The Salt Lick ...... Mmmmmm!

After a long day of learning all about LBJ, we were in need of some good ol' Texas BBQ. The Salt Lick is a family owned restaurant with 3 locations ... and we were not all that far from the one in Driftwood, TX. Really ... just 45 miles or so ... and in Texas, that is right around the corner.

So, off we drove into the Texas twilight, arriving fashionably early at about 5:30 PM. Lucky for us!! In a very short time, the place was PACKED.





It is very rustic ... family style tables and benches with minimal decor. when we arrived there were only a few folks seated.
















About 15 minutes later, the place was jumpin'! It filled up very fast!



















This fellow was busy whacking sausages into pieces, slicing brisket and portioning ribs and turkey.





















The staff is very accommodating and let you get right on up to the BBQ pit.



















Merciful heavens! This is why they are famous all over Texas. Look at those mounds of meat!




















The waitress brought out plates of pickes and onions ... slabs of fresh bread ... a big tumbler of Sweet Tea ...
and THEN my heaping plate of Brisket, sausage, ribs, German potato salad, coleslaw and Pinto beans.

Conversation ceased. All attention was focused on alternating one wonderful flavor with another. Smoky, tart, spicy, creamy, crunchy, meaty, juicy, savory ..... sublime.





And then .... there was this.



Homemade Peach Cobbler with a good vanilla ice cream.

I died .... in a good way.


I loved everyone. My world was balanced and there was harmony in my universe.




We managed to walk to the car and drove home in the very dark, very starry night.



The End

LBJ Ranch

I needed to get out of the coach and act like a tourist. Jeff promised me that we would do whatever I wanted. I always take statements like that with a very skeptical attitude. We will do whatever I want ... unless he doesn't feel like it. You hear what I am sayin'.

In Texas, folks just Looooove LBJ, and I can easily see why after the visit to the Texas White House and his Ranch between Johnson City and Fredericksburg, in the Texas Hill country. Each section of Texas has it's own sort of beauty. The Hill Country has stretches of grassland, rock cliffs, sturdy live oaks and cedar trees and rivers and creeks that wind between the hills that give it it's name. It is truly a pretty place.



We decided to spend the day sightseeing, so we drove north towards Fredericksburg ... stopping in Johnson City along the way. the LBJ Museum is a worthwhile stop. It is not a large town, by any means, and one can easily see why the folks sat up and took notice of a guy like Lyndon Johnson.







The buildings in Johnson city have not changed a lot. You can still see the outlines of some of these storefront.

No plumbing, no electricity, unpaved streets. No place to buy a loaf of bread or a pound of meat. a cafe that sometimes hung out a sign that said,"Closed for Lunch". the Courthouse, a cotton gin, a ramshackle hotel. Three churches.












His father and grandfather had both been men of note in the area ... but one of his first accomplishments as a freshman Congressman was to convince the people of his district that the costs of electricity would be far outweighed by the benefits. He helped illuminated the area for the first time in 1939.















The Family Cemetery is quiet and peaceful. the monuments for Lyndon Baines Johnson and Claudia Taylor Johnson are solid but understated.










The ranch house itself is not enormous ... but it is roomy enough. It has a really homey feel that I was not expecting. I could easily imagine myself living there very comfortably.








This is Air force One Half ... LBJ used this jet to get back and forth to the Texas White House.








He entertained heads of state and important people at the Ranch ... he was famous for the barbecues that they would hold to entertain dignitaries from all parts of the world. NOT your typical Washington DC function!





He had a German made Amphicar that he used to scare the bejeebers out of unsuspecting guests. He would careen off the road into the Pedernales River screaming,"The brakes gave out! We're going in!"

Then, as people were screaming, he would laugh hysterically. He particularly liked to pull this stunt on newlyweds ... and said he could predict which marriages were going to last by the reactions of his passengers. Nice.









The cattle were impressive.


















The Hill Country scenery was peaceful and lovely.












I came away thinking that I wished I had paid attention more when LBJ was in Office. But I was 13 years old when JFK was killed ... totally immersed in my own wretched self in the next 6 or 7 years ... it is hardly surprising that I have only general impressions of the events of those years. There were so many hard things happening at once ... the Viet Nam war ... Civil Rights marches ... Woodstock ... the Beatles ... High School ... ohmigod ... High School.

I learned to drive, I got kissed, I had "best friends", I learned that I had a talent, my "best friends" shunned me for no reason ... then suddenly they were my friends, for some reason (I never knew what I had done), I learned that my parents were clueless, I lost a classmate to a childhood disease, I lost grandparents to old age, I lost beloved pets .... All these things loomed larger in my small life than the guy who was in the White House.



After seeing his home, the places he loved and the views he cherished ... I sort of felt that we would have had something to talk about, if we had been neighbors.


Worth the visit ... I think he was a pretty good man.

Canyon Lake

We are staying in a very nice military Recreation Area about 50 miles north of San Antonio. The Fort Sam Houston Campground is right on Canyon Lake ... an artificial body of water that was created by damming up the Guadalupe river. The Army Corps of Engineers maintains the dam, the lake and all 8 parks and campgrounds in the area. The RV sites are all full hookups, so that meant that I can play with my washing machine!! Don't laugh ... it is a new toy for me!

Our most consistent "neighbors" are the deer. This is the "Prince" of the crowd. All the "ladies" follow him around the campground. He is rather bold, but he will only come soooo close ... even for a delicious Triscuit.

They are indiscriminate poopers, however. It is all over the place.


I like deer. Deer are graceful. They are quiet. They are soothing to watch. The young ones are cute.


But poop is poop. This is almost like living in a barnyard.



But, like I said, they are soothing to watch ... and I try not to think of things like ticks and lice and videos of "When Deer Attack".


The world gives me enough to worry about as it is ... like North Korea and Jihadists and Recession and how I am going to make the trip home for Christmas.


We don't know whether we will fly home and leave the coach somewhere for 7 or 8 days ... or maybe we will drive. If we run into bad weather we can always just park and wait it out. Dunno.

It is making me nervous that I don't have a plan in place! But Jeff is keeping mum. He likes to drive me crazy. I think it qualifies as a hobby of his.


Speaking of Jihadists ......... there were several car loads (actually, I think just 2 cars with 1 family in each) of Middle Eastern people here this weekend. Maroon luxury cars ... identical ... with temporary tags. I am reading a spy novel, so all my powers of observation were on high alert! It was in the high 80s ... pretty humid, too. I was taking a hike with the little girl who arrived earlier that afternoon with her grandma. We were taking pictures and looking for stuff to notice and report on. I felt like "Harriet the Spy".

Mr. Man #1 (in his T-shirt and plaid shorts with the Seven UP) ... and Mr. Man #2 in the dress with his Pepsi) were on one side of the marina under a shaded picnic area enjoying a breeze.

Mama #1 and Mama #2 and Daughter were on the opposite side of the Marina ... on a rug on the grass ... wrapped up in layer upon layer of jeans, ankle length robes, head scarves, face masks and sunglasses. I felt so overheated looking at them I almost fainted there on the spot. Even the baby girl!! Really. Just not necessary. Modesty can be maintained without multiple layers. I made note of it all for my Spy Journal.

School is Cool!

SCHOOL IS COOL!!!



Jeff and I returned from our stay at the Sam Rayburn Reservoir in time to stake out a spot in the Foretravel parking lot. We knew it was going to be filling up fast, because the Ladies' Driving School was due to begin on Novenber 9th. I was pretty excited ... I wanted to be able to feel more confident driving this larger coach. Yikes!

There were 2 days of classroom instruction ... films and powerpoint images ... lots of discussion, question & answer AND 2 coach walk-arounds with some of the Foretravel guys who know how all the systems work. We learned a LOT!

THEN, on day three, we divided into groups of 5 and got behind the wheel of coaches supplied by 2 of the instructors and Foretravel. They let a bunch of women ... some of whom had never even planted their butts in the driver's seat ... get behind the wheel of machines that collectively were worth a minimum of a MILLION dollars. No joke.

So, here is L.D. Chatworth ... my On-The-Road instructor. He has worked at Foretravel for something like 38 years. VERY calm guy. Nothing rattles him, and that was just what most of the ladies needed. He was our guide as we took turns driving the obstacle course that the folks at Foretravel had set up at various spots on the Factory grounds ... to help us get used to where the 4 corners of the coach are located as we snuggled up to various cones, back up for several coach lengths, back into a standard campground spot (using the proper hand signals from a spotter) and navigating a slalom course. THAT was hard! You don't get a lot of room to swing a 45' coach back and forth to get around cones ... AND not crush anything with the tandem back wheels! But I made it. We all did! No cones were killed in the completion of the course.

So, here is the monster that my group drove. HUGE! The following day we went out on the road around Nacogdoches. L.D. took us all around the city. There is a "Loop" around Nacogdoches ... takes about 40 minutes to complete the whole route. We made right turns, left turns, went over railroad tracks, through school zones ... you name it. I have a great deal more confidence now, and I KNOW that the women who had never even turned the ignition key were totally inspired by their experience.

We met a number of new friends at school and while we were "camped" in the parking lot.
Here are Maudie, Joan and Janice. We are riding down the road with Joan behind the wheel. Not a bad place to hang out while you are waiting to take the wheel of a 26 ton machine!
Here is sweet Peggy from Georgia. she and her husband have just "upgraded" from a big 5th wheel pulled by a Freightliner truck to a 40' motor home just like ours. She has never driven anything bigger than a minivan until today! She is scared witless!Peggy does just fine, and can now relax and take painkillers for her tension migraine! We were all glad to finally get this part over with. There was a very creditable banquet that evening and we all now have certificates that attest to the fact that we passed the course.

Jeff is not convinced, however. He needs a course that teaches him to be a better passenger!

We are heading for San Antonio and a joint military Recreation Area ... Fort Sam Houston campground on Canyon Lake. Can't wait to settle in and relax for a while!

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

Nacogdoches, TX

We are settling into our "new" coach. Slowly, things are finding their proper place in cupboards and closets and bays. there is more storage in this coach .... and there isn't. but we are slowly making it feel like our home, one day at a time.

We have spent a really interesting week here in the parking lot of the Foretravel factory. They have about 50 spots for coaches to park and plug in to electricity and water. VERY nice perk when you are traveling or coming here for service. However, I have never seen so many people here at one time! There must have been 30 coaches here when we arrived. Several were members of a web forum we participate in. It was really nice to finally meet the people we have been "talking" with for months online. Others came over from another service location a mile or so down the road and we started a party! Happy Hour every day in a shady spot ... wine or beer and h'ors doevres ... good conversation. It was where the "cool kids" were hanging out!

The "living room" is a good bit larger than our old place. Room to swing a cat. Likewise, the bathroom ... the shower is the same size as a residential one. We have larger capacity tanks for our fresh, grey & black water ... that means we can hang out longer in areas that are a bit more primitive before heading back to hook ups.

More counter space, more battery power for things like coffee makers and lights. It is a pretty good machine!


The other good (or sad) news is that we have sold our old motor home. John & Judy O'Reilly from Tucson, AZ drove here, arriving Wednesday to inspect the rig after many email conversations and exchange of photos. They inspected, test drove and settled in for 24 hours ... finally decided that this was the one they could be happy with. So ... we said "Goodbye" to our first wonderful Foretravel and can only hope that they have as many good miles as we have had.

I have signed up for the "Ladies Driving School" that the Foretravel Motorcade Club sponsors every year. There will be 20 or so women here, all learning to drive these big machines. 3 or 4 to each instructor ... using Foretravel coaches to run up and down the highway, park, back up, navigate cones, etc. We have classroom sessions, learn about pivot points and tail swing and lots of other scary stuff. More on that after the event! My friend "Larry" from the Remodel Department here at the factory is one of the instructors. He told me that he just heard from a lady "who was SO scared to drive! I tell ya, she was as jumpy as a hen on a hot rock, I guarantee!" But now she has called him to tell him that she drives their coach just fine. Too funny. I just love Texans!

Well ... it has been a long day of selling, settling,
signing and saying goodbye to our old home. Time
for bed and watching the Phillies game. I hope they manage to win this game! Later , friends! Stay tuned to see what happens next as we actually take this thing out on the roads and explore Texas.

XOXO C & J

On the way to ....

We are on the way to Nacogdoches ... presently in Chattanooga, following I-75 south through Tennessee. I would love to know the meanings of these place names. They just amuse me. Driving through Virginia all day in the bright sunshine ... a beautiful day, today. There were not many evidences of fall foliage coming down I-81 ... just a ruffle of red and orange on a few maple trees ... a purple scarf of vine wrapped around the neck of a locust tree ... a blazing peep of red through the weeds. Most of the trees are still dusty, tired green or they have given up and turned brown in defeat.

We drove through a massive flurry of big, fat, juicy bugs. I don't know what they were ... but there are fewer of them, now! Looks like scrambled eggs on the windshield! Blech.

Campground tonight ... no Walmart for us, although last night it was just fine. We want long, hot showers and some good cable stations to watch the Phillies AND the Eagles!! A fine dinner of 3 cheese Ravioli with Salmon, green peas and some nice Alfredo Sauce. Bourbon for Jeff, a nice chilled Prosecco for me ... totally relaxing. We will sleep well and look forward to another fine day tomorrow.