New Butt Pad

Fredericksburg, Texas

The wild screaming banshee winds are at it again. Chilly all day with significant wind chill also. The wind is picking up the dirt off the ground and blasting everything in sight. The truck has a layer of blasting sand collecting on the ledges of the body.

If that is not enough, there is more. The wind and sand have blasted the middle stripe of the park road right off the road. Peeled that sucker right up and sent it down to San Antone. See for your self.

Meanwhile discretion was to stay in out of the wind for the most part. Most of the folks that live here in the campground are gone somewhere today. Who knows where, but the place is a ghost town.

My dinette bench seats have over four inches of soft foam in the seats. It feels good at first, but after a half hour or so they bottom out on the plywood below. A few days ago it was decided to do something productive instead of gripe. Today the seat was taken apart.

That was a feat in and of itself. Whoever usually puts them together can likely crush ball bearing bare handed. My wimp fingers took a beating just getting it apart.

Next the foam was measured. Then it was filleted like a fish. Next it was fitted with the new piece purchased at Wal-Mart.


Then the fun of cramming the four hundred pounds of foam back into the three pound sack called the seat. By the time it was beat into submission, my fingers were getting raw. Butt sitting on it to write this blog entry is making the pain worth while. I think.

Since it is supposed to be cool tomorrow, maybe there will be some walking around and trying to have tooooo much fun. TheOFM.

Pretty Weather Vane

Fredericksburg, Texas

It was a forgotten fact that Comfort Castle and The Truck are both white. Finally they are feeling better after a wash down. This is the first campground in a while that thinks it is good to wash your rig with the water before letting it get to the grass and trees. The manager at Horn Rapids in Richland Washington had it right “If you don’t wash your rig, I will come by ask you to. I want this campground to look clean and neat.” And he kept it a very nice place all the time.

Some folks on some forums complain about Wal-Mart running small businesses out of business. Here is an example why. For the same exact make and model hose connection for my water hose the prices were:
Local Ace hardware=$4.97
Home Depot=$3.95
Wal-Mart=$2.39
Now figure this for yourself. You are living on early SSA, your savings have been decimated in your moderate investments, your health insurance went up to high to afford. Are you going to pay more than the lowest price for things you purchase? Wal-Mart has been helping me live within my means for many years and will continue to be my first choice as long as they have the best prices for my purchases. The new hose connection is what precipitated the washing of the rig.

This afternoon it seems that Mother Nature has decided to skip Spring this year. A couple of days ago, we awoke to near freezing temperatures. Today it hit 93. Here is the proof from the truck mirror.

Some meandering around town after dropping a book at the library, yielded two older buildings that seemed neat to me. The first is a rather small old home that is a lot larger than Comfort Castle. It looked like it could be about the right size for me if a stix and brix was in my future.
The historical sign told the story of its use as a family home a few years ago.
Around the corner and across the street from the Market Platz is this business. The owners are keeping the old building looking good. What caught my attention in the first place is the weather vane of polished brass or copper.
Now we have the store to visit if you want to see some neat things.
And of course the historical sign on the store.
A walk around the outside of the building was done and the folks are keeping the building in as good a repair all the way around as the front is kept.

The hot weather is supposed to get cooler tomorrow night. That will make it easier to get out and try to have tooooo much fun. TheOFM

An Addition To OFM Adventures

Fredericksburg, Texas


Since it was a day whereby my body was feeling somewhat listless and blah, alternative endeavors had to be attempted. The start of an addition to the OFM series has become a reality. In this new section will be the detail about any subject that happens to show up. It can be accessed from the Links I Like box from this blog or directly as http://www.ofmdetails.blogspot.com/. At the moment it is an empty template. There will be legend showing topics on the left sidebar. Some topics planned are The Truck, Comfort Castle, Solar System and topics like that. It is a fundamental fact that the new site will evolve as new techniques for communication are learned by TheOFM.

Most of the morning was spent proving beyond a shadow of a doubt that an idea about redoing the dinette cushions was worse than worthless as well as too expensive. It seems a lot of ideas like that happen in my life. Maybe there is solace in that there are still ideas happening in my itty bitty brain.

This mornings shoulder exercises well a little painful. That means it is not time to push the joints any harder. Muscles can be pushed a little. Joints are never to be pushed is my motto. My Dad had the same trouble with his joints getting worn out before he wanted to slow down. BLEECK. At least there was a beautiful blue sky, warm temps and cool breezes today. Now that cannot be too bad for trying to have tooooo much fun. TheOFM

New Driver

Fredericksburg, Texas

Tooooo much fun was a viable goal today. My new used driver golf club with a regular flex shaft was tried at the driving range this morning. WOW is it right for me. Looks like being old is catching up with my swing speed. That is ok, the grass is still below me instead of on top of me.
After lunch Bill and I played golf. My effort was fifteen holes of golf and three holes from hell of landscape modifications. But over all we had a fantastic time. On top of that the new used driver has put back about fifteen yard on my drives. Only two fairways were missed. Now that can give me a fat head.

This beautiful day of fun just had to be topped off with some good Texmex food from ElMaguey in town. The cook nailed the meal dead center perfect. And now the evening is cooling off nice and dry for a great night of sleeping.

The book from the library was finished. It confirmed many of the diet, nutrition and medical things that have become obvious in the last few years. It is titled “Eat, Drink and Be Merry”. Realistic expectations from your diets and exercise were presented with documentation. As is common in my world, others seldom agree with me because they believe what the sales jerks and drug pushers tell them.

The best thing of all is there is absolutely no plan for what to do tomorrow to try to have tooooo much fun. HE HE HE TheOFM.

The Geyser

Fredericksburg, Texas

It was not a fancy day today. One long walk all around the park and my shoulder exercises were the mornings excitement. However the sun was out and the temperature got up to 85 this afternoon. The wind was removing decals from the Rvs again.

In the afternoon golf was supposed to be played, but one person did not show on time. Bill and I piddled at the practice green for over an hour. My memory recalled an item that had been forgotten, so off to the Castle to get it. A geyser awaited me at the Castle. A water hose connecter had failed. Back to the practice green to tell Bill that a trip to Walmart was required. Walmart had the new hose waiting for me to purchase.

Now the new hose is in place and water is going to the correct place again. It is supper time so most likely the rest of the evening will be spent reading the library book. It is proving to be very interesting and a book report will be made when it is finished and digested.

Not all days are really exciting when you are trying to have tooooo much fun. TheOFM.

Zigzag The Hill

Fredericksburg, Texas

First outside thing this morning was laundry. The attendant at the laundry is Patty. She is a lot of fun to visit. We had some nice conversations, but she was very busy so it had to be kept short. She is very conscientious about the customers and taking care of the place. There is not an overabundance of employees in this world like her.

Two compliments on my painting of yesterday. WOW. Don’t worry, there will be no fat head from the compliments on this body. Fat head from eating too much is likely. Thank you ladies for the compliments.

The rest of the day was golf practice to try to get the golf muscles to be a bit less sore. Then off to the library for something to read and hopefully learn a new thing or two.

While wandering the room of self education, a spiral staircase that is not in my memory suddenly appeared. It is tucked back behind a corner with plants stopping a normal person from getting near it. Since no human alive accuses me of being normal, here is a shot looking down the staircase.


After accidentally noticing a book that seemed interesting and checking it out, some wandering around the main square of town was in order. Bright sunshine, a little cool and very few folks out and about made for some peaceful enjoyment. Across the street is a public gazebo in a little park near the police station. The gazebo has some pretty nice fancy wood work on the ceiling area.

Around the base is some plantings. Among the mostly dormant plantings were some daffodils. They were a nice surprise and very beautiful.


Meandering back over to the library area led to a flash of purple that caught my eye. This is starting to sound like GrannyJ’s blog. In another bed of plantings were some crepe myrtles of great character and some bearded irises. There are several crepe myrtles on the grounds that are over two stories high with lots of history showing on their trunks.

Across the main street is the public park covered in previous blogs. The water wheel that was there last October is now gone. With some luck it is going to be refurbished and put back into the park. It was neat. Several commemorative signs that had been covered with shrubbery were now visible. Some even have colorful pansies planted near them. One thing that was new to me but obviously not new to the park was this “history tree”. The different things shown on the tree seem to represent things about the history of the area. In the far background is one of the historic churches in the town.

It was getting on to evening so it was back to the Castle for me. The weather was so pleasant that a walk around the park had to happen. My path on the hill down near the river was a zigzag up and down it to give my legs some good exercise. A comfortable amount of soreness is showing up in my thighs tonight. That is good. It will make me tougher for going out and trying to have tooooo much fun. TheOFM.

No Great Art Here

Fredericksburg, Texas

Way too cold this morning for my tastes in weather. When the truck was started about 9 am to go grocery shopping, the temperature was 37. At least the frozen foods did not have an trouble staying frozen on the looooong four mile trip home.

A few weeks ago all my art supplies were given away in frustration with my abilities. The mediums that a lot of folks use were not “right” for me. Watercolor and acrylic has to be worked too fast. Oil pastels never dry and in a small trailer can get smeared easily. Oil paints require too much drying time, thus more smearing. Soft pastels were great, but they can get messed up easily. Again not for a small trailer. Colored pencils were “slow” enough for me but seemed to rigid in putting them on paper.

A few days ago in a store, wherever my meandering had taken me, was some new colored pencils. Koh-I noor had developed these new “soft” colored pencils. They were impossible to resist. Drawing is fun for me. There is no pretense that there is an artist hidden in my body. The object is having tooooo much fun and drawing is fun for me.

Last night the new toys were given a workout. They are perfect for me. Soft enough to make gradient coloring but firm enough it takes a serious effort to really smear them. In a book on watercolor by Tony Couch, he mentions that you should paint whatever you like till you get tired of it. Only paint what you want. Right now my like is prickly pear cactus and sand dunes.

And just for the heck of it here is my “artists case”. It is small and easy to carry in the trailer. Just opening it makes me have good feelings.
A wonderful long walk was taken this morning before lunch. It was over two miles and even in the brown of winter this is a pretty place. At one point while down in the trees along the river, this scene of a pastoral style was in view.
A bit farther along was this pretty scene of the low water bridge over the river. Maybe on some days it is through the river. Any way it was a very pleasant walk that noticeably tired out my legs.
This afternoon was spent practicing putting and hitting golf balls. My putting is just as bad as always. However the ball striking was better than my highest hopes. There is a chance that my play will not be a total embarrassment when a group of us gets to play next week. It will still be a laughing matter, but maybe not too embarrassing.
And there you have it, a day of trying to have tooooo much fun. TheOFM.

Other Campgrounds Search

Fredericksburg, Texas

A cold day to start off and stayed cool all day. The trip to check out some other campgrounds in the Hill Country was a success. This is the nicest of the bunch, but all of them were acceptable. On April 1 when this location goes to $600 a month it will be time to relocate.
On return from the trip, the solar was doing it’s recharging from the use last night. At first look it seems that everything is going well.

After lunch, a large pot of soup/stew was prepared. Supper was stored in the refrigerator and the rest split into portions and frozen for later enjoyment. For some reason there was a lot of dirty dishes to wash this time. But as usual everything is cleaned up and stored properly right after the meal.

It is cool outside and windy. Tonight is going down to somewhere between 27 and 32 depending on which weather service you check. Maybe the team came north too soon. Even my golf practice was stopped an hour before dusk because the temperature was getting too cool to be fun anymore.

Grocery shopping is on the agenda for tomorrow. Then something will have to be done to try to have tooooo much fun. TheOFM.

Sunshine Power

Fredericksburg, Texas

An extremely important event has happened today. The Old Fat Man would be dancing with delight and excitement if he could dance. An old friend with lots of adventures and stories to tell has finally started his blog. He has been pounded for a year to get a blog going because he has tooooo many great adventures and stories to share with us all. Please check this out http://mobilestudiotravels.blogspot.com/ and enjoy it. Bob is a neat fellow from over in the Carolinas. Be sure and ask him about his inflatable kayaks. He is also good at muck dancing like was mentioned in one of my blogs a few weeks ago.

Another thing that surprised me today was the information that the Fort here in town had closed down. That was my only contact with Mac. Maybe luck will smile on me and he will bump into me somewhere in town. That would be really nice.

Speaking of nice. On a walk tonight it was wonderful to hear the sounds of folks out playing. There were two basket ball games, one softball game, a tennis match or two and some other party event at a pavilion. Lots of laughter and fun noise. That is great to see and hear.

As of about three pm today, Comfort Castle is on solar power for all it’s twelve volt needs. There are two batteries that came with the Castle and now one hundred watts of solar to recharge them. About three is when the charger from the 120 volt service was unplugged. It is going to be a nice study to see how things work out.

The work today was easy but slow. Frying a controller was not in my plans. Every step was read twice, then simulated and re read to verify my actions were right. Here are the results. First a broader view of how it looked inside the Castle.

And now you can see that the system is charging even though the sun is very close to the tree line across the creek.

All told it took about eight hours to install the system and clean up. Probably over half that time was read and verify to prevent expensive errors. A replacement controller would have cost about $250. That would have been a major ouch. Supposedly the future costs are only a couple of batteries every five to seven years. My current batteries are working on their third year.

Now the bad part. With all the contortions, up and down the ladder, standing at weird angles and all that kind of thing, man I AM SORE. Being a lazy bum has it’s detriments.

About five this evening, some golf practice was the order of fun. My technique was terrible but my fun level was overflowing. That was a great way to try to have tooooo much fun. TheOFM.

Aerial Acrobatics

Fredericksburg, Texas
Lady Bird Municipal Park campground

9:30 am

The first thing to do this morning was turn on the electric heaters. My side windows had been left open last night because the shades had been pulled down to block sun earlier. The heaters had been left off due to stupidity. When nature called me from the bed this morning it was 53 degrees inside Castle. It was 37 outside so the Castle actually retained yesterday’s heat pretty well with an 8” by 66” opening sitting there letting heat escape. Electric heat is used since the $250 a month rate here includes water, electric, sewer, and 72 channel cable TV.

Another thing tried this morning was the walk around the perimeter of the park that was a normal event before. Only about half way was accomplished. My legs have gotten very lazy down on the flat coast. Looks like there may be a few days of being sore while my body readjusts to some physical activity. The cholesterol reading from my last blood donation came in a couple of days ago and definitely more physical activity is needed. Standing around casting a fishing lure does not get the job done.

In a few minutes, a trip over to The Fort to visit with Mac will be enjoyed. It will likely involve many stories and tales again. Later today it is supposed to be sunny, so maybe the solar panel will get installed on the roof.

Final edition

Mac never showed up at the Fort. Hopefully nothing serious has happened to him. My trip continued on down to Kerrville to gather current information about the area for decisions on what to do in April.

What information that was gathered today when coupled with other information over the last year gave me the opportunity to make the big decision. Most Rvers pick an area and settle in for the winter somewhere. They try to get all the medical stuff, income tax stuff and other burdensome things done during that time. Moving around last year and this year turned out to be less than the most desirable thing to do. Today, Kevin the campground manager, was asked when it was needed to ask for a site for the next winter. He checked his lists and found he had openings for only five more for next winter. It seemed like a good thing to sign up for, so now site 23 is reserved for me for next Dec-Mar. They have a wonderful policy here that no money is required up front and you choose to not come, you are not obligated to come. Kevin would appreciate it if you did at least let him know what is going on. It is hard to beat $250 a month total cost with all the recreation available around here.

During some more walking in the park, it was noticed that many new trees have been planted. If they are cared for well, it will make a great addition to the park. Notice the nasty winter weather. he he he.

The bright sun and low wind caused a spurt of frantic activity for me. The picnic table was slid over to the trailer. The solar panel installation tools were placed on the roof. Next the panel was placed on the roof. The TheOFM ran to the back of the trailer and scampered up the ladder to the roof. Nope no running on the roof. Crawling around on the roof was the way to travel.

The panel was placed in the proper position. A screw was placed in opposite corner mounting feet. Now the chore could be done more calmly since a gust of wind would not blow a $500 panel to the ground and shatter it. WHEWWWWW!!!!

The installation went well, but there are no pictures of the installation. It was enough for me to keep control of the drill, screwdriver, caulking gun, screws and my fat body all at the same time. The mounting feet were removed from the panel one at a time. Smear with plenty of caulk. Mount it back to the panel. Drill the screw holes in the roof. Put caulk in the screw holes. Screw the screw in snug. Then coat the top of the foot and screws with the caulk. Four times the process was done and very little caulk got on any thing but what it was supposed to.
Here is the solar panel in place. This picture was taken with me standing up on the roof in the breeze.

Next a close up of the mounting feet slathered like a chicken fried steak in cream gravy.

And finally a picture from the front of the trailer. But the picture was taken from a rise across the street from the campsite. The panel is almost out of sight from the same level as the campsite. Notice the picnic table snug to the trailer.
After all that nervous stress of roof top acrobatics, my body was tired. So off to the golf course next door to try putting for the first time with the new glasses. They are much better than my old golf glasses.

Some of my muscles are already sore. Those months in the flatlands are really telling on my legs. A lot of good rest is needed to be ready to try to have tooooo much fun tomorrow. TheOFM.

Wonderful Screwdriver

Fredericksburg, Texas
Lady Bird Municipal Park campground

The morning started with a wet fog to keep coupling up interesting and nasty. A route not in my travels in a lot of years was chosen for the route to Fredericksburg. Not far northeast from Del Rio the terrain became somewhat wooded with juniper bushes, usually called cedar. The trip to Fbrg took a solid four hours, but was a very pleasant journey with no special excitement thank goodness.

Comfort Castle is all snuggled in for a six week stay that should help my financial situation noticeably. On April 1 the campground goes up to a flat rate of $20 a day. Now that turns out to be $600 a month which is almost as bad as the health insurance was going to be.

Trying to have tooooo much fun playing golf and riding bicycles is the plan. Already some folks that stayed here all winter are planning some golf rounds starting next week. They will stomp me into the ground.

The solar system can be installed in a comfortable manner now. There is even some help available if it is needed. This area is definitely better for my senses than Port Aransas or Falcon. Tomorrow will start a lot of catch up. As mentioned in a previous blog, they like folks to wash vehicles so the pecan trees get watered. The rig is filthy since the previous campgrounds like you to have dirty rigs. They water the grass but do not let you put the water over the rig first.

About a year ago a friend from Washington, Kevin L, made me a special screw driver. That tool has been extremely valuable since then. There are four bits in it. Two square point bits, a straight bit and a Phillips. It is nice to have the wood grip that is large to give more than average leverage on screws. The wood grip is beginning to get a beautiful patina on it from the hand oils rubbed into it.


Since it was a travel to a destination day, there was not much adventuring going on. The labor of cleaning the rig and finishing the solar needs to be finished so more attention can be paid to trying to have tooooo much fun, TheOFM.

Stalled Installation

Del Rio, Texas

A very cool morning started the day. A very warm afternoon tapered into a cool evening. A lot of sawdust vacuuming was done this morning. Going to get parts as they showed a need to have took the rest of the morning.

The thirty amp circuit breaker that goes between the battery and the solar controller is a very important part. It is what will protect the controller in case the batteries go berserk

Next was time to read the instructions for adding the support feet to the panel. The are very ingenious and strong. The assembly required me to find where the box end wrenches were hidden. In the third tool box of course. The feet went on easily and as proclaimed.
Some cleaning up and putting tools away was in progress when the going blind eyesight showed up. Oh boy a migraine again. Well that puts an end to climbing up and down on the roof ladder. No chance at all at working close to the edge of the roof when on top with my balance shot to pieces. Fundamentally all progress stopped right there until another time.

The good side is that it has been chosen to spend the spring in the Texas Hill Country. My mind has been bothered by a “should” mess around in Big Bend since this is the time of the year for that area to be visited.

SHOULD is a nasty word for a RV dweller. Want is the correct thought. A call to Lady Bird Johnson RV Park in Fredericksburg netted me a spot vacated yesterday. That is my spot now. Tomorrow is the expected return to that park. Comfort Castle has been there a few times according to the blog.

A good thing about the park is they like for you to wash your vehicles so the trees get water. My visits there in the past have not even started to scratch the Hill Country fun. Spring flowers in that area are usually spectacular. The old pecan trees will shade the roof enough that installing the solar panel will be a lot more comfortable there than here in the boiling sun. A boiling sun does feel good in the cold winter though.

That area is fun for me. Returning there in the best time of the year will make it great for trying to have tooooo much fun. TheOFM.

Bad Instructions

Del Rio, Texas

It is cold here today. The wind is strong. So the morning was spent putting the dinette table back to its original position. A few months ago it had been rotated ninety degrees so an office chair could be used with it. It was an ok idea, but more limiting than was originally thought. Thus it is now back to factory stock location.

A surprise call from Pat at the campground office relayed the information that my solar panel was here. The rest of the day has been spent prepping items and reading about proper installation. The panel is about two feet by five feet and two inches thick.


After opening the package and carefully checking out everything that could be checked, it was ruled ok. Now all that is needed is a warm calm day to work on the roof safely. The panel junction box is a two wire connection to my surprise. My eyes had never seen how the panels are wired before. Thank goodness it is very simple.


The template that came with the controller was carefully marked on the planned location for the controller.

Did you know that a saber saw can totally fill a small trailer with sawdust in less than five seconds?? Well it can. There is a mess in here that may take a while to get cleaned out. The hole was completed and the controller was attempted to be inserted into the whole as instructed. The hole was too small!! After doing my own measuring of the controller, the whole was recut to fit. Now the controller fits into the hole very nicely.

Tomorrow will start the process of getting the wiring that was installed in the trailer deciphered as to which wire goes where. Labeling the wiring would have been way to much to ask, right?????? This will be a bit of a nuisance to do while working by myself.

Providing it warms enough tomorrow, the panel should be installed. Maybe the wiring will also be finished. Then all that will be left to do is decide which way to roll in my quest to try to have too much fun. TheOFM.

Beautiful Blooms

Del Rio, Texas

A light coat was needed for the walk to the rec hall for the Sunday breakfast this morning. As usual the food was wonderful and great for increasing you level of bad cholesterol. The Canadians a couple of slots down from me were there and we visited for forever. Tuesday they are headed for the Rio Grande Valley to go to a music festival of some sort. They are fun folks to visit and compare stories of places and events.

The grocery shopping was interesting in that the prices of nearly everything purchased was noticeably less than at Port Aransas and way less than Fredericksburg. The BILL still was over forty dollars. Part of the reason was some extra stocking up for when the team rolls out on Wednesday for parts unknown.

Late this afternoon a yak paddling was accomplished. Over at Spur 277 south the launch was very easy and clean. It is an old road bed so there is no mud. The shoreline on this lake is not easy to distinguish from one part to another. That is a typical trait of desert lakes. You must pay attention to your travels or you can be heading to a location you do not want.

Man that water is cold. After stepping into the water to get on board the yak, it took my feet a long time to warm up. With a cool air temperature and cold water, falling in was not a smart idea.
After leaving the dock area there is a cliff along the left side of the lake. It is nice to have some good scenery immediately. This cliff portion is only a hundred feet from the launch ramp.

Meandering on along looking at the cliff ins and outs brought me to this tree. When the lake was down last May, that tree was growing out of the rock way above my head.
Being a well experienced yaker, the first leg of the journey was paddled into the wind. Coming home with the wind is a lot nicer. While sticking close to shore, like ten to fifteen feet, seemed like a good idea, it was still over twenty feet deep.

The first little canyon, little above water anyway, ran back into the cliffs for a ways. Then as you get toward the back of the canyon the recently flooded brush starts to close in. Out here it is wise to watch for rattlesnakes in the brush. They crawl into the brush near the water surface and grab fish when they swim by. Whenever the brush starts to close in, my yellow yak wisely backs out of the spot. You can see the brush closing in at the back of the canyon.

After this canyon, the route came out from the land area and the wind became a serious factor. Stopping to take pictures was not a good idea. A sizeable crossing was made to the lee wall of another large canyon. AHH finally a chance to rest my sore shoulders.

This lee wall was nice to hide behind for a mile or so. Along the way the Hanging Gardens of Prickly Pear were found. They are beautiful don’t you think?

Before the back of the canyon was even close, the flooded timber got thicker than was wise to play in. On the way out this picture was taken before the wind was encountered again.
The land at the far back ground is where the route turns left to head back to the ramp. Once the turn was made, the wind helped. To my surprise the wind driven waves never got over about a foot high. During the trip back, the waves were never powerful enough to catch one and surf in to the ramp. RATZZZ surfing the yak is fun.

One last little turn and to my astonishment there was a large bush with purple flowers that was missed on the way out. It is possibly some type of laurel. The fragrance was heavenly. The flowers wonderfully beautiful. And best of all the water was calm enough to get two pictures from very close. The bow of the yak was resting on a rock next to the trunk of the bush. Check out this beauty and if a reader knows the exact name please comment so we all will know.

It was getting dim out and time to get the yak out of the water. My luck ran great and a shallow spot to step out into the water was only about two inches deep. That helped my feet to be less cold for the twenty minute trip back to Comfort Castle.

It really was surprising how much fun this trip was. It was about two hours, but seemed only to be thirty minutes.
Now this was a great day to trying to have tooooo much fun. TheOFM

Chilly Morning

Del Rio, Texas

A light jacket certainly made for a nice addition to my wardrobe this morning. The dark clouds combined with a gentle breeze and it was chilly. The lake water is still pretty cold for playing in the water. Combine that with a significant wind chill and a spill in the lake from a yak could be life threatening. So the yaking was put aside for the day.

In the late evening some fishing was tried. In the first three casts the disaster toll was three hooks, three weights and three plastic worms. Enough. Everything was put away and back to Comfort Castle the truck went. Sometimes you just have to know when to quit and have patience.

Meanwhile earlier in the day a near disaster was averted by ¼”. One of the outside storage bins was getting somewhat cluttered. You know how clutter explodes exponentially. A clean out was in order. First the top layers were pulled out and laid in the “yard”. The next layer had a surprise layer of “red oil” on it. WHAT NOW????? Further digging and unpacking yielded a grease gun that had been forgotten from about a year ago.

Apparently it had been put away with the grease still under pressure. Combine the pressure with the Texas heat of last summer and you have leakage. The puddle was large and came about ¼” from getting under the vinyl that covers the flooring. Now that would have been a really big mess. This one was big enough. After much cleaning and MANY paper towels, the bin was ready for habitation again. A neighbor from Canada was glad to get the grease gun from me.

One thing that did not go back in the bin was a trailer hitch draw bar left over from my thirty foot trailer. That thing had to weigh over thirty pounds. My shoulder workout dumb bells are fifteen pounds each and this was noticeably more to lift than the dumb bells are. After wrapping it in a plastic grocery bag, it was carried down to the dumpster to help hold it down in the winds around here. Maybe the truck fuel mileage will go up now.

Three more nights here were paid for today. That will let me receive the solar panel, controller and my mail on Tuesday and roll out of here on Wednesday. Then it will be time for a new place to try to have tooooo much fun. TheOFM.

Loud Screaming Calves

Del Rio, Texas

Since the wind was shoving things around this morning, a choice was made to go to the Pecos River high bridge area and really look around it for a change. Lunch was loaded into the truck with other things. The plan was to stay there until all of it had been covered for the first time for me. The plan even worked out to my surprise. WOW.

When the team arrived it turned out the wind had died down to almost nothing. The sun was, however, making itself well noticed. On went the sunscreen and broad brimmed hat. My body was sweating some before too long. At seven tonight it was still eighty degrees outside. Summer might be here. NAW Summer starts at ninety five out here.

The first bit of walking was along the nature trail which had been finished since my last trip here. It is a nice short easy trail with a ton of plant identification tags. It runs far enough from the edge of the cliff to be safe, but close enough to give great views of the canyon below.

A bit to the side of the road to the boat ramp is a wonderful shade shelter on a view point. As you get below it on the long narrow road to the boat ramp, it is possible to see that the ridge out front of the view point has a few loose sections just sitting waiting for the correct target to pounce upon.

A few meters on down the road you get this view of the cliffs across the Pecos. They are three hundred feet high, but most of them is under the Pecos now. It took a few days for the Pecos to wear that rock down three hundred feet it would seem to me.


As you get on down to the vicinity of the ramp turnaround, there is a stair that heads down the cliff on this side of the river. Every time a visit was made in the past the stairs were chained off to prevent entry. Today they were open. Now where do they go is the question?

As you carefully make your way down the very steep stairs, they turn a couple of times then this view comes into the scene.

If you look carefully in the lower right through the handrail you can see a stair step under water where the stairs continue. The handrail could be seen disappearing into the depths. So now we still do not know what the stair goes to. RATZZZZ.

After slowly and carefully climbing back up the stairs, a moment to catch my breath was needed. Then my meandering path continued down the narrow steep ramp road to the ramp and pier. Nothing exciting was showing here. A look up the narrow STEEP ramp road did not produce any urge to trot right up the road. Please take my word for it, that road is steep. The shade from the cliff was a welcome companion all the way back up to the ramp parking lot.

At the ramp parking lot was this very determined tree. It has grown there in spite of the hostile circumstances of it’s environment. How it has managed is beyond my imagination, but it gets my admiration for sticking to it.

After achieving the ramp parking lot, getting on up the road to the visitors parking lot was still a lot of work. By the time the visitor lot came into my leg calves were screaming bloody murder and my feet were cheering them on. Don’t you hate it when your body gangs up on you? The really bad part is that as you get older it takes less of a gang.

After a very pleasant lunch at one of the beautiful view points, it was time to head back to Comfort Castle and some ibuprofen to shut my legs up. When the comfort of Comfort Castle was gained and the legal dope consumed, it was time to give those lower appendages some rest. After laying down and unwittingly passing out, an extremely relaxing nap happened. When life came back to the body, it was too late for yaking today.

It was a great day and a lot of fun was enjoyed. Maybe tomorrow will be just as good for trying to have tooooo much fun. TheOFM

Launch Point Found

Del Rio, Texas

The first part of each morning several folks and some dogs take a nice walk from the campground down to the boat ramp and back. The nice thing about this area is the lack of traffic almost all the time. When my walk was taken this morning, ahead of me was two ladies and a couple of pups. It was a beautiful morning and about 63 degrees with a light breeze. It is downhill to the ramp and a good climb back up to the campground.

Near the ramp is two loops to picnic areas. My path always threads its way through the loops. Today was a lucky day. Down by the water someone had left me a package of plastic lures to try.

A bit of effort today was spent running around the lake looking for a location that would permit some yaking in spite of the wind. Finally at hwy 277 launch point the conditions needed were met. Here is the beautiful view from the ramp. On top of the hill and back at the campground it was blowing 25-30. Here it was gentle and manageable.
While on the pier, a tree that had shaded me last May was noticed. Now scuba gear would be needed to be shaded by the tree. The water certainly is nice and clear. The white triangle in the lower left is part of the pier. Notice how far into the water the tree is visible.

On the hill above this location is two picnic tables and shade shelters. It makes a very nice location for taking a break and relaxing. The view from the shelters is this.

After that good find, a trip over to San Pedro campground was made to pick out my next location for camping for $2 a night. When the solar panel is installed, my plan is to stay at San Pedro until after the three day holiday, then hit the road. That will be the start of the lower cost capability of Comfort Castle and boon docking.

Oh Boy another option when out trying to have tooooo much fun. TheOFM

Another Lazy Bum Day

Del Rio, Texas

A day of easing along with not a particular thing to do. One item was check out the prices on the golf course. It turns out they are suffering from a case of feeling like the 9 hole short course is worth as much as a very nice full size challenging course. Looks like golf here is not on the agenda.

Home Depot was visited to get terminals for the 10 gage wire for the hookup of the panel and controller. My education on that is that there are more than one size and type of terminal for 10 gage wire. Now it is wait for the equipment to come in and then get the terminals that are proper.

A cooked in the park breakfast was available and utilized this morning. All you can eat of many good items for $4. Two eggs cooked to my spec, bacon, biscuit, gravy, potatoes and coffee easily satisfied me until lunch. Every Wednesday and Sunday is the timing of the breakfast.

After the ferocious morning wind died down it was a beautiful day. Fishing this evening was a bust, but the slick water was beautiful. Most likely yaking should have been the evening fun instead of fishing. After finishing with the fishing, several boats coming in at the ramp were checked out with no catches to report. The water is still very cold.

All that easing along did not produce any extremely exciting events in the effort of trying to have tooooo much fun. TheOFM.

New Solar Panel Ordered

Del Rio, Texas

Do solar panels pay for themselves on Comfort Castle? For all too long accepting the “consensus” of some RV forums instead of doing my own analysis has been costing me precious money. About a week ago the proper effort was started to make a dollar based decision about putting solar on Comfort Castle. My analysis showed the payout was about a year and versatility of places to stay increases several fold. The panel and controller were ordered today. This will be interesting to say the least.

Other than the solar stuff, most of today was spent riding around looking at places to try to have fun. With the lake up over eighteen feet, the shoreline is not anything like last May. Islands where the yak was parked for pictures last May are not in sight now. It is a whole new world out here yak wise.

On top of that the winds are continuing to blow too much for any boat to enjoy the lake. Earlier it looked like a range fire over in Mexico with a huge cloud of smoke. Nope it was a major dust storm headed at Comfort Castle. Now we have been severely rocking for a few hours.

This picture was taken at Diablo East boat launching ramp. This ramp has the parking way up the hill to the far left and behind me. Folks use this ramp less than Blackbrush Point ramp so they do not have the long arduous walk to get up the hill to their vehicles and trailers.

On a point sticking out into the lake is a nature trail that is new to me. It is a pleasant short trail with neat placards now and then explaining about the natural items in the area.

While riding around on an unpaved sort of road through the desert, a nice fishing pier was found. The area does not get much use. Likely because the road to it is so rough. It does not seem like cars could make it to the pier. Anyway a few casts were made, but the wind was too strong to fish properly.

There are several “new” places that a yak will launch easily during my attempts at having tooooo much fun. TheOFM.

1/4 " Short King

Del Rio, Texas

Got the chores and want to’s under control enough to go for a little fishing this evening. Surprise Surprise. There was even a catching. After about twenty minutes of casting and reeling, a really dumb large mouth bass bit on my bait. It was nice to find out that the new rod handles fish very well. The trouble is the nice FAT bass was ¼ inch to short to be legal. My title needs to be King Of The ¼ “ Too Short. That happened to me at Port Aransas also. At least it was a catching adventure for a change.

Groceries were purchased at the Wal-Mart. Once again it is amazing how nice and pleasant the folks are in this town. Some places the folks in the stores are not happy looking. Some places like Del Rio and Rockport the folks seem happier than at Walt Disney World. It was a new thing to me when the lady at the checkout in front of me paid in Mexican currency. The Wal-Mart here does the checking out and change in US dollars, but accepts pesos in payments. The cashier only has to hit a key or two and the payment is converted into US dollars for her ease of tally. The cashier told me Wal-Mart even gives the customer a slightly better exchange rate than the customer gets in Mexico. Boy that Wal-Mart really knows how to make folks want to shop there. That is why they are so successful. Provide what the customer wants to spend on. Works every time.

The golf course was checked out also. It looks like it will be a nice course and is not public play. Last time it was still a private country club. Contrary to the Sinton course that seemed to do things to make folks not want to play there, this one has special days where seniors over 55 get a nice percentage off. They also have several good deals for folks who want to save money by playing at the less popular times. It was closed today, but the operator of the course happened to see me looking around and pulled in from the street to give me the information. Once again SERVICE. It brings in customers. The fairways were ordinary, but the greens were first class. It will get some of my money at least once.

The lake is something like nineteen feet fuller than when the team was here last May. It is a whole different looking lake now. Maybe the yak will get to go play on it soon. Here are a couple of pictures snapped just to let my readers see how nice it is. Bright blue skies, 75 degrees, scattered clouds and then the rest of the week it is supposed to get nice.

The New China Buffet was the lunch spot while running around doing chores. When it was last tried in May it was pretty good. This time my lunch was smoked salmon, skewered chicken, stuffed shrimp, vegetable egg roll, long green beans, onion rings, fried rice, iced tea and scoop it yourself from the container chocolate chip ice cream. It was all good to very good. Total cost including tip was a bit under $10. As my waddling body exited the door, it was held open for the owner to fix the lock. He was a very nice fellow to visit with. WOW what a day today.

But we are not nearly finished with all the adventures. Several folks were ready to have nice conversations. Some folks from before and some new folks. This is a really good area for trying to have tooooo much fun. TheOFM

Wind Blown Trip

Del Rio, Texas

The blog entries of the last couple of days have been cleaned up and entered for all to read. Yesterday’s is pretty special thanks to the folks you can see in the blog.

Today was head out day. Folks still ask me where my plans are taking me. Today there was a decision made at the first highway intersection to head north to Zapata. That was easily accomplished. In Zapata at the main intersection a decision was made to head to Laredo because it had been many years since my eyes had seen Laredo. More on Laredo later. Just a bit north of Laredo at the State Of Texas visitor center, there were three roads to choose from. A phone call to a RV park one direction yielded the information they were full for the next two months. OK choose one of the other roads. More north travel was chosen since it was 86 degrees in the parking lot. North ought to be cooler.

The first town with a campground to the north was not appealing, so the truck kept on moving north. When it all settled down, we are in Del Rio at the American Campground again with a week paid for. Now how did the team get here?????

The trip today was very strenuous. The wind is extremely strong and was pounding the truck and trailer from the side. Since the rig is coupled with an Equalizer brand hitch, even the strong winds cannot cause sway like other brands allow. However every now and then the entire rig, trailer and truck in unison, would move around in the lane. From ten this morning until five this evening it was fight the wind every minute. That is very tiring.

Here is a picture of the campsite in Del Rio. It is an ordinary every body lined up campground, but with considerable more room between rigs than most places.

This is a high value campground. Water, sewer, electric, cable and fast WIFI is $145 for the week. Monthly is $200 plus electric. A quarter mile across the highway is excellent fishing. The place is not fancy at all, but things like the laundry are clean.

The wind has Comfort Castle thrashing about with too much vigor. Sleeping may be interesting tonight. But tomorrow will be great for trying to have tooooo much fun. TheOFM

County Park

Falcon Heights, Texas

Some days are interesting and other days are INTERESTING. Well today was SPECIAL AND INTERESTING. It was my fantastic fortune to me two very nice and talented folks. But first a story from my past.

In ancient history days my dad was a rock hound who frequented this area. Many times he told of an old church below the dam at Falcon Lake. Once many years ago it was found down the old dusty roads. About twenty years of bad memory have come between then and now. Today on a meander in the truck, the old church was found again.


The way into the back country was straight forward it seemed. The return trip out deposited me back on a highway known to me but not even near where the adventure started. Better lucky than good my dad used to say.

A fellow at the state park mentioned the county park near the entrance road to the state park allowed camping for fifty dollars a month. Something that cheap needed to be examined carefully. As the truck took me into the park, it was obvious that self sufficiency was the order of the day. There is a rest room with a shower in the park. It was minimally adequate to say the most.

The price is very good though. So more inspection of the facilities was needed. Water is supplied at many spots in the large area. You just pick a spot you like and set up. Very interesting. While traveling slowly on one of the dirt roads, there was hope to find someone to talk to about this place.

AHA A nice looking fellow is walking toward the road. As the truck got near he waved and said to my utter surprise and astonishment “Are you The Old Fat Man”. You never know who will recognize you and where it will happen!!!! Blogs are fun.

Jerry and his wife, Nancy, have been camping here for many days now. We visited for hours and hours and hours. What wonderful folks to talk with. WOW this is nearly tooooo much fun.

After a lot of visiting it came out that they are fabulous artists in their own right. Once again you never know who you will meet in the RV world. Jerry is a wood carver working in relief style art now. Nancy does the painting of Jerry’s carvings. Together they make a team that can hold their own with any that have ever crossed my path.

Here is Jerry with one of their works of art. He showed me a dozen and they were all excellent.

And now for Nancy and Sissy. She mostly uses water color on the boards and definitely does not need to take a back seat to any other artist.


We covered lots of subjects including places they have stayed and places for future stays. It would be a great time in my life to run across them in the future.

My great fortune kept on doing better. They have the exact solar system on their trailer that was what my considerations were leaning toward. Jerry ran me through all the information. Then he patiently answered a bunch of idiot questions to help me choose what to do. It is not known if a system would make smart economic sense for sure or not. It will be close. However the opportunities for more locations to visit would be significant. That leads me to lean toward putting out the money for solar on the trailer. A fantastic fortunate happening in my life. WOW again.

By the time the truck headed home it was headlights on time. This certainly turned out to be a great day for having tooooo much fun. TheOFM.

Two Blooms

Falcon Heights, Texas

Over six miles of walking today and only one nice picture of a yucca bloom.

The campsites are nothing to write home about either. They are not bad nor good. Just are.


The flooding from the lake is severe as you can see from this water top site.
The connection is very slow at best so the pic quality has been taken way down to minimize file sizes. The normal amount of hot air spent on writing is being wasted somewhere else.

Tomorrow an attempt at a pic or two of the dam. Then the next day it will be adios time for this place. Just about any place else will be better to try to have tooooo much fun. TheOFM.

No Signal report

Falcon Heights, Texas
After the Marina Beach folks finally go to work at 10:30 AM, you can finally get on the road about eleven. The sun was shining south and the clouds were dark to the north, so the truck automatically turned south toward the sun. Five and a half hours later we are in Falcon State Park. There were no electrical sites available for tonight. The water only primitive site is working out fine. Tomorrow Comfort Castle will get to move to an electric site for two nights. After that who knows?
Since this site is way down in a valley, there is no internet. This is being written 2-5-09 and will publish whenever it can.
The lake is way over full and the primitive sites across the street have lake water up to or in them. Pictures and a long walk are on the agenda for tomorrow. It seems the overfull lake caused a bit of problems here and there in the area.
The oil drilling boom that was going on when the park was visited last spring is still going very strong. At night now it is possible to hear the drilling equipment working.
The wind is ferocious today. This campsite is exposed to the brunt of the wind. Hopefully the electric site tomorrow will be situated such that the trees up on that hill will help reduce the wind effects. Excessively strong winds sure do get in the way of trying to have tooooo much fun. TheOFM

End Of The Beach

Port Aransas, Texas

After several days of adventures, today is a no adventure day. A month of being in one spot means that it takes more than a couple of minutes to get things ready for travel.

First order of business was clean out the back of the truck to make room for the yak. About sixty five and three eights cubic yards of beach sand were swept from the bed. Then the bike was put back into the traveling position. The fishing rods were removed, disassembled and stored into their safe carry location in Comfort Castle. A few more realignments of stuff and the truck is ready for loading the yak tomorrow and travel.

Next was the inside of Comfort Castle. Things have been put away. Laundry was done and the clothes put away. The vacuum cleaner got a good work out. The extra blankets that were brought out to fight the cold spell have been returned to their home spot.

Three times the truck has rolled toward the ferry to take me grocery shopping and three times the ferry line has been horrendous. Hopefully later this evening the grocery shopping trip will be successful. If not then it can be done on the way out.

Tomorrow should see me paying for the electricity for the month to the tune of about $45. Then tentatively the team will be in for a relatively short run up to the town of Goliad. There is a small municipal golf course there that might get some of my money and a re-landscaping too. It will be very nice to be back in some trees and out of the salt and sand.

Port Aransas is an ok town at best. Whenever the coast becomes a location for the team again, it will be inland on the bay area instead of at the beach. Now that the beach town experience has been had, it will not likely happen again. Salt water fishing is a blast, but salt sand living near the beach is not. It is my opinion that the Rockport/Fulton/Aransas Pass towns are the best locations in this area.

Now for a good nights sleep and onward to a new location for trying to have tooooo much fun. TheOFM

Thermos Treasure

Port Aransas, Texas

The time was right for a blood letting just before Comfort Castle leaves the area on Thursday. So after calling and verifying that the Coastal Bend Blood Center could do the deed, it was off to lose blood. This time it was to the central location instead of the mobile units. This is the beautiful building in northwest Corpus.

The folks there were a lot of fun. The lady doing my donation said that she could stick me with her eyes closed if I wanted to see it done. No Thanks, just the normal way would be fine. We had a great time and a new blue T-shirt went home with me.

While leaving there it dawned on me that there was nothing needing my return to Comfort Castle, sooooo a trip to Padre Island was made. It will have to last a while since my plans are to leave the coastal area for some where on Thursday.

At Bird Island Basin is the windsurfing business for the area. In the back of the building is this directions pole to show you which way is which.


The tides were way out again today in the strong winds. This provided an opportunity to wander some of the marsh that is usually too wet for walking. Now there is a firm crust that can carefully be walked by web footed fools like me. A distant sand dune looked attractive to me so off into the marsh my feet went. The “dry” lake bed seemed to go on forever and stepping had to be done with care.

As the far side of the lake bed was reached, it was possible to see the normal water flow channel. It curved around and headed out into Laguna Madre. Isn’t the water beautiful. Notice the torn up spot in the channel bed. No Photoshop work is ever done to my pictures. The colors you see are the colors that were there always.


When that spot was reached, it seemed odd. Immediately a careful look around was done to make certain no undesirable critters were about to pounce on me. The torn up area was odd. There were no especially discernable tracks leading to or from the spot. Whatever it was ripped it up pretty badly. See for yourself. If someone recognizes what did this please let me know.

A little bit past the mystery spot, the channel hits the bay area. This is the “beach” that is normally covered with water. It usually has about two feet of water right where this picture was taken.


My good luck held up well. A few feet along the beach was this odd shiny thing. When it was examined closely it turned out to be a very nice thermos jug. It was a little rusty from the salt water, but the stainless steel cleaned up very well. There were not foot prints anywhere close to it, so it must have fallen overboard from a boat and washed ashore. Inside was about a half cup of coffee.


My progress back to the truck took me past the boat ramp. Some fishermen were starting to come in. Some had caught fish and the pelican patrol was on hand to greet them. Of course the pelicans would be very happy to help clean up the residue from the fish filleting efforts.

For supper tonight two turkey patties and mixed vegetables were prepared. A premixed salad was put into a bowl with Zesty Italian dressing for flavor. A cheap diet Cola rounded out the evenings meal. This is pretty good stuff for someone trying to have tooooo much fun. TheOFM

Ghost of Paradise Pond

Port Aransas, Texas

It was a cold windy morning to be out early. The truck had an appointment for a fuel filter change. The deckhand on the ferry would agree it was a miserable morning to be on the water. He was trying to hide behind the upright pipe at the corner of the ferry.

After the filter change it was back home to Comfort Castle and warmth. Later in the afternoon the walls closed in and a walk around town was required. A small sign about a special pond caught my eye. So off down a narrow lane my shoes carried me. This is the first glimpse of what awaited.
This is Paradise Pond of Port Aransas for all to enjoy. The sign explained what is going on and gives a map of the special area.
As you wander down the sidewalk on the right side, the fence blocks your view of what is ahead. Upon turning the corner the fence continues a good way to some undeterminable items at the end. Meanwhile on the left is a drainage area with trees and all sorts of birdy brush.
At the end is the start of an elevated boardwalk. At first you cannot see where it goes because the birdy brush blocks your view. It actually winds around a bit and has three information stations. This is right in the middle of a commercial area and except for the noise, you could be miles out in the country.
This is taken from the end of the boardwalk looking back to the beginning of the board walk. All in all this is a very pleasant place to relax for a while.
There are three information stations. The first one is about hydrology of the area. The wet and dry cycle is needed for the health of the animals and vegetation.
We have a very special event today. While taking a picture of the vegetation sign, an image of the seldom seem and benevolent Ghost of Paradise Pond was captured. Many have sought it but only your Old Fat Man has actually captured an image of him. The sign is explaining about some of the brush and vegetation in this area.
And at the very end is the bird information sign. This is only a couple of hundred yards from the salt water, but no saltwater birds were seen here today.
The ghost proved to be a personable fellow and very friendly. He told me that folks are usually in such a hurry that he doesn’t bother to come out. They come and go too fast to enjoy the area and him. However when a meanderthall like me comes along, taking time to see all the details and beauty, he likes to come out and visit. It certainly made for a special day for me.

And there you have an honest and truthful account of a day of trying to have tooooo much fun. TheOFM

Crabman

Port Aransas, Texas

Excessive wind again. At least it is sunshine and nearly seventy degrees. Therefore a nice long walk is needed. Lighthouse Trails park is the chosen starting point.

After crossing the ferry and going a mile or so, a right turn takes me in to the parking spot. After locking up the truck to deter honest crooks, the walk started back to the channel that the truck had just crossed. A lot more water has come back in and large quantities of bait fish are running around looking for some red or trout to eat them.

This path ended quickly, so about face MARCH. As the truck was approached this shot of the old highway was taken. Those white buildings in the distance are the first goal. The truck is waiting patiently.

On the right in that picture is the channel to Aransas Pass. It is a main flow route for water and fish into the back bays. Along this walk several more good access points for bank fishing were found. You can stand on the bank and cast into the channel otherwise known as a fish highway. This is looking good was my thought.

The white buildings turned out to be the business known as

He has a good place to launch yaks with the proper sloped sand area. Very importantly is that he has a parking area that is under observation almost all the time. Cost is $2 to launch and park. The best part is in and out is ok all day. You can go out fishing and come back in and go get some lunch and return and go out again all for the one time cost of $2. Back at some other places yakkers park there have been some break ins. Windows for trucks are expensive.

From Crabmans business, a yaking fisherman was nearly visible. This is the normal view shot of him. This guy is out from the launch point a long way and about in the center of the picture. Click on the picture and find him.

This next shot is with a three power telephoto and the center section enlarged until it got somewhat fuzzy. You see there really was a red yak out there with a fellow wade fishing from it on the right.
He will be paddling back against the strong wind we have today. Oh Boy.

After all that excitement, the highway was crossed and the path back snuggled along the bay on the other side of the highway. In that stretch of walking several more good spots to put in and fish were noted. This is turning into a very productive walk and it is not even noon yet.

HMMMMM. Let the team go check out another spot or two. The next spots did not prove to be good locations. It is lunch time in Aransas Pass and the closest place to eat is a Tex-Mex place that does not look exceptionally good. However several cars and trucks are there already and some have Mexico plates. Ok Give it a try. A plain little place inside that is clean. The chicken fajitas were prepared to perfection. The guacamole was even better. The salad was fresh. The salsa delicious. The rice was ordinary good. The beans were not normal tasting and very worth having again. Drive out including tip $11.

A good thing for me is that the fishing gear lives in the truck. So over to the city swimming pool. Park on the back side and walk out to the salt water marsh. Cast you heart out for an hour and get one little nibble. Shucks.

The LARGE ice tea is making itself felt. So a stop over at the restrooms at the boat ramp and pier is taken. The water looks nice and almost up to normal. Bait fish and porpoises are running around in the ramp channel. Why not fish some more???? So out comes the rod and fish bites bait. Three hours later one piggy perch had hit the deck and that is all. A lot of small bait fish nibbles did happen. That means in the next couple of days it could be very good fishing around here.

The good part of the pier fishing was the couple from Taft that came by to wet a line and chat. Another fellow, from Alabama, happened by and we all talked fishing. That was great fun.

To top off the pier time, a really neat sailboat came out of the housing area and sailed right in front of us about fifty feet away. In fact this next picture had to wait until he got farther away from us to take it so the whole boat would show. This is a lovely boat.

And now the word processor just jumped to the third page for tonight. WOW that is a lot of hot air.

As the sun started to get low, it seemed like a good time to head back to Comfort Castle. The ferry warning sign on the highway told of a wait of at least a half hour. RATZZZZ. When the truck got to the ferry landing, they motioned us right on to the ferry. What a wonderful surprise! We did have to wait for a couple of sailboats to clear our path before leaving the landing. That is ok, they are nice to watch sail by.

It is rumored that the super bowl is being played tonight. However something else than watching it will be done in the name of trying to have tooooo much fun. TheOFM