A Luau and then On the Road Again - Sunday, April 14, 2024

Aloha! We're in the Hawaiian spirit from our luau on Thursday evening. When we returned from Hawaii last month, hosting a luau at our place sounded fun. And it was. Thirty people attended. 

We provided Huli Huli Chicken, macaroni salad, potato salad, chocolate-covered macadamia nuts, and Blue Hawaii cocktails. The rest was potluck. Others brought a green salad, a noodle salad, macaroni and cheese, pineapple fried rice, sausage rolls, fresh pineapple rings, mandarin orange cake, chocolate chip brownies, and an Oreo cookie/whipped cream dessert. 

Skip volunteered to DJ the party with Hawaiian music. Thank you, Skip. That made a definite difference in the ambiance of the party.

Here's my Blue Hawaii drink
complete with umbrella.

Susan, Joan, Bob, and Peg: all in the 
Hawaiian spirit.

Mike, Judy, Dave, and Jyl.

Sisters Peg and Joan did an impromptu
hula in their grass skirts.

Tim checking out the desserts.

Fast forward to today...we spent yesterday loading the 5th wheel for our upcoming trip. We spent the night in the 5th wheel so we could leave by 5-6 am. You see, the major I-10/Hwy 1604 interchange in San Antonio is getting a new fly-over ramp. They will be putting up huge pieces of the ramp. The intersection is closed all weekend. 

When we got to the construction, the freeway access road was open and we made it through the traffic congestion in ten minutes. Then we were free to travel I-10 at the usual speed. 

Both of us were very tired from all the packing we did. Plus, I clean the house before we leave on a trip so we return to a tidy home.

About an hour into the drive, we stopped at a picnic area (rest area without restrooms). Bob took a nap in the truck while I went into the 5th wheel to feed the cats. Both of us were still tired after that rest.

Around 11 am, we stopped at a rest area on US 87. It had nice exhibits about local history. The display of local courthouse architecture was quite interesting. When you look at the three photos, you can see the similarity between the three buildings. The similarity of their designs reveals the use of standardized plans. All of them were built by brothers Frederick Ernst and Oscar Raffini along with numerous other county courthouses. They employed a stylistic language called French Second Empire. 

Other historical info included the local tribes, pronghorns, climate change, and building with Texas limestone.

Art in the visitor center.

Restroom markers were pictographs.

Both of us were exhausted, so we took a nap. I went in the 5th wheel and slept on the bed. Bob conked out on the fully reclined seat in his pickup truck. An hour and a half later, both of us felt rested. We continued another 1-1/2 hours to our campground in Big Spring, Texas.

Our site is in Big Spring, Texas.

The cats traveled well today. After we set up our RV and opened the blinds, JoJo set up a station at the dining room table window. We call it "Kitty TV." She immediately saw a point of interest outside. It was a prairie dog popping out of a hole under the electrical hookup of the site next door. That entertained her for 5-10 minutes!

We watched 60 Minutes, and then Bob went for a bike ride around the neighborhood. I edited photos and wrote my blog.

Tomorrow, we will be in Ruidoso, New Mexico. There, we meet with our West Texas Trailwalkers Volkssport Club to hike and scope out trails for our October hiking weekend. We also have our annual meeting. Bob is Treasurer and I am Secretary.

Until tomorrow, good night.