What we've been up to this Winter of 2018

Well, we don't really have an excuse for not posting for 2 months other than we're in Fredericksburg Texas and having a great time this Winter of 2018.  As you may know, this is our second Winter here and we've really learned how to do it.  Christmas parades, the Marketplatz, Enchanted Rock State Natural Area, great shopping and wineries all over the place!  Fredericksburg has it all and it's even better in the Winter, according to us.

First off we learned last time we were here (October 2017 - March 2018) that there was a winery circuit we needed to check out when we got back.  Lupe joined the Grape Creek wine club, after a lot of tastings, and I joined Becker's.  So, we learned, after a lot of trial and error (LOL) how to go to two wine tastings every day we are in town and get two free glasses of wine, each!

At Becker wine club, chillaxing with Lupe drinking White Wing Chardonnay

So far, it's just December 15th, we've made it to both tasking rooms 50+ times since joining in October. I guess we're getting our money's worth!  That's probably not a record but we've had fun every time.  You and a guest get a free glass of wine each day and on certain days at Becker they have locals night with free charcuterie.  WARNING: To be Wine club members, you agree to get quarterly wine shipments which are usually 3-6 bottles.

Charcuterie at Becker Tasking room

But even before we hit the wine circuit we already had a scheduled event.  We got the Garrison Brother's email inviting us to participate in their October bottling while we were still at Big Bend National Park.  We'd been waiting for a year since we tried last season to get in after our Distillery tour.  At that time they told us to signup via email and we'd get notice if we got picked.   And we did.  So, the first week we were back we headed to Garrison Brothers Distillery to bottle some of their amazing bourbons.

And, it's a secret but here goes: when you are done you get 'employee pricing' for a day at their shop - on top of the gifts Dan Garrison graciously provides us after 2 days of bottling.

Thanks to Dan Garrison for a great time

With that great start, we both realized how lucky we were to be right here, right now.  Lupe began looking for seasonal work and I began my volunteer work as a park host at Enchanted Rock SNA.

Hiking Enchanted Rock's Echo Canyon under October's stormy clouds

And as luck would have it the first thing that happened here at the park was a flood.  Mid-October this area got massive amounts of rain just like many parts of Texas.  There was major damage and clean up to do at Enchanted rock, and my friend Bob and I got to do some cleanup before the park could open.   Bob if your reading this, we miss you guys!!

Sandy Creek bridge after mid-October flooding

And that is volunteering as a park host.  You do what's needed and you look for opportunities to contribute.  I've really enjoyed this season at Enchanted Rock and Fredericksburg. I again got a chance to do some gardening in beds around the buildings and I was 'Santa' again for Christmas.  The Texas Hill Country is an amazingly beautiful place with views in every direction with wonderful people to spend time with.

We've been so lucky to find this place and participate here.  I hope we will be able to do it again.  Right now, as workampers, we are planning our stops for 2019.  Early in the year, we'll be traveling to Quartzite and Lake Havasu Arizona to spend time with the Xscapers group for my birthday in January, like last year!

January 13, 2017, Quartzite AZ, in my PJs :) 

After that, we'll travel with some of them to San Felipe, Baha California, Mexico for the Mexico Convergence. Yes, we're taking the Airstream out of the country for the first time, and we're so excited.  From our Maiden Voyage to Mexico.

Thanks for taking the time to read all this.  Merry Christmas and Happy New Year from Bert and Lupe on the Road.

Christmas 2016 in Denver and a wonderful 2017 Birthday

Christmas in 2016 started early for us.  We had to take the Airstream in to be fixed before our planned 2017 trips, and we knew it would be at least two weeks for the work to be completed.  We had a soft floor in front of the sink that needed to be investigated, and we believed the hot water heater was leaking under the dinette.  So, we left the Airstream in Buda, Texas at Camper Clinic II and drove to Denver for Christmas on December 17th.

2016 Christmas in Austin

But first, to wrap Christmas up in Austin, we did hit the Armadillo Christmas Bazaar, the Zilker trail of lights with Lupe's little sister and many good friends, and had early Christmas with Lupe's family.

December 2016 is also when the Green Monster got its side scratched at the Decker Lane Self Storage (which they refused to pay for).  Sad face.

'last' haircut with Farah

And, I got a beard trim, with Farah, my favorite hairdresser, and stepdaughter!!  

Thanks, Farah for taking care of me for our last year in Austin.

Randy always has lots planned for Christmas in Denver.  One thing we always do is visit the Denver christkindl market, where there are lots of magical, German gifts and surprises as well as LoDo and the 16th Street mall where there is ice skating.

Pre-Christmas festivities in Denver

So, on to Christmas in Denver after all the shopping.  As we approached the 25th, the rest of our close family from Texas arrived in Parker and we had another wonderful Christmas there.

Here's the fireplace the night before Christmas.

Sometimes it feels like we go overboard for Christmas.  As you can see in the photos there are lots of gifts.  I'd have to blame our mom, Ingrid since she was the one that always provided so many gifts around the tree.  It was never about the $$ you spent but about the thought behind the gifts.  We still do that, always getting gifts that, we hope, match what that person needs.  Here's the link to the Christmas 2016 Album showing the many gifts and good times we had on the 25th.




Since we had family in town, we decided to visit the Denver Zoo to spend time outside and give the kids some fun.  The nice cool weather was a change for those of us that live in Texas and usually have Christmas there.

Eventually, all the 'Texans' left and Lupe and I were left there in Denver waiting on the Airstream to get fixed.  I called Camper Clinic II regularly, but we knew it was the holidays and they would be slow to get the leaks fixed.  As it turned out, it wouldn't be two weeks to get it all done.  After many calls, Camper Clinic got Airstream Company involved after finding how significant the water damage was.

They found that the kitchen faucet had been leaking behind the counter onto the floor since we got the trailer.  That small drip finally started to damage all floors in the front of the RV and had soaked so much of the subfloor that they had to replace all the flooring from the dinette forward.  They had to remove the galley, the dinette, and the L-shaped couch and then replace all that subfloor.  That work wound up taking 2 months.  We finally got a call in early February 2017 that the trailer was ready!

However, the good in all this was that we got to spend a lot of time with Randy and Kenny, and we had an opportunity to explore Colorado for great outdoor adventures.  Here are some of the places we visited during that time. 

Cherry creek state park album, the Kathy Griffin show, Rocky mountain arsenal National Wildlife Refuge album, Chatfield state park, Garden of the Gods park in Colorado Springs album, and the International Snow Sculpting Competition in Breckenridge Colorado

Entrance to the International Snow Sculpting Competition  

Rocky Mountain National park + the famous Stanley hotel next to the park.

And of course, during that time I had my 2017 birthday at Linger in downtown Denver.  Who knows how old I became that year LOL but Randy and friends put on a fantastic birthday for me.