Views of the day

Another bright and sunny day. I took a long walk around the park today and saw many flowering plants. This is the growing season and it is nice to see so much color this time of year. I took a couple of pictures to share the color with you.

These folks go all out. Their trailer must sure be packed.

This is referred to around here as a Mexican poinsettia bush.

In my walk around the park today one home had a sign that said they were from LeRoy Il. I used to live in LeRoy and will have to find out if I know them.

Wash Day

Today was laundry day, I have to do that every three or four weeks you know. I had the laundry room all to myself so I made quick work of it. Being this close to Mexico I am learning the culture of the people. One custom I have grown particularly fond of is called the siesta. I think this should be adapted world wide. Work until noon, nap until three and then finish you day. Retirement is hard.

New neighbors

Some new neighbors pulled in this afternoon. Millie and Warren are from Buffalo, MO. this has truely become Missouri Avenue I'm living on.

Bath Day.

I woke up this morning to 40 degree tempertures, didn't last long though, by noon it was 71. Today we decided to give Mel a bath on the sunny side. Washing Mel by hand is a big job, but it was long over due. We thought with the cooler temps this would be the day to get started.

Doesn't Mel look nice?

We also heard from the microwave people and the second part is on the way. They also contacted the repair man and he is willing to do the work.

Progress

Progress was made today. First I went to Laredo and loaded up on food for at least a month, if I don't get carried away and eat it all in the first week. Second I called the microwave people and told them after receiving the part it looked like it was going to require the whole cooktop to be disassembled to install it. Disconnecting the propane is not something I wanted to fool with. so they told me to find a local service man. The office gave me the name of someone who did a lot of work in the area and when I called him he just happened to be in the park. He stopped by and when I showed him the problem he agreed with my diagnosis that the problem wouldn't be solved by the part they sent. I called the company back and after relaying this information a new part is on the way and they are setting up an appointment with this man to install the part when it arrives. Maybe the solution is at hand. We'll see in a few days when the part gets here. One thing I'll miss is the microwave starting on its own a two o'clock in the morning.

Another beuatiful day

The weather is gorgeous, temp is 84, wind 10 mph and lots of sun. There is very little activity today, it just seems like all the retired people still consider Sunday a day of rest. Tomorrow I'm heading for Laredo for the day to restock. The pantry is getting low. Last night like a lot of you I suffered through the Missouri game. I guess this is where we say.....next year.

The welcome lady visits

After going to the big sale and not finding anything I couldn't live without I went to the office and paid my electric bill for last month. I then went back to Mel and as I was reading the morning mail the parks Welcome Lady arrived with a little bag of goodies. She had maps of the area and coupons and there was even some candy it the bag. One of the items was a brochure of the area from the Chamber of Commerce. I though I would share it with you. Current temperture is 78 with big fluffy clouds, this must be what they were talking about.

Another day in paradise.....not

Well another day of overcast and rain. I'm still waiting for that sunshine everyone tells me is the norm. Seems like Missouri is getting more sunshine than here, at least the tempertures are warm. Activity around here is at a stand still because of the weather. We'll just have to see what tomorrow brings. I'm starting to get cabin fever.

A view from Mels door.

Jason

I heard from my nephew Jason today and I only mention this because he is still fighting depression that stems from his last basketball game at HLG in 1997 when Nathan Shinkle out scored him and the Courier Post gave Nathan more ink. Jason felt a mention in my blog would lift his spirits. Lets all hope Jason gets over it and moves on. Send your well wishes to jforrester30@msn.com

Cloudy, rainy

Everyone keeps talking about how nice the weather is here, but I'll have to admit I haven't seen much of it. Today it is about 60 degrees, overcast with the threat of rain. With this weather I'm tempted to move in a different direction. I'll give it another week and then make my plans. We did get a schedule of park activities for the next month, I'm torn between the knitting and the quilting.

Walking about

I got up this morning and went for a walk around the campground. The midwest influence is really here. I didn't see anyone from east of Ohio or west of Colorado, but all the states through the midwest seem to be represented including into Canada. I had a nice chat with a gentleman from Ontario this morning and he was telling me how unhappy he was with Canadian Healthcare. He said it really impacted his taxes, like to the tune of $4000.00 on his mid-size car. Plus they have to buy additional coverage when they travel out side of Canada. Doesn't sound like a good deal to me. I went down to the community building to check the mail this morning and while I was there took a couple of pictures. This is where we had Thanksgiving and it was a full house.

The stage and mail area.

The stage and kitchen area.

Same old

Sorry guys, but this is getting boring. I waited all day for the UPS man to bring my parts, but he was a no show. My mail did catch up with me today so at least I was able to do something constructive. The weather was perfect and I would have loved to go for a walk, but I knew if I did UPS would show. Maybe tomorrow.

Warmer

Well it did warm up today, but I was anchored to Mel. I was waiting for the propane man and UPS who is bringing parts for the microwave. The propane man made it, but UPS didn't so I'll have to wait again tomorrow. I met more Missouri people today and we have decide we are changing the name of our street to Missouri Avenue. We have Clarence, Booneville, Warsaw and Hannibal represented with only 5 vehicles on the street. My neighbor tells me that there are two more couples who will be coming to our street who are also from Missouri. I'd say we have a monopoly.

Rain, rain, rain

It was 45 degrees and rainy this morning. Everyone here says that this is quite unusual and we're ready for it to end. Tomorrow it's supposed to be 70 and sunny. It could be worse, looking at the weather map the people just 150 miles north seem to be getting snow.

A look out Mel's window.

Mr. Bunny takes shelter under Mel. Boarding was denied.

Below 50 degrees

The temperture here this morning is below 50 degrees, I had to break out a sweatshirt. The locals are in full winter gear, hooded parkas and gloves. This morning there was a biscuits and gravy breakfast, all you can eat for $2.00. That will probably be my one excursion out today as it's supposed to rain most of the day. At least there is some good football on the tube. I am definetly ready for the warm up that we are supposed to get the first of the week. Bring er on.

More Zapata

This morning my neighbor Aubrey invited me to ride to town with him while he did some shopping. We took a tour of the town and it is quite a historic place. The town of Zapata relocated to higher ground after the original town site was flooded after the completion of the Falcon dam in 1954. This is a picture of the courthouse which is as pretty a building as I've seen. I intend to go back into town when the weather is better to take more pictures.

Happy Thanksgiving

I just had Thanksgiving dinner with the members here at the park. The food was outstanding and of course in the tradition of the season I ate too much. They are doing leftovers at 5pm, but at this point I really expect to pass. We are in the middle of a cold wave here. The temperture isn't expected to get much above the mid 50's today and it will probably be Monday before we see 70's again.

The Four Seasons Park

I took a walk around the park this morning and everyone here seem super friendly. Another neighbor came over this morning and introduced herself. She is from Clarence Mo and she and her husband have been coming here for 5 years. The Park is having a Thanksgiving dinner tomorrow and I've been invited to sit at their table as there guest. This spares me the task of preparing a covered dish and spares the park of an out break of food poisoning The front gate.

Mels parking spot, note the orange tree to the left, fresh fruit for breakfast.

Bass street.

The waterfront and boat harbor.

Back in Zapata

Well Mel and I decided this morning that we have just been running too hard and needed to slow down and figure things out. We came back to Zapata and paid a months rent at a nice RV park here and we are going to sit and ponder. We are located right on Falcon Lake and the people here seem real nice. I have already met some of my neighbors, one from Booneville MO and another from just south of Springfield Il, they've both been coming here for over 10 years so there must be something that draws them back. I'm going with one of the neighbors on a tour of the park tomorrow so I'll know more about it then.

Laredo, Tx

After we changed the oil in the generator (Mr. KW) Mel and I hit the road heading west and once again we didn't know when to stop. So we are now in Laredo right on the Mexican border. Laredo is called the gateway to Mexico and is the largest inland port in the US. We might have to stay here a couple of days and see what we can find. Mel is working too hard. We have already accumulated 2459 miles and the first month won't be up until the 22nd. I was able to find a barber/beauty shop this afternoon and I got a haircut for the first time since leaving Hannibal. The lady who cut my hair wasn't any better that the Skinner boys, but she sure was a lot prettier.

This is a view from the highway between Zapata and Laredo looking south. The water you see is the Falcon reservoir which is the result of a dam across the Rio Grande. Everything to the south of Falcon Lake is Mexico.

I was driving on US 83 which Texas has dedicated to the Vietnam veterans. Someone saw the need to add some punctuation with a rather large bore editor.

Mission, Texas

I am night camped in the parking lot of Camping World, the Wal-Mart for RV's, six miles from the Mexican border. I'm going to have the oil changed in the generator in the morning and the I'll be vacating the area. This area has grown so much since I was here 25+ years ago and being parked here is like parking on I-70 in the middle of St. Louis. So after they finish in the morning it's go west young man and will see if we can't find less congestion.

Laundry day.

This is going to be a laundry/housekeeping day. It is overcast with just a trace of rain, humidity is around 900%. So I've decided to do nothing today other than watch a little football. Tough day.

The King Ranch

Well the King Ranch has been toured. I went to the in town museum this morning (no pictures allowed) and this afternoon I went out to the ranch itself. I was a little disappointed because the tour didn't include many photo ops (it's hard to get good pictures out of dusty windows on a moving bus). Guests are put on a bus for a two hour tour of the property and the only stop was about 15 minutes at one of the ranch buildings where we met Alberto 'Lolo' Trevino. He is 4th generation King ranch hand and one of 14 children. He began his cowboy career at age 10 in 1939 and except for 4 years in Houston worked his entire life for the King Ranch. He retired at 70, he's 78 now and comes back once a week to tell his story. They did tell us the ranch is now 825,000 acres, but at one time was over 3 million acres. The main house was impressive and I'm sorry I don't have a better picture. Here are the pictures I managed to get.

A cabin at the visitors center.

The best shot of the main house.

A looong horn cow.

'Lolo' telling his story.

Playing tourist

This afternoon Mel and I are located in downtown Kingsville. I toured the Old Depot RR Museum this afternoon. It was built in 1904 by the St. Louis, Brownsville and Mexico RR and became part of the Frisco system in 1907. July 4th, 1904 is also the the birth date of the town of Kingsville. Tomorrow it's the King ranch.

The Depot

The history.

More history.

One of the displays.

Different day

Woke up this morning to a different day. It is gray, overcast and windy. Rain is in the air and the expected high is only 70 degrees. This is going to be a good day to do nothing. The trip to the King ranch will have to wait. I'm going to work on the microwave and possibly later go to the in town museums.

Kingsville, Tx

I am now in Kingsville, TX. Mel's trip to the doctor was partially successful. The door is fixed and I can now lock myself in, that's good. The microwave appeared to be fixed at the dealership, but by the time I got to Kingsville it was acting up again. I guess I'll have to go to work on it myself. Now about Kingsville. Named after Capt. Richard King, a retired riverboat pilot, this is where the Texas cattle industry supposedly began. The King ranch is approximately 850,000 acres, a little bigger than Rhode Island, and currently has about 60,000 head of cattle. I am going to take a ranch tour tomorrow and then check out their museum. They also have a leather shop where they make their own saddles. If you want to learn more about the ranch here is their site. http://www.king-ranch.com/

Moved to Rockport

After a morning walk around Goose Island Mel and I moved to Rockport in anticipation of Mel's trip to the doctor in the morning. We are at the local Wal-Mart right now. Just killing time. At least we have a TV to kill time with.

Goose Island State Park update

The original plan was to stop at Goose Island State Park to empty the holding tanks and then move on. After seeing the place I decided it was too special not to spend the night here. Goose Island is a bird sanctuary right on the Aransas Bay. I took a walk this afternoon and some of the pictures I took are below. Jayco called and the TV is again in working order. For those who care the inverter is under the bed under a sub floor with many, many screws holding it in place. Screwed on top of the sub floor is the support rod that holds the bed up so you can access the under bed storage area. Three arms would have come in handy to hold the bed, remove the panel and work on the inverter. Gotter dun though!!

Mel from the point on the other side of the cove. Mel is on the left next to the brown motorhome.

The state parks fising pier.

A tall bird or a Canadian Aflac salesman.

A taller bird.

A short fat bird.

If anyone has a better description of these birds comments are welcome.

Goose Island State Park

I've moved to Goose Island State park. Mel is perched on the bank of the gulf and the breeze is wonderful. I decided to break down and get a site for the night because it's so pretty here. I was going to just dump the tanks, but decided what the heck splurge a bit and enjoy the sights. Goose Island is a migratory bird sanctuary and I'm going to take a walk later and see what birds I can see. Mel on the beach.

Some of my neighbors.

Moved south

I've moved a little south to the small town of Tivoli. It is at the north end of San Antonio bay and I'm getting the benefit of the Gulf breeze again. I went out for a walk this morning and saw the town from one end to the other. One thing that mystified me were the flower planters around town labeled Redfish with a shamrock on them. The connection escapes me.

I also found this historical marker whick gives a little bit of the history of the area.

Moved again

I'm now located in Victoria, Tx. Victoria is a town of about 60,000 and sort of a hub city for this part of the state. Went to Wal-Mart this afternoon and got some chicken. Mmmm good stuff. Tomorrow I plan to head back toward the coast to see what I can find.

Problem

A major problem developed this morning. The two outlets that control the entertainment center are dead. I spoke with Rob at Des Moines RV and he seemed to think it's a wiring issue. I will have it looked at on Wednesday when I take Mel in for a checkup. The question is can John live without TV until Wednesday? Results to follow.

Afternoon hike.

This afternoon I took a hike into town to see if I missed anything. The truckstop where I'm camped out is about a half mile from the edge of town so I thought I would go see if I missed anything......I didn't. I cleaned the inside of Mel this afternoon and tomorrow morning she is getting weighed. I hope the scales are kind.

A little farther south

I'm now in Ganado searching for something other than a cow or oil well to look at, so far no luck. I came through El Campo this morning which for many years in the 1800's was the farthest into south Texas the railroad went. The highway I'm on US 59 used to be a cattle trail. Tomorrow I'm heading to Edna and maybe Victoria and then back toward the coast. I miss the gulf breeze, it's just plain hot here.

Bay City TX

Well I moved again, about 50 miles. I'm at Bay City a town of 18,000 but with no attractions, they don't even have a bay. I have an appointment for some warranty work next Wednesday in Rockport which is about 100 miles away so I'm just going to sight see my way in that direction.

Had a man stop by today who was real interested in buying a Melbourne and we spent an hour just talking motor homes. You sure meet some interesting people doing this. There is another couple here at Wal-Mart in a motor home from Madison SD. They use the same mailing service I do. I'm on the way over to visit with them now.

Moving again.

The mail finally arrived this afternoon and I was unable to get under way again. This morning Jim and I went to Port Arthur to take his deer to the processor. We also saw where he worked before retiring. I certainly had a good time visiting with my sister and brother-in-law and their hospitality was outstanding. I will miss my nightly dose of blueberry cobbler ice cream. The banana pudding ice cream wasn't bad either. Thanks Kate and Jim.

This afternoon Mel got to ride on the Galveston ferry. The picture shows her on the deck. Mel was also inspected by homeland security before boarding. They checked under the hood and used mirrors to check the underside. We passed with flying colors. From the ferry we drove along the seawall to the end of Galveston Island and then crossed the long toll bridge and we ended up in Freeport for the night. We got to see a lot of million dollar plus beach homes. Freeport is a refinery/fishing town and we will check it out further tomorrow.

Mel on the ferry.

Exploring

We went exploring today and here is what we found.

The Port Bolivar lighthouse

A three masted sailing ship anchored off Galveston

This is the information about Fort Travis

More about Fort Travis

All in all a pretty interesting day.

No mail

Still waiting for the mail to arrive. This morning Jim and I got the golf cart out and rode up and down the beach. It's turned a little colder and it's only 72 degrees (sorry guys). We just had lunch and are going to go for a drive to see what we can see.

Lazy Monday

I republished this picture because I couldn't get it to expand on the previous post and it's worth double clicking on to see the name on the tugboat. I repeat I haven't gone Forest Gump.....yet.
Today was a maintenance day. I installed the Pressure Pro system on the tires (it measures air pressure from the dash and warns me if a tire is loosing air), installed a paper towel holder, hooked up to shore power and tested the systems and went to the 'Big Store' twice. The store is the only one of any size in the area and it's a combination Ace Hardware, grocery and gas station. Interesting concept, but it works when your the only show in town. Still waiting for my mail to catch up with me, hopefully it will be here soon before I wear out my welcome.

Cruising

First of all I have to mention my sister in Michigan. I spoke with Maggie on the phone tonight and she informed me how hurt she was that I had mentioned all my siblings in my blog except her. She has now been mentioned and I will add she is by far my favorite sibling living in Michigan. She hasn't had the pleasure of meeting Mel yet and I'm pretty sure that won't happen until things warm up a bit in Michigan, but we are still looking forward to getting together in the spring.

Now a word about the pictures, you will notice they are a smaller size, but they will enlarge if you double click them. They load faster this way. Sister Kate and I rode the ferry to Galveston today, Mel didn't get to go, but will make the trip later in the week when we head on south. We ended up in the middle of the biggest motorcycle rally of the season in Galveston and frankly it was a miniature Sturgis. Hundreds, no thousands of bikes everywhere and it was a little hard to get around with many of the streets blocked so we didn't stay long.


Here are a few of the pictures taken from the ferry.

This is just some of the ocean going ships approaching the harbor.


This is a park in Galveston that has a destroyer and a couple of submarines. They thought long and hard and decided to call it "Submarine Park".

No, I didn't trade Mel for a tugboat and what you see behind the tugboat is one of the ferrys.

Afternoon walk on the beach

I took a walk this afternoon to soak up some of the atmosphere. Here are a few pictures of what I saw.

The house where I'm staying with Mel in the driveway.

Looking down Crystal Beach on the Gulf of Mexico

Looking at an oil rig 7 miles out on the Gulf from Crystal Beach.

Crystal Beach, Texas

I arrived at sister Kate's and brother-in law Jim's beach house yesterday about 1 pm. Kate was at work so Jim and I took a tour of the area. We drove a couple of miles on the beach itself which was pretty cool. We saw lots of birds feeding in the surf. After Kate got home we went out to eat at a seafood place that was right on the intercoastal waterway and looked out over the Galveston Bay. I ate shrimp that was soooo fresh. Today is laundry day and we are going to kind of kick back. I think tomorrow we are going to Galveston across the bay and check things out over there. I'm going to take some pictures of the area when the sun comes up and post them later today.

Lake Charles, LA

Well I slowed down today and spent the morning touring the Atchafalaya Swamp center. The Atchafalaya Swamp is the largest in North America and the elevated highway above the swamp is over 20 miles long. Quite impressive. The swamp is filled with all types of wildlife. From the expected alligators to the unexpected, bears and over 500 species of birds. It was also interesting to see some of the people at the center speaking Cajun to each other. I also made a stop today at Wal-Mart to replenish supplies. Mel is in need of a bath and I hope to get that done tomorrow. This will also serve as the last warning to my sister Kate to get out of town because I'm heading her way and will probably be in her driveway tomorrow.

Trucking

Well the truck driving gene kicked in again. I started this morning at 3:00 am at Blythe Arkansas with the idea of getting through Memphis before rush hour. That's when the gene kicked and when I finally stopped just a few minutes ago I find myself 50 miles north of New Orleans. I am going to have to learn that I'm not a freight hauler any more or I'm going to cover all the states in about 6 months. So far this week I've already covered 5. At least I don't have to worry about the cold nights for awhile. Right now it's 86 degrees and the overnight low is expected to be 58. Maybe tomorrow I'll go slow.

Arkansas

217 miles today and I find myself just south of the Missouri bootheel at Blytheville Arkansas. I spent the morning exploring Ste Genevieve, the oldest city in Missouri. I then took a slow trip down old US 61 to Sikeston. Apparently they haven't done much to it since the Interstate opened and it was slow going. Tomorrow I should pass Memphis and I will check to see if Elvis is home. Once south of Memphis I plan to get back on US 61 and slow the pace a bit.

Good day.

I started the morning at the Marion County FSD/CD office saying my farewells to old friends. From there I went and filled the propane tank and then visited with friends in the Ralls County FSD/CD office. I got a second battery so I can run longer on the inverter and then drove to Bowling Green for my first rest. Actually I'm in a rest area about 50 miles south of St. Louis watching the Bronco/Packer game. I'm pretty sure my friend Jill and I are rooting for different teams. Haven't decided where to go tomorrow, I guess I'll decided when I get up. Back to the game.

Camped for the night

After having a nice lunch with my sisters and their husbands I went back to the MH and had a visit with my brother, his daughter and her husband. Then my son dropped by and we visited for quite a while. Then I loaded up, made a quick stop at Wal-Mart and I'm now parked in front of the FSD/CD office in Hannibal for the night. It will be good to see the old group in the morning.

Ready, set, go

The week has been busy, loading the motor home, cleaning the apartment and giving tours to friends and relatives but things are finally ready to go. Sisters Mary Michael and Angie and brother Mark are all stopping by today with their spouses for a tour and lunch (in case your worried for them we're going out to eat, I'm not cooking). Then it's time to turn over the keys to the apartment and I'm on my own. I will spend the night in Hannibal so the people where I worked can have a tour and then it's south and not a moment too soon. These 30 degree nights are not to my liking. The motor home has been officially named Mel (short for Melbourne) and Mel doesn't like the cold weather either.

It's mine!!

Sorry for the lack of updates but its been pretty hectic. I have at the most two trips to the apartment, everything else is loaded and ready to go. There has been a constant stream of visitors stopping by to check things out, most, if not all, have been impressed. It was good to have company. So far there have only been a couple of glitches. The Microwave/oven had a loose connection which I think I've cured and the coach only has one battery which is not enough to run the furnace all night without the generator. That will be fixed at the first auto parts place I pass. It's supposed to rain this afternoon and tomorrow and there are a few things yet to do to the outside, so I need to get with it. DSS was here yesterday and got the satellite working and the RV is becoming a home. Just a little cold when the outside temperture drops to 44. I'll fix that next week.

Everything but...

Lets see I've got a South Dakota drivers license, license plates and vehicle insurance. What's missing. Just one thing, the motor home and that is going to be taken care of Monday when I go to Des Moines to take delivery of the Melbourne. The plan is to stay in Des Moines Monday night to make sure all sytems are go and then to return to Hannibal on Tuesday. I plan on spending the week loading and setting up things and then hitting the road on Monday the 29th. Sunday brother Mark is comming over to move the last of the furniture out of the apartment and Monday brother-in-law Joe and his brother are heading to Des Moines with me for delivery of the new home. I am so ready to get my new home. Most of the stuff has been moved out of the apartment and my day has been just that a day because one of the things that was moved out were all the table lamps, so when the sun goes down I'm in the dark. (some people believe that's the case even when the sun is up). Next week looks to be busy and I'll add to this as I have time.

Good News!!!!

I just received some good news. The motor home has been delivered to the dealer a week early. Now the scrambling begins. The paper work is being FedExed to me over night and I should have it in the morning. I will write the check for registration and forward the paperwork and check on to South Dakota where Miss Teri who will get the plates for me and FedEx them back. This is the last step in the process before I take delivery which is tentatively scheduled for Monday the 22nd. I expect to spend the night in Des Moines to check things out before returning to Hannibal on the 23rd. Then it's just a matter of loading up and hitting the road. Color me excited.

Week 1 of retirement

Things are moving forward. This week I completed the final paperwork for the motor home and sent it to RVDirect, along with a rather sizable check. I also now have insurance on a vehicle that isn't built yet. but I do have a VIN # and a build date of the 19th of the month. I am probably looking on taking delivery on the 25th or 26th. Then it will be a shakedown cruise back to Hannibal to load up everything and vacate the apartment. I spent a good part of the week trying to spend the gift certificates that I received for my retirement. Three trips to Wal-Mart resulted in a new compact size printer/scanner, a new vacuum cleaner (compact size, but it really sucks), new bedding and assorted odds and ends. I also placed an order on the internet for the Doran Pressure Pro which is a pretty slick little gadget that replaces the valve covers on the tires with little gizmos that monitor tire pressure. The little gizmos send a signal to a little box mounted on the dash that lets me know what the tire pressure is and sounds an alarm if any tire drops 12% in the pressure I have set. At $1200.00 for a set of tires I'm thinking this is a good investment. At the present rate of spending I should be broke by the end of the month, I just have to remember to hold back enough money to buy gas. I don't want to spend the winter sitting on the FSD parking lot.
I am just going to do a weekly update until I start moving and then I'll start updating daily, as I have internet access, so you can see my progress or lack of it.

No Days to go!!!

I'm officially retired, yesterday was my last day working for the State of Missouri (or anybody else), a quick trip to St. Louis to turn over my files and I was out of there. I did get letters from Matt Blunt, Deborah Scott and Janell Luck thanking me for my service. I also received a card from my QC unit. The Marion County office was especially good to me. Now the waiting begins, I was told the motor home should come off the line October 19th. I'm still debating on whether to go to Middlebury Indiana to watch them build it. It will probably depend on how things go around here. I've pretty much emptied out the apartment of everything but what I'm going to take in the motor home, now it's a matter of getting things organized. The next 3 weeks is going to require me to work on my patience. Yeah right!

10 DAYS LEFT!!!!!

Retirement is at hand. What more can I say!!

20 Days to go!!!

I am now officially a South Dakota resident. I drove to Madison SD on Monday (550 miles) and spent the night. Tuesday I signed up for my mail service, registered to vote and went to get my drivers license. I also met with a local insurance agent and discussed RV insurance. Although I won't be spending much time in Madison it's still going to be a nice place to call home. A town of 4500, (4501 as of Monday) and I was impressed at how neat and clean it was. Here are a couple of pictures so you can see what I mean.

Main Street Madison SD

The Courthouse, Madison SD

30 Days left!!!

Nothing much happend this week. Still working on getting rid of stuff in the apartment. What to keep what I want to take. Serious decisions have to be made. Stuff I've toted around since the service are history. Of course most of it I haven't looked at since the service so it's not what you would classify as a big loss. Also getting ready for the trip to SD next week. By this time next week I should officially be a resident of the great state of South Dakota drivers license and all.
I'm still waiting for a build date on Mel and if as promised it should be this week that I'll know for sure when it will hit the assembly line.

More to follow.

40 Days to go!!!

I still don't have a build date and won't know until the end of the month when Jayco schedules production. The wait is on.

50 to go!!

Still waiting to hear the build date for the Melbourne. I'm thinking the next 50 days are going to drag. I'm down to 30 (or less) working days. This is going to be a test.

60 days to go!!

Things are still moving forward. I placed the order for the motorhome last Wednesday and sent the 10% down payment Fedex. I also talked with GMAC and found that the annual premium with a SD address will be less than $700.00 per year. Hopefully this week I'll hear about a scheduled build date and then I'll have another target date. Time marches on.

70 days to go

Well the choice has been made. After a quick run to Des Moines last Saturday, 550 miles, it's going to be the Jayco Melbourne 29c.

http://www.jayco.com/php/products/motorhomes/floorplans.php?id=139

The final deciding factor is the Jayco build quality. Half the work force being Amish does make a difference and the fact that Jayco gives a 2 year warranty when everyone else thinks one year is enough.

Social Security is approved and State papers are in. My letter of resignation was accepted so I guess there is no turning back now.

Wonder what the next 10 days will bring?

80 days to go!!

Things are moving along. I have submitted and been approved for Social Security and the paperwork has been submitted to the Missouri retirement system. Spent the weekend cleaning out the apartment, still lots to get rid of, but making progress. It's amazing how much "stuff" one can amass without even trying. I'm still undecided on which RV to go with. Just about the time I think I've made up my mind something else emerges to sway me the other way. I plan on looking at Lexingtons tomorrow when I go to Columbia and I'll drive to Des Moines this weekend to look at the Melbournes again. Maybe I'll have a better idea by next week.

90 days to go!

Things are comming together. The state retirement package arrived this week. Plenty of paperwork. I also started the social security application on line. Ugh, more paperwork. This too shall pass.

100 Days to go!!!

110 to go!!