May 19, 2006 - Lake Texoma COE, OK
That COE stands for Corps of Engineers, and we're close to the thriving metropolis of Cartwright, OK, population probably 500.
See, the story goes like this. When we pulled into Nacogdoches, TX, to get our coach worked on, we took off on Monday while the coach was in the shop and drove to Livingston where the Escapees RV Club has their headquarters and our mail. And lo and behold, in that mail was a request from the Comptroller of Public Accounts asking us to send her a check for $13,352.42 plus interest of $2.42 per day since 4/11/06.
Seems there's a little known law there in TX that we inadvertently violated. In short, the law says that if you buy a vehicle in TX and register it someplace else (we registered ours in Alaska of course), you can never bring that vehicle back into TX without paying the state the difference in taxes between whatever your home state is and the Texas 6.25%. Never ever. For any reason. Well, shucky darn. They claimed to have evidence we'd come back into the state for warrantee work. You think? Sheese! No time limits at all! Even grouchy old CA has a time limit for a similar law of one year now (used to be 90 days). And FL has a time limit of six months. So, we acted on the only recourse we had, and that was to request a re-determination hearing. And we're hanging out waiting for a response to that request. If honored, the hearing will be in Austin, TX, and we don't want to have to turn around on our way to someplace fun, and go all the way back to Austin, not with the price of fuel where it is. But we're not hanging around in TX, either, you can bet.
We're pretty sure we got caught on an "unintended consequence" of a law intended to nab Texans who were trying to get out of paying the sales tax. Much like the CA, OR, and WA shindig that happened a few years back where a RV dealer was selling RV's in OR, which has no sales tax, to residents of CA and WA that did. It was fraud in the pure sense of the word, and some salesmen are still in jail I understand. We know of one Bellevue, WA, individual who ended up paying $300,000 in fines (maybe the $ figure isn't quite right, but it was a lot of money) for his part in it.
As a result of all of this, we're doing some volunteer work again. Well, "we" aren't, Barb is. And I'm being a good boy. She works four hours a day, four days a week helping the Corps out in the office answering phones, tending the visitor window where the public comes for information, etc. Even has her own desk and phone number. How much better can it be, eh? I'm, of course, working hard at, uh, lessee, what was it I was supposed to get done before she gets home? Oh, yeah, now I remember. Wax and polish the coach, re-polish the wheels, do the maintenance on both bicycles, adjust the rest of the basement doors, put a screw in the bottom hinge of the door under the sink...... and lemme see, I've got a list around here someplace..... in her handwriting, of course. AHA! Dinners. That's it. I'm supposed to be doing the cooking now. And in between all that hard work, there's this lake right outside there that is brimming with huge striped bass, 90 pound catfish, all kinds of white bass that I've never even seen before, to say nothing of the hybrid bass they've developed for this lake. So, as you can see, we're hard at it, hanging out parking for free in a beautiful setting. Yeah, yeah, we've only got 30A power and there's no sewer hookup, but neither are there any no-see-ums! (boy, do we remember those nasty guys). Is this a great lifestyle or what?
Now, this is our current location. That's the Road Abode on the left and the Jeep on the right, and the lake straight ahead. With a boat that hasn't moved since we got here on Wed. (today's Friday) Looks like the Corps has some kind of fancy john boat they survey fish with. What kind of survey do you suppose is that? Can't really ask the fish where they're going or where they've been, and they're not going to tell you what they like to eat. And with that light setup on the bow, this must be some serious survey, eh? Nice looking engine, I'll tell you that!
Our back yard with more lake out there on the other side of those trees and camping sites among the trees. And speaking of trees, we're parked under one of the biggest cottonwood trees in the park as you can see. Does it make us nervous? Naw, not until one of the staff pointed out the lightning scar to Barb it wasn't. Now she swears she'll wake up during any thunderstorm we have and move us out to the middle of the parking lot away from this shade provider. Of course, my biggest concern was shooting the bird (that's techie talk for finding the satellite) but it turned out to be a perfect spot after all.
The Road Abode is in nearly all these shots, just so we can brag about our site. That 5th wheel there next to us belongs to some people that have a home about 25 miles from here, but she wanted to get away for a week or so to celebrate her recent retirement. Only the husband still has to work, so at 4:50AM he starts his diesel pickup, lets it warm up for five minutes or so, and then off to work he goes. I wake up when he starts his engine, grin, and go back to sleep, realizing it's only the second time I've been awake all night. It's sooo quiet, I can even here their air-conditioner cycling if I listen real hard. The birds usually wake us up n the morning.
We face the boat ramp, sort of, and since the gates open at 6 AM, by the time I stagger out at 6:30 or so, there's usually a couple of empty boat trailers in the lot.
See that clump of junk against the dock? Ranger Mark says it's the work of a beaver, and he wants it cleaned out of there. I may have to do some real work with one of the staff yet. Darn. I poked at it with a stick, and I'm not sure it's beaver. At least not like the beavers I'm familiar with. It wasn't solid at all, and most the beaver homes I've poked at have been solid enough to drive a truck over without doing major damage. Then looking east from the dock.
And to the bank across from the dock, is just what one of the customers of the bait shop where I bought a license said would happen. See that little white looking thing right in the center of the photo? Well, that's a shad. Otherwise known as striped bass food. Stripers, as they're called (because they have stripes on their sides, that's why), are pack hunters. They'll work together running the shad up into shallow water where they either become striper food or grow wings. And that one in the air is trying hard to grow some wings. Sure put a grin on my face! And then looking west from the dock.
I'm not sorry I have this computer instead of that Porta-Boat, but............. there are times when I sure wish we still had that little boat.
Can't you just see this beautiful setting in some RV magazine advertising some RV of some kind? That's barefoot grass you're looking at there folks. Well, that is unless you take into account there's fire ants living in it here and there . . . and everywhere. That dog is on a leash, albeit longer than the 10' limit, but I'm not going to complain. I'm going to go meet its owner and see if I can get invited to go fishing on that nice boat. Which boat? You think I care??? Whooeee, but this is fun. And now that all the pictures we have are posted, what do you think I'm going to be doing? Yup, I'm gonna go put the bird feeders up for the bride.