Good-bye Playa del Dragon!
On November 29, 2016 we sold our home – leaving Playa del Dragon for the last time–It was very bitter sweet. We loved our house, but we were excited to start our new nomadic life.
The first couple weeks we stayed very close to “home”, camping at Pecan Park Riverside RV Park in San Marcos, TX. We were parked facing the San Marcos River – a beautiful sight to wake up to every morning. This was a smart move.
As we moved out of Playa del Dragon we decided to rent a 10×10 storage space. When we were doing our final move-out – we had to rent a 2nd storage unit. Due to lack of time, we just threw many things in without purging or optimizing space. While at Pecan Park we started organizing the RV, being close to our store unit gave us flexibility to purge more things in the RV, and grab a few more things we thought we must have.
I asked Pat what she remembers about this very important “transitional” time in our lives. Here’s what she shared with me:
“I didn’t think. I purposefully stayed present. If my mind wondered I focused on the beautiful sky, the wind on my skin, the smell of fresh air. I had everything I needed and wanted. If I would have stopped to think, I would have said “holly shit – what have we done”. I know if I’m feeling depressed I’m thinking in the past. If I fell anxious I’m focused on the future. When I stay present I feel happy.”
One of the things I love so much about “home is where we park it” is spending quality time with family and friends. We were ready to head to my hometown of Chillicothe, MO, home of sliced bread to spend Christmas. We stay in my sisters driveway or McBee RV Park and Resort as we call it. It’s awesome – we have 50 amp plug in, there are plenty of activities and the “owners” are great cooks.
On our way from Texas the weather forecast in Missouri had a snow storm during our planned travel days. So we decided to stop in Waco, TX and get our fill of Fixer Upper! We stayed at the I-35 RV Park and Resort. There were a few things we really liked about this campground.
- It’s situated on quite a few acres and we were able to let Beau run and play ball.
- They serve a free, home cooked breakfast every morning which was delicious!
- Very easy to get on and off the Interstate, and close to Waco.
We visited Magnolia Market and the Silos all decked out for Christmas! We had a blast driving by several of the Fixer Upper Houses. I was able to do Google searches to find quite a few addresses. We would drive by and take pictures – I felt like we were on a sting operation.
We really enjoyed the Waco Mammoth National Monument. During the spring of 1978 Paul Barron and Eddie Bufkin were searching for arrowheads and artifacts along the Bosque River. I can only imagine their delight when they stumbled upon the humongous mammoth bones. They took the bone to Baylor University where it was identified from a Columbian mammoth. Baylor’s Strecker Museum staff began excavation of the site. For the next 20 years they discovered what appears to be a nursery herd that died in a flood. It’s a nice hike to get to the excavation site.
We were getting into the Christmas spirit, so we were searching for the best Christmas light display in Waco – and we may have found the best Light Display in the entire Lone Star State! Alice Tristand and her husband know how to attract a crowd at 2737 Proctor Ave. The streets were packed getting to the quite neighborhood and the display of lights and scenes did not disappoint!
On our way to Missouri we stopped in Oklahoma to visit my Dad. We enjoyed a nice meal out and some casino fun. He walked out the big winner taking over $400 from the slots.
We had an amazing Christmas with family that I wrote about in And We’re Off. We loved staying in Missouri until mid-January 2017. Worked on several remodel projects (much harder work than I anticipated:) and enjoyed some snow on the ground. Think we’re going to love this new life!
Adventure Toward Freedom 