Down Time

RAINBOW'S END-Escapees
Livingston, TX 77351
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RV:

I'm now feeling what retirement is all about, especially without the responsibility of a house.  Cleaning is minimal in an RV, or at least it feels that way because we have all day to do it.

Scott washed & waxed HALF the truck yesterday. He'll do the other half today. That's just enough for him to feel he "accomplished" something (meaning a "honey-do"), but wasn't tired out from too much and has the rest of the day to himself.

About a week ago, Scott went through his side of the basement and also the front compartment.  Amazing how much room we have if he would just keep things organized. He did transfer a lot to the bed of the truck to lighten our RV load.

I rearranged the "basement" yet again. I've condensed our toiletries carton to a smaller one. Eventually as we use up items, that box will be gone.  When cleaning out our home, I couldn't throw out or give away new shampoo, face creams (I'm still looking old), body lotions, etc. We'll use it up eventually. Scott gets more foot rubs since I'm trying to use up body lotions.

RV MODS:

Just a couple of little mods we've added to find space for little items.

Bedside Shoe Holder from TINY LOFT.

This attaches under your mattress so it hangs from the sides.  Package comes with two (holds 8 pairs each), for each side of the bed.  Since the RV has a platform type bed, we slipped one under the mattress, and then one inside the platform. We attached with a staple gun instead of the velcro that came with the shoe holder. You can see from the photo below, we have a 2 tier system and it can be hidden by the bedspread when the bed is made.

Scott plans on using the other package of two on his side of the bed, which is very close to the cabinets. He will use the pockets for underwear, sock, pj's etc.

Scott had originally bought a more rugged type pocket system made for tent camping. This really didn't work well under the bed, so I stapled to the wall of the basement. I haven't filled it yet, but it's a great place for storing cleaning rags, bungee cords, small gadgets, etc.

There really isn't much of sightseeing here in Livingston, so we have a lot of down time.  With the nice days lately, I've been spending it outside listening to podcasts and audio books, while cross stitching.  Amazing that I can spend literally HOURS sitting at the picnic table and doing counted cross stitch. I'm having a difficult time accepting that it is OK for me to do this. We've been geared all our life to be busy, busy, busy. We work 40+ hours a week, then we need to do yard work, house work, volunteer work, socializing, etc. I had very little time to watch TV or do crafts while I was still working. So it seems wrong, to just sit around all day and have total "me" time. It's wonderful, but I feel lazy, selfish, less worthy. I guess I feel I'm not old enough to be "lazy". I somehow have to work through this, so I can truly enjoy my life.

And because of our travels and both of us not being outgoing, we tend to keep to ourselves, so even social time has been cut out, so we really have almost ALL our time to ourselves. It just doesn't seem right. I'm very grateful, that I was able to start my career early and keep the same job for 32 years and was able to retire early. 

I still do volunteer work, although not as much. I believe I do a good job keeping records on the computer for our dog rescue. I guess now that I don't work and I've been doing this for years, it has become routine, & I have plenty of time do it now, so this volunteerism doesn't seem as involved as it is if someone else had to take over.  

Here I am again, trying to convince myself of my "worthiness" of this wonderful life I have.

CRAFTS:

As I stated earlier, I've been cross stitching outside for hours, until it is dusk out.  It's great for a diet.  I don't think much about eating while cross stitching, but then if I do, I don't want to get my fingers dirty, and have that transfer onto the fabric, so I tend to not snack while cross stitching.

A true sign of getting older...I started this "I Love Dogs" counted cross stitch project probably almost 10 years ago. As I also said previously, while working, I did not have much time for crafts, so this was put aside. About 3 years ago (my last year working), I decided to start working on this project during my lunch and breaks. Well, was I in for a surprise, when I pulled it all out and set up the chart and I couldn't see it!!!! So not only did I have to start using reading glasses for the actual cross stitches, but I needed a magnifying glass to read the chart! When I started this project, I could see everything with just my younger eyes.

I've also started a cardigan, called COMFY CARDI. 

The adorable dog & cake stitch holders are from WEE ONES

It was very difficult to get rid of so much yarn when I was clearing out our house.  When I started crocheting & knitting again about 5 years ago, I was crocheting many items to raise money for A&B ENGLISH SETTER RESCUE and ADOPT-A-SETTER. So I bought lots & lots of acrylic yarn for children's ponchos and doggie sweaters. I had so much yarn still that I just had to give most of it away.  I couldn't bear to part with the neutral colors though. So I have enough black acrylic to make a sweater. This cardigan will hopefully be a workhorse and be worn often without worry of washing care. Just throw in the washer and dryer.

Below are a couple of items I made to sell to raise money for rescue.

BOOKS:

Audio: 

 Agent to the Stars by John Scalzi

My rating: 1 of 5 stars

Sci-Fi:
This is not what I expected. Although the book seemed silly to me, because of the alien character, I did enjoy the sarcasm through out the book.
Also the concept of how to introduce and promote an unknown star (alien), was interesting.
I would not recommend this.

View all my reviews

Audio: 

Breathless by Anne Stuart

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Victorian Erotic Romance:

Audio book narrated by Susan Ericksen: Excellent narrator. Beautiful English accent and also performs men's voices well without sounding odd.

1st in series: "Ruthless"

2nd in series: "Reckless"

3rd in series: "Breathless"

This was refreshing after the trashy 2nd book, Reckless. The story line is still based on romance, sex, marrying the "wrong" type of person etc.

I enjoyed it and of course the erotic sexual conquests were narrated excellent and left me "breathless".

I'm ready to take a break from this series and will return in a few months.

View all my reviews

Audio:

Freedom by Jonathan Franzen

My rating: 1 of 5 stars

Audio book:

Maybe this would have been better read than narrated.

I was looking forward to this book because of the description about modern American family life and it's stages.

There was so much detail about the mundane activities of life. On and on and on about all the little things that go on in the day in the life...

Stop! I read/listen to books for entertainment, enlightenment, knowledge, excitement, which this book provided none. 

View all my reviews

STILL in Livingston, TX, sigh....

RAINBOW'S END-Escapees
Livingston, TX 77351
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RV:

We're still "stuck" here in Livingston, near a highway and RV's surrounding us. At least most of these RV'rs are full timers also, so it's quiet...no gatherings around the "campsite" at night, no campfires, no kids riding their bikes around. So even though we are parked close to each other, it's not so bad. I miss having a view of the woods or water.

At least the weather has been better. Finally out of the spring rainy season I hope.  Scott was getting quite blah with all the rain.  It didn't bother me at all.

We will be here AT LEAST until April 4th. Oh crap! That's because it's taking longer for delivery of the new axles. 

FOOD & BEVERAGE:

There certainly are a lot of smoked bbq places in Texas. We are loving that part. In NJ, when you get BBQ, it's just cooked ribs with BBQ sauce on it, or cooked pork shredded with BBQ sauce on it.  Just before we started full timing, a local place in Neptune, NJ opened up that smoked their meat. Now that's what I'm looking for and it's plentiful here in Texas. 

Most BBQ places are just little sheds with another shed behind them where they smoke their meats. We see smokers all over the place, in campgrounds, in front yards, on porches, etc. Smokers are as common here in Texas, as Weber Grills are common in suburbia NJ.

Big Mike's BBQ:

We didn't really try any of their sides, just their meat.

Their ribs were excellent. Lot of smoked meat with a great rub cooked into it.  No need for bbq sauce.

Cassity's Cafe:

A very casual place. This was recommended to us for their Friday Chicken & Dumplings so that is what we ordered. Very good, but I'm not sure I would recommend it especially. The gravy part was tasty, not a lot of chicken, but ok. I really liked the dumplings. But of course I love breads, starches, carbohydrates. I think the dumpings were home made, but were not the fluffy biscuit type of dumplings but more like GERMAN SPAETZLE dumpling.

They also had catfish that smelled delicious, but I doubt we'll be back to try it.

With the warmer weather, I haven't been drinking as much wine. I made a perfect Gin & Tonic with a slice of lime the other day. Refreshing.

We've also tried those single serving slush drinks. 

Daily's Frozen Peach Daiquiri: DELICIOUS! Great on a hot day. Just put in the freezer. Because of the alcohol in it, it does not freeze solid, but becomes a slush. In checking the ingredients it does not contain rum or tequila as I would expect, but has wine as the alcohol.

This was a little too sweet for me. Next time I'll put the slush in a large glass and pour seltzer over it. That cuts down on the sweetness, but still maintains a soupier (easier to drink) slushiness.

Which brings me to a Slush recipe that I served at our backyard wedding in hot August of 1994.

KATHY'S SLUSH

12 ounce can frozen Orange Juice

12 ounce can frozen Lemonade

2 cups tea (4 tea bags to 2 cups boiled water)

2 cups sugar

6 cups water

2 cups liquor 

(I used vodka, but rum would work or wine also)

7-up, Sprite, or Seltzer

Mix all, but soda, together.

Freeze overnight. 

Scrape slush with spoon into glasses.

Pour soda or seltzer over slush.

(Soda was too sweet for me, so I use seltzer)

Makes 1 gallon.

FYI, I don't know who Kathy is. 

Adopt an Irish!

ADOPT-A-SETTER

MAGNOLIA SETTER RESCUE

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Ryley 2001-2011

In honor of St. Patrick's Day, this post will just be about my Irish Setters and Irish Setter Rescue.  See above links if you are interested in adopting an Irish Setter.  

Adopt-a-Setter deals with NJ, PA, CT, DE, based out of NJ. 

Pillsbury ambassador for Setter rescue.

Magnolia Setter Rescue deals with the Southeastern States, based out of FL.

My gentle giant, Irish Setter, Pillsbury. (Gone Feb 2011) 

Pillsbury's cowl to keep his ears out of his food.

Pillsbury (pre-dog cart) watching squirrels

Ryley was named "telethon dog" because since we had him as a pup, he has always had major problems that were fixable$$$. It would take a telethon to pay for all his medical procedures. We did fix all his health issues and he recovered quickly and happier than ever, until his last bout with bone cancer. He passed Sept. 2011.

Below is just a sampling of his health issues...

As a pup, he had HOD Hypertrophic Osteodystrophy) He went lame at 4 months old. The HOD flared up and down for 3 months. Below is Scott helping him to walk so he can go potty.

Below is after Ryley's Tibial Plateau Leveling Osteotomy (TPLO) & Correction of Angular Limb Deformity Surgery for a Ruptured Cranial Cruciate Ligament.

 Below is a lymph node taken out.  It was called a "reactive" lymph node. Filled up with puss and had to be drained. Non cancerous.

 Below, as a puppy, he also broke his leg.  He learned quickly to lift the cast and bang on the door to go outside.

Pillsbury & Ryley tent camping

Ryley checking out squirrel looking for peanuts

Ryley checking out a funny looking Irish Setter (my foster guinea pig)

Ryley's favorite comfort toy, my neck roll pillow.

And yes, we have to add Devin to this page. I hope someday, I'll feel as close to him as I did to Ryley & Pillsbury.

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Misc. Irish Setter Rescue photos

Spring has sprung in TX

RAINBOW'S END-Escapees, Livingston, TX 77351

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I've heard NJ has had a very mild Winter. So maybe it's Spring in NJ as well as in TX.  The grass is greening up, the trees are starting to bloom, and flowers are popping up also.

Wisteria

Blue Bonnets

RV:

Smart Weigh: We had our RV weighed at Escapees. We are about 800 pounds overweight and a little overweight for our tire grade.  So Scott is very nervous. We decided to go up a grade with the tires. We hope to avoid a blowout! But Scott has also decided he wants to add new axles, that can let the RV carry extra weight. I will try to post where we go for tires & axles, after it is complete.

Our RV is our home, so we really can't figure out what weight we can drop other than the 50 lb. screen room tent, that we never use. We couldn't do without that screen room when we tent camped, but now find with an RV, it is not needed.

We were supposed to leave last Friday if all went well transferring to become Texans. That did go well, but Scott doesn't like to leave on weekends, so we were to stay until Monday. It's Monday and we're still here.  Scott wanted to wait for his bike parts to arrive. His bike parts arrived and we're still here. Sigh...Now he wants tires. Fine, we can leave hopefully by Thursday. But wait, Scott wants new axles and they have to be ordered and we can't schedule an appointment for installation until they arrive around NEXT Tuesday. Ugh! It's not bad here, but it's not some place that I wanted to stay more than a week at.

Scott will feel much better with the better axles & tires (so will I). So I'll give in & wait around (to a point) for these to be completed.

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SIGHTS:

Not much going on in Livingston, TX. I spend A LOT of time indoors. Because Escapees has a lot of long time RV'rs and residents with deeded lots, it is quite social here.  I can only take so much socializing.

I've participated in the Saturday breakfast, the Saturday Shanghai Rummy, the Tuesday Smart Weigh, the Wednesday Stitch & Chat, & the Thursday tour of Escapees. Also, while walking the dogs people stop to talk.  I've had my fill.  I've re-routed my dog walking to avoid a 71 yr. old lady, that likes to talk a lot and doesn't remember much. I know, I'm not very tolerant. But, I know my limits and it's best for me to be left alone when I've had enough.

I've skipped, a biscuit & gravy breakfast, another Shanghai Rummy night, & an ice cream social, because it's best for me to have my alone time. 

While on my morning walks, which are now at 7:30 am instead of 6:30 am because of Daylight Savings Time. Devin wakes me up when it's light out. Anyway, while on our morning walk, I found in the local neighborhood a pasture with miniature horses. Fun to look at. I've brought a small amount of carrots to feed them, but other than wanting the carrots, they aren't very friendly.

Lyla is very curious and wants to eat their poop. Devin is very afraid of them, so afraid, he took off across the street and pulled me down onto the grass and I lost my grip. Luckily, I didn't panic and I called him to come and he returned.

On another visit to the mini horses, Devin was still afraid but this time he just turned so he faced AWAY from the horses and just sat. I guess if he doesn't see them, they don't exist.

At one of the other RV sites, I saw this little person hanging onto a man's leg. Wait, is it a person? Is it a dog? Is it a child? No, it's Gizmo, the Capuchin Monkey (organ grinder type). This couple have 3 monkeys. They make their living with a monkey act at state fairs etc.

I was quite nervous around Gizmo, since I know nothing about monkeys. He held my hand and was very curious.  As I talked to his owner, he grabbed my hand again and then proceeded to bite and gnaw on my hand. He had no teeth for safety reasons. Sad, but I was glad in my case.  He was really biting!  I don't see a money in our future. He was cute, but...

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FOOD & WINE:

RIBS: Wonderful! May be the best I've ever had.  They are smoked and have a wonderful, delicious rub on them. A LOT of meat on each rib. Very filling. The meat easily pulled off the bone and the rub & smokiness flavored the rib so much, that I didn't want to put any BBQ sauce on them.

SAUSAGE: Unique.  We've been traveling from Louisiana, into Mississippi and now Texas. I don't know what kind of smoked sausage this is, but its THE BEST we've had so far.  My husband loves to eat it cold as a snack. I still prefer heated. A perfect blend of smoke, sausage spices, sweet & a touch of heat. Perfect!

If I'm ever in Livingston, TX again, I will be picking up Big Mike's ribs & sausage.  We were in Livingston for 1 month and had to get ribs & sausage here at LEAST once a week.

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BOOKS:

Paperback:

Doc: The Rape of the Town of Lovell by Jack Olsen

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

True Crime:

I kept reading and reading and was never bored.
The story is told over and over, but through the point of view of the victims, the victims family,the accused, the accused family, the townspeople, the law "enforcers", the religious leaders, etc.
Very well written. Written without bias, so there is actually a point where you can almost believe this "Doctor" is not guilty. But of course, too much evidence to the contrary.
How naive adults can be when overshadowed by religion.

Howdy!

RAINBOW'S END-Escapees 

Livingston, TX 77351

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RV:
Howdy is Texan talk for "How do you do?", or "How ya doin?" in Jersey. Today we are no longer New Jerseyans. We are now Texans.  We have our vehicles TX registered, our TX insurance, our TX driver's licenses, and we are also registered to vote in TX.

Surprising, that our RV full timer insurance almost TRIPLED in TX. I thought things would be less expensive. Our truck insurance is a little less expensive than NJ. The reason for the difference in the RV cost is how many people are living in RV's in NJ? I believe it is illegal in most places in NJ.  In TX there are many spots to park your RV & live.  There's more chance for toranado's, etc for the RV in TX, than in NJ. So it makes sense.

We had only planned on staying at Rainbow's End until Monday, 3/12. But Scott had to order bicycle parts and he wants to wait for them to arrive so we don't have to pay more postage to reship his handlebars and shifters. Why does he need these items, when he just bought his bicycle new in November 2011??

This photo does not do the damage justice. I forgot to take a picture BEFORE Scott straightened out the handlebars and replaced the handle cushions.
While driving along at 65 mph on our way to Livingston, TX, a car pulled along side of us honking the horn and pointing to our RV. "OH CRAP", what could have happened? We pulled over, Scott got out and was taking too long, so I got out to make sure he wasn't run over by the speeding highway traffic. You've seen those videos on TV, where the cop gets clipped by a passing car, while handing out a ticket.
Scott is safe, but his bike isn't.  The bike rack on the back of the RV came loose and all that was holding his bike was a bungee cord.  Who knows how long his handlebars were dragging on the highway. His handlebars were bent, his handle cushions shredded, his gear shifter broken to pieces and his handlebar stem was ground down as shown in the photo above.  Scott actually burnt his hands on the metal when picking the bike up. A couple of blisters would soon follow.

Our Alaska trip in July/August has been cancelled. We started with 13 rigs, then ended up with about 5 or 6 with no one with enough experience, or wanting to be the leader.
We are considering signing up with ADVENTURE CARAVANS, which are an Escapee approved business. The cost is quite high, but they've been leading these trips for many years and we would feel quite safe with them. Now that we don't have NJ property taxes to pay, gas heat, equity loan, sewer, cable, electric, etc. We should be able to splurge on this trip.

So now we have an extra 2 months in the summer to travel around the Northern section of the US.  We have made a commitment to volunteer in exchange for a free site at FOUR PAWS KINGDOM in NC from Sept. 1 thru Dec. 1. We love this RV park and we love the owners. If you love to take your dog on vacation and you have vacation time Sept - Thanksgiving, book an RV site, an RV, or cabin at Four Paws Kingdom. Of course you can book anytime during the season (April - Nov.), but we'd love to meet up with you while we're there.  Check out their EVENTS, which include Agility camp, pot luck dinners, chili cook off, cooking classes taught by the resident Chef (a trained Chef), Octoberfest (the owners are from Germany). There are about seven dog parks here. Even if your dog is a loner, there is a dog park for him too.
If you don't have an RV, they have different style RV's at the park you can rent on site. There are also a few cabins to rent on site.
If you come to Four Paws Kingdom, mention NJ Scott & Debbie sent you. No, you won't get a discount, but I'm just curious how many people book because of my blog recommendation.

BOOKS:
Audio:

Reckless by Anne Stuart
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Victorian Erotic Romance:

1st in series: "Ruthless"

2nd in series: "Reckless"

After finishing the 1st book, "Ruthless" of this series, I was really looking forward to "Reckless". I immediately started "Reckless" without any break to another genre. How disappointing.

I thought this would be a continuation of where the 1st book left off. It is a continuation, but of the children of the characters of the 1st book. So much more could have been continued with the 1st book's characters.

The fist book made innuendos or had banter back & forth about sex, but not directly saying the obvious. A fun read that let your imagination be a part of the book.

"Reckless" was just crude. Not much left to the imagination. Seems it's all about popping a virgin, and not in a nice way.

Adrian, the main male character was not likable. And Charlotte, the main female character, well I just wanted to slap her silly for getting in the position she was in and then not being able to make up her mind.

If the 3rd book in the series "Breathless", follows this down hill course, I will not be finishing this 5 book series.

Erotica is more than silly women's romance novels (which I enjoy). Erotica is very sensual (which I enjoy also)as in the 1st book "Ruthless". But when you get to the point of crude words, disrespect, etc. Then this is just porn, although soft, I admit, but not what I want in a Victorian Romance.

I highly recommend "Ruthless", but skip "Reckless" unless you want to read about a virgin's path to being screwed.


View all my reviews

Keep busy

RAINBOW'S END-Escapees
Livingston, TX 77351
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RV LIFE:

I polished another section of the RV. I just do about an hour to hour & a half's work at a time. By the time I'm done with the whole RV, it's times to just start over. I just put on some headphones, listen to an audio book, the dogs get some outside time & I'm making a must do maintenance chore, not so bad.

Scott did a quick wash of our truck so it will look nice for TX inspection, which we passed. Our first step to becoming Texans.

Today we hope to get the RV inspected, & register our vehicles. If all goes well, maybe we'll get our TX driver's licenses today also!

We also received our first set of unsolicited address labels with our TX address on them, as a "free gift".

You know that kind of mail.

Since we knew we were going to be at Escapees in Livingston, which is where our mail is forwarded to us, we did a lot of on line shopping, so we could pick these items up at Escapees and not pay for postage for forwarding. It was almost like Christmas!

Anything for me Mom?

Although the Escapees Rainbow's End RV Park isn't much to brag about, close by (walking distance or better by bicycle), they have an Activities Center and a Clubhouse. There is enough things going on to keep you active. Exercise classes, computer classes, movie showing, pot luck dinners, card games, swap library, & lending movie library.

I joined 4 Ladies for Shanghai Rummy. I knew basic Rummy, so I thought I watch & learn. By the 2nd game, I was in.  I impressed myself by winning the 1st 2 rounds (of 7). But then it gets more difficult and I went downhill from there and lost terribly! I'm a gracious loser and we all had a laugh on me.

**RV ALERT: While Scott was looking for something in the back of our closet which is at the head of the 5th wheel, he saw this.

Ewwwww! Mold on the back wall of the closet. I immediately squeezed in the closet amid all our clothes & storage and cleaned that up. 

Scott said this is because it is on an outside wall and the temperature changes causes condensation to form on the walls, which leads to mold.  This is a downside to RV living. This is something I have learned to check all over the RV.

Mold forms by the windows, & now I see in the closet. Please check these areas of your RV for mold before it gets out of hand.  We caught this fairly early. This could have ruined our clothes, our storage items, our health.

FOOD:

Escapees Breakfast   Our Rating 3 out of 5

Escapees offered a pancake breakfast last Saturday, for $3.50, at the Activities Center. Very good price for 2 strawberry pancakes, 2 sausage pattties, OJ & coffee. The strawberries were pureed and then added to the pancake batter. Pretty good! We would go again. It was great to meet other RV'rs going through the same steps we are to become Texans.

LIVINGSTON, TX 77351

RAINBOW'S END-Escapees

Livingston, TX 77351

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RV:
I am not impressed or happy with Escapees RV Park here in Livingston, TX. Gravel sites that need replenishing. They have an inexpensive daily rate, but extras are added. We'll see how much our site ends up costing us after a $3.00 per day Wi-Fi fee (we opt out), & metered electric, even for one day stay.

There is highway traffic, no shade, sites VERY close together. On the other hand, as far as socializing it is very nice. Most here are full timers, so we have a common lifestyle. Some stay here long term (not us!), so there are activities at the club house & the activity center.
The laundry room has 4 washers & 4 dryers and were clean & in working order. Nice laundry room.

Back Window View

View from my computer desk

We only plan on staying here for approximately 1 week, just long enough to separate from NJ and become Texans!
We need to:
1. Get our truck & 5th wheel inspected. We had to install mud flaps on the truck. That is a requirement in TX if your truck is wider than 80" and/or has 4 or more wheels on the back axle. We needed them for our Alaska trip anyway.
2. Register our vehicles in TX.
3. Get our TX driver's license.
4. Register to vote in TX
5. Change our vehicle insurance to Geico for TX. We currently have NJ Manufacturer's Insurance, which we have been VERY happy with, but alas, they only insure NJ & PA.

We hope to have all this completed, so we can leave Friday, March 9. We want to leave Friday, because that is the day Escapees has SMART WEIGH appointments. We can pack up and get the RV weighed and then on to San Antonio area.

Tissue Alert

We have left our favorite park so far, on 3/1/12 (Sandy Creek COE). Arrived at the Escapees Rainbow Park in Livingston, TX.  I will speak more of that in a later post.

Our camp hosts and new friends from Sandy Creek are dog lovers like us.  As we said our goodbyes and gave hugs, they left us with a sweet, heart wrenching poem for dealing with your pet's end of life decision. I've seen many different poems on this subject, but this one is new to me and did bring tears, remembering our past pets that we've had to make the decision to let go. I love you still, Jessie, Ben, Pastina, Chance, Sophie, Pillsbury, & Ryley.

I will be adding this to my Pets Blog, on the PAST PETS page.