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The Publix Supermarket in Key West yesterday was the scene of both Euphoric Highs and Dismal Lows when we stopped there to procure some eggs and my very elusive, go-to, manly, alcoholic beverage of choice, Strawberry Wine Coolers.

          We had just spent an enjoyable day in Key West and were on our way back to Sugarloaf Key where our KOA Campground was located when we spied the Publix and pulled in.   

          For those of you in New Jersey, I will elaborate on the purchasing procedures for beer, wine, and spirits. It seems that most other states allow the supermarkets, convenience stores, and yes, even drive-thru’s to sell Beer and Wine. The Hard Stuff needs to be bought at a liquor store. We weren’t sure where Wine Coolers fell in this calculated dichotomy of delineation, but since there was a liquor store adjacent to the Publix, we were assured that our quest could be fulfilled.

          Imagine our delight when upon inquiry, we found that the Wine Coolers were conveniently located in the same aisle as the Eggs!

          How thoughtful of them! Apparently they knew that most out-of-towners would enter their establishment looking for the two staples in most peoples lives, that being eggs and beer!

          Unfortunately, this aisle is also the witness to the Dismal Low of the day.

          For there, directly above the Eggs, were several small packages of fresh Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Morsels!

          Or so I thought.

          Upon closer investigation, my  delight was dashed upon the squeaky-clean floors like a gallon of milk that burst open upon impact.

          For there in front of me were several packages of Quail Eggs.

          I submit these photos of proof that this was in fact, an evil, well-thought-out plan perpetrated on the same unsuspecting out-of-towners that were so happily served until this latest episode made its way forward.

          Dejectedly we (I) started for the check-out area when Paula asked, “I wonder if the have those Butterscotch Krimpets? You know, the ones that I’ve been searching for!”

          It seems that Paula has had a hankerin’ for these little guys since Sixth Grade and for one reason or another, has not either run across them, or has neglected to actually pick them up when her impulsive taste buds demanded.

          “Who knows?” was my reply, fresh off the Quail Eggs Debacle.

          We sauntered down the appropriate aisle and, lo and behold, there was her quest, just waiting for a little kid to come by and pluck them off of the neatly stacked shelf and bring them Home so they could fulfill their mission of sating the impulsive appetite of that Sixth Grader, or, just maybe, the Sixth Grader that’s in all of us.

          That was our Euphoric High!

          As you can see, it doesn’t take much to impart massive mood swings upon us!

          Back in the car we happily recounted that day’s itinerary with fondness.

          We had been to Key West a few years ago and loved every minute of it. So, we were content to just wander around with no particular places to go. The Historic District is where all of the action is. This area has Mallory Square where EVERYONE gathers EVERY night for Sunset. It is quite the spectacle, both naturally and publicly, as both the Sunset and Street Entertainers vie for your attention.

          All of the cool bars and watering holes, such as, Sloppy Joe’s (a favorite of Hemingway’s), and the Green Parrott are located. This town probably compares with Old New Orleans  for the title of Drunken Debauchery at times.

          It’s part of what this place is, but it’s innocuous at the same time

          You can walk practically everywhere and there is one of those Historic Trolley Tour’s that can give you a basic idea of where things are and you are treated to a running historic commentary. The tour of Ernest Hemingway’s home is a must. I would not be surprised if the docents there needed to pass a Comprehensive Hemingway Examination, complete with quotes from his works, to be even considered for a job there.

          They are that good!

          One of the other sites is the Little White House, a favorite of  Harry Truman’s. Here again, the docents are quite proficient in their knowledge, and appreciation, for the guy who said,

          “The Buck Stops Here.”

          It would probably be a good idea for Presidents to be experts in Harry’s ways, who would not even use a government-paid-for-stamp when he mailed a letter back to his wife when he was away.

          ‘Nuff said.

          We had a great lunch at Caroline’s which is mostly outdoors.           Probably half of the eateries down here have some sort of outdoor dining room, most with a collection of various tents and well-placed umbrellas to shelter their customers from both the heat and the rain.

          It makes for a very pleasurable dining experience and as you may imagine, being stuck way out at sea, also makes for some incredibly fresh and tasty seafood meals!

          We most assuredly walked far more than our “10,000 steps” but it is so nice walking under the banyan trees and other quite mature species that the ambling around town has a feeling of quaintness that can only be found in nice, old, southern towns.

          When we arrived back at (on?) Sugarloaf Key and our motorhome, we quickly ripped open a Butterscotch Krimpet and devoured it as only people on Holiday can! After that we decided to partake of the giant hot tub to soothe our walking muscles. There we met people from all over and had several nice conversations. We’ve found that a lot of folks stay at these places down here for a month at a time and then go to another spot until winter is over. They are just as enthralled with our “Full-Time-Motor Homing” as we are with their wintertime get-away itineraries.

          Forty-Five minutes later, water-logged and overheated, we exited the hot tub and made our way back to our site for more Krimpets and a well-deserved Strawberry Wine Cooler.

          All is good in the Florida Keys!

Paula and I got back into our car, and I said, “If I lived here, my new best friend Bill and I would be out sailing every day.”

          Apparently Bill felt the same way because when he and Kim went back to their car he said something to the effect of, “Why can’t my new friend Don live nearby?”

          These two comments uttered simultaneously twenty minutes after meeting each other, probably came to somewhat of a relief to both Kim and Paula. When two great friends from High School get together eons later, one must ponder the fact that the two other people in attendance will either be just two lugs left in the dust as the girls re-live the glory years, or they actually strike out on their own and have a totally independent, genuine, and pleasurable conversation based on  new-found mutual interests.

          Boats and tools.

          Now before you go and say something like, “Duhhh!”

                   “Two guys?”

                   “Boats and tools?”

                   “What a stretch!”

          Let me explain.

          Not just, “Yea, my brother has a boat and sometimes I go out with him”

          More like, “Are you familiar with the Cape Dory 28?”

          “Yea! That’s a sweet design, I love the full keel on it!”

          Our conversation went on with references thrown back and forth with reckless abandon about, J-Boats, Sparkman and Stevens (Classic sailboat designers and builders), old wooden boats and their care, (I love the smell of a good spar varnish!”) joiners and planers, (Bill is a craftsman, cabinet making is one of his specialties).

          I believe that I’ve made my point here and will not belabor you with any more detail. Suffice to say that if Paula and Kim had any concerns about “if the boys would get along”, well, as you can tell, those fears were totally unfounded.

          We are on our way to Sugarloaf Key, and we knew that we would practically drive through Pensacola, Florida. That’s where Kim (and Bill) have lived for the past thousand years or so. Paula and Kim attended Montville High and have remained in Facebook Contact since then. Paula did travel here about eleven years ago with another mutual friend for a long weekend.

          So, we obviously made plans to overnight here in the ‘Walmart of Gulf Breeze’. We made plans to meet up down by the beach at the “Beach Ball”, a water tower painted as such. This place is everything that you’d want a seaside town to be, not a shortage of any desirable shore amenities.

          The beaches, which are right on the Gulf of Mexico,  are incredibly gorgeous as you can see from these photos.

          We went to dinner at a place named “Peg-Legged Pete’s” where we had cheeseburgers!

          No way! We had some really great seafood as you can expect from a seaside town plopped directly on the Gulf!

          After dinner we went back to the motorhome because Kim and Bill wanted to see what it was all about.

          On our way there we made a tiny side-trip to visit Kim’s kindergarten classroom.

           It was the highlight of the evening. 😊

          Kim has been teaching for something like 47 years and for anyone who knows teaching, after a while you get burned out.

          Totally natural.

          The key is to know when you are burned out and exit gracefully as much for the kids sake as one’s own.

          As you can see from these photos, and if you had been able to hear Kim talk about her “Brainiacs” in her classroom, you would harbor no fears that the dreaded “Burn Out” was forthcoming any time soon!

          Quite the contrary! This is a case where the kids and the school will truly be at a loss when Kim finally decides to put the chalk down.

          Back at the motorhome we regaled Kim and Bill with “Tales from the Highway” and showed a few photos of such. We explained the day-to-day living in a 400 square foot  “House” and the pro’s and (not many!) cons of life on the road.

          Photos taken, it was time to say good-night as we had a nine-hour day in front of us before our next stop in Sun City, where Barb, Paula’s sister lives,

          Gotta Go, Time to start driving!

It’s funny how when you re-trace your steps and cover ground that you’ve been over before, that your initial impressions and reactions seem somewhat exaggerated and well, frankly, kind of silly.

          We are starting our Traveling Season with a quick jaunt to Florida which brings us back over a road that we drove westward on in October of 2020, namely the accursed Interstate 10. Regular Readers of this blog will immediately recognize this evil highway from the plethora of posts that have spewn forth from this Angstified Driver.

          In the post titled “Goin’ Down the Bayou“, from that same month, I described the traversing of the swamp on this ‘bane of my existence’ road as it were, as somewhat harrowing.

          It runs for millions of miles above a gigantic ‘gator filled swamp, where I know that the ‘gators are just waiting for some nincompoop to make just the tiniest of mistakes and go careening over the sides, crashing through the balsa-wood fake guardrails that they have installed there apparently just for looks.

          At least that’s the way I saw it from my seat.

          My front seat height is the same as any eighteen-wheeler’s.

          So, when we are driving on roads like this, we look out over the guardrail and down onto all of the awaiting Alligators, not like in a car where when you look to your side, you can imagine that the guardrails will hold you back because you are at their same height, not towering over them, waiting for the laws of physics like, center-of-gravity and momentum, just waiting with anticipation to be proven why they are call Laws.

          Then the ‘Laws of Survival’ take over and the last time I checked about being tossed into waters with alligators waiting with wide-open maws, well, the next ‘Law of Nature’ comes into play and involves Darwin and his survival-of-the-fittest, which, I believe is heavily weighted in the hungry alligators’ favor.

          Luckily we survived that drive and lived to write about it, but I am going to stand by my initial assessments and reactions to Alligator Bait Highway.

          Maybe someday you will be lucky enough not to have to drive this perpetually perturbing pathway to hell

           Meanwhile back at the ranch, we find our intrepid travelers pouring over maps and charts of all things westward……

          I will entice you with a short synopsis of our up-coming plans for traveling so that you have a heads-up as to what is coming up.

          For now, we are enroute to Sugarloaf Key, just a short hop this side of Key West.  On our way there we are stopping in Pensacola to visit with Kim, one of Paula’s high school chums and then we drop in on Barb, Paula’s sister, outside of Tampa.      

           From there it’s a few hours to the KOA on Sugarloaf where we’ll spend about five days before journeying up the east coast of Florida with stops in Vero Beah and around Palm Coast to visit some of Paula’s relatives.

          Then it’s back to Texas for the month of March to help Danny with his run for Justice of the Peace and to get ready for the start of the Great Circumnavigation of the Lower Forty-Eight Summer Tour and Homecoming.

          Our plan is to drive to Durango for a few days, and the head west to Las Vegas, Los Angeles area, Sequoia, Big Sur, Monterey, Yosemite, San Francisco, Lake Tahoe, Oregon, Seattle, Spokane, Montana, North Dakota, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Mackinac, (on the Upper Peninsula  of Michigan), down to  and over to Niagara Falls, Finger Lakes, Cooperstown, and finally arrive in New Jersey somewhere around mid-June.

          Stay tuned for lots of Posts as we work our way around this coming Traveling Season!

George Orwell’s Animal Farm has got nothing on us.

          I won’t pretend that our current positions as Farm Sitters has all of the allegory and satire that Orwell packs into Animal Farm but watching the hierarchical antics of the “Residents of the Corral” play themselves out gives us endless hours of entertainment.

          We are presently in charge of four horses, two goats, a dog, and about 14 billion stinging little red ants.

          Danny, Kaitie, and Madison are spending a week in Disneyworld and as any of you who has even a goldfish knows, you must find folks ready, willing, and able to tend your furry or finned friends if you would like to go away.

          For any amount of time.

          Since our initial Farm Sitter stay at Tomboy Farm in Durango, our list of credentials has grown nicely to the point where we could open a small business and travel around and Critter Sit while others took their vacations!

          We are currently Certified in Chickens, Goats, Cats, (even felines with diabetes) horses, and dogs.

          Getting back to the endless hours of Entertainment from the Barn Brats led to me finding out that I now hold the unenviable post of Corral Control and Peace Officer.

          The backstory,

          As soon as two or more Critters are confined together, they start to work on who the Top Dog, Goat ,Chicken, Horse, etc. etc. is.

          This is one of those Laws of Nature.

          Who is bigger?

          Who is more aggressive?

          But, maybe, it’s ….

          Who is smarter?  

          Originally there were only two small horses here. Rose (the Mom) and Lilly (her daughter). They’re pretty cute and are actually smaller than ponies.

          Rose is kind of cuddly.

           Lilly is a bitch.

          So, it’s not hard to imagine who the boss is (was) in the corral, Lilly even bossed the two goats, Chones and Abigail around. In this case, Chones is the dominant one, which leaves poor Abigail at the absolute bottom of this Totem Pole.

          Enter Mystique.

          As soon as the trailer door opened, Rose and Lilly had fits!

          It was incredibly obvious who was gonna be Big Girl on Campus now! Mystique stands between 15 or16 hands high which makes poor Lilly and Rose look like Chihuahua’s around a Great Dane.

          Sure enough, when Mystique’s ten-day quarantine (she did not wear a mask) ended and they were all thrown together, she quickly cemented her status as Queen of the Corral, much to Lilly’s dismay. Rose could have cared less because she was already second horse, so what if she dropped to third? Rose now had the pleasure of watching her bitchy daughter be put in her place by the new Number One!

(Waylon, the new fourth horse is presently in his quarantine, and will be released soon. The plot thickens!)

          Lilly is presently making a spectacle of herself. She knows that she used to be on top and is obsessed with getting some of her lost respect back. It’s like watching the kid on the playground who used to be Top Dog until the New Kid comes to town, Now he spends all his time trying to sidle up to the New Kid, only to be rebuffed again and again.

          The others are watching this process with glee.

          At no time is this more obvious than at Feeding Time.

          There are no stalls here to confine them into so that they can eat in peace. Nope, its every horse for themselves!

          Luckily (for Rose and Lilly) the Caretakers (us) are smart enough to put the food out in two different locations far enough apart that when Mystique decides that she would like to have some of the other hay, Lilly and Rose nonchalantly stroll over to the pile that Mystique just abandoned.

          This goes on for hours.

          Sometimes Lilly just stands and stares at Mystique munching away,  dreaming of a long-lost past when she had the run of the hay! Now she has to be content with sharing with Rose who does not seem to let her emotions cloud her judgment when it comes to the food.

          She just goes to the other pile.

          Now enter the rain.

          Not just any rain,

          Texas rain.

          There is only one shelter in the corral and while it is certainly large enough to fit everyone in it, it is definitely not large enough for one bully and two meek cuties.

          This is not usually an issue. Horses can be out in the rain and do so happily if said rain is moderate.

          Not Texas Rain.

          Yesterday we had Texas Rain and it was obvious that the critters were getting uncomfortable. Mystique high-tailed it into the shelter as soon as it started.

          Rose and Lilly tried to just sort of, kinda, look-the-other-way, amble close to, but not quite enter the shelter, waiting for Mystique to shoo them away.

          They were not disappointed.

          Well, I guess that they were disappointed because they did not get into the shelter.

          On the first try.

          Then, just maybe, Queen Mystique took some pity on her vassals and acquiesced without giving any of her dominance way.

          She just ignored them.

          Rose was the best one to watch. She stood out in the rain until inch by inch, hoof by hoof, she backed herself neatly into the shelter not even once glancing in Mystique’s direction.

          It could have been one of those posts on Instagram where they dub in the animals talking!

          But the best is yet to come.

          Now it’s Feeding Time.

          We could have put their hay out in the usual places, and they would have come out of the shelter and ate it,

          Albeit reluctantly (and miserably).        

          So, we decided to try and press our luck and feed them inside the shelter, in opposite corners, but still within a tail’s swish of each other.

          The tensions mounted as I entered that corral with hay piled high in my arms, The neighing and whinnying commenced immediately as Mystique rushed over to me and tried to wrestle the hay away from me. Turning my back to her I entered the shelter and put half down in one corner.

          She was there in a heartbeat.

          Now, some in the other corner.

          I could see Lilly and Rose were in a quandary.

          They’ve never eaten this close to the Big Girl before .

          Eying the other pile of hay, they slowly walked towards it until Mystique decided that she wanted the other pile too! Lilly and Rose retreated quickly spooking Mystique who found herself in the confined area of the shelter and kicked her way out!

          Now everyone was outside, and everyone wanted to be inside.

          Rose and Lilly saw their chance and went for it until Mystique got her wits about her and re-entered the fray.

          Out came Lilly and Rose!

          Now I’m getting worked up!

          This is where I discovered that even the bully can be put in their place!

          With lots of hand gestures and name calling (their real names, not those other names!) I managed to make them understand that the piles were separate and that there was plenty for everyone and I wanted them to eat in peace.

          Sort of.

          Well, anyway, that’s how I remember it.

          I felt like Henry Kissinger at Camp David trying to get the Peace Talks going and get everyone at the same table.

          And here is the photo to prove it.

          I look like the Hall Monitor in high school.

It’s amazing how past experiences modify our behavior, both positively and negatively, and depending on one’s perspective, the two can be the same.

          Let’s go back almost a year ago and look at the Post entitled, “The Gauntlet”. This treatise described the truncated journey of our planned first trip to California.

          Suffice to say, we had meteorological issues along the way and did not finish that trip.

          Fast-forward to yesterday in Galveston where the skies were sunny, and the temps hovered in the high seventies. It was as nice as can be!

          But…… the forecast was for a cold front, combined with some light precip, and the accompanying schmutz.

          After enduring that spell of inclement weather last year, we vowed to NEVER put ourselves in that position again.

          Not even maybe, just maybe a chance.

           Nope, we want at least two days buffer between us safely bedded down (preferably not in a Walmart parking lot) and slippery roads!

          So, we spent a half day in Galveston and then headed out.

          We had identified several things to do and see while we were there and we did want to leave some “Good Stuff” for the next visit, so we were comfortable not clinging to every last bit of daylight.

          We decided on two things to do before we left for Home Base yesterday, The Galveston Railroad Museum and then one more delectable lunch at Katie’s Seafood.

          The Train Museum was as good as we had heard.

          The focus of this Museum was not old steam locomotives, (which it did have a few of) but the 20^th century rail system in all of its glory.

          Dining cars, sleeper cars, (both First and Second Class), and a myriad of other cars were on display and were open for our perusal.     I’ve never been inside one of these dining or sleeper cars and it was quite nice imagining oneself traveling the rails seated in the Observation Car for the day and then having a nice meal before retiring for the night to one’s berth.

          The Museum is housed in the old Santa Fe Station, complete with rows of waiting benches and several “Ghost Travelers” statues that made it easier to imagine the folks of those days waiting for what was for them, a normal mode of transportation. It would be like some day in the future, Newark Airport being a Flight Museum, complete with vintage aircraft that you could visit to see what travel was like before some Star Trek transporter made it obsolete.

          We’ve always steeled ourselves against our heightened anticipation being somewhat dashed, and you’d think that  by now that we would let that all go, but we’ll never learn! The Museum was even more than we had hoped for! We came away from the Galveston Railroad Museum with a new-found appreciation for that mode of transportation and the people that worked on the lines to make it all move.

          The lunch at Katie’s was as good as the day before. Our favorite waiter, Anthony {it’s funny how you can have a ‘favorite’ when we’d only been there once!) was not on duty, but his replacement, Joel, was excellent as was everyone else we came in contact with.

          Paula has already picked out what she is going to order when we make our return trip to Galveston!

          It’s a good thing that the weather is so good here in Texas because it’s time to start Travel Season!

          The temps so far have been “Shorts and T-Shirts” weather, except for a few colder nights. So far, and for the foreseeable future, we will not be having a revival of the Great Icemaggedon of 2021 any time soon!

          We decided to get this Season underway with a short jaunt down the coast to Galveston. It helped when Glen Campbell gave us a call and asked us to visit. I called up Willie and we had a nice time singing “On the Road Again.” Willie fondly remembered our last meeting in Durango last year. It turns out that Willie and Glen have done some work together in the past and you may want to listen to “Funny How Time Slips Away”. It’s a pretty little song, it was their last duet together, recorded on Glen’s final album aptly titled, “Adios’”

          Anyway, Galveston is only about two and a half hours away from us, so away we went! We knew nothing about Galveston except that it was on the coast, situated on a barrier island, much the same way Atlantic City is. In fact, they are about the same size.

          Galveston is famous for several things, one of them being the timely debut of  Dan Rather (of CBS News fame). It was the Hurricane of 1960, Carla, which brought him to national attention. He was the news director of KHOU, out of Houston, when the storm was on its way. In fact, Dan was the only member of the news department and got to call his own shots. This was when TV Weather Radar was not in existence. Weather Radar was a fledgling in itself and luckily Dan was keen to new technology. Carla was the first major meteorological event that it was used for to try and  track it. Dan got wind of this and contacted the Meteorologist on duty and asked if he could see it. Permission granted and armed with a clear cellophane film, Dan inscribed a scale rendition of the state of Texas on it showing both the size, proximity, and direction, of the coming storm.

          The rest, as they say, is history. Dan came to national attention and that spring-boarded his career immensely.

          Luckily for us, there were no hurricanes forecasted for while we ventured south. As you can see from these photos, the weather was great! The only problem was that the beaches were so crowded! We stayed at a KOA RV Park about twenty miles south of the downtown area. The place was crazy-clean and nicely quiet!

          Our first day started at the Moody Mansion. The Moody family is one of those patriarchal Texas Families that someone like James Michener would write about in his novel, ‘Texas’ and although the Moody’s are not fiction, I’m sure that I’ve made my point.

The family lived here from 1900 until 1986. It is as opulent as the photos indicate and having just finished binging on Downton Abbey, we had a new-found appreciation for rooms such as the Butler’s Pantry and the upstairs Service Kitchen. The impact of the Moody family on the Galveston area is quite significant, banking, insurance, cotton, medical, and social, are just a few of the areas that they dabbled in. What’s nice to notice is that everyone (their contemporary’s) thought very highly of them.

          When we finished at the Mansion, we drove over to the seaport area where we spent the rest of the day. But first I needed to check in on my Shrimping Boat, the Donnie J. Me and Forrest (with his Jenny) started about the same time. Forrest went on to have a chain of his Bubba Gump restaurant’s.

           I had only one.  😊

          Lunch was had at Katie’s Seafood which, I kid you not, was right next door (as in the NEXT building) to the place where their seafood lands from the boat.

          To say that it was really, really, really good would be an understatement.

          But it was!

          I’ve never had shrimp right off the boat before and there is obviously a difference. It’s like going to Maine and having lobster. I’m sure you get my point. Paula had the ‘Catch of the Day’ which can obviously change from day to day. This day it was Golden Tilefish and I had to stop her from licking the plate.

          We’re going back today for more!

          Lunch (and dessert) finished, we walked over to the Ocean Star Drilling Platform Exhibit and Museum. This is a retired drilling platform that was built in 1969 and was used for about 20 years before settling in at the wharf-side of Galveston.

          What an incredible experience!

          There are three decks of very well thought out exhibits and examples of drilling apparatus and how they are used. All aspects of the drilling operation are covered, the drills, platforms, wellheads, piping, ships, environmental concerns, and the daily on-board life of the operators is explained so well that even the un-initiated person comes away with a clear understanding of the process.

          After leaving the Drilling Platform, we walked over a block to the heart of Galveston’s Historic District, The Strand. Here we found the usual shops and eateries that one may expect in an area like this. They have collectively done a wonderful job of keeping the buildings as true to the originals as possible, right down to the twelve-foot doors and windows at street level.

          This area is also the Cruise Port. Galveston is the fourth-largest port in the States for cruise embarkation. Royal Caribbean and Carnival are the two major lines that use this port.

          Tomorrow looks good so far in the weather department, so we’ll tackle a few more sights before heading back.

          More to follow!

          It’s been a while since my last post so I thought that I would just write a little something, and maybe throw in a few photos.

          In the beginning, I wrote that this blog is not about me.

          It is about our travels and the places we go.

          So….. if we’re not traveling, then there is not too much to write about! This piece will kind of bring you up to date, etc.

          Since we returned from the Great Tomboy Farm Critter Sitting of November, we have been safely ensconced at out Texas Home Base at Danny and Kaitie’s in Brenham. I do have to say the weather has been just this side of awesome.

          Warm days (60’s through the 80’s), not too much rain, and so far , no big scary storms! (which there is a plethora of at any given time down here)

          My biggest issue so far, and has been for a while, is realizing that I don’t have to do anything at any time! While somewhat liberating, it is totally disconcerting for me.

          But I’ll get used to it!

          We have plans for Florida for much of February, a stay at Sugarloaf Key which is just a few miles from Key West, a stay up in Tampa at Paula’s sister’s house, and possibly a visit to rels on the East Coast by Vero Beach.

          After last years “Icemageddon” debacle, we are not assuming anything when it comes to weather and traveling. It takes two days to exit this state and even trying to get to the Southwest, like Arizona, runs us through some high elevations that can get quite wintery. So that means we need to look many days in advance and either stay put or get out of Dodge really quickly!

          Danny is hot and heavy into campaigning for the Justice of the Peace position for Precinct Three in Washington County which is where we reside. This is an actual Judge position, way different than anything we have in New Jersey. The primary is in March and if he wins that, it is an automatic (?) win in November as rural parts of Texas are as Republican as Sussex County is and there are generally not many Democratic candidates. So, we plan on being here for the election to both vote and help out.

      Then, back to traveling!                                                                                    Paula and I would like to extend all of the Warm Wishes of this time of year to everyone who has kept up with us, and this drivel that I write! We truly hope that you enjoy traveling with us and I promise you, we love having you along!

          Until Next Year,

          Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

          Love,

          Paula and Don

We are stuck here in Durango, Colorado.

                    The weather is boring,

                     Bright, bluebird skies during the day and cool, crisp nights.

                    Ho-hum…..

          If it weren’t for Critter Sitting, there would be no excitement.

Except we went on a hike the other day to the Animas Valley Overlook.

          The trail was 23 miles, and the elevation was 18,700 ft.

          That is a slight exaggeration….

          Actually, the trail was 2/3 of a mile and the elevation was 8,700 ft.

          What a difference a slash and extra digit make!

          As you can see from the accompanying photos, it was about as spectacular as it gets. Looking north into the Heart of the San Juan’s towards Ouray and Silverton, you can see the early snows on the peaks above 10,000 ft. Looking the other way (south), Durango lies nestled in its little valley carved out by the Animas River.

          As an added bonus, The Air Force Thunderbirds flew directly over us in a nice tight formation. Needless to say, (since there is no photographic evidence of this) my camera/phone was in my pocket with no chance to retrieve it in time to take a decent photo.

          Oh well, you’ll just have to believe me!

          We had lunch up there on a south-facing bench which was drenched in the very welcome warming sunlight! The temps up there were hovering at about -43 degrees.

          Oops! There it goes again! I mean 43 degrees!

          That is still cold enough with the gale-force winds of 4 mph blowing across the vast plateau below us to make us comfortable in its warmth.

          Our sandwich was prepared by a local bakery named (appropriately) Bread. This establishment is somewhat of a local favorite and its fame has grown to where folks passing through on their way north, stop in to avail themselves of its victuals and of course, baked goods. It is a large place, with plenty of room inside for customers to place their orders, but with Covid still lurking in the backs of their minds, they only allow TWO customers (or two Groups, i.e., families to be inside at any one time). To show you how successful this joint is, that process does not seem to have had an effect on their business. Peeps are willing to wait outside, all queued up, and patiently (?) await their turn to enter.

          Our sandwich was delicious.

          I’ve always held to the thought that it takes three things to ensure a restaurants success.

• Quality of the Food
• Service
• And cost

The establishment can survive with any two of these being great and the third being average. Think of some places you go to.

           Food great, Price Great, Service average.

          See what I mean?

          Mix any of these up and it still works.

          In our case, the place could not have been any more spectacular, the sandwich was awesome, the price was more than fair at about $8.00, and the service (me) was far above what anyone could expect!

          So, we are giving the South-Facing Bench at Animas Valley Overlook  a Five-Star Rating!

           Be sure to book early as there is only one of these benches up there.

          “Meanwhile back at the ranch…”

The Critter’s of Tomboy Farm keep us quite busy twice a day. Their routines revolve around Food! and being let out of their respective Confinements to roam the vast enclosure that helps keep them relatively safe.

          By vast, I mean like, maybe a quarter acre.

          Mind you, not large enough for a herd of Buffalo, but plenty big for two cats, CubScout (the Roamer)and Ling-Ling ( who stays inside all the time) , three goats, Cloe, Munchy, and Nibbles, and eleven chickens, who not only stopped laying (boo) during the colder months but will remain nameless for now.

          We actually had to buy some stupid-store-bought-eggs!

Well, when we’re not really rolling down the Road, there really isn’t that much to write about. Life goes on, like it does with all of you.      The things that keep us in one place for a time are just some of the necessities of life.

          Like Doctor’s Visits.

          We have found that just like those funny Insurance Company commercials, we are becoming our parents (getting older) and our focus needs to change from time to time, which means staying stationary for a spell.

          And this is Ok…. This retirement gig is not that bad. I always wondered if I would become bored at this stage of my life.

          Nope! Not one little bit!

          The ability to do NOTHING is fascinating. In reality, I have yet to experience that state of being, it is, none-the-less, a crazy feeling!

          Most of our Static Time is spent at our Texas Home Base where the weather is warmer, both in the summer (Boo!) and the winter (Yay!)

          We have made some improvements to our little site at the Madison Farm and Trampoline Park Campground. We added the concrete pad which makes leveling   a little nicer. It helps keep things cleaner (No splash-up when it rains) and the leveling process is MUCH smoother. I have it down to where I have painted small Indicator Lines on the concrete so that when I back her in I am automatically lined up with the stairs that I built so that we do not need to use that auto-extending one all the time. This helps us to keep things like that from wearing out.

          Why would they wear out you may ask?

          The answer is simple, and unless you know how, and with what these babies are constructed, you would never even think of it.

          If you feel a Lesson coming on, you are absolutely Correct!

          I’m sure that you all have heard of “Planned Obsolescence”, and this describes the situation somewhat.

          When the folks at Winnebago, Tiffin, Forest River, Jayco, Newmar, or any of the other RV manufacturers sit around their conference  tables to design one of these vehicles, they have many decisions to make and one of them is how long will it last under normal driving/living conditions.

          The key word here is, “Normal”

          None of the Makers of these vehicles manufacture them for “Full-Time Use. That is a fact. Obviously, the better manufacturers, the ones that have a better quality (and price) attached to them make the better candidates for Full-Time Living.

           They know that the average person, or family, buying an RV or Motorhome, will use it several times a year. Most of the time it will sit in the driveway or at a storage facility until the long weekend or vacation rolls around and they take a trip.

          So, they build it accordingly. They would be fools not to.

          That leads me to the next item that we do while we are stationary.

          Maintenance.

          I love this stuff and I’m thinking of asking Winnebago to hire me on as a consultant, because until you actually LIVE in one, it is impossible to get to know it as intimately as we do.

          And uncover some “Design Flaws” that would not rear their ugly little heads if it were being used under “normal” circumstances. As we use the Motorhome and all of its components, we have to keep in mind that they (the components) are designed NOT to be used full-time and treat them accordingly. Not with Kid-Gloves mind you, just  a little more carefully, noting how they perform so that we can keep them in good running order.

          My favorite example of this is the floor of the motorhome. It is constructed by using a foam core sandwich method with marine-grade 5/4” plywood that is very strong and at the same time helps with insulation and road noise abatement.

          Unfortunately, this necessary compromise for the aforementioned reasons, also makes it not as strong as  a solid 5/4” plywood floor.

          How would I know this you may ask?

          Over time I thought that I could feel a “Give” in the floor at a spot that was in the most heavily traveled part of the motorhome, namely right in front of the kitchen sink. This area is being constantly traversed and of course, stood at, while prepping meals and then washing the dishes. It is plenty strong for average use, but full-time?, Now that’s different!

          We did an experiment. I went downstairs into the ”Basement”  and had Paula walk back and forth in the suspected area. We communicated with our phones and as she strolled around, I could see the floor give just a little when it was walked on. Not much, but enough to notice. This would only get worse with time, so a remedy was needed.

          The whole “Upstairs” part of the motorhome sits on a welded framework of structural tubing that is set down, and around the Freightliner bus-type chassis. The spot the was “giving” was in between some of the structural frames.

          Solution.

          Add more support in between the existing framework.

          Mind you, none of this would be necessary if it were being used under “normal” circumstances. Those striding’s back and forth, meal-prep, and dishwashing would only be being done several times a year.

          Not 365!

          So, a few angle-brackets and 2×4’s later, we had a very solid, no-give floor to walk on.

          That was a major “fix-it” issue, but it is a good example of “Design for Use” that was explained earlier and also a good example of things that we look for so that they can be fixed or modified before they become a problem.

          So, between doctor’s visits and maintenance issues (both preventative and immediate) we stay nicely busy. Add in watching the horses and goats  in the corral, and just relaxing, our days stay full, but without the tightly controlled work schedules of the past. We have also been able to help Danny, Paula’s son run for office here in Texas. Their form of government is a little different from New Jersey. He is running for Justice of the Peace, which in fact, is a Judge position in the County, a very nice stepping stone as he has further political ambitions 🙂

         

          Speaking of critters in corrals and the ability to do what we want, when we want, we now find ourselves back in Durango, farm-sitting for Lorelyn and Travis who are taking a well-deserved two-week vacation in Eastern Europe. They needed someone to watch the two cats, three goats, and eleven chickens. It is not a full-time job, but it does require being here in the morning and evening to either let them out or put them to bed. In addition, poor little Ling-Ling (The Fluffy White Cat) was diagnosed with diabetes about a week before our scheduled arrival. This means twice-daily injections of insulin. Thankfully Paula is well versed in this kind of procedure after being a CMA in a doctor’s office for twenty years. The problem is really with Ling-Ling. She is VERY shy and stays hidden most of the time. If you are a stranger staying at the house, you will NEVER see her. Thankfully we’ve been here enough for her to tolerate us and make a gratuitous appearance every now and then. She needs to eat before she can get her injection (which uses a really small needle, so she doesn’t feel it) so the previously always-full food bowl has been replaced with a twice-a-day feeding schedule that allows us to capture her right after her meal and give her the insulin.

          Pfhewf! This is the most stressful part of our stay here.

          Except Goat Feeding Time

          This particular event could qualify for some sort of Olympic Status.  You need to be able to first open the gate that has the three goats on the other side, each one bent on “Escaping”. These four-legged steamrollers are incredibly strong, and we have been bowled over more than once in our attempts to gain entrance to the corral.

          Now add in Food!

          The head-butting, charging, and jumping up to gain access to the “Raised High Above Your Head” can of goat ‘Crack’ is unlike any experience so far. More than once, we’ve found ourselves on the ground as they entwine themselves between your legs in an effort to gain access to said ‘crack’.

          The chickens are a little easier, as they do not bowl us over. They do get very excited when they see a can hopefully filled with ‘scratch’, their favorite treat. They can trip you, as eleven of them get underfoot, but it’s not too bad. The fun part is gathering the elliptical morsels of chicken-ness, namely Farm-Fresh Eggs!

          That is, unless the Magpies, which there is a plethora of around here, get into the coop first and steal/eat them first!

          There is s shotgun on the wall that I am sadistically eying.

          Otherwise, our time here is spent binge-watching ‘24’ and ‘Madam Secretary” and catching up on ‘New Amsterdam’ and ‘The Voice’. The weather is just incredible, bluebird skies, daytime temps in the mid-sixties and night-time lows in the thirties. We did not bring the motorhome as it was far easier to fly up instead of taking the two-day trip by road. Besides, at this time of year up here, the chance for snow is always present and we try to avoid that like the proverbial Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever!

          I had some fun with my Lawyer-Daughter and drew up a Contract for her to sign in order for us to be engaged as “Farm-Sitters”. She wants to hire me at the Tribe now as you can see, it totally absolves us of ANY responsibility whatsoever!

P&D Farm Sitters Ltd.

Main Offices, Brenham, Texas

“Serving the Needs of The Southwest  for about 6 Months or so”

With Other Locations in;

Durango, Hainesville, Chatham, Cambridge, Readfield, Palm Springs, Fredericksburg, Tucson, Santa Fe, and somewhere along a stretch of the god-forsaken Interstate 10 in Texas

Phone – 201-317-6986

Telex – 201-317-6986

Fax – 201-317-6986

International – 01-201-317-6986

Basic Contract Language

The Party of the first part, (Farm Sitters LLC) when engaged by any other entity, (Heretofore known as ‘Party of the Second Part) Shall not be held responsible for anything that may be construed as any modicum of responsibility, examples here, but not limited to the actual responsibilities that may be understood by either party to be examples that, in the normal course of events, would hereby be outlined in this contract, but are not contained within said contract, either by omission, or commission, of applied responsibilities and/or Duties of the Party of the First Part as to rights and privileges of the Party of the Second Part to lay claim against The Party of the first Part either by default of responsibilities normally executed within the usual and expected parameters of basic business practices outlined in,

“The Acme Handbook of Applied Business Practices” by Wyle E. Coyote (Second Edition)

Signed __________________                 Signed ________________

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

          As you can see, we’re having fun here!

          In reality, major trips are not planned until after the Holiday’s and so far, it looks like  February will be spent in various parts of Florida, from the Keys to the Tampa area, and stops in between.

          Hoping you and Yours a truly thankful Thanksgiving and a very Merry Christmas and Happy New Year. With any amount of luck we’ll bump into some of you over the Holidays!

It’s called The Hill Country around here and it’s a region in south central Texas that boasts quite a few wineries, vineyards, and breweries, and Fredericksburg is the “Capital “of the Region.

          Fredericksburg was settled in the 1800’s by German immigrants and has managed to hold on dearly to its heritage. The entire town is German themed, and this makes is it a favorite destination for just about everyone. With the wineries, regular and German restaurants, and a downtown Main Street that has managed to maintain all of its old-world charm, Fredericksburg seems to be perpetually busy.          Especially now, it’s Oktoberfest time!

          We’ve been through this little town many times before as Rt. 290 runs right through the middle of it. Rt. 290 is the road that we take from our home base in Brenham all the way to the god-forsaken, evil-infested Interstate Route 10. It is also the town that we limped back to in the Texas Icemageddon of 2021 this past winter. We stayed an additional 3 days in the Walmart parking lot until we determined that it might be safe enough to venture out and make it back home.

          So, we definitely have a soft spot in us for Fredericksburg.      Unfortunately, during that wintry hiatus there, we were unable to sample any of its delightful feature’s because half of the town was without power, and if they did have it, the employees were unable to navigate the roads and come into work.

          So, we decided to come back some day.

          That day was perfectly positioned at the end of our Big Bend trip as we needed to travel right through it anyway!

          And it’s Oktoberfest!

          And the weather is still summerlike around here!

          We stayed at a very nice campground, one of the Jellystone Park franchises. Yup, that’s the one, the same as in Yogi and Boo-Boo!

          The place was meticulously clean and there is definitely a family vibe here with some nice activities and outdoor playthings available to use. The pool was sparkling clean, but we did not avail ourselves of that as we were too busy trying German restaurants!

           (And walking the town)

          We decided that the best way to conquer Main Street was to park at one end, walk up as far as we could, then cross and return back down. This tactic was good as almost every shop was interesting enough to poke our heads into and determine if they warranted a full visit or not. Our goal was to be back towards the beginning around lunchtime as we wanted to visit Der Lindenbaum, an authentic German restaurant complete with Helga, our native German accented waitress. This place had a nice Wiener Schnitzel, one of the dishes that Paula wanted to have.

          The other dish she wanted was Rouladen, her favorite.

          The night before, we had located another eatery, Auslander Biergarten,  where we had dinner. Our waiter was not German, but he was a hoot, and we had a ton of fun with him trading stories of all sorts.

          The Main Street has mostly covered sidewalks, which lend to its charm. I can see where these are crucial to this mercantile setting as they provide shade, which if it’s sunny, is somewhat of a necessity in the hotter weather.

          We did not venture out to the wineries as there were way too many to choose from, and Paula wanted to wait for Kaitie, her daughter-in-law, so that she could be there also. I looked to see if there were any dairies around so that I could do some Milk Tastings, but alas, there were none, so I may have to accompany the Winos, so they have a Designated Driver!

Here are some other views of Main Street.

          Back when we were driving through town I noticed a sign that read, WW II National Museum of the Pacific.

          I’m sorry, but I was immediately skeptical of this.

          Why here?

          Was this a ploy of someone’s to capture some tourist trade?

           What could possibly be authentic about a Pacific based museum here in the middle of the Texas desert?

          Be careful Doubting Donny! Don’t make rash judgements!

           Well, it turns out that Fredericksburg is the hometown of Admiral Chester Nimitz of WW II fame. I will not attempt to recite to you all of his attributes, as I could not begin to do them justice. I will tell you this, if you are in any way, a fan of military history and/or great American’s, then look no further and at least do some research and read a bit about him. I promise that you won’t be disappointed!

          As for the museum, drop what you are doing now and book a flight into Austin, let me know when you’re coming, and I will pick you up and drive you to this incredible place. We spent almost four hours there and could have doubled that if we read everything that was there. It truly is a totally complete history of the Pacific Theater of WW II.

          And Admiral Nimitz had a front row seat.

          To show you what kind of person he was, when the Town Fathers wanted to make a museum after the war, he refused to be involved unless it was a museum about all of the men and women that were involved, and it needed to be about their conflicts, not his. He once declined a promotion to Admiral because it would have meant that he would leap-frog over 30 men senior to him.  He thought that this would have not been received well and be a detriment to morale.

          How selfless can one be?

          His men obviously loved him.

          We saved a bit for a return trip, there is an Extension of the Museum called the Battle Zone which was closed for the day by the time that we finished in the main Museum. Along with that and the wineries, we are assured of another fine trip to The Hill Country and Fredericksburg.

          Hope to see you there!