CHINA TRIP WITH AKRON CHAMBER OF COMMERCE

 Oct 7, 2010: Our journey to China actually began when Robert arrived at our house to dog and cat sit about midnight. We loaded our suitcases and headed to downtown Akron to the Chamber of Commerce offices to board a bus for the ride to JFK. We were dreading the long ride but it turned out to be not so bad. By the time all the luggage was loaded we were under way at 2:30AM on Thursday the 7th. After a bathroom stop and a breakfast stop we finally arrived at JFK at 11:30, only to find that the Air China ticket counter did not open until 12:30. This did give us a chance to meet and chat with some of the others on the tour. Our group consists of 47 and once we arrive in China we will be divided and have two tour buses.

When we were checking in at the counter, we requested an isle and window seating. The young lady at the counter said she would do what she could and gave us seats 59 A and C. We boarded our Air China 747 at 4:45 and found that we were in the next to last row and had lots of room on the window side to stretch out. We backed from the gate at 5:30 for the 13 hour flight. While in line clearing through security, we saw the Washington Generals basketball team – the one that loses to the Harlem Glob Trotters all the time. And on board the flight was the Chinese National Woman’s Soccer team. During the flight we were served two meals and plenty to drink. We both managed to get some sleep, but did not want to get too much as we were to arrive late in the day.

On arrival in China at 6:30 PM on Friday, Marcel (from the Akron Chamber office) gathered us and directed us to our Chinese tour guide, Angie. Of course that is not her real name but when in school in about the 5th or 6th grade all students must pick a western name as they study English. Before going to our hotel the Crown Plaza, we drove from the out skirts of Beijing to a restaurant famous for its Peking duck for our welcome dinner.

After walking up three flights of stairs (no ADA here) we were served our first “lazy-susan” dinner of about 12 courses. This is “family style” dining with bowls and platters of various sizes and content. Of course this meal had to include the standard “sticky rice” which we found to be a standard at all meals. The dinner plate is the size of a desert plate so you just have to pile food on top of food – or eat just one thing at a time.

We were told to never drink the water or use ice. All drinking water, even for the Chinese is either boiled or bottled. They say it is because of ‘minerals’ the water is not safe for us to drink.

Peking duck is a 40 day old duck that has been specially fed and then roasted. It is about the size of a roasting chicken in the US. The duck meat is sliced very thin and then the carcass is used to make a soup.

We finally got to our hotel about 10:30 (what a place 5 star all the way!) and in bed by 11:30 for a 6AM wake up call to start our first full day in Beijing. That first full day will be Oct 9! Where did the 8th go??

Oct 9, 2010: This is our first day of touring and in retrospect difficult to describe all the amazing things we’ve seen – just so far. After breakfast we met Angie at our bus at 7:30 and started out. Though it is Saturday, the people are all going to work as the Chinese just ended a week long National Holiday so it is back to work for them. Generally the Chinese work five days and have the weekend off but this Saturday our tour bus had to share the ten lanes of traffic with many, many other vehicles. Although most Chinese families only have three members, many more families are opting to purchase a car rather than riding bikes. Yes, there still are large numbers of bikes, electric mopeds and some motorcycles but the number of vehicles and buses on the road is indescribable. We’ve seen lots of VW’s, Hyundai’s and a few Buick's plus a number of Chinese brands.

                                                       (Our Beijing Guide – Angie)

Chinese couples are ‘strongly encouraged’ to not marry until the female is at least 23 and the male 25. By waiting they get a monetary gift from the government. They are also encouraged to not have a child until the female is at least 24 and then only one child. This is what they call the one family one child rule. There are exceptions for certain minority groups but as a rule you see only one child and the grandparents handle child care. To own and apartment of 800 to 1000 square feet may cost the equivalent of over $200,000.00 – and then you only own it for 70 years.

Our first stop was the Temple of Heaven, built in 1420AD. This is where the emperors prayed for a good harvest. The building is huge and was constructed by using 28 large wooded pillars placed in a circular fashion of smaller and smaller concentric circles.

As most everyone lives in an apartment, many senior citizens come to the park each day for exercise. There is dancing, Tae Che, badminton, hake sac, singing and playing cards. Chinese woman can retire at 50 or 55 and men at 60 so this is the way many spend their early mornings. They all seemed to be enjoying themselves and all it all looks like they have a good life. However, only the wealthiest can afford to travel abroad and do other unusual things.

(Seniors play badminton - no nets needed)                          (Practicing Tai Chi - good exercise)

Our second stop was at a government owned jade factory. We had a full lecture on jade that was very informative. There are all types and colors of jade and true jade is a ‘living’ element that can change colors. In China many females ware a jade bangle (usually a gift from the mother) and as years pass it becomes darker and darker. If the bangle will fit over the first three knuckles of the hand, it will go over the hand – this is how the size them. It was educational and an amazing place. Many items made from jade, including some large dragons and flowers.

    (Carved from one piece of jade)
                                                                                            (Jade is not always green)

 Our third stop took us on a drive through the “suburbs” and into the countryside was one of

thirteen Ming Dynasty tombs. On the way we passed by small little gardens spots, orchards and an old Hutong village area. Most of the Hutong areas have been torn down, but the government has decided to retain some areas as cultural heritage landmarks – and tourist attractions. We will visit a Hutong residence tomorrow for lunch.

We did a lot of step climbing at the tombs which were built almost in the forest on the hillsides at the base of the mountains. It was a very peaceful. The weather was warm (about 68) but still the smog – or as they call it fog hanging in the air.

This is a good place for a geography lesson. Beijing is what they call a municipal province, sort of like a city/state. Though it is a city it is as big geographically as a small state in the US. It is near the sea to the SE and has mountains boarding it on the other three sides. Hence the ‘fog’ has no place to go. The picture below was taken at about 2 in the afternoon and that is the sun!
                            

After lunch we again boarded the bus for a ride to “The Great Wall” - one of the items on Judy’s bucket list. She had dreamed of walking on the wall for a long time and finally the opportunity was here. The wall is really a series of inter connected walls constructed as military barriers and built over a number of years. Along the wall are outposts for observation and defensive fighting. Several of these outpost buildings had central fireplaces. This section is northeast of the center of Beijing in the start of the mountains. When we arrived we had our choice of two sections to climb. The one to the left was very steep but shorter or the less steep but longer one to the right. .

Our goal was to climb to the "house" at the top of the hill in the picture to the left.       







Before the climb

We had one hour and thirty minutes to do the climb to the top if we desired. It was only about 85 steps up to the actual wall but another long distance and climb to the end of this section. The steps are of varied heights so it was difficult to get a rhythm going on the climb up.

We also came upon several loose stones so you had to be mindful of each step. About half of our bus opted to climb the longer less steep side, but only a few of us made it to the top. The climb up and then down was hard on the knees and the toes. It was hard but we were glad that we did it.


One of the long flights of steps



At the 'top'

  










At the beginning of one section there were hundreds of rusty pad locks hooked to a long chain. Angie said that couples getting married at the top, put there initials/names and date on the lock as a promise of their love forever. The keys to the lock are then thrown over the side into the brush. As an aside here we later learned that the divorce rate in China is nearly 40 percent!

On the way back to the hotel we went by the Olympic Village but it was too foggy and misty to get any pictures of the Birds Nest construction of the stadium or the bubble swim arena. The swimming pavilion was lit and was a beautiful blue shinning through the mist but it was too dark to get a picture.

Oct 10, 2010: We were on the bus at 7:30 for our first stop of the day – the Summer Palace where the “evil Empress Dowager” visited in the hot season. This is the Empress depicted in the movie “The Last Emperor.” Longevity hill was made from the earth dug out to form Kumming Lake around the palace grounds. Dragon boats were docked and there were beautiful walks and trees all around.



Dragon Boat for Cruising the lake

 

As you walk you pass by seniors practicing their calligraphy using a large brush and water. They paint the Chinese characters on the stone pathways.

After the Summer Palace it was off to the government run “Pearl Factory” where we again were given an informative presentation on pearls. This particular area is famous for its freshwater pearls and contrary to what some think, a shell can contain more than one pearl. The presenter opened a shell for us and there must have been a dozen small pearls inside.

A short bus ride took us to the Hutong Village area where we boarded a ‘rickshaw’ – actually a bicycle pulled unit – for a 30 minute ride through the old streets of the area. Tried to snap pictures as we went, just holding the camera on a knee and snapping and got some interesting shots. This cultural historic heritage location is being maintained not only for tourists but for younger Chinese to know how their city ancestors lived. It consists of hundreds of narrow alley ways which zigzag around and are flanked on both sides by densely built structures. At one time the area now containing the Olympic Village complex contained many structures similar to these and housed many Chinese. That area was “reclaimed” in order to construct all of the facilities for the Olympics.


Narrow streets and alleys

  

Ready for Rick-Shaw ride













Most all of the structures were connected and shared one if not more common wall. Every so often there was a small alleyway off the main road that appeared to lead to a courtyard behind the structure facing the main road. At the end of our ride we arrived at the home where we were to have lunch.

 As we entered the small house, grandpa was sitting by the door eating some soup and the 22 members of our group were ushered through a small room (about 6X6) into the house’s main room which was about eight feet by ten feet and had been configured with two large tables and stools. This is where we had one of the best meals of the trip. The father was Manchurian and their custom was to protect the emperor and they were Kung Fu experts. The host was a Kung Fu Master and he demonstrated some of the moves for us.


Sitting down for lunch





Kung Fu Master and host

 

His oldest son lives in Huston, Texas where he is a Kung Fu instructor. As he is a minority, the one family one child rule does not apply so they have two children. His family has lived in this dwelling for five generations and it was only recently that the got their own toilet. One of the families living behind them on an inner courtyard wanted to have indoor plumbing, but had to run the pipe under his house, so he was able to connect.

After lunch we went to the courtyard/playground and his youngest son demonstrated some additional moves with a sword.

Anytime we are not at a government building, there are lots of vendors (hawkers they call them) trying to sell all sorts of goods. They are hawking everything from umbrellas (if it is drizzly) to Chairman Mao watches (Mao’s hand waves), “silk” scarves, Rolex’s or whatever. You can haggle and bargain and the more you walk away the lower the price goes.

After our lunch in the Hutong Village it was off to the Forbidden City which was the home to 24 Chinese Emperors over the years. The city is actually a collection of courtyards and buildings containing 9999 room. It seemed to just go on and on with fancy temple type buildings some of which were used for nothing more than changing clothes.

The roof of the building edges contained carved animals with the number of animals indicating the rank of the building; eleven - those of highest rank could enter and nine - those of lesser rank. 


Count the animals on the edge

   

Center courtyard of Forbidden City


















From the Forbidden City it was a quarter mile walk to Tiananmen Square. It was on the other side of a ten lane roadway so we had to walk to the end of the block and take stairs down to a tunnel under the roadway and then steps back up to the square itself.

On the Tiananmen Square side of the wall surrounding the Forbidden City was a huge picture of “The Chairman.” Within the square on either side of a tall monument to “Hero’s” were two twelve foot high by at least fifty foot long jumbo-trons flashing Chinese slogans or playing short videos of flowers, streams, clouds and abbreviated performances of the ribbon dance done at the opening of the Olympics.

Behind the monument is the tomb of The Chairman, but it was not open for viewing this day. His body is on view in a glassed box and they say he looks just as he did the day he died.

Though this was a workday, the square was fairly crowded. It is said that one million people can stand in the square. The surface is made of a number of blocks about 2 feet by 3 feet and according to their calculations each block will hold two people so there must be five hundred thousand blocks in the square.

Chairman Mao over looking the square.

"Hero's" Monument is the mist

At the end of the day we visited another Chinese restaurant. Most of the restaurants we went to seem to serve mainly tourists and not just Americans. We finally got back to our hotel (the Crown Plaza – Beijing) about 8pm. Just in time to get ready for bed because the next day we are set for a 4:30AM wake up call.


Oct 11, 2010: We were up before the 4:30AM wake up call, but not by much, to prepare for the 2 hour flight to Shanghai. We boarded the bus at 5:30 and had a small bag breakfast to eat on the 45 minute drive to the airport.

Waiting to board for another flight

On our arrival at the Shanghai airport we were met by our new guide, Henry. Henry preferred to be called by his Chinese name Chai (like the tea). He was married with a 7 year old daughter in first grade. He had been working as a guide for 16 years. He was full of information and there was a difference in his approach and comments as opposed to our Beijing guide, Angie. He chalked it up to the fact that Beijing is the Capital seat of government whereas Shanghai is much like New York – the banking and financial center. Chai told us some interesting things such as how much the Chinese dislike he Japanese and he made some political comments that would not have been approved in Beijing.

Our first stop was the world Expo in Shanghai. The Chinese are hoping to out do all other Expos and Fairs in attendance. To help meet the goal, school kids from the city and surrounding area are being bused in for special days.

Expo Mascot - Blue Gumby?

The queue’s at some of the countries we wanted to visit were quite long (for example we were told that the wait time at the Saudi exhibit was 4 hours) so we dropped in to several of the lesser country pavilions. We particularly enjoyed the dancing and singing in the Belarus pavilion and ate lunch outside the Hungarian area.

The area containing the Expo had recently been a shipbuilding area and rice paddies. When the Expo is completed at the end of October, many of the buildings will be dismantled and returned to the country of origin. We were among the fortunate in our group as we did get to watch the daily parade through the main street of the Expo.

One of the busiest places in the Expo was the main food court containing of all things – a Pizza Hut and a KFC. KFC is the number one fast food in China!

KFC and Pizza Hut - Big om China!!

 Following our 3 hours at the Expo we boarded our bus for the two and a half hour drive to Suzhou – the Venice of China. Actually, Suzhou has more miles of canals than Venice! Along the way we travelled through some very rural county and our guide gave us a lot of information both personal and about the area, people, housing, economy and government.

On our arrival in Suzhou you could see many canals and waterways on the way to the boat dock. We walked down a narrow roadway to the canal edge and boarded a motorized launch for a 45 minute cruise through the canals. About halfway, we stopped near a 1400 year old bridge and got out and walked through a marketplace. It was a maze of narrow passageways and stalls selling all sorts of things.

We saw many different food items including vegetables, fruits, crabs, live chickens and ducks. Most unique were the trays of pig snout and chicken feet and some others we could not readily identify. It was a bit dirty and looked grimy but the people appeared happy and as they had lived this way for centuries, knew of nothing different. This is another area being maintained as an historic cultural district.

At many of the canals had been filled in and are now streets, but at the urging of I. M. Pey (who is from this town), the city government has ceased that and is trying to restore the canals. Yes the canals are still used for commerce as many of the streets are too narrow and winding for even small trucks to maneuver.

On our way back to the dock, the canal was lit with strands of lights and many, many red lantern balls. It made a beautiful sight.

After boarding the bus for our hotel we first made a stop for dinner at, of all places, a German “Beer Garden” for dinner. Our hotel was again five star, our room was more like a mini suite with a large sitting area separated from the bed by a large flat screen TV on a swivel – and again a glass wall separating the bath/shower from the room.

Oct 12, 2010: Tuesday we awoke in Suzhou and were rewarded by being allowed to not having to board the bus until 8:30AM. But most of the group was up early and enjoyed the views from the dinning room over breakfast.

We began our day with a drive and then walk through the Lingering Garden. It was a beautiful place and could have been very peaceful, except for the mass of tourists – most of whom were Chinese. Taking pictures was futile with all the bodies so we bought some postcards for about $2. There were many Ginkgo and Camphor trees and another tree with small yellow flowers that fell in the breeze and covered the ground like a gold carpet.

Our next stop was the silk factory where we again were given an informative lecture on silk and how it is harvested. We watched as cocoons were placed in hot water to first kill the worm and then loosen the threads. This was all done using an antiquated machine (certainly they have more advance methods now) which was manned by a number of ladies monitoring the threads as they were pulled from the cocoons. The threads were wound on to large bobbins for use later. At the next stop we watched as four ladies pulled a ball of silk thread apart to form the filling for a silk comforter.

Several ladies in our group, including Judy volunteered to try it and found it was no easy task.

As usual we were invited into a large showroom where we could purchase at a reasonable cost silk item. The big item was the comforter as these are what the Chinese use for covers. We had them on all of our hotel beds but actually found them a bit too heavy both in warmth and weight. As was the case at the pearl and jade factory, Chinese sales girls followed us around to assist, but they were not pushy.

Time for still another factory tour and this time it was an embroidery factory. As with the other tours, this place is a government ‘owned’ facility. We were simply amazed at the skill of the master sewers. It would take years and years to become a master and now only women do it. They may come from a family where the woman’s mother did embroidery and then they go to further schooling. It takes about 5 years of schooling before they then work as a ‘student’ learning more and doing more and more as the years pass. The masters are able to create beautiful works which are two sided and on some the reverse side is different than the front. All of the hand embroidery is done on silk using silk threads. Some of the larger carpets are done on cotton, using silk for the design. To further enhance the designs, a cutter may trim low spots in to borders or edges to give a three dimensional look. Some of the animal ones are so life like you can see the individual hairs sticking up. Cat’s eyes and fish tails are the most difficult to do as they are done with a single thread.

Our last stop today was Tiger Hill. An Emperor was buried on the hill in about 498 AD and the day after the burial a white tiger was seen on the top of the hill – hence the name. Because they believed that the tiger was the spirit of the emperor, they constructed a large tower in his honor. As the tower was made using only mud for mortar, over the years it has sunk on one side started to noticeably lean much like the Leaning Tower of Pisa, Italy. Interestingly, this tower predates the one in Pisa. It was a long walk up the hill to the tower and there were many plants and trees along the way.

After leaving Tiger Hill we boarded the bus for the two plus hour ride to Hangzhou. Again we travel through some urban areas as well as country side. We saw many independent houses leading up to Hangzhou which is a very rich and fertile area. The independent farmer homes were basic cube shapes but many had cupolas at the top of the 3 to 4 storied dwellings. These are where symbols are hung in memory of the dead as cremation is the norm – no cemeteries. In some cases the families keep the ashes of their relatives in containers in these rooms at the top. We saw many rice paddies and gardens. The paddies are actually small patches of maybe ¾ acre, no gigantic multi-acre fields.



As we arrived in Hangzhou we were given a ‘taste’ of home – we had Chinese pizza from Pizza Hut for dinner as we checked into our Holiday Inn. We had hoped to walk the shopping area near the hotel, but the sky opened and it poured rain for several hours. All of the areas we visited are considered safe at night if you want to go out to shop etc. Something interesting about the Holiday Inn was the third floor was the ‘spa’ – and it was operated by a third party and had a walk way connected to the adjacent building for ‘other activities’ should one want. We were instructed to avoid the third floor.



Oct 13, 2010: We started our morning in mist as we boarded the bus for the trip into a valley where the Longiing Green Tea Plantation is located. As we neared the center of the valley, you could see the tea plant/trees/bushes in terraced rows up the hill sides on each side of the road. They are planted in deep red rich soil. This valley is especially good for growing green tea because of the amount of humidity, rainfall and the matching proper amount of sunlight.

The tender green leaves can not tolerate too much sun.

Tea grown in the higher elevations has more caffeine and is bitterer than the valley teas. While at the tea plantation we were again given the ways and uses of teas. Green tea is to be consumed after meals as it aides digestion. Drinking it on an empty stomach can cause digestive and other problems. We were part of a Chinese tea ceremony and were instructed on the proper way to drink tea and to make full use of not only the tea, but the cups/glasses it was placed in.

Next on the agenda was the Lingyun Temple which features a 64.3 foot high carved camphor wood Buddha plus hundreds of other Buddha’s of different shapes, sizes and physical appearance. Many were symbolic as it seems most everything in China is a symbol of something. One hall contained over 500 Buddha’s and it is said that you can find your look-a-like among them. We did see a Ben Franklin look-a-like Buddha.

Our final stop was at West Lake for a short cruise. It was sort of a mystical ride, seeing the arched bridges, pagodas and such along the shore, shrouded in light fog. It would have been much more picturesque had the sun been out, but you have to take the weather as it comes.

At 3:15 we boarded our bus for the nearly four hour ride from Hangzhou back to Shanghai. Along the way we stopped at a ‘rest area’ which was much more like a strip mall. As we entered the Shanghai district we were stopped at the police check point and two officers entered the bus. Our guide showed them our passports and they looked at us curiously, but after a few minutes we were on our way. This check point would be like having to go through a security point travelling from Ohio to Pennsylvania.

There are no huge cell phone towers as you see in the US. Instead, they have many small towers located on buildings and factories. They do not take away from the beautiful scenery. They are not big ugly structures.

The Hangzhou and Suzhou areas are considered better off and have more millionaires than any other section of China. It is because of the high tech companies and software firms located there and these are clean (non-polluting) industries. Because of clean industries and the fact that the area is near the sea and beautiful, many rich Chinese have second homes in the area, even though they are extremely expensive. And unlike Beijing or Shanghai, we saw may free standing or single homes, not high rise apartment/condo buildings.

During the drive our guide talked about how Chinese society focuses on the children. Even though his daughter is only in the first grade he is trying to guide her to get the best education. She attends school from 7:30 to 4:30 three days a week and from 7:30 to 2:30 two days a week. He is concerned about the amount of homework she has each day and between he and his wife they receive a number of text messages from the school and teachers each day. Because of the one family/one child rule most households rely on grandparents for child care. But, because of the rule, early retirement and longer life spans, China is facing the same problems we are – an aging population. In fact there was an article in the newspaper about the 4-2-1 families – 4 grandparents; 2 parents and 1 child – and often they live together in one ‘house.”

On arriving in Shanghai we went to the Bund area along the river. On one side is new Shanghai with all its glitter, lit buildings, skyscrapers and signs flashing and scrolling down the sides of these 50 to 100 storied buildings. Unlike Beijing where no building can exceed 25 stories, there are many tall buildings in Shanghai including what Chai called the “bottle opener” – a large building with a multi floored opening at the top. The initial design had the opening as round, but that looked too much like the rising sun on the Japanese flag.

Five years ago the “new” side of the river was old China and rice paddies. On the other side of the river is the old or British/French financial area; old style 18th and 19th century buildings with columns, massive block and mostly drab sandstone.

Oct 14, 2010: Our last full day in China and we did not get started until 9. Our hotel was located in a tall building where the lobby was on the 25th floor! Our room was on the 32nd floor and we had a real view of the city. The lower floors contained offices and a seven story shopping mall.

We had breakfast in the hotel dining room and only had to sign for the bill – each breakfast was only 184 RMD or about $27.

 Views from the 26th Floor

 Our first stop for the day was a silk carpet factory. Again we had an informative session about silk and silk rug weaving. The more knots and finer the fringe, the more expensive the rug will be. Silk on silk is much more expensive than silk on cotton. A person could easily spend $20,000 for a room sized carpet. A hand made 4X6 silk rug may take a weaver six to eight months to complete.

We watched two ladies as they worked using very old looms and hand tools. The knife they use to cut the fine silk threads is hard steel they sharpen very often. We watched a ‘trimmer’ whose job it was to use old electric shears to cut in the depressed designs in a carpet. We moved on to a government showroom where they showed us lots of rugs and carpets, some of which changed color depending on what angle the light struck the threads. Not sure anyone in our group actually purchased any carpets.

On the way to lunch we again drove through the Bund again and stopped for a short look in daylight. The walk-way along the old side was quite busy with tourists and vendors. You could see all the old buildings were quite busy as this is the financial center of the country.

For lunch to day we were taken to a Mongolian Barbecue. Chai told us to take two bowls as we went through the line and be sure to fill them both to the top with different types of meats and vegetables. We took our bowls to the cooking station where they were grilled, chopped, mixed and diced. In the end our two bowls were enough to nearly fill one. It was good and everyone enjoyed it – a slight break from Chinese food.

After lunch was the Shanghai Maglev Train travelling at 431 kilometers per hour. It is an electro-magnetic train that moves about 10 millimeters above the track. It was designed and built by the Germans. The only problem is its pure demonstration train. It does not really go to a destination and runs only for tourists to say they travelled that fast.

We then had several hours to shop and be on our own in the Yu Garden which is basically the old town China bazaar – the Chinese version of China Town. It had many narrow streets and shops and store front sales places all over.

The buildings and streets were just as they were years and years ago. There were several ‘department’ stores in the area and hidden behind some secret doors was the knock-off store. The place where you can buy genuine (?) items made in China. What the factories do is if the order is for ten thousand Coach Bags, they make eleven – one thousand as ‘quality control’ and then they are sold in the bazaar.

 Even though it was a Thursday afternoon the walkways and stores were crowded. We did do a little shopping but spent lots of time watching the people, many of whom were Chinese tourists from other areas of the country. Some were from the areas near Tibet or Mongolia as you could tell their dress was different.

After dinner we walked next door to the ERA Show Multimedia Theatrical Spectacular – the first of its kind in China. It would be comparable to Cirque du Soleil (Circus Olay) in the US. Acrobats, fantastic juggler, elaborate costumes, lighting light ballet and ending with a dare devil motorcycle show in a steel ball cage. It was amazing how gestures and movements used are really universal performance language and spread across cultures.

Back to the hotel, repack and in bed by 11 for a 4:30AM wake up call for the long trip home.

Oct 15, 2010: Up at 4:15 and now carrying three bags for check in instead of the two we came with. We had packed an empty fold up bag, just in case, and we needed it. The bus pulled out at 5:30 and we drove through the city as the sun was coming up and it looked like it would be a sunny day in Shanghai. We boarded our plane for the trip to Beijing and again we were seated in the rear. But this time it was not a good place to be. We had a sick passenger a few rows up and the medics came on board and were treating him and we could not exit. Finally they realized that we were getting hot in the stopped plane and moved to the side so we could exit.

We had to clear through security again and that left us enough time for a quick cup of coffee and Internet check. Something interesting about the Internet; in the Shanghai Airport the connection was ‘open’ but in the Beijing terminal, you had to have your passport scanned to be granted a connection. After a short wait it was time to board our Air China 747 for the 13 hour flight back to JFK. This time we were seated in the very last row – row 60. We departed Beijing at 1pm on October 15 and landed at JFK at 2:15pm on Friday Oct 15.

After clearing through Customs it took some time for all 47 of us to gather our bags and move to the bus that would take us back to Akron. The ride to Akron took a bit longer than the trip to JFK. By the time we were loaded and headed out of the city it was 4:30PM – the middle of rush hour. It took us three and a half hours to reach the PA line. When we arrived in Akron at 2:15AM on the 16th the next group was waiting for our bus. By the time we got home and unloaded everything, we finally hit the bed at 3AM. A very long long day, but it felt so good to be home.

Last Blog of 2010??

Not much real travel this summer. Did our usual Memorial Day campout with the Rainmakers group and this year we were back at Friendship Acres. Next was a short two days at Clays Park with the girls. It is a real ‘water-park’ and we spent a lot of hours in the water. Unfortunately when you are in the water it is hard to take any pictures.


In September we took our first long haul with the Greystone as we traveled to Myrtle Beach, SC for 10 days. Son Jon and wife Jenny made the trip and spent the first week there. The trip down was without incident and the weather certainly cooperated during the stay. We had a rather noisy and large thunder storm roll through overnight on Saturday the Th, but after that the weather could not have been better.

This is where we were camped. Jon and Jenny were across the street in front of us.



The beach was very nice. Here Jon, Jenny and Judy take a break from the sun under our umbrellas.

On the 14th Jon and Jenny took us out for our anniversary. We went to Dockside in Calabash and had a very nice dinner.

When the tide is coming in the ladies like to sit near the edge and let the water slowly surround them.

On Friday night the 17th, Mark, Kyra and the boys arrived for the weekend. In the mornings Judy had both boys on her lap as they watched some early morning PBS programming.

Kyra even had some time for solitary reading as the water edged closer to her chair.

On Monday morning the 20th we headed home. After spending the night at Fort Chiswell, VA, we arrived at 2020 Tricaso at 2:30 Tuesday afternoon. Spent the next couple of days cleaning up the trailer and truck and taking care of the outside chores around the house.



As of now the next trip will be the big one south after the first of the year.

TRIP HOME

We pulled out of the park at 7:30 Sunday morning. Rather than drive over to Fairfield and take I45 NW to Dallas, we took Texas 14 to Corsicana and then meandered our way to the NE until we picked up I30 just west of Texarkana. It was interstate highway from then on. There were a couple of potential stopping points east of Little Rock (the camp/RV pickings are very slim unless you want to drive 20-30 miles off the highway. We had made such good time that we opted to move on to a place (RV parking by a Super 8) near West Memphis Arkansas. We did pull off and get right back on. The rains had made the place a muddy mess. We made it through Memphis and ended up spending the night at an old KOA that was part of a big mobile home park. Really didn’t want to drive on through Memphis during Monday morning rush!

The price was right and it was nearly 5:30 and we were ready for a break. The spot, however, was not a good one for connecting utilities. Right at the back of the Cougar was a big mud puddle and right in the middle of it was the sewer connection. We did manage to connect the water and electric and figured we could dump at the next campground.

Daylight came a little earlier on Monday so we hit the road at 6:30. It only took a few minutes to get on I40 and head toward Nashville. As is the custom we had several locations in mind for overnight stops. But we were making such good time that to stop before we hit Louisville would make a long evening so we pushed on. Our next plan was to stop at Wright-Patterson AFB near Dayton. As we crossed into Ohio on 75/71 Ester (the voice in our GPS unit) was guiding us. As we drove she kept trying to get me to take an exit, but there was so much construction it just would not work. Before long we realized we were only a few miles from I70. Judy suggested that we stop for a good meal and then just drive on home. So that is what we did. We pulled into a Cracker Barrel near Springfield, took Lilly for a walk and then ate. We were back on the road before 6:30 and at 9PM on Monday we were backing in at 2020 Tricaso. So that was the long drive home!

LAST WEEK - FORT PARKER

Monday March 22: Sunday we painted out the rest of the five gallons of paint they had bought for us. We were painting over cement board that had been painted gray and the not so expensive paint took two coats to cover it. So what we did was just put the second coats on and did not attempt to go any further. The weather did warm a bit ad dry out. As a reward for ourselves we decided to try the “Drilling Rig” restaurant in Mexia. Judy and Lois were hungry for chicken fried steak. They did not give it a five star rating. I tried their ‘gangpusher’ omelet and it was really good, loaded with all sorts of vegetables and ham and bacon. When we got back to the campground we took Lilly for a long walk. The wind was pretty strong but once we were in the woods it was fairly calm. There were whitecaps on the lake kicked up by the strong winds. Because all that rain on Saturday the water was really rushing over the dam.


Dan delivered another five gallons of paint shortly before nine so it was back to painting. The change from dingy gray to white certainly brightens up the rooms. By the end of the day we had three rooms completely done, but still have the main staff room, one bedroom and the bathrooms to do. When we stopped for the day, we had gone through another five gallons, so Dan will be of to town in the morning for still more paint. After hamburgers cooked on the grill and really good potato salad (Judy made) we ran into town to get milk and thread. She started here oopsie daisy quilt and needed more green thread. By the time we got back the sun was beginning to set. It certainly has moved to the north since we first arrived at this spot. Used to look straight out the door at it setting, now have to look around a big tree.

This is a ‘red bud’ tree just next to our camper.

They are very delicate little flowers.

Tuesday March 23: Another exciting day of a painting in the group barracks staff building. At the start of the day all we had to go was the last bedroom and the bathrooms. Bill went to work with the Kilz in the small half bath. While he was doing that, I scrapped the ceiling and upper walls of the shower in the other bathroom. He painted the baseboards and moldings and noticed the supply line to the toilet leaking so he called for Dan. I had just finished giving the shower the first coat of Kilz when Dan arrived. He tried to shut off the water and the supply line broke. Consequently we had a flooded bathroom. Took them a while to find the shut off, well not find it really. It was well marked but the gofers had been in the hole and had it filled with dirt and sand. Dan had to dig down nearly 18 inches with his hands to find it. At one time there were seven of us working in that small building!

Needless to say, we won’t be doing that bathroom. They finally fixed the supply line and re-set the toilet. We are down to the final hours on the building. That water problem caused us some delay so we spent a bit more time there than we had planned. Wednesday we just have to put a little paint around the light in one room, reinstall the curtains and give the remaining rooms a quick once over. Two of the three bedrooms we had finished, we cleaned and closed off.

Looking at a beautiful sunset across the lake. This is what our site looks like from the camp site next to the lake.

Wednesday March 24: Well, spring has arrived in central Texas. On her morning walk today with Lilly, Judy found some blue bonnets. There weren’t many, but soon the fields will be full of them – or so they tell us.

It did not take long to wrap up the staff building this morning. In fact by 10:30 we were back at the camper. All of the painting equipment paint and tools are now back at maintenance and they will have to deal with the bathroom at a later date. Even before we were finished the cook for the arriving group pulled in and began to unload. This is a group of Sonic Drive-In managers in for a two day meeting and session. Wonder what they will be eating?

In the afternoon, it was nap and read time for the females and GPS computer time for me. I needed to transpose the data from the GPS unit to one of the office computers. These are the locations for the various water mains and cut offs for the park as well as the electrical cut offs. While at it I logged in all of the wood duck boxes around the lake.

Bill and Lois depart in the morning to tend to their water damage problem. After they had their farewells with Tom and Dan we went to Billy D’s at the sale barn for dinner. Another thunder storm is to move in later tonight. It is a long line stretching from north of Dallas south to Del Rio. The main line should pass over us about mid-night. Will be anxious to see how much the lake level comes up.

Thursday March 25: The storm rolled through but didn’t last too long. The wind was pretty strong and carried into the morning. An interesting sight to observe is the lake level following a storm. You could see where it had raised some when we got up, but later in the morning it was even higher – all those creeks and streams flowing into the Navasota.

In the morning I found the instructions and permit blank required to place a geocache in a state park. Tom wants two and Bill made and painted two four inch PVC pipe sections for us to use. We have rough locations selected but will have to get the final approval before placing.

After a long morning walk we decided to go to the new property area to flag off another lot for Tom. He wanted to know for sure if some major ‘junk’ was located on a parcel they bought. Turns out it is not so the park can’t touch the stuff to clean it up.

We then checked out a location for a geocache Tom suggested.

In the afternoon I checked the Cougar tires and added a little air to two of them. The satellite service ended at midnight so the dish was broken down and packed away. We also sorted out all our painting gear and packed it for the trip home.

On our evening walk we came upon some bluebonnets in full bloom. The plant looks a bit like sweet woodruff but the flowers look like blue bonnets. This is a close up of one such blue bonnet.

This is a patch along the road. They say that when they are in full bloom, the fields and pastures are nearly blue with them.

It’s another quiet night in the campground. The sun was bright orange as it fell below horizon across the lake. We have two other campers in the park so we don’t expect any noise tonight.

Saturday March 27: Friday was a fairly lazy day. At 12:30 we had a big meeting about the Adventure Race on Saturday (more on that later) and we set off to place the geocaches. Tom’s kids had gotten us some more little items to put in them so we have a number of little goodies (beads, matchbox car, compass etc.). On Thursday we had scouted out the areas so it was not too hard to get them placed. Late in the day I went to the office and l finished updating the computer file with all the water valve and electrical cutoffs so that task is now completed. I also used their computer to log on to geocache dot com and list the two caches we had placed. I had a hard time finding the forms required by the TPWD but did locate them and completed two for the caches.

The park slowly filled with campers and folks for the race. The park is loaded with mountain bikes. With this race (check out tocoolracing dot com) there were two courses and single, co-ed, man-man and woman-woman teams/competitors. The short course takes 3 to 6 hours and the long 8 to 12. They cycle; paddle a canoe or kayak, and trek (walk/jog) a course. Along each way the have stations where they check in, receive a clue to the next station and at some have a task to complete.

We were up at 6:30 when there was a knock at our door. Two guys wanted to know if our trailer was where they were to sign in. So that started our race day.

This is the group at the 8AM start. There were 30 teams/groups so that meant 60 competitors. For the start they were linked to their partner at the ankle with a large cable tie. They had to run to a tree and grab their first clue and race back to the start line.

My job was to help with vehicle traffic (stop cars) on the old bridge when the cyclist moved from one part of the park to another.

If you look far across the lake you will see three of the canoes.

The three hours of bridge duty had some pretty dull times. I was able to do some reading between cycle groups and was able to take this picture of a couple of wild flowers.

After our time with the race, we went to the office to say our farewells and give Tom and Dan a short course on the GPS unit and what was loaded on an office computer. We received a wooden cut out of Texas with a plaque as well as a mini-mag flashlight. It was in a way sad to say our goodbyes, but we are ready to head out.

As Sunday we start our journey home, this is the last blog from Fort Parker. Most likely when we do arrive home and settle in, I’ll add a few comments about the trip home.

FORT PARKER - WEEK FIVE

Wednesday March 17: I’ve been a bit behind in working on the blog and not for any particular reason. Sunday part of the day was spent at the shop working with Bubba on adding a top to the Cushman we’ve been using. The park had two old battery powered golf carts that no longer would hold a charge. Rather than spend the $600 for batteries, the park is junking them. Another volunteer had taken the top of one and installed it on the center drive Cushman. Apparently the fiberglass top was in bad shape as he had replaced it with a piece of ½ inch plywood. It took some engineering and some welding by Bubba but it is now mounted and solid. At least it will keep some of the rain off and more for the summer, the sun. Judy worked on her sewing projects. We also spent some time doing the canoe and kayak thing. They actually rent the units at the park office; the renters then come to the old park store where we fit them with life vests, paddles and get the appropriate vessel into the water for them. At one point we had three kayaks and five canoes out.


Monday our task was to clean the group barracks buildings. They had been rented to a group over the weekend and a new group was to arrive Monday afternoon. This was not a deep cleaning, just sweep out and wipe down. Never the less, it was a real project and we finished about noon. Later in the afternoon, Tom stopped by and wanted to meet with the four of us at 9 Tuesday to give us a ‘small’ project we might like to work on. So at nine the next morning we all gathered at the office.

The park recently acquired most of a forty acre parcel at the south end. In the 40’s the area originally was divided into small lots to be used for vacation homes. Most of the lots were anywhere from 75x100 to 100x135. All but 15 had been purchased by one gentleman who turned the area into a hunting ‘ranch’ for ‘wild boar’– nothing more than domestic pigs gone wild and cause lots of damage, but that’s another story. Anyway there are no clear markings between most of the lots. The park does not own the entire area so they want to know where those lots are they did not purchase. They need to know what they can clean up and what they can’t. There is a lot of trash. In some areas there is fencing and in others nothing to determine lot lines.

They will be working on purchasing the remaining lots, but it will take some time. The area is completely over and under grown with brush and vines. We spent three hours and were finally able to find one fence line and the approximate location of three lots. There is so much ‘trash’ it will take a long time to clean it up, and some of it you can’t get to unless you hack through all the vines. We saw old coolers, lots of cans, an old air compressor and even a large (maybe 100 gallon) water tank – this was near the river and it appeared they were pumping water from the river for use.

This is what the area looks like.

There are several ‘cleared’ paths that run along new or old power lines.

Oh, forgot to add that as we were preparing to leave the campground, the right rear wheel on the Cushman started to come off. Apparently somewhere along the way the cotter key and nut came off. Tom drove us to the area and gave us a general tour of the area and pointed us to a start location. He said to call on the radio and he’d some pick us up.

As we were preparing to leave the area, the ladies decided to ride in the back of the mule back to the camp ground rather than call Tom.

That evening the sunset was uniquely different through the mist over the lake. Almost like one of the moon rise pictures from last year in Florida.

Today we all decided to take off. We did not much of anything all day. In the afternoon we took a drive over to FairfieId, a town located about 25 miles to the east. I did read through the Garmin GPS book and found a way to ‘project’ a waypoint so we may be able to use that to find other points.

Also tried to do some more work on the bikes but it is readily apparent that they both need major work. Judy’s will shift through maybe 3 gears and mine through 2 so we really haven’t used the bikes like we did in Florida.

Friday March 19: Wednesday the rangers had repaired the Cushman so we are back with transportation. On Thursday we headed back to the new property to continue our flagging. Using the GPS to project points made it easier than stretching a 100 foot tape through the brush. By using the compass headings of the map and the lot line distances we were able to fully flag off six lots and the back end of two. The weather cooperated and the sun felt good, but the composting forest ground hardened like cement on our boots.

The ‘red buds’ are beginning to pop out, one of the first signs of spring in Texas. Not at all sure why they call them red as they look more purple-pink to most of us. It is really “Cercis Canadensis” or Judas tree. Apparently it is a not uncommon small flowering tree that can be found in other area’s but in different colors. Soon the blue-bells will be popping up too.

This morning Bill and I went to the office to transfer the data to a chart for Tom. We showed him what we had done so far, but he would like at least one more lot flagged. Within the property is a 20 – 25 foot metal pipe tower (may have been a water tower), now laying on its side. He wants to know if it is on property the park owns, or one of the pieces they have to buy. Other than that it was a nice quiet day off. In the afternoon we took a drive to Groesbeck and then one of the “Ranch Roads” out of town. We turned on to a paved county road and soon found ourselves on a dirt road. We found some nice ranches and property as well as places surrounded by the usual Texas antiques (old vehicles, farm equipment and just plain junk). Tomorrow we begin our major painting project – the interior of the staff building in the Group Barracks area. Fortunately Tom has agreed to paint walls and ceilings a semi-gloss white so there will not be a lot of cutting and edging to do. The 10 windows will be fun though.

Saturday March 20: Awoke to light rain, but the forecast calls for heavy rain and dropping temperatures. When we looked out, no tents could be seen but there were still a few pop-ups. Shortly before 8, the wind picked up and the rain came – hard. We decided to leave the Cushman and drive the truck to our painting job. On the way to the Group Barracks Staff building we had to stop off and feed Dan, the Lead Ranger’s cats. He had ‘rescued’ four cats and they prowl the maintenance area. They have certainly cut done on the rodents in the shop buildings. We finally got to painting and it’s a chore. The paint does not cover the gray painted cement board very well and the rooms are quite crowded with two bunk beds in a 9X10 space. We will run out of paint soon and will not get any more until Monday. Ah well, the furnace works and it was warm to paint. A cold front is moving through following the rain earlier today. Sunday we may see 45 and the low 30’s at night. But, Monday it turns and nice again and it will be much much warmer.

The Rushes may depart early as they have had a couple of problems at home. Guess their sump pump failed and their basement flooded – again. Think this is the third time they have had this problem. Their basement is completely finished, so the carpet and pad are ruined and not sure about some of the furniture. If they leave a bit early, we will only have a couple of tasks to finish.

So much for this week and one more to go.

FORT PARKER WEEK FOUR

Monday March 7: Just a quiet lazy day around the park. After church we stopped at Jim’s Krispy Chicken and brought home lunch. Half a fried chicken and four fresh baked rolls for under $5. Had the chicken and green beans and beets from home. Late in the day we took Lilly for a long walk ended up at the office. We have a camper in who travels to shows and rallies with a food wagon. There had been a motorcycle rally in Groesbeck and they came in for that. He was going to cook up some of his ‘crispy’ fried apples if we wanted to order one. So we ordered two, on for the Rushes and one for us. It’s a whole apple cut into French fry lengths. The cuts are coated in cinnamon and then deep fries. The slices are put in a waffle cone that has been coated inside with whipped cream and then topped with more whipped cream. It was a good mid- afternoon desert. In the evening of course it was the Oscars.


Monday’s forecast was for 100% chance of rain – and it was raining lightly and we decided to go into Groesbeck for breakfast before starting work. We went to a little place – Mary’s Breakfast and Burgers – located off the main drag; another interesting eating place full of locals. You order at the counter and they bring your meal on a plastic plate with plastic ware…..no dishwasher needed. As usual in these sorts of places, the food was good and just enough.

We started work on the Rec Hall in the group area. It is all windows! I think Lois counted 36 but surprisingly only two broken panes to replace. Lots of screens need work though.

Because of the rain, we worked only on the inside. All of the windows and the ceiling fans are now clean, but we still have to do the rafters and lights. In the afternoon Bill and I went to the shop to take the top off an old golf cart. We are going to work out a way to mount it to the Cushman.

Monday night a real widow rattle rolled through about 8PM, lots of lightning and thunder and of course rain too. The family in tents below us left for a while but came back about 9. Sometime after midnight another storm rolled through, but the next few days are to be sunny and seasonably warm.

Tuesday March 9: According to the rain gauge at the office, we had nearly 3 inches of rain from the storms. The lake is rising as the waters from further north in the small creeks and streams flow into the Navasota River. The Navasota is dammed and forms the Fort Parker Lake, the 740 acre lake. By 9 the fishing dock was nearly covered and several of the camp sites were close to being flooded. At noon it was covered and by 3:30 the water was near the top of the bottom railing.

Here the water is encroaching on several of the camp sites.



Thursday March 11: Wednesday we took a day off as we are technically ‘on duty’ on Saturday and Sunday as park hosts. In the morning, however, Jon spent 2 hours going around with Dan (Lead Ranger) finding water valves and shutoffs and marking them in the GPS. Later he has to enter all the data so they can find these items or at least get very close to them. In the past they have ‘lost’ shutoffs and had to dig up larger areas to find them. Later we took the long ride to Waco as Lois and Judy need to secure some sewing items. We located the Hobby-Lobby and a couple of other neat places before enjoying a nice Tex-Mex restaurant. One of the finds was a like new pair of Crocks – the real thing – and the right size for Jon. He now joins Niko and Aleskie is wearing them all the time.

The level of the lake has finally gone down, but not back to what it was before all the rain. As you can tell from this ‘after’ picture there is a dramatic difference. Roughly the lake had come up almost three feet. So for the mathematicians out there, how much water was it – figure 740 acres and 3 feet of water???

Thursday we finally finished all our work in the group barracks buildings. They Rec Hall required more screens and it was a bear to clean. It has open rafters and the spider webs and nests were all over. We thought we were done when Judy turned over a bench so Bill could tighten up the legs. Whoa Nelly, lots and lots of spiders. Guess that is where they all fled to as we cleaned. So Judy took the handy dandy sweeper and worked on all the benches too. By the time we finished and returned all the cleaning gear we were ready for another day off!

Saturday March 13: On Thursday the USPS brought a nice package of mail and a phone from Matt. He sent us one of his old AT&T phones so we could activate it and get cell service. So Friday we decided to see what we could do. At first we were just going to make another trip to Waco, but while Judy and Lois were on their morning walk, found a neat little town about 35 miles south that would be on our way to Temple Texas, where I found and AT&T Corporate store. So we headed off for Marlin. Marlin was a big tourist attraction in the middle of the last century for a hot spring mineral well was drilled in the center of town. Now they were not’t looking for a hot spring, just a well, but this warm mineral water flowed out. A pavilion was built and people came from all over to drink and bathe in the waters from the spring. It was said that drinking two cups of this mineral water would ‘thoroughly cleans the body’ and heal many afflictions. The spring is still flowing and the water certainly warm.

Judy discovered that the mineral stains on the side of the fountain rub off her jacket. It’s really just a salt and rubs off.



We finally did find the AT&T store in Temple, which is a very big city really. Esther (the voice in our GPS) is a bit out of date as they have put in some new highways in the past two years. Anyway, the young lady was very helpful and we are now switched to AT&T. We have our same number and she did transfer in all the numbers too. We are still learning how to use the phone, so if you get a call from us and no one is there, please understand. I did find the instructions on the Internet and downloaded the entire book. This morning printed off a few of the pages so we can know the basics anyway. It’s good to have cell service again.

On the way home from Temple we passed a sausage house in Zibciksville (lots of Germans settled in Texas) and decided to check it out. It was both a retail store for the packing house and a restaurant. The store had all sorts of sausages they make along with some cheese. In wondering about before buying we found packages of Amish noodles…..Mrs. Yoder’s made in Millersburg, OH! Can’t get away from those Ohio Amish!

Saturday afternoon we visited the Confederate Reunion Grounds. It is about 3 miles from Fort Parker and used to be run by the park. It is now operated by the Texas Historical Commission and they’ve put lots of money into it. They have a full time staff of four, where Fort Parker had to take care of it with their normal park staff. It’s an interesting place as it has had three different ‘lives’ and uses over the past 120 years. But that is a story for another day. In the evening we had a campfire and cooked ‘chubbies’ from the sausage house over the fire. It was fun watching all the campers and kids. In the shelters next to us there are several families (looks like all related) with nine little kids under five. By 10 the campground is all quiet with nothing lingering in the air but the smell of dying campfires.

So much for another week at Fort Parker.

FORT PARKER WEEK 3

Tuesday March 2: Sunday was moving day. After church we finished putting things away and hooked up for the long move from the maintenance area to the campground. The weather was very cooperative and backing into the spot was not too bad. By late afternoon we were all settled in. Lydia has more sunbeams and Lilly has some new smells and views too. We are along the main road into the camping area so on the weekends we will have lots of traffic passing us. This is our new home location for the next month.

After we moved in we walked up to get our bikes and talk to Tom about our duties now that we are in the campground. He told us to just keep doing what we are doing, but he would like us to be ‘available’ on the weekends when campers are in the park.

This is the view of the sun setting across the lake from us.

Overnight Sunday into Monday it began to rain – and rain hard at times. By the time we were ready to start work it had let up some. We decided to work on the inside of one of the cabins rather than working on the outside of the dining hall (we had the windows to take care of). It was not a nice day so we knocked off early. In the afternoon Bill and I went to the shop to make some repairs to a ladder and gather some more materials. Tuesday it was chilly in the morning but the sun came out and it warmed up nicely. We finished the cabin and moved on to wrap up the outside of the dining hall. We did not’t complete the dining hall as we found more broken windows to replace. Replacing the glass with Plexiglas can be a pain. Most of the problem is getting the old glass out as the window stiles are so old and thin.

Wednesday March 3: We were slow moving this morning so instead of Judy and Lois walking Lilly, we walked to the Rush’s for coffee and discussion on our work plans. Judy and Lois have been walking Lilly each morning. They turn on the walkie-talkie’s about 8 and make a decision on time for the walk. Today none of us felt like doing much too early so we did not get started until nearly 10. We used up the cut plexi on some windows in the dining hall and finished the inside cleaning. We have two more panes to replace, but will wait until we know how many more need to be cut when we do the last cabin. We finished the last bath house and moved everything to the last cabin. In the afternoon, Judy sewed and Jon went to the shop to repair 3 screens from the bath house, do laundry and spend some time in the office. Need to download all the old waypoints from the park’s old GPS unit so they can be put into the new one. In the evening we played another game of canasta and the ladies won again.

Thursday March 4: Another beautiful day, though still a bit chilly for Texas. On the way to the group area, stopped by the office and gave the GPS unit another try. Was able to download the data to a PC so at least it is safe for now. Someday I’ll spend some time in the office working on separating it and then get what we want loaded into the new park GPS unit. Next week one day I’ll go around with Dan and we will locate all the water valves, hydrants and electrical shut offs.

We worked on the last cabin today, and it was the messiest! It is mostly in the shade and there were big, thick cobwebs between the screens and windows. Speaking of windows, we had to replace 7 panes. We pushed on through and finally finished it and Bill installed the last two panes in the dining hall about 1. We rewarded ourselves by heading up to Kirby’s BBQ, about two miles north of the park. When we were here five years ago, it was located closer to Mexia in a very old building with more outside than inside seating. We will definitely have to return for lunch again. It is only open for lunch hours – mainly 10 to 3, except on Saturday when they stay open until 5. As an aside, when President Bush (the second) would be on his ranch near Crawford, the agents would come to Kirby’s for BBQ.

Now that the cabins are done and all that is left is the Rec Hall, Lois wanted to count the windows they have washed. Four cabins with 16 windows each with each widow having 12 panes….got tired trying to do the math!

Anyway it is a sunny lazy afternoon with the animals sleeping in the sunbeams and Judy busy cutting quilt squares. From the looks of it, we will have another pretty sunset over the lake.

Saturday March 6: Friday we decided to just take it easy. As we are now a ‘Campground Host’ we are to be available to help campers as needed and the Group Barracks area is rented and we were not sure when the group would arrive. We needed to do a load of laundry and I needed to do some more work on the GPS data so That occupied my time on Friday and Judy took care of more oopsie daisy work. It was such a pleasant afternoon so we built a fire and sat around with the Lois and bill having a few snacks and watching the sunset and a few campers come in and set up. All in all it was a relaxing day.

On Saturday we took Lilly on a long walk and picked up trash along the way. By the time we got back to the camper it was near lunch and we decided to head into town to check out a store we had learned of and get some lunch. After lunch we picked up some equipment to replace a trail maker and headed out to replace it.

Seems like I am forever driving in trail markers!

Later I tried to do some more bike adjustments (both our bikes need a serious tune up by a professional) and Judy and Lilly enjoyed the sunshine.

Tomorrow starts a new week. The weather has warmed and we are nearly done with the barracks buildings! Well the cleaning part. We still have to paint the interior of the staff building.