Warmer And Foggy

Canyon Lake, Texas

Weather: low 50 degrees, high 58 degrees, cloudy, misty, fog

This is the warmest weather we've seen in several weeks, and we're grateful for it. Even the dreary conditions couldn't put a damper on feeling warmer when outside. Note a few of the deer and how foggy it was all day. We saw several people feeding the deer, and it was quite a sight to see, as the deer would come running from all over the park to enjoy the treats.


Another picture of the fog, which hung around all day. We're supposed to start getting rain tonight, and it's not expected to stop until about midday on Sunday. At least we're parked on a concrete pad and there is not any mud around to try to keep out of the RV.

This park has about 120 sites, and I have a feeling it is very busy during the summer.

Here's a picture of what we assume are some type of geese we've not seen before. We checked our bird book and the web, but were unable to find anything that matches these. Does anyone out there know what these are?

We stayed at home today as the weather was too nasty to be able to see any of the countryside. Carolyn worked on her tatting, while I walked and tried to gear myself down a little wit reading, surfing the web, and going through our old receipts and getting rid of what we didn't need any longer. I finished fine tuning the satellite dish setup, and now we have more channels than we can watch. Of course, like most people, we have our favorites, and ignore most of the other selections. It would be nice if we could just pick the channels we wanted and have the rest removed.

More later, be safe.

Today's County - Comal County, Texas: Where Living Is Good

Not all who wander are lost.

Lost In Gruene, Texas

Canyon Lake, Texas

Weather: low 38 degrees in Taylor, Texas, high 53 degrees in Canyon Lake, Texas, cloudy, misty, and light showers

We left Taylor about 1000 hours this morning. Taking the truck bypass around town, we passed through Hutto and Round Rock on our way to I-35, where we turned south. From there, we went through Austin and several small towns. Eventually, we turned back to the northwest at New Braunfels.

That's when the adventure really started. We knew that we were supposed to take Farm to Market Road 306 to Canyon Lake. Well, we saw a sign that said Canyon Lake pointing to the left. Huh? We haven't gone far enough to be at Canyon Lake yet. Oh, well. Follow the signs, right? Wrong! We ended up in downtown Gruene. Now, if you've been to Gruene before, you know what we ran into. For those of you who have never been there before, this is a historic little town that is completely within the city limits of New Braunfels. Basically, it is a tourist trap, with narrow streets and little room to maneuver a large RV like what we have. Eventually, we found a place to turn around and retrace our steps to FM 306, where we turned back to the north.

The logical question to ask at this time is why didn't we use the GPS unit we bought a couple of weeks ago? Simple answer: we forgot we had it. Besides, look at the fun we would have missed if the GPS unit had been in use. At least that's my read on this. I'm sure Carolyn has a different opinion.

Persevering, we eventually found Canyon Lake and the COE park we're in, Potter's Creek Park. The park is a nice COE facility that we hadn't been to before. As we were pulling into our campsite, the first thing we noticed was a couple of deer, including a big buck, about 100 feet away. Well, now. Where did they come from? Suddenly, here comes a herd of about 50 deer. What's this about? Deer are usually shy around people. As we watched the deer, we realized that these have been around people so much that they are just about tame. As people would come out of their RVs or drive up, the deer would run toward them, much like a bunch of dogs living in the yard would do if someone came outside. We were wondering if anyone here is feeding them. We hope not, because if they leave the park, we think they might be setting themselves up to be shot if they acted the same way. I'll take some pictures of the deer and park later on.

By the time we were set up, we were starting to get a little tired. I set the satellite dish up, but it's not quite right, and I didn't feel like fooling with it. That's a chore to finish tomorrow.

Rain was in the forecast, but we hoped we would be moved and set up before it started. Unfortunately, we hit sprinkles that turned into a light rain near San Marcos. It didn't rain hard, but it was enough to make everything nasty, including the truck and RV. I'm glad I didn't do any outside cleaning before now. There's more rain forecast for the next three days, so I don't know how much exploring we will get done. Knowing us, we'll be out whether it's raining or not.

More later, be safe.

Today's Town - Gruene, Texas: Gently Resisting Change Since 1872

Not all who wander are lost.

Sun Catcher

Weather: low 36 degrees, high 56 degrees, partly cloudy skies

Both of us slept until about 0700 hours this morning as we rested from a busy day of moving yesterday. It feels great to be able to sleep in on these cold mornings. Once I was able to wake up enough, I went for a long walk in the park. This COE park is typical of so many of them that we have stayed in: clean, well kept, and quiet. No trains all night. On top of that, the gates are closed at 2200 hours, so there's less chance that someone with no business here will come in and cause mischief.

This picture is of Granger Lake looking toward the dam.

When I was walking, I met one of the COE volunteers who are staying here for the winter and helping with maintenance and other duties. He has been doing this type of volunteer work since he retired in 2004. As we talked, he mentioned that he was from New Orleans and retired from Waterford-3, the nuclear plant I was at in November. What are the odds that something like this would happen? Both of us retired from the nuclear power industry, and both of us worked at the same plant. We had a good talk, and eventually he had to go do some work. Who knows, I may see him again.

After lunch, we went into Taylor for a few groceries and to deliver a sun catcher that Carolyn made to Chriselda. Carolyn loves to tat, and the sun catcher and other things she makes are used as little gifts that she gives to family and friends. Chriselda was at work, but we hung the sun catcher on the front door knob so Chriselda would find it when she arrived home. Carolyn also sent a text message to her letting her know what we had done. Here's another picture that gives a little better idea of the size of the sun catcher.

We are enjoying the peace and quiet so much that I didn't put up the satellite dish. We found that when we raised the TV antenna on the RV, we were able to pick up about 40 stations. That's more than enough for the two nights we'll be here. Isn't HD television the greatest? It's amazing to us how good the picture is with these new televisions. Even the imperfections in the people's faces show up.

We plan to move on down the road a little way tomorrow. Since we're trying not to plan too far ahead, I'll let our final destination for the next few days be a surprise.

More later, be safe.

Today's Town - Kosciusko, Mississippi: Beehive Of The Hills

Not all who wander are lost.

Supper With Scott And Chriselda

Taylor, Texas

Weather: low 30 degrees in Bay City, Texas, high 48 degrees in Taylor, Texas, partly cloudy skies

We left Bay City this morning after enjoying the visit for the holidays. Normally, we have a place we plan to go in order to see new places and things. This time, we haven't planned beyond the next couple of days. We're in Taylor at the Army Corps of Engineers Wilson H. Fox Park, located on Granger Lake. Our plan was to stay at the Corps' Taylor Park, but when we pulled in, we discovered that the park was closed for the winter. That was a surprise, because we had been told by a camp host in March that the Corps had decided to keep Taylor Park open year round. I guess they changed their minds. We moved on down the road a couple of miles and checked into the park we're in now.

We were parked and set up before 1400 hours. The trip over was uneventful, with nothing to distinguish it from all the other trips we have made this way. Resting until about 1700 hours, we met our nephew Scott and his wife Chriselda for supper at Chili's in Hutto at 1730 hours. This get together was delayed from our earlier visit in the area back in December when circumstances prevented us from getting together. We had a good meal and visit with Scott and Chriselda, with a promise to get together when we're in the area again.

When we arrived home, we happened to look up at the night sky with all the stars shining. Wow! When living near a town or city, the background light at night tends to mask the beauty of the sky. If we're fortunate enough to make it out to Big Bend, one of the things we'll be looking at will be the night sky and stars. Plus the Marfa lights. Plus........

More later, be safe.

Today's Town - Hutto, Texas: Growing A Quality Community

Not all who wander are lost.

Frozen Faucet - Again

Bay City, Texas

Weather: low 25 degrees, high 45 degrees, clear skies

This was the second morning in a row that the water faucet was frozen, even though I had protected it by insulating it as well as I could. I waited until about 0800 hours, when I used a hair dryer to thaw it out and get the water running again. I'm ready for some warmer weather. I know that folks up north probably think the weather we're having is like a spring day, but it's cold to us!

We met Lori and her family for breakfast this morning at a new place for us. Las Fuentes Mexican Restaurant has been open for a couple of years, but for some reason we had never stopped there. After our experience at breakfast, we think we'll be trying them for supper. The restaurant is clean, bright, and colorfully decorated. It was full of local people while we were there. The food was good, there was plenty of it, and the prices were reasonable. What more could we ask for?

The big breakfast made us ready for some couch time, so after telling Lori we would see them in the evening, we went home. I went for a walk, which was the first one in several days because the weather has been so cold. When I got back from the walk, I dumped our holding tanks. Then I straightened the basement and put up the satellite dish in preparation for hitting the road tomorrow. In the meantime, Carolyn was doing her thing inside the RV to get ready to move. We'll finish up tomorrow, just before we leave.

This evening, we visited Lori and her family. we had a good discussion about what they were going to do for summer vacation. The Grand Canyon, Yellowstone, Glacier National Park, San Francisco.... No, not all of them, but those were some of the places they kicked around in their discussion. It felt good to be able to tell them some of our impressions of many of the places they thought of.

Hmmmm, I wonder what we'll be doing this summer? It's never too soon to start planning. Wait a minute. Every time I plan something, it seems as though something comes up to change the plans. Maybe we'll just wing it.

More later, be safe.

Today's Town - Charleston, South Carolina: The Holy City

Not all who wander are lost.

Terrell And Kathy Have Left Bay City

Bay City, Texas

Weather: low 21 degrees, high 38 degrees, clear skies

Last night was the coldest one so far in Bay City since we have been here for this visit. Even though I take precautions to keep our water lines from freezing, the faucet froze this morning. No problem, as I used a hair dryer to thaw it out. In a couple of minutes, we had water flowing again.

Speaking of cold weather, get ready for higher fruit and vegetable prices as the cold weather hits the crops in Florida. According to the forecast, the next four or five nights down there will be below freezing. The state has already been hit hard by the recession, and it looks like the weather is going to make the job situation even worse.

I called my brother Terrell this morning to see if he needed any help finishing up the packing and loading of their moving truck in preparation for their move to Tennessee. He said they were just doing a final walk through, and were about ready to leave. I wished him and Kathy luck, and told him we'll see them sometime in February. We'll miss them when we're in Bay City. They have lived here for the last 22 years or so, and it never entered our minds that they would be leaving Texas until they told us they were moving about a year ago. Have a great retirement, guys.

Terrell left some lumber that he offered to our son-in-law John. This afternoon, I moved the lumber to Lori and John's house. John has become adept at home repairs, and I'm sure the lumber I took him today will be put to good use.

When we left Lori's house, Julian loaned me District 9, a video he received for Christmas. We started watching it, but it quickly became apparent that Carolyn didn't like the movie or the premise behind it, which was about apartheid. I waited until she went to bed and finished watching it. The movie certainly wouldn't be classified as my favorite, or even one I liked, but the special effects were awesome. It gives me a new image now when I hear the word prawns.

More later, be safe.

Today's State - Arizona: The Copper State

Not all who wander are lost.

Snow Flakes

Bay City, Texas

Weather: low 26 degrees, high 33 degrees, cloudy skies, windy

The weather here in southeast Texas reminds me of some of what we experienced in New York in 2000 and 2001. About the only thing missing has been about 70 inches of snow. Late in the afternoon, we saw a few snow flakes, but nothing that would qualify as flurries. Tonight will be the coldest we have seen in Bay City this winter, but the cold should start getting better by Monday.

My brother Terrell and his wife Kathy are selling their house in Bay City and moving to the Knoxville, Tennessee area this weekend. He is retired from his daytime job, but still does a little consulting on the side. His employer has worked it out to where he can work at home, with a trip about once a month to the job site here at the nuclear plant. Sounds like a good deal. Still working at a job he likes, but doing it at home. What could be better?

We went over to Terrell and Kathy's house to help them pack and load the truck they're renting to move with. The last time we did something like moving furniture was years ago. We got everything packed and on the truck by the late afternoon. It used to seem to be easier to do.

They will be leaving in the morning, and it's going to seem strange to come down here to visit Lori and her family, and not have Terrell and Kathy here. They have lived here for about 22 years, so I'm sure there will be some changes for them. Like, new doctors, dentists, exploring for good places to eat out, changing college football allegiances.... Wait a minute - changing allegiance to the Gators can't be done. Once a Gator, always a Gator. Of course, they'll be living in the heart of Volunteer country, so they'll have to keep their heads down.

Now that Terrell and Kathy are moving to Tennessee, that's one more place that we'll have to visit to keep up with family. Especially when it's hot in Texas or when the leaves are changing in the mountains. I don't think we'll be dragging the RV up there in the winter, though.

All this physical labor today has wore me out. I think I'll take a shower and see if I can snuggle up to Carolyn and get warm.

More later, be safe.

Today's Town - Maryville, Tennessee: People Are The Key

Not all who wander are lost.