Yesterday, we had decided to delay the trip by one day to our winter place of residence in the Rio Grande Valley of Texas.  However, we were up real early Tuesday morning, and the forecast showed a 0% probability of rain until 11 AM.  We, therefore, began getting the motorhome ready to head south for the winter.  Wouldn’t you know it, just as soon as I got on the ladder to remove the Tailgater satellite dish, it began sprinkling.  Kay drove to Walmart to purchase insecticide granules for the ferocious ants in Texas, I continued readying the motorhome for travel, and the sprinkling became intermittent.  We pulled out of Maumelle COE Park at 7:40 AM, making our way through Little Rock traffic.  After a half hour on the road, it began lightly raining, and continued until we reached the Texas border—so much for the 0% forecast!  With a front coming in, we faced a headwind all day long, and we discovered the dash air conditioner did not work.  Fortunately, the motorhome generator powered the coach air conditioner and provided relief as we drove to overnight at Colorado Landing RV and Mobile Home Park in LaGrange, Texas.

Wednesday, we continued the drive south.  After the atmosphere heated to the mid-80s, we stopped for gasoline, and tried the generator with no success; thus, no coach air conditioner, either, for the rest of the way.  We began to see butterflies by the thousands as we neared Alice, Texas, and several hitched a ride on the front of the motorhome!  The day’s drive was relatively easy, but rough roads are everywhere, perhaps because of the substantial oil and gas industry which has ramped up the last few years.  Upon arrival at Bentsen Palm Village RV (BPVRV) Resort, the inside of the coach had heated to 90°.   We met the new managers, checked in, and set up for the winter; for us, a very deliberate process as this will be home for the next five months.  Finally, after a few hours, electricity, water softener and water, sewer, internet, and satellite were up and working.  We enjoyed pool time, cooling off in the 90° temperatures, and meeting several of this year’s work campers.  Cheddars was the dining choice of the evening, and it was packed with wait times to get in.  The food was very good.  This is the earliest we have arrived in the RGV, but it seems like more Winter Texans are here already compared to mid November and early December from years past.  And, the RGV area in general is growing in leaps and bounds—perhaps the fastest growing area in the US—but still quite friendly!  Oh well, we were glad to be “home” and breathed a long sign of relief from the hectic pace of the last several months.

Another appointment, and our last one, was scheduled for 9 AM at Pro Source in Maumelle on Monday.  Pro Source is the largest wholesaler for flooring in the US; they also handle granite, speciality sinks, tile, and paint.  The interior designer, Bill, has over 20 years experience, and was very good, particularly when working with Cris of Renaissance Homes. He solicited our tastes, and then arranged everything on the floor from which to pick and choose, pointing out pros and cons of each.  We were pretty easy customers—having done this 10 years ago—and this time the process was more organized, perhaps because of his expertise and vast experience.  We are still uncertain about the brick or brick/rock facade, but provided several alternatives to Cris.  So, unless there are some forgotten details, we have finished with our selections!   

We returned to a hot motorhome; temperatures have been unseasonably warm the last three days, with temps in the mid to high 80s.  Ridge and his parents came by about 6:30 PM for a final farewell, and he seemingly has grown an inch or two since his birthday a few days ago.  Our original plans were to leave today, then were changed to leave tomorrow, but now rain and thunderstorms forecast for tomorrow have caused us to delay departure yet another day.

Continuing our holiday-like approach—visit and run—in seeing the kids and grands before leaving for the winter, we were off early Sunday morning to Memphis to see Jenny, Brian, and Harper.  We traveled via Judsonia to drop off the Expedition for winter at my sister’s.  We met Jenny and family at the Memphis Zoo and enjoyed one of the USA’s top 5 zoos for a couple of hours before driving to their house for a continued visit and a late lunch.  After another couple of hours, Harper was ready for a nap, going ninety to nothing.  We had a wonderful visit, and drove the 2 1/2 hours back to Maumelle COE Park for much needed quiet time before a really hectic week.

There was nothing, absolutely nothing, on our calendar for today, Friday—definitely a change of pace from the last several weeks/months.  We drove to Karyn’s after lunch to wash clothes and download apps for the iPhones, iPad, and MacBook, staying for dinner, and enjoying lots of playtime with Ridge.

Again, for the second day in a row, we didn’t have anything on our schedule for Saturday.  We had a great leisurely morning, a walk around Maumelle COE Park, and a big breakfast before washing both the Expedition and Honda.  We will store the Expedition at my sister’s over the winter, and didn’t want to leave a dirty car for their use or for to come back to in the springs.  It was unseasonably warm, with highs in the mid-80s, necessitating the use of one of the air conditioners.  It draws over 15 amps, and when combined with phantom power uses, our consumption was a heavy 22 amps, meaning we couldn’t use any other major appliance without “popping” the breaker—such is life parked in a 30 amp site!

A bit refreshed after completing the move from Norfork and a good night’s sleep, we enjoyed a walk around Maumelle COE Park Monday morning.  With time on our hands, we shopped at Sam’s Club for a few food items, then drove to Kay’s daughter’s to wash clothes and download updates to the computer, iPads, and iPhones.  We met with Brandon Tedder, owner of Renaissance Homes and our builder, to finalize plans and the construction contract.  And then, it was back to Karyn’s for some play time with Ridge and a family dinner.  We were back at the motorhome by 8 PM, and in bed shortly thereafter.

We returned to the Renaissance Homes office Tuesday morning to execute the contract and make decisions about the new house, getting into such details as location of the return air, location of electrical and media outlets, location of outside water faucets, cabinets, built-ins, and a myriad of other details.  We spent all day, but picked out almost everything, including appliances.  Next Monday, before we leave for Texas, we’ll pick out tile, flooring, roof, and paint.  It helps tremendously to have done this before, and to have seen enough of their work to know what we like.  We would be remiss not to mention Cris, who works for Renaissance and assists with picking out everything.  She definitely has her act together, and is assertive enough, but not too much.  Cris made the process much less difficult and painful than it could have been.  And, we really like her tastes.

An early morning trip to Hot Springs Village was on the agenda for Wednesday.  Arriving at about 9 AM, we met the builder and surveyor at the lot to agree on the layout of the house on the lot, then drove to the bank to open a safety deposit box, then to the post office to effect a change of address to Texas for the winter, and then to the storage unit to straighten and tidy up the space for potential storage of new appliances and furniture.  By then, it was noon and we split a chef salad and rueben sandwich at Ponce de Leon Golf Club; it was fantastic!  Finally, it was back to Maumelle COE Park for a brief nap before heading off to dinner with son Ron and his significant other, Cheryl.  It reminds me of Christmas where we try to visit each of the kids in a short period of time, almost a race, but we’re getting too old for this hectic pace.

Up and at ‘em again Thursday morning.  We met with the mortgage banker at 9 AM just to say hello, and have a cup of coffee.  And then, it was off to Cajun Brothers Furniture Store in Conway, Arkansas, to begin looking at furniture for the new house.  Back in the greater Little Rock area, we drove through a Maumelle neighborhood to identify brick facades and roofing we liked.  On the way to Maumelle COE Park, we had a late lunch at a Greek restaurant, and the grilled lamb was excellent, as was Kay’s chicken gyro.  Finally, we returned to the campground, changed clothes, and walked about 4 miles; we’re tired!

Another busy morning awaited us today, Sunday.  Up early, we readied the motorhome for it’s final move south; we will spend a few days in central Arkansas contracting with a builder for a house in Hot Springs Village, and visiting grands and kids.  Dumping the tanks in darkness, we were on the road at first light, 7:15 AM.  Kay drove the Expedition and I drove the motorhome towing the Honda CR V loaded down with “toys”, i.e. bicycles and golf clubs.  We arrived at Maumelle COE Park on the Arkansas River at Little Rock, only to find a near full campground resulting from a rare U of A football game in Little Rock, the state fair, and gorgeous fall weather.   The campground was chaotic as many campers were leaving and others coming in; one idiot had blocked a oneway road with his truck and trailer, and his wife was directing traffic to drive on the grass!  We settled in a nice 30 amp site.  We drove to Maumelle to attend a party celebrating Ridge’s 3rd birthday—lots of sugar and kids on sugar!  We then drove to Trinity United Methodist Church for a concert by the Annie Moses Band—perhaps one of the best groups I’ve ever heard.  Comprised of 6 Julliard trained siblings, an award-winning father who played the piano, and an award-winning percussionist and an award-winning vocalist, the classically trained band played a variety of music.  Photos are from their website.  Awesome!  And what a way to start celebrate the first day of the rest of our lives.  

U+Haul trucks are basic to say the least—no powered accessories, a rough ride, and the front bounces all over the road—but they meet one’s needs for moving stuff.  I left Quarry COE Park Saturday morning at 7:30 AM driving the 20 foot U+Haul, and arrived in Hot Springs Village at 11:30 AM.  Kay left 30 minutes afterward, and arrived at 11:45 AM.  We removed loose stuff at the rear of the truck to facilitate unloading the boxes while waiting for the hired helpers to show up; they never did!  Consequently, Kay and I unloaded the entire truck ourselves, and got almost everything in the climate-controlled storage room except for a few outside tools which we placed in the outside storage room.  After unloading, we drove to Walmart to fill up with gasoline, then to the U+Haul return facility, and then back to Quarry COE Park, arriving at 7:45 PM—a long, hard day for us!  Tomorrow, we leave Baxter County for good, perhaps returning to visit friends, dentist, and doctors next spring.

Today, Friday, we said good-bye to my/our dream house in the woods, Dunnhill, in Norfork, Arkansas.  I spent almost 2 years designing it before deploying to Iraq in 2003.  And then, upon return, a fabulous builder, Dennis Charbonneau (recently deceased via a motorcycle accident), constructed it over a 10-month period.  We moved in on May 13, 2004, on a rain day.  With almost 5,000 square feet under roof, ceilings as high as 19 1/2 feet, and located in the woods, we loved living in it—we couldn’t see the street from the house because of all the trees; just yesterday as we were readying for the move, almost a dozen deer and 16 turkeys visited the feeders.  We spent many hours watching deer, turkeys, butterflies, hummingbirds, pileated woodpeckers, goldfinches, tufted titmice, chickadees, and other birds, a fox, a bobcat, armadillos, coons, squirrels, chipmunks, and other wild creatures while sitting in the house, or on the patio, or on the front, tree-top high deck.  And watching the deer and squirrels during recovery from cancer surgery in December 2010 and January 2011 was comforting.  We experienced a lot of sadness and many joys while living in the house.  Kay’s mother and my father and brother passed away, and I suffered through cancer and a mild heart attack.  But, on the joyous side, both daughters married, the son engaged, the older grandson off to college, two grandkids born, and another on the way—many memories for 10 years and 5 months.  Throughout the entire time, God richly blessed and protected us.  We said good-bye without any tears, and now, it is time for a new beginning!

First thing Wednesday morning, we drove to the dentist in Calico Rock for semi-annual cleaning.  Upon our return, we packed the Keurig and some misc items, finished packing the motorhome, and moved it to Quarry COE Campground; it’s the first time it’s been driven since late March!  Back at the house, we pre-positioned bulky items to the front porch to facilitate the move, and returned to Quarry COE Campground for the first night of living in the motorhome—for at least the next 6 months.  We were exhausted after the day’s activities and were in bed by 8:30 PM.

We both awoke at 4:00 AM Thursday morning, had coffee, and read email, etc. on our iPhones as the iPads were left at the house.  We returned to the house about 6:00 AM to do some last minute taping of boxes, and then drove to pick up the U+Haul truck in Mountain Home.  After looking at the choices, we opted for a 20-foot truck in lieu of the 26-foot model.  Two Norwood Moving Company workers reported to the house, and quickly loaded our meager belongings!  We spent the rest of the morning cleaning the shop/hobby room and lower garage, the refrigerators and freezer, disconnecting and packing the DirecTV hardware (good riddance), and disconnecting the Centurytel modem/router (great riddance).  We took advantage of a last shower in a BIG shower, washed and dried a couple loads of clothes, and drove to Quarry COE Campground for a quiet evening.  LouAnn, our sweet housekeeper, gave us a gift certificate to Colton’s which we used for dinner.  She will be greatly missed.  I was in bed shortly after 8:00 PM.

Don’t be fooled by the title; it refers to losing the blog entries for these three days, and having to reset the computer’s operating system back to square one—that’s what happens when one uses a beta version of a new operating system!

We continued saying goodbyes Sunday morning at the Crossroads Band warm-up, church, Sunday school, and lunch.  We have really enjoyed our time at First United Methodist Church in Mountain Home, and particularly enjoyed the Crossroads Band and the Sunday school class.  Dr. Paul Wilbur, our Sunday school teacher, is undoubted one of, if not, the best “teachers” I’ve ever had!  We had lunch with Al and Gaye at Chen’s and getting to know them has been one of the highlights of living in the area.  After a walk-thru of the house, we discovered that a lot of “little” things needed to be thrown away or packed, so packing continued packing into the evening.  No hummingbirds were observed today.

Happy birthday, Jenny.  One of my greatest blessings was your birth 34 years ago today.  Monday provided an opportunity for a last lunch with Wayne and Harold, two neighbors.  The three of us began celebrating our respective birthdays with a single lunch once a year several years ago, and while Wayne and I visit frequently, it gives us a chance to visit with Harold this one time a year.  Harold mentioned that Wayne is now the “old” man in the neighborhood while Harold is a close second—time flies!  We are nearing completion of packing personal things as a few more boxes were packed today.  In order to get a head start on all the things we need to do this week, I took down the real estate sign at the front of the property so that Kay could return it to her office later in the week.  We phoned Chuck and Sue Mercer, Canadian friends living in Alberta, to find them doing well, and signed up for curling, a popular Canadian sport, for November and December.  A number of hummingbirds were observed feeding today.

We were up early Tuesday morning and off to Walmart for packing paper and tape.  The light mist continued well into the morning as we loaded the power washer and canoe.  Loading the canoe proved challenging as the Expedition is high, and the canoe is long, heavy, and unwieldy.  Nevertheless, we finally got it on top and tied down.  The house received its final cleaning today; we were fortunate to find LouAnn as she does a superb job.  Kay and I delivered the canoe and power washer to my sister’s for winter storage, and it was a stressful drive as we had to stop and retie 3 times because of the 20 to 30 miles per hour crosswinds the entire drive.  Despite the hard drive, the brief visit with family was good.  We talked to Al and Sharon, friends from Ontario, tonight and are delighted that they will arrive in the RGV shortly after we arrive.  We enjoy playing bridge with them, and Al and I play golf together.