2009 Chapter 3

Hi Y'all...

I'll try not to make this too long!!!  But we have been in Nacogdoches, TX for 10 days now...Let's see, where did I leave off

Oh yeah, we left Midland, TX (with plans to NOT stop on our way back to AZ) and headed to Cowtown RV Park in Aledo, TX. (just west of Fort Worth)  We still had plenty of daylight when we got there and considered continuing on, but we are very glad we stopped.  It was a very nice clean RV park with up-to-date motor homes and 5th wheels.  The weather was perfect so we pulled the chairs out and sat outside on grass!!!  Even enjoyed a walk around the park!!!!  A definite stop when we head back to AZ.  We left there Sunday morning anxious to get to our destination!!!

We arrived at Xtreme Paint & Graphics around 3:00pm after driving past it.  It's not nearly as big as we expected which caused panic #1 for Rich.  We were expecting a bigger parking lot with electricity hook ups but, it only has room for 2 RVs.  Luckily, there was only one other motor home when we arrived.  Rich wasn't too impressed after getting out and looking around which caused Panic #2.  Then he started to worry about the apartment which caused Panic #3.  Well, we settled in for the night and anxiously awaited our Monday morning appointment.

Monday morning we were met by very friendly employees and the owner of Xtreme Paint and Graphics.  They all scrutinized the exterior of the motor home from top to bottom while they mumbled amongst themselves.  This gave Rich and I a chance to see inside the buildings and yards of the repair shop.  Not to our surprise, the place was full of Prevosts, Bluebird Wonderlodges, and Foretravel.(Bus conversions and motor homes).  To make a long story short, to this date our motor home has been stripped of all exterior hardware and its windows.  The old paint job has been thoroughly sanded off.  A minor amount of body work that Rich was not able to get to prior to us leaving AZ. and a coating of primer has been applied and sanded.  Tomorrow the motor home will be moved into the spray booth where the layouts and masking will be done in order to apply all the colors.  By Friday next week, our coach will be clear coated and ready to reassemble.  HOPEFULLY 

After going over the details of the motor home we were shown the apartment.  Actually, it is very nice.  It is basically a studio apartment.  They told us the Directv wasn't hooked up yet but they expected the installer out the next day.  So we emptied out our refrigerator and everything else we thought we would need from the motor home and moved into our new home.  With no TV to occupy his mind, Rich stayed focused on panics 1 and 2 all night.  Next morning we were in the shop bright and early and I have to say, the owner seemed to put Rich's mind at ease by the end of the day.

Unfortunately the TV didn't get hooked up until the SECOND WEEK we were here.  We rented a couple of DVDs and watched them on the computer (not a good idea), bought a jigsaw puzzle and put it together, and read and read and read.  We did take a few drives through and around Nacogdoches and was surprised at how green everything is.  But now that we have been here for a while we know why it is so green.  THE HUMIDITY!!!!  The locals tell us the REAL humidity hasn't even begun yet!!!

Not a lot to see or do in Nacogdoches, but we did take a drive to Grapeland TX about an hour away and went to the Grapeland Drive thru Safari.  Now that was fun!!  You drive your own vehicle through the 59 acres of free roaming animals.  We bought a bucket of food to feed the animals and learned very quickly they know cars have FOOD!!  They come running as soon as they see you!!  And they are NOT shy!!!  The ostrich was right at Rich's window when he turned with the camera!!!  We had camel, donkey, deer, buffalo, and a few others that seemed to know where we had the food, on the floor, and thought they should just help themselves.  Well, I could go on and on about the baby pot bellied pigs, kangaroo, geese, turkey, zebra, llama, and others that I don't even know what they were, but I promised to keep this short.

Actually, it has taken me several days to get this much done and I do have more things to report, BUT that will come in chapter 4.

Until next time

Rich & Dorothy

The Asphalt Wanderers