Awnings and Old Friends

So, here's the thing...have you ever tried to deal with the Veterans Administration?  Just like any overblown, overworked, underfunded government operation (think Social Security, welfare, Obamacare, DMVs, whatever...), it is soooo difficult to actually get anyone to do their job properly unless you are simply standing over them and pretty much supervising them as they do it.  For days now, Dick has been calling the VA and trying to get them to change his address to our current town and make an appointment for his physical and another one for his ears/hearing aids.  This has been going on for DAYS.  Finally, we got tired of getting the runaround, getting blown off, and simply not succeeding in getting any appointments, and we just decided to pack up the pup and drive to Victoria, to the local VA clinic and make the request in person.  Took us about 90 minutes to get up there and about 25 minutes to get registered and on the right track to get the audiologist to call him back.  Yaaay.  Heading home, we were treated to a beautiful sunset over Copano Bay.

Truthfully, I forget what we did over the weekend, but it sure kept us busy!  I think we got the camper ready for travel and I know I got to sew some on my charity quilt.  Time warp/black hole?  I dunno.  Time flies, but I do not to where.

Monday morning, EARLY, we set out toward Corpus Christi.  Yeah, that's another one of those cases where sometimes, you gotta go left on your way to going right.  Only, in this case, we went south so we could go west.  The GPS wanted us to go back over that Portland Bridge, and back into the Corpus Christi dock area, yes, where all that construction was and then straight up I 37 to San Antonio.  Oh yeah, and then straight THROUGH DOWNTOWN San Antonio to get to the other side, Boerne, where the RV dealer is.  Oh.Em.Gee.  REALLY, Sally, you want us to go through Corpus and thru SA???  Oh, heck NO.  There had to be another way, and with a little effort, we found one.  We were treated to a perfect shelf cloud along the way.

I'm going to spare you all the gory details about getting fuel along the way; suffice it to say, we eventually got some, paid a bit more than usual for it, and it took us 3 tries, but, hey, what's life without a little adventure?  We finally arrived at Ancira RV, the Boerne location, and got all checked in.  We knew that Lolly & Allen were waiting for us at Alamo Fiesta, about a mile away, so we tried to get all settled in and doggie fed & walked quickly.  On our way out, we saw this cutie waiting for service.  Noooo, thank you, that's not the custom paint job I want on our next rig.  Well, on second thought, maybe.  Everybody has a price, I suppose.  For this, my price would be pretty daggum steep, but, if they have the money.....who am I to turn it down?

After perusing the local eateries brochure, we all agreed Soda Pops Patio Grill sounded like a good spot for dinner.  I'm guessing that the "Patio Grill" part of their name should have been a clue.  There was very limited inside seating.  Limited to a bar and a few bar stools.  Fortunately, they had some clear vinyl curtains shielding the patio and breaking (somewhat) the wind that had kicked up.  A couple of those column propane heaters would have been WONDERFUL, but, alas, only thing keeping us warm were the small fleece lap throws provided by the diner.  The retro-inspired diner is in an old gas station, and it promised to provide the cultural experience we've come to love (thank you Charles, for that!)

I excused myself to find the washroom, and as I entered, I thought I saw the reflection of a man's head in the mirror.  Whaaaa???  I quickly turned around and look what I found - Elvis, in the corner, looking like he was just as shocked to see ME!  Scared me half to death!

Dinner was quick to arrive, and the burgers were really good.  Finger lickin' good!  I got my favorite - tater tots, Dick& Lolly got fries & Allen got onion rings. We each had different burgers with different toppings, and every single one of them was prepared properly.  Whoohoo! 

Afterwards, even though we were all stuffed, Lolly & Dick thought we should make room for ice cream at Soda Pops Sugar Shack next door..  Before we went in, they had a little fun with Tom & Jerry.  At least, I *think* that's the names on the quarter ride. 

It was a struggle to squeeze this old body into the child-sized seat, but, where there's a will, there's a way.  We were happy to provide a few minutes entertainment for the couple whom we THINK owns the place.

Inside, there were lots of choices, but before we could make our selections, we had to go check out the arcade in the back.

There was a table-top bowling game...

and pinball and old-style video games....

Where's the ice cream, you ask?  Sorry, I actually forgot to take pictures, but let me just say this, portions were more than ample.  Huge.  Not cheap, but huge.

And, speaking of huge, here's another Texas-sized cowboy hawking new cars.  We're not really in the market, and the gates are locked promptly at 6 pm, and we only had 4 minutes to get back inside, or we would be locked out until 7:30 am, and it was coooooold, so we did NOT stop for a better picture.

The original plan was that the service manager was going to call us around 8 am, maybe 8:30, to let us know when they would be ready to look at our awning.  We expected to turn the coach over to the tech around 9 am Wednesday.  That was a good plan, right?  LOL, "was" is the operative word here....

When we got back to the camper after that yummy dinner and visiting with our dear friends, we found a voice mail on Dick's phone.  Yup, good ole service manager, calling to say that the tech says he wants the coach at 8 am!  Delivered, at 8 AM!  That translates to set the clock, honey, it's gonna be an early morning!  Well, there's always an upside, right?  This time, it was that we were treated to a fabulous sunrise.  We hardly EVER see the sunrise anymore.  (and that's fine by me!)  It was super cold though, registering 39 degrees when Dick walked the pup!!

As it turns out, we did NOT need a new motor for our awning.  Apparently, there are "limits" that determine how far the awning goes out and in.  Once the tech made a half-turn adjustment, the awning apparently works fine.  Ten minute fix, 300 miles & $200 in fuel, not to mention, 2 days' travel time.  For a TEN MINUTE FIX.  Oh well, it seems to be working fine, and about 11 am, we are back on the road, heading back to Rockport.  Aaaahhhh, but, FIRST, we have to go back through San Antonio.  Remember, Christmas day, we went THROUGH the city?  And at that time, we decided when we had to come back, we were gonna go AROUND the city.  No problem, going TO Boerne, we were on the bottom level, heading west.  Ahhhh, but now we are headed EAST, out of town.  And, of course, there's a bridge.  

Can you see that we are on the top level?  Yup, 4 levels up.  Approximately 70 feet high, by my calculations.  

And, just to add to the excitement, let's throw in a 90 degree turn, and hey, let's be in the wrong lane to make it easily, to boot.  

At least here, we get to be on the first level...

Awwww, but look at the cute longhorns we got to see once we got out of the city!

And because we were home on Wednesday, we were able to attend the block party across the street after all.  Pretty sure everyone enjoyed the Irish coffee that was being served.  Not me, I was quite content with my hot tea.  Yesterday it was 82 degrees here, bright and sunny.  And we missed it, in favor of seeing Lolly & Allen, getting the awning fixed, and freezing our buns off on a patio when it was about 46 degrees and windy.  Tomorrow, it's supposed to be overcast, with a high of about 60, but after that, it will clear up and clouds will clear out and it should warm right back up and be great weather for outdoor activities once more.  Good thing, too, 'cuz our newly washed and waxed coach looks like crap after going through a couple of showers and lots of construction zones.  

If you have some extra time on your hands, and you want some free beer, you are more than welcome to cone help us wash it!  We'll even feed you after.  Not sure WHAT, but you won't go hungry.  <crickets>