Category Archives: Areas of Interest

The Lake, Wild Blueberries and Plums, and Swimming at Richardson’s in June

Our cross country part of the trip is over and now we are enjoying some down time with Tammie’s side of the family. We woke this morning with an alarm at 7am for good reason. We are tired, yes, but sleeping in would have wasted the cool hours in the morning when mosquitos and deer flies are less threatening. Aunt Judy joined us, and thankfully showed up with dryer sheets she professed would HELP reduce bug annoyances. Poppy provided us with swat/sweat towels and a jug of ice cold well water. Mimi sent me back to my room to change, since the shorts and flip flops were ridiculously unsuitable for the walk I personally requested. It seems I’ve been citified to the extent that I’ve forgotten how many blackberry bushes and poison oak and ivy plants there are on the hike around the lake.

I’m not sure how long that hike took, but it was sufficient enough to get the boys groaning and moaning that they were hot and ready to go back. If you ask them now if it was worth it though, they are sure to say yes, since picking and eating wild plums and blueberries would be hard for anyone to resist!

After our walk, we drove to Jade of China, my favorite Aiken restaurant, for lunch. To our dismay it was closed, but we were able to eat until stuffed at Eastern Buffet, so it all worked out fine. I was able to get a sushi fix while Colin pigged out on chicken on a stick.

Now on to the subject of Richardson’s Lake. In reality, I guess it’s not really a lake but a nice sized pond. It’s a great swimming hole though, equipped with a very tall water slide, two diving boards, and a fantastic area for the little kids to play. I noticed two teen-age boys there who apparently were supposed to be life guards, but they really only stood around looking at the girls. Every once in awhile you’d hear one whistle but no one ever really knew why. The place was much too crowded so my husband stayed with one of our kids and my dad with the other. We managed to hang out for a couple of hours but the men were worn out from chasing the kids around, since they really had to stay right on top of the kids because it was hard to tell which kid was which! I was useless too, since with my glasses on I couldn’t really swim, and without them I can’t see past the nose on my face!

Tomorrow we are headed to Clark’s Hill, since Stuart and Poppy managed to get the boat running today. Hopefully the adults will be able to enjoy this trip as it will certainly not be as crowded as Richardson’s.

Everything is Bigger in Texas, Caddo Mills KOA

If you live in Texas, you are probably used to the pterodactyl sized dragon flies, huge and beautifully maincured front yards, the rolling hills of cattle ranches, and mosquito swarms that look big enough to carry off one of your Texas sized grown men. But even those of us raised in the south, well, when misplaced for awhile, we forget. I’ve been living in California for almost 8 years and those horse fly bites were fading memories. I was rudely reminded a couple of days ago at the North Dallas KOA, when one of those monstrosities chewed on the back of my leg. OUCH! Those things HURT!

One other big thing my family found in Texas that was much more pleasant and worth the occasional pterodactyl bite, was the Texas sized salt water pool at that same KOA. My skin is very sensitive and chlorine causes miserably dry skin, but somehow the chlorine that is generated from a salt water pool is much more gentle – for me, at least. What a treat for us and another military family we know who live only an hour and a half away. They just moved from Camp Pendleton a few months back and we were thrilled to have a place for our families to play together. After the sun faded and our bellies were begging for a Texas sized meal, we walked over to our Texas sized camping area, where we cooked brats and dogs and watched the sun set over the pond.

While in Texas in the summer, one should look into buying a Texas sized water chest that I found at the Texas sized Walmart just over 8 miles away. We were going through more bottled water than we could stand to recycle, so we decided to find a way to keep hydrated. Four stainless steel water bottles now adorn our truck, replacing cheap plastic bottles. For us it’s a great trade-off since now we have something we will use over and over again, and we are also drinking a lot more water to boot. There’s something about that cold ice water pouring out of the cooler that just helps you drink the water more frequently.

This KOA, officially called Dallas NE (North East, I think)/Caddo Mills was the best one we’ve been to yet, and we’ve been to a few. The Texas sized pool, as mentioned earlier, was beautifully kept, and was equipped with volleyball and basketball nets, noodles, and beach balls. Coffee in the morning was complimentary, the laundry room open 24/7, and they also had a game room available during business hours. The staff was very friendly and even went out of their way to help me get a huge ice chest out of my truck because hubby’s back was broken. He overdid it playing with the kids in the pool in Abilene. I didn’t even ask, they just did it! If you’re looking for a great overnight stay or even a vacation in Texas, we highly recommend this KOA.

I have one more thumbs up for this particular KOA. They are very friendly, not only to the guests who stay there, but also to their community. So many times I see business owners on the selfish side, not willing to budge or bend for the locals, catering only to their own business’ needs. Not these owners though! The pool is used by the locals as well as KOA guests. The owners have a $5 per person fee, and yesterday I saw one local boy, probably about 14, riding his bike with a towel over his shoulder toward the pool as I drove away to do some quick shopping. Kudos Caddo Mills KOA!

My Son the Chatterbox – A Conversation about Heaven

At the KOA in Abilene, Texas, my oldest son was sitting on the porch swing chattering away as I cooked dinner on our little propane grill. If you know us at all, you know that the boy can go on and on and on and on for hours. Sometimes I wonder if he’s even taking a breath, or if he’s adapted to talk without extra oxygen. You know, akin to the way Kevin Costner adapted to life on the open seas in Water World?!

Anyway, the boy was talking my ear off. I think it might have been bleeding. He talked about Star Wars, DS games, the KOA’s pool, the tether-ball that Austin broke at the KOA in Las Cruces, New Mexico, and more. I don’t know how but the conversation drifted over to lost souls, but somehow it did and we began talking about his Great Grandmother, Rachel Greer, who passed away a couple of years ago. He was telling me that he really misses her, and Baby, our 17 year old Peek-a-Poo that died exactly a week later. We chatted together about how lovely it must be in Heaven, with Rachel Greer sitting on a porch somewhere and Baby by her side. Then I had this epiphany to express to my son in words he would surely understand, how wonderful Heaven must be. I said “son, did you know that in Heaven, you can talk all you want, and someone will always be listening?”

He sat quiet for what seemed like forever. I don’t think he’s ever been that quiet unless he was playing a video game or sleeping. Actually, he even talks while he sleeps sometimes. Wait, he also talks while he’s playing video games. So yeah, that moment of silence was something to behold. It was so long that I had time to wonder what was going on in that marvelous little brain of his. Was he contemplating a fast track to Heaven? Was he planning a conversation with his Great Grandmother? Finally, with the most serious look on his face he said “Well Mom, I guess I’ll have to be careful not to say any bad words in Heaven.”