Tuscon, AZ - Settling In

Our drive to Tuscon, AZ from El Paso was very uneventful. We passed through yet another Border Patrol check-point... these check-points are scattered starting mid-way from Del Rio to Big Bend and westward to El Paso and into Arizona. They are no big deal for us... we just show our Driver Licenses and sail on through. I think our Air Force base stickers on the Dolphin and Honda windshields are helpful.

FamCamp Office

We're going to really enjoy our time here in Tuscon, and staying at the Agave Gulch FamCamp on Davis-Monthan AFB will be a pleasure. The FamCamp people are very efficient and they have a fair campsite rotation policy: 21 days in a full hook-up site and then out to the Overflow area for a few days, if people are waiting to rotate in. "Overflow" describes a no hook-up area where you can wait for a site to open up. You also have the choice to remain in the Overflow area if you prefer, which some people take advantage of because the sites are very large.

The Dolphin with Covers On

A lot of retirees spend the winter here at Agave Gulch FamCamp: the campground is very nice and extremely affordable, the Tuscon area offers plenty to do and see, and the weather is fantastic.

We got here a couple days ago and spent only one night in Overflow before rotating into a full hook-up site yesterday morning. The rotation policy at this FamCamp provides that you can choose a site which is currently occupied when the occupant is at or past his 21st day, even if other sites are open. If you made this choice, the current occupant would have to pack up and move to Overflow or to another open site. The site we wanted (#208) was currently occupied and we thought it would be a crappy thing to do to make that person move, so we opted for another site instead. Anyway, the occupant is a guy named "Stu" and he came by later to offer us a case of beer as a Thank You. He did not have to do that, but I guess he really appreciated that we did not make him move.

After moving to our full hook-up site in the morning, we spent several hours getting settled in - including giving the motor home a good interior cleaning, putting on the exterior window screens, tire covers, etc. Although we'll only be here for 9 days, it's best to protect the Dolphin from the Arizona sun as much as possible.

Then we went to the VA Hospital Emergency room in the mid-afternoon to have my right arm and shoulder examined. I must have overworked the shoulder while cleaning the motor home exterior in Houston - and the pain was getting worse and worse instead of better. Anyway, it was President's Day and so Tuscon city roads had very little traffic and the only activity at the VA hospital was in the Emergency Room. We were there a total of 3.5 hours, during which I had a XRay and was examined by the ER Doc on duty. Turns out they where having technical issues and my XRay could not be uploaded to be read by the remote Radiologist. The ER Doc took a look at it and advised that he did not see any bone damage, although he stressed he is not a radiologist. He believes the culprit is soft tissue damage that is inflamed. He gave me a cortisone shot, a bottle of prescription-strength Ibuprophen, and a bottle of Hydrocodone. The Doc told me to take it easy and favor the arm, but NOT to put it in sling as this would most likely cause my shoulder and elbow to lock up. He also told me that if it did not significantly improve within 4 weeks, I should have an MRI. I slept like a log last night for the first time in a couple weeks, and the arm feels good today - I just need to be careful not to over-use my shoulder.

Today was very productive. I got some exterior work done on the motor home (applied 100% silicone around the rear window, put Eternabond on the last of the slide roof areas, cleaned-up and lubricated the bikes, mounted the water bay remote thermometer, etc.) and Lynda restocked the fridge and cupboard.

Tomorrow, we'll drop-off Celia off at the nearby Banfield Pet Hospital for her 6-month wellness check-up, and then do some sightseeing.

What Have We Been Up To in Houston?

We've been in Houston for almost three months and now we're getting ready to leave on Saturday and head West for a few months.

We came here primarily so I could spend time with my ailing Mom and help my sisters with her care. It's been a very challenging time dealing with hospitals, nursing homes, medication issues, etc., but Mom is now settled in at a small group residential home and they are taking good care of her. This has not been an easy journey for Mom or for her daughters, but we are extremely fortunate that our family works well together as a team.

I have also really enjoyed spending time with Dad, and my sisters Pilar and Catherine and their families. My nieces are growing up so fast, that I feel if I look away for a moment they'll be grown and gone. Rachel is a high school senior and an outstanding student. She has been accepted to several very good universities, and also been offered a number of scholarships. So she is in the enviable and much-deserved position of being able to take her pick. I am very proud of Rachel and happy, happy that she is reaping the benefit of her hard work. Sarah will be starting high school in just a few months, and she is also an excellent student - I have no doubt she will also make her mark in high school. They are both great kids and I love them dearly.

In early December, Pilar and John hosted a gathering at their home in Beach City for Lynda's birthday. We boarded Sydney and Barley at a nearby Pet Paradise, and spent the night at Pilar's house. Catherine, Roger, and the girls also stayed over and we had a very nice time. And Lynda got her Angel Food cake, which is her favorite!

One afternoon, I went with Catherine to take Sarah to her horseback riding lesson and we ended up chatting with a woman who told us that HEB has great snow crab legs. So we decided to have a crab feast! About a week later, Dad came over to Catherine's and Lynda and I picked up a bunch of snow crab clusters, baby potatoes (which we roasted), and corn on the cob. Yummm!

Christmas was bittersweet this year: on one hand it was wonderful to be with the family, and the kids make the day so much fun, but Mom was not well enough to be with us and we missed her. Nonetheless, the company was great and the food delicious. As always, Catherine and Roger were gracious hosts!

Lynda went to Tennessee to spend Christmas with her parents. But before she left, Rachel and Sarah gave us a Christmas decoration for our motor home.

We have also been able to visit some friends here in Houston, including Donna and Charles, Brad, Noreen and Ron, and Don and Lois. This was the first time Don and I have seen each other in 23 years and it was great to catch up! And we also met up with Debbie and Wayne, RV friends we met in Alaska a few years ago... they were working at the KOA near Lake Conroe and we met them for lunch at Vernon's Kountry Katfish.

Houston is a city of amazing diversity, and we have thoroughly enjoyed a variety of Indian, Thai, Vietnamese, and Tex-Mex food over the past three months. Coming from Knoxville, Tennessee we are not used to so many choices of so many types of food. We love it!

Now that things with Mom have settled down, we've decided to travel for a few months. We're leaving on Saturday and will return to Houston the middle of May so we can visit Mom and attend Rachel's graduation.

Change in Plans - Houston, Here We Come

We're on our way to Houston. My VA appointment for December 3rd in Tennessee was cancelled and my Mom is really not doing well. So we said goodbye to Key West and we're making our way to Texas.

In the interest of making good time, we decided to overnight at rest stops instead of using campgrounds. In Florida, you can legally spend the night at any rest stop that has night-time security. Truckers take advantage of this and so do RVers.

Our first stop was Sumter County Rest Area off I-75 northbound, a few miles south of Bushnell. This stop is 455 miles from Key West, with slow going up and out of the keys and then west across the state through the Everglades. We stopped for lunch at a visitors center in the Everglades and then continued on. We finally got to the rest area around 7PM, after about 10 hours on the road.

We resumed our journey fairly early this morning, and we've made it to the Pensacola area. We're spending the night at another rest stop. We hope to make it to Houston by tomorrow (Sunday) night. This will be a drive of around 550 miles, but will be easy going all the way on I-10 with a steady pace of 60-65mph.

Life Interrupts

Fran and John had to leave Key West unexpectedly. Fran is having some health issues and so they've gone up to Miami. They are great people and we'll miss them both; John promised to keep us updated on Fran's health, and we are sending prayers and positive thoughts her way.

And I need to go to Houston; my Mom's health has been poor and then she fell yesterday and broke her hip. I want to spend some time with her and my sisters could use some help. Not sure yet how this will unfold; we're still working it all out. Lynda is suggesting we leave Key West and go to Houston.

The irony is that we thought we would be in Key West for another four weeks and have been slow about doing the things on our To Do and See in Key West list. Oh well, I'm sure we will be back again sometime and we cannot control everything.