Merry Christmas!

Wishing everyone a peaceful, happy holiday.



- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Location:Snug in my bed.

Gull with an attitude.

The little guy is saying “Pardon me…”

The Fishing Pier at Matagorda

Here is a little more information about MATAGORDA BAY NATURE PARK. It’s entirely possible that all the garbage on the shore this year is a result of aberrant water currents, a garbage barge capsize, an oil rig disaster… who knows. Perhaps the LCRA was  just getting ready to do a big clean-up event. I certainly hope that is the case. Regardless of the less than pristine shoreline, this is a terrific campground and a fascinating environment. These rough Texas beaches are a far cry from the well maintained, well groomed beaches of Florida. Keep in mind, we are still the wild frontier.

I scared the bejezzus out of a whole slew of fisherpeople by climbing on to the rock jetty during low tide and making my way back toward shore via the fishing pier. People either stared at me or hunched over their rods and reels trying to become invisible. It wasn’t until later that day that I realized my outfit,  black vested, official looking cap, binocs and whatnot… had the crowd thinking I was about to start checking fishing licenses and giving tickets. Tz called it my “Narc Officer” outfit. Didn’t realize I had it in me to be so intimidating!

If it rains as predicted tomorrow, I’ll show you the dunes, marshlands and the other jetties.

 

 

Here is a snippet from the LCRA web site:

“Matagorda Bay Nature Park is a 1,600-acre park and preserve at the mouth of the Colorado River on the Matagorda Peninsula. LCRA developed the park to provide recreation, education, wetlands preservation and economic benefit to the region.

The park has about two miles of Gulf of Mexico and two miles river frontage and hundreds of acres of coastal marshes and dunes. It is one of the best birding areas in the nation. LCRA acquired the property in 2001 as part of its commitment to preserve natural resources for future generations and to provide science education, recreation and nature tourism opportunities.
Campsites
• 22 General Camping Sites: These sites back up to FM 2031, located adjacent to the RV Park. These sites have both 30/50 amp electrical service, sewer connections and a picnic table.
• 5 Pull-Through Sites: Located on the interior roads of the park, these pull-through sites have an obstructed view of the river, have both 30/50 amp electrical service, sewer connections and a picnic table.
• 24 Preferred Sites: Located on the the interior roads of the park, these sites have an obstructed view of the river, have both 30/50 amp electrical service, sewer connections and a picnic table.
• 19 Waterfront Camping Sites: Located on the waterfront, these sites have both 30/50 amp electrical service, sewer connections and a picnic table.”

The Reluctant Blogger

Is there anything worse than a person that takes but does not give?

Many Bloggers write with clockwork regularity, in some cases daily. They share tips, ideas, park reviews, fantastic photos, and funny stories. With generosity and a sense of purpose they open their hearts and minds. How I long to be one of those bloggers. I really do want to share information and be helpful, but alas, it is simply not to be.   Live Writer gets opened only when I’ve injured some busted-up old body part and need to sit still for a few hours.  Today is a good example. Sloshing around in my head you can find the ”Matagorda-in-review post”, the “Pelican post”, the “fishing post”, the “Seagull poop-attack” post, the “posing girls” post… I could go on and on. But I have only a short time before dinner prep begins, so in lieu of an entertaining or informative post comes an admonition.

Our beaches are a mess. We visited the Matagorda Bay Nature Park a year ago. The amount of trash, most of it plastics, has grown exponentially in just a year. It was so shockingly bad I couldn’t bring myself to take a picture. On a happier note, the dunes were in much better shape, as were the herds of cows. There was just enough additional rainfall in 2012 to plump up the cattle and the succulents, to restore, however slightly, the wetland foliage.

The birding was still wonderful down there, so I chose to look up and see these guys instead of looking down on all the garbage we dump in our oceans.

 

 

We’re heading to Big Bend in January. I’ve gotten past the point where I can tell you to “stay tuned”.  A person could die of boredom waiting for a blog posting from BlunderZ, but the Big Bend area is so remote and so fantastical it would be a shame not to share the information.  Reluctant I may be, but with good intentions, and certainly not averse. I would willingly share all we see and do if it didn’t require my two hands on a keyboard. Le sigh.

And for Sherry,  the other shadow woman. Better late than never.

Testing Blogpress

Being an undisciplined, easily distracted creature, sitting down at the laptop and creating a proper blog post seems daunting. But if Erin can manage to post on her very first day, after working so hard to get moved into the Phaeton... I'm rather ashamed of myself.
I just went and shook some coins out of the piggy bank and bought Blogpress. I've had it exactly four minutes. Looks easy and quick so far. Perhaps this will help to create more spontaneity. Time will tell !

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Location:My bed

Welcome to Planet Blue Jeans

Today, November 30, 2012 the ERKUNS join the ranks of retired RV geezers.

We wander the continent in blue jeans, plaid shirts and hiking boots.

Dragging our bikes, canoes, kayaks, motorcycles and little dogs every place we go.

CONGRATULATIONS Mui and Erin, on reaching this wondrous milestone.

It’s celebration day!!!

Happy Retirement Day Erkuns !

Just can’t wait to run into y’all down the road…

The Texas Gulf Coast

Thanksgiving Day 2012.

 

We are deeply, eternally grateful to live in such a beautiful, diverse, interesting State.

Owning an RV that can take us any OTHER place we’d rather be is a huge additional bonus.

Happy Thanksgiving one and all.

November 19th, 2012

Testing the WiFi.

Ask me how many flats we’ve created.

Walking to the end of the pink granite jetty.

 

 

The hard part is getting BACK.

RETIREMENT DAY - It’s about the PEOPLE

When an individual logs in 30 years of dedicated service, 22 with many of the same staff, it says a lot about that person’s character and leadership ability.  Add in four years of college, four of professional schooling plus three years advanced training, and the grand total rockets to 40 years.  What an astonishing commitment of time, energy and endurance. This will be a retirement well earned!

 I’m married to a man who does serious work and has always led with a steady hand.  So many of our Veterans have been cared for, helped, healed… thousands in fact, have benefitted from his diligence.  I’ve been right at his side these past 40 years.  I’ve seen what made this stellar career possible.   He may have given much, but he has gained much in return.
I know what makes this special man tick.

 It was all about the PEOPLE.

 The people you work for can make your job easier or make it a living hell.  TZ has had the honor and privilege of working with some of the smartest, kindest, fairest of “Boss” people.   They touched us deeply by showing up from far and wide for his retirement wing-ding.  Thank you for your gracious hospitality and laudatory remarks.

Speeches were made, honors bestowed, awards given.   We estimate the mileage accrued from 22 years of back and forth trips to Houston is roughly equivalent to driving cross-country 100 times!

 But these great People made it worth while.

(you can click to enlarge any photo)

 

Our Clinic has always been blessed with the most extraordinary Volunteers.  They lighten the burden of the overworked, underpaid and incredibly dedicated staff.  The place simply could not run smoothly without them.  We coax in these generous People with tempting sugary treats.
YUM. CAKE !!!

 

 

The Staff, what can you say about the amazing Staff?
Superlatives fail.
They are the BEST PEOPLE!
Irreplaceable.

An experienced, professional, unmatchable Team.
With quivering voices,  many of you spoke heart warming words and heaped upon us many, many gifts.
Thank goodness there was no shortage of comedy and good will to squelch what might have been a gigantic tear soaked sentimental sob-session.

 

We received items of unsurpassed creativity.  This statue in the likeness of the Retiree, created by the very talented wood carving artist KEVIN MALONE,  has TZ’s white coat emblazoned with a Star Fleet emblem.  He’s holding the Enterprise in one arm and the Beatles “White Album” in the other.

TZ  won’t admit to the resemblance, but as you can see, it’s almost his eerie twin.  I’ve placed mini-tz on the tank of the powder room toilet.
When you sit down to do your business you can just catch a glimpse of him in the mirror opposite, peering over your shoulder.

It’s enough to scare the… well, you know.

Seems an appropriate place for the totem when we’re home.
I’m planning to take the spooky little dude with us on our Motorhome travels. I’ll snap his picture with interesting backdrops.
Imagine how great he’ll look with Devils Tower in the distance.

 We especially admire our Hawaiian shirts.
Too bad we can’t get Beauregard Le Motorhome to the Islands.
Thanks Lynn, we adore them. Aloha!

 

The most treasured gift has to be this beautiful paddle. It boasts an engraved picture of the facility and is signed by all the Staff.  Having had the opportunity to design and build TWO facilities, daunting though these tasks may have been, this represents an especially precious memory.  Our beautiful, priceless treasure will be displayed proudly as a daily reminder of the People who created this magnificent tribute.

 

The extremely talented Jeff D. hand-carved two walking sticks that are far too handsome and whimsical to ever be stuck in a muddy stream bed.  And let us not forget Jeff’s mind-meltingly luscious chicken pasta, a dish so yummy, so enticing, that only the greatest amount of will power stops you from stealing a second helping.
It should be against the law.

 There aren’t any pictures of the custom-bound photo memory book and so many other heart-felt and appreciated items.
Thank you all for everything. We are overwhelmed by your kindness.

 There was plenty of hugging, hand-shaking, smiles, tears, and laughter.

                                                                                                                              

We had a wonderful time.

Today TZ awoke knowing he’ll never have to set an alarm clock for work again.  He’ll finish cleaning off his almost empty office shelves, pack up the final frills and furbelows.  He’ll hand in his keys and I.D. badge, and pass the gauntlet.

 After a celebratory lunch with his gang of department chiefs, the penultimate act to our brand new life, my husband drives home from work one last time.  Today will be the most splendid Friday, the ultimate T.G.i.F.   After all these years I FINALLY get him all to myself.

 Hopefully, our delightful new identities as “The RV-ing Retirees”  will allow him to forget the stresses and strains and worries of the past 40 years.  We’re healthy and ready for new adventures.
 It has been an honor knowing each and every one of you. 

             With complete assurance I can guarantee one certain thing, he’ll never, NEVER forget the People.

The Final Countdown

 

 

Time to Zero Barrier:  7 days 5 hours 24 minutes.

Tony hangs up the white coat next Friday, September 28th 2012.

Serious will transform to silly.

Stressed will become relaxed.

Responsibility will morph into relaxation.

(Awesome video created by Sukwon Shin, aka SkoalFyfan)

 

To all Staff and Co-Workers, our heartfelt gratitude for the wonderful send-off. Special thanks to Adam, Jay, Bryan and Vicky for a fantastic evening. We’ll see you all soon.

Biophilia

Eons ago we slithered, dripping, from the primordial slime; abandoning our aquatic origins to start a new life on land. Yet the pull to return to the seas that spawned us stays strong.

Communing with our watery nature has positive psychological consequences, or so says E.O. Wilson, who calls this “BIOPHILIA”, the “urge to affiliate with other forms of life”.

How best to explore our marshes, bayous, rivers and lakes? The OLD TOWN CAMPER 16 canoe!

BILL MASON, author of many good books on canoeing claims “There is nothing that is so aesthetically pleasing and yet so functional and versatile as the canoe”.

Our 16’ boat can carry 1200 lbs. of people, dog and gear. It’s Royalex construction make it light enough to load easily atop the Crv with no fancy racks or mounts required, just simple YAKIMA canoe blocks and some rope.

With the addition of two very light-weight BENDING BRANCHES paddles, all we need to do for some fun and adventure is just add water.

Our first expedition will most likely be to CADDO LAKE, an extraordinary, ancient flooded forest of Bald Cypress trees, very near to our home. This area, depending on rainfall, is a sprawling maze of fascinating backwater, covering roughly 26,000 acres. The huge old trees are thickly curtained with diaphanous sheets of Spanish Moss. The bourbon-colored water teems with fish, turtles and snakes. The tree branches are decorated with many species of birds. There is a good STATE PARK.

During the cooler winter months, this place is a Paddler’s Paradise.

Floating silently beneath overhanging tree branches in dappled shade has a profoundly peaceful, womb-like quality that can’t be compared to any other activity I can think of. Come, let’s all go paddling and become children of nature.

“What sets a canoeing expedition apart is that it purifies you more rapidly and inescapably than any other travel. Travel a thousand miles by train and you are a brute; pedal five hundred on a bicycle and you remain basically a bourgeois; paddle a hundred in a canoe and you are already a child of nature.” -- Pierre Elliott Trudeau

Honor and Support our Veterans

Text Below

"This Memorial Day weekend, we reflect upon what it really means to honor the memory of the men and women who fought for our country. We'll visit gravesites, observe moments of silence, hold parades and barbeques and celebrate the freedoms our soldiers provided -- all important gestures.

But as a country, we can do better than that.

In Congress, while the House's proposed defense budget calls for significant increases, it also cuts 11 billion dollars from veterans spending -- including healthcare and disability pay. Be clear: we can't equate spending on veterans with spending on defense. Our strength is not just in the size of our defense budget, but in the size of our hearts, in the size of our gratitude for their sacrifice. And that's not just measured in words or gestures.

The President has overseen dramatic troop reductions in Iraq and Afghanistan -- and the first step towards caring for our soldiers is getting them home. He has also increased funding for veteran healthcare, pushed tax credits for businesses who hire vets, and approved a stronger GI bill to educate them.
But there shouldn't be a contrast between the political parties. Caring for veterans shouldn't be a partisan issue. It should an American one. We should be willing to show our respect by sacrificing something too, perhaps even, yes, by raising taxes on those who can afford it; who benefit from having a free nation, a free enterprise system could give back to those who enabled their prosperity. We are defined as a nation by how we treat those who have defended us.

As governor, when I visited our troops in Kuwait and Iraq, I served them Thanksgiving dinner. It was a small gesture compared to their sacrifice. And I hosted a Memorial Day ceremony every year, which brought together families of our fallen soldiers. It was simple and emotional, but it was important. I would say the names, ranks and cities of the soldiers, their families would stand with each name, and at the end, I would assure these families that we would not forget them. That their names would be etched in our hearts, that we would remember them in all things around us, when the wheat fields or the banners of white cloud in the sky waved in their honor. I thanked them as a governor and as a parent, for raising a hero.

And as one mom said to me, "That we remember my baby's name means that my son did not die in vain."

Ceremonies are important. But our gratitude has to be more than visits to the troops, and once-a-year Memorial Day ceremonies. We honor the dead best by treating the living well.

We will remember their names, this weekend and beyond. And we must remember them, as a nation, through a commitment to treat our living veterans as well as they have treated us."
Gov. Jennifer M. Granholm

“I wouldn’t take her to a dog fight”

A little CHARLIE WALKER to start off the memorial day weekend.

“…even if she had a chance to win” :)

Thanks to JG for the link.

 

There was a small possibility for blog posts detailing Inks Lake State Park and Canyon of the Eagles, but we’ve been side-tracked by a major landscaping project inspired by GRJ.

You do NOT want to be a Crape Myrtle on our property. We have ripped out another one…

Everything I do Gonna be Funky, From now on….

COUNTDOWN TIMER WIDGET

 

It’s Official!

On September 28th, 2012 the Driver will forsake his business wardrobe for jeans, sneakers and plaid bus driver shirts.

 

If you see a guy bopping down the road singing this song, it will most likely be him.

The Retirement Song

Two more Campgrounds around Kerrville

First stop on our campground explorations day was Kerrville-Schreiner City Park run by the City of Kerrville. Your Texas Parks Pass doesn’t work here. They charge $4.00 for a Day-Use Pass, which we gladly paid. The camping closest to the river seemed a bit too tight for a big rig, but there was plenty of room at the sites on the other side of the highway.

There is a very good park map HERE, and you can see that the road and the river are very close. I’m guessing that traffic noise from HWY 173 might be pretty awful on a busy day, so we’d opt for a site further back toward the trails. This Park would be a great bargain choice, especially if you wanted to be in the area for a few weeks taking advantage of all the RV services available. Although hot as blazes in summer, the weather here in winter is magnificent. Things do book up with Snow-Birds, so plan ahead.

 

Next stop was Guadalupe River RV Resort, which was just gorgeous.

 

Some of us goofed off while the more serious made phone calls and listened to critically important radio broadcasts.

The verdant,  peaceful ambience, the cool flowing river bordered by lots of shady paths and charming swings make this the place we’d visit when next in Kerrville.

Buckhorn Lake Resort, Kerrville Texas

For reviews look HERE.

 

I might have been a little bit hard on this Lovely RV Park, giving it only a 7.5 rating, but we were disappointed to find no nature trails, highway noise and loads of people.

 

 

Still, it was pretty. The stream has fish and turtles. We swam, we biked, we did quite a bit of eating and catching up with our friends.

The pool was wonderful and the cottages were very nice, but unequipped, so plan on all meals at your rig if you have guests staying in one of the units.

Duke supervises while his Uncle JG sets the table for dinner.

 

Nice roomy sites in the Adults Only executive area.

Rather packed in like sardines over on the other side.

The view from the cottages and our friends on their Veranda.

 

We took a drive to check out the GUADALUPE RIVER RV RESORT and the KERRVILLE-SCHREINER City Park.

More on both in a future post. We preferred the overall ambience at Guadalupe River RV better than Buckhorn and will probably stay there when next we find ourselves in the neighborhood.

More Images from Cottonwood Creek RV Park

For a review look HERE.

The campground sites, situated on a little creek with lots of shade.

The cedar-mulched paths, the water-strider, the man and beast.

Simple things.

Pointy Things.

Pretty things.

Fascinating things.

And so close to Austin.

Go-Eat BBQ-Drink SHINER-Have fun.