Saturday, July 19 - Mineola to North Texas Jellystone Park
A Little Background...For about a year, we've thought of how to get various family members together for a visit at Jellystone Park near Burleson, Texas. Our grand idea, when we began thinking on it, was to park Big V at Jellystone for a month and let the grandkids take turns staying with us for several days. But, with the older grandkids having their work and school schedules, and the younger ones having their own activity and vacation schedules, it looked as if our plan, if it was to happen, would have to be pared down a little.
While we were in Galveston with Jaycie and Keaton, a plan started to come into focus, and when it worked out that Alexander and Abby were available for a few days and Whitney could bring Jimmy to the Dallas area for a visit, we took the plunge and reserved a spot at Jellystone to have a camping experience with Alexander, Abby, and Jimmy for the first time. We took Alexander and Abby to Galveston two years ago, but this was going to be a brand new experience for Jimmy.
With our plans made and after several days of preparing and packing Big V, we hooked on the car and began the two hour trip from Mineola to the Burleson area. And, as always, a camera and photos were involved.
It didn't take long driving across I-20 to see that others had somewhat the same idea. We took this photo of a rig that passed us because we were amused at the license tag on the car...IMINTOW. Since we are able to flat-tow the car now, maybe we need to look for a specialty tag...or not.
I had not begun reading Stephen King's Dr. Sleep, otherwise, I might have had thoughts far removed from and much more sinister than vanity license tags as we formed this mini-caravan for a few miles.
Traffic along I-20 and U.S. 67 was generally light, so we easily made it to Alvarado and then up I-35 W for about six miles until we reached our destination, Jellystone Park and Pirates Cove. After completing our registration, we were shown to our lot, where we pulled in, unhooked the car, and began setting up our home for the next 9 nights. On the good side, we had a nice, shady spot. The downside was that the lot was far from level, so it took quite a bit of adjustment to get the rig close enough to level that we could stand up straight and walk around in it without difficulty.
While Barbara took care of setting up the interior of Big V, I went outside and got our patio ready.
We had invited Leah and Ryan for supper, so Barbara went to work whipping up a meal inside.
When the kids arrived, Ryan and I did some work to complete the set-up, while Leah alternated between the inside and the outside, offering assistance where needed.
And then it was time for a fun family evening...good company, good food, and time for some photo phun.
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Sunday, July 20
Leah and Ryan were leaving after church this afternoon to take a group of kids to church camp at Mt. Lebanon, so we arranged to meet them for the early service at Nolan River Road Baptist Church.
We heard some great music from the choir and a wonderful sermon from Larry York (whose Mother lives in Mineola). Then, we went outside with Leah and Ryan for prayer and some pictures,
After saying our goodbyes, we got in the car and drove back to Jellystone to prepare for the arrival of the grandkids. Barbara went inside and fixed lunch while I sat at the lookout station.
Heather, Andy, Whitney, Alexander, Abby, and Jimmy arrived around 2:00. We got the kids' stuff moved into Big V and then we all sat around to talk and enjoy Barbara's pulled pork recipe (and take lots of pictures).
When the big kids left to return to Richardson, we briefly went over the rules for the grandkids and then set out to explore the park, beginning with one of the swimming pools.
Then we trekked back to Big V...
where we dried off, rested for a bit, and then headed across the R.V. park toward Pirates Cove to see what it was all about.
After drying off, we drove across the park to the inflatable village where the kids mastered the climbing wall. First, Alexander...
Then Jimmy...
And then Abby...
And then it was time to enjoy some bouncy fun...
When we returned to Big V, we dragged out the washer boards that Leah and Ryan left with us and had a heated washer tournament. Alexander was clearly the one to beat.
After all that activity, it was time to settle down for a meal. For supper, we had that good old campground staple, hot dogs with all the trimmings. When we had cleaned up our mess and washed the dishes, it was time for a walk to the shower rooms to get everyone scrubbed down. Big V has a perfectly good shower, and Grams and Gramps made use of it, but it would have taken way too long for the three little ones to shower in the motorhome.
When the kids were finished with there showers, we walked back to Big V to get the beds ready (Jimmy, who has never spent time with us in the motorhome) was enthralled with the push-button fold-out couch).
It was at this point that Grams and Gramps made their first big (as in H-U-G-E) tactical error. We had promised the kids S'Mores for a nighttime treat, never considering that small hands should NEVER be given such a gooey treat to enjoy in bed after taking a shower. That experience has already been filed away under "Don't even think about doing
this again!"
Once the messes were as cleaned up as they were going to be, we settled in for the remainder of a movie and then called it a night.
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Monday, July 21
Grams and Gramps got up relatively early this morning to enjoy a few moments of quiet before the start of the days activities. Alexander, Abby, and Jimmy weren't too far behind, though, and were soon ready for breakfast and adventures.
The kids got both breakfast and adventure in one package, as they helped prepare their own meal. Following Leah's advice, Grams had each of the kids mash a banana, put the mash in a cup, stir in two eggs, and then take the cup outside where Gramps would fry it on the griddle. The kids had fun, and the banana pancakes were delicious!
Then came the real fun...eating the finished product...
After eating and then gathering their trash and throwing it away, Grams and the Grands (sounds like a perversion of a 50's rock band), went across the street to the playground to get rid of some pent-up energy.
The playground only whetted appetites for more fun, so everyone came back to the lot for another round of washers. What we found from that experience is that Gramps is a sore loser.
Later, Grams came out and challenged Alexander to a game.
It was close, but Alexander continued as champion for another day.
While Gramps was taking pictures of the washer games, Abby, our budding photographer, was busy shooting the scenery and people (including a selfie) around us.
We all needed a little downtime for a few minutes, so Alexander and Jimmy broke out some Legos...
While Abby enjoyed being...just Abby...
One of the activities we observed last night was the Hey, Hey, Hey Ride, an old-fashioned hayride with a twist. The riders carried water guns and shot at campers along the way, while campers armed themselves with water guns, water balloons, and even water hoses and sprayed down the wagon.
The kids wanted to participate in the fun, but didn't have water guns, so we went to the Burleson Water-Arms Emporium (AKA Walmart) to make the appropriate purchases.
When we returned to Jellystone, we changed into our swimsuits and immediately went to Pirates Cove for an afternoon of fun in the sun and water.
Even Grams and Gramps found the cool water too refreshing to resist...
And for the kids, it was a no-brainer...
After enjoying as much splashing and sunning as we could stand for the time, we went inside to order lunch and take a break. The kids discovered the Jumping Frog attraction and rode on it while we waited for our food.
We returned to our cabana (Barbara's idea, and a very smart one at that) to enjoy our lunch in the shade.
And then it was time to attack the water again. The sign said "Beware of the Pirates," but we were thinking that maybe the pirates should beware of Alexander, Abby, and Jimmy!
The kids were enjoying the splishing and splashing, slipping and sliding, and Grams was doing a great job of chaperoning, so Gramps decided to read a couple of chapters and take a little siesta...and, yes, that is a copy of Stephen King's Dr. Sleep, maybe not a highly appropriate choice for this activity.
When we were finally completely wrung out from all the fun at Pirates Cove, we returned to the main building, the kids had an ice cream treat, and then we waited for the afternoon fire truck ride through the park. Jimmy was developing a headache, so he went to Big V with Grams, while Gramps stayed with Abby and Alexander for the ear-splitting ride. there must be some OSHA regulation about fire sirens!!!
Armed with the trusty camera, Abby recorded this event for posterity.
When the fire truck ride was over, we returned to Big V so the kids could take part as active spectators in the Hey, Hey, Hey Ride.
We had a cool-down time of movies in Big V, just to get out of the sun for awhile.
And then after a supper of Gramps' world famous spaghetti and meat sauce, it was time to hit the swimming pool again, this time armed with weapons of wet destruction.
And then it was time for showers, followed by the evening movie in Big V and a night of deep sleep!
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Tuesday, July 22
The kids woke up ready and raring to go for another day. After changing their "bedroom" back to a living room and then having breakfast, they headed across the street to the playground to get "warmed up" for the day's activities.
Then it was back to Big V to watch Frozen until time to go to the activities center.
And then it was time to go to the Bear's Den (activity center) to register Abby and Jimmy for the karaoke contest. We had some time to kill before karaoke started, so we went through the door to the store, where the kids found a machine that filled plastic tubes with various colors and flavors of powdered sugar (had to get there sugar fixes to handle all the activities of the day).
Prior to the karaoke event, we took time to have our photos made with one of the bears.
And then it was time to watch and listen as first Abby, then Jimmy, performed on stage, with each of them doing a fantastic job and receiving thunderous applause from the audience.
The entertainment continued as Abby and Jimmy teamed up as impromptu dancers while others sang.
Gramps wore his "Property of My Grandkids" tee-shirt today, so after the karoke bit, we stepped outside for this photo.
After all that hard work of entertaining the masses, it was time to return to Big V to eat lunch, change clothes, and head to the pool for some water time for the kids.
Nancy, Barbara's sister, came over from Cleburne to have some "sister time" and go out for lunch while I stayed with the kids for a couple of hours.
While Barbara and Nancy were out having their fun, the kids and I went to the activity center for the afternoon Bingo session. To be admitted to the session, each of participant purchased a $1 candy bar and then put it in a basket to be used later as a prize.
Jimmy was the winner of the first game, and his prize was 3 candy bars, so we broke even for the session.
When Barbara and Nancy returned, we enjoyed a little downtime in Big V.
And then it was time for more activities. Grams took Abby to the activity center for arts and crafts time.
And a photo session with Yogi, himself...
While Gramps took Alexander and Jimmy to the laser tag range...
We decided that instead of another swimming session, we'd go to the Dry Zone at Pirates Cove and see what fun and games it had to offer.
Supper tonight was grilled hamburgers with all the trimmings. Since it was the last night the kids would be with us, we spent time gathering loose ends and packing dirty clothes before turning on the TV and watching a couple of movies.
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Tuesday, July 23
Today was our last day with the grandkids, so we decided to make the most of it. First was breakfast, and it was obvious the kids were having a good time with it.
Once the dishes were done and everything was put away for the day, the kids decided to recycle their sugar candy tubes from yesterday and use them for drinking tubes (and also get the last of the sugar into their systems.
The kids were really great about helping with housekeeping chores each day. One of today's chores was to haul the accumulated trash to the dumpsters.
With chores out of the way, it was time to go to the activities center. The boys decided they wanted to paint ceramic figures, and Abby wanted to finish the one she started yesterday.
And then we had finished products...Jimmy with his Rainbow Kitty...
Alexander with his Yogi Bear...
And Abby with her Penguin...
Our time together was winding down. With only a couple of hours until Andy and Whitney were due to pick up the kids, we voted that pool time and lunch would be a good way to wrap up our camping experience.
We had just finished lunch on the pool deck and the kids had jumped into the pool for one last dip when Andy and Whitney arrived (Heather left early this morning to go to North Carolina for a college visit). We made our way back to Big V, got all the kids' things transferred to the car, shared some favorite memories, and then said our goodbyes as the kids, Andy and Whitney climbed into the car to head back to Richardson.
And then we were alone...it was so very quiet and we had nothing on the agenda, at least for the remainder of the day.
We spent the remainder of the day doing absolutely nothing important...just enjoying special time in Big V with some wonderful memories of a great time with grandkids.
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"Grandchildren are God's way of compensating us for growing old," - Mary H. Waldrip, Author
From Jellystone Park near Burleson, Texas,
Jim/Dad/Gramps and Barbara/Mom/Grams/Gramsy
