Dickens on the Strand 2018

For one weekend every December, historic Galveston pulls out her Victorian finery for an event they call “Dickens on the Strand”, a celebration of Charles Dickens and his beloved book, “A Christmas Carol”.

We took the opportunity to visit it, and are we glad we did! This video only hits a fraction of all there was to see and do…vendors, street performers, shows, costumes. Yup…worth every penny of the gate admission and parking cost.

It was a full day and we packed  light lunch but did enjoy trying fire roasted chestnuts. (They are an interesting nutty, buttery, and rich flavor...one was enough for me, and Chris had several.)  And no trip to the Strand is complete without a stop at LaKings Confectionery...a personal splurge of a most excellent chocolate malt...(which I forgot to "document" on film.)

If you'd like to "go with us", here's our YouTube video. Enjoy!



Tips: 
* If you go, watch parking rates (One lot was charging double the going rate!!)

* Go early for best parking choices.

* Want to get in for half price? Wear a costume.
(Hmmm. Just might have to think about that for next year.)



To learn more about Dickens on the Strand, visit:
http://www.galvestonhistory.org/events/dickens-on-the-strand/dickens-on-the-strand-3

For another "on the ground" look, visit RV Texas Y’all video…it’s how we learned about it!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yK3ZbXatZB8

La Vida Local

or, living like a local.

One of the fun (and challenging) things about Rving is the constantly changing location. At least with national chains, shopping and the occasional eating out can be easier. Predictable, but easy.

But when we stay for a longer spell, we get to discover the local life. We love putting money into the local economy when we can, and try to shop and eat where the locals do.

Yes, we know the small-town grocer might cost a little more and not have the same selection of some well-known chains. But we can usually find what we need, and sometimes we actually save because we didn’t drive an hour or to the nearest chain store. And there’s usually better customer service, too.

So, we find ourselves doing a mix with groceries and supplies…local stores, chain stores, and yes, online.

Eating out for us is quite the splurge. When we do, we chat up the locals to get their recommendations. It’s worked every time. By talking to the locals, we have found some gems. Some go on our  growing "look forward to trying" list, others we look forward to going to again.

Local folks are how we found out the best places to watch towboats on the Intracoastal Waterway, that the ferry was free, the local Mardi Gras Parade, a community oyster feed (we missed that), to check out Beaumont and more.

While we appreciate what luxury RV resorts offer in activities and socialization, we love getting to know what the locals think and do.

So if you’re new to this thing called Rving, or just wondering how to find stuff, start by asking the cashier at the local grocery store, stop by the Chamber of Commerce, etc… You’ll be glad you did!

RV Fog Dr

 We can see clearly now….

One of our long-term projects with Miss Emmy is window repair. The dual pane windows do get foggy on coaches, and repair is cheaper than replacing.

Now, Miss Emmy had (and still has) some foggy windows. But we’re able to eat that elephant a bit at a time and get them done as cash flow allows so we can maintain our emergency repair fund.

We had the work done at RV Fog Dr. in Searcy, AR. They can actually take apart the windows, clean and reseal them. But if they are “etched”, then new glass is ordered in.

They do great work and also offer body shop services. If you’d like to learn more about RV Fog Dr you can find them at: https://www.rvfogdr.com

And check out our YouTube video about it at https://youtu.be/beK6pVt7LUE

(P.S....if links don't work, just copy and paste them into your browser)