Baker, Louisiana – Day 3
March 13, 2013
Note: Mary flew from Baton Rouge Airport, Louisiana yesterday to her home in California. I’m hoping to get her back with me by mid-April. My current plans are to stay here for a few days and then start SLOWLY drifting north along the Mississippi River to Memphis, Tennessee where I’ll then turn northeast heading for New England. Can’t go north too fast because it’s still cold up there!
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The motorhome is currently parked at VFW Post #4224 in Baker, a few miles north of Baton Rouge.
Yesterday I drove the Bronco the about five miles to the Baton Rouge Airport…
As always you may left click upon an image to see an enlarged view and then click once again to see an even larger view…
On the way back to the motorhome, I stopped by to visit American Legion Post #503…
During my one hour visit I enjoyed meeting and talking with Steve, Duke, Al and Commander Robert. A great bunch of fun guys…
They gave me a souvenir license plate…
Enjoying meeting fellow veterans is another joy in the life of a full-time RVer!
The red dot on the below map shows our approximate location in the State of Louisiana. You may double left-click the map to make it larger…
Enjoying 65-75 degree temperatures most of the year is a primary joy in the RVing lifestyle!
“Life is like riding a bicycle. To keep your balance you must keep moving”…Albert Einstein
If you have not checked out my Ramblin Man’s Photos Blog, you can do so by clicking this link…
http://ramblinmanphotos.wordpress.com/
All original material Copyright – Jim Jaillet 2013
For more information about my three books, click this link:
http://www.lulu.com/spotlight/panamaorbust
Harlingen, Texas – Day 14
January 2, 2013
Mary has been at home in California enjoying the holidays with her family. She will arrive here in Harlingen tomorrow.
The motorhome is parked at Tropic Winds RV Resort and is scheduled to be here until January 10th. While awaiting Mary’s return, I’ve been seeing some local attractions, performing repairs and preventative maintenance on both the motorhome and Bronco, plus thoroughly cleaning both vehicles.
At my current location, I’m in an area of South Texas known as the Rio Grande Valley. It is also known as The Magic Valley…where anything will grow. The primary is citrus fruits of which the Texas Ruby Red accounts for about 70% of the products. If you have ever tasted a genuine Texas Ruby Red Grapefruit…you will never forget it…absolutely delicious!!!
Like Jackie Gleason used to say … “How sweet it is!!!”
As always you may left click upon an image to see an enlarged view and then click once again to see an even larger view…
You can read all about the Rio Grande Valley by clicking this Wikipedia link…
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rio_Grande_Valley
Here’s an interesting article about the Texas Ruby Red Grapefruit…
http://www.texascooking.com/features/jan2000rubies.htm
A short, but interesting video…
http://www.texasweet.com/texas-grapefruits-and-oranges/
Enjoying a wide variety of fresh local produce is another joy of the full-time RVing lifestyle!
The red dot on the below map shows my approximate location in the State of Texas. You may double left-click the map to make it larger…
Enjoying 65-75 degree temperatures most of the year is a primary joy in the RVing lifestyle!
“Life is like riding a bicycle. To keep your balance you must keep moving”…Albert Einstein
If you have not checked out my Ramblin Man’s Photos Blog, you can do so by clicking this link…
http://ramblinmanphotos.wordpress.com/
All original material Copyright – Jim Jaillet 2013
For more information about my three books, click this link:
http://www.lulu.com/spotlight/panamaorbust
Harlingen, Texas – Day 13
January 1, 2013
Mary is at home in California enjoying the holidays with her family. She has made her airline reservations to join me here at Harlingen, Texas on January 3, 2013.
The motorhome is parked at Tropic Winds RV Resort and is scheduled to be here until January 10th. While I await Mary’s arrival on the 3rd, I’ll be seeing some local attractions, performing repairs and preventative maintenance on both the motorhome and Bronco, plus thoroughly cleaning both vehicles.
Since I’m an early riser and usually publish the day’s Blog entry before sunrise, I’ll have to show you the last sunrise as seen out of the windshield of the motorhome for 2012, here in Harlingen, Texas…
As always you may left click upon an image to see an enlarged view and then click once again to see an even larger view…
This Rio Grande Valley is also a renown birding area. I had one stop-by yesterday that said…
HAPPY NEW YEAR, Y’ALL!!!
Enjoying beautiful sunrises and birds is another joy of the full-time RVing lifestyle!
The red dot on the below map shows my approximate location in the State of Texas. You may double left-click the map to make it larger…
Enjoying 65-75 degree temperatures most of the year is a primary joy in the RVing lifestyle!
“Life is like riding a bicycle. To keep your balance you must keep moving”…Albert Einstein
If you have not checked out my Ramblin Man’s Photos Blog, you can do so by clicking this link…
http://ramblinmanphotos.wordpress.com/
All original material Copyright – Jim Jaillet 2013
For more information about my three books, click this link:
http://www.lulu.com/spotlight/panamaorbust
2012 In Review…
December 31, 2012
Mary is at home in California enjoying the holidays with her family. She has made her airline reservations to join me here at Harlingen, Texas on January 3, 2013.
The motorhome is parked at Tropic Winds RV Resort and is scheduled to be here until January 10th. While I await Mary’s arrival on the 3rd, I’ll be seeing some local attractions, performing repairs and preventative maintenance on both the motorhome and Bronco, plus thoroughly cleaning both vehicles.
Yesterday i received the 2012 Annual Report from WordPress.com telling us we had 96,000 views from 158 different countries of our Blog On The Road With Jim And Mary during the year!
You can read the report next…
The WordPress.com stats helper monkeys prepared a 2012 annual report for this blog.
Here’s an excerpt:
19,000 people fit into the new Barclays Center to see Jay-Z perform. This blog was viewed about 96,000 times in 2012. If it were a concert at the Barclays Center, it would take about 5 sold-out performances for that many people to see it.
Click here to see the complete report. (once you get there, just scroll down)…
Thank you to all 1,392 followers of our Blog! Your interest in what we do fuels our interest to carry on!
Enjoying sharing our experiences on the road is another joy of the full-time RVing lifestyle!
The red dot on the below map shows my approximate location in the State of Texas. You may double left-click the map to make it larger…
Enjoying 65-75 degree temperatures most of the year is a primary joy in the RVing lifestyle!
“Life is like riding a bicycle. To keep your balance you must keep moving”…Albert Einstein
If you have not checked out my Ramblin Man’s Photos Blog, you can do so by clicking this link…
http://ramblinmanphotos.wordpress.com/
All original material Copyright – Jim Jaillet 2012
For more information about my three books, click this link:
http://www.lulu.com/spotlight/panamaorbust
Harlingen, Texas – Day 11
December 30, 2012
Mary is at home in California enjoying the holidays with her family. She has made her airline reservations to join me here at Harlingen, Texas on January 3, 2013.
The motorhome is parked at Tropic Winds RV Resort and is scheduled to be here until January 10th. While I await Mary’s arrival on the 3rd, I’ll be seeing some local attractions, performing repairs and preventative maintenance on both the motorhome and Bronco, plus thoroughly cleaning both vehicles.
Yesterday I drove the Bronco the about one mile to the Iwo Jima Monument here in Harlingen, Texas. You can read about this monument by clicking this link…
http://www.mma-tx.org/About-Us/The-Campus/Iwo-Jima-Monument/
As always you may left click upon an image to see an enlarged view and then click once again to see an even larger view…
Located on the grounds of the Marine Military Academy, at over 100 feet high, this monument is really impressive. Of the six men raising the flag…only three survived the Battle of Iwo Jima…
The most famous of the surviving three men was Ira Hayes…a Pima Indian from Arizona immortalized in a song sung by Johnny Cash which you can view by clicking this YouTube video link…
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NdNV9JX-Xi8
You can read about Ira Hayes by clicking this Wikipedia informational link…
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ira_Hayes
Directly across the street, I also visited the small museum which you can read about by clicking this link…
http://www.mma-tx.org/About-Us/The-Campus/Iwo-Jima-Museum-and-Gift-Shop/
While there, I viewed a 32 minute video about this battle which some have called one of the most savage and costly in all of World War II. The 36-day (Iwo Jima) assault resulted in more than 26,000 American casualties, including 6,800 dead. What a shame that most young people today haven’t a clue of the price paid for their freedom today
If you have forgotten the details of the battle, you can refresh your memory by clicking this Wikipedia informational link…
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Iwo_Jima
Enjoying a wide variety of museums is another joy of the full-time RVing lifestyle!
The red dot on the below map shows my approximate location in the State of Texas. You may double left-click the map to make it larger…
Enjoying 65-75 degree temperatures most of the year is a primary joy in the RVing lifestyle!
“Life is like riding a bicycle. To keep your balance you must keep moving”…Albert Einstein
If you have not checked out my Ramblin Man’s Photos Blog, you can do so by clicking this link…
http://ramblinmanphotos.wordpress.com/
All original material Copyright – Jim Jaillet 2012
For more information about my three books, click this link:
http://www.lulu.com/spotlight/panamaorbust
Harlingen, Texas – Day 10
December 29, 2012
Mary is at home in California enjoying the holidays with her family. She has made her airline reservations to join me here at Harlingen, Texas on January 3, 2013.
The motorhome is parked at Tropic Winds RV Resort and is scheduled to be here until January 10th. While I await Mary’s arrival on the 3rd, I’ll be seeing some local attractions, performing repairs and preventative maintenance on both the motorhome and Bronco, plus thoroughly cleaning both vehicles.
A few days ago I drove the Bronco the about 12 miles to San Benito, Texas, to visit the Museums of San Benito…three museums in one building. Yesterday I reviewed the Texas Conjunto Music Hall of Fame & Museum. Today’s topic is the San Benito Museum.
Here’s what their brochure has to say about the museum…
Step back in time and see how San Benito came to be.
From the natural formation of the resaca (an old course of the Rio Grande River) where Indians and Spanish land grant ranches flourished to the arrival of the railroad and diverse ethnic pioneers hungry for cheap and fertile land, a small community grew and prospered.
San Benito grew into a social and commercial center in the tropical Magic Valley of Texas. Pioneers built schools and churches, formed clubs and held dances and even put on a “Hog Waddle.”
Over 100 hundred years have passed since San Benito’ founding and naming by Col. Sam Robertson and his business colleagues. Walk through our small tale in United States history and as the words of a popular song echo, “Reminisce about the days of yore…”
The Museums of San Benito house three different museums. Here’s the link…
http://www.cityofsanbenito.com/comMuseums.php
As always you may left click upon an image to see an enlarged view and then click once again to see an even larger view…
Here’s the city’s historical link…
http://www.cityofsanbenito.com/comHistorySB.php
Here’s a Wikipedia link about San Benito…
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/San_Benito,_Texas
Enjoying a wide variety of museums is another joy of the full-time RVing lifestyle!
The red dot on the below map shows my approximate location in the State of Texas. You may double left-click the map to make it larger…
Enjoying 65-75 degree temperatures most of the year is a primary joy in the RVing lifestyle!
“Life is like riding a bicycle. To keep your balance you must keep moving”…Albert Einstein
If you have not checked out my Ramblin Man’s Photos Blog, you can do so by clicking this link…
http://ramblinmanphotos.wordpress.com/
All original material Copyright – Jim Jaillet 2012
For more information about my three books, click this link:
http://www.lulu.com/spotlight/panamaorbust
Harlingen, Texas – Day 8
December 27, 2012
Mary is at home in California enjoying the holidays with her family. She has made her airline reservations to join me here at Harlingen, Texas on January 3, 2013.
The motorhome is parked at Tropic Winds RV Resort and is scheduled to be here until January 10th. While I await Mary’s arrival on the 3rd, I’ll be seeing some local attractions, performing repairs and preventative maintenance on both the motorhome and Bronco, plus thoroughly cleaning both vehicles.
A few days ago I drove the Bronco the about 12 miles to San Benito, Texas, to visit the Museums of San Benito…three museums in one building. Yesterday I reviewed the Freddy Fender Museum. Today’s topic is the Texas Conjunto Music Hall of Fame & Museum.
The Museums of San Benito house three different museums. Here’s the link…
http://www.cityofsanbenito.com/comMuseums.php
As always you may left click upon an image to see an enlarged view and then click once again to see an even larger view…
Deep in South Texas, the region, food, people and music are all called Tex-Mex. A delightful blend of Texas and Mexican cultures. The music is called Conjunto and you can read about it in this link…(Be sure to click the video button and then the related video buttons to hear a nice selection of this music)
http://www.texasconjuntomusic.org/aboutus.html
Here are some of the photos that I took…
Enjoying a wide variety of museums is another joy of the full-time RVing lifestyle!
The red dot on the below map shows my approximate location in the State of Texas. You may double left-click the map to make it larger…
Enjoying 65-75 degree temperatures most of the year is a primary joy in the RVing lifestyle!
“Life is like riding a bicycle. To keep your balance you must keep moving”…Albert Einstein
If you have not checked out my Ramblin Man’s Photos Blog, you can do so by clicking this link…
http://ramblinmanphotos.wordpress.com/
All original material Copyright – Jim Jaillet 2012
For more information about my three books, click this link:
http://www.lulu.com/spotlight/panamaorbust
Harlingen, Texas – Day 7
December 26, 2012
Mary is at home in California enjoying the holidays with her family. She has made her airline reservations to join me here at Harlingen, Texas on January 3, 2013.
The motorhome is parked at Tropic Winds RV Resort and is scheduled to be here until January 10th. While I await Mary’s arrival on the 3rd, I’ll be seeing some local attractions, performing repairs and preventative maintenance on both the motorhome and Bronco, plus thoroughly cleaning both vehicles.
A few days ago I drove the Bronco the about 12 miles to San Benito, Texas, the hometown of Baldemar Hurte aka as Freddy Fender. If you are not a long-time Country & Western Music fan, you might not even know the name of Freddy Fender. Deep in South Texas, the region, food, people and music are all called Tex-Mex. A delightful blend of Texas and Mexican cultures. Freddy Fender is probably the best known Tex-Mex singer of all time.
The Museums of San Benito house three different museums. Here’s the link…
http://www.cityofsanbenito.com/comMuseums.php
As always you may left click upon an image to see an enlarged view and then click once again to see an even larger view…
I went there primarily to see the Freddy Fender Museum. As luck would have it, it was the only museum where photography was not allowed. It seems in the past someone took a photo, made a copy and tried to sell it at a local flea market. At least that’s the story I was given by both volunteer docents…both cousins of Freddy Fender. They also showed me about 45 minutes of video and told me a lot about Freddy’s life like rising from abject poverty, to serving time in Louisiana’s Angola State Prison and to international stardom.
Here’s a few photos I did manage to get…
The reasons I like Freddy’s music is not only his voice, but he also typically switches from singing in English to singing in Spanish. Below are three links to YouTube videos.
The first is Wasted Days And Wasted Nights which launched him to international stardom…
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-Qu8RPvhP-U
The second is another huge hit of his…Before The Next Teardrop Falls…
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ay5ciplY4Pg
And finally, my favorite…Secret Love…
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rIRa7bzlZb4&list=PL7EBBDFEEA6619167&index=6
Freddy died at age 69 in 2006. Here’s a Wikipedia informational link about Freddy’s life…
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Freddy_Fender
Visiting famous people’s home town is another joy of the full-time RVing lifestyle!
The red dot on the below map shows my approximate location in the State of Texas. You may double left-click the map to make it larger…
Enjoying 65-75 degree temperatures most of the year is a primary joy in the RVing lifestyle!
“Life is like riding a bicycle. To keep your balance you must keep moving”…Albert Einstein
If you have not checked out my Ramblin Man’s Photos Blog, you can do so by clicking this link…
http://ramblinmanphotos.wordpress.com/
All original material Copyright – Jim Jaillet 2012
For more information about my three books, click this link:
http://www.lulu.com/spotlight/panamaorbust
Harlingen, Texas – Day 5
December 24, 2012
Mary is at home in California enjoying the holiday with her family. She has made her airline reservations to join me here at Harlingen, Texas on January 3, 2013.
The motorhome is parked at Tropic Winds RV Resort and is scheduled to be here until January 10th. While I await Mary’s arrival on the 3rd, I’ll be seeing some local attractions, performing repairs and preventative maintenance on both the motorhome and Bronco, plus thoroughly cleaning both vehicles.
When you are an old guy like me, you remember a musical group from the early 1950′s called Bill Haley and The Comets who recorded “Rock Around The Clock”. Bill Haley is considered by many to be the Father of Rock And Roll. At the time of his death he was living in Harlingen Texas. Here’s a Wikipedia informational link about Bill Haley…
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bill_Haley
Here’s a mural of Bill Haley located at 202 W. Monroe Street in Harlingen, Texas…
By clicking this link you can hear Bill Haley and The Comets doing…Rockin Around The Christmas Tree…
http://youtu.be/UAvBS8h8pmg
Visiting famous people’s home town is another joy of the full-time RVing lifestyle!
In other news…
Yesterday afternoon I drove the Bronco the about four miles to American Legion Post #205 where I parked the motorhome last Wednesday night when I arrived in Harlingen. I went over to have a couple of drinks and do a little socializing and for whatever reasons elected not to take my camera. Too bad, because I met a couple of very interesting and friendly Tex-Mex guys who so looked their part. I would have love to taken their photos. Plus I would have videoed the great Tex-Mex band that what there. So, instead all I can do is tell you about them. Too Bad! 
The red dot on the below map shows my approximate location in the State of Texas. You may double left-click the map to make it larger…
Enjoying 65-75 degree temperatures most of the year is a primary joy in the RVing lifestyle!
“Life is like riding a bicycle. To keep your balance you must keep moving”…Albert Einstein
If you have not checked out my Ramblin Man’s Photos Blog, you can do so by clicking this link…
http://ramblinmanphotos.wordpress.com/
All original material Copyright – Jim Jaillet 2012
For more information about my three books, click this link:
http://www.lulu.com/spotlight/panamaorbust
Harlingen, Texas – Day 4
December 23, 2012
Mary is at her home in California enjoying the holiday season with her family. She has made her airline reservations to join me here at Harlingen, Texas on January 3, 2013.
The motorhome is parked at Tropic Winds RV Resort and is scheduled to be here until January 10th. While I await Mary’s arrival on the 3rd, I’ll be seeing some local attractions, performing repairs and preventative maintenance on both the motorhome and Bronco, plus thoroughly cleaning both vehicles.
Today’s entry is entitled…17 going on 18!
Back on December 23, 1995, I departed Olympia, Washington to begin my full-time RVing lifestyle. At that time I had a 1976 Chevy Suburban and a 1988 Fleetwood Prowler 18′ Travel Trailer which I had until 1999. I tend to take really good care of and do not abuse my vehicles so I get a long-time use from them…
As always you may left click upon an image to see an enlarged view and then click once again to see an even larger view…
After spending the Winter of 98-99 in Baja California Sur, Mexico…I decided I needed to change rigs because I wanted a small 4-wheel drive vehicle with which I could use to go off into the back-country. I also had a hankering that I might want to go to Central America, so I looked around for something that if it didn’t come back from Central America…it wouldn’t be the end of the World. In 1999, I ended up buying this 1983 23′ Suncrest Class A Motorhome and a 1984 Ford Bronco II…
I used these vehicles on a 2004, 343 day, 16,000+ mile RV trip through Mexico and Central America, crossing the Panama Canal until we ran out of roads and had to begin our return journey. As it turned out, both vehicles returned from Central America.
I met Mary in 2008 and the only problem she had with that motorhome was that she had no place to do her yoga…so the answer to that problem was to get another motorhome. By that time the 1984 Ford Bronco II was getting tired…so time for a replacement as well. In 2009 we acquired our current rigs of a 2006 Fleetwood Terra 26′ Class A Motorhome and a nice 1986 Ford Bronco II…
So as you read this Blog entry today, I’m completing my 17th and beginning my 18th year of full-time RVing. I turned 72, 18 days ago. I hope to be the World’s first 100-year-old active RVer!
Enjoying 17 years on the road is another joy of the full-time RVing lifestyle!
The red dot on the below map shows my approximate location in the State of Texas. You may double left-click the map to make it larger…
Enjoying 65-75 degree temperatures most of the year is a primary joy in the RVing lifestyle!
“Life is like riding a bicycle. To keep your balance you must keep moving”…Albert Einstein
If you have not checked out my Ramblin Man’s Photos Blog, you can do so by clicking this link…
http://ramblinmanphotos.wordpress.com/
All original material Copyright – Jim Jaillet 2012
For more information about my three books, click this link:
http://www.lulu.com/spotlight/panamaorbust
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