We are into day 4 of our travels.  The rain has altered our original itinerary making state parks to muddy.  The first day instead of stopping at Brazos Bend State Park outside of Houston we drove through to Kinder, Louisiana to the Coushatta casino as they have a very nice RV and dog park.  There was a free shuttle to the casino so Lonnie had fun playing craps and I enjoyed the buffets (no cooking required).  Our next stop was to see my brother John and his daughter Leslie in Baton Rouge, LA.  One year ago there was a massive flood in Baton Rouge and his home had received six feet of water and had to be totally gutted and redone.  His home has been beautifully restored thanks to the tireless effort of Leslie. John is grateful that from tragedy has come good.  We had a wonderful visit and delicious fresh seafood dinners that can only be found in Louisiana.  Thanks for the hospitality John and Leslie.

Off towards Arkansas but first a stop in Marksville to check out the Paragon Casino and RV park  — still raining – we had planned to go on to Piney point near Texarkana but heavy rain is forecast over a wide area between here and there so we will stay here today with hopes the weather clears and we can resume on travels.  Good news is we have some winnings in our pockets, good restaurants, something to do while it is raining and no muddy campsite.  So all is good.