Joan bought Rufus some grass...

No, not marijuana - Rufus just says, "No."

He really enjoyed our time at Hart Ranch.  He walked good on his leash, and especially enjoyed romping around in the grass.  The last week or so we spent there, he discovered that he liked chewing on grass.  He doesn't really eat it - mostly he gums it and seems to enjoy the flavor.

While we were in Fredericksburg, Joan bought him a container of cat grass.  Molly loved this stuff, and we always had some for her on the boat.  Izzy was mostly indifferent to it, so we got out of the practice of having it around.

It grows fast - this is what it looks like after just a few days...

He likes it; put his face in it, kinda chewed it.  But, it is his own little "field."  Yes, we have grass in the Tropical Tip.  However, it is not unusual for sandburrs to be mixed in with it.  So, we don't walk in the grass here.

Joan was going through some "cat stuff" during the moving back in process and came across Rufus's hoodie; he has grown a lot, so we didn't know if it would still fit...

It is Velcro® on the bottom, so there was room for growth.  If you look close, I made a cameo in these first two hoodie photos: Rufus was sitting on the back of the couch while I was playing guitar and singing this morning.  The boy loves his music.  Well, both of us boys.

And, a shot from the back, showing his manly hookie with the tough-looking kitty skulls...

It was cool in the evenings out in Arizona when we got him the hoodie - not really sure it adds much warmth.  But, it works with his big tough-guy, house-lion image.  ;-)

Settling in...

It was a warm, sunny morning when we first got up.  Last night, Joan had suggested that we go out for breakfast to Pier 19 today, then go see how things are progressing in Isla Blanca Beach Park.  By the time we got cleaned up, the sky had gone solid overcast... and then a light rain.  Checking weather, it looks to be an all-day event.

We enjoy Pier 19 - every table/booth has a view of the water; and, the food is good.  There is live music (very mellow guitarist/singer) on Saturday and Sunday mornings.  Not fancy, but a nice atmosphere.

From the causeway, we could see a large white aerostat blimp by the Coast Guard station - that is new.  We knew we'd have a better view of it from the park...

These generally contain low altitude radar than can detect aircraft coming over the border.  I can't say for certain that is the purpose for this one, but it looks like others we have seen.

The new amphitheater in the park is coming along nicely...

There are a lot of changes in store for the park - this looks like it will be a nice addition.  Going by the water on the bay side, pelicans and one of the excursion boats...

Driving around to the Gulf side of the park, more big changes underway...

They are tearing out the road that ran by the beach.  There is still access to the beach, but it is kind of a mess right now.  Work has begun on putting up another beach pavilion set back 100 yards or so from where they tore down the other one.  I'm guessing this project will take some time... well, nothing moves at a face pace here.  But, this is pretty extensive.  A sign showing what one of the beach pavilions will look like...

This is truly a world-class beach, but the facilities have been ... um... rustic.  The price for an annual pass to the park has more than doubled over the last few years, with nothing much to show for that increase.  It will be some time in the making, but should be nice when done.

We drove up the island - didn't see a lot of changes, but it all looks nice.  Not much traffic out and about; not because of the rain, this is just a quiet (between seasons) time of the year.

It was nice to be able to just "tourist around" this morning.

Warning, Will Robinson...

A reference from the 1960s TV series Lost In Space.

We put the motorhome in the storage unit this morning.  On the highway going west from the storage unit, a guy in a pickup tailgated me.  Rather than engage, I just slowed down until he figured out that it would be better to pass than to follow me so close.  As I sped up after he got around, I didn’t realize my speed crept above the speed limit... driving the CR-V, after the past 1800 miles in the coach, felt pretty zippy.

Apparently about 6 miles per hour over the speed limit... according to the police officer who pulled me over.  I kept my hands on the steering wheel after giving him my license.  I was contrite.  He was polite; scanned my VIN # and license - could see that I have had no tickets or accidents.  Then said, “This is just a warning - watch your speed.  Have a good day, sir.”

“Yes, officer.  Thank you.”

At Joan’s suggestion, I used the cruise control often on the way home.  The rest of our running was uneventful.  Even our stop at the Spectrum office to pick up another cable box - no line!

:-)

Assdrop Syndrome...

It has now been less than 24 hours since we got home.  As usual, the "let's just be methodical about getting things moved/put away/done" went by the wayside.  I had my off-the-shoulder sweatshirt and leg-warmers on - cue the music: "He's a manic, manic, I know..."

Well, not just "he."  We emptied the motorhome, put all the stuff away.  Joan is the chief cleaner: she cleaned our deck area, and I set up the patio mat and furniture.  While she cleaned the coach, I put away the e-bikes and got the cargo trailer set up as "the scooter garage."

Everything seems fine with the house... water systems and a/c all doing just what they're supposed to do.  The cable TV and internet router apparently didn't like not being used and had to go through repeated re-sets to work as they're supposed to.  Really nice to have true high-speed internet again.  Satellite TV is set up again in the house.

We are exhausted and sweaty.  It will take some time to get re-acclimated to the heat and humidity.  And, waiting for a Spectrum service guy to come to see if there is anything he can do for the crap modem/router... when Joan spoke to a customer service rep on the phone last night, she said, "The routers all have problems - it isn't just your unit."  Nice.

This is the first we've had a chance to actually sit down.  Pretty sure my ass is hanging lower than Joan's... but, her legs are longer than mine.

Rufus has settled back into the house right away.  Even though he has many places to sit or lay, he still just wants to be by us.  As I am writing this, he is sitting on the back of my chair.  No real extra work for him.  He's so lucky.  ;-)

I'm sure I will soon be ready to say, "It's good to be back home"... but, right now I'm thinking how easy life was in the motorhome.

There's still plenty to do, but we've made a significant dent in the moving-back-in process.

Going to the big house...

Often indicted, never convicted... but, I digress.

The title of this post comes from young Rufus.  We were up and out early today; Rufus likes to sit on his tower between our front seats... or, on my lap.  There is no question that this boy continues to grow.  He is a great traveler: no fuss and he just seems genuinely happy to be with us, wherever we are.

Today, he asked me, "So, where are we going?"  (Yes, he and I communicate; quite well, actually.)

"Home," I said.

"Home?  That is what you say to me when we're out walking and you want to go back."

"Well, that's true.  Since we travel a lot, 'home' is where the three of us are.  But, do you remember the house in Texas?  On the water, with the boat?"

He said, "Yeah!  The BIG house!  And, it doesn't move."

I guess that is perspective: when Rufus came to live with us, we were in the motorhome.  For the first couple months, that is what he knew as "home."  When we went back to Texas and introduced him to our little island casita, he said, "This is BIG!  And, it's just the three of us that live here?"

Yeah, perspective.
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It was a long driving day, but uneventful... I like uneventful when we're just making miles.  Well, there was one situation: a mass suicide of butterflies...

It is all lush and green out there, but you can see from the splats on the windshield - at times, these bugs were coming at us 20 at a time!

This was south of San Antonio - we made it through the big city around 9:30 to 10:00 with no slowdowns.  Then, the bugs.  Then, to add to the smeary windshield: about 30 seconds of rain...

Not enough to wash off the bugs - it took a lot of windshield wiper fluid to be able to see through the smears.  I stopped for a bit to give Rufus some lunch and start the car.  The rig...

Just north of Corpus Christi...

It is now starting to feel "like home".  Rufus spends a lot of time on my lap, including nap time...

North of Raymondville, it used to be 20 miles of palm trees lining the Expressway, leading you to the Tropical Tip...

As the Expressway is changing to Interstate 69, the road crews are removing the palm trees in the median as they change the road to make it "limited access"... it is looking like this in the process...

Not at pretty, huh?

Rufus spreads the love around...

Yep, he continues to grow.  Not a problem, but we have been surprised how much he has changed and grown since we've had him.

We turned off the Expressway and onto Highway 100, heading east; eventually rolling into our home town.  We stopped at Walmart to unhook the car and cargo trailer from the coach...

It is easier to maneuver around at the house with everything separated.  Joan drove the CR-V with the trailer.  The motorhome felt like a sportscar without that load and length behind it.  ;-)

Coming across the bridge to our island...

We've missed the water.  Welcome home...

It was a long day, but now the real work begins: the unloading process.  And, getting re-accustomed to the heat and humidity.

Bittersweet...

We've been out for just over 3 months - tomorrow, we head for home.  Unlike the old days, where each day of "vacation" had to count, we can take our time.  We did some running around, then got ourselves as ready for the road as we can be while still living comfortably.  Joan got laundry done, we have the cargo trailer packed and hooked behind the CR-V, which is hooked behind the coach.  I lubed the slide tracks, Joan put away the exterior windshield cover.

We had a nice late lunch/early supper out.  Fredericksburg has plenty of restaurants to choose from; we've had German, American, German, Italian, and German.  Today it was Burger Burger... because some times you just feel like a good burger.  It was.

Rufus got brushed and I took him for a short walk.  I think he's ready to head home, too.  Well, we'll see if he remembers "home" - in his 7 1/2 months with us, he has spent more time in the motorhome than the house.

Tomorrow morning, Joan will put things down inside the coach while I get the utilities put away.  Pull in the slides, pull up the jacks... and we will hit the road.  One long day, or two shorter days - it depends on how we're doing.

The Harvest Moon...

The full moon closest to the autumnal equinox: the Harvest Moon...

There were clouds early, but just before heading to bed, a nice break in those clouds, allowing me to get this image. 

Rufus Belly...

No, that's not his middle name.

This furry boy sits by me most evenings.  Depending on how he lays, I rub his neck, his back, or his belly.  When he rolls over and shows his belly, that luxurious fur is just too much to resist...

It is also a sign that he is very comfortable and trusting.

And then, he will roll over and put his head on my leg...

This boy is just so sweet and lovey.  I think he gets that from me.  ;-)

Set your watch back...

... about 70 years.  No, nothing to do with being back on the Central Time Zone - we've been on that time for about a week or so.  This has to do with where we found ourselves on the scoots today.

Mother Nature finally cut us some slack.  The weather weasels were again calling for 0% chance of precip, but this time it worked out.

We stopped in town for lunch at a real Italian restaurant...

Yep, right in the middle of a German town.  I think the name of the restaurant is: Yes, This Is a Real Italian Restaurant.  Yeah, I'm kidding.  The food was good... I thought I might need to go back to the coach and take a nap after that meal, but I wanted to try out the new tires on the Vespa.

Gearing up after lunch...

Blue sky (mostly) and uncrowded roads...

We were generally heading towards Enchanted Rock State Park, but mostly looking for curves and no traffic.

I mentioned in a previous post that this part of Texas has been getting a lot of rain...

Highway riding and some curves...

We stopped to check the map...

We decided to take a side trip to see what Willow City looks like.  We saw a sign that said, "Willow City LP" - not sure what the "LP" was, but it looks like this is probably the way to go.

Umm... that isn't a highway; not even much of a road.  We agreed: if the road turns to crap, we'll just turn around.

I had been riding a bit fast for Joan's tastes on the highway, so she set the pace on this back (really back) road.  Oh, look - cactus!

The road was getting more of an "off road" feel to it, but we continued...

Yeah, those are cows (not behind a fence) watching us go by.  We also had several deer run across our path.  No, I didn't get a photo of the deer.  This was changing from a back road through Hill Country to more of Sleepy Hollow - I did not see a headless horseman, however.

A tall fence on the right in the photo above - we looked but did not see any exotic game.  (Game ranches are a thing around this part of the state.)

Lots of these kinds of signs...

In about 20 miles of this loop, we came across 3 Harleys heading the other direction and one pick-up truck.  Joan said, "I feel better having seen those other bikes."  Yep.

And then, things started to open up a bit...

And then, we came to the end of the Willow City Loop (oh, that's what "LP" meant).

Back on the highways (and the 70mph speed limit) as we headed back towards Fredericksburg.

Umm... maybe we did go back 70 years...

Back in civilization and back to the coach.

We put the bikes in the trailer and strapped them down.  We may do some more exploring by car tomorrow, but we head for home on Wednesday.

Now, about the Vespa tires: I was concerned riding yesterday with wet roads.  These Michelin tires have a good grip but definitely feel different from what was originally on there... these new tires are a bit wider, but they have a much rounder profile; the Vespa fees much sportier with these new tires.  It leans into the curves faster and with less effort.  When I told Joan that, she said, "Maybe I will try your scoot again sometime!"

I didn't scuff up the "chicken strips" on these new tires.  Yet.  If you are unsure about that, Google "motorcycle tires chicken strips".  I think the Michelins are a nice upgrade.