Finally, a morning without clouds or mist. Today dawned bright and sunny--what a welcomed change for our walk. A strong cool front blew through last night bringing more pleasant temperatures--our high this afternoon was in the upper 70's.

After our walk and breakfast, John headed off to wood carvers. I spent the morning doing laundry and putting fresh sheets on the bed. I also made a jello salad to take to the woodcarvers BBQ. This is an event Wallace and Becky put on each spring. This year they provided brisket, sausage, relish tray, drinks, plates, and utensils. All the carvers brought a covered dish or dessert to share. Needless to say, we had one awesome meal. I think Becky said we had 48 people there this afternoon--just about every carver attended. Once the meal was over, everyone pitched in and helped with the cleanup. It wasn't long before the Wright's patio was back in tip top shape. A few folks hung around afterward and visited before heading home.

Jim, Lloyd, and Ginny - our golfing buddies

Lois and her great grandson who is visiting

Stan stopped over this afternoon to deliver a copy of the Kinney County Post. He saw the doctor today and had some x-rays, but didn't get an MRI. The doctor said he didn't break or chip any bones with his fall, but may have torn his rotator cuff. The MRI is scheduled for next Monday. Stan needed some help, so John went with him to deliver the papers in Brackettville.

When John got home, we went to pick up Tim and headed over to the RV park. One of Lloyd's neighbors in the park is a DEA agent and agreed to give a little talk about the DEA and tell us some of his experiences. Art had also asked a fellow agent to also share about his job. They both gave a very interesting talk and answered many questions. We ended our day watching a little TV before heading off to bed. It'll be another busy day again tomorrow.

I have to say that the morning weather is very consistent--cloudy, misty, with warm temps. This morning we also had a very brief rain shower while walking. The good news is that the sky cleared off by mid-morning and we had highs today in the low 90's. Suppose to be about 10 degrees cooler tomorrow.

John and I were on a very tight schedule this morning. After eating breakfast, we got cleaned up and headed off to Sunday School and church. As soon as the service was over, we rushed right home, changed clothes, and went over to the condos to pick up Mary Ellen and Tim. We needed to be in Del Rio by 1 p.m. for the Del Rio Winter Texan Dinner. We arrived at the convention center right on time. There was a good representation from Fort Clark and all seemed to enjoy the spaghetti dinner and musical entertainment by The Border Line Singers. After a few door prizes were given out, everyone loaded into their cars and headed off to various destinations. We headed off to Home Depot.

John needed one more item for the gutter job he wants to do on Tuesday, and Tim wanted to look at a sander. It took just a few minutes for the guys to find what they wanted and then we were off to fill up the car ($3.25 per gallon - ouch!!) and hit the road back to the fort.

While we were at the dinner, Sam Lark called John and left a message, so after we dropped the Miners' off, we stopped in to see Sam. He wanted some help taking a large mirror down and putting it in the back of his car. John had to come home to get the right type of screw driver to remove the mirror, so I came back with him. After the mirror was taken care of, John stopped in to see how Stan was doing. He's still in a lot of pain and will be heading off to the doctor tomorrow. While John was gone, I cleaned up the kitchen and made a loaf of bread since finished up the last loaf at breakfast.

We ended our evening watching the Amazing Race and a few other favorite Sunday night shows. Tomorrow promises to be another full day.

After such a busy day yesterday, we slept in a little later this morning before dragging ourselves out of bed for our walk. It looked to be a rather quiet day for the Lavin household as nothing was on the activity schedule.

John made a trip to the post office after breakfast. There he ran into Lloyd and Ginny Johns and made a date to play golf this afternoon. So much for nothing on the activity schedule. I spent my morning working on the computer and finishing a mystery novel on my Kindle.

After lunch we headed off to the Par 3 and met up with Lloyd and Ginny and found that the Rungers, Jim and Kathy, were also joining us. There was a band concert in the post theater tonight and we enjoyed hearing them practice while we played golf. Following the game we decided that we needed some ice cream to help us cool off and headed into town and Pico's. They just opened a big container of banana split ice cream, so we all enjoyed a bowl of our favorite flavor.

We ran into Mary Ellen on our way to play golf and learned that our friend Stan had a fall this morning. John went over to check on him after we got home and it looks like he has injured his shoulder. Sam was there helping Stan get his arm in a sling and administering some pain meds. Xrays and an MRI are on the agenda for Monday.

John and I spent a quiet evening watching some college basketball. This next week is going to be another busy one here at Fort Clark.

Today Mary Ellen had planned an adventure for our little group--a trip to The Devil's Sink hole. John and I were up nice and early, got cleaned up, packed a sack lunch for the two of us, and were all set to go when Tim and Mary Ellen picked us up at 9 a.m. We met the other folks at the Teen Center and were on our way. We arrived at the Rocksprings Visitor Center right on time--10:30 a.m.

After signing release forms, looking around the center, and viewing a short video about the sink hole and the bats that migrate there for the summer months, we boarded a bus for the ride out of town. On the way, our tour guide pointed out historical sites in the town and different points of interest along the way. Before long we reached the road to the hole.

The sinkhole, discovered by Anglo settlers in 1867, is on a tract of land approximately six miles northeast of Rocksprings. The main attraction is the Devil's Sinkhole itself. It is a vertical cavern with an opening measuring approximately 40 by 60 feet with a vertical drop into the main cavern of about 140 feet. The main cavern is circular and reaches a total depth of 350-400 feet. The sinkhole is the summer home to 1-4 million Mexican Free-tail Bats. At sundown the bats come out of the sinkhole in a swirling mass to feed during the night. They then return to the hole at sunrise. Tourists come every evening to see this event.




We spent several hours listening to the tour guide tell us all about The Devil's Sinkhole, having a picnic lunch, and taking a little hike. A group picture was taken and then we boarded the bus again for the return trip to town. Next on our agenda was a stop at the farm store to see an amazing collection of arrow heads valued at millions of dollars. There were also many other unusual and interesting items to see. We then headed across the street to see where they sort, grade, and sell mohair that the local sheep ranchers bring in.

It was time to start the long ride back to Bracketville with a stop in Campwood for some ice cream. We were going home via a different route and came across a ranch where they were raising wild animals. Someone Mary Ellen had met in her travels had told her about this place and as we drove along, we were joking about seeing a giraffe. Suddenly, we spied one. We had Tim stop the car and we ran back along the road to see it. We all spent time looking through the fences and taking pictures of the various animals.


By the time we reached Campwood, everyone wanted not only ice cream, but some supper. We found a nice little restaurant that gave us fast service and a very good meal. Finally, we were back on the road home with one final stop at Pico's for some ice cream. Our little adventure lasted all day and everyone had a fun time. John and I were both a little tired after such a busy day and relaxed before bed by watching a little TV.

Once again we had the same cloudy, misty weather for our walk. Every morning is like this and then by around 10 a.m. the skies clear off and it gets pretty warm. We have certainly been enjoying some beautiful weather this past week; however, I think the weatherman is predicting a cool front for this weekend. We shall have to wait and see.

Right after breakfast, I left to get a haircut and John went to pick up Sam Lark's truck which we needed to pick up gutter materials. Just as we were getting read to leave for Del Rio, Stan stopped in to pick up the dove cage. He was on his way to Uvalde, and would drop it off to his friend. John was very glad to have that job completed.

Our first stop in Del Rio was Jack In The Box for some lunch. From there it was on to Wal Mart for a few groceries and the last of the birthday presents for Noah. Next, Home Depot. Fortunately they had all the gutters, down spouts, etc. that are needed for doing this job. John and I loaded everything into the truck, tied it all down, and hit the road back to the fort. Once we got there, we took everything over to Leda's house and stacked it in her driveway. John hopes to get to this job next week. At least all the materials are there and ready to install.

Following supper, John picked up Tim and they headed off to woodcarvers. I spent the evening catching up on paper work, emails, and watching American Idol. This should be a good season as there are many very talented singers.

We had another cloudy morning with some light mist which made it very comfortable for walking. John and I like getting our exercise done before the skies clear off and the temps get on the rise. The past few days have seen the afternoon highs in the 80's.

As soon as we got back to the house, John went over to the condo building to go up on its roof to see if he could find where the solar panels were leaking. The morning is the best time for this as water needs to be running through the tubes in order to see what is leaking and where. He saw the problem right away and tighten the connections--leaks are now stopped. One job down and several more to go.

After breakfast, John left to pick up Tim for the men's nine hole golf. They had a good group of guys show up to play and John's team shot two over par. He had great tee shots, but his short game wasn't at its best.

While John was golfing, I headed off to Del Rio for Weight Watchers. I met Lois Carlson there and after the meeting we went for lunch. It was then off to the mall for some birthday present shopping for Noah who will turn five next month.

This afternoon John went over to Ralph's place and helped him clean out his storage shed. He came home with some of Ralph's discarded treasures and now we have to find a home for them at our place.

After supper we settled in to watch Survivor and American Idol. Both shows looks to be pretty interesting this season.

The morning started off nice and sunny and was great for taking a walk. Today was ladies' golf, so right after breakfast, I hopped in the golf cart and headed over to the course. By the time I got there, the weather was much cooler and the breeze was coming up. At first I thought we would be cold while playing, but it turned out to be perfect weather for golfing. I actually played pretty good today. My shots off the tee were nice and straight and my putting was much improved. It's much more fun playing when your game goes good.

While I was off with the ladies, John spent the morning doing some little little jobs over at the condos--he fixed some closet doors and the solar heater on the roof of the building. He also got the dove cage completed--he did a very nice job and I think his customer will be very pleased.



This evening we went with Tim and Mary Ellen to the RV potluck. As usual there was plenty of delicious food and quite a few people stayed afterward to play "31". John was a big winner again this evening while I got knocked out pretty early at my table. The card playing went very late so this blog entry is pretty short--it's time for bed.

We had another cloudy morning for our walk, but by 10 a.m. the skies cleared off and we had a very warm, sunny day.

John went to wood carvers this morning and I pretty much stuck close to home today. We have been gone so much that I was way behind on laundry, bill paying, and a few other household chores. So, today was my day to catch up and that is what I did. Feels good to finally be on top of things again.

While I stayed busy with inside jobs, John spent his afternoon working on his bird cage project. It is just about complete. A friend of Stan's wanted a nice cage that would hold two doves. He hires out to release doves at weddings, funerals, etc. and wanted something nice for hauling the birds and releasing them.

It was so nice today, we were able to sit out on the patio for an hour or so and enjoy the nice breezes and, as usually happens when you sit outside, you get visitors. We have noticed that the trees are starting to bud, so I think our "winter" weather is behind us. The weatherman is predicting warm temps for the next ten days. Pretty soon we'll all probably be complaining about the heat.

This evening John worked on plans for Jan's screened in porch. She needs to present them to the Architectural committee for approval before the work can be started. Hopefully she'll get that next week and John will be able to get going on that job. He also has to put up gutters for Sam and Jerry.

We spent a rather relaxing evening watching some college basketball. John is getting ready for the NCAA Tournament next month.

We had another cloudy morning, but at least the temps were warm enough to wear shorts when we took our walk. While we were eating breakfast, a group of Axis deer came into the yard. Among them was a new little fawn. He was so skittish, jumping and twirling in the air. I was surprised he stood still long enough for me to get a picture.


Today was a busy one. After breakfast we headed off to church for Sunday School and the morning service. We got back home in time to grab a quick lunch before Jim and Kathy R. picked us up to drive over to Uvalde where we attended the play "God's Favorite". There we met up with Lloyd, Ginny, Joyce and Mac. After the play we all went to WHATABURGER for supper. Lloyd's order got messed up and he ended up with a free chicken meal to take home. With this group you always have a lot of laughs--it was a real fun afternoon.

Jim and Kathy needed some groceries, so after eating we went to Wal Mart and then hit the road back to the fort. After such a busy day, John and I spent the evening watching a little TV before calling it a day.

This morning dawned foggy and misty. We decided it wasn't misting too hard, so off we went for our walk. We covered about half the distance when the mist got much heavier. It seemed to come and go as we covered our route back home. We got a little damp, but the temps were warm so we didn't mind it at all.

John ate breakfast, got cleaned up, and headed off to the board meeting. He was the representative for the Planning Committee and had to read a letter at the meeting. While he was gone, I did some laundry and worked on my puzzle. It was still misting after lunch, so golf was out for today. We decided to take a quick trip to Uvalde so John could pick up some paint for his project and I needed to get some more card stock to make my March birthday cards. Before heading out, we stopped over at Metcalf's to deliver Jan's birthday card. During our visit, the sky cleared off and it turned into a very nice afternoon. We kept to the plan of going to Uvalde and skipped the golf.

Stan stopped over after we got home and talked to John about screening in their back porch. They would like him to get it done before we have to head north. He also gave John a very nice deer shed he found on his front lawn. After supper we spent the evening watching some TV and reading. Next week is going to be a busy one.

After the sunshine of yesterday, this morning was cloudy with a light mist. Since the temps were warm, we decided to take our walk even if we got a little damp.

Our plan for the day was to play some golf early in the morning; however, the weather didn't clear off, so we decided to wait until after lunch to play. I spent the morning working on the computer and jigsaw puzzle. John worked out in the shed gluing and clamping boards for his project.

After lunch, we gave up waiting for clear weather and decided to just go ahead and play some golf. By then the misting had stopped, but the ground was just damp enough to get the balls and clubs covered with grass and dirt. We had to wipe everything off after each hole. As usual we had some good shots along with some bad ones. Still, we had a good time playing.

This afternoon was another condo party. I had made some brownies this morning and took them for our contribution to the food. There was a pretty good crowd again and everyone seemed to have a good time visiting and eating. We really missed our sunshine today--hopefully it will return tomorrow.

The early morning temps keep getting warmer and warmer. Today we wore shorts and sweatshirts when we took our walk. Hard to believe a week ago we had to wear mittens and several layers of clothing. I think spring is finally on the way--we hear more birds singing in the mornings now.

After breakfast, we headed off to Del Rio. First stop was the car wash to get the Honda cleaned up. From there we hit the mall where I found a couple of belts on sale. Next stop was Home Depot because John needed to check out gutters and downspouts and some other materials for several jobs he has been asked to do. All this shopping and looking made us hungry, so Wendy's was next. Final stop, Wal Mart to restock the pantry and fill up the car. Ouch!! Gas jumped to $3.05. Actually, that wasn't the final stop. It was McDonald's for two of their $1 sundaes.

After supper John picked up Tim and they headed off to wood carvers. I was just getting ready to work some more on my new jigsaw puzzle when Mary Ellen dropped in for a visit. We chatted for a while and then she headed on home. When John got home, we watched a little TV before heading off to bed.

It was another warm morning--62 degrees at 7 a.m. Started out wearing a sweatshirt and half way through our walk, that was too heavy. Funny how the weather changes so quickly. We were worried about staying warm when we walked, and now we are trying to stay cool.

After breakfast John picked up Tim and they went off to play nine holes on the big course. There were nine guys playing today and they had three teams of three. They all played very well, with the final scores of two teams at one over par and they other, one under par. John was very encouraged about his golf game.

Wednesday is Weight Watchers, so I headed off to Del Rio. After the meeting, I did a little shopping at Wal Mart, stopped for lunch, and then headed back to the fort. It seems that we have been doing something everyday and I have gotten behind on some household chores, so this afternoon I tried to get caught up on the laundry. John has a job making a bird cage for one of Stan's friends, so he started working on that project.

This evening Mary Ellen did a power point presentation on the fort where she and Tim volunteered this past fall. She did a super job taking us on a tour of the fort through her pictures and sharing their experiences. There a quite a crowd and everyone enjoyed the evening.

Tonight was the first episode of Survivor, so I set the VCR to record it while we were out so we wouldn't miss it. That's all for the blog tonight--time for Survivor.

Another sunny, warm day--this is why we winter in southwest Texas. The morning was perfect for taking a walk with the temp at 56 degrees when we left the house. It felt good not to have to bundle up in several layers of clothing.

John and I had a rather busy day today. Tuesday is ladies golf, so I met with several ladies to play nine holes on the big course. We played the front nine which is a little easier than the back nine that we played a couple of weeks ago. While I was gone, John went into town to the post office and then made several stops to visit.

Right after lunch the Bevins pulled into the driveway. After talking for a while, Gene and John decided to call Lloyd and see if he wanted to go to the shooting range where the guys could fire their pistols. Gene picked up Lloyd and returned to get John and off they went. John said they had fun firing their guns and all were able to hit the targets.

Tonight was potluck at the RV park, so I kept busy this afternoon getting a hot dish ready to take.
There was the usual good variety of dishes and desserts and everything was delicious. We had three tables of "31"--Tim and I were the big winners at ours. When we got back from the potluck, we spent a little time watching TV before heading off to bed. Tomorrow will be another busy day.

The overnight temperatures have begun to moderate a little and remain above freezing. It was actually very pleasant walking this morning. We left the house a little earlier so John could be back in time to eat breakfast, get cleaned up, and head off to wood carvers.

Today was Wallace's 69th birthday and the wood carvers had planned a surprise luncheon to help him celebrate. It was Jim and Kathy's job to get Wallace and his wife, Becky, to the Dehanes restaurant where his friends would be waiting to surprise him. Everyone kept the secret for two weeks and he was very surprised. We all had a fun time and the food was absolutely delicious. John and I rode to Dehanes with Harlan and Betty Wright. Betty is an excellent carver and has given John many helpful carving hints over the years.




John and I both ate way too much and felt rather bloated when we got back home. Since it was such a nice afternoon, we decided to head down to the Par 3 and play a few holes of golf and get a little exercise. We both felt much better after stretching our legs and walking the course. We also had a few good shots. Maybe there's still hope for our game.

After supper we both just relaxed watching some TV and working on the computer. The next couple of days will be rather busy, so an early night is in order.

The temperature was above freezing this morning when we took our walk--the warmer weather has finally arrived. Since it was Sunday, we took our shorter route so we could get off to church on time. While we were away, the city of Brackettville had some sewer line trouble which caused a major problem in our church's bathrooms and fellowship hall. A professional cleaning service had to be called in and some major repairs need to be made. All this caused our regular potluck to be canceled as the hall is unusable at this time.

The weather was just beautiful this afternoon, so John and I headed back down to the Par 3 for some more golf. We played 10 holes before calling it a day--both of us had poor games. I was hoping to get some kinks worked out before playing with the ladies on Tuesday morning. Hopefully I'll be better than I was today.

On our way back home, we stopped at the RV park to touch bases with Kathy about our plans for next Sunday. We are planning to attend a play at the Uvalde Opera House if I can get the tickets tomorrow. Hopefully some will still be available for the matinee.

Both of us were still a little tired from last week's travel, so we spent a quiet evening at home watching a couple of Toy Story movies before calling it a night.

It felt good to get back into our regular routine after being away from home for a week. The temps were quite cool this morning (29 degrees) but there was no wind,and once the sun came up, it made our 3.5 mile walk very pleasant.

Today was made up of visitors and visiting. Right after breakfast, our neighbor, Neva, stopped over. She hadn't seen us for over a week, and was checking up on us. Right after she left, Ralph Ramsey dropped in and we filled him in on our trip. John and I still hadn't gotten cleaned up after our walk, so we took our showers, did some work on the computer and by now it was time for lunch.

We had borrowed some luggage from Dave and Valada, so after lunch, we loaded it into the car and went over to their place to return it. While we were talking with them, Ralph (who is their neighbor) also stopped in. From their place, we went to the RV park to pick up our golf cart. John had lent it to Jim and Kathy while we were out of town. Their rig is parked right across from the Bevins. When we got there, we found everyone outside visiting and we somehow ended up spending a good portion of the afternoon there.

It was a little after 4 p.m. when we got home, so we decided to head to the Par 3 for a few holes of golf. It had been our plan to play this afternoon and we still wanted to get some golf in today.
After not playing for well over two weeks, I was pretty rusty--did just awful. When we got home, I started of loaf of bread while John made some sandwiches for supper. We watched our new DVD this evening--Secretariat. It was a very good story and we both enjoyed watching it. This is suppose to be the last cold day--next week calls for temps in the mid to upper 70's with plenty of sunshine. Can't wait for the warmer weather!!

We're back home again. Yesterday was our travel day so John and I spent the morning packing. He had some things of his dad's that he wanted to bring home, so we had to go to Wal Mart and purchased another travel bag. Carol and Bill took us to the airport following lunch, and after spending 45 minutes getting through security, we settled in to wait for our flight. We left Philadelphia around 3:30 p.m. and after changing planes in Houston, arrived in San Antonio by 8:30 p.m. I called the hotel and asked them to send the shuttle to pick us up. By the time we got to the hotel, we were both starving--we ended up walking a couple of blocks to WHATABURGER. Our stomachs didn't particularly appreciate hamburgers with the works so late at night.

Today dawned bright and clear but still on the chilly side. We ate breakfast at the hotel, finished packing, loaded the bags in the car, and headed west toward home. Today was Uvalde's Winter Texan appreciation lunch. John and I arrived in Uvalde a little early, so we stopped at Wal Mart to stretch our legs a little before heading to the community center. When we arrived there we met some of our Fort Clark friends and enjoyed a nice meal and musical entertainment--John and I also won a couple of door prizes.

Before heading back to Brackettville, we stopped once again at Wal Mart to do some grocery shopping. When that was done, we hit the road to Fort Clark. Back home, we got the car unloaded and while I put the groceries away, John unpacked our travel bags and we soon had most of our things back where they belonged. We spent a relaxing evening watching some TV and catching up on emails.

Well, I broke my record of not missing a day entering a word or two on our blog. The office where my sister-in-law has her computer is also being used as a bedroom for company. By the time I remembered about doing the blog, the company was in bed. You all will have to pretend that it is yesterday as you continue to read.

John's brother and his family hit the road to Ohio bright and early yesterday morning (Wednesday). John's long time friend, John B., took us out for breakfast and that gave us time to do some catching up and put more pressure on him to visit us in Texas. The rest of the afternoon, John, his sisters, and I sorted through all of Pop's things. There were some tears, much laughter, and many fond memories recalled. All I can say is that Pop was one organized dude and a meteculus record keeper--he had kept record of every time he filled his gas tank, noting the gallons of gasoline purchased and the cost, since 1937 until he stopped driving. He probably filled his car two or three times for the cost of one gallon today. We also found a book where he kept track of his earnings back in the 30's. His federal income tax was, are you ready, 90 cents.

For supper last night we had, you guessed it, Philly Cheese Steaks. Bill, Carol T, and I ate our entire sub, John and his sister only ate half. They wanted us to be envious of them at lunch time today. The six of us spent the remainder of the evening sitting in front of a nice fire just talking and sharing more memories.

A little footnote for our kids. Remember when Pop would come to visit and would always come in the house with a North West Airlines napkin in his shirt pocket--he would use that napkin during his stay--didn't need a new one. Well, Pop had paper napkins wrapped up with a rubber band in his sock drawer. We all laughed so hard, checking to see if any were from Northwest Airlines.

Our family had a very happy/sad time celebrating Pop's life today. It was a wonderful service with many folks sharing about Pop, what he meant to them, and how he had impacted their lives. We expected a crowd of 50 - 60 people as Pop far outlived all his contemporaires, but the church was full--we saw old friends and neighbors that we hadn't seen in over 40 years. John's sisters and bother were amazed by the turn out for their father.

Following the graveside service, the whole family went back to the house where we spent the afternoon and evening visiting and talking about old times and growing up in the neighborhood. One by one different families started to leave to head on home. Some tentative plans were made to come to Minnesota for summer visits.

Pop's Life Verse - Micah 6:8

"What does the Lord require of you, to act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God."

This scripture was what Emil Maxwell Lavin lived.

Today we will celebrate Pop's life and the legacy of faith that he has left to his children, grandchildren, and great grandchildren. It has been a happy/sad time seeing all the family again.

GO PACKERS!!! Wasn't the Super Bowl just great--at least if you're a Packer's fan. We watched the first quarter or so on the plane ride from Houston to Philadelphia and were able to see most of the second half at Pop's place.

John and I arrived at Pop's house around 8:30 p.m. last night and are all settled in for now. We will be busy today getting the final touches on the memorial service and visiting with family.

Well, we made it to San Antonio and thanks to our Garmin, had no trouble getting to our hotel. We stopped once in Uvalde at Jack's Steak House for lunch and then at a Dairy Queen we found along the way. John and I found the business center and thus were able to drop a quick note on the blog. Tomorrow we're off to Philadelphia and hopefully at least one Philly Cheese Steak.

ANOTHER CHANGE IN PLANS!! I never knew it could be so hard to get out of Texas in the winter. As of last night we were planning on hitting the road bright and early this morning. We watched the local San Antonio TV weather last night and saw the road conditions were deteriorating rapidly.

We set the alarm for 4 a.m. and while John was in the shower, I turned on the local SAT TV station and found out that all roads through and around San Antonio were ice covered and closed. They were allowing absolutely no travel in the area and thought things would start clearing off around noon. We were sunk. We would never make it to Phila. by Monday if we couldn't leave early this morning. There was only one option left--flying. I got on the internet and found a great fare for 2 round trip tickets from SAT to Phila. Our plan is to drive to San Antonio tomorrow afternoon, stay overnight at a motel, and use their shuttle to get to the airport. We will be returning on Thursday when we will do the same thing--stay overnight as our flight gets in fairly late in the evening. John and I will leave SAT in time to get to Uvalde for their Winter Texan event.

John and I had cleaned out the fridge, so we had to eat breakfast at Burger and Shake where Ralph Ramsey joined us while we ate. From there we stopped at Sandwicks to borrow some luggage and at Wright's to get some directions to the airport.

The afternoon was spent unpacking the car and, since we weren't driving and wouldn't be gone so long, sorting through everything and repacking just what we needed for several days. Stan stopped in for a visit and while he was here, Ralph came over. He needed a birthday card for his grandson, so I made him one on the computer.

Our bags are packed once again, and I think we are ready to start our trip. We have checked the weather in San Antonio, Houston, and Philadelphia. Everything looks good, but Phila. is a little shaky weather wise. I won't be taking my laptop so I'll be unable to write on my blog on travel days.

A note to J Barden. Pop's service is Tuesday morning at 11 a.m. at Emmanuel Methodist in Oaklyn. Hope we get to see you. How about taking a trip to Texas??

Another cold morning--24 degrees with a breeze, so no walk again. A group of us had plans to take a tour of the SAS shoe factory in Del Rio. We were suppose to leave here at 10:30, go for lunch, and then on the tour. Mary Ellen called to say the tour was canceled due to broken water pipes. John was so disappointed as he was really looking forward to seeing the shoe factory. Hopefully it will get rescheduled when we get home.

With nothing else planned, we were at loose ends today. John went to the post office and stopped in to see Ralph. I got the house straightened up and more packing done. This afternoon we spent some time watching TV, doing some reading, and preparing our thoughts to share at Pop's memorial service.

Tim stopped over late this afternoon and he and John made arrangements to go to wood carvers this evening. John took our golf cart over to Jim and Kathy Runger's so they could use it and keep it charged while we're away. Tim met him at their place and from there they went on to carvers. I spent my evening with the last of the packing while watching American Idol.

I intend to keep blogging while we travel if I can find internet service when we stop for the night. Thanks again for the loan of clothing and supplies for winter travel.

We had a very cold day with temps only reaching the low 30's with breezy conditions and no sunshine. This weather is a little hard to take after we enjoyed such warm sunny weather on Sunday and Monday. As you have probably guessed by now, we chickened out of our walk this morning--I don't mind the lower temps, but I don't like walking in the cold when it's breezy.

John and I have been busy watching The Weather Channel trying to see when it will be good weather wise to travel. We are still thinking Friday for our departure. Several friends have lent us snow boots, ice scrapers, snowsuits, towing ropes, etc. for our trip. When we left Minnesota the middle of November, we had no intention of driving in winter weather and are totally unprepared for a winter trip. Thanks to everyone for thinking about our safety while traveling up north.

We both kept busy today--John getting his haircut and getting things put away outside, and me getting all the laundry done and gathering things to pack. This afternoon we went to Uvalde so John could get the permanent cap on his tooth. That went well, and now he is done with the dentist (we hope). After the dentist we grabbed a quick bite at Wendy's and headed back to the fort. In Wendy's they had six potable heaters set up around the dining area--we sat right in front of one of them. The dentist's office was just freezing and I needed to warm up after sitting in a cold waiting room for an hour. I don't think the buildings down here are built for colder weather--every store you go into seems very cool inside. The employees were wearing winter coats while they worked.

Our evening was spent doing a little more packing and then we relaxed by watching some college basketball.

A cold front came in last night and we woke up to a temperature of 40 degrees with very strong winds. John was up first and got ready for our walk--I took one look at the trees swaying in the wind, and decided a walk was out for me. John reconsidered and we went back to bed for a little more shut eye.

Since we will be out of town for a week or more, we've had to reschedule a few appointments. I managed to get my hair cut moved to this afternoon and John's dental appointment to tomorrow. We needed a few items for our trip, so we made a quick trip to Wal Mart where we gassed up the Honda and did some shopping. From there we stopped at Wendy's for lunch and then hit the road back to the fort. I was home about 45 minutes when I left to keep my haircut appointment and then stopped at the post office to pick up the mail.

This afternoon John worked on his wood carving while I made a hot dish to take to the RV park potluck. The cold weather kept some of the folks at home, but we still had a good variety of dishes and deserts. We played a couple of games of "31" and John was a winner again. Maybe it's a good thing we will miss a week or two and give someone else a chance to be a winner.