8-30 Fun Valley Opening Day

Program for Square Dancing at Fun Valley Resort

Today we only drove 185 miles, took about three and a half hours and I slept most of the time. We drove in the mountains and saw bison, llamas and farm fields. We stopped at South Fork, Colorado Visitor Center to see where the Fun Valley Resort is located. Larry had programmed our GPS to get us to South Fork but from there he had to do a bit more research. It was located just off the main highway and was very easy to get to. 

Our badges for the week

Fun Valley has a week long round/square dance event, they have packages that supply you with dancing, lodging, food, and other activities all for one price, there are also many other activities that can be added in for an extra fee.  Brad Caldwell and Bear Miller are the callers this week. We plan to be here for a week and then continue our vacation.

The restaurant where meals are served

Today was the opening day, which starts with a dinner. We arrived early so this gave us plenty of time to set up and get to know the place considering this is our first time here. When Larry checked in he got a program that had a list of pre registered dancers and we knew a few of them so when we were getting to know the place we stopped and visited with some of them. When it was time for dinner we walked over to the eating area. They had a lot of delicious food. During dinner Brad went over the schedule of events for the week.

The Square Dance Hall

One of the plaques

Round Dancing

Finishing up a square dance tip

After dinner we went to the opening dance which had seven squares and a lot of round dancers. The square dancing building is a very cool log cabin with a wooden dance floor. The light is subdued. The interior had plaques from different clubs that had been at Fun Valley. When the dance was over there was an after party where snacks were served and Brad and Bear did a little skit. Brad also sang a song. We had a super time.   

8-29 Where are we going?

 

Sunset in New Mexico

Welcome to New Mexico sign

We had a long day of driving, we started at 8:00 am Texas time and called it a night at 7:45 New Mexico time. Larry drove for 12 hours and we went 466 miles. We drove through a lot of small towns such as Seymour Texas, Larry cut wheat there one summer and he wanted to see if he remembered anything in the town, he didn’t but it was over 40 years so things do change. As we were driving through Texas we saw quail, roadrunner and a a hawk. When we left Seymour we saw Lake Kemp, it isn’t too big but it looked like it was full. While driving through New Mexico we saw pronghorns. During our drive Flo and I napped and occasionally we stopped to stretch our legs. When we got to Raton New Mexico we stopped at a Big K and called it a night. We had a super day. 

When Larry and I are square dancing people always ask Larry how I could have so much energy all the time. Larry answers them by saying I nap on the way to the dance. There is some truth to that. I’m a lot like a little kid if you put me in a car and drive around I will go to sleep. It may not be for a long time but I do take naps.

8-28 Last Day of Boating

 

Last Day of the Boating Season

Friday morning Larry and I went to lake for last day of our boating this season. Before going to the lake Larry put some additive in the fuel because the boat will be sitting in the garage until next summer. The lake was flat so we could do whatever we wanted to do. We idled across the lake and out came the ski. We did a set of water skiing a piece and then called it a day.

Having fun water skiing

Larry Water skiing

After skiing we returned home and finished putting things in the Minnie then I vacuumed and did a little laundry. When everything was finished we decided to start our fall trip. We loaded Flo into the Minnie and Larry checked to make sure everything was locked up and turned off the water to the house and reset the air conditioner. On the road we went heading to where ever the Minnie takes us.

Camping at Throckmorton RV Park

We drove 220 miles, took about 4 hours and ended up calling it a night in Throckmorton, Texas at the city R.V. Park. It’s located right off the highway so it will be easy to get back on the road tomorrow. The sites are full hook-up, which means they had water, sewage and electricity. It is very well maintained and you pay online. I recommend the facility for an overnight stay.

 

 

8-27 Another Busy Day!!!!

Doing Chores

We had another busy day getting ready to go. We're not sure exactly where we're going but that's the fun part of going on vacation. Larry started the day out by doing a couple of projects in the Minnie. The first project was installing the new clothes bar in the shower so I have someplace for square dance clothes. When we go camping we use the campground showers, they are bigger, have lots of hot water and don't fill up our holding tank, we then use our shower for storage. The next project was installing a TV antenna. When Larry was working to fix a leak on the roof he removed the antenna and sealed around it. Then he decided not to reinstall the antenna, instead he ordered a flat antenna that mounts inside. After Larry was finished with his projects I went back to loading up the Minnie for our trip.

New Clothes Bar

Our New TV Antenna

In the afternoon Larry and I went to town to stop the mail, return the Hot Spot that didn't work and go to the chiropractor. We left Flo at home where she could keep cool. 

Larry's Chiropractor

After dinner we finished up the first season of News Room and worked on a few more chores. Wow, what a day. 

8-26 Happy Birthday Larry!!!!

Happy Birthday Larry

Today was a very special day, it was Larry's birthday. We were busy all day getting ready for our fall trip. A few days ago I asked Larry if we could put a clothes hanging bar in the Minnie's shower, I need more clothes storage for square dance attire. He said we could but we didn't want to put too much weight on it because the Minnie didn't have much support in the wall. So this morning we went to The Home Depot to buy a dowel and a holder for it, now tomorrow Larry has another project to do. Afterwards we stopped and did our grocery shopping. Flo went with us when we did our errands. When we got home I did some cleaning in the Minne and Larry did his exercises while Flo sunned. Lunch was next and then I started to load the Minnie. A bit later it was off to the chiropractor, then more loading and Larry got the maps and other information together.

Busy, busy, busy!!!

In the evening we watched a couple episodes of News Room. Larry had ordered a Hot Spot device from Walmart so when we're on the road we can get to the internet. Yesterday he tried to activate it but it would not work so he called the help desk, they told him it could take up to 24 hours. The 24 hours was up, still didn't work so he called them back. The lady on the other end tried to help and it still wouldn't work so she told him he had to buy another one. He went on the internet to see if any of the Walmart's had any available, he had to order the first one because none of the local Walmart's stocked them. The only Walmart in 60 miles that had showed they had one was about 35 miles away in Copperas Cove,  he called and found out he could pick it up at the store tonight if he wanted to. So I gave Flo a little snack and said good-bye. Then Larry and I went to pick up the device. We arrived at Walmart too late to return the old device (it was past 10pm) but we were able to buy the new hot spot. Tomorrow Larry will have to call the support people back to try and activate it. What a busy day!!!!     

8-25 Projects on the Minnie

Getting Ready to Go

We're getting ready to leave on our Fall Trip and Larry wanted to do a couple of things to the Minnie before we leave. The Minnie is a house on wheels so there's always something to do. Occasionally, you have to check the seals to make sure there's no leaks and the seal hasn't come loose. Larry checked all the caulking and found there were a few places that needed attention. He removed all the old caulk, cleaned the area and then he applied new caulk in the seams. While Larry was caulking a few deer walked through the yard, what a pleasant surprise. The next project was to replace the regulator on the stove. On our spring trip the oven began taking a long time to light and sometimes it would not light unless you tapped on the regulator with a screwdriver. Larry had ordered a new one and after working on the caulking he installed it. It's great that Larry has the skills to work on the Minnie, we save a lot of money and the inconvenience of taking the Minnie to the shop.

removing the old caulk in seam

Larry putting new caulk in seam

removing old regulator

What the regulator looks like.

The deer walking across the road in front of our house.

Larry has been playing with Louise's tablet for about a week to, he has been getting it setup with the programs she wanted. He installed a couple of GPS programs and we tested them to see which one would be the easiest for Louise to use. This afternoon we loaded Flo into the car and went to Round Rock to deliver the tablet. When we got there Louise and Autumn were waiting for us. As soon as Autumn saw Flo she ran up to her to say hi. After saying hi we all went inside and Larry explained how the tablet works and how the GPS programs worked. He also showed her how to use the tablet as a book reader. After he explained the tablet he had Louise played with it to make sure she understood the tablet. She was really impressed with being able to talk to the tablet and it would answer or input whatever she said. For dinner Louise ordered a pizza from Pizza Hut. We hadn't had a Pizza Hut pizza in a long time so this was a nice change. After dinner we all said our good-byes and we started our journey back to Belton.

Flo checking out Autumn's backyard with her.

Larry showing Louise how her tablet works,

 

8-24 Fun Times

Flying the Air Chair

Our Air Chair

Hi look at me flying.

Larry and I went to the lake this morning. The wind was up a little but it didn't stop us from throwing the Air Chair in the water. Larry and I both chaired for a little while and then we floated. We had another wonderful morning at the lake.

Working Out with the Wii Fit

After eating lunch Larry did his stretches and I worked out for a half hour. My workout was on the Wii Fit, where I did Yoga and Strength. Then we went to town for Larry's appointment with his chiropractor. When we got home I did a little reading.

Square Dancing to Brad Caldwell

Some of our friends square dancing.

In the evening we met up with Jan, Skip and Belinda to go square dancing in Sun City with the Sundancers. There were seven mainstream squares and four plus squares. It was DeAnn's birthday so her daughter Angie and granddaughters Allie and Hanna baked desserts to celebrate. We had a super time dancing with our friends.   

8-23 Wow, what a great day!!

Had great day!!!

We spent the night at Live Oak Ridge Park in the Minnie. I usually don't wake up until after Larry had been up for over an hour but this morning I got up at 6:15. Flo saw me get up and decided that it was time to get up. I fed her breakfast and then I took her for a walk around the park. When we got back to our site she decided she would stay outside and enjoy the site for awhile. When Larry got up we had breakfast. Afterwards we went next door and kept Vickie company. She met Flo for the first time, she was surprised to see how big Flo was. Before leaving the park Larry escorted Vickie to the dump to show her how to dump her RV. When he got back we headed home.

Once we were home we unpacked the Minnie and relaxed. I worked out for an hour and then we watched television. We watched a cool show called the GizWiz, where Chad Johnson and Dick DeBartolo talk about different gadgets. In the evening we watched News Room. We had a great day.

8-22 Helping a Friend

Friends

Our friend, Vickie got a RV, her very first RV. About a week ago she asked Larry and I if we would go camping with her to show her what to do. We were thrilled to help. Larry made reservations for two sites at Live Oak Ridge Park on Belton Lake. Yesterday, we got the Minnie and this morning I loaded it up with things we needed for the night. Vickie was going to meet us at Live Oak Ridge Park at 2. When Vickie arrived Larry went over how to plug into the power and how to connect to the water and then they went over a few things inside. While he was doing this I stayed with Flo in the Minnie and kept cool. After finishing he came back to our RV.

Camping at Live Oak Ridge Park

Vickie's R.V.

Live Oak Ridge Park

About 5 Larry decided he wanted to go home and take a shower. We only live three miles from the park. We had the car with us so we fed Flo and left her in the Minnie. Before going to the house we stopped by Taco Bell for dinner.

Square Dancing with Denim and Lace

Denise Camp Denim and Lace caller

Waiting for the next call

Larry resting during a tip

About 7 we went over to Vickie's RV and picked her up. Larry, Vickie and I went to Eddy to dance with the Denim and Lace Club. It was their Back to School Dance, your entry fee was school supplies or the dance donation fee. They had a great turn out. There were enough people for three squares and had a lot of delicious food. We had a great time.  

8-21 Wearing Different Hats

Wearing Different Hats

How many different hats do you wear each day? Well, today Larry wore a lot of different hats. His first hat was that of a product reviewer where he installed/tested products and wrote reviews for The Home Depot Seeds Program. He has received four of the five products he ordered this month. This morning he reviewed three of them, the Eaton All-Pro Led light,  a Leviton Decora Auto Sensor light switch and a Melnor garden hose nozzle. The Eaton All-Pro Led is a porch light that turns on by motion, he installed the light on the front porch. When we got home last night we tested this, worked perfectly and was really bright. The Leviton Decora Auto Sensor is a switch that turns on lights when you enter the room and turns off when you leave, he installed this in my laundry room, very cool, now when I go into the laundry room the light automatically turns on and when I leave it turns itself off. The Melnor Nozzle is one of those sprayers for your hose that has a bunch of different nozzle settings, works really well, Larry says it is probably the best one he has had. The fourth item he received was GE led stick light bulbs but when he opened the box there was only the housing for the lights but no lights. I helped him install the Eaton All-Pro Led. I would say he wore two hats for this project, a installer hat and a separate hat as a reviewer.

Eaton All-Pro Led

Installing the Eaton All-Pro Led

Installing Leviton Decor Auto Sensor  

Leviton Decor Auto Sensor

Melnor Nozzle

Testing Melnor Nozzle

After doing the reviews he put on a mechanics hat to change the oil in the Minnie. When he changed the oil he picked the hottest time of day, the good news is it was cooler than normal today. While Larry put on his different hats I had a few of my own. I put on a helper hat, taking care of Larry and Flo hat, a housekeeping hat and a cooks hat.

91 degrees and 54% humidity

Larry changing the oil

Putting in the new oil

Look how black the old oil looked

Time to clean up

 In the evening we both put on a dancing hats when we danced with the Killeen Kickers. Betsy and Christina put on a fun dance. There were enough people for three squares of mainstream dancers and two squares of plus dancers. In between each tip Christina cued either for line dances or round dances. When she did the line dances I danced. We laughed, danced, ate and socialized with our friends. Life is Good!!!!

Our friends dancing mainstream to Betsy's calling

Betsy Nyhan

Line dancing with friends