Full Time RV Living–A Little Nature - Red Shouldered Hawk Babies

Red Shouldered Hawk’s Nest with two (not quite) fledglings. . .awesome!

Baby Hawks are called eyas. . .and two hawk babies are called eyases. . .

this is from wiki/answers

ey-as (ahy-uhs)
-noun
1. a nestling
2. an unfledged, or not-yet-feathered bird, specifically, a nestling hawk or falcon.

looking around for Mom and Dad

there they are!

Full Time RV Living–What a Difference a Couple of Months Make

When we arrived at Stephen F Austin in January. . .

this was how our campsite looked

and only three short months later. . .

completely green. . .all the tree canopies filled out. . .just beautiful

For the most part, we have enjoyed being Park Hosts at

Stephen F Austin State Park in San Felipe TX,

and wanted to share just a few of the projects we have taken part in. . .

cement work. . .I’ve never been that close to a cement truck in my life. . .

finished project looks great. . .I also painted the barbecue pit. . .

assisted with painting the eaves around the perimeter. . .

and putting a second coat of stain on the cedar. . .fun!

helped with staining the furniture. . .that was some potent stain. . .let me tell you!  Wow. . .

this itty, bitty little woman, Donna, built all that massive furniture you saw in the previous pics. . .

I don’t even know how she managed it. . .but she did a great job!

here’s the extent of my building ability. . .

Dave and I put together these bird feeding platforms for the Wildlife Area. . .

gave intern Brittany a ride to the river to release a catfish

that had outgrown the aquarium in the Nature Center. . .

took 100 kindergartners on a hike. . .25 at a time. . .

Ranger Lisa took the other 100. . .so 200 kindergartners total. . .

it was quite a day! 

Mulched the Nature Garden

more mulching

and created Nature Garden signs. . .

 

Add to all this our regular duties of bathroom maintenance,

mowing, and fire pit clean out. . .

it has been a very busy few months indeed!

 

We leave here a week from tomorrow to meet up with our buyers

who are driving down from Pennsylvania to pick up

Beauty and the Beast. . .we are looking forward to meeting them. . .

and introducing them to their new ride. . .

 

Until next time

Janice

Full Time RV Living–Escape Is Getting Closer

Oh goodness. . .

now that we are only 10 days away from the end of our Park Hosting duties. . .

hitch itch is really, really setting in

so I decided escaping with Dave when he left to teach at College Station

this week would be a really great idea. . .

the bluebonnets are beginning to be at the end of their peak season,

but we found these beauties. . .so lovely!

as a wonderful fabulous bonus. . .

since Dave is a “priority club” member Holiday Inn

upgraded his room to a King Suite with a whirlpool. . .

escaping has turned into a fabulous, wonderful decision. . .

tomorrow. . .back to real life!

Full Time RV Living - A New Ride–or at Least–A Different Ride

Not sure how anyone could have missed it. . .

but just in case you did. . .

we SOLD Beauty and the Beast on EBay. . .yaaaa!

and chose yesterday of all days. . .with those crazy winds. . .

to move it to storage, until the new owners. . .

a couple from Pennsylvania. . .can get here to pick it up!

Of course, selling the rig necessitated purchasing a tow vehicle. . .

or a TOAD in RV terms. . .

Dave did all the research. . .yada, yada, yada. . .

my only request. . .that it match the motor home!

I’d say he picked a winner. . .

Anyone who knows us, knows we don’t buy new. . .

so it’s a 2006 Jeep Grand Cherokee. . .4 wheel drive,

so we can tow it four down. . .important.

Just gotta get the tow bar and set up done on the rig. . .

and we will be ready to roll towards Maine! 

Lord willing. . .

Full Time RV Living–We Were Just Pooped

The entire month of March was  grueling. . .just flat wore us out .  We were told the month of March/April would be the busiest in the park, and they were correct. . .Spring Break Week. . .ai yai yai. . .

but we survived, and in an effort to recuperate drove over to Brazos Bend State Park to visit Park Host friends Judy and Dick Mott.  We originally met them in Estes Park last summer, where we all park hosted for Larimer County. . .then later, when Fort Parker had an opening, they called us, and we park hosted with them for a few weeks there. 

I love the juxtaposition of the flowers with the alligator

This reminds me of post cards I've seen at National Preserves

Young alligators were everywhere. . .not in the least bit afraid

this humongous specimen. . .Dick said it was a female. . .was lying fairly close to the walking path.  I can certainly see why patrols are posted on the weekends. . .they say the teenagers will walk right up to the alligators, even go so far as to poke them with a stick.  I would say. . .if this one gets ahold of ya. . .you are in a world of trouble!

I almost wish we had followed them over to Brazos Bend. . .so many fascinating, fabulous things to see.

Notice the young gator at the bottom of the pic. . .almost camouflaged

and all the different varieties of birds. . .just amazing!

Anhinga drying it’s wings

After a five mile bike ride around two lakes. . .getting off multiple times to take pics. . .and an hour drive home. . .I lay down across the bed and went into a coma. . .a seriously relaxing day. . .thanks Judy and Dick for playing hosts. . .we loved it!

Our Rig is FOR SALE

This is a re-post from November when we first put the rig up for sale. . .

Since we never got too serious about actually getting it done, 

we now find ourselves only ten weeks away from our summer trip. . .

with three vehicles. . .yikes! and three insurance payments. . .yikes. . .

SO

today, April Fools Day I have officially determined to get very, very serious

about getting Beauty and the Beast sold and in the hands of a new owner!

Wish me luck. . .and if you know anyone who might be interested

please direct them our way. . .thanks!

You read it right. . .today we are officially putting our truck and fifth wheel up FOR SALE!

If you know anyone who is looking for a great deal. . .all the pics and information

can be found here:  BEAUTY AND THE BEAST ARE FOR SALE

WHY?  you ask. . .

well. . .here’s the reason. . .and of course you know they

never want to give you diddly on a trade in. . .

so we’re gonna try our hand at selling our rig ourselves. . .uggghhhh!

Wish us luck. . .oh, and a few prayers would not go amiss. . .

Til next time,

Janice

Full Time RV Crafts - How to make a Magnolia Blossom from Latex Balloons

I am reposting this craft project from my 

personal EvansEscapades Blog. . .

the Magnolias are getting ready to bloom. . .

and if you want to prolong the enjoyment, 

this is the perfect craft. . .

You can collect the magnolia centers while they are available. . .

dry them. . .and save them for later use.

Enjoy!

How to make a Magnolia Blossom from Latex Balloons

Supplies Needed

18 gauge craft wire (must be 18 gauge)

this is available at craft stores such as Hobby Lobby, 

however if you do not have a craft store available, 

you can buy 18 gauge wire in a small roll at a hardware store.

package of 9" or 11" helium quality latex balloons

floral stem wrapping tape

magnolia center

at least three magnolia leaves - (silk leaves are fine)

wire cutters

scissors

glue gun (maybe)

Cut 9 pieces of 18 gauge wire into 18" pieces

Cut 4 pieces of 18 gauge wire into 9" pieces

Fold the 18" pieces in half, leaving rounded at the top

Cut the ends off of 9 ballons

Feed the folded 18" wires into the 9 balloons

Pull balloon down tight to the end of the wire, this part of the process is difficult and takes patience

Wrap the balloon very tightly with the floral tape

Continue wrapping all nine balloons and wires with floral tape

Now pull the wires out inside the balloons and shape the petals.

This is why you need 18 gauge wire, so it will hold it's shape.

Fasten one 9" wire to the magnolia center, this may require using the glue gun to get it to stay.

If you do not have a magnolia center, you can purchase them at a craft store, but they are pricey.

Place three petals around the magnolia center, and wrap with floral tape

Add three additional petals, and wrap with floral tape

Add three remaining petals, and wrap with floral tape

Add at least three magnolia leaves,
 attach leaves to 9" pieces of wire
 and wrap with floral tape

There you have it, one gorgeous magnolia blossom, 
created from latex balloons

Thanks to Dona 
at Admiralty RV Park in San Antonio TX 
for teaching me this craft.

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