April's Options

March came in like a lion and now goes out like the lamb of March walking to slaughter when the call came back that it was malignant.  Kathy's mom has cancer, or not, follicular lymphoma, lessons to learn about medical terms and treatment options.  First thought, no Alaska this summer!

A price drop on the house and two offers came...we chose the young doctor and nurse.  Our house is near the medical center in Houston and our house is perfect for a young couple.  Back and forth and an additional $500 to end an option three days early.  No more house, time to pack, time to leave, close the door on the Houston chapter.  But then they ask for a foundation inspection to ensure the warranty is transferable and I get scared.  Scared the sprinkler system will void the warranty because it's too close to the house.  Scared the flower bed or French drain or crushed rock is seen as an alteration.  Okay, at least I have something foolish to direct my fears towards.  Kathy's fears much more real.   What if her mom needs treatment and they refer her to M. D. Anderson here in Houston?

Back working on the plan to prepare to move either to Killeen or hit the road.  Then Kathy noticed a seam on the RV overhang separating. Sure enough after an inspection, water infiltration!  Now the RV is under extreme maintenance with an expensive front cap rebuild.  Our options were either trusting a passionate new guy or taking it somewhere else. Wanting to be friendly and generous and struggling to walk the right path as it seems to be falling apart under our feet, I figured the new guy is still trying to prove something so he'll do a good job.  Overall PPL has been good to work with.  Much better than where we bought it.

We also have to prepare our toad (aka Jeep.) We've asked our neighbor, Cesar, to help put the tow plate on the Jeep.  Reading the directions made it sound easy but 4 hours drilling 4 holes doesn't sound easy. Option two means taking it to PPL to have it done for $400+ or to Meyerland Auto repair shop. With a difference in the quote of more than two hundred dollars, decision made, Meyerland auto collision center. Quick fix and check over gives the Jeep two thumbs up and ready to go except for the need of a spare and a new lug nut.  Too many options for one month.

Our first option seems to be taken care of with the diagnosis.  If treatment is needed, Kathy's sister Karen will move to Killeen and we're headed to Alaska to fulfill our commitment.  The second option is money can save sanity so we paid Meyerland Auto Collision to install the tow plate.

Purging, packing and donating finally gets us out of the house and into the RV full-time.  Less than a month, now.  How many more options will we have before then?

            on hearing it was Cancer
            J.L. Wright

            plans are not Real
            they are a pretense
            we wish to live in

            ours were to be fluid
            LIFE is a breeze
            plans should have been frozen

            instead, we are frozen
            waiting in time
            for information and other peoples' plans

            we feel a shift
            Change causes a reaction
            after a year on the previous plan

            like the frozen skin of a river in spring
            malleability versus flexibility
            eventually everything breaks

            plans are not Real
            ours were to be fluid
            instead we are frozen
            we feel a shift
            like the frozen skin of a river in spring

March Madness

March Madness

This writing is near the end of March 2014, I am report that March madness has encroached on our lives.  Both Kathy and I have had our days with high emotions and days with crummy physical health.

High emotion brought on by stress at work, living in a model home, and the continued cleansing of our possessions. As our days are numbered on the job, the promises we've made to complete tasks at work are building up steam on our timelines.  As a school teacher, I'm entering high stake testing time and am trying to help students and teachers in need of support.  Kathy's work project is getting down to the wire with less than twenty policies and an inspection to go.  Feels like neither of us are going to complete everything at 100% but we are getting it done.  Living in a house on the market showing regularly makes daily cleaning and organization a must.  It takes at least 30 minutes extra daily to get ready to leave for work in the morning and not knowing if someone will visit or not,  and although we still are not packed, we are getting rid of objects that we are not storing or taking with us.  Kathy keeps reminding me, letting go of items is not letting go of the experiences we had with them.  This month we turned in our leased 2013 GTI.  It was hard in two ways, financially and emotionally.  This is the first time, in over twenty years, I am not a VW owner and it cost us to get out of the lease.  I feel like we did okay on the deal because I had two other offers to take back to the Volkswagen dealership before finalizing the turn-in.

Okay is generally not good enough for either of us so we really did know how selling the bike would turn out.  Vito was our 2002 Honda  VTX 1800.  When I had taken the GTI around town for offers, I had also inquired about the bike.  We wanted WAY more than anyone was offering.  Seems there are quite a few VTXs still on the road driving prices way down.  We knew that our baby was special though and needed to be marketed as such.  I came up with this crafty little craigslist ad...Don Corleone couldn't have been a prouder papa to Vito than we are!

Vito is our 2002 customized Honda VTX 1800c. With enough growl to wake up grandma with custom drag pipes and get up and go with the power commander to easily taken anything off the line, Vito is ready to move out of this childhood home.

We adopted this California bike as a toddler and have brought him up right.  Big Bend to South Padre, most of his 34,300 miles earned were in the Texas hill country.  Now he's living large in H-town.

So your interested but your bald, married, and over 50.  No problem!

The XL Ultimate custom seat has you both covered.  This comfy seat saved our marriage!  Now she says "riding bitch never felt so good!" She keeps her purse and a map in the leather bags that zip off easily for prowling nights.  If your interested in iron butting it, we'll sell you the custom bike luggage too!  You could pack for a month with all this storage.

Vito is the perfect combination of power and prowess.  Looks like a million! rides    like a dream! handles like thoroughbred! Muscle bike and cruiser comfort!

This ad interested the man and wife it was directed toward.  Even after coming back from a test ride and discovering an slight water pump leak, Kathy's genuine passion for this bike finalized the sale to a wonderful new family at a very agreeable price.

We both had our lows this month with our physical health too.  The 140 year old oak tree in our backyard has decided to run us off too.  This tree, the oldest in the neighborhood was our pride when we moved into the house.  It draped over nearly half the house and was in desperately needed  trimming but since Houston had been in a severe drought we wanted to ensure we could keep the tree alive and healthy.  We spent several thousand dollars to provide the tree with deep root watering and fertilizing as well as cutting it back away from the house to save it.  Obviously, it's doing well providing food and habitat for a varying of living things such as squirrels, doves, wood pecker, blue jays, robins, and anole lizards.   Too bad the pollen pods are now painting the neighborhood yellow and causing Kathy and I symptoms from headaches, sore throats, watery eyes, running nose, coughing, fever, and even pink eye.

Now we live off steroid sprays and shots while the tree in the back yard flourishes with a nest of baby woodpeckers.  So even though we been under physical, mental, and emotional stress this month we continue to see the roses amongst the thorns.  Less than three months to D, departure, Day.

San Fellipe

Day three of trip four, learning all about our rv for our sabbatical.

This trip was the shortest from home as we are staying in San Felipe the Stephen F Austin state park, which is about 40 miles from Houston.  The trip here almost I didn't happen, weather reports of tropical storms on the gulf with landfall in Mexico means serious rain. 90% chance of rain with flash flood warnings.  We decided we were going anyway, why not?  Who's to say it won't be weather like this when we're traveling next year anyway.  The drive on I 10 on a Friday after work is insane on a regular day but with torrential rain, it can break most men down to road rage.  For us the oldies rock channel kept us out of insanity with stop and go and people who think cutting in front of a 31' RV is their ticket home faster.  With the fuel tank near E, the dog having to pee, and us getting hungry we decided to get of the freeway just outside of town.  Pee trip successful during the lull in the storm, we separated to conquer the other two tasks, dinner and fuel.  Kathy drove to get gas while I hit chipotle for dinner.  The rain returned!  Dinner in the parking lot then a few more miles to the state park.  Reception was cool, no bait and no level spots left.  The park dark and the road not well marker it took a while to locate our spot.  Set in the rain wasn't even too bad, we hung our wet clothes in the shower settled in.

Somehow overnight the forecast changed, it was fishing weather.  1/2 mile hike through muddy trails in swim shoes led down to the Brazos River, the 11th longest river in the US.  Fishing from shore with artificial bait didn't seem promising but during the last cast, I pulled in this nice large mouth bass.  Since it was time to go we released him back into the muddy waters for next time.

The plan for dinner was chicken and something from the cabinetry...but salt and pepper was the only seasonings so grilling the chicken would add flavor if Kathy could set up the grill and get the briquettes to burn.  It ended up delicious, grilled chicken and cheese and onion quesadillas.  Add spices to the packing list for next time.

Forecast now cool and dry.  Sunday morning hike to the overlook, not quite as muddy.  welcome to my church...

Green water flow 'neath moss vert froth
Cool dog days
Soft winds lift wing 'twist tree falls
Bird songs ring, feast time 'fore frost comes
Bliss

An Unexpected Wonder

Village Creek State Park in the Big Thicket of East Texas was our January trip.  Since I received a metal detector for my December birthday I reviewed the "laws" regarding their use in state parks and other areas.  I learned their use is not allowed without permit in state parks due to the National Historic Preservation Act.  So upon arrival I decided to ask how to obtain a permit.  First I assure the the lady rangers that I had not brought my metal detector but wanted to inquire as to how to obtain a permit.  The first ranger started raising her voice and level of enthusiasm saying, "metal detectors and not allowed, ever!"  I repeated the ordinance said by permit only, and asked again.  The second ranger Kathy Smith ironically agreed the ordinance did say by permit.  She said she could check with her boss and get back to me when I stopped back in the office.  The first ranger reintegrated the rule was absolutely no metal detectors and said my boss goes nuts when he sees them!  Just the the boss appeared through the back door.  Hello I introduced myself, "Your officer was just telling your nuts about metal detectors!"  I didn't say that!  She snapped as she left the room saying I'll let you address her question.  I began again, I'm Joy Nyberg, I was just asking about the ordinance regarding metal detectors, I assure....he interrupted you cannot use them, they are not allowed in any state parks.  The ordinance says without permit so how does one go about obtaining a permit.  The ordinance does not say that....they are not allowed period.  Officer Kathy Smith grabs the pamphlet with the ordinances with a grin and handed it her boss.  He opens it abruptly and point straight to the the line that says metal detection is not allowed...without permit.  So I'm asking how to obtain a permit...oh that's not for the general public and your the general public...that's for professors and historians....ok, I said I'm an educator, how can I obtain a permit.  You have to contact state headquarters.  Ok I'll do that I said as I walked out of the office.

Set up was a breeze, Kathy backed in and the site was nearly level.  It only took a few levelers under the front tires to get the bubble in the circle on the leveler for the fridge.  Now what?  I'm always ready to go, don't want to waste time.  We call EastTX canoe outfitters for a quote.  Forty five for a hour canoe rental and twenty five for a ride.  We'll drive you 20 miles north let you float three miles and pick you up there and then drive you back.  The landing site at Village Creek is too hard to get in because it's a steep cliff to drag the canoe up.  Walk down there and see and then call me back if you want I can drop off a canoe there and you can use it there for just the fourth five dollars but I don't recommend it.  Let's call the next one on the list....piney woods outfitters quoted thirty five ca should pick up us at our site, how about 10:00 am?  Great, we'd better walk down to the landing site and check out if we'll be able to get the canoe out of the water.

A nice bike ride down past the parking lot seeking a place to beach the canoe...our first possibility would be portaging the canoe through the woods for about a half mile back to the parking lot.  Other shore areas didn't seem much better.  Finally we found the actual canoe landing site with a sandy hill.  Steep but not impossible...we're going canoing tomorrow, yeah!

After desert, fire roasted marshmallows we watch old TV reruns and are in bed by 8:00 pm.  The train horns and children kept us awake until midnight or so but the electric heater and the dogs sleeping in the living room allow us to sleep until 5:00 am.

Amazingly the weather was near perfect but we dressed in layers just in case the wind would get at us on the water.  Both dogs properly walked our driver David was right on time.  A quick drive to the drop off point and we we launched down a canoe down the boat ramp.   The glassy river bent back and forth every other curve opening up to pristine virgin white beaches amongst the cypress edges along the rust colored waters. What an unexpected wonder!

The current carried most of the way so we didn't have to work hard to paddle except when trying to avoid dead fall or cypress islands.  The only challenge should have been choosing each area of the bridge to go under when they all appeared to be blocked by vegetation or rocks.  After about an hour we finally came upon fellow river travelers.  Soon we spotted the state park sign and a third canoe.  This canoe slightly out of sight rounded the bend to the landing and were out of the river quickly.  We spotted the landing as the paddled hard into the sandy beach, a man on shore stated we may want to try the other side of the point as it was an easier place to pull out.  As he did, I jumped into the loose sand from the front of the canoe.  I held tightly unto the short rope tied to the bow.  I fell into the sand and pulled the canoe forward.  The sand too soft I slipped and the canoe pitched and I turned toward Kathy rising from the back of the canoe yelling I'm going over.  Sure enough it did and she fell into the icy water grabbing the backpack with my phone from the water.  She didn't yell.  Three men ran to our aid.  The canoe half filled with water too heavy to drag out.  We had to dump the water before we could pull it up the beach.  Kathy drenched and me full of sand headed to the bathhouse so she could take a hot shower.  She didn't laugh she didn't cry.  I apologized and waited.  She was ok and said it was too soon to find amusing.  After a dry afternoon and romantic al fresco dinner of a creole and rice, she at least smiled.  A wonderful campfire and marshmallows eased the humiliation while the aches began to set in.

Kathy's wet clothes

Early to bed and late to rise made our MLK Day a quick departure from Village Creek State Park.  It allowed me to snap a few more photos of the areas unique landscapes and historical features.

Keila, The Hangdog

Surfside Valentine

Celebrating 11 years together Texas coastal style has been a fabulous weekend after a hectic week.  Seven years ago, on Valentines Day 2007 we conducted a private commitment ceremony in our then Austin home with Keila as our witness.  We'd actually had a date scheduled to get married in San Francisco, complete with hotel reservations and plane tickets, but then the court injunction nixed that.  Years later, all three of us are going strong in love and life.  

With less than four months to D (departure) - Day, a weekend away seemed nearly overwhelming earlier in the week. Work duties and purchasing our "toad" kept us away from the house just trying to take care of business.  But we agreed to go camping at least once a month and Joy loves exploring Texas beaches in the winter so Surfside, here we come. Weather in the sixties meant fabulous beach combing and metal detecting.  The dogs, Frances and Keila, loved it too.

We stayed at Beachfront RV resort.  It boasts professional horseshoe courts and illuminated large size chess.  Unfortunately, both were in need of repair.  With the WIFI not working and the private dog run allowing Frances to escape, the park is extremely over priced for the peaceful day we did enjoy.

Just a short walk over the dunes to the beach via a board walk, we went metal detecting.  Since technically we're on private property we can actually use Joy's birthday present.  Texas, like most other states, doesn't allow use of metal detectors on state property without permit and according to a state park ranger, permits are only issued to university representatives for research.  Our finds this weekend, a Hyde brand scrapper, a plastic rake, a piece of iron, and a coin, probably foreign.  According to Facebook friends, our hunting is improving.  

 Our Saturday night fare consisted of delicious homemade cheese infused bbq burgers.  They were awesome!  Thanks to Kathy's dabbling in the kitchen.  In fact, we used one of these tasty patties with a couple of eggs for breakfast tacos on Sunday morning.  One of our current practices for camping is menu planning.  With a small fridge and tiny freezer this is a must.  Maybe we can start sharing recipes with you as well.  Blogging just opens up so many possibilities.

Well, check out time is in a few hours so we're headed back out to the beach for one more metal detector trip.

 

Grateful Camping, Part One

Since Joy had the whole week off and Kathy had time available, we decided to combine a trip to Mom’s for Thanksgiving with camping. We knew it was going to be cold, as she lives 200 miles northwest of Houston.  We planned to leave on Tuesday since Joy had a doctor’s appointment on Monday, and spent Saturday and Sunday packing and planning so that we’d be ready to hit the road first thing Tuesday morning.

We knew we needed to check the tire pressures and put it off, of course, until the morning of our scheduled departure.  The first two tires we checked were 20-30 lbs low!  After spending what seemed like an eternity filling them with our little compressor, we noticed that one of the new valve stem extensions was not allowing air in or out of the tire.  It was simply dead.  Joy suggested we go to Discount Tire, which is just a block up the road, to have them check the rest of the pressures and maybe fix the broken extension.  6 1/2 hours and $1700 later the RV was ready to go!

When I arrived at the shop, they were busy and said it would be about 45 minutes to check the extension.  Knowing that all 6 tires had to be replaced before we hit the road, I asked them how long it would take to put 4 new tires on.  Miraculously, they said it would be about 45 minutes.  Ha ha.  They had what we needed in stock so I called Joy, received approval, and told them to rock on.  I decided to wait at the store hoping that my sad little face would make it a rush job.  After paying for the tires, the tech told me I’d made the right decision as the tires appeared to have many aging cracks near the center.   

After about an hour, I walked out into the frigid air to check on the tech’s progress.  They had the passenger side tires off so I walked around the RV to the driver’s side – just in time to see the tech preparing to take a full swing at the outside tire with a sledge hammer.  He stopped mid-swing when he saw me.  “Problem?” I asked.  He said that he was having a difficult time removing the tire as it was corroded to the hub.  He said it happens and that they would be able to remove it with a little work.  I’m betting he didn’t guess he’d still be fighting with it 3 hours later!

Pre Fight

Joy began searching the Internet for possible solutions and found several YouTube videos showing how difficult it could be to remove fused tires from hubs. One showed a guy on a tractor trying to pull the tire off using a tow strap and eventually getting the wheels apart with a 2 x 4 wedge.  Joy sent the link to me to share with the techs as encouragement and I did.  

I called Joy to come get me, as I was cold and hungry.  When I left, they were reporting that the outside and inside tires had actually rusted to each other and the fight was more than they had bargained for.  They were spraying WD40 on them, banging them with a sledgehammer, and chiseling them apart.  On all three notes – I had to leave.

Joy picked me up for lunch and afterwards I decided to go to Advance Auto Parts to pick up some rust dissolver, thinking it would be stronger than WD40.  I drove back to Discount Tire and, just as I walked around the RV I saw the embattled wheel on the ground and a smiling tech.  “We just got it off!” he shouted with glee.  “How?” I asked.  Looks like the tractor video story encouraged them, as the tech used his own vehicle and a tow strap to pull the tire off.  Thing is – he had to do it from the other side of an iron fence that separated two parking lots. He pulled with his car while another tire tech lay under the RV and beat the tire with a large sledgehammer. Success!   

To reward them for all of their hard work, we went ahead and bought two new front tires as well.  I returned the rust dissolver unopened and came home to wait for the RV to be done. By the time it was, it was cold, dark, and rainy with freezing rain between Houston and our destination, Dana Peak Park.  Much like I do with flying, we decided to postpone our departure date and leave early Wednesday morning.  We spent the evening snuggled up with the pups and watching a movie.  Overall, it was a day of patience and gratitude. 

A year ago, I would have been livid about the entire situation, cussing the tires, the techs, the RV and anyone else who crossed my path.  However, this time I was calm and patient, reminding myself of the many people who are homeless, jobless or without family (and some experiencing all three.)  Was I really going to allow myself to get upset about having to buy 6 tires for my RV?  Please – the entire situation was petty compared to what others go through on a daily basis.  Life remains good, my friends, even with a little rust, a little delay, and a little expense.

Trying A Longer Haul

Planning our Oklahoma trip was like a mock up of our travels yet to be determined but beginning in June 2014.  We planned where we’d stay, what we'd do and see, and left our plans open enough to do whatever we wanted to do.  Initially we planned to tow our motorcycle so we could ride through the beautiful Oklahoma mountains.  Yes, Oklahoma has mountains.  The Ouachita Mountains are in west central Arkansas and southeastern Oklahoma.  After much contemplation, we have decided not to tow the bike on our upcoming sabbatical, we decided not to tow the motorcycle after all and brought the bicycles instead.   

Our trip started by driving to the Tyler State Park.  We are HUGE Texas state park fans as most of them boast of wonderful hiking and biking trails.  It rained the day before we arrived so we didn’t bike through muddy trails (trail etiquette) but we did take the dogs for a nice walk along the lake and watched kayakers and swimmers work way too hard on the other side.  In the morning we took a short hike down what would have been a killer single track that was tough enough to walk let alone ride. 

Too bad we weren't on 2 wheels!

By noon we were on the road again.  When we arrived in Oklahoma we decided to drive through the beautiful Ouachita National Forest.  We checked out the campground facilities and almost stayed because it was so beautiful but decided to drive on to our reserved campground. 

Big Cedar RV Park and Cabins had new owners trying out new tools.  A friendly dog greeted us by staring us down as he walked over to the RV, lifting his leg, and christening one of our RV tires.  He was so cute we simply had to forgive him.  The place was pretty empty and we had our choice of sites.  The hot flat mowed fields allowed us to let Keila off leash with her new friend (aka leg lifter) and we enjoyed watching the two of them flirt.

We had total peace and quiet our entire stay. We played dominoes and Uno and went to bed early. One morning we rode our bicycles toward town but weren’t sure how far we’d get because it was so hot!  When we decided the seven miles to town was too far we attempted a dirt road that, according to the map, would take us down to the Kiamichi River.  We ended up turning back around because it was too muddy and we swore we heard banjos.

Thanks to the campground owners for lending us a cable so we even had TV and free Wi-Fi.  This campground has potential!  We wish the new owners luck and patience to keep it running while making improvements to attract more guests.   

Time to head back home to Texas and prepare for the new school year - Kathy working at University of Houston and Joy at Fort Bend ISD.

Sunset at Lake Livingston State Park

We decided to see what we could actually do in one day of driving.  So we drove straight south to Lake Livingston State Park: 322 miles.  Joy had hoped to visit with her previous boss and mentor who lives on the north side of the lake.  Although she hasn’t seen him for several years since he left the Texas Youth Commission, Joy continues to keep in contact with him.  During the drive, she gave him a call and discussed a possible visit.  We were invited over but since it was such a long drive and visiting him would have added another 40 plus miles we opted to go straight to the park.  In fact we even bought dinner instead of cooking that night.  We also decided no driving over 250 miles a day unless we have to.

Lake Livingston is beautiful as you can see.  We’ve camped there previously and even rented a bicycle built for two. I don't recommend that but you have to try it at least once in your lifetime.  We were glad to have our own bikes this time and loved riding around the park.  The sunset was gorgeous and we know why so many folks selected such a wonderful area to retire.

The final trek home was too quick!  Summer was officially over.  Back to work but with a whole new insight: eleven months and counting!

Two worn out pups!