Not much happening.
Just work, which is great!
But today I realized we have a conflict on the calendar.
I have planned to start fishing tournaments this year after a 2 year hiatus.
Our state tournament is October 2 - 4.
My new grandbaby will be due right around that time!
So now, I really don't know what to do.
I guess this is one of those times I really need to let go and God will take care of it!!
He always does.
Later,
and God bless.
Showing posts with label fishing. Show all posts
Showing posts with label fishing. Show all posts
Tuesday, February 17, 2015
Tuesday, March 29, 2011
Another Tournament
Not karate this weekend though. We fished! Two Days! We haven't done that in a while and boy is my arm tired. You can read about those two tournaments here and here. All you Mattie May and karate fans, don't worry! She has another tournament this weekend in Austin. And don't forget to mark your calendars for Friday and Saturday April 15 and 16. That's is the tournament in Abilene - Tumbleweed Karate Championship. She will be doing some breaking at this tournament! Let me know if you want to come watch! God Bless!
Monday, February 21, 2011
Quiet Weekend
Hello Monday!
I had a truly quiet weekend this past weekend and it was nice...for about five minutes! I do miss my family when they are gone. I think it's this only child thing I've had going on all my life. I don't really like being alone. But it happens sometimes and I try to enjoy it.
Friday night, was Daddy/Daughter Date night. I wrote about that in my last post. I think they both enjoyed themselves.
Saturday was when the quiet really set in. Frank went hunting axis deer with some friends and didn't come back until Sunday. Katie spent the day with friends and Mattie May was spending time with her daddy's family. It was just me and the dog, and he spent the weekend outside enjoying the sunshine. So really, it was just me. Thank goodness for the noise of the television.
What did I do? Well, there is always laundry to be done. I can't imagine having more than four people in a house. People that do, their laundry piles must be enormous because mine are pretty large.
I also spent a lot of time at the computer. OK, really I spent all of my time at the computer. Last week my picture CD's from Disney came in plus I had pictures from Mattie May's belt test last Saturday that needed to be cleaned up. After I got those finished and prints ordered, I got back to work on our Disney scrapbook.
Scrapblog has merged with Mixbook and I am having a hard time with the changes. I had gotten real good at putting my layouts together in SB. I seem to be having a hard time getting the new stuff down. I think the one thing I miss the most about SB is the free hand cropping tool. I have so many things I wanted to use to make my own stickers for this book and now I can't do them. It had me down for a bit, but I moved on to something different - making a movie!
Traci made a movie for our grandmother's 90th birthday out of old pictures and home movies and videos. I had always wanted to try it but never took the time. As I was playing around with something on the computer, I found all the information she had sent me and decided to get to work. I have fallen in love! I hope to get it finished this week. I think making movies is going to be my next full time project. I can't wait to get some old pictures from Mom and see what I can do with those.
The only thing I really need now other than time just to get it finished, is music. Disney music. I don't have any CDs that are just Disney music and I would love to have that as my background for my movie. I found a lot on iTunes, but it will cost me a fortune if that is what I decided to do. Mattie May will have a lot of tunes on my iPhone to listen to if I end up going that route. If any one out there has some CDs of Disney music that I could borrow, please let me know! I would be greatly appreciated.
This coming weekend won't be so quiet for us. Tournament season starts! Fishing and karate. Mattie May has a karate tournament in Duncanville this Saturday. She is ready for it. Sunday, Frank and I have a fishing tournament at O.H. Ivie. I am ready for that too! We are definitely going to be rushed going to both, but that's OK.
Also, Sunday, my family is getting together to celebrate Mattie B's 95th birthday! WOW! She is such a very special lady to all of us. She is a February 28 baby and was born in a leap year! Thank goodness she came on the 28th! Because we will be fishing, I may talk Frank into taking two vehicles so I can enjoy the celebration. Mom says that I shouldn't worry about it, but it isn't everyday your grandmother turns 95! I am so blessed to have her, not every 48 year old can say their grandmother is still with them!
Until tomorrow,
God Bless!
I had a truly quiet weekend this past weekend and it was nice...for about five minutes! I do miss my family when they are gone. I think it's this only child thing I've had going on all my life. I don't really like being alone. But it happens sometimes and I try to enjoy it.
Friday night, was Daddy/Daughter Date night. I wrote about that in my last post. I think they both enjoyed themselves.
Saturday was when the quiet really set in. Frank went hunting axis deer with some friends and didn't come back until Sunday. Katie spent the day with friends and Mattie May was spending time with her daddy's family. It was just me and the dog, and he spent the weekend outside enjoying the sunshine. So really, it was just me. Thank goodness for the noise of the television.
What did I do? Well, there is always laundry to be done. I can't imagine having more than four people in a house. People that do, their laundry piles must be enormous because mine are pretty large.
I also spent a lot of time at the computer. OK, really I spent all of my time at the computer. Last week my picture CD's from Disney came in plus I had pictures from Mattie May's belt test last Saturday that needed to be cleaned up. After I got those finished and prints ordered, I got back to work on our Disney scrapbook.
Scrapblog has merged with Mixbook and I am having a hard time with the changes. I had gotten real good at putting my layouts together in SB. I seem to be having a hard time getting the new stuff down. I think the one thing I miss the most about SB is the free hand cropping tool. I have so many things I wanted to use to make my own stickers for this book and now I can't do them. It had me down for a bit, but I moved on to something different - making a movie!
Traci made a movie for our grandmother's 90th birthday out of old pictures and home movies and videos. I had always wanted to try it but never took the time. As I was playing around with something on the computer, I found all the information she had sent me and decided to get to work. I have fallen in love! I hope to get it finished this week. I think making movies is going to be my next full time project. I can't wait to get some old pictures from Mom and see what I can do with those.
The only thing I really need now other than time just to get it finished, is music. Disney music. I don't have any CDs that are just Disney music and I would love to have that as my background for my movie. I found a lot on iTunes, but it will cost me a fortune if that is what I decided to do. Mattie May will have a lot of tunes on my iPhone to listen to if I end up going that route. If any one out there has some CDs of Disney music that I could borrow, please let me know! I would be greatly appreciated.
This coming weekend won't be so quiet for us. Tournament season starts! Fishing and karate. Mattie May has a karate tournament in Duncanville this Saturday. She is ready for it. Sunday, Frank and I have a fishing tournament at O.H. Ivie. I am ready for that too! We are definitely going to be rushed going to both, but that's OK.
Also, Sunday, my family is getting together to celebrate Mattie B's 95th birthday! WOW! She is such a very special lady to all of us. She is a February 28 baby and was born in a leap year! Thank goodness she came on the 28th! Because we will be fishing, I may talk Frank into taking two vehicles so I can enjoy the celebration. Mom says that I shouldn't worry about it, but it isn't everyday your grandmother turns 95! I am so blessed to have her, not every 48 year old can say their grandmother is still with them!
Until tomorrow,
God Bless!
Friday, June 11, 2010
Oh My! It's Been Almost a Month
I can't believe that it has been almost a month since I posted to this dear little blog of mine! Where has the time gone? Well, I guess we have been busy!
We have been doing a bit of this,
some of this,
quite a bit of this,
and not nearly enough of this.
We've caught a few of these,
and had another one of these
that got us this.
We have spent a lot of time with these people
(but not enough for me!),
and she caught one of these!
We taught Mattie May to do this,
and have started doing some of this.
So, I'm sorry if I haven't had a lot of time to keep up this blog, but I'm still visiting all of yours and I promise to post again when we get back from this!
some of this,
quite a bit of this,
and not nearly enough of this.
We've caught a few of these,
and had another one of these
that got us this.
We have spent a lot of time with these people
(but not enough for me!),
and she caught one of these!
We taught Mattie May to do this,
and have started doing some of this.
So, I'm sorry if I haven't had a lot of time to keep up this blog, but I'm still visiting all of yours and I promise to post again when we get back from this!
Tuesday, December 15, 2009
Ornaments
I have seen several of my bloggy buddies showing pictures of their homes all decorated for Christmas and some of their favorite items. Well since I don't decorate my entire house, I decided to show you some of our ornaments.
And now the birth of our grandchild.
There are ornaments that tell us of homes we have visited,
and where our home and heart are.
and loves to fish,
and that most of the time we fish together.
We have reminders of crafts made when Katie was a child and starting to learn crafts,
and that Mattie May is following in that tradition.
Katie has a pretty extensive collection of memories of her favorite movie,
and reminders that Mattie May is beginning to form her own opinions on movies.
There are Santas of all sizes
and shapes.
and one on top to make it complete.
If you look deep into the branches, you'll find one that reminds us of the blood He shed on a different type of tree.
But of all the ornaments, no matter how big or small, shiny of dull, this angel is my favorite. It reminds me of a time I had to push my daughter to do something out of her comfort zone and how we all learned a valuable lesson in honesty and character.
So that is our tree.
If enough of you ask, I will tell you the story of the scraggly little angel you see above. I promise, it is a lesson everyone can learn from!
Merry Christmas!
We have ornaments that commemorate our child's birth,
And now the birth of our grandchild.
There are ornaments that tell us of homes we have visited,
and when we purchased our new home,
and where our home and heart are.
You will find ornaments that let you know someone likes to hunt,
and loves to fish,
and that most of the time we fish together.
We have reminders of crafts made when Katie was a child and starting to learn crafts,
and that Mattie May is following in that tradition.
Katie has a pretty extensive collection of memories of her favorite movie,
and reminders that Mattie May is beginning to form her own opinions on movies.
There are Santas of all sizes
and shapes.
And of course it wouldn't be Christmas without angels on the tree
and one on top to make it complete.
If you look deep into the branches, you'll find one that reminds us of the blood He shed on a different type of tree.
But of all the ornaments, no matter how big or small, shiny of dull, this angel is my favorite. It reminds me of a time I had to push my daughter to do something out of her comfort zone and how we all learned a valuable lesson in honesty and character.
So that is our tree.
If enough of you ask, I will tell you the story of the scraggly little angel you see above. I promise, it is a lesson everyone can learn from!
Merry Christmas!
Monday, September 21, 2009
Fair Results
Well, the fair has come and gone and we had a great time each time we visited which I must say was three more times than I intended. Our entry results were not what I had hoped for and I know I should be thankful for being able to enter things. It's just sometimes I wish I had a better idea of what the judges were looking for.
I walked away with five ribbons. I will post what I won later because I don't remember everything (old age catching up with me!), but I do know I won five and the best was third place. Maybe I will do better next year.
Mattie May received a "Participant" ribbon on her bulldog she entered and was excited to see it in the display. Of course Grumpy and Lolo were a little disappointed for her. Let's just say some of the entries seemed to have a "little" help being made! I just don't believe in this. If the child is going to make it, let them make it. I will tell you the story of a Christmas ornament contest Katie entered one year. It's a great story and a huge confidence builder.
This week we are busy getting ready for our trip to Del Rio. EXCITED!!! Ready to see some friends I haven't seen since last year! And hoping we fish well and have lots of fish to weigh in! Maybe we'll even win this year! That would be great!
So until next week sometime!
God Bless You All
I walked away with five ribbons. I will post what I won later because I don't remember everything (old age catching up with me!), but I do know I won five and the best was third place. Maybe I will do better next year.
Mattie May received a "Participant" ribbon on her bulldog she entered and was excited to see it in the display. Of course Grumpy and Lolo were a little disappointed for her. Let's just say some of the entries seemed to have a "little" help being made! I just don't believe in this. If the child is going to make it, let them make it. I will tell you the story of a Christmas ornament contest Katie entered one year. It's a great story and a huge confidence builder.
This week we are busy getting ready for our trip to Del Rio. EXCITED!!! Ready to see some friends I haven't seen since last year! And hoping we fish well and have lots of fish to weigh in! Maybe we'll even win this year! That would be great!
So until next week sometime!
God Bless You All
Monday, April 27, 2009
They Want How Much?
For you first time readers (I am sure I have SO many), or for those of you that live under a rock and don't pay very much attention to me, I live in Texas and am very proud of that fact! I am about as Texan as they get. And so are most of my family and friends. We don't think much of the way we talk and live until we are talking to some foreigner (Ooops, sorry. For you non-Texans, those are people in another state not another country!)
And Saturday night, my friends and I got a real good laugh out of talking to one such person!
Frank and I had gone to fish a tournament at O.H. Ivie. We left Saturday to spend some time with friends. It was late, about 8 (Hey, that's late when you have to get up early!) and we were giving Nina our breakfast order for Sunday morning when one of our friends came in asking if anyone had something to open up a locked truck. Uh oh! Someone (not sure who) had inadvertently locked the doors when they got out and the keys (including the spare) were inside the truck! Oh, my heart really did go out to them because any type of vehicle trouble is just a pain! A big ol' pain in the side!
Luckily, someone did have a tool that is supposed to pop that lock right open. I guess if you used it on a daily basis, you could do this. Not if you use it only once every year or so! I think there were about eight of us standing around in the parking lot watching the excitement (it doesn't take a lot to entertain a bunch of tired anglers!).
After about 30 minutes, I remembered I have roadside assistance on my cell phone. So I call. Have any of you out there tried to give an address at a lake to someone who is several states away from you? Not an easy task. Especially if you are out in the middle of no where! It all started easily enough -
He - "Roadside Assistance. How may I help you?"
Me - "We have a truck with the keys locked in it."
He - "Oh, no problem. I can definitely help you. Wow! Sounds like you are having a party. What is your cell phone number?"
Me - "No party, just a bunch of anglers after a long day. My number is 3##-###-####"
He - "Is this Mrs. Mixon?"
Me - "Yes."
He - "Are you with the vehicle that is locked out?"
Me - "Yes."
He - "Are you in a safe location?"
Me - "Yes." When what I really wanted to say was "it all depends if this going to take long? Will it make a difference in time?" which I will regret not saying later!
He - "What type of vehicle?"
Oh, my - this goes on forever! By the time we get to the address, he could pick out this vehicle from a line up! And what exactly does the color and rear wheel drive have to do with the keys being locked in the ignition?
Several questions later, just to make sure it is me on my cell phone, he asked me - "What is the address where you are located?"
So now the fun begins! Me - to David "Hey, what's the address out here?"
David - "### FM Road ###, Millersview, TX"
Me to operator - "### FM Road ###, Millersview, TX"
Typing and long pause...
Operator - "Um, Ms. Mixon. I'm sorry, but there is no Millersview, TX showing on my map"
Me - "Where are you?"
He - "I'm in western Kentucky."
Oh no! We are going to be here all night!
Me - "OK. Can you pull up just a town?"
He - "Yes."
Me - "Try Valera."
He - "No"
Me - "Voss?"
He - "No"
Me to everyone standing around - "Is there anything closer than Ballinger that might show up on his map?"
Everyone - "NO"
Me to operator - "Try Ballinger."
He - "Yes, here it is."
Me - "Can you see landmarks on your map?"
He - "Yes."
Me - "Do you see O. H. Ivie Reservoir?"
He - "YES!" (ok, I mistakenly think we are getting somewhere.)
Me - "Do you now see Millersview?"
He - "No, but I see a Leeday!"
Oh My!
Me - "How old is your map?! Leeday has been underwater ever since they finished the dam in 1992! But! We are about two miles south of that!"
He - "Would you happen to be on Park Rd. 11?"
Me to David - "Are we on Park Rd. 11?"
David - "Yes" (Cheers from the crowd!)!
Me to he - "Yes"
He (laughing) - "Sounds like you are having a great party."
Me - "No. No party. No one has had a drink! Just a bunch of anglers ready to get to bed!"
He - "Now that we know where you are, give me just a minute to locate someone to come help you."
Lovely music starts in my ear, and we are discussing the odds of them getting the lock popped before he even gets back on the phone. Glad I didn't get in on that because...
He - "Mrs. Mixon, I have located someone in Coleman that can be out in about an hour and half and it will be $75.00 out of pocket."
Me - "I thought this was covered as part of my roadside assistance?"
He - "Only up to $50.00."
Me - "You mean to tell me that some yaw-who is going to take an hour and a half to drive the 15 minutes from Coleman then charge us $75.00 for two seconds worth of work?"
A few seconds of stunned silence from the crowd, then a bunch of "We can push him down there by hand if we have to... $75?! Are they nuts?" and lots of other useless comments from the crowd.
He - "Sounds like a really good party."
Me - "I told you, no party! We are just tired from a long day and we have another long day tomorrow!"
He - "Of partying?"
Me - "NO!! No parties! Just fishing! Thank you for your time and please update your map!"
And we found a guy in Ballinger to come out for $50 and he was there in 45 minutes! Man! Am I going to have a chat with AT&T!
And Saturday night, my friends and I got a real good laugh out of talking to one such person!
Frank and I had gone to fish a tournament at O.H. Ivie. We left Saturday to spend some time with friends. It was late, about 8 (Hey, that's late when you have to get up early!) and we were giving Nina our breakfast order for Sunday morning when one of our friends came in asking if anyone had something to open up a locked truck. Uh oh! Someone (not sure who) had inadvertently locked the doors when they got out and the keys (including the spare) were inside the truck! Oh, my heart really did go out to them because any type of vehicle trouble is just a pain! A big ol' pain in the side!
Luckily, someone did have a tool that is supposed to pop that lock right open. I guess if you used it on a daily basis, you could do this. Not if you use it only once every year or so! I think there were about eight of us standing around in the parking lot watching the excitement (it doesn't take a lot to entertain a bunch of tired anglers!).
After about 30 minutes, I remembered I have roadside assistance on my cell phone. So I call. Have any of you out there tried to give an address at a lake to someone who is several states away from you? Not an easy task. Especially if you are out in the middle of no where! It all started easily enough -
He - "Roadside Assistance. How may I help you?"
Me - "We have a truck with the keys locked in it."
He - "Oh, no problem. I can definitely help you. Wow! Sounds like you are having a party. What is your cell phone number?"
Me - "No party, just a bunch of anglers after a long day. My number is 3##-###-####"
He - "Is this Mrs. Mixon?"
Me - "Yes."
He - "Are you with the vehicle that is locked out?"
Me - "Yes."
He - "Are you in a safe location?"
Me - "Yes." When what I really wanted to say was "it all depends if this going to take long? Will it make a difference in time?" which I will regret not saying later!
He - "What type of vehicle?"
Oh, my - this goes on forever! By the time we get to the address, he could pick out this vehicle from a line up! And what exactly does the color and rear wheel drive have to do with the keys being locked in the ignition?
Several questions later, just to make sure it is me on my cell phone, he asked me - "What is the address where you are located?"
So now the fun begins! Me - to David "Hey, what's the address out here?"
David - "### FM Road ###, Millersview, TX"
Me to operator - "### FM Road ###, Millersview, TX"
Typing and long pause...
Operator - "Um, Ms. Mixon. I'm sorry, but there is no Millersview, TX showing on my map"
Me - "Where are you?"
He - "I'm in western Kentucky."
Oh no! We are going to be here all night!
Me - "OK. Can you pull up just a town?"
He - "Yes."
Me - "Try Valera."
He - "No"
Me - "Voss?"
He - "No"
Me to everyone standing around - "Is there anything closer than Ballinger that might show up on his map?"
Everyone - "NO"
Me to operator - "Try Ballinger."
He - "Yes, here it is."
Me - "Can you see landmarks on your map?"
He - "Yes."
Me - "Do you see O. H. Ivie Reservoir?"
He - "YES!" (ok, I mistakenly think we are getting somewhere.)
Me - "Do you now see Millersview?"
He - "No, but I see a Leeday!"
Oh My!
Me - "How old is your map?! Leeday has been underwater ever since they finished the dam in 1992! But! We are about two miles south of that!"
He - "Would you happen to be on Park Rd. 11?"
Me to David - "Are we on Park Rd. 11?"
David - "Yes" (Cheers from the crowd!)!
Me to he - "Yes"
He (laughing) - "Sounds like you are having a great party."
Me - "No. No party. No one has had a drink! Just a bunch of anglers ready to get to bed!"
He - "Now that we know where you are, give me just a minute to locate someone to come help you."
Lovely music starts in my ear, and we are discussing the odds of them getting the lock popped before he even gets back on the phone. Glad I didn't get in on that because...
He - "Mrs. Mixon, I have located someone in Coleman that can be out in about an hour and half and it will be $75.00 out of pocket."
Me - "I thought this was covered as part of my roadside assistance?"
He - "Only up to $50.00."
Me - "You mean to tell me that some yaw-who is going to take an hour and a half to drive the 15 minutes from Coleman then charge us $75.00 for two seconds worth of work?"
A few seconds of stunned silence from the crowd, then a bunch of "We can push him down there by hand if we have to... $75?! Are they nuts?" and lots of other useless comments from the crowd.
He - "Sounds like a really good party."
Me - "I told you, no party! We are just tired from a long day and we have another long day tomorrow!"
He - "Of partying?"
Me - "NO!! No parties! Just fishing! Thank you for your time and please update your map!"
And we found a guy in Ballinger to come out for $50 and he was there in 45 minutes! Man! Am I going to have a chat with AT&T!
Monday, April 20, 2009
Fast Week
Man last week past in a hurry! Not much happened during the week, just work and the regular daily grind. Nothing exciting but nothing to worry about either.
Friday I got off work early so Frank and I took Mattie May to the zoo. Then we headed to Abuelo's (my fav) for an early dinner so we could hit the sack early. We had to get up at 3:30 yes that's AM!) for a fishing tournament. You can read about that here, Just an absolutely beautiful day. I really hope you got to enjoy it.
Sunday was church then home to fix brunch. No unexpected visitors this week, just Buddy, Katie and Mattie May. Buddy and Katie had a birthday party to go to so Mattie May stayed with us and took her nap. Even though it was extremely windy, we tried to get some family pictures made of them. Between the wind and the three year old we didn't have much luck. Still it was a great day and weekend.
Hope you have a great week. 
OH, and tomorrow is Frank's birthday and I still don't have him a gift or card! Any suggestions?
OH, and tomorrow is Frank's birthday and I still don't have him a gift or card! Any suggestions?
Thursday, February 19, 2009
No Stranger
Look down at my live traffic feed. See that one -
Yea! That's the one - Shreveport, Louisiana. That is no stranger. That's me!
Frank and I are enjoying some time here. Tomorrow morning we will rise before the chickens and the pigs to head out to the launch of the 2009 Bassmasters Classic!
Yes, I have spent a little time in the casino, but not much. To expensive for me and the smoke kills me! Really! I have never liked the smell of cigarette smoke and last time I was here I stayed in the bed...sick...from the smoke.
So I managed to find a computer so I am happy as a lark and saving money too! Frank on the other hand...I left him in the casino. Yeah, I know! Probably not the smartest decision I have every made!!
I will check in often and if you wake up early enough (or set the DVR like I did), look for us on Mike and Mike in the morning. Frank said he is going to try really hard to get noticed on their show. You know the one, where they show the goofy people standing out in the freezing cold acting weird to get noticed? Sounds just like my dear sweet husband!!
Love you all and I will check in again as soon as I can!
Yea! That's the one - Shreveport, Louisiana. That is no stranger. That's me!
Frank and I are enjoying some time here. Tomorrow morning we will rise before the chickens and the pigs to head out to the launch of the 2009 Bassmasters Classic!
Yes, I have spent a little time in the casino, but not much. To expensive for me and the smoke kills me! Really! I have never liked the smell of cigarette smoke and last time I was here I stayed in the bed...sick...from the smoke.
So I managed to find a computer so I am happy as a lark and saving money too! Frank on the other hand...I left him in the casino. Yeah, I know! Probably not the smartest decision I have every made!!
I will check in often and if you wake up early enough (or set the DVR like I did), look for us on Mike and Mike in the morning. Frank said he is going to try really hard to get noticed on their show. You know the one, where they show the goofy people standing out in the freezing cold acting weird to get noticed? Sounds just like my dear sweet husband!!
Love you all and I will check in again as soon as I can!
Monday, April 21, 2008
Happy Birthday to my Favorite Fisherman
If you know me, you know I love to fish. You also know that we keep up with the pro fishermen like other people keep up with pros in other sports. I have favorites like Hank Parker, Kevin VanDam (KVD), Fish Fishburn, and Ish Monroe. But non of these guys are my favorite!
My all time favorite fisherman lives with me and takes me fishing with him! Today is his birthday, and we celebrated this weekend by fishing two tournaments! We even weighed fish both days.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY SWEETHEART
I LOVE YOU!
HAPPY BIRTHDAY SWEETHEARTSunday, February 17, 2008
Harvey's Cabins
Last week in my story about the skunk, I referenced a place called Harvey's Cabins. I was talking about places where I would stay and I have had several people ask me about this place. This is a long post and I hope it comes across as funny in writing as it does when spoken. I only wish I had pictures to share as they would add visual aid so you could see that I am not making this up, but this was before digital cameras.
When we plan our fishing trips I am usually the one that makes the reservations, just because I usually have the time. But when we planned this trip to the state tournament for CAST a few years back, some of our friends had visited a place and made reservations for everyone while they were there. We were told "they are not the best place we have ever stayed but they are close to weigh in and they OK." So we agreed. Since they were "cabins" with more than one room, we shared one with our friends Dennis & Janet.
I guess I better give just a little bit of background on Dennis & Janet. We have know them for longer than I am willing to say and they are more like family than they are friends. There have been lots of "pre-fishing" trips where Janet and I have gotten into trouble of some sort or other. Our families have been through kids & grandkids, basketball, baseball and fishing tournaments, some tears but mostly laughter and fun. Lots and lots of fun.
Big Sam (Sam Rayburn Lake) is in deep East Texas and by the time we pull in to Broaddus, it is dark, but luckily Dennis and Frank are both pretty familier with this area. As we are traveling to the cabins, the paved road turns to dirt and if you know anything about East Texas, you know it stays kindda wet; dew, fog, rain. It is really not a dirt road at all, it is a wet, slippery, clay road. It is not lit and it is extremely winding. Picture in your mind this scene from "Delivernce " and keep the tune in your mind as you continue to read.
Yes, this film could have been filmed in this part of Texas. This song kept going through our minds.
We finally get to the cabins to find that they are actually not cabins at all. They are a group of four mobile homes. I will admit, they didn't look too bad from the outside, and in the dark. The guys figured out where to park the trucks and trailers and Janet and I went inside to start unpacking and figuring out who would get which room.
We kind of stopped in the middle of the living room floor and just kind of dropped the bags. There was a smell, not horrible, just a stinky smell. And of course, we sort of grin. We decided to take a tour of the "cabin". Of course we were standing in the living room/kitchen. Tile floor, a faux leather sofa (seats 3), a table with 4 chairs, and the 13" black and white television set is on the kitchen counter. As we are walking around, the floor is sqeaking/swaying under our feet and the grins turn to giggles.
Bedroom #1 one was just to the right of the front door. Then we stepped down the hall to find the bathroom and bedroom #2. We took #1, they took #2. The we decide to really check out the bathroom. Not bad; sink, toilet, bathtub with shower and hugh hole in the shower wall. Yes you read that right, when they installed the shower wall over the window, they didn't close it off. It looked as if someone fell into the wall and busted a hole in the wall. This is the point where the giggles turn into histerical laughter and the guys come in. Janet steps out to meet them in the living room/kitchen and as I am backing out of the bathroom, I find a weaks spot in the floor and almost fall through. This starts the guys to laughing.
It is now about 9:30PM in small town East Texas and we really don't have many options on where else we would stay. We decide to stay for the night and while the guys are out prefishing the next day, Janet and I would see if we could find anywhere else with a vacancy. We quickly make a list of some things we would need (candles, bleach and a shower curtain for the hole in the shower wall) from Wal-Mart to stay the night and head to Lufkin to eat and go shopping. Frank goes to our bedroom and pulls back the covers to see what the sheets look like and discovers a few fire ants in the bed. He brushes them off and tells me to add bug spray to the shopping list.
We make it to Lufkin, eat and shop and head back "home". When we get back, Frank checks out the bed again and finds more fire ants. He brushes them off, pulls the bed away from the wall into the middle of the floor and sprays the entire room with bug spray. I don't really remember who went to the bathroom first but we soon discovered that when using the toilet you had to hold to the edge of the tub to keep from falling to the left. Then when standing at the sink, you had to stradle a very weak area in the floor to keep from falling through. We gather in the living room to make a game plan for the next day. Frank decided to check out the bed again and finds more fire ants. Determined to find where these little pest are coming from, he tears the bed apart. He finds that a piece of plywood has been placed between the frame and the mattress to give a bit more support and it is covered in ants. With Dennis's help, the plywood is removed to outside and we try to get ready for bed.
The four of us sit up talking and soon realize that none of us really want to go to sleep in this place and of course we all begin the histerical laughter again. At about 2:00 AM we decide to go ahead and get a little sleep and that the guys will give up one day of their prefishing to help us find another place to stay.
I don't really remember what time we woke up but we got ready as quick as we could and headed to Broaddus for some breakfast. While sitting in the diner waiting for our food we rehashed what had transpired the night before, along with more laughter.
This nice looking gentleman, excused himself for listening in to our conversation and said he knew the place we were talking about. (Of course he did, this is an extremely small town and I would really be surprised if most people in this town were not related.) He said he and his family had a friend that had a cabin that was a little better than where we were and that he knew they were availble for the weekend. He would be happy to take us there to check them out if we wanted to. After telling us where it was the guys realized it was a ways further from way-in than where we were, but it was worth a shot. We decided it couldn't be worse than where we were, but we would follow him in our truck.
As we were following this man, the song from "Deliverance" began to play in our heads again, but the guys felt like they could get us out of this area if we lost this man so we felt a little better. As we pulled up, the back of the cabin was to us. But hey, this time it really was a cabin. A plus already. We get out and the man is already unlocking the door. So far not bad, lots of room to beach the boats so we wouldn't have to load and unload them everyday, and it was an actually cabin. But them we noticed the sofa and refrigerator on the front porch. This brought to mind all sorts of Jeff Foxworthy "You Might be a Redneck If..." jokes and we tried really hard to hold in the laughter. The guys told us to go on in and check it out and they stayed on the front porch talking to our gracious soon to be host. Luckily they kept his back to the door where they could see us. I really don't remember alot of details; furniture, beds, anything like that. What we do remember is there was a lot of dust and the deal killer - there was no shower! Really there was a tub, but no shower of any kind. Plus, we had already bleached the other place to where only super germs could survive, covered the hole in the shower and got rid of the source of the fire ants.
As we stepped back into the main room, Janet was able to get both of the guys attention and do a major hand signal, slashing of the neck, no way Jose sign to let them know we were not moving to this place. They told the man something about really appreciated him taking his time to show us this place, but that the "girls" said they didn't want to move. We left him there and the guys got us back to our trailer.
By this time, our other friends had arrived, we had this place clean and decided to stay the next three nights knowing that we would never find a place worse than this to stay in and with the agreement from the guys that we would stay in a really nice hotel in Dallas on the way home Sunday night. There were five couples that stayed at Harvey's that weekend and we became known as the "Trailer Trash" couples during that tournament. We even had a side pot between the five of us with a small trailer as part of the prize. We had a great weekend with lots of tales to tell.
So you think this is the end of the story. Oh no! There are two more things that make this a great story. We all checked out Sunday afternoon with the Rains being the last ones to do so. She was talking to the owner, he asked her how things were and she told him alright. He told her he hoped we would all come back because he was trying to do some updates. As a matter of fact, he had tried to do some before we arrived. He had purchased new matteresses for all the beds. But in one of the cabins, one mattress didn't fit. So he had to take it back to the store and get the old one out of the city dump!!! Yes you read that right and guess which mattress had been in the dump - the one with the fire ants of course! You just can not imagine how badly I wanted to get in the shower by the time we reached Dallas! I think I drained the hot water heater at the hotel.
Our tournament was in September, and at Christmas we got the prettiest post card. It had a beautiful tree sitting on the edge of a lake at sunset. I turned it over and how nice - it was from the owner of Harvey's Cabins thanking us again for staying. I can not tell you how fast we were all on the phone talking about this card!
So if you are ever in a hotel/cabin/lodge that is not quite to your standards, remember our story. I can almost guarantee that it is not as bad as Harvey's!
When we plan our fishing trips I am usually the one that makes the reservations, just because I usually have the time. But when we planned this trip to the state tournament for CAST a few years back, some of our friends had visited a place and made reservations for everyone while they were there. We were told "they are not the best place we have ever stayed but they are close to weigh in and they OK." So we agreed. Since they were "cabins" with more than one room, we shared one with our friends Dennis & Janet.
I guess I better give just a little bit of background on Dennis & Janet. We have know them for longer than I am willing to say and they are more like family than they are friends. There have been lots of "pre-fishing" trips where Janet and I have gotten into trouble of some sort or other. Our families have been through kids & grandkids, basketball, baseball and fishing tournaments, some tears but mostly laughter and fun. Lots and lots of fun.
Big Sam (Sam Rayburn Lake) is in deep East Texas and by the time we pull in to Broaddus, it is dark, but luckily Dennis and Frank are both pretty familier with this area. As we are traveling to the cabins, the paved road turns to dirt and if you know anything about East Texas, you know it stays kindda wet; dew, fog, rain. It is really not a dirt road at all, it is a wet, slippery, clay road. It is not lit and it is extremely winding. Picture in your mind this scene from "Delivernce " and keep the tune in your mind as you continue to read.
Yes, this film could have been filmed in this part of Texas. This song kept going through our minds.
We finally get to the cabins to find that they are actually not cabins at all. They are a group of four mobile homes. I will admit, they didn't look too bad from the outside, and in the dark. The guys figured out where to park the trucks and trailers and Janet and I went inside to start unpacking and figuring out who would get which room.
We kind of stopped in the middle of the living room floor and just kind of dropped the bags. There was a smell, not horrible, just a stinky smell. And of course, we sort of grin. We decided to take a tour of the "cabin". Of course we were standing in the living room/kitchen. Tile floor, a faux leather sofa (seats 3), a table with 4 chairs, and the 13" black and white television set is on the kitchen counter. As we are walking around, the floor is sqeaking/swaying under our feet and the grins turn to giggles.
Bedroom #1 one was just to the right of the front door. Then we stepped down the hall to find the bathroom and bedroom #2. We took #1, they took #2. The we decide to really check out the bathroom. Not bad; sink, toilet, bathtub with shower and hugh hole in the shower wall. Yes you read that right, when they installed the shower wall over the window, they didn't close it off. It looked as if someone fell into the wall and busted a hole in the wall. This is the point where the giggles turn into histerical laughter and the guys come in. Janet steps out to meet them in the living room/kitchen and as I am backing out of the bathroom, I find a weaks spot in the floor and almost fall through. This starts the guys to laughing.
It is now about 9:30PM in small town East Texas and we really don't have many options on where else we would stay. We decide to stay for the night and while the guys are out prefishing the next day, Janet and I would see if we could find anywhere else with a vacancy. We quickly make a list of some things we would need (candles, bleach and a shower curtain for the hole in the shower wall) from Wal-Mart to stay the night and head to Lufkin to eat and go shopping. Frank goes to our bedroom and pulls back the covers to see what the sheets look like and discovers a few fire ants in the bed. He brushes them off and tells me to add bug spray to the shopping list.
We make it to Lufkin, eat and shop and head back "home". When we get back, Frank checks out the bed again and finds more fire ants. He brushes them off, pulls the bed away from the wall into the middle of the floor and sprays the entire room with bug spray. I don't really remember who went to the bathroom first but we soon discovered that when using the toilet you had to hold to the edge of the tub to keep from falling to the left. Then when standing at the sink, you had to stradle a very weak area in the floor to keep from falling through. We gather in the living room to make a game plan for the next day. Frank decided to check out the bed again and finds more fire ants. Determined to find where these little pest are coming from, he tears the bed apart. He finds that a piece of plywood has been placed between the frame and the mattress to give a bit more support and it is covered in ants. With Dennis's help, the plywood is removed to outside and we try to get ready for bed.
The four of us sit up talking and soon realize that none of us really want to go to sleep in this place and of course we all begin the histerical laughter again. At about 2:00 AM we decide to go ahead and get a little sleep and that the guys will give up one day of their prefishing to help us find another place to stay.
I don't really remember what time we woke up but we got ready as quick as we could and headed to Broaddus for some breakfast. While sitting in the diner waiting for our food we rehashed what had transpired the night before, along with more laughter.
This nice looking gentleman, excused himself for listening in to our conversation and said he knew the place we were talking about. (Of course he did, this is an extremely small town and I would really be surprised if most people in this town were not related.) He said he and his family had a friend that had a cabin that was a little better than where we were and that he knew they were availble for the weekend. He would be happy to take us there to check them out if we wanted to. After telling us where it was the guys realized it was a ways further from way-in than where we were, but it was worth a shot. We decided it couldn't be worse than where we were, but we would follow him in our truck.
As we were following this man, the song from "Deliverance" began to play in our heads again, but the guys felt like they could get us out of this area if we lost this man so we felt a little better. As we pulled up, the back of the cabin was to us. But hey, this time it really was a cabin. A plus already. We get out and the man is already unlocking the door. So far not bad, lots of room to beach the boats so we wouldn't have to load and unload them everyday, and it was an actually cabin. But them we noticed the sofa and refrigerator on the front porch. This brought to mind all sorts of Jeff Foxworthy "You Might be a Redneck If..." jokes and we tried really hard to hold in the laughter. The guys told us to go on in and check it out and they stayed on the front porch talking to our gracious soon to be host. Luckily they kept his back to the door where they could see us. I really don't remember alot of details; furniture, beds, anything like that. What we do remember is there was a lot of dust and the deal killer - there was no shower! Really there was a tub, but no shower of any kind. Plus, we had already bleached the other place to where only super germs could survive, covered the hole in the shower and got rid of the source of the fire ants.
As we stepped back into the main room, Janet was able to get both of the guys attention and do a major hand signal, slashing of the neck, no way Jose sign to let them know we were not moving to this place. They told the man something about really appreciated him taking his time to show us this place, but that the "girls" said they didn't want to move. We left him there and the guys got us back to our trailer.
By this time, our other friends had arrived, we had this place clean and decided to stay the next three nights knowing that we would never find a place worse than this to stay in and with the agreement from the guys that we would stay in a really nice hotel in Dallas on the way home Sunday night. There were five couples that stayed at Harvey's that weekend and we became known as the "Trailer Trash" couples during that tournament. We even had a side pot between the five of us with a small trailer as part of the prize. We had a great weekend with lots of tales to tell.
So you think this is the end of the story. Oh no! There are two more things that make this a great story. We all checked out Sunday afternoon with the Rains being the last ones to do so. She was talking to the owner, he asked her how things were and she told him alright. He told her he hoped we would all come back because he was trying to do some updates. As a matter of fact, he had tried to do some before we arrived. He had purchased new matteresses for all the beds. But in one of the cabins, one mattress didn't fit. So he had to take it back to the store and get the old one out of the city dump!!! Yes you read that right and guess which mattress had been in the dump - the one with the fire ants of course! You just can not imagine how badly I wanted to get in the shower by the time we reached Dallas! I think I drained the hot water heater at the hotel.
Our tournament was in September, and at Christmas we got the prettiest post card. It had a beautiful tree sitting on the edge of a lake at sunset. I turned it over and how nice - it was from the owner of Harvey's Cabins thanking us again for staying. I can not tell you how fast we were all on the phone talking about this card!
So if you are ever in a hotel/cabin/lodge that is not quite to your standards, remember our story. I can almost guarantee that it is not as bad as Harvey's!
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