Waco

Well, it's nice to have fun camping and seeing sights, but ordinary stuff still has to be done. So today was laundry and cleaning up RV day. Most campgrounds we stay at have very nice laundry facilities. Here at Whitney Thousand Trails they put in brand new washers and dryers on Friday. I had gone to the bank before we left and got some quarter rolls to use for laundry. The new appliances here are the latest and greatest and you have to use a credit card - either debit or credit to use the machines. Also, the cost depends on the size of your load. It is still about the same cost, but no need for change. It took me and my new friend from North Carolina together to figure out the system. But once we did it was easy. New stuff is hard for Seniors….

We had rain in the night and a nice cool day.

Tuesday, we went into Waco to Magnolia Market.
For those not familiar with HGTV and Fixer Upper: The
hosts of the show have opened a market at an old silo. There is a shopping building, a garden, a play area for children and a bakery (nice cupcakes). We enjoyed lunch at the food trucks and the weather was nice enough to eat outside at the picnic tables. People come from all over to see this place. We met 2 ladies from Minnesota. They flew down here to visit the market and to go to Round Top and Warrenton flea market which occurs twice a year.

Across from the market is First Baptist Church of Waco. The building is very old with an historical marker in front. It is beautiful. We were able to park in their parking lot at $10.00 a car. Smart idea!

First Baptist Church Waco, TX

A friend said recently that we have reached an age where our older generation are slowly leaving us. . .one by one. . .That is so true and we faced that this month. Dennis's Aunt Thelma in California passed away and her celebration of life is this weekend. So we had to change our travel plans to fly to California for a few days. We chose to go as she was special to Dennis growing up and he will be able to see his cousins and other relatives. This aunt and uncle were full time Rvers and loved to talk with us about their travels and that we and Dennis's brother took up traveling in an RV.

Seeing the sites

Something we picked up along the way.

Well, we leave Grapevine and begin our journey to Lake Whitney for the next part of our travels. We hear a "thump, thump, thump" and are pretty sure it is coming from a tire. Dennis finds a spot in Grapevine to pull over and starts searching. It turns out there is a large screw in one of the tires on the truck. I pull out my iPad and start researching tire repair places in Grapevine. Thank you to the Goodyear store: first for having a place for a fifth wheel and truck to park; and second, they fixed the tire while we waited.

You never know what you are going to pick up along the way.

We pull into our campground that we are members of and start searching for a spot. We were disappointed that the park needed some attention  - different things and not too bad, just not what we like. We did find a good spot and decided to make the best of it. They have good pools, good laundry and we can find plenty of things to do. We have trees and our own little "porch." Also, the dish works.

Friday, we drove into Cleburne to look around. Two very nice antique shops downtown. One of them was the former bus station.

 We also had a good time walking around several floors of

goodies in the Red Horse Antique Mall. I bought my sister something and was able to mail it to her at the "Pack N' Mail" in downtown Cleburne.

 Next we ate lunch at a local restaurant that has been in business since 1920 . Yummo food!

There is a PPL Consignment for RV's in Cleburne. Dennis needed a part so we went to get one. Of course, we had to look at RV's….. Did not buy!

We drove to Cleburne State Park. Nice park, but takes a long time to get to the back where the RV sites are.

Saturday, Tiff had little cold and fever and friend Cathy has the flu, so no visiting friends and relatives today!! Do not want it!

So we went into Hillsboro to a Farmer's Market and outlet mall. The market ended up being mostly crafts - people make things out of everything….Very picturesque though, in the photo notice the courthouse in the background. Texas has many beautiful county courthouses.  The outlet mall is mostly closed, but a few shops remain open. Dennis got a shirt and I got booties. I can wear them if winter or fall ever comes. Even had a rain shower as we came out of lunch at Chicken Express.

Courthouse in Hillsboro

Nice way to spend a Saturday..

Fall 2016 Trip

 Well, it is fall again; although, in Houston it is still summer.  We are on the road again. This year nothing as exciting as years past. I was thinking I would not do a blog this year, but had some people ask, so here goes! I will consider it my diary of the trip and you can read if interested. Two years ago we were in NYC on an RV Fantasy Tour. Now we are in Grapevine at the Vineyards of Grapevine RV Resort. We met my sister and husband for a few days of visiting. This trip will be family and friends visiting but will include a stay in Branson.

One of the things we do at storage before we leave is check to make sure the propane tanks are turned off. We have three: two on one side and one on the other. It seems someone thought they needed the single one…. We store RV in a gated facility. We have our own code to get in. So either someone paying for storage took it or someone followed in a vehicle. The space next to us has been empty for a while so a car could pull in quickly and out quickly. It is disturbing as this is a very nice facility. By law you cannot lock up your propane tank because of fires. Well, I guess we will be purchasing a new one along the way. I hope whoever took it really needed it!

As we traveled along something on the awning begin to hang down, so had to make a stop to put it back in place. Little things happen once in a while to slow down your progress.

View of lake and boat docks from our campsite

Our campsite

Weekend: We had a wonderful time with my sister and husband this weekend. We went to Grapefest on Friday. This is held once a year in Grapevine. They block off a few blocks of Main street and have vendors and food trucks, plus all of the shops are open. The weather was nice and we enjoyed looking at everything. It is a very busy place! When we arrived at the festival we went down a street that said was good for parking. It ended up being someone's home with a large back yard and she was charging people to park there. Very good idea since her street was nuts anyway and we had an excellent parking spot close to the action. And I am sure she made a lot of money over the weekend. We

forgot to take pics as we were busy looking around…..

Another pic of The Vineyards at Grapevine' RV Park 

Me, Donna and Cousin Vicki

On Saturday, our cousin and her husband from Allen came over to camp and we cooked out burgers and caught up on family. We had not seen her in a long time. It is a joy to keep in touch with family.

Sunday we went to Tif's - about an hour drive. For those unfamiliar with Dallas area, Grapevine is in the northern part and she lives in the southwest part near Waxahachie.

We had a good visit, catching up with their lives. Granddaughter is first year college - living at home and going to school - and grandson is freshman in high school. He is actually coming out of his shell and enjoying the year. Tif started at new job in doctor's clinic through Baylor medical system and son-in-law continues working for James Hardy. They are happily busy with life with kids, hunting, kayaking at the lake (Dennis thinks we need to take that up….😳),  church and all that life brings.

Giving thanks for all of life's blessings.