Waltzing Across Texas (part 1)

Well, hello there! Yes, I know. It has been a while. Excuse me while I hang up my hat and knock the dust off of my boots. I've been waltzing across Texas.

Okay, maybe not exactly waltzing, but I've made my way across a good part of the state these last few weeks. Drag out your map of the greatest state in the USA and check out where I've been.
After a long summer of no work, hubby was finally deployed to a hail storm in El Paso mid September. (Answered prayer)
I stayed in Amarillo to help daughter #2 and my sweet granddaughters move away to be with their daddy. (It was a happy time for them but very sad for me.) I'm trying to be a grown-up about it all, but it's not easy. Remember my post about what seems good to some doesn't seem good to others?
Well, it is good for their family to be together following God's guiding hand, and I guess I'll live. But I surely miss having them around.
I spent a few days cleaning carpets and putting some of my furniture that had been in storage back in my house, then I was ready to be with my man. I set out from Amarillo on October 13th for El Paso via Greyhound bus. Now before you say anything, let me tell you that when I told some of my friends that I was going to ride the bus over 400 miles, I got a few doubting looks and discouraging remarks. (No, I'd never done Greyhound before.) So it was with great apprehension I climbed the steps and sat down in a seat as close to the front of the bus as possible. (I had been advised by my worried friends to try to sit up front for the sake of my safety and sanity.)

I decided--trying to look on the bright side--that if the bus trip turned out to be a bad decision, at least I would have something to blog about. Fortunately (but yet somewhat regrettably), the trip was simply long and dull. No one on the bus got rowdy, no one tried to steal my purse. It was not crowded so sweat and odors weren't a problem, and if you've ever driven from Amarillo to El Paso, you know there is not much to see except a lot of sand and a few small desert mountains. I even kept an eye out for little green men when the bus made a stop in Roswell, NM, but I didn't see any. I did encounter a couple of characters at the bus station in El Paso while I waited for hubby to pick me up. Just as I felt like I REALLY NEEDED TO GET OUT OF THERE my knight in his big blue truck came to my rescue. Whew!

While Rick finished up his last few days of work in El Paso, I hung out at the RV park.It really wasn't quite as bad as the sign said, but it was not a place I would want to retire! The sun was very intense even when the temperatures were mild. The park's brochure stated they had good shade.
Um hum. Never believe the brochures.As you can see, the spots were a little cramped, and the trees were about seven years away from making a good shadow.
The century plants were four feet tall (or taller) so maybe tucked beneath one of them was where I was supposed to find the shade.
The park had (as most parks do) a few coin-op washers and two dryers. One dryer melts clothes and the other just tumbles with no heat at all.I'm glad our rig is fully self-contained because the "facilities" weren't the best I've encountered.It wasn't a five-star resort, but it offered easy access to the interstate and was near most of the neighborhoods where Rick had claims. That made his commute time short and our time together longer.

If you've read my blog for a while you know I put out an effort to hunt for joy. Even in the desert of a place like El Paso, TX I found it. Riding down the highway I noticed the signs over the exits to the Mexican border. No fire arms allowed. I gave thanks to God for my right and freedom to own and possess a gun, to protect myself if need be. A quick glance across the border again brings thanksgiving for my home. Even my home on wheels is more comfortable and spacious than some of the homes just across the river. It was a good week.

Work done and "between storms" once again, we headed for Big Bend National Park.

(Check back for part 2 of Waltzing Across Texas.)