Life in the Texas Panhandle

Heading home…

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Just mainly pictures to share. Our United States has such diverse and awesome views.

Yes, that is snow on those mountains. Yikes. Let me tell you about the Salt Lake City area. Ross did not want to hit the traffic in Denver going home so he wanted to go through Salt Lake City. You do NOT want to travel through there at 5 p.m. We were in traffic for two hours just getting through Provo, Salt Lake City, and Ogden. Sheesh. I think Denver would have been better.

I really enjoyed all the “cowboy” country. Breathtaking. In New Mexico we saw some hot air balloons. Probably getting ready for the festival.

From here it was home! A month gone from home and we have been busy since we got home. But I am ready to take the travel trailer somewhere. Maybe January and head somewhere warm. Hmmmmm.

Thanks for visiting!

Let’s see–where was I?

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Thanks for visiting after my short hiatus! Yikes. Almost forgot to finish the trip.

Oh, yes, heading toward Penticton, BC, Canada. We have friends that live in Penticton so decided to go visit them before going home. It was about a four hour drive except for the time we were lost in Vancouver. Well, not lost, but turned upside down and backward. Just for your information, Canadians road signs are really bad and Vancouver was the worst. That is one town I never want to drive through again. We had no trouble when we went from Seattle to the airport but more town I do not need.

Also, once in Canada we no longer had a data plan or free calls or free texting. No I did not spring for the foreign plan just for the short time we were there. Every time we had wifi we were ok for texting. Why is it that we have free calls from Mexico but not Canada. Makes no sense.

So we made it to Penticton. And in Penticton before we could get find our way to Ev and Wayne’s house, we had a wreck. Not bad but enough to shake us a little. We had turned around and were heading down the street when a woman backed out of a driveway and into our driver’s door. We were going forward so it did scrape down the side.

Our big truck got knocked out by this little Kia.

It really is not too bad and it was drivable and we were able to get home and it will be fixed soon. So on to fun…

We got the royal tour and a bed for a couple of nights. Beautiful area!Beautiful skies too.We went looking at the orchards. All kinds of fruit. I want one of these tall skinny apple trees!As I said, Penticton is a gorgeous place and I can see why people retire here. It is on two lakes, Lake Okanagan and Lake Skaha. Even went to a Japanese koi pond. Ev We drove up on the bench to where Chris, Ev and Wayne’s son, lived to have a cookout. Yum! And again, beautiful. He lived right next to the orchards.We sat outside for a long time until it just got too cool. Then we moved inside, ate and the music started. Wayne’s sister, Diane and her husband Jack (yes, like in the song Jack and Diane. Can you hum it?) came to visit with us. Music! Jack, Diane and Chris Wayne

It was so much fun but we decided it was time to head for home. We had some concerns about getting home to get the truck taken care of. I had called the insurance (at a dollar a minute!) so the clock was ticking. And the weather was changing. Kathleen let me know that it has snowed at Yellowstone. Yikes!

Anyway, home we headed for. There is always some gorgeous country to see in these United States. One of the reason I love to drive when we travel.

Outside of Grand Coulee and the dam we saw smoke! Yep. They were having a grass fire with lots of little hot spots. We were detoured off the main highway so that we could stay away from emergency vehicles.

Luckily we just motored on through and the firefighters has it all under control. The rest of the trip and just lots of pictures – like these have not been – coming up.

Thanks for visiting again!

Back to Anchorage and around town

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We found it was time to head back to Anchorage from the Valdez area so we would not be late turning in our motorhome. The drive turned out to be really beautiful too.

It was really cloudy and foggy too.Again the colors were awesome.As we went around a bend we saw snow! What?? You guessed it – a glacier! How cool. A very long glacier.I was amazed at how long this one was.And rivers too of course. Really nice drive but the road was one of the more bumpy. The road was from Valdez thru Glennallen and Palmer.

Ted and Marcy were so good. They, well, Marcy, welcomed us back, gave us a car to use and a key to the house. Ted left the car and left town so Marcy had houseguests. We owe them big time for the welcome to us.

We took the motorhome back to the rental place, Great Alaskan Holidays, nearly a day early. Well it was due by noon the next day and we saw no reason to keep it overnight in Anchorage. They told us we put nearly 1,800 miles on it in those eight days we had it. We did see a lot.

So our last few days we were in Anchorage we did go to see a bit of the town including Earthquake Park. Beautiful area.

The view of Anchorage from the park. and a little closer. And with purple toadstools! Really pretty.

The next day we rested. Then Marcy took us out to eat and for another short tour of Anchorage.

On Friday we would fly out of Anchorage for Vancouver to pick up the truck and make the trek towards home. Checked Ross’s guitar at the gate and they took really good care of it. It was sitting waiting for us and the attendant even came to us to let us pick it up. Great service by Air Canada (but I could do w/o their fees for luggage! Thank you, Southwest Airlines.)

More later. Penticton, then the drive home.

OK, here comes Valdez, Alaska

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Valdez was by far I think the prettiest place we visited. Well, not Valdez itself, it is a fishing town, but the road leading to it. I took a bazillion pictures. Slight exaggeration. There are water falls and glaciers and changing colors everywhere. The scenery was just fabulous. Anyone who goes to Alaska needs to see this area. We have decided that if we go back we want to see more of the Kenai area and Valdez. And of course everyone needs to see Denali. I hope I am not repeating some pictures from the previous post! Oh, well, worth a second look.

What else, Bridal Veil Falls. One in every state.

Valdez Color of the water denotes lots of glacier runoff. These are Horsetail Falls.Beautiful colors. But this means winter is coming fast.

OK, more later…

From Denali to Fairbanks and Tok

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Yes, this was a long trip but a trip to Alaska would not be complete without making the circle and going to Valdez (that later).

The colors seemed to get more vibrant. Winter will be there soon. Cool bridges!Ptarmigan or quail?? Hmmm.We found these berries and think the bears were enjoying them.A state park and this girl was enjoying the weather. Looks like fun.

We had a very short stay in Fairbanks. Just did not need to see a lot or do now know what we missed. But we just wanted to get on down the road so we could do a quick view of all of Alasa. Anyway, on the road to Tok and Valdez.

The colors just got more vibrant but it also got much cooler. Still good but BRRRRR.

This was an old roadside inn fixed up. What is that? Snow? Hmmmmm.

Homer-Kenai to Denali

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We had to go back through Anchorage to Denali National Park. And in Alaska there are really not a lot of highways. So you should never really get lost traveling those highways. However, they highway signs in Alaska are not very good. And very very few in between. So yes, we got lost in downtown Anchorage. The “freeway” ends when you get to downtown and you better know where you are going to stay on Highway 1. We ended up down near the railroad. A very nice gentleman pointed the way out to us and we negotiated our way back through very narrow roads in a big RV to the highway. Thank goodness Anchorage is just not a huge town!

OK, back to Denali. We have been able to see the mountain from Anchorage every day as the weather has been clear and wonderful. Everyone keeps telling us we brought the good weather with us. We were certainly glad.

Random airplane picture. As you can see, fall is arriving in Alaska. The colors were gorgeous everywhere!

This was of course a holiday weekend so we were unsure if we could even get a place to stay in the national park. And dumb me forgot our national park pass so we did not get the discount. I was trying to cut down all the stuff in my purse for travel and never thought about this being a national park. I know better than to leave it again!

Anyway, we got a spot for the night! On a Saturday night on Labor Day weekend. How lucky! And we booked a spot on the 8:30 shuttle for the next day. Another stroke of luck as most were full. It is a four hour narrated shuttle. You can get off and on if you want to hike throughout the park. We did not but there where plenty that did. It was far cheaper than the big bus tour and I think we got all the information given on those tours. Our driver, Sandy, was really well versed in the history and views of the park.

Right off the bat when we got to the park there was a crowd watching a mama moose and her babies, two. They were crowding in on them and mama was not happy. The park rangers came and made everyone get at least 25 yards from the moose. We were not that close I can tell you! Don’t want to make mama unhappy.There are many different land formation and rivers in this park. I think they said there are 600,000 acres!!Ranger talk at our camp area. He had a cool sheep horn. Know the difference between a horn and antlers? Horns continue to grow and never fall off. Antlers are shed each year. This is like the shuttle we took.Caribou antlers.Moose antlers.Getting closer..The blue green of these rivers shows that they are from glacier melts. That is the silt. See the grass on the top of cabins. For insulation.Ptarmigans before they change to white for winter.Caribou!And a grizzly way over on a hill.

We saw eight bears and four caribou. No moose on the outing. One hawk, the ptarmigan and lots of ground squirrels or chipmunks.

This is a mama grizzly and her cub on the hill pretty far away. They were foraging when all of a sudden the mama started running fast from the site and zig zagging and finally ran in a circle. We could only surmise that either there was a male somewhere or a be was suddenly after her. Who knows.As we driving along we saw a couple of buses stopped. Suddenly out popped a mama bear and two cubs, crossed in front of our bus, and started foraging for food. Vey close and cute.

Denali again. About a close as we were going to get. So lucky that we had beautiful days for those clear views.These two moose had become locked in a duel and both died when they could not separate. And the plaque said one of the antlers had pierced the other’s eye socket. EWWWW.Here is another caribou we spotted. We thought he or she (both have horns) had a growth but finally saw it was still shedding the felt.

The views were are spectacular and varied. We were so glad in the end we did the four hour shuttle. If you go, don’t miss Denali.

Time to move on. More later…

Travel through Alaska–Anchorage and Homer area

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We landed in Seward EARLY on Aug. 29 and grabbed our shuttle bus to Anchorage. Great ride with a good driver who gave us lots of good information. A beautiful ride…Once we got to Anchorage Ted (cousin) picked us up at our drop off, the airport and took us to a great place for lunch. We sat outside and watched the planes take off and land at the busiest water runway around. Loved it. Ted and Marcy took care of us and let us have a bed for the night and a key to the house when we returned from our wanderings. We certainly hope we can do the same for anyone heading through our part of the world. So nice to have family connections. Thanks you. We will be back.

We left from Great Alaskan Holidays with our 27 foot motor home – a Minnie Winnie – and headed down toward Homer and Kenai. We are finding that Alaska has so many state camping places – everywhere! They even have a very good map with sections telling you where there is camping and what is available there. There are even lots of pull outs all over the state you can just pull in and spend the night. We never did do that but saw lots of opportunities.

I had been fighting sinus, allergy stuff for several days. It finally caught up with me at Homer with an ear infection. We had to go find a doctor. The visitor’s center told us to try their clinic there. After getting in and seeing a doctor (“yes, you have an ear infection caused by the allergies that stopped up the ears.” Really, I could have diagnosed it.) we got a script and had it filled after much stress. Got the meds started and much better. Still fighting fluid in the ears but it’s all the allergies.Beautiful flowers at the overlook.This is a homemade dollhouse in the museum in Homer. It was made from a tree! And just precious.On our way to Kenai we spotted a mama moose and two babies!

On to Denali – next post. Oh, and by the way, the weather has been spectacular!

Cruise Day!

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Up and down to walk to the ship! We were supposed to be there by noon and had no trouble getting there. It is like a cattle herding operation with several stops. Check the ticket, check the luggage, check the passports, check your carry ons, sit and wait for boarding. Check your ship card – check it every time you move. Anyway, we got on. But you can’t go to your room until they announce it and that was after they let us eat lunch on the ship.

Forgot to mention, there are pianos all around downtown that people just stop and play. All decorated. Some of those lines…Our room. Huge porthole with unobstructed view. Yay!Sailing underway under the bridge. Day two was also spent at sea.

Ketchikan – our first port. Lots to see and do. We did not purchase any excursions but had fun with all there was to see.

Our ship.We did see the museum.This area was at one time the red light district and the houses were up on pilings. Wow. Great piece of art on the river.Can you see the salmon? They were still trying to swim upstream but not for long.We also went to the totem pole museum. This houses some very very old totems. Great history. They have several lying down with explanations of the symbols. And other native art.More of the river through town.

Time to move on – to Juneau – the state capitol.

It was a bit foggy, wet and chilly but not too bad. No real rain.Wasn’t this the best? Loved the costume and of course it was to pull us into a store.The tram. Probably not the best day for it so we did not ride it. Governor’s Mansion Some great views from around Juneau that our shuttle bus took us to.Mendenhall Glacier. You can walk to it but it takes quite a trek to the left side and over the hills. The colors were awesome.This waterfall was hikeable (is that a word??) but we had limited time to get back on the shuttle so decided to just look from afar. Not sure I wanted to get sprayed on a cold day anyway!See the people.Bald eagle in flight.Went into this old bar and had a drink. The Red Dog Saloon. Pretty neat.

Next stop – Skagway – my favorite town on the cruise ports.

These trees were everywhere but I cannot for the life of me remember the name! Not native to Alaska but prolific – and beautiful. Another museum…And we came back with bear in our room…

On to the glaciers. We were in Glacier Bay and we had guests on the ship of the rangers that managed this area. Very good presentations.

In Glacier Bay the main Glacier we visited was Marguerite (I think that was the spelling). After that I am unsure of the glaciers but do know it was quite impressive. Everyone needs to see them. And yes it was cold and very windy. Our captain did a great job of turning the ship 360 degrees about twice so everyone on board could get great view. This glacier was calving some (breaking off huge chunks of ice) and was like cannon shots when it happened.

We were at sea another day and sailed to Hubbard Glacier. This glacier is very active and was calving a lot. We even saw them crash into the sea. Very impressive.

We came back to our room with an elephant towel one time and a swan another. Oh and once it was a frog. Guess I need to find that picture.

OK now we will get into Anchorage. More later…

Alaska!! Finally

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Well, we bit the big one and decided to take a cruise to Alaska then from there renting a motorhome to tour Alaska. This would give us the ability to see as much as we could on our own. Who knows. It might make us decide to go back. We will see. Anyway, this is a four week trip at least so there will be many installments with MANY pictures!!!

We left Aug. 15 to drive to Vancouver. On our way we were going to stay with Dan and Marie, cousins, in Meridian, ID. Those two nights turned into three as we were very early. Poor Dan and Marie put up with us and showed us a GREAT time. Thank you!

Marie is a volunteer at the Boise, ID Zoo and had a volunteer recognition function to attend. We were thrilled to go with her. Really cool little zoo with some great animals. I cannot remember all the names of the animals but here are a few…

Capybara – a delicacy I hear in some countries. Ewwww.PenguinsHyena (not the laughing kind)AnteaterGreat butterfly garden!Marie loves feeding the alpaca (or was it a llama??)Cute thing. HmmmmThis is an anteater bear. He was so cool. He does like an anteater and snuffs up the worms and such. That was fun!Not kangaroo or wallaby. What is that other little one? It will come to me.Zebra. Duh.Snow leopard.

The next day we went to the Birds of Prey Sanctuary and a vineyard. The Birds of Prey Sanctuary houses some of the rare birds. They have some California condors. HUGE birds if you did not know.

Young female peregrine falconAnd a male peregrine falcon Dan and Marie’s backyard. She loves the critters!The vineyard.

From Idaho we traveled through Washington and some wonderful country. Oh, stopped in Idaho and bought some peaches and cherries. They were so good!! By the way, a lot of my pictures are taken through very dirty windows!

OK, on to Vancouver. Vancouver is a pretty big city. We drove to the airport and left our truck at JetSet parking long term. They shuttled us back to the airport where we caught a cab. That cost us $35 from the airport to our hotel which was near the cruise docks. They have the costs set at certain amounts, not buy the mile. I think that is a great thing for tourists. Then you know what it will cost you before you get in.

Our hotel was a Days Inn in downtown Vancouver. It was built originally in the very early 1900s. The rooms were kind of tight but had been redone with nice bathrooms. Here is a picture of the wiring for the air conditioner.

Our view out the window…Behind the hotel/motel.Just a downtown view.

We walked to the dock, only about one and a half blocks! Just practicing for our walk the next morning.

Float planes in the harbor…Disney Cruise shipOK, this was a first for me – a Bugatti! I was afraid to get too close!

Enough for now. Next installment will be our cruise! So much fun!! I want to do another soon.

Famous Texans Wax Museum

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Today was the 4th grade wax museum presentation of famous, and sometimes infamous, Texans in history. Zane was Admiral Chester Nimitz. The kids are not supposed to speak unless asked who they are. Then they give you a very brief synopsis of their lives and what they are remembered for. We did not stop and talk to all of them but tried to do several. There are a lot of 4th grader – 4 classes. And I am terrible and cannot remember who they were! But here are some pictures…

I told him to salute me. He got a little silly later. Surely not Zane!The boy on the right was one of the infamous Texans, John Wesley Hardin.Goodnight with the beard. Can’t remember the other boy. Did not talk to the girls.Just loved this kid’s mustache. I think he was Oliver Loving.Quanah ParkerJust walked around the ro and stopped at several and talked or rather listened. How did Aidan get in here! Davy CrockettOh gosh – James Bonham and William B. Travis

Tomorrow is awards then Friday these 4th graders get to walk the halls of this school for the last time. They are moving up to middle school. Time flies…

So, just sharing a few cloud/lightening pictures. I never got any good lightening just some flashes.

Thanks for visiting!

Time to get back to blogging and taking pictures

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Soooooo, I don’t know how I got so far away from my blogging and from taking pictures but I did. Sigh. I want to get back to it and the best way is to just jump in. Of course my most prolific pictures are of the grandsons so here goes.

Zane is playing baseball and I ten to take lots of pictures usually but backed off as just how many pictures can you take of one kid on the baseball field? OK, OK, too many I know but I am still waiting to get on the field to take them. That is not going to happen so I just keep hoping to catch that perfect moment. I have not even taken my camera in awhile. Here are a couple of Zane at bat and sliding into home.

Zane is very good at stealing bases. Always amazes me as he is not the fastest kid.

Zachary played soccer and missed out on a lot of track but did get to run in one meet. Of course, it was more good practice for him after missing most of the season. Now he is in off season track and cross country so he will be ready for next year. Here are a few of his only meet this year.

Warming up

OK, a few more of just yesterday. Zane’s “track” meet. His last one as next year he will be in middle school! Oh my gosh, where has the time gone. Two more weeks and they 4th graders get to walk the halls of the grade school one last time. Anyway, Zane was in the Soccer Kick, Standing Long Jump, and the Tug of War. He was supposed to do the Obstacle Course but not sure what happened there. Probably ran out of time.

Waiting for the soccer kick.Aidan and ZaneThat is Aidan’s Aunt Melinda smilling for the camera. Ross had just waived but no one else was looking. Sigh. The story of my life. Just some of the kids sitting on the field.Trying one more time…Soccer kick…Zane…Aidan…Standing broad jump…Aidan He went a long way!Zane did really well too, but not as far as Aidan.I think the one hiding her face is Orion’s mother. See, they all hide from me. Tug of War coming up. Aidan’s class won the match in the end. Zane did really well the first round.Aidan and Orion’s class.And Zane’s class was just pulled off their feet. I don’t think they got set very well.And Aidan’s class went on to win! Congrats. That ended the meet. The kids always enjoy this competition!

Thanks for visiting! There will be more baseball this week and Zane’s school 4th grade has their Heroes of Texas Living Museum on Thursday and I know I will have pictures of that. I will surprise you with who Zane portrays. Back when Zachary did it he was George H. Bush. Can’t wait to see the kids all dressed up. Let’s see what else will come up in the next week. I’ll be back!

Peewee football in the Dallas Cowboy stadium!

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Zane’s Kids Inc. football team decided to participate in a tournament played in the AT&T Stadium, home of the Dallas Cowboys. Well, of course we planned the end of our trip just to go see this event!

What a chance for these kids. They were scheduled to play three games, on half the field, from the 20 yard line, for about 20-30 minutes each. Due to some teams not showing I believe they ended up playing five game from 4:10 to about 7:30! I know they had to be pumped and then very tired boys. Our boys are ages 9-10 and did play up a couple of games. One team I think, the first one, was probably closer to age 12. That is a big age difference at these ages. But they were troopers.

Zane normally plays defensive end, tackle, and kicker. There were not kicks for these games and our center, Aidan, was not there, due to a wedding. Yes, I think that took priority. So Zane, who has played center in the past, took over that position.

Yes, those screens are HUGE! Ross thinks we need one. Those are our boys down in the bottom of the picture. Raiders! A little pregame coaching. And out onto the field. Zane is #55. Looks like a wow type moment. For real?!Here we go again…It took Zane a few times hiking the ball to get in the rhythm of hiking then getting right up into the tackle/blocking mode but he did a great job.A little down time.

After the games we got to go on the field for some photo ops and tour part of the stadium. We would sure like to go back and do a guided tour. I know we missed a lot this way.

Zane wanted to do a silly move but it did blur a bit. Oh well, here you go Zane. Some of the interior stuff…Look at those rolls of turf!These are the halls behind the field.Press speakers…We did get some pics of the cheerleaders dressing room but missed the players. Ross and Mike did see them but said it was not as impressive. LOLI made Zachary get up there with this pictures but he was not thrilled so I cut him off. It’s ok. I should not have pushed him. But these boys did enjoy it.

That’s it. From here we went to our respective “homes” and then headed home the next day. We are home and busy on washing and cleaning out the trailer. Fun Fun And we are freezing! I think we need to go to Florida or California or even far south Texas! Maybe someday.

Thanks for looking!

White’s Chapel Cemetery, South Lake, visit

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We had the chance to so watch Zane and his team participate in a peewee football tournament in Dallas in - get this – AT&T Stadium, home of the Dallas Cowboys, Jerry’s World as Ross calls it. So of course we planned out trip home via Dallas.

While there we also took a quick trip to a cemetery there that where some of Ross’s ancestors are buried. This is White’s Chapel Cemetery in South Lake. His paternal great grandfather and grandmother and some great uncles and aunts. Even a cousin or two. Ross’s paternal grandfather is buried here but we do not know where his grandmother is buried. She apparently died somewhere near or on Houston about 1910 when Ross’s dad was only 5. I have had no luck finding a grave for her. Darn. Anyway, I love cemeteries so it was not a problem to walk through although my shoes did get a bit damp.

This one is Josiah Guess, an uncle.His great grandfather. Obviously the stones has been replaced from the first ones. Not sure when. One very young cousin. Two months old. Always hate these stones.This is Ross’s step great grandmother. An uncle.A young cousin. He was killed in a car wreck. Not sure about these next two. Think they might be related to me. Hmmmm. I feel an Ancestry visit coming. I just loved this tree! that hole was huge and I loved the gnarly look. OK, I will go on in another post to FOOTBALL! Thanks for visiting.

Nearly the end of a great trip

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Well, after leaving Hot Springs we made a quick stop at Crater of Diamonds State Park in Arkansas. I had no illusions of finding a diamond but boy wouldn’t that have been something. The camping area is beautiful. We rolled in and wandered through the camp areas and found a couple next to each other. Neither had a reserved sign so we parked and drove up to the office to register. Well, that was the wrong thing to do!! The clerk was quite perturbed that we did not go there first. “You know those might be reserved!” Then why was there not a sign telling us that? She was right next to rude about it. So we stayed one night which was all we needed.

Here are some people down in the diamond field. We decided to go to the diamond hunting seminar. After that, we walked the fields in the mud and looked. We did not do the mud washing stuff as we were not dressed for that. Nope, no diamond finds. Darn.This is what we are looking through to find diamonds.Ross and Melinda back there not getting muddy. I don’t think this is something we really want to do again when it is muddy. Maybe when it is dry and we can sift through it. OK, a little mud never hurt anyone but make sure you have the right clothes first!We went on to TEXAS!! Dan was wanting to see Lake Fork just east of Dallas and we were certainly willing. It is a really bustling fishing community with lots of rv spots. Most it looked like were long term with a few at each place for people like us as short term. This one was Rolling Fork RV. Price was right and full hookups. Pretty but needs a little more road work maybe and the pull through we had needs to be leveled a bit and some parking gravel or pads. It was a little wet and squishy after the huge rain we had at night and did concern us that we might tear up the grass just getting the trailer out. But no problem.

These are the long term places right on the lake. They had some short term on the lake but the recent rains made them pretty wet and mushy too and we were told they were pretty short. We were happy where we were.Huge water lilies on the lake. Loved how the water beaded on the leaves.This was their fishing pond. Dad did not get a bite and it was really small, maybe for the kids. We had all the dogs our (all three) just waking around. This was the tree right behind our trailers. Pretty huh?

After that we said our goodbyes to Dan and Melinda and we headed to I-20 where Dan would peel off and go to Round Rock and we would head for Arlington. Thanks for the great time!!

Thanks for visiting…

Even more Hot Springs (pssst–lots of pictures!)

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Since we spent so much time here we have lots of pictures. And if you have not stayed at Hot Spring National Park RV park – Gulpha Gorge Campground – it is a great place with nice long spaces. My only thing might be to park closer to the river and less close to the road if you can. Six a.m. during the week seems to be when the trucks zoom by and there is a curve there (like all of Arkansas) that requires braking and gear changes. With our senior discount it cost us just $15 a night for full hookups. We could not get TV with our antenna but some could. I think it was our spot. Our next investment is going to be a satellite.

Road going to the tower. One way in and one way out. We know why – narrow and winding.Next pictures are from the tower windows and ledge. Not sure what kind of amusement park they had but it had a big roller coaster.This tree was in our camping area. A real splash of color.

Dan and Melinda came in to go travel with us for a few days. We did go back to Hot Springs and saw even more.

This stained glass was above the Ponce deLeon statue in the mens dressing room.Stained glass in the solarium area.Yes, Dan, the water is hot. See the steam?Not sure he really believed it. The area is just full of little steam spouts everywhere. And there a lots of them that have been covered so they do not become contaminated.

Dan and I took a hike up the trail behind our campsite and could see lots of the area. Not sure what this was. We tired to figure it out but never did find the answer.Note sure what the berries were but they were so pretty!And yes, we did find some prickly pear cactus. It is a really deep sage green. And lots of lichen. So cool!This cardinal thought the mirror on Dan’s truck was another cardinal. He was so funny flicking around trying to find the other bird. We took a drive to check out some other camping areas around Lake Ouchita (pronounced wash – a – tah). Seems the lake was not busy at all. In fact we thought it was closed or something by the lack of boats and people. Really pretty place.Loved this razorback sitting on the abandoned dock area. Formed from a piece of wood and even had a brush down his back. Really cute.

There is a horse racing facility and casino in Hot Springs! I did not know. Oaklawn Racing and Gaming is where the horses race about three weeks before the Kentucky Derby. We had a great security guard who was so knowledgeable and really gave us good information. And the good part was while there we won back what we lost a few days before!Finally some pictures of the area just across the street from our camping area. Dan pointed it out on our last trip from town home. This is just a gorgeous area to visit.

Well again, sorry for the picture overload. I just did not want to break it all up again. Later the end of the trip…

Buffalo River and Hot Springs, Arkansas

2015-11-04T22:06:00.001-06:00

We overnighted at Buffalo River State Park. Beautiful area with lots of great camp sites. The river was not very high but still pretty impressive.Some color here. This was long the river.Our campsite. There were very few people here this time of year.This picture does not show the true red nearly black of these leaves.Someone had built a pool in the river and Buddy was investigating.Funny story about this trail. We went down to the river by our campsite. No problem. Walked the river and decided to come up. Came up THIS path past a dead smelly armadillo. When we got over the fence we saw the sign. Why did they not have it marked at the bottom too? Good question.

I have lots of pictures of Hot Springs. We ended up spending six nights there which surprised us. And Ross said he would love to go back. These are all from day one when we just acted as tourists and visited. Really some wonderful history here and beautiful buildings.

The old hospital is now a training center.There are only two bathhouses still in operation on this street.Here is one – Buckstaff. It uses the old fashioned system.Just loved the looks of this old church.This is not a working bathhouse but has an art gallery in it. Most of the art is of views of the area.This really caught our attention. Very cool and I’ll bet the artist is a relative – somewhere.Cute little rocking motorcycle. Same artist.We did not do the tour but look closely at the name of this duck – Zachary!This bathhouse has pools and also offers massages and other health benefits. Ross said this is what happens after you get out of the baths and massages. A museum and information center are housed in Fordyce House. We went back twice to this one and still enjoyed it. The Fountain of Youth?Steam chambers.Old uniform of the attendants here.Loved this glass roof. Even a workout room. Hard to see this spring as it had a glass cover. Back behind the bathhouses is the promenade. Free parking garage right across from the bathhouse row. Very nice! I will quit for now. There are lots more pictures and will follow with another post. Thanks for visiting!

Rain, rain, and a little more rain!

2015-11-04T16:13:00.001-06:00

Why is it that we seem to pick the really wet times to travel. Sigh. No different this time. Big hurricane was to hit south Texas. But it was also raining in Arkansas, of course. But we muddled through.

More from Devil’s Den… Colors are changing and some sites even decorated for Halloween.

Our path took us on the outskirts of Fayetteville, AR. And that day was the big football rivalry between Univ. of Arkansas and Auburn. We kept hearing about traffic but thought we would miss it. Nope, right in it! Thank goodness we got to turn. Very pretty tree turning fall colors right in town. This RV place was very near the stadium.

We got out as soon as we could and traveled on down the road. Forgive some of the blurriness of pictures – results of a very dirty windshield.

Some pictures of our stay at Moccassin Gap Campground. Overlook on the way to Buffalo River.

Colors are beginning to cover it all. On to Buffalo River camping. In the rain.

It’s Fall and that means fall colors

2015-10-23T13:41:00.001-05:00

So we decided this year to go to Arkansas and try to catch the fall colors. Everyone has always said the colors through the Ozarks could be beautiful there so why not.

Clouds while sitting in Carson County, TX

Our trip had a little bit of a bumpy start. As we slipped into Carson County we passed a black SUV on the side of the road with dark tinted, very dark, windows. I knew right away it was Texas Highway Patrol. No problem – Ross never speeds pulling the trailer. In fact he tries to keep the speed at about 60 and the speed there is 75. And we had checked all the lights before we left. In a few minutes the SUV pulls right next to us then backs off. Strange. Sure enough he pulls us over. Ross is getting out his license and the trooper calls him to the back of the trailer. Darn. A light must have gone out or something. Nope. They pulled us – US – over to do a drug search!! They hemmed and hawed around until the dog got there. Ross was standing in the rain for 45 minutes while the dog went around, not in, our truck three times. Then the officers went in the trailer. No dog inside. What?? They asked us each separately when we left, where we were going, how long would we be gone, what was the purpose of our trip, where we lived. All that good stuff.

After sitting for 45 minutes they gave Ross a warning ticket for drifting onto the shoulder of the road! OK, now we have rumble strips on the shoulders and we hate to drift over those especially with the trailer. Don’t you think we would have know it if we had drifted? Yep, just our good state troopers wasting my tax money on a really stupid stop. All we can figure is they have to stop so many so the ones they do catch with the drugs think they won’t get caught. Who knows. We were nice but Ross is still pretty peeved and said next time he will tell them no, get a search warrant. Big talk, huh honey?

That set us behind in our travels so we stopped about 4 p.m. at Lake Eufaula State Park in Oklahoma. Pretty park but so glad they had electricity as it was warm! Cannot imagine how hot it is in the summer.

View outside our front door.

We got up the next morning and headed for Devil’s Den State Park. Really pretty here. We had lots of rain the first night and was cool.

Colors are starting to change.Lots of lichen and toadstools so you know it is damp here. However I met a fisherman who said it had been very dry.

This dam had been rebuilt recently as it had burst a few years ago.

OK, that’s it for now. Thanks for visiting!

Football and Cross Country in the fall

2015-10-03T22:19:00.001-05:00

With lots of pictures of the grandsons needing to be shared, I decided I need to do a picture filled post of them.

Zane is playing tackle football for the first time. Zane is a big kid. He can knock anyone over pretty easily. However, someone needs to make him a bit more aggressive and MEAN. I don’t think he has a mean bone in his body until he gets mad. Well, he need to get mad. But hey, he is doing a pretty good job. He has three jobs – defensive end, tackle, and kicker. His kicking is his strong suit I think but he needs to kick barefoot. I have seen him with and without a shoe. Believe me, barefoot is the way to go but they won’t let him. Oh well. Here we go. He is #55 of the team in white.

OK, here he lost his shoe.But he just kept on going. No stopping to get that shoe until the play was finished.These new fields are great on bare feet.Next game…

Zachary’s turn. Zachary is running cross country this year. First time ever. Where he got his running ability I am not sure! Certainly none of us ever ran cross country. Some did track but we are all amazed. He has the runner’s body and he certainly has the stride. Great form and very smooth. He has run in five or six meets (I lose count) and has bettered his speed every time, improving with each stride! And he has medalled in at least three of those meets. We have never even gone to a cross country meet until now and they are really kind of fun to watch. OK, here is Zachary.

A couple of weeks ago it was warm. Today it was cool and wet. But he had is best time today. More clothes maybe? Across the finish line…

Very proud of both my grandsons. Good kids!

2015 Womble Reunion–Final

2015-07-29T21:16:00.001-05:00

This year marked the 59th or 60th (depending on how we are counting) consecutive Womble Family Reunion. It has been held for many years in Morse, TX at the Community Center. Some years have been in Amarillo, some in Stinnett, some in Spearman, Dalhart, Panhandle. But home is the Morse community. I can remember one we had at my grandfather, W.T. “Tab” Womble’s farm. This is the family of Lorenzo Dow Womble. For any who need some family tree information, please just let me know.

Anyway, for many years the reunion has been shrinking. That happens to a lot family gatherings. The elder members die and the younger members scatter and become more involved in the immediate family. Which is as it should be! We have struggled with organizing the reunion, places to hold the reunion to entice more people, things for the young people to do. But is just not working. So this year we voted to end the Womble Family Reunion. I have a very heavy heart but also know this is for the best.

Here are lots of pictures taken of the attendees this year.

One of our family had the idea to put the tree up on the wall on pieces of paper. I so wish I had taken better pictures. It was great to see who belonged to who. (Linda, I would love some copies of this if you got good pictures!) I many have to just do my own so I can see where everyone is in the great scheme.Looking over proposals for reunions.Garrison was such a happy baby!He was fascinated with Cynthia’s nails that glittered.Silent auction tables.Steve, you ruined the picture by moving!Food. One of the best reasons to go to a Womble gathering. Yum.Two babies this year! Garrison could not take any more.

And another reunion is gone. Forever. However, we discussed that if anyone is interested, Memorial Day at Lieb Cemetery is a big family event. People bring covered dishes and gather at the community center for lots of memories and renewing of friendships and connections. Go join.

Cool Red River, NM

2015-07-28T22:55:00.001-05:00

We finally got away from the heat to the forest between Red River and Questa. We try to always stay in Columbine Campground when we go there and we were lucky enough to get a great spot. Pretty secluded and full of hummingbirds.

The first night there we had a huge buck come through our camp. It was so close that Zane could see his hair and said it looked like Buddy’s. He came through so fast I could not even get pictures!

So we of course have to have campfires and s’mores! Right off the bat that is what we did.Mmmmmm. No, these are not good at all. We did do a little different this year. We used Nutella instead of Hershey bars. Don’t knock it til you try it! It is sooooo good. Nice and gooey.We were there 6 nights and 5 days. So nice to sit and enjoy and let everyone do what they wanted pretty much. Of course the boys fished every day. But we did a lot of just sight seeing.

This is part of Fawn Lakes, just down toward Red River from our campsite. It is a great place to take the younger ones, or anyone really, to fish. From here Zachary and Mike could go stream fishing and let Zane, with Kathleen supervising, fish away. They caught a few fish and we did eat one the first night. The rest of the time it was catch and release.We took a small road trip to Cabresto Lake. It is listed on a tour guide as a jeep trip but we opted to take the truck. Just going into Questa you follow the signs and eventually get there. It was not an easy road but except for low vehicles, is very accessible. Really pretty area.Hiking around the lake while the boys fished. No catches here but worth the drive.See the lizard. They were sunning and quick to move.This chipmunk found a gold mine in in a corn cob left there.Some of our hummingbirds…

I think we had some black chinned but not sure as the throat color changed. Probably they were all ruby throated, jut the light changed them. Buddy enjoying the sun.This one is a Rufus. He was really pretty but came around rarely. Pictures do not do justice to his orange colors.I could have stayed and snapped away all day. So fascinating.We went into Red River and went to the “shoot out” and they had some native Indians dance for us too. You can see the Indian singer in the background.They lead the crowd round the area in a native dance.The costumes were really impressive.And the play begins…It was a great diversion for an evening. All local players of course..

Another fire and more s’mores, of course.

We decided rather than rent a jeep to take a “jeep” tour up to Goose Lake. Goose Lake is famous for it’s drive – a one lane ROUGH road. There are lots of pull overs but I would not go there in my vehicle unless it is a 4wheeler. Those were everywhere and that looked like fun. We rode on the back of a 4 wheel drive pickup outfitted with a seating area. We laughed all the way up! It was rocky and rough but our driver, Tom, was full of information regarding the mines and ownership of the land around there. And it was beautiful.

One of the first mines. No, I would not go in that hole. It looks big in this picture but it is actually only about 3 feet tall.Miners lived all over this area. I cannot imagine trying to get there. I think this is the home of a woman who baked for the men traveling the road in front of her cabin. Of course, they would be walking or riding to the mining area from where ever and to smell the fresh baked goods! Bet she sold a lot.This cabin was built by some engineers with some good idea. Over 100 years old and in really good shape.This mine is owned by a family who has not given up. Apparently their ancestors were mining gold when the mine started filling with water. The miners grabbed the bags of gold and shoved them into shafts that came off of the vertical shaft then headed to the top. So there is gold already mined still in this shaft. Try as they might, when they try to retrieve the gold, the water just keeps rushing into the shaft. But it looks like a long drop to us!Zane and Tom dropping a rock down down down…….Pretty little flowers. More old cabins.Yep, there is snow up there…And fog…Aren’t they sweet?Soon after these pictures a small skirmish broke out between brothers. Surely not you say? Well, they are brothers.Can you see the big horn sheep up there. That is a long was. I was using nearly all of my 300 lens. Here it is cropped. Female sheep.Really pretty lake. Zane and Zachary loved skipping rocks here. (Especially Zane. He is really good.)Coming down the mountain the view of Red River.

The final night. We had another fire. Rain the last couple of nights slowed down our fire building but we did enjoy this one. We had some of the packets of crystals that gave our fire some color . Beautiful and warm. We did not really want to come home…

Good night all. Looking forward to our next adventure!

Our annual 4th of July fun

2015-07-28T20:59:00.001-05:00

This year we had green green pastures and a lake behind us and a not very hot day. Wonderful for family and fireworks! Warning there are lots of pictures. Not much dialog!

We moved the travel trailer and put the awning out to provide more shade. I have to say that was a hit!We even had two babies! Wow!Debra insisted that I get my picture taken.And the noise is going on and on…

I did not even attempt to take pictures of the fireworks this year. Not sure why as there were LOTS of them. After dark we ended up with about 40 people at our house and fireworks going everywhere. Oh well. It was all fun!! Zane says this one looks like a volcano.

Thanks so much for visiting! Vacation pictures coming up…

Back to blogging

2015-07-28T20:18:00.001-05:00

I have been off for a very very long time. I reverted to posting pictures on my facebook page. Well, that works great but I really like being able to tell a little something about the pictures I post for my family and friends. So here I am, back to the blogging. I have no set schedule so it will be hit or miss as I have things to show.

My grandsons have both been so busy this summer with church trips and church camp and baseball camp and basketball camp. Whew! Makes me tired just thinking of it.

I have a few pictures of Zane playing baseball this summer and spring. He is not going to play fall ball but is so excited to start “tackle” football. As you can see, he will be a great lineman.

He plays 3rd base mostly and does some pitching. I think with some coaching he could be a good pitcher and he is a really good 3rd baseman as he has a good arm.These were at baseball camp. He was named MVP of his group! Quite an honor!

We have had lots of rain this spring and winter. I mean lots! We now have lake front property. And one day the cows decided to swim it.And some great sunrises and sunsets…And we had a day of fishing at one of our local lakes – Medipark near the hospitals. Always a fun thing to do and the weather was wonderful.

One catfish and three little perch.Zane was pouting as he had not caught one yet.Zachary trying to make him smile for the camera.Well it’s a little better…Zane did finally catch one of the perch. Whew. Made him happy.

We all went to lunch and so went the day. Fun. We always have fun with our grandsons!

Watch for my next posts. Next will be our 4th of July then our recent Red River trip and last, but not least, the Womble Reunion. Lots of pictures so thought I better break it up.

Bye for now!

Mores sports and just some pictures to share

2014-10-19T08:32:00.001-05:00

Just want to share some pictures first of the moon. We were driving home from running errands when I just could not resist the moon. It was huge! Just coming over the horizon…

Then a couple of nights later we had a lightening storm within a huge cloud. It never really produced much rain our way but I think it did north of town. Just beautiful.I took a couple of underexposed pictures just to show how the cloud lit up.Really cool!

Now, on to the boys and games. Football season is nearly over. Baseball season is over. Next it will be basketball. But the boys are getting more picky about what sports they will play. I am not sure if Zane will play basketball but Zachary just loves it. Different likes for each of the boys.

Zane is not playing tackle this year but it is flag football. However, after a little rough play from the other team Zane had had enough. Yep, right on the ground.I think this kid was rough on Zane but he did not know who he was dealing with. Zane stuck right with him.It was a cold morning!One of Zane’s best positions is “hiker” (center). He is very good at getting that ball right where it needs to be.OK, last baseball games.Zane got hit while batting but continued to bat. I think he should have gone to first base but what do I know about rules!He loves to slide into base but there seems to be a bat in his way…We left before the end of the game and learned that Zane hit a good one right over second base’s head. Good thing he is over that batting slump.

Now a few more of Zachary playing football. He plays several positions but I love to watch him kick the ball. He is getting better and better.

And yes, he does a pretty good job as a defensive player.I really enjoy watching my grandsons play any kind of sport!

Just a few more of some of the flowers. They are loving this fall weather…

Thanks for visiting! Come back!

Heading home

2014-10-12T23:00:00.001-05:00

The last of our trip was through California to Laughlin, Nevada and on to Albuquerque, New Mexico. We had some very long drives. It is a LONG way home. But we saw some beautiful country and some interesting sites.

There were so many oil pumps in this part of California. Even in Texas I have never seen this many in one spot. It really looks like a mess.Then I did not get any good pictures of the rose operations. Fields of all colors of roses. Oh, I wish we had stopped and I have just smelled them.Then the desert on the way to Laughlin. Pretty in it’s own way.I got us reservations at Harrah’s in Laughlin for just $29 a night. Wow, that was great. We did not go swimming but the pools were nice. This is the adult pool with a bar and hot tub. Really nice.On toward home…We stopped in a little place in AZ to buy the boys some fireworks and found the Continental Divide!

Albuquerque. The timing could not have been better. We got to go to the balloon fiesta. And I actually was able to get us a reservation at a motel just a couple of exits from the balloon launch. It was a wonderful end to our trip.

I have so many pictures I am going to put them into a few albums for easier upload and viewing.

As you can probably tell, I love the balloons. It is so worth the trip and the traffic and the cold. I recommend it to everyone. Oh, the bear statue was at our hotel as were some of the pictures of some of the balloons. They came right over as we were packing to go home. They even had chairs and tables set up to watch from the hotel. So cool! Take a little time and view the slide shows.

Thanks for stopping by!