Galveston to Nacogdoches, TX

Thursday - December 14 - Today was "get clean" day.  In the morning we went to the laundromat to get Mom and Dad's clothes clean.  Then in the afternoon, I went to the spa (groomer).   I had a Bath, Haircut, Manicure, Pedicure, the full deal.   While I was at the Spa, Mom and Dad went to the Human Groomer and got haircuts.  We are now all ready for the Holidays.

It was a beautiful evening, so Dad made us a fire.  Doesn't my hair look great!

Friday - December 15 - Today we went to visit Dad's cousin Becky and her husband Gene.  They have a vacation home in Galveston.  The humans went out for lunch at The Mosquito Cafe.  Mom and Dad really enjoyed it and recommend it for anyone visiting Galveston.  After lunch, they came back to Becky and Gene's and I got to play with their fur kids Bandit and Jinky.  They have a nice yard and it was fun. 

Saturday - December 16 - Today we went to Pier 21 where the Elissa is docked.   Dad's cousin Teresa, Teresa's husband Devon and Gene all volunteer as crew on the Elissa.  They were doing training and maintenance and it was fun to see where they like to spend their time.  The Elissa is a three-masted, iron-hulled sailing ship built in 1877.  That's prehistoric in dog years. 

Being part of the crew, sometimes they need to go up to work on the sails.  Looks really scary to me!

 

After lunch with Becky and Gene, we took Becky out to the campground so she could see our "vacation home".  After Becky's visit, we decided to go for a drive on the Bolivar Peninsula.  To get from Galveston to Bolivar you need to take a Ferry.  

The trip over was pretty smooth, but on the way back, I thought we were going to broad side a cruise ship leaving port.  Fortunately, they got out of the way and we were able to get safely back to the dock.

We saw pretty Christmas lights all over the island, but the ones in front of the Galvez Hotel were particularly nice.  

Tonight Mom and Dad planned to meet Teresa, Devon, Becky, and Gene for dinner.  When they got to the restaurant, they had two nice surprises.  First, there was a Christmas Parade.  Teresa said that she arranged it in Mom and Dad's honor.  The other surprise was even nicer.  Teresa and Devin's son Dustin, Dustin's wife Stacey, and their two month old son were there.   Mom and Dad were pretty excited to meet baby Ethan.

Sunday - December 17 - Today we left Galveston and drove through the Piney Woods of East Texas to Nacogdoches.  After settling into our campground, we drove into town to look around.  Dad and Mom found out that Nacogdoches is the oldest town in Texas.  That's way old

Monday - December 18 - We went back into Nacogdoches.  Mom and Dad went to the visitor center and then took a walk around downtown.  They saw the Fredonia Hotel that was built in 1955 and recently remodeled to it's original mid-century modern glory.  They said it was really cool inside.  It was like stepping back in time, but everything was nice and fresh.

In the afternoon we went to Lufkin.  Mom and Dad went to the Texas Forestry Museum and then looked around downtown Lufkin.  On the way back to the motor home we went to the Arboretum at Stephen F. Austin State University in Nacogdoches.  The Arboretum mainly features the Pines of East Texas, but the understory is filled with Japanese Maples, Azaleas, Rhododendrons, Camellias, and other woodland plants.  The Japanese Maples still had some nice fall color and the Camellias are starting to bloom.  We even saw some interesting "art". 

  

San Antonio to Galveston

Friday, December 8 -  Today is a very special day - my 11th Birthday.   It was also a special day since we woke up to snow!!  The last time they had this much snow in San Antonio was either 1984 or 1985, depending on who you ask.  Anyway, it was a really long time ago!!

This is a photo that Dad took last night before we went to bed.

Luckily, the snow melted pretty fast so we decided to drive to Boerne, a town about 15 miles from San Antonio that has several cute little shops downtown.  Mom likes to look at this kind of stuff.  I took a nap in the Jeep.

Mom and Dad weren't gone too long.  When they got back, they decided to try a local brewery.  It was a nice afternoon and their were patio heaters, so they decided to sit out on the patio where I could join them.  Dad ordered ice for me, which is one of my favorites.  They brought me a whole paper bowl full.  I ate the ice and then started to eat the bowl.  Dad told me I wasn't supposed to eat the bowl.  Who knew?!?!?

Friday evening Mom and Dad met Dad's cousin Janice, Janice's husband Robert, and their daughter Jen for dinner at Mamacita's.  They said that they had a great Mexican dinner and enjoyed catching up with the family's activities.

Saturday, December 9 - Dad's cousin Paul came by to visit with us.  It was good to visit with him again.

In the evening Mom and Dad drove downtown to the River Walk and had dinner at Casa Rio.  Casa Rio is one of the first restaurants on the San Antonio River and Dad remembers going there when he was a boy.  Mom said it was a beautiful evening and there were LOTS of people on the River Walk.  They had to wait an hour for a table, but there was a live, outdoor Christmas concert near the restaurant, so they got to enjoy that while they waited.

Here is a photo of the River and some of the lights in the trees.

Sunday, December 10 - Today was a biggest travel day in a couple of weeks.  We drove from San Antonio to Houston, about 200 miles.  In Houston, we got to see Dad's cousin Amy and Amy's husband Johnston.  We parked in the Rec Center parking lot for Amy and Johnston's neighborhood.  It was nice to be so close.  In the evening, the humans went out to dinner.  They had a good time and lots of good laughs.  I forgot to take a photo of Amy and Johnston, but you can check back to the Thanksgiving photos.  We saw them in Ft Worth and they are in pictures there.  Two visits in a month is fantastic!

Monday, December 11 - Today we moved the motor home to Galveston.  We will be here at Galveston State Park for a total of six nights.   We have a great spot looking toward the bay.  We enjoyed spending the afternoon watching the birds in the salt marsh around us.  There are lots of different kinds of birds.  I don't know all their names, but they are fun to look at.

We saw this sign on the way to our camp site.  It has me a little worried.  Hopefully Alligators don't like Poodles.

Tuesday, December 12 - Today we drove the Jeep to Lake Jackson, Texas.  Mom and Dad had lunch with Dad's Aunt Harriet, Aunt Harriet's daughter Kathleen, and Kathleen's husband Erle.   Then they went to Kathleen's house to continue to visit.  I forgot to take pictures again today, but Mom and Dad told me about all the fun they had catching up with Aunt Harriet, Kathleen, and Erle.

Wednesday, December 13 - Today we drove to Kemah which is a little town on Galveston Bay.  Mom and Dad used to live north of Houston and would sometimes come to Kemah.   They said it has changed a lot and they didn't recognize much. 

They had lunch at Gilhooly's in San Leon.  This restaurant was featured on the Travel Chanel by Andrew Zimmerman.  The signature dish is Oysters Gilhooly.  Mom and Dad say they are awesome.  You can Google for the recipe.

Bluffton to Fredericksburg

Sunday, December 3 - It was a pretty quick travel day, since we only moved about 50 miles down the road to Fredericksburg, Texas.  There, we met up with our camping club friends Robin, Jerry, John, and Florence.  When we arrived, it was sunny and 80 degrees.  The humans decided to have Happy Hour outside and catch up on each other’s travels.

Monday, December 4 - The gang headed east to the LBJ Ranch to learn about the 36^th President of the United States.

   Jerry risked life and limb to entice the longhorns for a photo op.

That eventually led to some nice shots.

The gang toured the livestock barn to see descendants of LBJ’s cattle.

Robyn couldn’t resist stepping to the podium to explain the direction our nation must follow.  LBJ looks pleased with her message.

The group enjoyed touring LBJ’s home, including seeing this tree that became known as the “Cabinet Oak” since many cabinet meetings were held beneath it.

After a great day at the ranch, the group adjourned to The Fredericksburg Brewery for “linner”, a combo of Lunch and Dinner.  On the way home they enjoyed the Christmas Lights in Fredericksburg’s Market Square and then retired to the Campground for a fire and discussion of the day.

Tuesday, December 5 -  Today the gang headed into town for shopping along Main Street.  Later, they went to Luckenbach.

The girls did a little jam session.

They also had time to listen to the pro’s jam.  After Luckenbach, they went into Johnson City and had “linner” at the Pecan Street Brewery.  This gave them front row seats for lights on the square.  This is the court house.

And lights next to the local electrical Co-op office.

Wednesday, December 6 - Today we woke to rain and cooler temperatures (30’s).  Part of the group went into town for a visit to The Museum of the Pacific War while part of the group stayed at the campground to catch up on various things.  Later, they gathered at hour house for Happy Hour, snacks, and a review of the day.  A fun time was had by all.

Thursday, December 7 - After hugs and good-byes, they all agreed that it was great “to have this time together and to share a laugh or two”.  Robin, Jerry, Florence, and John continued on their way east for their Christmas holidays and we turned the motor home toward San Antonio.  

Fort Worth to Bluffton, Texas

We've been pretty busy doing things, so I've gotten a little behind posting my reports.  I'll try to get caught up!!

Wednesday, November 29 - Today we left Fort Worth and drove to Bluffton.  Bluffton is a little town in central Texas near Lake Buchanan.  Dad's Aunt Lucy and Dad's Cousin Nancy live near each other on Lake Buchanan.  We have a great place to park between the Bluffton Store and the Bluffton Post Office.  We get to park here because Nancy owns the Bluffton Store.

After we got set up and settled in, we went over to Nancy's and we all took a walk by the lake, including Nancy's daughters, Darby and Chuy.  Darby and Chuy have four paws like me.  We've visited them before, but it was fun to catch up.

Thursday, November 30 - Mom and Dad had a catch up day.  Mom had some work to do for a client and Dad washed the bay doors on the motor home to get the grime off from the snow in Wyoming.  They probably did other stuff, but I took a nap, so I'm not sure what they were up to.  When I woke up, the motor home was clean and tidy and Mom's work was done.

Later, we went for another walk by the lake and then the humans all went to Llano for dinner at a Mexican restaurant and to see Llano's Christmas Light Display.  It was pretty awesome.  Here are some photos.

The elves may look familiar to some of you...

Friday, December 1 -  Today Nancy took us for a drive around the ranch.  This isn't your typical drive in the country.  It involves a 4X4 truck.  It was cool.  We went up to the Million Dollar view.

It's a great view, but it involves a hike for the last part.  The best part, I found a real Deer antler.  I'll remember this day forever!!! (or at least until I finish eating the Deer antler)

When we got back from the ranch, we took our daily walk with Darby and Chuy.  Then, the humans had pizza from the Bluffton Store and played Dominoes at Nancy's 

Saturday, December 2 - Mom and Dad went into Marble Falls today.  It's a nice little town near Bluffton.  A pretty drive through the Hill Country, nice shops, and a brew pub for lunch.  Dad wanted to buy a set of longhorns to put on the front of the motor home.  Fortunately, all we brought home was this photo. 

When they came back, they had a nice visit with Aunt Lucy at her house.  Then we went to Nancy's for another walk by the lake.  I could get used to this!! 

Sunday, December 3 - All too soon, it's time for us to move on.  Before we left, we got this photo of the Bluffton store.

We also got this good-bye photo Marie, Nancy, Marie, Chuy, and Darby.  Sorry that you are seeing the back of my head.  I didn't want to take my eyes off of Chuy and Darby.

Our next stop is Fredericksburg, Texas.  I'll write soon to tell you about that!

Dumas, Texas to Ft Worth, Texas

Tuesday, November 21 - Today was another day of driving. Dad had to hold the wheel at 45 degrees to drive straight.  It was kind of exciting though since we had a strong side wind most of the day.  The wind was blowing so hard that the windmills on the wind farms were turned off.  Dad said too high a wind can damage them, so they turn them off. 

Mom and Dad said that the wind made driving hard.  The rocking just put me to sleep. 

We decided to stop for the night at the Elks Lodge in Wichita Falls.

Wednesday, November 23 - Today was a short drive from Wichita Falls into Fort Worth.  Actually, we stay at the Cowtown RV Park in Aledo, which is just west of Fort Worth.  It's nice that it is close to Aunt Mary, Uncle Don, and cousin Scout's house and a short drive to Granddaddy's.  The RV park has a fenced dog area that smells wonderful.  I love to go check it out as often as I can.

After we got settled in, we went to visit Granddaddy.  We haven't seen him since he came to our house in August.  I was glad to see that he was doing well.  His neighbors are really nice.  Everyone loves to pet me when I'm there.  I like that.

In the evening Mom and Dad went out to dinner with Chris and Amanda.  They all smelled good when they came out of the restaurant. 

Thursday, November 24 - Today we went to Aunt Mary and Uncle Don's house.  Aunt Mary is Dad's sister and she is at the end of the table in the picture below.  I got to go see Cousin Scout.  He's adopted, too and his birth parents are Poodle, just like me.  We always have fun together.  The humans had lots to eat.  This is them waiting for their food bowls to be filled.

Their food looked really good.  This is Dad carving the turkey.

Uncle Don cooked the turkey and took all the pictures, so we don't have a picture of him.

Friday, November 24 to Tuesday, November 28 - The days are just a blur of listening to the humans talk and watching them eat.  I got more visits with cousin Scout, saw cousin Oliver, and met my new cousin Reggie.  This is Oliver and Reggie with their parents, Chris and Amanda.

One day, we took Granddaddy to the Botanic Gardens.  This is the rose garden.

I'm in this one.  See me near the fountain, on the right.  Dad and Granddaddy are there, too.  The rose garden is huge!

Dad took some nice pictures of Granddaddy with this tree.

That pretty well sums up the week in Ft Worth.  I'll write soon, about the next part of our trip.

  

Denver, Colorado to Dumas, Texas

Saturday, November 18 - After a nice night at the Elks Lodge in Northglenn (northern suburb of Denver), Mom and Dad checked out the craft fair in the lodge.  Then, we all hopped in the Jeep to check out Downtown Denver.  We took a quick drive through the RiNo (RIver NOrth) district, which is an up and coming arts district.  Not much was happening on Saturday morning.  Seems that the galleries don't open until noon. 

After a drive through downtown, we went to the Denver Museum of  Nature and Science.  I wasn't allowed to go inside, so I made myself comfortable in the parking garage and took a nap for a couple of hours.  When Mom and Dad came back, they said that we must come here again.  They didn't fully see the special exhibits on the 3rd floor and didn't see any of the 1st or 2nd floor.  They saw lots of dinosaur stuff and Mom brought these photos back for me.

I've never tasted a dinosaur, but they look a little dry.  I prefer my bones juicy.  

When we left the museum, we went back to the Elks Lodge to get the motor home and then headed to Peyton, Colorado.  The main thing we are seeing in Peyton is Dad's cousin Allen and Allen's wife Abby.  They have an acreage north of Peyton and they have 6 cats, 5 dogs, 5 horses, and a guinea pig.  It was a great place, but I was so overwhelmed that I wasn't sure what to do.

Mom and Dad said that Abby made a wonderful Roast Beef dinner for them.  I had kibble.

Sunday, November 19 - Today we got up and got to watch Abby give riding lessons.  She works with students that have physical challenges and also kids who are bullied in school.  The horses are very accepting and the kids build self-confidence.   Here are some photos of Allen and Abby with Abby's students.

After lessons, the humans went into Colorado Springs, took a drive around The Garden of the Gods, and had dinner.  Then they came home and fed the horses and spent the evening continuing to catch up.  

This is Allen and Abby's daughter Katie.  She's sweet and a gorgeous blonde.  I think I'm in love 💕💖💋💘💓💋💘

Monday, November 20 - After a nice chat with Abby, we were on the road again.  She sent a care package with us.  There is an assortment of cookies for Mom and Dad and jerky treats for me!!  Abby is the best!

The rest of the day was mostly driving.  Tonight we are at Texhoma Park, in Dumas, TX.  It's a nice city park with 20 electric connections in pull through sites with 30 and 50 amp service.  There is water and a dump station in the park.  It's free (donations welcome) and limited to stays up to 24 hours.  Perfect for us for tonight.  We only have one neighbor.  I got to run off leash and it was great.  This is our campsite.  I think I love these small west Texas towns with free RV parking in city parks.

Pendleton, Oregon to Denver, Colorado

Wednesday, November 15 - We left Pendleton this morning to sunshine and clear skies.  I got a rest stop and this was our view.  Nice to have snow on the mountains to look at, but not on the road.

Today was a day of driving.  I don't remember much of it.  I had a nice nap.  We made a few stops for Mom and Dad to swap driving, but other than that, not much happened until we got to Boise.  We stopped near the freeway, unhitched the Jeep, and drove into downtown.  We saw the Idaho state capital and Mom and Dad looked around at an art gallery.  We went over to the river trail to take a walk, but it started to rain as we got there, so we decided to go back to the motor home and continue on the way.  

We spent the night at the Elks Lodge in Mountain Home, Idaho.  Mom and Dad said that people in the lodge were friendly and we had electricity, water, and a dump station.  Great stop!

Thursday, November 16 - The Elks Lodge in Mountain Home only had one drawback.  It was really close to a railroad track and trains went by regularly, ALL night long.  I was a nervous wreck by morning.  I don't like loud, strange sounds.  As a result, I slept most of the day.  I remember some rain, some sunshine, and Mom and Dad changing drivers.  I also remember a welcome to Utah sign and later a welcome to Wyoming sign.  We spent the night at Wal-Mart in Rock Springs, WY.  It was a nice place with a big grassy area for me.

Friday, November 17 -  We woke up this morning to snow.  It was white everywhere and lots of big wet, gloppy flakes of snow were coming down.  Mom and Dad spent time looking at the weather and road conditions.  They found that I-80 was closed behind us.  The forecast for the day wasn't very good where we were going.  The roads still looked passable up ahead, but were supposed to get worse.  They decided to hit the road.  They started getting ready to leave and put the slides in.  At least they tried and one of them got jammed with the wet snow.  Dad tried to clear it from the ground, but that didn't work.  He needed to go up on the roof and reached over the side.  Fortunately, he didn't slide off the roof!!!

We finally got on the road.  This is a photo taken just outside of Rock Springs.

This is I-80.  There are two lanes in each direction.  You just can't see the other one.  After awhile it got better.  Then it got worse.  Then it got better.  We just kept going and fortunately, we eventually drove out of it, after about 200 miles.  Yikes, what a trip!

Dad made a bold fashion statement today driving.  His sunglasses were in the Jeep, so he wore a pair of Mom's.  It may be hard to see, but they are red and have rhinestones.  I think he was stunning with his orange stocking cap!  That's why I took this picture of him.

Tonight we are in Denver.  It's raining, but it's also warmer, so hopefully tomorrow will be an easier day.