DECEMBER 2015 LUNCH and SPRING 2016 RALLY

DECEMBER 2015 LUNCH

We normally have a lunch once a month on the second Friday of the month unless we have a Rally.  Our next lunch is on Friday December 11th, 2015 at 1 pm at:

My Place
930 U.S. 59 Loop N
Livingston, Texas

(Note: This is their new location which is the former location of Texas Pepper which is just before Catfish King on the Hwy 59 frontage road)
We will be meeting in their back room.

SPRING RALLY 2016

Thursday March 31st to Monday April 4th Rusk KOA
Rusk, Texas

featuring a ride on the steam powered train from Rusk to Palestine and back. The dogwoods should be at or near their peak of blooms at this time and make for some beautiful viewing.

There are cabins on site available for those who do not have an RV or choose not to use it.

We will provide more details as the logistics and agenda are worked out by our Wagonmasters,  Stephanie and Ray Borgman.

Email me,  David Horton, at dhorton2@aol.com if you want more information on Chapter 10 or this message.

Our President Gene Jensen will not be able to attend the lunch so I will lead the Pledge of Allegiance and make any introductions of new members or visitors.

David Horton
Chapter 10 Communications
Chapter 10 Vice-President
dhorton2@aol.com 

Joining Chapter 10

As stated on the Escapees website:

About Chapters

Chapters are the social arm of the club and the best way to keep the close family feeling that is so important to all of us. They are also the easiest way to get to know other Escapees and form lasting friendships with those who share your interests. Whether or not you join a chapter, you can attend chapter rallies throughout the U.S. as well as in Canada and Mexico.

Joining Chapter 10 

Chapter membership is open to all current Escapees members.   To join, attend one of or lunches or mail in your registration.   The dues are $5 per year for an individual or a couple.  Checks should be made payable to:

 SKP Chapter 10

To register by mail,  send in your $5, along with your name(s), email address, mailing address, telephone number, and SKP#.

Send your registration to our newly established PMB:

CHAPTER 10 
115 Rainbow Drive PMB 1532
Livingston, TX 77399

Checks payable to:  SKP Chapter 10

Chapter Officers and 2015 Fall Rally continued

Chapter Elected Officers and other positions

At the Rally Bruce and Yvonne Horton agreed to continue in office and Gene Jensen and David Horton became newly elected officers.   Cora Boyett will continue as Historian and Ray and Stephanie Borgman will continue as Wagonmasters.   Bruce,  Yvonne,  Cora, Ray, and Stephanie have all done a great job and I appreciate that they will be continuing in their positions.  A special thanks to Bob Olsen who served as the Chapter president this past year. 

• President - Gene Jensen
• Vice President - David Horton
• Secretary - Yvonne Horton 
• Treasurer - Bruce Horton 
• Wagonmasters - Ray and Stephanie Borgman 
• Historian - Cora Boyett

Next Chapter lunch

There will not be a Chapter lunch in November.  Traditionally we do not have a Chapter lunch in the month when we have a Rally.  We will have a Chapter 10 lunch in December on Friday, December 11th.  We tentatively will have the lunch at 'My Place' at their new location.

     Chapter 10 lunch
     December 11, 2015 - 1 pm
     My Place
     (former location of Texas Pepper
     near Catfish King)
     930 U.S. 59 Loop N
     Livingston, Texas 77351

We decided that our annual hot dog feed and Auction will likely be in February this coming year.  I will update as the plans solidify.

Saturday Afternoon and Evening

Saturday afternoon we enjoyed visiting on the rockers and chairs on the porch outside the rally room.  The weather on the porch was very pleasant.   Some worked on a group puzzle, watched some college football, or visited in the Rally rooms while we waited for the BBQ.

The park provided a large trailer mounted smoker/grill fired with charcoal and pecan wood.   As scheduled the coals were ready at 5 pm.  Cooking the meat was fairly slow,  being smoked more than grilled.   Eventually Ray adjusted the draft on the smoker to increase the air flow which resulted in a hotter grill to finish the cooking. Many choose to eat some of the other parts of the meal while waiting for the meat to finish cooking.  Half of the people wore Halloween costumes.   Cora took pictures for our memory book of the costumes.    At the end of dinner we decided the dates for the next Rally.  Loretta and Nina shared that they took a self guided tour of Columbus following a printed card.  It included going past some beautiful houses. 

Spring 2016 Rally

We decided on the dates for the Spring Rally at the Rusk KOA in Rusk,  TX.  The Spring 2016 Rally like the Fall 2015 Rally will run from Thursday through Monday.  For the Spring Rally the days will be Mar 31,2016 (Thursday) until April 4, 2016 (Monday) We plan to include a ride on the Texas State Railroad on the steam locomotive powered train that runs 25 miles between Rusk and Palestine.   The dogwoods should be at our near their peak during the Rally.   We will likely take part either as a group or as individuals in the dogwood festival activities. Our agenda and the logistics are still being worked on by our Wagonmasters.  

Sunday morning church

Some of those at the Rally as a group attended the Columbus First Baptist Church service at 11 am.  Everyone was on time adjusting correctly for coming off of Day Light Saving Time by turning their clicks back an hour.   We were treated to an excellent musical performance by MLB stars Tim Flannery and his Uncle Hal Smith (Pirates and Cardinals).  Both are retired from Major League Baseball.   Tim is the Co-founder with his wife of the Love Harder Project. 

The Love Harder Project uses music to raise money and awareness to assist victims of violence.   http://www.loveharderproject.org/

Sunday Lunch/Dinner

Following church and during dinner some finished the jigsaw puzzle.  We ate chicken from the local Church's franchise.   Phyllis showed videos of her dogs Rain and Rumor in nose work trials (competition).  Gene Jensen, our new Chapter president gave a short acceptance speech expressing his plans to work for the good of the Chapter and his desire to hear suggestions on how to make the Chapter better.

Some gathered in the Rally room to play Mexican train and for dinner we ate leftovers.

Tomorrow morning we will have a hitch up breakfast of pastries, juice and coffee and the Rally will be complete.  Thanks again to Ray and Stephanie Borgman for being Wagonmasters and for everyone else that pitched in to make this a successful and fun Rally. 

     

Saturday Afternoon at the Fall 2015 Rally

We are at the Fall 2015 Chapter 10 Rally in Columbus, TX.

Attendees include:
Bruce (Treasurer),  Yvonne (Secretary), and David Horton
Ray and Stephanie Borgman (Wagonmasters)
Bob and Cora (Historian) Boyett
Gene and Gina Jensen
David and Jan Wilson
Wayne and Beth Roberts
Phyllis Sanders
Loretta Wiehr
Nina Dobyns

Thursday afternoon is when the Rally began as we gathered at the Columbus RV Park.  Three of us are staying at the LaQuinta hotel across the street from the park.  Thursday night we had a potluck dinner with hotdogs and the fixings provided by the Chapter. Our business meeting followed dinner.  We accepted the new Bylaws for the Chapter.   The new Bylaws are a part of us joining the Escapees Social Network, Inc.  This is the new way that Chapters are being organized and run.  We affirmed the decision that I think we made at the last Rally to join the network.  Several of the advantages of joining the network is that headquarters will file the taxes for the chapter and provide liability insurance.

Friday we toured four of the local painted churches of the Schulenburg area.   Beautiful.   The ones we visited are Catholic churches.   Three of them started by Czech immigrants and one by German immigrants.   We stopped for a nice buffett lunch at the Oakridge Smokehouse Restaurant.   Desserts included peach cobbler and bread pudding which were good. In the evening some of us gathered for a game of Wizard, visiting and watching television.

This morning, Saturday, Halloween, October 31st, we had the traditional men's pancake breakfast in the Rally room.  Breakfast was all you care to eat pancakes,  sausage,  orange juice,  and coffee. With Bruce and Wayne acting as the cooks as has become tradition.  Following breakfast some of us visited and worked on a puzzle.

This afternoon we visited the Rohan meadery, in La Grange,TX.   Mead is a wine made with honey.   For five dollars we tried five samples of their product.   Cranberry mead was a popular choice with many.   Some tried and liked a more traditional wine made with pinot noir grapes.  Hard cider was also available for tasting.   They also had raw honey made on site available for testing and sale.  Also a variety of honey spreads.

This evening is our bring your own meat BBQ.  I believe we will be grilling over a pecan wood fire/bed of coals.  The wood provided by the park.

Proposed New Bylaws for Chapter 10

We will be voting on the new Bylaws of the Chapter at the Fall Rally during the Business meeting.   The Rally starts this Thursday October 29, 2015 and goes until Monday November 2, 2015.  We will be at Columbus RV Park in Columbus,  Texas.  See previous blog entries for details about the Rally.

Proposed Bylaws

Click on the link immediately below to read the Proposed Bylaws.

Proposed Bylaws

If the link does not work for you and you want to see the Bylaws. Send me an email and request that I will email you a copy.

No Chapter 10 lunch for Nov 2015

We will not be having a Chapter 10 lunch in November 2015.  The Fall rally will be from October 29, 2015 to November 2, 2015 in Columbus,  Texas.   We often do not have a lunch during a month when we have a rally.

Monthly lunches should resume in December,  2015.  I will post again when I know any details.

Fall Rally 2015 Update

Fall Rally 2015 Update

Please get your reservations to Stephanie by this coming Monday Oct 19th for the Rally.

The information below is a repeat of previously provided information with changes in red. 

What:  Chapter 10 Fall 2015 Rally
Where:  Columbus RV Park, Columbus, TX
When: 29 Oct 2015 (Thursday) to 02 Nov 2015 (Monday)
Who:  Chapter 10 members and all interested Escapees.
Why: Business meeting, fellowship and fun.

Here is a link to information on the RV park:

www.campingfriend.com/columbusrvpark/

RV Park Reservations

First thing to let you know is that this is a group reservations place. You will need to let Stephanie Borgman know you are coming and she will give the campground the numbers. They will probably not be able to park us all together, but they will do their best. We have 15 sites reserved and we would love to see us exceed that number. First come, first served as far as getting sites close together. This is a cash or check operation. NO CREDIT OR DEBIT CARDS. We will collect your money at the time of arrival and give it to the owner/operators as one payment. The rally rate is $28/per night. Please send your reservations to Stephanie by Monday, Oct 19th. Please use email (randsborgman@gmail.com) or phone (281-821-8510) since the Borgmans are traveling.

RALLY FEE

Second thing you need to know is the rally fee is $25/per person. This will cover your ticket to the guided tour of the painted churches, your contribution to the tip for the volunteer guide, supplies, and a bit for the chapter treasury to help with our annual contribution to CARE.  After making your reservation with Stephanie by Oct 19th, please provide the Rally fee of $25 per person to our Treasurer, Bruce Horton.  The Rally fee can be provided in person to Bruce or mailed to Chapter 10, 100 Rainbow Drive, Livingston, TX. 77351. Please provide the Rally fee by Wednesday, Oct 21.  Checks should be made payable to SKP Chapter 10.

Agenda

Third thing you want to know is what we are doing.

Thursday, arrive and park. Potluck supper at 5:00 pm. Chapter will provide hot dogs and buns, condiments, etc. Business meeting will follow. At 7:00 pm we'll play card bingo and there will be a 500 piece jigsaw puzzle to work on as well as visiting with everyone we haven't seen for awhile.

Friday, Breakfast on your own. Meet at 9:00 am to carpool/convoy to Schulenburg Visitors Center to pick up our guide for the 10:00 am tour. Mid-tour we will stop for lunch at Oak Ridge Smokehouse. You may choose from the buffet or the menu and will be responsible for paying for your own meal. We expect the tour to be completed by 2:00 pm. We'll have a list of places to visit in Schulenburg if you want to do some more sightseeing before returning to Columbus RV.  Plan on dinner on your own.

Saturday is Halloween. If the men are willing we will start out the day with them cooking breakfast for the group at 9:00 am. We were trying to schedule a river tour for Saturday morning, but the river is not cooperating, way too low. Working on a wine tasting instead. Lunch on your own at this point. There are lots of places to visit in the Columbus/LaGrange area. Antique shops, golf courses, museums, galleries, wineries, bakeries will all be glad to see us. At 5:00 pm the coals will be ready for our bring-your-own-meat BBQ. The Borgmans will supply baked potatoes, white or sweet, and toppings. Please bring a side dish or dessert. After we clean up the games, card or board, and visiting will begin. The park will be decorated and anyone who wants to dress up in costume will have their picture taken for our memory book.

Sunday breakfast is on your own. There has been some discussion about attending a local church as a group. Let us know if you are interested. At 1:00 pm let's sit down together for chicken dinner/lunch provided by Rainbow Chapter. Take a nap, walk, read, or do whatever you like in the afternoon. Around 5:30 pm let's put out all the leftovers from the last couple of days so there isn't so much to take home. When we've eaten our fill we'll build a campfire and share stories. Music would be nice if anyone cares to bring an instrument.

Monday morning there'll be pastries and beverages before Escapee hugs and hook-ups. 

Motels/Hotels

There is not a motel at the RV park.  According to Google there is an America's Best Value, LaQuinta, and Comfort Inn between the park and the freeway.  Less than a half mile Stephanie believes.  On the northwest side of the fwy intersection there is a Holiday Inn Express.  Tammy at the park highly recommend the LaQuinta.

Agenda Recap

Monday (19 Oct)

Last day to get reservation request to Stephanie

Wednesday (21 Oct)

Last day to get Rally fee to Bruce Horton.

Thursday (29 Oct)

Arrive and Park

5 pm. Potluck Dinner (hotdogs and fixings provided) followed by Business Meeting

7 pm. Card BINGO, puzzle making,  and visiting

Friday (30 Oct) Painted Churches Tour
Breakfast on you own
9 am  meet for carpool/convoy to Schulenburg Visitors Center
10 am. Start tour
Mid tour lunch at Oak Ridge Smokehouse then continue tour
2 pm Tour complete
Sightseeing in Schulenberg on you own.
Dinner on your own.
Saturday (31 Oct)  Halloween
9 am Breakfast cooked by the men (if they are willing)
Boat trip and/or Wine tasting possible
Lunch on your own
Afternoon - Shopping/site seeing or free time
5 pm. Bring-your-own-meat BBQ. Bring a side dish or dessert.
After cleaned up from dinner,  games/visiting.   Costumes (optional).
Sunday (1 Nov)
Breakfast on your own
Morning - group visit to a local church (?)
1 pm  Group Lunch
Afternoon free time
5:30 Leftovers then Campfire
Monday (2 Nov)
Hookup breakfast - pastries and beverages.

This blog post will be linked to on our Facebook page and linked to via a Park Email message.

If you find any errors or have any questions email me or comment on this blog post. 
David Horton
Chapter 10 Communications
dhorton2@aol.com