BUSY, BUSY, BUSY

As the weather finally started to improve we are coming out of hibernation and starting to get something accomplished.  

 

Dan did the big job of cutting out a bunch of old dead trees and raking the entire yard.  

We managed to find some of my perennials that were planted last year, as they are now poking their heads up.  But I was disappointed to find how many of the shrubs have been nibbled back by the deer. 

Dan has moved on to working on the boat.  He is scraping and painting the hull, while I am concentrating on sanding and painting the old lawn furniture stuff that was left behind by the previous owners.   

This one is going to have a pastel colour on it.  All the different pieces around the campfire are going to be painted with many different pastel colours.  

WE ARE KEEPING BUSY WAITING FOR THE ICE TO GO OFF THE LAKE SO WE CAN LAUNCH.  

SETTLING IN AT HOME

Well, we have been home for a week now. I'm slowly unpacking and starting to remember where I keep everything when I am living here.  .... LOL

This is the bane of my existance, living in three places each year.  This house, with all it's KAOS, (and no real kitchen yet) during the spring and fall. 

The boat, where we live during most of the summer. 

And the trailer in Texas during the winter months. 

When I arrive in each place I sometimes stand there, in the kitchen when I'm unpacking, and say, "Ok, where do I keep the spices, when I live here?" 

SOMETIMES, YOU HAVE TO SHRUG AND ROLL WITH IT, WHEN YOU GET OLDER.  LOL  

A TRIP TO THE HANGAR

Today we made a quick trip to the hangar where our boat is stored.

We had bottom paint that we purchased in Texas, that we wanted to deliver to the boat.  

We weave our way through all the boats stored in the hangar.

 

To find the "Thunderbird".  

Welcome aboard for another year.  

WINTER IS OVER, TIME TO MAKE SUMMER PLANS

 

 

HOME SAFE AND SOUND!

Arrived home April 17th.  After running an errand for my daughter in Grand Forks we crossed the border at about 11:00.  

Arrived home approximately 2:30.  

Not too much snow around just in the shady spots.  

 Sea-Enna wants to sniff everything.  She is so happy to be home.  

She  is so glad she doesn't have to spend another day in that truck.  

So we have turned the heat on and our friends Gord and Ellie have taken us in for the night and today Dan is working on getting the water running and we should be back in operation in no time.  

IT'S GOOD TO BE HOME.  

ST. JOSEPH, MISSOURI TO GRAND FORKS, NORTH DAKOTA

We put another long day in heading north on I 29.  We travelled north through Missouri with my fears of more snow being realized. 

Through Iowa and on to South Dakota.  

By the time we got to South Dakota, your would have thought it was December or January there was so much of that @#$%&(!  white stuff. 

I was really starting to wonder what we would be in for by the time we got another 600 miles north to our beach house. 

This is the latest we have ever come back from Texas and here we are up to our arses in @#$%&)! snow. 

I wanted to turn around and head back to Texas for a few more weeks. 

Hell! , we don't want to have to dig our way into our place.  But then we crossed the boarder between South and North Dakota and things looked very much improved. 

There was still the odd bit of snow here and there but nothing serious. 

I guess the last couple of bad snow storms moved through south of here, for a change.  So now I m looking forward to getting home.  If there is a little snow, it will soon melt.  It will still be cold, being so close to that big frozen lake.  But, that IS what we bought into.  

I'LL BE GLAD TO BE HOME   

NEXT STOP OUR WINNIPEG BEACH, BEACH HOUSE

DENTON, TEXAS TO ST. JOSEPH, MISSOURI

Well, we put in another 8 hours driving today.  We started out in Bright sunshine all the way through Oklahoma this morning, but as we entered Kansas the clouds and winds moved in.   

It was overcast and really quite cold all day as we traversed the Flint Hills of Kansas. 

We are now settled in, in St. Joseph, Missouri and it is trying to snow a little bit, and there is definitely a dusting of snow on the ground.  Obviously a shadow of things to come as we continue north on I 29 for the rest of our journey.  

NEXT STOP GRAND FORKS, NORTH DAKOTA  

MCALLEN TO DENTON TX

It was a fairly good trip except for a couple of snags, that were DAMNED annoying. 

We were up and ready to leave by 7:30.  Everything packed, check.  Water line disconnected,check.  Slides put in, check.  Power disconnected, check.  Let's roll.  
Then, over an hour in line at Spectrum Grrrr....  We arrived at 7:45 to drop off our equipment and close our account and the line was all the way around to the back of the building.  (They have a big "sign up " sale on, because all the Winter Texans are leaving and they need more new customers, I guess...)  We finally departed there at 9:05 Grrrr...... 

OK put that in the past, "Sooo, we will be a little late.  It's a good thing we made a reservation, in Denton."

Then cruising along on the 410 loop in San Antonio and trying to make up some time we come to a grinding halt.  We are suddenly merging down to two lanes of bumper to bumper traffic for over an hour and a half to go about maybe 2 or 3 miles, as they squeeze 6 lanes of traffic down to two lanes as they move us all off of a 6 lane freeway, on to the two lane service road then back onto the freeway.  And, as we pass the maintenance crew, we see that this is all happening so a few guys with a crane truck can fix a huge overhead electrical sign between two off/on ramps.   (Not in the middle of the night when traffic is at a minimium, NOOOO! , but on a Saturday afternoon.)   When I am trying to go home. Grrrrr...... LOL  

Other than that it was an uneventful 500 odd mile trip from the Tip of Texas to the Top of Texas.  The Texas Blue Bonnets were in full bloom and beautiful to see.  

But to me this is the worst part of our spring and fall journey North and South.  There is no worse nightmare than traversing the traffic and constant construction that has been going on between San Antonio Texas and Denton Texas for the last 10 years that we have been making this trip.  

So, we are here safe and sound at the north end of Texas, after a 12 hour day on the road. 

WE SURVIVED IT FOR ANOTHER YEAR.  

It's a good thing that Paradise Park Inc., in McAllen makes this all worth while.