Texarkana, TX - 12/06/17

December 6, 2017 - Wednesday
Rocky Point COE Campground
Texarkana, Texas

It is so nice to be getting further south into some warmer weather. Temperatures in the low 60s is still better than the mid 30s back in Illinois. This is a repeat visit to Rocky Point campground. Army Corps of Engineering campgrounds are at the top of our list of places to camp. Whenever we travel to Texas this is the first campground we stay at when we arrive in Texas from the northeast.

The majority of Rocky Point campground is shaded by lots of trees, so getting a good satellite signal can be difficult. However, the Loop C section of the campground has some less tree-shaded campsites that allow for a good satellite signal to be received.

We will rest up here for two nights before continuing on further into Texas.

Texarkana, Texas is a city in eastern Texas, with a twin city across the state line in Arkansas. The population of the Texas city was 37,679 (2016 estimate).

Places of Interest:
1894 City Market
Built in 1894 this unique Architectural structure is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. It is reported that more pictures are taken here than anywhere else in the area.

Perot Theatre
This building has been a landmark since 1924. It has been fully restored by the City of Texarkana.

State Line Post Office
The Texarkana Post Office sits on the state line of Texarkana and Arkansas. This is the second most photographed Post Office in the United States.

Draughon-Moore Ace of Clubs House
Built in 1885, this Victorian home is uniquely designed in the shape of a club. Legend has it the money to build the house was from the winnings of a poker game with a lucky draw of the ace of clubs. The house is filled with furnishings from the 1720s to the 1940s from the last occupants of the house. It is regarded as one of the best attractions in the country.

Four States Auto Museum
This museum is home to approximately 15 classic vehicles. Admission is free.

Tomorrow another adventure begins..

Travel Details:
Departed: Pocahontas, AR
Departure Time: 9:00 am
Arrived: Texarkana, TX
Arrival Time: 3:00 pm
Miles traveled: 305

Campground: Rocky Point
Type: Army Corps of Engineering
GPS Coordinates:
Latitude: 33.28800 N
Longitude: 94.17100 W

Camping Fee: $13.00 ($26.00 without Senior Pass)
Campsite: C12
Campsite Hookups: Electric & Water
Campground Amenities:
Flush Toilets, Hot showers, Water Spigots, Trash Dumpster, Sewer Dump

Verizon Cellular Service: 4G-2 Bars
Verizon Internet Service: 4G-2 Bars (JetPack)
Dish TV Satellite Service: Excellent

Pocahontas, AR - 12/05/17

December 5, 2017 - Tuesday
Old Davidsonville State Park
Pocahontas, Arkansas

We had a delicious breakfast at Rudy's Grill in Jacksonville, IL with Sharon's brother (David) and his next door neighbor (Leonard) who will turn 91 years young on December 16. We always have a good time with the two of them during our visits. Leonard served in the Army and fought in the Korean War. He was awarded several medals and accommodations that are displayed in a glass case mounted on his living room wall. His mind is sharp and he relishes relating his “war stories” to all that care to listen.

Rudy's Grill is the local meeting place where farmers within the surrounding area gather to discuss the status of their corn and soybean crops. Leonard has farmed here his whole life and everyone knows him by name. He comes here for breakfast every Sunday, drives himself, and never sits alone. Someone in the restaurant always has a seat available at their table for Leonard to join them. He orders the same thing every Sunday: Biscuits and gravy! Small town America... it just does'nt get any better than this folks.

We depart Jacksonville in the late morning and hope to arrive in Pocahontas, Arkansas before it gets too dark. As we get older we prefer not to drive at night.

We arrive at the Old Davidsonville State Park near Pocahontas, AR in the early evening. The campground is empty. We choose a campsite for the night. It has been several years since we have camped here, back in the day when we had our 36-foot, Class A motorhome. At that time not all of the campsites were large enough to accommodate our motorhome. No such problem now with our 17-foot trailer. We can fit into any campsite in the campground.

Time to have some dinner and get a good nights rest.

Old Davidsonville Historic State Park is a 163-acre park that preserves the remains of the abandoned frontier town of Davidsonville. The town was one of Arkansas Territory's first settlements when founded in 1815, serving as an important river port town on the Black River.

Pocahontas, AR is a small town in the northeast corner of Arkansas with a population of 6,608 (2010). The town was named after the Native American from Jameston, Virginia. A statue of her is located in Overlook Park along the Black River.

The town has a number of historic buildings, including:
Old Randolph County Courthouse (1871) still defining the center of the town.

St. Mary's AME Church and Pocahontas School for Children of Color (1918), now home to the Eddie Mae Herron Center. Eddie Mae was the teacher for African American children who attended the school between 1948-1965.

Tomorrow another adventure begins.

Travel Details:
Departed: Jacksonville, IL
Departure Time: 11:00 am
Arrived: Pocahontas, AR
Arrival Time: 5:30 pm
Miles traveled: 339

Campground: Old Davidsonville
Type: State Park
GPS Coordinates:
Latitude: 36.15340 N
Longitude: 91.05743 W

Camping Fee: $20.58
Campsite: 4
Campsite Hookups: Electric, Water & Sewer
Campground Amenities:
Flush Toilets, Water Spigots, Trash Dumpster, Sewer Dump

Verizon Cellular Service: 4G-3 Bars
Verizon Internet Service: 4G-3 Bars (JetPack)
Dish TV Satellite Service: None – Trees block access to southern sky.
 

Jacksonville, IL - 12/04/17

December 4, 2017 - Monday
Jacksonville, Illinois

Time to head south for the winter! We got off to a late start due to medical appointments that had to be scheduled for late November. Fortunately, the weather was warmer than usual for this time of year. It feels good to be on the road again, traveling to new adventures!

Our first stop is Jacksonville, Illinois for a family visit before heading for warmer weather in the southeastern region of the U.S. We will spend time meandering through Texas before heading to New Orleans, Louisiana and eventually ending up in Florida for the winter.

This is “Bella's” first road trip with her new family and we are looking forward to her companionship. We adopted Bella in October 2017. She is a 14 lb., 9-year old Shih Tzu mix that has blessed our lives with so much joy. So far, she has turned out to be a great traveler. She just snuggles up in her traveling bed and naps until we stop for our rest breaks.

Tomorrow another adventure begins.

Travel Details:
Departed: Chicago, IL
Departure Time: 11:20 am
Arrived: Jacksonville, IL
Arrival Time: 4:20 pm
Miles traveled: 248
 

New Family Member "Mirabella" - 10/22/17

October 22, 2017 - Sunday
Chicago, Illinois

We welcomed a new member into our family today, October 22, 2017. Her name is Mirabella.
Breed: Shih Tzu mix
Sex: Female
Weight: 10.7 pounds
Date of Birth: 09/05/2008
Adoption Date: 10/21/2017

History:
In August 2017 Mirabella was diagnosed with bladder stones and required surgery to remove them. The owner could not afford the cost for the surgery and surrendered Mirabella to a veterinarian animal hospital. A veterinarian at the animal hospital placed Mirabella with Second City Canine Rescue (SCCR) in Palatine, Illinois. SCCR paid for Mirabella’s surgery and placed her with one of their foster families while she recuperated. Fully recovered, Mirabella was offered for adoption in mid-October 2017.

We had just lost Maurice (“MO”), a 17 year old, male, toy poodle. His years had finally caught up with him and he passed on 10/07/2017. MO lived with us from April 2017. Sharon’s sister was in failing health and no longer able to care for him, so he became a beloved member of our family.

We believe the best way to mend a broken heart from the loss of a beloved pet was to provide a loving home to another orphaned pet. So we began our quest to find another little one that needed a home.

During our search for small breed rescue dogs, we discovered not too many people wanted to adopt senior dogs. We decided we would adopt only senior dogs, 8+ years, and provide them with a loving home for whatever years they had left.

We searched numerous dog shelters and happened to come across SCCR. We liked their approach of rescuing dogs and placing them in foster homes until they are adopted. We spotted the adoption page for Mirabella on 10/18/2017 and filled out the online application of our intent to adopt her.

SCCR presents dogs for adoption at a PetsMart, near their offices, on Saturdays. We met Mirabella for the first time on Saturday, 10/21/2017. It was instantaneous love at first sight! She was so sweet and adorable. We met with representatives of SCCR, answered all of their questions and were granted permission to adopt her.

During the adoption process we learned that due to Mirabella's prior history of bladder stones she requires a prescription diet for the remainder of her life. The prescription diet dog food is considerably more expensive than nonprescription dog food, but to us, our little Mirabella is worth every bit of it!!!

On Sunday, 10/22/21, the foster mom brought Mirabella to our home, and stayed for a short time while Mirabella adjusted to her new home.

In no time at all, Mirabella adjusted well to her new surroundings and spacious back yard.

We look forward to exciting adventures with our new family member.

Sad Day - 10/07/17

Maurice (“MO”)
11/23/2000 – 10/07/2017

October 7, 2017 – Saturday
Chicago, Illinois
"MO's” Final Journey

It was a very sad day today. We lost Maurice, a cherished four-legged member of our family.

Maurice was a 16 year-old, male toy poodle who we adopted on April 13, 2017 from Sharon’s sister. She was suffering from failing health and could no longer provide care for Maurice.

We were not sure how long we would have Maurice as a member of our family, due to his advanced years. But we were determined to provide him with the best life for whatever time he had left.

During early October there were telltale signs he was in distress. Our veterinarian confirmed his vital organs were shutting down. We did not want him to suffer any further and made the decision to put him to sleep.

Maurice had been with us for less than six months, but we packed a tremendous amount of loving care for the little fella for the short time he was with us.

R.I.P. our faithful companion. We will miss you!

Travel Period: 05/31/17 to 10/02/17

May 31, 2017 through October 2, 2017
Chicago, Illinois

During the period May through October 2017 I make monthly trips to Jacksonville, IL for week-long visits to attend to financial affairs and cargiver services for Sharon's older sister and her invalid husband.

Sharon remains at our home in Chicago caring for “MO” (our faithful, adopted 16-year old male toy poodle).

Tomorrow many new adventures with MO continues.

Chicago, IL - 05/13/17

May 13, 2017
Chicago, Illinois

We finally arrive home, after an extended stay in Jacksonville, Illinois, with Maurice (“MO”), our new member of the family. MO is a 16-year old male toy poodle that we acquired from Sharon's older sister, who was no longer able to care for him.

We set up MO with a spa day with a local groomer. MO gets all spruced up and is ready for his visit with our local veterinarian. During the examination, the veterinarian informs us the little guy is almost blind and is deaf. That explains why he ignores any verbal commands and bumps into things quite often. We presume that he recognizes our presence primarilly through scent. From the time we arise in the morning until the time we retire at night, when MO senses our presence his little stump of a tail wags constantly. He so enjoys when we cuddle with him. He likes to snuggle up next to us and takes naps. He is such a sweet little dog.

MO very quickly develops a strong bond with Sharon. He follows her everywhere. He has become such a joy in our lives and it is evident he really enjoys his loving, adoptive parents in his new home with a large back yard to explore and enjoy.

Once again we are grateful that good health has allowed us to travel south to warmer weather for the winter period December 2016 to May 2017.

On this winter sojourn we visited the following states (in the order they were visited): Alabama, Kentucky and Florida.

It is good to be home again and to remain in one place for a few months.

Tomorrow many new adventures with MO continues.

Travel Details:
Departed: Jacksonville, IL
Departure Time: 9:40 am
Arrived: Chicago, IL
Arrival Time: 3:00 pm
Miles traveled: 248

Expenses – 12/15/16 to 05/13/17

Total Expenses	$5,794.00
Towed Miles	4,208
Total Miles	5,230
Fuel (Gallons)	429
Fuel Cost	$952.00
Average Price per Gallon	$2.219
Average MPG	12.2
Camping	$969.00
Groceries	$2,662.00
Dining Out	$1,205.00