Introducing the new addition to our fur-baby family, Miss Cricket!

Cricket is a four-month old, short-haired Tortoiseshell kitty we adopted from a local sanctuary when she was ten weeks of age. As is the nature of “Torties” as they are known, she is fearless!

She has some very cute habits, which fortunately for us, are not wreaking havoc in the furry environment! Her favourite tricks are to tap Miss Poppy-dog on the nose or her tail! This, she does repeatedly driving poor Poppy nuts. Poppy is being super tolerant of the young whippersnapper and is now barking to get our attention if any of the other kitties try to beat her up!

Her other trick is that she has taken a real liking to grumpy, bad-boy, kitty Archer. She loves to jump on his back, chase his tail and him, and even run under his body to try to get him to chase her. We were quite concerned about how bad-boy Archer would behave as he is so grumpy, but he now has a renewed lease of life playing with her, sharing his food with her, and only landing the occasional punch when he thinks she needs to be brought into line.

As Cricket is very young, and so quick when you open a door, we are locking her in a kitty carrier when we stop for fuel to prevent her from venturing outside! Other than that, she has taken to motor home life like a duck to water.

Live from Sweetwater, Texas about 300 miles from home on our first stop of a five-week road trip. It’s great to be back blogging and to have you along for a fun-filled adventure!

As you drive through Sweetwater, the fields are full of a new kind of crop – wind turbines – mile after mile after mile of them. Across Texas, where the wind always blows, farmers and ranchers are finally able to cash-in on the benefit of a breeze that never ceases.

With over 12,000 wind turbines sited in the state of Texas, it ranks number one in the US for the amount of renewable energy it produces. Soaring over 260 feet into the air (around 80 meters), a tubular steel tower supports a hub with three blades, each measuring over 100 feet in length (@ 30 meters) made from unsaturated polyester or fiber-reinforced epoxy, and a nacelle which houses the shaft, gearbox, generator and controls.

As the wind blows, the blades capture the kinetic energy and rotate, turning it into mechanical energy. This rotation turns an internal shaft connected to a gearbox which increases the speed of rotation by a factor of 100. That spins a generator and, hey presto, electrical power is produced.

In areas where cattle are raised, the animals use the shadow created by the turbine blades to stay cool in the heat of the day – as the shadow moves, so do the cattle!

Hi All,

Sorry for the delay in hitting the road on our latest adventure, but we completely forgot that it is graduation season and were unable to find any available RV parks for our first few nights in Texas!

Instead, we have delayed our departure until Saturday, May 19 – Royal Wedding Day and F.A. Cup Final – and I will be back in full blogging mode on the 20th!

Thanks for your patience and I look forward to having you along for a spectacular trip. Did I mention that we will be visiting Carhenge!!!!!!!! For all the Brits, yes, those pesky Yanks have mimicked Stonehenge but using cars. HA, HA, and yes, it’s true. I can’t wait to share those photos with you!

See you Sunday!

The Blogging Brit