back and forth between Lake Conroe TT and Colorado River TT all the way through August, which was as far ahead as the program would let me.

On another note, once again the slide came in with no problems. And since the original shear pin breakage was caused by a piece of Corian floor tile that came loose under the kitchen cabinet, jamming the slide, I hope we’ve seen the last of that problem.

The trip was pretty uneventful, except for a couple of necessitated U-turns. Twice our Delorme Street Atlas told me to be in the left lane to turn onto a entrance ramp leading to a four lane. But the roadway had been redone, and the turn was now one of those loops to the right and down onto the four lane. Both times, though, I had no problem getting turned around and headed the right way in just a few minutes.

We pulled into Miss Ellie’s RV Park about 2:15 and drove right to our space and got parked. When I called early this morning to be sure they had a site, they told me what space I would be in, and it was here waiting for me. Sure makes it a lot easier.

Since these sites are long pull-thru’s, we didn’t unhitch and go out for dinner, but had our version of Taco Salads with Skyline Chile, Habanero Rotel, and Black Beans, along with grated cheese and Sriracha Sauce.

I’ve recently become a big fan of Sriracha Sauce.

I’m sure you’ve seen these red and green bottles in many restaurants, but I’ve never tried it until recently. And for the same reason I don’t like most of the bottled commercial hot sauces (Tabasco, Cholula, Frank’s, etc.). It’s because when I use them, all I can taste is the vinegar.

But although Sriracha has vinegar in it, it’s not overpowering, making me a devoted convert.

Tomorrow we’ve got a long day with a 360 mile run to the Tom Sawyer RV Park on the banks of the Mississippi River in West Memphis, AR, right across the river from Memphis, TN.

But we’ve got some great BBQ to look forward to, so it’ll be worth it.

_______________________________________________________________

Though for the Day:

Actual Newspaper Ad in a Florida paper:

MINT CONDITION :
Male, 1932 model, high mileage, good condition, some hair,
many new parts including hip, knee, cornea, valves.
Isn’t in running condition, but walks well.

sfgfdgsfd

Jan and I were up earlier than usual because we still didn’t have power. Which is why there was no blog last night. I was going to post a quick note, but found I couldn’t get any data service on my phone or aircard. I don’t think it had anything to do with the power outage because that turned out to be local to the park. But I figure it was probably storm-related somehow. I could still make a phone call, just nothing with data.

Since we were up so early Jan and I decided to got out for breakfast at the Cracker Barrel right down the road. As we were leaving our area of the park, we saw where the power company was working to clear the downed trees that took out the power lines.

The Cracker Barrel was really busy, with a lot of large family groups waiting for tables, but we got seated in less that 10 minutes.

Jan had her usual Wild Maine Blueberry Pancakes with a side of ‘burnt’ bacon (that’s the way she likes it.), while I tried their new Smothered Steak and Eggs. That turned out to be a 5oz. Top Sirloin covered with Swiss Cheese, Grilled Onions(look away, Nick), and Grilled Fresh Mushrooms. And they did it right, too.

Many places, when serving a small steak like this, cut it as a large, thin piece so it looks bigger. But Cracker Barrel cuts it as a 1 inch thick piece, which means you can order it medium-rare and actually get a tender, juicy piece of steak. Really, really good.

Before we came home we went by the nearby Sam’s Club to drop off Jan’s new Tamoxifen prescription to pick up later this afternoon.

We got back to the park about 11:30 to find we still didn’t have power, but about 11:55 it came back on and stayed on. Yah!

____________________________________________________________

Our daughter-in-law Linda posted this pic of Chris and Piper working on a father-daughter project,

a stand-up paddle board kind of like this one.

A little after 4pm Jan and I headed back out for dinner and shopping. Our first stop was at Culver’s for a couple of their delicious ButterBurgers and Fries. Then it was on back to Sam’s Club for a few things, plus Jan’s prescription, and then Wal-Mart for a lot more things, before heading home about 6:30.

Tomorrow we finally really hit the road for this year, making a 200 mile trip up to Waskom, TX, just over the border from Shreveport. By Saturday we’ll finally be up in Elkhart, and catch up with everyone.

________________________________________________________

Now to recap yesterday.

Jan and I left the park about 9:30 heading down south to the Clear Lake area. The main reason was for Jan’s wrap-up visit to the oncologist. But like Wednesday, our first stop was at the Flying J at exit 64 for gas, breakfast scones, and cappuccinos for the road.

Jan’s appointment wasn’t until 3pm so I made a couple of client visits, wrapping things up until we’re back in the area later this year.

Next we went by the PO to drop off the Chinese visas to my great-nieces for their China trip later this summer.

Then it was on to Jan’s oncologist appointment. Her doctor first assured her that her breast cancer had been completely removed, and should not return. It was listed as a Stage 0 cancer, the least invasive and the most treatable form of breast cancer. So she will not need chemo or radiation, but she will need closer observation and diagnostic mammograms every year instead of the regular ones.

She was also was advised to take either tamoxifen or anastrozole for the next 5 to 7 years. The choice of which was up to us.

Let’s see. Anastrozole is $264 for 3 months and tamoxifen is $24 for 3 months.

So what to do, what to do, what to do.

Finishing up at the oncologist’s, we now headed up to the Katy to meet up with our daughter Brandi and her family. Along the way, the radio came on with a storm warming for the Montgomery County area. Which is where our RV is parked at the Lake Conroe Thousand Trails.

But looking at the radar, the storm pretty much covered the entire Houston area, including Katy. And by the time we got there it was pouring down. But our meal at Little V’s Vietnamese Bistro more than made up for the bad weather, with the usual wonderful food.

Landon watches movies on Brandi’s iPhone while he has mini-corndogs. He doesn’t know what he’s missing.

Finally we got our goodbye hugs and headed back up to Lake Conroe. By this time the storm had dissipated down to just light sprinkles.

But when we got to the park we found that the park power had been off since the storm came through about 5pm.

And stayed off until 11:55 the next morning.

________________________________________________________________

Thought for the Day:

I knew it. Lard is good for you. And Dr. Oz thinks so.

I wish they would just make up their minds.

fadsfadsfad