Work and More Crafting

On Sunday I pulled my sewing machine out from under the bed and looked through my fabric stash for the lavender "Minky" fabric I knew I had. From that fabric I fashioned two snakes, one larger than the other, for my grandson, Alex, and his little sister, Jillian. Both children have some sensory needs and would benefit from these fabric tubes that will be filled with plastic pellets and draped across their shoulders. Weighted snakes, blankets, and vests are often used for children who find that the extra weight helps them feel more calm and focused. I will mail the snakes to my daughter who will fill them with pellets. I think they came out rather cute.

Monday morning was Bob's and my first day of work with the animals in the shelter. We were introduced to Pat, a very nice volunteer who comes twice a week to walk the dogs. He showed us the morning dog-walking routine and we got to know our new charges. All of the dogs were very friendly and we hedged our bets by freely offering treats. It was a fun morning and time passed quickly as we listened to Pat's interesting stories of volunteer duties and what to expect.

By 11:00 we were finished and we returned to the motorhome. I spent the afternoon working on a 2" Weave-It project. I started this project in the hotel room last week and have already woven 100 squares. I used to have a 4" Weave-It as a child but the only thing I ever made with it was a six square doll blanket. I plan to crochet around each square before joining them in a triangular scarf shape.

Here are my squares, in no particular order. There's still a lot left to do until it's finished.

We have put up our foil insulation in our windows. On some windows we keep the insulation day and night; on other ones (the ones that reveal our view) we take the insulation off in the morning and reinstall it at night. Nights are cold here so we need it.

Tomorrow is our long day tomorrow is our long day, starting at 8:00 and ending mid-afternoon, I expect. We will see. Every day is an adventure!

Crafting

Saturday was the date of the baby shower for my nephew, Stefan and his wife, Pam. I sure wish we could have been there! But I sent a handmade gift, a lavender sweater/bootie set that I had knitted, and a Cabbage Patch-style hat/wig that I had crocheted. I mailed them off a week ago and fortunately they arrived in time.

I had planned on starting a weaving project today, but (as it happens so often to me,) I started a book that I can't put down. This one is "The Longest Road," by Philip Caputo, and is a true story about a reporter and his wife who set off in a 19' Airstream travel trailer from Key West in Florida and head for Deadhorse, Alaska. Thanks to Ravelry friend, Laurice, aka "u10mc07" for the recommendation! I'm really enjoying it.

I did take a few minutes and decorate for Christmas. My 24" tree with tiny ornaments and lights sits nicely on the buffet next to the table, and you can catch a glimpse of the mountain view we have out our window. The clouds were just starting to move out. Next to the tree is the Santa that Bob brought back from Alaska, 14 years ago. And the little box holds a hand carved Santa that we bought in Iceland, along with a photo of a waterfall we visited, called Godafoss. Hard to see is the tiny Fontanini Angel, cuddling a lamb. It's the only piece of Fontanini I kept. I used to have a 10 building village, complete with (literally) hundreds of villagers, animals, and accessories. This is a little easier to set up and to put away after Christmas!

I hope to get some sewing done today (Sunday.)

Thanksgiving and Traveling to Williamsburg, NM

This Thanksgiving we sure had a lot for which to be thankful.  Our rig is fixed, we have our first three month workamping position, our families are healthy and well, and we were able to enjoy a wonderful feast with wonderful people at Dream Catcher Escapee Park.

Eating a communal dinner like this is really fun. No one is there who doesn't want to be. Most people don't know anyone else before arriving. So everyone is eager to chat and make new friends, to hear about your story and to share theirs. The park cooked several turkeys and there was plenty for everyone, with delicious homemade gravy. Plus every couple made a dish, and Escapees are really good cooks!  Even the rainy weather didn't dampen our spirits.

On Friday morning we pulled in the slides and headed north to Williamsburg, about 90 minutes away. The skies were gray but the vistas were pretty. 

We were met by Tom and Joe, who live at Desert Haven. They helped to get us situated into our spot. We have a fabulous view of the mountains on the other side of the valley, and I will be posting photos when I get some good ones. We will be starting our job on Monday, so we have a little time to run errands and relax over the weekend. The Wifi is great here and we get good TV reception with our antenna. We are looking forward to our new duties. I think it's really going to work out!

Fixed and Back on the Road

On Wednesday everything fell into place. We got the word that the part we had ordered from Tiffin had been delivered, and the repair shop assured us that the repairs would be finished by the end of the work day. I had time to make a quick run to Quillin Fiber Arts yarn shop to exchange some colors of yarn I had bought a couple of days ago.

There as even time to visit Western Traders bead shop to find some beads to make myself a pirn scissor necklace. I always find myself intimidated by bead shops. They have so much pretty stuff that I get overwhelmed and tend to either buy more than I will ever need or use, or else walk out without getting anything. I spoke to the shop owner about my dilemma and he steered me to a bargain bin where I found the handful of beads I need. With a yard of leather cord, my purchase was just $2.00, Yay! As soon as we get settled I will have Bob help me drill some holes and trim my pirn so I can assemble it. Pictures to follow.

So we checked out of the hotel and drove over to the repair shop to wait. The day was so pleasant that I sat in the car with Auggie and KC and enjoyed a little reading time while Bob hung out by the work area and made sure things continued to move along. We were so ready to be out of there and back home in the rig.

I wrote yesterday about visiting Desert Haven Animal Refuge, which we learned about through Nick Russell's blog. While we were there we interviewed for a volunteer job, and today we were offered the positions! We are really excited about the next three months. We have been looking for a way to give back, and this opportunity seems to be tailor made for us. I think we can really make a difference in the lives of some homeless animals. In addition to getting to do this (and working with some very nice people) we will receive a free campsite with full hookups and free wifi. Bob and I will each put in about 16 hours a week, and perform a variety of tasks including animal care, working in a thrift shop, and building stuff (that's obviously Bob's part.). We will have plenty of time off to explore the area. And the winters there are supposed to be very nice. We will head over to our site tomorrow (Friday) to get settled in. It is only about an hour and a half away from our Thanksgiving day campsite.

Our rig repairs were finished about 3:30 in the afternoon,  Bob and I moved all our stuff back into the motorhome and headed west to Deming, NM to the Escapees park there.

Bob and I made great time to Deming and saw no holiday traffic, arriving before 5:00. Look at those empty roads. So much for congested roads the evening before a holiday! I think this is the latest we have ever checked in to a campground, but we had a drive-through spot so it was easy to get settled for the night. It felt so good to be home in the rig! Our spirits are high and we have so much to be thankful for. The fur kids are happy to be home as well.

We are signed up for the Thanksiving meal and will be spending it with about 80 of our Escapee friends whom we have yet to meet. Escapees are a very social lot and it is easy to strike up conversations, so we are looking forward to the potluck dinner, with the turkey and gravy supplied by the campground. I am bringing the stuffing.

Wishing all of you, dear blog readers, a very happy Thanksgiving! I am truly thankful for you all.

Making Progress on Repairs

On Monday Bob spent the morning at the repair shop and managed to get the part we needed ordered.  That evening, my friend, Joan and her husband John met us nearby and together we rode to a restaurant in Las Cruces called St Clair Winery & Bistro. We shared a bottle of really nice wine and had a scrumptious meal. My New Mexico Pasta with Chicken was amazing! We had a great time with our friends and made another nice memory.

On Tuesday the motorhome part hadn't arrived, so faced with not much to do we took a drive to Williamsburg, NM, a small town about 75 minutes north of Las Cruces. There we visited the Desert Haven Animal Refuge, run by the Sierra County Humane Society. 

Bob, Auggie, and I met a really nice group of very dedicated people who are committed to saving animals and providing them with good homes. We enjoyed seeing this part of New Mexico; the area is very sparsely populated and features gorgeous views.

Bob and I are making enquiries about a possible workamping position here, but will have to wait and see if it works out.

On Wednesday morning we got a shipping notice that our part is supposed to be delivered later this morning. We may be on the road tonight, and if we are, will be spending Thanksgiving at the Escapee park in Deming, NM, about 45 minutes west of here. We are all ready to leave this hotel room and be back in our home on wheels to start another adventure!

Fun in Las Cruces

This has been a wonderful weekend here in New Mexico, despite the circumstances. On Saturday we did a little driving around and saw some of the lovely adobe homes that abound here, while looking for a Post Office that is open on Saturdays. Then on to the yarn shop!

Quillin Fiber Arts is a really neat store in Las Cruces that I found by way of Google, and it was not far from our hotel which was a bonus! Bob, Auggie, and I were made to feel like old friends when we arrived. It turns out that the owner,  Dedri, is on Ravelry and we "knew" each other already. I love how Ravelry brings total strangers together, all around the world!

 She had some lovely neck-worn scissor holders for sale that I lusted over, using old pirns from industrial fly shuttles and hand blown glass beads. Very original!

Dedri is a dealer for Kromski and Ashford and carries wheels and RH looms. I purchased some lovely ombré sock yarn to weave with. I have a couple of projects in mind.

On Sunday I spent the morning with family and friends via the phone, Facebook, and email who contacted me with birthday wishes. I am so blessed!

My friend, Ellen T, who is a faithful blog reader, sent me contact information for her friend, Joan, who lives in Las Cruces. I had taken a backstrap weaving class a year and a half ago with Laverne Waddington, and Joan was in that class. So we had had a little time to get to know each other. We made contact and arranged to meet at the New Mexico Farm & Ranch Museum in Las Cruces a little after 11:00, where there was a Homegrown Festival of foods and local crafts going on.

Even though I worried that I wouldn't recognize Joan, I knew her immediately when I saw her. We had fun perusing the vendor tables and she introduced us to several friends. I felt right at home.

Bob and I bought some prize winning salsa and two slices of pecan pie to serve as "birthday cake" for later. And I learned how to tell pure, raw honey from honey that has been labeled 100% pure but has been adulterated with up to 2/3 corn syrup. Can you believe that's legal, according to the FDA? Real honey has flecks of white pollen in it, and doesn't just taste sweet but tastes like honey. Good to know!

When Joan had to leave for a spinning meeting we said goodbye and promised to meet up again next time we are in the area. Bob and I continued to wander around the museum and came across Frank, who is a dowser and a water witch, he gave our small group a brief lecture on dowsing. It was very interesting.

Outside, the farm animals were fascinated by Auggie; sheep stomped their feet in warning, the Longhorns lowered their heads and followed us along the fence.

This burro thought he was very funny.

The farm has longhorn cattle as well as this type, which has more curved horns called Corriente cattle. They were brought to the area by Spaniards in the 15th century and are smaller than longhorns.

After the museum, we traveled to nearby Mesilla to Andele's Dog House for lunch, a dog-friendly local restaurant that has been recommended to us by Dedri. We enjoyed a yummy taco platter that we could barely make a dent in, and ended up bringing most of it back to the hotel to enjoy later. 

A wonderful and memorable birthday.

Breakdown

We left our Harvest Host Friday morning about 8:30 am. The sky as blue, we only had about 4 hours until we reached our winter destination in Arizona, and the day looked promising.

We turned left onto the road leading to rte 10 and a warning icon on the dash lit up. One we had never seen before. A quick look at our manual didn't clarify, so I called Tiffin, and miraculously was put through to the right person immediately. Bob pulled over to the side of the road while we discussed options, and the service tech located a service center 16 miles away. He told us to go slowly and drive there.

Unfortunately, we had only just gotten onto rte 10 when it became apparent that the engine was seriously overheating. We pulled over again, called the service center in Las Cruces where we were heading, and waited. About 45 minutes later on of their technicians arrived to check us out. The AC unit that cools the front of the coach when driving had seized up and the fan belt had broken (that's my understanding of it, anyway.) We were in a dangerous spot, the tech told us, and he had just called for a tow.

We were towed to the truck repair shop, and we waited. At 5:00 they told us that we will probably be here all weekend, and sent us to a hotel a couple of miles away. As we drove there, the sun was hitting the mountains and turning them a lovely rose color.

Poor K.C. had by this point been in his crate for 10 hours and was happy to get out of it. Auggie was fine as long as he was with us.

So here we are. The hotel provides breakfast and dinner free to its guests, we have free wifi, and cable tv. We have a tub I can soak in. But I miss my house on wheels and look forward to getting back on the road. Until then, we are making the best of it. There is supposedly a great yarn and weaving shop here in Las Cruces that I want to check out. It's all good.

Sombra Antigua Winery

Living full time on the road in our RV as we do, it is very easy to race from campground to campground and miss the back roads, the small businesses, the flavor of an area. We have discovered the antidote to this is Harvest Hosts. On Thursday we left Fort Stockton, TX to head west towards Arizona, and needed a place to stop for the night. We located a Harvest Host winery in Anthony, NM called Sombra Antigua, and decided to stop there on our way through the area.

We turned off Rte 10 after El Paso and a few minutes later found ourselves in another world. We passed vineyards and cotton fields on our rural road, with lovely mountains in the distance. I can only imagine how beautiful this area must look in the springtime.

Sombra Antigua Winery is the oldest vineyard in New Mexico, with vines that date to the 1800s. Quick--what state do you think of when you hear American wineries? Probably not NM! But out of 4000 wineries in the US, 2000 of them are outside of California and more than 60 are in New Mexico, according to our host, Dave. While the winery name was sold to another winery down the road, the original vineyards belong to Sombra Antigua.

We parked in the winery parking lot and went inside to greet the owners, Dave and Theresa. Bob and I sat at their lovely bar and tasted a variety of wines whose grapes were grown here, while Dave entertained us with stories of the winery's history and how the grapes become wine. We then sat on the porch in the afternoon sun and enjoyed the view of the mountains and vineyards around us. What a way to while away the afternoon.

We chose two bottles of Sombra Antigua wine to take with us as a way to remember our time here.

Our view from the front window of the motorhome.

Local cotton fields. 

The patio with a view of the mountains.

The mountains glowed at dusk. We will return!

Junction, TX to Fort Stockton, TX

Bob and I continued to head west on Wednesday. Topography became more wide open as we drove along Rte 10, with mesas and prairie.

We saw wind farms along the way, with huge turbines that looked so small, off in the distance, but in actuality are huge.

We arrived in Fort Stockton at about 2:00 pm, and paid our $13.00 (Passport America rate) for a 30 amp site and cable tv. A neighbor walked over to introduce himself as Ed.  He asked Bob some  questions about his rig, which was a Tiffin Allegro Open Road and only about 6 weeks old.

After a few minutes of conversation we were invited to his happy hour to meet his wife Nan and another Tiffin owner, Joe, and his wife Brenda. We had a very nice time chatting about our lifestyle and we stayed until the shadows were long, the temperatures were dropping, and pizza arrived for their dinner. We declined their offer to share their meal, since we had chicken to eat up from earlier in the week.

It was a nice day. Tomorrow we will be changing time zones and entering Mountain Time, two hours behind our NJ family and friends.

Moving on to Junction

We survived the weather, and by 10:30 or so the skies were clearing. We left Live Oak Campground and headed for Junction, TX. The original plan had been to visit Yarnorama in Paige, TX, but unfortunately they are closed on Tuesdays. Ah well, I'll have to try again next year.

Bob and I passed through some beautiful countryside along the way to Junction. The recent rains have made the grass an almost unnatural color of green.

We had an easy drive and arrived at our campground mid afternoon, parking in our pull-through spot without having to completely unhook the car. Bob just disconnects the electrical hookup and leaves the car attached otherwise, which makes it easier the next morning. 

 I walked around the park this morning with Auggie and got a nice shot of the nearby hills.

We were out of there by 10:00 am and continued west, where the scenery quickly became drier and more desert-like, with mesas in the distance.  

Another couple of days and we should be in Arizona. 

Smashburger, Antiquing, and Rain

Bob and I met Gail and Mark at Smashburger for lunch on Monday for an early birthday celebration. I had the black bean burger with haystack onions and Bob had a classic (beef) smash burger with bleu cheese and sweet potato fries. Yum!!

Afterwards we went to Lott, TX to check out an antique mall with multiple dealers. We had fun browsing amongst all the neat stuff they had there, but ended up not finding the wall mounted antique bottle opener we were searching for. That's ok--it means we get to go again another day, in another city. The hunt is what it's all about! Fortunately, the weather was warm (low 70s) and while rain threatened, we really weren't bothered by more than a misting at times.

Bob and I had a quiet evening at home, then turned on the weather report. They were predicting rain and winds after midnight with gusts of 60-70 mph, so we "turtled up" and pulled in all our slides for the night. We have enough room to move around with the slides in, so this was no big deal. And we wouldn't be kept awake by the canvas covers over the slide outs, flapping all night. We were snug as a bug in a rug. I woke up when the rain started, about 5:00 am, to a tornado watch for our area. I decided to get up at that point, as I wouldn't be sleeping much anyway after hearing that.

So if the weather clears a bit we are on the road today and heading west to the Tucson area, hopefully to get into the SKP park in Benson for an extended stay. If not, we will find another spot to land for the winter. It's all good.

LBJ Ranch

On Sunday we visited the Lyndon Baines Johnson Ranch, his birthplace, and childhood home. We first stopped at the site of the home where Johnson grew up.  Johnson always talked about his humble beginnings in poverty.  In actuality, his home was the most modern one in town. It was a pretty place, and we took a tour through it.

We then drove to the ranch and saw the one room schoolhouse where he started his education, before he moved to Johnson City at age 5.

At the ranch in Stonewall, TX is the house where Johnson was born.  He moved from Stonewall to Johnson City, then as an adult moved back to Stonewall to live for the rest of his life. This house was rebuilt by LBJ and used as a guest house.

He and Lady Bird are buried here in Stonewall, at the LBJ Ranch.

Auggie was fascinated with the Hereford cattle.  It is still a working ranch.

Johnson's plane was nicknamed Airforce One Half.  It flew Johnson, his family, and guests from the larger airport in Austin to the Ranch, as the runway here was not long enough to land Airforce One.

Inside the cockpit.

View inside Airforce One Half.

The Texas White House is an 8500 square foot home, which sounds larger than it appears. It does not feel like a house for a US President. When LBJ moved back here it was a two room house. He kept adding onto it, and now it is an electrical nightmare and a fire hazard, according to the Ranger at the Visitors Center. It will be rewired this year to bring it up to code.

Johnson died here at age 64 of a massive heart attack.

Fun with Gail and Mark

We are enjoying ourselves with Gail and Mark, seeing sights and having fun hanging out. On Friday we took a walk through Miller Springs Nature Center. It's a short walk so we did it twice, since we were talking and getting caught up. Later we shared a picnic lunch, then headed over to Dancing Bee Winery and Honey Farm in Rogers, TX where they not only raise bees but make mead and wine that features their honey. Very cool.

You could taste all the different kinds of honey, and Bob and I chose this one to purchase.

After tasting lots of honey, we sat down at the wine tasting bar, where we tried a variety of meads and wines. For $10 you could taste six different ones and got to bring home your tasting glass as well. I focused on the meads, since I had never tried any. They were good!  

We even spoke with the woman who ran the tasting bar about Harvest Hosts, to see if they would join to host RV overnights. Turns out they are already in the process of becoming Hosts, so maybe we will stay with them for a night next time we come through the area.

Saturday was cloudy and cooler, and we decided to go to Killeen to see if our science pass from ASTC Travel Passport Program would get us all in, and it did. We visited the Mayborn Planetarium and Space Theater, after getting directions from the very nice soldiers at the Fort Hood Visitors Center.

Lunch was a nice meal at Subway before returning to see our first show at the museum. The Center  has a collection of rocks and fossils, but mainly features a very nice planetarium with shows on the hour. We saw a laser Christmas program and another presentation about the origins of life on earth called Oceans in Space. Very thought provoking! And each show ended with a "roller coaster ride" that made our stomachs do flip flops. Such fun!

Finish-it-up Thursday

Thursday was very productive for me. I finished knitting a pair of baby booties, and washed them with the matching sweater. I crocheted a hat. I twisted fringe on a scarf and washed it. And I scissored and bathed Auggie. Of all of those, the only thing I can show you is Auggie, because the others are all gifts!

He was feeling a bit constrained with all the hair he had, so this is better.  When we first got Auggie, I bought an electric clipper only to discover that his hair is so silky that it really didn't clip well. Or maybe the clippers I bought weren't expensive enough. At any rate, he didn't really like them (more evidence that he had not been groomed as a young dog before he came to us) so I have always just scissored him. It takes about an hour to trim him all over and give him a bath, every couple of months.

We watched the last of our five Die Hard movies last night. Interestingly, the first two are set at Christmas, which got me thinking about other movies that are not actual Christmas movies but have the holidays as a time period. Lethal Weopon and Sleepless in Seattle are two more and I know there are many more. I'll have to look that up.

So with my knitting projects behind me, I'd like to do a weaving project. Perhaps something on the card loom. Stay tuned. :)

Finishing Looms

Last year when we were at this park we attended boot camp and spent time registering the vehicles so we missed the opportunity to do any tours. On Tuesday we toured the headquarters of the Escapees Club.

This building houses the mail center and handles more mail than the Livingston Post Office. It was interesting to see how they do it. We learned that if you are domiciled in South Dakota or Florida, your mail still comes to Texas before being sent on to wherever you need it to be delivered. A film showed old photographs of the building of the park and the early years.

After the tour Bob and I ran some errands in town, and then I brought my ASIL and my Avril loom back outside to put a  coat of paste wax on them. This was on top of the two coats of polyacrylic I put on then over the last couple of days. It took me a while but I think the results were worth it.

They look so pretty now! And they are much better protected against scratches and dirt from handling them.

Wednesday finds us leaving Livingston and heading to visit my sister and her family. Hopefully the rain will hold off.

Care Center

One thing that all full-time RVers think about, especially if they have sold their sticks-and-bricks home, is, "What happens when we can't do this anymore, or if I have a medical emergency and can't stay in my home on wheels?" Today we visited the solution to that problem, the Escapees Care Center.

Bob and I went to the CC for the Monday tour, discovering that we were the only ones who showed up.  That was OK. We saw the dining room and the activity room, and sat down with the director to find out more about this interesting place.

The CC is not a nursing home or an assisted living facility.  Instead, it is referred to as an independent living center, because in most cases you live in your trailer, 5th wheel, or motorhome (there is also anapartment available if your home on wheels is not available.) With the residential program you sleep in your RV and attend day programs and activities, while receiving help with housecleaning, laundry, dumping of tanks, free transportation to local medical services, three free meals a day, and free weekly shopping trips.  You have your own storage buiding on your site. There is a nurse and staff on duty during business days.

There is also an adult day program that helps with wound care and dressing changes, administration of prescribed medications, bathing and personal care, help with prescribed exercises, and health monitoring. This may be short term (for example, if you have a knee replacement) or long term in the case of dementia or Alzheimers.

The cost for all of this?  $900 a month for the residential program and $40/day for the adult day program. Costs are kept down through donations by Escapees and through the use of volunteers for kitchen and grounds help, being on-call at night for problems that may arise, transporting residents to doctors offices, etc.  The CC offers a free site (volunteers pay for electricity,) free WiFi, and 3 free meals a day in exchange for a couple's volunteering gig for 1 month or more. In exchange the CC requests 32 hours a week for each of the couple.  It is a popular place to volunteer in the winter; in the summer the facility offers a $100 a month stipend to volunteers to offset the higher costs of  electricity.  While winter months are booked for voluteers a year or more ahead of time, the director told us that in the summer we could get a 1 month spot with a month's notice or less.

It is an interesting concept. There is no other facility like it in the U.S. Bob and I would like to volunteer for a month at some point, when we can figure out our schedule ahead of time.

Weekend in Livingston

We have had a nice weekend. I spent most of Saturday finishing up a baby sweater for my niece's baby shower. It rained a lot of the day and we put on long pants for the first time since, I don't know, March?  On Sunday we went to Walmart (which sounds boring, but the one in town has just opened after a seven month renovation so it is shiny and new) and found the post office. Yesterday afternoon  I took apart my Ashford Sample-It Loom (ASIL) and put a couple of coats of polyacrylic on it. I've been meaning to do that for a long time, and I may do the same for my Avril loom today.

As I was working on my loom I looked up and saw our friends from the Gathering, Shiela and Roland walking over to us! They are just stopping briefly on their way to San Antonio, but it was great to see them again. It is always fun to see people we know--the country is so large but you really do run into friends as you travel.  One of the best things about RVing! Later we met a fellow named Jack in the site across from us and we sat with him over beers. We ended up going out to dinner with him here at Shrimp Boat Manny's and had a great time and a good meal.

I had the crawfish etoufee and some dark gumbo, with red beans and rice. Delicious!

Before the rain, temperatures were in the low 80s with lows in the 60s, but since the rain it has gotten cooler. We actually have had to turn on our heat. I guess it can't be summer all year, right?

New Step Motor and Apple Pie

The step is fixed! I feel like Winnie the Pooh.
Look!
"said Pooh. 'It goes in!'
'So it does!' said Piglet. 'And it comes out!'
'Doesn't it?' said Eeyore. 'It goes in and out like anything.'"

(With apologies to A. A. Milne)

Bob picked up the part from the RV supply shop and I watched as he crawled under the rig and did all the work.  While a few bad words might have fallen from his lips as he worked to get the bolts in, he managed to git 'er done in jig time.  See how just being in Texas affects how I speak?

I made Bob an apple pie to show him how much I appreciate his handy talents.

Square because I don't cut corners. Haha!

Actually, I no longer own a pie pan, but I may have to go to a thrift store and look for one since we have more room now.

We also signed up for library cards today which cost us $5 each because even though our address is Livingston, the Livingston Public Library charges an annual fee for all those who live outside the "city proper."  Strange.  At least we will be able to borrow e-books from them as we travel around the country.