October 27, 2012  #3

Tired today because of wind last night.  Interesting experience to go through - gusts up to 31 miles an hour yesterday, through the night and only in last few hours has it calmed down.  Wow, it was noisy and made the rig shake, rattle and roll.  I did not sleep as I had images of that 16 wheeler being tossed around in a tornado like a child's toy truck last year.  Paul and I joked that maybe we should hook up the truck to the 5th wheel so it's wheels stayed on the ground.  It was cloudy all day and so windy it wasn't fun to go out - thought I might need an anchor for my smallest two dogs!!  

We went shopping anyway since we are running out of staples (ie, oreos for Paul!!).

Since I am a roads scholar (hence the blog name) I will describe what I have recently learned.  Today, I learned Wal Mart is the same no matter what state you're in (and I still spend my money there!).

I have also learned that my dogs must be leash trained.  As they have been given freedom most of their lives to just trot out the back door and run around their sizeable back yard, they are a bit confused about how to behave now.  They get very excited about all the new smells and the deer running around the RV park in Kerrville TX, and the rabbits running around the RV park here in South Padre Island.  (not to mention what are probably feral cats here in the park).  They do not understand why their owner gets very frustrated when they wrap her up with their leashes like ribbons on a Maypole!  They do not understand why she is upset when they pull her arms out of their sockets!

I have learned to put Maizy on the short leash so she can zig and zag  behind Callie, who has surpised me by wanting to be the lead dog in the pack.  Callie is usally the  submissive dog in the pack,  but must be in the lead when  out on walks.

Rabbit trail:    Is it just me or is the new Chanel commercial with Brad Pitt just stupid.  And I'm usually a Brad fan.

Anyway - I must now train my dogs to walk on a leash - duh!

Before we left I knew I had to train Maizy to come as she is prone to front door dashes and then a game of come and get me with her owners.  It is not a fun game.  In one park she gave Paul the run around for an hour.  I showed him how to corner her with a large branch and our broom and she submits. I am sure we provided many minutes of entertainment for other campers.   In Kerrville she got out, ran to meet the next door neighbor door and started to play the "come and get me" game but I wouldn't play.  I went into the rig, got a Ritz cracker and just said "Maizy, come" and she came immediately. If only I had known  that should be my secret weapon!  Not pieces of hot dog - Ritz!!

Another dog issue when you're on the road, is dog  cleanup - we must not leave " gifts" behind so we are constantly keeping small bags for dog dropping retrievel - some in the truck and some in the rig.  We were running out and actually bought some today, where else?  Wal Mart.  At this RV park they have a posted rule, your dog "scoop" is to be visible at all times when your dog - well, as we use bags I proposed that we wear them on our heads so they were clearly "visible at all times" .... Paul refused .  So, we just make sure they're hanging out of our pockets.  To this date however, I have not seen any poop police so I'm not real concerned.

One feature of this park is the presence of a county constable who cruises around the streets of the park day and night - nice, but makes me concerned about safety/security if that is needed.  It is different in that it is a county park - that clearly shows in its maintenance.  It is not as nicely  maintained as the private parks we have been in but it's fine for us.

When we arrived it was after hours - having called ahead from the road we were already assigned a space.  We had asked Blanca, the friendly reservation clerk, to give us a space as close to water as possible.  Well, the space was underneath a bright orange parking lot light and we had a lovely view of the men's bathroom. And absolutely no view of any water.   Paul and I were in immediate agreement, do not even unhook and MOVE in the morning.  We took the dogs out for their early morning relief walk and found our spot.  It was over on the bay side, at the end of the row so we have neighbors on only one side, and on a cul-de-sac so less traffic.  Oh, and there's a big turnaround right by us so easier in and out.  We have a lovely view of the bay and watch shrimp boats and cargo ships go up and down the channel.  Much better site.  We also have a large statue of Jesus right out the back window - it is Jesus de Christo de Pescadores - He's the protector of the shrimp fisherman.  It was funded by a local family to honor the lives lost on the sea.

One downside to this park is the presence of horrible, terrible, painful little things called sand burrs.  They're everywhere - dry, brittle little needle- like burrs on the streets, and horrible prickly green ones growing on grasslike stalks.  They cling to bare skin and leave a rash!  The poor dogs get them no matter how careful we try to be - we just look, see a limp and say "uh oh - flat tire".  We're learning how to keep them off clothes and shoes since we pulled about 30 of them out of our entry rug the first night here!  I hope to learn how to post pics in this blog so you can see them!!  Gnarly little buggers.

Ok, gotta watch the last inning of the World Series #3 game - Go Giants!!

Happy Trails to you.....