This is one of those catch up posts where I mention all the largely boring things we have been doing, but before you skip it I wanted to mention that I have updated the Inside Mod and Outside Mod pages. Lee has done some amazing work on our rig over the last seven years and I have linked the individual posts so things are easier to find. Enjoy!
So what’s up with us? Well first off I am a huge football fan and what an amazing year. Since I miss so many games when we are traveling Lee and I have a deal I can watch as many playoff games as I want. Well I watched most of them and they were excellent. I am not a Bengals fan but I am from Ohio so was pleased they did so well.
Then of course there was the Olympics. Lee and I are a little Olympics obsessed and try to watch some of every sport. The only thing I skipped completely this year was the women’s single ice skating. Too much drama. Don’t get me wrong doping is a serious issue especially with minors but I really use Olympics as chill time.
Anyways, during some of this Lee and I were pet sitting. We watched Callie (Bill and Kelly’s cat) and Tripp (Cori and Greg’s dog) when they went out of town on respective trips. Callie is pretty easy but Tripp and Jack love causing a ruckus when they get together. Seriously it was like having two toddlers in the house and although it was fun it was a little exhausting. 🙂
Ever vigilant for deer and delivery driversAunt Tracy is not giving me what I want so I am pouting!!
They were a ton of fun though and Lee got lots of great video.
What else? Well, we normally don’t do Valentines Day since our anniversary is Feb 4th but this year Lee bought me some flowers and an amazing collapsible pizza holder. First of all I love collapsible stuff. Second I often buy a large pizza and then eat two pieces for lunch every day, but storage is a pain, and best of all it was something I had never seen and inexpensive…super cool. Honestly one of the best Valentines presents I have ever gotten!!
Because slices aren’t even you put smaller ones firstThen use these separatorsFits great in the fridge
What else? Well, we had one weekend to ourselves here and took some time going to thrift stores. I saw a cool video on tye-dying flannels and wanted to see if I could get some from a thrift store. Plus I am always on the lookout for old cook books. Lee has started looking as well and he has gotten some great shirts and is on the lookout for tablecloths. Honestly its a fun thing to do and since we always go to non profit thrift stores the little money we spend goes to a good cause. This time Lee scored though when he found a brand new Echo Show for only $30 (Retail $159). Works great and we both really like it.
I landed a canape bakery set for $6 and using frozen bread dough made a really cool heart shaped bread. The idea is you can slice them thin and use for hors d’oeuvre. Honestly I was dubious but they actually worked great. So fun!!
And finally since we are leaving soon to head north we decided to go to all those small restaurants in Canyon Lake we always wanted to try. It was a mixed bag but fun to eat out. I have put on a couple of pounds though so back on the diet!! You would think all those dog walks would have evened things out.
Kofekalli BakeryDidn’t look like muchGreat Kolaches and Croissants!!JosiesEvery day a different dinner special. This Salisbury steak was yummy!Wildflour (correct spelling) CafeThe food was so so but this homemade raspberry cheesecake was to die for
I think I am seeing a pattern here and I forgot to mention I bought an ice cream maker and have been experimenting. My favorite so far was this old fashioned vanilla ice cream I found in a thrift store cook book. Yummy!!! But yeah I see where those extra pounds are coming from 🙂
Supporting our Blog
We very much appreciate your support of our blog.
You can purchase the ebook telling the story of how we became full-time RVers.
You can purchase our recipe book filled with 80 recipes we have cooked in our RV and taste tested by Lee himself. You can purchase the kindle or paperbackversion on Amazonor buy the Apple version on Itunes.
As people travel the country most of them have categories of things they would like to see. Some of our friends have visited the highest points in all states, and others love to visit wineries or distilleries. We tend to have multiple lists going at the same time and when one of our friends started visiting presidential sites we were intrigued. Previously we visited the LBJ ranch so I almost skipped the library and wow am I glad I didn’t.
The main thing that attracted me to the library was the exhibit they had on Lady Bird Johnson. I love learning about the first ladies (even more than the presidents) and her exhibit looked great online. So when we headed to Austin for the day this was the first thing on my list. Turns out the library is on the University of Texas campus and the signage wasn’t that great. Despite being a huge building it was hidden by a building in the forefront, but eventually we found it.
The library was behind this building. You walked underneath to get there. Huge building with beautiful surroundings and a surprising amount of people were there first thing.
Masks were mandatory because of COVID and all the theaters were closed but it was still a really great building. The entrance has his presidential limo (love seeing those) and a great gift shop. It also had the section dedicated to Lady Bird.
Claudia or Lady bird as she was nicknamed by her childhood nanny grew up in a small town in East Texas. Her father owned the local mercantile and was successful by rural standards which allowed her to go to the University of Texas and get a degree in journalism. She was an amazing woman by any standards and was the first woman to campaign without her husband. She also was his personal documentarian, using a 16mm movie camera on their press junkets to capture the moments. Consequently they had lots of film and audio in the museum and it was great seeing and hearing them throughout the various exhibits. She also was an excellent writer and I loved many of her quotes sprinkled throughout the museum.
The camera she actually usedShe raised two daughters
Her mother passed away when she was young and she found solace in nature. This became a lifelong passion and she eventually won a congressional medal of honor for that work. Although she is largely known for her work planting wildflowers throughout Texas her work was so much more than that and she was an active participant in her husbands career and work. I particularly credit her for managing to do this in such a way that did not upset the more conservative southerners of the time.
Her white house deskLoved her china patternLove this saying.
And of course the clothes were amazing. I could easily say that I could see myself wearing most of her clothes. They were simple yet stylish and I loved the colors.
The rest of the sections of the library were about the president and they were equally fascinating. I’ll be honest I didn’t have a great opinion of LBJ going into this museum, but I walked out with a much higher level of respect. Yes, the source material is somewhat biased, but I had no idea all of the different racial laws he signed into being during his time in the White House. He also took the office as the result of an assassination, was in the middle of a terrible war, and a time of social unrest. Despite those challenges he managed to get some good things done and most impressively decided not to run for a second term so he could focus on trying to get out of Vietnam.
Signing of the Voters Rights ActI didn’t realize how long he was in public serviceHe was a plain spoken guy and I really liked that. All of his different legislationThe red p;honeA moon rock!!The original Remington bronc rider so coolReagan had presidential cowboy boots like thisSamurai swords
One of the coolest things was a complete recreation of the oval office as it was at his time. He had a very interesting old fashion chair in the room and he had a coffee table made with a phone in it which was super cool. By all accounts he spent as much time at his ranch as he could but I always like these recreations to see what presidents chose to display. Since they have access to most of the national treasures I think it says a lot about their character.
Obviously he wasn’t all great. He could be condescending and since he was tall he often towered over people, leaning forward to physically intimidate them. Many of his campaign contributors and friends benefited from the Vietnam War but it was never proven that he personally did. I also got the impression that he didn’t really want to be the President, but for someone who was thrown into the job under the worst set of circumstances, he worked hard at it by all accounts.
Yikes
The building itself has a ton of documentation and the inside was beautifully constructed. I particularly liked two of the walls that had the presidential pictures of every president and First Lady. I had never seen them all displayed together like that and it was interesting starting with George and Martha and walking to the end. Barack, Michelle, Donald, and Melania were not displayed because their official portraits have not been released yet. I guess this process can take several years.
Beautiful
One of my favorite sections was a very good animatronic of LBJ surrounded by political cartoons. He had quite the sense of humor and although his jokes were definitely folksy they were part of his charm.
As always this presidential library was absolutely worth the visit and more than worth the money. Getting to know these historical figures and seeing their artifacts (especially those related to the First Ladies) is always a pleasure.
Loved this picture of the first ladies.
Supporting our Blog
We very much appreciate your support of our blog.
You can purchase the ebook telling the story of how we became full-time RVers.
You can purchase our recipe book filled with 80 recipes we have cooked in our RV and taste tested by Lee himself. You can purchase the kindle or paperbackversion on Amazonor buy the Apple version on Itunes.
Those of you who have been following along probably have picked up on the fact that our marriage has hit a rough patch the last couple of years. But thanks to therapy and our kids we are in a really good place so I wanted to celebrate our 33rd. It fell on a Friday this year so I took the day off, but unfortunately we got a pretty nasty ice storm on Thursday that made it unwise to stray too far from the compound. Thankfully it warmed up late Friday and Saturday and Lee and I finally headed into Austin.
I say finally because for as many times as we have been in San Antonio we have never made the hour drive to Austin. Crazy really, but I think the desire for a perfect experience got in the way of a good one. Turns out, for us at least, Austin didn’t live up to its press, but it was still a fun day and the weather was absolutely gorgeous.
I started with a short list of things we wanted to do, but when we arrived it was close to lunch time so we decided to eat first. Austin is known for its restaurants and no disrespect to those foodies out there, but nothing local really looked good to me. Ultimately we ate at an In and Out Burger which was an inexpensive sure thing. Hey I love to eat local as much as the next person, but seriously nothing I saw seemed worth fighting Saturday brunch crowds for. We got right in and out of the burger place (and yes I just got that lol) and were back to our list.
Where’s my head???????????? – Lee
The first thing we did was visit the LBJ presidential library, but I am saving that for another post. When we were done the weather was beautiful so we decided to check out Covert Park on Mt. Bonnell. I had read that it offered 360 degree views of the city and the river and the best part was we got to drive through the fancy part of the city to get there. It was an interesting mix of smaller homes and huge estates all on postage stamp sized lots. We have seen this before but usually along the water. Not sure what the appeal of living higher up is but there is definitely some serious money up there. Finding the parking lot was a bit of a challenge, but ultimately we made it and were able to find a parking space.
The stairs were slippery and steepAnd we even saw some snowThis is the viewing platform
There was a large group of people at the top, but people gave each other space and we walked along the ridge line. I wish I would have worn my hiking boots because parts of the path were steep and because it isn’t all fenced I definitely wouldn’t recommend it for small children or dogs (although we saw both). The views were really great though, and there were a couple of signs that explained the lake/river. I say that because this section is the Colorado River (had no idea) but also called Lake Austin?? I do know the lake/river is party central in the summer because a friend from college lives there and has a boat and the pictures in his Facebook feed are pretty rowdy 🙂
Several eating spots and benchsThe skylineRough path in spotsView towards the downtownView towards the bridgeSee it says Colorado River/Lake Austin … who knew
The best part though was looking down on the VERY beautiful houses along the river/lake. Most of them had boat houses and were quite beautiful.
After Covert Park, we headed to Barton Springs. I had seen some great pictures of the springs in the downtown area that are consistently at a temperature of 68 -70 degrees. The pictures in this case overstated the beauty (at least in my opinion) and I was glad it was free in off season because personally I wouldn’t have wanted to pay for it. The water is about five feet deep and there are lifeguards on duty and lots of rules. We saw a couple of kids get yelled at for diving and again for smoking even though hardly anyone was there. I get the liability rules, but for a place that was billed as a free resource for the community it was not what I expected. Plus the water was slimy and way too cold for my taste.
Statue of the founder outside. Old men in towels…kind of an odd choice.Brave young man jumping in …too bad he got yelled at. Part of the issue is an endangered blind salamander lives here. I am all about protecting endangered species but these guys were yucky. Lots of slimy moss. Good for them not so great for me.
The best part was if you walk down to the far area there are rocks and a very pretty view of the skyline. I would have loved to walked further up though but unfortunately that area was all fenced in. Again not saying this wouldn’t be fun on a super hot day but it wasn’t the warm springs experience I was expecting.
This area was blocked offSkyline view was prettier than I was able to capture
Finally we swung by the capital building. There was a protest so we didn’t stop, but it was beautiful. Don’t get me wrong Austin by all accounts is a great town, but for us the experience was only so-so. Next up the LBJ presidential library and that did not disappoint.
Oh and one more thing, schedules got crazy but we were finally able to have our anniversary dinner at Genaro’s Trattoria in Canyon Lake on Sunday night. It is an excellent Italian restaurant that always requires reservations but if you ever have a chance to go I highly recommend it.
Yummy lobster ravioliAnd rich black and white cake
Supporting our Blog
We very much appreciate your support of our blog.
You can purchase the ebook telling the story of how we became full-time RVers.
You can purchase our recipe book filled with 80 recipes we have cooked in our RV and taste tested by Lee himself. You can purchase the kindle or paperbackversion on Amazonor buy the Apple version on Itunes.
This was another pricey month, with $8600 in costs. $3K of that was for the new fridge which takes us down to a more reasonable $5600. Along with the fridge purchases we traveled west, stopping in Alabama and Mississippi for some fun time. FYI the new budget amounts are adjusted based on the results from several years and changes to how we are living. For more details see below.
Campsite Fee: The bulk of this was to stay in Biloxi, MS. Those campsites are not cheap. Really campsite prices have gone up almost everywhere. Glad Lee has a summer gig so we can have a free site this summer, which in reality will end up being a full six months.
Entertainment: We spent money while traveling and stocked up on some books. We went a couple hundred over budget.
Dining: I am happy to see that we stayed very close to our new adjusted budget. One interesting money saver is our drinking a protein drink instead of eating fast food. Not only is it cost effective but we find we feel better.
Groceries: What do you do when you get a new fridge?? Well, you fill it up, which accounts for our blowing the budget and spending $1200 in this category! It also includes some stocking up at Costco.
Home Repair and Replace: This has the costs for the fridge. The other categories are other minor repairs and improvements Lee has made. We have been really lucky in this area over the last 7 years so I guess it was just time to replace some things.
Truck Fuel: Gas prices were super high while we were traveling and we spent an extra $300 this month. Those usually balance out over the year but I know we all hope gas prices go back down.
Supporting our Blog
We very much appreciate your support of our blog.
You can purchase the ebook telling the story of how we became full-time RVers.
You can purchase our recipe book filled with 80 recipes we have cooked in our RV and taste tested by Lee himself. You can purchase the kindle or paperbackversion on Amazonor buy the Apple version on Itunes.
When Lee and I started full-timing we envisioned lots of time off grid and we built our RV with that in mind. Although we upgraded to the largest propane refrigerator we could get, we were both dismayed by how little space (compared to our residential fridge) we would have. Still we thought we would adjust, and in many respects we did. We bought smaller quantities, and really honed in on the things that mattered to us.
Largely I thought the tradeoffs were worth the flexibility, but Lee got disenchanted pretty early on. He wanted to swap it out for a residential style fridge several years ago but I got stubborn (shocking) and didn’t want to mess. I did agree though when the fridge died we could replace it with a residential model. So we waited for the fridge to die, and waited, and waited and finally when we cancelled our cruise due to COVID concerns I broke down and said sure. Lee was smart; he got Bill and Greg to gang up on me about how our solar system was perfectly adequate to keep a fridge going plus honestly at this point I don’t know why I was stubborn about it.
Turns out we rarely are off grid and the day to day tradeoffs for the occasional use really aren’t worth it. For example I haven’t been able to keep ice cream in my freezer for 7 years. It just wont stay cold enough. I can have freeze pops but they take several days to freeze and don’t get me started on the lack of freezer space in general. We have to carry a small icemaker because there is no room for ice cube trays and over the years we have spent hundreds replacing those because they just don’t last. Really the list of day to day improvements in lifestyle is huge.
Just deciding to replace the fridge was just the first step as Lee had to do quite a bit of research to determine what we could get. Our refrigerator is in a slide and the spot was shallower than many residential models so we could only buy something 30″ deep and 32″ wide. Plus we have a very small door in our RV and unless we wanted to remove the large kitchen window (that was on the table for awhile) we could only buy something that would fit through the door. Lee, knowing his audience, took me to Home Depot where the refrigerators were all lined up like soldiers and pulled forward all of the refrigerators that would fit, which allowed me to ignore the ones I couldn’t have. That left us with around 9 choices and I happily compared them. Ultimately it was a battle of the freezer as I chose the largest freezer I could find in that size range.
All in we paid $2500 which included a replacement plan, delivery, and an upgrade to the black stainless. Lots of people don’t bother with the replacement plan, but they really have gotten generous, and we’ve benefitted from them several times. It was super easy and painless and I highly recommend Home Depot. We waited a few days and then a great team came out and delivered it. They were pleased they didn’t have to set it up so we put it in Greg’s barn until the weekend.
For those who just care about the install, thank you for being patient. We are finally here. These steps took place over several days and thankfully we had a spare refrigerator in the garage/barn we could put our stuff in. The RV was a bit of a mess during the process though and if you wanted to you could probably do it all in one day.
Step One: Determine how to get fridge in and out:
This is not as simple as it seems especially in our RV. Although going in through the window was a choice there were some risks with that (ie: breaking the window) and it would have been much harder to maneuver. Instead Lee started working around the door including taking the door off and removing all the trim. This gave us a 28″ slot which was just doable if we took the doors off both fridges.
Lee smiling when he realizes it will fit
Step Two: Remove the old fridge
Depending on whether or not you are planning on trying to sell your old fridge, this may take some time. In our case the old fridge is 8 years old and even though it is still in working order I didn’t feel right about trying to sell it. The worst part about getting the fridge out was Lee had to rip out the trim from the slide and even with Bill’s help the old fridge was HEAVY. They also initially forgot to take off the doors so had to stop and do that step (should have done it first in retrospect) and thankfully Greg had a furniture style dolly we could use which made it less dangerous. Kelly and I were both holding our breath when they were coming down the stairs.
Emptying out the fridgeI lost my drawer on the bottom. Now this stuff lives in baskets on top of the fridgeIt was hard getting it outAnd a small space only two could fitWhewOn the dolleyOops forgot the doorsHad to take off some other partsThis was the worst partLook at the strain on their faces. This is no jokeThe back of the propane fridge
Once the fridge was removed we had a big hole. Lee had to clean the area, build a platform for the bottom, and replace the cover plate. Then he had to foam seal the back up.
Once the hole was ready Lee had to remove more trim to fit the new refrigerator. We knew this was a tight fit and even though it was lighter than the propane fridge we were lucky enough to have 4 guys to move it. I even got to help at one point because it got “stuck” in the door and since I was inside taking pictures I jumped down and slid it in. The difference in weight is amazing, although this is probably offset by the additional weight of the food we can fit in it.
Greg, Lee, Bill, and DavidThis is where I jumped down and helped 🙂The guys talking it throughIt got stuck here and had to be just perfect!HORAAY!!!!
Its not shown here but they also had to manage the cord, so Lee was running back and forth to the outside and getting it plugged in. Then the doors had to be put on and handles attached. Finally it was in! Lastly Lee and I removed all of the thin plastic covering inside and out and we had a refrigerator. We let it cool down overnight before moving our food back in. I used some freeze pops as a test and they were rock hard the next morning!!
Fancy inside controlsI love that the shelves fold up!Ooooh pretty. So glad I went with black stainless steel
The next morning we brought all of our food over and the great fridge negotiations of 2022 started. Instead of arranging and rearranging the fridge and just annoying each other I asked if we could agree in advance where things would go. Lee and I are eating very different things now so it makes sense to separate them in the fridge. I am really glad we had the conversation because I can easily find my stuff in the fridge and there was much less long term annoyance.
We organized all the saucesHere are my condiments…just the basics. Lee has tons moreFreezer I am on the leftAnd we split the top tray which I also really likeLove the meat and cheese drawer
The last thing Lee had to do was hook up water. Because the propane fridge didn’t have a water line he had to figure out where to run it. Ultimately he decided to run it parallel to other lines underneath and although we have had some freeze ups because it’s been SO cold down here, it’s great having filtered water and ice right from the door.
As with many of these changes I am super happy and frankly wondering why I waited so long. Yes it was around $3K all in, but much less than our planned vacation, so a bit of a wash. I have included the costs in our monthly budget as it was an RV specific expense, but even after only a couple of weeks totally worth it.
Supporting our Blog
We very much appreciate your support of our blog.
You can purchase the ebook telling the story of how we became full-time RVers.
You can purchase our recipe book filled with 80 recipes we have cooked in our RV and taste tested by Lee himself. You can purchase the kindle or paperbackversion on Amazonor buy the Apple version on Itunes.
It’s been another long year and we were very excited to land at the Center For Mental Wellness for awhile. It’s been over a year since Lee has seen Cori and Greg and we have had minimal chill friend time lately. We call Cori and Greg’s place the Center for Mental Wellness since its a great place to just sit and decompress. And personally I really needed it. When we arrived we were greeted with lots of hugs and a welcome dinner. The dinner was great but Lee received an unusual menu selection..a weird jello mold. He’s been posting these weird jello molds from the 70’s on Facebook and Cori and Kelly wanted to give it a try. Gotta say with love it looked disgusting but I guess that was the whole point 🙂
Seriously YUCK!!Tripp and Jack figuring it out. They are cute to watch but both a little territorial hence the matching toys. The puppies love BillI want to see my friend Tripp!!
The Center is a great place to take walks, chill with friends, and even enjoy a dip in the hot tub. The first week or so we were there I just soaked up the atmosphere, caught up on work stuff, watched some amazing football games, and enjoyed the hot tub!! It’s really a great time to be in one place because a major project I am working on is coming close to Go Live and the ability to focus on work without moving around is nice.
Such a wonderful treat after a long work day.
A little bit after we arrived, David and Sharon came to visit as well and then the fun really started. They had never been here before and were enjoying seeing the sites. Greg smoked brisket for their arrival and it was delicious!!
Gotta love a fire with friendsFrom Left: Lee, Sharon, Bill, Kelly, David, Cori, and Greg
The weather has been hit and miss, but one beautiful day we all went into Gruene and had lunch at one of my favorite restaurants The Gristmill. Gruene is a very cool old Texas town with one of the oldest music spots in Texas.
Watched some live music in the groveThe dance hallLove the history on that stage
Lovely day and as always grateful for our friends.
Supporting our Blog
We very much appreciate your support of our blog.
You can purchase the ebook telling the story of how we became full-time RVers.
You can purchase our recipe book filled with 80 recipes we have cooked in our RV and taste tested by Lee himself. You can purchase the kindle or paperbackversion on Amazonor buy the Apple version on Itunes.
Camper Chronicles 