Home Is Where You Park It

Thank you for joining again for another full filled blog full of craziness that is our stay in Texas!! 

Some of you may not know, but Jerry is from Texas! And since we are in Austin, we knew we needed to see Jerry’s relatives.  Jerry’s mother and father came from extremely large families, and Jerry had many aunts and uncles. Unfortunately, there aren’t many of them still living, which is all the more reason to visit!

Distance and a busy life made for many years since seeing the Texas relatives! We stayed at Jerry’s Auntie Ann and Uncle Jack’s for 3 nights in Hallettsville Tx. We went to a high school football game which was so much fun, and it was just like the movie Friday Night Lights. We were cheering for the away team and traveled about an hour to get there. We outnumbered the home team! What a crazy environment!  We lost by one point and there were calls for the coach to be fired by some of the fans! It wasn’t too long ago this same coach took the team to the state finals and won! What have you done for me lately??!!!  Yep, Texas takes their football very seriously.  The stadium these kids played in was beautiful.  It was a fun time had by all. 

 We had the opportunity to meet a cousin Jerry didn’t know existed. He is successful in the oil industry and a great guy! Another one of Jerry’s cousins, older by about 3 months, came over.  They hadn’t seen each other since they were 9 years old!  We then went to a care home to visit one uncle who has Alzheimer’s. It was tough!  But, Jerry’s so glad he was able to see him.  He just turned 90 in October!

Our next visit will be Jerry’s Aunt Kathy who is about 3 hours away. She is the youngest of the 10 siblings.  We will leave the RV at the RV Resort.  We can’t wait to see her and his Uncle John!

Texas is an interesting state!  As we handed out candy on Halloween evening, I watched as kids said “thank you” for the candy and called people they recognized in a very respectful manner! “Hello, Ms. Sappington” or “Nice to see you, Mr. Sappington!” Southern manners are a way of life in Texas. Jerry has never been called sir and I have NEVER been called ma’am this many times in our lives!  There were at least 100 kids that came by the house and I don’t think I’ve seen that many kids trick-or-treating since we were kids!  The fun part was after the kids, when Ann had a party for the adults with adult beverages and Frito pie.  That’s beef chili, Fritos and lots of cheese. There’s another specialty of Texas and especially in Hallettsville called Kolaches.  In fact, Hallettsville has a Kolache Festival.  They are a pastry filled with all kinds of yummy fillings like jams, fruits or cream cheese. They’re very good! But, I’m ready for my own kitchen and back to my ground turkey and veggies. 

When we came back from Hallettsville, we realized that our RV was truly our home.  Our own bed, our own space.. It may be on wheels but we both had the same feeling as we walked in and both said, “we are home”. Not being tied to one spot and being able to go wherever is truly one of the best parts of full-time RV travel! I know you’ve heard me say that before! But seeing friends and relatives along the way has been beyond awesome.  We are starting to make our plans for 2022 after wintering in Arizona. We have many friends and relatives on the East Coast and plan on making the trip out there!  We cannot wait, and hope you’ll enjoy it with us! 

Lots more to do in Austin for the remainder of our time here. Have you seen this week’s YouTube video yet?? If you haven’t, make sure to check that out.  We so appreciate your support.

Just One More….visit with relatives (Oy Vey)