Sunday, September 27, 2009

THE REST OF THE STORY

Seven days of work can make one weak. I could not resist being poetic Smiley Faces

This is Sunday morning and I am home, back into the routine and mundane and as you can see I have not been making time to post once again. We had a yard sale yesterday, no one bought the house, but we got rid of more "stuff". Smiley Faces

I sure miss being at Hickory Creek and I anguish about it everytime I read my friend's blogs about the great time they are having! :) I really am happy they are having a great time, but you guys save some great times for when we can join you.Smiley Faces

We are back here working, but getting ready to go too. I am not going to write about it since it is so depressing! Instead let me continue the story of our adventures at Hickory Creek COE. I left off with us having dinner with Mike and Leslie at Chili’s on Wednesday evening. We had a great time and some pretty good food. We had met Mike and Leslie at the RV Dreams Rally back in June 08, so it had been over a year since seeing them. We picked up right where we left off, joking, talking and enjoying ourselves just as if it were just yesterday since we had last met!! It is great to have friends such as these two.Smiley Faces

The next morning, after finding out the RV show opened at 10am, we picked up Mike and Leslie to head out, after some iced coffee from McDonalds something Leslie introduced to Cheryl for the first time (thanks Les! Smiley Faces ). We found the show with no problem, except for the fact it was misting rain, but we were able to tour some units on the inside right away. These were mostly motorhomes and we just could not find a floor plan that we felt would meet our needs. The weather cleared a bit and we toured some on the outside also, however the humidity was getting the best of us so we ambered back inside after a short while.


From Hickory Creek


From Hickory Creek


From Hickory Creek


From Hickory Creek


From Hickory Creek


From Hickory Creek


From Hickory Creek


From Hickory Creek

Notice I am the only one wore out by all the climbing into all the rigs!! Smiley Faces



All in all I will have to say I was a bit disappointed in the show this year. We were told that a lot of last year’s vendors did not show up this year. It was evident in the number of units on display. About the only thing that peaked our interest was the Mobile Suites and they also had some nice Montanas. I am going to get a good look at an Excel and then try to decide. I believe we are swinging toward the fifth wheel as our RV home instead of a motorhome.

When we left the show, we were getting a little on the hungry side, so we commence to look for lunch. Smiley Faces We ended up have soups and salads at Olive Garden which hit the spot on a rainy and dreary day. We left Olive Garden and decided to head to camping world, where we knew we could unload some of our excess money (less weight to haul back home Smiley Faces ). I only bought some tire covers for my new tires on the not so long trailer, they were 2 for the price of one. After that it was on the Walmart, we wanted the total fulltimers experience, so Walmart was mandatory!

Once we arrived back at the campground, lo and behold Rollie and Gina had arrived Smiley Faces . We stopped by briefly to visit and later made plans to get together later.

once again I must leave the story unfinished. I have to get ready for church. I will continue later, until then God bless us all..........

Thursday, September 17, 2009

AT LAST, CAMPING AGAIN!

It has really been too long since we were camping in the "not so long trailer", but finally here at Hickory Creek COE north of Dallas Texas.

From Hickory Creek


From Hickory Creek


We started prepping for the trip on Monday. We took the trailer out of storage and moved into the famcamp on Barksdale AFB. We then began to load the "not so long trailer" and we even spent the night there (although only about 20 minutes from the sticks and bricks). I worked Monday and Tuesday, but Cheryl was off so she shopped the commissary Tuesday and loaded the fridge. I did have to take some time off to go get new tires the trailer, since I discovered I had one with a bald spot on the inside of the tire!! :( .... Wow, I thought I was keeping a close watch on them! Anyway about $400. later we have no tire worries (so far). :)

Wednesdays trip was only about 4 hours, but very tiring since it was all driven in the rain. Dealing with I35 through Dallas was not very relaxing either! Overall though the trip was uneventful and we enjoyed it regardless of the negatives :) We arrived at Hickory Creek COE and was pleasantly surprised with the park. After coming off the hustle and bustle of I35 and being in the thick of busy-ness, crowdness and mid-city bustle; it was as if we had instantly arrived in the country with wildlife, beauty and surprisingly quiet! It is like an oasis surrounded by big city life.

After setting up, we found Mike and Leslie Kennedy's site. Mike and Leslie are fulltimers and fellow RV Dreamers. Although we had not seen them in over a year, it was no time at all and it was as if we had never parted company! We sit and talk so much that we loose track of time! We finally determined that cooking dinner was not in the cards, so we decided to go out to eat (not a rare decision in our case) and ended up eating at Chili's. It was a great time all around and a great ending to a long day.

Well that takes us up to Wednesday and it is now Saturday. I have been so busy having fun I have not had time to write. It is ironic that it is usually working that keeps me too busy to write! I took this time to write, but now it is time to go have more fun, so I will write about Thursday and Friday later (that is when more RV Dreams family arrived). Until then may God Bless us all .................

Thursday, September 3, 2009

RARE DAY TODAY!

Ok, I know I said I would try to not take so long to post, so much for that effort! This is a rare day, I am off from work and even more rare I was wondering what to do next!! I signed on the dusty ole computer to read some blogs and the realization hit me, I have a blog too! Thanks Penny for the reminder Smiley Faces.

I actually called in this morning, I am not feeling "up to speed" (no pun intended Speedy). I have plenty of sick leave so why not? Needless to say I have been doing hardly anything besides working lately and it is beginning to take its toll on my energy levels. Gee I am still a young man I am not supposed to "run out of gas" so quickly!!

In my last post I told of our rescueing "Boid", a wayward Cockatiel that found the sanctuary of our home. Boid has had a hard time adjusting to her new environment and at most times seems a little unfriendly. I do hold her some, she bites me but with little force, seeming to just tell me she doesn't like being held! Cheryl doesn't even try to hold her, especially since Boid caused her much pain in the rescueing of Boid!! Smiley Faces Boid does keep us entertained sometimes with her whistling and mimicking, however after discussing what we will do with her during our travels I think we may be looking for a good home for Boid :(

We will be heading to Hickory Creek COE campground on the 16th of September and while we are there (only about 3 days) we will be attending the RV Show in Dallas. We will also be able to visit with Joe and Sherri, Rollie and Gina, possibly Mike and Leslie and hopefully more (the more the better!). We will be in site 44 if anyone wants to visit, just knock first so you won't catch me in my boxers! Smiley Faces

We are getting very close to meeting our financial goals and we are ready to start some serious looking for the RV setup for our fulltime lifestyle. I believe we could buy within this next year, depending on if we decide to sell the house or not. Sometimes it seems like a "no-brainer" then traditional thinking intervenes and we doubt our decisions once again!

Well I guess I had better get ready to go meet Cheryl for lunch. She is working today, bless her heart. I will post again! Until then God Bless you all....