Today finds us in South Texas enjoying the tropical sunshine. Butch is outside rubbing around on our new home trying to obliterate the water spots after the wash job. We had breakfast this morning in the hall prepared by Tony Spagnualo ( age 88) and his faithful crew. I decided today would be a good day to put together a Christmas newsletter for those of you who do not have access to the blog. An update on the elbow is saying that it is okay. It bothers when I bike and I certainly hope that doesn't last long because I am not too good at one handed biking. We are still busy taking care of small details on the motorhome and I suspect we will be for a spell. It is always a challenge for it to seem like the Christmas season while enjoying summerlike temperatures. We want all who see this to know we are thinking about you this holiday season. 

Wanna have your own blog? On this web page in the upper right hand corner you will find a place that says "Get your own blog". Click on that and you should be on your way to creating your own blog. Its free! 

We met Harold and Elaine Lindeman in the Coachlight RV Park at Carthage MO and they have been keeping up with us through the blog. Today they came over from Sunburst RV Park in Weslaco to catch up with us in person and after a nice visit we went to Fat Daddy's for lunch and feasted on a Fat Daddy Burger. It should last us for the whole day! The first time we visited Fat Daddy's was with Butch's sister Marlene and her husband Bernard. It is still the best hamburger in the valley. We are pretty well settled in and enjoyed a great thanksgiving dinner with about a hundred of our new best friends in the park. They offered leftovers at 6:00 PM but we declined as we still had plenty of it stored up in our tummies. The weather is warm and wonderful and exactly what we come south to enjoy. I am sure Butch is getting anxious for his golfing buddies to get here and quite frankly I am too. ;-)  

Okay I heard about it from new friend and Blog watcher Elaine Lindeman that I didn't have any photos on the blog of our new home. So we had to remedy that in a hurry. 

They say they are the youngest Grandmas in history! 

These girls are entertaining themselves while visiting Grandma on Thanksgiving day. 

The Shipleys from Arkansas sent this picture. They feed the local animals every evening and would you believe this feral cat would eat side by side with this raccoon? I was amazed! 

MAY YOUR STUFFING BE TASTY, MAY YOUR TURKEY BE PLUMP.

MAY YOUR POTATOES 'N GRAVY HAVE NARY A LUMP,

MAY YOUR YAMS BE DELICIOUS, MAY YOUR PIES TAKE THE PRIZE,
MAY YOUR THANKSGIVING DINNER STAY OFF OF YOUR THIGHS.
Happy Thanksgiving!

We found a way out of El Campo. Our route took us east on Hwy 71 to US 35 to 239 at Tivoli then back west to Hwy 77 bypassing Victoria and another trouble spot. This took us closer to the coast which one might assume to be wetter and rainier but that was not the case. Our route took us quickly away from flood condition to just wet conditions. So today we are seeing peeks of sunshine, it is not raining and we have a new battle- the wind. Not bad though and I am definitely not complaining.;-) 

Butch said to be sure to tell you the water had receded a good three feet from the day before. This was Monday AM. 

There were several news crews from different stations. This one happens to be sitting at the on ramp of 59 south. To the right of the truck is a half submerged pickup. As we were trying to get into El Campo there was more than a foot of water on this road. This was taken on Monday about 7:00 AM and the water had receded quite a bit.

Gurgle Gurgle 

and more water! Someone told me that El Campo had 18 inches of rain in 15 hours.

More water 

I know all these pics look basically the same but they were all taken in different locations. 

Sunday 11/21/04
What a rare day it's been - What a predicament we are in! We stopped in Livingston Texas yesterday at the Escapees RV Park. We planned to pick up our mail and then head for the valley on Sunday. I told Butch we are either staying a day or a week. See, we had to go through Houston and we know from experience when to do that with the least amount of traffic. It rained off and on through the night. Yippee, skippee.
Well it is Sunday as I write this and we are stuck in more ways than one in El Campo Texas. Highway 59 south is closed due to flooding and the only road out of El Campo (Hwy 71 west) is also closed at Nado Texas due to flooding AND on top of that we pulled behind a little restaurant in El Campo to wait it out ( 2 days they say) and Butch pulled too far into the grass and the motorhome is stuck AND it is still raining!
Butch got us through Houston okay- even in a downpour. It was SCARY and a real adrenaline morning. The further south we came the more and more water we encountered- both sides of the road as far as the eye could see. It was VERY SCARY. And then all traffic came to a halt. Turning back as the police instructed us to do did not seem like a good idea because we already knew what it was like behind us! But back we went with water over the road in more places than one. We are on an island at El Campo. Not a good thought with it still raining.
Okay...now as I write we are trying to get unstuck. I am sitting here, grinding my teeth, heart pumping much faster than normal and wishing with all my might that we were unstuck!
Two different trucks have worked on getting us out- and we are finally free. What a relief! Now if the rain would just quit!
This is certainly far more adventure than we wanted. Now for a positive thought. It is warm here. We are not in danger of freezing. Butch is headed for an ATM- we happened to be low on cash. It is three blocks away in the rain but he is drenched anyway. He needed to get the $55 to pay the guy which is something you pay gratefully to the guy who gets you unstuck.
It looks like we will be here for a bit. But we are A-OK! :-)