Monday 2-27 Jury Duty

Jury Duty

Last month I received a summons to report for jury duty and today was the day. I arrived at the Bell County Justice Center at 8:45 am. I haven't done this in years so I wasn't sure what to expect. Well, it was a long morning and.it was different than what I remembered. We were all at the complex until 1:30 pm and I wasn't chosen to be one of the jurors.. We had a couple of breaks but no lunch break. They wanted to have the jurors chosen before lunch. 

While I was doing this Larry kept Flo company and finished what he could in the attic. When I got home I had lunch and then we loaded Flo into the car and we went to The Home Depot. We returned the items we didn't need for the vent project and now that Larry has the solar panels for the Minnie venting the tanks project we picked up a part he needed.

When we got home I worked out for a half hour on Just Dance. Then it was time for dinner.

A beautiful sunset we saw while going to the Sundancers Dance

Students dancing to Brad before the dance started

Our friends from Killeen having fun dancing to Brad

Round dancing in between Club 50 and Mainstream tips

In the evening we went to Sun City to dance with the Sundancers for their weekly dance. This week the dance was at Cowan Creek instead of the Ball Room. There were seven squares for the dance. This was great considering you can only fit ten squares in the room. We danced every tip of Mainstream, Club 50 and Plus. After the dance we did an A tip considering we had four couples that could dance A. We had a fabulous time dancing with friends and to Brad. LIFE IS GOOD!!!!     

Sunday 2-26 Just Another Day

Be Happy

We woke up with overcast skies and they're suppose to be around for a few days. The chances of rain is low, around 30%. It didn't get out of the mid 60's which was nice.

We didn't do too much today. We stayed around the house, I worked on my jig was puzzle and worked out an hour with my Wii Fit and Just Dance. 

In the evening we watched our YouTube videos and a documentary on Amazon. The documentary we watched was Find Your Way: A Busker's Documentary. It was about 5 street musicians who were watched for three years. We already had watched it but it was still good the second time around. After the documentary we watched Nature on our PBS channel on the ROKU. It was the second episode called Spy in the Wild, where scientist study animals in the wild by using robots. It was very interesting. We had a very laid back day.

Saturday 2-25 Smoking Meat

Smoking Ribs and Pork Loin

No square dancing this weekend so we decided to smoke some pork. The other day when we went grocery shopping we picked up a rack of baby back ribs and a pork loin. About noon we started the smoking process. Last year when we were smoking meat I kept a spreadsheet on how long it took to smoke different kinds of meat at what temperature. The spreadsheet said it would take about five hours to smoke the ribs. But today it only took three hours. Every hour we flipped the meat and we monitored the temperature the whole time. We tried to make sure that the grill stayed between 224 and 250. We used pellets to do the smoking. The meat came out excellent. We think that the ribs came out the best so far. Flo stayed awake most of the day considering we were smoking pork. For her reward she got a couple of small rib bones. We had the ribs for dinner and the pork loin we will have tomorrow.

Pork Loin

Baby Back Ribs

This morning before we started the smoking Larry finished up the new vent. The project took a few days. The first day he prepared the attic by moving the insulation around to make a path to where he was going to put the vent. Then he put a ramp across the rafters so he wouldn't fall through the ceiling. After he did this we went shopping for the parts he needed to do the project. The second day he cut the hole for the vent and made sure everything fit. He started installing the duct tubing to the vent. It took him all morning. He called it a day when it started to get hot in the attic. Today was the third day. He finished up installing the duct tubing and strapping the tubing up. Then he tested the vent system out to make sure it worked and did not have any leaks. It worked perfectly. The last thing he did was spread the insulation back in its place and took the ramp out of the attic. When testing the new duct for leaks he discovered a few of  the ducts that were installed when the house was built were leaking, he will fix them in the next few days. He worked very hard for the last three days and did an excellent job.

The new vent hole

Taping the vent box

The duct tubing

The collar to connect both rolls of duct tubing

The finished vent in the dining room

While Larry worked on the vent I worked on my puzzle.

Watching television

In the evening we watched our YouTube videos and another DVD we have on Google Play called Transformers. It was a good movie. We had another super day.   

Friday 2-24 Smile, It's Friday

Have a fun Friday

It was windy most of the day. Larry worked on the new vent project all morning and I worked on my puzzle. It was starting to get warm in the attic so he called it a day. We cleaned up the mess that was made when Larry cut the hole for the vent in the ceiling of the dining room then I made lunch.

Doing errands

After lunch we went to town to do a few errands. First was doing a little grocery shopping, next was filling the car with gas and the last was to check our mail at the UPS Store. We knew there was a package waiting for us and Larry was excited because the package was the solar panels he had ordered from China, they  took a long time to arrive, probably got held up in customs.

Program I worked out with

After putting the groceries away I worked out with my Wii Fit for a half hour. I didn't workout too long considering my back and hip were bugging me a little. 

In the evening we watched our YouTube videos and the GizWiz weekly show. Then we watched a Jason Bourne movie that we own. We had a great Friday.

Thursday 2-23 Doing Chores

Do I have to vacuum?

It's time to clean the house. Some of my chores are done daily such as washing dishes and cooking but once a week I try to do more detail cleaning. Thursdays happen to be the day since our friends meet up with us at the house to go to Sun City to dance A. This motivates me to get up and clean the house. I start by cleaning the bathrooms, then I vacuum, if the floors need to mopped I will do that. Today I ended up doing a couple loads of laundry. I may complain about doing my chores but it really isn't too bad once I start.

Larry is getting ready to start his vent project so he went up in the attic and checked out how he was going to get to where he wants the vent to be, he had to move some insulation out of the way and he put a couple of walkways across the attic so he could get to where he wants without falling through the ceiling. He also made a list of a couple of more items he may need.

Before starting my chores we loaded Flo into the car and took the Minnie and car dolly back to storage. After putting the Minnie and dolly in storage we swung by The Home Depot and picked up a couple of things. 

After lunch I worked on my chores and then I worked on my puzzle and worked out with Just Dance for a half hour and Gold's Gym for a half hour.

In the evening we went to Sun City and attended their weekly A dance. There were enough people for two squares and three extra people. It was very challenging and we had a super time. 

Wednesday 2-22 Back to the Gym

Going to Planet Fitness

What a beautiful day. I woke up feeling great. After breakfast Larry asked if I wanted to go to the gym and while I didn't really care he acted like he wanted to go. We loaded Flo into the car and we headed to town. On the way to the gym we stopped by The UPS Store to get our mail and a package that was waiting for us. Larry was surprised, he thought the package would be the small solar panels he had ordered but instead it was a package from Arkansas. Every year we try to go on a Spring and Fall camping adventure, last year we were unable to go due to being in A lessons but this year we're planning to go on both trips. Larry does an excellent job of figuring out where we should go, he never makes detailed plans or reservations he simply decides we will head toward a destination and we meander around getting there, sometimes we never make it to the destination, something will change and we end up somewhere else. This spring we are going to try following the mighty Mississippi River from Louisiana to it's beginning in Minnesota, after that we will continue into Canada. He wrote to get some information on the Great River Road and the package from Arkansas was a travel package of information.

The next stop was Planet Fitness. We haven't been to the gym in almost two weeks so we decided to take it easy. I did the circuit area for forty-five minutes where I worked out on weight machines while Larry worked out on the weight machines on floor.

On the way home we stopped by Harbor Freight, The Home Depot and Lowe's. Larry wanted to get the parts he needs to do his home project of putting in another vent in the house.

After buying parts for the project we stopped for lunch at Jack In The Box. We got back to the house by 1:00. After unloading the the parts and Flo out of the car I decided to mow the front and back yard, it took me an hour and fifteen minutes. Larry did the weed-eating and ran the blower, the live oaks are dropping their leaves and every day there is a bunch more leaves on the ground.

In the evening we watched our RV Living YouTube videos. Google Play had sent me an email for a 25% discount on purchasing a movie so we decided on the new Jack Reacher: Never Go Back, it had a four star rating and we love the Jack Reacher books, unfortunately we thought the movie was terrible, oh well. After that I worked on my puzzle. LIFE IS GOOD!!!!      

Tuesday 2-21 Things To Do

To Do List

We woke up with sunshine and the temperature in the 40s. It was a gorgeous day with the high temperature in the mid 70s. We had a few things to do in the morning.

Our Equinox

The first thing on our list was to take the Equinox for an oil change. While we were in Schulenburg the car oil life monitor came on and said it was time to change the oil. Yesterday Larry called Don Ringler Chevrolet and made an appointment for this morning at 9:00. Larry normally changes the oil on our vehicles but since the Equinox is still under warranty he prefers having the dealer take care of it, he feels that if there is ever a engine problem they will have all the records proving that the oil was changed at the correct intervals. The oil change took about 45 minutes.

Grocery shopping

The second thing on our list was stopping at HEB, we only needed a few things so it didn't take long.

The final thing on our list was Lowe's. The other day I wrote that Larry was thinking about adding a vent in the living room for the air conditioner. We found that Lowe's had a bigger selection of duct system parts so when he's ready to do the project he has an option where to buy the parts he needed.  

The rest of the day we spent hanging around the house. I wasn't feeling well due to my allergies so after lunch I laid down for a couple of hours. When I woke up I worked out for about an hour with my Gold's Gym program and the Wii Fit. 

In the evening we watched our YouTube videos and  finished up Goliath series. It was a good series except that you have to watch the whole season to have a conclusion. We had a good day.

Monday 2-20 Rain and Sunshine

Rain in the morning

Sunshine in the afternoon

A thunder storm rolled in about 1:00 in the morning. When Larry woke up and fed Flo it was still raining. Flo did her normal routine of laying outside on the front and back porches a couple of times.

I woke up and made breakfast then I did a couple of loads of laundry. We hung around the house the whole day. Larry is doing some research for a new project he is thinking about. Every since we have been in the house in the heat of the summer the living and dining areas are warmer than the bedrooms. If you're sitting in the dining room or on the couch near the outside wall it is very noticeable. Larry is thinking about adding another air conditioning vent in that area. It would be difficult and require a number of ducting pieces so he is still thinking about it. He would also have to do it this time of year because it is simply too hot to work in the attic in the summer.

In the afternoon I worked on my jig saw puzzle. Flo went outside and I was putting her on her chain with her her leash when she thought she was going on a walk. When we go on trips we take her for a few walks every day so she gets used to it. I felt guilty so I took her for a short walk. She wanted to go farther but I convinced her to turn around and go home. By the time we got home she was tired. She stayed outside on the chain for a little while to rest.

Square dancing in the evening

In the evening Larry and I went to Sun City to dance with the Sundancers. They had nine squares for mainstream and seven for plus. After the dance there were enough people for an A tip. I don't know how Brad Caldwell does it. He works full time and shows up every Monday at 5:00 to 9:00. He teaches new dancers 5:00 to 7:00. He calls for the regular dances at 7:00 to 9:00. But he rarely stops at 9:00, he either does a tough plus tip or an A tip. We had a super time.   

Sunday 2-19 We're Home

We're home

What an amazing weekend!!!! This morning started off with an terrific A dance at Appelts Hill Hall. The hall was a little warm and humid but fortunately there was a breeze so we opened a few windows which really helped. Very few folks had left and we started out with five squares plus three extra couples. Larry and I ended up dancing every tip so no pictures. I think a lot of us were tired but everyone still had fun.

Tim Ploch did an outstanding job of calling the entire weekend. We danced with a lot of good dancers. Donna Ploch and the other people that ran the dance did an excellent job.  

After the dance we went back to the RV park and got ready to go. We loaded the car on the dolly, straightened up the Minnie, took Flo for a walk and had lunch. We left the park around 1:00 to start our way home. As we were driving we noticed the trees were starting to bud out, the grass was starting to green and we even saw a few bluebonnets. It's really starting to look like spring. 

We got home at 3:45. We got the car off the dolly and put the dolly in the garage. Afterwards the work began, we unloaded the Minnie and I put things away. 

Just before we got to the house Larry thought the brakes on the Minnie had pulled a bit to the right so after putting thing away Larry and I took the Minnie for a drive. We drove into Belton and stopped at Papa Murphy's to buy a pepperoni pizza. The Minnie handled perfectly. When we got home it was time for dinner so I baked the pizza and I fed Flo her dinner. After dinner I did a couple of loads of clothes. We watched some of the YouTube channels we follow and then we watched a movie on Amazon called Before All Others, it wasn't very good. Afterwards we watched a couple of episodes of Goliath which is an Amazon series. We had a relaxing evening.

Saturday 2-18 Dancing at Appelts Hill

Entrance to Appelt's Hill Square Dancing Hall

Inside the hall

We had a super day of A square dancing with friends to Tim Ploch's calling at Appelt's Hill. Today we attended three sessions. We started out the day with an A2 dance at 10:00 to 12:00, There were five squares but a few more people arrived and we ended up having six squares plus an extra couple. Our friends Bonnie and Paul from Houston were there. We saw them in Paris but didn't get the chance to talk to them. Today we danced with them a couple of times and visited with them. It was a super dance. We were suppose to have two callers (Tim Ploch and Bob Bair) for the weekend but Bob was sick and in the hospital. Tim is doing a great job of calling for both of them. At times he pretended to be Bob and would say stuff Bob would say. 

The second session was a workshop for an hour and a half. Tim went through some moves people might have troubles with. Tim is a good caller, he likes to get you into positions you're not use to be in. It was challenging and fun.

Tim Ploch calling the C1 tip

Dancing C1 to Tim's calling

The third session was an A dance at 8:30. Before the evening dance Tim did a C1 tip, they had two squares. During the A dance there were six squares plus two couples. The dancing was terrific,  we had a wonderful day. After the dance they had an after party. We didn't stay too long considering it was past 10:30 and we were tired. There is one more session tomorrow morning.

Schulenburg RV Park is 10 miles from Appelt's Hill Hall so after each session we went back to the Minnie to have something to eat, take care of Flo and rest to get ready for the next session. By the end of the day we were exhausted but we're having an awesome time. 

Friday 2-17 Schulenburg Texas

Where is Schulenburg Texas? It is located in southern Fayette County about 130 miles from our house. It was founded in 1873 by Louis Schulenburg for the Union Pacific railroad. The heritage for the town was German/Czech. Schulenburg was known for the railroad but today it's known for the Painted Churches. Schulenburg offers a self guided tour of the Painted Churches, they also have the Stanzel Model Aircraft Museum and you can have fun at  Sengelmann Dance Hall.

Fishing lake at Schulenburg RV Park

Camping at Schulenburg RV Park

During the weekend we're staying at the Schulenburg RV Park. The park is small, it has 45 pull through sites with beautiful big oak trees throughout the park. Bonnie, the lady who works at the desk is very friendly and helpful. There is a fishing pond, laundry room, individual bathrooms with showers in each one, very nice..

We arrived at the park around 11:30 which gave us a lot of time to find the dance hall and to drive around. After we checked in one of the hosts escorted us to our site and directed us n it. Each site is full hook ups. After getting setup we took Flo for a walk. Then Larry and I went on a drive. We did the Painted Church Tour. When Larry checked in he received a brochure about places to see and a map on where the churches were located.

The altar at St. Mary's Church of the Assumption in Praha

Historic United Methodist Church in Freyburg

The altar in the historic United Evangelic Lutheran Church in Swiss Alp

St. John the Baptist Catholic Church in Ammannsville

St. Cyril and St. Methodius Catholic Church in Dubina

St. Mary's Catholic Church in High Hill

There were seven churches on the Painted Churches Tour, three of them were historic churches and four were painted churches. We visited six of the churches. The churches were located around the Schulenburg surrounding area. The first church we visited was in Praha, it was a painted church called St. Mary's Church of the Assumption Catholic Church. The second church was in Freyburg, it was the historic United Methodist Church. The third church was in Swiss Alp, it was the historic United Evangelic Lutheran Church. The fourth church was in Ammannsville, it was a painted church called St. John the Baptist Catholic Church. The fifth church was in Dubina, it was a painted church called St. Cyril and St. Methodius Catholic Church. We were disappointed with this one considering it was gated off so no one can go in. You had to look through the gate to see anything. The last church was in High Hill, it was a painted church called St. Mary's Catholic Church, this one was the most impressive we saw during the tour. All the churches are still being used. We had a super time looking at the churches.

The Piano Bridge

 As we were driving from Sts. Cyril and Methodius Catholic Church to St. Mary's Catholic Church we drove over a historic bridge called Piano Bridge. It is one of the last iron bridges n Fayette county. The name of the bridge came from how the bridge was made and the iron looked like the wires in a piano. The road through the bridge was wooden.

When we got back to the RV park and were driving to our site we saw a car at one of the RVs that looked like friends we met in the valley so after parking the car we walked over to check it out. It was our friends. We visited for a little while. When we got home I took Flo for a walk. When we returned I fed her dinner then I walked next door to the Dairy Queen and bought a four piece chicken strip basket for dinner.   

In the evening we attended the opening dance for the weekend. There were four squares plus three extra couples. We had a pleasant surprise, Gary and Betsy Chamberlain were there. They came all the way from Georgia so Betsy can dance A. We had a great time.                  

Thursday 2-16 Weekend Get Away

Weekend Get Away

Yesterday we brought the Minnie and car dolly to the house and you may be wondering why, well, there's an A2 weekend going on at Appelt's Hill Hall, the hall is located in the middle of nowhere, partway between Schulenburg and Hallettsville Texas. The hall is an old unusual multi-sided building that can be used by the public but the Appelts Gun Club takes care of it. Everyone who talks about the hall says it's an unique structure and very cool to see. We have never been to the hall so it's very exciting.

I spent a couple hours getting the Minnie ready for our weekend get away. It's an A2 weekend and not too many people dress up so we don't have to take a lot of clothing. I should say we don't have to take all the square dancing attire. I always take too many clothes but I think it's better to have too much than not enough. In the morning I'll make sure I got everything we need. While I was loading up the Minnie Larry called and made reservations at the Schulenburg RV Park.

It's Thursday and our friends Patrica and Larry met up with us at our house to go to Sun City for their weekly A2 dance. There's only two of us and our house doesn't get too dirty but I always like to have it presentable when we have company. After loading up the Minnie I vacuumed the house and did a few loads of clothes. When I finished my housework I worked on my jig saw puzzle and worked out with Just Dance for 45 minutes.

This evening at the Sundancers there were enough people for two squares plus two extra couples. We had another fantastic night of dancing. 

   

Wednesday 2-15 Wonderful Wednesday

What a wonderful Wednesday!!! The rain was gone and the sun was out. It started out about 40 degrees and the temperature didn't get out of the low 60's. We started the day out by going for an hour walk to Temple Lake Park. We have done this walk many times but today we changed the route. We started from the house and went to the boat ramp where we continued on the old road to Temple Lake Park. When we get to the back gate we usually turn around and head back but today we continued our walk through the park. Once through the park we walked the main road that enters into the park to our street and walked that back to the house, made a very nice loop.

The remains of one of the bathrooms at Temple Lake Park

Temple Lake Park playscape

One of the ramadas at the park

As we were walking I took pictures. The wind was blowing so it made Lake Belton rough, it was rough enough that it was starting to whitecap. Most of Temple Lake Park is closed due to the damage from last springs flooding, the only area that is open is the boat ramp. the Corps has knocked down the two bathrooms that were damaged but the remains are still there. They have cleaned up the playground so people can use it. After leaving the park our walk took us up a steep hill, we had to slow down to catch our breath. When we got home we were tired.

Fresh bread

Last night when I went to bed I took a loaf of bread out of the freezer so it could rise. I thought by the time I got up in the morning it would be ready to bake but it wasn't. When we got back from our walk it was ready and in a half hour we had fresh baked bread. It was delicious
.  

Before lunch I went outside with Flo so she could do her thing. While I was watching her she decided to walk across the street and refused to come home so I got her leash and tried to get her home. When she refused I decided to take her on a walk. We were on the way home when Larry showed up in the car, he was worried where we were. I was glad he came to get us considering Flo was tired. I had walked her too far.

When we got home we had lunch. We left Flo in the car considering we were going to go to town after lunch, we needed to get Flo more food, and do some grocery shopping. After doing our shopping we checked our mail and picked up the Minnie and the car dolly. By the time we got the dolly in the garage Flo was ready to go in the house.

After putting the groceries away I worked out with Just Dance for an hour and fifteen minutes. It was longer than I planed but that was ok. While I was working out Larry installed the CPAP DC converter box he built in the Minnie.

In the evening we watched YouTube videos and watched one of our DVD called Batman Begins. We had a very relaxing evening.

     

Tuesday 2-14 Happy Valentine's Day

Happy Valentine's Day

Happy Valentine's Day!! I hope you had a great Valentine's Day.

For the past few days for some reason or the other Flo has been adventurous. We live on the main street that goes in and out of our development and it goes to the boat ramp so this makes the road very busy. Today she decided to go for a couple of walks on her own. We have cameras to keep an eye one her while she is outside and usually it's not a problem considering she lays on the front porch, back porch or on the driveway. Both times we were able to track her down quickly, the first time I was doing dishes and I looked at the camera and Flo was gone. I went outside and saw her walking down the street towards the lake. I got her collar and leash and brought her back. By the time we were back to the house she was tired and limping really bad. After lunch I decided to workout. She doesn't like it when I workout so I let her out in the front so she can lay on the porch. When I looked up she was gone, Larry got the car keys and went to track her down. She was walking down the street in the other direction. A lady had seen her, stopped her car and was trying to take her home when Larry showed up. Larry thanked her and loaded Flo in the car. It's amazing no matter her much she is in pain she still wants to go walking. The problem is she doesn't know her limits. I guess we'll have to get the chain out of the Minnie and put her on it so she won't get run over.

Remember the other day I wrote about Larry building a device to allow him to run his CPAP machine off of a battery. The two connectors he ordered came in so he went back to the project. Once he finished he checked to make sure everything worked. The device was a success.

I worked out for an hour and fifteen minutes. I have a workout channel called All Fitness TV on our ROKU. I worked out for a half hour with a Jazz program. Then I did Just Dance for forty-five minutes.

In the evening we watched YouTube videos and a couple movies off Amazon. The first movie was The Crash Reel, it was a documentary about Kevin Pearce who was a top snowboarder in the country. It was a very good documentary about Kevin's achievements and his challenges recovering from a terrible accident that left him with a brain injury. The second movie was See: An Art Road Trip. It was a movie made by two artists, who traveled around the country to see the beauty of the country and art. It was also a good movie. We had a very good day.