Still Pretty Boring

There is not a whole lot going on here.  It has been too windy for Mom to ride Buddy.  She will be able to go out tomorrow and maybe order her glasses.  It has been hot.  We were near 90 yesterday and today is a little cooler.  The air ran all day yesterday.  It is at least shutting off today.  Mom found a fan for me because I was panting a lot Saturday night.  I don't like the heat much anymore.  We may have severe storms here on Friday.  Yikes!

I am not allowed to pee on the roses because Mom says I might get a thorn.  :::sigh:::

April The Giraffe

Oh, my goodness!  When is she going to have that calf?  Mom checks on her several times a day.  We thought she was getting ready to give birth a few times, but nope!

Instant Pot

The Instant Pot is still cranking out good food.  The Salted Caramel Cheesecake that Mom made last week was good. She also recently made corned beef and potatoes, spicy sausage pasta in a cream sauce and Marsala chicken pasta.  

Marsala Chicken

Eating Out

The folks ate at Gloria's this weekend.  It is a Latin restaurant.  They are known for a bean dip that they serve along with salsa and chips.

Mom's meal.  It is a skirt steak smothered in salsa, cheese, peppers and mushrooms.

Dad's meal.  Surf and Turf.  

They both agreed that they would like to go back again.

Sunday, they ate at their favorite Mexican place, Pappasito's Cantina.

Dad's meal.  That is a lot of food!

Kitchen Faucet

The kitchen faucet broke on the day that our warranty expired on our rig.  Mom tracked down the part that we need yesterday.  It took a few emails and phone calls, but she found a very nice lady who helped her.  The folks couldn't determine the brand of the faucet, but we now know. The brand is actually located on the backside of the faucet.  Mom used a mirror to see it.  The faucet has a lifetime warranty.  Mom didn't know if they would honor it since we didn't have the paperwork to register it.  She called the company this morning and it doesn't sound like it will be a problem.  Mom had to send them photos of it just to prove it is one of theirs.  The part is $60 and will be really easy to replace.  The faucet sprays Mom every time she uses it now, so she wants it fixed.

Free Pizza

Mom ordered pizza last Sunday when Dad was at work.  It arrived late, but Mom didn't say anything.  She was really surprised when she received an email from Pizza Hut offering us a free pizza!   We have already redeemed it.

Jokari Fizz Keeper

You may have noticed on our side bar this product.  Mom bought one of these because she loves soda.  She didn't like to buy bottles because she felt that she had to drink them quickly because they went flat. She wanted to try this to see if it worked because bottles are cheaper and easy to carry on Buddy.  She has used this on two bottles and both bottles kept their fizz until she was finished with them which was about five days.  There are reviews that say they keep the fizz for 2.5 weeks.  This replaces the cap and the little plastic ring should also be removed so that it fits correctly.  You then just pump several times.  

Joey,

The Greyhound Who Is Staying Cool On The Couch

Weekend Eating

It has been kind of a boring week here since Mama has been sick.  Since she was feeling bad on Monday, she ordered Pizza Hut for dinner.  Yum!  Well, we just had a few of the pizza bones, but still yum!  Tuesday night she fixed one of her favorite meals that is so easy.  It is from one of her favorite cookbooks which is by Campbell's.  It is a short cut lasagna.  Mama changes it a bit though and uses meat lasagna and she uses a five Italian cheese.

Short Cut Lasagna

Speaking of food, do you want to see what the folks ate on Saturday night?  You know you do!  BOL!  They went to their favorite Mexican restaurant.  Actually, they didn't know there was one here.  They have eaten at the chain in Houston many times.  It is called Pappasito's Cantina.  Dad says the food is excellent, but more expensive than most Mexican restaurants.  Mama was disappointed that they do not serve the avocado salsa here like they do in Houston.  The Houston locations serve a regular salsa and the avocado salsa.  Another difference they found is that the location here serves green and red peppers and they do not do that in Houston.

Dad's meal had shrimp, steak and an enchilada.

Mama had the burrito with steak, refried beans and rice.

Do you want to know what they did on Sunday? The folks went to Camping World and bought a surge protector for the motor home.  Dad has been wanting to get one ever since we were camping with Grandpa several years ago (BJ - before Joey) and when Grandpa plugged in, it burned up the electrical.  Mama said she saw smoking coming out of their RV.  Mama doesn't remember all the details, but there was something wrong with the outlet that they plugged in, like maybe it was wired and marked as a 30 amp and they had a 50 amp.  It was not good and caused a lot of damage.  Dad finally broke down and bought us a surge protector.  It was $350 and that was on sale.  He didn't want to spend that much, but decided we had pushed our luck long enough by not having one.

A dog shirt that Camping World sells.  I NEED THIS!  BOL!

On the way home from Camping World, the folks stopped for dinner at BJ's Restaurant.  They ate at this chain when we stayed in Houston the very first time.  Can you believe that we have been on the road for almost two years?

Corn Fritters with Bacon Aioli - this is basically a hush puppy with jalapenos, a spicy sauce and bacon.

Dad's Calamari

Mama's salad

Dad's Jambalaya

Mama's steak with horseradish mashed potatoes

Inside the restaurant

The steak was good.  I know because I got a couple of bites!

I think I have caught you up on the weekend happenings.

Joey,
The Greyhound Who Loves A Good Steak Or Even A Bad One ~ BOL!

A Weekend Of Re-Visits

This was the first weekend that the folks didn't go sightseeing.  It was a cloudy and rainy weekend. We have had rain for the past ten days. Dad decided to wax the RV in between the rain. Well, he waxed one side of it.  Mama went shopping. She shopped at Joanne's Fabric and Crafts. She bought more yarn for dish clothes and hot pads. How may do we need? LOL  She also visited Petco, Petsmart and the grocery store, H.E.B.  She bought that green salsa she has been wanting to try. She is not impressed. Actually, she said she has had a dry mouth since she ate it on chips and that was two days ago. It is HOT!  She likes it on breakfast burritos though.

The folks decided to re-visit their favorite restaurants here. Saturday night, they ate at Sawgrass Steak House.   Mama ordered the same thing she ordered the last time and she didn't think it was as good. She now thinks if you think something is the best you have ever had, maybe you shouldn't go back.

Inside Sawgrass Steak House

Breaded Mushrooms - a little overdone

Rib Eye with garlic butter and Loaded Baked Potatoe

We tasted the Rib Eye and we thought it was excellent. We think Mama is a little nuts. Dad thought his was just as good as the first time.

Yesterday, they decided to go back Pappasito's Catina.  This is the Mexican place that Dad thinks is the best they have had in Houston.  Mama loved their green salsa the first time, but this time, she didn't like it. They serve their red salsa warm. She liked that one.

Salsas and Chips

Pappasito’s Famous Burrito
with sour cream & chipotle sauce - the sour cream is the white on the burrito

Dad's plate - not sure what it is . It's a combination. Mama had to snap the photo quick because it embarrasses Dad to have photos of his food taken.

Mama's burrito had steak and beans in it. Mama said the steak was awesome!   How does this compare to Los Cucos that Mama decided last week was the best Mexican place in Houston?  Mama says it is really hard for her to decide. Papa's is definitely more expensive. Papa's was almost $20 for her meal. Los Cucos was $13. Papas probably was the best, but Los Cucos is a very close second.

This is the covered outside sitting area at Pappa's. It stormed while they were there, so it's a good thing no one was sitting there since it all got wet.

Last night, they decided to try Wings N More. It is a sports bar. They decided to start out with an appetizer.  It was not breaded mushrooms. Can you believe that? It was fried pickles. Mama had fried pickles years ago at a place call Hatfields And McCoys.  They served everything fried.  It was back when she could eat shrimp and she had good memories of it. 

Fried Pickles

Mama said the pickles were different, but she wouldn't order them again.

The both ordered the combo plate which had hot wings and tenders. Mama had slaw.  Dad had potato salad.  Mama's slaw was a little dry. Dad said the potato salad was very good.  Mama liked the wings. They were fried and then dipped in hot sauce. The tenders were good. She chose honey mustard and chipotle ranch as her dipping sauces. They did not bring us any leftovers.

This weekend is the dog show. The folks already have their meals planned out.  LOL  They are going back to the place that they saw on Food Network, but was closed when they arrived.  It is on the way to the dog show. Sunday, they will try out Crabby Daddy's. The reviews are not very good, but Dad said they have been other places that didn't have the best reviews and it ended up being good.

Oh, my goodness!  There is so much to do in Cleveland. Mama already has our weekends planned. We will tell you more about that later.

Joey,
The Greyhound Who Is Approaching His First Gotcha Day!

It's Another Rainy Day In Houston

We have had a nice week of temps in the 80's and rain off and on each day. This morning, it is really raining.  We just came back from a walk and we were drenched.  However, it's a good thing we went out when we did because now it is a heavy downpour.

I didn't see my Daisy yesterday.  Well, I did see her from afar.  She was riding in her Mom's golf cart. The park manager has a golf cart and Daisy's parents just bought one. I would love to ride in one, but I would take up the whole thing. Daisy's folks have a toy hauler which is a trailer that has a place in the back for things like golf carts, ATVs, etc.

Last night, Mama fixed spaghetti, garlic bread and salad. Yes, that is what was on our Emeals menu.  The salad had strawberries, blueberries and Italian dressing. Mama liked it.

Salad with strawberries, blueberries and Italian dressing

Saturday night, we were watching Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives and they showed two Houston restaurants.  The folks were very excited.  One restaurant was a place that they almost went to when they toured the space center, but Mama chose a different place.  She regretted not going after seeing it on TV. They debated on which one to visit on Sunday.  They chose the one that was about a half hour away.  However, when they arrived, it was closed for the day.  Mama said it was a rookie mistake. She should have checked their hours. It was pouring down rain and they had to find another place to eat.  She kept checking the GPS to see what was nearby.  Finally, they decided on a Mexican place.  It is called Los Cucos Mexican Cafe.  There is a location that is near us and they almost went there last weekend.  Mama really liked it and decided it was the best Mexican place she has visited here.  Dad said it was good, but he thinks Pappasito's Cantina is the best.  Mama said maybe they needed to go back to Pappasito's Catina and she would order something different this time.  She did really like their salsa.   Mama is loving all the salsas here. They are all different. She really likes the green chili salsas.  She never had them until we came here.  There is a grocery store that advertises their green salsa on TV and she is determined to go there before we leave and buy a jar. 

The salsa at Los Cucos - a green chili and a red salsa that is served warm. Both were really good.

Dad's dinner - fajitas with shrimp, chicken, beef and pork

El Burrito Grande - Large flour tortilla filled with tender beef  fajita, refried beans and cheese, topped with chile con carne and cheddar cheese.

Mama really liked the beef in this one.

After they ate, they went to Dad's favorite store, Camping World.

 They didn't buy anything fun, just wax for the RV.

Houston traffic on a Sunday afternoon.  Yes, this is on a Sunday.  Saturdays are really bad.

Joey,
The Greyhound Who Is Hearing Rumors That We Are Leaving Houston Soon

Day 49, Sunday's Activities

On  Sunday, the folks went out for a while.  Their first stop was Kohl's.  If you don't have a Kohl's, it's a department store that has clothing, shoes and kitchen items.  They usually have decent sales and then they offer savings from 10% to 30% with coupons. Mama gets excited when she gets a 30% off coupon. They even allow you to use the coupons on clearance items.  Mama received a 20% off coupon through email  on Sunday.  She was happy to find some shirts for $4.99.  They were normally $12.  She bought 4 of them.  It was a good deal and then she added the 20% off coupon.  They had hoped to find Dad some more work clothes, but no luck on this trip.  They then went to Academy.  It's a sporting goods store.  Mama said she found a bed that she wants to get me.  It will replace the quilt that I am using the floor on the floor.  It is basically a mat with some foam in it, but she said it feels like it would be pretty comfy.  It will easily fold up if we need more space.  She decided to look at a few more stores before making the purchase though.  Dad bought an adapter for our BBQ grill so that we can use a bigger propane tank with it.  It only takes the small canisters without the adapter.

After shopping, they went out to eat.  They ate at Pappasito's Cantina.  Remember when they ate at the seafood place that had the chicken pasta that Mama said was the best chicken she had ever tasted?  Well, it is owned by the same people. There are seven different types of restaurants owned by this family and they are big in this area.  When they arrived at the restaurant, Mama heard someone leaving and they said they were not waiting 1 1/2 hours.  Mama told Daddy she wasn't waiting that long either after waiting that long for Bubba Gump's the day before.  However, seating was immediately available for them since there was just two of them.  Mama said the place was packed with families since it was Father's Day. Mexican restaurants seem to serve a lot of seafood here.  There were a few items that Mama could order though.  She chose the Beef Chimichanga & Chicken Tamale.  She thought she didn't like enchiladas, but it is actually tamales that she doesn't like.  Oh, well.  She said the beef chimichanga was really good.  She forgot to take a photo of it.  It was the lunch portion and it looked more like a dinner portion.  The tortilla chips were served with a warm salsa and also a green chili sauce.  She is really liking the green chili sauces.  Dad ordered Ribeye & Diablo Shrimp: ribeye topped with grilled peppers & onions,with Diablo shrimp & choice of enchilada.  The ribeye was quite large and it was really good.  Mama tried a bite of it.  They liked this place.  We are down to about four more weekends in Houston, so they are running out of time to repeat eating at places, so they probably will not make it back there.  If they had more time, they probably would try it again.

Dad looked at the snake photo and he thinks it might be a cottonmouth.  If it is, it is poisonous.  It's hard to tell for sure if the head has a diamond shape. Mama is on high alert when we walk now.  She about jumped out of her skin last night thinking she saw a snake, but it was a pipe.  This morning, we saw a stick that was black and brown. She made an "eeek" sound.

Last night, Mama made Sloppy Joe Special.  This was really good.  We even had a small taste of it.  Yum!
1 lb ground beef chuck
½ c onion, chopped
1 can diced tomatoes, undrained
(2 T brown sugar, 2 T white vinegar)
½ loaf Italian bread
½ c shredded cheddar

Brown ground beef and onion; drain. Add tomatoes, brown sugar and vinegar; heat thoroughly. Slice bread in half lengthwise and bake at 425° until toasted. Top each half with meat mixture and sprinkle with cheese. Bake at 425° until cheese melts and bread is heated through.

Sloppy Joe Special - Mama added mozzarella cheese to it as well as the cheddar.

This was an easy meal and one that we will repeat.  Mama served coleslaw with this and made brownies for dessert.

Want to see a photo of Scout?  Yep, she is still around.  She is doing better on our walks.  We are not having to drag her out as much as we were.  She has been bad at night though.  She wants Mama's bed and she whines and whines.  Mama got upset with her the other night and shut the bedroom door. Last night, she was much better and Mama woke us up for our walk at 5:30 a.m. instead of us waking her up at 4:45 a.m.

She is so classy, don't you think? 

Joey,
The Greyhound Who Is Enjoying Some Cooler Temps This Week