Come With Us On A Tour Of Rainbow's End

We are currently staying at the Escapee's park in Livingston, TX.  It is the headquarters of Escapees and is called Rainbow's End. Today, Mom took a tour of the place.  It took two hours.  She didn't expect it to take that long, but she said it was fun. Dad stayed home with us and coughed and moaned.  He has a cold.

Mom was excited to tour the mail facility because that is where our mail come to stays until we ask for it to be forwarded to us.  They do not allow any photos to be taken due to privacy of the customers.  She said the place is huge.  One room is just hanging files in bins and that is where the mail is stored for each person.  The next room has the sorting machine. The mail is sorted three times by the machine.  The settings are changed for each sort.  Mom said it was impressive.

Our mailing address is Rainbow Dr.

This is the club house.

Time capsule.

Ice Cream shop. This used to be the office.

Trolley that Mom took the tour on.

The required photo at the sign.

This is our site. The weigh station for RVs is on the left of us.  The laundry room is the building on the far left.

The C.A.R.E. Center.  We mentioned it in our last blog post.

This is the headquarters and the mail facility.

The library which is in the club house.

The tour also included driving past the two homes that the founders of our club lived in while here.

We definitely like Rainbow Plantation in Alabama better than here.  Mom says this is a nice place to visit, but she doesn't want to stay here long term. 

Joey,
The Greyhound Who Helped His Mom Pick Up The Mail Today

We Are In Texas!

We left Rainbow Plantation in Summerdale, AL yesterday morning.  I think it might have been our favorite place so far. The sites are large, the dog park is great and we could walk for hours if we wanted to do so. Yep, it is a great place to stay. We received several hugs from our friends before we left and Mom shed a few tears as we drove away.  We will return one day. 

Our drive to Livingston, TX went fairly well. We had some high winds and wind gusts.  We thought we might be in rain all day, but it really didn't occur until in the late afternoon.  It was good we didn't have rain all day because our windshield wipers started acting up.  The passenger windshield wiper started going to the driver's side.  We used them sparingly, but then the passenger wiper got stuck on the driver's wiper.  That was not good.  Luckily, there was a spot to pull off the road and Mom jumped out and put the wiper back in the correct position.  Dad tried it and it got stuck again.  Mom put it back in it's proper place again and got back in the rig.  Dad said they would be able to use it once, so we had to wait until it was absolutely necessary.  Luckily, the rain stopped and we were able to reach our campground.  We arrived as the office was closing, but they checked us in.

This campground is the Escapees Club headquarters.  Rainbow Plantation is also an Escapee's campground.  We were told Rainbow Plantation is the nicest park in the system.  It is definitely nicer than here.  It is not bad here, but the sites are close together.  Our site is on the end, so we have a bigger yard than most.  We are located near the laundry room which is convenient.  They ask that people not use their own machines because the septic system is old.  Mom did all the laundry last night.  Dad brought home all of his dirty clothes, so she had a lot to do.  We are also near the dumpsters which we like because we don't have to walk with the trash bag as long.  We hate doing trash duty.

There are a lot of activities here.  Mom hopes to take one of the tours that they offer of the place. Mom wants to see the mail facility.  Our mail comes here and then is forwarded to wherever we are.  There is also the C.A.R.E. Center.  This is where Escapee members can get help if they are having trouble due to illness or injury.  We love our Escapee club for all that they offer.

We haven't really seen much of the place yet since it was late when we got in last night. We will take photos later today and show you around our new place.

Joey,
The Greyhound Who Is Snuggling Under Blankets This Morning

54th Escapade

Our vacation is now over and Dad is back to work, so we have more time to update our blog.

As we mentioned before, we really enjoyed attending the Escapade which was held in Goshen, IN this year.  What is Escapade?  It is a rally put on by Escapees, which a RV club that we joined a few years ago.  This year, there were something like 1,052 people and over 500 rigs.  It was very well organized.

The rally started on a Monday.  The vendors' market opened at 9 a.m.  The folks shopped for a while and then came home for lunch.  At 2 p.m., they attended a 1st timers seminars that told them how to get around the rally. Everyone was given a pocket guide to events and then a bigger guide that explained each seminar.  At 3 p.m., opening ceremonies were held.Two $500 cash prizes were handed out. Then they had an ice cream social. At 7 p.m. more attendance prizes. They gave away some really nice prizes.  Johnny Counterfit performed after that.  He does impersonations of singers and Mama said he was really good.

Johnny Counterfit

The seminars (classes) began on Tuesday.  Here are classes they attended on Tuesday:  RV Interior Refurbishing, Technology For Travelers, Highway History and Back Road Mystery (very interesting) and Smartphones/Tablets for Travelers.  At 4 p.m., they came home and walked us and then they had to rush back to the First-timers Social. There were several socials held each night, but Mama's compliant was that they were held at 4:30 p.m. and it was hard to come home after class, walk us and then head back by 4:30.  It would have been easier if she had skipped classes, but she wanted to attend as many classes as possible.  Attendance prizes were handed out at 7 and then the entertainment began.  The folks said it was really bad on this night.  A lot of people walked out including the folks.  They felt bad doing it, but the sound system was really bad and they couldn't understand what the performers were saying.

Wednesday, they attended the following classes: Insider Cleaning Tips (Excellent) Picasa & Picasa Web Albums, Ins & Outs of Towing Safety, Coulda, Woulda, Shoulda (Mama said she shouldn't have.  BOL!), Making Your Nest Egg Last, and Geocashing/Hunting Treasure.  There was no entertainment, so they went out for dinner after class.

Mark, instructor from boot camp on the big screen.  It turned cold during our stay, plus he is getting ready to head to Alaska soon.

The rain caused this person to get stuck in the mud.

Thursday, they attended the following classes: Your Bucket List, Wrinkle-Free Laundry (Excellent), Basic Genealogy, Realities of Full-Time Lifestyle, Escapees RV Club-What's New (Very Good).  Door prizes were held at 7 p.m. and then Ham-O-Rama was held.  Ham-O-Rama was performances by fellow club members.  It was really good.

Ham-O-Rama

Friday, they only attended one class:  Make your Rig More Live-Able (Very Good).  The Pet Parade was held at 11:15 a.m. The chili cook-off was held at 11:45 p.m.  Closing Ceremony was held at 3 p.m.  A farewell party was held at 7 p.m.

Posing for pictures after the pet parade.

Relaxing after the pet parade.

Saturday, there was a breakfast, but the folks did not attend.

There were several classes that Mama wanted to attend but couldn't because they were held at the same time.  There were craft classes held, but Mama didn't make it to any of those.  Yoga and Zumba classes were also offered. There was also a craft show, but Mama missed that, too. There was definitely more to do than there was time.

It was like a happy hour for dogs whenever classes ended.  All the dogs were out meeting and greeting each other with their people.  It was fun!

Mama really enjoyed sharing other stories of the road with fellow full-timers.  One person asked the negatives of living on the road full-time. The only answer that anyone would come up was the weather.  Yes, there are breakdowns, but houses need repairs too.  Sometimes, it is harder for Mama because she doesn't have a car and can't always ride Buddy.  Something as simple as buying a birthday card can turn into a big deal because she doesn't have a car and then if she makes it to the store, she has to find a place to mail it.  It is not as simple as walking to your mailbox to mail a card.  However, her situation is unique because most people have a car and they can do what they want, when they want.  Mama feels like she has lost a lot of independence not having a car on a daily basis, but I'm happy that she is home with us more.

The folks really hope to attend the next Escapade which will be held in March in Tuscon, AZ.

Joey,
The Greyhound Who Enjoyed Escapade Too!

Boot Camp Graduates!

This past week has been very busy as we expected. We have not had time to update our blog.  We are pretty tired tonight, so this will be a short update just to let you know we are alive.  We will go into more detail about our time here later.

See, they received a pin that said they graduated.

There were approximately 1,062 people here and over 500 rigs.  There were several ladies who were solo.

Dad stood on the roof of the RV and took a photo, but this is only our section.

We had heavy rains and that caused problems.  One person that we know of had to be towed out and everyone else in that section was told to stay put until Saturday or Sunday.

This photo shows the ruts.  It was on the big screen in the hospitality room.  Mama had it edited in Picasa, but she can't get it to show up here and she said she was tired of messing with it.

Scout and I participated in the pet parade on Friday.  The paparazzi was all around me snapping photos. BOL!  Mama's photos are not that good, but part of me ended up on the "big screen".

This is our friend, Willie Nelson.  He is a Great Dane, if you can't tell.  He is HUGE!

He wore a sign that said "Eat More Chicken".

Here I am on the Big Screen.

Henry, a sheep dog, also became our friend, but we didn't get any photos of him.  He was as big as us!

There were two other greyhounds here that we saw once.  Mama said I made a fool of myself when I saw them.  She said I was also a nut at the parade because I was so excited.  Mama told everyone that I am not a "normal" greyhound. 


Tomorrow, we get weighed!  Yep, our rig and car get weighed and we have to stay inside to see if we are overweight.  They will weigh each tire to see if we have too much weight on any of them.  We may have to shift things around.  It is dangerous to not have the weight properly distributed.

Mama wants to tell you about her classes and the fun things she did, but she said she needs to wait until after she has had some rest.

We had a wonderful time here and hope to do another event soon!!!!

Joey,
The Greyhound Who Is Getting Weighed Tomorrow

Boot Camp - 2 Days Down

We arrived at boot camp on Friday.  We arrived at a good time and only had to wait a few minutes to get parked.  We are in a spot where we are kind of stuck until after the event ends.  We are facing a fence and there is an RV blocking us in. We wanted to get our rig weighed while here, but since we are stuck in our spot, it may not happen.  We will have to see if we can do it next weekend before we leave.

Can you see the rigs lined up to get in?

The sites are larger than we expected.  We are in a field with full hook-ups. 

The folks have been gone a lot since they have classes all day.  Friday, they were in class from 12:30 to 7 pm.  Today, they were in class from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m.  They were served breakfast and dinner.  Mama was surprised by both meals.  She expected danishes for breakfast, but they had an egg dish, bacon and hash browns.  Dinner was grilled chicken breasts, green beans, potatoes, salad and bread.  The food has been good. Mama had a two hour break for lunch today.  She came home and did dishes, laundry and walked us.  Tomorrow will be a shorter day.  They start at 7 a.m. and get out at 3 p.m.

So, have they learned anything?  Mama said she has learned less than she expected.  The stuff she has learned is pretty scary.  She has learned that diesel class A's are the most dangerous for fires.  It is what we have.  She has learned that even though our refrigerator had the recall done on it, it still catches on fire. She has learned that the window that is our escape route out in a fire, is a break out window so can't be used unless you want to break it out. There is no practicing with it. You have 20 seconds to get out if your RV is on fire.  Yeah, that is not very long to get out and pushing a greyhound out a window that is not on ground level will not be easy.  We will just have to take every precaution we can to stay safe.

Everyone was pretty scared after yesterday's class concerning fires and many of the people were practicing coming out of windows last night.  It was kind of funny to see.

Today, they had a three hour class on fire safety.  The guy who teaches it is really "in your face" because he wants to get your attention. They practiced using fire extinguishers today.  It is not Mama in the photos.

Scout and I have just been hanging out in the RV.  We are enjoying walking around and seeing all the other dogs when Mama is not in class.  There is a pet parade on Friday that we think we will participate in. Scout says she will only walk if it is not hot.  

I am having fun here because there are lots of dogs, but wish the folks were around more.  Mama said next week will be busy with more classes and at night they have entertainment.  I am not sure I like this type of vacation.

Joey,
The Greyhound Who Will Be Happy When Boot Camp Is Over

It's Mail Day!

Mama is excited because our mail is coming today. If you don't know, we use a mail forwarding service. It just so happens that it is in Texas.  Our real address is a Texas address.   All our mail is sent to this company and whenever we want, we request it to be sent to us. Since we have been on the road for a month, we have only requested our mail twice - every two weeks.  The last time, we really didn't get much.  This time, however, we think there will be magazines and Christmas cards.  Mama is really hoping that her Celebrating Greyhounds magazine is there. The postage was more this time, so there has to be more than the last time. Mama is excited.  We are very happy with the company so far.  It is part of the Escapees Club that we belong to and they offer very personal service.  Mama says they are very friendly.

Yesterday, Mama discovered apps to her favorite radio stations from home.  She put them on her tablet and now she can listen to things from back home. She has been listening to the app that has the police scanner from back home and she enjoys that.  It is not as good as her real police scanner, but it's a taste of home just the same.  She has set up her police scanner for here, but she doesn't find it to be quite as interesting.

It is a rainy day here.  If we didn't know better, it looks like it could snow.  We just got back from our walk. It really bothers us when dogs walk behind us.  Does it bother anyone else?  We have to keep turning around to see what they are up to. This morning, we just pulled off to the side to let the dog pass us.

Me chewing on a bully stick this morning.

Scout pouting because she wants the bully stick.

Mama started on a scarf yesterday.  She is making good progress. She decided that she needed one when the windchill was in the teens the other morning.  She wore her winter coat and gloves, but didn't have a scarf.  It is almost like we are living in the old days, isn't it?  Mama is waiting on our mail to be delivered and making a scarf to survive the winter.  LOL

The yarn is from our stay in Indiana.  It is blue, brown and cream.  Mama says it is so easy to use and very soft.

This is our toy box.  We broke out our bag of toys last week.  Mama thought I was bored, but I really just needed to pee.

The Emeals dinner last night was really good according to the folks.

Beef and Wild Rice Bake

It is made with ground beef, a box of wild rice, tomato soup and cheese.  Mama added more cheese on top, just because.  Dad said it would make a good burrito. 

Tonight is grocery shopping night.  The folks are going to try the Super Target.  Tomorrow, they will look at motor homes again. 

Joey,
The Greyhound Who Sleeps Good On Rainy Days

Me And You And The Greyhounds, Too

Do you remember the song called Me And You And A Dog Named Boo?  Mama sings it to me all the time. She's strange. Now, she has started singing her own version.  However, she has only changed a few things on it.  I guess she is not very talented. She has been trying to put the pigman in it, but for now, we just sing the third verse

Third verse:

 I'll never forget the day
We motored into Houston. (definitely doesn't fit, but we haven't been to L.A. like the song says)
The lights of the city are settlin'
Down in my brain
Though it's only been a month or so
That old motor home is buggin' us to go
We've gotta get away and get back on
The road again

Me and you and the greyhounds, too
Travellin' and livin' off the land
Me and you and the greyhounds,too
How I love being free!

We recently joined an RV club called Escapees.  They have get togethers, classes, offer discounts, etc. They send out a bi-monthly magazine called Escapees, Sharing the RV Lifestyle.  In the May/June magazine there there was an article that Mama said summed up how we feel.  Here is just part of it.

"Those of us who choose the RV lifestyle feel a house is only a gilded cage surrounded by a fence and filled with as much stuff as we can afford. For some of us, the size of the home doesn't matter as long as it is on wheels. It provides with with security we need plus the ability to see new places, make new friends and discover how people in different places live.  

Boxer (this was a pet mouse that the article talked about) was safe, petted and well fed in his cage.  Yet as soon as he was given a chance to roam free, he never came back to that security.  The same can be said of many who choose the full-time RV lifestyle. A taste of  freedom is all it takes for some of us.

Because we don't all enjoy the same things, sometimes it is difficult to understand loved ones whose choices are different, but that should not keep us from applauding the accomplishments we each have made.  We must care about and support people for who they are--not who we wish they were. No amount of either security or freedom will cure the ache in your heart if you live your life the way someone else thinks you should."

Joey,
The Greyhound Who Is Ready To Be Back On The Road Again