Tuesday April 1 - Wed April 2 - Golf, Dinner at Iron Cactus

^{Tuesday April 1 - Wed April 2 - Golf, Iron Cactus, Shopping}

Tuesday April 1  Derek was happy to join a bunch of people for a golf game at Lago Vista Golf Course today, while Janice cleared up the cottage and then got some preparations done for our trip home at the end of the week. He returned glad to have been out, but not impressed with his golf game.

We were invited by Travis and Debbie to join them for dinner at their favourite restaurant and one which we have wanted to try for a while.  We had a really great evening with them at the Iron Cactus restaurant. The food was fabulous. They even prepared the guacamole table-side… slicing/dicing/mixing according to your taste… wonderful stuff. We shared chicken and steak fajitas. I forgot to bring my camera out ... again!!!! Travis, as a parting gag-gift, bought Janice a gun …Well a toy gun… but it makes great shooting noises when you pull the trigger.  We will miss characters like Travis and Debbie. Travis is a unique and interesting individual. Debbie is a gem.

Wednesday April 2^nd

Shopping day… we were heading to San Marcos to the outlet mall, but after picking up my x-rays and reports from Texas Ortho, we somehow got distracted by other stores and never made it there. We did however pick up a few treasures (Clothes for our upcoming Africa Safari/Cruise) and a few gifts. 

Sun March 30th - Enchanted Rock and Iguana Grill

Sunday March 30^th   Enchanted Rock, Iguana Grill

We Made it

Great Views

Pink Granite Dome.. Enchanted Rock.. going to the top!

Decided that we would head to the Enchanted Rock State Park for a hike. It was a lovely 90 minute drive North of Fredericksburg. A beautiful day that just got better and better. We stopped for gas and couldn’t resist grabbing a portion of fried chicken from Chicken Express  $2 for a really good fried chicken breast… not healthiest thing to do, but boy it is good for an occasional treat.  Arriving at the Enchanted Rock we headed up. The rock is a huge domed outcrop of  Pink Granite rising 425 feet (largest pink granite outcrop in The US) and was believed by the native Indians to be ‘enchanted’ as they would hear creaking and groaning coming from it. Geologists have suggested that this was the effect of cooling at night after being heated during the day by strong sun.  We set off to the summit, knowing that the trip down is known to be a little precarious. It was quite a hike, but we made it and were glad as we sat and enjoyed a bottle of water and took in the 360 degree views of the beautiful Texas Hill country. The hike down was a little tough for someone who is still recovering from one unplanned fall!! We made it without incident and felt pretty good. We started our drive home, stopping along the way to look at a couple of HUGE longhorn cattle and then to admire the prolific Bluebonnets (Texas State Flower) in full bloom at the side of the road (they are quite stunning). We drove via Fredericksburg and stopped for for a quick walk around the shops and an ice cream. 

Yes apparently it does rain in Texas!!

Texas State Flower.. Bluebonnet

Bluebonnets

View from the Iguana Grill

Another view from the grill

AND ANOTHER!

Picked up some meat at Randal’s on the way home and treating ourselves to a BBQ’d filet mignon, which I have to say was cooked to perfection (by Master BBQer Derek) on our grill, which now has a new regulator.. it gets much hotter.  We then trotted off to a local bar, The Iguana Grill.  We have been intending to see this place for a while. Just so happened a guy (Dave) from the RV resort was performing there, so we joined a large group of supporters and had a beer and great social chatter. The view from the place is quite awesome and the locale is wonderful, but we both feel that it could be so much better, if they improved the sound and had a menu other than Mexican…. Something similar to the Skull Creek Boathouse on Hilton Head Island… live music and great food, and  busy every night, rain or sun.  We had fun though, and headed back to camp feeling lucky and privileged to be living this dream of ours.  I thought I would spend the night in the cottage as we only have it for 2 more nights. I was woken by the fire alarm, in the bedroom, going off at 1am… after several stops and starts and me wildly imagining that it may be a carbon monoxide alarm, I headed back to the rig, clutching a flashlight and making a racket trying to get in the locked rig!!! Derek was kind enough to let me in!! Good to be back in a familiar bed, feeling safe!!

Chatting on the patio at the Iguana Grill

AND Later from the Grill

Sat Mar 29-damage discovered, wine tasting, Karaoke finale

Sat Mar 29 - damage discovered, wine tasting, Karaoke finale

Who shot first????

"Cowboy.. take me away"

Take a bow!!

Jehan and a 'teacup' chihuahua

Blurry proof  I DID Karaoke!!! With Doug!! (who IS good!!)

After a reasonably restful night camped in the parking lot at Camping World, Derek took a quick look at the new tires and  was upset to find that the wheel fender skirts on both sides of  our rig had been damaged while the new tires were being installed.  The service tech began to say they were already damaged, but Derek was quick (and correct) to stop that notion from taking hold.  To their credit,  (and Derek’s insistence) Camping world finally took responsibility and agreed to cover the cost of replacing them, but we are not sure how that will work.  They did agree to mark on our invoice/receipt that they would replace them free of charge. It’s just going to be difficult to orchestrate before we head back to Ontario in a week.  A royal pain, but it is what it is. We finally headed back to Hudson Bend and enjoyed the rest of the day relaxing in the shade. Later on we headed over to the Pavilion for a wine tasting and social time with Mike and Lisa, Brody and Jehan and a few others from the resort. Lisa did a few songs in Karaoke (she has a great voice) and Doug allowed Janice to join him for a rendition of Folsom Prison Blues… I won’t comment on her performance… just leave it to your vivid imaginations… enjoy!!!! To cap the night off Derek joined a couple of other guys in a rousing version of "The Cover of the Rolling Stone" So yes, a fun night. We can’t all be Leon Russell, but we can try!!!

The Boy Band

Wed Mar 26- Fri Mar 28 - Ortho follow up and LEON RUSSELL

Wed Mar 26- Fri Mar 28 - Ortho and LEON RUSSELL

On Wednesday we went to see Dr Mackay at Texas Orthopedics for a follow-up and xrays. wrist is healing well and now it is just a matter if time ... I may not get back to perfect, but other than some possible nerve damage, everything should continue to improve. After the appointment we decided to eat at the Grove which is a great pizza/italian restaurant with a great view over Texas hill country. We met a couple of nice women on the next table who chatted with us about life in the area. 
Thursday we spent packing up the rig ready to take it to New Braunfels to get new tires and radio/cd/dvd player installed tomorrow. We hooked up the truck to the rig before heading to bed, to make the morning easier to deal with. 
Friday  -- We headed out to Camping World and had hoped to do some shopping afterwards at the outlet malls in San Marcos.. but it didn't quite unfold that way. While the rig was in getting new tires and radio installed, we wandered around the store. It took a few hours so we decided to get an oil change on the truck ready for the trip home. Went to a dealership in San Marcos and spent a few hours there, also getting tires rotated, purged and re-filled with nitrogen. Back to Camping World, the work was done and the 'condo' was moved to an overnight spot in their parking lot (has electric hook-up). We got changed and headed to Gruene to see Leon Russell perform at the oldest music hall in Texas.
At about 6 they empty the whole place, including the outside beer garden area and those with tickets for the show line up again to get in. At 7 they opened the doors. We had lined up early so managed to get in and get a bench area at the edge of the hall so we could stand on it and see clearly. Derek went out and got us a Reuben sandwich at a local restaurant ... humungous!!!  We could only eat one between us.. so the other one will be lunch tomorrow. Then the music started... WHAT A NIGHT. An up close and intimate performance. The opening act was ho-hum, but when Leon walked through the front door and wandered through the crowd to the stage, a transformation took place... He is quite a unique and fascinating performer, backed by a fabulous band. The music was tight and he rocked the place with his own music and a few other oldies, but goodies.  The hall itself had been emptied of chairs and the crowd just stood and watched and jiggled away, cheering and singing. It was a magical night we will not soon forget. So often, some of the old guard rockers don't know when to quit, and their live performance are almost embarrassing, but not this guy. Leon is 71 and still puts on a great show. His voice is strong and his musicianship is awesome. He looked a little frail walking from his scooter outside to the stage inside, but when his fingers hit that keyboard, he was Leon Russell, strong and confident. He has a grueling performance schedule in March.

Leon's Piano waiting

Gruene Hall Waiting for Leon

Opening singer Eric Himan

He has the words on a monitor, memory needs a jog!

And here he comes!

He shook Derek's hand! Blurred photo great memory

Let the show begin!!!

AWESOME!!!

A Western Santa!!

Great back up musicians

Telling stories

Fri Mar 20 -Tue Mar 25th - Dinner with friends, Vegging

Fri Mar 20 -Tue Mar 25th - Dinner with friends, Vegging

Friday Mar 21
Mostly just hanging out at camp. Derek went to guitar jam with a couple of the guys, while Janice made mint sauce and Carrot/curry soup. Janice has been spending some time over at the rental cottage at night... quite a different experience sleeping in a room with a bed and full size appliances to put her yogurt and heat the kettle. Watched the movie 'Mandella" ... worth watching, but not as powerful as we had hoped.
Saturday Mar 22
Spent much of the day sorting and doing laundry .. and getting dinner prepared for Lisa and Mike. They came over early and we sat outside for a drink before dinner. And enjoyed an appetizer, compliments of their daughter Jehan (spelling??) .. delicious chocolate dipped strawberries... yum!!  Served roast lamb, and it was their first taste of lamb... it seemed to get a favourable response.. I was in heaven with my favourite meat and roasties to boot. (We did the roasties in the cottage as the room was limited in our small stove) After dinner, we all trogged off to the Pavilion for the rest of the regular Karaoke Night. Great fun. Lisa sang a few songs, she has a great voice

Sunday Mar 23
Mostly just clean-up and planning,  low key day.  Caught up with Derek and Lin on Skype and heard all about their amazing cruise from Australia to Tokyo... sounded amazing.Went to get DVD's s we could burn some movies rather than watch them on my computer or through Apple TV. We got back and burnt a movie, only to discover that the DVD player seems to have jammed and will not work... did some research on new units. We went to the hot tub in the evening... really nice soak. Watched 'Monsier Lazhar' (subtitles) on my computer with the sound coming through the rigs speakers. Wow.. what a powerful movie... watch it if you get the chance!!!
Monday Mar 24
We  did some planning and research for our South Africa trip. Tried to fix the DVD player.. to no avail, so called Camping World and arranged to have new tires put on the rig and a new Radio/CD/DVD player installed this Friday at their store in New Bruenfels. Relaxed outside and enjoyed the warm weather and chatted with neighbours. Watched "Saving Mr. Banks" in the evening... excellent Movie. Tom Hanks and Emma Thompson.... both excellent.
Tuesday Mar 25th:
Were going to go for a walk, but we got totally lazy and spent the day basically on our computers and sitting around outside and going for a walk round the site. After dinner Derek went to guitar jam again and Janice went for a quick workout (feeling very guilty about not exercising enough) and then into the hot tub with Lisa for a while. Determined to get more exercise!!!!
There are no photos for the last few days as life trogs happily along and I tend to forget to take photos.

Tues Mar 18 - Thur Mar 20, Goodbyes and chilling

Tues Mar 18 - Goodbyes and Guitar

Goodbyes are often sad and this was no exception. We have had a great week with friends Tina and Al, and although they had to go back to family and friends at home in Ontario, we are left with some great memories of a fabulous, no stress, easy-going week. Lots of laughs and a chance for Derek and I to see some of this areas great sights, some for the first time and others for a very welcome re-visit. After they left, for their long journey home, we sorted a few things out and caught up on a bit of tidying etc. Derek went and jammed with a couple of guys for a few hours and Janice relaxed and read her book. 
Wednesday and Thur Mar 19/20 - Catch up and Street party

Street Party on 'Shiner-Bock Way'

Chickens getting ready for chickenshit bingo

Derek shooting the s--t (bingo in the background)

Derek started work on the rig cleaning the roof and Janice started work on the blog and uploading photos etc. At 5pm we headed over to the Street Party in a row in the RV Resort affectionately known as 'Shiner Bock Way' ... The street party is an annual event here which serves as both a fun party day, and as a way for the 'Winter Texans' to have a 'knees-up' before heading back to their home states and provinces.

This chicken must be full of it!!

Yum...!! (and the food is good too!!)

Some folk are heading back as early as tomorrow. The food was good ol' Texas style sausages, dogs and 'brats' with beans, chili, sauerkraut and desserts,  a band playing country / rock-a-billy and dancing in the street. A good time for sure.

Yeee haaa Y'all!!

One of the weird things around here is Chickenshit bingo!! A chicken (or two) are put in the bingo cage and folks bet on the numbers (pay money and draw the numbers out of a hat) Then everyone waits and watches for the chicken to 'shit' on a number ... literally!!! And the pot goes to whoever has that number.  It is a riot. These chickens were extremely tame and happy, so no cruelty issues... Just good fun and a great deal of laughter. The s--t is cleaned up and another round with a different chicken (or chick) starts again.

One relaxed chicken - being spoiled!

After the party  Derek and I sat by our fire outside and reminisced about our visits with friends and made some plans for the remainder of our stay here. This week we are relaxing and catching up on blogs, cleaning, laundry etc and enjoy some of the warm weather. So Thursday was spent doing just that... more rig-cleaning, blogging, laundry etc etc and catching up on phone calls/skypes to family.
Still eating left overs and loving it!!!! Hopped to the store for some supplies and groceries.

Gary and Ann ..... awwwww!!!

The suspense is electric

Rock-on!!

Come on number 25!!!

The chicken handlers

Sunset over the RV resort .. Live Oak!

Mon Mar 17th - Sights and packing

Mon Mar 17th - Sights and packing

Travis Lake from Mansfield Dam Park

Our last day to spend with Al and Tina and they were interested in a walk, so we thought we would pack in walk with a few local sights. We headed to Mansfield Dam Park (top of the Mansfield Dam) for a walk around and saw how very bad the drought has been for water levels of Lake Travis. After enjoying some great views along the way we headed down to the bottom of the dam to the edge of the Lower Colorado River and walked across the bridge, seeing some rather large fish swimming around .. not sure what they were. White Bass?? Carp?? 
Then headed to the Oasis for a drink and some nachos ... excellent sunny day and the views were beautiful. 
In the early afternoon, Tina and I went to the department store Dillards in BeeCave  and has a pleasant hour or two pottering around, but didn't buy much.. prices weren't brilliant. Back at the resort we got ready and all headed out to the Steiner Ranch Steakhouse for dinner... It is an expensive place, but the steaks were fantastic. It was our last evening together. Hard to believe how fast the time went. Thanks Al and Tina for a great week and good times great memories and great food... we were left with brilliant left overs for the steakhouse... steak, mashed and mushrooms in a red wine reduction... YUMMM!!

Al, Tina and Cacti

Sat sittin' in the park

Picnic spot with top of dam in background

Favourite pic of Tina. By Lwr Colorado R

Drink and Nachos at the Oasis

Great friends... thanks for coming to see us!

Map of the USA  - According to Texans

No Tina... you can't take it home!