Camping and Companions (Day 16 Road Trip)

We enjoyed a magical morning at our Turkey Roost Campground campsite. When we got in last night the first thing we did was inspect the shower facilities. It was agreed that a shower was a priority for both of us. It takes only a few days without a shower to appreciate the wonder of running water once again – especially hot water.

After that we went for a short walk and snapped a few photos of the area. Earlier, while looking for our site we came across a camp site with a dozen deer laying in it. Nearby campers were going about their business and the deer paid them no mind.

During our walk, we came across about twenty turkey buzzards pecking at the ground and sitting on wooden posts near the water. I am surmising that Turkey Roost Campground came about from the turkey buzzard population. Again, campers were nearby minding their own business.

Most of the people at the site were staying in RVs. There were two tent campers and then us. It was a beautiful area to spend an evening and morning in.

I slept in this morning until 8:15 am. It was a glorious sleep! Equally as glorious was looking out of the car to see Joe Coehlo eating an orange and drinking water. I couldn’t resist shooting this photo from the car.

This morning I was drinking a cup of coffee at the picnic table, and I kept hearing this noise. I thought to myself, “Why isn’t the person answering their cell phone. It took me ten minutes to realize I was not hearing a cell phone ring – it was a bird singing. Oh, how my world is expanding!

We drove into College City, Texas so I could meet up with a friend. I met Jen in 2003 when we were both on the same Mary Kay Team. Jen and her family lived in Winters during the years we worked together. Several years ago, she moved to College Station and we have stayed in touch on Facebook. We met up at a square in College Station.

Jen brought me a beautiful surprise – her third daughter (of 4) – Avalei. Avalei will be 14 soon. When Avalei was a few months old, our daughter, Megan, would go to Jen’s to help with Avalei (a sort of mother’s helper). And here is Avalei getting all grown up on us!

                                                            Jen & Avalei Antoniou

I enjoyed my visit with Jen. We spent time catching up on family, health matters, and life in general. Mostly when Jen and I get together we end up in philosophical discussions. Jen mentioned today that while our core values are very different, we have a connection that is almost like sharing a brain, about other topics.

Jen captured a few selfies of us as we parted ways.

Joe and I then had a quick early dinner at Fish Daddy’s Grill House before heading on to our Ratcliff Lake Recreation Area campsite. It is another beautiful camping location. We just finished with showers, and I have 25% battery power left on my laptop. So, I am going to cut my writing short for today so I can post before the battery dies.

One thing to know about the campgrounds. There was a warning sign at the check-in site “Beware of alligators in the area.”

See ya later alligator!