LEAVING BENTSEN, DARRELL'S B'DAY, VISITING FRIENDS, NEW MEXICO

I STARTED DOING MY FALL HOUSECLEANING, GETTING VACCINES FOR MAGGIE AND MARLEE AND GETTING THEIR NAILS CLIPPED FOR THE LAST TIME IN HARLINGEN. I STEPPED ON A MESQUITE THORN AROUND THIS TIME, WENT RIGHT THROUGH MY SHOE, FOOT HURT AND SWELLED, I COULD HARDLY WALK. WE SCRUBBED THE TRUCK AND FIFTH WHEEL FROM TOP TO BOTTOM, WE WERE ANXIOUS TO GET ON THE ROAD!

ALL SUMMER I WANTED TO PUT MAGGIE AND MARLEE IN THE SWIMMING POOL TO SEE IF THEY COULD SWIM, I FINALLY GOT THE CHANCE ONE EVENING.

SAID GOODBYE TO HANNAH AND JOEY, TOM AND JAN, PROMISING TO STAY IN TOUCH. ON SEPTEMBER 10TH WE LEFT BENTSEN PALM VILLAGE RV PARK AFTER BEING THERE FOR FIVE MONTHS. WE WERE HEADED TO SAUGUS, CALIFORNIA TO SELL PUMPKINS AND CHRISTMAS TREES FOR BENNETT'S BEST. WE DIDN'T HAVE TO BE THERE UNTIL THE FIRST OF OCTOBER, SO WE WERE GOING TO DO A LITTLE VACATIONING. 

 MAGGIE AND MARLEE WERE ANXIOUS TO GO TOO!

WE HAD RESERVATIONS IN KERRVILLE AT BUCKHORN LAKE  RESORT. WE WERE HEADED TO TEXAS HILL COUNTRY.

THE NEXT DAY, SEPTEMBER 11, DARRELL TURNED 70 YEARS OLD!! WE WENT SWIMMING AND HOT TUBING, FIRST THING IN THE MORNING.

THEN, WE TOOK MAGGIE AND MARLEE OVER TO THE DOG PARK. IT WAS A COOLER DAY, THE FIRST ONE WE HAD SEEN IN A LONG TIME.

I MADE DARRELL A TURKEY DINNER FOR HIS BIRTHDAY DINNER.  WE DECIDED NEXT YEAR WE WANT TO SPEND HIS BIRTHDAY IN HERSHEY, PENNSYLVANIA AT THE RV SHOW. IT'S A DATE!!! 

WE LEFT SATURDAY MORNING, HEADING FOR VAN HORN, TEXAS TO VISIT MARY AND JIM TAYLOR, A COUPLE WE MET AT ADVENTURELAND. I COULDN'T WAIT TO SEE MARY, WE HAD STAYED IN TOUCH SINCE LEAVING ADVENTURELAND. IT WAS GREAT TO SEE THEM!

JIM HAD A SILLY, BUT COULD HAVE BEEN SERIOUS CAR ACCIDENT THIS SUMMER, WE HAD THIS SHIRT MADE FOR HIM TO COMMEMORATE IT. 

WE  GOT TO MEET THEIR DAUGHTER, SHELLY AND HER TWO BOYS. I WENT TO CHURCH WITH MARY AND GOT TO MEET HER CHURCH FAMILY. ON MONDAY MORNING WE HEADED TO  LAS CRUCES, NEW MEXICO. 

WE PULLED INTO HACIENDA RV RESORT ABOUT 1:00. THIS IS ALSO A BEAUTIFUL PARK. WE HAD DECIDED BEFORE LEAVING BENTSEN PALM THAT WE WANTED TO KEEP THE DRIVING AROUND 200 MILES A DAY.

WE WERE RIGHT ACROSS THE INTERSTATE FROM WALMART......BLISS!! WE HAD HEARD A WEATHER REPORT AND THIS AREA WAS EXPECTING RAIN FOR THE NEXT FEW DAYS, THERE WERE FLOOD WARNING OUT ALL AROUND US.  THIS AFTERNOON, THOUGH, IT WAS STILL A NICE DAY.  WE DECIDED WE SHOULD TAKE ADVANTAGE OF THAT, AND AFTER GETTING SET UP WE DROVE OVER TO MESILLA.

WE FOUND A LITTLE SHOP THAT SOLD ALL KINDS OF PRODUCE.

 IT STARTED RAINING DURING THE NIGHT AND RAINED ALL THE NEXT DAY. THIS IS WHAT THE DOG WALK LOOKED LIKE AFTER ALL THE RAIN.

IT WAS STORMY THE WHOLE TIME WE WERE IN LAS CRUCES, WE HAD PLANNED ON DRIVING UP AND SEEING THE WHITE SANDS, BUT DECIDED AGAINST IT WITH ALL THE FLOOD WARNINGS.

 WE WENT SHOPPING, I BOUGHT ME A NEW PAIR OF JEANS, AND LEARNED TO HEM JEANS. WE HAD STAYED IN NEW MEXICO A COUPLE OF OTHER TIMES, AND I DIDN'T LIKE NEW MEXICO, BUT AFTER STAYING IN LAS CRUCES, I HAVE CHANGED MY MIND.  WE FOUND A LITTLE CAFE THAT MAKES ALBURQUEQUE TORTILLA SOUP, WE STOPPED BY AND GOT ME A HUGE CONTAINER. IT WAS DELICIOUS!!