Trip to the Beach

Finally!  We made it to Port Aransas Beach on the Gulf of Mexico.  We drove to the ferry (free, can't believe it!) and quickly were taken across to this great little beach town.

We went to I.B. Magee Park, which allows leashed dogs on the beach and you can drive on the sand.  (Very cool, but we got stuck in New Smyrna Beach on the sand, so we're hesitant.)

It was Carmen's first trip to the beach and she was curious, but frightened, of the surf as the video below will show.  Walked for a good half hour from the inlet to the fishing pier and back.  Had to be careful of Jelly Fish occasionally, but a great walk.

We were still in search of our "Toni and Joe's" from New Smyrna Beach, but no luck.  We did, however, find the Port Aransas Brewing Company, which had a great blonde ale on the menu and allowed us to sit outside on their patio with the pups.

RV'ers of a Feather.....

We've always noticed on all of our cruises that by day 2, we tend to see the same people in the same places we are.  That people of the same likes/dislikes tend to gravitate towards each other.

Such is the case in RV'ing.  Stay somewhere long enough, and sure enough, you'll start finding people of like interests.  Last night was no exception.

After getting the calendar and newsletter for the SeaBreeze RV Park, we noticed there was a social hour at 4p in the main hall.  We got there about 3:50p, stayed till about 4:10p and no one showed.  We're putting on our coats and see another couple with a cooler and a wine glass heading our way, so we stayed.  Turns out they had just gotten the calendar/newsletter and it was their first time at the social, too.

We stayed until almost 8p and had a fabulous time comparing our similarities that were many.  Small world, and we're not the only ones doing what we're doing.

Off to the Coast!

With all the tearing down to get the rig fixed, and cold, rainy weather forecast for Friday, we decided to roll a day early (actually our original plan) and head out from the Dallas Arlington KOA.

Pretty uneventful ride except for bumper to bumper traffic in Austin. Carmen and Sloopy are terrific to travel with, just curl up on the back seat and "let us know when it's time to get up."

Got about 5 hours down I-35 to a little north of San Antonio, where we'll stay in a Wal Mart overnight.  Up tomorrow, and our new home for six months:  Sea Breeze RV Resort.

Homeless (for about an hour)

Well, our first major "we've got to keep it overnight" repair happened to the rig yesterday.  As we changed the tire that blew on the way into Dallas, we noticed that the leaf spring was broken that supports the frame.  Not good.

We did a tear down on Sunday, but kept everything that normally rides in the truck on the site at the Dallas Arlington KOA.  We made reservations at the Candlewood Suites in Arlington because they were pet friendly, and had a full kitchen available in the suite.

Could have been one, two or three nights max, so we packed clothes accordingly.  Cleaned out the whole fridge and freezer, took a few kitchen essentials and headed out Monday morning for Dan's Auto Repair to drop the rig off.

We got Dan's info from the KOA's info flyer, and they were prompt to call back when we initially called.  About all you have to go on, other than internet reviews when you're in a different city.

After we dropped the rig off, we were suddenly homeless.  Room wouldn't be ready at the Candlewood Suites, and we were just driving around in the truck.  A truly weird feeling with no place to go.  Fortunately, the room was ready around 10a, they let us check in, and we didn't have to sit in the McDonald's parking lot too long after breakfast.

We weren't sure how Carmen and Sloopy would react in a hotel room.  They both chirped a few times (to our horror), but quickly got accustomed to their new surroundings.  We were able to work the rest of the afternoon from there, watched the Urban Meyer presser and Monday Night Football.

With good fortune, all parts were available, installation was successful and we were able to pick the rig up this morning (Tuesday).  Back to the Dallas Arlington KOA for a few more nights before heading to Corpus Christi and the Sea Breeze RV Resort for the rest of the winter.

OK with us if it's the last time, but now we know we can handle major repairs to the rig.

Thanksgiving

We decided to go to the Arlington Elks Lodge for our Thanksgiving Day Meal.  They had a nice carry-in (we took hash brown casserole), with plenty of turkey, ham, fixins' and desserts.  Our best estimate was about 70-80 people were there -- mostly those with no family in the area, those with family coming in later, or those who brought their whole family.  And us.

Afterwards, Santa paid a visit for those with kids and hung around afterward at the bar to say Hi to the honeys.  :-)

After our 1p meal, we returned back to the rig and "the girls" for the rest of the evening.

The Dallas Metro KOA was actually pretty full for the weekend, starting around Wednesday and continuing through the weekend.  Today (Friday) we started thinking about decorating for the holidays at the Sea Breeze RV Resort in Portland, TX.  Seeing what we had kept, moving things into the rig.

Repairs Happen!

Just as we did when we lived in a brick and mortar home, there are just stretches when nothing is going on.  Similar here in the rig.

Not similar are the accommodations that need to be made when repairs have to happen.  While changing the tire last week that blew on the way here from Nashville, we noticed the spring leaf had broken (which might have been the root of the tire problem).  A simple search of "broken spring leaf Keystone" got a pretty good rash of problems from around this era.

With the Thanksgiving holiday upcoming, we decided to take it in next Monday, which begs the question:  where are we going to live for a couple of days while it's being repaired?  Easy answer:  find a pet friendly hotel in the area and work from there.  So, we'll be taking the show to a local Candlewood Suites and hoping for a quick turnaround at the repair shop.

Carnival Magic FUN in Galveston

Our job has some really great perks.  As travel agents, we get to experience some of the new travel products when they first come out.  Last Sunday, we were able to take advantage of one of those opportunities and attended the Carnival Magic Inaugural event in Galveston.  The ship made its US debut after being put in to service in May in the Mediterranean.

This is Carnival's newest and largest ship.  It certainly is beautiful.  For those of you familiar with cruising, and Carnival cruises in particular, will be pleased to hear that there are many new features on this ship.

One of the most popular new features is the Red Frog Pub.  This is an island themed pub setting that even has its own beer (Thirsty Frog) brewed exclusively for Carnival.  The pub area has indoor/outdoor seating and a game area complete with Foosball table and darts to name a few.  There is also an area for live entertainment.

The Cucina del Capitano is another popular addition.  The Italian restaurant offers free pasta bar for lunch and a specialty menu for dinner for $12 per person.  The decor is lovely with a lot of photos and momentos from the cruise line's past.

The Sports Square is a great place for kids of all ages.  There is mini-golf, a Sky Course (ropes), Sky Fitness and Sports Court to keep everyone in the game.  Also, an interactive EA Sports area is located here.

The adults only Serenity area that was recently added to many of the ships has been expanded.  The much larger area comes complete with large cushioned chairs and hammocks.  A very relaxing place indeed.

As you can tell, I can go on and on about all the fun things to see and do on the ship.  We will be posting a video where you can check it all out.  More to come on that later as it is still in production.

The Carnival Magic will be sailing 7-day E. Caribbean and W. Caribbean itineraries from Galveston.

Fun for all and all for fun!