Adventure Location: Rockport, Texas
Adventure Report Date: November 30, 2019
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Tomorrow will be package wrapping day in preparation to shipping to Alabama. It will feel really good to have that chore out of the way.
Next on agenda is to choose where we will roll next month. Our rent runs out the night of December 22. After two months here, the hitch itch is getting noticeable. Since the Boondork decided to sprint for SW Arizona we decided to check the average temperatures out that way and down south in Texas. Here is what we found at weather.com.
Average temperatures F Dec Jan
Quartzsite Az. 64/39 66/40
Brownsville, Tx 72/53 71/52
Wow those temperature differences certainly give a person a second thought if they like warmer days and nights don’t they. Maybe the OFM Teams will need to give some serious thoughts to fishing in South Padre for a couple of months.
Speaking of fishing we saw a couple of neat water borne RVs (boats) at the Rockport Harbor. This first one is a nice looking sail RV. With a nice large cabin like that you ought to be able to get real comfy while anchored out along the Texas coast.
The boat next to the sail boat has been moored in the Rockport Harbor ever since 2007 when the Teams first arrived here. It appears to be a shrimp boat in its earlier life. Then all the shrimp boat rigging was removed and a bigger cabin added to the rear hull. A glance inside shows a galley and sleeping places. This might be a real good RV also. We did note that it made it through Hurricane Harvey and is still floating.
Is it possible the OFM Teams might try out the Texas waterways for some of their travels? Maybe boat travel could be a good way of trying to have tooooo much fun. Hmmmm.
Adventure Location: Rockport, Texas
Adventure Report Date: November 29, 2019
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It was a really busy day today. The OFM hit the floor in run mode and just shut it down at 1900 tonight. It took a chicken fried steak to shut him down and it was gooooood.
Many chores were completed. Christmas shopping was finished. Christmas cards were purchased. Three drawers were gone through and simplified. No pictures were taken or edited. There is a big pile of pictures yet to be edited. We cannot recall all the stuff done but a couple more Walmart bags of excess stuff did fit into the dumpster rather well.
OH. The refrigerator is running wonderfully. That cleared the OFM Shopping Team to load up the Teams credit card with lots of vegetables to eat. That is going to be great for the next few days.
We have plenty of chores left to get done while the hordes of tourists are in town for the holiday. They have had nice warm winter weather holiday so far. It was 71F when the OFM went out the door this morning. The high we saw on Sierra’s dash was 82F over in Aransas Pass at the Lowe’s store.
With a little luck we will have the presents all wrapped to take to the shipping place by Monday. Getting all the room back from having presents sitting all over the 149 square feet of the Castle will certainly help with the trying to have tooooo much fun effort.
Adventure Location: Rockport, Texas
Adventure Report Date: November 28, 2019
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Out of bed on time to make it to the morning breakfast gathering was a surprise for the OFM. We made it to Aransas Pass Whataburger right on time to order the usual. Then a seat was grabbed near Ricky and the rest of the folks moseyed on in in a few minutes. World problems were discussed and no conclusions were agreed on.
Then it was to Lowes next door for some Christmas shopping. Well we tried anyway. It seems that Lowes was closed today. Check out the barriers they had at the doors.
Next we crossed the street to Walmart and headed inside to check for one last Christmas present. Nope not the right level of quality so the OFM decided to exit. But as we passed the wrapping paper two rolls of paper had just the right things printed on them. He grabbed them and started for the self check out.
A nice lady in a Walmart vest and lots of electronics hanging on her asked if we were about to check out. the OFM gave a big Yes Ma’am. She proceeded to scan the two rolls, do the credit card payment with our credit card and print out the receipt right there in the aisle. WOW. And we bee lined it for the exit door.
We got back to the Castle and noticed the laundry was not being used so our laundry was gathered and taken across the street . The OFM put it to washing. We came back just as it was finished washing and loaded it into the dry. Back to the Castle to see what we could see on the computer.
Back to get the clothes right on time again was a stroke of luck. Then home with the clean clothes and got it all put away properly.
Then the OFM decided to make chicken stoup. So that was underway nearly instantly. It all went well and was ready right on time for lunch. And WOW it was good. So dished washed and put away. A look at the clock revealed it was 1215. Good grief we have been busy.
The weather was beautiful with broken clouds and 70 degrees so the OFM decided to head to the harbor area to see if any pictures were standing around. There was lots of picture. He also stopped to visit a fellow on one of the piers and about 12 fish later he told the fellow Happy Tday and headed back to the Castle.
He made a mistake and stopped a moment at the harbor because a boat caught his eye. That will be the subject a blog soon. In the meantime he meandered around taking pictures in the beautiful weather at the harbor.
Here is a picture taken from a finger dock looking toward the harbor entrance. Notice the nice water and sky.
AS if this was not enough, it was cross the road to the old sculpture garden to check out the birds sculpture. The birds seem to be really enjoying the great warm weather.
Then it was over to the harbor master’s office to check for flowers in the grounds around the building. Yep plenty of flowers and pictures calling to us for another blog or three in the near future. This is the view from the back porch looking out onto Aransas Bay on a pretty day.
There was some more meandering around and we finally made it back to the Castle after dark. Photo wise it was a very productive day of about 125 pictures and lots of stuff for future blogs.
It seemed like our goal was to get totally worn out while trying to have tooooo much fun.
Adventure Location: Rockport, Texas
Adventure Report Date: November 27, 2019
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Nothing much happened this morning except the OFM examining places to travel to when we roll out of here in December IF THE FRIG IS WORKING RIGHT. It is doing fine but the OFM wants to be sure it will be doing well out in the never never land he likes to go to.
Part of the get ready is replenishing some art materials. One part of the effort arrived today. Fedex had said it would be here by next Monday. BUT they arrived before noon TODAY. yahooooo
Here they are a new set of colored pencils to waste on art paper trying to make a pretty picture. By using good art supplies the OFM cannot say it was the supplies fault for the inconsequential results.
OH,we nearly forgot the OFM went to the local library to look at the art books. While he was there thumbing through the books he ran across a short tip that really hit home with him and his inadequacies. Now we hope he can remember it long enough to put it into use. Maybe it will even help him in trying to have tooooo much fun.
Adventure Location: MISP, Texas
Adventure Report Date: November 26, 2019
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The repair fellows got here right on time and wasted about 3 seconds going to work. Good Grief that refrigerator change out was a lot of work. The two gorillas that carried the old unit out and the new unit in had a tough time of it. The hole it went into was a tight fit for sure. They even put the oak panels from the old frig on the door of the new frig. It looks really good in the kitchen.
The new frig has great interior lighting. Apparently a very bright LED light is hidden in there somewhere. The interior is well done.
The OFM bought a bag of ice and split it between the freezer and frig so the unit would be ready to work sooner. Around noon we went on a major food purchasing run. We heard the Walmart grocery manager on the phone as we left ordering an emergency food supply replenishing from the supplier.
At 2000 tonight the unit is very cold and the OFM turned the thermostat up a bit. We do not need the freezer to be at 22F and the frig section to be at 33F. Very soon all our chores will be done and we will have to figure out which way to head again. It certainly is a lot colder in Quartzsite right now than Rockport. Bikini clad folks were playing in the surf at the Beach Park this afternoon.
Now for the Mustang Island SP finale. After getting Sierra parked we started looking around the beach for interesting critters. The pickings were very sparse unless you wanted starfish. Even those were dead and had been for awhile. This one was dead but seemed to be more recent than most of them.
However the ghost crabs were running around in abundance. The body of this one was about a half inch long. They dig holes in the sand and scurry around all over the place. Check out the stare this one is giving the OFM.
We found a nice scene right at the base of the jetty. It is full of sparkles isn’t it.
We wish there had been more beachcombing things to talk about but the cleaned off beach is not all bad either. We plan to hit the beach thanksgiving day for more pictures while the rest of the world is stuffing themselves. The Teams are betting that we will have a great time on the beach trying to have tooooo much fun.
Adventure Location: Mustang Island SP, Texas
Adventure Report Date: November 25, 2019
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The repair fellow called and left a message that the new refrig and installers will be here at 0740 in the morning. Good grief it will be nice to have a refrig again. It was a big surprise to have a repair person be so considerate to call with an estimated arrival time. So it will be alarm clock time for getting the OFM out of bed and over to Whataburger for breakfast and back here by 0730 to get all the junk out of the installers way.
Here we go back to Mustang Island SP now. After the campground area we headed for the beach and beachcombing. As has been published here before there is a right way for a vehicle to enter the torn up sand at most parks beach entry point. Drive up near the loose sand. Choose a route. Back up enough to get up to a smooth speed before getting to the sand. We have found that about 10-15 mph is usually just right. Then keep a bit of gas pedal working but try to to accelerate. Keep the speed smooth and slither on across to the firm sand on the other side. And no 4x4 does not make it ok to accelerate. Accelerating just digs a vehicle grave.
Here is a pic of a vehicle coming off the beach as we were choosing a line of approach.
When we got to the jetties Sierra chose a wonderfully perfect spot near the “facilities” in that area. It gave us a great view back down the way to clean beach sand.
The beachcombing is not good with the cleaned off beach like this. We are wanting to see what washed in to the beach.
The flowers in the dunes were in great display and here is a particularly pretty set of them.
We meandered about two miles of the beach and on the jetties a little bit. The OFM left knee was objecting to rock hopping on the jetty so that did not last long.
Along the beach was a few sand sculptures. They would have been neat to see we think but someone had stomped all but one of them. This one was about 9 inches high. But with good skill a good photography manipulator could make it look like Utah instead of Mustang Island Texas.
There are a few more pictures for tomorrow nights blog of some critters and good sunshine beach scenes. It is certainly a nice place to get busy trying to have tooooo much fun.
Adventure Location: Mustang Island SP, Texas
Adventure Report Date: November 24, 2019
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First we need a definition from the Internet.
Beachcombing is an activity that consists of an individual "combing" (or searching) the beach and the intertidal zone, looking for things of value, interest or utility.
We were headed for our favorite beachcombing location. It has been completed from all the Hurricane Harvey damage finally. The name of the location is Mustang Island State Park. It is a ferry boat ride and several miles of roads from our campground location. It turned out to be a great adventure.
Most of the structures in the park had been severely damaged. The campground was totally shut down for many months. Parts of the beach opened a few months after the hurricane. We needed to report on the changes for our readers.
The old campground restroom was marginally adequate in the first place. The new restroom, showers etc is a fantastic replacement. Well done Texas Parks and Wildlife. Here is a picture from the new big parking lot which is another good improvement.
When the OFM come out of the restroom, he even remembered to go into the men’s side this time, this unique to us drinking station caught our attention.
The human drinking spot is on the back side out of sight and is a usual drinking fountain. The front side has a water bottle filling station on it. That is very nice to have.
The unique feature was the very low drinking fountain bowl. We first guessed it was for drunks crawling on the concrete. Later we realized it was for babies. Then the OFM ran out of guesses so we stepped out the door to take a picture of the campground.
The paving and shade shelters seem to be the same as before. The Internet reports said they had to replace all the electrical wiring due to saltwater intrusion. When we drove through the campground it was obvious that parts of the paving and a few other things had had some repairs but was now in good shape. It is now a nice facility but is still a bit cramped in our opinion.
The campground is located on the land side of the main beach dunes.
The dunes usually have lots of flowers on them and this day was no exception. In fact there was flowers all over the place. Check out this bouquet of flowers and other decorative vegetation.
Ok. Here we are at the end of page three and a lot of things still to tell about so we will finish the adventure in tomorrow’s post. The OFM needs his rest after today’s work at trying to have tooooo much fun.
Adventure Location: PAIS, Texas
Adventure Report Date: November 23, 2019
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The beach was calling and the Teams had to respond properly. So we headed to Padre Island National Seashore (PINS) to get the latest information. After the long drive and crossing the ferry at Port Aransas then more driving on Mustang Island and them more driving on Padre Island we arrived at the entry sign for PINS.
Just past this sign is a very nice nature trail we have reported on in the past. It is paved and well worth the short walk around it. From here on to the visitor center is another couple of miles through the grass lands and dunes.
After parking at the large parking lot at the Visitors Center we walked over to the entry stairs where G Rock got to see some of the native vegetation in the area. We reminded G Rock that some of the vegetation had thorns tough enough to scratch the paint G Rock wears, so be careful. G Rock said “careful is my first name.” Yeah right the OFM replied.
After looking around at the Visitor Center a bit and purchasing a few Christmas presents we headed to the viewing platform way up on top of the visitor center. G Rock enjoyed learning about the native Americans and looking over the landscape to the beach and way out to sea.
We made it down the several flights of stairs to the ground and headed back up the stairs to the main deck in front of the Visitor Center entry. Then we went back down a different ramp to the beach. Yep there is a lot of ramps or stairs. Most of the Visitor Center is wheel chair accessible with help pushing UP the ramps.
After a short walk through the dunes and then across the beach sand the Teams grabbed this photo of the very clean beach.
The waves were small this day and not much had washed ashore to make beach combing fun so we did not stay long. As soon as G Rock had enough of its first time on a Texas beach we headed back up the ramp and back down on the other side to Sierra to go inspect the campground for possible camping there again.
It was about two miles to the campground. It is still a nice place. It is located sort of on top of some low dunes that slope toward the beach. The larger dunes are the campsites that are inland from the campground. The picture below is taken with the beach to the left and the larger dunes to the right.
It looks decent as usual with a 14 day limit before you are required to vacate the campground. See the website to get all the delicious details. It has been a few years since out last time to stay there but we enjoyed that visit.
By now it was getting later in the day and time to head back to Rockport and the Castle. G Rock says it was a good day of trying to have tooooo much fun, ya”ll. (G Rock is getting to be a Texas rock)
Adventure Location: Rockport, Texas
Adventure Report Date: November 22, 2019
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The morning started well with a call from the repairman saying he would be by about 1000 to check out the damage and give the Teams an estimate. 1000 came and went. The OFM is having frustration fits. About 1045 the phone rang and it was the repairman acknowledging he was late and could be here in five minutes if I still wanted him to come by.
Yep we sure did. In about three minutes he was here and apologizing for being late. His reason is he was at his doctors office getting some blood drawn for testing and it took longer than he anticipated.
After that moment he went to work and explained everything the OFM asked very well. The first thing he did was go to the outside vent/access door and open it. “Yep it is the trouble” he said. Then he showed the OFM what to look for. Here is a picture of what we saw.
The yellow that the OFM thought was left over pollen is the dye put into the refrigerant to let the repair person know if there is a leak. Boy o Boy was there a leak. In fact we saw a drip come down and splash. Then we went inside and the repairman got the needed data from the label on the refrigerator. He said he would call us with an exact price after he got to call his supplier in Dallas Texas. The OFM asked for a ball park price. The repairman named a price in line with what we had found online. The installation fee is $180. The OFM told him to go ahead an schedule the repair.
So it all works out that the new refrigerator is scheduled to be installed Tuesday morning.
We also told him about the rot in the front corner and asked his opinion. He looked at it very carefully from inside and out. Stood and considered a bit and then explained a lot about what he thought on the idea of a repair. The short answer was that what the OFM has done should last 3-5 more years. A repair would involve taking off the front fiberglas panel and part of the side panel and a partial roof uncovering and recovering.
He recommended the Teams run it until it falls apart and dumpster it. The repair would likely be a lot more than the value of the trailer. Just put the repair money toward the next trailer was his final advice. That pretty well coincided with the Teams opinion also.
It is the Teams opinion that we now have enough “educated” guesses to choose what is next about the time the OFM turns 75. Life expectancy enters into almost every calculation of things for the Teams nowadays.
But the day had an interesting ending. To try to relax his intense afternoon, the OFM went to the wooden pier to fish in peace. Those silly fish kept on interrupting the peaceful situation. Then two friends showed up on the pier to visit. The OFM caught a legal size fish and they kept the fish and took it home for supper. So the end of the day was a good one of trying to have tooooo much fun.
Adventure Location: Rockpport, Texas
Adventure Report Date: November 21, 2019
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As usual we cannot get a repairman interested in talking to the OFM. We called a highly recommended place and left a nice message. By the time of writing this at 1830+ no return call had come it. We sure hope tomorrow has better results.
In the mean time the OFM edited a pile of photos from a couple of days of meandering. They should be ready for stories and publishing them soon.
What he did find is that we never published the last painting that took him f o r e v e r to make. It is named Friendly Snake. It was a terror to draw those lily pads.
All this waiting was not a good way of trying to have tooooo much fun.
Adventure Location: Rockport, Texas
Adventure Report Date: November 20, 2019
It has been quite a day. A few bloggers announced their cessation of blogging. The OFM will miss them. Then the OFM had breakfast out and the food was marginal. Things just kept on going wrong most of the day.
The fishing was not so good but the friendly folks at the fishing location was a nice uptick for the day. Then the Walmart did not have several things the OFM wanted in stock so we moved on.
It was after 1400 when the OFM returned to the Castle to find the refrigerator in failed mode. After digging out the manual and doing the tests the final test resulted in the message printed in the manual. "At this point you have cooling unit malfunction and it is not user repairable. Call an RV repair shop to replace the unit."
So there we had it again, TOTAL FAILURE. The OFM searched the Internet to see what all this means. Basically the refrigerator parts will be around $1000 minimum and then you add labor. OR just replace the refrigerator and spend $1400 plus labor. The refrigerator is too heavy for the OFM to handle so paid labor will be required.
Then the OFM got to wondering what a 15 year old trailer with 300,000 miles on it might be worth. We searched PPL motorhomes and some other sites to arrive at a figure of about $5000 for a unit like the Castle in FIRST CLASS shape.
The Castle is well worn and has a rot spot at the upper left front corner of the box. The rot has been stopped but not structurally repaired. The estimate to do a proper repair on the damages was “at least $2000“ two years ago since the fiberglas siding would have to be peeled back to the frame. Once again it involves physical effort the OFM cannot perform.
So now we have a $5000 maximum value trailer needing $3500+ in repairs before selling it. It is time for some serious considerations about HOW we are going to keep on trying to have tooooo much fun.
Adventure Location: Rockport, Texas
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Adventure Report Date: November 19, 2019
The long term fight started when the OFM noticed a large critter moving along the top of the bathroom door. Some careful investigating revealed a green anole had invaded the Castle. The first effort at catching it to put it back outside was another of the many total failure things the OFM tries. We caught a glimpse of it when it sped under the living room couch.
It did not show up for a day or two and we hoped it had gone back outside. Then the OFM was sitting at the table and reached down to the basket with the note pad in it to grab a sheet of paper. Whatever he grabs squirmed under his hand. Naturally the OFM squealed worse that his grand daughter Piper. The anole headed across the table and disappeared into the darkness near the table bench seat.
Another day went by and the anole showed up on the window screen of the window by the table. The OFM attempted a grab and got a good hold on the empty space the anole had been. RATZZZ AGAIN. We did not see where it went this time.
A little later it showed up at the top of the window. The OFM slid the screen open and using gentle waves of his hand scared the anole to the outside of the Castle. The window screen was slid closed quickly and the anole was safe outside where it belonged. And the OFM Teams were glad it made it back into the outside world where it belongs.
Now the OFM doesn’t have to worry about his reaction while sleeping and the anole runs across his face at 0300 in the morning. The rest of the Teams would like to have seen his reaction but it is probably better we did not get to. It might have ruined the OFM’s chance of getting enough rest from trying to have tooooo much fun.
Adventure Location: Rockport, Texas
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Adventure Report Date: November 18, 2019
For the most part it has been a gentle day. The OFM got the Teams out early for him to do some walking while the weather is great. Sierra got us to a good parking spot inside the Rockport Beach Park and the OFM took off gently. He eventually walked to the north side of the salt water pool area and got a pretty good shot of the early morning sunshine warming things up.
After finishing the walking we headed onto the wooden pier to fish. One fish was caught and it was a legal size speckled trout. But the best part was we met a nice fellow from Czechoslovakia. We talked for a long time. Then when leaving the pier we met a very nice fellow from Colorado who has fished most of the USA. Boy that was an interesting morning.
After lunch we worked on what to do when the rent runs out Saturday for a couple of hours. Then it was back to fishing. Several more trout we caught and more folks visited. Finally Sierra parked at the head of Little Bay to watch the colors of the evening light on the water ripples. The light pastel colors were wonderful to see. The OFM had never seen this effect before and it was mesmerizing.
Finally it was supper time and then back to the Castle to write this drivel and relax a bit so the OFM may get a decent nights sleep. He is a bit worn from all the trying to have tooooo much fun.
Adventure Location: Lamar, Texas
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Adventure Report Date: November 17, 2019
The OFM has been meaning to do this report for three weeks now but kept forgetting about it. Finally he remembered to go get the pictures that we wanted.
Goose Island State Park is a nice park that was badly damaged by Hurricane Harvey. All the waterfront area campsites had their roads and utilities wiped out. The damage has finally started being repaired but is a long way from being finished. The long fishing pier was destroyed also and is not yet being worked on.
This is the view from the barricade of the campsites to the right after you make your way onto the island that holds all the waterfront area sites.
From there Sierra carefully took us over the badly damaged roadway to the left side where the pier used to start. All these sites are also shut down. We do not know how badly the restrooms on either side were damaged.
It really was not a pretty sight any more. The section of the island near Stinky Beach is open for use but is in disarray still.
We surveyed all the campsites in the Wooded Section and they appeared to be in good shape and in use. The OFM first came to this park about 40 years ago and has enjoyed it many times since. It has been the site of him trying to have tooooo much fun many times.
Adventure Location: Rockport, Texas
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Adventure Report Date: November 16, 2019
Here a Meander, there a Meander, everywhere a Meander. If you did not know it, today was Meanderday.
The Teams meandered all over the peninsula to see how the hurricane repairs were going. Nothing seems to be happening any more.
We did get down to the wooden fishing pier to check up and be sure our Pelican guarding the pier was on duty. It was and we have the picture to prove it.
That pelican does a great job of trying to make certain all the folks are working on having a good time.
Then the OFM hit the beach for some walking. The blue heron (we think) was on guard on the beach.
It was doing a good job. No fish or minnow could get past without careful scrutiny. However it let the OFM past with only a quick sniff and turned away. Phewww.
About now the Teams noticed the beach water was very clear. In fact it was hard to tell where the water started and the sand stopped.
Then we finished out the afternoon having fun discussions with the nice lady controlling the beach entrance station. We gossiped for hours it seemed. Then on the way back to the Castle, Sierra forced the OFM to stop at Mac’s BBQ and get a chopped beef sandwich for supper. That Sierra can get awfully strong willed at times.
Then it was blog writing time. Somewhat true stories were reported about a great day of trying to have tooooo much fun.
Adventure Location: Rockport, Texas
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Adventure Report Date: November 15, 2019
A G ROCK ADVENTURE
Good grief today had plenty happening, not the least was a Friday night CFS again. Yummity Yum Yum. BURRRP
The day showed up early as bright and clear and cold. Soo it warmed up enough to be enjoyable and the Teams gave it a work out. Check out the weather down at the Salt Water Pool in the Rockport Beach Park.
It was so inviting that G Rock kept on trying to open Sierra’s door to go play in the water. The OFM threatened to lock G Rock in the glove box for the rest of the adventure if it did not behave.
After meandering around looking at things here and yonder we found something the OFM cannot recall ever seeing before. We were over by the sculpture garden and noticed this odd growth on a damaged palm tree.
What is that stuff we wondered???? G Rock rolled over to it and climbed up for a close look.
G Rock called back that it looked like fruit. We found one of them laying on the border wall and G Rock went in for a close inspection. We still were not sure what it is.
After a few more exciting events we headed back to the Castle. The Internet explained that it is palm tree seeds. Some palm trees have those kind of seeds and some palm tree seeds are coconuts. Almost all palm trees have to be grown from seeds and not cuttings. WOW getting some new pieces of education for the OFM Teams is a great way of trying to have tooooo much fun.
Adventure Location: Rockport, Texas
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Adventure Report Date: November 14, 2019
Not much going on today so tonight we will report on how we do thermal transfer control on the Castle’s windows.
The window frame around the windows of the Castle is 3/4“ wide. That makes it convenient for 3/4“ thick polystyrene foam to be cut to fit and pressed in place. The 3/4“ foam is rated at R3 and can be cut to fit very tightly or just firmly. Over the las few years we have come to prefer the just firmly fit. The temperature control is very good. We use it for keeping out the summer sun and keeping in the winter heating. Here is a picture of the main window of the Castle with the foam in place.
We buy the foam at Lowes in packages of several pieces about 15“ wide by 48“ long sheets. This size is easy to handle even in the wind while cutting it to size to fit the windows. A regular sharp knife does the cutting very well.
We have several other spots in cabinets that have had the foam added against the outside wall and ceiling to add to our winter/summer thermal resistance.
Overall we have noticed the better temperature control in the Castle. And Yes it helps lower the heating or AC bill all year long. We started adding insulation way back in the late 70‘s on our first RV.
Keeping the inside more comfortable is important to the Teams when trying to have tooooo much fun.
Adventure Location: Rockport, Texas
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Adventure Report Date: November 13, 2019
The question has been asked what the OFM normally eats for breakfast. Why it was asked is not known but here is the answer.
Eggs scrambled with fresh ground black pepper
Chopped potatoes with chopped vegetables stir fried in scant olive oil
Fresh hot green decaffeinated tea
Lawlers BBQ sauce is put on the plate before the food is added to give the meal the flavor wanted.
And yes the OFM cooks it.
And there it is, the gormit brakefast for the OFM Teams Glorious Leader.
Now let us get on with the fishing information. Our neighbor and his wife went to Packery Channel fishing in this incredibly horrible cold wet weather this afternoon and filled two limits of delicious black drum. That was not chicken from Walmart on their grill tonight. So you see fish catching has not been stopped by the weather.
Speaking of fishing, the OFM got into one of his simplifying modes this afternoon. Out came all the lure boxes. Every lure style that has not been producing well in the last two years is no longer with us.
That emptied several lure boxes and what remained fit into only one box. The only lures left are in the far left box. The other boxes will be used for storing some art supplies and toe nail clippings or whatever else that happens to need a small home.
On the art front, yesterdays failure was piddled with some more and it was decided that the back of the picture is now designated as a page for experimenting for education of mixing water colors.
This afternoon our oldest electric heater lost a bearing in the fan after eight years. So a trip to Walmart was made and we now have a new heater to assist in keeping the Castle and the Teams warm in this horrible weather.
It seems like there is always plenty of chores to do but we do not let that stop us from trying to have tooooo much fun.
Adventure Location: Rockport, Texas
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Adventure Report Date: November 12, 2019
That was a nasty storm last night and this morning the condensation was heavy on the walls and windows of the Castle. Cooking breakfast over the open flame really added to the water in the air. Well Ok it is time to buy a dehumidifier to make the interior decent again.
So it was off to Walmart where we were able to get a small dehumidifier.
We got it back to the Castle and put it to work immediately. Within an hour it had the Castle comfortable again. About an hour later we did not have any condensation on any surface the OFM checked on.
Well while you are all worked up OFM, you might as well do the laundry also. To our surprise he got right to that task. He even carried the laundry to the laundry room in a light sprinkle and 35F temperature. WOW What a man!
By the time the laundry was finished and put away it was after 1300 so the Teams headed out for lunch and see if any pictures needed taking. Nope they didn’t.
Back home the OFM decided to get to work on a new painting. Water lilies are the subject. Several hours later the painting was called a total failure. The main trouble is he worked in colored pencil which is a medium he is a complete flop at using. We think the picture is a good subject.
Since tomorrow is another nasty day, the plan is to work on the same scene but to do it in watercolor pencil. We will see what happens.
OK lets see.
Laundry done.
Dehumidifier purchased and put to use.
Warm comfortable home (Castle).
A painting that failed but was fun to attempt.
Good food.
Yep it seems that it was a great day of trying to have tooooo much fun.
Adventure Location: Rockport, Texas
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Adventure Report Date: November 11, 2019
We meandered all over the area today. Everywhere we went we caught fish. Lots of fish. They were all speckled trout. Most were right at the minimum length of 15“ but a few were well over the minimum length. No pictures were taken but if they had been taken it would run for several pages of the blog. Our known count is 41 fish with a good amount caught late in the afternoon after we stopped counting. Sorry you missed the fun Don C.
The nasty cold front was due at 1800 hours so we shut down the fishing and headed home about 1630. It is good we did.
The computer was connecting us with the rest of the world and at 1732 the front arrived with a blast of wind. The door and windows were quickly closed to retain the heat already in the Castle. It is predicted that we will have about 36 hours of cold and then things warm up nicely again.
The Teams had given a lot of consideration to staying in Grandkid land for the winter. It is a good thing we did not. They are having a really cold winter already with some twentyish temps during the next few days. NOPE NO THANKS TO THAT.
So for a couple of days it will be inside stuff for trying to have tooooo much fun.
Adventure Location: Rockport, Texas
Click the pictures to enlarge them.
Adventure Report Date: November 10, 2019
The OFM realized he had not checked the second set of buildings in the Rockport Beach to see if they were finished and ready for use. So off to the Beach to see what the story is.
As we approached the buildings they were looking finished from the hurricane repairs. Sierra took us into the parking lot and got us close to the buildings. Good truck, good truck we patted Sierra on the hood and headed for the buildings.
There are two buildings with a wide wooden walkway between them. The necessities rooms are in one and a meeting room in the other. Both of them have a very nice open air covered room on the second floor that looks out over the beach and out into the bay area.
We spent a good bit of time up on the open air room looking at things our there in the warm sun. The beach view is very good. We need to have binoculars with us for future trips here.
The OFM spent a good bit of time standing around in a trance it seemed. We finally asked what he was doing. He said that he was trying to decide if it would be nice up here sitting at a table painting a picture or ten. The Teams all agreed that it would be an event worth trying out for size.
We had come up from the beach side and when we meandered over to the opposite side there was a wonderful surprise waiting for the Teams. The handicapped access ramp was perfect for the OFM to work on rehab of his knees and legs. Check out his nice surprise.
Now we have another reason to return here often. There are pretty flowers near the ramp that will soon be in the blog making the day more cheerful. WOW we could even bring a nice sandwich and drink for lunch. This is sounding better and better isn’t it.
It looks like we have a great area for doing some trying to have tooooo much fun waiting for us.
Adventure Location: Rockport, Texas
Click the pictures to enlarge them.
Adventure Report Date: November 9, 2019
A lot of heat transfer occurs at the entry door of RVs. The doors are thinner than the walls so more heat goes through them. That is heat going out in the winter and heat coming in during the summer. Here is the entry door of the Castle.
We have seen several very elaborate ways folks have tried to cut the heat transfer down. Old feeble brain OFM naturally had to go for something really simple or it would have overwhelmed him completely. While in colder climates one year and the outside temps got on down to the 13F range the Teams realized that the door needed help fighting the cold.
Several ideas were considered and they were all complicated or expensive or required to much modification to the Castle. Then suddenly the simple solution fell on the OFM’s foot. A sleeping bag thermal liner in a cabinet fell out of the cabinet onto the OFM’s toes. YAHOO the answer had arrived. Just hang a blanket over the door when it was needed.
So we did and it worked wonderfully. Here it is in action from last night.
And it is easy to leave in place and go in and out the door as needed. It has been wonderful.
So now you have the solution in mind, how do you support it? With binder clips of course. A cup hook was installed at each upper corner of the doorway. The binder clip is attached to the door covering and the wire “legs” slipped over the cup hook.
The cover then just hangs freely against the door. The slight excess length is pushed against the door bottom to complete the installation.
When it is not needed, the cover is then folded and put back in the cabinet for storage.
Having a comfortable inside temperature is very good for trying to have tooooo much fun.
Adventure Location: Rockport, Texas
Click the pictures to enlarge them.
Adventure Report Date: November 8, 2019
It was slightly before sunrise when the OFM rolled out of bed to start the day. More Christmas shopping was on the agenda. The weather said Cold and wet so we waited a bit for the wet to quit coming down.
Then we hit the road to shopping. After a good bit of effort we came back to the Castle to consider the next move. As he sat there puzzling over the next move he suddenly recalled he had stoop to make today. Great. It would give him a chance to calm down about the Christmas shopping.
Today the ingredients were
a can of Bush’s beans
a can of salt free whole corn
a large bell pepper chopped
a big slice from a yellow onion chopped
A serious dollop of BBQ sauce
Fresh ground black pepper
Some Lil Smokies sausage cut into bite size pieces
The 3 liter pot was topped off with water. This produced a thinner mixture than in the past. Thirty minutes of slow simmer until the vegetables were cooked. Thirty minutes of steeping time as it cooled resulted in an excellent lunch.
Then the afternoon was more shopping. When it was all done there was no new presents purchased. That symptom is also known as frustration.
So it looks like we have some more shopping days ahead of us for trying to have tooooo much fun.
