Howdy.....

It's been a while since I wrote.

Last Sunday we went to Megan's softball tournament for one game. Here are a couple of pics.

Last week we spent the evenings getting ready for a camping trip to Wolf Creek Park on Lake Livingston. Connie had made her lists, shopped for supplies and loaded the trailer. I had done my usual systems checks and checked the tires. We had planned on leaving Friday and returning home on Tuesday.

When I checked the tires I noticed that two of them were getting weathered looking. I was concerned but not overly so, the trailer is only two years old. I made a mental note to add four new trailer tires to my list of things to do in the near future.

Friday came and we were excited to finally be heading out again. We had only driven about ten miles when a trailer tire blew out. When we pulled over I quickly realized that there was more damage than just a tire. The tread had separated from the tire. It tore off the fender which broke into a million pieces and tore out a section of the wheel well and insulation above it as well as a piece of the plywood decking. It then wrapped around the axle and ripped out the wiring to the electric brakes. All of this damage happened when we were going forty miles an hour on Seawall Blvd. in Galveston. I hate to think what else might have happened if we were on the freeway traveling at sixty mph.

That tan section is the trailer floor.

Luckily I could see a service station a block away. I called them and they came right away. He took one look and said that he couldn't change the tire there. He pumped air into the tire and we were able to limp to his station without damage to the wheel. I kept waiting to hear the other tire blow. I checked all the tires while at the station and they were all manufactured in late '03 or early '04. That means the tires were already four years old when we bought the NEW trailer. How the hell do they get away with that?

At the station they were able to jack the trailer up and remove the wheel fairly easily. Removing the tread from the axle was a little more difficult. They were finally able to cut it off and it was time to settle up. I almost fainted when the station owner told me I owed him fifteen bucks. I was expecting at least fifty. I tipped the guy who did the work five dollars and made a promise to myself that I would start buying my gas and deisel here from now on.

We towed the trailer to the dealership where we bought it and unloaded everything into the truck. Jackie brought us an additional cooler for the refrigerated stuff. The service department said they would do an estimate in the next five days and for me to call the insurance company. I called and filed a claim but haven't heard anything yet. I'll probably check with them later today to get an update.

We returned home quite disappointed. Connie was especially down. I tried to cheer her up but nothing was working. She had so looked forward to getting away that the sudden change in plans crushed her. I asked her if she would like to go anyway and just stay in a hotel for a night or two. She was pretty indifferent to the idea but I knew she would come around if I got the ball rolling. I usually leave this kind of planning for her to do because she is better at it than I and she seems to enjoy it.

I called the Bed & Bisket and made arrangements to drop Sam off Saturday morning. I made a few other arrangements and got Connie's mood to start changing. We unpacked then repacked for a shorter stay, looked up some places to check out on the internet and hit the sack at about 9:00.

We have been rethinking our retirement plans for the last few months. For a lot of reasons we have pretty much decided to become part time fulltimers. We are going to buy or build a little place inland somewhere to use as a home base. We plan on travelling two or three months at a time and returning to home base for breaks in between.

One of the things we were going to do on this camping trip was look at some properties. We were going to spread it out over the three days. Instead we did it all in two days. We drove over 500 miles and looked at more areas than I can remember but it was well worth it. We have a better idea where we want to buy and about how much we can expect to spend. Now it's time to start looking more at specific properties.

We did see one house on a small lake that looked to fit our needs and price range exactly. Connie called this morning but there is a deal pending and the realtor thinks it will go through. I knew it was too good to be true and way too easy. We'll be taking more excursions looking for our "shack in the woods" this winter. I just hope the trailer is fixed fairly soon so we can use it as a base to look for our future home base.

We picked Sam up at about 3:00 yesterday and returned home tired but definitely in better moods than when we left.
Adios for now, enjoy the day.
--Rod

Nature's Gift

For some time now, I have admired the incredible beauty and have a deep appreciation of the photographs posted up by fellow bloggers.  I want to personally thank you for sharing your adventures with us and taking the time to take pictures and upload them to your blogs. Reading your blogs and looking at your photography is always my favorite time of day.

As I sit here typing, still busy with the day-to-day routine of what society has deemed necessary at this point in our life, I was thinking. (I can see Rod rolling his eyes already.) ;) Bear with me on this because its meant as a reminder to those who still have their feet firmly planted in a somewhat unfulfilling routine.

This post is to share how nature affects me, its a special gift I give myself everyday. There really is something to "stop and smell the roses" that plays an important role for many of us. I know RV'rs "get it" but for those of you who read and wonder why we live in a perfectly wonderful house but long to go sleep in the woods, this is for you. ;)

I am a firm believer that each and every one of us should listen to good music and be one with nature everyday of our lives. It not only keeps us grounded, it is necessary to maintain a good attitude in my opinion. It helps our spirit remain light and free, and it serves to replenish us.

Witnessing something in nature or taking a moment to enjoy its beauty first hand, opens up a place in my mind that is otherwise occupied by things that I cannot change, or negativity and just the everyday pressures and anxieties of living life. Don't we all need that mini-vacation once in awhile? I do, and its a beautiful thing when it happens and a necessary part of my life.

When I am in the woods or out in the bay, its when I actually focus on the impact of nature and its wonderful affects. Aside from looking at my surroundings, I like to close my eyes and absorb the sounds of nature. The positive affects are something you just can't put a price on or replace with anything else.

I find that if I am surrounded by pure acoustics of the environment, that it gives me feeling of overwhelming calm that is hard to experience in urban surroundings.  Lately, I am trying harder not to have to cram this activity into stolen time. Instead, I choose to derive pleasure from nature every chance I get, even if for only a short moment since it awakens so many good feelings.

Birds chirping, the sounds of crickets (which I think I hear now, are y'all bored with this already? ;) ) deep sounds in the woods of animals scurrying about looking for food and water, thunder rumbling softly in the distance, the sound of raindrops dancing on the things around me... each drop making a new and different sound, the hum of the ocean or waves crashing on the beach, the calls of seagulls, a babbling brook, frogs croaking (my favorite) – this is nature's music and I love to listen.

There are no so many positive effects from listening to sounds of nature.  So why not give yourself this gift? You're worth it, you deserve at least a few moments a day to revive your spirit and awaken your senses.

The scent of nature also makes me breath deeper and more intensely. Especially this time of year when fall is in the air. I remember what Autumn smells like from growing up the in the Adirondacks. I love this time of year and envy those of you who are experiencing it right now.

It's wonderful to let your mind go on a little adventure of its own. And, no matter where you are, you can always find something in nature to listen to or see. When I give myself this gift, my state of mind turns positive, energy and good feelings emerge, I feel healed somehow. An added bonus as Rod can attest, I'm much easier to live with. ;)

RV'rs have a heightened sense of awareness due to being surrounded by nature, so this post will serve as a reminder to those who forget to "stop and smell the roses."

Can you tell I've had my dose of nature today? ;)

Breath it in, its there for the taking. :)

Be well,

Connie

NEVER FORGET

I had written a long post today. Better sense had me delete it before publishing.

--Rod

Smokin...

Labor Day weekend is almost over and that means another summer has gone by here on Galveston Island. Now begins the very best time of the year to live here as far as I'm concerned. The tourists and weekenders will be staying home and getting on with their busy lives, the heat and humidity will finally ease up, the fishing will pick up and life will just get quieter around here.

Our weekend neighbors George & Teresa came down on Friday. They haven't been down in a while so we sat around and talked until pretty late just getting caught up on each others lives. They didn't have any solid plans for the weekend and neither did we. We agreed to play it by ear and chill-ax for the next couple of days.

One of the first things I wanted to learn how to do after we moved to Texas was smoke a brisket. I've been learning for the 30 years since. I've had different types of smokers and tried many rubs and sauces. I've been told I can cook a pretty good brisket. To me I've got a long ways to go. I don't know if I'll ever cook the perfect one but the cooking is the fun for me. So far I haven't poisoned anyone.

After everyone went to bed I decided to season a brisket which I had thawed earlier. I buy them when they are on sale and freeze them for later use. I decided to use a rub George had given me a while back called "Gator Rub". The bag of rub was a little hard so I threw it in the microwave to soften it. I never gave the twist tie a thought. Twenty seconds later I had sparks and fire.

I was able to save about 3/4 of the rub before it melted into a blob. It was more than enough to season the meat.

Saturday morning I got up at the crack of 9:00 and went downstairs to fire up the pit. I haven't used it in a while so a little cleaning was in order.

Before...

After cleaning it I coated it with Manteca which is Mexican lard. It seals the metal and stops rust.
After.....

With this smoker you control the heat by opening the chimneys and then control the air flow into the firebox.

One of the things I like about this smoker is the amount of usable space for cooking. I can have a couple of briskets in the main chamber and do chickens, ribs or sausage in the chimney chamber at the same time.

I got the fire going and built up a bed of coals.

When the temperature was a steady 225 degrees I put the brisket on.

Later George brought over some wings and we threw them into the smoke.

Connie had made a salad with rice, beans, corn, tomatoes and diced peaches.

We snacked all afternoon and by the time the brisket was done nobody was hungry. That's OK though because it can be reheated and eaten the next day. Connie sometimes uses the left overs to make carne guisada which is delicious.

Seven hours later......

About 7:00 we piled into George's boat and went to another friends' house for a party. They had hired a band and everyone had a great time. We got back home about 2:00 AM.  Needless to say, yesterday was a lay around and relax day. The wind was blowing too hard to fish anyway.

Today Connie did yard work while I worked on a couple of things on the RV. We're going camping for a few days later this month and I need to get it ready.

I have to go now, my baby wants me to peel potatoes. That can only mean potato salad with brisket for dinner. I'll do anything she asks for potato salad.

Adios for now, enjoy the day.

--Rod