Obviously I'm finding it difficult to keep up with this blog. I finally made the decision to bring this blog to an end. I want to thank everyone who has read and followed along our journey. I do so appreciate your interest and support.
That does not mean that our journeys have come to an end....on the contrary....we are very excited about our upcoming travels. We plan on heading up the coast of California for starters and from there we will see if we continue north into Canada or head back east. We are well into our 9th year of full timing and we still love the lifestyle and have much to see and do.
I'm not done blogging either, I have just decided to combine my artist blog and my travel blog. So, if you still want to check in from time to time...head on over to Goode Studio....that is where I'll be hanging my 'blogging hat' from now on......I hope to see you there!
Happy Travels my friends........
Sunday, April 3, 2016
Sunday, November 22, 2015
Yuma!
Yes we finally got outta of Beaumont and on to Yuma. We made our usual stop in Fort Stockton, Texas but this time found a different RV park. The Hilltop RV Park is nothing fancy, but great for an overnight or two. The sites have adequate spacing and paver type patios. It is pretty much a big gravel parking lot, all pull thru and fairly level. Like most of the parks we have stayed at this trip, we found the place to be almost full with construction workers. They do seem to keep their back row open (about 6 to 8 sites) for folks like us, just passing through. The park is well kept and the owners could not be nicer. They are in the process of expanding and we will definitely make this a regular stop on our route as long as there is room. Oh...we also found a great little diner, The Sagebrush Cafe, Billy says they serve the best country fried steak he has had in a long time! LOL!
From Fort Stockton we made our next stop Las Cruces and stayed at the Hacienda RV Park. This is a great park and has big sites, most pull thru and level. We always have to head down to Old Mesilla to our favorite Mexican restaurant La Posta de Mesilla, the meal was great. But I can't tell you how disappointed we both were when we were told that they were out of their fried ice cream.....how the heck do you run out of fried ice cream...thank goodness the tequila was plentiful!
Next stop was Tucson....we always stay at the Lazy Days, which is now a KOA, and I always splurge on a 'grass' site so the dogs can have one last bit of real live grass under their paws before Yuma.
Finally arrived in Yuma and have now settled in here at Del Pueblo. They had a big welcome back dinner and we got to meet the new owners (the park sold last August) and managers. Very nice folk, who seem to be doing a lot to improve the park and activities. We hope the place continues to be the well kept, active park it has always been! I was thrilled when the new manager told me not only could I teach watercolor, but also acrylics...and they were going to allow me to teach in the larger Rec Center. We were so cramped in the small center at the back of the park! This will allow me to open up the class to more students.
So I'm back to playing bumby ball and line dancing and riding my bike! Every night has a Happy Hour or two or three...LOL! I can't tell you how great it is to know that we are truely free....NO MORE HOUSE...to worry over.
From Fort Stockton we made our next stop Las Cruces and stayed at the Hacienda RV Park. This is a great park and has big sites, most pull thru and level. We always have to head down to Old Mesilla to our favorite Mexican restaurant La Posta de Mesilla, the meal was great. But I can't tell you how disappointed we both were when we were told that they were out of their fried ice cream.....how the heck do you run out of fried ice cream...thank goodness the tequila was plentiful!
Next stop was Tucson....we always stay at the Lazy Days, which is now a KOA, and I always splurge on a 'grass' site so the dogs can have one last bit of real live grass under their paws before Yuma.
Finally arrived in Yuma and have now settled in here at Del Pueblo. They had a big welcome back dinner and we got to meet the new owners (the park sold last August) and managers. Very nice folk, who seem to be doing a lot to improve the park and activities. We hope the place continues to be the well kept, active park it has always been! I was thrilled when the new manager told me not only could I teach watercolor, but also acrylics...and they were going to allow me to teach in the larger Rec Center. We were so cramped in the small center at the back of the park! This will allow me to open up the class to more students.
So I'm back to playing bumby ball and line dancing and riding my bike! Every night has a Happy Hour or two or three...LOL! I can't tell you how great it is to know that we are truely free....NO MORE HOUSE...to worry over.
Life is GOODE!
Friday, October 23, 2015
Baton Rouge.....hmmm....what can I say except that the traffic and roads are horrible! Went to the Zoo last Tuesday.....this guy had a lot to say....
I think he was warning me about the traffic here in Baton Rouge! It is clear the infrastructure here can no longer handle the amount of traffic and the bridges are down right scary! It takes forever to get anywhere.
We stayed at the Lakeside RV park...not a bad place, but very tight spacing. You just feel a bit 'cramped' here. We left Friday and headed to Beaumont, Texas....again the roads and traffic were bad. We like to stop at about the halfway point on our travel days and we couldn't even locate a rest stop until we hit the Texas border. The rest area was under construction and very busy (everyone stops there it seems) but we made it work and finally made our way to the Hidden Lake RV park in Beaumont. Do ya notice a theme here....just can't seem to get away from water and they always want to charge you extra! I can't even see the dang lake from my site...guess that is why the place is called 'hidden lake'...Ha!
This is our site in Beaumont. We do have a pull through, but you can see there is a 'back end' site up against our pull through. Don't care for that at all....kinda like a 'jack-n-jill' site where you share your yard with your neighbor. We are finding that rv sites are hard to come by these days. We have been fulltiming for 8 yrs and never made reservations and never had a problem. This year and last we have noticed that we need to at least 'call ahead' to see if they have vacancies and 9 times outta of 10 they are down to their last two or three sites so we go ahead and reserve. I don't necessarily think more people are traveling, I think more folks are 'living' in rv parks. Most of these folks have job sites that 'move around' or that are involved in some type of seasonal work. So we are finding that many parks only have a handful of sites they keep open for travelers and they fill up fast.
Looking at the weather, it seems we will have to stay here a bit longer then expected. That hurricane is pushing a ton of weather into the Houston area and we don't want to get caught up in all that mess! Travel safe y'all!
Looking at the weather, it seems we will have to stay here a bit longer then expected. That hurricane is pushing a ton of weather into the Houston area and we don't want to get caught up in all that mess! Travel safe y'all!
Sunday, October 18, 2015
We left Tampa and started our journey west. Our first night was spent "way down upon the Suwannee river...." at the appropriately called, Suwannee River Rendezvous Rv Park in Mayo Florida. Nothing too special, but great for an overnight or two. This was our second stay at this park and it is a Passport America park so...can't beat the rate. We did venture into the town of Mayo and found a quaint little cafe called 'The Great Southern Biscuit Company'. Wow! Had the best BLT of my life there! Bacon, lettuce, and fried green tomatoes on a freshly baked biscuit....so good!
Back on the road and Ya know that feeling....the one where ya been listening and following that little voice on the GPS. He is taking you deeper and deeper into the country side....narrow, little winding roads...left, right, left again. You are starting to feel a little doubtful, a little nervous. Does this guy know where he is taking us. I mean, seriously, does he know we got 40 foot of fifth wheel behind us. Ya just can't turn those things around anywhere...and then there is this sign that tells you a bridge is coming up. A bridge that has a load limit of 3 tons. "Hey, do we weigh more then 3 tons?" I ask my hubby. "Oh yeah!" he says. Well crap! We really didn't have much choice at this point....so over the bridge we went. It was a small bridge and definitely in need of repairs, but we made it. Suddenly that nut on the GPS says, "the destination is on your right". We both look right....right into an open field full of nothing. Well crap, again! NOW WHAT! Keep going and fortunately...after 1/2 mile...the destination was on our right! Yippee!
Summerdale, Alabama Rainbow Plantation Escapee's park. This is our first stay and it is a very nice and welcoming park. The sites are very spacious, full hookup and some are 50amp. We are in lucky number 13. It is a 50 amp site and backs up to a county road, but road noise is minimal and we like not having anyone behind us. Nothing but tall Pine trees.....smells like Christmas.
As you can see...the sites are primarily grass...a little dirt under the trees. Still, all in all a great site to sit and enjoy the fall breezes. I'll admit the Florida heat and humidity were starting to get to me. I'm loving the cool nights here and the 70's in the daytime!
Yesterday we went down to Foley....only about a 10 minute drive. There we found a walmart and a couple of other grocery stores, plus a very big outlet mall...tons of shops. But the best find was a Lambert's.....'home of the throwed rolls'. If you have never been to one I encourage you to do so. Fun experience....good 'down home' cook-in and yes, they really do throw rolls at you! Don't be on a diet....though...we are talking about fried, smothered in gravy, and full of buttery richness! LOL!
Tomorrow we are back on the road....headed toward Baton Rouge!
Back on the road and Ya know that feeling....the one where ya been listening and following that little voice on the GPS. He is taking you deeper and deeper into the country side....narrow, little winding roads...left, right, left again. You are starting to feel a little doubtful, a little nervous. Does this guy know where he is taking us. I mean, seriously, does he know we got 40 foot of fifth wheel behind us. Ya just can't turn those things around anywhere...and then there is this sign that tells you a bridge is coming up. A bridge that has a load limit of 3 tons. "Hey, do we weigh more then 3 tons?" I ask my hubby. "Oh yeah!" he says. Well crap! We really didn't have much choice at this point....so over the bridge we went. It was a small bridge and definitely in need of repairs, but we made it. Suddenly that nut on the GPS says, "the destination is on your right". We both look right....right into an open field full of nothing. Well crap, again! NOW WHAT! Keep going and fortunately...after 1/2 mile...the destination was on our right! Yippee!
Summerdale, Alabama Rainbow Plantation Escapee's park. This is our first stay and it is a very nice and welcoming park. The sites are very spacious, full hookup and some are 50amp. We are in lucky number 13. It is a 50 amp site and backs up to a county road, but road noise is minimal and we like not having anyone behind us. Nothing but tall Pine trees.....smells like Christmas.
Yesterday we went down to Foley....only about a 10 minute drive. There we found a walmart and a couple of other grocery stores, plus a very big outlet mall...tons of shops. But the best find was a Lambert's.....'home of the throwed rolls'. If you have never been to one I encourage you to do so. Fun experience....good 'down home' cook-in and yes, they really do throw rolls at you! Don't be on a diet....though...we are talking about fried, smothered in gravy, and full of buttery richness! LOL!
Tomorrow we are back on the road....headed toward Baton Rouge!
Wednesday, October 7, 2015
October Already
Good Lord....is it October!
YEs the house is sold, yes I had a fabulous time at my nephew's wedding. Well, except for one little mishap. I managed to sprain my ankle at the reception...I won't go into details....I'll just leave you with the image of my son and daughter-in-law helping me down the street, "Outta the way, broken Mom here!" Funny boy!
We are currently in Florida....Tampa at the Bay Bayou RV resort. What a lovely park...ample spacing and a wonderfully warm and inviting pool!
We have been here almost a month and it will be moving on in a few short days. Starting our journey west to Yuma for the winter.
I know I've mentioned our desire to buy a motorhome...well we came very close to owning one. At the last minute, we realized neither of us were having 'good' feelings about the whole process and called the dealership and 'backed out' of the purchase. It was like a huge weight had been lifted from our shoulders. Yes...I'm a little sad it didn't work out, but also so much wiser about the whole process. It may not be for us and we may need to just stay right where we are at....happily rolling along in our fifth wheel! No more 'house' worries......after 8 long yrs.....we are finally FREE!
YEs the house is sold, yes I had a fabulous time at my nephew's wedding. Well, except for one little mishap. I managed to sprain my ankle at the reception...I won't go into details....I'll just leave you with the image of my son and daughter-in-law helping me down the street, "Outta the way, broken Mom here!" Funny boy!
We are currently in Florida....Tampa at the Bay Bayou RV resort. What a lovely park...ample spacing and a wonderfully warm and inviting pool!
We have been here almost a month and it will be moving on in a few short days. Starting our journey west to Yuma for the winter.
I know I've mentioned our desire to buy a motorhome...well we came very close to owning one. At the last minute, we realized neither of us were having 'good' feelings about the whole process and called the dealership and 'backed out' of the purchase. It was like a huge weight had been lifted from our shoulders. Yes...I'm a little sad it didn't work out, but also so much wiser about the whole process. It may not be for us and we may need to just stay right where we are at....happily rolling along in our fifth wheel! No more 'house' worries......after 8 long yrs.....we are finally FREE!
Monday, August 24, 2015
Moving Forward....
Ah life.....what a rush....YES!
Closing on our house is just a few short days away.....I'm so nervous.....won't be happy till that 'check' is on our hot little hands....LOL! We just about have the house 'cleaned out'. Yes, I know we have not lived there for a long time, but we still had a few things in storage there. The garage was the absolute worse. Everything that nobody knew what to do with went there to live. Poor Billy...we had so many left over paint cans...and you can't just throw them in the trash. They have to either dry out naturally or you can mix in kitty liter or oil dry to hurry the process along. Bill chose the oil dry and it works great....he just had a lot of cans to empty! Then there are those that are solvent based.....actually those where easier. He just had to take them to the appropriate disposal facility...sign a few papers and be done. I don't think either of us will ever save another can of paint. I'll just take a photo of the 'paint formula' and save it for future reference if need be.
On a happier note.....I just finished a Pet portrait....meet Nuchi a lovable and totally adorable Yorkie....
We will be leaving Lafayette very soon now and heading to Richmond VA. My nephew is getting married! I just love weddings.....such a great celebration of love and life! Plus...there will be dancing....and y'all know how I LOVE TO DANCE!
Sunday, July 26, 2015
I can't hardly believe that I'm saying this.....but....as of last night we have an accepted offer on our home. A full price....clean offer! We are so relieved and yet still a little nervous. Although we don't expect any surprises with either the appraisal or the inspection....ya just never know. Our closing date is set for Aug 28, just a few days before we will be leaving for Virgina for my nephew's wedding. Finger's crossed that all goes according to plan!
We have been full timing for over 7 yrs.....for a variety of reasons we just couldn't sell the house. It is going to be so wonderful to continue our full time journey without the burden and worry of what will need to be repaired or replace next....although I think in the past two years we did replace just about everything that could be replaced. New roof, new furnace, new water heater, new garage door and opener....the list goes on. The only downside to the sale is Capital Gains....because we have not lived in the house for the past 7 yrs the government in all its infinite wisdom seems to think we owe them money from the sale. It was never a rental....our son continued to live there.....and we own no other property with the exception of our fifth wheel. Unfortunately, none of that makes a difference....the key wording in the tax law is 'owner occupied' so we are 'screwed' on that one. We have made some improvements over the years....trying to locate all those receipts so we can at least minimize our tax burden. BUT....we are not going to let that dampen our spirits.....still doing the 'happy dance'....just get us to the closing table, put the check in our hands, and we'll be 'happy campers'!
Now we have an opportunity to seriously look into that motorhome idea we have been a thinking on.....LOL!
We have been full timing for over 7 yrs.....for a variety of reasons we just couldn't sell the house. It is going to be so wonderful to continue our full time journey without the burden and worry of what will need to be repaired or replace next....although I think in the past two years we did replace just about everything that could be replaced. New roof, new furnace, new water heater, new garage door and opener....the list goes on. The only downside to the sale is Capital Gains....because we have not lived in the house for the past 7 yrs the government in all its infinite wisdom seems to think we owe them money from the sale. It was never a rental....our son continued to live there.....and we own no other property with the exception of our fifth wheel. Unfortunately, none of that makes a difference....the key wording in the tax law is 'owner occupied' so we are 'screwed' on that one. We have made some improvements over the years....trying to locate all those receipts so we can at least minimize our tax burden. BUT....we are not going to let that dampen our spirits.....still doing the 'happy dance'....just get us to the closing table, put the check in our hands, and we'll be 'happy campers'!
Now we have an opportunity to seriously look into that motorhome idea we have been a thinking on.....LOL!
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