Week in Review: November 25 through December 1

This week was rather quiet around the Cummings' home. We did quite a bit of reading and I did some knitting. Oh, and we did walk every day. On one of our walks I found more of these berries, and after quite an extensive internet search the closest I can find is something called the "beautyberry," growing in the wild here but also used for shrubbery. (Let me know if I'm in error, and what they really are.)

Sunday was a day of relaxation. We attended TV church as we listened to a message on worship brought by Fred Lowery, Senior Pastor of First Baptist Church of Bossier City, Louisiana. He's a very engaging speaker, and reminded us that worship is not just for Sundays, but as children of God we're to worship Him  throughout our lives, each and every day, through our words and our actions. In the Bible, Colossians 3:17 says, "whatever you do in word or in deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him." Good to remember. Excellent speaker, with a sense of humor, but who can relate to anyone who hears him speak, I'm sure. Later we took a bit of a walk around the RV park, but settled in for the day of reading and enjoying the weather.

Monday dawned bright and cloudless, with temperatures eventually reaching the 80s. Because we didn't have internet access in the park, we took ourselves to Many for a cup of coffee and an internet fix at the local "golden arches."

After catching up on our emails, posting last week's traveling blog, and communicating with friends on Facebook, we decided to take a little road trip up to Zwolle, LA (about 10 miles North) to sample their renowned tamales, but alas, they're closed on Mondays. (We had read about these tamales in the visitors' rags, and thought we'd try them.) Apparently they're so famous in the area that an entire weekend is devoted to them in October, with a Zwolle Tamale Fiesta, to celebrate the rich Spanish and Indian heritage of the area. It's a weekend of reliving the area's heritage with "plenty of delicious hot tamales, entertainment, arts and crafts, dancing, parades, and children's activities." Zwolle was originally an Indian village, occupied for many years by the Spanish Province of Texas, and settled by the descendants of French and Spanish who intermarried with the Indians. The fiesta came about by a combined effort by the Indians and Spaniards to produce the most delectable hot tamale in the country. So sorry we missed it. Would've loved to have tried them.

While in Zwolle we noticed yet another fish statue, one of seven in the area. This one is called the Stained Glass Fish, bringing notice to the vast fishing in the area. Others can be viewed at http://www.toledobendlakecountry.com/fishing/fish_statues.

Heavy thunderstorms hit on Monday night, with the potential of hail in some areas. Thankfully, not ours!

Wednesday we visited the Sabine Parish Library, once again to catch up on our internet stuff. (Amazing how much one depends on it.) The librarian let us check out 3 DVDs so we were set for at least one evening of movies. That night we went to El Giro, a local Mexican restaurant, for a taste of their fare. Dick had 3 enchiladas and I had a chili relano--the BEST I've ever had. It wasn't slathered in batter, but just the au naturale poblano stuffed with chicken fajita ingredients. YUM! Our dinners were in the $7-8 range, and couldn't have been better. Leftovers from mine fed us for another meal!

Thursday was yet another beautiful cloudless day. We walked for about an hour through the local countryside, returning to prepare for our departure on Friday. Dick took a motorcycle ride into Many to visit "our favorite store" Walmart, to return an item and pick up groceries we would need for the next couple of days.

We woke Friday to overcast skies, cold and wind. Seems no matter how much preparation we do the day before, it still takes us close to an hour and a half to get everything stowed, tied down, emptied, and hooked up before we can actually leave. By 9 a.m. we were ready to hit the road, heading for New Waverly, Texas, and the Timber Lodge RV Resort, 195 miles away. We arrived to 75 degree weather, slight breeze and partly cloudy. Lovely. Located in the Sam Houston National Forest, we're looking forward to great hiking/biking trails.

The park is very well maintained, with only 31 sites. There's a clubhouse with laundry facilities, games, ping-pong, and TV. Also on the grounds are a hot tub and an above-ground pool with a bath house adjacent. Apparently this is early in their season, so other than the manager we're the 3rd site occupant. Nice. Quiet. (We'll be here for 2 weeks, then on to Rockport, Texas.)

Sign to Resort, on TX 150W.

Road into resort

Resort office

Bath house with pool and hot tub.

Club house

Saturday morning' s sky

Our neighbor John is a single guy, who helps out around the park. He's been here for two months, and plans to stay for a while.

Sparky

John's trusty pal is Sparky, a 5 year old rat terrier, that I took an immediate liking to. He's become my pal, following me around the park whenever we're both out.

Hope this finds you well. We'll catch up with you down the road.
Love and blessings,
Dick and Gail

P.S.: If you're following us, here's the map of our travels to date.

A = July and August, 2012: Grand Portage, MN
B = September through October 14: Cloquet, MN
C = October 14-17 : Welcome, MN
D = October 17-19 : Kellogg, IA
E = October 19-26: Lone Jack, MO
F = October 26-November 2: Jay, OK
G = November 2-9: Checotah, OK
H = November 9-23: Ashdown, AR
I = November 24-30: Many, LA
J = December 1-14: New Waverly, TX