878: Before and After

December 30, 2020-January 31, 2021 

We timed our leaving from Goliad State Park so that we would arrive in Port Aransas soon after check out time. Shortly after leaving our friend Jackie texted and said the renters had left our site  Down the road a bit some of our intermittent brake problems reoccurred, a sensor indicated our trailer brakes weren’t connected. Then we threw another turbo code that Dave was able to clear with our code reader. We did make it safely to Gulf Waters, we knew we had time now to delve into what the issues could possibly be. But first, it was time to catch up with friends and to say hi to our beach. 

One of the commenters from my last post asked if I’d share how we lost so much weight in the past 6 months. We have followed no “diet”, what we have done is intermittent fasting, we don’t eat after 8pm and wait till noon to start eating, we do count calories but have not cut any foods out, we just eat less. We have done lots of walking, we are now averaging 7 miles of power walking daily, except while we were selling Christmas trees. Prior to July 21, we had been averaging less than 30 miles a week, we are now up to 55+ miles a week. Basically, it boils down to moving more and eating less, doing it together has made it easier to achieve our goals. Dave has 10 more pounds and I have 5 more to goal, Dave has lost 56 pounds and I’ve lost 53. We both feel so much better and are looking forward to getting out on some trails next winter when we are in AZ where hiking opportunities abound. 

Before-6/30/20

After-1/2/21

On January 2nd we decided to visit the local Dodge dealer to see what they had on their lot as far as dually trucks went. They had 2, a 2018 Ram short bed and a 2021 Ram Limited long bed, we took the short bed for a ride but after a short discussion concluded we really needed a long bed. After all the 2 toolboxes, hitch, extra propane tanks, and generators wouldn’t fit in the back of a short bed. So off we went to see if we could even qualify for a loan, well long story short, I guess when your credit score is 878 they’ll give you just about whatever you want. We now have a dependable under warranty vehicle again, since next winter we’ll be traveling a lot this is quite reassuring. 

Before

After

Everything fits!! 

Scenes from the last month. 

For many years at Christmas, my Dad would get me a special gift, all of which are stored away in our storage unit in IL. These days he always sends flowers wherever I am, doing the Christmas tree lot means these flowers come after we're settled somewhere. As usual, they were beautiful, they and the thoughts behind them are very much appreciated, thanks so much, Dad. 

Dave has been enjoying the fishing and I've spent some time watching/reading while he's fishing. 

Steal A Fish looking for handouts

Whoopers from our friends Steve and Paula's deck.

We've enjoyed lots of beach walks.

A walk at The Leonabelle Turnbull Birding Center.

Sunrises have been beautiful.

1/1/21 What a beautiful start to the year

Sunsets can be just as spectacular. 

It's been a great month, we've joined our local bubble of friends, we've gone out for a few late lunches when restaurants hardly have anyone in them, once again supporting our favorite dining establishments. 

We are here until March 15th when we’ll take a month to get back to IL, our expected arrival date there is 4/12. Our trip will north will take us to Houston to see family, with a stop beforehand at one of our favorite state parks, we’ll then head up the east side of TX where Dave will have access to lots of crawfish meals. 

Until next time…