Texas has hills...and there's snow at home!

It's snowing at home!

The Farm lane

We arrived in Kerrville Sunday around noon at the Buckhorn Lake Resort. Donna and Kieth and Lynette and Mac were already here and Dortha and Mark, Ellie and Jim, Deb and Rod, Arlene and Kevin, and Kathy and Chuck all arrived shortly. More photos later!

We literally waltzed across Texas with strong crosswinds all the way from Baton Rouge.....and we skirted Houston on Saturday afternoon...whew...we thought Northern Va traffic was the nations "finest".....well, NoVa doesn't have a thing on Houston! I 10 was mostly a thinned downed version of an interstate with lanes about 8' 8" wide...(the motorhome is 8"6" wide)!!! Jersey barriers on the sides of course....later opening up to six lanes of wide open traffic! and these Texans are some gutsy drivers....at one point two SUVS left another road which paralled I 10, crossed the grassy median (about 100 feet or so) and tried to enter I 10 right in front of us! Yikes!...Bob gave them a dose of the Hadley's and the second one wisely decided to stop on the shoulder before cutting us off....good thing, as we would've run right over that little SUV. Just goes to show you that all those crazy drivers in the D.C. area are actually from Texas!!! Who knew????!!!

At any rate, we missed all the storms and tornados in Alabama and Florida, and just fought the ever present Texas wind, to arrive safely! (Thanks to everyone who called or emailed checking on us!!! We dodged all the bullets just fine!!)

And guess what? Texas has HILLS!!!! We've crossed Texas three times in a hurry, never having time to stop and look around...but it was flat and long. Not so here...hills everywhere, and the first Blue Bonnets were peaking out on the roadsides, so I sure hope to see the hillsides covered with blooming Blue Bonnets before we leave this lovely area. There's much to see and do here, so we'll be busy!

NOW, there's BIG snow at home!! Gee, I'm glad we missed it!! :) So here are the photos of the big white stuff.....12" at the Farm in Montpelier, 8" at the River, and somewhere in between everywhere else! Paul and Katie sent Farm photos....


Looking at the Barn

Paul plowing the lane

The birdfeeder in KK's yard

It's only going to be 70 degrees here today, bright sunshine, too.....we're not missing the snow one bit! :)

Hugs to everyone!

Fun with SPAM.....

Antebellum Monticello, FL


Lovely Christ Episcopal Church (click to enlarge and see the amazing stained glass!)

Wednesday brought gorgeous weather and we were heading towards Tallahassee to spend some time with Smokey and Pam (SPAM) at Roger and Sue Haddis' place, which we dubbed "Almost Paradise"......Roger and Sue have about 10 acres near the little antebellum town of Monticello. What a delightful place....they have parking for several RV's, surrounded by tall trees, and of course, the requisite Spanish Moss, a huge firepit, and all the other natural surroundings to make "camping" really FUN!

SPAM...Smokey and Pam

Almost Paradise (click to see Buster and Bailey!)

Roger and Sue are two wonderful folks and great hosts...we were sorry they had to leave Thursday morning heading to Alabama, but we saved some Coconut Cream pie for you....Pam has custody of the pie...... so all bets are off!!!!!! But you have a standing raincheck for a pie next time our paths cross!!

Oh, and did I mention that these guys drive BIG trucks?...really BIG trucks....we feel like a tiny sardine next to them!!!


Pam had a big pot of Spaghetti sauce simmering when we arrived and served us a great dinner Wednesday evening...there is always something so comforting about Italian spaghetti....it was a feast that we enjoyed for sure!!! We brought tons of ripe strawberries from Webster, so we made up a Lendy's Fresh Strawberry Pie for dessert....gee, we will miss our fresh berries!! YUMYUM!
Bob, Pam, Smokey and Roger, ready for Spaghetti!

Bob and Smokey fired up the campfire both nights and we had a grand ol' time enjoying the flames! Last week Pam emailed me asking if I had a recipe for Italian Beef.....well, I had never heard of it, but started researching and it sounded GOOD! So discovering that this is a slow cooked beef roast loaded with garlic, oregano, basil, and other wonderful Italian herbs, then shredded and served with Aus jus on fluffy rolls.....well, I just had to try this recipe!!! And, boy, are we glad we did....that stuff was good!!! It is just downright plain ol' good, aromatic and enticing beef! (Sorry, Katie!) We also simmered squash with bacon and onions and that little ol' Pineapple Cheddar casserole....then we enjoyed it all under the trees with the campfire glowing! YUM YUM again...it just doesn't get much better that this!


Well, maybe a little better, because we still had to eat Coconut Cream Pie and German Chocolate Pie......

There was a little game of Hand and Foot going on....sorry girls, but the gals lost; only because it was decided to quit when the guys were ahead due to the falling darkness!

Serious Hand and Foot!


What a memorable and fun time we had with two of our very favorite people!! It is always good to spend time with SPAM!!! We'll miss these guys, and their furry kids, Buster and Bailey, but we'll see them down the road again soon!

Hugs to everyone!

Monticello, FL, then Westward to Texas

Jefferson County Courthouse in Monticello

Wednesday found us leaving Florida Grande heading west towards Kerrville, Texas and Buckhorn Lake Resort for the Gathering. Our first stop is in Monticello, Fl, just east of Tallahassee, where we will spend a couple of days with Smokey and Pam at Roger and Sue's Toyland Resort....more later about a fun time with some of our favorite people!

Mt Dora Girl's Day

Mt. Dora's Octagon shaped Train Station

Tuesday Shirley and I took off early headed to the delightful little town of Mt. Dora....a sweet village perched above Lake Dora...think a sleepy little Bar Harbor full of huge live oaks, dripping with Spanish Moss, surrounding winter "cottages". There are many inviting Victorian era bungalows, cottages and mansions, along with the picturesqe train station, quaint restaurants, B&B's and eclectic shops.


The Gables....charming outdoor dining with a bit of a view of Lake Dora (we enjoyed a yummy lunch here)

A view from the street, overlooking Lake Dora

Donnelly House in Mt. Dora

Shirley had an appointment at Sole' Skin Care and Spa.....she had arranged for some of us to have "beautiful things" done there a few weeks ago, so the two of us treked back today to visit Janice and Jennifer, our new favorite "beautician magicians". These two gals are really up to date on skin care and all things to make you look better....I sure hope we do! At any rate, we've had a lot of fun doing it and visiting Mt. Dora! We strolled thru many of the shops and Shirley purchased some really lovely yarn at the Knitting Store...can't wait to see what she makes! Then it was lunch on the outdoor deck at The Gables restaurant, perched above Lake Dora. It was a picture perfect day in the seventies, with the sun shining in a cloudless blue sky......so the girls had a great day out in the fine little town of Mt. Dora!

We'll be leaving Florida Grande on Wednesday morning heading West.....I'm sure going to miss Shirley!

George and Charlotte go to the Bullfight!

Last week our good friends from Warsaw, George and Charlotte Jenkins, came down for a visit......

....it sure was great to see these guys and share some warm weather with them!!

We checked out the Webster Market and then spent some time visiting on the patio, when the bulls in the field behind us got a little testy....


all of the cows fled the field with their calves and left the bulls to "duke it out"... and they entertained us for close to an hour with some pretty intense bull fighting!

There were two sets of bulls, fighting first in pairs of two, then, "two-against-one"....they were fiesty and noisey....bellowing, charging and kicking up both the dust and their hooves!

Who knew our normally serene cow pasture would provide such exciting entertainment for us!!! We hope George and Charlotte enjoyed their ring side seat for the bullfight! We both enjoyed our time with them, and look forward to their next visit!
Hugs to everyone! :)