Saturday, May 9
Today was not much more than just a travel day. We arose fairly early, got Big V closed up and ready for travel, and were on our way out of Vicksburg by 7:30. It was nearly 3:00 pm when we arrived at Holiday Village-Lake Fork, a longer trip than it would have taken in the car, but we took our time and stopped along the way when we felt like it…the last stop being at the Flying J just west of Shreveport to take on a load of fuel and propane.
When we got to Holiday Village we immediately parked Big V in the east end of the RV park, planning to dump and flush the tanks and fill our fresh water tanks in hopes of moving to our new lot and setting up there. We went ahead and unloaded the Vibe from the trailer so the trailer could be moved to a secure storage area.
Thinking that before we did too much to Big V at the time, we drove the Vibe up to our new lot to see how things were. Imagine our disappointment to find that the place was in far worse shape than we had left it six weeks ago...overgrown with weeds and grass, and no sign of our concrete pad. The fill dirt had been hauled in and spread and the trailer with all the concrete rods and forms was set up, but nothing else had been accomplished.
After finally contacting Glenn, who we had hired to do the work, we learned that the day before the concrete forms were to be set, the monsoon season hit the area with a vengeance, bringing well over fifteen inches of rain in a two-week period, with as much as 8 inches falling in one day. Needless to say, much of the dirt had been washed away, leaving ruts in the dirt that remained.
We were, of course, bitterly disappointed, especially when we noted that the weather forecast for the coming week called for even more rain, making it impossible for any more ground work to be done on the lot.
Knowing that we had to stay around for a couple of weeks, we returned to Big V and started setting her up for an extended stay. At least, we were in a well-shaded lot this time with more than enough parking space for the car and the motorcycle.
We spent an hour or so getting everything set up and then drove to Mother’s house in Mineola to visit with everyone there. Ernie had gathered all our mail while we were gone, so as we visited, we also did a “mail triage,” sorting out the obvious trash and keeping only what we thought might be interesting and/or important.
Weary from the traveling and feeling down because our plans had fallen so flat, we returned to the lake and settled in for the night, hoping for a brighter day tomorrow.
Sunday, May 10
Happy Mother’s Day!!!For our Mother’s Day celebration we attended Harvest Acres Baptist church with Mother, Ernie, Billee, and T.J. We were even able to snag the pastor after the service and get him to take this family picture of all of us dressed up and looking human. After the service we all went over to TJ’s house where Ernie and I grilled some hamburgers and hotdogs and we all enjoyed a nice picnic dinner
The rest of the day was spent in quiet leisure (after the obligatory trip to the Mineola Wal-Mart)…a little straightening and cleaning around Big V and a very necessary afternoon nap so we could be rested up to do not much of anything during the evening.
One thing that we did accomplish was to find our bird feeders and a stand for a beautiful basket of flowers that Heidi gave Barbara when we were in Toccoa. We got
the stands mounted in the lot that we are currently parked in and are now just waiting for the birds to come along; meanwhile, we’ll admire the plant as it puts on new blossoms each day.Monday, May 11
It was just another quiet day for us. After another look at our property, we decided we were going to have to act like landowners again and purchase a few necessities, like a lawnmower and some rakes.
So, when we went into Mineola today to see Mother, Ernie, and Billee, we found a farm supply store that had good prices on lawnmowers and tools and made the plunge.
Back at the park, we assembled the lawnmower and broke it in by mowing our RV lot and the one next to it. The recent rains have slowed down the grounds keeping crews, so we decided we’d better just go ahead and clean up around Big V before the grass got so tall that we couldn’t find our way home.
The mower worked so well that we took it on up to the lot and Barbara started mowing while I gathered up fallen tree limbs and started pulling and cutting briars that were trying to reclaim the place.Tuesday, May 12
The rainy season has returned…it was too wet to get anything done at the lot or even enjoy sitting under the awning at Big V. We made trips to Mineola to visit with the family and pick up mail, but that was pretty much the extent of our activities.
Wednesday, May 13
TJ and I took Mother to an orthopedic specialist in Tyler today while Barbara stayed at the park and did laundry and other household chores.
Mother has been having trouble with her knees and her rehab guy told her he wouldn’t work with her anymore until she got clearance from a doctor. So, we made the trip to get her checked out. I was really impressed with the doctor…he explained that the sound in her knees that was bothering the folks at rehab, a kind of clicking sound, was not her knee trying to lock up, but was really just a band of tissue that was stretching over a screw head that holds a steel post in place. He told her that he would perform surgery to remove either the screws or the post (or both), but recommended that she go on with rehab and get some strength back and then come see him again in a couple of months. Since no one in our family is crazy about having surgeries, this was great news for all of us.
When we returned to Mineola we ate at a nice Mexican Restaurant and then took Mother back to the house. While she went to her room and crashed, I hopped on the cycle and made my way back to Holiday Village where we just whiled away what was left of the afternoon and evening.
Thursday, May 14
More rain…just a repeat of Tuesday.
Friday & Saturday, May 15 & 16
With not much that we could do around the lot and more rain predicted, we made the executive decision to get away for a while…loaded up the car and drove to Bossier City, Louisiana, for a pre-weekend getaway.
We returned to Mineola to pick up our mail and check in with Mother, Ernie, and Billee, and then drove up to Holiday Village to settle in for a quiet Saturday night.
Soon after we got home we got a telephone call from TJ letting us know that Cousin Rob, who has just assumed the pastorate at a Lutheran Church in Crockett, Texas, had wrecked one of his motorcycles late this afternoon. He was bunged up pretty bad, but was sent home to begin recuperation. All we know that this writing is that he tore a rotator cuff and damaged a knee…more on that story as it comes to light.
And that, dear readers, is the latest news from the Wood County Warriors, seekers of truth, justice, and the eradication of briar patches!
Count your blessings...not your problems. 1st Baptist sign in Big Sandy, TX
From Holiday Village at Lake Fork,
Jim & Barbara
Jim & Barbara
