St. Matthew
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Dedicated to helping you untangle the World Wide Web

Welcome to a new edition of "Your Web Connection". Terry and I are glad you stopped by. We know it will be worth your while to stay with us for a bit. We've got a lot of information to share and a little bit of humor to bring a smile to your face. Before we get into today's column, let's go over a little family news.

For those of you who have inquired, my mom was well on her way to recovery when she fell and broke her other hip. Hopefully she will be able to leave the rehab hospital in Arlington around the first part of June. As I write this, it's only been 2 months since she broke her first hip. Going back and forth to the hospital everyday makes the ordeal seem much longer. I just knew that it was going on for over three months instead of just two.

Over Memorial Day weekend, we had a kind of mini family reunion. It was wonderful getting to see two of my nephews, Jason, who came up from Texas A&M, and Jon, who flew in from Washington D.C. He brought his friend T.C. and we had a great visit this past weekend. I've also been seeing a lot of my niece Jennifer who is pregnant with her first child and is due around the middle of October. Another one of my nieces, Amy, flew in from Colorado for a visit with mom about a month ago. Mom has been having a lot of visitors so she hasn't had time to get lonely. We're not sure what the future holds right now. We're just taking it day by day.

On the work scene, all is pretty well normal with Terry and myself. I'm starting to do a little traveling out to our San Diego office every once in a while as well as getting ready for a trip to Atlanta, Georgia. Between work and going to the hospital each evening, our days are full. We are just glad that mom is making progress. Mom wants to be able to get up and walk instantly and you just don't do that at 84 years old after you've broken both hips.

Enough news from the home front, let's get on with today's issue of "Your Web Connection." Today we've got Part Two of our series on RVs (recreational vehicles). We'll be giving you some additional Internet resources, talking about our recent outing to Daingerfield, featuring an interview with one of the Texas Parks & Wildlife Department's park managers, a listing of the top 50 state parks in Texas and announcing a new feature for our site, "Chuck & Terry's Camping Journal." We'll end the issue with a bit of humor to bring some smiles to our reader's faces. We've got a lot of ground to cover so lets get started.

I want to thank everyone who wrote last month with their camping and RV feedback. We have some good friends who are getting ready to buy a trailer or a popup tent camper and they let us know that we had given them a lot of insight into the world of RVs, questions to ask before buying, as well as bringing up some things they hadn't even thought of. We also had another reader write why he prefers full sized RVs to tent trailers. Overall if you are going to do a lot of camping or live full time, you really must have a full-sized RV just for the sake of convenience.

Additional RV Internet Resources

Here are a few more RV resources that I dug up while doing research for the last two columns. We hope you find them as helpful as we have.

Our Lists

When you get a new RV there are certain items that are a "must" that need to be packed for each trip. Each and every trip, you'll discover stuff you need. These lists are a good start to get your brain thinking about what you need in your RV. There are lists of items that stay in the RV as well as items to pack right before you leave. These are great guides to help you not forget something that you may need on the trip. Point your browser to:

http://members.aol.com/jcoomer933/lists.html

Trailer Life

Trailer Life magazine is considered to be one of the "bibles" when it comes to the RV lifestyle. Their Internet site is full of links to other useful RV sites. Some of the informative sections include, product and tow vehicle reviews, tech tips, a section devoted to full-time RVers, and news briefs, as well as a section on interesting destinations. To check out this feature packed site, go to:

http://www.trailerlife.com

The National Park Service

This is one of our major goals, to camp in one of our nation's national parks. A good starting place to learn about our national park system is The National Park Service's Park Net. This is the place where you can learn all about our national park system and it's parks. You'll find links to education and interpretation sites as well as links to make reservations for camping in the national park system. If you'd like to learn more about the United State's National Park system, point your browser to:

http://www.nps.gov

 

Our Daingerfield State Park Trip - May 17 - 21, 2001

Daingerfield State Park

Terry and I love to camp and we want to start visiting many of the other Texas State parks. In fact, one of my goals is to visit each of the parks in the state of Texas. It may take us a while, since there are over 140 or them, but we've got a long time to accomplish the task. But, to tell you the truth, it's hard to get Daingerfield out of your mind once you've stayed there. Terry and I call it our "little bit of heaven." Many have called it one of the "best kept secrets" in the state of Texas. We tend to agree.

 

One of Daingerfield's Cabins

I had a wonderful visual tour planned for our readers showing off the Daingerfield's cabins. During our last visit, Kim, the park's manager, told us that the cabins were getting ready to go through a complete renovation. We all had thought that the cabins were built in the 1950's but Kim had found out that the cabins and the park were built in the 1930's at the same time by the CCC (Civilian Conservation Corps). Let's talk a little about the CCC.

Civilian Conservation Corps

"I propose  to create a Civilian Conservation Corps to be used in  simple work ... more important, however, than the material gains will be the moral and spiritual value of such work." - Franklin D. Roosevelt, March 9, 1933

By March of 1933, 13,600,000 people were unemployed. The CCC was designed to put some of the people back to work and reestablish their pride as men. In an emergency session of congress held in March of 1933, the newly elected president summoned Congress to enlist 250,000 men in an effort to "preserve the natural resources of these United States." From the initial crop of 250,000 men, the CCC grew to nearly 500,000 by 1936. Soon after the numbers were reduced to 300,000 to help balance the budget in the election year. From 1939 to 1942, the Corps continued to operate until World War II forced an end to the program.

The corpsmen had several nicknames, but the most common one was "Roosevelt's Tree Army." This name stuck because  the recruits were young men who enrolled for a term of service and lived in camps, much like soldiers in the army. Each camp had a commanding officer, normally a lieutenant or colonel in the army, a mess hall, laundry and toolhouse. In general, the camps had a recreation hall and canteen, where the men could buy candy and tobacco. Modular barracks made it easy to add to a camp or tear it down and move it. Each of the corpsmen was paid $30.00 a month. $25.00 was automatically sent to his family and he got to keep the rest.

The enrollment period was for six months, with the opportunity to reenlist for another six months, for a maximum of two years. Room, clothing and tools were provided by the government. The enrollee was expected to work a 40-hour week and abide by camp rules. While serving at the camp, each individual was taught a skill and could also attend classes to better his education. 

Many of the facilities in state and national parks in the nation today are still being used because of the work that "Roosevelt's Tree Army" was able to do. They took pride in their work. Every time I step on to the concrete platform that the picnic tables are mounted to, I think of the work that these men did. It's amazing, most of these pads have no cracks at all after over 60 years! The cabins at Daingerfield State Park as well as many of the other state parks were built by the CCC and are still in service today.

In the park office of Daingerfield, Kim has pictures of the CCC work and the "corpsmen" that built this special place in Texas. It's so interesting to looks at the pictures and be grateful for the hard work that they did in forging the trails and the parks that we all enjoy now. One of Kim's employees was telling us that there was an article in the local paper recently about one of the corpsmen who still lived in the area. It must really give him a sense of satisfaction to see his work still standing and being used today. Even if it was just a picnic table pad that was being poured, pride was taken in their work.

Back To Daingerfield State Park

Daingerfield is not one of the largest parks in the Texas state park system. The park is a little over 550 acres with a beautiful 80-surface-acre lake. It officially opened to the public in 1938. Terry and I found that the lake is great for swimming, but watch out for the cold pockets. They can be "chilling to the bone." There is also fishing, boat rentals and, of course, picnicking.

Some of the facilities include:

• Restrooms with and without showers
• Group and day use picnic areas
• Campsites with water and electricity (our favorite)
• Campsite with full hookups (water, electricity, and sewer)
• Campsites with water only
• Bass Lodge (group lodge that sleeps 20)
• Two cabins that sleep 4
• One cabin that sleeps 6
• Fishing and swimming docks
• Camp store and boat rentals (seasonal)

Even when the park is fully booked it's pretty quiet. The town of Daingerfield has a Brookshires Grocery store just in case you forgot something. There is also a wonderful store in town that Terry and I recommend you visit. Kim, the park's manager, sent us there when we needed an air mattress on a previous visit. The store's name is Baileys and they have a little bit of everything, and we mean that! From deer corn, to women's dresses or sweaters, to camping supplies, guns, and paint, Baileys has it. It was too bad that they didn't have our mattress the time we visited. We did make the short 20 mile drive to Mount Pleasant and visited the local WalMart where we found what we needed.

Also of interest in the area is the town of Jefferson. Jefferson is a short 30 mile drive through the beautiful east Texas piney woods. If you want to stay at a bed and breakfast, Jefferson's the town for you. They have a very quaint downtown area lined with all sorts of unique shops. We recommend that you take a carriage ride through town listening to the driver tell you all about Jefferson's history.

Kim Ochs' Interview - Daingerfield's Park Manager

Terry and I have gotten to know Kim Ochs, Daingerfield's Park Manager, quite well. For this issue of "Your Web Connection" I wanted to find a little more about him and his work for the Texas Department of Parks and Wildlife. Before we left for home this time, Terry and I spent a little time with him at the front gate of the park. Kim, and the way he manages the park, is the main reason that Terry and I make the 3-hour drive from Fort Worth to the park. All this time we were under the impression that Kim was a Park Ranger. We soon found out that he is a Park Manager. In the Texas Department of Parks and Wildlife, there are four degrees of Park Rangers; I, II, III, and IV. After an individual is promoted to Ranger IV his/her next step is to be promoted to Park Manager and eventually put in charge of a facility. Kim's new assistant, Shannon Purdon, is now a Ranger IV and his next step will be a promotion to Park Manager. Shannon, Kim says, will have his own park someday.

Kim, we found out, grew up in Taylor, Texas which is near Austin. He graduated from Texas A&M with a degree in Park Management. Kim grew up enjoying and appreciating the great outdoors and always had a great respect for the environment. He told us that as long as he remembers, he always wanted to work for the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department. Another one of the main pluses for Kim is that he enjoys working with people. This is a must if you are going into this profession.

On Monday, May 21, 2001, when we interviewed him, he had just gotten back from his annual deep-sea fishing trip to the Texas coast. Each year he gets together with his college buddies to renew friendships, fish and just have a good time. Below is the rest of our enlightening conversation with Mr. Kim Ochs, Daingerfield's Park Manager.

• How many years have you been with the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department ?
  24 years

• How long have you been at Daingerfield and what other parks have you been assigned to?
  He has been at Daingerfield State Park for the past 15 years. Previously he had been assigned to Corpus Christi, Lake Livingston, Lake Brownwood and Goose Island.

• Does the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department move rangers around like churches do with preachers?
  No, but the rangers/managers can choose to be transferred if there is an opening at a park that they are interested in.

• If someone is aspiring to go into park management, what type of education and qualifications should they pursue?
  Kim explained that a degree in a parks and wildlife subject is required. There are 10 such degrees that qualify, for example, botany, forestry, or biology. In Texas, there are three colleges that meet the qualifications of the Parks and Wildlife Department. They are Stephen F. Austin, Texas Tech and Texas A&M. Kim also mentioned that business management classes are very desirable since you will be dealing with people and a lot of day to day administrative duties.

• Terry and I know that you probably don't have a "normal" day, but what is a typical day like?
  Kim explained that there are two main aspects of his job; administrative and maintenance. Administrative duties consist of the day to day paper work, reservations and items that need to be overseen at the front gate; and maintenance duties are constant and ongoing in a state park facility. There is always something that needs to be done.

• What is a regular schedule for you?
  Due to the nature of the flow of guests through the park, Kim takes off Wednesday and Thursday and works a Friday through Tuesday schedule. The weekends, when the park is the most crowded, is his busiest time. He told us he normally gets through around 6:00 in the evenings. On Fridays when all of the guests are checking in, he is sometimes at the front gate until 9:00. Kim added that it helps to have good assistants such as Ranger IV, Shannon Purdon. Shannon recently transferred to Daingerfield from Caddo Lake State Park. Shannon calls Kim an "exemplary park manager" and that is why he wanted to train under Kim. Kim, too, was extremely complimentary of Shannon. He said that he will be a full-fledged park manager in charge of his own facility.

• What are the main advantages of being a Park Manager? Disadvantages?
  The main advantage that Kim sees as being a Park Manager is the interaction that he gets to have with the guests. Kim genuinely enjoys people. He said that his greatest enjoyment is seeing his guests interact with the park and it's facilities that Kim and his staff provides. He loves seeing the families spending time together and enjoying the park and the great outdoors. The main disadvantage, and its a small one, is that as Park Manager, you are required to live on site, and that means that you are always on call.

• Terry and I were recently reading in an article that the majority of your guests come from the Dallas-Fort Worth area. What other areas do you pull from?
  Kim explained that he doesn't get many out of state visitors. He does get a few "snowbirds" on their way down to the valley every once in a while, but not many. 70-80% of our overnight visitors do come from the DFW area. Our "day use" mix is totally different. It is comprised mainly from our local areas such as: Longview, Gilmer, Daingerfield, Hughes Springs as well as Jefferson.

• What do you do for your off time and vacations? Do you watch TV or read?
  Kim really doesn't watch a lot of television. He does a lot of volunteer work with the local baseball association. He also works with his local church and schools groups. In the past, he has served as a Den Leader with the Boy Scouts of America.

• What's it like raising a family in a state park? It seems to us that your children are somewhat isolated from all of their friends?
  Considering that there are some evening that my kids don't get home until 8:00 or 9:00 in the evening, they are far from isolated. They are involved in all sorts of school, church and 4H activities. They are never far from their friends and always busy.

• OK, finally, what's the story of the deer at your home that thinks he's a dog. Terry and I passed by your home a couple of times and the deer was just lying there on the lawn along with the dog nearby.

"Mr. Molly"

Bringing this up brought a smile to Kim's face. He proceed to tell us the story of how he acquired "Mr. Molly." A friend of his had found the deer abandoned over a year ago. Something apparently had happened to it's mommy. When he got the deer, it was only several weeks old. Kim started bottle-feeding it, not know whether it would live or not. It's now a year later and "Mr. Molly" is doing great. Terry and I asked Kim about the name. Another smile. He said that when he first got the deer his kids assumed that it was a doe, so they named it "Miss Molly." Recently "Miss Molly" has started sprouting "bumps" on the top of her head. They have now found out that "Miss Molly" is not a doe, but a buck. So Kim's children now call the deer "Mr. Molly." The deer loves grapes, carrots and deer corn mix. In fact, one of Kim's dogs has gotten do jealous of the attention that Kim pays the deer, the dog has resorted to eating the deer's food. Most every morning the deer is at Kim's back door wanting his bottle. He loves milk. And we didn't get to see this but Kim's morning walks have caused quiet a stir in the park. When he goes for his morning walk, its the dog first, then Kim, and then the deer brings up the rear. Shannon went on to add that the "Mr. Molly" even knows his name. He was recently out in the park and saw a group of 5 or 6 deer. He thought one of them was "Mr. Molly" so he called out his name and gave a whistle, and sure enough, "Mr. Molly" came right over to him much to the terror of the other deer. They couldn't figure out what was going on. Kim went on to tell us that he was "as proud as a father could be" recently when "Mr. Molly" brought a doe home with him. The doe wouldn't come up to the house but stayed back a bit in the distance.

Terry and I hoped we have piqued your interest about Daingerfield State Park. But let's make a pact. Let's keep it our little secret. Just tell a few of your close friends. We want to keep Daingerfield just like the boys of the Civilian Conservations Corps left it when they broke camp in 1938 and opened it to the public.

The Top 50 Texas State Parks

While surfing around the Internet looking for material and background for "Your Web Connection," I ran across this interesting site out of Austin, Texas. The park reviews were done by Mike Leggett from the Austin American Statesman. I found the list very interesting and would like to share it with you. Here's the list with links back to Mr. Leggett's reviews. Just click on the park that you're interested in to see what Mr. Leggett has to say about the facilities.

1. Balmorhea State Park - Balmorhea
2. Bastrop State Park - Bastrop
3. Bentsen-Rio Grande Valley State Park - Mission
4. Big Bend Ranch State Natural Area - Lajitas
5. Blanco State Park - Blanco
6. Bonham State Park - Bonham
7. Brazos Bend State Park - Damon
8. Caddo Lake State Park - Karnack
9. Caprock Canyons State Park - Quitaque
10. Cedar Hill State Park - Cedar Hill
11. Choke Canyon State Park - Three Rivers
12. Cleburne State Park - Cleburne
13. Colorado Bend State Park - Bend
14. Cooper Breaks State Park - Crowell
15. Daingerfield State Park - Daingerfield
16. Davis Mountain State Park - Fort Davis
17. Dinosaur Valley State Park - Glen Rose
18. Enchanted Rock State Natural Area - Fredricksburg
19. Fairfield Lake State Park - Fairfield
20. Fort Griffin State Historical Park - Albany
21. Fort Parker State Park - Mexia
22. Garner State Park - Cocan
23. Goose Island State Park - Fulton
24. Hueco Tanks State Historical Park - El Paso
25. Huntsville State Park - Huntsville
26. Inks Lake State Park - Burnet
27. Kickapoo Cavern State Park - Brackettville
28. Lake Bob Sandlin State Park - Pittsburg
29. Lake Brownwood State Park - Brownwood
30. Lake Mineral Wells State Park - Mineral Wells
31. Lake Somerville State Park - Somerville
32. Lake Whitney State Park - Whitney
33. Lockhart State Park - Lockhart
34. Lost Maples State Natural Area - Vanderpool
35. Matagorda Island State Park - Port O'Connor
36. McKinney Falls State Park - Austin
37. Meridian State Park - Meridian
38. Palmetto State Park - Luling
39. Palo Duro Canyon State Park - Canyon
40. Pedernales Falls State Park - Johnson City
41. Possum Kingdom State Park - Caddo
42. Purtis Creek State Park - Eustace
43. Ray Roberts Lake State Park - Pilot Point
44. Sea Rim State Park - Sabine Pass
45. Seminole Canyon State Historical Park - Comstock
46. South Llano River State Park - Junction
47. Big Bend National Park - Study Butte
48. Guadalupe Mountains National Park - Salt Flat
49. Padre Island National Seashore - Corpus Christi
50. Rio Grande float trips

Chuck & Terry's Camper Journal

Now for the new feature that I told you about at the first of the column. If you've noticed in the far left hand corner, we've added a new link. It's called "Our Camper Journal." For those of you that are interested, this is where the journal of our camping trips will be updated. You can read about our trips and see how the trips have gone and where we've been. We'll try to keep it full of interesting facts as well as tips and tricks of the road that we learn along the way. Check in often. We'll let everyone know when the journal has been updated.

Several of our readers have written asking to see more pictures of our camper. Over on the left hand side Terry and I will be providing a little tour of our Coleman popup home. Look to the left for the link:

Tour Our Camper

It's now time for a little humor. Believe me, Terry and I really need it after the past couple of months. There hasn't been much laughter and smiles in our lovely home. I am doing my best to rectify that situation.

Net Humor and Life's Ponderances

This is the section where we get to kick back and smile and chuckle a bit. Terry and I always have a good time putting this part of the column together. Its time to see if we can bring some smiles to our readers faces. Since we're talking about RVs and camping, we'll be featuring some camping humor.

But first here's some more little facts that I picked up from the hospital's newsletter where my mom is. Hopefully this will be the last month that I get the newsletter.

Just A Few Facts

• The "Mayflower" was a tiny ship. The vessel was not much larger than a modern tennis court, but it held 102 people.
• In Indiana it is illegal to ride public transportation for at least 30 minutes after eating garlic.
• Only 1 person in 2 billion will live to be 116 or older.
• The baby on the Gerber baby food label was a little girl named Ann Turner. Artist Dorothy Hope Smith drew the picture in 1928.
• Elvis Presley made only one television commercial - an ad for "Southern Maid Doughnuts" that ran in 1954.
• It is commonly known that the Giraffe is the tallest animal in the world, sometimes reaching a height in excess of 18 feet. Along with it's lengthy neck, the giraffe has a very long tongue -- more than a foot and a half long.
• On  average, in natural conversation, people use filler words, such as "um", "well", or "you know", every seven or eight words.
• At an estimated population of 40 million, there are more than twice as many kangaroos as people in Australia.

Florida Recount

Q: How many RVer's from Florida does it take to change a lightblub?
A: I don't know, they're still counting.

Talking Dog

A RVer tried to sell another RVer at a rest area along the Interstate his dog. "This is a talking dog," he said, "and you can have him for five dollars."

The other RVer said, "Who do you think you're kidding with this talking dog stuff? There's no such animal."

Suddenly, the dog looked up with tears in his eyes. "Please buy me, Sir," he pleaded. "This man is cruel. He never buys me a meal, never bathes me, never takes me for a walk. And I used to be the richest trick dog in America. I performed before kings. I was in the army and was decorated ten times."

"Hey!" said the RVer, "He can talk. Why do you want to sell him for just five dollars?"

"Because," said the seller, "I'm, getting tired of all his lies."

Class A Motor Home Wreck

I was in a car dealership a while ago, when a large motor home was towed into a garage. The front of the vehicle was in dire need of repair and the whole thing generally looked like an extra from the movie "Twister." I asked the manager what had happened. He told me that the new owner/driver had set the "cruise control" and then went back to make a sandwich.

100 Years Ago . . .

To close, here's one of those lists of interesting past facts from one of Terry's CPA journals. It's amazing how times have changed in just 100 years!

• The average life expectancy in the United States was forty-seven.
• The average wage in the U.S. was twenty-two cents an hour. The average U.S. worker made between $200 and $400 per year.
• A competent accountant could expect to earn $2,000 per year, a dentist $2,500 per year, a veterinarian between $1,500 and $4,000 per year, and a mechanical engineer about $5,000 per year.
• More than 95% of all births in the U.S. took place at home.
• Only 6% of all Americans had graduated from high school.
• Only 14% of the homes in the U.S. had a bathtub.
• The tallest structure in the world was the Eiffel Tower,
• Only 8% of the homes had a telephone. A three minute call from Denver to New York City cost eleven dollars.
• 18% of the households in the U.S. had at least one full-time servant or domestic.
• There were about 230 reported murders in the U.S. annually.

We hope you enjoyed today's issue of "Your Web Connection." If there is a topic or site you'd like to see covered in the future, let us know and we'll take a look at it. If you'd like to be added to our column notification list, drop us an email and we'll add your address. Our subscriber email addresses are private and we use an excellent software for our mailing list notification. We'll see you the first Monday of July with a review of some very fascinating books that were sent to me. I believe you'll find them interesting. In August, we'll be bring you a review of the Internet's answer to the popular PBS's (Public Broadcasting System) Antique Roadshow. Until then, please don't hesitate to drop us a line. If you'd like to be added to our mailing list, just let us know and we'll be glad to add your email address. We use a private mailing list program and we never share our list of subscribers with anyone.

Authored by Chuck and Terry Mencke

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