Getting back in the saddle.

“Better to write for yourself and have no public, than to write for the public and have no self.” -Cyril Connolly

I was really good for awhile about updating this blog regularly, at least monthly…but then life happened midway through 2017, and it seemed like there was new drama happening every day. I couldn’t have written much without revealing too much, and some things should just be kept private.

Time–that saving grace–has ensured that my new normal has become almost routine, which is a godsend. Normal is good, and so is routine. I have a newfound respect for both and don’t think I’ll take either of them for granted like I once did.

Part of the new normal found Dave and me moving back into our RV in September. We felt grateful to have that option; the 5th wheel we got as a result of losing our house in Bay St. Louis, Mississippi in Hurricane Katrina has become our refuge as well our escape. Between that and living on a boat for several years, downsizing comes easier for us than it would for most. I know the difference between needs and wants. I like ‘simple.’

We lived at the Western Hills Trailer Park in Hopkinsville, across from Western Hills Country Club and Western State Hospital beginning in September. For many reasons it was a good location, but we’re open to living elsewhere when we come back in the spring. Somewhere quieter. Police car and ambulance sirens resounded at all hours of the day and night, every single day. Between that and the discomfort caused by the presence of certain others–some residents, most not–we’re open to calling another place ‘home’ when we return.

A cold winter was predicted for Hoptown, and neither Dave nor I like cold weather like we did in our younger years. So in October we decided we’d go somewhere south for a few months for the winter. We’ve dreamed about being ‘snowbirds’ for years and knew we’d do it someday. Neither of us expected to do it so soon though!

After briefly researching a few Florida locations, we opted for Texas. Our son and his family live there, and we’ve always had the impression that RVers in Texas are welcomed and much more appreciated than those in Florida. At least, that’s been our experience, having been on both sides of the fence–resident and RVer–in both places. But where in Texas? It’s an awfully big state.

I began researching RV park websites in the Lone Star State. We knew we wanted to be able to see our little grandsons in Austin once in awhile, but we didn’t want to be IN Austin. Or any big city.

We’d become acquainted with the Hill Country, west of Austin and San Antonio, when we promoted”The Unsinkable Legend” for Boston Whaler about a dozen years ago, and remembered it as rugged and beautiful. How I happened upon “Bandera, Texas,” must have had something to do with being near a river…water has factored a lot in our lives over the past 40 years. After calling a couple of places that had no availability, I was frustrated and wondered if I hadn’t begun my search for a winter reprieve early enough. This particular RV park, Pioneer River, had just one space left for the months of January and February, a God-wink, I imagined, so I snagged it.

From there my research turned to the Hill Country in general and Bandera in particular. It’s called the Cowboy Capital of the World because it was the starting point of the Great Western Cattle Trail in the late 1800’s. Its population is a few less than 1,000 residents, but we’ve heard that people from all over the world come here, drawn to the chance to experience the independent spirit that’s prevalent here.

We left Kentucky the Friday before Christmas, and made stops in Little Rock, Arkansas, Campbell, TX (northeast of Dallas) and Buchanan Dam before arriving in Bandera on January 1st. We’ve been at this RV park for nearly two weeks and love almost everything about it. It’s extremely convenient to downtown (1 block), the city park (next door), and AA meetings (10 minute walk that includes a 55 degree slope up. No kidding.) Downtown consists of several blocks of stores and restaurants, antique shops, the library, a bakery, and an outdoor outfitter where kayaks and tubes can be rented. Angled parking in front lines both sides of Main Street. Traffic through downtown is steady and moves relatively slowly.

That pretty much brings us to today, Sunday, January 14, 2014. Currently it’s 34 degrees (about 20 degrees warmer than Hopkinsville), and we’re grateful. This afternoon is a jam session from 1-4 this afternoon at the Frontier Times Museum that we want to attend after we do some chores, to include washing the truck, after we walk a few blocks to the bakery we recently discovered. Our days have become an interesting blend of productivity and discovery and some routine. My adopted recovery fellowship meets every day just a few blocks away, so that’s part of the routine, too.

I really want to do a better job of staying in touch and keeping this blog current. Hoping that the worse is over with regards to last year’s dilemma and being so far from home, that shouldn’t be a problem. Life happens every day. I’ll keep you posted!


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