October 20 - 31 - Ft Hood, TX

Sunrise from our RV at Belton Lake, Ft Hood, TX was a beautiful site. Ft. Hood, so I was told, is the 2nd largest Army base in the U.S and I believe it. This place is massive. It's also a pleasant place to visit. When passing through the gates, you are greated by the guard with "Welcome to a great place". When shopping, the same greeting and thanks is given by the cashiers. They make your stay very pleasant.


Then at 0100 hrs, when you hear the "sound of freedom" at work, you don't mind so much. Yes, we awoke one night to the booming sound of ordinance going off in the distance. Bombs, missles, or gernades. We couldn't tell except that they were there and we could hear it. We just listened for a few moments and then rolled over a went back to sleep.



We took some time to visit the Army's museum complete with tanks and helicopters. As I laughingly told my retired army friend, Col. Arnie Sargeant, here we are at the home of the calvery and I didn't see one horse except for the iron one's.



We also attended a say for retiree's. They had a very complete health fair with all types of screening. Rose found out that I really am part deaf and not just tuning her out. I sure was greatful for that bit of news.



They had a very well equipped gym that we used too. It was nice to get into the water and swim. One day we may be able to swim as far as our grandchildren. I have a lot of work to do, for sure.





I also got to try my hand at some fishing at Belton Lake. My 1st days catch wasn't a belly filler but it was a start. We wound up full meals of perch and more than enough catfish for us. It's a fun way for me to reconnect with the kid inside of me.

If you ever get the chanch to come through here during the holiday season, be sure to check out the holiday lights. We were able to watch the setup and testing and it sure is impressive. I was told that this time of year is a high spot in the lives around Ft. Hood. It brings people from all over to see the display.

October 17 -19 - Lake Whitney, TX

Part of the reason that Roseann and I are on this journey is to look at other areas of the country for a possible retirement spot to settle down. We are trying to keep a list of places that are interesting and fill our other requirements for a place to lower our RV jacks for a final time. One place that had been recommended to us is Lake Whitney, TX so we decided to see for ourselves. Our friends were right. This place has possibilities. Great fishing, quiet, and still close to children, for right now.

You can get information about the site at http://www.lwrvcommunity.com/LWRVmain.htm and see for yourself why we like it. We were able to attend an owners community meeting and learn more about the people and the community.

Then there's the other part of the reason for our travels. To reconnect with friends and that we did. Lorne & Shelly Waters came down from Dallas to visit for the day. Their son Blake had other ideas for having fun than to sit down with us "old folks". What a wonderful day. We look forward to seeing them and traveling with them in the future. Never a dull moment.

Sept 17 - Oct 17 - Canyon Lake, TX

Life at Canyon Lake has been good. We are 9 miles from Jean & Marshall's house so visiting has been great. Jessica is a lot better now and back in school full time. She has a lot of catching up to do.

Roseann and I are settling into a daily routine of waking up to the sights and sounds of the beauty of the surrounding area. Morning walks around the park have been very enjoyable. During the week we have had this place pretty much to ourselves. The only other people here have been a few other retirees like ourselves and the workers. It's been good for the spirit to be free of the stresses from our past working times.

Besides all the new people we've met, we have our daily visit from our park residents. We've had as many as 11 deer in our backyard at one time. Being that we've lived in the city all our lives, this has been a real treat for us. It has been very interesting watching them interact as a group. It'll be fun to see how much they will have grown by the time we leave here in January.

We've been able to reconnect with some of our friends from when we lived here before. We spent a wonderful evening with Roger and Marilyn Parker of Whimberly, TX. It was a time for catching up on all the family happenings and happenings there were. They moved into their home from the cabin we last stayed in. Roger and Marilyn did a superb job designing and building it. From the second you walk in you know you are welcome in a house the God helped build. Truly great friends.

Then there was our picnic day with Chris Hassen and her work mates from Ft Sam Houston. Chris and Roseann go back to the days at Incarnate Word College and Santa Rosa Children's Hospital. It seems like forever ago but then again only yesterday. We've known Chris for about 25 years now. We've watched her family grow to include grandchildren and the joys they bring. It was a great time to catch up on all the happenings in her life and listen to her dreams for the future. We've been blessed having Chris be a part of our lives.

We are looking forward to catching up with other friends in the San Antonio area and being with Cris and Roger & Marilyn again during the coming months.