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.