Snafu

Hate those Snafu's. Called to see if the part was in just as a precaution. Norcold will not ship the part because according to their records this particular refrigerator had been installed in a Monaco and ours is a Newmar. They need pictures of the refrigerator, the serial number, the coach etc. and email them to Norcold before they will send the part and then it will be another 3-5 days before we will receive it if they are then satisfied. Why didn't the Lee Hoffpaiur RV place call and tell us this right away? I do not know but it certainly perturbs us no end! So at this point we have no idea when we will be able to leave here. The pictures cannot be taken and sent till Monday so it will most likely be late next week before we can be on our way. Not earth shattering but definitely a big old bummer!
So now we are sitting and steaming in Llano Tx.

Texas Tin Lizard- The bottle tree store

 Here is the website for the bottle tree store. It will give you an idea of what it is like.
http://texastinlizard.com/

Still in Llano

Still in Llano...phone has not yet rung to inform us that the part is in for the fridge. Yesterday the guys once again played golf. They walked this time  and it was raining when they started. A cold front has come through and it feels like an adequate fall day in Iowa but we are in Texas.
Lisa and I checked out a bottle tree place of business yesterday. She asked that we not take pictures so we didn't. She sells them without bottles starting at $150 apiece. They were all very elaborate. Some very beautiful and some not. The proprietress is the artist and does her own welding. We enjoyed visiting with her but didn't buy anything. I do have some ideas for son Jason if he ever decides to take on the business.
We then went to lunch at The Acme, a small little restaurant in an old building downtown. Their specialty is crabcakes which seems slightly strange since they are not near an ocean. I enjoyed a crabcake and a salad for lunch. It was scrumptious.
Lisa and I then hit the thrift shops, a better place to browse than antique stores. The prices are better. One place was named The Junk Store another the Retell Store. At the Retell Store Rachel has all kinds of costumes among bunches of other stuff. There was a young Texas cowboy type in the dressing room trying on dresses. We assume for a Halloween costume. He tried on one that he liked and Rachel said, "I think it is too short." He replied, "No, It is fine. I like it." Rachel said, "Okay as long as you are happy with it." He walked out of the shop with the too short dress and a pair of size twelve purple high heels. Sure would have liked to see him in his new outfit.
We returned to our Rv's and after supper we played cribbage with Lisa and Terry. The guys had whomped on us the night before but we battled our way back with 2 skunks last night. Terry and Lisa will be leaving today but we must remain and wait for our phone call.

Pictures from Llano Tx

Butch and Terry Linder on hole # 8 which happens to be a few feet from the motorhome

 Butch says "Bye" " See you in a few hours"

Lisa and I went for a walk near the river

Some campers a stones throw from the river

Lisa said that white goose looks like a chaser. She was right.

Last Spring when we left Llano going north I spotted this sign. It will surely gain ones attention.

Here is the explanation of it

This stone has become very overgrown. There were a couple of 2012 graves so it is still being actively used.

Lucy Lee Murphy...liked her name

Lelah Belle born in 1893 and died in 1897

I am sure the request was to be buried in the shade of a tree.

This woman's name was Texas Calvin- DAUGHTER of a Mr. McCoy

 Llano Historical Museum

Her picture was hanging in a shop named Whimsy. Doesn't she look "whimsical"?

Refrigeration in Llano Tx

We drove over to Burnet, Tx (30 miles)and the Lee Hoffpauir RV and Truck Repair facility yesterday afternoon and were treated most kindly. We waited a mere 15 minutes for service and they were able to temporarily fix things so the fridge would work until the repair part gets here. It was the recall box. There had been a previous recall and it was this box that went bad. The bouncy roads of Oklahoma had helped loosen a battery cable and may have been the cause. Butch suspicions it anyway. But the part has been ordered and they trust Butch to put it on so we can drive over in the car to pick it up when it gets here. What it really means is that we are here till the part arrives and may delay our departure to the Rio Grande Valley. We were planning to leave on Sunday but it may not happen. I will call and tell those expecting us what the deal is if we are delayed. If they are blog readers they will already know!

Our friends Terry and Lisa Linder from Canyon Lake Tx arrived yesterday while we were gone but we quickly caught up. Went to the Burger Bar for supper and we are finding it easy to eat out on South Beach if we are careful when we order. Butch had chicken fried steak and a salad while I had chicken salad on a bed of lettuce and tomatoes. Tasty and filling. My BS level this morning was a normal 100! BS=Blood Sugar in case you attach a different meaning to BS. wink, wink.

Today's plan includes golf for the guys while Lisa and I are going to take a long walk and then be Llano tourists. Llano is a small town similar in size to Jefferson and their beautiful courthouse square is surrounded with interesting little shops.They do not have a bell tower, however. One of the shops is called Stuffology and contains just what you might imagine-stuff. I plan to be busy with my camera today. Llano's motto is Llano-Land of Legend and Lures. Maybe I can find out what the legend is. The lures refers to fishing I am guessing. The RV park we are staying in is connected to a 18 hole golf course and a river. Their rates are very reasonable...one of the reasons we are here.

Here is what I found out about the Llano River which runs by us about a 100 yards from our RV. We are staying in the Robinson City Park.

Llano River

Llano River is one of the last wild rivers left in Texas. Starting in Kimble County, which boasts over 1000 springs, Llano flows eastward from Kimble Country, through Mason Country and into Llano County before it empties into Lake LBJ at the junction with the Colorado River at Kingsland, Texas.  The Llano River flows through rocky terrain covered with mesquite, bee bush and cactus. It is dotted with live oak and post oak trees.

Some of the fauna you might view along the Llano River include bald eagles, hawks, kingfishers, owls, wild turkey, quail, dove, white-tail deer, escaped exotics, wild hogs, rattlesnakes, coyotes and all manner of varmints inhabit the river banks.

The Llano River flows over granite and limestone with sand and gravel bars common. Wading is easy for fishing. Fly fishermen can do wet wading from the middle of Spring until the first freeze which usually occurs in late fall.  Fishing from a canoe or kayak is also great on the Llano.  

The Llano is a navigable stream. As long as the angler is in the water, it is considered public land.  Property rights of landowners should be respected at all times. Frequently you will be allowed access if you ask. Public access is available at the James River Crossing, the Highway 87 Bridge south of Mason, the town of Castell, Rio Llano east of Llano, Robinson City Park in Llano.

We are in Llano Texas

They wouldn't even talk to us about the refrigerator in Norman at either RV place. They just said, "Too busy", "Our schedule is full and we have no idea when we can even look at it." So we bought a cooler and some ice and headed on down the road to Llano Tx. We have arrived and in time to call a dealer in Burnet, Tx, a 30 mile drive from here. Marlene and Bernard will be familiar with the area we are in, as they used to own a house not far from this area before buying a place in the Rio Grande Valley.
They were very kind to us at the Lee Hoffpauir RV & Truck Service in Burnet, and letting us know it was a favor, gave us an appointment for 2:00 tomorrow afternoon.
The trip here was uneventful and we listened to a great book. The Unlikely Pilgrimage of  Mr. Harold Fry by Rachel Joyce.
"Meet Harold Fry, recently retired. He lives in a small English village with his wife, Maureen, who seems irritated by almost everything he does, even down to how he butters his toast. Little differentiates one day from the next. Then one morning the mail arrives, and within the stack of quotidian minutiae is a letter addressed to Harold in a shaky scrawl from a woman he hasn't seen or heard from in 20 years. Queenie Hennessy is in hospice and is writing to say goodbye. Harold pens a quick reply and, leaving Maureen to her chores, heads to the corner mailbox. But then, as happens in the very best works of fiction, Harold has a chance encounter, one that convinces him that he absolutely must deliver his message to Queenie in person. And thus begins the unlikely pilgrimage at the heart of Rachel Joyce's remarkable debut. Harold Fry is determined to walk 600 miles from Kingsbridge to the hospice in Berwick-upon-Tweed because, he believes, as long as he walks, Queenie Hennessey will live. Still in his yachting shoes and light coat, Harold embarks on his urgent quest across the countryside. Along the way he meets one fascinating character after another, each of whom unlocks his long-dormant spirit and sense of promise. Memories of his first dance with Maureen, his wedding day, his joy in fatherhood, come rushing back to him - allowing him to also reconcile the losses and the regrets. As for Maureen, she finds herself missing Harold for the first time in years. And then there is the unfinished business with Queenie Hennessy. A novel of unsentimental charm, humor, and profound insight into the thoughts and feelings we all bury deep within our hearts, The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry introduces Rachel Joyce as a wise - and utterly irresistible - storyteller. "

The book finished about 15 miles from our destination...incredible timing.
So we are settled in and trying not to think about the food in the freezer and refrigerator that is relying on ice to survive.
Tune in tomorrow for the next episode of the Warm and Toasty Fridge.

Quick note

We are parked at the casino in Norman OK. When we arrived and after a trip inside the casino, I won 20 and Butch lost 20, our refrigerator started beeping and would not quit. It was an L1 fault code and the book said it could not be owner corrected and to contact an authorized dealer. So I went online to find one and in so doing found there was a recall on ours and to turn it off immediately if the numbers were such and such. They were. It seems it is a fire hazard. So our first order of business will be getting that fixed. I found several dealers in the area. So tomorrow will not be an early start for us as most do not open till 8:00 AM.
Otherwise the trip was fine but windy...very windy!

Quiet Weekend with Missouri Family

As quiet as a weekend with a two year old can be. Gary has been on Football overload, not of his choosing, and it will not get better till the season has passed thus we were not able to see much of him. There is light at the end of the tunnel. Let's just say he will have much to be thankful for on Thanksgiving.
Here are some pictures from our weekend.

Missouri sunrise on Saturday

They have not had a frost here as yet so the leaf color is still quite vivid.

Elise helping Nana Susan get a treat.

Butch was sitting this way and Elise was copying him but she would quit when I pointed the camera at her.

On the grandparent swing.

Hairdresser Elise

So many pictures had to be deleted due to a blurry Elise. I left this one in.

Here nose needed wiped but otherwise a great shot.

Her favorite playmates

Elise with her Mom. Amanda is expecting another one next April so Elise's world will be changing. We find out soon if Elise will have a brother or a sister.

Just a swingin'.

Catching Nana Susan as she comes down the slide.