October 20, 2011
I have been enjoying my time in Fort Worth. In addition to visiting my friends, driving around to seeing the changes in stores, and seeing pastures that are now either housing or shopping centers, I’ve been to some of the restaurants I used to love going to such as Risky’s who has really good beef ribs, all you can eat… it used to be $7.95 but now it’s $9.99. Still a great deal. I’m hoping to get to Zeke’s Fish and Chips which also has great fried fish, hushpuppies, cole slaw, and a special sauce which is finger licking good!!!
Catching up and seeing Helen and Pat and eating meals together is just like old times when we did it years ago. Helen’s dog Maggie, who is a white Carin Terrier, has mellowed over the years. Last time I visited about 4 or 5 years ago she growled at me, even if I turned over in bed while sleeping. Maggie is now 11 years of age and she is calmer. She even comes over and lets me pet her and she jumped up on the sofa near me when I was sitting and reading. I got to a meeting at Glass House and saw people I knew from years ago.
Yesterday I went to Barnes and Noble and got my Nook set up and I was able to download some free novels to it so I can read books on the Nook. It works pretty good. I have read about 1/3 of a book already and I’m impressed how it works. If I don’t have my glasses on and I want to read, I can increase the font size, but as you probably know, increasing font size reduces the number of words on a page. Since I tend to read quite a bit when I am camping, the Nook will be handy to have. The past few months I have been buying paperbacks at thrift stores or libraries and I swap them out at RV parks that have book corners where travelers leave books for others. Having a dozen or so paperbacks takes up quite a bit of room in my camper.
When I arrived at Helen’s house the other day, I gave her a bag with about a dozen paperbacks I finished so she could read them. She had a smile on her face and I didn’t know why, until the next day when she and Pat gave me the Nook. They thought it would come in handy on my travels and they were glad I read books. At first I wasn’t sure that I would like reading an electronic book, but now that I have done it for a few hours I find I do like it. Also, I can take it with me and have enough reading for quite a while without taking lots of books that take up space in my camper which has very little storage space. I’m sure I will still be reading regular books and exchanging some along the way. I also found out that I can download PDF format books and manuals to my computer and then upload them by USB cable to my Nook.
The other night a storm blew in to Fort Worth with high winds and rain and it also blew in red dirt from either west Texas or Oklahoma. My clean van that I just had washed a few days before has red dirt all over it. The past few days it has been cold here. I went out to get some clean clothes in my camper and saw that it was 50 degrees in my camper this morning, I was glad I slept inside a warm house under covers. If it warms up a bit, I will wash the camper again.
Today, I go to stay at my friend Sue’s house for a week or so, then about November 10th I will go stay with my friends in Elm Mott near Waco. Check out www.homesteadheritage.com and watch the videos and explore their wonderful website. I am really looking forward to being at Elm Mott, it’s so peaceful there. I love their Thanksgiving Weekend Fair where there are demonstrations of pottery making, woodworking, blacksmithing, cheesemaking, etc. and there are lots of international foods to eat and handmade items and home cooked foods to buy. Here is the link to their Thanksgiving Heritage Fair https://www.homesteadcraftfair.com/. Here is the link to the Schedule of Events https://www.homesteadcraftfair.com/schedule.html
Rebeccah Durkin and her cousin Mark have been making all types of cheeses and they have won some first, second, and third place ribbons for many of their cheeses, I am looking forward to tasting them and taking some of them back to Florida with me to enjoy on my trip back and after I get home. I remember years ago when Rebeccah told me that she had just started making cheese, now to hear about the award winning cheeses and the fun they are having making them really warms my heart. I wonder if when she began making cheese if she thought that this is how wonderful that idea would turn out! If you ever get near Waco, Texas, be sure to visit Brazos de Dios, Homestead Heritage in Elm Mott.
