Footloose and Fabulous

25/12/2023

May your day be wrapped in joy and tied with love! Merry Christmas! 🎄

22/12/2023

It's time for my semi-annual . Which one is your favorite? 😍

20/12/2023

We traveled approximately 20,000 miles this year and saw soooo many amazing things. I found an app that let me input our and shows our approximate route.

16/12/2023

The older I get the more I want to know where our food comes from. Texas is the third largest citrus producer behind California and Florida. The Rio Grande Valley’s warm climate and unique topography lends to the growth of exceptional citrus. A good example is the much-beloved Rio Ruby Red Grapefruit. It is sooo sweet!

This young orchard is using a new technique that is proven to reduce the dreaded Diaprepes root weevil. The insect started chewing up Texas citrus tree roots underground in 2000, then busting through the soil and up the tree to feast on leaves. Researchers began looking for a way to disrupt the weevil’s path.

By 2009, studies found all it took to stop the pest was a layer of plastic mesh over the soil beneath the tree. The plastic forms a barrier that the weevil cannot pe*****te either from the ground up or from the tree to the soil, the researchers on the project explained, and thus the pest’s life cycle was interrupted, and it could not live there.

Such a simple fix. ✔️

14/12/2023

When I think of saltwater, I usually think of oceans, the Great Salt Lake in Utah, maybe even gargling with warm saltwater when I have a sore throat. 🧂

The last thing I think about is a lake in Texas that has 4 million TONS of salt! 🙄 Located in north-central Hidalgo County, La Sal del Rey is one of several natural salt lakes on the coastal plain north of the Rio Grande.

According to UTRGV, "For centuries, this remote site was a destination for American Indians, Spanish settlers, Mexican traders, and Anglo-Americans who needed salt. La Sal del Rey was South Texas’s main source of vital salt during the Civil War. In addition to seasoning, salt was the chief means of preserving meat and fish. Livestock, including cattle, mules and horses needed it and the white crystals were used in curing leather for shoes, harnesses, and other military goods."

During my preliminary research I found pictures online of an incredible mirrored lake with chunks of salt scattered along the shore. That's not what I found.

During our visit to the lake, I saw some salt crystals along the shoreline and on the cactus that dotted the landscape. The lake is not very big, only one mile long and 5 miles of shoreline with a depth of 3-4 feet.

What struck me most was the amount of animal p**p that encircled the lake. The only animal I saw during our visit was a carcas that appeared to be a dear.

12/12/2023

Congratulations to Danny Patak, Debra Burris Gilmore, and Dawn Downey for winning a set of our new greeting cards. Please send us a PM with your address and we'll drop them in the mail.

Merry Christmas! 🎄

12/12/2023

Thank you to all of you for being part of our Footloose and Fabulous family. We wish you all a very merry Christmas! 🎅

Congratulations to our lucky winners! Please message us with your phone number or email address and we'll get your $25 Amazon gift card on its way.

12/12/2023

12/12/2023

Christmas Giveaway

11/12/2023

Today is the day!! Join us at 7 pm as we draw 4 lucky names, at random, for a $25 Amazon gift certificate. We can't wait. 😁 See you tonight.

10/12/2023

Tomorrow is the day!!!! We go live at 7 pm for our 4th annual Christmas Giveaway. If you want a chance to win a $25 Amazon gift card, scroll down the page for deets.

07/12/2023

The word 'patriot' seems to have taken a few hits in recent years.

pa·tri·ot·ism (noun) - the quality of being patriotic; devotion to and vigorous support for one's country.

We feel this in our bones. We are patriotic. 🇺🇲

As we travel across this great country of ours we run across places where we stop and say "Every American should visit this place." Pearl Harbor is one of those places.

While visiting the big island in 2016, we knew we wanted to schedule time to fly to Oahu to visit the memorial and pay our respects.

Today we remember the 2300 men and women who died during the surprise attack on 12/7/41.

The 184-foot USS Arizona Memorial honors the memory of the crew as well as other service members and civilians who died during the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. It’s the resting place of more than 1100 American sailors and marines killed during the attack. Every year, nearly 2 million people visit the USS Arizona Memorial.

Scroll through the pictures. The last one confirms my statement about being patriotic.

07/12/2023

If you want to be a part of Footloose and Fabulous' 4th annual Christmas Giveaway check out the video posted on 12/4. 🎁🎄🎅

05/12/2023

🔥Merch Drop🔥

How's your Christmas shopping going?🎄🎁🎅

Greeting cards are a great way to let someone know you are thinking about them. ♡

Each set of 5 cards/envelopes is $18 (price includes shipping). Cards can be sent to you or delivered straight to your loved one.

Payment through venmo or zelle. Will ship within 24 hours.

04/12/2023

🎄Merry Christmas 🎄

It's time for the 4th annual Footloose and Fabulous Christmas Giveaway. Watch the video to find out how to enter your name for a chance to win a $25 Amazon gift certificate. There's even a way to get your name in the drawing TWICE this year. 🙂

We will go live on Monday, December 11th @ 7:00 pm to draw four lucky names. 🎅 Good luck. 🤞

04/12/2023

We are so excited!!!! Are you???

01/12/2023

30/11/2023

Have you ever seen this bird? Chances are, unless you're in far south Texas, parts of Mexico, South America, or Central America, the answer is 'no'.

Keith spotted this handsome fellow on the fence behind our . Kiskadees are an eye-catching mix of black, white, yellow, and reddish-brown. The black head is set off by a bold white eyebrow and throat; the underparts are yellow. The wings and tail are a warm reddish brown.

These birds have something in common with today's football players. These birds have a black mask that works like the eye-black that athletes smear beneath their eyes. This feature helps to reduce glare and assist them in hunting in bright light or where light reflects off water.

25/11/2023

Who wants to win a free Amazon gift card? 🙋‍♀️🙋‍♂️

Our 4th annual Christmas Giveaway is coming soon! Details for entry will be announced on December 4th. Stay tuned! 🌲🎅🎁

24/11/2023

Thanksgiving is a time to reflect on all our blessings. We are so thankful for a beautiful day in the Rio Grande Valley, delicious food, and time with family. Blessings to all of our F & F friends. 🧡

20/11/2023

My siblings and I are so blessed to still have our Mom and Dad with us. They are the ones who gave us the travel bug at an early age and have always encouraged us to chase our dreams.

Mom and Dad have always been independent and in good health. After dealing with some extreme sciatica pain for the last couple of years, my mom's doctor recommended a sacroiliac fusion.

Dad was assuming the primary care-taker role and my sister, Barbara, and her boyfriend, Ray, came down to help out while Mom recovered. Two days after Mom came home from her surgery, Dad fell and broke his shoulder.

Luckily, Keith and I were only five hours away so we packed up and headed south to our in Donna, TX. God guided Dad to a wonderful surgeon who took a look at the x-rays and said, "The break is bad and you have a lot of arthritis in that shoulder. What do you think about a full replacement?" Dad didn't hesitate to say "yes"!

Dr. Sander was able to schedule the surgery within a couple of days of the initial appointment and now Dad is on his way to recovery.

The flexibility of our full-time RV lifestyle allowed us to pick up and move at a moment's notice so we could help them get back on their feet. We are so thankful for God's love and protection during this crazy time.

17/11/2023

If you've spent much time in Texas, you've probably heard of the Guadalupe River. It is well known as THE place to 'float the river.' It runs runs approximately 230 miles from Kerr County, Texas, to San Antonio Bay on the Gulf of Mexico, with an average temperature of 63.95° F.

Keith and I have floated the river many times in previous years, but this is the first time we've explored the lower section behind the dam at Canyon Lake. The water is a beautiful blue color because of limestone.

Limestone is composed primarily of calcium carbonate and is white in color. As the river breaks down this rock into tiny crystals, these crystals will get mixed up into the water. When sunlight hits the tiny crystals, it will reflect that beautiful blue color.

14/11/2023

Our is at a Corp of Engineers Campground at Canyon Lake in the hill country of Texas. This campground is a great stopping place for us as we make our way to the Rio Grande Valley.

We took the short drive over to historic New Braunfels in hopes of enjoying the popular Wurstfest. Once there, our 'frugal' side kicked in and we opted not to pay $20 per ticket and $20 to park.

White tail deer are everywhere in the campground and unfortunately we saw lots of dead ones along the roads outside the campground. 🦌

09/11/2023

Y'all know we like a good bargain. So much so, some people call us cheap. I personally prefer the word, 'frugal'. 😆

This week we decided to try the bougie lifestyle! Our is at The Vineyards campground in Grapevine, TX. Every site has a great view of Lake Grapevine. Nightly rates start at $54.

For us it is all about location. The campground is only eight miles from our daughter and son-in-law's house giving us lots of opportunities to see each other. 😍

Grapevine is known as the Christmas capital of Texas. Holiday decorations are going up on historic Main Street.

P.S. - Stop by Main Street Barber and ask for Victoria. 💈

06/11/2023

Our is at South Holiday, a Corp of Engineer campground. It's a great location, just 18 miles from downtown Ft Worth. We paid $14 a night (with Keith's senior card) and our site came with a stack of cut firewood. 😉

If you have a 'need for speed', Cresson Motorsport Ranch is only 17 miles away. People who own a sports or high performance car, or even a vintage race car can join the club and practice their driving skills one of two road racing courses, a 1.7 mile and a 1.3 mile circuit.

And if you get a craving for some good Texas barbecue, be sure to stop in at BBQ on the Brazos, adjacent to the track.

04/11/2023

My brother, Michael, recently took a road trip from Texas to Jackson Hole, Wyoming and points in between. He shared a picture of himself standing underneath the antlers in Jackson Hole.

My sister, Barbara, shared her picture under the antlers in recent years and Keith snapped my photo in the same location when we were there in 2020.

It got me to thinking how fortunate my siblings and I were to have parents who were willing and able to expose us to the wonder of travel.

Keith and I often talk about how travel enhances our lives and make us better people. It forces us to push our boundaries, try new things, and unhook ourselves from the comfortable and familiar.

We've never talked to a fellow traveler who didn't have a deeper appreciation and empathy for our world and the people in it.

Once that travel seed has been planted, it never dies. I am so thankful for parents who instilled a life-long love of travel in their children.

All three of us are still avid travelers. Maybe one of these days we can meet up underneath the antlers and snap a new picture. 💞

02/11/2023

Please, please, don't be like these campers. 💩🐕🚮

30/10/2023

As life long Texans, it ALWAYS feels good to have our feet on Texas soil. Our first meal was at Whataburger and as always, it was delicious. We're looking forward to seeing family and friends in the weeks to come.

27/10/2023

We love our solar panel! It allows us to camp 'off grid' in some incredibly beautiful places. I still can't wrap my brain around how somebody had the idea to take sunlight and turn it into electricity but I'm sure glad somebody figured it out. 🙄

A quick Google search explains it this way. "Solar panels contain photovoltaic cells made up of semiconductor materials (such as silicon) to absorb elemental particles from the sun called photons. When absorbed by the panel, the photons release electrons from the atoms of the semiconductor material and the flow of these electrons within the cell creates an electric current we can direct to our circuits." - Forbes.com

It's interesting to see miles and miles of solar farms as we criss-cross our country. According to energy.gov, solar energy contributes 2.8% of our country's energy supply.

25/10/2023

Don't ya just love it when you meet nice people?!

Several people suggested we visit the Western Heritage Museum while we are in Hobbs, New Mexico. It's less than three miles from the campground so off we went.

After parking the truck, we walked up to the doors and noticed a 'closed' sign on one door and the other door was propped open a little bit. I stuck my head in but didn't see anyone. I pulled out my phone and checked their website where it said, 'open today.'

I walked in and said 'hello' several times and a woman came out of an office around the corner and said, "We're closed today due to the installation of a new exhibit coming in. But if you want to look around, you're more than welcome."

She proceeded to turn on all the lights and encouraged us to take our time walking through the museum. Wow!!! Who does that? She could've just as easily sent us packing. Instead, we had the whole museum to ourselves.

The museum features exhibits depicting the history of the Llano Estacado region of eastern New Mexico and northwestern Texas.

Swipe through to see their treasures.

23/10/2023

When the United States entered World War II in December 1941, New Mexico had been a state for only three decades. Its sparse population, remoteness, and geography proved ideally suited for top secret military bases and scientific laboratories. It was one such laboratory in Los Alamos that did advanced nuclear research that led to the atomic bomb.

World War II had an immediate and enduring transformative effect on New Mexico. During that time, 49,579 New Mexicans volunteered or were drafted into military service, accounting for roughly 9% of the total population—the highest rate of service among all forty-eight states at the time. New Mexico also endured the highest proportion of fatalities among U.S. states, losing over 2,200 citizens by the war's end.

With an increased need for trained pilots, Hobbs was chosen as a training location, making it one of three B-17 training bases in the U.S. Hollywood actor, Jimmy Stewart, was one of the 89 cadets sent to Hobbs Army Airfield.

Hobbs Army Airfield was decommissioned in 1948 and the land was reaquired by the city of Hobbs. Harry McAdams park/campground is on one section of the old base.

Rockwind Community links is a premier city golf course across the road from the campground. I've enjoyed using the walking trail that borders the perimeter of the well maintained greens.

If you look closely underneath the brush, concrete slabs, pillars, and other remnants from the air base are a visible reminder of Hobbs contribution to this historical time.

20/10/2023

We LOVE living in our Airstream. It has all the comforts of home, except one. I miss my laundry room with my very own washing machine and dryer.

Finding a laundromat as we travel is usually an easy thing to do. But it's kind of hard to get excited about washing our sheets, towels, and clothes in a machine that who knows what's been washed in there before!

Whenever possible, I prefer to do our laundry at the campsite. I feel like a modern day 'pioneer woman'. It gets just as clean and over time it's saves a lot of money!

I've gotten several messages asking how I do the laundry so I made a short video. I'll post a link to the products used in the comments below.

18/10/2023

We got to Hobbs at just the right time. The first day we were here we enjoyed watching high school cross country runners run past our campsite. The second day we watched the college runners. And the third day we met some of the nicest, friendliest people who had come to Hobbs to watch the annular eclipse.

Hobbs, New Mexico has a population of 40,508 (2020 census). Our is in a city park in Hobbs, NM. The campground is self serve (no reservations) with 15 spots. The nightly rate is $18 with a weekly rate of $90. We're enjoying being plugged in to 50 Amp service, water, and a sewer connection.

16/10/2023

Just as the birds do every year, we, too, have started our southerly migration. We found another New Mexico State Park for a quick overnight stay.

Sumner Lake State Park is located on the shore of Sumner Lake about 8 miles northwest of Fort Sumner. The lake is a tad less than 50% full at this time. Interestingly, recreation.gov says that scuba diving for game fish is permitted in this lake. If you swipe through the pics, you'll see why I think that's interesting.

As we were eating breakfast, Keith noticed a few turkeys strutting through the campground. They must've sensed Thanksgiving is only a month away and a state park is a safe place to be. 🦃

13/10/2023

After leaving Navajo Lake State Park, I started looking for our . I googled New Mexico state parks and found El Vado State Park about 100 miles away. Their website said, 'located in New Mexico's northern mountains, El Vado Lake State Park offers fishing, boating, and water-skiing."

Sounds perfect, right?? Had I clicked on the 'announcement' tab, I would have learned that a large scale renovation of the dam was underway and we would probably have chosen to go a different direction.

But you know what? I'm so glad I didn't open that tab! With water levels at 3% of normal, we saw the basin in a totally different light. I was able to walk on the lake bed looking for interesting finds. Keith enjoyed watching herds of elk meander around the dry lake lake bed each afternoon.

And we met some of the nicest people! Mark, the park's ranger met us as we were driving in. He explained there were several first come sites in the park. If we liked one of those sites better than the one I had reserved on the drive over, we were welcome to choose a different site and he would take care of switching our reservation in the system.

We chose a first come site that overlooked the mostly dry lake bed and surrounding bluffs. After setting up, we ventured over to the dam to see what kind of repairs were being made.

Mark explained that the El Vado Dam is one of four like it in the world. It uses steel plates to reduce seepage across the 175-foot long face of the dam. It is the only one in the U.S. The other three are in other parts of the world.

The dam was completed in 1935. After almost 100 years of doing it's job, the Bureau of Reclamation studied the risks at El Vado Dam and concluded that structural modifications are necessary to ensure the dam can continue to function. The empty lake will allow workers to add grout behind the steel faceplates and begin installation of a geomembrane over the face of the dam. The work will take several years to complete.

You've heard the saying about the glass being half full??? In this case, the lake was no where near half full and that's perfectly okay with us! 😀

12/10/2023

An article in New Mexico Magazine explains, "Old Hispanic villages stood in the way of creating Navajo Lake. The rising waters won, but a holy place was saved." During construction of the dam, a lot of the land was seized to build the lake but for some reason the contractors never demanded the land that this church occupies.

While driving to/from our campsite at , we passed this small, old, church sitting on a bluff and decided to stop. As soon as I opened the door, I was struck by the simplicity of this sacred building. The adobe walls are cracked and the wooden pews are well worn. But, there's a definite 'presence' of being welcome to all who enter.

10/10/2023

If you hear the term 'quality water' what do you think of?

I stopped in at the visitors center at to get some information about kayaking the San Juan River behind the dam. The ranger looked at me and said, "Oh no. You can't do that. It's quality water."

So I'm thinking, you're darn right! Looks like a great place to kayak. It appeared to have everything I look for when launching my kayak - beautiful scenery, class I - II rapids, good launching access, etc.

So at the risk of sounding dumb, I asked her what she meant. She went on to say it, "It means fishermen like me don't want kayakers like you playing in these waters."

I was slightly put off by that but who am I to decide who gets to fish/kayak in certain waters. She's the ranger. She explained that I could launch several more miles down river and even offered to call a transport outfit if I needed help getting picked up.

I opted not to kayak the river and have since tried to educate myself on that term 'quality water.' Here's what I've found...

The 4.25 miles of San Juan River just below Navajo Dam/Lake is among the most hallowed trout fishing waters in North America and is ranked a USA Top-10 Fly Fishing Destination. Water released from the bottom of the dam is clear, cold and rich in nutrients. The abundant flora creates an ideal environment for insect to hang out, which in turn supports one of America's most prolific river trout populations, both in terms of quantity and size.

08/10/2023

There is no better place to learn about the Pueblo people than the Aztec Ruins. This well preserved national monument is located just a few miles from our campsite at Navajo Lake State Park.

Our visit started with a 15-minute video, “Aztec Ruins: Footprint of the Past,” which gives a good overview of the history of the area. Archaeological evidence puts the construction of the ruins in the 12th and 13th centuries.

Aztec Ruins National Monument is the largest Ancestral Pueblo community in the Animas River Valley. In use for over 200 years, the site contains several multi-story buildings called “great houses,” each with a “great kiva”—a circular ceremonial chamber—as well as many smaller structures.

I enjoyed the self guided tour. Keith did too, until it was time to pass through the small 'doors' that led from room to room. (See pics below. 🤭)