Kentucky and Heading to New Mexico

My friend Jean, met me in Maryland, May 11.  I wanted to go to Kentucky to see my family there before heading west.  Jean said she would go with me.  It had been raining continuously for days.  I was to stay on my cousin's land because he had a septic tank and water.  I was told to stay close to the fence because the ground was so wet.  I decided to go down a little to turn around and I got stuck.  Jean stayed close to the fence and had no problems.   I called a tow truck to pull me out.  Guess what!!  The tow truck driver got me out and then he got stuck.

As I said before, my cousin has a septic  tank and water on the land, however we could not get close enough to them because of the wet ground.  So, we made  our own sewer line.

While we were in Kentucky, Jean's cousin and her significant other let Jean know that they would be at the Kentucky Horse Park in Lexington which is only 45 minutes away.  We met them at the horse park campground and went for a tour.

Bev, Bev, me, Jean (yes, they are both Bev)

The park has one area that houses horses from around the world.  We visited the Draft Horse Barn and saw a demonstration on how the harness is put on.  We also watched while one was being groomed.

I had a wonderful two week visit with my family that I had not seen in 11 years but it was time to head out.  

One of our stops on the way to New Mexico was Somerville, TN.  They have music and free lemonade and cookies every Sunday.  While we were there, they had gospel music.

We also, spent a couple days in Memphis, TN, were we took a walk down Beale Street

Went to see the Lorraine Hotel were Martin Luther King was assassinated .

Checked out Sun Studios were Elvis, BB King and Jerry Lee Lewis recorded.

Jean was impressed with the Bass Pro store shaped like a pyramid.

This store is stated to be one of the largest retail stores in the world.  There is a 28 story freestanding glass elevator.  When you get on top , you stand on a glass-floored observation deck 320 feet high which was patterned after the Grand Canyon Skywalk.

Because I had not cooked in the Volcano for a week or so, I made pizza.  Jean got the recipe for the crust from her sister, Edee.  It was delicious.

When we got to Texas, we spent a few days in Texarkana, TX.

I took a class on making an IPad case at a quilt store.

Then Jean was in Arkansas and I was in Texas one day.

Next stop was Dallas, Texas, where I was to visit two former co-workers.

I love Eatzi's so we went there for our first lunch.

You can eat in our take out.  Most people take out.  There is a grill with daily specials, sushi, wine, fresh baked artisan bread, pizza, pastries, cheese, salads and sandwiches, pasta bar, to name a few stations.  This is one of my favorite places to eat in the Dallas area.  There are four locations.

My friends met me and Jean at my RV and Shannon suggested we go to Chef Point.  The restaurant is in a gas station.  It was on Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives and is a five star restaurant.  The location was zoned as a gas station so they have to keep the working gas pumps.

I was shocked when I drove up.  It is a gas station.

One of the items on the menu

Dee, Jean, Dawn, Shannon and me

The food was delicious and reasonably priced.  I would go there again.

Dawn needed gas before we left

We also went to the Fort Worth Stockyards.  We found the original brick walkways to the wooden corals, shops galore.

I have not figured out what Jean did to deserve this.

We went to dinner at The Magic Time Machine.  This restaurant was recommended by a lady we met at the Elks in Texarkana when we stayed there.  Trust me, this is an unique restaurant.  It is billed that it not just a restaurant but an Adventure,  it first opened its doors in San Antonio in 1973  and in 1979, it opened the location we went to in Addison, TX.  No two dining locations are alike.  You can dine in a TeePee, a dunce cap, a carousel complete with horses, a school bus, a space capsule to name a few.  What got me was the salad car.  Yes, the salad bar is a shiny red 1952 MG-TD Roadster.

What really sets the restaurant apart is the servers .  They dress in costumes to represent popular pop culture icons from the past , present and future.  The menu consist of slow roasted prime rib, hand cut fresh salmon, chicken, pork and beef dishes.  The food was surprisingly good.  I would eat there again without the cute decor and costumed servers.

On one of our outings, we were hungry and stopped at Torchy's Tacos.  We just had to get this.

We took time off to find and amazing fabric store named Golden D'or Fabrics on Harry Hines Blvd.  It was huge and had a sales room that was enormous.  Everything in the sales room is normally half price but we happen to get there when all fabric under $7.99 was 99 cents a yard and fabric from $7.99 to $ 10.99 was $1.99 a yard.  Yes, I went crazy.

A Tale of Woe

After leaving Florida, I headed to Kentucky to visit my aunt.  In Atlanta during rush hour traffic, it sounded like I had a blow out.  I managed to limp to the off ramp and saw that the tire was up but had come apart.  I contacted Good Sam Roadside Assistance and the tow driver and I got the RV to a side street so he could put on the new tire.

The damage to the rig consist of the tray under the sewer compartment being  bent badly.  I think the hose in the compartment kept the sewer from being damaged .

When I got to Kentucky, my cousin bent out the tray enough for me to get a sewer hose

in the compartment. The sewer hose that was there was terribly destroyed.  I had just brought

A tire monitorng system for the RV but had it sent to my son-in-law to put on when I got to Maryland.

I saw my aunt and took care of some business then headed to Maryland.  I decided not to stop and drive closer to my daughter's.  I stopped for gas in Maryland and felt tired but can not use that as an accuse.  I always check my backup camera to make sure the car clears the gas tank barriers.  This time I guess I did not look.  You can not feel the car back there so I drove off. When I got so tired I felt that I could not drive anymore, I got off the interstate.  As I was turning a corner, I saw the drivers side of my car and freaked.  

The car is all repaired but I learned a lesson to not drive when I am tired.

My son-in-law was putting on the tire monitors when he saw the front tires and told me I needed new front tires and an alignment.  I took the RV in for that but was told I needed new front shocks as well.  I had also damaged the cable that connects the lights of RV to car.

I had a costly trip back from Florida to Maryland

Florida for the Winter-part 2

 I have decided to spend more time working on my crafts which means staying in one place for longer periods of time.  I think the winter is a great time to do this.  In fact for this year, I have made a reservation at Tower Point campground in Mesa, AZ, were they have a winter special of $595 for four months, September 1 to January 1.  You do pay an additional $29.95 a month for sewer and trash and pay for your electric usage.  It is the same price if you stay one month or the entire time.  I plan on working on projects, redecorate RV, and taking classes.  Then off to Quartsite.

Okay, back to what I did for the winter in Florida. After the group broke up , Jean, her sister and brother-in-law and I just traveled around staying at Moose Lodges, Elk Lodges and Wildlife Management places.  Edie and her husband went to the Tampa RV show and traded in their fifth wheel for a Class A motor home. I cut in and out from them to do various things on my own staying at a Moose Lodge in East Orlando, and getting a new microwave- the door broke,  back flush on sewer repaired-jerked on the line accidentally and tore it out, and oil change.  I also went to the Sewing and Quilting Expo and took some surface design classes.

My son and his wife had a wedding to go to in Miami area so I went down to babysit my son's stepdaughter.  Was not sure what to do with a 10 year old so I took Brooklyn to a Renaissance Faire.

  

    

My son's wife, Becky, had to work in Orlando for 45 days so my son came back down to Florida to visit both of us.  One day we went to Universal Studios since I had never been to Harry Potter.

That is butter beer we are drinking

Another day we went to Disney's Epcot Flower and Garden Festival.

I left the children and went to Tallahassee to the FMCA (Family Motor Coach  Association) rally.  Met some great people and learned some more about the care and feeding of my RV.  The highlight for me was the Krispy Kreme hamburger.  Yes, instead of a bun they used a Krispy Kreme donut.

I wanted more punishment so I went to the VooDoo Dog restaurant one night for dinner were my choices included the Barth Burger-hamburger topped with a fried egg, bacon, cheddar cheese, onion, lettuce and tomato.  Or I could get the Voodoo Dog - all beef frankfurter wrapped with bacon, deep fried with your choice of toppings. 

 I chickened out and got the Cheezeburger-angus burger with cheddar and American cheese.  By the way, I did not get the Krispy Kreme burger, my table mate did.

I had more RV troubles while I was in Tallahassee.  The camp host at West Tower Wild Life Management area noticed the exhaust pipe that comes from generator was bent.  I took the RV to a local shop and he fixed me up.

BEFORE

 

AFTER 

When I was at the Escapees campground in Bushnell, Florida, I had no reception.  Jean and I went to the flea market and found this antenna for $29.95.  Stuck it in my flag pole holder and immediately had 18 channels.  Have used it several times.  Worth the money.

While at the Escapees campground, I met a gentleman that was making fabric Locker hook rugs. They looked like quilts from a distance.  He taught me the basics so I made a cover for my IPad mini and a hot pad.

I am also attempting to knit a pair of socks a month.  This is what I have so far

I made tire covers for the RV that matched better than what I could find in the store.  There is a place in Florida that you can get cheap sun screening (I will have to put the name in later) from fifty cents a foot on up.  I make a point of going there when I am in the area.

  

Heading to Kentucky in next post to visit relatives and take care of some business.

Florida for the Winter

 What is the Christmas holidays without decorations.  I left my Department 56 collection of ceramic houses with my son.  I missed decorating with them the Christmas before last.  I found these paper houses while traveling that would be great to put on my dashboard but each house cost $40.  I went on Amazon and found a box of paper houses for $11 and decided to give it a try.  I don't think my window looked bad.  I had lights under each house.

Jean's sister and her husband joined us for the winter so we all took a airboat ride.  They wanted to see alligators, I just wanted to go fast.

Me, Jean's sister Edie, Jean

While we were staying at the Elks Lodge in Miami, I contacted a good friend, JoAnne, that had moved there the year before.  It was great seeing her.  She took me to a Jamaican restaurant for my first taste of Jamaican crusine.

Waitress leaning over my friend, JoAnne

The group spent Christmas in Homestead, Florida at the Moose Lodge there.

 

Brian,  Carolyn, Karen, Mary Jane, Tom, Santa, Paul, Jean, Edie, Jerry (Edie's husband), Me

The lodge let us use their back porch for our Christmas dinner.  I decorated of course, this time everyone pitched in to help me.  I stopped decorating everyone's table because no one but Jean offered to help me.  I guess they got the message.

Close up of place setting

We are in Florida and it is Christmas, got to have snowballs even if they are styrofoam 

Brian's bike got stolen but otherwise we had a pleasant holiday.  

I normally do not make New Years resolutions but I decided to last year.

Paul, Jean and I left the group to go on a Disney cruise with my family.  My son, Daughter and son-in-law met us at the Elks Lodge on Merritt Island were we would be leaving the RV's .

On Disney's private Island

We met back up with the group at Everglades National Park campground but the mosquitos were so bad we could not go outdoors.  I am getting a screened room this year or else I can never go outside.

This was also the end of the Eastward Ho We Go circuit.  We said our goodbyes and everyone went their separate ways.  Jean, Paul, Edie, Jerry and I decided to stay together for awhile.

I leave you with an example of the beautiful jewelry my daughter makes.  I am so proud of her.