Tuesday, October 21, 2008

Getting more settled

We are now in our third week as camp hosts. And as with most all things, as you do it more the more easily it comes together.
We have Sundays & Mondays off, so Tuesday is a very busy day for Brenda. I just kind of stay out of her way and work outside.
When the owners bought the campground, they also got a Kubota tractor. It wasn't running when we arrived. I was told that there had been some work done on it, But it still wouldn't run.
The battery was dead, so I charged it. I added some diesel fuel to the tank and it ran really rough for a few minutes, then nothing.
There was a mechanic in the park last week and I asked him to help me with the engine. He took a look, and after a while determined that the fuel system was full of water. I drained the tank change the fuel filters, refilled the tank with fresh fuel and after a few cranks it started and is running great. I now have a way to do some of things I need and want to do here.
There was a lawnmower deck on the tractor and I removed it. So I am able to move around the grounds without difficulty. The trailer needs some work, so I am going to fix that today.
Our nephew from Taiwan was here for the weekend on a business trip. We went over to my sisters house for the evening, Saturday, and had a nice visit.
We went to church Sunday at St. Edwards and met the family for breakfast. 14 of us, so not able to visit much.
Liz and Harry came over for dinner Sunday night and we played a game of chicken foot. Great time.

Until next time.
Ta ta for now.

Wednesday, October 8, 2008

Settling in

We are now into our second full week as camp hosts. Things are getting easier as we learn the system and get comfortable with it. We are making fewer calls for help as far as the computer program goes.
Guests come and go and some are more permanent. There is a lot of details in managing a campground. There is learning what the owners expect and different situations that come up that haven't been thought of that need resolutions. All in all the owners are good to work for and are patient with us as we are new to this type of situation.

We met up with Jay & Stella for dinner on Saturday night. It sure was great to see them again. They weathered the storm, but Jay had to work many, many hours before, during and after IKE.
Stella went with some friends out of harms way and she didn't come home until last week. The power was restored just before she came home.

We spent all day Sunday with my sister and brother-in-law. We went to church then to breakfast where we met my brother and his wife. We had a wonderful time visiting, as the last time we were in town it was my sisters 50th wedding celebration. There were a lot of people there, so not much time for visiting.

Monday, we went to PPL with Ted & Donna. We needed some things for the rig. They advertise a very large parts department, and they do, but still they didn't have everything that we needed.
While we were there, we did look at some used motor homes. Some were very nice and were at what we thought was a good price. But, we still aren't in the market for a new coach, but it never hurts to look. None of them jumped out at us, and we aren't quite ready to jump back into debt.
With the lending industry in such a turmoil, I'm not sure we could get a loan anyway.

Until next time,

Ta ta for now

Thursday, October 2, 2008

Back in Houston

We made it back to the Houston area last Wednesday 09/24. We are working and staying in Magnolia at Timber Ridge RV Village.
We have the best site in the park. Concrete pad and HUGE patio and concrete driveway. A great site. Not much shade, but that will be a moot point in a few weeks anyway. There is a severe dust problem as the roads are grave.
Brenda is working in the office and I help her when she needs it. I also work in the park. I have replaced the numbers at the sites and I started the horseshoe pits, today. I'm not used to the business end of a shovel, and I am sore, but the soil is soft and not too hard to dig in.
Brenda takes the reservations, checks the guests in and out and collects the money. There is a lot to running a campground. The software on the computer is a little more complicated than it probably needs to be.

We went to the Texas opry in Magnolia with Ted & Donna. We lived in this area for 27 years and didn't even know that it existed. The show was great. We really enjoyed ourselves. There is also a cafe attached to the theater, good country 'cookin'. Meat, 2 sides, drink (tea, water, or coffee), and dessert for $10.00. The show was $12.00 ea., so a great night out for not too much money. We plan too go again.
We have not seen or heard from Jay or Stella since we got back, but Jay is working some ungodly hours and Stella has been in Port Arthur. Hope to see them soon.

We visited My sister and her husband on Sunday. They finally got power back on Saturday afternoon. 2 weeks without power, wow. Luckily they had a generator to keep their food in good shape.

We have settled down now until the middle of Feb. So, our travels are curtailed until then.
We will continue to post as time goes on.

Ta ta till then