Make It One for My Baby and One More for the Road!

As many of you who have followed us over the past year may have noticed, we haven’t been posting since late March. In April, after a year in the RV traveling through five states, well over 100 cities and towns, and 300+ visitor sites, we settled back down, purchased a home, and I went back to work in the travel and tourism industry that I love so much. As Dan said a few months into our travels, “You know you’re just doing research for your next tourism job?” At the time, I didn’t realize just how right he was.

I’ll never hear the end of admitting he’s right, so if you could keep that between us, I’d greatly appreciate it. : )

I’ve been so busy getting back into the swing of a real job that I’ve neglected my blog and for that I am truly sorry.

So, where are we now, you ask? We landed in San Angelo, Texas, a jewel of a community in West Texas. For the first four months, we continued to live in our RV while our new house was being built. We stayed at the Concho Pearl RV Estates, which the dogs loved as it had a dog park adjacent to a sheep farmer’s property. A sheep dog frequently visited so they made fast friends.

Having never lived in this region of Texas, we weren’t really sure what to expect but we’ve learned quickly how great the people are and everything San Angelo has to offer to visitors, RV’ers and other travelers. Here’s just a glimpse at this great city.

San Angelo has a rich and proud history. Just a few of the historic offerings include one of the most intact forts in the state in historic Fort Concho National Historic Landmark, Goodfellow Air Force Base, Miss Hattie’s Bordello Museum, Angelo Civic Theatre (the oldest community theater in Texas), and the Cactus Hotel, Conrad Hilton’s fourth hotel. While no longer serving as a hotel, both the main and mezzanine floors of the property give you a beautiful look at the grandeur of what was no doubt the place to stay back in the day.

While the history of the city is alive and well, the art scene is bustling, too. From the visual arts to the performing arts, San Angelo is a vibrant community with a strong art scene. Check out the San Angelo Museum of Fine Arts, Art in Uncommon Places, the Chicken Farm Art Center, the Historic Murals of San Angelo, and this is just the tip of the iceberg.

We’re still checking out the performing arts in San Angelo and they are spectacular. From the newly renovated City Auditorium to the San Angelo Performing Arts Center, the lists just keeps on coming. A couple of the great offerings include Ballet San Angelo and the San Angelo Symphony.  While Dan and I are not really into nightlife, it’s all around the city and many of the locals and visitors can be found enjoying a cold one while listening to incredible local, regional, and national bands. The culinary options are strong, too, and include a significant number of one-of-a-kind restaurants found only in San Angelo. I’ll cover those in a future blog. Too many to list here.

As most of you who have been following our blog over the past year know, we are really more nature lovers than anything else. Our new home sits on an acre of land and just down the road from us is San Angelo State Park, home of the Official Texas State Longhorn herd, bison, a variety of birds, and in the months of September and October, the monarch butterfly migration. The city is also home to Lake Nasworthy, providing recreational opportunities for the community and visitors. Of course, no visit to San Angelo would be complete in the late spring through fall months without a visit to the International Waterlily Collection.

One of our favorite places to enjoy in San Angelo is the Concho River Walk, which was recently named one of the Great Places in America by the American Planning Association. The Concho River runs through the city and you can enjoy time at The Bosque, which is adjacent to the river. Only in the Concho River is the Concho Pearl, found in freshwater mussels. We first learned the story of the pearl from Legend Jewelers, located on Historic Concho Avenue. While you’re in town, make sure to check out the incredible design and beauty of the Visitor Center and say hello. I’m there five days a week, working while enjoying my view of the river from my window. There is so much more to see and do in San Angelo, but this should give you a little taste.

Not long after we moved into our new home, our beloved Hannah passed away. She brought us joy and love for more than 15 years and we’re so happy we had the year to enjoy her every day.

While we miss our sweet girl and Sadie misses her sister, we added a new addition to the family. Another rescue, Angel joined us a couple of weeks before we lost Hannah. She’s a three-year old Belgian Malinois. She and Sadie play constantly and we’re so happy to have her in our lives.

While we’re not on the road daily anymore, we have planned day trips, weekend trips, and weeklong adventures that you’ll learn about in the future. Because we live in the Texas Forts Trail Region, we expect to explore this area quite a bit. Not all of our trips will be taken in the RV, but we will break her out on occasion. We continue to strive to live simply and love life…and try to be a little eccentric along the way. We still enjoy the stars, the dark skies, and our adventures, even if they’re in our own back yard.

Hope to see you on the road. If you’re ever in San Angelo, look us up. We’d be happy to show you around our new hometown. In the meantime, check out the website and Discover San Angelo for yourself.

Safe travels!