Work sent us to the Dallas area... 
I told Better Half we needed to
-- instead of staying in a bed bug environment (hotel) --
take the 5th wheel...
Everyone agreed…
If one of us had not agreed, we would have had
to flip a coin and call it heads or tails…
I generally pick heads which almost always wins the flip…

 I want to share with you, my dear reader,
how uncomplicated and efficient it is to
 make camp with our beautiful Cameo…
Yep, you bet, the company may
have gone under as soon as we purchased this sweet little baby,
but by golly 
 Cameo built a fine camper!

Here are the steps we take in 'making camp'...
~Drive up to camp spot.
~Back trailer into camp spot...
we want it fixed just right so the steps from the camp area are perfectly aligned with the steps going into the 5th wheel.  This takes me hopping out of the truck, running to the back of the trailer and using lots of hand signals to let Better Half know when it's just right…I also continually survey for possible tree limbs and the occasional something that may get run over while Better Half is backing up…

Unhook trailer from truck...Move truck out of way...

  Press the auto levelling button on the side of the trailer...
This little guy levels itself!  Can you believe it?
This moves, that moves, the trailer shimmers and shakes and snorts and shouts...
And then...
Wah lah!  Tah dah!  The whole thing is level!
Magic I say! 

The whole levelling process takes about, I don't know, maybe four to five minutes.

A good RV park has 50 amp electrical outlets...That power level
provides the RVer with wonderful electricity...
We can run both air conditioners,
 the fridge, tv and lights with that amperage. 

Some RV parks have only 30 amp plug ins...not good...especially in the hot summer months...

Our short white hose connects the water from the camper with the water from the RV...

And now, what is considered the most important job of the set up...so important, Better Half insists it be done by me alone...the sewer line set up...
I feel really important because he has given me the most bestest job of the set up...
Toilet maintenance!

I take a pair of these...pink, I say, so as not to get mine mixed up with Better Half's...

After this most important job is completed, into the camper I go to
slide out the sides...
this adds additional width to the inside of camper...
I simply touch a switch and out the sides go.

The whole set up process --start to finish -- I guesstimate, takes 15 to 20 minutes...

The End

The view from my back and side yard...
At sunset...

Beautiful Daughter keeps telling Better Half how beautiful his new hay is...hmmm...
Is she hinting for Better Half to jump on one of his big red tractors and carry a big beautiful bale of new hay over to her house
so she may spray paint it into something seasonal and wonderful?

...like a big ol' pumpkin for Halloween? 
And maybe a turkey for Thanksgiving?
I'm just sayin'...

Sunset, on a sultry summer day in the South...
It's beautiful...

Beautiful Daughter is at it again...
Remember her last hay art -- the flag of America and then the Easter Bunny?
Well, here's her latest...watermelon! 
Oh yeah -- it is so watermelon season...

Have you had one yet?

Summer time in the South...it's lovely and tasty, too...

My cook top...

Why do I want to hide it from view?  Why do I want it to blend in with the counter top?

I think it's because I found cutting boards that match the corian counter top...
Because it's summer and there is no special holiday 'just around the corner' for me to bring out the decorations, I am 'decorating' the cutting boards with two apples and some candy...
I will--the next holiday--change out this display with--oh, I don't know--maybe something Halloweenish.

Stay tuned...I'll keep you posted...

"I just have this sinking feeling this is not a good idea," thought I, as Beautiful Daughter shared with me, her latest project idea...

She has planted a garden and soon discovered 'that takes alot of work!'  Now--she's going into the chicken business!  With the direction of  'successful chicken grower' friend, she's off to a start!

The box, at the top of this screen, is full of--you guessed it--chickens!!!!

Now--I'm here to say, I don't know much about raising chickens, but, hey, I'm a willing 'sit along the sidelines and root for you' kind of mother, so 'get with it' I say...

These little guys are around seven weeks old...

Well...they need a place to live...She has a shed behind her house...She creates a chicken pen with concrete, wiring and a gate...So the chicks now have a 'roof over their head' and that's a good place to start...

All righty...

Upon closer inspection and after the fact, it is revealed:
 ~there appears to be gaps between the wiring and the gate
~ perhaps the gate is not high enough
~ maybe the wire is not high enough
~ the wiring is, maybe, too high from the ground...

There seems to be a few issues with the plans...hmmm...

Well, they do seem to be a happy group...

"See y'all in the morning," says she...

I'll end this tale by saying the following:
We really do live in the country...
Lots of 'goings on' in the country are not charming...
Lots of 'wild animals' roam around at night...
Lots of 'wild animals' roaming around at night love baby chickens...

Beautiful Daughter took the remaining three baby chicks back to
'successful chicken growing' friend
the next day...

Life lesson learned well.
The End.

~I'm not much of a cook...
~'Better Half' loves lemon pie...
~'Better Half' loves lemon pie the way his Aunt used to make it...
~I want to make 'Better Half' happy...

I found an easy recipe to make lemon pie almost as delicious as Auntie used to make.

This lemon pie recipe requires 'basically nothing' in the good cook department; however, one does need to be able to unfold an 'already made' pie crust and tamp it down into a
non stick baking pan...

If you possess this one skill, you are ready to try this lemon pie recipe!
Uh oh...unfolding and tamping--that's two skills...Sorry!

Brush a little egg white on the pie crust before baking...this will keep the crust 'crunchy' after the filling is placed inside the crust.  Prick holes in the crust--before baking.  Then bake... 
(according to directions on pie crust package)

Cover the lemon filling with the beautiful egg whites, place in oven on broil...
watch carefully...don't over toast the meringue...

Serve this deliciousness 'right now'...It's so good when it's warm...

I very much enjoyed hanging around the house preparing for the shower I had for my niece; however, it's time to 'hit the road' and hit it we did!

Although it's pretty hot--no, it's real hot--as in 104 degrees(!), we decided to bring out the
ol' 5th wheel
and head to Caddo Lake State Park.

Located in East Texas near Marshall and Jefferson, this park offers not much internet service, phone service or television service--we knew this was our kind of place...

We could hardly wait to 'set up camp' and 'check the place out'...

Anyhoo...

Caddo Lake State Park is magical...just stay tuned...I'll convince you...

So you think this is pretty unassuming? It does appear to be so, however; looks can be deceiving.
After making camp, we decided to 'look around' the joint...
Okay, here we go...

The old 'Boy Scout Honor System' at its finest...
Need some ice?  How 'bout firewood?
Maybe a canoe?
I love this sign...

The canoe outing was pretty wonderful...Lots and lots and lots of cypress trees along the bayou. This state park offers a serene natural habitat for turtles, fish, alligators and people.

These pictures say it all...magnificent!

We ended our day with a bike ride...down, out of the park, into the surrounding communities...We rode old country roads and stumbled upon this town,
with this sign in front of a flea market. 
The flea market wasn't so great; however, the sign on its wall was...
With a grin on my face, I took this picture...

Another great trip for us!