Nothing says Welcome Back to Texas like Fire Ant stings on my sandaled feet (I really didn’t miss those, they literally feel like fire and take forever…not kidding to go away and a wasp sting on my finger while helping with some landscaping (the little sucker went right through my glove.) Unbelievable! We also experienced at least 70 mph winds which thankfully we were able to escape from into a storm shelter on our way down. Living in a RV has just been different this year with all the storms we have been having. On our way down from Oklahoma into Texas we passed two areas that had been dramatically changed by the force of a tornado. One area was a good reminder of the risks of living in a RV in the US during storm season as we drove by RVs turned over some almost unrecognizable from the violent twirl of the winds. Fun fact: The US this year had only two days between April and the end of May where multiple tornadoes didn’t touch down. That tells you how many days I felt we needed to be on alert and have our emergency bags packed. It has been crazy! So far where we are parked for this month has seen some rain, but we have been getting a break from the storms. I have found myself very thankful.
We are parked this month at a camp that has 500 acres of land. It’s a big camp with many facilities, water features including a water front and a good size prayer garden. The RV Park has many sites and we are nestled amongst some towering pine trees. We are the only SOWER couple here this month but there are two or three other RVs parked in this area that are occupied by other volunteers passing through for local disaster relief or full-time workers on the camp. We have seen quite the population of deer as we walk and drive around. The deer seem at ease with our presence and mostly stare at us as we go by them. Copper has seen deer in the past and is getting reacquainted with the sight of his old friends. The first group of summer campers arrive tonight and tomorrow so T and I have been helping the camp get ready for their arrival with a lot of picking up of debris from the storms. We were loaned one of the camp trucks to use to pick up all the tree limbs etc.
The above I wrote a few days ago. We haven’t had very good WIFI service here so decided to do something about it Friday when we were in a bigger town taking care of obtaining driving licenses etc. Hopefully when we are in an area where we don’t have very good reception, we can turn on our new service and not be so frustrated. Don’t get me wrong the first week here without being able to access any streaming services for TV etc was quite nice. I actually felt like we were camping! At some point we had to get back to the land of the living so I am thankful we are trying something new. The service is on probation until further notice. If we don’t like it, it is very easy, or so we have been told, to cancel.
Often, we are not at a camp in the middle of their summer season but like last year when we were in Ohio it has been nice to see the camp in Texas this week full of life and their facilities being used by so many children and the brave adults that have accompanied them. I got to help out in the snack shack one day which was a nice change for me to escape the Texas heat. All of the children I got to interact with were friendly and polite. The popular choice of the day were tubs of Bluebell ice cream to share. There is one particular flavour I might have to break down and buy while we are here called Ooey Gooey Butter Cake. Its so bad I am sure its very good. I hope I am not disappointed! Outside of work hours there is another SOWER couple that have settled in the area who have welcomed us in to their group whilst we are here and we have gladly attended Taco Tuesday at a local restaurant in town and gone for dinner at the local country club with a larger group who meet every Friday for food, fellowship and games. Everyone has been very welcoming to us. We also had a chance yesterday to catch up with some friends that we met in Texas a couple of years ago. It was so good to see their smiling faces. We have no idea what we will be working on this coming week. More campers arrive Tuesday evening. I have a feeling we will be helping with the upkeep of the grounds and last-minute preparation for week two of the summer season. As always, we ask for prayers that we will be open to how God will use us here however great or small.
Until next time- Love to each of you- Lou
