01-31DEC25 - Houma, LA (🎄🎅merry xmas🎅🎄)

Sunday make preps for tomorrow’s departure from Sharon & Tim’s in Keene, TX; flush black water tank; fill propane tank and grocery shop.  Then Mexican for dinner with Tim & Sharon, and more reminiscing.  Back to RV for another near freezing night.

Monday (first day of December) hit the road to Houma.  Most of drive on I-20E to Shreveport, LA, and the KOA we stayed at 23NOV on the way to Sharon and Tim’s last time.  Approaching Shreveport, we drove thru heavy rain for half hour.  Check into KOA and heavy rain follows us there.

Tuesday AM back on the road, mostly on I-49S straight to Lafayette.  No rain but, freezing temps and wind.  Get to Joe’s rental house driveway and set up camp; decompress from the drive and Nori restaurant for takeout.

Wednesday, 03DEC, not much done but defrost RV frig for first time (heavy ice buildup on cooling coils in the box).  Remove all food and turn off.  Eventually place small space heater on bottom shelf to speed process.

 

Then head to Joe & Bethany’s to babysit granddaughter Coraline for first time.  So that Bethany and Joe can attend an HS award ceremony for step grandson Noah for his achievement as first year swim team member at recent State Championship.  Corrie kept Coraline entertained while Dan got to watch latest Disney/Pixar release ELIO (two thumbs up).  Back to the RV to await approaching rain squalls tonight/tomorrow.

Thursday awake to minor rain, but quickly changes to couple of squalls with high winds and heavy rain.  Late afternoon we head to Joe & Bethany’s to visit and Corrie to make dinner for everyone.  Turns out they are setting up x-mas tree and decorating it (we help). After dinner step grandson Noah calls and says tranny on his used truck doesn’t work.  Joe heads out to see what the story is (has to come back to get car carrier trailer with rain squalls blowing thru).

Sunday AM, 07DEC, back on the road with RV & Toad to Biloxi, MS.  Why?  To connect with some great friends Jim Van Sice & (wife) Clarke.  They were north of NOLA to visit their son, Wade, and we tried to connect with them there.  But couldn’t make it work.  So Plan B was for us to set up camp somewhere on I-10E to intercept then on their drive back their home in South FL. 

So we will set up camp at Keesler AFB FamCamp in Biloxi and pick a spot in Biloxi to meet-up.  Drive thru NOLA not bad since it is Sunday AM.  Sadly east NOLA still looks like it has never recovered from Katrina☹ 

The Air Force Family Camp wasn’t in best shape at out last visit years ago and has declined since!  After parking the RV we head to only non-smoking casino in Biloxi (The Palace).  Donate a little money to the gambling gods and then try their buffet at $30/person.

Monday meet Van Sice’s at Mary Mahoney’s for lunch and reminiscing.  Great time, specially since they picked up the tab🙃   They continue their drive home in south FL, and we go back to RV to do nothing.

 Mary Mahoney's | Three Generations of Diners Can't Be Wrong

 Tuesday 09DEC before lunch Corrie drops Dan off at Café New Orleans in D’Iberville, MS.  Where he meets CGA Classmates and friends, Ron Borison(L) and Dan Henderson(R), for impromptu lunch and BS’ing about CGA, post CGA and family.  Meanwhile Corrie visited retail businesses in the area.  Back at RV we spend rest of day doing laundry and prepping for tomorrow’s departure.

Wednesday AM get RV and Toad all hooked up to hit the road to Houma and discover 12V cigarette lighter plug for Toad supplemental braking system is broken☹  No way to repair, so means more caution while driving.   Back to Joe’s rental house in Houma with no problems,  Joe and one of Bethany’s nephews Connor working on backyard fence installation.  Early evening over to Joe & Bethany’s house for dinner.

Thursday AM Joe arrives with Conner and continues working on installing fencing cedar planks (Dan assists).  Corrie runs errands; fence (except for gates) done.  Corrie makes spaghetti sauce and we take to Joe & Bethany’s for dinner.

Sunday, 14DEC, we head to Costco in NOLA.  Recently Dubai Chocolates have been talked about on TV, cable, streaming, etc.  We discover that Costco has four different types – one made in Dubai, one made in Turkey and two made in USA.  We went with Dubai (tastes good, not sure what all the fuss is about).  Temps dropped 20 degrees overnight, supposed to drop more tonite.  

Monday Dan builds temporary gate to back yard of rental house.  Now Rocket can be let loose and not walked on lead all the time.  Then Dan goes into Houma to view the City's X-mas display based on the child's book "Cajun Night Before Christmas".

Tuesday still very cold but not below freezing.  Dan heads to Kenner outside NOLA and had lunch with Frank Paskewich(L) and Ron Branch(R); friends and CG co-workers during Dan’s last CG assignment in New Orleans (2001-04) before retirement. Corrie stayed home (in the RV).

Thursday AM, 18DEC, off to Houma Christian School for Coraline’s pre-school x-mas pageant.  Today is twenty degrees hotter than yesterday and sunny.  So now RV AC is on.  Dan starts working on fixing brake buddy, finds problem and should be fixable.

That evening five of us (Corrie, Dan, Joe, Bethany, Coraline) head to Houma Town Square to see holiday lights and art display (was supposed to have artificial snow every 15 minutes but that is Friday & Saturday only)☹

Friday (happy anniversary) nice weather, not much done.  For our 44th Anniversary we go to Cristiano’s Ristorante.  Upscale Italian restaurant that opened back in 2000 when we lived in Houma (still excellent).

Saturday not much done; went to cinema for 3D showing of latest Avatar movie (Fire and Ash).  Good (but not as good as first Avatar movie, but better than second); too loud - too long – too expensive.  Good thing we saw second Avatar movie on TV, otherwise some things in third movie don’t make sense if all you have seen is first movie (IMO).

Meanwhile back in WA state, 20DEC, grandson Jaxson had first wrestling tournament of the school year.  For some reason Jax had to wrestle at one weight division higher.  And against an opponent who had won dozens and dozens of matches.  Jaxson was significantly behind on points, but pinned his opponent in closing seconds🙃!

Monday, 22DEC, entire family (Joe, Bethany, Lily, Noah, Coraline, and us) in two cars head to Celebration in the Oaks, at New Orleans’ City Park.  As per their website  -- 

City Park’s largest fundraiser, Celebration in the Oaks, is THE New Orleans holiday tradition. This incredible light festival has enchanted Park visitors since the 1980s and is vital to the Park’s maintenance, care, and beautification year round. Make memories with your loved ones in City Park this holiday season.

Last visited DEC2016 with Rebecca and grandboys.  This time parking horrendous, no signs, no attendants directing traffic.  First car line we get in is for drive thru traffic only (not us).  Then parking found one mile from walk-in gate (still no signs).  Excellent x-mas light displays but no clear indication(s) of which path to take, or what building to enter.  Maybe last time for us to visit☹?

Celebration in the Oaks

Tuesday, 23DEC, not much done.  Corrie bakes two pies and makes her sausage stuffing for the “Xmas eve” gathering of the Chiasson’s at June and Tee’s house.  Wednesday at lunch time, we head to Tee and June’s for their family gathering.  The day before Xmas is when June & Tee (the parents), their children and grand children get together; exchange gifts between families.  And eat throughout the day on all the wonderful food prepared yesterday and today (mainly by June).

Thursday, Xmas day, late morning over to Joe & Bethany’s to exchange gifts and watch Coraline open her presents.  Christmas day is when the individual Chiasson families exchange gifts within their immediate family at their houses.  Dan helps Joe put up last gate section at rental house and then Joe grills steaks for dinner.

Meanwhile back at the Pitre's house in Silverdale, WA.

Friday spend most of day prep’ing RV and buying groceries for tomorrow’s departure to our home in Sultan, WA.  Corrie helps Joe with some minor paint touch-up and staining in rental house.  Takeout dinner from BNB café.

27DEC, Saturday AM, hook Toad to RV discover the “other” 12volt plug on Even Break system is kaput☹ Then head to Joe, Bethany & Coraline to say our good-byes.  Next stop is u-haul facility to get RV propane tank filled.  Five and half hours driving to get to KOA in Shreveport, LA, we left 01DEC.  During drive we learn Dan’s sister, Sharon, is at local ER with broken wrist.

Sunday fuel up RV and jump on I-20W into Texas to visit Dan’s sister Sharon and husband Tim in Cleburne, TX (remember we spent turkey-day with them last month).  After four hour drive we set up camp at an almost new RV park, and head to Sharon and Tim’s.  Sharon’s right wrist is immobilized in a cast that starts behind here knuckles and goes past her elbow.  So Corrie and Tim cooked up spaghetti dinner.  After dinner we headed back to RV to for forecasted high winds and low/low temps.  Disconnected water and plugged-in small portable heater in addition to RV's propane furnace.

Monday AM Dan takes Corrie to Tim & Sharon’s, so she could ride with Tim as he made Meals on Wheels delivery (he volunteers once a week).  Dan heads back to RV to begin prep’ing for tomorrow’s departure.  Couple hours later we all head to Chaf-in Restaurant for breakfast/lunch.  It is an over 100 year old restaurant still in business.  Nothing outstanding about the cooking; just good, reasonably priced meals (like chicken fried steak with three sides for $11.99).

Then back to Sharon & Tim’s and reminiscing while Corrie prepared new recipe of lemon, angel food cake mix, lemon bars.  Early evening back to RV and try to get all the preps done for early departure tomorrow.

Tuesday AM immediately on the road and seven hours of driving to Big Texan RV Ranch in Amarillo, TX, where we stayed back on 03OCT.  Set up camp and off to Big Texan Steak for dinner again.  This time Corrie doesn’t “lose/leave” her phone in the gift shop😊

New Year’s Eve Day early start I-40W into New Mexico.  Only drive for three plus hours and pull into our selected RV park in Stanley, NM.  No one in office, and no one visible outside parked RV’s.  Finally get answer calling business number; directed to empty spot and owner will be there shortly.  Ask for code for bath room and get text with code.  Only one unisex BR for camp; and it is worse than any out-house! 

We leave (2 hours wasted) and take next RV park down the interstate.  Very beautiful wooded location but pretty dormant because of this is slow, slow, season.  Bathrooms clean but other facilities/buildings closed.  Looks like a very quiet New Year’s Eve.  Not even local fireworks heard.🎆