Something New...............A Photo.

West Texas Dust Storm

Happy Sunday Everyone. For those of you uninitiated in the quirks of living in West Texas, what you see in the picture is the way it is, around these parts, every Spring. Now the wind and dust in the air is not just a Spring phenomenon. I've seen the sand blowing on Christmas Day. It often amuses me when I see TV accounts of the weather in Iraq. The newscasters always seemed amazed by the sandstorms encountered there. I have seen dust storms rolling out of the West, looking like giant ocean swells of red dirt. Sandstorms have always been a way of life here in West Texas and we didn't get called the dust-bowl for nothing. Sandstorms are more prevalent in the Spring, simply because that's when the farmers plow up their fields.

One of the things that appeals to me about the full-time RV lifestyle is the fact that you can literally choose your own weather. Ideally, I would like to live in 70° weather year-round but I don't think that will always be the case. Sure, I can spend the Winter and early Spring months in Daytona Florida and I will certainly avoid the bone chilling cold of West Texas, and the colossal dust storms. I also plan to spend August in Sturgis South Dakota. I have been in Sturgis in August when the temperature was 106°. Okay I'll admit it, there will be some exceptions to my 70° rule. What I'm getting at is this, I do believe there is a type of Code, if you will, that dictates the life of the full-time RV'er. One of the things that appeals to me about the lifestyle is that you don't carve your travel plans in stone. Flexible is the key word here. Yes I'll admit, there are rules. But most of the rule are just common sense. Everyone knows to clean up your own campsite, don't plug your cord into another fellow's power, don't drink water you're not sure of, don't overnight park in a place that says NOP, and so on. The part of the Code I enjoy is the courtesy and comradely you experience when you are out on the road. I have noticed that in most campgrounds, a fellow traveler opens his hood to look at his engine, and before you know it, you have all the expertise and advice you need. This is a good feeling. For example, you don't have the right tools, you will get offered a loan and even help to get the job done. Okay, TTYL.