Possum Kingdom

 "Focus on the journey, not the destination. 

Joy is found not in finishing an activity but in doing it."

Greg Anderson

Not in a hurry to our destination, we decided to make it a better journey. So on our way to Dallas we took the back roads and when it just felt right we pulled up our maps and GPS'd our way, using freecampsites.net, to a free spot for the night at Possum Kingdom State Park.  The rugged, free sites were directly across from park-like pay sites.  I preferred our site, but loved the close access to the other.

We had few preconceptions or expectations of this place.  All we knew from our map descriptions is it was a reservoir created from part of the Brazos River and we could camp free (big part there).  As it turns out, we wished we had more time to spend in this kingdom. 

We found ourselves the solo campers in a beautiful little area overlooking the reservoir.

Deer were everywhere, with several sightings of mothers with their young. Cardinals, herons and vultures flew by...

...and once again we were happy to be in the green of nature.

The first evening we settled in and were treated to a beautiful sunset over the water. 

Turtles lined the sunny banks and cranes perched on tree limbs protruding from the water.  Reservoir levels were low and many homes overlooking the lake had docks that either had no water near them, or were so far above the waterline, they no longer served a purpose. 

That last step is a doozie.

The sandy shores were littered with hand-sized freshwater clam shells, perfect for my adventurous little girl to collect and explore.

Obligations cut our time there short,  but we thoroughly enjoyed a slice of Possum Kingdom.  I was only bummed I didn't actually see a possum!

Campin' in Corpus

 "Camping and the beach; I might have just combined my two favorite things."

-Me

The first time we went to Corpus Christi, John got left behind due to work.  This time the three of us, sans Karlie, decided to take a quick trip (before John was going to leave us for a month) to the coast for some much needed family time.

Since the coast is a long 7 hour drive, traffic permitting, we decided to take it in two days.  Our first

overnight we decided to go economy and boondock at the infamous Walmart parking lot.  We found a darker edge of the lot where other campers had set up, dropped our front bed tip out, made the dinette into a bed for Zoey (since we didn't want her bed to be sticking onto the road),  and settled in for the night.  First thing I noticed were the loud Semi-trucks roaring by and the other commotions of cities and parking lots, but either things settled down or tiredness won out and we all slept well.

The next day we found our destination at the Padre Island National Seashore where we would spend 5 days.  The $10 entrance fee was nominal and good for the week.  (Note: $20 gets you a year pass.)  There was a visitor center with park rangers educating young and old alike.  Zoey stood for nearly half an hour at a table where she learned of all the sea treasures displayed in front of her.

Although there are pay campsites just off the beach, we weren't there for that.  We went to where the road ends and he real camping begins.  Texas beaches are public highways, so you my drive right up onto the beach and park where safe. 

We chose not to venture far since there were few campers and our Armada is only 2 wheel-drive.

The week was a dream: waking up to crashing waves,...

morning walks along the shore,...

 bike rides along the waterway,...

 shell collecting,...

 castle building,...

dips in the chilly gulf water...

  lizard and crab chases, gull and pelican watching,...

 and even a small fire one chilly evening.  Going just after spring break, we found the crowds nearly non-existent and the wind often carried a chill but it was enjoyable.

We took a few trips into Corpus Cristi for lunch and a trip to the South Texas Botanical Gardens and Nature Center.  Even though it was a bit early in the year to catch many flowers the experience was wonderful.

One night we invited our friends from the area for a shrimp and crawdad boil.  They informed us that the tiny clams we had played with all week were edible coquina clams, so we made a delectable broth and had a good although sandy taste. The evening was a hit and we had a wonderful time together. 

Coming back to we decided to break up our driving once again and found ourselves at Kerville-Shreiner Park.  This time we weren't boondocking,  but at $35/night, we were willing to pay for the quick spot and hot showers.  It's a beautiful little park bordering the Guadalupe River which turned out to be the perfect ending to our wonderful vacation.

We consider this one of our favorite vacations and I highly recommend camping ON the beach if you ever have a chance.

When Sheds Fly

"It was one of those March days when the sun shines hot 

and the wind blows cold:  

when it is summer in the light, and winter in the shade."

 -Charles Dickens

Right behind the house.

It's spring in Texas, and the weather changes are brought on by strong winds. When we moved spaces last fall, we knew we would get a little more wind having lost the windbreaks of other houses, but the shade of the trees and the unobstructed view to the west behind our house is worth the extra little bit of shaking we feel in the trailer.

Our better, shaded spot.

Our new spot had a small metal shed on the lot, which we were excited to use for storage or laundry, but it had been placed on the cement pad, taking up half of our precious patio space.  John moved it to the back of the patio, thus removing it from it's tie-downs.  Result:  High flying shed.  oops

Before I arrived it had taken a few rolls, and since then it has continued to roll.  We thought placing it behind the trailer would help, but it continues to roll when the wind strikes it just right.  You may be thinking, 'why don't you tie it down or put a floor in it?' Well, the truck has been on the fritz so we haven't gotten the supplies and we keep thinking of fixing the problem, but with each roll it looks worse and worse, making us less and less excited about keeping it. For now we have it propped sadly behind the house awaiting a settling ground or to be hauled to recycling. 

A Place to Call Our Own.

Some old cars parked (permanently) in Goldsmith.

About a week ago we moved from the little town of Goldsmith to the Airline Mobile Home Park which is located just outside of Midland.  Although we enjoyed the quite that a small town affords, but it's cheaper in gas and better for us to be closer to amenities and John's shop.

Due to the rapid growth of oil related jobs in the area, there is a shortage of housing including RV spaces.  We had been told everywhere we checked that all waiting lists were six months out and a hundred people long.  But, we received a call, after only a week of putting in our application, that a resident had vacated and we could enter at any time.  The move had to be executed quickly to accommodate John's work schedule and to arrive during business hours to sign our rental agreement.  I secured everything, or so I thought, for our first fully-loaded move and we traveled the 30 minutes into town.  Unfortunately my olive oil bailed out of the top cabinet and spewed all over the floor.  It only took about 3 minutes to master olive oil skating and another 5 minutes of alternating soap, water and towels to clean the whole mess.  We have a dresser in the toy hauler section which was secured with a strap which spanned from the wall, over the top and into the floor.  The floor screws pulled loose from the floor and the dresser fell against the door which leads from the main area to the toy hauler section.  We decided the hole in the bottom of our door will be the perfect spot for a kitty door so we don't have to leave that door open anymore.  All-in-all, at least we are now near town and got set up in short order.

She is braver with safety gear.

Airline Mobile Home Park is an older park with 500 spaces right next to the Midland International Airport, but the airport is situated so that the planes do not go directly overhead.  The streets have airline names like American, Delta, and Frontier; we're on Hawaiian.  The Managers are judicious when deciding who may live here and have strict requirements for residents to keep things tidy and properly care for their pets. The onsite postal annex is a happy convenience and we thought the laundromat would be a great also, but after having machines eat my quarters and finding that half the machines don't even work, I guess I'll still be driving elsewhere for now.  Some of the RV residents have sheds which they have set up with washers and dryers; we think we're going to do that also.  Zoey can now ride her bike easily alongside me while I get my walk in and we're excited that they have a pool where we can cool off this summer and Zoey can learn to swim.  Since John has had to be at work as early as 3:30 a.m. or may not make it home until that same time, he is glad he has to no longer drive over 35 minutes to work.  His new commute is now around 5 minutes. The location and setting are right, so we plan on calling this home for the foreseeable future.



We're on a nice sized spot (very large for an RV) between a single wide mobile home and another travel trailer. Our spot has parking for our two vehicles and a small patio space which we will set up for morning coffee or evening dinners.  As you can see there are some some well-established trees which will provide some nice shade in the summer once they put on their leaves (some are already budding for the March spring-like weather).  I plan on trimming up the trees and picking up some planters to dress the area up and make it look a little more like my home. 

I had located the Kingdom Hall nearest our home and found there are English, Spanish and Sign Language congregations.  I tried to go to the meeting on Sunday and found they hadn't changed the meeting times on their signs and so I had missed the English.  I quickly got back in my car and went across town to a large double Kingdom Hall, hoping to catch an English meeting.  I found my way into the English side and was overwhelmed with a huge crowd which had come for the Circuit Overseer visit.  The congregation of 115 had a total of 225 in attendance.  Every seat was filled, including the many extra seats they pulled from the other hall. It was a great time.

We're still working on finding our way around and exploring all that Midland and Odessa have to offer and enjoying it all.    Of course we miss our old home, but we are thankful for the world of technology to keep us in touch with those we love.