tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14087915452251708712024-02-21T09:51:14.388-08:00John and Penny's AdventuresPenny and John Barryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08852770594505973139noreply@blogger.comBlogger89125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1408791545225170871.post-50209068317421770022013-01-26T10:19:00.002-08:002013-01-26T10:19:28.261-08:00Her Dog is Her Brother?We have interesting neighbors at our park. There are three generations, grandma called Red because she loves her red hair, Nicki, who is mentally slow but warm and friendly, and then Marie, almost twelve and delightful. Well Red takes her dog for a walk every night. Seriously. She carries it. It's a small breed and I guess they just get air together. Not sure. Marie told me she can't pet her grandmas dog. Um. Ok. Red also walks her cat. Again carrying it. They have two cats. Then they have another Dog. Kind of a mid size terrier kind of dog. We think its name is Brother. They refer to it as Brother. "Take Brother out to poop" I just heard and the bigger dog came out with Nicki. Now she did tell him to not hump, just potty. Good to know. So after Nicki gets back inside Red yells "Brother look what you did!" I am assuming Brother was embarrassed. And Nicki explained, " I watched his butt and I thought he was done." Yeah, I love sitting outside and enjoying nature. ---PennyPenny and John Barryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08852770594505973139noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1408791545225170871.post-10779486804478453342013-01-23T08:07:00.001-08:002013-01-23T08:07:36.188-08:00Wild LifeWe visited Blue Spring Park and saw manatees and a couple of alligators. It is a spring-fed pool of water and the day we were there they recorded over one hundred manatees. The spring flows into the St. John's River. Below are two photos of manatees and one of one of the alligators. Wow!! Florida is cool. ---Penny<br />
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<br />Penny and John Barryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08852770594505973139noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1408791545225170871.post-80931960418128430862013-01-23T07:54:00.001-08:002013-01-23T07:54:28.002-08:00LighthouseWe have been investigating and exploring the area around where we are camped. We are in an RV park with our 30 foot motor home (Class C) that is getting smaller and tighter as each day goes by. So, we have to get out and explore!!! Yesterday we drove our car on the beach at New Smyrna and enjoyed the ocean view from the front window of our car. It was chilly and windy so we just rolled down our windows and were amazed at the tide, the birds, the smells and the sounds. Then we drove to Ponce de Leon Inlet to see a famous lighthouse. John was able to walk halfway up the lighthouse and I stayed below. There were several out buildings to explore and it was great reading the fascinating history of the area. We enjoy lighthouses so I bought a map of all the lighthouses in the United States. We have seen ten in Rhode Island and several in other states. Below is a photo of the latest lighthouse in our collection.---Penny<br />
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<br />Penny and John Barryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08852770594505973139noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1408791545225170871.post-23782556293769890302013-01-23T07:40:00.002-08:002013-01-23T07:40:54.412-08:00Cottage on the CoastDear Sweet John arranged for two nights at a cottage on Ormond Beach for my birthday. What a gift!!!! The ocean!!! Below is a photo of our cottage and the second photo is the view from the picture window in our living area looking out over the beach. The third photo is of the sunrise the first morning from outside our door. Now, how can you top that next year, John???<br />
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<br />Penny and John Barryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08852770594505973139noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1408791545225170871.post-89504602114951176452013-01-07T16:38:00.007-08:002013-01-07T16:38:57.374-08:00The leader in the clubhouse is .....John here.<br />
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We started our trip this year on Christmas morning. It was a good thing, too. If we had left a day before or a day after Christmas, we would have been in trouble, weatherwise. Poor Penny was sick with a bad cold all the way down, but made it down here in one piece. The park we are at, High Banks, is a very nice park in Debary, Fl., which is about 40 minutes from Daytona Beach and 1 1/2 hours from Tampa. It has a nice restaurant and a boat dock, with fishing available on the St. John's River. I would say we might be here at this park the entire stay unless something really attracts us. <br />
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Park activities, so far has been a dud. We went to an ice cream social and only five people showed up and that included the activity director. In Texas, the number would be 40-50 easy. They play poker here, but like in Texas, women are not allowed. The people are friendly though and the huge majority of the folks here are full time residents. There are several golf courses nearby and one, Glen Abbey is only $26 for 18 holes. <br />
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We got over to Daytona Beach Kennel Club last Thursday to play in a poker tounament. All of the dog tracks in Florida have an Off Track racing facility and a poker room. The one in Daytona is fairly large. We didn't cash as Penny finished 10th and I went out in 9th. Went we left the Kennel Club and got on the main highway heading back to Debary, we looked up and there was the main grandstand of Daytona International Speedway. Hopefully sometime on this trip, we are going to take a tour of the Speedway.<br />
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Today, we met up with our good friends from Decatur, Barney and Margaret Foster. Penny said I was so exited, I was chattering like a little kid. I guess so, since I was exited to see a friendly face from home. I was happy to see barney, also.<br />
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So far, I would say that Texas is in our rear view window. There is so much to see and do here. We are looking forward to the rest of our adventures here in Florida.Penny and John Barryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08852770594505973139noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1408791545225170871.post-59398925020454805742013-01-06T16:05:00.002-08:002013-01-06T16:05:43.914-08:00Snow Delivery and JessicaToday is Sunday and we decided to attend St. Anne's Catholic Church in DeBary, Florida. It is a five minute drive from our RV and very beautiful. There are two priests. After mass a lady sitting in front of us stopped to talk to us for several minutes. She is originally from New Jersey but has lived down here for a lot of years. She told John he should join the choir! As we walked out together she introduced us to the priest from Nigeria. He has only been a priest for less than six months and has spent four of those months in this parish. When we told him where we were from he understood we were from Chicago. After several attempts to explain we just said, yes, close to Chicago. He relayed a story of some parishioners who traveled to New York for the holidays. They brought him a gift of a bag of snow! He had never seen snow in his life and was thrilled to touch it.<br />
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The other priest, Father Peter, was born in Belfast. When we introduced ourselves and when he heard the last name Barry he was thrilled that it is such a good Irish name. We chatted for several minutes....okay John started talking for several minutes....and finally Father Peter said, oh, yes, the Irish love to tell stories. We laughed and left. Luckily John can take a hint.<br />
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We decided to stop at Steak and Shake for a quick lunch. Wow, it was crowded with a line to be seated. Luckily we were seated fairly quickly and our waitress was Jessica. We had no problems getting what we ordered although we tried to make it complicated. She kept checking on us, putting her hand on johns shoulder and asking if everything was ok. He finally asked why he was getting so much attention and she said, well, you ordered a lot of food. Lol. No, just a sandwich and fries and a drink.<br />
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She stopped again and asked how we were doing. John mentioned we were here for the winter months from Decatur, Illinois. Oh, I have an uncle who lives in Springfield. Is that close, she asked. At least she knew we weren't in Chicago. Then things became strange. She said her uncle lived by some fields and there were things growing in them, like maybe corn or something. John said, Jessica, that is called a farm. Then she said he had a long path to his house. John explained it was a lane. She really had no idea that she had visited a farm. John told her next time we eat there we will ask for her again and explain to her about farm animals. We were laughing, all three of us, she was enjoying the banter. Such fun we are having in Florida.<br />
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Oh, and it was 81 degrees. Whew. This is the sunshine state!Penny and John Barryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08852770594505973139noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1408791545225170871.post-11838606419514639062013-01-06T15:24:00.000-08:002013-01-06T15:24:30.380-08:00A Merry Denny's ChristmasOur grand plan this year to escape from Illinois for the winter months was to leave Christmas morning. We had a great family celebration on December 22nd with all our children and grandchildren. We had so much fun that we will do the same thing next year! So Christmas Eve we spent undecking our halls. It was sad but we didn't want to undecorate when we returned in April.<br />
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Christmas morning we planned to leave at six am. Getting John out the door on time is mostly impossible but we got on the road at 6:45! For John that is close enough to six.<br />
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We started down the road each driving a vehicle. I selfishly drove the RV and John rocked in the car with his Sirrus radio playing too loud. We stopped in Effingham to eat breakfast. What was open? Only Denny's. okay. They are breakfast pros. We ate and drove on, heading to Florida...that magical place far, far away. When we decided to stop for lunch, what did we find open? Um...only Denny's. so we had lunch there and took off again. We decided to stop for the night in Columbia, Tennessee. We stayed in a motel as it was still chilly for the RV. They were having storms, tornadoes, snow.....yikes. And, of course, there was a Denny's close by. But also an Arbees so we were saved from another meal at Denny's!<br />
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We spent an anxious night, not knowing if we would be able to leave or have to spend another night because of the storms and snow. We got up, watched the weather and took off! We drove through some rain and one snow squall but basically the roads were fine.<br />
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The next night we spent in Dothan, Alabama. Still in a motel but getting closer to warm weather.<br />
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John and PennyPenny and John Barryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08852770594505973139noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1408791545225170871.post-14896572049133252902012-10-03T19:31:00.004-07:002012-10-03T19:31:59.291-07:00Plimoth PlantationSo we drove to Plymouth and found a quaint recreation of an actual village in the 1700s called Plimoth Plantation. It was fascinating. There was a recreation of an Indian village and the people portraying the Indians were actual Indians from that tribe. They answered questions and spoke in modern times. They are teaching their children their Indian language and hope to have a school running by 2015. Fascinating people and fascinating stories of their culture.<br />
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The second part of the village was the settlers cabins and other buildings. The speakers spoke as if it was a day in 1740. They would answer questions but only based on the knowledge they had at that time in history.<br />
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We also were able to tour the Mayflower II, a ship that was made from the actual blueprints for the first Mayflower. It was made in England and sailed over to the United States. It is still able to go to sea and does for special occasions. The crew on board are also dressed and respond from a date in the 1700s. John talked to one guy who was portraying a fisherman. When the young man asked John what he likes to catch, John said trout and the young man did not know what trout was. Another one spoke of the animals they had in the village and spoke of a new animal they had heard about and hoped they could domesticate....a moose. Very interesting and learned a lot. John and Penny<br />
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<br />Penny and John Barryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08852770594505973139noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1408791545225170871.post-48093255988955905192012-10-03T19:16:00.000-07:002012-10-03T19:16:05.905-07:00Plymouth ROCKWe visited Plymouth and saw the actual ROCK!! You know, Plymouth ROCK!! Only it turns out they decided that was the actual ROCK about 120 years after the Pilgrims landed....one guy said, yeah, I think they got off the boat over there, by those rocks, maybe that rock, yeah, it was that rock...so they moved the bottom part to another location....then like 80 years later they moved the top part.....and then more years later they put the two together to be the big ROCK and then years later they put up this shelter and ta-da... here is a picture of the actual, most likely, almost guaranteed, PLYMOUTH ROCK!!!! John and Penny<br />
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<br />Penny and John Barryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08852770594505973139noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1408791545225170871.post-36598134780351539892012-09-30T19:45:00.001-07:002012-09-30T19:45:06.361-07:00Cave of the WindsWe noticed the red walkway from the Maid of the Mist boat. What was it we wondered? Here is a photo of what we saw from our boat. Looks interesting.....<br />
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Then we got a chance to visit the Cave of the Winds. First we took an elevator ride to the walkway and then we hiked up the steps. The whole while we were getting hit by spray from the falls. We don't have any photos from the top as we were getting hit by water so hard and fast that we were afraid it would ruin the camera or lose it in the spray. What a view. What an experience. It felt like we were walking into the water fall. Did I mention incredible???? John and PennyPenny and John Barryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08852770594505973139noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1408791545225170871.post-5137936039713300432012-09-30T19:37:00.001-07:002012-09-30T19:37:37.615-07:00Niagara FallsWe have been blown away by Niagara Falls. It is breath taking...there are no words to describe it....this is from the U.S. side looking at both water falls and the city to the right is in Canada. The noise is very loud. <br />
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You can barely see a boat at the bottom of the Horseshoe Falls......we took a boat ride and sat in this spot for several minutes. </div>
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Here is our photo from the boat as we stayed there for several minutes. The noise, the water spray, the cold water.....it was all so very powerful and a wonderful experience. We highly recommend it. John and Penny<br />
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<br />Penny and John Barryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08852770594505973139noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1408791545225170871.post-11614952729631543062012-09-30T19:28:00.000-07:002012-09-30T19:28:08.464-07:00A GeneralWhile we were in Niagara Falls John attempted to take control over a squad of fighters. Here he is giving them commands....I was not allowed to record those commands.....but he was determined....like a general I think......<br />
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Doesn't he look tough? He is giving orders....and here are his soldiers.....<br />
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After a quick snack of chips, they all flew off to do as John requested.....<br />
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<br />Penny and John Barryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08852770594505973139noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1408791545225170871.post-30134996004729378932012-09-30T19:07:00.003-07:002012-09-30T19:07:41.476-07:00Cheers From BostonCheers from Boston!!! We took a tour of Boston on a tour trolley. Wow!!! What an adventure. We bought a two-day pass and will go out again tomorrow. Our tour also included a boat ride around the HA-Bur......We were able to board and tour the U.S.S. Constitution. And we had lunch here......recognize it???<br />
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Actually we had lunch at the recreated Cheers in Boston...this is the original site that Cheers was based on.<br />
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Cool building in downtown Boston....um....I can't remember what building it is....but cool....<br />
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So tonight we are exhausted from all the fun we have had. John and Penny<br /><br />Penny and John Barryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08852770594505973139noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1408791545225170871.post-80459649184099630472012-09-27T12:24:00.001-07:002012-09-27T12:24:46.382-07:00New York----Day TwoWe stopped at the first rest stop in Pennsylvania early this morning and saw a gaggle of highway patrol cars. Ok, there were six or maybe eight. They were all parked in the truck/bus area, several on their phones, looking down the entrance ramp. We finally figured out that one of the Presidential candidates must be headed our way and going to get their new state escort....so we left quickly.<br />
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Poor John. This morning he went to get coffee for the two of us to find that there was no coffee made. He stopped at the desk and the clerk was on the phone. Now, there is no confirmation whom he was talking to but John insists he was talking to his mother in India. Finally the clerk said, in English, "may I help you?" John said, yeah, there's no coffee made. The clerk smiled and said, "oh, I forgot. Would you make it?" So John was quickly trained on making coffee. (Open the drawer to the left, pull out a coffee packet, put the packet in the tray, and push the button-----now you are trained.) so John made the coffee. Since he was bringing two cups back to me he interrupted the clerk again to ask for lids. "Oh, we only have lids for the big cups." So John returned to find big cups. No such luck. He returned to the clerk and interrupted his phone call again. "Where are the big cups?" The clerk responded "oh we are out of the big cups." John filled the small cups and brought two to me and two for himself. As he left he told the clerk to say hi to his mother. Geez.<br />
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So now we are in our hotel just a mile from Niagara Falls. We are heading out soon to do some sightseeing. We are planning the boat trip to the falls tomorrow. We got things unloaded from the car and John went back to the car for a few more items. There is no elevator and we are on the second floor. While he was gone, I cranked up the air to cool the room. Well, it is efficient. By the time he returned I even thought it was cold in here. As he came in the room I said "watch out, you might freeze off your b***s". The funny thing was he thought I said he would freeze his buffaloes. Really? Like I have said that never. What does that mean? We laughed. The room is really nice but the bed it too high. John had to pull me up on the bed as I was having trouble climbing up on it.<br />
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Off to the falls. John and PennyPenny and John Barryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08852770594505973139noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1408791545225170871.post-6649681254404790292012-09-27T03:10:00.000-07:002012-09-27T03:10:43.637-07:00OhioWe drove almost five hundred miles yesterday making our way through Illinois, Indiana and Ohio. We spent the night in Amherst, Ohio. We had a great supper at Sal's and Al's Diner. Great food, interesting atmosphere, and nice place. They seemed to specialize in Syrian food.<br />
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Nothing interesting to report from our travels through Illinois and Indiana. However a couple things to note in Ohio. My favorite is the road sign on the Ohio Turnpike. Emergency Parking Only on the shoulder. Ok. Makes sense because everyone is going at least 75. But under that sign was another......2 Hour Limit. Um. What if your emergency takes longer than two hours? Do you push your car to another spot? Interesting.<br />
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As we headed East we saw a caravan going West. There were probably eight highway patrol cars with their blue lights flashing, surrounding at least four big buses. On the side of one of the buses was "Romney" signs. It was pretty impressive. Now, question, did they have to stop and pay at the toll booth like we did? Just curious.<br />
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This morning we head to Niagara Falls. John and PennyPenny and John Barryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08852770594505973139noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1408791545225170871.post-84118258644313068182012-09-26T04:28:00.002-07:002012-09-26T04:28:37.248-07:00Go East Old People.....day OneWednesday, September 26. We are getting ready to leave on a fantastic trip East. Some of our stops will include Niagara Falls, Boston, New York City, Gettysburg, and Washington DC. Sounds like fun!<br />
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Yesterday, while shopping for new tennis shoes for Penny, we accidentally walked into the middle of a store meeting being held close to the shoe department. The manager decided to have fun and said "here is our guest speaker." Of course John moved up front and started talking to the group. The manager had no idea who he had encouraged to speak. It was pretty funny. When we made our purchase we said we hoped that helped their fourth quarter sales.....which the manager had mentioned.<br />
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Well, the paper is stopped, the mail is being held, and the car is packed. A quick breakfast and we are ready....after John finishes all his gyrations.<br />
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Penny and JohnPenny and John Barryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08852770594505973139noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1408791545225170871.post-58660237097333759602012-03-17T14:39:00.000-07:002012-03-17T14:39:51.957-07:00Kinder, LAWe are now parked at the RV resort at Kinder, Louisiana. We have shuttle service to the casino but just relaxing right now. The drive around Houston took over an hour and included a very very high bridge. Penny was driving and had to hold back her screams!<br />
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We are getting much faster and more organized in setting up and tearing down the RV. No issues to report.<br />
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We stopped at a grocery store and some Girl Scouts were selling cookies. We bought a box of berry flavored. We found out they are only available in this area. We will let you know how they taste.Penny and John Barryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08852770594505973139noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1408791545225170871.post-60210126527212549372012-03-16T15:51:00.000-07:002012-03-16T15:51:27.305-07:00Shiloh RV ParkThere were over 300 sites at the first park before Houston that we stopped at. Um. Full. A pipeline is being laid and no one is leaving. So now we are down the road at Shiloh RV Park. I think we are in Richmond, Texas.<br />
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We got the rvset up and everything is working fine. We are semipros. <br />
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Thanks to an unnamed truck we now have a cracked windshield. Not nice. It looks like a new windshield for us. Oh boy.<br />
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We did really well, we are parked for the night and very tired. It was hard to say good bye to all our friends. But we will be back.Penny and John Barryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08852770594505973139noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1408791545225170871.post-48890375660312921932012-03-14T04:22:00.000-07:002012-03-14T04:22:41.956-07:00Swan Drive Block PartyYesterday was the block party for our street. It was held at the opposite end from us.....down where several Canadians live. It started off with happy hour, of course! There was great food and conversation. After eating we sat around visiting, listening to music, and watching people consume a huge container of margaritas. Mardi's and Bill's golden retrievers, Jake and Sam, got loose so we had some excitement when several people jumped on their golf carts and went racing after them. The dogs ran back to their own yard so it ended well. Then our very own DJ played "who let the dogs out". Great fun and laughs. We danced and sang along and had great fun. John knows a lot of songs! The Canadians told us we need to park closer to them next year but they party all the time. We just party sometimes. <br />
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We are leaving a day earlier than originally planned. We are pulling out around ten Friday morning. Our first night on the road will be south of Houston. We are sad to leave but excited to get back home to our families. Oh, the stories we have to tell!Penny and John Barryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08852770594505973139noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1408791545225170871.post-49202922284305525252012-03-13T20:33:00.000-07:002012-03-13T20:33:13.725-07:00Circus PeopleWe learned today that several circus people live close by. We are at the end of a dead end road that goes past some interesting houses. There are no zoning laws so a nice new house might be next to a trailer. One house looks pretty good but we noticed an RV and several trucks parked there a few days ago. They set up a trampoline and high wire in the back yard to practice. We haven't seen them yet but hope we do.<br />
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There are two very nice and new homes on this road and neither one has any windows. They are boarded up. When we asked about them we found out they have been that way for several years. If your house is still under construction then you do not pay any taxes! We will let you know when they finally add windows.....if they ever do.<br />
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Another piece of propery had an old and dented trailer moved on to it recently. We were unsure it was livable but we have heard that the truly poor people around here live in some awful places. We watched for several days as a porch was added by a couple of noncarpenters. Then it was finally a functioning home when the satellite dish was added!<br />
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An interesting street!Penny and John Barryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08852770594505973139noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1408791545225170871.post-22403368053307977432012-03-13T05:34:00.000-07:002012-03-13T05:34:44.545-07:00Winding DownWe are even more busy now that it is close to the end of our adventure in the land of RV retirement. We played both dominoes and hand and foot yesterday. We found out about the Monday After Dominoes Steak Supper yesterday. It turns out that if you get to Golden Corral before 4:00, you get in for the lunch price. Then at 4:00 they bring out the steaks!! So, for less than $15 a couple you can have a steak dinner. LOL. So we joined in and had a great time. We sat by our friends Vicki and Don and we rode with our friends Millie and Lou. Wonderful time and great conversations. And we ate cheap!!! It is amazing how cheaply we are living down here. Of course we are mostly eating in our RV and cooking our own meals. It is like camping all the time.<br />
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Several RVs were washed yesterday so that was amusing to watch. A van full of Mexicans shows up with their hoses and cloths and they jump out and get busy. There were two on top and two on the sides and one washing the wheels and one working on windows. They scrub and clean and then spray a layer of wax. It was amazing and amusing to watch. And then we realized that our RV is very dirty. It sat in a farm driveway for five months before we took it out and then we drove in rain and splattered mud so it is pretty bad. So John got their business card, called and now we will be getting a good scrubbing on Thursday. The street will be lined with people in their folding chairs watching the amazing van full of Mexicans at work.<br />
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I was surprised at first how no one talked about their children or grandchildren. Well, I am happy to report that now we are all talking about our children and grandchildren and how much we miss them. I guess we try not to think about that when we know we are weeks away from going home. Now the first thing anyone says is "when are you leaving" and "how long will it take it to get home" and "aren't you looking forward to seeing your grandkids?"<br />
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Sunday afternoon we went to a jam session with a variety of musicians. Leroy played the "gut bucket" which I had never heard of or seen before. Sorry I didn't take my camera. Each of the players took a turn picking a song and then the rest followed along. It was great entertainment. But the Canadian singing Elvis? Um. Like I said, it was great entertainment.<br />
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Tomorrow we turn in our rental car so today we need to buy whatever we need from the grocery store and anything else we might need. We can always park the RV in a big parking lot but it will be easier to get prepared today and not have to stop anywhere. And we have so many friends who would be glad to take us to the store or wherever we might need to go. This afternoon at 5:00 we have a street party and potluck. The tables will be set up at the other end of the street by the Canadians. Man, those people know how to party!! As always, Happy Hour starts at 4:00.Penny and John Barryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08852770594505973139noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1408791545225170871.post-25534529337301121402012-03-08T16:31:00.000-08:002012-03-08T16:31:18.892-08:00NotesDon West Flea Market<br />
At the Don West flea market yesterday, we stopped for a quick bite to eat. A lady asked if they could share our table which was not a problem for us. Turns out she, her mother and her sister (all three joined us) are from Canada. Of course. It seems half the winter texans are from Canada. John commented that if a war broke out, they would have us outnumbered. They are staying in an RV park in Brownsville that is close to the Rio Grande and the Gulf. It sounds pretty nice. She told us about a weekly dance at an RV park here in Harlingen that we did not know about. They were very nice people and we all enjoyed each other's company. We are always open to meeting new people and making friends.<br />
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Call Us<br />
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On our trip to Brownsville zoo we saw several billboards that said if you have a crash call us. When we finally saw their place of business we might have jumped to a conclusion but it appears to us that they are ambulance chasers. On the side of their building it says "Call 1-800-CAR-CRASH". Really?<br />
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Martha Stewart<br />
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As mentioned before, our next door neighbor is Martha Stewart. No, not that one. They come down in November and leave in April. They have a huge fifth wheel and they are from......Dallas. Um. Ok. Well this is the second time I have met her. She does not play any of the games and she does not visit with anyone and they stay to themselves. So, I suspect I will meet her again. I think she forgets me. Oh well.<br />
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New Chair<br />
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I bought a new chair at the flea market the first time we went there. It was chilly and I was wearing my Iowa jacket. Turns out the lady selling them is from Iowa, Grew up in Cedar Rapids, and graduated high school the same year as me. But from Jefferson. Even after all these years our loyalties were with our schools. But she and her husband seemed very nice. This flea market is put on by winter texans for the benefit of winter texans with some of the vendors living there in their RVs. It is like another world. My sister Pam could probably do well selling her beads.Penny and John Barryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08852770594505973139noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1408791545225170871.post-51987798777636482902012-03-07T04:59:00.000-08:002012-03-07T04:59:59.106-08:00Brownsville ZooJohn and I both love going to zoos. We found out that we are less than an hour from the zoo in Brownsville, Texas, so we took off to see it yesterday. Wow! I highly recommend it. We have planned to go again next year and make it a yearly visit. They have a gorilla habitat that is world famous and they are working to increase their population. Here is a photo of one of the more bold gorillas.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiadyEzG-1QjMhoe-nrlvx_bUmdKN-JyHuIUlkkpEFs6L5CIdTDGsZkiP4IYj2XfRGkBPwo_reArudaQJYsGdt_B-qVYiO1ld4pn9oPv1fWNSF2eDQf4-G8KAS0LTkxoQUugJjcfV3B-gvu/s1600/Gorilla.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="210" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiadyEzG-1QjMhoe-nrlvx_bUmdKN-JyHuIUlkkpEFs6L5CIdTDGsZkiP4IYj2XfRGkBPwo_reArudaQJYsGdt_B-qVYiO1ld4pn9oPv1fWNSF2eDQf4-G8KAS0LTkxoQUugJjcfV3B-gvu/s320/Gorilla.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
They have several different kinds of monkeys which we enjoyed watching. This is a spider monkey with her baby hanging on while she was eating. They were on an island which had walkways around it so we could see them interact. All the different monkeys were on islands and the gorillas had a huge enclosure.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-r7gv3J0UMoFEWAn-F886HrEWduhGbM2cWQfJdvYC2gxZy7sjPqhWNlVWnaN2IRmRLymPd2Sn-hItChYKb3nZf1_y6lwyMhCeDIVzCUZeTNkM0bx1jl037blJgsV9DssfYWvoRIN8rLzc/s1600/SpiderMonkey.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-r7gv3J0UMoFEWAn-F886HrEWduhGbM2cWQfJdvYC2gxZy7sjPqhWNlVWnaN2IRmRLymPd2Sn-hItChYKb3nZf1_y6lwyMhCeDIVzCUZeTNkM0bx1jl037blJgsV9DssfYWvoRIN8rLzc/s320/SpiderMonkey.jpg" width="247" /></a></div>This is a white tiger. They have viewing areas that are behind glass so it seems like you can get pretty close to the animals. We were in awe when this guy decided to walk close to us.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPNk9uSMCDymEpdIAP2vakvzVNIQaVdQNUhVIHkDnFPtJFWs0TRLX9uPT3iFXP9luMQS32HppeaYr4FR17EzimAmvBFc_1_w-7kXzggIr89BaKfyYIZwY7hWfqzb7BFpRsIVDwpBXMqgt2/s1600/WhiteTiger.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPNk9uSMCDymEpdIAP2vakvzVNIQaVdQNUhVIHkDnFPtJFWs0TRLX9uPT3iFXP9luMQS32HppeaYr4FR17EzimAmvBFc_1_w-7kXzggIr89BaKfyYIZwY7hWfqzb7BFpRsIVDwpBXMqgt2/s320/WhiteTiger.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>Penny and John Barryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08852770594505973139noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1408791545225170871.post-28280279233084628702012-03-07T04:50:00.000-08:002012-03-07T04:50:39.649-08:00Palo AltoYesterday we visited the site of the beginning of the war between Mexico and the United States. As we learned the history, we were amazed that we knew little of this battle and how the US obtained so much land from Mexico. Fascinating information. To summarize, the US won because of better artillery and fighting skills. Here are examples of both cannon power. This is what the US cannons looked like. They were more accurate and went further so the troops could be farther away and still hit their targets.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5WtfPKXXH-m4o4HAaE7v3Pw6VD__pe6nbKTITIVT8dQd03Kcd6gEJd5QCRsyL8GzcGqSLNn2R48Ksjfl4u5eaLU6-mzL1za4r8zj_a264L5TuiFymC-H_cgpjE_p7pmuTkBqjeBCaGhQX/s1600/AmericanCannon.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5WtfPKXXH-m4o4HAaE7v3Pw6VD__pe6nbKTITIVT8dQd03Kcd6gEJd5QCRsyL8GzcGqSLNn2R48Ksjfl4u5eaLU6-mzL1za4r8zj_a264L5TuiFymC-H_cgpjE_p7pmuTkBqjeBCaGhQX/s320/AmericanCannon.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
This is an example of the Mexican cannons. It shot smaller cannon balls, was inaccurate, and it had to be close to the target for any hope of hitting anything.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9y8Z_l-6x1jTSRA3yds2wKQkMRkmD8bolNaipnGVwV3x7SYLr6bPcYwXLPg2Qp2vEqgtk_cD-kO2BA-jNyE86Su-CULpycvRh-p8K8W_-tzi44dxkUbsVAYUD7NyhC07tu3HicfiqXyuT/s1600/MexicanCannon.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9y8Z_l-6x1jTSRA3yds2wKQkMRkmD8bolNaipnGVwV3x7SYLr6bPcYwXLPg2Qp2vEqgtk_cD-kO2BA-jNyE86Su-CULpycvRh-p8K8W_-tzi44dxkUbsVAYUD7NyhC07tu3HicfiqXyuT/s320/MexicanCannon.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>Interesting visit and lots of information to learn. It was the first time I had been to a historic site that had all the information in both English and Spanish.<br />
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There were warning signs about snakes as we walked the path to an overlook to see where the battle took place. I have seen warning signs before but I have never seen a sign like this!!!<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcs54Y0c7ODACI_JsYsCN2PMiqCrrc1KU6g46UtiFbkFmpfVyg0BYIHkpf-DAlf4sVyAPo3YhF4XiL_cB0sfe88cN7FjroTq3YTA3ZOVNt8bPWMmAemG7XuERKNnRpbJ1r0p5fVcKS14my/s1600/HornedLizard.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="262" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcs54Y0c7ODACI_JsYsCN2PMiqCrrc1KU6g46UtiFbkFmpfVyg0BYIHkpf-DAlf4sVyAPo3YhF4XiL_cB0sfe88cN7FjroTq3YTA3ZOVNt8bPWMmAemG7XuERKNnRpbJ1r0p5fVcKS14my/s320/HornedLizard.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>Penny and John Barryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08852770594505973139noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1408791545225170871.post-86613353197317286622012-03-06T04:29:00.001-08:002012-03-06T04:29:56.662-08:00New FriendsMonday night we learned how to play dominoes. It was fun and we met another couple. They are from Iowa! Susie, the wife, just finished carving a horse that took her twenty years to complete. It would easily be at home on a carousel. Incredible talent.<br />
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Late yesterday afternoon we went out for supper with Dale and Lynn. We originally met them in Madison, Wisconsin and they suggested we come here for the winter. They will be friends for a long time. Now we know why old people eat so early. It is because we have so many plans in the evening we have to eat early!<br />
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Last night we played Hand and Foot card game with Leroy, Judy, Rick, and Arnold. Leroy mentioned that Judy and Rick celebrated their fifty years together. Then we were totally shocked when Judy said Leroy and his wife were married over fifty years. I thought he was maybe fifty years old, but it turned out he is 73!!! I think it must be the water that makes everyone seem younger. Or maybe it is being retired. Or maybe it is the Texas air. Whatever it is, sign us up.<br />
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I guess we did okay last night as Leroy, his wife, Judy and Rick want to play with us again Friday night. We are unsure where Arnold is from but he was speaking with a thick accent. When he spoke with his wife we thought it might be German but just not sure. Her English was difficult to understand. She played at a different table. <br />
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So, we are enjoying new friendships. Today we are driving to Brownsville to visit the last Civil War site and a zoo. Should be a fun and busy day.Penny and John Barryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08852770594505973139noreply@blogger.com0