Apricity West 2

April 15, 2022, Friday

Only 1/2 hour into our drive on Intestate 10, we saw the blue and red lights of several rescue vehicles and two mangled piles of twisted metal. Traffic was backed up for 3 miles and entrances to I-10 West were closed. Thankfully we were traveling East. Later, we found out it was a head on collision at 4:30 am with 2 fatalities. One thing that does for you when driving is raise your awareness and compulsion to drive defensively. Though the speed limit is 80, we go 64 mph and stay in our lane. 

 

Scenery changes:

Tattered plastic grocery bags caught on brush and fencing 

Smell the stockyards before we could see them

Indoor Skydiving ads

El Paso border with Mexico

Greener brush 

Changed to Central Time Zone

We could see in the rear camera that the bike cover was flopping around so we stopped to re-strap it. Good thing we did as the bolts on one of the wheels had jiggled loose and was hanging off of the bungy chord we used to hold them together. That would have been a dangerous situation if it broke loose and fell in the traffic behind!

 

Fort Stockton sillouettes on the horizon. 

It was hot and humid so once we were settled, I called the office to find out if the pool was heated. Oh yes, it is very warm, So I changed into my suit and walked over to the pool. There was a young family playing in the water and the dad asked if I was prepared for cold water. Hmmmm. It was more like 70 degrees and I just sat on the steps and cupped my hands to pour water over my arms and legs to cool off. 

 

Had dinner at the Roadrunner Cafe in the park and the same couple were running it as last year. Of course, Rich knew them from when he work-camped there years ago. 

 

All of my family is traveling today - Randy, my son and family to Florida, Shannon, my daughter and sons and friends flying to Galveston, and us driving to Fort Stockton. Everyone made it to their destination without incident - praise God. 🙏

Randy, Lily, Kristie, Leanna…

 

April 16, 2022, Saturday 

It’s an overcast hazy day as we roll along I-10 with windmills popping up on the horizon and oil pumps churning to extract their riches as well. A small brook, no more cactus, a lot of roadkill - mostly deer, shredded tires from big trucks.

Got to Boerne, TX safely at 2pm. Ate leftovers from the fridge for dinner. 

 

April 17, 2022, Happy Easter Sunday

Got an early start (7am) and stayed on the highway (I-10) with light traffic today. How did I end up driving through construction and Houston? I think that 80% of the roads in Texas are under construction. I got to the Astrodome before I could make a graceful (and grateful) exit and Rich took over for the last leg. He starts, I drive the middle leg, and he finishes and lands. 

Couldn’t wait to see Shannon and the boys! Danica and her 2 boys are their travel buddies - always good to see them. 

They were having a great time at the pool at their condo unit and then we went to the Texas Pit Stop BBQ for dinner - within walking distance. Our only obstacle is transportation for 8 people when we only have the VW bug! 

 

April 18, 2022, Monday 

We drove over to their condo (2.5 miles) and parked on the Seawall across the street to enjoy the ocean sun and surf. Shannon made sandwiches and brought a cooler with beverages for all.

Mitchell, Jacob, Zachary - Darren was in the water. It’s like herding cats to get everyone in a shot. See video in body of the email also…

 

When we got back to the RV park mid-afternoon, a 42 foot Class A motor home was backing in next to us. Couldn’t wait to hear this story! 

6’4” Daniel (43), Kristina, Sophia (6), 2 Shepards (Max and Sarah) became quick acquaintances. Mom and Dad came to America from Romania in 2005 with $50 in their pocket and settled in New Jersey. He deals with logistics of transportation and works through the night as he is dealing with Romania. She works for Morgan Stanley and when they offered her a promotion and raise in 2011 to move to Houston, the answer was simple - Yes. They live in Kingwood, near where Rich lived in the Woodlands, so they had a lot to talk about. He asked right up front if we were Republican or Democrat and Rich answered “Independent” until we found out he was the only Democrat on his street. He also told us that he and Kristina were vaccinated, but Sophia was not in case we wanted to play with her - very considerate. He talked about how expensive it is to maintain it - $5K for annual check up, $400 to fill the tank, $400/month for storage, $5 - 6K for tires, etc. They are looking to buy 300-400 acres of land near the ocean for his boat in Maine or NY and will be coming to New England this summer so he will be changing his tires for the trip. He enjoyed his vaping as we talked.    

We met up with Lennie and Susie at Miller’s Grill for a delicious dinner and peach cobbler for dessert. We each split one of these…

Susie’s dad passed recently and she commissioned Rich to draw his picture for the upcoming memorial service. She was very pleased with it.

April 19, 2022, Tuesday

Drove to Shannon’s condo and I sat with the kids while Rich took Shannon and Danica for a ride down Seawall Blvd. to see the shops, restaurants, vendors, amusement rides on the pier; then into town to see The Strand on Market Street; and then Port of Galveston. It was VERY windy so the rides on the pier were closed, but no one was at either of the pools and hot tub but us - very enjoyable. We picked up pizza for the gang for dinner. 

 

April 20,2022, Wednesday

Did a load of laundry at the condo before we start the trek home. Spent the afternoon by the pool and picked up dinner from Salsa Mexican restaurant. The mamas crossed the street to take one last dip in the ocean before they leave tomorrow morning. 

 

April 21, 2022, Thursday

Went to say goodbye to the gang this morning and pick up sunscreen, juices, etc. to take home in the RV. I went for my walk and then we sat looking out at the ocean. Daniel was picking up his hoses and I asked if they were leaving. “Somebody’s got to pay for this,” as he pointed to the colossal house on wheels. “Gotta get back to work.” After a while he motioned to us about the view - the Umbrella Rental Truck in particular. The surf and wind were loud so we used hand gestures.

We signaled back that we could see to the right and left of the truck. He made a hand signal and proceeded to step over the rope and walk down to the vendor, squat on his haunches for a minute. Then he came back up,  held up 5 fingers and went about his business. Sure enough, after a few minutes the vendor stood up, walked to the truck, started it up and moved forward to clear the view. Daniel finished his work, swiped his sweaty forehead, grabbed a water and his chair and asked if he could join us. Of course! He sat down and said, “I want to be you guys. I can’t wait until I can do what you are doing. I hope I live that long.” He had told the vendor that he paid a lot of money for the ocean view, not the side of his truck. 

He talked about his youth and how he would stand in line for hours before school to get rations, that his parents still live there, that Romania revolted and became independent from USSR in 1989, that his grandfather was a land owner of high status who resisted the Communist takeover and consequently spent 10 years in prison where they pulled out all of his teeth, how the president and his wife were executed by the people on live TV to end Communist Rule in Romania. It’s amazing what you can learn in 15 minutes of conversation. 

As Daniel bid us adieu and went around the back of the rig, Sophia came around the front to join us with her mermaid and Girl Scout dolls that she got at Moody Gardens.

We went to Sonny’s Place for dinner. When Nora was in nursing school here at UTMB (University of Texas Medical Branch) Rich and Tres lived in Houston. They came to visit Nora frequently and he has many fond memories of the food and the owners. Well, Junior, now 91, has been there since he was 20. So Rich asked him if he remembered Nora Colomb and Richard stepped out of the kitchen saying HE remembered Nora! He then pulled out the 1988 Yearbook and found her picture. Hurricane Ike flooded the place in 2008 and they lost a lot of stuff, but this was still in tact. 

Nora - 2nd row, 3rd in from left 😊

This is 1/2 of a Muffaletta of which I took 1/2 home…