Thursday, June 24, 2010

Off To The Fleetwood Rally in Du Quoin, Illinois

It was time to travel to another rally. This one was in Du Quoin, Illinois and was being held at the Du Quoin Fairgrounds. The facilities are very nice and they hold many rallies here. It is also a horse track and they had trotters running on the track in front of our coach each morning.

We arrived at the fairgrounds and set up the MCD booth a day before we were actually scheduled to get into the convention center. This actually was a good thing and it gave us more time to get things ready.

We enjoyed meeting new folks at the evening dinners and we ended up sitting with a few of the same folks throughout the week. We also shot a couple segments for the July American RVer webisode. It was a good show and we enjoyed meeting all of the attendees and the Fleetwood personnel.

Sunday, June 20, 2010

Dinner with James & Mark

Nephew James lives in Fort Worth and he invited Peg and I over for dinner. Peg's brother Clyde was in town and we have not seem him in a few years. So...off we drove to Fort Worth. 

It was a nice day for a drive and that was a good thing since our wonderful GPS decided to take us on an extended tour of the city. Why it conjures up the most difficult way to get somewhere is beyond me. Maybe if I quit saying "I hate it", it would have more mercy on us!

We did finally get there and we had a good time swapping stories and seeing James' next door neighbor, Rose, again. She was at the Easter dinner we went to at Mark's house. As you can see, I am smiling a bit and in front of me a little vino...Hey, could there be a connection there?

After a good meal and a quick clean-up effort, we bid farewell to Clyde, James and Mark (Rose had left already) and headed back home. It's nice to have relatives a short distance away to stop in and see every so often!

Thursday, June 17, 2010

The Arboretum in Dallas

Nephew James and partner Mark wanted Peg and I to experience a concert at the Arboretum which looks over Dallas from the east. The layout reminded me a little of Saratoga Springs and the SPAC (Saratoga Performing Arts Center) concert venue. It is a semi-circular hill overlooking the stage where the musicians perform. You could tell that there were many "locals" here with their picnics, small tables and flowing wine. The view of the lake was really spectacular as well!

We brought food and drink as well and it made the event more enjoyable. We were there to see an Elvis impersonator, one who is supposed to be the best in the business. He hails from, where else, Las Vegas! I think he did a good job and did sound a lot like the King. My vantage point was not that good as you can see here. I had to look through two trees to see the performance, but I didn't mind since the trees were blocking the harsh sun from hitting us directly.

We were at this event for another reason...It was Mark's birthday and we were celebrating. Looks like a few hundred other people were also joining in the celebration! We had a good time and when we walked back to the car, we could not find it at first. We then realized we had walked past it and doubled back a couple of rows and there it was waiting for us....

Tuesday, June 15, 2010

Hank and Lillie Return to McKinney

It is always wonderful to be with friends we have met along our journeys and some of those friends become very special to us. Hank and Lillie are two such people. We enjoy their company and when we meet up, it is like we never left each other. A really nice feeling.

Well hank and Lille returned to get new shades installed into their motorhome and they would be with us for a week. It was time to get out and see some things we have not seen before, so we went down to the Plano Mall, not too far from here. This is a really huge mall and it even has an indoor ice rink. Some kids were practicing hockey (my favorite sport) while the four of us looked on. Pretty cool (literally)!

Across from the rink is an Apple Store. Hank and Lillie and Peg and I are all Apple people. Well...Lillie is coming over from the "dark side".  She has a new iPad and it was pretty cool. We all had to stop in to the Apple Store and play with all the gadgets. I almost have to leave my wallet at home for fear of using it to purchase some neat stuff. I was good this day!

After wandering around in the mall, we got a bit hungry so we went over to one of Peg's and my favorite eatery's in the area, Joe's Bistro. They have great Italian food and a real nice atmosphere. We enjoyed our meal and of course each others company. We stumbled on Joe's a while back and continue to take friends there.

We had a wonderful week with Hank and Lillie and we hope to see them again, real soon, on the road...

Saturday, June 5, 2010

Visiting Southfork with Rod and Jean

Our good friends Rod and Jean rolled into McKinney with their motorhome to visit us and get a few adjustments done to their shades. We have been blessed with visits from many of our friends. Peg and Jean wanted to visit JR Ewing while in Texas (see photo) so we headed to the ranch!

The famous Southfork Ranch, made popular by the 80's TV show Dallas and the Ewing Family, was about an hour away. Who could ever forget the night we found out "Who killed JR"! This was one of the most watched shows in TV history at the time. The mansion consists of the 4800 sq ft building that was built by the Duncan family.
The TV show ranch shots were filmed only in the summer, as requested by the ranches owners and no filming was done inside the main building where the family lived. The indoor shots were shot on a sound stage in Hollywood, California and the sets matched up to most of the rooms of the house. They used mirrors at the ranch near the pool area to give the appearance of a much larger pool, even though it is a relatively small pool.


The current owner had a decorator redo the interior of the house so it matched the TV sets. It is pretty neat to relive the old show as you enter the house. Since the show, a convention center was added to the property and of course the property was opened up to tours. Many weddings are held there.

While we were wandering about, we saw a couple of newborn longhorn calves in one of the barns with their mother. We also had to take a photo of us "stars" near the pool.

After the tour, we headed for the Spring Creek BBQ in Richardson, TX and had a great meal. We then proceeded to Central Market which Peg refers to as "Trader Joe's on steroids." The market is huge and we got to sample a variety of produce.

That evening, we topped off the day with a few games of Pegs and Jokers. Peg and Rod beat Jean and I but we vowed to beat them the next time!!!