SOME OF THE BEAUTIFUL CACTUS AND PLANTS AT MISSION BELL!

                                           This are my favorite group! So many different kinds!

                                         These are by the office and on the way to the pool,
                                             that is an Aloe plant in the front!              

                                             Now this is so much prettier in person, it is
                                             about 3' tall and is green with little purple flowers
                                             inbetween the rows, the top looks like a whole separate
                                              plant, this is another one of my favorites ! 

                                       One of my favorite cacti, it is bigger then a basketball!

                                                                  Beautiful red bush!

                                                      Not sure what that is but it sure is pretty!

    The front of the huge Friendship Hall and Ball Room! Some of the Palm Trees are so tall I couldn't get them in the all in the picture!

                                       Oh My, I see a Reflection of a Michigan Rose! ^

                                                So many different varies in one little yard!

                                       Check out these cacti, I think that is a Christmas plant
                                         in the back,  but don't quote me on that!

                                                                Isn't this little yard beautiful?

         This last plant is from Hawaii, the lady that has it doesn't remember the name of it but she said it is the plant that the Hawaiian's make lei's out of!

                                Thought I would walk around the park today with Lenny and get some pictures of my favorite cacti and plants!  Would have got a lot more but Mr. Lenny had a picker in his foot and refused to walk any further until I got it out, which isn't easy because he thinks I am the one causing the pain and he kept nipping at me, but I finally got it out, you see among these beautiful plants are yucky burrs, one other problem I had with Mr. Attitude is that he wanted to pee on the plants I was trying to get pictures of, so I couldn't stay too long at each site because I didn't want him getting a cactus thorn in his, well, you know what I mean!
       We had a free pizza today from Papa Murphy's Pizza, they gave a bunch of coupons to the Mission Bell office to pass out to all the workampers! Another one of the perks!  It was different then any we have ever had, you tell them everything you want on it then you take it home and bake it yourself! Aside from the fact that the oven heated up the whole MH, it was pretty tasty! Helped to have a couple ice cold beers with it too!
                                             We went to bingo last night and didn't win a dime, but it was still a lot of fun, it is only .25 cents a card, it was over around 8:00, time enough to get home and watch our shows, besides we had to work in the morning! Our last day for 4 days, went pretty fast! 
                                               We love it here so much, I was mentioning to Craig that I understand how people come back here year after year, the only complaint I have about this place it that it can be pretty windy at times and they could use a little more rain because it is so dry!  Finally after 3 weeks we don't feel like we are on vacation and will have to leave for home soon, it feels more like a way of life now, except we don't have none of the worries that comes with taking care of a home, so much relaxing time, but strange thing is we are always busy, but it is doing things we want to do not what we have to do!  We planned on going to shoot some pool at around 2:00 and just realized it is 4:30 already, you have no idea what time it is because you don't care, lol!
                                           Well, gotta go, I guess we are headed for the pool hall! Until next time, God Bless!
                                             

IS FULL-TIME RVING RIGHT FOR EVERYONE?

The more we live this life-style I question myself less and less about did we make the right choice! Lots and lots of folks dream of "full timing" as this life-style is called. But is full-timing for everyone?
Last count there is over a million North Americans that are full-timers, living permanently in their RVs with no permanent address. Many are retired, many work part of the year, just long enough for a  a few extra bucks to keep them going for a few months or a year or so, some campwork a few hours a week to pay for their full-hook up site and that is what we do, work so we can afford to live where we want not where we have to!
A large number of engineers, construction workers, writers are fulltimers, living in their motorhomes and traveling from job to job. It's a very efficient means of handling the housing problem, especially if you would otherwise be moving a lot to relatively brief work sites.
For some retirees, they have the blessing of not having a house to maintain or house payments, insurance or taxes to pay, we can't wait to sell our house so we will be free of these burdens, right now we feel chained to our home until it is sold. Housecleaning is so much easier and quick, there's no lawn to mow, there's no snow removal problem in the winter. And the scenery is wonderful. Every day we can enjoy the scenery that city folks would pay for if they could buy it at all, and for us it's free. And about the time we are tired of it, we can change it!  One great thing about workamping is you don't have to leave in 14 days like at most campgrounds, we get to stay for at least 6 months, we are in a resort setting so we have use of a heated pool in the winter, entertainment weekly, pancake breakfasts, bingo, Texas Hold em, shuffle board, golfing, pool leagues, ice cream socials, etc. plus we get to met new people every day from all over this great country and a lot from Canada, some with beautiful diesel pushers, trailors, fifth wheelers, old motorhomes, small motorhomes, there is a fifth wheel next to us that I believe use to be a horse trailor, there is a van or a Class B that is built on a van chassis with an elevated roof, so you can stand up inside and there are the park models that many who have decided to make them thier winter homes or some it's their permanent home!  I have met a French Canadian with an thick french accent, he has an older motorhome, oh, I'd say about 20 years old or older, he has this beautiful painting on the side of mountains, clouds, lakes, etc. I couldn't help but stop by and ask him about it, he said that he hired a local from around here a couple of years ago and the guy showed up at 8 am that morning and was done in the later afternoon, he used waded up newspaper and paste (I think, he spoke in very broken english) to give the painting a 3-D look, the painter only asked for $250 but he was so impressed he paid him a lot more, not sure how much more because I couldn't understand too much, lol! But he was as proud of that motorhome as the guy down the road from him with a $300,000 diesel pusher! Then there is the money, you have to have an adequate source of funds to make this work! You'll need a minimum of about $8,000 a year to live comfortably, less if you're into living without eating out everyday or wanting to pay to go to every tourist trap along the way, and even more if you want to be able to spend freely. Your spending of money will have to be more disciplined, but you'll need to have a steady supply of small amounts of cash and enough cash reserve for emergency vehicle repairs. Your vehicle is your home, so learn to live with less things and have a plan in mind in case something happens and incase your home needs to go in for repairs, we were fortunate when that happened to us, we talked the repair shop into let us plug in and stay in it until it was fixed, it helped that my son worked for them also, but most wouldn't allow that because of insurance reasons!. Full replacement cost insurance is a really good idea. If you plan on working, you'll need a vehicle that is acceptable to most RV Park operators, and that means a factory built motorhome and one that is newer, we are fortunate to be in a park where they are not so fussy. You'll also need a steady source of workamp jobs, I go thru workamp, vagabonds, KOA worker site, etc. we are looking constantly for our next gig, never too early to start looking. You will need to be self-reliant. You'll need to be able to change a tire, check your vehicle's vital fluids, fix a leaking roof, repair broken plumbing, etc. or have someone you can count on to help you with these things, we had my son Matt and his place of employment do a lot of these things. But once you are out there on your own and you have a leaking faucet and you have to call someone to fix it and everything that else that needs repairing well, you better think twice about full-timing. You could be hundreds of miles from anyone who could fix it for you. Even if you knew where to find someone, and all your propane is leaking from a loose fitting, or your roof is leaking in a pouring rain, you'll need to fix it right away, you normally don't have the option of waiting till you can find someone to do it for you. Well, anyways, just a few things to think about, but to tell you the truth we have had pretty good luck so far but we also had everything gone thru before we left home, Craig won't leave without being 100% sure everything was mechanically sound and when we get back to Michigan we will have it gone thru again! Just a few things to think about if anyone thinks of doing what we are doing and for anyone who has been following this blog know that we have had our problems but our desire to live our dream keeps us going and remember we are still new at this! Well, gotta go and get ready to go listen to the band tonight!  So until next time God Bless!

TRICK OR TREAT AT THE RESORT!

Passed out candy at the resort on Halloween night, we were told that we can expect around 200 kids, well after about 45 min. I was beginning to wonder what was going on, one car at a time, a few kids at a time, I was giving hand fulls of candy thinking they weren't coming, even the experienced residents said they didn't think they were coming this year! Well, all of a sudden they were coming in truck and van loads, all sizes, babies to very tall children, monsters to princesses, superheroes to cartoon characters, all cute! I started running out of candy after generously giving out handfulls earlier! The cute witch next to me had bags full, so she shared with me! I bet at least 250 kids showed up!  I dressed as a witch as did 2 others, so one was the the good witch, the other was the bad witch so I told them I was the moody witch, good and bad!  At exactly 6:30 everyone headed for the party at Trade Winds, the hall was packed, hard to find a place to set, but we ended up sitting right across from a couple from Canada, loved listening to them talk, they started full-timing last year and love it, they sold their huge home and bought a doublewide trailor and a motorhome, but after spending one winter here at Mission Bell they sold the motorhome and bought a park model, they take their time coming here every year and do a lot of site seeing! The resort served hot dogs, baked beans, lemonade, tea and coffee, cupcakes and ice cream cones for dessert, we even got to play a game, best costume prizes were given out also! So much fun, thanks to Audry, Scott and Cynthia, good job!  I was feeling a little sad because this would be the first Halloween not seeing my grandkids dressed up, but we did have an earlier Halloween with them at the campground in Michigan, plus my son sent pictures of the kids all dressed up! 
                                                                   Well, gotta get ready for work, so until next time have a great day!!

VETERAN'S WAR MEMORIAL OF TEXAS!

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tone, James LWatkins, Travis E.

oung, Marvin R.

We went to the Veteran's War Memorial of Texas today!  Located in McAllen about 5 miles from us, well, we went a lot further then that because our GPS took us in the opposite direction and we went about 15 miles out of the way! But we finally found it and it was very touching and worth the trip! It honors the sacrifices made by an estimated 1.4 million Americans serving in all the wars involving the United States from the American Revolution to the current wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. Sculptor Douglas Clark has created several sculptures of famous World War II scenes and a tribute to the women of the military!  A series of nine bronze plaques tell the story of the Korean War. Another Sculpture honors Medal-of-Honor recipients.  The names of 3600 Texans who died in Vietnam are listed on a black granite wall.   The newest wall to be added to the Veteran's Memorial of Texas honors those who made the ultimate sacrifice in the latest conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan! This is the dream of Col. Frank Plummer, U.S. Army (Ret.) and other Valley veterans.
                                                       Tonight we will be passing out candy to 200-300 kids, they will be allowed to enter the park, we will be set-up in front of the Ball Room here at Mission Bell and they will have the Trade Winds residents sitting at the entrance way to the park, then afterwards there will be a little Halloween Party at the Trade Winds for the adults, food will be provided, best costumes will be judged! I'm not sure if I am going to dress up or not, couldn't find anything around here, might just wear a witch hat and dress in black! 
                                                     Weather has been perfect, dips down to the high 50's at night and gets up to the 80's during the day, sunshine everyday!
                                                         Well, until next time! Enjoy the pictures!

                                                       

WHAT HAPPINESS IS!

LIFE, LAUGH AND LOVE!

                                          Me blogging away!

     Craig watch Robin Hood outside! And birthday boy with his new plants I got him for his birthday!

We had a meeting today at the Friendship hall, coffee and donuts were offered. Audry our activities director introduced herself to everyone. She started out saying "we lost quite a few residents this year and that life is so short, also lost our 54 years old son this year, so remember to wake up each day and appreciate life, don't wake up grouchy and in a bad mood, life is too short so enjoy every moment!"  I so agree, I went up to her afterwards and told her I was so sorry about her son and can't imagine the pain of burying a child! But I do know the pain of loss, I married my first husband 2 weeks before I turned 17 and he was 19, we had 4 beautiful kids together, he worked all the overtime he could get, as much as he loved hunting he'd pull triple shifts so others could go hunting, he'd work every holiday for the double time pay, I asked him not to do that, to take time off to hunt and enjoy the holidays, but he said when I retire I will have all the time in the world to do that, well, he didn't because he was killed at 35 yrs. old by a 17 year old drunk driver while on his way home from work after pulling a double shift, leaving behind 4 children, age 3 to 15, what hurts so much is knowing that he'd never do all the things he wanted to when he retired!  I have learned to life each day like it's my last, I have never passed up having a good time because the house needs to be cleaned or I can work a holiday for the extra money, I have worked holidays and a lot of overtime but that was only if there was nothing else going on! I see so many work way past their retirement age, I retired as soon as I could draw my pension and draw social security, I felt that every day I worked past 62 was one day taken away from the life I really want to be living! Sure money is tight, very tight, but you learn to do without things, pay up as much as you can before you retire, we may have an older motorhome and older vehicles but they are in excellent condition and gets us where we want to go, I refuse to be tied to a home and a fancy car, so many work until they die because of the material things they think they have to have! I want to live like my parents did, they drove old vehicles, didn't wear fancy clothers, they never owned new furniture or appliances, the drove a 25 year old motorhome to do there flea markets in and drove an older van out west to Arizona and Las Vegas, us kids would pray they made it back ok and they always did, half the time we had no idea where they were, sure they missed a few important events with grandkids birthdays or holidays, but their grandkids loved them so much, they named their children after them, it had nothing to do with the quantity of time they spent with them it was the quality of time! They were the kindest people ever, they would meet at a local restaurant in Vassar every morning and people would always seek them out and set at their table, it was always the loudest table in the place! They died 6 months apart and my Dad said he wishes we could all go on a nice vacation together one more time before he died, but he passed before we could do that, but in memory of Mom and Dad us kids took some of the money from the sale of there home and went on vacation together, we made sure we watched a sunrise together in memory of them! We all had a hard time but we knew they would want us to move on! So I guess what I am trying to say here is life IS short so live it and follow your dreams, it may take some sacrifices but it is so worth it! I have the gypsy soul of my parents and the want to see this country, I don't care if we are a little cramped in the motorhome, or we don't drive a new car every year because at the end of my life that isn't what people are going to remember about me, they are going to say "she lived till she died!".  It is Craig's birthday today and when I asked him what he wanted for his birthday he said "I have everything I want, living my dream with you!" Thank God I am with someone who has the same silly dreams I have!  Today we are sitting outside our MH and watching TV as we are reclined in our lawn chairs having a mixed drink! Life is good! 
                             Well, anyways, enough of that, time to get off here and enjoy the rest of the day! Steaks on the grill for supper, cheap steaks, but at least they are steaks, lol! Until next time, have a great day!

COLD FRONT MOVING IN!!

Heard on the weather channel that a cold front was moving across the valley, they call this area the "valley", so being from Michigan I thought it's going to be cold and rainy, but what we got was a temp this morning of 62 degrees, I said to Craig I thought we had a cold front moving in, he said "yep, it's here" I said I was thinking like in Michigan, he said "honey, you ain't in Michigan anymore"! It was good working weather this morning, a little cool and windy, I even put a thin jacket on! But a few had coats and sweatshirts on! I can live with this,will get up into the high 70's later this afternoon! Loving it!

                        Took Lenny to get his haircut and he looks so nice, the groomer said he had several little bites all over him, could even be ant bites! I felt so bad for him because he has been itching non-stop, I thought it was allergies, even gave him a bath in medicated shampoo! She said it is common in winter Texan dogs, takes them awhile to get use to bugs and ants, so we have to check him closer after he goes for a walk! He look kind of  mad in this picture, but honest he just loves his new cut (not)!
                        One thing that we have found out about living the life of full-timers and that is two people can't be in the kitchen at the same time or try to pass in the hall at the same time(we actually got stuck trying to pass each other), we also found out that this place gets dirty faster then a house, if you get something out, put it back, dishes need to be done almost immediately after every meal, sink is too small to let them set, taking a shower is an ordeal, you knock things off the shower shelf, can't let the water run, you wet yourself down then shut off the water, wash hair and body, turn on water and rinse, then shut it back off, then shave, put conditioner on, then turn water on and rinse again, hot water tank is small so to be able to have enough hot water to get thru a shower that is how you have to do it! I really have problems trying to store all my e-bay items, I have two outside compartments filled with games and Christmas items, I have 3 plastic containers stored under the motorhome and 2 huge bags of clothes stored in front by the drivers area! Can be fun trying to find items I have sold, try to have everything sorted so it will be easier to find, but as of right now I have lost a pink jacket that I sold, I have gone thru everything 3 times and can not find it!  I may have to refund the buyer her money, I am going to give it one more day of looking because I have actually lost items before and just before I give a refund I find it, hoping that happens this time too!  People think that this e-baying business is easy but it's a lot of work, I spend at least a couple hours a day shipping and handling items, I pack each item and then print my own shipping labels and then have to print invoices and on listing days I can spend up to 6-8 hrs. a day, especially if it is free listing day or 1 cent listing day, I have to measure each item after the full description, weigh them and figure shipping cost!  It's like a full-time job, but I really do enjoy doing it, I don't know how we would have made it without the extra money coming in from e-bay, it's our fun money, if it wasn't for e-bay we would be able to pay our bills, buy groceries and maybe a few luxuries and that would be about it! I thank God everytime I sell something, I asked him to show us how to make money while traveling so we could sustain this life-style and I believe e-bay is the answer! Craig helps too, he takes everything to the post office for me and does the housework, laundry and shopping while I am taking pictures of my items, which in itself can be very time consuming, I can spend up to 2-3 hours taking the pictures, then fixing them, cropping them, etc., then listing them and doing my shipping and handling! I don't do much e-bay on the days we work except shipping and handling, things have to be shipped with 2 days of selling them! But with all the problems we have in this way of living, we wouldn't trade it for the biggest house in the world, we still have a great life, still no lawns to mow or rake, no snow shovel, no cold to deal with or scraping windows, or driving on snow covered roads, even when this house is messed up, it only takes about and an at the most to clean it from top to bottom! I still pinch myself everyday to make sure I'm not dreaming! I still miss my kids and grandkids everyday, I wish I was rich so I could fly them out her to be with us, going to miss them at Christmas and all the other holidays, but I know they understand and they will be seeing us next year for 6 months, it's not about the quantity of time you spend with them but the quality of time!
                                               We are done working our 4 days ,now we have 4 days off! Craig was getting pretty sore the last couple of days because he was running out of pain pills and was only taking a half pill instead of a whole one, he said he didn't say anything to me because he didn't want me to worry, but all his meds are mailed to him by the VA, and he ordered all his meds on Oct. 9 and they still aren't here so he called them yesterday and they are going to overnight them to him! So today he took his last 1/2 pain pill, hoping the meds will be here sometime today or tomorrow!  It's not hard work it's just that he has to be on his legs for the whole time!  YIPPEE! Craig just got back from getting the mail and his pills have arrived and he was also waiting for his tags for his truck and they came too, good thing because his plates would have been expired by Sunday! He's one happy guy! Me too since he has been driving me nuts about it!
                                                  Well, gotta go do the happy dance with Craig  and it is getting nice out so I guess we are going to sit outside and enjoy the rest of the day!
                                                  So until next time, God Bless!