Our New 351RLSA Jayco Eagle

Here are a few pictures of our new camper!!!!!!












Helen and I have been planning to get a new camper for quite a while,but we were going to wait until later. We were in Arizona and saw this model and fell in love with it. Everything about it fits our need. We did not have enough storage in the Jay Flight so when we got back to Tennessee we looked for this model but couldn't find it. Camper's Corner in Nashville tried to find us a 2009 351RLSA but could not find one. We went ahead and ordered a 2010 set-up the way we wanted it. It came in July the 6th and we went down and moved all our stuff into it on the 8th, (what a chore) Although it didn't take as long as some folk would have taken, it was hot and exausting. We were in the middle of Vacation Bible School at Bradley Creek Baptist Church and that of course added to the excitement. We moved the camper back to E.G.'s house and stayed five days while we got used to the new camper and got all our stuff stored where we could find it. We are at a wonderful campground at Crossville TN. by the name of Deer Run. This campground is run by some wonderful people and we love it here. Our Pastor at Bradley Creek has his camper here and he and his wife came up for the week also. We have had a great time. Sylvester is doing fine after the enitial shock of the strange new home.



We are leaving here Monday and move on over to Pigeon Forge for two weeks then up to Diamond Caverns in Cave City, KY for a week to visit Helen's brothers and sisters.
We will be back in Lascassas, TN about the end of August then about the middle of September we are headed toward Stix River a campground north of Foley, AL. Plan to go down to Gulf Shores for a day or two at least.

San Jacinto Monument & Battleship Texas

This is the Battleship Texas viewed from the viewing platform atop of the San Jacinto monument.




The Battle ship Texas is the only surviving battleship to have fought in both world wars. She is maintained as a monument to the American sailors who fought through two world wars to defense of liberty.




The San Jacinto Monument, rising 570 feet above the battleground, stands as a memorial to the men who fought for Texas independence. Built to commemorate the centennial of the battle, it is the tallest masonry structure in the world. The San Jacinto Museum of History is at the base of the tower. Its exhibits provide an overview of four hundred years of Texas history



I am finding that not enough is taught in schools about the importance of this very decisive battle. It is, I am convinced, one of the most decisive battles guiding the future of this nation. If the Texicans had not won this battle against Santa Anna he would have maintained control of every piece of land west of Missouri. All of it could have been part of Mexico. The people of Texas before it became a state were called Texicans. Some were Anglo Americans and some were Mexican citizens. For an Anglo American to be given land in this part of Mexico he had to declare allegiance to Spain and convert to the Catholic religion. They all became citizens of Mexico after Mexico won its independence from Spain. When Mexico declared it independence from Spain in 1824 they had a constitution much like our own. In the fall of 1835 President Antonio Lopez de Santa Anna abolished the constitution and declared himself "The Napoleon of the West". In March of 1836 he led 6000 troops against San Antonio and the Alamo fell. Sam Huston and his army fled east and eventually Santa Anna caught up to them at San Jacinto. He had divided his troops in three groups and he led a troop of about 1200 himself. Sam Houston attacked him from two flanks with 900 men. With the cry "Remember the Alamo and Remember Goliad" the battle was over in twenty minutes. The battle that was to decide this nations future. Santa Anna was captured and signed a treaty that allowed Texas it's independence. Texas applied for statehood and was denied, the president of these united states fearing that such action would bring on a war with Mexico. Finally in 1846 Texas was admitted as a state. It did lead to war with Mexico and when the United States won all the land north of the Rio Grand River became part of United States.
There were nine of the Texas men killed and over six hundred of the Mexican army killed here at San Jacinto battle field.

Click on the web link to San Jacinto Battleground.

Scenes from Tuson to San Antonio

We went to several other places as we told in our last posting but we thought these pictures were things folks would like to see. The history of the Alamo is awesome and every one should go to San Antonio if they get a chance.

We moved to a Thousand Trails resort called Medina Lake where we saw several hundred deer, too many for the resources available to them. The lake was way low because of an on going drought. That is where we were staying when we went to San Antonio.

We are at Colorado River Resort now, another Thousand Trails Resort. It is very nice here and also a lot of deer although not as many as at Medina Lake. We have met some wonderful new friends here at Colorado River, Jan & Bob Collier. They taught us some new games. We will move Wednesday, February 18th to Lake Conroe near Conroe, TX. We will post some from there.

While I was posting this some old friends we met in 2007 in California, Jerry & Janice Shafer pulled in. They will leave the day after we do.

Enjoy these pictures we offer for your viewing pleasure.

Mission Conception' in San Antonio

The Alamo in San Antonio

Mission San Jose' in San Antonio

Can you find the Sea Captain's image in the rock?

Sights to see in Chiricahua National Monument

Resting from a hike in Sabina Canyon!!!

Catching up on our travels

We have not posted any thing on our blog since November 26, 2008 just before Thanksgiving, so here goes catch-up.

We did hear from Teddy and found out that his mom passed away Thanksgiving morning. He was hurting quite a lot and we talked awhile about her and how he was doing. We decided to go down to spend a little time with him, Maria, and the children. We stayed in the Thousand Trails park just south of San Diego until after Christmas. We had Christmas diner with Teddy and his family and visited several times.

We Moved to a campground just out of Yuma, AZ and stayed three days to get some prescriptions filled then moved on to St. David, AZ. We stayed in that area for a little over three weeks at two different campgrounds. While we were there we revisited some of the places we visited last year and some places that we had never been before. We didn't get lost in Cochise Stronghold this time but we did hike a little over a mile into the mountains, round trip almost three miles. It was just as awesome as last year. We also went to the Chiricahua Mountains which were beautiful and also stopped at Ft. Bowie, an historic landmark of the Cochise conflict times. We went back to Bisbee, AZ and Douglas, AZ, a town right on the Mexico border. We went o a small western town called Gammon's Gulch where movies are made sometimes. The owners dad was a friend of several western stars of the past.
We went back to Tombstone, AZ and over to Tucson and the Sabina Canyon. Rode all the way to the back on the trolley and hiked all the way back out to the first stop which is about two miles I think. When we left Sabina Canyon we stoped at Trail Dust Town but the Pinnacle Stake House wasn't open yet and we couldn't wait till that late so we just looked around at all the history displays.

We started our eight hundred mile move to South Texas January twenty-first stopping at Little Vineyard campground in Deming, NM over night then Van Horn, TX, then our final over night stop was just out of Izonia, TX at Circle Bar Resort. It is in the Woodall directory and surprisingly was only $18.

We arrived here at Medina Lakes Thousand Trails Park January twenty-third and will be here until February tenth. We have really enjoyed the weather here and the park is full of deer. Several bucks, does, and yearlings. They are all very small compared to Tennessee white tail deer, although they are also white tail. We have made two trips to San Antonia,TX to see the Alamo and the missions that were built back in the seventh century. The history of all those missions is awesome and to see the Alamo and to actually see and hear about the history that Tennessee shares with Texas by the way , was fantastic. We went to an area of San Antonia called The River Walk. You can stroll along the river which originates from some springs. There are hotels and side-walk calf' along the walk and we ate at one that served Mexican food.

We have some pictures and I will post them later when we decide which ones to post.

PS
Since the Titans didn't make it through the play-offs and the two teams that did are also my favorite ( I have been a Steelers fan since Terry Bradshaw ) ( since loving the Arizona desert southwest we both like the Cardinals ) we will relax tonight and watch the super bowl. Since Arizona hasn't even been in the play-offs in sixty years I will be for them