I Had No Choice....I Had To Give A Press Conference

Tuesday, January 26, 2010 - Bryan, TX

Dang!  We didn't run into George and Barbara today at the Bush Library here in Bryan, BUT we did see an upstairs deck to an apartment next to the Library that belonged to them!  That's about as close as we got to them.......well, that is, if you don't count the pointers I gave him prior to his giving the State of the Union Address......and then there was the "situation" of Chuck peeking in the White House windows which caused us to meet in the "Situation Room".   But I believe I got it all straightened out when I took the podium and explained everything to the Press......Robert Gibbs has nothing on me!  And I allowed Major Garrett from Fox News the first and only question!  Take that CNN!

GUYS ONLY.....NO NEED TO READ ANY FURTHER UNLESS YOU'RE GAY......

I had to cut the press conference short to attend the MAJOR sale at Kirklands and pick up this sweet little piece for $8.95!  I have no idea where I'm going to put it, but it was a kicker deal, folks!!

But nothing, and I mean NOTHING, compares to the awesome store we stopped at last week in Brenham!  I just now got the pictures off my phone so I'm sharing them with you a little late......this is easily the sweetest little antique store I've stopped at in a long long time.  She had such an eye for presentation.........check out the mirror with the plates on it.....I want the 2-door armoire with the green glass for my birthday.......and my friend Sue REALLY wanted that metal longhorn!

RV Aggieland RV Park.....I Just Love That Name!

Monday, January 25, 2010 - Bryan, TX




Well, today we pulled up the sewer hose, remembered to unplug the coach, cleared out all the men helping Chuck with various things around the RV, and left Rockport.

We had such a great time visiting with our old neighbors and dear friends, Norm, Sue, Brad and Betty in Rockport over the past 5 days.  I don't think I've ever eaten so much and will be fasting for the next two weeks.....I AM SO FULL!  Poor Chuck is used to 1 maybe 2, if he's lucky, meals a day and now he was eating 3 meals a day....But it really was good to see everyone again and meet their wonderful RV neighbors!  Too fun!


So here we are in Bryan, Texas.  We made excellent time on the road today.  Google Maps said it would take us 6 hours to get here; Mapquest routed us the exact same way and said it would take 4 hours 5 minutes; Norm & Sue's friend, Wayne, said it would take us 3 hours; the waitress at "The Diner" said to expect a 5 1/2 hour drive.........sooooo.......I know you're dying to know which one was right, right??  Drum roll please.............Mapquest was right on!!  We made it in 4 hours, 15 minutes with a 15 minute stop at the gas station.   We are staying in the, you're going to LOVE this, RV Aggieland RV Park.  Yep, you heard me right!  It's actually a nice park.......Aside from driving the RV in the park backwards, it was an easy setup.  No trees were hit today; the RV started the "1st" time and we now have AC and hot water in the Rv.  It's been a good day!

Just finished watching "The Bachelor" and I've just got to tell ya, this dude Jake is awesome.  Not only has he dealt with one of the ladies having a scandalous affair with a staff member, he chose not once, but twice tonight to get rid of more women than he was required to. WOW......how cool is that????  I'm voting for Tensley.......she's the one for Jake!  Stay tuned........

Tomorrow?  We're headed to the Bush Library.......I'll try and get our picture taken with Barbara and George for tomorrow's Blog......

There's Nothin' Finer Than Breakfast At The Diner......

DAY 4:  Sunday, January 24, 2010 - Rockport, TX

There's Nothin' Finer Than Breakfast At The Diner..........There's a real neat little cozy place here in Rockport called simply, "The Diner".  Now, we have eaten at least one meal every day, sometimes two, at The Diner.  They make a fabulous Grilled Cheese Sandwich which, if you know Liz, you know is my absolute favorite meal in the world.  Yumm  Yumm......  Well, we had Sunday morning breakfast there this morning.  It was PACKED!  Not only did we barely get a table, but it took forever to place our order and get our food.,,,,,just like Mothers Day at Ihop!  Anyway, Chuck got his food first; looked good.........knife and fork in hand, he was just about to cut up his eggs when suddenly the waitress came and took his plate away......  As we all looked up in shock, she notified us that his breakfast belonged to someone else and off she went with it.............As we all sat there with our mouths open, Chuck was sitting there, knife and fork still in hand, looking perplexed.

We did notice, however, that Brad and Betty at the next table were behaving like newlyweds instead of the married-for-26-years that they are.  They are simply the cutest couple!!

The rest of the day was spent outside in the warm breezy coastal outdoors visiting and solving the worlds problems, while Chuck and his new RV friends tried to find out why we don't have any A/C working in the coach............despite putting all 3 of their heads together.

Tomorrow, they have a new plan............

Starboard?? Which Side Is That?? Leg Rub?? Not On Your Life, Dude....

DAY 3: January 23, 2010 - Rockport, TX

Hey, remember I told you we ate at Hu-Dat (pronounced "Who That??") Chinese Restaurant yesterday?  Well, the Hu-Dat chicken did a little "What Dat" on Liz last night.......ooooohhhhh.......did that chicken ever cause me pain and infliction..........

But all is good now........by mid-day, I could "safely" eat and drink again....YEA!  So today was spent on the water.....kayaking with Betty!  What fun we had....... While the guys went fishing, we girls went kayaking on the boat channels here in Rockport.........I think we had been out oh.....maybe....let me see.....probably 10 minutes when I asked Betty how much further (my legs were burning from the exercise!)......she just laughed seeing as we were still within eyeshot of the boat launch....

It was about this time that we ran up on this HUMONGOUS barge that looked like 180 barges put together...it was THAT big...Anyway, the channel we were in wasn't very large seeing as we hadn't even gotten to the ship channel yet, when they announced over their loud speaker system for us to move to the STARBOARD side of the canal.  As Betty and I questionably looked at each other wondering which side was the Starboard side, we see the guys on the barge all pointing to our left.....frantically pointing..

So off we went to our left......made it past the HUMONGOUS barge when I hear some guy on the shore yelling at us.  We look over at where he and another guy are and they are offering to take care of those sore legs of ours......yes, I know we look HOT out there in our cute little kayaks, but really; how rude.  We "thank you, but no thank you" them and head on out to the ship lanes.  After a few hours and about 20 miles (ok, ok.....it just "seemed" like 20 miles)....we ran across our guys coming in from fishing; got a few snacks from them and headed on back to the boat ramp.

About the time we get the kayaks on the trailer, here comes some dude.....the same dude that offered the leg rub.......geeezzzzzz...........said he had come over to help us with the kayaks. Ya right........Anyway, turns out he "claims" to own a hot air balloon company in Albuquerque and lucky lucky us, he offered us free hot air balloon rides.....geeeezzzzz.....

Tomorrow is our last day in Rockport........suppose to be another beautiful day!!!!

Want To Know What I Did Today???

Friday, January 22, 2010 - Rockport, TX


THINGS THAT HAPPENED TODAY

1)  Ate at Hu-Dat (pronounced "Who That??") Chinese Restaurant

2)  Cold Meltdown Cause We Had No Hot Water for Shower

3)  Forever In Awe of Charlie Cause He Got Me Hot Water for Shower

4)  Saw A HUMONGOUS Turtle Heading Towards RV

5)  Trip to Wal-Mart for 4 Items; Came Out with 20

6)  Sent Murphy to "Time-Out" for Barking at EVERYTHING

7)  Saw A "Warning:  Viagra Testing Area" Sign 6 RV's Down From Us......hummmmm

8)  Bought Murphy A Pacifier Shaped Rawhide

9)  Sent Invoice to RV Office for Pruning Their Tree Yesterday Per Ant Ellie's Suggestion

10) Decided to Trade In RV for 5th Wheel......Hooked Er' Up.....

11) Heard About A Couple That Traveled in Their RV with 4 Dogs, 3 Birds and 2 Goats...

12) Everyone I Met Today Had Heard About The Little RV-Tree Issue From Yesterday.....i.e., "Ohhh..YOUR the ones who hit the tree....."  Word Travels Fast Around Here....

AND.......

13)  Wished My Brother-In-Law, Brady, a Very Very Happy Birthday!!!

See ya tomorrow......

There's One Less Tree In Rockport Since We Arrived.....

Thursday, January 21, 2010 - Rockport, TX

What a drop dead gorgeous day it was out there today, huh?!  We are in Rockport and the weather is a sweet 75 degrees, cool breeze, little fluffy white clouds and one less tree in Rockport.  Well, it wasn't the "whole" tree.......just the top 1/4 of the tree......here's what happened....

We arrived in Rockport this evening; unhooked the car........only after stepping smack dab into a mud puddle....then drove the RV on around to our reserved spot.  I had my two men, who will remain nameless but their names start with "C" and "N" (let's just call them Laurel and Hardy, ok?),  helping me back the motorhome into the nice, shaded concrete slabbed spot.  I was going between checking the right side mirror  to the left side mirror to the rearview camera, back to the side mirrors.....well, you get the point....Laurel was at the rear of the RV on my right and had the 2-way radio.....I could see his lips moving in the side mirror but couldn't hear him talking.......Hardy was at the rear of the RV on my left giving hand signals........As Hardy gave me the hand signal showing one (1) more foot....he suddenly gave the "STOP" hand signal at which time I abruptly stopped.....but felt a "thump" and I could tell my back wheels had backed off the concrete slab.....no problem, I thought....I'll just go forward and get back on the slab........nope.....not happening.....  That's when I first heard about the tree.  Seems that there was this tree on Laurel's side of the motorhome (the one who's lips were moving but no sound was being heard) that Hardy couldn't see..........and then we had a tree attached to the motorhome.  UGH!  So, now the RV neighbors start showing up...........We get a couple ladders out, a saw and up I go to saw off the tree that is now part of our roof.

All in all, it could have been worse.  No one was hurt in this process; the RV will survive with a couple new character scratches (a way to remember where we've been!); and truth be told, I am probably to blame for the tree meeting the RV...... I should have walked the spot first to check for obstacles like that.   I learned to do that when I hit a low hanging branch a year ago and ripped the slide awning......when will I learn??!!!

Aside from that, it was a really good day.  We found this super duper major cool antique store this morning; the car didn't disconnect from the motorhome while we were driving; we made it under that "low clearance" bridge and we have a nice RV parking spot that used to be shaded!  Doesn't get much better than that!!

G'night!!

Nothing Like Starting the Day With A Bird on the Wheel.....

Wednesday, January 20, 2010 - Brenham, TX

Yep, we arrived in Brenham today; home of Blue Bell Ice Cream; Bluebonnet Capital of the World (state flower of Texas, for those of you non-Texans...) and home to our friends, Norm and Sue, Brad and Betty.

We knew this was going to be a typical Charlie/Liz RV Trip when I first had to get the bird perched on my steering wheel out of the RV before we could leave the driveway..........

Did you know that there are REAL Buffalo in Buffalo, Texas??  Me either......

This was the first time we've dragged the car behind the RV instead of the motorcycle......got to tell ya....I was a tad bit nervous about it......kept looking in the rear camera making sure it was still there....and that the tires weren't smoking.....and low and behold, it stayed with us the WHOLE time.....

Murphy visited with his girlfriends, Christy, Candi and Tizzy.......he and one-legged Senator McCain were a bit overwhelmed with all the hormones chasing him!!

Check out the three male butts we had dinner with tonight........can you tell who they belong to????

And lastly, WAY TO GO, MASSACHUSETTS!!!!

ON THE ROAD AGAIN......

Tuesday, January 19, 2010


ON THE ROAD AGAIN.......yep, we're pulling up the jacks; making myself a note to unplug the RV from the house (unlike last time.........don't ask) and hitting the road again tomorrow morning.......heading to Rockport, Texas for a few days with our friends, Norm and Sue in the ol' RV.......

Here's hoping we don't overshoot the land........

OUCH x2

Wednesday, January 13, 2010

OUCH!  Actually, I'm feeling a couple of "ouches" today.....

The first "ouch" is to my neck and back where, after many years of enjoying a tan, I am paying the price.  This was Mose Surgery Day and I think the numbing shots have now worn off......errrrrrrr......so as I sit here with ice packs on the spots where I used to have skin cancers, I must tell you about my other "ouch".....

You may recall my last Blog was on Redneck East Texas lingo and a new restaurant we visited this past weekend.  Well, I realize by some of your comments that most of you knew I was kidding when I used the East Texas lingo with regards to the restaurant workers, but some legitimately took offense.  Truth is, the food was incredible, the staff were wonderful and the interior was "as cute as a bug's ear."

Let me explain further.  Earlier this week, I got a kick out of listening to two good ol' boys having a conversation using some colorful East Texas lingo at a store I was visiting.  This, in turn, got my mind thinking.........I googled "East Texas Lingo" and got ALL kinds of hits.....I was in East Texas Lingo Heaven.......Then I remembered the restaurant we visited this past weekend and well, it just all fell together.  The restaurant personnel said none of the lingo I used in the Blog which, I erroneously thought was evident.   It never occurred to me when I wrote it that anyone would be offended or take the Blog seriously and I am sincerely sorry to anyone who might have.

Sooooooo, I hope everyone is okay; that the restaurant gets many, many new patrons and again, I'm sorry I was "about half a bubble off plumb", that my brain was as "empty as a winter rain barrel" and that I put "the "e" in ignorant"............

Welcome to the Redneck Twilight Zone.....

Tuesday, January 12, 2010

Howdy ya'll!!

Just wanted to share a wonderful experience we had this past weekend right here in good ol' East Texas.......I love living here....such friendly people; wonderful eating establishments; and they speak an entirely different language than the rest of the world.  Let me explain.....

The neighbors, Troy and Becky, called us the other morning and invited us to breakfast at a new eating establishment that we had never heard of; which is odd, cause we thought we had been to all four of them!  They picked us up and off we went.  They headed down the service road of the nearby highway and stopped just across from the Exit 146 Rest Stop.....yep, the Highway Rest Stop with the open aired, cinderblock bathrooms, bugs on the walls, no toilet paper and full of truckers and travelers..........Now...this may get a little confusing, so try to stay with me here.....I'm going to give you a little "East Texas" talk........

First, I was as nervous as a snake in a wheel rut cause we pulled up beside this "shack" that resembled the south end of a north bound horse that they were calling our breakfast spot.   AGH.......Anyway, I reckoned we could try it this once....

As we stepped out of the car, we immediately noticed the "outdoor cafe" seating they had next to the handicapped parking.  Well, it was colder'n a well digger's hiney outside and I just needed some coffee; strong coffee.......Let me just say, that coffee was so strong it could hairlip a donkey.  WHOA!  As we walk in the door, I hear "If you tump that over I'll slap a fart out of you that'l whiz like a ten penney nail."  Oooookkkk......welcome to the Redneck Twilight Zone........The second thing I noticed was this little baggy filled with water stapled to the inside door frame.   Hummmmm, well I didn't just fall off the turnip truck yesterday you know, but I couldn't figure out for the life of me why they would hang a baggy full of water from the top of the door frame......Soooo....I asked our "friendly as a wet dog" waitress who informed me it was to keep the flies out.....oooookkkk.......trouble with flies, huh??  Well, I've got a cow, I didn't need her bull, so I questioned further.....

She simply stated the baggy filled with water was as handy as a pocket on a shirt cause when the flies tried to fly in the door, they would see this water baggy, see their magnified reflection and it would scare them off.   Now, although this gal could eat corn on the cob through a picket fence, she certainly appeared believable.......

The breakfast was finer than frog hair, I've got to tell ya.......yummy pancakes and crunchy hashbrowns!!  Yum Yum......As we finished up and headed out, mother nature came a'callin, so we discovered the only bathroom was up yonder way across the road to the Exit 146 Rest Stop............

I love living in East Texas....I really really really do!

AHCOA - "Abused Husbands Club Of America"

Friday, January 8, 2010

Check out the new Men's Club in town......organized and started by none other than Chuck and our neighbor, Troy.  Evidently, and for no good reason, these two felt there needed to be a "Club" for Men who were being "abused" and "always being corrected" by their wives.   They even got shirts made up for this special "Club"......check it out....

They came up with the idea of AHCOA (Abused Husbands Club Of America) because they felt their wives (that would be Becky and me...) were always correcting their stories when they'd tell one......of course, neither of them were ever ever EVER exaggerating these stories.....or possibly remembering the facts wrong....no; NEVER.  

So, they are taking applications for more AHCOA members if any of you men out there are interested.....the only requirement to join this exclusive club is you must have a nagging wife who is always right;  literally.....ALWAYS right.......

Their Motto......."Give Us Back Our Dignity!!"

Monday, January 4, 2010

I've Got Your Monkey!!!!!!

Monday, January 4, 2010

As I'm sitting here watching the much anticipated premier of The Bachelor and mentally eliminating the "too desperates"; the ones with "big teeth" and "ugly shoes",  and listening to Chris Harris say for the umpteenth time, "This is the final rose for the evening", I ask myself how I got so lucky finding my perfect man.........Ya, I know I Blog about him all the time and all the funny things that he does and says, but what a dull life I'd be living without him in it.

And speaking of never a dull moment, today was dentist day (that's him in the picture during my teeth cleaning)....my Man and I always tag-team it to the dentist......for some reason, he felt Murphy needed to go to the dentist with us, which, I got to tell ya, I thought was a B-A-D idea.....its C-O-L-D outside and Chuck forgot to bring the leash.....ugh......so upon arriving at the dentist, Chuck insisted on taking Murphy out for a "pee break".  He insisted that Murphy wouldn't run off; that he would obey and not run away, do his business and come right back.  I reminded Chuck that he had never listened to us before so why did he think he'd start now?!?!  But off they went.......next thing I see is Murphy running as fast as his little chubby legs would take him across the street with My Man right behind him.....well........not "right" behind him.....he was walking non-challently acting as if all was well.....all WASN'T well....as we both headed across the street looking for the little munchkin yelling "I'VE GOT YOUR MONKEY"..........we finally found him making new friends in the Bus Barn of the local Winnsboro High School.......As I'm fuming all the way back to the car and saying, "I'm waiting for it, Chuck" and he's giving me every reason why what just happened happened, he finally says what I've been waiting to hear........."You Were Right, Dear."  Oh ya......

Get Ready.....Liz's 2010 New Years Resolutions.....

Friday, January 1, 2009..........oops..........2010 

HAPPY HAPPY NEW YEAR, FOLKS!

Right now, while you're still burping up little reminders of the estimated 94 cheese balls you consumed on New Year's Eve, is the time to make your New Year's resolutions.  Thought I'd share mine with ya:

1)  I Am Not Going To Dread Meeting With The "CPA" 

This is a big step for me, folks.  Those of you who know me well know that, although our "CPA" is a nice guy, he's been known to SCARE THE FIRE out of me in the past!  Oh ya, no amount of talking to myself, wearing extra deodorant, and prayer gave me a sense of "calm" when it came to the "CPA".  This was obviously a "Liz" problem and she knows it; however, it appeared to me that when he would ask me a question, even if it was as simple as "How's Chuck?", his eyes were saying "You Idiot!"...............

2)  I Will Stop Driving My Car With My Knees

Although I'm really good at this,  I'm turning 50 this year and its time to give that up.  The knees just aren't what they used to be and one never knows when that arthritis is going to kick in....plus, its scaring the neighbors....

3)  I Will Think Of A Password Other Than "Password"

Ya, I really need to stop doing that.......especially now that you all know my password is "password".....errrrrrrrr

4)  I Will Stop Taking My Shoe Off & Beating The Printer When It Doesn't Work Right....

I lose more printers this way.......maybe I'll just get the book out and read the instructions this year.

5) I Will Replace Murphy's Senator McCain Doll With A Barack Obama Doll

This could be fun!  After seeing what he did to Senator McCain, this could be a treat for the whole neighborhood and YouTube to watch!!!

6)  I Resolve To Stop Hiding Around the Corner & Going "BOO" When Chuck Comes Out Of the Bathroom....

And we were surprised when he was diagnosed with a heart issue this year???!!!!!

7)  I Will Stop Using the Jake Brakes on the Motorhome Just To Scare The People In Front of Me.......

Even as I'm typing this, I'm not completely sure I can keep this resolution.  I LOVE hearing those jake brakes......and watching the whiplash neck action from cars around me.  FUN FUN FUN!!

8)  Speaking of Brakes, I Resolve to Stop Slamming On The Brakes When Chuck Falls Asleep On the Back of the Motorcycle.....

Athough this is quite enjoyable and fun to do, it is a little dangerous until I can get a seatbelt installed.

9)  I Resolve Not To Use My Taser On A Loved One.......Unless They Tick Me Off....

Yes, I signed some sort of paper my sister slapped in front of me prior to giving me the taser for Christmas, but it really wasn't binding since I didn't know what I was signing...

10)  And Lastly, I WILL Find Chuck A New Hearing Aid This Year

Oh ya, folks, he WILL have a new hearing aid by year end.  No more crazy, bizarre conversations that involve Dairy Queen or diarrhea; nope.......that boy is going to hear what I'm yelling at him this time next year!