Natchitoches-Days Inn

... 2 breakfasts and 1 each dinner and lunch - my CIS friends gave us a generous wad of bills upon my retirement, and that is our dining out money for the trip - thanks guys!!) - usually it is when we happen to be in a good place (Berea KY, St Francesville LA) or we aren't wild about our campsite so are happy to leave before breakfast.  We grocery shop every day of two, because the frig and food cupboard are so small.  Generally buying the same sorts of foods as at home (skipping the pigs ...

... of the lights were up, and we saw quite a display after the sun set. If you can ever visit Natchitoches, Louisiana during December, by all means go to see a lovely town and an absolutely gorgeous holiday display reflecting off the lake. It was spectacular! I'll add more to this tomorrow.... See our Natchitoches Louisiana Sightseeing Photos Copyright 2008, Round America and William M. Windsor

We left the site around 10.30 and drove the short distance to the city of Texarkana. An odd place in that half the city is in Texas and half is in Arkansas. (You're getting the hang of these imaginative place names aren't you?) The plan was to find the library and do what we had tried to do yesterday. Well finding the library proved to be really straight forward, the only problem was, it was closed! At 11am on a Thursday morning! Don't ask why, we don't know. As we carried on through the ...

... through Texas. I still need to tweak a few things and my next project is making a dual headligt setup. My plan is to setup the lights to have both on, one on, and neither on. The hardest part will be to fabricate the assembly to hold the lights, and to figure out how to mount it to the bike. I think I will also incorporate a way to secure a tool bag to the light mount and windshield.

... objected. We headed back to the ranch via the "Red Ribs" which was this kinda run-down barren shack place which did excellent ribs. We were on take-away as it was too early to eat and to while away the time MJ read the local free-ads paper only to find an advert for a new 6-bed mobile home of 1300 sq ft (or roughly the size of our house) for £30k delivered. WHAAAAAAT!!!???!! OK it's a mobile home but hell.... it's new and paid for so what chew ...

Lazy morning watching loads of boats wizz by up and down the river. Huck and MJ went down to fill up the party boat (a pontoon boat like we went on in Steamboat). There is a boat launch at Keiths a few plots down and about 2pm we were on the boat which is very luxurious - we steamed towards the town for about 45 minutes looking at the houses on the banks. The weather was reasonably sunny and we felt like millionaires. At one point we met the son of ...

... Her paintings rarely run larger than 18 by 24 inches and her work has generally been considered uneven, with her work from the 1940s to 1960 considered to be the best. By the time we got back we were all tired except Huck - so we all took a nap until 7.30pm when Huck's truck arriving back with Popeyes' fried chicken got us back into their massive lounge/kitchen for supper which was then followed by a great evening playing Mexico Train Dominos and we turned in around midnight.

... didn't stay long as MJ's dancing was proving too much for everyone and as we drew up back at the house Huck spotted some skunks wandering around >>> which he then proceeded to go hunting for on his golf cart (we told him he couldn't go killing Pepe le Pew and seems for whatever reason he didn't get any of them - phew!). Back home we said goodbye to Michelle and Randy who were going back to Alexandria and then all turned in quite late.

... by the huge median's between the highway which appear to need mowing - it must use a ton of petrol and seems entirely gratuitous. Not really much to report - just a day in the car but when we got the Huck's place....well it is an estate. He must have originally owned 90 acres along the Cane River Lake which is a wide as the Thames around Reading - it is dammed at each end but has a small current flowing along it. He's sold some plots off but there is a mile dirt ...

... of, the financial impact of living 250 miles from home was too much for my family at the time, especially with once a month mandatory trips home and the extra expenses of living away from home at that age. So despite my best judgement, I quit school at the end of my junior year, took the ASVAB tests at the local Navy Recruiter's station and joined the Navy.