We thought we would spend the winter at home this year and just relax! Funny, I have never been into relaxing, I can do it for awhile and then I get antzy! So in January, we decided to go south once again. When we left, it was about 6 degrees with 6 inches of snow and ice on the ground! We left on a Wednesday morning early. This is what our Japanese garden looked like!

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The streets and Interstates were not bad, and we didn’t run into trouble until southern Missouri. When you tow a car behind a coach as we always do, one thing to remember. If you have to back the coach up, you must disconnect the car first. That is not a fun thing to do, especially in 6 degree weather with a minus 15 wind chill factor. I knew better, but I got into a situation where we were trying to get to the propane station which is the opposite direction of the diesel pump. In doing so, some moron parked his car so far back, there was no room to get around him.

 

Anyway, I did a stupid thing, instead of going into the massive truck stop and having the guy paged, I tried to back up about three feet. We have a Saturn Vue tow car, and as with most cars capable of being towed, you cannot back them when they are in the tow mode connected to the coach. I had done this before and it resets the car computer and immediately drains the battery to nothing. Guess what? It did it again! Can you believe this rocket scientist actually thought it wouldn’t happen this time! We ended up buying a new battery as a result of my great wisdom!

We stayed overnight in Tulsa, Oklahoma, then on to Dallas the next day to have dinner with Dave Harper and Bill Chilstrom. We always enjoy seeing Dave and Bill and had a great time! Bill is what you would call laid back!

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Then on to Kemah, Texas, where we spent about 26 days. We love this resort, palm trees, ocean breeze and weather in the 70s! The park sets on the Gulf of Mexico coast between the waterfront and a large bayou. We visited the boardwalk many times and had some great meals at our favorite seafood restaurants.There were many insurance adjusters in the park. We got to know some of them and they told us that hurricane IKE was worse than Katrina. The difference being, that the people of the area listened to warnings and evacuated. When they returned, the area came back much more quickly than New Orleans. Ike was last September. Katrina was several years ago. A really huge difference in the two places!

The Bay of Galveston

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The Bayou behind the park

Our coach plot during our stay!

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The restaurants were very good, and there were about twenty on the boardwalk alone!

Here I am beside a 1952 Chevy Police Car!

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Seagulls outside the glass wall of the restaurant on the boardwalk!

Our new 3 month old Doberman puppy, Evening Star, had never experienced warm weather. She wanted to stay there! We didn’t blame her!

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We had met a modeler, Frank Stumpo, back in 1995 at the museum in St. Charles. He was from NYC and had been a cop there, then moved to Houston and spent his career there. Great guy! Hope he manages to come here and see the museum! We tipped a couple of brews and had some great conversation!

 

Star has developed a new thing. When I am on the web, she sneaks up on the couch and attacks me from behind. Licking first one ear then the other! She is really a sweet dog. It always amazes me how many people are terrified of the breed. I just read a study of mean dogs that spent a twenty year period gathering data. In the entire country, during the 20 years studied, Dobermans bit 6 people nationwide, none of them fatal! I have never believed in mean dogs, only idiot owners! Her ears are posted, that is what those things that look like white antlers are. Not much longer and they will be gone!

Here are her “antlers”

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This time she is very tired.

And here is our 2 year old Yorkie patiently helping “raise” the very active puppy!

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This is his “perch” on top of one of the sofas where the puppy can’t reach him!

Only a couple of problems encountered on the trip. One was the IT guy for the park we stayed wasn’t very good at his job. The Wi-Fi was seldom working! So, almost every day Susan and I would head for the local Mickey-D.s and use theirs.

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We spent our last night in Kemah at, where else, a seafood restaurant on the boardwalk!

Then we were off to New Orleans and Gil and Sydney Gonsoulin. Over the last 20 years, Gil and Sydney have become close friends. Gil is a good modeler and Sydney loves to gamble like Susan, so they have a lot in common as Gil and I do! We went to Bay St. Louis Mississippi and the Hollywood casino. The girls went to the casino and the guys went, where else, to hobby shops! Gil was one of the longest members of the Master’s Group and never missed a Mastercon! Even during Katrina, which hit his home the hardest in the storm, (Gil wisely listened and evacuated before it hit unlike many others), and spent the day traveling to Mastercon! The group took up a collection and presented it to him and Sydney at the awards ceremony! It was sizable!

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From there to Montgomery, Alabama to stay overnight, then on to Atlanta Georgia for the annual Atlanta Figure Show, that this year hooked up with A.M.P.S. for an armor show! It was a great show, we reunited with so many old friends and some new ones!

Here are the cast of characters; Al Presley, Susan and Bob Waltman. Al and Bob were regulars at Mastercon.

This is Anders Heintz,  (Center, facing camera), a sculptor and friend of many years and John Long, (Facing Anders), from our hometown of Springfield, Missouri!

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Next, Andy Meyers, master modeler and Mastercon guy for many years, and moi!

Andy, me and the “Large One” Chris, Panzer, Mrosko, a fellow St. Louisan and ex-business partner, discussing something?

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Me and Pierce Browning, an excellent modeler from Tennessee and Mastercon guy for many years.

Me and Bob Semler, from many years ago!

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Here is “Big” Al Presley, Bob Waltman and me, both good friends! Both “Old Guard” Mastercon guys!

Dave Peschke and wife. Dave runs the MMSI show in Chicago and a friend for many years. Great modeler! Dave competed at several Mastercons!

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David Doyle, another good friend and one of the most prolific authors in military vehicle publishing. He authored many books for Letterman Publications!

Joe Hudson, a sculptor and fellow St. Louisan with Big Al! Both were Mastercon guys!

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Kristie, her main squeeze, Greg Stewart and me!

Marie, Andy Meyer’s girlfriend and Kristie

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Mike Bobe of Bobe’s Hobby Shop in Pensacola, Florida!

The hospitality room at the show was great and the sole responsibility of these two, Marc and Lisa! Thanks, you guys were more than hospitable! True Southern style!

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We had a great time at the show! We love to see people from so many years of their attending Mastercon that we hosted! It is close to a family reunion for us. Those people were the most fantastic group of people in one place we have ever experienced! And that’s the truth!

We decided to stay a few days in Atlanta and look around. We have been here many times before, but we began thinking about when and the last time was twenty five years ago! We noticed a Hobby Town USA in Marietta, so we stopped in to have a look! It was huge! In all my years of modeling, I have only seen one larger years ago in Las Vegas.

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Not only the size of the place, but the organization and layout were phenomal!

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This was the armor and figure section, my favorite!

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Frank Heil, an employee and a museum ship modeler in his own right, was very hospitable and showed me and Susan  around. Really nice guy! The owner later emailed me and said he wished he had been there to give us the grand tour. Great people, Great store! Honestly, I have no connection with this place but would highly recommend it to anyone visiting Atlanta!

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We stayed there a few days longer than we planned, a really nice resort that got it’s beginning at the Atlanta Olympics. Really enjoyed it! Our Dobie Star has literally doubled in size on this trip, and now we start for home. Spent the night in Nashville, Tennessee down the street from the “Grand Ole Opry” The next morning we packed up and went home! There was no snow or ice, but colder than hell! Oh well, there is no place like home! We were glad to be back!

To be continued…….