Beautiful Weather

Hello everyone and welcome back. I tilted this post for obvious reasons. The weather here in Branson has been wonderful. We have had some rain which is a nice change but the highs have been in the mid 80's and the lows around the low 60's. This is great weather for the up coming activities here at Compton Ridge. This weekend there is a convention called "The Fiddlers".

We have no idea what it is all about but they come here twice a year, spring and fall. We are hoping that there will be some time during the weekend that we can see and hear some of them. They are scheduled until Sunday. I am sure that we will get some pictures and once we do I will post them for all to see. We are looking forward to seeing them.

Yesterday, in preparation for the weekend, Roger asked us to help put up some canvass type covers. They were heavy and we managed to put up two of them. These covers are for the Fiddlers just in case it rains or just a place to sit and play the fiddle, I guess.

Here are a few pictures of us putting them up.

It may look like a disorganized mess but we were able to get them up with no body getting hurt.

It looks like in this picture that Roger is either hot and tired or he is thinking of what to do next or maybe he is thinking it is time for a beer.

We were able to get FREE tickets to go see the "Osmonds" last night. We have always wanted to see them and because of this job we finally did. There were 3 of them Wayne, Jay and Merill.
It was a great show and much fun to watch. Unfortunately we didn't think they would allow cameras in the theatre so we didn't get any pictures but we did buy the DVD of the show and a picture of us at the show. We got home around 11 so it made for a late night. Luckily we don't have to work today so everybody got to sleep in some.

Well not much more to say so until next time have a good one.



The Unofficial End of Summer

Here we are at the end of the summer holidays with Labor day in the past. Compton Ridge Campground was packed for this last holiday along with the lodge as well. From what we can tell the lodge only had 4 rooms that were not rented and the hotel at the main campground were all filled. We have been working with Johnny and Ginny since Joel and Linda left. They come on at 11 am and ask us what needs to be done. We come on at 9:30 am so we have a jump on them and usually have a game plan figured out. Now John and Ginny are off on Sunday and Mondays and we are off on Tuesday and Wednesdays which leaves only 3 days for us to work together. 

On Sunday we had so many refreshes to do that I think we lost count. We were able to get them all done including doing a turn around. We were busy for sure. On Monday everybody checked out of the hotel and lodge. To make a long story short, we were able to clean all but ten rooms at the lodge and didn't get to the main campground at all. There is no rush get everything cleaned because nothing is being rented for awhile.

Yesterday we started Bri on her home school. She seemed excited about it and had a good time. She had spelling words, reading a book, built a squirrel feeder for science, and did some clock work. Oh and also sent her grandmother an email. We switch subjects on different days like today she will do some math as we didn't have math yesterday. The whole homeschooling takes about one to two hours. Now mind you we teach all the time when the opportunity arises.

Homeschooling was a no brainer when we decided to go full timing. We were not happy with the school district that Bri was in. We had an ace in the hole, my brothers, Tim and John both home schooled their children. We discussed the subjects and found the necessary books to work out of. Now Bri has started her second grade and will progress just fine.

Speaking of full timing, what do you look for on the inside and out? Well before buying I recommend going to inspect your RV after a rainy day and bring a flashlight. Why? Because you will be able to see if the roof leaks in the smallest areas. Inside you want to make sure the layout is to your liking and will be roomy for you. On the outside, my favorite part, look for tire tread as well as the date code to see how old the tires are. On our unit we had great tire tread but the tires were made in 1996. Too old! So we purchased four new tires. What else to look for, hot water heater for signs of leaking and look inside the cabinets for the heater as well for leaking. Climb on the roof if possible, no you need to see the roof. Check out the storage areas for enough room and leaks. What about the propane tanks and the battery(ies)? Looks like there is a lot of stuff here to learn I know that I had to. Maybe we can talk about that at a later time. So until next time have a good one.

The Rain Has Come

Yesterday and the day before we had off from work. Thank goodness as there would have been nothing much for us to do. We go back today to get ready for this coming weekend and the weather is suppose to be just spectacular. Yesterday it rained for much of the day. It stopped just long enough for us to get the groceries in the truck and unloaded them into the trailer. We needed it and it was a nice change. They are forecasting more rain for today, so we will wait and see.

Tuesday night we had a potluck dinner we went to. I like to call it a monthly meeting with all of us and there just happens to be food there. I brought my famous potato salad, actually it is my mothers and grandmothers salad. There was plenty of food and company and it was all good.
I met up with Rachael and Daniel and talked with them for a while. They take care of cleaning the bathhouses here. They are the ones that workamp in a tent. Well good news they have purchased a tent trailer a few weeks back. They tell me that they are really enjoying the air conditioning. We will be taking over their job in November when they leave, so we will be working with them down the road to see what they do as far as their job.

Here is Daniel and Rachael. Great couple and easy to talk to. Good luck guys in your new RV.

Speaking of new RVs, how does one choose an RV to go on the road?
When Sherry and I decided that this type of life style will be in our future, we would go to shows mostly or take a day and go to different dealers.

So again how do you choose? A Pop-up, a Travel Trailer (Bumper pull), a Fifth wheel or a Motor home? You simply choose what will fit your needs is all that I can say. As you know in our case we chose the fifth wheel. 

We considered all the options, cost, room, living space, storage, kitchen, our bed position (that's a weird one), the bathroom setup, and so on. This home of ours fit our needs. OK now for the tough part, can I tow this beast.

The biggest thing that I have towed was our 26 foot bumper pull trailer. I think I have mastered that one pretty good, but a monster of a trailer like this fifth wheel.........Never! I have been told that once you pull a fifth wheel you will never go back to a bumper pull. Great but what about backing it in. When we bought the trailer and truck and got it home it took us about two hours trying to back this thing into the driveway. I thought what did I get myself into? With practice and getting advice I am a bit better at it.

In closing, consider all aspects of your choice no matter how silly it may be. Not only do we check out the inside make sure you check the outside as well. What do we check for there? How pretty the paint looks or are the tires still there and still black???  UUMMMMMMM.......

Until next time have a good one.

Back To Work

We went back to work last Sunday after being off for week. Now we are off today, Tuesday and tomorrow. Joel and Linda worked their last day on Sunday. There was not much going on but we all managed to stay busy, somehow.

Joel and Linda took off yesterday to head back home. He emailed me to let me know that they made it home safely. They have a busy schedule for the next few months and are expected back in Branson in mid November for a doctor's appointment. Unfortunately we think that we will miss them by a day or so because we will be leaving around that time.

Our work load is going to be heavy for this coming Labor Day weekend. At last count for the whole park there are 80+ arrivals and the lodge is filling up fast. We are to have help and I am sure that all will go well, tired but well. There will be many check outs but they all don't have to be done in one day. We can spread them out for a few days.

I forgot to mention in my last post that on our vacation we went to visit Silver Dollar City.  In case you don't know, this theme park is set back in the 1880's or so having people making things from that time period. The park was very clean and lots of shops. Bri got to ride a few rides and she loved them. My expectations were not met. I am not sure what I was expecting but when we left I felt disappointed. It is more of an outside mall of different craft stores and such. We did plan to go for two days but decided not to go the second. The most expensive thing we bought was lunch. I don't mean to bad mouth the place but just giving my opinion. I think everybody should experience the place once and form your own opinion.

Onto my other subject that I opened up in my last post. Sherry and I both feel that full timing in the RV was and still is the choice for us.

For us full timing was a choice we made many years ago when we retire. It just so happened that the decision was a little earlier, like 12 years. When I lost my job back in late of 2008 Sherry was kidding around and said "The heck with it let's just sell everything and go full timing." I looked at her and said that is a possibility. We talked more about it while I was still looking for work. We were out and about one day and saw this fifth wheel and decided to take a look. We looked at it and just kept looking at it. I think that's when we both knew that this is the path we were going to go down. I cashed in my 401k and we purchased our new home. Oh it also came with a Ford pick-up to tow it with.

Here is our home a 1997 NU-WA Snowbird, 31 foot.

I don't have much more to say now so until next time have a good one.

Vacation All but Over

Today is our last day of vacation. We are still trying to get of hold of Sherry's sister but not having any luck in doing so. We might try again today to see if she is home.

A couple of days ago we went to the Springfield Zoo. It was somewhat warm but we had a good time and Bri got to see many animals. She was very animate about seeing the hippos and that was the last animal she got to see. Afterwards we drove back to Branson to have dinner.

We went to a place called Mike's Steak House. Bri got her normal cheeseburger and mom and I got steaks, of course. The waitress was very attentive and gave Bri some crayons and coloring books. She told her that if she colored real nice and ate her dinner she would put her picture on the wall for her. Bri did a good job and now her picture is hanging on the wall.

Joel and Linda's time here is coming to an end. We think that they will be leaving this upcoming Monday. They have been the most friendliest people I think I have ever met. They are very helpful and very easy to talk to. We are going to miss them very much. Hopefully we will stay in contact with them and maybe get to meet up with them in our future travels. Good luck Joel and Linda and stay safe.

Now that just leaves Sherry and I to do the housekeeping. This upcoming Labor Day weekend shows over 66 plus guests coming in. We are not sure how many of them will be renting rooms but I am sure we will stay busy. We are suppose to have help if needed but we will wait and see.

Changing gears here, I have started to plot our course for our trip to Mesa, AZ this coming November. We are headed to Mesa to have Thanksgiving with my Mother. I wanted to make sure that we did not head into the mountains so I decided to head south in New Mexico, plus I hope that we will not get any snow or ice. I am sure that we won't but you never know what might happen.

We are looking to put the trailer in storage and stay with my mom while we are there. I am going to call my bother and see if his backyard is big enough and accessible from the street. Going this route we might be able to save a few pennies.

After Thanksgiving we will be heading back to Houston to spend the holidays with the rest of the family and catch up. We are also hoping to work another fireworks stand this year. We had alot of fun doing it and made a few bucks.

If you don't mind let me change gears again.

We have met people in the past and when we tell them that we are full timing RVer's we get answers like,"That sounds like fun", "I wish I could do that", or "That's what I want to do". My question is why not?

Now I know that in this economy this type of lifestyle may not be possible for everyone or is it. In our situation when I lost my job it was only natural for us to go down this path. I am very glad that we did. The stress factor alone did it for me. No more mortgage, electric and water bills and don't even have to mow the lawn. I just wonder why more people haven't chose this type of life style. Oh well maybe more on this subject later.

Until next time have a good one.

Tuesday, August 24th, 2010

Here it is the third week of August and the weather has finally cooled down some. This is great because we are on vacation for this week. We have some things that we will be doing and the weather couldn't be any better.

On Sunday we went to the "Butterfly Palace". It is a rain forest type place with a bunch of butterflies. Here are a few of them.

It was a great place but kind of pricey. Thank goodness we got a discount. Towards the end Bri and the butterflies didn't seem to get along to well so we left and went to get some lunch.

Yesterday we went to a place called the "Toy Museum". This place was great. Every type of toy that you probably played with was there. I think we were there about two hours. We saw a video about a famous author, Harold Bell Wright who wrote the book called "The Shepard of the Hills" which is about the surrounding area and Branson. I bought the book and actually plan on reading it.

We have been trying to get a hold of Sherry's sister but she has not returned our calls. We plan on going to visit with her but we have no idea how to get to her place. We are going to try again and maybe go see her today.

Well that's it for today so until next time have a good one.

Close But No Cigar

A couple of days ago our son Chris called and said that he was taking his wife Lauren to the hospital. Lauren is about 7 months pregnant. She was in a lot of pain and we were worried that they may have to take the baby. They did many tests and to find out she had a bad kidney and bladder infection. The baby is fine and they released her yesterday with medication and orders to take it easy. We made arrangements with Heidi just in case we had to take off for Houston. Now that won't be necessary.


Yesterday we went in search of Sherry's parents cemetery. I was there once before over 20 some years ago and didn't remember how to get there and Sherry was not quite sure of the way either. With a little investigation work we were able to find it with no problem.

She told me that her grandparents were also buried next to her mom and dad. The name of the cemetery is "Wrights Cemetery". Just wanted to put the name in there for arguments sake. We had a very nice drive home well to WalMart and finished the day grocery shopping.

We have to go back to work today and Joel and Linda are off today and tomorrow. The weather is still hot and humid but some relief is on the way by this weekend.

I don't have anymore so until next time have a good one.