Linden's Trip Report #8

January 18, 2013 - Time to head north to Austin, TX and visit Beryl’s son and granddaughter. We weren't on the road fifteen minutes when we ran into a monster traffic jam. Three lanes of expressway and two lanes of service road were shut down. Never did find what the problem was. Later in the day when we arrived in Austin we ran into rush hour traffic. That's why we like traveling regular roads.
There's usually an alternate route or a place to turn around. Had a nice visit with son Mike and randdaughter Jenna. Went to dinner at a Chinese restaurant that is run by Indians from India. The food has a definite Indian flavor. Customer can specify how spicy they like their food. The food is a little expensive but good and plenty of it. Also, there are vegetarian selections on the menu which worked out good as Mike is a vegetarian.
January 21st - Went to the our favorite restaurant, the Texas Cafe in Hutto, TX. We found out that it is closed on Mondays. We a should have been suspicious since at lunch time there were parking spaces nearby. We ended up at a restaurant next door. We watched as people got out of their cars, walked to the Texas Cafe, then came into the restaurant where we were eating. The food was good but had a little to much mesquite on the pork chops to suit my taste. Here in Texas they put mesquite on everything.
January 22nd - Arrived in Houston to visit Beryls sister-in-law. They are having a good time together shopping and all. Beryl’s brother died a few years ago and his wife Sharon lives alone. Being by herself she doesn't get a chance to prepare big fancy meals very often. Guess who's suffering from that problem. She's a good cook.
There seems to be plenty of work here in the Houston area. Construction of all types is everywhere. From commercial building to housing developments and infrastructure work. Traffic is heavy and we noticed a lack of smart cars in the area. Mostly pick up trucks and SUVs. Every year that we come here we see more and more new developments with pricey homes and condos.
Beryl bought a blouse at Cracker Barrel while in McAllen. The clerk forgot to remove the anti theft prevention device. We had to go to a Cracker Barrel here in Houston to get it removed.
Gas prices in Houston range from $3.03 to $3.15 per gallon.
January 25th - Drove to Conroe, TX, which is about 50 miles north of Houston to visit some of Beryl’s friends and coworkers from when she used to live and work here. We spent a few nights at a Walmart/Sams Club/Lowe's complex. Very nice accommodations.
January 28th - Moved further east to Liberty, TX, where we will visit more of Beryl’s friends. Time is running short and before we know it we'll be meeting Ed and Sandy Miller in Louisiana on our way to Mardi Gra in New Orleans.

Walt and Beryl Linden

February Get Together

Our third annual Florida winter get together is planned for the Golden Coral In Leesburg, Florida. 
Date: Feb. 16, 2013 (Saturday)
Time: 1:00 pm
Location: 
Golden Coral
US 441
Leesburg, FL

Last year there were 50 New Yorkers, former New Yorkers and welcome guests. Above you will see a tab to the information. Click on it or click on the link below for detailed information.

http://fingerlakers.blogspot.com/p/february-get-together.html

Linden's 7th travel report

January 8, 2013 - Went to H.E.B. (a grocery chain) this morning. Every Tuesday they invite "Winter Texans" to the store and give out coupon books. The store we went to plays a form of bingo. Winners get different prizes. Beryl won a coupon book with coupons including free bacon and a dozen eggs.
She also won a $5 gift certificate. The game was played in Spanish. It was a lot of fun.
There are no snow birds in Texas. We are "Winter Texans" and they are glad to see us. Many stores and restaurants give Winter Texans discounts.
The campground where we are staying is $213.00 for 2 weeks with full hook ups, Internet and a full activities schedule. Every Monday a local farmer comes to the park with two wagons fully loaded with fruits and vegetables.
No wonder more and more northerners are coming to Texas instead of Florida. You don't hear "Yankee go Home" around hear. Brownsville, TX. is about 50 miles east.
The weather man is predicting high winds, thunder storms and possibly a tornado or two.
January 11th - Beryl and I went to Mexico for an eye exam and new glasses for me. Could have got the cheap ones for $135.00 but opted for an up grade to $213.00. In Avon, for the same package but with better frames Beryl paid $700.00. When I pick up my glasses next week we'll see if I got a deal.
Picked up a 10 pound bag of navel oranges for $5.00. They are sweet and very good eating. Gas prices have jumped to $3.10 to $3.15 a gallon. Mostly around $3.13 a gallon.
January 12th - We went to Heywoods RV Park where the park residents serve an all you can eat breakfast with everything from juice to eggs your way to waffles.
January 14th - …we went to"Willies", a restaurant that specializes in baked potatoes and pulled beef and pork. We had the largest potatoes that you ever saw. Loaded with butter, sour cream, cheese, pulled pork, broccoli and more. The drinks come in quart containers. No refills.

Walt & Beryl Linden
wlinden@juno.com

October Rally Update

In case you haven't checked out the "Future Rallies" tab above, we wanted to let you know we have arranged for the October Officer's meet to be at the Hammondsport Firemen's Field in Hammondsport, NY (the "Coolest Small Town" in the US).
More details will be available as the year progresses.

Roule's Travels

We left western NY on January 10th. This year we chose to take I81 out of Harrisburg all the way to the end in Tennessee. Scenery was great and the weather cooperative. 
We discovered the first night out our digital TV converter had "bit the dust". Visiting one of the largest Walmarts we have seen, they had them - $50. An LED TV is about $200. Soooo, buy and figure out how to install a TV OR a new converter.
Cheap and Lazy won. We have a new converter and good reception.
Picking up I75 in Tennessee brought us to Leesburg, FL arriving on the 13th. We are at Holiday Travel Resort. 
The route is about 185 miles further than the coast route, but worth it.
We look forward to seeing everyone on February 16th at the Golden Corral.

Linden's 6th Travel Report

December 25, 2012 - Two volunteer couples went with us to Longhorn Steak and Ale for Christmas dinner. The food was very good. The weather was a little cool but the sun was shinning brightly.
The wind is still blowing and the temperatures are below normal for this time of year here in Texas. It gets down to the 40s at night and only up into the 60s in the daytime.
I haven't been fishing due to the cool temps and rough sea.
December 29th. - One of the park employees moved into a condo and invited all the volunteers to her house for a get together. We were asked to bring a dish to pass and our own chairs as she doesn't have any furniture. We all had a good time.
The couple that do bird tours at the park are leaving the same day that we are. We were presented with "Certificate of Appreciation" certificates and a $50 gift certificate. Ours is for Cracker Barrel which will come in handy as we travel.
December 31st - We spent the evening visiting other volunteers. After the ball dropped in New York City (11:00PM here) we headed for home. Old people don't stay up to late.
We are staying at Padre Island for a few days to just hang out.
January 5, 2013 - We left Corpus Christi in the morning. We were on the road less than an hour and missed seeing a head on fatal accident happen. Other motorists were just getting out of their cars to help. It was a narrow 2 lane road. We were lucky to get by before the police arrived. The road was closed for four hours and there was no place to turn around. Later heard on the news that three of the five people in the cars were killed.
January 6th - We went to dinner with friends from East Bethany, NY and then spent most of the day sightseeing and visiting with them.
We went to a War Memorial in McAllen, TX. The Memorial honors all branches of service since WW1. It's not finished yet but it looks great.
January 7th - We went to the "No Name Restaurant" for lunch. They only sell hamburgers, onion rings and french fries. A fully dressed hamburger is $5.50 and is on a bun that is 6 inches in diameter. I measured the burger after it was cooked. It was 1/2 inch thick and hung over all edges of the bun. I forced mine down, but Beryl couldn't finish hers.
The reason it is called the "No Name Restaurant" is because there is no name on the building. You have to know that it is on Silver Street in Donna, TX. Starting at 11:30 AM you can find the place by the number of cars parked along the street in front of the place and the line of people waiting to go into a place that looks like a store front. They stop serving when they run out of hamburgers.
While at the No Name Restaurant a Police Chief, a couple of local cops and some homeland security people came to our table and introduced themselves and wished us a good stay in Texas. They asked usto enjoy ourselves and to come back next year. Everyone here in Texas is very friendly.

Walt & Beryl Linden

I give UP !

When we wished for a white Christmas, we didn't mean 2 feet of snow. 'Tis pretty, though - because I don't have to drive to work. We hope to be dug out by the 8th.

We wish every one a Happy New Year.