Our Days in the Hill Country - #51

 It's been a bit of time since my last writing. Our days are full and just seem to go by so quickly.  I say to Charlie all the time - "there just isn't enough time in the day for all I want to do!"

Every Wednesday, Texas Skyliners' plan a lunch meetup.  Each week - a different restaurant. We joined the gang the week before Thanksgiving (haven't had time since!) It was a fun and delicious meal at the Asian Buffet in Kerrville (at $10/person - the price was great too!). It also was our first time to the town of Kerrville which is a larger, more populated area. While we were there, we checked out Gibson's- the store everyone recommends that carries everything!! It truly does! We had a great time strolling through the aisles! Afterwards, we went food shopping at the brand new H.E.B. The store was big and beautiful - and I probably would have enjoyed the shopping experience more if I wasn't already tired at that point. Had a funny experience though.  Being a recycling conscious individual, I had saved empty soda bottles and cans in a big bag and brought them in with me. I was so pleased with myself for being so organized! I looked for the recycling area. After a while, I started asking people.  No one knew where it was in this store.  Finally, I went to the service desk and asked the representative.  She stopped, looked at me sideways "Where are YOU from?" Apparently - they don't have this in Texas. Who knew!

Thanksgiving is definitely my favorite holiday and it was fun to spend it at Skyline Ranch this year!  The Mack family, owners of the campground, provided two huge turkeys and a big ham; the campers brought side dishes and desserts to share. With 40 people - needless to say, there was a lot of food! We contributed 15 lbs of delicious creamy mashed potatoes plus a pecan and pumpkin pie for dessert.  Charlie helped peel potatoes which took about 4 hours getting them to the finished product, using my biggest pot and one smaller one - in three batches. It was a lovely meal and we even took home leftovers for another day!

The day after Thanksgiving, I began working on my Christmas Tree project.  I had seen this idea in smaller scale inside one of the tiny homes on a channel I subscribe; I loved it and knew it was something I wanted to try. I loved using the natural materials - branches, pinecones - and just added some glass balls purchased at the Frontier Times Museum yard sale and used seashell lights I already had; we purchased the colored lights to add. I am so happy with the results and received many nice comments from fellow campers! I also didn't forget my Chanukah traditions and lit my travel Menorah!

I continue to attend my yoga and exercise classes and added a stretch (also yoga type) class on Tuesdays. I had a little bout of sciatica this past week and tried to be a bit more cautious of my back, still getting in my 10,000 daily steps. Eating is still a challenge for me but I try to make the best choices to keep that weight off! We also regularly participate in bean bag (daily), biscuits and gravy breakfast Tuesdays, card bingo on Monday nights.  Regular bingo will be coming Thursday nights after Christmas. Last Sunday began Sunday Sundaes and we also joined in on Pasta PotLuck Dinner this past Saturday night. (I brought salad and a pumkin spice coffee cake I made from scratch) Honestly - there is no way to be bored! I still work on jigsaw puzzles in between. Charlie has been practicing his keyboard a lot and enjoying his HAM radio.

On November 30th, Charlie and I took a two-day getaway to Kickapoo Lucky Eagle Casino Resort in Eagles Pass, TX.  The casino is about 140 miles from our park and literally right on the border of Mexico.  We found a great place to board Minnie for those two days; she actually had her own 8' x 8' room - with big window, cat tower, rug.  At $10 a day - a pure bargain!  The casino and hotel were really very nice and we had a lot of fun! We even played bingo. I am looking forward to making plans for our next getaway - not sure where that will be yet!

The weather has been great most of the time - still 70's and up to 80 occasionally - but we also have had a sprinkling of cooler days - 50's, 60's.  At night, we have had a few close to freezing temps; during the day, it is always much warmer.  For December, it is so wonderful to still be enjoying the outdoors!

Yesterday, I had a wonderful experience.  My childhood friend, Arlene and her husband Jerrel (who live in Houston) visited; this was the first time we had seen each other in 57 years! We had reconnected via FB about 5+ year ago. It was a day of memories and catching up, discovering similarities and differences in our lives.  Arlene and I first met at ages 3-1/2 years (me) and she was 2-1/2.  The Schorrs are lovely, friendly people and it was certainly a special day!

For those asking if we have a mailing address at the park - we do! It is as follows:                          Eileen & Charlie Loring, Skyline Ranch RV Park, 2231 State Highway 16 North                  Bandera, TX 78003

Skyline Ranch will be hosting the forthcoming December holidays.  We look forward to enjoying those events, day trips to nearby towns and a few more overnight getaways. Happy Holidays!

958 and 959 - #50

 I really give Charlie and myself credit for getting so involved not only in our Skyline Ranch community ("Texas Skyliners") but our town, Bandera, as well.  There is just so much to do! With all kinds of classes, games, get togethers, sites to see; we are taking advantage of as much as we can - but at a slower Texan pace. After all - we do have 5 months! So what have we been up to?

Once we settled in, we started meeting fellow campers right away. Our immediate neighbors are a really nice couple - recent full-timers - from south Texas. We have been swapping spices, books and movies.  Just from taking a walk, throwing out the trash, or doing laundry -  we have met and continue to meet new people. Skyline Ranch hosts many events - the daily meet up to play bean bag, game nights, weekly luncheons-out, biscuits and gravy breakfasts, we have signed up for Thanksgiving Dinner.  We also just found out that ice cream sundaes will be in our future! Our park actually has it's own FB page just for residents: we are notified of what's going on, updated on events and news and we can make suggestions and comments. Now that we have been here two weeks, I have actually been greeting new arrivals: I am enjoying meeting other "first timers" spending the winter with us.

Bandera may be a very small town but it happens to have a great senior center - Silver Sage.

I have already joined a weekly full body exercise class (Wednesdays) and yoga (Mondays).  Bingo is played some afternoons - a great option for something to do if the weather isn't great; they also serve a free lunch (donations) everyday in their cafeteria, which we tried one day.  For Charlie - we checked out the weekly jam session - but I don't think it's his cup of tea. I'm hoping he will feel comfortable eventually to bring his keyboard to the ice cream sundae days and play; maybe it will encourage other camping musicians to join him. Silver Sage also sponsors some concerts, trips - so much! I love having their calendar with so many activities to choose from. 

Bandera Chamber of Commerce also puts out a weekly calendar of happenings around town; I have belonged to the Bandera Happenings FB page for a year, monitoring the goings on in town. Last weekend we checked out "The Second Saturday Flea Market" and viewed the Veterans Day Parade and festivities by the courthouse. 

While we aren't out and about everyday ( today I washed the trailer floor; Charlie fixed a light that wasn't working and is gradually waxing the whole trailer in sections - I'm working on cleaning the awning...) I have been baking cakes and sharing them at get togethers and working on some small craft projects.  I love just walking around Skyline - seeing the animals, views of the hills and river. Still having 70 and 80 degree temperatures is wonderful. 

 My motto is "seek and you shall find".  I know we will be experiencing a lot over the next months!

So Happy Together, How is the Weather? - #49

One of the most important things I monitor when RV living is the weather.                                                  

No one likes to drive a big rig in the middle of a thunderstorm, heavy downpour, snow or ice - but wind is a huge factor as well. There was a recent case where a wind gust knocked a truck pulling a travel trailer off an overpass; the truck hung on for dear life with it's passengers inside - held on by just the trailer hitch!  Luckily, they were saved! Wind can be a big issue when you are parked as well.  Besides putting away and securing all your outdoor living furnishings, closing up your awning, and sometimes even pulling in your slide-out, in really severe winds, staying in your RV may not even be the safest place to be. It's nice to have trees around for shade; the last thing you'd want is one of those nice big branches to come through the roof of your trailer or motorhome. While these are the same issues you may have with a brick and mortar home - I can tell you that it's a lot more unsettling to be inside a trailer during a wind storm! There is a lot more movement, rattling and shaking.

No way you can sleep through that! In one situation in our past, Charlie and I left a parking area in the middle of the night and went to lower ground where we were surrounded by higher land to cut the wind.

Cold is another big issue for an RV.  Most of these units are not insulated well enough to handle below freezing temperatures. While our unit is insulated and has very nice heat, a big concern is freezing our water pipes and hose. (When we are home, we winterize our unit by blowing out the pipes and adding RV anti-freeze) When camping, all our "utilities" are exposed - water, sewer and electric. Monitoring the weather gives us an opportunity to prepare.  If a freeze is in the forecast, for us it means filling our tank with water and disconnecting our water and sewer hoses, closing up all our exterior openings except electric. At that point, we need to run our trailer as if we are boondocking. We need to keep all the cabinets with water pipes exposed opened, to allow heat from the main cabin to flow in. We even brought an extra portable heater for our outdoor kitchen, which has a sink. If an extended freeze is in the forecast, at that point we will use the parks facilities (showers and maybe toilets) to help conserve our own water. 

So how did we learn all this stuff? YouTube is a fantastic resource. It is important to join RV groups on FB and follow other RVers on YouTube.  Not only is it interesting to connect with others enjoying the same lifestyle, but you learn so much from each other - and it is important to keep on learning!

Bandera! - #48

 On Monday, November 1st we arrived at Skyline Ranch RV Park; our home for the winter. I have to admit, I got a little choked up when I saw the sign and we made the turn into the park. 

We had been 31 days on the road - 2266 miles Stoughton to Bandera with an additional 500 or so miles for extra driving exploration. Charlie has driven exclusively to date.

We had 14 stops; 14 Campgrounds, RV Parks. Boondocking = $1600.  With 14 gas fill ups - total of 283 gallons of gas totaling $850. We estimated about 10 miles per gallon with a fully loaded camper and truck; $3.00 per gallon was the average cost. Total $2450; which surprisingly was $50 under my lower estimate range of $2500.

It was such a relief to be here! Our travels were without incidence - which was fantastic! I was prepared though.  We have Good Sam's RV Road Service Assistance ... just in case. $100 for the year, it is good insurance.  Even though we also have AAA - which is great for our truck, we would need something for the trailer. (Good Sam's actually covers our truck too)

Firstly Texas Hill Country is beautiful. It is definitely different from the flatter areas in Texas, which are more commonly known.

My initial thoughts and first comment to Charlie when we entered Skyline Ranch was "Gee - everything looks so much smaller than the photos".  (You know the feeling you get when you visit your elementary school as an adult and everything seems so small) Anyway - that feeling would soon change. We settled into site 45. Our set up was a little more thoughtful than the temporary sites where we previously stayed.  We share two nice big trees with our neighbor; our site is also gravel, which is great for drainage. It is fairly level - always a plus. We are located well; near the office, the rec hall most commonly used (there are three); the exercise room (it is very limited; there are a few pieces of equipment which is so much better than nothing - but there is space for me to do my video routines - more room than I have in the trailer) The laundry is spanking clean (as are the bathrooms/showers should we need) and very reasonably priced.  Everything is very spread out here; I estimate the size of this park to be about 2 square miles. Half the park is where the RV's live; the other half is like a nature preserve. Herds of deer romping through the woods as you walk the trail down to the Medina River. As we started to uncover all of these amenities and beauty - we became more pleased and so happy we had found this place!

In the northeast, camping season is spring, summer, fall; in Texas it is fall, winter and spring; the summers are just way too hot. Most of the Winter Texans start to arrive after Thanksgiving. The park is fairly sparse at this point; we understand they are fully booked for the winter.

We have now been here a week and just love it! We have already been talking about returning next year. Every afternoon between 4-5/5:30 is a meet up in the small rec hall. We play bean bag (called corn hole up north). It has been so much fun and we have met a lot of people that way. We currently only have neighbors on one side of us right now and we get along well. They will only be here for two months though. We have already signed up for Thanksgiving dinner; Skyline is providing turkeys and ham; the campers will each bring a side dish to share. Tonight we are playing Card Bingo(a variation on regular bingo) and next week we also signed up for Ray's famous biscuits and gravy, which he will be preparing for those of us that opt to get up for it at 8 am.  I will have to set the alarm for this!

Charlie and I have been riding our bicycles down to the river and I walk a lot everyday. It is nice to have such a big park with so many roads. We have enjoyed going into town; so many cute shops and great restaurants.  We have to pace ourselves! 

We love just hanging out at the campground and I don't foresee us being bored this winter at all! Today is 77 degrees and I am sitting in shorts and flipflops.  Doesn't get much better than this!

Awesome Austin - #47

 We loved our visit to Austin... for so many reasons. It has a young and hip vibe, lots of green space, waterways, beautiful gardens - restaurants galore, food truck parks, and so many things to do!

One of the major contributing factors to our great time was the location of the RV park where we stayed - Pecan Grove RV Park - right in the heart of downtown Austin. Once we parked, we didn't need to use our truck again during our stay.  There were restaurants, shops, food trucks literally right on our street!

We had two full days to explore and the weather was fantastic. The first of our days we walked through Zilker Park to the Botanical Gardens. It was so lovely and tranquil with some nice views of the city landscape. From there, we walked across to the lake, rented a double kayak and paddled our way to Lady Bird Lake - enjoying the beauty, watching the turtles sunning themselves on logs, and taking in the spectacular view of Austin. This was definitely a highlight of our trip! Although I STILL did not get my fried chicken, we had a mid-afternoon meal at the Green Mesquite. I had delicious, melt in your mouth brisket and hush puppies. Day two - we took an Uber (first time together!); we had to go a little further - and we boarded a double-decker bus to take a guided tour of the city.  It was very informative and gave us a good overview of Austin. From there, we walked over to The Museum of the Weird - the perfect place to visit on Halloween! Such a fun and interesting place.  I knew Charlie would like it; I actually enjoyed it more than I thought I would!

Zilker Botanical Gardens:

 

               

Kayaking: 

Midday Meal at Green Mesquite:

Austin Double Decker Bus Tour

    Museum of the Weird:                                             

  

As our brief stay came to a close, the most exciting part of our trip was yet to come. We were headed for  Bandera.  Our fingers were crossed this was a good choice. We would see very shortly!