Southern Beauty Shop - Island Images

Wednesday I took a big leap of faith and got my hair colored at a local beauty shop. I don't know why I was nervous, last year I did it myself and ended up with red hair by the time March rolled around. My appointment was with Ashley, who doesn't take credit cards. Lucky for me Paul was nearby with cash, having anticipated this.



When I walked in everyone was very friendly, a little old lady was getting her lovely white hair cut at one station, another was getting a lovely bouffant up-do at the other. No, it wasn't for New Year's Eve, it was her regular do. Very cute. Her operator was the owner, very pretty with big red Texas hair and that slow accent. Her husband was there too, just chatting with everyone. No rush on anything, just regular island time.



Ashley is fairly young and very competent. I told her my color numbers and she mixed a perfect match. No more white roots for me. Paul came in when I was getting washed so he had a long sit while she dried and straightened my hair. Did a great job. No frizzies yet. I tried to get a picture to post but I looked too old and scary.

Travel Tips

1. If the sign for the Mexican Restaurant has a picture of a goat or two on it, don't bother stopping for lunch.

2. In Kansas a Ruben Sandwich might have hot peppers on it.

3. In Kansas, a Philly cheese steak sandwich has Philadelphia cream cheese on it. This can also happen in rural Michigan.

4. None of this matters because it is still warmer and more sunny than Michigan.

Santa Baby In Kansas

Christmas Eve reading of The Night Before Christmas, Santa baby riding his new car, Megan in her new sleeping outfit from Aunt Katie, Anna dressed up for a formal Christmas morning.

Playing with the kids

We have been enjoying playing with the grand kids. Megan, 6, has been sick with a bug. In the top pic she is talking to Julie and Patrick is in his high chair. Then we have Patrick playing with his computer. Then Paul and Anna, who was having a pj day, playing princess. Paul is the fashion consultant. Then Patrick with sick Megan on the couch.

Patrick's favorite activity is rolling on the floor while I run little trucks all over him. He really laughs for that.

Who ever is not sick is going to mass at 6 tonight.

Poker King Paul

Paul is on a poker winning streak this week. I will let him give you the details.

Every night there is a poker game in the club house, one table, dealer's choice. I have had only one losing night since we got here. When we sit down everyone puts in $5, so there is $35 in chips on the table. When I cashed in on Wednesday night I had $31 of the $35. The guys said that in 12 years of playing here no one has ever ended up with so many chips at the end of the game. On Thursdays Texas Hold Em game I took second place for $35. So far I am up over $60. So I am glad that we are leaving for Manhattan, Kansas, so I don't hit the losing streak. Now I have jinxed my self by telling you all this.

Bernie's bar in town is starting a Texas hold em game at 2 every day. Also they have games at 7 and 9 pm. There is no buy in for these games, that would be illegal. The bar plays $50 and $35 for first and second place. During happy hour, a icy 16 oz draft beer is $1. So basically, you sit there drinking $1 pints with a chance to win $50 or $35. Not a bad deal. So if I never talk about poker again in my blog, it is because I lost.

The golf cart is working out well for driving to town. We get to the grocery store and happy hour etc. Had an early dinner at the Wild Horse bar on Wed. They have very good hamburgers and real fries for $5. Even grill the buns.

The golf cart trailer is working out very well. It is like a garage, store the compressor and the power washer, pop, water, etc, in it plus it keeps the cart dry and safe every night.

Very helpful for storage when we take off in the motor home for Kansas on Sunday. We can leave behind all the stuff that might freeze. I have to winterize the motor home again to go up there, the weather is so cold.

This blog was dictated by Paul to Marjie as secretary. Hope you like it.

More Belt Sander pics

At the top is a picture of the starting line, then the track with a red and black belt sander racing, and again in the last pic. Pic number three is a typical dog at the bar in TX.

Belt Sander Races at the Gaff

Took the golf cart to town for the belt sander races at the Gaff Bar. It was interesting and funny. They run it just like NHRA, even had a girl sing the National Anthem. Apparently they do this all over the USA. There was a man from Grand Ledge racing. He came in second. I have some photos.

Megan and Dave's Pig

On our last night in Manhattan, we took Megan and Anna to their favorite restaurant, Famous Dave's Bar B Q. And it was kids night, with the pig and painting! What fun. Anna would not pose with the pig. She has her limits.

Czech this out!

Whenever we drive through Texas I am intrigued by all the Czech hotels, businesses, bakerys, etc. We have never stopped before. So just north of Waco, on I 35, (exit 353) we saw a Shell Gas Station with $1.49 a gallon gas, less our 5% off for using the Shell Credit Card, how could we resist? It was very crowded, and why not? While Paul was loading the gas, I went into the large business behind it. Now that was crowded! Fifteen people waiting for baked goods, and they looked excellent. The sausage roll was very popular. I got right into the sandwich lines, snagged a chicken salad on homemade wheat. There were probably 25 different types of sandwiches on several types of homemade bread. Had to choose in a hurry. Grabbed a loaf of wonderful white bread and a very home made rice crispy treat. I was in carb heaven. All excellent and at a reasonable price. Since I hadn't eaten since 9 am in Weatherford, french toast and ham, and it was after 3, that sandwich disappeared in record time. We are stopping there on every trip from now on.

We got on 77 at Waco and took it all the way to Stinton, just a few miles from Port A. It was a pretty trip. Found a RV park for the night near Rockdale. Made the mistake of going into town for a grocery store. Very scary, very shabby, black gang banger town. Left in a hurry and had peanut butter bread for dinner. Next time we will get to LaGrange or Giddings, they had nice parks. Our park north of Rockdale was nice, just too near Rockdale.

Weather here in Port Aransas is warm, and the beach is nice and clean. All too soon the sea grasses come in and mess it up. This is my clean up inside day, cloudy and windy. Helps my allergies to be in air conditioning, and am feeling much better. Paul is going to go to town in the golf cart for supplies.

Paul played poker at the park last night, he says he is out of practice. We went to happy hour at Rick and Shirlene's drive way even though they aren't there yet. Missed them. Nice to see our neighbors. The park is quite empty. Heard that 45 rigs aren't coming because of the economy and death and sickness. Good year to get a spot here!

Get Your Kicks on Route 66

This pic is of the original Lucille's Diner on Route 66, between Hydro and Weatherford, OK. There is a new Lucille's down the road, they have a new cook and we decided not to risk the food.

Hydro was an interesting little town. The streets are very wide and drivers just park on either side, or in the middle. We just thought that it was odd to see cars parked in the turn lane, then Shirlene explained how that is the way they used to park out west, and some places still do.

We really like Oklahoma, love the cattle and horses in the rolling hills. And lucky us, we got there the day after 65 mph winds swept through. That would have been a bad head wind.

Weatherford is a nice, small college town, Southwestern Oklahoma State University. It was fun to see Rick and Shirlene. Paul was surprised that they lived in town, he always talks about his farm, but that is out of town. He has sold most of his minature long horn cattle, and the last two are at a family farm. Every time Rick went on vacation, they would get out and run away. When he was home he would give them sugar cubes and pet them every day. They just must have missed him and went out looking for him. Hard to tell the scale of size on the pic unless you use the fence in the background, longhorns are quite large. These are petite.

I Love This Bar and Grill

We went with Shirlene and Rick to Toby Keith's bar in Oklahoma City, off I 40. Shirlene is sitting on one of the seats, the padded pick up truck tail gate. Very clever and nicely done. There was a lot of interesting things in the bar: gold records, guitars, motorcycles, a saddle made up of tiny mirrors. It didn't photograph very well. I was using my cell phone.

We had lunch and started with Calf Fries, they were sliced very thin and deep fried, of course. More proof that anything tastes good if it is deep fried and breaded. Then there were nachos, straw onion fries, and sandwiches. Shirlene got the cowboy beans, and loved them.

We got tee shirts too!

The top pic shows the gold mirrored saddle, tried to have more pics up. Web is not cooperating.

a few good pics

Patrick spends a lot of time crawling under the table, he pushes all six of the big chairs away from the table and it is a little gym for him. Also caught him inside the corner lazy susan cabinet this morning. He is busy. Anna and Smokey are enjoying the snow globes.

It was nice here today, in the 50s and sunny, not as windy as it usually is.