Time has a way of slipping away, doesn't it. Although Donna mentioned something recently regarding this, I sort of let our 1 year anniversary at Rio Concho West get by me somehow. Yep, we've lived out here for just over a year now.
It's been a good year at RCW. Life is easy here. It's nice not to have to worry about things. During the recent storm, for example, there was no worry about clean up; after all, that is what RCW does. If damage had been done to our home, it would have been the responsibility of RCW to make repairs. Indeed, the crew has been busy this week cleaning up debris, cutting fallen trees, and making other repairs. The place is just about back in order now.
We really enjoy our home, and we are very comfortable in it. It's one of those homes that just seems to fit our lifestyle. The kitchen is light and spacious, as is the den/living area. We enjoy the big windows in our den that allow us to look out onto the street towards the clubhouse. Throughout the day, we can see our neighbors taking walks, riding around in their golf carts, and going to and from the clubhouse. It's a peaceful, relaxing environment with a strong small community feel about it.
We feel very fortunate to live here. I'm so happy that Donna investigated this place. I don't know of another place of this quality for the money.
This blog follows Keith and Donna Cameron as they enjoy retirement. 01/24/05
Friday, June 30, 2017
Wednesday, June 28, 2017
A Short Trip and 4 Restaurants
On our shortened trip to East Texas last week, we were able to squeeze in 4 restaurants. 3 were old favorites and one was a new one for us.
The first leg of our trip was to my hometown of Fairfield, Texas. Travelers on I-45 have been stopping at Sam's Original Restaurant for years, and most of them stop for the buffet. If you've ever seen it, you'll know why. It's arguably one of the best buffets you'll find in a small town. But I've never had the buffet there. They did not start the buffet until after I graduated from high school, and anytime I came home, my mind was on one thing, the BBQ. Now, Sam's BBQ may not be the best BBQ in Texas, but it is consistently good. I've said before that my favorite BBQ is what is served up in the Central Texas meat markets, such as in Luling and Lockhart. But Sam's BBQ never disappoints. The brisket is always trimmed so that on the brisket plate, you never have any fat, which you often get in the meat markets. The last time I ate in Lockhart, my brisket order was probably one-eight to one-fourth fat. Now, I realize fat adds flavor, but I don't want to eat the fat. The Sam's BBQ comes with 2 sides, dill pickles, and a thick slab of onion, as well as your choice of bread. I like the mini bread loaf, which is the traditional serving. I always order the potato salad as one side. Normally I opt for the pinto beans as the other side, but this time I got cobbler as a side, and it was great and generous. Sam's is also known for homemade pies. Sam has been dead for a number of years, but the restaurant is still family operated by his son, Ponte. Next time I go, I'll order the same thing.
Our second stop was another old favorite, Little Mexico in Palestine, Texas. I started eating at Little Mexico when I was in junior high. At that time, the restaurant was a very small café in a shop across from the courthouse downtown. But as its reputation and popularity grew, it moved to a bigger location. For the last 20 years or so, I've felt that it just wasn't as good as in the old days, but it was still very good Tex Mex. On this trip, I felt that the quality had slipped a bit more while the prices had risen a bit too much. I ordered the Matador Plate, my old standard, which comes with 2 enchiladas (cheese for me), a tortilla chip covered with chili con queso, beans, rice, and a wonderful taco. Now, I still think their tacos are great, but the enchiladas just didn't have the flavor they once had; I feel the ones I get in San Angelo are actually superior. Now don't get me wrong; the food at Little Mexico is still very good, but it just doesn't measure up to my memory, and that may well be my memory's fault. But as we drove away, I told Donna that I did not feel the need to return, especially considering the price.
Our next stop was a place we've been eating for 10 or 15 years, Athena's Greek and Lebanese Grill in Shreveport, LA. This turned out to be another minor disappointment, for 2 reasons. First, the new location on the Shreveport Barksdale Highway was closed. On our last visit, we ate the buffet there and enjoyed it. Not only was it a buffet, but it was considerably closer to the casino we frequent. But that location was closed on this trip. The original location on Line Avenue (at least, original for us) was still open, so we went there. Donna ordered the gyro salad while I had the gyro plate. The meat was definitely different this time, and we both noticed it. We didn't care for it as much. The salad, the hummus, and other items were fine, but the gyro is what we really look forward to, and it just didn't please us. Again, as we drove away, we discussed whether to return. We may give Yeero! Yeero! another try. We used to eat here frequently until we discovered Athena's.
Our last eatery was in nearby Early, Texas (Brownwood). In all our years of passing through Brownwood, we've usually just stopped for fast food (Chicken Express or Schlotzsky's, for example) with the exception of a few stops at Underwoods. But we've noticed the Prima Pasta for several years now and had been wanting to try it. Donna suggested we stop there this trip, and I'm glad she did. It was quite good. Donna had spaghetti with mushrooms while I had baked ziti. Both were good. The sauce on Donna's spaghetti was rich and thick, not watery, and the cheese blend on my ziti was delicious. The salad was good, as was the bread. And since we ordered off the lunch menu, our price was reasonable, the least expensive of the 4 restaurants discussed in this entry. We will definitely stop here again.
Restaurants change over time; our tastes change over time. I'm glad that I still enjoy Sam's, and I'm glad we found a new restaurant, especially one not too far away. Since we pass through Brownwood/Early frequently, we'll be stopping in from time to time.
The first leg of our trip was to my hometown of Fairfield, Texas. Travelers on I-45 have been stopping at Sam's Original Restaurant for years, and most of them stop for the buffet. If you've ever seen it, you'll know why. It's arguably one of the best buffets you'll find in a small town. But I've never had the buffet there. They did not start the buffet until after I graduated from high school, and anytime I came home, my mind was on one thing, the BBQ. Now, Sam's BBQ may not be the best BBQ in Texas, but it is consistently good. I've said before that my favorite BBQ is what is served up in the Central Texas meat markets, such as in Luling and Lockhart. But Sam's BBQ never disappoints. The brisket is always trimmed so that on the brisket plate, you never have any fat, which you often get in the meat markets. The last time I ate in Lockhart, my brisket order was probably one-eight to one-fourth fat. Now, I realize fat adds flavor, but I don't want to eat the fat. The Sam's BBQ comes with 2 sides, dill pickles, and a thick slab of onion, as well as your choice of bread. I like the mini bread loaf, which is the traditional serving. I always order the potato salad as one side. Normally I opt for the pinto beans as the other side, but this time I got cobbler as a side, and it was great and generous. Sam's is also known for homemade pies. Sam has been dead for a number of years, but the restaurant is still family operated by his son, Ponte. Next time I go, I'll order the same thing.
Our second stop was another old favorite, Little Mexico in Palestine, Texas. I started eating at Little Mexico when I was in junior high. At that time, the restaurant was a very small café in a shop across from the courthouse downtown. But as its reputation and popularity grew, it moved to a bigger location. For the last 20 years or so, I've felt that it just wasn't as good as in the old days, but it was still very good Tex Mex. On this trip, I felt that the quality had slipped a bit more while the prices had risen a bit too much. I ordered the Matador Plate, my old standard, which comes with 2 enchiladas (cheese for me), a tortilla chip covered with chili con queso, beans, rice, and a wonderful taco. Now, I still think their tacos are great, but the enchiladas just didn't have the flavor they once had; I feel the ones I get in San Angelo are actually superior. Now don't get me wrong; the food at Little Mexico is still very good, but it just doesn't measure up to my memory, and that may well be my memory's fault. But as we drove away, I told Donna that I did not feel the need to return, especially considering the price.
Our next stop was a place we've been eating for 10 or 15 years, Athena's Greek and Lebanese Grill in Shreveport, LA. This turned out to be another minor disappointment, for 2 reasons. First, the new location on the Shreveport Barksdale Highway was closed. On our last visit, we ate the buffet there and enjoyed it. Not only was it a buffet, but it was considerably closer to the casino we frequent. But that location was closed on this trip. The original location on Line Avenue (at least, original for us) was still open, so we went there. Donna ordered the gyro salad while I had the gyro plate. The meat was definitely different this time, and we both noticed it. We didn't care for it as much. The salad, the hummus, and other items were fine, but the gyro is what we really look forward to, and it just didn't please us. Again, as we drove away, we discussed whether to return. We may give Yeero! Yeero! another try. We used to eat here frequently until we discovered Athena's.
Our last eatery was in nearby Early, Texas (Brownwood). In all our years of passing through Brownwood, we've usually just stopped for fast food (Chicken Express or Schlotzsky's, for example) with the exception of a few stops at Underwoods. But we've noticed the Prima Pasta for several years now and had been wanting to try it. Donna suggested we stop there this trip, and I'm glad she did. It was quite good. Donna had spaghetti with mushrooms while I had baked ziti. Both were good. The sauce on Donna's spaghetti was rich and thick, not watery, and the cheese blend on my ziti was delicious. The salad was good, as was the bread. And since we ordered off the lunch menu, our price was reasonable, the least expensive of the 4 restaurants discussed in this entry. We will definitely stop here again.
Restaurants change over time; our tastes change over time. I'm glad that I still enjoy Sam's, and I'm glad we found a new restaurant, especially one not too far away. Since we pass through Brownwood/Early frequently, we'll be stopping in from time to time.
Saturday, June 24, 2017
Stormy Weather
In my last post, I mentioned that we cut our trip to East Texas short because of bad weather in the form of Tropical Storm Cindy. Little did I know that by coming back home, we were going from the frying pan into the fire.
Our local weather forecast predicted a 30% chance of rain coming with a cool front. Yesterday, our high topped at 109 degrees, setting a record held since 1969. So, we were looking forward to a cooling trend.
Around 7:00 PM or so, we noticed the wind picking up, along with a light rain. We looked outside and were greeted by the smell of rain on a hot summer day. Then the wind increased, as did the rain. I was working on the computer, and Donna was watching a movie on Netflix. Normally, when the weather turns bad, Donna starts shutting things down, so I was a bit surprised that the TV was still on. Then the wind really picked up, and the rain began splattering with some velocity, and she began turning things off. Just before she turned off the TV, though, we caught a local weather alert, which indicated winds had reached 80 to 85 mph in the area, mainly north of here, I think.
The power then went off for several minutes, but came back on shortly. A few minutes later, the power shut down again, this time for much longer. We gathered our emergency items: flashlights, battery powered radio, candles, etc. We glanced outside and saw the north wind bending over all the trees. Our neighbor's flag, which we watch regularly for wind direction, was whipping boldly. The flag pole-- which extends above the neighbor's roof -- would soon snap at the base like a match stick.
Our power stayed off until 10:30 or so. The house was getting somewhat warm compared to the 72 degrees it was now outside. I was able to go out on our back patio once the rain eased and cool off out there and watch the most fabulous lightning show to the east I've ever seen. Streaks of lightning would fill the eastern sky, reaching in all directions. It was magnificent.
Finally the wind eased, and the rain ended. After the power returned, we crawled into bed and had a good sleep. For more info on the storm, complete with pictures, go to San Angelo Live.
This morning, we took a drive around Rio Concho West and I snapped the shots below. We sustained no noticeable damage at our house, so we feel very fortunate. I cannot tell you how much rain we received, though, for the wind blew the rain gauge away. I retrieved it from the yard this morning and remounted it.
The wind is still blowing today and skies are overcast, but nothing is on the radar at the moment. We do have a 30% chance of rain right now, increasing to 50% tonight. We'll see.
Our local weather forecast predicted a 30% chance of rain coming with a cool front. Yesterday, our high topped at 109 degrees, setting a record held since 1969. So, we were looking forward to a cooling trend.
Around 7:00 PM or so, we noticed the wind picking up, along with a light rain. We looked outside and were greeted by the smell of rain on a hot summer day. Then the wind increased, as did the rain. I was working on the computer, and Donna was watching a movie on Netflix. Normally, when the weather turns bad, Donna starts shutting things down, so I was a bit surprised that the TV was still on. Then the wind really picked up, and the rain began splattering with some velocity, and she began turning things off. Just before she turned off the TV, though, we caught a local weather alert, which indicated winds had reached 80 to 85 mph in the area, mainly north of here, I think.
The power then went off for several minutes, but came back on shortly. A few minutes later, the power shut down again, this time for much longer. We gathered our emergency items: flashlights, battery powered radio, candles, etc. We glanced outside and saw the north wind bending over all the trees. Our neighbor's flag, which we watch regularly for wind direction, was whipping boldly. The flag pole-- which extends above the neighbor's roof -- would soon snap at the base like a match stick.
Our power stayed off until 10:30 or so. The house was getting somewhat warm compared to the 72 degrees it was now outside. I was able to go out on our back patio once the rain eased and cool off out there and watch the most fabulous lightning show to the east I've ever seen. Streaks of lightning would fill the eastern sky, reaching in all directions. It was magnificent.
Finally the wind eased, and the rain ended. After the power returned, we crawled into bed and had a good sleep. For more info on the storm, complete with pictures, go to San Angelo Live.
This morning, we took a drive around Rio Concho West and I snapped the shots below. We sustained no noticeable damage at our house, so we feel very fortunate. I cannot tell you how much rain we received, though, for the wind blew the rain gauge away. I retrieved it from the yard this morning and remounted it.
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| Our neighbor's flag pole, which I mentioned above. |
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| Debris covered the streets in the old section of our development. |
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| This tree just split. It fell between 2 houses. I do not know if either house was damaged. |
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| Another split tree, similar to the one above. |
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| I'm not even going to venture a guess as to how this golf cart ended up between these 2 rows of houses. Several residents have golf carts, but they keep them in their driveways or garages. Notice the downed limbs. |
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| Another split tree, this one at our club house, The Oak Tree Club. It looks as if the tip of the tree just brushed the building on its way down. |
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| Luckily, this ripped tree fell into the street rather than on the house. |
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| Down by the nearby Walmart, this sign for a medical care center was damaged, but crews were already repairing it. |
Friday, June 23, 2017
Best Laid Plans
Donna and I had planned a trip home this week, but we cut it short because of Tropical Storm Cindy.
On Monday, we headed to my hometown of Fairfield, about 65 miles east of Waco. We spent much of the day in rain, some of it heavy. We really didn't expect that much rain.
It was nice to see my hometown, though. There were places in the area I had not seen in a long time and I wanted to see them again. With each passing year, the distance between San Angelo and Fairfield seems to get greater, and the trips are harder to make.
We visited the cemetery at Shiloh, where my father, mother, paternal grandparents, my father's younger sister, and a cousin rest. Shiloh is an old community just south of Mexia along highway 39. Then we drove to Kirvin, about 10 miles west of Fairfield. I drove by my grandmother's old home there, then out to Woodland Cemetery, where my maternal grandparents rest along with my mother's older brother. There are other family members that are also buried there.
Then it was on to Fairfield, where we ate and spent the night. The next day, we drove to Shreveport, and this is where our plans began to change. We were scheduled to spend 3 nights at the Horseshoe Casino, then head down to Conroe, Donna's home town, just north of Houston.
I guess we just don't keep up with the news anymore. Wednesday morning, I rose early as I normally do at Casinos and went downstairs to play a while and enjoy a cup of coffee. When Donna came down later that morning, she surprised me by saying that we would leave Thursday morning as a tropical storm was coming through. Since Conroe is near the coast, it often gets pretty heavy rain from such storms, and we just really didn't want to deal with that. And come to find out, some of the heaviest rain was predicted for the Lufkin area, and we would be passing through Lufkin to get to Conroe.
So, we cancelled our visit and decided to leave that evening to beat the rain. We drove west as far as Corsicana to spend the night, then made a leisurely drive home Thursday.
We'll reschedule our Conroe visit at another time. Besides, we really weren't ready for the humidity in East Texas, so we may wait for some cool fall weather before venturing that way again.
On Monday, we headed to my hometown of Fairfield, about 65 miles east of Waco. We spent much of the day in rain, some of it heavy. We really didn't expect that much rain.
It was nice to see my hometown, though. There were places in the area I had not seen in a long time and I wanted to see them again. With each passing year, the distance between San Angelo and Fairfield seems to get greater, and the trips are harder to make.
We visited the cemetery at Shiloh, where my father, mother, paternal grandparents, my father's younger sister, and a cousin rest. Shiloh is an old community just south of Mexia along highway 39. Then we drove to Kirvin, about 10 miles west of Fairfield. I drove by my grandmother's old home there, then out to Woodland Cemetery, where my maternal grandparents rest along with my mother's older brother. There are other family members that are also buried there.
Then it was on to Fairfield, where we ate and spent the night. The next day, we drove to Shreveport, and this is where our plans began to change. We were scheduled to spend 3 nights at the Horseshoe Casino, then head down to Conroe, Donna's home town, just north of Houston.
I guess we just don't keep up with the news anymore. Wednesday morning, I rose early as I normally do at Casinos and went downstairs to play a while and enjoy a cup of coffee. When Donna came down later that morning, she surprised me by saying that we would leave Thursday morning as a tropical storm was coming through. Since Conroe is near the coast, it often gets pretty heavy rain from such storms, and we just really didn't want to deal with that. And come to find out, some of the heaviest rain was predicted for the Lufkin area, and we would be passing through Lufkin to get to Conroe.
So, we cancelled our visit and decided to leave that evening to beat the rain. We drove west as far as Corsicana to spend the night, then made a leisurely drive home Thursday.
We'll reschedule our Conroe visit at another time. Besides, we really weren't ready for the humidity in East Texas, so we may wait for some cool fall weather before venturing that way again.
Sunday, June 18, 2017
A Morning Surprise and Other Things
In my previous post, I just missed getting a beautiful picture of a colorful sun rise. On my next walk, I left a few minutes earlier in hopes of snapping a great photo.
But I got another photo instead. As I neared the entrance to our subdivision, it was still dark. The grass along the road was thick and tall as I approached a street light. Suddenly, out of the corner of my eye. I saw a dark figure moving. I pulled away, and was glad I did, for it was a skunk. It soon left the grass and moved onto the street, where I snapped the photo below in poor light.
We see lots of critters where we live, especially deer and turkeys. But the turkeys have been absent lately. I expect they will return when the pecans and acorns are ripe. I did see a doe early this morning as I stepped out the front door to begin my walk.
On other matters . . .
Summer is here in earnest. Yesterday, we topped out at 109 degrees. Sterling City, about 40 miles to the northwest, hit 112. Yep, it's pretty miserable out there. And the hot dry wind out of the south just further dries things out and makes it more unpleasant. Time to head back to the mountains.
But I got another photo instead. As I neared the entrance to our subdivision, it was still dark. The grass along the road was thick and tall as I approached a street light. Suddenly, out of the corner of my eye. I saw a dark figure moving. I pulled away, and was glad I did, for it was a skunk. It soon left the grass and moved onto the street, where I snapped the photo below in poor light.
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| Skunk under street light |
We see lots of critters where we live, especially deer and turkeys. But the turkeys have been absent lately. I expect they will return when the pecans and acorns are ripe. I did see a doe early this morning as I stepped out the front door to begin my walk.
On other matters . . .
Summer is here in earnest. Yesterday, we topped out at 109 degrees. Sterling City, about 40 miles to the northwest, hit 112. Yep, it's pretty miserable out there. And the hot dry wind out of the south just further dries things out and makes it more unpleasant. Time to head back to the mountains.
Thursday, June 15, 2017
Odds and Ends
Last week, I reported on the little family of Kildeers that came for a visit. Over the weekend, we saw the entire family again on several occasions. The chicks should learn to fly soon, and then they will probably move on to another place.
During my brother's visit, we did several things around town. First, we took Larry and Nancy to the north entrance to San Angelo State Park. They had never been there before, and that section of the park is quite different from the south entrance. Since the north section borders the North Concho River, there are quite a few trees there.
We also walked along the Concho River in downtown San Angelo one morning. That is really a nice area of our town. Some of the houses that line the south bank of the river are really impressive, and the whole area is nicely developed. All visitors to Angelo should stop by that area. The Visitor's Center on the south bank of the river -- between the north and south lanes of US 87 -- is also a great stop, as it provides great resources for the area. Also along the south bank -- between Chadbourne and Oakes -- is the San Angelo Museum of Fine Arts with its distinctive shape. Shops line Concho Avenue just a block north of the river.
It's hot and dry out here. Area cotton farmers are scrambling to plant before the insurance deadline. They had been hoping to get some moisture, but that just isn't going to happen. It may be a tough year for them.
During my brother's visit, we did several things around town. First, we took Larry and Nancy to the north entrance to San Angelo State Park. They had never been there before, and that section of the park is quite different from the south entrance. Since the north section borders the North Concho River, there are quite a few trees there.
We also walked along the Concho River in downtown San Angelo one morning. That is really a nice area of our town. Some of the houses that line the south bank of the river are really impressive, and the whole area is nicely developed. All visitors to Angelo should stop by that area. The Visitor's Center on the south bank of the river -- between the north and south lanes of US 87 -- is also a great stop, as it provides great resources for the area. Also along the south bank -- between Chadbourne and Oakes -- is the San Angelo Museum of Fine Arts with its distinctive shape. Shops line Concho Avenue just a block north of the river.
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| Brother Larry and I stand along the north bank of the North Concho in downtown San Angelo. |
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| I posed with Donna (left) and sister-in-law Nancy (right) along the river. |
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| Chadbourne Street bridge in downtown San Angelo |
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| Oakes Street Bridge in downtown San Angelo. The building rising above the tree line in the background is the Rio Concho Manor, where Donna and I often eat lunch when we ride the bus with our neighbors. |
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| Looking towards downtown from the Celebration Bridge |
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| Larry snapping a photo of his wife in front of the mermaid statue along Celebration Bridge. The San Angelo Museum of Fine Arts is in the background. |
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| I took this photo of the Museum of Fine Arts a few years ago. It shows the saddle shape of the building from the side. |
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| Visitor Center on south bank of the Concho River |
I was walking early yesterday morning and snapped the picture below of the sunrise. Actually, I was a few minutes late. I first caught a glimpse of the sunrise about a quarter mile before I snapped the photo, but I did not have a clear shot. When I first saw the sun, it was a deep red, but in the 3 or 4 minutes it took to reach an area with a clear shot, the color had mostly faded and I was left with the image below.
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| Sunrise from the entrance to Rio Concho West. |
Monday, June 12, 2017
Brother is Moving to Florida
My brother Larry and his wife Nancy came for a short visit this weekend. Nancy is retiring from her job this week, and they are on their way to a life of ease in Florida. Larry retired several years ago.
A few years ago, they bought a condo on the beach on the east coast of Florida. Since then, they have been remodeling and getting things ready for full-time living. Larry has always loved the water, since we were boys. They have been living the last several years in a lake community in Fort Worth.
They have sold their house in Fort Worth. They close later this week. They are taking very little with them, just a trailer with some clothes, personal items, and little else. They have given items to Larry's daughters, sold a few things, and included some furniture in the sell of the house. The condo is much smaller, so they have had to down size.
They leave on their new adventure at the end of this week. They will stop for a short visit with Larry's daughters in Mississippi, then continue on to the Atlantic shore. By this time in 2 weeks, they should have the trailer unloaded and be busy setting up house in the condo. Donna and I are excited for them.
Florida is a long way from Texas, so I don't know when I'll see Larry again. Heck, at our age, you just can't tell what will happen tomorrow, or if there will even be a tomorrow. Personally, I don't enjoy traveling east; Donna and I prefer to travel west. The idea of going to Florida just really doesn't appeal to me. I don't enjoy flying, so if we do go, we will likely drive, and that is a long, long drive.
But you never know about us.
A few years ago, they bought a condo on the beach on the east coast of Florida. Since then, they have been remodeling and getting things ready for full-time living. Larry has always loved the water, since we were boys. They have been living the last several years in a lake community in Fort Worth.
They have sold their house in Fort Worth. They close later this week. They are taking very little with them, just a trailer with some clothes, personal items, and little else. They have given items to Larry's daughters, sold a few things, and included some furniture in the sell of the house. The condo is much smaller, so they have had to down size.
They leave on their new adventure at the end of this week. They will stop for a short visit with Larry's daughters in Mississippi, then continue on to the Atlantic shore. By this time in 2 weeks, they should have the trailer unloaded and be busy setting up house in the condo. Donna and I are excited for them.
Florida is a long way from Texas, so I don't know when I'll see Larry again. Heck, at our age, you just can't tell what will happen tomorrow, or if there will even be a tomorrow. Personally, I don't enjoy traveling east; Donna and I prefer to travel west. The idea of going to Florida just really doesn't appeal to me. I don't enjoy flying, so if we do go, we will likely drive, and that is a long, long drive.
But you never know about us.
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