Saturday, November 25

An Afghan from Peggy

Last Spring I asked Peggy if she would make me an afghan. Peggy has made a gazillion of these for many people in many sizes. The pattern for this is very popular. I sure wish we had had it on hand when we were still in Iowa this fall. We have had a few cool nights since we have arrived here and it has been a blessing. It is heavier than most and reminded me of those therapeutic blankets they now recommend for people who suffer from anxiety. I love our new comfort cover!




Devon on net neutrality

Devon is my Grandnephew and the son of Karla. He has made a video about net neutrality and why it is important to all of us. I am so proud of him for getting behind this cause. We need more awareness of the issues and the willingness to stand up and be heard.
https://youtu.be/YquXYYTnN00

Thursday, November 23

The Play-Elf Junior

There are also some great video's but I have to get them in email before I can share them. I could not decide on just a few of the still photo's so you are getting them all.



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Karla's Christmas Cactus

Before we left I asked around about someone adopting a Christmas Cactus for at least the winter. No takers. So I decided to divide and re-pot it and maybe if they were smaller someone would like to have one.
Karla said she would take one but knew nothing about the caring for it. So I sent her some directions. She sent me a picture of it and apparently the plant is very happy at Karla's place.

My visit with Leo

The cheddar bite mentioned in the video was in the small space beside where one attaches the seatbelt and had been there for several days.
https://youtu.be/cWkysKFBJKM

If you need further translation let me know. This young man likes to talk.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Smileycons!Smileycons!

It is so hard to believe we are already at Thanksgiving. Maybe that is true for me because I can think of a thousand things a day that I am thankful for.
My top 6 today:
1. My 58-year marriage and talented big rig driver.
2. Healthy and happy family all-around.
3. Friends old, new and in between.
4. Two tiny abodes both of which offer us a great deal of comfort.
5. Enough-food, warmth, coolness, love.
6. Thursday night trivia in Jefferson!

Getting back to normal-Fall 2017 Trip

I have been a long time without Internet or at least it feels like that to me. We left Iowa one week ago this morning. I did try to write posts even though I could not get them posted. You will find my efforts here.
Thursday,
Blog-Fall2017
11/18/2017
Butch and I spent the day with Susan and Leo and it was a very fun day. I have some video of Leo talking to me in the car on the way to his school. I currently do not have an internet connection and will not have one until we get into our spot in Magnolia Park on Tuesday so I am trying to get this written in chronological order and some other jewels of the last 2 days will have to wait. He proudly and properly introduced us to his teacher and her assistants. I will write down the pearls of wisdom from little Leo as I recall them. When we headed to the play Leo needed to hold someone's hand while crossing the street and that hand was mine. Leo has had a runny and congested nose ever since we arrived but as we were crossing the street, holding hands, he says,"Don't worry Nana, It isn't a cold. It's just allergies." The way that little 4-year-old mind works is a continual wonder. 
The play was fantastic. This group of children from 8 to 13 and one 7-year-old (Elise) did a really fine job of presenting the play Elf Jr.
Elise was on cloud nine throughout the entire time we were there. Her mother and her grandmother both noticed that many little things that would usually be a big irritation to her didn't have any effect on her at all. She was so excited and exclaimed over and over how happy she was. She didn't need to tell us as it was all over her face. Absolutely beaming. And we are so happy for her. A star is born!
Saturday:
We woke to misty rain and 30 mph winds. The good news was that it was a north wind and we were headed south. It would rain much harder and sometimes gust to 45 and when we turned west headed for Joplin it jerked us around pretty good. It was a short day for us and Thank God for that. We arrived at the Downstream Casino at Quapaw OK a little bit before noon. We indulged in the buffet and played in the casino for a few hours. We like this casino because you can often play for a couple of hours and be lead along enough to keep you going. I won $8.00 and Butch won $1 or $2. We left happy. So now we have been resting, napping and enjoying some downtime. The forecast for the next 3 travel days looks good. So in this week of being grateful, we truly are as happy as clams and exceedingly pleased for all we have been blessed with.
Sunday:
We woke to the sunshine, cool but the sun was shining and minimal wind. So we expected a good travel day. And it was...mostly! I asked Butch about the GPS and he didn't think we would need it until we were closer to Oklahoma City. Wrong! There have been some changes to the Tulsa area since the last time we came this route. So there were a few fast and scary decisions on turns. And then there is a 20 mile stretch of road construction that will not be completed anytime soon between Tulsa and Oklahoma City. In hindsight, Butch said it wasn't all that bad you just had to be careful to not run into the cement barricades. The barricades were on my side. I didn't like it.
We arrived at the Winstar Casino, Exit 1 at Thackerville OK. We decided to eat at the casino and gamble a little. I put in $6 and came home with $20. Must be on a roll. And Butch put in $4 and came home with $5. Talk about big winners! I do believe we qualify.
Rested well.
Monday:
Left the casino park earlier than usual and for my own info we went to Gainesville TX, 6 miles and exited to Hwy 51 headed for Decatur Tx. The reason for this is to avoid Interstate 35 between Gainesville and just north of San Antonio. We pick up 380 west at Decatur( had a bit of trouble finding 380 west) toward Jacksboro where we find HWY 281 South.
In the morning we plan to go down to 1604 on 281 and go east to pick up I-35, followed by I- 410 and then I-37. I-37 becomes 281 once again and we follow it all the way to the Rio Grande Valley. The last part we have done many times over so it is more for others info than ours on that bit.
This park, Roadrunner RV park at Johnson City is more than we like to pay. $40 per night. And as I type this I remember why we accepted this last Spring (April 2017). We had just come through an 8 inch rain with high stress driving . The water on the interstate was halfway up our Motorhome tires and you could not see!
I usually brag on Texas roads but I have a few complaints. It most likely would not be noticed all that much in a car but the motorhome was bouncing pretty good. It straightens up at Hico TX and we had a nice parking lot there too for a lunch break. It is located on 281 about a block before/after turning depending on direction.
Other news: 
I heard that Elise fell asleep backstage during intermission on her Saturday night performance. She was very tired. She did her performance without mistakes but her family could tell she was tired throughout. 
Her Sunday performance was back up to her usual sparkling self. She is a trooper!
So to continue...
Tuesday November 21st.
We did not take 1604 In San Antonio. From Johnson City, we followed 281 south to 311and then hwy 46 over to I-35 south.
We will not take 311 again, at least not in the motorhome. 8 miles and it was very narrow and curvy. Butch found driving in San Antonio traffic challenging and then we remembered we usually try to go through cities on Sundays. And we were doing San Antonio on a Tuesday. We will try to remember our (cities=Sundays) rule from now on.
After leaving San Antonio things smoothed out nicely. We have never minded the trip after getting on I-37. We listen to audiobooks and the time flies. It is, however, a long way. 5 hours at least for us in the motorhome.
As we neared the valley we decided to have our motorhome washed in a truck wash. We had never done that before but last season Wayne Bruun who we know from the park recommended it so we decided to check it out. It is I-69 Truck Wash near Edinburg. They washed the car at the same time. And they wiped it down, all for $45. We filled up with fuel afterward and arrived at Magnolia about 4:30.
If you have read this far I admire your dedication!!