It's Time To Let The Wheels Roll

Yes, it's springtime in Texas, and that means tighten the lug nuts, grease the hitch and head for exotic places. Our maiden voyage this year was to Phoenix, where we met daughter, Robin, who flew in from Virginia, for an Inscape Publishing business conference. Hissong Associates, Inc. had a great year despite the economy. At the conference we were presented the Ruby Award for sales excellence. We were in the top one percent of all 2000 Inscape distributors nationwide. Several of our loyal clients have been with us for over 20 years. In addition to a trophy, we were given one free conference registration valued at $595 and $2000 in discounts on this year's wholesale purchases. While in Phoenix we celebrated Gloria's birthday with a fabulous steak dinner at a Texas Roadhouse. Our drive to Phoenix with our Airstream was in perfect weather, and the desert was alive with wildflowers. The rock formations were gorgeous, as was a picturesque snow capped mountain overlooking the majestic landscape. We stayed in an upscale resort park that contained hundreds of mobile homes. There was a pool, library, courtyard, and myriad palm trees. Everything was spic and span, and the park was well managed. Because of our Campground USA membership, we stayed at half price.

From Phoenix we drove 1100 miles to Montgomery, TX for our first Texas Airstream Rally. This was Region 9 made up of several Texas units, and we were amazed to find 125 rigs parked at a lovely KOA campground with many amenities, including an indoor pool. Our trailer overlooked a small scenic lake with a large fountain. Although we are members of the Northern VA Unit, these Texans greeted us with open arms and big smiles. There was ice cream and good entertainment every night. We were invited to happy hour each afternoon, and Jerry was asked to be a member of the North Texas Unit beanbag baseball team. Gloria served as one of the score keepers. Our team beat all the others, and each player was given a blue ribbon. Jerry also won a ribbon in Bridge and seven ribbons for his photos in the rally contest. One of the blue ribbon photos was of a little lady vendor we met in Hawaii. Another was of the reflection of a cruise ship taken in Alaska. It tied with two other contestants for "best of show," scoring 95 out of 100 by the judges. Our favorite photo (Animals-2nd place) was of a roadrunner that struts back and forth across our backyard several times each week. He is holding a snake in this photo, but one day he "knocked" on our patio door with a big lizard in his bill. We guess he was saying, "I brought you a present." Roadrunners are wonderful birds, and we feel blessed to have this one along with his mate.

No sooner had we returned home from Montgomery than the North Texas Unit appeared at our park for a rally. We joined them for lots of good meals, sightseeing in Hillsboro, and for several games of joker. One of the tours was of our stately Hill County Courthouse, and the County Judge served as our guide. In addition to his many talents, he is an avid historian and told us things about the history of Hill County that none of us knew. One of the stories was that Elvis, while stationed at Fort Hood, was booked and jailed here for public drunkenness. Regrettably, the records were stolen, so the proof is missing.

Wintering At the North Texas Airstream Community (NTAC)

We had great fun this winter with our many church friends and neighbors here at NTAC. Like in all states, the weather has not been particularly kind to Texas. We have had two measurable snowfalls, but the accumulation melted both times by noon after getting as high as three inches in early morning hours. Our backyard looked like a winter wonderland from our bedroom window as we arose. The temps dipped as low as 24 one night, but our Airstream is safely sheltered in our RV port, so we never winterized our waterlines.

We hosted a social for our church choir, of which Jerry is a member, in our newly decorated sunroom in January and attended the church Valentine’s Banquet at Central Baptist. It included an array of lively entertainment provided by staff and members. Our annual board meeting here at NTAC always begins with a big breakfast at the clubhouse, which is a busy place during the winter months. Bridge games are held twice per week, and we play Joker one evening per week. When we are not playing games, we go out to lunch as a group with as many as 40 in attendance. Almost every Tuesday night we enjoy a potluck dinner. In addition to church bus rides to meetings and socials, we participate in Senior Circle, a group sponsored by our local hospital situated just one mile away. One evening we took a 50-mile commercial bus ride to another small city to hear a country western band; the quality of the music was well worth our time. To help work off the multi-meal feasts, Gloria actively pursues her Curves workout regimen, while Jerry takes daily walks in our community and exercises with a small group three mornings per week at the clubhouse.

Just to make sure we would never get bored, we taught nine Bridge lessons via PowerPoint presentations during February and March here at NTAC. Eight beginners completed a six-week course, and 14 seasoned players completed the three-week course. Each lesson was two to three hours long. We also volunteered to serve as group facilitators for a 10-week Sunday evening course, Experiencing God, at our church. That vital study is still in progress as we write. We also have been delivering Meals on Wheels every Wednesday noon.

In case you have not read between the lines, we love our active rural Texas lifestyle. How did we ever have time to work? We have more new friends here in our Airstream park than we gained in 30 years while living in Northern Virginia. Hillsboro is a small town in every sense of the word, and if you are an urbanite, you may not like it. But we think it is special, and everyone greets us whether or not they know us. If we need to do any serious shopping we can drive to Waco located 35 miles to the south or Fort Worth situated just 50 miles north. However, it just seems that the air is a little fresher and Airstream friendships are deeper in our exclusive little gated community.