The Art of Doing Nothing.

We are learning the art of doing nothing.



We finally got out of the parking lot at Foretravel in Nacogdoches. The best part of our stay there was all the people we met in person, after "talking" to them over the Internet for the last couple of years. We fell into the habit of having a sort of Happy Hour in front of our coaches every evening. It was great fun. But, after Kent and Peg went back to Oklahoma, we felt the need to begin traveling. Life was looking really good ... if we ever actually left our present location, there was no telling how much fun we could have!!


So, we left. and we wound up here!! Just the kind of place we need after the last month.











Sunrise over the Sam Rayburn Reservoir is very peaceful. There was a bit of mist that made everything silver. No wind ... the water was very calm. It was cool and lovely and quiet. No one was stirring ... no traffic noise ... no TV noise ... not even a boat. A balm to our much ruffled feathers. The first days of owning our coach were pretty hectic.






We picked this thing up on a Friday, late afternoon. Didn't sleep in it that night, as there was a LOT of cleaning to do. The Stallings didn't really camp in it, or live in it. They took it to shows and spent 4 or 5 days at a time using it as headquarters. We began sleeping in the new one on Saturday ... after I had had a chance (with Peggy's help) to sanitize bathroom and kitchen and wipe as many surfaces as I possibly could. My idea of a clean fridge and Mrs. Stallings' are very different. Sunday, just before bed, Jeff tells me,"Don't flush the toilet! We have a bad leak!"

WHAT?!!! Are you KIDDING me?? Just what I do NOT need to hear. I scrub the bathroom tiles with bleach and deodorizer ... we run next door in the middle of the night if we need to potty. Kind of like having an outhouse. We call Motor Homes of Texas first thing Monday ... they had worked on the toilet for James Stallings ... and they will have to fix it. I decide to test the washing machine to see if it works properly, while we are waiting to get toilet service. Seems just fine ... until the first cycle drains. WATER everywhere! Stinky water!! Coming up the shower drain, up from around the toilet ... massive use of paper towels and anything I can get my hands on. Blech!!
Suddenly, the light bulb goes on. "JEFF!!", I scream,"I think the tanks are overflowing!!" The sensors that monitor the levels in the Black, Gray & Fresh water tanks had been malfunctioning. We knew we had to have them repaired. Apparently, when Motor Homes of Texas worked on the toilet, they flushed and flushed to test it. They never dumped the black tank. James Stallings never dumped the tanks. He sold it to us with a very full "shitter" and when we lived in it just 36 more hours, we topped it off! Nice.
SO ... Jeff unhooks everything while I am mopping and we drive across the parking lot to the Dump station. We get out the sewer hose and hook it all up (this, we KNOW how to do very well!) and open the valve to drain the black tank.

Jeff said later,"I may be old. And I may be fat. But I can move when I have to!" The sewer hose had a hole in it that, under pressure, shot shit water about 4 feet into the air. I will testify that Jeff certainly CAN move! We finished emptying the tanks satisfactorily and went back to our spot. Toilet is now just fine! There was no leak .... Just a big job for me to add to my list ... Get rid of shit smell! I am happy to report that I have been successful. The nose knows.

This happened on the 18th of October. On the 19th of October, Jeff and I celebrated our 25th wedding anniversary. I bought him a new bucket and a collection of Microfiber cloths and mitts for washing the new coach PLUS some deluxe wax he wanted. He bought ME a NEW SEWER HOSE!! The romance is still alive!!! But do you sense why we need some quiet time?


Sunsets here are outstanding. what looks like a helicopter in the distance in the photo ... at about 10 o'clock to the left of the sun ... is actually a huge dragonfly. They buzz around here like mad when the sun begins to go down. We see eagles gliding over the water in search of fish ... flocks of black birds that may be cormorants ... and the occasional heron wading in the shallows. It is lovely to just do nothing and wait. We can ease into a more active phase later ... when it feels right.




In the mean time ... imagine the kind of life you want for yourselves. That's what we did, and by golly, it came true! I wish the very same happiness for all of you .... minus the full"shitter".


More later. XO C & J