A knock at the door...

 

Rolling south, still in Oklahoma.  This part of the state is quite wooded...

 Other than the typical OK crappy roads, it was mostly uneventful.  Until a stop at a rest area about an hour out from today's destination.  Only a few rigs in this rest area; I did a walk around with our rig while Joan started making us some lunch.  Back inside, I was in the process of feeding Rufus when there was a knock at the door.

I opened the door and heard, "Can Rufus come out and play?"

"Bill?"

Some explanation: years ago, at the RV parking in the city park in Chanute, Kansas (where the HitchHiker factory was located) there was a knock at the door and the guy asked, "Can Izzy come out and play?"  It was there we met Bill... he had been reading the blog and knew all about Izzy and wanted to meet her.  Bill and I became instant friends.  There is a photo of us sitting in recliners in a display HitchHiker the next day.  Bill occasionally comments here.

It has been about 7 or 8 years since we last saw each other in person, but I immediately recognized his voice... even though he has grown a beard since I last saw him.  It was fun to catch up with him, even for just a few moments.  He knew where we were staying tonight and asked if he could come by, socially distancing, of course.  "Absolutely!"

He had his rat terrier companion left the rest area before us, with plans to visit when we got settled in today.

On a different subject, they are teasing me...

Yes, a Chick-fil-A billboard.  There are no Chick-fil-As anywhere in the state of South Dakota.  I really miss those chicken sandwiches (and Joan says Rufus is very food oriented ;-)).

We are down for the night at the FunTown RV park, associated with the WinStar World Casino.  This is a really nice RV park - the grounds are immaculate, the sites as spacious, great paved pads and patios, well laid-out utilities.

I was out walking Rufus when Bill came to our site.  Rufus wasn't sure about this "stranger"... now, to be fair, I have been keeping Rufus away from everyone who we've walked by for months.  Joan took over the walking, while Bill and I sat down at the picnic table... yes, socially distanced.

This is the first time in months that I have sat down and had a conversation with anyone besides Joan in months.  It was a delight to visit with Bill.  We have a lot in common.  But, mostly catching up.  We talked about our furry companions, music, RVing... it was nice.

Back in the coach, Joan is making supper.  Rufus and I will head out for another walk around sunset, his favorite time to be outside.  This is a world-class casino, but we won't be going in... looking forward to a time when it feels right to do that again... but, for us, it isn't the time.

This is a nice, relaxing stop.  Tomorrow, we'll move on, stopping north of Austin... a plan to get a new tire on the Vespa the next day.  One step closer to home.

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After supper, Rufus was ready to go for another walk.  This is the first opportunity for a good place to walk since we left Hart Ranch.  Off we go...

Checking out the rising moon...

And the setting sun...

Checking out the smells on this tree...

Stop and smell the flowers...

As we got close to our coach on the way home, Rufus stopped to look at a couple who were watching TV outside their 5th wheel.  The woman said, "That's a cat!  Walking on a leash!"  She got out of her chair for a closer look.  As usual, Rufus looked her right in the eye... after gushing about how handsome he is (no, she didn't mention me), she said, "He has a great attitude.  I am not a cat person, but if you could guarantee one like that, I'd go for it."

"He's a pretty special boy," I said... pretty sure Ruf puffed up his chest.  I visited with the lady for a bit while she admired the furry boy.  Then, time for us to move on.  He strutted away towards home.  Not sure if I mentioned this before, but he's a good boy.  ;-)