When the weather is bad...

When the weather is bad we have a plan. We either beat the weather or sit tight. I check the 10 day forecast for wherever we are every morning. I have the weather window set up for 2 locations, usually the one where we are currently located and the one we are headed for. We do not head out if the weather is marginal.

The big night of tornadoes in Mississippi we were in Pass Christian MS. The bad stuff was all north of there. If it had been bad where we were we would have done whatever Lum & Donna (our hosts) would do.

We drove through the area in MS where the tornadoes went through Saturday. We saw trees uprooted and crews at work returning electricity to the area.

Tonight we are in Carthage MO and we are getting a new ice maker for the MoHo before heading up the road to Peculiar MO.  

Since we are spending the summer in Michigan we would like to see as much of "the kids" as possible before going up there. The MO kids are very busy but we will spend as much time with them as possible before heading to Iowa. We plan to go straight to Leo & Keri's place in Jefferson and spend the time in Iowa there. And also see as much of all our friends and relatives in Iowa as possible during the merry month of May!

Road Bandit.com

Pass Christian MS on Thursday

Sylvia

When old folks gather...Yes, they are all old folks!

Still in Shock

We are still in a state of shock over the turn of events this week and spending the summer at Thunder Bay Golf and RV Resort. I had applied for this last September but the owner told me that all spots were filled . He said he would keep our resume and contact me if there were openings. We sort of had an inkling there might be but didn't count our chickens.
I have spent quite a bit of time looking over the website. http://www.thunderbaygolf.com/There is a lot of info there! We already have friends making plans to come see us. Our friends and family get a 10 % discount for all of it. It isn't just for golfers. There are quilting retreats as well as lots of other things. It has some similarities to Snow Mountain Ranch but lots of differences too. Our emphasis will not be on the campground so much because half of the 23 RV spots will be taken up with volunteer staff. So it looks like we will be doing a variety of things. For our spot we have to work a total of 36 hours for the two of us. That is less time than was required at SMR So it should be a snap to do that many hours. It is a freaking long way up there...nearly 800 miles from Jefferson Iowa. About the same distance as if we were going to SMR. Neither of us have been to Michigan before so it will be full of new sights and sounds.
Hi Ho Hi Ho it's off to work we go!!

3 Cactus Flowers

Thunder Bay Golf Resort

http://www.thunderbaygolf.com/


It seems our plans have changed this summer and June will find us at the Thunder Bay Golf Resort in Hillman Michigan as workampers.
The message below is from owner Jack to us:
"There are a variety of things that we have to do.  We give you a list of things that we need help with and ask each of you to list the 3 to 5 things you would be most interested in doing and qualified for.  Then we have you meet with our staff in the different work areas and we try to balance out your interests and our needs.  We try to provide variety so you are not just doing the same thing all the time (unless you want to).  We ask you to be flexible and we are as well – so you won’t get a schedule of your hours weeks in advance."

If Butch doesn't like it here he won't like it anywhere and we will give up workamping entirely if I hear too much grumbling.
So come see us!
Discount of 10% for friends and family that visit you at the Resort on packages that include lodging, RV site, Elk Viewing, Golf or meals.


Below is a list of things we may be doing and as you can see there are plenty of things to choose from:



Workamper Assignments

Gardening on flower beds around the golf course & Resort 2 people
Administrative Assistant – Jack, owner 1 person
Administrative Assistant – Melanie Libby, Gen. Mgr - with tour
Buses, groups and as needed 1 person
Restaurant promotion & assist/fill in on busy days/times –
Wait on tables, wash dishes, act as greeter, bar tend, assist
cook or cook (if we have anyone with those skills)   1 or 2 person
Tend herb and vegetable hydroponic garden for restaurant 1 person
Golf course maintenance – Mow greens and chores –weekend 2 people
mornings and as needed during the week
Entertainment – Clubhouse Grill, RV Park, 1 person
Campground Host, park maintenance, trash removal 2 people
Assist in Organizing and scheduling workampers 1 person
Housekeeping – assist on really busy days with high turnover 1 or 2 people
Golf course Rangers, pick range balls, assist on outings,
Tournaments, wash golf carts 1 or 2 people
Maintenance and repair – assist maintenance staff in projects
Painting, staining, tiling, light construction, do we have
anyone with refrigeration experience? 1 or 2 people
Internet Social Networking (marketing) about the Resort on the
Internet – Blogging, Facebook, etc. 1 person
Internet marketing of Elk Antler products, including Velvet Elk
Antler 1 person
Newsletter – put together monthly newsletter for Resort Staff 1 person

Other possibilities:
Elk Viewing guide
Carriage Driver, if anyone has experience driving and/or with horses
Assist during quilting retreats

This listing is preliminary and there may be additions and subtractions.  One person may perform more than one of these functions.

A Day in New Orleans

Pass Christian MS on Saturday

There is still a third bloom to open...maybe tomorrow...

We went on a shopping

excursion to Hudson's- the big brother of Dirt Cheap. Here we have Lum & Butch

This morning Butch and I walked along the Mississippi gulf coast for a couple of miles. We stayed on the boardwalk so we didn't have to wash the sand off our feet. 

This crane landed on the pier and didn't seem the least bit concerned of the people. I was able to get some good shots of him...or her.

And then we went to the I-10 Flea Market. It takes place right along the interstate highway.

Laundry Soap Recipe

I have had two requests for this recipe in the past week so here it is again. The last time it was on here I had just put a link to the recipe from another source. This time I am putting the complete recipe on. As it so happens I am doing laundry today and I am using this soap. Still love it...one of the main things I like is that no fabric softener is necessary. Everything comes out clean and soft.

Laundry Soap

 

3 Pints(6 Cups) Water
1/3 bar Fels Naptha Soap, grated
1/2 cup Arm and Hammer Washing Soda (Arm and Hammer, NOT baking soda though!!)

1/2 cup 20 Mule Team Borax
2 Gallon bucket to mix it in
1 Quart hot water
Hot Water

Mix Fels Naptha Soap in a saucepan with 3 pints hot water and heat on
Low until dissolved. Stir in Washing Soda and Borax. Stir until thickened,
And remove from heat. Add 1 Quart Hot Water to 2 gallon Bucket. Add
Soap mixture, and mix well. Fill bucket completely with additional hot
Water, and mix well. Set aside for 24 hours, or until mixture thickens.
You may add additional HOT water if the mixture becomes too thick. 
Mix Well before each use. Use 1/2 cup of mixture per load.
Makes 64 loads. Cost per load .03.

Crawfish Tale

We learned how to eat crawfish:
First twist the tail, then discard the head unless you are a crawfish purist and then you would suck the juice out of the head. Then you squeeze the tail a bit to have it pop out of the shell. If that isn't successful you peel off the top two sections of tail shell to retrieve the meaty tail portion. If you like you can strip out the intestine then eat and enjoy. do not choose a crawfish with a straight tail because that means it was dead before it was cooked and you cannot be sure how long ago it had died. They were delicious and I now know I do indeed like crawfish. Mr Pickypants did eat enough to say that he ate crawfish. But of course he did not like them.

Pass Christian MS continued...

Azaleas are in bloom everywhere!

The social area complete with stove for those cooler days

Lum is 'splainin' to Butch...

The bridge we were on in this shot was completely wiped out by Katrina. We were on our way to the Silver Slipper Casino. Great place to eat. Didn't do so well gambling.

Dutch & Pat

Lum & Donna

Sculpture created from trees left standing limbless after Katrina

Pass Christian MS Photos

First off this shot is of Houston TX on a Sunday morning. Not bad!!

Lum and Donna's cabin in Bayou River Estates RV Park.

Back door and social area.

South door of the cabin

Cactus blooms!

Ready to open...

Almost there...

Wah La! Doesn't it look like it is made of porcelain? Once the sun was off of it, it closed up again.

 I think we will have two blooms open today!

Pass Christian MS

We are safely settled in Pass Christian MS for a couple of weeks. So far our friendly hosts Lum and Donna have kept us on the move. But I have my camera handy and will get stuff posted ASAP.

On the road again...

The Butch is in bed yet...but soon we will be headed to Pass Christian MS for a visit with friends Lum and Donna Ellis. So today is a travel day although a short one. Butch was happy that he was able to watch the Masters yesterday. We paid a bit more than we usually do for an RV site but wanted to be sure he could see the action. He was also pleased with the outcome as he has been a fan of Phil Mikkleson for many years.
So in a bit we will be "On the road again..."

Create a picture slideshow

Shipyard walk

H.E.B. has boats of their own it seems. We were surprised to see these in the port.

Seaside Cats at work

Got Bait??

Ready for its new name..

Last night's supper

Here are the fried oysters I enjoyed for supper last night and Butch did hold to his word and took ONE bite. He said he gagged and could hardly get it down. They were delicious as oysters go. I do prefer either shrimp or catfish myself but I also enjoyed the oysters.

Butch enjoyed his old standby.

Palacios TX 2010

Our favorite restaurant in Palacios

Cactus

The boys gave me a cactus for mothers day several years ago. It was small and in one of those little square throw-away pots. It has grown tremendously and has changed pots at least 3 times. Not long ago I noticed these odd looking knobs on the top of it and I assumed it was part of the cactus. I still assume so and I have hopes it is about to bloom. So here are the latest photos of it and I will give you more as we progress.

Searchin'?

I added a new search feature to this blog. So now if you remember a post you want to find again it should be very helpful. As much for me as you.

From Palacio Texas

We arrived in Palacio Texas yesterday afternoon. Palacio is located on the coast north of Corpus Christi and south of Houston. We didn't stop for lunch so right after we arrived we high-tailed it to our favorite restaurant here for catfish. It was just as delicious as we remembered it to be. Palacio is a fishing/boating village and one of their highly harvested items is Oysters. I told Butch if we were going to be true to his idea of always trying the local fare that we would need to eat oysters. This of course did not appeal to him but he did say that if I ordered them he would take a bite so that is on my agenda. Stay tuned for further development on this adventure for "Mr. Pickypants".
It is always a bit of a feeling of being on vacation when we leave Magnolia Park and that is even more so this year. I sit here thinking, " Hmmm...what will I do next." So today I plan to go for a long leisurely walk along the coast and perhaps get back to my Swedish weaving when I return home.
I have some pictures to get on here but I left my camera in the car. Didn't want to go out in my jammies to get it so look for them a little later.
Till next time...

Full timers and the census

As April 1 looms, so do the questions: Just how do full time RVers respond to the US census? It’s an interesting scenario, since as the Census folks says, “We don’t mail forms to people, we mail them to residences.” It’s a tough act to mail a census form to a rolling resident.
We spoke with a national census representative in Washington, DC, earlier today, and laid out the problem that some fulltimers may face–at least those who want to fill out the form.
“We have a program for folks like these,” our census guru tells us. “It’s called ETL.”  Oh, bless government for acronyms that don’t sound like anything.  ‘Ee-tell?”  They call it the process of “Enumerating Transitory Locations,” like folks working for circuses, at marinas, and in RV parks. That process started back in mid-March and will go on til April 15. Of course, if you don’t happen to be a “carny” with the circus, or staying at a marina or RV park when the census folks come by–woops, you’ve been missed.
Others too, can easily be missed. Since they don’t send forms to people, if you get your mail at a private mail service, you probably won’t get a census form. If you’re not caught in an RV park, or you are at some location that a census taker can’t locate, what’s to be done?
The Census folks hope that you’ll take the time to phone their “2010 Hotline,” where helpful workers can point you to a location where you can pick up a 2010 census form. However, other media types have commented that some of these locations are only open during rather limited hours, some are listed, but never got staffed, and a plethora of other issues that could make getting your form a bit on the difficult side. Still, those who persevere may get what they want. The hotline phone number is (866) 872-6868.
We found it quite interesting that we mentioned that many fulltime RVers are on the road, and don’t necessarily stay at “Joe’s RV Park,” the government guy seemed a bit astounded. He then told us, “We try our best to get to everyone,”  but then pointed out that fulltime RVers are obviously, “a very small minority of people in the US.” Wonder what he bases those figures on? Census 2000 perhaps? When that oh, so small minority of Americans were never found.  Perhaps in the minds of bureaucrats, fulltime RVers just don’t exist.

A Day on South Padre

Create your own free slideshow design

Grapefruit, Ham, and Spinach Salad

Stock up on that grapefruit before heading north. This recipe sounds great to me but I would never be able to get Butch to even try it.

Grapefruit, Ham, and Spinach Salad

 

4 cups tightly packed torn fresh spinach

2 cups grapefruit sections (about 3 medium grapefruit)

1/2 pound thinly sliced lean deli ham, cut into 1/2-inch strips

1 hard-cooked egg, finely chopped

3 tablespoons raspberry-flavored vinegar

3 tablespoons honey

1 1/2 tablespoons vegetable oil

2 teaspoons Dijon mustard

1/8 teaspoon pepper

 

Divide spinach among 4 serving plates, and top each with one-fourth of

grapefruit sections, ham, and egg. Combine vinegar and next 4

ingredients in a bowl, and stir well with a wire whisk. Drizzle 2

tablespoons of dressing over each salad. Serves 4.

 

 

CALORIES 236 (37% from fat); FAT 9.7g (sat 2.3g,mono 3.4g,poly 3g); IRON

2.3mg; CHOLESTEROL 79mg; CALCIUM 80mg; CARBOHYDRATE 24.7g; SODIUM 945mg;

PROTEIN 14.8g; FIBER 2.9g

 

 

Trouble in Mexico update

There were two units not three and they were bandits not drug cartel. The Mexican police recovered their RV's with the only thing missing were TV's and computers. So not as bad as it first appeared but I still doubt that they have plans to return to Mexico. 

Trouble in Mexico

See McAllen near the top of the map? We are about 15 miles east of  McAllen.

Tonight Butch helped some people from British Columbia Canada park their RV. They wintered in Puerto Vallarta. Their friends and next door winter neighbors left last week for the US and ultimately home to Canada. They received an email from them relating their ordeal near Ciudad Victoria Mexico. They were about 20 kilometers north of Ciudad Victoria Mexico (See Map) when vehicles across the road stopped their progress. There were 3 RV's traveling together. They were all three hijacked. They took everything they owned including all their money. They were left on the side of the road with only the clothes on their back. They were lucky they left them alive.
There will be far fewer Canadians in Mexico next winter.

Firming up plans

Today we spent some time firming up plans for when we head north out of the Rio Grande Valley. First stop is Palatio TX. It has been a stop for us before. We like it there. As we travel we develop all these favorite spots that we wish to return to. The next stop is Pass Christian MS and old friends Lum and Donna. That is all we have planned at this time.
Till next time...

One of Amanda's students

One of Amanda's students drew this picture for her.

A Day in Mexico

They were gearing up for their annual appreciation day so it was getting lively in Nuevo Progresso

Enjoying Panchos and margaritas at Garcias

This fellow danced like this for hours with no break. He had a bucket for tips and he removed the tips as soon as they hit the bucket.