Live Oak Ranch was our first TX stop, after our 4 day drive from FL. Linda and Steven were visiting from Europe and we spent a few days with them.
Actually, before I just gloss over the drive to TX, I should tell you about how for the 3rd year in a row, we’ve had to stop for a repair just after leaving our FL campground. This time, the truck blew a part, the intercooler hose. You may be wondering how Bill knew this part was broken. Apparently Bill heard a loud “BOOM” and lost power. Thankfully, once again, there was a place not too far away (Ford dealer) that had the part in stock and Bill was able to do the repair in an O’Reilly’s parking lot.
You may recall that our visit there 2 years ago resulted in us adopting Simba, an orange tabby kitten. Sadly, he passed away after only 6 weeks of living with us, due to congenital heart problems. This trip we came very close to adopting another pet, this time a puppy. Linda’s sister Shannon, who owns both a male and a female Australian Shepherd had recently had a litter of adorable fuzzball puppies. Logic overruled the heart though, and we pulled away without one. It was so hard to walk away, but it made sense for us. We are hoping to take more European trips and its a huge favor to ask of someone to keep a cat and a puppy/dog for extended periods of time. The good news is Shannon found great homes for all the pups!
We had an enjoyable time visiting with our friends, taking long walks, playing games and talking about future plans, and visiting the puppies!
We landed at Cori and Greg’s place and we were greeted with hugs and a yummy dinner. Tripp was actually the first to come over and say hello – before we were fully set-up. He loves to come over and get treats from Biscuit Bill (that’s Bill’s new nickname, given to him by Linda when her Dad’s dog, Buddy, kept coming over to our place for his doggie cookie.) Tripp is a funny little dog though, he loves to come get a treat but he generally won’t eat them right away, instead he looks for a place to hide them so he can return later for it.
Bill completed 7 installs while we were in TX this year. He had a wide variety of RV’s – from large Class A buses, to travel trailers, to an AirStream, to a van, and one 5th Wheel! Definitely keeps things interesting!
Jo & Ben popped in for a few days.
As usual, we flew north early March for Freya’s 4th birthday – can you believe it? She had requested an ice cream cake this year. She loved her gifts; we got her a very colorful puzzle, Chutes and Ladders, and some coloring/sticker books.
We all took a special trip to the Carnegie Museum of Natural History to see the dinosaurs! Both girls were so excited to see all the exhibits.
When we returned from PA, we had some doggie sitting to do when Cori & Greg went out of town for a wedding. Tripp had hidden a few dog cookies which took us a few days to find – he’s so funny!
Cori has taken up a new hobby – cookie making! It was fun watching her decorate her creations! She even made some for Freya and Arwen, which I sent up to them! I recorded the facetime conversation we had with them when they opened their special box and tasted their cookies – which had their names on them! Thanks again Cori!
Brian & Sue were passing through and we headed to San Antonio to have dinner with them and walk along the RiverWalk. What a fun evening! A couple of days later, they came to see us. It was great catching up with them!
Cori & Greg, Louise & Hurburt, and Bill & I headed out to Gruene one evening.
A first time visit to LBJ Ranch and stop at a winery made up a fun afternoon!
Did some updates
Bill and I spent an afternoon at the Historic Market Square in San Antonio
Last Time: Final Quarter of 2022
Next Time: A Very Special Trip to Israel and Remembering Aunt Aura
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Bill makes repairs look so easy! They’re not always 🙂
Nice meet up with friends, and our amazing grands!
Looks can certainly be deceiving. It helps a lot that he’s been fixing things his whole life AND he carry’s an insane amount of tools.
Spending time with those you love is what it’s all about.
Bill has some serious mechanical skills. If something like that happened to us, I’d have no clue what it was.
Bill has always had an interest in cars, and having a brother who was an auto mechanic helped him learn more than the average guy. You guys built your own house – and we were totally impressed with that!
Looks like more fun times with friends and family. Adorable pic of you with that sweet puppy. You are a strong woman!! Sure was cold at the ranch. Hard to believe those girls are so big already – seems to be a thing with grands! Love San Antonio, my fav city in Texas.
It was SO HARD to leave her behind! She was the sweetest thing! The weather in TX is CRAZY! The girls grow like weeds for sure! Not that I’ve visited a whole lot of TX but we do like San Antonio!
As you know I also have lots of experience with blown hoses. ☹️ Glad you were in a safe area to complete your repairs. Looks like lots of fun times were had though. Safe travels!
It was great there was a safe place that was close enough and big enough for us to pull into. We always have a great time in TX!