The Rolling Condo

Old Year-New Year

2011-01-30T13:44:00.000-08:00

Here I sit at the house watching it rain, and rain, and rain. The neighbor is probably gonna start griping about the Big Horn parked in the way, blocking any sunlight from coming thru. I am glad that I put those extended gutters on the Rolling Condo. Notice the nice stream shooting off the back end of the trailer. I was tired of watching it rain, and decided to finally write a blog from the big End of Year- Start of Year campout. We have never camped in December, and when a friend of mine suggested we all go on a New Years Eve campout, I was gung ho. Five couples and trailers descended on South Toledo Bend State Park for a few days. I really thought the place would be empty, but suprisingly there were about 70 percent full.

After getting set up, we joined the few brave souls by the fire. The wind was whistling and it was cold but everyone brought firewood and believe me, the fire was tended on a regular basis. It rained off and on the whole time we were there and between showers, we would gather at the fire, or get some food cooking. New Years Eve, we saw lots of fireworks across the lake in the little towns and subdivisions.

Peggy and I took a nature walk, and took some photos of the lake and a bridge across the water on a hiking trail. The wind picked up a bunch as we got out in the open and it didnt take long for us to retreat to the underside of the hill out of the wind.

This Louisiana State Park has a great visitors center with all kinds of interpretive exhibits for kids on all of the local wildlife and fish. I tried my best to get the photo of the resident eagle that nest near the lake, but they would not cooperate with me.

You will notice my Satellite dish set up near the shore. The trees blocked the signal at my trailer but one of our group ran and got his 200 ft extension chord reel, filled with Satellite Cable, and ran to the shore line so that we could get a signal! Now thats some good campground buddy! I will soon have one of my own.

This camground was very clean and well taken care of. I can vouch for the 50 amp hookup and very good Wifi service. Water hookups but no sewer at each site, and a good dump station on the way out of the park.

All to soon, it was time to pour myself out and start hitching up to go home and back to work. So we sang out the old year and rang in the new year, all in one weekend.

Fall Texas Rally Time

2010-10-29T18:18:00.000-07:00

We blasted off for Spring Texas to join our Chapter of the Heartland owners group, for the Fall Rally! We got T-Shirts! I am always glad to get T-Shirts as it is my primary wardrobe style for most of the year (except at work). I took a pic of our leaders trailer with the Rally Banner attached, to put in the blog, and Peggy took the one of my broad back to show the T Shirt. My Big Horn looked a little puny stacked up against a good many Landmark units attending the rally. The Landmark is the top of the Heartland line and is a very nice trailer. Ron Hoover RV of Houston came with a Landmark and a big Road Warrior, which is a big three axle toy hauler.

The Road Warrior has a garage in the back in with bed platform and bench seats that all raise up to the ceiling to make room for your toys to drive up the ramp. The ramp is the whole rear wall and lets down to the ground. Sorry I didnt get a pic of the ramp.

This Cyclone from New Mexico usually carries a big Harley Trike and the owners wife's Harley in the garage area, but this time they left the motorcycles at home and there were no free bike rides. Every nite the wagon master Jay had big campfires at his site and folks gathered around to swap stories (some of which may have been true) and do the "meet and greet". I did meet some folks for the first time and as always learn some things to look out for with my unit, and some quick fixes. Ron Hoover was nice enough to also cater our Saturday nite meal, and provided Bar-B-Q with all the fixins. If anyone left hungry, it was there on fault.

And only in Texas, would we try to grill the largest Filet Mignon Steak in the World! I think it turned out pretty good but did not try any. Okay I fess up, it's only a rock, but while I was playing with the photo editor of Picasa, I managed to lighten the picture up where you could see the people around the campfire. It also made the rock look like Filet Mignon. Now if I could just figure out how to load my pics after changing them to the blog. When I use the "add to blog" button on Picasa, it will only load one or two. If I use "insert image" from the blogspot editor, it does not load the changed photo, but the original. One of these days I have to spend the time learning this program. This winter will be a good time. If you see strange things popping up on the blog, just ignore it. I will be practicing.

2010-10-29T18:11:00.000-07:00

Island in the Condo

2010-09-11T14:34:00.000-07:00

The Project,,a Mesa Auxiliard De Cocina! huh,,,wait a minute. I don't read Spanish. I think it's Spanish. Could be Greek for all I know. I took a spanish class in high school, but paid more attention to the pretty girl who sat in front of me with the long black shiny hair.

That's better. A Kitchen Island, and this instruction booklet contains IMPORTANT safety instructions. That's the part I should pay attention too. My supervisor, helped me carry the shipping box from the carport out to the Rolling Condo for assembly. I had turned on the air condition, so the air was cool and the tools assembled. Arrggggg!

The box is unpacked, and all materials laid out in neat fashion and accounted for, as the directions call for. But it says I only need a Phillips head screwdriver and a hex wrench (which was included in the package). That can't be right, because everyone knows you gotta have tools to assemble stuff. Peggy get's the booklet and begins with Page 1.

Step one was no step at all. Just Attach drawer sides B to drawer front A, with Phillips head screw (1) and all the parts have little stickers on them. Step Two, insert drawer bottom C into the grooves of the drawer sides B and drawer A. Easy!

Step Three thru 5, put that other thingee together, using wooden dowels 4 into the bottom panel E, place back brace G onto side panel F and bottom panel E. blah blah blah,,,I can do this no sweat.

Ah skip a step or two? Put the wheels on it! Check! No need to read all those instructions. Wonder why she said "No Alcohol" should be used in the Assembly (per safety instructions). I didn't read that! where does it say that? I read Imported to Missouri from Indonisia. Huh! Not made in USA. Is anything made in USA today. On to step whatever it is.

Looking Good! Even got step Six done,,attaching the metal tube (towel rack) with wooden dowels. Door Handles put on. Drawer Handle installed. Top installed using "cam locks" onto the cam bolts! Check. And it hasn't collapsed one time. Amazing. I think we are up to step Thirteen! Time to break out the drinks! Wait there is a Caution on the last page.

This is what it looks like with the Drop Leaf in the down position. What were those safety cautions? Oh yeah Don't use as a Seating Surface. Maximum Weight 30 lbs on top, 10 lbs in drawer, 15 lbs on shelf, 15 lbs on bottom panel, 5 lbs on towel rack. If you do so it could CAUSE INSTABILITY AND COULD CAUSE POSSIBLE INJURY. Wonder if any Indonesian people found that out the hard way. They are pretty small people.

This is where the Island will ride when we are towing. With the slides in, it fits. Lock the wheels and away we go. See married folk can do a project together that involves tools and teamwork. Brochure says thirty minutes for assembly. We took about an hour and half. We read the instructions carefully. I only had to remove one part that was backwards. Bought it from Wal Mart.com and had it shipped here via Fed Ex.

Wonder if this piano would fit in the living area of the Condo? Only weighs about a thousand pounds. Nah better read the safety instructions before even trying that. Getting hitch itch really bad. Need to take a trip somewhere.

Congrats to my Pop!

2010-08-27T17:02:00.000-07:00

Today I have two reasons to post a new blog. One is to use the new editor function and alleviate my big gripe about placing photos here without taking all day to drag pics around where I want them to go. The other reason is to let the world (okay maybe not the world) or at least everyone that drops in here from time to time know that my dad who just turned 80 years old on the 15th of September also received his College Degree in Criminal Justice from Angelina College. We are all very proud of him for this. He has been attending this College off and on for a looooong time. While working two or three jobs at the time, and seeing that all six of his kids had the opportunity to go to college, he would always put his degree plan on hold to see that we got what we needed.

Confederate Rose

2010-08-27T16:59:00.000-07:00

While pulling the Condo out for our trip tomorrow, I noticed that my Confederate Rose (Hibiscus Mubilis) is blooming. It blooms last of any flowering plants on the place, but it also blooms the nicest. Starts out very light pink and then as the day progresses, it turns dark pink. While we are gone to the RV Rally,,,the whole bush will bloom probably. As you can tell,,there are gobs of buds fixing to bloom. They last a day or so, then fall off. Bummer! I will cut them back to the ground this winter when the first good frost comes, then they will reach this ten foot or so height by late summer. Enjoy

New Truck / Same old S##$%$#

2010-06-20T17:47:00.000-07:00

You would think that a guy with a new truck would not have to do the poop dump and could just kick back and chill on Fathers Day, while listening to the radio! Not So! I talked Peggy into going to the Lake this weekend so I could test how the new Dodge 4x4 Dual Wheel Truck handles the Rolling Condo. The heat in East Tex has been horrible. The humidity makes it feel even worse. We headed out on Friday evening and made it to camp by 6pm. The next thirty minutes spent setting up and trying to get the Condo cooled down was just awful. We both were soaking wet and give plumb out by the time everything was in order. On Saturday we explored some, but to tell the truth, we did not explore beyond the confines of the truck any longer than a few minutes at the time. With Temps in the high 90's and the humidity near 100 percent, we stayed real close to the A/C. I did learn that I really like the way the dual wheels tow the Condo. Everything seems a lot more stable now. I even got to use the four wheel drive as I had to jackknife the trailer a bit to get it into the spot. The tires spun a bit, so I just kicked it into 4 wheel low and eased on back! Love That! The truck has a lot of stuff to learn, and I have been reading a lot about the operations of it in the Dodge Truck Owners Manual. I usually keep one handy for reference when I forget some function, but nowdays the manual is on a DVD that is included with your purchase. Thats not handy while your driving down the road, to open the manual in a laptop and try to find what your looking for. When I went back to the dealer, I requested a printed manual just like the DVD told me too. The service tech said sure, he could order it, but it would cost me fifty bucks! Does not seem right that you would have to pay for an owners manual. Peggy has taken the challenge up and fired off an email to the Dodge customer service folks, and we shall see. As far as the tank dumping goes. We left camp early this morning to beat the "rush to dump" that happens after everyone breaks camp to go home. We were first and did not have to wait in a line.

I am not exactly happy with the little bit of squat that the heavy trailer does to the new truck. May end up putting some air bags on it to level it out some more. I will be researching this some more to see the available options. Anyone with suggestions on this, feel free to drop me a line. I have even mastered the art of using the Sat. Radio in the new truck. It comes with a years free subscription to Sirius Radio. I have been surfing the channels to find interesting radio. You can find any type of News, Sports, Weather, and music that you would ever care to listen to. I found the Playboy Channel on Sirrius! After listening to some women breathing heavy with music playing in the background, I thought that was dang funny! I could not hear for sure what the women were saying but I am pretty sure it is sex related chatting. I found some better things to listen to on the comedy channels that one can listen to on Sat. After a year, I doubt I would ever actually subscribe to Sirrius. I can just listen to the old FM stations that I have always enjoyed and they are free! Until next time, safe travels to all.

Breakin it Down in Lousiana

2010-05-18T19:59:00.000-07:00

I have no excuse for not updating the blog lately, except since our Easter campout in East Tx, Nothing Happened! Maybe not that slow, but pretty quiet. Work has once again interfered with our RVing but we have managed to get a few projects done. Peggy and I have been talking about replacing the "most uncomfortable sleeper bed ever made" with a Loveseat Recliner combo. We spent a couple of Saturdays looking at every furniture store in our area and finally settled on one we liked. A few more days spent getting the old sleeper took apart and moved out then we were ready. While looking for the perfect combo, Peggy mentioned that our living room suite was getting pretty dated, and we have hated it since about a week after buying it six years ago, so we were looking around and Peggy found the suite that she really liked, so why the heck not! Of course it being Mothers Day weekend, there aint no way I am gonna be a naysayer on Mothers Day weekend! So on Tuesday evening, the truck rolls up with the whole load just for us!

The young men making the delivery worked really quick to get the living room furniture in the house and all was going well until I explained that the Love Seat Combo went out to the RV. They drove around back and stood looking at the door of the Rolling Condo and back at the Sofa Combo. I explained that we had some friends who had just purchased the same brand of recliners and knew that they would fit if they took the set apart. They both dug in and removed the frame holding the whole shebang together and moved them inside and put it all back together. Both explained that they had never put one of those in an RV. When they finished I showed them how the slide mechanism worked and they were very impressed. Of course I did not even think about new curtains, rods, wall stuff, lamps, tables etc...but Peggy is working on that front and will get that in order shortly but first, I had a mini vacation planned for the next weekend so the rest has to wait awhile.

I had planned to take a trip back to the Breaux Bridge area of Louisiana and do some site seeing, so we blasted off on Thursday for four day weekend trip to Poche's Fish N Camp just outside of Breaux Bridge. We left home about 11:30am and moseyed on that way for a 248 mile journey to the RV Park. On the way, I stopped just across the Louisiana border across the Sabine River, and stretched my legs at the visitor center. While there, I spotted this great RV find. Can get it for a song! It is a bit of a fixer upper but nothing we couldn't handle. I think I could get the State of Louisiana to pay me to move it. There is a sticker on the back noting that it has been in this same spot since April 24, or so. Gee I wonder how long they will leave it before dragging it off. I didn't peak through the windows, cause I was afraid something might be dead inside. Perhaps the state is gonna shove it off in a Bayou somewhere for the fish to use as habitat!

The staff at the Welcome center was giving away Coffee, Maps, Cookies, heck I could have just dropped the trailer in the parking lot and set up camp, but we had places to go and people to see, so we didn't dawdle long. Finally pulled in to Poche's about five thirty and got set up well before dark and waited for our friends to come in an camp near us from Port Arthur Tx. Here is the

most relaxing view of our campsite. Of course the folks flooded in on Friday and it was pretty crowded for the weekend. The best part was the site was free!!! Man can I make a deal with anyone. Of course I did pay hundred bucks for that cap that Peggy is trying on! Peggy was in a real good humor for this pic. It did not last. We left out Friday morning to pick up some staples at WalMart and buy a tank of diesel to do some exploring later. I stopped at the pumps and while pumping I noticed something running out from under the truck. I stooped down and sure enough, a pretty good stream running down from above. I popped the hood and noticed something wet and slick splattered everywhere. I thought that I had a bad power steering hose leak, and could feel the stuff was slick. But my co-pilot casually mentioned that it did not look like power steering fluid (but being a girl, how could she know that stuff!!!) Arggggg! We called our friends back at Poche's and located an auto repair shop real close to us. They picked us up and we went to talk to the owner. I told him that I thought it was the power steering hose, so he got on the phone and found that there was not one anywhere near where we were and it would be Monday before it could be fixed. He sent his wrecker driver to pick up the truck and went on back to camp. Happy at least that we had not broken down on Interstate 10, and had somewhere to stay while waiting on the part. The next few days were spent hanging out, eating, and hanging out some more and goin out with friends to eat and come back and hang out some more. Not our plan when we left home, but under the circumstances not a lot we could do. Monday morning rolled around and my friends took us back to the shop to see if things were happening. The owner then told me that I had a bad water pump, not a power steering line and he was working on it at this time and would be through with it in about an hour and a half. I was happy and ready to get loaded up but of course I had to endure a little ribbing about the damage being a water pump and not a power steering hose. Hey! I ain't no mechanic! I did tell the guy I was not sure what it was and that it was a guess on my part. All got a good laugh at my expense but the truck got fixed. We did not get away till 1:30pm and spent the rest of the day driving thru heat and some thunder storms to get home about 7:30pm. On top of all that, I have to take the Rolling Condo to get the same water leak that happened in the flushing system repaired At least I think that is where it is, but I ain't no Mechanic!!! Ask anyone! Safe travels to everyone and take care.

New Rig

2010-03-20T08:56:00.000-07:00

After returning from Rockport last week, I had to call my RV Dealer and make an appointment for my 5th Wheel for a checkup. I took it in on Friday morning and explained the water leaking situation that occurred after I used the washout function after dumping the black tank. By the time I had delivered the fiver and ran some errands it was time for lunch. While sitting at the cafe, I observed this vehicle pull up. The answer to all my problems! Get a smaller camper. One that I can utilize in all situations and camp sizes. No more worrying whether I can back the rig in a smaller site. Just take it all in one! If you look real close, you can see that this rig has everything a person would need to set up house. Complete with up to date styling, unique to our home state of Texas, what could be easier! Actually this rig is a piece of Art! A fellow that I went to school with made this work of Art, to compete in car shows. Glen Lenderman is the "One man Band" and can simulate a four piece dance band all by himself. I have seen him perform many times and still wonder how he does it. He has an electronic rythm section, some music tracks with backup instruments and he plays guitar while playing the bass tones using a foot pedal system. All I can say is it works! A great musician and gifted entertainer. He only has to pay himself and not worry about band members showing up, or having to make a big paycheck to pay the band! I believe he has been doing this for over 25 years. He also travels in a converted passenger bus, so I guess that makes him an RVer also.
Anyone needed entertainment at your RV rallys or Parks, let me know and I can hook you up with him. Now I just have to convince Peggy that this rig would make our travel much simpler! For some reason I doubt that she will be willing to trade her Heartland Bighorn with two big Air conditioners, refrigerator, flushing toilet, big screen TV and fireplace for the Hillbilly Rig! Everyone Travel Safe and "Ya'll Come Back Now Here"

Back in East TX and not Happy about it!

2010-03-14T12:31:00.000-07:00

Sadly, our week of vacation is over and we are not happy about having to come back to that "W" thing. We even talked about calling in "Retired". Just tell them to pick up there stuff that we have around the house and mark us off the payroll! Would'nt that be fun to do just once. Having obligations are things that we grown-ups have to deal with, and we both have tried to keep ours for most of our lives. I know that I have had a paying job of some kind or other since I was 17 years old and Peggy about the same. We have spent the last week enjoying the company of some retired folks, who just seem to have a "roll with the flow" attitude. No need to worry, just handle whatever comes up and enjoy the here and now. I find that very attractive and could get used to that very quick. I lost track of what day of the week it was and someone in the group said that they may not know and do not care most of the time what day of the week it is. Peggy and I did learn a new card game for us called Hand and Foot. After receiving some good instruction, we were off and running. The group had a great time playing cards, having potlucks, sitting around the campfire and having Happy Hours! I like the way these folks think. They are either cooking and eating or talking about cooking and eating. How can you go wrong. You meet the nicest people in the RV community. Our neighbor in the park was leaving on Friday headed back for his home in Wisconsin. It seems that he has to get back and start the Maple Syrup operation he owns. Tapping the trees, collecting the sap and making syrup! Pretty Cool even if I dont like Maple syrup. He spends every winter on the Texas coast fishing and doesnt go back until time to do the syrup. We spent a lot of time Geocaching around the Rockport area. This is a real quick way to learn your way around a new town. Hunting Geocaches takes you all over and around to places that you would not see if you were just visiting. We found all of the caches that we hunted except for two. I think we finished with about 20 or so located. I found a couple of travel bugs to take back to East Tx and place in someone elses cache, to get them on down the road. The below is a photo of a car, travel bug that is in a race with other Geocachers in the Dallas area to see how far their cars can be taken by folks like me who find them and take them somewhere else.

I got to endulge my love for boats and all things boat related by touring the Texas Maritime Museum. This place had photos of the early side wheel paddle boats that shipped products of all kinds up and down most of the bigger rivers of the state. I even saw a lot of giant photos of the early Republic of Texas Navy that used Schooners as gun boats to attack naval ships of France during the early days of our state. I would have taken some photos to include, but the rules said "no pictures inside the museum". Of course they would sell you pictures produced for this purpose for a "nominal fee". The easy access to this quiet bay made landing ships of all kinds easy and it evolved quickly as the major port to ship cattle and other livestock. This pretty much ended when the railways became active and other areas of the country were used as hubs to ship cattle by rail from Kansas City. The museum also had a large exibit of the early oil drilling operations in the gulf, and the designs of the first offshore oil rigs. Very interesting stuff to me. Peggy took a photo from atop the observation deck on the third floor of the museum of the small harbor.

Here I am trying to steal an anchor for my little flat bottom boat at home. I wanted one that will hold and not let the boat drift off. This should do the trick!

I also tried to find one of these beauties lounging around town, but did not find a single mermaid anywhere around the water.

The City of Rockport has a small nature trail and pond area located right on the highway. We stopped and walked just a hundred yards or so to a bird viewing area and saw this pair of Black-Bellied Whistling Ducks, just called "whistlers" by everyone local. There were about 20 in the group but most swam away as we approached. These two came back once we got still and swam up close enough for Peggy to get a photo.

After the Saturday morning ritual of dumping the holding tanks we were all set to leave and stopped by the little group of campers to say goodbye. As we pulled up and stopped, water began pouring out of the underbelly of our 5ver. I had no idea where the water came from, since we had just dumped, and worried about it off and on all the way home, wondering where this problem started. As soon as I got online to the Heartland owners forum, and typed in a search, the obvious answer seems to be that a check valve located in the walls of the bathroom has gone bad. This check valve is only used when someone hooks up to the flush valve on the sewer, to clean the tank after dumping. This was the last thing done after dumping all the holding tanks and other owners have had problems with this check valve. The forum even shows photos of the offender and tells of remedies used by other owners to take care of the issue. It is great to be able to quickly go online for an issue and to keep you from going crazy. Luckily we had no inside damage and I will take the Rolling Condo to our local dealer and have this fixed. It will entail taking a wall board off to access the pipes and of course, I could take the wall board off, but probably would make a bigger mess than the water leak. I think I will leave it to the professionals to do, since I have an agreement with those tradesmen. I won't try to do their job if they wont try to do mine! Works for me. As long as it is ready to roll again soon. I had a bright idea to take another route home and bypass the greater Houston area. I hate driving on the freeways and figured that it might take a little longer to go the other route, the scenery would be peacful and the trip much easier on me. I was wrong! Turns out that I had not accounted for Spring Break, when everyone in the State of Texas who lives within a days drive of the coastal towns, and who owns a vehicle or Motorcycle, attempts to drive in a small area at the same time. So that small amount of time added to the trip meant that the five and one half hours long trip, turned into nine hour trip, with me catching every single red light from Port Lavaca Texas to North of the big bridge crossing in Baytown! A couple of detours, a missed highway turn, and lunch put us dragging into the driveway about an hour before dark thirty. One very long day on the road. I am never doing that again! Today we have to get the 5ver unloaded and everything back in the proper place and get ready to do that "W" thing very early tomorrow morning. We miss Rockport already!

Rockport Texas, and the Birds

2010-03-08T16:28:00.000-08:00

We blasted off from home on Saturday morning at 6am, headed to Rockport Tx and a visit with some RV Dreamers we have chatted with online for about a year. My travel programs said it was about 289 miles to our destination, The Last Resort RV park on Hwy 35 just south of Rockport on the road to Aransas Pass. The trip was smooth as silk until we got into Houston. The traffic was not heavy on the north side of town, but as we got to the South Side the traffic picked up and soon, my neck muscles were tight as Banjo strings. The freeway sign said "Major Accident Ahead, Freeway Closed" We kept seeing that sign posted on the traffic control bulletin boards on the side, but never saw a wreck. After leaving Houston proper and the sprawl around it, I started feeling the wind whipping us. The further South we went, the harder the wind blew. Turning off of Hwy 59 onto Hwy 71 around El Campo, the wind was coming from the coast and really holding me up. I noticed the milage on the truck display dropped from nearly 13mpg to 10. We stopped to eat a bite in Port Lavaca and then made it on in. I had copied some directions to the park, but did not take into account that I was not coming in on the same road, so I was not sure where the park was in relation to our location. A quick call to our RV Dreams friends cleared it right up and we were only a mile from the park entrance, and going the right direction! We soon were backing into our space and the RV Dreams crew came by and introductions went all around. We have enjoyed the time off so far, if we could just get the weather to turn around, it would be perfect. I have posted some pics, but since the rain and cloudy weather arrived, the pics are too dark. We explored anway in the truck, as I am still trying to see my first up close Whooping Crane. We finally got close today near the Goose Island State Park, with a few flying just over our head and seeing some at a distance in the water. Also got to see the Big Tree! The largest Liveoak in the State and possibly in the U.S. With a circumfrance of 35 feet, and an 89 foot crown,,its a dang big tree!! Below are some pics of the waterfront area and Goose Island State Park. Hoping to get a good pic of the Crane before our time is up. Until next time, everyone travel safe.

A Day At The Office! No Really!

2010-03-04T18:46:00.000-08:00

Someone sent an email awhile back and ask me "just what the hell do you do everyday" So, on the way to work this morning I thought I would use my Iphone to make a few picks with some information. Plus it was so damn pretty, that I just wanted to stay outside. I found every excuse today to walk over to the other buildings, judges offices, the jail. the parking lot. But I got tired of taking pictures and just quit on that front. This first pick is the back parking lot of the Sheriffs Dept, notice how the parking lot is nearly empty. I get in early on purpose, in order to scan the newspaper, grab a bite of something and get my caffiene level balanced!

The new keypad installed last month keeps out only the persons with the secret code! Sometimes I forget the secret code and bang on the door until someone comes and opens it laughing. I also forget to hit the open door button on the inside wall before trying bust out the door (it will not budge) I have not broke anything, but have managed to bang my laptop up and stub my toe a couple of times.

On getting into the back door, I aways check my inbox to see if someone has assigned me a new case over night. Dang! sure enough I Have Mail! I wish sometimes that I could do like Fred Sanford of the old TV show Sanford and Sons. He would just put bills back in the box and forget about them. But here, If you dont pick up mail,,,someone higher up the chain with rank will deliver it personally! (you dont want personal delivery)

After stopping for mail and stopping to put a pot of fresh coffee on in the break area, its on to my on little office to start the day. The offices are set up in a big square, with supervisors on the outer ring (with windows) and the rest of us set up all down the hallways of the big square. We have rooms set aside for supplies, video equipment, interview, evidence and even a weight room that some of the folks actually do on their lunch hour!

As you can tell if you click on the pics, I have a Nautical scene working in my office! I have had criminals as well as victims look at that picture and tell me that they wish they were there! Yeah me too!

I promise, I am not asleep in this pic of me on the phone. Despite what some folks think about all that excitement, well most of it is phone work, paperwork, drudge and a very little bit of satisfaction when you can put the bad guy away and help the suffering of their victims. It is a great day if the help is more than the drudge! Sometimes thats the best you get. At the end of a 10 hour shift, I always stop by the door to say goodbye to George, the Pelican. He never complains and gives everyone something to think about while they are in my office telling me the horrible things that those they love have done to them, their children, their family. I try to stay clear of getting emotionally involved, but dang! sometimes it is very hard to do. Thanks for coming by. Be Safe

Good Nite George, keep a close eye out on the boats!

March Roaring in Like A Lion

2010-03-01T18:06:00.000-08:00

Here we are five days before The Rolling Condo sets out on the first trip of the year. Peggy and I spent Sunday evening checking systems on the fiver. First I had taken the one nearly empty propane bottle to have it filled on Saturday. The first time I have had a bottle filled since we bought the Bighorn in October 2008. Turns out those RV bottles are pretty dang heavy. I did not think so when I loaded it empty. When I jerked it up off the ground one handed after the tank was filled, I felt it all the way from my toes up to my puny arthritic shoulders. I had to get the other hand involved and wallow it up my belly to the back of the truck! Glad no one saw this except the propane guy, Peggy and at least a hundred motorist driving down U.S. 59! By the time I unloaded it and wallowed it into the storage area, I was winded. I hooked it back up and told Peggy that we needed to bleed the air out of the lines on Sunday, after I had rested. We spent Sunday hooking up and pressurizing the water system, just in case the winter freeze caused a water line to bust. Everything okay on that end. The slides were put out and shelves restocked and for the last thing, I again mentioned that we needed to make sure the air in the gas lines was gone. Good thing we did, because it took about thirty minutes to get all the air out of the lines. Starting with the top burners, then working our way to the oven and finally the water heater, all is working as it should. We also checked all the floors around the slides and windows for any wet carpet. Peggy even checked in the front closet for wet carpet or any signs of water coming in. All is good so we can check the air in the tires on the Condo and the truck, air as needed and be ready to roll. Now if we could get the weather to cooperate, it would be grand! March 1, and when I woke up this morning, the rain was beating the roof. It rained pretty much all day and was raining as I started home. Peggy suggested that bad weather is forecast for our trip, but since we dont have to stay in tents, let it rain. The below photo was taken by my daughter Megan during the big snowfall. She can take better pics through her windsheild driving down the road, than I can with a tripod and a pretty day. Some people got it and some don't. This will be the last word on winter at our house. Only blue skies and warm temps will get my camera out of the box. Everyone take care until next time.

Anniversary/Valentines Day

2010-02-13T15:14:00.000-08:00

Today, Peggy and I had to play some catch up. This past week, we celebrated our Anniversary on the 9th, but had too many things going on, so we decided to postpone our celebration until today. Usually we scurry aound trying to fit something together and usually we are tired and cranky by the time dinner rolls around. This year we decided to adapt our Anniversary to our new lifestyle that we are working towards. What difference does it matter what day we decide to stop and smell the roses! As long as we can still smell! So this morning we set out to run some errands and for lunch we went to Ralph and Coocos for our official Anniversary! We also stopped at Cavanaughs Jewelry so Peggy could pick out her Gold Dipped Rose. Being the romantic fool I am, I bought one for our first anniversary and of course it was as big hit with Peggy and now its a tradition! Why couldnt I stop at a romantic Hot Dog Stand or something. A scenic overlook. Anything but gold dipped roses! I pick about it, but she is worth it and it makes it easy for me to get an Anniversary gift. Its all good.

Snow Day

2010-02-12T20:55:00.000-08:00

As promised, I have taken some pics to prove that we just have to get out when it snows, no matter how much and take photos to save forever. I cant even remember when we had a snow that actually stuck to the ground over nite. Probably 20 years or so. This church, just up the road from our place is Ryan Chapel Methodist Church which has been at this location for over a hundred years I believe. So there was not much to it after all the hype from the weather man. By tomorrow, the temps will rise and all the ice and snow will be gone. Suits me because I am ready to get the RV ready to roll. The only thing that disrupted my usual activities was that the Sat dish quit working for about thirty minutes. Snow will accumilate and block the signal. I had decided to go out and knock the snow off, but by the time I got dressed and ready to get it done, it melted and the TV came back on. These photos were taken with my new iphone. I am just learning all of the things it can do and decided to practice this morning with taking photos out of the truck window. You do have to hold your hand steady to keep the photos in focus. As you can tell by the photo of the RV. It is sad! It wants to go and does not like the ice on it. Everyone take care, warm weather is on the way.

Waiting on Snow in East Texas

2010-02-11T17:29:00.000-08:00

Historically we don't get snow in East Texas, period. It just does not happen, except every five to ten years we get a sprinkle that last till the sun rises the next morning, then it's over. As a result, we don't stock snow shovels, snow blowers, heavy insulated snow boots, snow skis, sleds, sled dogs, snow plows and any other snow removal equipment. So we whine when we hear that we are in for a 2 to 5 inch snowfall. For me it does not matter. I will muddle my way to work somehow with as much warm clothes as I have, hunt my gloves up from the top of the closet of never used items, and may even wear some heavy socks and a hat of some sort. That's it for the preperation for our once every five years expected snowfall. I have to grin when I see the long lines at the supermarket, with shoppers making a run on bread, milk, batteries and junk food. Buggies stacked deep just in case we lose power for a week or two. I choose not to panic and only buy what we usually buy. I keep some batteries around in case of power outages and the generator in the storage building can be dragged out in a flash if needed. I keep the computer battery charged up along with the cell phones and make sure the truck is fueled. Other than these basics, let it snow! Some Facebook friends have been posting photos from the Northern part of Texas where it started snowing last nite and all day. Indulge us this lunacy. Dont make fun if you live where the average snowfall is 50 feet or so. We just dont get to suffer like that regularly except in summer time. If there is snow on the ground in the morning, stay tuned. I will post a photo as soon as possible, if I can shovel my way out of the front door!

Spring is on the Way

2010-02-06T10:01:00.000-08:00

I have not posted in many weeks! Shocking, but laziness sets in at this time of the year with the dreary, rainy, cold, damp,,and all the other adjectives to describe the winters in East Texas. Surely as the sun is shining today, spring will arrive soon and thats gets me to thinking about trips that need taking. We have already made reservations in Rockport Tx in March, to meet some of the RV-Dreamers that we chat with nearly every day. We had passed thru Rockport a few years ago and Peggy and I both really liked the area and vowed to come back when we could spend a few days. I also have made reservations for the Heartland rally in April that will be held in Spring Tx. Took some shuffling of my schedules and promising a co-worker to help him out if he needed to swap "on call" status later in the year but got the dates I needed to be off. Hitch itch really has started in on me when the sun pops out and I am ready to get on the road. Its a shame that my "W" life is interfering with my RVing, but it is. Today Peggy and I have gone to my mothers house, who is recovering from knee replacement surgery , to give my sister a break to go plant some trees. Arbor day was this week and the local America Beautiful Clean folks gave away thousands of hard wood seedlings. My sister is loves to get free stuff and has a sack full of seedlings to plant. I suspect after setting out 20 or so seedlings, she will not be as keen on it. I did tell her to plant any she would like on my land that ajoins hers. I have always loved hard woods and if I never saw another pine tree it would not hurt my feelings. My part of the property is an old hay meadow and is mostly open except for the volunteer pines that sprout up and the sweet gum trees. Before we hitch up and go Rving, I do need to hook the water up to my RV and check all systems. We did have several days of below freezing weather this year and made it down into the teens a few times, so I need to know that all fittings and pipes are good to go. I also have a modification planned that will require me to remove my screen door and take it to a glass shop and have a plexiglas piece cut to cover the screen. We saw that modification on a lot of RVs last year, which allows you to keep your big door open most of the time and not worry about losing your cool air viewpoint. If I can get these things and a few others done this month, we should be ready to roll soon. I have taken no pics of anything this winter so I have none to post. Until next time, everyone travel safely and have some fun.

Santa made a stop at my house!

2009-12-25T15:34:00.000-08:00

I waited for Santa all nite long, but somehow fell asleep! I had him some cookies and some medicinal refreshments to keep him warm on his long journey.

Santa Claus was very, very good to me!!! He brought me the Weber Q100 "Baby Q" which I have been wanting for awhile. Of course it is for the RV!! And what is a new grill without some new grill tools and digital Temp fork to keep an eye on your Temps!!

Santa also brought a leaf blower, Vac that I have been needing (also for the RV) to blow the tops of the slideouts so I wont have to climb on top to sweep them before retracting! Good Job Santa. A couple of other items rounded out the wish list and I did very good in that Dept. I put the leaf blower together and did some yard work in front just to check it out. Will have to find a gas bottle to check the Q out. Hope everyone had a great Christmas!

Christmas Tree for Traveling

2009-12-13T12:38:00.000-08:00

It is officially the 12 days of Christmas at our house. We got a late start due to the weather and we both have been sick for a couple of weeks. Seems like the flu this year just keeps hanging on. I got both H1N1 and regular flu shots this year and maybe this wasnt the flu but just a bad cold, but it just kept hanging on and making me feel like yuck! Now though I am back up to speed and Peggy has been taking me shopping, mainly to carry packages and such, but we are almost done and even have a tree put up. We decided this year to get a small tree that we can put in a corner and use it when we are finally on the road in the 5th Wheel. We selected a thin little 5 ft tree from Lowe's Home Improvement which already had lights, pine cones and red berries. We only added a few snowflakes, and some ceramic birds and done. The pic may not do it justice but I will try to add enough so you can tell how nice this tree really is.

We would like to wish everyone a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.

Powell Park, Sam Rayburn

2009-11-20T12:55:00.000-08:00

We could not resist going on a campout when the weather was supposed to be good all weekend. We took off on Friday morning and made it all of twenty miles before Peggy smelled something burning coming thru the air vents. As soon as I could safely stop, we got out and quickly found that smoke was coming from the right front wheel area. I lifted the hood and could not see any fire and the smoke soon quit. Hmmm! New Brake Pad were put on the truck a week or so ago, perhaps that was an issue. Finally figured out that a Brake Caliper had stuck and gotten hot. I decided to press on and have it checked on Saturday at the nearest Tire shop. As soon as we got to camp and unhooked the 5fer, Peggy starts sweeping the site! I managed to capture her doing a little work to make the place livable. The squirrels like the concrete table also, but do not clean up after themselves. This campground stays pretty busy most of the year, but in the fall you can almost get the place to yourselves. There were only three or four campers in the whole park, so we had plenty of space and it was very quiet and nice.

As you can see by the pics,,,not much going on here and we really enjoyed it. On Saturday we took the truck into Jasper Tx to a tire store and they took the wheel off and diagnosed the caliper was the problem and suggested replacing it. We spent the next hour or so watching traffic and reading the magazines on tires in the store. I did catch Peggy filching a recipe from a very old Southern Living magazine but she says that women do this all over the world and if I wanted to eat her cooking, I should turn a blind eye to her theivery. I did what any good law enforcement officer/husband would do, and I didnt see nuthin!!

If you click on this pic, Peggy caught a squirrel working on the peanuts that I threw out. We had 5 or 6 near the camp scrounging, eating, and burying peanuts for the winter.

If you need proof that computer games makes people crazy look no further. Here is Peggy checking her facebook page and farming sites. I could tell you that she is using two laptops to do this, but truthfully I was right next to her sitting in the cold to check 'the farms' We purchased the wifi from the park but were not close enough for a good signal and had to walk a hundred yards or so to get a good signal. We did get a lot of looks from boaters leaving the boat ramp and headed to camp fires and lights while we sat in the dark by the glow of the computer screens. How Cozy!! On Saturday Keith and Donna Green came by while out looking at Real Estate in the area. I did not get a pic because they dont stay anywhere long and had to get on the road.

I had posted the below pic of a bulldog caught in a beer box on Facebook. Peggy took these after I backed the 5fer in the usual space in our back yard, so I posted these for anyone to look at.

I hope everyone enjoys the Thanksgiving Holidays and try not to eat too much! I gotta get out the map and plan another trip.

Rallyin with other Heartland Owners

2009-10-31T17:13:00.000-07:00

I am sitting, waiting quietly for children to come to the door for Halloween! I made a special trip to get candy in case we have visitors. Even though Peggy says we have never had any before, this year may be a first, now that some kids have moved close to us. I always prepare for the kids and if they don't show this year like before. I will just eat the candy!

Okay, I have no excuse really on not posting after our return from Rayfords Crossing and the Heartland owners rally. I have had work stacked up waiting on me and finally managed to catch up. There are no photos of this trip save for one taken at the potlock supper on Saturday nite, but it has the backs of peoples head mostly so I opted not to put it in the blog. I also have no excuse for not taking any pics so there you are. We did arrive and get set up okay on Wed evening. Everyone allready camped came by and welcomed us and invited us down to the gathering camp for the get aquainted sit around. We then met the rally organizer who told me that they did not have a lot planned since a couple of sponsers who usually present informative talks, backed out. No worries for me since I prefer to wander at will and shoot the bull. My navigator got sick on the first night with a bad chest cold and managed to remain unconcious for most of the rally. I did come and check on her hourly and see that she was fed and watered, but after that she was down for the count. I did learn a lot from the other RV folks there, and that was the main reason I had wanted to go. Look at other rigs, talk about issues, soak up knowledge that someone else has learned the hard way, and try to learn more about our RV and how to make it all work. I looked closely at every kind of hitch, stabilizer setups, wheel chocks, sewer hoses, jacks, flags, decorations you name it! In that respect it was very helpful to me and I asked lots of questions. I can't say enough about the welcome we received and the fellowship extended by all we met. The only negative thing I have to say about the whole rally,,,,was having to leave a bunch of really nice folks and go home to the JOB. One day, we won't have to leave if we are not ready and can linger for as long as we like. I am really looking forward to that day! We have made some new friends and contacts and hope to get to do some more Rallyin in the future. I have a set of Air Bags on order to help me level the truck out some and a few suggestions for improvements to my setup. Everyone stay safe and have a great Halloween.

Charlie

Mud Flaps and Cleaning

2009-10-11T10:37:00.000-07:00

So yesterday the new mudflaps came in and Peggy and I put them on the truck. Since we have had so much rain, everything is muddy and nasty but it had to be done. I posted the pic of the flap and the clean RollingCondo so everyone could see the genuine Duraflap brand made in Grants Pass, Oregon. Of course I wanted the naked lady design common on 18 wheel trucks, but for some reason, Peggy said "not". I did manage to look a little East Tx redneck with the Tx logo and the Ram design! It fits right in with the Bighorn RV and advertise our state a little (like no one would know where we were from by hearing us talk and spotting the license plate! Taking photos of a metal shiny mud flap is harder than it looks. I am gonna post those pics below, showing my earlier attempts!!

See, this photo taking thing is harder than it looks! The reflection from the trees across the road give a camoflage effect. My reflection in my PJ's, white T and Bald Head, really set it off !

I should quit while I am ahead I think. and go back to watching the Cowboys play football.

Our First RV Rally

2009-10-04T16:50:00.000-07:00

This month, we will be making our first ever RV Rally. This is where folks gather up at a pre determined site and, well they Rally! I have read a lot of folks blog that they are either headed to or have gone to a Rally so I guess its something RV'rs do. My wife asked me what happens at a Rally, and I told her I had no idea but we will know after the Heartland Rally near Spring Tx on October 15th thru thru 18th. Since we are fixin to go Rallyin we had a few things to get done on the Rolling Condo. Our microwave/convection oven quit on us at our last campout and had to be taken in to the dealer for repair. While waiting on the unit to come back from the factory we decided to get a good surge protector installed in the Condo. This will shut the rig down if you get too much electricity or not enough ,and possible prevent damage to your electrical components. Of course we needed to get the trailer cleaned up and washed. We have been putting this off so on Friday evening we started with the roof. With some Spic and Span and push broom and water hose, we got after it and made good progress with the top, back, big slide side and the front cap before we just gave out. Looked good ,so we continued the next morning after breakfast. Now we were not moving as fast on Sat morning because for some reason, we both hurt nearly everywhere we could touch. Not being used to manual labor for a long time, our muscles were screaming in pain. After getting our IBuprofen for the morning down, we got back on it and washed the remaining side and tackeled the awning. The awning proved to be the hardest job of all. I could only reach halfway up from my ladder and it had to be scrubbed on the top and undersides. Some mildew was present which had to be delt with with a different solution than I was washing with but finally we got the job done. I had complained when we were on vacation at paying 80 bucks for a wash at a big rig truck wash next to the interstate somewhere in Arkansas, but on reflection, it was worth every dime of it!!

I would have included a photo at some point in this blog, but I cant hold a camera up that high right now! I cant seem to pick my arms up above my waist without feeling that burning in my shoulders, so just visualize it for me. The Rolling Condo is gleaming clean and ready for Rallyin! While examining some small dings on the front of the trailer near the front jacks, I believe that some small rocks have kicked up and marked it. For the year that we have had the new trailer we have not given a thought that stuff will kick up and make a mess on that part of the trailer. One of the most basic parts of a truck is mudflaps and we dont have any. So Peggy and I got on the computer and in short order got a pair ordered that we can install which should be here next week.

On another note I have to send out congrats to my dad on his 80th birthday! Not only did he reach this milestone in life, he graduated college at the same time. Most would not continue to pursue a degree that you had been working on most of the last 40 years, but my dad only liked a math course to get graduated and he finally got it done. We are all proud of him as he put his education goals aside many times so that his six kids could get an education and anything else they needed in life, while working two or three jobs at a time. When he found out how long it would take to wait for the actual graduation ceremony, he decided to skip that part because in his words " I might not last that long" ! He is still wagging it around and making folks wash their hands in order to hold it. I washed mine in order to get a look at it and not leave any fingerprints on it. I will let you know how the Rallyin goes, Hopefully I can pick up some tips from more exprienced RV'ers that will save me some heartache or trouble ahead. That's from the school of hard knocks and an education that you cant get in college! Be safe and Take care.

Charlie

Hanks Creek Prk Sam Rayburn Lake, Huntington Tx

2009-09-07T17:08:00.000-07:00

Friday, Sept 4 2009

Thursday night, Peggy and I did the grocery shopping and packed up the Condo for a short drive to one of our local campgrounds located on Sam Rayburn Lake. We had been wanting to camp out their since Hurricane Rita had taken down some trees and made a mess a few years ago. The Corps of Engineers has been working since that time to revamp the campground and it really looks nice. They have added these little screen houses for those folks who don't really want to sleep in a tent. They are a small room with concrete floors, a counter top with storage underneath, and electricity. They have also added floating boat docks at the launching ramps and a pavilion with five or so RV pads that are in a semi circle of the pavilion. Pretty neat, for a family reunion. We rolled in on Friday just about lunch time and met the nicest couple who are workamping for the Corps. I did not get their names, but they were very easy to work with and moved us to a better spot with a good view of the lake. After some careful work by Peggy with the our handheld radios, she had me in just the right spot, and we dropped the jacks and hooked up. I thought we were a little close to the road but we were on the campsite. With the slides out and sitting in the slide out next to the road, a vehicle coming down the road looked like it was coming right toward my chair! I finally just shut that window shade and tried not to look. The park host also told us that there was an ant problem at the park and that we should put out ant powder or granules, and to put it on our tires, jacks, water lines, elect chord or anything else that would touch the ground to keep them out. As soon as we got hooked up, we drove a few miles back to a store and got a couple of cans of ant poison and gave them a dose on our return. No problems with ants the whole time we were there.

This is the view from my coffee cup every morning. You just cant beat that with a stick. It was relatively quiet for a labor day weekend. We had good Sat reception so I could watch the
Red Sox play ball and the Nascar race on Sunday. We also had some good neighbors who, even though they had a big dog and a small boy, it was not bad at all. I had planned on doin some fishing from the bank by our campsite and was all set to get the fishin equipment in gear when Peggy spied a water moccasin slowly swimming right next to the camp. That rascal was about 4ft long and big around as my fist, so that wrapped up the possibility that we would be taking our chairs down by the water and watching our cork bob up and down. If we had seen one on the shore, we would have had to move for sure.

We did see something new for me. A Parks and Wildlife Game Warden workin the water on a Wave Runner with a Blue Lite mounted on the front forks. I don't know if they use that to chase down the kids riding them to fast or dangerous, or just for fun. Either way, it looks like they would get wet while doin this and I guess they don't mind as hot as it is.
We did have a thunderstorm blow up one evening, but it went around us. I did notice a lot of swimmers still in the water with lightning being visible and thunder rumbling. Not sure what people are thinking or maybe there not, but we were anxious until they all got out of the water. Only one major malfunction to report on the Rolling Condo. The convection/microwave oven decided to quit workin on Sunday morning at breakfast. Hate that when it happens, but since the warranty is still good, we will contact the maker and see what the process is for replacing the oven and start over. Luckily Peggy remembers how to cook bacon the old fashioned way on the stove top with a skillet!!!! Until next month, everyone stay safe and travel when you can.

Charlie

Stump the Toe

2009-07-18T11:43:00.000-07:00

We have not done anything exciting since returning from the road trip, but we did take the Condo to Baileys RV Center for some small needed warranty work. While we were there we talked about getting an additional A/C unit for our RV. On talking with Steve and getting the price, we decided to go ahead and add the 2nd unit now so we can continue to wander around East Tx even during the dog days of summer. In the meantime, I had a training school to attend in Baytown Tx for three days, getting the latest on Digital Photography of crime scenes and such. I did learn a lot about techniques to use with the digital camera. I did however manage to break my big toe before leaving town and I taped it to the next toe and continued on. No broken toe is gonna keep me from learning something and taking a road trip. By the second day, I could not put on my shoe and was wearing house slippers nearly everywhere. A large sore had formed on top of the toe and it was getting more difficult to get around. So after a small operation Thurs nite, I thought it would be better. By the time we got home on Friday evening it was screaming at me and Peggy did another procedure on it. I did manage to fall on my rear end at the training, trying to be careful with the foot and toe, then tripping on a table leg. I felt like I had been in a bar fight and lost!! We brought the condo home and managed to get it backed into place and setup. Now I can get everything loaded back inside and prepare for quick getaways! Everyone stay safe.

Charlie