Let's Go To The Star!

Before we go anywhere, let me just share with you the beautiful planter that Alice brought to dinner the other night.  Now, keep in mind, Gail's Flamingle Flag, as well as Josephine (our original flamingo flag) are both stowed while we are in transit.....so, how she knew how special flamingoes are to me, I don't know.  But, they're special to her too, so I think that's really the reasoning behind choosing this particular planter...  But, isn't it lovely?  It is precious, as is she.  I tell ya, I am a firm believer that the Good Lord puts us where we need to be at any given time, and He brings people into our lives for specific reasons.  We don't always know what they are (HA- do we ever?? ), but there are reasons, of that I am sure.  

So, as a farewell to Connie, and a thank you to Alice, we all went out to dinner in Allen, sort of a midway point we could all meet up at.  It was a yummy dinner at Cheddar's (a place we had never been before), but, doggone it if they didn't have croissants (manager came by after we waited about 15 minutes and said they would be another 38 minutes.....ummm...NO, thank you) and the server forgot to bring my cole slaw.  Actually, he brought one, set it down with, "here's your slaw," and left.  Both Dick and I thought it was our own, but only one of us remembered to eat it, and the other one forgot all about it.  Until she left the restaurant, and reflected that she had had no salad with her dinner.  :(  So, being still a bit hungry (well, not really, just not overly stuffed), we thought maybe we should go check out a new creamery in town, down by The Star.  The Star  is a new facility, where the legendary Dallas Cowboys and the Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders train and practice.  There's also a Lincoln dealership, several restaurants, coffeshops and an gym.  They bill it as a Fan Experience, with lots to see and do.  So, of course, we did!  We started out in the FREE parking deck, thankful we had our little compact car.  The max height allowed was only 6' 7" -- we know PEOPLE taller than that!

They have immortalized various All-Star players with these huge 3D numbers along the sidewalk.  The planters have plaques showing the stats and records of the players, along with some etchings of their favorite inspirational sayings.

There is a monstrous statue of players huddled together, down in the middle of the round-a-bout.  It was funny to watch cars drive down the street and around the circle, just so they could take a picture.  Seems like parking and walking down to it was the safest option, so that's just what we did.  Of course, there was one of us that thought a goose was in order....

Midway was a Ring of Honor.   High overhead, there where photos of more Cowboys legends, the owner and the coach.  None were identified, so, not knowing anything about the team, we were left to just admire the artwork and move on.

Onward, ho!  To the Cow Tipping Creamery, our intended and original destination.  We had to move a couple of teenage girls out of the way, in order to take this photo, but they were happy to oblige and moved right back, once we had our obligatory shot.

Connie was the first to receive her selection.  She was a bit overwhelmed by it, needless to say.

Dick was handed his next, and he was just about drooling with anticipation!  I'm pretty sure I was still trying to make my choice!  All the toppings and flavors sounded really good.  Connie ended up with a Reese's peanut butter cup; Dick had a Southern Charm (kind of turtle-y) and I eventually decided on Death by Chocolate.  What a way to go, right?

There was a nice, wide bench just outside the Creamery, and Dick & Connie had to pose for me.  Then an Aussie came along and offered to take our whole group's picture.  You always hear about strangers offering to take a picture, then running off with the camera, so we really were a bit hesitant, and said so!  He had such a charming personality though, and that accent, and he thought it a riot that we would think that way... He eventually convinced us he was trustworthy though, so I let him have my phone.  

Right after he snapped the photo, he acted like he was gonna run off, and boy, did my heart stop!  It was all a joke, though, and he came right back and returned my phone to me and we all had a good laugh.  Good times, with a dear friend.

As darkness fell, the LED screens got brighter and brighter down by the Ford Center.  There was an Astro-turf field out in front, where there were several children and even some adults playing, what else....catch with a football.

All in all, the weather was absolutely beautiful and a great time was had.  We certainly enjoyed catching up with Connie and look forward to having her come visit us, maybe later this winter, when we settle a bit in Rockport, TX.  

Connie visits McKinney, TX

After a sultry Arkansas night, filled with the hum of ships stalled/anchored on the Mighty Mississippi River, we made our way out of the flooded campground and back over the levee to West Memphis.  We wound our way out of town, in a more logical fashion than the GPS showed, and followed the directions of our Angel, back up to the Interstate, and going the right direction.  We only had a few lights, but, more importantly, we had NO more construction.  

After just a couple of hours on the road, we left the land of flooding and poor roads behind, and journeyed into Texas. Texarkana was our first stop.  It was nice to see bridge heights that could easily accommodate our size, too. 

We overnighted at Shady Pines RV Park, which was located right next door to Shady Pines RV Sales.  We expected no more than a parking lot, but we were pleasantly surprised by long, spacious and concreted site pads.  Plus free WiFi!  Always a bonus!  It was a clean little park, with lots of green space to walk the pup, and, yes, a bit of shade.  Not from pines, but shade is shade, and we were grateful for it.

Thursday dawned bright and early and we made our way West and South, towards Dallas, and our dear friend Connie.  She's had a lot of heartache and tragedy in the last few years, and we were hoping we could make her laugh, at least just a little bit.  After a long day of travel, neither Driver nor I was all that interested in cooking dinner, but we did want to EAT it....I found a cute little restaurant with good reviews, up in the little town of Princeton, only about 5 miles from the campground where we were parked for the week.  It was called Jocy's, and it promised good food, fast.  Just what we were looking for.  Inside, the decorations were a bit sparse, but cute.  All the VW's on the walls made me think of you, Barbara & Charles!

The reviews also said the chocolate cake was to die for and certainly not to be missed.  OK, so we'll give it a go.  It certainly LOOKED good....

Well, not all reviews are to be believed, I suppose.  It was ok.  Just ok.  So, given the hype, it was a bit disappointing, in actuality.  Oh well, good thing we only bought one piece to split!

The next day, we finally hooked up with Connie. She had lots of daytime appointments and obligations, so we met for dinner at a Mexican place she knew, and then we topped it off with Andy's Frozen Custard.  Yup, this is the very same Andy's as was in Branson, MO!!!  So when we saw Ozark Turtles on the menu, we knew we were in for a treat!

The next day, Connie had some more appointments, so we were on our own to do some exploring.  The campground was beside Lake Lavon, and this was one of the many bridges crossing the man-made reservoir. The water stretched over acres and acres, but there didn't appear to be whole lot of activity on the lake - birds, fishermen, boaters or otherwise.  Makes you wonder, what's up with that?

We had met the camper next to us, a charming lady by the name of Alice.  She had suggested we might like a market downtown, called, amazingly enough, The Market at Watters Creek.  Its sort of like a cross between Trader Joe's and Whole Foods and the old Giant Foods/Farm Fresh of days gone by.  There was this bakery case, though....These were really cute little treats, but we were counting calories, so none of them came home with us.

Later that evening, Connie drove across a few of those bridges, and made the long trek from Frisco to Princeton, to visit us, meet the dog and check out our new camper.  She had only been on the road a short time, when she accidentally rear-ended the guy in front of her!!!  I didn't get a picture of it, but the whole front grill of her car popped out and was hanging by a wire (literally) by the time she arrived at our place.  She was fine, the dude was fine, but her car could use a good body shop!  Luckily for us all, our neighbor lady, Alice, just so happens to be a claims adjuster for a local body shop!  She's been in the auto/collision industry for about 30 years, so she knows all about cars, insurance, and claims!  Again, Angels among us!  Thank you, Lord, for putting just the right people into our lives at just the right time. 

The next morning, we met up with Connie, on the square in McKinney.  Typical of old town revivals, there was a commons area in the middle, surrounded by older buildings that have been turned into eclectic shops and eateries. This little lady graced one of the doorways and just about begged us to enter, but, ummm...no, thank you ever so much!

Of course, there was the obligatory ice cream shop stop.  Nothing of interest here, though, so we moved on without making any purchase.

Dick had fun horsing around with a sign though, telling us it pays to advertise. We ate an early lunch at Snug on the Square, where chicken salad is served when potato salad is ordered (yeah, really.) and they add honey to their mustard.  (Connie says that's yummy!)  Connie mentioned that today would have been Bob's 73rd birthday, so we all paused to remember him and toasted him with our cups of water.  I think we could all feel his presence and knew he was smiling on us from his place up in Heaven.  He's sorely missed, but Connie is a trooper and so much stronger than she even knows.

Another Day, Another Adventure....aka Angels ARE Among Us

Let's see, today is Texarkana, but YESTERDAY, well, yesterday was full of adventure and Dick Luck.  We left our little family campground in Springfield, IL, bright and early, since we knew we had a looong day (6 hours driving, for us, that's long) ahead of us, and rain was in the forecast, so we knew we would be delayed.  We weren't too long on the road when we came across the mighty Mississppie River.  I knew there'd be another bridge to cross, but I truly expected it to be much bigger, higher and grander.  Nevertheless, it was big and high enough.  The river is still at flood stage, and it was a pretty swift current.

Not too long after we set out, the rains came.  First, it was just a sprinkle, but then we drove right into what appeared to be the heart of the storm.  Visibility was considerably reduced, as was our speed.

We were only about two hours out from the campground, when Good Ole Google deviated from the Lady of the Dash's route, and promised that we could detour, and arrive 20 minutes faster.  Well, we gave it some serious consideration, but ya know, there's that weight and height issue.....and just never know if we will run into some low overpasses or weight restricted bridges.  So, we usually err on the side of the Lady of the Dash.  She knows how tall, wide and heavy we are, and she's supposed to take all that into account when she plots our route.  With the exception of that one time in Atlanta, when she tried to put us on the Expressway, where a Peach Pass was mandatory, she's been pretty accurate. So, we crept along, inching down the road, but staying true to Sally's route.  Eventually, we came across the cause of the backup.  Apparently, a load shifted or a truck rolled, or something catastrophic involving steel I-beams.  Cleanup was definitely in progress by the time we approached, and they had both lanes back open, but there was quite a backup.

We got past that, and were well on our way to Tom Sawyer's RV Park, where we had originally planned to spend the week after our Nappanee appointment.  As you may recall, they closed the campground on June 11, due to flooding.  LOTS of flooding, like 36 feet underwater!  Well, they had opened it up again on July 13, the day before we were scheduled to arrive, but we told them we had changed our plans and would no longer be staying there.  That was Friday.  On Sunday, we again changed our mind and decided that would be an overnight stop on the way down to see Connie, and old square dance friend.  OK, *she's* not old, the friendship is years old!!  She lives in Frisco, TX, and the quickest way to her house was south and west (remember, Indianapolis was "closed.")

We were booking right along, planning to arrive around 4 pm, just in time for me to fix dinner.  We called the campground to get final directions and it was confirmed to exit the Interstate at Exit 4, turn right, and go over the levee.  Sounds simple, right?  Surprise!  There was construction immediately upon exiting the Interstate, and there were concrete barriers on the left, and a raised curb on the right.  And the lane was only about 8 feet wide!  Yes, the lane was juuuuuust barely wide enough that our tires could pass squeak  through, but we rubbed several times, on both sides.  We literally inched our way along, till we got to a stop light.  Whew, or so we thought!  No, there are no pictures of that nightmare, as I could hardly keep composed, much less think to take photos.  When the light turned green, we proceeded, but we heard an awful, metallic screeching noise.  Neither of us knew what it could be, but we decided it was our metal ramps (on the tow dolly), scraping on the metal plate in the road, covering up what we assumed would be a ditch or hole.  We only got about a half mile down the road, when a good Samaritan flagged us over and told us we were putting on quite the fireworks display.  Look good and hard at the picture below - I know it's really hard to see through all the dirt on the windshield.  But, see that tow dolly tire, on the right?  It's past shredded!  And, no, there's not much of a fender left behind.  Nothing much to do at this point, but take the car off the dolly, as we did, and drop the dolly by the side of the road.  Which we did.  We were only 2 miles from the campground (which turned out to be quite a cultural experience, but more on that later), so we called and told them what happened, using THEIR directions, which, SUPPOSEDLY were to route us AROUND the construction, and that we would be there when we could.  Campgrounds get antsy when you don't show up by closing time, but they're usually forgiving if they know there's been trouble on the road, so we always try to keep them apprised of any situations.  Especially this time, since I was using THEIR DIRECTIONS.  Yes, yes I was ticked off.

I was able to wash the windshield enough so that I could see to drive, and I was able to lead Dick, driving the coach, into the campground with no further difficulties.  There, they checked us in under the wrong name, trying to charge us more than one night's stay, and we got that straight, only to be led to a flooded site (really, just a mud puddle with gravel) that was under an overhanging tree.  I guess the owner could tell by my reaction that I was less than impressed, because she immediately offered me another site, just 2 spots over.  That site had trees on BOTH sides, and the limbs were even lower hanging!  I just looked at her and mentioned that we could not fit under the trees without scraping, to which she replied, "Couldn't you just swing wide?"  Really??  What was she thinking?  We were already pretty frazzled, and looking at a few hundred dollars damage, did she really think we were going to deliberately drive under low branches, risking further damage, this time to our home?  Uhhhh...I don't think so!  Anyway, I picked out a site further down the row, that didn't have any trees and was less flooded.  (Sidebar, this campground is RIGHT ON the banks of that Mighty Mississippi, and the flooding has JUST receded, so there was still a lot of standing water.  And mud, lots of mud.)  We got into it, and were just barely settled, when there came a knock on our door.  Yup, a knock on the door.  I opened it to find a bear of a man standing there, asking if that was our dolly down by the bend in the road, and offering to winch it up on his trailer and bring it to us.  All at no charge.  Dick was on the phone with the Good Sam Roadside assistance clerk, trying to tell her where to find the dolly, so we had to make a snap decision.  It got easy, once the gentleman suggested that we had better let him go get it quick, before someone snatched it right up and took it home.  I thought that would be rather difficult, since the tire was shredded and all, but he warned us that wouldn't matter.  It was easy to just pull it up onto a flatbed and be off with it, and, this was highly likely in West Memphis.  ???  Who knew.  Not only were we in what could be called a dump, but it was a high crime area too! So we agreed to let this dude, whom we had only just met, go home, get his flatbed, and go retrieve our tow dolly, while we waited for the Good Sam tire guy to arrive with a new tire for us.  Meanwhile, Dick went into town to get us a set of stick-on lights for the car.

Then the Good Sam tire guy arrived with the tire, but neither the nice guy, nor my dear hubby had yet returned to the camper.  So, Tire Guy had to sit and wait, and there I was, not really even sure that Nice Guy was going to return with our dolly.  What if HE was the one that was going to abscond with it?  What if it was already stolen, and there was nothing for him to pick up and return to us?  I didn't have to wait too very much longer, and Nice Guy really DID return.  With our dolly up on his flatbed, just as he had promised.  A man true to his word, thankfully.  He was so very sweet, saying anytime he can help someone, he does.  The Tire Guy got right to work, removing the shredded bits and getting the wheel ready to accept the new tire he had brought with him.

There's my Nice Guy (Angel) on the left, and George, Tire Guy, on the right, placing the new tire of the rim, while the dolly is still up on the flatbed.  All in all, this really was the safest option.  There was hardly any shoulder, back out on the road, and I can say, from personal experience, there was at least ONE pile of fire ants.  Yup, I stepped in it.

After all the excitement was over, and Nice Guy & Tire Guy both took off, Dick and I were left to enjoy the view.  I thought, at some point, we would see a paddlewheel or steamboat, or something attractive, but the only boat traffic was this one tug, pushing two barges.  Disappointing, to say the least.

This morning, we set out, again, bright and early, headed to Texarkana, TX.  After some pump issues and witness to a 2 truck (tractor trailers) accident right in front of us (we TRIED to warn the dude, it wasn't safe to proceed...) at the obligatory fuel stop, managed to find our way into our scheduled overnight stop.  We had called Monday, for reservations, and apparently, that was a smart move, since all their easy-in, easy-out sites are occupied by now.  But, it's a clean little park, with permanent residents around the outside and a little fish pond on the back side.  It's just off a busy highway, but it's all quiet inside, so we are happy campers!  Tomorrow, we head to Frisco, where we'll catch up with Connie and see what all she's been doing for that past 12 years!