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!

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....

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...

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!!!

Dog Sitting...

Since we no longer have pets, we got the opportunity to "dog sit" a cock-a-poo named Max for the owners of MCD Innovations.

Max is about 9 years old and he is a great dog. We had fun adapting to his world and he seemed to like living with us. For Memorial weekend, we all stayed at Clear Lake Park and looked out over the water.

We had Max for about 2 weeks and grew close to each other. Guess Max and I "bonded". It was sad to see him return to Dave and Carla but, as with being grandparents, it's nice to have the kids visit and also nice to have them go!!

A Visit With Family

Peg and I drove over to Peg's brother Sam and wife Louise's house in Denton (Valley View) Texas. Their kids, our niece and nephew, were there and we had not seen them for a while. I should say we had not seen Nancy, her husband Harry and her son Austin for a while. Son James lives in Fort Worth and we have visited with him a few times since being in Texas.

We spent the afternoon with them and were treated to a wonderful dinner. Nancy and her family live in Minnesota, so they had a long drive to get down to Texas. They had just purchased property across from their mom and dad so we may be seeing a move south soon??

We had about a 75 minute drive back to the motorhome so we got going before the sun got too low. It was nice seeing everyone again...

Reunion at MCD...Take Two!

Honesty I had thought that when we decided to work for MCD Innovations here in McKinney, Texas, we would rarely get a visit from our friends. Well, I am happy to say that, so far, that has not been the case.

Dave and Marie Ostrander have been next to us in their motorhome for the month and yesterday our travel companions from last year, Lew and Dottie Anderson, came by to get MCD shades installed in their bedroom. It was so nice to see them again. We recently have seen each other in Tucson and Albuquerque but, since we were working the sales booth at both those rallies, we did not have too much time to get together and talk. Here at MCD we are still working during the day but both yesterday and tonight all six of us went out to dinner. It was a really great time both nights.

Here is a photo of our table at Joe's Italian Bistro in Plano, Texas. Good food, good atmosphere and great company! We all ate way too much. This is the second time Peg and I have been to Joe's and both times the food has been great.

By the way, Lew and Dottie came in to get just the bedroom shades done and it looks like they are now getting the Full Monty! They will leave with the entire coach fitted with MCD shades, including the windshield. I think Peg and I will be getting a reputation of having friends come down to visit and having them leave with a lighter wallet! We like to keep the coach weight down to a safe limit!! Hey, I guess the product sells itself.

We're delighted to have Lew and Dottie and Dave and Marie here until Saturday. We will enjoy our time together this week...