Happy Thanksgiving

We came to Rayford on Wednesday pretty early. Ted had an 8:30 am appt. at Camperland to have the Dometic refrigerator recall kit put on. We have never had trouble but figured we should get the shield put on as directed. Once he was set up I brought the rest of the stuff over in the Expedition.

Some friends were already in so we visited. They asked if we wanted to grill out for dinner but we chose to eat inside. I was sound asleep by 9 pm and slept until 7 am. Every once in awhile it all catches up with me and I'm down for the count.

Thursday for dinner I made two pumpkin pies, sweet potato casserole and cranberry jello salad. Rick and Brenda drove over from the other campground and brought orange danish and sausage patties for breakfast. Dawn and Greg came with them and stayed for dinner. Rick and Brenda were going to his sister's for dinner and left before we ate.



Of course there is never enough food! NOT! Another huge feast was presented. I used my dishes, silverware and wine glasses and passed up the paperware that was set out. After all, it is a holiday. Later that night we sat around Jay's firepit even though it wasn't cool out.

Friday was dry and warm despite the weather forecasts. At 2 pm there was a craft project that Stella and I decided to do. We made a gingerbread girl holding a sign with our name on it. We decided we would be lucky to get C- in art if we were in school but it was fun.



Eight of us went to Donnelly's pizza buffet for dinner and got back just in time to play bingo. There are 5 games and one family won the first three! I needed one number on the 4th and 5th games but Diane never called my numbers. Afterwards Stella, Ellen, Ron and I played Mexican Train. Ellen beat us all by over 100 points but the rest of us were within six points of one another.

Today is cool and cloudy. Ted ate the breakfast served in the rally hall but I just had a bowl of cereal at the RV and carried my coffee cup to the hall to visit. Afterwards Ted and I went to check out recliners but we keep coming back to the Lazy Boy Pinacle Recliner. We still haven't ordered them. We also stopped to look at Mobile Suites and Escapade 5th wheels. I still haven't seen anything I like any better than what I have.

Tonight we're grilling burgers and everyone is bringing their leftovers to make a meal. There is a band later on but it is so cool out that I doubt we'll stay outside to listen to them. If we stay outside, it will be bundled up sitting around Jay's firepit again. We're going home tomorrow. We need to get ready to leave for Boerne, TX on Thursday. Next weekend is the Texas Boomers Christmas Camp Out.

Oops!

Saturday I made four loaves of banana bread with my two bananas and the one I commandeered from Michele. Two are for the funeral breakfast and I sent one to a friend who just arrived home from the hospital. She may not be able to eat it but her husband can or it will be handy if someone stops in for a visit. It's the thought more than anything that counts.

Ted had gone shooting and I intended to just take things easy. I put some ribs into the oven about 2 pm and the phone rang. It was Brenda wanting us to go to The Lighting of the Doves. Ted told me to take the ribs out and we would have them Sunday.

So a little before 6 pm they arrived with a couple from their park in from Canada. They all admired my Christmas decorations before we took off in the Expedition. My SUV sure comes in handy when there are 6-8 people going somewhere.





We parked and walked over to Town Green Park. The light exhibit you walk through was up as was the ice skating rink. There were booths lining the Waterway and we sort of sauntered by and finally arrived at the snow hill where adults and kids alike were taking turns riding intertubes down the hill. The line was unbelievably long!

We ended up close to the area where Santa arrived by barge along the Waterway. He made his way to the stage where he read 'Twas the Night Before Christmas. Then they threw the switch to light the doves. Afterwards there were fireworks. It was great to see the kids all excited and so innocent. Yes, Virginia, there is a Santa Claus. He is the spirit that is in all of us.

It was obvious that any restaurant in the mall or Market Street was going to be swamped so we opted to buy four $5 pizzas from Domino's, two six-packs of beer at Wal-Mart and coupled that with a bottle of wine that was at home. We came back to the house and had a fun evening visiting. A topic of discussion was the difference in our health care systems.

Sunday we went to church and wow! the music was something. They had the "Opening of the 10th Anniversary Door" which happened at the 9 am Mass but the music must have been carried over. There was even a trumpet player. What a way to end the liturgical year. Next week will be the first Sunday in Advent and the church year starts over.

Ted watched football and I started wrapping Christmas gifts. I'm going to send them to Michigan along with our heavy sweaters and stuff via UPS. We hope to get by with just a carry on when we fly there 12/11. We can UPS it back to ourselves before we leave up there. Most of what we wear up there we don't use down here.

We decided to put the empty boxes away in the attic above the garage. I slipped off the edge of the plywood up there and put my foot through the ceiling in the garage. Thus the title of this blog. A drywall guy came by today and will be back next Monday to fix it for $75. Not too bad for a simple mistake.

At 6 pm we met the Newcomer's group at Guadalajara restaurant for dinner. I had put the ribs in the oven in the morning and we ate those for lunch so we weren't too terribly hungry. I ate one taco and brought the other one home and had it for lunch today.

We're taking Terry & Carol to the airport tomorrow. They are flying to New York to be with their daughter and her family for Thanksgiving. We'll be heading to Rayford on Wednesday morning and will stay until Sunday. I'm going to enjoy taking it easy for a couple days.

I'm Pooped!

It has been a very busy week and I am simply too pooped to pop! Brenda and Rick expected to stay a night while they got new carpet and hardwood floors in their motorhome. They dropped Cleo off early on Monday and came back later in the afternoon. We had Taco Soup with cornbread I made for dinner and watched Dancing With The Stars. Company does not have a choice in TV when MY shows are on.

Tuesday Ted left for Austin and I brought every Christmas box down from the attic. After a chicken dinner I prepared, Brenda and I went to an Ecumenical Church Thanksgiving service. It was being held at St. Anthony's this year. I took two loaves of Friendship Bread I had made.

On Wednesday my friend Connie came over to help with my Christmas dilemma. We have never been here for Christmas in 7 years so I haven't seen my decorations for a long time. She and I started evaluating. We worked all day. By that evening Ted was home and Brenda and Rick took us to Saw Grass Steak House for dinner. I sure appreciated the break from the kitchen.

Thursday morning they rounded up all their things including Cleo and took off expecting their motorhome to be ready. Connie came by with a list typed on two pages and pictures of the places we needed to purchase things for in the house. We hit Lowe's, Garden Ridge, Michael's, Hobby Lobby and Picket Fences. We were gone 6 hours with time off for a quick lunch. Then we spent another two hours placing things. Instead of getting rid of stuff I had acquired more!

Friday morning I had to finish the jobs Connie had left for me ... decorate the small tree, place the bobeshes around the light bulbs on the dining room fixture, cut the price tags off things, try to clean up the glitter, etc., etc. I also did our laundry plus the sheets from the guest bedroom and put new sheets on that bed. Brenda called and said they stayed in the motorhome in the parking lot of the business that is laying the new flooring. It was still not done.

I had a lunch date with Ann at 1 pm and afterwards took a garland back to Hobby Lobby and stopped at the 99 cent store to get eight presents for our Dollar Christmas for bunco. It was 4 pm when I got home and Ted was snoozing on the coach and didn't even hear me come in.

I debated whether I wanted to go to Wind Down and at the last minute put eggs on for deviled eggs to take with us. It was a nice crowd and we were glad we went. I "stole" Michele's last banana. It was turning brown and she is going to Florida tomorrow. I explained to her that I needed to make banana bread for a funeral breakfast on Tuesday but my bananas are not ripe enough. She was more than happy to donate her one lonely piece of fruit. There was a message on my cell phone when we arrived home ... Brenda said they were home meaning the coach was back at the campground - finally!

We have no commitments tomorrow but may go to the Lighting of the Doves if the weather isn't too cool. There is a street fair from 3-9 tomorrow and then the lights on the bridge over Lake Woodlands are lit to start off the holiday season. Next post I'll let you know if I recovered enough to make it.

B-r-r-r-r- It's Been Cold

Friday's funeral luncheon was a big one and it was late in the afternoon by the time I arrived back home with 9 tablecloths in tow to wash. We had a bite for dinner and stayed in. Saturday Ted went shooting and we went to church at 5 pm and I forgot the tablecloths to return. We ran into our neighbors and a couple from Seniors so we stood in the parking lot quite a while. It was darn chilly and finally Jeannette and I told the fellows we wanted our respective car keys to get inside. From there Ted and I went out to dinner and to the grocery.

We got up early Sunday morning to meet Rick and Brenda at 8:15 to go to the Texas Renaissance Fair. I wore jeans, socks with my walking shoes, a twin sweater set and a jacket. I figured I had three layers and could take them off as needed. All day I didn't need to!

The Fair is a lot bigger than the last time we were there. The bagel I got for breakfast came right out of a bag. No toasting or heating but the hot chocolate was excellent. We were introduced to all the performers from the various weekends. This weekend was the Highland Fling. There are two remaining, Barbarians and Celtic Christmas. One of the Christmas elves looked like the Travelocity Gnome to me.



We saw several shows - Ded Bob (one of my favorite), the Other Brothers, Washing Wenches. One kept jumping up on the end of the bench next to Ted to address the crowd. He was scared to death she was going to grab him to do something. We also saw jausting, a Cirque de Soleil mime/magician, bellydancers and various other characters throughout the Village. Since it was cold there weren't a lot of skimpy bikinis under chain maille outfits. Sometimes I think this event is a license to let your fat hang out in public!

We stopped at a biergarten for a brat and a beer (I drank root beer). There was an accordian player and two dancers. I was sitting on the end of the bench and was taken up on stage to dance the chicken dance and the German version of the Mexican hat dance. It probably has another name. The fellow thanked me and I told him if he threw in the Hokey Pokey I would think I was at a family (mine, not Ted's) wedding back in Cincinnati.




I played bunco at Judy's on Monday. We didn't have any subs, it was just our entire group. We all talked so much that we only got to play half the bunco we are supposed to but that's the fun of such a silly game. Again, even though I now had them in the car, I forgot the tablecloths and drove right by church.

Rick and Brenda brought Cleo over before taking their motorhome to have the carpet changed out. They returned late afternoon and I fixed taco soup and cornbread for dinner. They are leaving for work (at Timber Ridge CG) this morning and will wait to hear if their coach is ready later this afternoon. If not, they will be here another night.

St. Anthony's is having The Woodlands Thanksgiving Ecumenical Celebration this year in conjunction with all the other Woodland churches so I have two loaves of a sweet bread I made and need to take to church ... along with the tablecloths!!! There is also another funeral tomorrow and they expect 200. Connie and I have a Christmas decorating date tomorrow at 9 so before that I will deliver a double salad, lemon squares and ice tea to Rose to take to church .. and those tablecloths if my CRS doesn't improve today.

In anticipation of Connie's visit, I took every holiday box I had in the attic down into the garage. We are going to evaluate what I need to decorate the house simply and then I will get rid of the rest. We have not been in Texas for Christmas since our move here in 2001. This will be my first time decorating this house. Wish us luck.

A Week To Catch Up

We had an uneventful trip home from San Antonio in beautiful sunshine. We exit I-10 at Brookshire and take the back way home via Waller and Magnolia. That keeps us out of the Houston traffic and it's a pretty ride. I gave Ann and Todd the directions too so they could see a little more of the Texas scenery besides I-10, I-610 and I-45. This was one of the few times I had very little food to bring home. We had everything put away quickly and I started the laundry.

Monday morning Brenda called and asked if it was okay for her and Rick to come for a visit. Ted was at physical therapy and I was waiting for Ann and Todd so they came ahead. Shortly after they left our company arrived. Ted had a pork loin on the rotisserie for dinner and the weather was drizzly so we took a ride around The Woodlands before the weather got any worse.

On Tuesday it rained like the "hammers of hell" as my Grandpa would say. But they wanted to buy cowboy boots because they participate in Cowboy Mounted Shooting. They were in the blog back in June while we were in Ohio. They don't have access to the selection that is available here.

We headed to Conroe and stopped at a couple stores, some that I didn't even know about. The clerks were so helpful in suggesting other places to try. Todd bought his pair at Basken's in Conroe and Ann bought hers at Cavender's in Huntsville.

We made a quick stop at the Visitor's Center of the Sam Houston museum. The weather was too bad to walk to Sam's statue or to go through his houses but they saw a bit of it. Ann bought some belt buckles and jewelry as prizes for their upcoming Horseman's Club outing at the gift shop. After the $5 Burgers or BBQ Tuesday special at McKenzie's we headed home. It was almost impossible to see and cars were spraying rooster tails up and down the highway. We were glad to get home. This was our first rain since Ike almost two months ago.

Our company left bright and early Wednesday morning. I sent them up SH 59 to I-30 towards Little Rock. When they called later they said they enjoyed that route too. I haven't heard yet but I assume they made it to Indiana safely. I skipped two outings I had for Wednesday because I was just too tired to get dressed to go out.

Thursday I cleaned a little and did the ironing while Ted finished his Skeet League shooting that was cancelled Tuesday because of the rain. He thinks he came in second in his league this time. Their banquet is in two weeks. In the afternoon we ran some errands. We came home to leftovers for dinner because I had done a lot of cooking this past week.

Things are settled down now and we're home until we head to Rayford Crossing Campground for Thanksgiving. There is entertainment all weekend and a dinner on Thanksgiving day. The park furnishes the turkey and we only have to bring side dishes. And no clean up!!! A good many of our camping friends will be there.

I'm making two salads for a funeral today. Rose asked me to be there by 11:00. I also have to stop to buy some drinks for her. I'll help serve and clean up. I understand this is a young father. How sad. Until later ...

San Antonio

Todd, Ann and Nick arrived at the RV Saturday morning and we took the truck into town. The Veteran's Day Parade was starting at noon and we wanted to get parked before they started closing streets.

Our first stop was the Alamo. We watched the video in the Long Barracks and took in the other information there. I was able to tell them a lot of Texas history. We were unable to get into the Alamo at first because they were laying wreaths and having a 21 gun salute to honor the fallen men of the Alamo. Nick said he didn't want to run into any of those officiating because he didn't want to have to salute and possibly make a mistake. Yesterday he wanted to bring his jacket but didn't know how to carry it. A fellow airman showed him so he brought it along. He kept checking his hat making sure it was on properly. They sure do a number on these young men and women.



After our tour of the Alamo itself (where their reaction was the same as everyone's - it's small and in the middle of downtown), we headed to the Riverwalk. They were all impressed with the natural beauty of the area, the sunshine and green trees in November. We took the boat ride and the captain congratulated the three graduates on board.

We walked along some more before stopping for lunch. Nick was able to talk to his sister Vicki back in Indiana for the first time. He kept telling her it was just luck summer in San Antonio and it's November! We were under a tree and sure enough a bird got his shoulder. The waiter brought a warm cloth and it came off with no problem. After eating his quesidilla, half of his mother's catfish and fries and the last quarter of my quesidilla he proclaimed he was full.



Afterwards we walked over to Hemisfair Park, a place Ted and I had not visited yet. It's a beautiful park with lovely grounds. We were headed to the Tower of the Americas. They have a 4-D ride "over Texas" where you get snorted by a bull, splashed by a crocodile, bounced around in a space shuttle and thrown from a bull. It was just like Disney. We took the elevator to the top for a panoramic view of the city.



Our last stop was the Mercado. We walked through the courtyard area listening to music. Ann bought a few souvenirs and Nick bought a dish of ice cream. He didn't stay full for long! Then it was back to the RV. Nick finished the milk I brought and ate a couple of pop tarts. I think he has a hollow leg.

We met them for church at the chapel Sunday morning and it was an uplifting Mass. They say there are no atheists in foxholes. By the looks of attendance, there aren't many in basic training either. We said our goodbye to Nick and are now getting ready to pull out. Ann and Todd will be at our house sometime tomorrow.