Issue #36 Back On The Road 2020

As most of you already know, we bought a lake home last year.  There were a lot of projects to be done, not so much inside the house, but a lot outside.  We managed to furnish the house fairly quick with the help of online purchasing.  I'm new to ordering online, but I enjoyed it so much that I now order almost everything online. 





David needed a new lawn mower; boys and their toys. He really seems to enjoy getting out for the day.  He and a few of the neighbors get together and also mow the park which  borders our property line.

We ended up spending the 2019 Summer in Texas in order to complete several projects.  We added two full 50 amp RV hook-up sites.  There was already one pad, it just didn't have full hook-ups.  In order to add one to the back gated area we had to have the fence extended about 10'. Next winter we'll add a cover to the one in the gated area.  David also got a "She Shed" for me, which is also in the gated area.

We added a sprinkler system. Now the grass won't die when we go back to Maine for the Summer of 2020.  We have great neighbors, one of which does lawn upkeep for several in the neighborhood.  I was very thankful to get on the list.  The lawns look great and he is very reasonable with what he charges. My sister, Linda, is currently staying with us and agreed to look after things so we could get back on the road.

After spending five years of Summers in Maine, it's really hard to be anywhere else.  Our normal season in Maine is from the beginning of May to the middle of October.  Much like everyone else in the Country, Covid-19 caused all plans to stop.  Once things started opening up again we contacted the RV park in Maine,  Timberland Acres RV Park, to verify they were going to open for the season.
The park was able to open on time, however, we weren't able to plan our trip until the first part of June.  Originally we had a lot of plans for places we wanted to visit and friends we wanted to see, but again due to Covid-19, all plans had to be reworked.  Just finding RV parks open was a challenge.
We managed to get on the road June 2nd and spent the first night at the Downtown Riverside RV Park located in North Little Rock, Arkansas.  We've stayed at this RV park many times before and it's always clean and everyone is friendly.  There are a few restrictions due to Covid-19, but nothing too bad.  All check-ins are treated like a late check-in and the restrooms are not open.  But that's why you have an RV or trailer, so that you have your own bathrooms. With an Escapees discount, you can get a site for as little as $28.  The park is right on the Arkansas River, and just over the river is the Clinton Presidential Library and downtown Little Rock, the Capital of Arkansas.  There's a walking bridge you can use to cross the river, if you want to.
The next morning we were back on the road by 9 a.m..  We drove to Shepherdsville, Kentucky and spent two nights at Grandma's RV Camping RV park. We really lucked out getting into this park as they weren't taking reservations until later in the month.  The manager was very friendly and the rate was only $70 total for both nights.  We stayed the extra night in order to visit a very good friend and his daughter in a suburb of Louisville.  Robert and Emily were very gracious and invited us to their home.  Robert cooked kabobs on the grill, which were great.  We hope to visit them again in October as we head back to Texas.  We also hope to visit the Ark Encounter located in Williamstown, Kentucky.
June 4th, back on the road, destination Gaslight Camping in Emlenton, Pennsylvania. It's a family owned campground and very much a family campground.  There were lots of activities when we arrived with lots of kids having fun.  The cost for one night was $36, full hook-ups and it's very clean.
Saturday, June 6th we drove to Cabelas in East Hartford, Connecticut.  All Cabelas are RV friendly with spaces behind or beside their stores, no hook-ups, but a good place for just an overnight "Dry Camp" stop.  This is one of our favorite Cabelas because they have a vendor that sells "Fresh" Apple Cider donuts. They go great with evening or morning coffee.





June 7th we made it all the way to Timberland Acres RV Park, in Trenton, Maine.  For us driving into Maine is like returning home, ever so peaceful.  It doesn't take long for us to reconnect with friends and get our regular site set-up for the Summer.


















Every year I plant and hang flowers, and reseed the grass area.  We try to make it as close to feeling like home as we can.  This year I'm trying something new for me.  I'm container growing our lettuce and spinach for salads.  I impressed myself ... Fresh lettuce for salads and sandwiches right from your own garden is nice.















David spent the rest of June playing golf with his good friend Lincoln. They have Summer seasonal memberships at Northeast Harbor Golf Club.  Even to play golf, there are Covid-19 rules.  Only members are allowed to play the course and unless you live in the same house, you have to ride in separate carts.

And while the boys golfed, the ladies spent time together, while enjoying lunch on the water.

 David and I have also been able to spend time together revisiting some of our favorite places within the Schoodic Peninsula, on the coast of Maine.  This area is part of  Acadia National Park. The largest parts of Acadia National Park are located Southwest of Maine's Town of Bar Harbor. One of the main reasons we come back to our Summer "home" in Maine each year is because Texas is very hot and humid in the Summer, while the Maine coast area is racked with pleasantly cool days and very pleasant "Open Your Windows At Night" sleeping. We rarely have to turn on our RV air conditioners. This is in addition to the fantastic natural beauty of the area, and the wonderful dispositions of the local "Mainers."

These flowers are wild roses; the aroma is like none we have ever smelled.  As soon as you open the car door, you are welcomed to Maine with the most exhilarating sweet fragrance, wafting on the cool breeze.

The last thing I'll talk about is our 4th of July.  We spent the day at our friends, Debbie and Lincoln's Summer camp.  The day was wonderful, even though the weather wasn't the best.  Not a lot of sunshine.  The company and food made the day one our best 4th of July celebrations ever.
David and I hope the celebration of your Independence Day was a great one also.

Back at Timberland Acres RV Park, the 4th of July celebrations included family and friends gathering for picnic style BBQ's and games, followed by a parade of decorated golf carts and kids on their decorated bicycles.

We hope you enjoyed this issue of our Blog and continue following us as we publish additional issues related to Dains Traveling Days.

Issue #35 -- A Little More of TEXAS

It's been a while since our last blog, Issue #34, when we were in Amarillo & Wichita Falls, Texas. From there we headed over to Lake Texoma to complete our annual CCW permit requirements. We only see Mike Lane,  Texas Firearms Training Academy, once a year but we always enjoy  the time we're able to spend with him. Since our last visit he's been promoted to Captain with the Lewisville Police Department. Mike has a nice ranch with a shooting range and classroom on his property.

A few years back Mike invested in miniature mules, but once his daughters started naming them they haven't been able to part with them.  The mules love company, and apple treats.








Our next stop was Waxahachie, Texas, for a short visit with friends Jerry & Stacy Smith and Steve & "Charm" Smith.  David and Jerry always have a  good time reminiscing about those good ole days, (because they ARE old).
As for me, I enjoy spending time with the girls and feeding the horse and mules. We always park the motorhome out in the area of the ranch near the cattle pastures. David loves the smell of ... "napalm" ... in the morning.

After attending Easter service at The Cowboy Church of Ellis County, we found a nice place for Sunday brunch, Tio Tony's.












The girls were also able to spend some time together over lunch and a little shopping.

We're already looking forward to our next visit!
See ya'll soon. Stay safe.



On the road again, heading to Granbury, Texas, and then intending to head up to Maine. While in Granbury we looked at a lake home and made an offer on it. However, our offer was not accepted. We have been looking for lake property, in Texas, for some time.

Our last Sunday in the Granbury area, we visited another Cowboy Church. After church we took a drive to Henderson County, where Tool Town & Gun Barrel City, Texas are located. We looked at a few more properties. We really weren't expecting to make an offer on anything, but once we walked one particular property and checked out the inside of the home, we had to try and buy it.  This home had been on the market for almost three months; can't believe it didn't sell before us. Must have been meant for us ... Providence!

Once our offer was accepted, we moved the RV closer so we wouldn't have to drive two and a half hours to complete all things necessary related to the sale and closing of the deal. Lone Star RV Park, located in Kemp, Texas is a nice, clean, small, and quiet RV park. The owner, Charles, takes care to help you with getting to know the area.

The closing date on the lake home was set for June 11th; and taking possession was set for June 15th. The home is located on Cedar Creek Lake, which is the fourth largest lake in Texas and has over 320 miles of shoreline. The lake is actually a reservoir which was constructed in 1969. It is the chief water source for Fort Worth. Our home is located just an hour southeast of the Dallas/Fort Worth metro area. Just across the lake is Gun Barrel City.  Gun Barrel was constructed along with Cedar Creek Lake in 1969. Because of all the things we needed done at the new home, we decided to postpone our annual trip to Maine until next summer. The property next to our home is a community park. This is where we had a picnic lunch Memorial Day, just before the home's closing. The gazebo just behind us is on our property, we have about three and a half lots, or .75 acre.

 Lots of grass for David to mow; he got a new toy.






I've never been one to order things online, but once I got started "Amazon Prime" made it too easy. Now I order almost everything online and it gets delivered right to our front door.






The prior owners told us a couple of owls live on the property, but we haven't seen them yet.There are a lot of birds we see everyday. The robins wait for David to water the lawn in the evenings so they can get their worms. We also have blue jays, cardinals, mocking birds, blue finches, sparrows, crows, black birds, vultures, ducks, geese and humming birds.

Squirrels are also plentiful.




After getting a little settled, we started checking out the local shopping centers and  restaurants.
Our closest Walmart is in Gun Barrel City, as is Lowes and just about all the fast food places. Oh, there's even a Starbucks in Gun Barrel City. That means you are in "civilization," as David says, when a small Town has a Starbucks. There are a lot of Mexican Food restaurants, but one is just as different as the next.


Vernon's Lakeside is a new restaurant to the area. If you're out on the lake you can boat right up to the dock and enjoy a nice meal. They have bars, both inside and out. The food is excellent and the employees are very nice.

The 4th of July we spent at home. The fireworks could be seen, and heard, from any direction around our home. Texans each, spend thousands of dollars on fireworks every year. It sounds like the Alamo battle every patriotic holiday, or anytime a Texan gets drunk!

Last week we were finally able to get out on the water with the compliments of our neighbor Marty and his son Alex.

Dawn Izgarjan, a beautiful lady in the classic sense, and a wonderful friend, passed away after a long and valiant fight against cancer. She will be greatly missed by everyone whose life she touched. Our thoughts and prayers are with Bob, Dawn's wonderful husband.

David's Buddy Stops:

  

Thank you, we'll be back soon.