Good food-January 31, 2014

When we checked in here a restaurant called Andeles was recommended to us as authentic Mexican food. So, we went there last night. It was authentic indeed and very tasty. We enjoyed it very much. It was only later that we realized we were eating on Central Standard Time and we're in the Mountain Time Zone now. No wonder the restaurant did not start filling up until we were leaving!

Today we went to Pepper's. It is a café located inside a fine dining restaurant called the Double Eagle. We have eaten in both before. Today we only wanted salads so we ate in the sidewalk café.

The entry has the typical Spanish courtyard entry. This is in

Mesilla Valley which was an old stage stop way back when.

 

And this is the courtyard where we had lunch. It is a very happy place.

The food is excellent and has been every time we have eaten there.

 

As we were leaving I noticed the roof on the village Catholic Church.

I'm not sure what it is made of. It appears to be silver but I know

better than that. It is probably tin, but it is very nicely done.

 

We're too full to eat again tonight so we are staying in and avoiding the blowing dirt. The wind is supposed to die down tonight so we will move on to Arizona tomorrow. We are making headway to our destination.

 

 

On a completely different note, we know now that both the state of Alabama and the state of Georgia were notified by FEMA prior to the snow storm that the storm was coming and they needed to take emergency measures. Both governors ignored the warning. Consequently 7 people in Alabama died in that storm. What a tragedy. Atlanta weather forecasters warned of the impending storm. Birmingham forecasters said it would not happen there. Another tragedy on top of the first one. I pray for all involved.

 

 

 

 

 

Las Cruces--continued

We were very happy to see this sign. It meant we were only 21 miles from our destination.

Right after this sign the wind started blowing even more strongly which we did not think

was possible. We would estimate, without an anemometer, that the wind was sustained at

about 35 mph with gusts above 45 mph. Blowing dirt made driving even more difficult. That's not

a big deal in a car, but it is a huge problem in a high profile vehicle.

 

Pecan trees. They look better with leaves!

Extreme western Texas and extreme eastern New Mexico are known for pecans. This region is home to thousands of acres of pecan orchards. And they are good pecans, too. Fortunately New Mexico is also known for its fabulous pistachios. We will try to get some of the new crop before we leave.

 

This picture was taken a few blocks from this park. It was not taken for the beauty,

but instead I wanted to show the blowing dirt.

Behind that dirt in the distance is an interstate and mountains.

 

We are extremely happy and thankful to be here. It was a rough day. Tomorrow is supposed to be worse so we will hunker down here for a couple of days. Tuesday they say it could snow. Oh dear, we are not ready for more freezing weather so we will get out of here as soon as the weather gives us a break. 

Las Cruces, New Mexico-January 30, 2014

There are not really any words to describe today's journey. We knew the wind would be bad, but nothing like what it ended up being. At one point, in the middle of barren west Texas I quietly confessed I was terrified. I know Jerry was, too, but he white-knuckled it forward.

This is the lovely uninhabitable land we first saw today.

And then it got better!! It is no wonder nothing lives here.

 

Getting close to Van Horn and the scenery has not changed.

 

We stopped for fuel in Van Horn. What a depressing city. By this time the wind had whipped us into complete exhaustion. Right before we got here, the driver side of the coach started creaking and popping. We thought it was the wall being stressed against the wind, but the lady in the office here said it was actually our windows trying to hold up against the wind. I did not need to hear that.

 

As we were leaving I took a picture of houses in Van Horn, Texas. I'm not kidding.

 

Then we went through El Paso, Texas. We were shocked at the highway construction but happy it is putting lots of people to work. They are building flyovers which they have never had. We do not want to try to drive on those, no matter what the weather. The traffic in El Paso is very, very heavy. Not sure why so many people live there. The air quality is the pits. At some spots you could not see across the river because of the smog.

 

Houses on the east side of El Paso. This is on the Texas side.

 

This is called a wash. They build these to catch the flooding water if and when it rains,

which is very seldom. There are lots of these washes everywhere. It has not rained here in a very long time and rain is badly needed.

 

 BlogSpot will not let me post any more pictures, so I will close this one out

and finish on a separate post. Maybe it's the wind.........

 

 

 



 

 

 

Fort Stockton, TX-January 29, 2014

The sun came out this morning and we knew it was our signal to get out of Johnson City. We were  covered in ice so as we went farther west and it got warmer, the ice started flying off the coach in big chunks. It flew right over the top of the Cute Red Vehicle, thankfully.

Before we left Johnson City I was able to snap a quick picture of Miller Creek. It's really a good sized creek. To me it is more like a little river.

The RV park where we stayed is on the banks of Miller Creek.

 

Once out of the Hill Country the terrain gets really drab. So the only thing that broke the monotony was the wind.

The only things with color were the cedar trees. And the pollen off those pesky trees has been so bad that Cedar Fever is a real problem. When most pollen counts are in the lower hundreds, the cedar pollen went above 10,000 while we were there. That's not a typo. Ten thousand is correct.

 

We have concluded that there must be 4 times as many goats in Texas as cattle. There were also huge herds of antelope and a new type of deer we have not seen before. Plus we saw our first Javelina in the wild. That was actually exciting. They normally forage for food at night, but these were right beside the interstate in broad daylight. 

 

Then we drove through 40 miles of these:

There are over 1000 of these turbines on this farm. Most of them are small.

 

There were also at least 4 dozen road kill deer along the road. I think it is because no one could tolerate living in this horrible drab, desolate and windy area, so when they get to the end of their rope they jump in front of a truck!! 





 



Then we finally arrived in Fort Stockton

Someone had fun decorating in this park. Great Texas flag.

 

There's a man west of town who loves to create with metal sculptures.

 

He is definitely creative.

 

Once settled in and connected we realized it was warm enough outside to thaw out. We actually sat outside for a while and then talked to our next door neighbors for a bit. She told us the sunsets were pretty here.

 

It is pretty but cannot hold a candle to the sunsets in Breaux Bridge.

It's still something to appreciate and enjoy.

 

Tomorrow it's on into New Mexico. It is supposed to be windy but at least we should not have any ice. Even with our heater running it never got above 51° inside this coach today. It was horribly cold. The big windows and windshield were extremely cold and counteracted the heat. We are happy it is warmer here. Hopefully, the icy days are behind us now.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Ice and lots of it-January 28, 2014

We are covered in ice and have been all day. But at least we knew about it coming. My family and friends in Alabama were not prepared. I feel so bad about that. My brother and his wife are sheltered at a medical clinic somewhere on the south end of Birmingham. My niece's husband is sheltered at a fire station. Trust me, they will all love him and everyone will have a great time. I'm still waiting on an update from friends whose daughter and granddaughter are still not home as I type this. We knew here in Texas day before yesterday that Birmingham was going to be blasted, but the Birmingham forecasters could not read it in their bulletins from the National Weather Service. How sad. And depressing. I hope and pray everybody makes it home safely. They are experiencing a mess of huge proportions caused by human error. I just can't tell you how sorry I am they are going through this.

My prayers are with all of you.

 

We have been checking the weather here all day and also following weather at our next two stops. We believe we see an open window so we can safely get out of here tomorrow.

 

There have been more than half a dozen birds to hit the coach today. At least they are doing that on full tummies. The amount of food they are consuming is shocking. Bless the man next door who keeps filling up his bird feeders.

 

I know tomorrow will be a better day for everybody!

Johnson Settlement-January 27, 2014

With an ice storm approaching we are trying to see as much as we can because we know we will not go anywhere with ice on the roads. From our stop here last year you know that this city was started by ancestors of Lyndon B. Johnson. I have said before that neither of us were ever fans of his but I will be the first to admit that both he and his grandparents had vision. The Johnson Settlement is in the middle of town. It was as interesting as the visit to LBJ Ranch.

This gigantic windmill still turns but I am certain it does not pump water.

It is definitely well kept. This sits next to the storage building where perishable foods were stored.

 

There was a sign warning this Longhorn could be mean, but he certainly looked docile to us.

Still I showed him respect and left him alone to enjoy his dinner.  

 

A good looking old barn that belonged to LBJ's grand parents.

 

An old buckboard belonging to the Johnson's. There was an old Conestoga wagon, too, but

it was in such a dark area I could not get a picture of it.

 

I don't recall what this building is called. It certainly wasn't the servant's quarters.

The Johnsons were dirt poor, then got rich in cattle and then lost every penny in cattle.

Ultimately what they built has survived and is well maintained.

 

This is the homestead. Right hand side is the living section which was barely more than a tiny bedroom. The left side was the kitchen. The "dog trot" in the middle was to allow for a breeze, to allow for dogs to trot through and to provide a cover from the intense summer heat here.

 

I love these grand old oak trees. It reminds me of my motto,

"Remember the mighty oak was once a little nut that held its ground".

 

This was extremely interesting. It also served to make us grateful for what an easy life we have and to increase our respect for the people who helped form this country.

 

On a different note, we had three thuds on the side of the coach this morning. Three of those cute little birds bashed their little bodies into our house. Two of them flew away. One landed beak down, tail up in the rocks by our front wheel. He stayed that way for at least 15 minutes. I thought it was lights out for him. Then he sat up and stayed like that for another 10 or 15 minutes before he had the strength to fly away. Bless his little heart. I was about to cry for him. At the same time he will probably do the same thing tomorrow. I don't know why these little things can't see us.  

 

 

 

 

Another long blog-January 25, 2014

The couple in the RV next door are big bird feeders. They're not big and they don't feed big birds. Oh, you know what I mean. There are feeders hanging all over the place. Yesterday while it was still very cold, the cutest little birds starting feeding on two of the feeders.

They appear to be some sort of yellow chickadee. I do know that they get so excited while

they are feeding that they fly away from the feeder and bash themselves into the side of our coach. We have lost count of the number of "thuds" we have heard in the past few days. No casualties so far. But I bet a number of them have suffered bad headaches at the very least.

 

Yippee, we finally saw the sun today! We could not get ready fast enough and get out of here. The Hill Country of Texas is the prettiest part of the state. It really is. It is also known for countless numbers of wineries and huge herds of show goats. No, I am not kidding. Pardon the pun. We struck out with no real destination and ended up in Fredericksburg which as you know is one of our favorite cities.

 

Judy, this picture is for you and yours.

Becker Vineyards. Beautiful location. Great stone building.

 

The Admiral Nimitz Museum on Main Street in Fredericksburg. We have been here before

and I blogged about it, so I won't repeat it. I just happen to like the building.

 

We made new friends today. The complete group consisted of David, Marisa, Lauren,

Brooke and Dan. We were flattered these young people from New York and New Jersey

would take time to talk to us old folks. They were interested in the fact we just picked up and

started traveling around the country. Actually it was three years ago next Tuesday that we sold our

house on Ono Island and became geriatric gypsies. I am so sorry I was facing into the bright

light in the above picture. These three nice people were all extremely photogenic.

Hey guys, we had a great time talking to you!!

 

 

Nancy and Larry, this one's for you.

Nobody seemed to care that I hopped out of the car just to snap a picture of this cardboard sign.

 

Barbara, this one's for you.

Can you paint this one?

 

 

We had such a fun day. It was wonderful to get out and enjoy the day to its fullest. We are sorry two more cold and icy storms are due in here on Monday. We can't get a break from this cold dreary winter. We think we hear Las Vegas calling our names and we are trying to answer.

 

Have a very blessed and peaceful Sunday. I hope the sun is shining wherever you are. 

 

 

 

Shivering-January 24, 2014

A report came out earlier this week that claimed shivering in the cold makes a person lose weight. If that is true, we will be skin and bones by tomorrow morning! We have a solid sheet of ice on the inside of the front windshield. In all fairness, it's 26° outside and it is only a single pane of glass. Our other windows are doubled paned. We did have a dusting of snow last night. They say the sun will come out today but it is not doing well so far.

Coming in here I remarked to Jerry as we drove through those elevated interstate flyovers that I would not want to have to be on them if they were iced over. So we were not shocked to see huge pile-ups on those roads on the news last night. There was one 20 car pile up and those cars were so high up in the air it made me nervous for the people in them.

If need be we will stay indoors today, too. We got a lot of rearranging done yesterday. We completed some necessary paperwork we had been postponing. And I made a huge crockpot of homemade vegetable soup, so it was not a wasted day.

I hope you are all warm and dry wherever you are.

The Cute Red Vehicle with a coating of ice and a few flakes of snow. This was taken through

a windshield that also has a coating of ice on it. Jerry thought I needed to add this to the blog.

It makes me colder! The ice is much worse than a little snow.

Johnson City, Texas-January 2014

It was a long day for us, about 6 hours on the road. It's hard to talk about traffic when you have 6 lanes on each side of the interstate with the HOV lanes elevated above the interstate. We know they are building a 3 tier HOV flyover in Dallas so the one in Houston was not a total shock. I guess if you run out of land, you build upward.

The Trinity River. To me, it looks more like a bayou/bay than a river.

Whatever it is, it really was a nice clear body of water.

 

  I have had the toughest time getting a good picture of the Houston skyline. I think I did a bit better today. It was definitely a clear day.

 

The Hermann Memorial Hospital. That thing on top caught my attention. I haven't a clue what it is.

 

Here's a closer view. I can't even guess, but it is definitely an interesting

 thing to have on top of a hospital.

 

This is a really big flag. The wind we had today moved this flag very easily.

I have always liked the Texas State flag. Simple, bold and colorful.  

 

Now for an interesting happening. We had checked in and were about to unhook the car from the coach when a man approached. He was walking a cute dog so we stopped to say hello to them. The conversation moved to where we were from. We have gotten so we just tell people that we are from wherever we are parked. He said he was from Loveland, Colorado. Imagine our surprise. We kept talking and found that he now lives north of town by a lake so we asked about a couple we know there, Jerry and Mary Haag. He lives two doors from them!! Can you believe that? We have not seen them since we left Loveland but we think they would remember us still. So before we leave we will be sure he has our names so he can tell them that he crossed paths with us in Texas. It really is a small world.

 

The weather is expected to be really nasty for the next two days so we are glad we have settled in and can stay off the icy roads. They said we might have 2 inches of snow accumulation tomorrow night. At the very least we will have sleet and extreme cold. We just can't get away from it this year. We are starting to wonder what we have done wrong? The freezing temps just follow us everywhere. Spring can't be far away, can it? 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Beaumont, Texas-January 20, 2014

The drive from Kinder to Beaumont was one of the worst we have ever had. There were holes in the interstate big enough to cover up a Volkswagen. The bridges had huge holes which made us wonder what the underside looked like. It was windy. The truck traffic was horrible. Though we do not like Beaumont we are happy to be safely here. As with all coastal cities, it is hot and muggy. Correction: it is VERY hot and VERY muggy. We have to do some serious grocery shopping and we know where the H.E.B. store is here. We might just walk up and down every single aisle. We both love those stores.

This bridge over Calcesieu Bay at Lake Charles, Louisiana is so very tall I have to take pictures

to keep from screaming in fear. It is the tallest bridge we go across anywhere, well, except the one over the Hoover Dam. It will take your breath away. Calcesieu is pronounced cal-ka-shoe.

 

Again there are refineries as far as the eye can see. I am pretty sure these are natural gas

refineries. The oil refineries are on the south side of the interstate. If the oil industry is shut down

we will have so many people out of work we will never recover. The rest of what I have to say is

political and this is not a political blog so 'nuff said.  

 

Sabine River which basically forms the boundary between Louisiana and Texas.

 

On a different note we are happy the Broncos are going to the Super Bowl. However, the other Cheryl is from Seattle so I suspect a friendly wager is in order for the upcoming Snow Bowl as they are calling it now.



 

We are going to miss the good food in Louisiana.

 

 

 

 

Hotel renovation-January 18, 2014

There are several hotels and motels here owned by the Coushatta tribe. The main hotel is being renovated and updated. We found the method a bit unusual.

I'm not sure this picture shows what is really happening here. I would estimate this structure

is about 7 or maybe 8 stories tall. They shrink-wrapped the entire building.

It is really strange looking.

The wind always blows here so maybe it is to keep the workers warm or to keep debris from blowing all over the county. Whatever the reason we have never seen this done before, have you?

 

 

I wish you a peaceful and happy Sunday. Take time to smell the roses.

 

Coushatta Birthday-January 17, 2014

This morning was the 19th birthday celebration of the Coushatta tribe opening this facility on their land. We did not get there early enough to take pictures of the cake. It was just stunning. Actually there were three separate cakes but they were made to fit together. All of the speakers were Coushatta Indians. They introduced the Council and some spoke for a couple of minutes. The Chief of the tribe who is actually called the President of the tribe and the county District Attorney spoke together telling how all of this came about. It was really interesting. The Princess of the tribe also spoke. She is attending TCU and majoring in Anthropology. Each person spoke in their native tongue first and then spoke in English. The Princess and one other young lady signed the Lord's Prayer. I could not bow my head and see what they did, so I watched. It was just stunning. They had such pretty hands and really graceful movements. I will not forget how beautiful that was. Next came the Native dancers, both men and women.

Three women danced and the best one was Emerald Sky Bird who did the shawl dance. It was explained that they bounce on their feet because they believe they need to treat Mother Earth gently so they put as small an amount of their feet down as possible. Emerald Sky Bird appeared to seldom  touch the stage. She was wonderful.

The men dancers had the most beautiful costumes. So many feathers and such bright colors. One dancer was from the Alabama Coushatta Tribe of Texas. I think I can explain that but you can probably figure it out. He was a hoop dancer. Oh my goodness he was unbelievable. He had dozens and dozens of hoops, small hoops and he could get them all connected and get his body through them and hold them up on open arms. Then in the blink of an eye he was out of them and they were just a stack of hoops. It was spectacular.

We did learn that the Indians, all tribes, hold the eagle in high esteem because it flies closest to the Heavens. I won't forget that either.

Unfortunately we were in the back of the room so pictures were next to impossible. You will have to take my word for it that this was a once in a lifetime experience. I am so grateful we got to see it.

Sorry about the quality of the picture. Imagine what this looked like in person.

 

I have to ask someone to explain this tribal seal to me. That fish is ugly and I

don't know why they would choose it. I know there is a story behind it.

Will share when I find out.

 

We are thrilled we got to experience this ceremony today.

 

 

Cajun Pawn Stars-January 16, 2014

We made it to Alexandria today. It was only about 55 miles directly north of here on a very straight and level highway. We went through a huge section of nurseries (flowers, not babies!). We had no idea those were there. Then there were several miles of tree farms. We had no idea that area existed either. Alexandria has a gigantic traffic circle at the entrance. And true to Louisiana fashion, drivers fly through there like there is a fire somewhere. But we got to our destination safely. We wanted to see Silver Dollar Pawn, home of Cajun Pawn Stars as seen on the History Channel on Tuesdays.

Nothing fancy, but a gigantic place.

 

Cameras and large purses are not allowed inside the store.  

 

Jimmie DeRamus and his wife, Peggy, started the business over 30 years ago. So, they have been around Alexandria for a long time though they have only been on television for two years. Daughter, Peggy, works there. Jimmie's younger brother, Johnnie, also works there. All of them were there unlike the Las Vegas stars who are only present during filming. These are very down to earth people. We talked to both Jimmie and Peggy. We haven't  seen so much merchandise in one spot in a very long time. I would hate to have to inventory that store! You name it and it's there. I even saw a Singer

treadle sewing machine like my grandmother had when I was a little girl. It had a $400 price tag on it. I wonder where hers ended up? Most impressive was the huge display of the Ten Commandments at the front door.



 

This was a really fun thing to do. We left there feeling like we had met some very nice and honest people. We stopped and had lunch and then headed home. We had another pretty day of sunshine though it was windy. No complaints here.

The office and fresh air-January 15, 2014

Today was full of sunshine and cool air, but we just had to get out and walk. And walk we did. Lots of walking. It was just wonderful to breathe fresh clean air.

This is the office for the RV Park as seen from the other side of the lake.

It is a big office with a large fireplace and couches to sit and enjoy it. There's a game room.

And it also looks out onto this lake. I don't think you can fish this lake but I'm not positive.

 

We are thinking about driving up to Alexandria tomorrow. Neither of us has ever been there before. And we know that rain is approaching so we need to get there while the weather is nice. I'll try to take some pictures, but then you know that.

Kinder, LA-January 14, 2014

We arrived on the Coushatta Indian reservation this afternoon after a very nice drive. The weather is just gorgeous so we know that means rain is on the way. We have had door and windows open since we arrived. Ah, fresh air. Nothing beats it.

The drive took us through rice growing country. Harvest has just been completed. I decided this is why so many Cajun recipes have rice in them. It is an abundant crop in this part of the country. We also found out that sugar cane, considered to be a form of grass but is technically a legume, will return every year for at least 10 years. So, once planted it is not too difficult to take care of. However, cane sugar is being imported from Mexico causing the Louisiana farmers to get too little for their crops. We went through that when Jerry was growing beet sugar. He finally quit growing it.

We will see what kind of trouble (aka "fun") we can get into tomorrow.

Oops-January 12, 2014

The other Cheryl who is from Seattle suggested I return the Voo Doo doll for a refund. Well, bless her little heart. No, indeed, I need it this afternoon for the Bronco game. I'll just dig out my original doll that was bought in New Orleans prior to Hurricane Katrina and use them both!! Please note, anybody who knows me knows that this is all in fun and I absolutely do not believe in Voo Doo. And you also know the real meaning behind the phrase "bless her heart". We have enjoyed some good laughs over this doll. However, if you have a Voo Doo doll please get it out and hex the San Diego Chargers! Now, please have a wonderful day. Relax and enjoy the nice weather.

Saints and Voo Doo doll-January 11, 2014

We had to rush out to a store called Louisiana Hot Stuff this morning and get us a Saints Voo Doo doll so we could hex the Seahawks! They told us to do that last night on the local news. So we complied.

Here it is. The instructions said lay it down and repeat the name of the person who is to be hexed three times. Then stab the doll with the black pin. I did that and we laughed like we had lost our minds. There is a white pin to wish good luck on somebody, too. It's not all bad!

Then there is a chant:

Who Doo

Voo Doo?

You Doo!

 

The guy who was leading the chant on television last night really looked the part. He was just like the characters you see in movies about Bourbon Street, in full make-up and satin cape. He was in the store today and he was much smaller than we expected. And he had on normal clothes. He played the part well. I have only one more thing to say............

 

Geaux Saints!!!!!!!!



More great food-January 10, 2014



 

I promised last night there would not be a sunset picture tonight. I kept my word but only because it's raining.

 

Poche's Market, Restaurant and Smokehouse. You may add to that Poche's Bridge, Country Club, RV Park and Fish-N-Camp. It's a big family that's been around here for a long time.

 

We had lunch here after getting our errands completed. This is as close to a perfect Cajun meal as there is on earth. Everything is very flavorful and nothing is so hot it brings tears to your eyes. We decided that once we leave here we will not eat Cajun food again until we return year next year or so. Therefore we are getting our fill. Jerry had crawfish etouffee and I had chicken-sausage gumbo. They tossed a biscuit on the side of mine and it was fabulous. It was a homemade baking powder biscuit and it brought back such good memories from my childhood. It was so yummy. But then our entire meal was excellent. We might eat here again before we leave.

 

And for some unknown reason we had running water when we got home. I successfully washed a load of clothes. I just didn't want to get so far behind I'd never be caught up again. How I can empathize with those people in West Virginia who have the contaminated water. I am very grateful to have water for now. And our ice maker works again. Happy day! 

 

Wish we could share some of this wonderful food with you! 

 

 

Great lunch-January 9, 2014

Before you get today's fun, you are required to look at yet another sunset picture. It is supposed to be raining tomorrow so there won't be a picture.

I like the pinkish orange halo around the sun.

 

Today we had lunch at Don's Seafood with Cheryl and Doug. I am not sure I have explained how we met. Perhaps I did. Cheryl and Cheryl met in the laundry room at Lake Osprey RV park in Elberta, Alabama. They were from Seattle. So, an Alabama couple became friends with a Washington state couple in Elberta. Emails, texts and phone calls have followed us all across the country. They sold their house in Seattle and hit the road. They are parked at their daughter's house in Lafayette so they can visit their grandbabies. Zoey is 4 1/2 and Gage is a newborn. We are glad they could get away. We explained the South Dakota connection to them and now they are also residents of that state. We had fun catching up, or as Cheryl calls it, "camping out" at the restaurant. Don, whom this restaurant is named after, is one of the Landry bunch if you know who they are. They know seafood like nobody else does. We were there talking for so long we were on our third wait staff person before we left! The second one got the tip. It was fabulous food and we hope to go back before we leave. The four of us are plotting another camp out before we leave.

 

Our water woes continue. A worker repaired a broken water main at the fish cleaning station and we thought we would have water tonight. But we do not. The guy next door tells us that the water district ran out of water. We didn't believe it but then we found on a local television website that a second district has run out of water and a third one has a boil water notice posted. I am not sure what is happening here but lack of water is very, very serious. In the middle of the night I realized if a home caught on fire there would be no working fire hydrants. What happens then? Water is necessary for existence so how long can a water district not provide water? Is it even legal for them not to provide water? This is not a good situation. We still have water in our onboard tank and our pump works but it just isn't pleasant to have to turn on the pump every time we need water. It's inconvenient. We probably won't stay too long here though we would probably like to because of the water issue. I know life is never perfect, but my goodness, we need water. Ok, I am through complaining today. I'll go back and look at the sunset picture! It was too nice a day to end it by complaining.