Thanksgiving with friends in Brevard, NC
Our "adventurous", eventful trip back to Houston
My dog Toby has finally recovered from severe, chronic pancreatitis
Back with our church family of friends
Enjoying friends in Galveston
A great Italian turkey Christmas dinner
Reconnecting with campground friends here in Pearland
Some great time in the puzzle/crafts room in the clubhouse
Back in water aerobics at the Pearland Natatorium
and..... thinking forward to a new year:
time to get back to a healthy food plan, exercise more
purge our 10' x 30' storage space down to about half that size
decide which direction to head when we leave here about mid Feb.
We are all healthy and happy, and very grateful to be back together and still in one piece.
We really miss North Carolina and our friends there, but are thinking about going on with our previous plans to head to Alaska this next season..... or, at least to the Seattle/ Vancouver area, and see how it looks from there.
First, we had two blowouts on the way home. One on the rear inside, which the roadside service truck fixed very efficiently at a rest area we had pulled into. And then the big, "exciting" one on the right front. That one we had to call 911 and get towed to the Freightliner truck place in Beaumont.
The interesting thing about the front blowout was that it didn't pull to the right at all and I was able to pull to the shoulder safely (would have been 'easily' except for the rumble strip).
This safety I attribute to a very expensive device we had installed in Florida on our first trip. They are metal bands placed around the front wheel rims, that hold the tire in place on the rim after it has gone flat.... and enables it to be driven without coming off the rim.
The technology is from the military vehicles in Afghanistan... to keep them rolling.
And guess what .... it works!
When we got back to Pearland, we learned that campers we knew here last year, had a similar blowout and lost control and their 40' coach turned over and was totaled. Wow, I believe (in addition to God's protection) that this little metal band may have saved us!
Next, let me tell you about my best friend Toby. He visited a total of 3 emergency Veterinarians between North Carolina and here. Not until we got back here to Houston to our home vet, Westbury Animal Hospital, did he get diagnosed: Chronic pancreatitis. He's now doing very well, but he has a new nickname: "poodle paws". Three of his four legs were shaved for IV's, at different times and places. A friend suggested I should shave the fourth, to make him feel balanced. :-)
And, in the same photo you can see a glimpse of Vera's Christmas nativity decorations on the dash of the motorhome.
And the view at our current camping space at Advanced RV Resort here in Pearland:
And, lastly, we had heard descriptions of a great Texas Tradition destination in Baytown, TX, Buc-ee's. So, we had to stop and check it out. And the stories are true! It is HUGE..... with Deli, Café, Grocery, Souvenir, Clothes, Bakery, Barbeque pits, outdoor sculptures...... and all things TEXAS!!!! plus 48 gas pumps, (most busy), in fact there was a crowd. The place was packed, and the parking lot was full, and it was 8:00 pm at nite! If you haven't been to one, you 'oughta' go.
Happy New Year,
Marilyn
