Happy New Year buds!!!

I know we haven’t been real communicative, but..

We’re happily ensconced at our winter digs at Live Oak Resort near the teeming metropolis of Washington, Texas. It’s an upscale park in east Texas about 60 miles west of Houston. Near to nothin’, just past BFE.

Unfortunately we brought the cold and wet with us, but so it goes. We really really really lucked out and got a pole-barn shelter and a big deck for only monthly rent. I think we’re part of tactically-oriented plan to pierce the bubbles of those who have enjoyed no rent increases since 2008, but we don’t care.

Louisiana had her way with us and broke through a jack hose and misaligned us. We hope our buddy up the road who’s a hydro guy will fix the jack hose but the alignment will probably require a trip to Houston.

Rent here is about three times what we paid in Georgia but it’s good for a few months or maybe longer. Time will tell.

We got a new super-spiffy foldable bike rack to fit the bikes we don’t yet have. One problem; it has a rise that hangs up on our bumper.

Problem solver that I am, I ordered up a receiver extension from Amazon. Unfortunately the raised end hangs up on our bumper.

Today I went to two Walmarts, a Home Depot, a Lowe’s, Pep Boys, Advance Auto Parts, Ace Hardware, a truck accessories shop and an RV shop. No longer extension to be had.

Since the rental car was due back an hour ago I had to give up.

But I don’t give up for long! A bit of judicious prying and tugging and percussion adjustment and Bob’s yer Uncle it was in. I somehow didn’t crack the 21-year-old fiberglass bumper  and if we ever want to get it out we’ll have to chain it to a tree and drive away, but the bike rack is INSTALLED thank you very much.

Gulf Shores, Alabama, on Bon Secour Bay – We had an “anomalous cold front” come through last night, so the weather-guessers say. In mid-October, they report 17 tornados and a bunch of wind damage in the Southeast. That’s definitely anomalous.

Here we had no excitement other than five billion acorns blowing on our roof half the night.

We’re about five miles west of downtown Gulf Shores on Bon Secour Bay; I can see Mobile Bay channel markers in the distance and we’re watching tows on the ICW. I guess because of those years on Apalachee Bay 100 miles to the east I feel right at home.

Which brings us to our topic. When a front  comes through the wind blows. The title of this post is aptly descriptive. I’ve learned another descriptive phrase from somewhere or other that doesn’t really make any sense, but it’s “Blowin’ like seven barrels of whale shit!”

It does succintly get the point across.