Jefferson, TX
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WEATHER:
Morning Temp: 39° Sunny
Afternoon Temp: 65° Sunny
Afternoon Temp: 65° Sunny
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RV LIFE:
While we have made it back to our Texas, I definitely don't call this our home state. It's only home on paper. We have not "consummated" our relationship with Texas. There is no loyalty to Texas. Texas may be our legal domicile, but it is not our permanent residence. We will have to renew our inspections. Yep, we couldn't get rid of that. We were hoping that was a thing of the past when we left NJ. Although we do NOT have to get our truck inspected, because it is diesel, we do have to get our RV inspected!
I know some people think of squirrels as "tree rats". I think they are adorable. I find it very interesting to see the different types of squirrels at each stop.
We've seen white squirrels in FL.
black squirrels, itty bitty squirrels, red squirrels, fat squirrels, gray squirrels (NJ). While living in NJ and before Setters, we had Retrievers. I made friends with our back yard squirrels. I even named one "Stumpy" because she only had a stump for a tail. I would always have a supply of peanuts and corn for them. They eventually looked for me and although cautious, they would approach me. They would actually look into our sliding glass doors as if to say, "Hey, I'm hungry out here! Get a move on!" (When I find the photo, I'll add) Here in Jefferson, TX, there are fat reddish brown squirrels.
While in Little Rock, AR we connected a few times with Stephanie, my Dog Rescue friend and her husband, Douglas. Stephanie is a sweet woman with a HUGE heart for dogs. I have found many times that once a person has kids, the dogs are now an afterthought, a nuisance, or just another mouth to feed. Poor pets go from being the King of the Castle, even above the Husband, to being a chore.
Stephanie is a joy in her love of dogs, to a fault. Her husband is a gem it seems. He can be a lot of gruff talk, but he puts up with all the dogs in & out. Thank you Doug for helping dogs find a home. You may be helping in a passive (agressive, tee hee) way, but you are still helping.
Went went to eat at Buffalo Grill, El Porton Mexican, and Forbidden Garden (Chinese). We had a great time with them both. Stephanie & I may not have crafts nor kids in common, but we definitely could talk dogs in need all day. Her husband Doug, is a jabber jaw! But, he is interesting. It's not like he hogs the conversation, he just keeps it flowing. I look forward to meeting up with them both sometime again when in Little Rock.
Looking for a home state is part of the reason for our full time RV'ing. Although we may do this for many years, we also have the option of settling down in one place.
We felt very comfortable in Little Rock, AR. Although we wouldn't want to live right in Little Rock, I think the surrounding areas could be an option. I haven't researched the pros and cons of taxes on retirement income, etc, but home prices were reasonable. I also liked the models of homes. Many one story homes that were quite large and not just long but L-shaped and U-shaped.
The only other town we felt comfortable in so far was Boise, ID, but not sure if we truly like the dryness.
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PETS:
We finally went to the Murray Park Paws Park in Little Rock before we left. I went on a Saturday, which I try to avoid.
Pet Peeve alert! In general many folks that go to the dog park on the weekend are there to socialize themselves, rather than their dog. They tend to gather together in a group and talk with friends, not paying attention to what their dog is doing...pooping (please clean up), or bugging another dog by constantly humping or chasing, or maybe your dog is being harassed. Just because your dog is loose in a fenced area, does NOT MEAN you don't have to pay attention to your dog(s).
It was pretty full, but still plenty of room for dogs and people to spread out. Dogs for the most part were well behaved and all went well.
Lyla just kind of roamed on her own, sniffing at the little dogs and making friends with kids. Poor Devin, searched and searched, but couldn't find a playmate he could connect with like Doris, at The Kingdom.
He would find a group of dogs and was just an outsider barking and barking begging to be able to join. I guess he wasn't worth their time since he was just passing through.
So he found other ways to amuse himself and others.
Yep, that's our goofy boy. Find a kiddie pool, a mud pond, etc. and he IN!
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RESTAURANT/BUSINESS REVIEW:
Morningside Bagels, Little Rock, AR
My rating 2 out of 5
Oh boy, I sure miss GOOD bagels. We stopped at here, because the reviews said they were great bagels...NOT! They may be great bagels for Little Rock, AR, but they must not have had any NY/NJ bagels to compare them too. These bagels got hard when I toasted them. They are very dense and very difficult to chew. Bagels should not be fluffy like bread, but they should also not be stone hard either. I'm glad we didn't buy the bag of day old bagels they offer, because I would have just blamed the bad texture to being day old.
We tried a variety and not even one would I recommend.
Blueberry, cranberry, apple,: No taste. Couldn't tell one from the other. I used butter, not cream cheese, so I could taste the bagel. Nope, will not return. Would rather go without, than have a bad bagel.
Buffalo Grill, Little Rock, AR
Our rating 3 out of 5
Casual dining. Nice & attentive waitress.
CHEESE DIP & CHIPS: While the chips were nothing special, I was surprised at how addicting the cheese dip was. Just enough bite and spices to make it interesting.
CHICKEN QUESADILLA: Nothing special, but tasty enough.
FRENCH FRIES: They looked fresh cut. Delicious!! Best part of the meal.
REUBEN SANDWICH: Not a large sandwich, but great corned beef. Overall a good sandwich.
If you are offended by stuffed wildlife, do not go here. They have Buffalo heads as well as other wildlife displayed on the walls.
Would we return? Sure, if that's where other's wanted to go, but it would not be my choice if I was making the decision.
El Porton Mexican, Little Rock, AR
My rating 3 out of 5
We had a coupon from Groupon. I paid $7. for $15. certificate!
CHIPS & SALSA: Chips were served warm and above average. Salsa was smooth and just a nice amount of bite.
BEEF CHIMICHANGA: Nothing special. More on the good side than bad.
REFRIED BEANS: I am not a fan of refried beans, but I must admit, these were the best I've had and I finished the whole portion.
I always like to try flan for desert when at Mexican and Cuban restaurants. Unfortunately, the waitress tallied up our bill without asking if we wanted anything else.
Would rather try the many other Mexican restaurants in the area before returning here.
Forbidden Garden, Little Rock, AR
My rating 4 out of 5
Very nice wait staff.
CRISPY NOODLES: Although these seems freshly made, they had a taste of bad oil. Of course that didn't stop me from eating them. But I did not take the balance home with a doggie bag.
For $2.75 you can have soup, egg roll & chicken wings added to your meal.
EGG DROP SOUP: Better than many places. Flavorful (as much as egg drop soup can be), but would have like to have green onions added for a little more flavor.
CHICKEN WINGS: Southern fried type. They were moist and a decent breading.
EGG ROLL: Good, nothing special.
SESAME CHICKEN: Very good. Sweet & fried, tender chicken.
I tasted my husband's meal also. It was delicious. I don't know what it was. It was a shredded beef meal.
I would definitely return here.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
While we have made it back to our Texas, I definitely don't call this our home state. It's only home on paper. We have not "consummated" our relationship with Texas. There is no loyalty to Texas. Texas may be our legal domicile, but it is not our permanent residence. We will have to renew our inspections. Yep, we couldn't get rid of that. We were hoping that was a thing of the past when we left NJ. Although we do NOT have to get our truck inspected, because it is diesel, we do have to get our RV inspected!
I know some people think of squirrels as "tree rats". I think they are adorable. I find it very interesting to see the different types of squirrels at each stop.
We've seen white squirrels in FL.
black squirrels, itty bitty squirrels, red squirrels, fat squirrels, gray squirrels (NJ). While living in NJ and before Setters, we had Retrievers. I made friends with our back yard squirrels. I even named one "Stumpy" because she only had a stump for a tail. I would always have a supply of peanuts and corn for them. They eventually looked for me and although cautious, they would approach me. They would actually look into our sliding glass doors as if to say, "Hey, I'm hungry out here! Get a move on!" (When I find the photo, I'll add) Here in Jefferson, TX, there are fat reddish brown squirrels.
While in Little Rock, AR we connected a few times with Stephanie, my Dog Rescue friend and her husband, Douglas. Stephanie is a sweet woman with a HUGE heart for dogs. I have found many times that once a person has kids, the dogs are now an afterthought, a nuisance, or just another mouth to feed. Poor pets go from being the King of the Castle, even above the Husband, to being a chore.
Stephanie is a joy in her love of dogs, to a fault. Her husband is a gem it seems. He can be a lot of gruff talk, but he puts up with all the dogs in & out. Thank you Doug for helping dogs find a home. You may be helping in a passive (agressive, tee hee) way, but you are still helping.
Went went to eat at Buffalo Grill, El Porton Mexican, and Forbidden Garden (Chinese). We had a great time with them both. Stephanie & I may not have crafts nor kids in common, but we definitely could talk dogs in need all day. Her husband Doug, is a jabber jaw! But, he is interesting. It's not like he hogs the conversation, he just keeps it flowing. I look forward to meeting up with them both sometime again when in Little Rock.
Looking for a home state is part of the reason for our full time RV'ing. Although we may do this for many years, we also have the option of settling down in one place.
We felt very comfortable in Little Rock, AR. Although we wouldn't want to live right in Little Rock, I think the surrounding areas could be an option. I haven't researched the pros and cons of taxes on retirement income, etc, but home prices were reasonable. I also liked the models of homes. Many one story homes that were quite large and not just long but L-shaped and U-shaped.
The only other town we felt comfortable in so far was Boise, ID, but not sure if we truly like the dryness.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
PETS:
We finally went to the Murray Park Paws Park in Little Rock before we left. I went on a Saturday, which I try to avoid.
Pet Peeve alert! In general many folks that go to the dog park on the weekend are there to socialize themselves, rather than their dog. They tend to gather together in a group and talk with friends, not paying attention to what their dog is doing...pooping (please clean up), or bugging another dog by constantly humping or chasing, or maybe your dog is being harassed. Just because your dog is loose in a fenced area, does NOT MEAN you don't have to pay attention to your dog(s).
It was pretty full, but still plenty of room for dogs and people to spread out. Dogs for the most part were well behaved and all went well.
Lyla just kind of roamed on her own, sniffing at the little dogs and making friends with kids. Poor Devin, searched and searched, but couldn't find a playmate he could connect with like Doris, at The Kingdom.
He would find a group of dogs and was just an outsider barking and barking begging to be able to join. I guess he wasn't worth their time since he was just passing through.
So he found other ways to amuse himself and others.
Yep, that's our goofy boy. Find a kiddie pool, a mud pond, etc. and he IN!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
RESTAURANT/BUSINESS REVIEW:
Morningside Bagels, Little Rock, AR
My rating 2 out of 5
Oh boy, I sure miss GOOD bagels. We stopped at here, because the reviews said they were great bagels...NOT! They may be great bagels for Little Rock, AR, but they must not have had any NY/NJ bagels to compare them too. These bagels got hard when I toasted them. They are very dense and very difficult to chew. Bagels should not be fluffy like bread, but they should also not be stone hard either. I'm glad we didn't buy the bag of day old bagels they offer, because I would have just blamed the bad texture to being day old.
We tried a variety and not even one would I recommend.
Blueberry, cranberry, apple,: No taste. Couldn't tell one from the other. I used butter, not cream cheese, so I could taste the bagel. Nope, will not return. Would rather go without, than have a bad bagel.
Buffalo Grill, Little Rock, AR
Our rating 3 out of 5
Casual dining. Nice & attentive waitress.
CHEESE DIP & CHIPS: While the chips were nothing special, I was surprised at how addicting the cheese dip was. Just enough bite and spices to make it interesting.
CHICKEN QUESADILLA: Nothing special, but tasty enough.
FRENCH FRIES: They looked fresh cut. Delicious!! Best part of the meal.
REUBEN SANDWICH: Not a large sandwich, but great corned beef. Overall a good sandwich.
If you are offended by stuffed wildlife, do not go here. They have Buffalo heads as well as other wildlife displayed on the walls.
Would we return? Sure, if that's where other's wanted to go, but it would not be my choice if I was making the decision.
El Porton Mexican, Little Rock, AR
My rating 3 out of 5
We had a coupon from Groupon. I paid $7. for $15. certificate!
CHIPS & SALSA: Chips were served warm and above average. Salsa was smooth and just a nice amount of bite.
BEEF CHIMICHANGA: Nothing special. More on the good side than bad.
REFRIED BEANS: I am not a fan of refried beans, but I must admit, these were the best I've had and I finished the whole portion.
I always like to try flan for desert when at Mexican and Cuban restaurants. Unfortunately, the waitress tallied up our bill without asking if we wanted anything else.
Would rather try the many other Mexican restaurants in the area before returning here.
Forbidden Garden, Little Rock, AR
My rating 4 out of 5
Very nice wait staff.
CRISPY NOODLES: Although these seems freshly made, they had a taste of bad oil. Of course that didn't stop me from eating them. But I did not take the balance home with a doggie bag.
For $2.75 you can have soup, egg roll & chicken wings added to your meal.
EGG DROP SOUP: Better than many places. Flavorful (as much as egg drop soup can be), but would have like to have green onions added for a little more flavor.
CHICKEN WINGS: Southern fried type. They were moist and a decent breading.
EGG ROLL: Good, nothing special.
SESAME CHICKEN: Very good. Sweet & fried, tender chicken.
I tasted my husband's meal also. It was delicious. I don't know what it was. It was a shredded beef meal.
I would definitely return here.
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BOOK REVIEW:
The Quiet River by P.M. HubbardMy rating: 1 of 5 stars
WORST BOOK I EVER READ~! Terrible, boring writer. Long drawn out story. Very blah. Written like a grade schooler might.
View all my reviews
AUDIO BOOK REVIEW:
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Four woman, (all married), go for a girl's vacation in Europe. A night of fun, leads to months of hell. Really enjoyed this book. The writer really made you feel as if you were experiencing what the characters were. Great read, good mystery.
We are starting the process of changing our residency to Texas. Lots of steps to take. I have been nervous about it, but I don't know why. I guess I have always hated doing car inspections,licensing, etc.
ReplyDeleteWill you be stopping by the Escapee's park in Livingston? We still haven't made it there and we are only like an hour away, I think.