Written 08/20/2021

Sunset over the campground

It has been a very busy past few days with the clock ticking down to when we leave this park. After the closing of the house, I met with the new owners basically so that I could show them the plumbing involved with the ponds. I was concerned that I had not been able to find the leak in the deck pond and after receiving a $420.00 water bill with another one to come, did not want the new owners to get one of those sort of nasty surprises. The new owner, Mia, has her Father staying with her for a while as she settles in and I did most of my explaining of the technical side of things, to him as she listened in. That sounds very sexist but as he was the one doing all of the talking, I assumed that he needed the information. Feeling much better for meeting with them, I took my leave and rewarded myself by splurging on a new pair of walking shoes, something lighter than the boots that I am in the habit of wearing on a daily basis plus a wide brimmed hat to keep the sun off. Years ago, when I was still married to my third and final wife, we had a small 5 acre spread and kept horses strictly for pleasure riding. I considered myself a cowboy in those days and wore a Stetson cowboy hat but being only 5ft 8ins tall, looked ridiculous as the hat was bigger than me, almost. That and the high heeled cowboy boots really didn’t make me feel any taller! I suppose there were short cowboys back in the old days but all of the Hollywood heroes are tall and broad. Me, I’m short and although I was pretty muscular back then most have disappeared with age.

Deciding that it was time to be a responsible adult now that I am getting on in years, I arranged through a very good friend, to make an appointment with a Lawyer so that I could update my will. Lets face it, nobody wants be reminded of the fact that their time is running out but as it happens to everyone, it should come as no surprise that we are all growing older and the human body can only survive for just so long. So I met with Mr. Leuty and he proceeded to tell me much more than I ever would have thought of and probably didn’t want to know. Bottom line is that he is writing my will and will also start up a trust for me. One less thing to worry about. I was accompanied to the meeting by my very good friend Suzanne who used to play on the Allies Soccer team years ago of which I was the coach. As it happens, the team is holding a reunion this coming weekend. More on that later.

Sandy, my little girl dog was in bad need of a bath and a haircut. My usual place that I took her was PetSmart back in Austin and I decided that I would give the new place a try here in Dripping Springs. I was not disappointed as they did a very good job. She was real pleased to see both me and Mikey when we picked her up and as I needed my usual Starbucks, she got a Pupper as a reward. For those of you that are not Starbuck fans, a Pupper is a dollop of whipped cream in a small cup especially for dogs. Mikey got to share it even though he had not got a haircut.

Several of my neighbors have stopped to chat with me about my leaving the park. They are interested in where I am going and what plans I have. I explained that I would be back for the winter months at least through the end of January unless the weather is bad. Most RV’ers are nice people especially the permanent ones and this is a nice, well maintained, park.

My days are so different now than before. There was always something to do or that needed to be taken care of back at the house. Now when I get up and apart from walking and feeding the dogs, unless there is an appointment of some sort to attend, I really don’t have anything special that I need to do. The chores around Eagle Two are usually limited to emptying the tanks every few days and keeping my site tidy. There is very little space to clean although Mikey, for such a little dog sheds enough to make an Afghan rug. On the down side, I still don’t know where things are. I know they are in one of the storage boxes somewhere but I always choose the wrong one to search. Very frustrating. I wish I had more drawer space to lose things in instead of having to take down a storage box to sort it before grabbing another and on and on.

As I sit here, three young girls are zooming by on their scooters pushing hard to beat each other. I often see young families and wonder if they are full timing or on vacation. If it’s the former, how are they getting educated? Do kids that follow this lifestyle lose out on some things like mixing with other kids of their age and socializing that goes along with it? Attending school in person offers so much more than just education with friendships, sports, social clubs, competition and other boys and girls. Just wondering.

Time is moving fast. I already have our first site booked down on the Gulf, a mere 200 mile trip. We plan on staying a couple of weeks before moving on. Maybe longer.

Written 08/20/2021

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