I have been considering for a while now to change my medical provider and after my last visit with her, it pretty much sealed it. I do not know how it works in other parts of Texas or for that matter in the rest of the USA but in Del Rio, you have to submit an application and then wait to be approved by said provider.
I think I am going to like this new medical professional and he right away addressed the problem of my high blood pressure which runs on both sides of my family. After only four days with the new medication, I could not believe I got my blood pressure down from the usual 170, 160, 150 over whatever...to 116/62 77 today.
Like with most medications at the start, they make me sleepy...with my insomnia...I consider that a bonus.
It is always a good thing when gasoline prices decline. This was the going price at Walmart on Friday...
The following picture is blurry, sorry about that, it shows HEB's price to be the same $2.029 per gallon for regular unleaded.
Saturday and Sunday were warm and sunny days so I took the opportunity to rake more leaves in the front yard. I was minding my own business when I heard a car stop and a door open...I just knew it was either Pollito or his sidekick...so I just kept on doing my thing and pretended they weren't there as I had my back towards the gate.
He asked if he could just see the inside of it and I agreed. He seemed enthused about it and asked how much I would let it go for. Repeated that I was not considering selling it but if I was I would have to research it. He kept on looking at me and told me that I looked familiar that if I remembered him...to which I replied that I did not...he repeated that several times.
He gave me his name and number in case I changed my mind and left. Not three minutes had passed when he came back to tell me he remembered where he had met me. Hmm...I find it hard to believe that in his line of work where he meets a lot of people he would remember an incident that took place over a year ago...or perhaps it is the former Houstonian in me that made the warning bells go off in my head.
Good night. May you all have Terlingua Dreams.
Aunty Acid Saying of the Day
Howdy MsB. I have a camping question for you. When I told you that we drove all the way across Big Bend to take a shower, you mentioned that you now use a shower tent. I have never had one. I have been doing a little research on them and noticed they also have two-room shower tents. I would think they would be more practical because you would have a place to put your towel and clean clothes to keep them dry in the second room. How do you keep your towel and clothes dry in a one-room shower tent? I noticed on our recent Grand Canyon / Big Bend trip that shower tents are very popular. I would estimate that 25% to 50% of the tent campers had one. Thank you for any information that you can provide on this subject. Oh, and while I am thinking about it, you mentioned that you need a shed just for your camping gear. You might consider a small cargo trailer. If you use a cargo trailer as your shed, you can always move it if you need to. Just a suggestion as something to consider. Also, they don't tax trailers as a building so if you don't use it on the road, you don't have to renew the registration each year, just the years that you use it on the road.
ReplyDeleteViva Terlingua!
When tent showers first became popular in the early 2000's they were only one room the most popular one was made by Cabela's and was 4x4 so it had plenty of space for a small chair where you could put your clean clothes in a trash bag to keep them from getting wet. There was a towel rack on the outside that you could unzip a small window and have access to it. Two of my friends had this shower tent and loved it.
DeleteThis is a newer better version of the Cabela's shower
https://www.cabelas.com/catalog/product.jsp?productId=1968929&type=product&MDK=dynbanP_NWs&MDC=cat104569380
I could not afford the Cabela model so I bought the Walmart version. I placed a chair outside my shower where I kept my clothes. I do not use a towel I prefer to dry myself with Viva paper towels they are soft and absorbent and I can then use them to clean the floor of the shower.
I need a large shed not only for my camping gear but for a lot of boxes I brought down from Houston before and after they broke into my house in Houston.
DeleteMy Toyota Corolla does not have a hitch but even if it did I do not feel comfortable towing anything. I remember a friend of mine driving her brand new truck and trailer to Terlingua and being white as a sheet when she arrived due to all the curves and steep climbs between Alpine and Study Butte.
Needless to say that was the last time she drove it by herself. She would wait in Alpine until another friend from Austin arrived and would drive her vehicle to and from Terlingua.
Thank you for the information about the Cabela’s shower tent. I will definitely consider that one. I was surprised that, not only does REI not have a 2-room shower tent, they only have one shower tent listed and it is a 1-room. Walmart has about 100 listed online but a lot of them were probably duplicates of the same shower tent.
DeleteI don’t order anything by mail so if REI, Academy, Walmart, Home Depot, Tractor Supply Company, Cabela’s, Bass Pro Shops, the local feed store, or H-E-B, doesn’t have it then I don’t need it.
I thought of two more things I wanted to tell you about packing your car. When I saw the photo of how you packed your back seat, I was SMH (shaking my head). My first thought was, “wasted space”! I don’t know how easy this is on the new cars, but in the previous cars I have had, I always took out the back seat when I packed for camping or bicycle riding. I could remove it in about 10 seconds. I would use my hands to push the top part and my knees to push the bottom part and easily unhook it from the brackets and remove it. That gave me a lot more space. I even carried a full size plastic trash can in the back seat area to carry any wet items if it rained. Another item I always used, even if I was not taking my canoe, was my canoe rack. I don’t know if it would fit on these modern cars, but my two previous cars had a gutter where the canoe rack would clamp onto. I could carry a lot of stuff on top. If my tarps were wet or muddy, I could roll them up and tie them to the canoe rack on the top of my car. Now days, I see almost all the racks are parallel to the vehicle. My canoe rack is perpendicular to the vehicle. I guess that doesn’t make much difference but I really like it perpendicular because I could easily change the distance between the two crossbars. It clamps on and clamps off so it is pretty fast. I did a quick search but I don’t see the exact model that I have. It is the type where you buy the brackets (4 of them) and then bolt 2x4s to the brackets.
That is my 2 cents on making more room for packing a car for camping, taking out the back seat and putting on a roof rack.
It depends which pictures you saw...my first or second trip to Terlingua or the trip back to Del Rio. If it was the second trip back to Del Rio...by then I pretty much don't care how I load it and just throw stuff wherever there is a spot for it.
DeleteI have a bad back but even if I didn't there is no way I am going to remove the back seat. Nor would I ever add any type of rack to my vehicle...I am just not that handy and I can usually fit all I require albeit it might be a tight fit.
Here is a link to a two-room shower tent on special right now at Walmart...
Deletehttps://www.walmart.com/ip/Ozark-Trail-2-Room-Instant-Shower-Utility-Shelter/42391766?athcpid=42391766&athpgid=athenaItemPage&athcgid=null&athznid=PWVAV&athieid=v0&ath
Yes, thank you. I’ve been looking at that one. Almost all of the “better” stores give the specs (such as thickness of material) but I don’t see it on the Walmart specs. Makes me wonder if they use real thin material that will tear real easily or maybe single stitch instead of double or triple stitch. Also, some of the comments (I think it was for this particular one) said the hook was made of plastic and would probably break.
DeleteHmmm, is one really better than the other? Would I have to buy two or three in the same time period that I could have only bought one? Decisions….(thanks)...
Something I like about the Walmart one is that it has two windows. That would really come in handy with Texas weather. I don't see windows on the Cabela's shower tent. I even looked at the YouTube video and they didn't show the sides but it does not look like it has windows from the angles I saw.
DeleteThe reason that I think there might be a difference in quality between the one at Cabela’s and Walmart is because of what we used to have to do when I worked at a mattress factory.
DeleteWe made each mattress differently so that there could be a difference in the thickness of the springs, a barrier I think that was called “tick” that could be put on the springs or left off, the thickness of the padding, some wire supports that looked like a “Z” that were put on the springs to give it support when you sat on the edge of the bed, etc.
You could not tell by looking at the mattress what materials were inside or the quality of the materials for each mattress.
I don’t know if that happens with tents, but I assume each store can order a different thickness and tell how many stitches they want for their particular order even though it has the same brand name on it.
The window with the zipper by the towel rack was on their original model which was discontinued years ago.
DeleteNo doubt the thickness plays an important part in particular in the strong winds experienced in Terlingua year around. I lost my shower tent in 2011 (the one currently on my header picture) after a very strong wind storm that year.
However, it was because I was using the steel tent stakes on my Kodiak Canvas tent as they were easier to hammer down than the super heavy ones that came with my Kodiak Canvas tent.
Had I had it securely staked I would not have lost it...it was my bad and had nothing to do with the thickness of the materials.
If your father's old car is not store inside a garage or shed you might consider (not a tarp) but a cover to protect the Paint and Upholstery. Tires are also targets of the Sun.
ReplyDeleteTake lots of photos of the car in case it suddenly disappears.
I like flyingdj's idea of the utility trailer for storage as well as hauling your camping equipment when you do go Camping.
Be Safe and Enjoy!
It's about time.
Though his car is not in the garage it is partially covered by a shade tree. If I ever get it running again it will definitively need new tires.
DeleteI am not too worried about anyone stealing it as it has not been driven in years and they would have to open the gate to get to it and bring a tow truck.
In my case a utility trailer would not be a viable option.
An old car that someone was really interested in would be a tough one, especially if it was a back up car. Being your Dad's old car does add a lot to it from your end.
ReplyDeleteYou could sell it & use the money to get your van fixed then use that as your back up car and have it for the Terlingua trips too.
Just thinking out loud...
To have my camping van fixed will cost upward of two thousand dollars and that was the price quoted a couple of years ago. I do not think my dad's old car would bring that kind of money.
DeleteBeing dad's car I have a sentimental attachment to it and do not think I could sell at least not now.
I understand about sentimental value. As to the dollar value, you're probably right but you never know unless you look.
DeleteI did a Google search but only found pictures of 1982 and 1985 Ford Fairmont Futura's (as I do not remember what year it is). None had a value listed and some listing were a couple of years old.
DeleteWhile I was reading your post about your dad's old car, my 6th sense clicked into action. I'm glad you didn't agree to anything with these guys - something just doesn't sound right. They might be back - please just turn your back on them and walk away.
ReplyDeleteGypsy, I think you misunderstood. Pollito and his wino sidekick were NOT the ones that wanted to buy dad's car. It was an older man who kept on asking me if we had met before and if I remembered him which I could overlook if it was not for the fact that he kept on repeating the same thing.
DeleteWhen he returned to tell me where we met...he totally creeped me out. Like who cares where we met, I did not remember him until he gave me details...like who in the heck remembers stuff like that? I know I don't. Even after telling me that I still did not recognize him.
Like most people working on their yard under the hot sun I was sweaty, had no make-up on, had my old glasses that I do not normally wear in public and was wearing my torn baggy gardening clothes.
How can this man remember me when the time he claims we met well over a year ago I was all decked out? Definitively alarms going off!
That man sounds creepy. It is good to keep your guard up. If he comes back, get his license plate and vehicle description.
ReplyDeleteMaybe he was trying to pick you up and just being creepy about it? So many weirdos and so few TWCs. :)
Hope your weather is a little warmer before long.
If he was trying to pick me up I would have an even worse impression of him as he was wearing a wedding band.
DeleteIt is hard tell what kind of vehicle he drives or his license plate since mother's fence is made out of cinder blocks. All I could see was that the vehicle or at least the top part that I was able to see was white.
ALWAYS trust your intuition. Although the guy offered his name and number that could have been a scam. It may have been totally innocent but in today's world you just never know.
ReplyDeleteWas going to fill up today at $1.829 (MMVC price) but it was too cold with the wet wind coming straight outta Del Rio! Chilled to the bone.
My intuition has never failed me and I have always trusted it... it has been correct 99% over my lifetime and I think that is a pretty good record.
DeleteWow, Wow, Wow...$1.829 is twenty cents lower than here! It was indeed a terribly cold winter day :-(
Glad you stood your ground guy sounds like a creeper
ReplyDeleteHe certainly does JO.
Delete