A Discordant State of Being

View from the kitchen window at Bluff Landing

The last time I posted a blog, I mentioned how quickly things could change in a week.  Little did I know how drastically things would change!

We spent a week parked on the street in front of daughter and SIL's house in our hometown of Broken Arrow, Oklahoma, which was exceedingly good.  There's nothing like being with your grandsons 24/7 to get all caught up.  After a week on the street, we decided to drive out to Bluff Landing just to see if the campground had opened.  We were pleasantly surprised to find the gate open and campsites available.

Hundreds of birds roosting in the trees at Bluff Landing

Bluff Landing is a Corps of Engineers campground.  The rules set by the COE limit the amount of time one can stay in their parks to two weeks.  Our plan was to spend two weeks, take care of some business, attend a seminar, and then head on our merry way.  Sometimes things just don't work according to plan.  Have you noticed that, or is it just me? 

We pulled into Bluff Landing on a Thursday afternoon.  Saturday, when we returned home after running countless errands, there was a note stuck to our front door.  It was a short note from the camp manager asking us to call.  Consort called and received unwelcome news:  The COE was shutting down the campground on Sunday.

Not long after the phone call, a motorhome pulled into the park.  Consort, ever the good neighbor, went over to let them know the campgrounds would be closing on Sunday.  These folks were from Kentucky and had been wintering in New Mexico.  They were headed back to Kentucky because their RV park had been shut down due to the Covid 19 virus.

These two pictures are to showcase the white flowering trees in Oklahoma.  They are everywhere and really stand out.  I've always associated these trees with the ornamental pear tree, but I'm not sure that's what these are.  Gorgeous!.

Hearing from other RV travelers that campgrounds were closing down due to Covid 19 was very disconcerting.  Couple that with all the news we're hearing about "shelter in place," and we made the decision to return to Brownsville.  We talked to the manager of 4 Seasons RV Park who said we could stay as long as we needed to.  Welcome news in uncertain times.

Saw this on the road to Brownsville

We pulled into 4 Seasons RV Park late Tuesday afternoon.  On Wednesday, pretty much everything in Texas shut down.  Here in the park they have closed the pool and hot tub; shuffleboard, billiards, darts, and cards are all off the schedule.  Consort and I are self-quarantining ourselves after all our travels and exposure to the general public.  The last thing we want is to pass on anything we might have been exposed to.

Today is day two of the quarantine.  I've been cleaning out all the closets and bins, reorganizing things to make them more accessible.  Consort took care of all the laundry and started a new book.  We do get outside to walk the dogs and, of course, we practice social distancing when out.

Rooster in Holly tree at the Walmart store

We decided to boondock in a Walmart parking lot on the way to Brownsville splitting the 15-hour trip into two days.  To boondock means to camp in a place not intended for camping; there's no water, no electricity, no dump station.  We carry fresh water in a tank that is a permanent part of the trailer for just such an occasion.  Our electricity is provided by a generator we carry onboard.

We pulled into Walmart, parked, then set up camp.  We knew we had a second long day of travel ahead of us, so after walking the three mangy mongrels around the parking lot, we called it a day.  We were running the AC and had all the windows in the trailer closed.  About six o'clock the next morning, we woke up to the sound of a crowing rooster.  Now, that's something you don't hear every day.  I smiled to myself, enjoying this comforting sound from my childhood.  Half an hour later when the bird was still crowing, consort and I gave up on sleeping and got out of bed.  We were not smiling.

So that's the story of why we're back in Brownsville.  With any luck we'll be able to resume our travels in a few weeks.  Don't misunderstand me, I love Oklahoma and Texas, but I'd really like to expand our travels to include other states.

These are the red chairs we picked up at IKEA in Round Rock, TX.  While in Broken Arrow, I picked up two tables from my grandparents' home I had in storage.  Notice the doilies?  My great grandmother made those.  I have a feeling it won't be long before this trailer is packed full of antiques.

Arrange whatever pieces come your way.  ~Virginia Woolf