Who We Are

We sold our home in June, 2007, and spent the next 7 1/2 years traveling full time in a Cross Roads Fifth Wheel. (We had been traveling during our summers for several years before going full time.) We loved the full-time lifestyle! Each summer we spent a month or two volunteering in State Parks, first in Indiana at McCormick's Creek State Park, near our family, then in later years as the grandchildren got older, at the Bluewater Lake State Park in New Mexico. We spent 6 months each winter at Cactus Gardens RV Resort in Yuma, AZ, where I worked mornings in the park office. The remaining months were spent on the road, seeing this great country of ours. Our favorite places are our National Parks. Anita loved photography and the freedom of digital photography, taking sometimes hundreds of photos in a day. We hiked as much as our legs will allow. We also really enjoyed square and round dancing as we travel across country, and meeting all the wonderful people who dance and/or travel.

But as in all things, there comes a time for change, and we decided it was time to create roots once more. In the fall of 2014, we purchased a home in Cactus Gardens, and in the spring of 2015, sold the 5th wheel. Anita also retired in the spring. We will continue to travel each summer, but for a shorter period of time. We hope to continue blogging about those trips, but it will obviously be on a more limited basis than in the past.

Please explore our past posts if you are interested in traveling this great country. You'll find an index in the left column. We hope you enjoy our blog, and appreciate all comments

Monday, May 21, 2012

Texas to Indiana

The rest of the trip was uneventful.  We did take some country roads in Texas to see new scenery.  Lots of farmland and tiny towns.

2012-05-16 - TX - On the Road (2)          2012-05-16 - TX - On the Road (3)

We found a nice Passport America park at Shallow Creek  RV Resort near Gladewater.

2012-05-16 - TX - On the Road (10)

One of our favorite campgrounds is Arrowhead Lake near Johnston City, IL.   It has a nice country setting and low prices.  We try to stop for a few nights anytime we’re in the area.

2012-05-19 - IL - Arrowhead Lake (5)

This time we were there on my birthday.  I chose to celebrate with a hike around Arrowhead Lake.  It’s an easy 2 mile hike.

2012-05-20 - IL, Johnston City - Arrowhead Lake Hike (6)

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2012-05-20 - IL, Johnston City - Arrowhead Lake Hike (14)

Wednesday, May 16, 2012

Kerrville and nearby

As we continued on through Texas, we enjoyed the many roadside flowers in bloom.

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We were about 2 weeks late for the famous Texas Bluebonnets, but did spot a few in bloom at a roadside stop.

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Having been on the road from Yuma to Texas, my Crazy Quilt block for the month was titled “Twilight in the Desert” and featured the highway running through the desert.  For more on that project, see my craft blog at “Spare Moment Stitching”.

2012-04-27 - CQJP May - Twilight in the Desert

We spent a month in Kerrville at Take It Easy RV with good friend, Donna.

2012-05-12 - TX, Kerrville - Take It Easy RV Resort    2012-04-18 - TX, Kerrville - Anita and Donna 

Over the years, we’ve made several friends at Take It Easy.  Each Saturday several go together to the nearby restaurant Del Norte’s for breakfast. 

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These couples plus one more went with us to Cici’s to celebrate our 33rd anniversary.

One of the highlights of our month was a three day visit from granddaughter, Cassandra.  During her visit, we took a road trip, stopping for several photo sessions on the way.

Kerrville Road Tri[ 

Nearby Ingram has an unusual attraction, a replica of Stonehenge and  another of a statue from Easter Island.

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In 1989 Doug Hill tipped on end a massive limestone rock onto Al Shepperd’s field.  After looking at the rock and joking about it for months, Al and Doug decided to build an arch behind the rock to make it more visible to passers by. 

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With the arch, Al was reminded of the original Stonehenge in England, and commissioned Doug to design and build a stonehenge.

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It took 9 months to fashion out of rebar and concrete.  Stonehenge II is not an exact replica, and is not oriented to the sun.  It is about 2/3 the size of the original.

After Stonehenge II was complete, it seemed a logical step to add the Easter Island statuary.  Al had visited the original and thought the statue would be a natural complement to the stone structures.

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You never know what you’ll find on a drive in Texas.  Cassandra loved this fence topped with boots that seemed to go on forever.  (She took this photo.)

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The road used to have many low water crossings.  After a fatal accident a few years ago, those low water bridges have been replaced with higher structures, but there are still many places for parking and photographing.

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Many years ago on a drive through this area with friends, we spotted an old stone chimney, obviously all that was left of an old home.  Ron thought he remembered its location, and after a lot of visual searching through the brush, we located it.  The first time, we were able to walk back to the chimney, but now the brush is too thick to attempt reaching it.

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We retraced our route to Kerrville, and headed for Bandera, Texas’ Cowboy Capital.  Again, there were several stops to enjoy the beautiful stream scenes.

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The roadside wildflowers were prolific. 

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The next day, we visited Kerrville’s Riverside Nature Center, a little known attraction.  It is a quiet, natural habitat for birds and butterflies.  Many of the plants were in bloom. 

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Afterwards, we walked along the riverbank.

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When we arrived in Kerrville in April, the water in the river was so low the dam near the park had just a trickle of water flowing over it.  But it rained several times while we were there, increasing the water in the river dramatically.  This was the scene one evening at sunset. 

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A few days later after another hard rain, the water flowed almost over the entire length of the dam, something Donna said she hadn’t seen for years.

2012-05-12 - TX, Kerrville - Guadalupe River Dam

That day, I noticed the incline by the dam was covered with white flowers that hadn’t been there the day before.  Mr. Kline, a 90+ year old resident of the park, told me they were “rain flowers”;  following up on his tip, I discovered he was right.  They are Texas Rain Lilies, and often pop up following a rain. 

2012-05-12 - TX, Kerrville - Texas Rain Lilies

Following our month in Kerrville, we stopped for an overnight stay at Cedar Breaks, a C.O.E. Park near Georgetown, TX, for another visit with Cassie.

We were there for a week last fall.  The change in the water levels was amazing.  Here are two of the docks,

then……………………………………………………………   and now

2011-08-20 - TX - Cedar Breaks C.O.E. - Visit with Cassie (3)     2012-05-15 - TX, Georgetown - Cedar Breaks C.O.E (3)

2011-08-20 - TX - Cedar Breaks C.O.E. - Visit with Cassie (4)      2012-05-15 - TX, Georgetown - Cedar Breaks C.O.E (4)

Where there was no water in the inlet at all last fall, the docks are now floating.

The next morning, we hit the road toward Indiana.