Category Archives: RVing

Water Water Where are You?

In May we were running from the high water in Louisiana and now in Texas they are praying for any amount of water.

We have all heard about the drought in Texas.  Laurie’s sister lives outside of Austin and whenever we talk with her, the drought is a prime topic.  So yes, we knew about the drought, yet to see it first hand is totally different.  Today we passed fields of crops that were totally brown and others that were struggling to survive.  Crossing bridges we saw little to no water where rivers and lakes should be.  We don’t know how much water Texas needs to get back to normal levels yet it has to be a large amount.

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The Baron and Stephen F. Austin

Felipe Enrique Neri, Baron de Bastrop, a prominent Dutch nobleman, was one of Stephen F. Austin’s primary negotiators with the government of Mexico for the original Angelo American colony.  Because of this Mina was renamed Bastrop in the Baron’s honor.  The only problem was the Baron was a fraud.  He was born in Dutch Guiana to ordinary Dutch parents.  None the less, the name remained and Bastrop is a thriving community with
more than 130 historic structures listed on the National register of Historic Places.  Bastrop is also home to The Bastrop Advertiser, the oldest weekly newspaper in Texas which has been in operation since 1853. Continue reading

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Another Town, Another Engine

Another town, another engine.

Like many areas we have visited, Livingston, TX’s economy was largely influenced by timber.  The W. T. Carter & Bro. Engine #5 is a coal burning steam engine which signifies the importance of the timber industry established in Polk County over 150 years ago and continues to be of importance today.  The engine was built in 1911 by Philadelphia’s Baldwin Locomotive Works and was in operation until 1952.

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No Place to Run

There is no place to run; the heat is everywhere!

Leaving Lake Charles, LA we headed to Livingston, TX to check out Escapees National Headquarters and Rainbow’s End RV ParkEscapees is an organization catering to Full Time RVers offering mail forwarding services, RV insurance services,  financial planning  services, Escapees Care Center, easy access to Texas auto registration and licensing, etc.

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Most Excellent RV Adventure

As we start our “Most Excellent RV Adventure” we are not sure how long it will last or where it will take us, but here we go.  Join us on our first leg of the adventure dubbed “Operation First Run” for no other reason than we needed a name and it is our first leg.  Our longest trip to date has been two weeks, not long by RVing standards.

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Boom Goes the Heater!

“I smell gas.”

“No, it’s just the heater you smell.”

“No, I smell gas!”  BOOM!

The explosion rocked the campsite and sounded
like a huge firecracker going off under the tent.  The problem was, the explosion was at the entrance to the tent so people were fighting their way through the tent sides
to escape.  After the explosion, fire enveloped the cutoff valve and regulator so we could not turn the gas off on the propane cylinder.

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Charlie’s Restaurant – Springfield, LA

Going to Springfield, LA on business; not very exciting.

Springfield, LA, typical small Louisiana town.  Once while camping at Tickfaw State Park (see prior post) and looking for decent bread (forget the grocery store) we ended up at the  Subway in town and bought a couple foot long loaves… no, just the bread!  I guess that could be a travel tip.

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Red Stick Farmers Market Patriotism

The July 2nd Red Stick Farmers Market began this morning with the National Anthem  played by a single trumpeter, John Gray.  He began at one end of the market and walked slowly playing the National Anthem to the other end of the market.  Everyone was in awe!

What a way to begin the July 4th Weekend.

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Red Stick Farmers Market

The alarm sounds @ 5:30 am!  I smell coffee and that helps a little.  A cup of coffee later consciousness begins and I realize it’s time for a shower.  By 7:30 we’re pulling out of the driveway heading for a farmers market — today is Saturday!

No matter where we are, we look for a Farmers Market to shop.  Most frequently we are in the Baton Rouge, LA area and the Red Stick Farmers Market is our shopping experience.  Our purchases from a typical farmers market makes up the majority of our weekly groceries.

Grab your basket and let’s go shopping!

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Let’s Zydeco

HOT!

It’s summer, it’s New Orleans, it’s HOT!

Hot describes the last few weeks in south Louisiana.  Okay so it is nothing out of the ordinary, it is still HOT!  Some people may believe Southerns stay in the air conditioning and sip mint juleps – not so.  We go out in the heat, dance, eat and enjoy festivals.  The weekend of June 11th was the Vieux To Do Festival in New Orleans.  Vieux To Do is three festivals in one – Cajun/Zydeco Music, Creole Tomato, and Seafood.

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