RVing With Poppa

Home for the Holidays...

2011-12-03T18:11:00.001-06:00

A couple of weeks ago, we left the warmth of the RGV, and traveled just a little over 500 miles north to Fort Worth. And, here we are parked at Karen and Kenneth's, which we will call home until after the new year.

We enjoyed Thanksgiving at my mom's, where the kitchen is

is always a busy place. Kourtney is getting a lesson from Great MiMi on how to assemble the relish tray and then she learns from

Aunt Bobbi about baking rolls.

Kinley

is just hanging out enjoying her first Thanksgiving.

This year, it was just Mark and I, the little girls, our moms, my sister, brother-in-law and one nephew. A little on the quite side...lol

The rest of the family was either out of town or having lunch with their spouse's families. However, before the day was over, most all of them showed up for visiting and leftovers.

We were both thankful and blessed to have shared the day with family.

On Friday, we joined the kids at the Gaylord Texas Resort in Grapevine.

While they all attended the

Shrek Ice Show, played on the

ice slides, and

snow tubes, Pop and I chose to keep

Kinley and take a tour of the resort.

And, as always, the decorations were awesome. There were

snowmen,

giant toy soldiers,

gingerbread houses, and

beautiful Christmas trees. And, all of the settings are underneath this glass domed lobby of the resort. We enjoyed coffee and the terrace of the

Alamo.

Kinley and

Poppa walked and looked until

she couldn't look any longer.

It was a great day.

With the holiday weekend behind us, it was time for Poppa to help out at Scott and Jennifer's house where they are having a

pool installed.

The boys have stayed busy

digging holes and moving

fences. Of, course, there was time to have fun

riding their bikes in the deep end of the pool. Oh, what energy!

It has been less than a week now, and, the pool is

taking shape. If our weather holds out, it should have water in it by Christmas. Maybe, a dip in the hot tub by New Year's!

I have had an agenda of my own. And, one of the things on my list was to have my sewing machine serviced. Even after not using it for quite a long time, the technician said it was in great shape and running like new. I am now looking forward to several projects.

Last night, the grandkids got together for their annual Christmas project. This year, they painted

glass ornaments. And, when the evening was over they were

quite impressed with their talents. They can't wait to hang them on their trees.

Today, we woke to cold rain which has stayed with us all day and is suppose to last through the weekend. In, fact, the forecast brings the possibility of a freezing rain and a little snow to just west of us by Monday. We will have to wait that one out.

Well, I guess, once again, that catches us up, and even though we are a little late, Mark and I hope each of you had a blessed Thanksgiving and we wish you a very happy holiday season as it is beginning to look a lot Christmas everywhere you go!

Life is Good...

2011-11-19T18:49:00.001-06:00

I can't believe we have been here at Retama almost a month now. We love it here and stay busy with all sorts of projects and activities.

After the coach house and motor home were cleaned inside, it was time to make the call to Steve II and have them come and

wash the outside. This is just about the best bargain around town.

Then with everything clean and shiny, it was time to get down to just having fun. We re-established our weekly Weight Watchers group and started once again attending our weekly meetings. We also welcomed a few new members from here in the community. Of, course, we go to the meeting and then head straight to Jason's Deli for lunch. So, much fun to support each other.

We have also been biking, shopping, swimming, shopping, going to water aerobics, and shopping.

Mark has had he own agenda with projects like

trimming Kathy and Bob's palm tree.

Well, there is fun for the guys too. They all go to breakfast on Friday mornings and have their own little get together on Thursday afternoons where they solve all the world problems.

And, if he isn't busy with a project, he is down at Niles and Sue's drooling over her new

trike.

I guess, if I had to say there was something on his bucket list, he would like to scratch off, it would be to own a Harley.

So, yesterday, Niles came and made arrangements for us to take a trip to the

Harley dealership where he had reserved for us

a trike for the day!

Last night along with Niles and Sue, and Mike and Penny, we took the trikes and went into town for pizza and frozen yogurt. We had a fun time.

Then, this morning, seven of us loaded up and headed out

for a ride over to South Padre.

We had lunch at

Dirty Al's before heading off

down the island. It was nice of Sue to let Niles drive her trike today...lol

Mike and Penny were the

leaders for the day.

But, soon, it was time to head home and

return the trike to the dealership before the

sun set on a great day. And...

What a great day it was and what great friends. Thanks Niles for allowing Mark to be a Harley owner for the day!

On To Retama

2011-10-29T20:13:00.001-05:00

As always, Fredericksburg was a great stopover on our way to the RGV. Along with Rod, Deb, Garry and Pat, we had lots of fun visiting,

eating,

and shopping.

And, as always, with friends the time passes by all too fast and yesterday we had to say so long to Rod and Deb as they headed out to Rockport. We too were heading out and on to Retama, our winter home in the RGV. Garry and Pat were staying in Fredericksburg for another couple of days.

We had an uneventful trip and arrived at Retama early afternoon. We were soon

parked and had things all set up.

This morning, Mark was out early and ready to get started with the

clipping and snipping of the shrubs. I started in on the cleaning for the coach house and the laundry.

This afternoon, Kathy and I helped out in the club house with the making of the Bierocks, a German meat pie, that would be part of

our Octoberfest Dinner tonight.

It is fun being back

and seeing friends that have become like family. We are looking forward to a great season here at our winter home in the RGV.

Drop by occasionally, and see what's happening!

Heading South

2011-10-24T21:46:00.001-05:00

Wow, how time flies. Just a few short weeks ago, we were in Birmingham celebrating Sarah and Jason's wedding and enjoying time with family. However, the time came that we needed to head to Texas. We were able to take time to make a stop in Lufkin, to see Keith and Donna.

Keith

has an extra RV site

out back of the house. How great is that!

Once we arrived and parked, we enjoyed a leisure evening of sitting on the back porch and visiting.

Next morning, we decided to take a drive over to Livingston to visit the

Escapades home office.

Kim showed us around and gave us an extensive tour of the mail room and showed us every step of how the mail is received, processed, checked, double checked, requested, and finally forwarded on the the correct person. And, just let me tell you, if you use their mail service, your mail is well taken care of from start to finish.

By afternoon, we were back in Lufkin and having an early dinner at Lufkin BBQ, home of the world famous "fried rolls". Oh, my gosh, those things could be dangerous to one's waistline. And, as if the fried rolls weren't enough, Donna and I had to try the

fried peach pie. In order to walk off those rolls, we decided to visit the

Lufkin museum before heading back to the house.

We spent another beautiful evening sitting on the back porch.

By, Wednesday, it was time for us to say, "see you later", and head to Fort Worth. We were there by a little after noon, settled in, and ready to stay for a couple of weeks. Of, course, when we are in town, there is always lots to do.

There was

Hockey with Caden. He is getting really good, now has all of his equipment, and is still taking classes. He is trying to wait patiently to turn 5 years old, so he can be on a real team, just like

his big brother Andrew. We can't convince him that at 10 years younger, he will never be on Andrew's team. But, in the mean time he keeps

practicing.

Lauren is still enjoying playing

volleyball.

Zachary is playing

fall baseball and is quite an awesome pitcher. He is also taking hockey lessons.

He celebrated his

11th birthday this month.

Kourtney and Kinley have been practicing for Halloween. Kourtney is going to be a

Candy Corn Witch and Kinley is a

baby Candy Corn! And, together they are quite a pair.

Kinley also had her first

taste of cereal. Kourtney thinks she is way too messy with her eating.

We have enjoyed being home and catching up with all the kids and grandkids, however, we are ready to head South. So, with the jacks up, the slides in, and the Jeep hooked up, we pulled out of Fort Worth this morning.

We made it to Fredericksburg, in the Texas Hill Country. We are looking forward to spending a few days here with Garry and Pat and Rod and Deb.

Later this week, we will head to the RGV.

Wedding Week...

2011-10-02T23:38:00.001-05:00

After all the lovely bridal showers last weekend, I headed back to Red Bay to join Mark. By Tuesday afternoon, all the work had been done on the motor home and we were ready to check out. Wednesday morning, we were on our way to Birmingham. We settled into the Hoover RV Park. It was a great location and close to where all the pre wedding and wedding activities would take place.

We arrived at

Dan and Conlee's to find that the decorating had already begun and a few of the out of town guest were starting to arrive.

Sarah and Jason arrived later in the evening. After settling in themselves, we spent time going over some of the last minute details and opening

more gifts.

Thursday, more guests arrived and

more plans were finalized before the

girls headed out for an all girl's party and sleepover. Well, that was, all but, Danielle, and she was pretty bummed that they were leaving her behind. So, she had her own special sleepover with Uncle Mark and I at the motor home.

Then on Friday morning, we took her for a special

breakfast before school.

Then it was on to the house were everyone seemed to have a plan for the day. The girls got

pedicures, while Lori organized and

sorted all the flowers in the garage.

Others were busy upstairs getting the

house and

patio ready for the

pre-wedding party. It was a great evening visiting with family and friends.

Throughout the evening, Lori continued working on the

flowers, while we snapped pictures and partied the night away.

Again, there were

more cards and gifts to open.

Jason's parents joined the fun after driving in from Tennessee.

Wow, I am not sure what happened to the week, but yesterday dawned and it was wedding day.

Lori headed to the club early, so she could finish

the large flower arrangements. The

tulips were looking good and the

flowers for the bridal party were complete.

The

patio was getting some finishing touches, the

cake was ready to assemble, and the

chocolate fountain was in place.

Meanwhile, in the bridal room, the

dress was ready and the

hairstylist was busy.

Sarah took time for

lunch and a visit with

cousin, Kate.

By late afternoon, all the final touches had been made

throughout the club.

And, while the final touches were being made

by mom and sisters with Sarah in the Bridal Suite,

the guests were arriving and enjoying the beautiful music on the terrace. And, soon, it was time for the ceremony to begin...

Jason seated his

grandmother,

Nana, and

mom.

Dan escorted

mom and

Conlee to their places.

Danielle

was patiently waiting

to drop her rose petals along the aisle.

Jason

also waited as

Dan walked Sarah down the aisle.

Family and a few close friends witnessed a

beautiful ceremony, vows, and

ring exchange.

Of, course, let's not forget

"now, you may kiss your bride"...and may, I now introduce to you...

Mr. and Mrs. Jason Hammontree.

After all the

traditional

family pictures, and a special one just for

Danielle, Sarah and Jason were off for a

few fun photos.

By the time they returned, lots of friends had arrived for the reception and it was time

to once again introduce the happy couple and for the party to begin.

Jason and Sarah enjoyed

their first dance, and then

Sarah danced with her Dad.

Everyone enjoyed a lot of delicious

food along with the fruit and goodies at the

chocolate fountain.

And, then, there was the

beautiful wedding cake.

After Sarah and Jason

cut the cake, it was time to get down to some real

fun.

Everyone continued

eating,

visiting, and enjoying Jason and Sarah's evening.

Sarah even took a moment to wish

Zachary a Happy Birthday. And, I shared a

birthday dance with my grandson.

And, when the afternoon had turned to evening, and the evening turned to night, the party came to an end, and it was time to send the

happy couple off in style and tradition.

Jason and Sarah...

What a beautiful day...love each other everyday, be each other's best friend, and may God richly bless your life together!

Showers of Blessings

2011-09-25T21:44:00.001-05:00

In addition to being in Alabama for our annual Red Bay trip, we are also here for my niece's wedding on October 1 in Birmingham. This weekend was set aside for showers and parties. So, on Friday, I left Mark and the motor home in Red Bay and I headed out to make the 150 mile trip to Birmingham.

I arrived about mid-afternoon and Conlee, my sister-in-law, and I got in a great visit before Danielle, by youngest niece, got home from school, and my brother, Dan, arrived home from work.

Danielle had a birthday party to attend that evening, so Dan, Conlee, and I decided to go see the Club where Sarah and Jason's wedding and reception will take place. Sitting out on the patio where the ceremony will take place, we enjoyed drinks and dinner. What a beautiful Alabama Fall evening.

Once we were back at the house, it wasn't long before Sarah arrived after her drive in from her Kentucky home.

We had fun catching up on news about her and Jason and talking about the up coming wedding week. We all had a great time watching as she opened all the gifts that have arrived here at the house.

Saturday morning, after making a stop at the alteration's shop for a last minute fit for Sarah's dress, we were off for party number one.

We arrived

at the home of Deb Hrdy where she and several other ladies had

worked hard to prepare

lots of food for the group.

Sarah and

mom, posed for pictures in the garden.

Sarah was delighted to see

old high school friends.

After enjoying all that yummy food and visiting, it was time for

Sarah to start opening the gifts. Among the many gifts of the day, she received several baking pans and even

a few items to bake.

What a fun morning.

Later in the afternoon, while Conlee and Sarah met with the hair stylist, Dan, Danielle, and I went to pick up the

potted flowers that will become the decorations for the club's patio on Saturday.

Last night, Evan, my oldest niece, came and joined us for the evening. It was great catching up with her.

This morning, we were up and ready for another busy day. As always, I enjoyed attending church with Dan and family. Afterwards, Sarah had lunch plans with the minister, while Dan, Conlee, and Danielle headed home. Evan and I were off with our own agenda. First, was a stop by DSW Shoes for a little wedding shoe shopping. Next, was a stop by Bed Bath and Beyond, for a little last minute shower shopping. Last, but not least was lunch at a great little Greek cafe.

By this time, we needed to head off to the afternoon tea being held in

Sarah's honor.

We were invited into the home of Annie Franklin. She along with several other church ladies worked hard to prepare a beautiful

food table.

It was great to get to meet

Kim, Jason's mom, and Jason's grandmothers Sue (Nana) and Virginia (Grandmother). They drove in from Tennessee today for the party.

It was a great afternoon of

visiting.

And, once again, Sarah and Jason received

lots of great gifts.

The afternoon ended and it was time to

load Sarah's car and

say good-bye to her for a few days. She is returning to Kentucky to work a couple of days. She and Jason will return to Birmingham on Wednesday.

Wow, what a great weekend with family, and the showers and tea were perfect for our

bride to be!

Too Bright, Too Low, Too Fun...

2011-09-22T22:40:00.001-05:00

Life in Red Bay continues. We are still waiting our turn to have the

floor of the wet bay replaced. Hopefully, next week.

If you remember last week, we had Trevor install these

LED light strips. He used the clear bulbs which put out way too much light for us. So, after talking with Trevor, we decided to have him change them out for the ones

with the frosted cover...much better and not too bright. Originally, we only did the living area, but after using them this week, we decided to have him replace the two in the bedroom and the two

under the kitchen cabinets. Beautiful!

The

window shade also came in and is great.

Tuesday, I spent the day in Tupelo, shopping until I dropped.

Today, we had to make a trip back to Bay Diesel where we spent a puzzling afternoon. The story is something like this...

Last week, we took the motor home to Bay Diesel for the yearly oil change and maintenance. After the oil was drained, the young man put more oil in than was called for. So, some was drained out, and Mark was told to check it the next morning. It was low and he reported that back to the tech. He probably drained out a little too much.

Then, we recalled that last year, the oil was changed and by the time we got to Texas, it was low. Mark added a couple of quarts to bring it back to the full line on the dipstick.

Mark went to Bay Diesel to discuss the situation. So, just how much oil was needed? Did they put in too much, did they take out too much? And, what about last year? Well, the only way to really know what's going on was to

take it back to Bay Diesel and let them check it out. So, today, it was put up on the racks and

everything was cleaned like it was going to surgery. Then, the tech

started draining all the oil and

measuring it, quart by quart. Well, guess what, it came out just perfect. Exactly what was suppose to be there 23 quarts. So, they

put it back in and let it set for a little while. Dipstick in...dipstick out, and, oh, no...it was low.

Then, after some discussion, some more

measuring, both here and

here, they finally had an answer...we have the wrong dipstick!

The tech located a new dipstick to match our engine and now we are getting the correct reading. However, just to make sure that this was the problem, Mark will take a few more readings over the next few days and report his findings back to Chris at Bay Diesel.

Thanks guys for figuring out what was going on.

Meanwhile back at the camp ground, Jim and Ellie had arrived to join the party. Upon their arrival, we learned that Steve and Shirley, friends of theirs from Colorado, were also here. So, we gathered up Randy and Pam and the eight of us headed off for a fun evening

at the Rattlesnake Saloon.

And, the fun in Red Bay continues!

A Festive Weekend...

2011-09-18T21:15:00.001-05:00

Red Bay is usually pretty quite on the weekends and there isn't much to do. However, this weekend was just a little different. Yesterday, we wandered up and down the main street where the

annual Founders Day Festival was taking place.

There were

lots of folks out for a beautiful day.

There were crafters selling their wares. We saw everything from

hair bows to

giant metal flowers. And of course lots of Alabama, Auburn, and Mississippi State decorations and collectables. I am not sure who has the biggest following.

Some folks were just having a grand old time

dancing in the streets.

And, you, can't have a festival without food. These guys were busy

grilling steak for sandwiches while others were offering...

Deep Fried Hotdogs and a Southern favorite, boiled peanuts.

We passed up on both and kept wandering until we came to the

display of old cars. And, there were some

real oldies there.

When we had seen everything once and some things twice, it was time for us to part ways. Mark headed back to the campground while I stayed in town for a haircut appointment.

After my haircut, I decided to walk back to the campground. Nice walk, only a couple of miles, and a beautiful afternoon.

By the time I got back to the motor home, it was time to think about dinner. We decided to drive over to Belmont and try a new BBQ place, Joker's Grill. Mary (the girl who cut my hair) recommended it. They have only been open about 5 weeks, and, It was as yummy and she said it was. We will certainly go back.

We finished off the evening sitting out visiting with Randy and Pam.

This morning, we attended worship services at

First Baptist.

I made a stop by the

local produce stand, and grocery store while

Mark

found a little cleaning to keep himself busy. The rest of the afternoon was taken up with football, and, watching the camp ground once again fill up with motor homes.

So, while we enjoyed a leisure weekend, tomorrow is Monday, and things will once again be busy here in Red Bay.

All In A Day's Work...

2011-09-16T22:59:00.001-05:00

Late yesterday, we received the call with instructions for this morning's work schedule. So, we were up by 5:00 am and ready to head to

the service center for our 7:00 appointment. Yes, that is AM!

We were greeted by Roger and Joel, who were ready to get to work. The first thing they tackled was the topper on the driver's side slide. Upon

inspection, it was decided that the only way to fix the sag was to

replace it.

Randy and

Mark made sure they were doing their job.

Next on the list was to adjust the

slide from the inside. This involved replacing one of the rollers. They put this

green tape on the floor to make sure the roller was in the correct position.

On to the shade on the front windshield. Just a minor adjustment needed there.

I have been wanting to replace this

mini blind with a pull down shade. So, this was the perfect time. While the guys were waiting for it to be delivered to the work station, Roger took down the mini blind, but... when the shade was delivered, it had been damaged. So, it had to be reordered, and should be here in a couple of days.

By this time, our 3 hours of express bay time were almost up. And, the only thing left on the list for Roger and Joel was to apply a little dab of silicone to the corner of the tile on the bathroom backsplash.

Great work guys, thanks, for dong a good job.

However, this was only the end of the list for the Express Bay. It was also determined that we do have to have the flooring replaced in the wet bay. This is an onsite recall as such and is taken care of as needed. But, it requires getting on another waiting list for another day...our time frame is probably a week or so away.

Down to the last item for the day, and that was the rear jack that has been giving us fits for a while now. It almost always goes down, but, only comes up when it really wants to. But, this is done in a different bay, so...

We returned to our campground site and shortly after lunch time, they were calling for us to come back to the

service area. Once we were in the bay, the techs ran the jacks down, they ran them up, they ran them down, and back up. They decided the jack motor was either putting out to many amps or not enough amps and confusing the controller. The only fix...

a new jack. So, off

with the old one and on

with the new one.

All done, reset, and ready to go, back to the camp ground that is.

After hours, Trevor stopped by to return my door mats that he had taken to put some new trim on. He was also going to install our new

LED ceiling lights. These replace the

old lights. Looking good!

Okay...no more work today!

Time for some fun. We picked up Randy and Pam and headed for

The Rattlesnake Saloon. This is a great little burger spot that is built

at the bottom of a hill in a

cave.

We shared

eyes and tails (fried jalapenos and green beans), before ordering burgers and salads.

A great evening with

friends after a busy day in Red Bay.

On To Red Bay

2011-09-14T21:08:00.001-05:00

Our Monday started early. We needed to be up and ready to move the motor home from in front of the SMI office where we had spent the night. SMI opened at 8 am, and our appointment was for 9:00. They were on time and ready to start the installation of our Air Force One.

They pulled the

Jeep into this small garage to do the installation. Then, they crawled

under the motor home to install the necessary parts to the braking system.

When all was said and done, the Air Force One was ready to connect.

This

connection hooks to the motor home and

the other end connects to the Jeep. On the inside of the Jeep is

this mechanism. And, on the other end of this line is

this little light bar. All connected, the air brakes on the motor home tell the brakes on the Jeep to slow down and/or stop. When we look in the back up camera on the dash of the motor home, you see this a little red light indicating that the system is working.

We were checked out and ready to pull out of Newburgh by noon. We were finally ready to head South. We traveled out of Indiana, through part of Kentucky and Tennessee, and finally into Alabama. There was lots of time for playing

Words With Friends...lol Thanks, Brenda, Deb, Donna, Dee, Sandra, and Jennifer for playing today!

We made a stop in Alabama at a road side park where this

Saturn Launch Rocket is on display. After a short break and a walk around the park, we were back on the road. Next stop, Red Bay, Alabama.

Oh, yes, after traveling this far, my driver said he was very happy with the new brake assist system.

We reached Camp Red Bay and the service center before dark. Upon checking into the office, we found that the campground was full except for one site with electric only...SOLD! We parked and were content to have at least electricity because it is still warm here in the South and there were 13 rigs ahead of us to be assigned to a full hookup site.

Tuesday morning rolled around and so did Norris. He was coming to officially check us in for service. He said he would get our paper work turned in and that we should be getting a FHU site sometime during the day.

Soon, Nick came to the door. He is one of the techs, and was here to check out the issue with our front TV. A while back, we lost the ability to play a DVD and thought something had gone wrong with the TV brain. Well, after a little while, Nick had everything working like new. A cable had come loose from the back of the TV. Yeah, simple fix. He also reprogrammed our remotes so that when I change the channel on the back TV, the front TV doesn't change with it...oops!

Wow, the day was moving along quite nicely, and as promised, Donald was soon knocking on our front door to assign us a FHU site. So, we pulled in the slides and jacks and moved to our

home for the next couple of weeks.

We also learned from a Facebook post that Randy and Pam Warner were here in the park. We have already had a couple of great visits with them.

Content to be here, this morning Mark was ready to start his own little projects. He

cleaned bugs,

replaced the wiper washer hoses, and washed and

waxed the Jeep.

While he was so occupied, I took a great walk. I also stopped in the service center where I placed an order for a pull down shade to replace the mini blind over the kitchen sink.

Later this afternoon, we sit outside to enjoy a beautiful afternoon. However, that beautiful afternoon turned

stormy. The winds blew about 60 mph, the thunder rolled, the lightning flashed, and the rains came. At one time there were even a few tiny little hail stones. It took it a couple of hours for the system to move through. After all was quite, we headed down to Mr. J's for salad and pizza. A nice place to spend a rainy night.

Tomorrow, we have an 8:00 am appointment at Bay Diesel for an oil change and our scheduled yearly maintenance. We wanted to get this taken care of while we are waiting our turn for a service bay here at the campground.

And, so on and so on...such is life at Camp Red Bay...

Moving East...

2011-09-11T21:17:00.001-05:00

Thursday was our last day in Fort Collins, and, we wanted to make the most of a beautiful day. Especially after our rainy and snowy day in the Rocky Mountain National Park.

We each had a couple of errands to run. I needed to find a post office and Best Buy while Rod needed a new camera battery. And, of course, you can't do all that shopping without a little

nourishment. And, this pizzeria seemed to fit the bill. The

salad was to die for and the

pizza was good too.

After lunch and errands, we thought we would take a tour of this local

brewery, but we decided against the tour and just sit out and enjoyed their patio and soaked up a little sunshine while visiting.

The brewery wasn't so good, but the blizzards at the Dairy Queen were awesome. The new flavor...Caramel Chocolate Brownie!

One last stop by the

local produce stand. They were out of peaches, but not short on corn or

roasted peppers.

By this time, it was late afternoon, and we needed to head back to the RV Park to meet up with

Todd, Shelli, and the kids.

Soon, the

sun was setting over the mountains and it was time for us to start packing up for an early morning departure.

Friday, we had our hugs, and said see you in October in Texas. Soon, we were on the road and headed out of Fort Collins. We decided not to take the interstate to Denver, but to try

Hwy 34 across to Burlington. We certainly missed the traffic, but, had to

dodge one very wide load coming down the road.

We drove across Colorado and we drove across Kansas, and some 600 miles later, we stopped on the Kansas Toll Road, just shy of Kansas City where we spent the night. Boy, no one had to tell me it was bedtime...lol

However, yesterday, we made up for it, and drove only 62 miles from Kansas City to Grain Valley, Missouri. We stopped off here to visit with Pat and Garry, friends from Retama. During the summer, they manage

the Trailside RV Park just off of I-70.

Mark and

Garry got in some good visiting while

Pat was busy taking a reservation or two.

Great to see you guys even though our visit was just for one day. It was a nice break from the long travel day on Friday. We even had a beautiful

rainbow to finish off the day.

Again this morning, there were hugs and see you soon in Texas, before we were back on the road heading East. We had an easy trip with not much traffic until we reached St. Louis. We wiggled our way through

town and across

the river. Wow, what a trip. I am glad it was Sunday and not a weekday.

It wasn't too much farther down the road and we were out of the busy city and enjoying the beauty of the Illinois and

Indiana country sides. By mid-afternoon, we reached our destination in Newburgh, Indiana. Here we are

parked at SMI Industries. In the morning, they will be installing an air brake system that will work on the Jeep by using the braking system of the motor home. Yeah, no more Brake Buddy to mess with.

Thanks for coming East with us...see you tomorrow as we head South.

All For A Stamp

2011-09-07T22:57:00.001-05:00

We woke this morning to rain, rain, and more rain, but, we didn't let it mess up our plan to head out to

Rocky Mountain National Park. Along with Rod and Deb, we drove up to Estes Park. First, we made a stop at the visitor center.

Next on the agenda was lunch. Rod and Deb

recommended this great deli. The sandwiches were delicious, the soup was great, but, the desserts were awesome. Needless to say, we all enjoyed our lunch. Our walk back to the car took us by a shoe store were Mark had his eye on a new pair of Merrell's.

Now, with lunch and shopping behind us, we were ready to head into the park and up the

mountain. Now, we all know that when it is raining down below, there could be snow up top. Well, that statement is true, and by the time we reached the

Alpine Visitor Center at 12,000 feet, it was 34 degrees and snowing...but, Deb and I needed that cancellation stamp!

Even, this

little guy thought we were crazy.

We did learn that...

Alpine weather bounces between sunlight and storms, strong winds and balmy breezes, violent weather and surprising calm...resilient plants, insects, birds, and mammals.

Okay, okay...we got the stamp, and headed back down the mountain to better conditions. But, we still needed

more stamps. So, our next stop was the Moraine Visitor Center. The weather was much better at this stop.

We also made stops at the Fall River Visitor Center and Beaver Meadows. Our grand total of stamps today...five!

By this time, we had collected ourselves right into mid-afternoon and there was yet another stop we wanted to make. But, as were about to exit the park, we were stopped by this

fellow! Ya'll come back, real soon!

Now, on to our

last stop for the day. We tasted, shopped, and purchased

lots of Cherry Juice, Cider, Jelly, and Pies. A great finish to the day.

Despite the weather, it was a fun day in the Rocky Mountain National Park!

Surprise!

2011-09-06T23:28:00.001-05:00

Yesterday was our last day in Gillette and a pretty laid back day at that. I started the packing up process while Mark rearranged the outside bays. We sit outside most of the afternoon enjoying the sunshine and friendships.

Last night, we pulled off a really big

surprise birthday party for Marcia. She will soon turn 50 and we couldn't let her leave without a party.

There was

cake,

gag gifts, and lots of

friends.

Oh, yes...and,

balloons all around her motor home!

Mark and I were especially glad to have

Jack, Nell, and her mom, Blondie (friends from Fort Worth) join us for the party. We have had a great week with them and they have fit right in to our group.

What a great evening! Happy Birthday Marcia!

This morning, we were up early and taking care of last minute details before time to pull out. There were hugs all around and lots of "see you down the road" said before it was finally time to pull out.

Mark and I had discussed several different directions to take from Gillette, but none of them seemed to come together until just a day or so ago. It was then that we decided we wanted to make a stop in Fort Collins, Colorado and try and surprise Rod and Deb. However, I needed a little more information about their whereabouts, and had to include Rod in our plan.

We arrived today shortly after noon and pulled off the surprise visit without a hitch! So, we are

parked here, just down from

Rod and Deb and looking forward to a fun couple of days.

The fun started this evening with

Rod and Shelli, their daughter, grilling some yummy burgers. We also enjoyed

meeting Ashton and Riley, Nana's favorite grandchildren.

What a great family...Todd was there too, but I missed him in the pictures.

A fun, fun day! I can't wait to see what tomorrow has in store.

Still Going Strong...

2011-09-03T22:36:00.001-05:00

After the great conclusion of Escapades on Thursday, there was still a little work to be done. So, yesterday, we were up and ready to help get it done. So, right after the "hitch up" breakfast, I headed off to the office to help with the packing up, while Mark was out helping

load up the Big Red Truck. With the help of the

bobcat, the guys worked until mid-afternoon and finally, the doors were closed and the

Big Red Truck was ready to head home to Livingston, Texas.

Yesterday, was also our 44th wedding anniversary. We had Happy Hour with friends, and then had a nice quite dinner at The Chophouse in downtown Gillette. What a great evening, with great friends.

Several more folks left today, and we wish them safe travels. The rest of us spent the day regrouping, sorting paperwork, doing laundry, and buying groceries...some even found time to take a nap!

The temperature here in Gillette never got out of the 60's today, so tonight, we found

a spot out of the wind for our nightly get together.

Of course, this group can't get together without lots of

great food.

Kevin even grilled

some hotdogs...a true tailgate party.

Afterwards, there was enough daylight left, and

the ladder ball competition was on...however,

one by one the cool night air finally sent us all home, but, tomorrow is another day!

Escapades...a great finish!

2011-09-02T00:08:00.001-05:00

Yesterday, was more of the same, lots of transporting of the attendees, lots of seminars, and lots of visiting. The week has gone by really fast, and, today, we at the conclusion of yet another great Escapades.

We were excited to see

Mike and Pat McFall. We are so glad they were able to join us for a couple of days. And, then there was

Denny and Kathy Pike, who drove in for the day to visit with Eddie and Mary Catherine Sligh. It was great to see all of you!

By mid-afternoon, almost everyone had gathered for the

closing ceremonies.

Tonight's activities included

Bingo and

the Annual Dance Party, and a great finish to a great week.

Now, with this Escapades in the record book, we will start planning for Escapades 2012. Mark and I have enjoyed being part of a great 2011 staff, and, now we are looking forward to serving as the 2012 Assistant Escapade Coordinators in Sedalia, Missouri. We hope you all can join us there.

And, until then, we send you all a great big...

Escapades In Motion...

2011-08-30T23:47:00.001-05:00

By Sunday afternoon, the awesome parking team had everyone settled in and the registration staff was accounting for all. Now, our fun job in transportation was about to begin. Along with our volunteers, we would use

this fleet of golf carts to help transport the attendees from the

Box Elder Campground to the Wyoming Center. We start our day around 7:00 am and drive to and from and all around picking up folks. We usually have them all back to the campground by around 9:30 after the evening entertainment.

On Sunday, with everyone gathered, the

Opening Ceremonies officially kicked off what promised to be a great week.

There have been great

door prize drawings. Some of the prizes have been furnished by

outside vendors while others were given by

our indoor vendors.

We have been

entertained and

fed.

There have been

beautiful days to be out and about and there have been

days that were not so good to be out, but we kept on moving.

Today, while I was out with our volunteers, Mark was back at the motor home while

Bill Adams from Internet Anywhere was installing our new

satellite dish. Now, maybe we can keep a good signal and we will also be able to get the HD channels.

When we have a little free time, we try to work in a little visiting time with

Eddie and Mary Catherine, our friends from Retama. They are here in the Market representing Bentsen Palms.

The week is moving right along, but by no means is it over, and everyone is having a great time.

Escapades...Moving In

2011-08-27T23:32:00.001-05:00

The last couple of days have been full to say the least, and our

Customer Service Team has been busy from early morning to late afternoon.

Yesterday, we were up and ready to greet the

hundreds of RV's that are arriving here in Gillette.

The Parking Team are the first greeters, and our job is to take care of

ones that have an incomplete or incorrect set of registration papers. Or, maybe, they know they are going to have so much fun, they just wanted to arrive early or stay longer. In that case, we collect an additional fee and send them on their way.

Now, while Ruthann, Ann, and myself are busy taking care of these folks, our guys are always

solving their own set of problems.

Yesterday, after all the RVs were parked for the day, it was time for us to make our way to the Wyoming Center for staff meeting and

a practice run for the registration team. They did a great job and will be ready for the general attendees. Then it was on to the staff dinner where we were served a really great meal. We also got in lots of visiting.

A good day!

This morning, we were up and back on the job by 7:45. Bob

Miller, head of parking, stopped by to make sure we were ready, and the RV's lined up were certainly ready for us to get things started.

Again, today, we processed and parked a few hundred rigs.

The early arrivals were able to start the registration process this afternoon and the market venders opened after lunch.

Tomorrow, we will be back on the job as the last of the RVs arrive. Registration will be completed, and by mid afternoon, Escapades 2011, will officially be underway.

Escapade - Day 1

2011-08-25T23:15:00.001-05:00

Today was our scheduled arrival day at the Cam-Plex. Along with Dave, Ann, Harold and Ruthann, we were ready to move across the road by 7:45 this morning.

We were not the first to arrive, so

we waited until it was our turn to

be parked.

Once, we were settled in and set up, the six of us headed off to Spirit Hall for

official hugs and to pick up our staff packets. Afterwards, the guys were off to pick up the radios and the golf carts before our 10:30 meeting.

Then we needed to work in lunch and a 1:00 meeting. Afterwards, we took a little tour around the parking lot to check out some plans for tomorrow before we needed to return

for an all staff meeting in the afternoon.

Kiwi is the color this year, so we found these

great shirts for our team to wear.

After the staff meeting, we attended a

Welcome/Happy Hour where we visited with lots of old friends. A great, but busy first day.

Now, for a good night's sleep, for tomorrow is a real work day, and we will be at our post in the parking lot at 7:45 am. We will be ready for the first of the early bird attendees that will be as anxious to get here as we were this morning!

Escapades 2011

2011-08-24T22:43:00.001-05:00

Yesterday, we were up early so we could wiggle our way out of and around Denver. Once we were on I-25 heading north things begin to settle down and soon we

were just about the only ones on the road.

We reached the

Wyoming State line and the

scenery changed from the rugged Rockies to this. And, those cool mountain temps were left behind as well.

By the time we reached the

North Platte River and the turn off to Gillette, the thermometer was reading 95 degrees.

By mid-afternoon, we reached the

High Plains Campground. This is our

home until we move to the Cam-Plex on Thursday.

Once we were settled, we had a great visit with old friends...there was Keith and Donna, Joe and Marsha, and Rich and MaryAnn.

Later in the evening, we had a yummy dinner and great visit with Molly and Bob. When we returned to the campground, we caught up with Roger and Barb and Bob and Barb. Lots of good hugs and visiting to finish off the day.

This morning Donna and Keith moved over to the

Cam-Plex with the early staff arrivals.

Today, we met with the rest of our Customer Service team...

Dave and Ann and

Harold and Ruthann.

Always great meeting new folks and we are looking forward to working with them throughout the week. After a little discussion about ourselves, we were down to working out the plans for the next few days. Of, course, the planning continued over dinner at the local Mexican food restaurant. Ann, Ruthann, and I decided we needed to make a stop at Wal-Mart on the way back to the campground. Then, we all called it a night and headed to our rigs to get things organized for our move in the morning.

We are looking forward to getting set up and organized for what promises to be a fun week at the 2011 Escapades. We have a beautiful

facility to enjoy where a lot of activity will take place.

If you are on your way to Gillette, just look for the

welcome sign at the end of the road. And, if not...know that you will be missed!

A Day to Chill...

2011-08-22T22:55:00.001-05:00

After a fast weekend with the boys, we decided it would be a good day to just chill!

Mike had to go back to work this morning and Kyle was coming to spend the day with Mark and I. After a real leisure morning, of computers, cartoons, snacks, cartoons, computers, and lunch, we decided we might try to accomplish something. So, I loaded up a couple of loads of laundry and while Mark watched

Kyle play in the pool, I did the laundry.

After a nice afternoon at the pool, the three of us headed back to the motor home for a little more chillin! A little more computer time, cartoon time, and of course, an afternoon snack, and before we knew it, it was time to think about meeting Mike for dinner.

Kyle choose Buffalo Wild Wings and it was yummy. A great place to just hang out, eat, and get in a little last minute visiting.

Too soon, it was time to thank the guys for a great weekend. We are so glad we had the opportunity to be able to spend the last few days here with them. Kyle wishes we could move to Denver. I told him he would have to warm up the winters if he wanted me to live here. He also wishes that next time, I could bring his Grandma and Great MiMi with me so they could watch him ride the roller coaster! So, girls, you better get your bags packed for the next trip.

After returning to the motor home, it was time for me to do a little packing in preparation for our travel day tomorrow on to Gillette, Wyoming.

Again, thanks Mike and Kyle for a great weekend, it was good to spend time with you both! Hugs, Aunt DD and Uncle Mark

Breckenridge Here We Come!

2011-08-21T21:59:00.001-05:00

Mark, Kyle, and I were up early this morning and ready to go. By the time Mike arrived at the RV Park, we had the cooler filled with drinks and our snack bags ready. Today, we were heading up

I-70 into the mountains and through

tunnels to the town of Breckenridge.

When we arrived, we took a quick trip through town and wow, how it has changed since we were last here. Okay, enough is enough and Kyle was ready to hit the slopes. We parked, jumped on the

gondola and headed up the mountain. We arrived at the base of Peak 8, home of the

Fun Park.

Wow, where to start and what to do. We decided that we would just watch, take pictures, and let the boys play. So, Uncle Mark treated them to an "all day pass" and it was well used!

They

rode the chair lift to the top and

came down by way of the alpine slide. After a couple of trips up and down, Kyle decided it was time

for our picnic. Once, refreshed from lunch, they were off to

climb the rock wall. Dad, you better hurry because I think

Kyle is about to beat you to the top!

They both were

up and down until I was tired.

From the rock wall, Kyle was ready to head up the hill to take

a ride on Oreo. And, while we were there, he decided he had better see

if Butterscotch was a better ride. I think he liked them both.

We then made our way to the other end of the park to try out the

Gold Runner Coaster. Wow, what a great

ride down the mountain and through the trees! Who, would have ever thought about making a roller coaster on the side of the mountain. And, it is open year round. Can one even imagine riding this thing in the winter when those rails are covered in snow and ice...not me!

Well, I have to say this was the hit of the day, as they wore out their passes going

up and

coming down.

By mid afternoon, all that was left to do was

a little panning for jewels and

bungee jumping on the trampoline.

Okay, well, there was one last ride on the roller coaster before it was time to catch the

gondola back to the bottom.

We said goodbye to Breckenridge and headed back to Denver. Our trip back was a long one in

traffic that looked like this from Dillon to Denver. But, we didn't let it ruin our

great day in the mountains.

A Day With the Boys...

2011-08-20T21:57:00.001-05:00

This morning we were packed up and ready to pull out by 9:00. We traveled from Woodland Park.

around Pike's Peak, through Manitou Springs, and on to the interstate. Our destination today, about 100 miles to Golden, Colorado, to the

Dakota Ridge RV Park.

We are here to spend a few days with our

nephew, Mike and his son, Kyle.

After getting the motor home all

set up, the four of us headed out for lunch and by to see where the

boys live.

We returned to the RV Park, so the guys could

hit the pool. Kyle was quite anxious to show us how well he has learned

to swim and

do tricks.

Grandma, this one

is for you! Wish you were here with Aunt DD and Uncle Mark to watch me swim.

After lots of swimming, we decided it was time for us to think about dinner. So, we talked Uncle Mark into

grilling some hotdogs. After dinner, there was plenty of time left for

making new friends and a game of horseshoes.

Then, we took a hike on the

mountain at the RV park.

And, when we had used all the daylight hours this day had to offer, the only thing left to do was get a shower, have cookies, brush teeth, and

jump into bed for a sleepover on the bus.

And, this was my day with the boys.

Happy Birthday, Mark

2011-08-19T21:16:00.001-05:00

Not only is today Mark's birthday, but, it is also our last day here in Woodland Park. So, we wanted today to be special for both reasons. The choice was obvious...

We took for the drive

up Pike's Peak, America's Mountain.

We have been to the top of Pike's Peak many times, but the last several trips we took the

Cog train, so this time we decided to drive the 19 miles to the top.

We made our way to the

entrance and paid the fee. Nothing left at this point except to make our way

up,

up, and

up.

We passed

lakes, drove

through construction, and

kept going up and around and around until we finally made it up to

the summit.

The temperature was 50 degrees and while we were at the top a

dark cloud blew in bringing snow flakes with it, so...

time to head into the gift shop to browse around. And, in lieu of a birthday cake, I treated Mark to the World Famous

high altitude donuts and a cup of coffee.

When at the top, you know why the words of America The Beautiful were penned from here in the late 1800's. And, when we were content with soaking in all

of that beauty, we started our decent.

Going down is a lot quicker than going up...

We were cleared at

the the brake check to keep going and soon, we were almost

to the bottom.

We then made our way through Manitou and on into The Springs. Our destination was the mall for a little birthday shopping. Mark got 4 pairs of socks and I got a new pair of Oakley sunglasses.

Great birthday, great day!

Tomorrow, we will be traveling about 100 miles to Golden, Colorado. We are looking forward to spending the weekend with my nephew and his little boy. I am sure there will be an adventure or two to report from there.

And, by the way, to answer the comments from yesterday's post...the orange things on the grill were peaches and they were delicious!

Old Friends/New Friends

2011-08-18T23:48:00.001-05:00

We have been having so much fun this week in Woodland Park and all the surrounding area. So, much fun in fact, that this morning, I decided I needed to catch up on the laundry while Mark was off at the car wash. While we were in the chore mode, we decided we better take a look ahead at some future plans and appointments that needed to be booked on the calendar.

Enough work, so after lunch, we decided that we had plenty of time to get out and run some errands before time to head to

Mountaindale RV Park which is about 30 miles south of Woodland Park. This is where Jesse, Ginger, Ed, Marilyn, and Tony and Jackie are staying.

We were excited about spending the evening with them. Other than chatting on Facebook and sharing blogs, we hadn't officially met Tony and Jackie and were certainly looking forward to that. We were to meet at Tony and Jackie's and when Ginger got off work, we were going out to dinner. However, when we arrived Tony had decided that it would be more fun to just

hang out at their place and visit. Ed and Marilyn came for Happy Hour time and a short visit. They already had already eaten and had plans for the evening.

Tony

grilled an awesome dinner for all of us. Ginger and Jackie made the sides. What a great surprise and treat. Thanks to you all for a great evening.

We have been so blessed to have made so many friends over the years and through this great lifestyle, and tonight, we added two more wonderful folks to that list! Tony and Jackie, we can't wait until our paths cross again!!

A Big Jeep Trip...

2011-08-17T22:21:00.001-05:00

We didn't have a real plan for the day, so, we were sort of slow getting started this morning. Mark was off visiting with Jack and Danielle in the office about next summer, while I was trying to put myself together. When he returned, we talked about a few plans, put some drinks in the cooler, bagged up some snacks and fruit, grabbed the cameras, took the roof off the jeep. and

headed out. We decided to check out the

Florissant Fossil Beds, which is in the National Park system, so, I collected one more stamp for my book.

We saw not only the remains of

giant redwoods, but,

an old settlement, complete with

a root cellar. Glad, I keep my potatoes in the house!

After we wandered up and down lots of trails, we decided to head on down the road. Soon, I snapped a photo of the

sky, laughed, and said...you can't ever trust a dark cloud in the mountains...

Next thing we knew, it was raining big rain drops...remember the roof we took off earlier! Okay, have you ever tried to find a place to pull off the side of a mountain road...finally, we found a small pull-out with a tree. We got the top back on, laughed and said, gosh, we needed our umbrellas!

We certainly didn't let a little rain spoil our day. We headed on into Cripple Creek and on to

Victor, where we picked up the

Phantom Canyon Road. We didn't have to wonder if we were going the wrong way because it

was the only road on the navigation system.

What a great time we had. We saw lots of

deer, most were camera shy and ran before I could get their picture.

The

rocks in the canyon were awesome.

We stopped

all along the way, to read about the area.

This road is one of the most scenic and historic drives in Colorado. The route increases in elevation from 5,500 to 9,500 feet and offers the chance to see a wide range of plants and wildlife in their natural setting.

The gravel road follows the route of the Florence & Cripple Creek Railroad built in 1894 as a connection from Florence to the goldfields of Cripple Creek and Victor.

The unique bridges and tunnels offer a visual link to the area's historic past.

The road condition and narrow bridges encourage people to slow down and view the scenery.

Twelve stations were established along the F&CC Railroad grade to service the trains hauling coal and supplies upgrade and gold ore downgrade to Florence's smelters.

All day we continued to be amazed by another

rock,

tunnel,

or turn of the road.

And, then there were times that we were just thankful for

the road...lol, and, by mid-afternoon, we made it on into Canon City.

We really intended to go back to Cripple Creek by way of another Jeep road, but, missed the turn in Canon City. We didn't want to turn around, so we ended up traveling on The High Road. It was a good road and paved! We reached Cripple Creek in time for a yummy dinner at Ruby Tuesday's and even had time to play a few pennies at the Wildwood Casino before time to head towards Woodland Park.

Yes, it was a big Jeep day, and I look forward to the next one...

right after I pack my umbrella!

Another Great Day...

2011-08-16T22:55:00.001-05:00

After a leisure time this morning, Mark and I decided to head into The Springs for a couple of errands and a few photo opportunities.

My telephone hasn't been staying charged to well lately, so, we made a stop by the Verizon store. I looked into upgrading, but the phone I wanted wasn't available, so I settled for a new battery. Maybe somewhere down the road I will take care of that upgrade, but for now, I think I am fixed up.

Then, while we were in the area, we drove up to the

Broadmoor Hotel. It is still a very exclusive area of town and the hotel and

grounds were beautiful.

Forbes Travel Guide Five-Star Awards (formerly Mobil Five-Star Award by Mobil Travel Guide) announced its list of Five-Star winners for 2010 and honored The Broadmoor for a record 50^th consecutive year. The Broadmoor is the only property ever to achieve this status.

We made our way through the neighborhood to see

this home. In the yard we found these

huge sculptures.

The artist, Starr Kempf, began to work in bronze sculpture in 1955, which he sold to collectors around the United States. As of 1977, his vision had blossomed into the creation of elaborate steel wind sculptures, each of which took him up to three years to construct. His kinetic wind sculptures were designed to exhibit graceful movement and interaction with the wind, and took the form of birds

and wind vanes, often soaring to more than fifty feet in height.

A pretty amazing site!

Next, we made our way down to

the Garden of the Gods Park. We have been here many times, but, it still remains a favorite spot. Today, we just took a drive through the park to

get a couple of

rock pictures, and especially

The Balanced Rock.

Time to head to Old Colorado City, where we had plans to meet

Jim, Ellie, Ed, Marilyn, Ginger, and Jesse for lunch. Great lunch, great folks, and we are so glad that our paths have crossed yet again and we could get together for a long needed visit.

Even after a couple of hours here at Amanda's Fonda Restaurant, the visiting

continued in the parking lot. You just can't shut those guys up, and they talk about us girls talking all the time!

After hugs and "see you laters", Jim and Ellie loaded up with us and we headed out to take in a few more sites.

Our first stop was the

International Fallen Firefighters Memorial Park.

I loved the

sculptures that

were all around

the park. But, all the

names on the walls around the park were far too many...these are just the names from 9/11.

After, our time here, we traveled on to the

US Olympic Training Center. Again, lots of beautiful

sculptures to

see.

Just outside the

Visitor's Center is the clock counting down time until the

next Olympics. Inside the center, we saw

torches and

gold medals.

We walked through the

Hall of Fame, (Andrew, this is for you).

A trip through the gift shop and then it was time for us to be on our way.

We made one last stop at Sportsman Warehouse where we purchased a burner for our large stock pot. The afternoon was then well on it's way to becoming early evening as we dropped Jim and Ellie off at their car.

We have spent a great few days with them, but, now it is time for them to finalize the last of the plans for their daughter's wedding on Saturday. We want to wish Robin and Paul many many years of happiness as they join their hearts and their families together on Saturday evening. Jim and Ellie, catch your breath and enjoy the moment!

Mark and I then headed up the mountain and into the rain which has lingered on into the night hours.

Gosh, what can I say except we were so blessed with another great day!

Rejoice And Be Glad...

2011-08-15T22:10:00.001-05:00

One of my favorite songs is, This Is The Day The Lord Has Made. And, it continues... let us rejoice and be glad in it!

We woke to a beautiful morning with a thermometer reading of 47 degrees with a forecasted high in the mid 70's, and we had a great plan for the day.

By 9:30, Jim and Ellie had arrived here in Woodland Park and the four of us loaded in the Jeep. We headed out towards the little town of

Cripple Creek. We drove

through the town and took a left at the end of town and headed on to the

Back Country Roads.

The morning was so great, that soon, we decided to stop and

take the front roof covers off...

much better.

We saw

beautiful flowers,

little critters, and

old mines.

We continued our drive on

Shelf Road where we found

little waterfalls,

curves in the two-way one lane road,

houses built high above the road, and

breathtaking mountains.

When the four of us had taken as

many pictures as we could, we decided to head back to Cripple Creek for lunch and to play a few pennies in the local casino.

With mid-afternoon approaching, we needed to head back to Woodland Park, but not before spotting the

the road up Pike's Peak.

On the way back into town, Ellie had Mark take another little side trip down this

back road to a

little cabin in the woods complete with

outhouse out back. This little cabin is one that has been in her family since the early 1940's and is where she spent lots of summers with her grandmother.

Thanks Ellie for sharing your childhood memories with us.

We arrived back at the RV Park. Soon, it was time for hugs as Jim and Ellie needed to get back to The Springs to see about the fur kids. What a great day with great friends.

This day was

beautifully created and we did rejoice in it!

Moving On...

2011-08-14T22:37:00.001-05:00

After a great evening with Jim and Ellie, plus getting a good night's sleep, we were up this morning and ready to move on. However, before we could leave, Mark and Jim needed to make a trip to Camping World. Never turn two guys loose in Camping World...

When they returned, it was time for us to pack up and truly say, "see you guys tomorrow"...more about that later!

Our travel today would only take us about 30 miles

up hills and

around rocks to the town

Woodland Park. Once we made our way through town and a turn on Hwy 67, we found ourselves arriving at Diamond Campground and RV Park. This is the park were Jack and Danielle Mayer work for the summer season. They are also one of our neighbors from Retama.

We were excited to see them, and I laughed and told them they didn't have to go overboard with the

welcome! LOL

Once we were settled into our beautiful site, it was time to take care of a few necessities...such as

lunch (Mark's choice),

washing the Jeep, and

restocking the pantry and fridge!

Then, it was back to the RV Park where we spent a nice quite afternoon. Mark found the lawn chair very comfy, while Danielle and I took a nice walk around the park. By the time we made it back, Jack had wandered over and found the other lawn chair, and he and Mark were in deep conversation. Danielle and I joined them until time to call it a night.

Tomorrow, Jim and Ellie are coming to Woodland Park and the four of us are taking off for the back roads and who knows where they might lead.

Jello Plans...

2011-08-13T22:53:00.001-05:00

This morning we took our time in getting up and out of Amarillo. Our jello plan was to travel only to Raton, NM. But, as we traveled in that direction, we realized that with the time change, we would arrive shortly after noon and that was sort of a waste of good travel time. So, after little discussion, we decided on the perfect plan.

I made a call to the Colorado Springs KOA and found that they had availability for tonight. Then I sent a text message to Jim and Ellie, knowing that they were staying there, and ask if they would recommend the KOA as a place to stay. They were excited to find out that we were coming, even it was just for overnight.

We arrived around 3:00pm and were parked just a couple of sites away. Of course, we quickly set up and were off to get the visiting started. And, the talking, laughing, and visiting lasted the rest of the afternoon, on through dinner, a drive around town, and into the evening.

It has been way too long since we have been together and we enjoyed the day so much. And, even though we will leave tomorrow to go on to Woodland Park, which is about 30 miles up the road, we have made plans to get together and share in a few adventures over the next couple of days.

So, once again, those plans that were only jello this morning, ended up setting up quite well.

Today

2011-08-12T21:35:00.001-05:00

Being at home in Texas all summer has been hot and hotter but, fun. We have had lots of good visits with family, the arrival of a new granddaughter, and, of course, the summer motor home trips with the grandkids.

This last week has been especially busy. A few last minute appointments for both Mark and I. And, then there was lots of babysitting, while Karen was at school preparing her classroom for the fast approaching school year. I also painted a

wall hanging for Kinley's room that Karen and I have been talking about all summer. But, I work better under pressure, so there was no real hurry to start it before last week...LOL

And, then, before we could turn around, last week was gone, and, it was Today... the day we have looked forward to since this time last year... our journey toward the 2011 Escapades Rally in Gillette, Wyoming.

Our day started at 5:30am with a trip to the hospital, where Scott, our oldest son, was having a scheduled shoulder surgery. It took the doctors a little over 2 hours to repair and clean up lots of damage in his right shoulder. They had to place 2 anchors in his bicep muscle, 2 more anchors went into his rotator cuff, and several bone spurs were removed. The surgery went well, but, his recovery will be slow and painful. His arm has been completely immobilized for 3 weeks followed by another 3 weeks of movement only by the physical therapist. He is home and Jennifer is keeping the pain meds flowing. With them settled in...

We were back to the house and ready to finish the last minute "make ready to travel" list.

While Mark was making sure all the

new tow equipment was working properly, I made sure all was ready inside.

Then came the hardest part of leaving for me, the hugs and kisses from all those little folks.

Miss

Kourtney and

Mr.

Caden start pre-school next week. Wow, not sure where the last four years have gone. Hope you two have a great first year of school.

Miss

Kinley is 3 months old today and is growing like a weed. I can't imagine how much she will change by the time we get back to Texas in October.

Then,

Zachary, Lauren, and Andrew start back to school in another week and will be in the 5th, 6th, and 8th grades. Can't believe they are growing up so fast.

Well, with all the hugs and phone calls made, it was time to head out. Our travels today took us north out of Fort Worth to 287 and on to Amarillo where we have stopped for the night.

Other than a few rest stops and a giant

West Texas Red Dirt Devil, our travels today were uneventful. We are blessed and thankful for today and looking forward to a great new adventure.

Back To Texas...but first

2011-07-31T23:07:00.001-05:00

With three days behind us, and three ahead of us, the fun in Vegas continued. I mean after all, we are in the city that never sleeps. So, what's the hold up. Come on girls...

you look great!

We were off for another day of shopping. This time we

shopped until we almost dropped. The girls found lots of bargains including these

great shoes.

With no time to waste, we headed back to the

room, made some sandwiches, and regrouped. Then, it was off to

Circus Circus and The Adventure Dome. While the

big kids were way up in the air going round and round, Caden

was sizing himself up for some

rides and

jumping of his own.

When everyone was completely worn out, it was time for some

refreshment.

Again, after a little sleep, we headed out for our last full day of fun. We still needed to make stops at the

M&M Store, the

Coca Cola Store, and don't forget the

gondola ride at the Venetian.

I hope you are tired yet, because our day, which has now turned into afternoon has just begun. We still needed to see

the beautiful fountain inside the Palazzo,

kiss some frogs,

indulge in some dinner and say

"no thanks", to dessert.

Then, it was off the

highlight of the night. Sorry, wish I could have taken just one picture inside the show. Just believe me when I say it was awesome!

Again, after just a little sleep, we are to our final day and Jennifer still had just a couple of items left on her to do list. We packed up and checked out of

our condo by 10:00. We made our way to see the

Shark Reef at

Mandalay Bay.

The kids had a great time

petting the

sting rays. Then we were off to ride the monorail to see a couple more of the hotels.

But, too soon...it was time to

say good-bye to the city that never sleeps.

After lunch, we returned the car, took the bus to the airport, rode the tram to our gate and before we knew it...we were

off to Texas.

What a great week! Thanks kids for including Poppa and I in all the fun!

Non-Stop Days

2011-07-27T11:30:00.000-05:00

When we arrived home last Thursday, we had just a couple of days of lots to do before our next departure. On Friday, we cleaned the motor home and got all the laundry done and errands run.

On Friday evening, we picked up Mark's mom and met his cousins and aunt for dinner and some great visiting.

Saturday, I took care of a few more errands and did some sorting and little packing for our Vegas trip. Scott, Jennifer and the kids came by to show us their new Jeep. It was really nice. Scott mentioned that they had one coming in that he thought we might be interested in. This is something we have been considering, but, we hoped to get a few more months out of our Jeep Liberty. However, once we saw Scott's, we decided to go and take a look. The salesman actually gave us a more than fair trade price, so we decided to

drive it home. I think we might have some great day trips coming up.

On Sunday, I picked up Mom for church and lunch. Afterwards, I headed home to finish our packing for Vegas. Then, it was early to bed and early to rise for our trip to DFW airport on Monday morning.

We checked in and wiggled through security, found a place for breakfast and then we

patiently waited for the airplane to be ready.

Once we were loaded and ready, we found that it was

a beautiful day for flying high above the clouds.

After a great flight, and shortly before landing, we got a great view of

Lake Mead and soon the

Vegas Strip was in sight.

We unloaded from the plane, caught the tram to baggage claim. From there, we caught the bus to the car rental facility, picked up our car, and headed just down the street to our hotel. We found that we were too early to check in, so we pre-registered and were informed that we could check in by 4:00 p.m. So, with some 3 hours or so, we headed without hesitation to

lunch.

From lunch, we headed to find a place to park and take in a few sights. We decided on the MGM. We walked through the hotel and casino until we found

the lions and the

new baby.

Next, on the list was a trip across the street to

New York New York.

Lauren couldn't resist a pose with

Miss Liberty...this one made of all jelly beans.

Andrew found a

a box of Nerds, just his size and

Caden found a giant Tootsie Roll Pop.

But,

the roller coaster was the main attraction. Jennifer, Lauren, Andrew, and I, had a great time, while Scott, Caden, and Poppa waited for us in the game room.

A little more sight seeing, it was time to return to Tahiti Village for our check in. We had booked two rooms with kitchen, washer and dryer, etc. We arrived in our rooms in Tower 1 and found that we didn't have the promised washer/dryer. After, checking, we could move rooms, but, they were located in another tower. Glad we hadn't unpacked. So, we loaded up our luggage and moved. By this time, it was getting to be dinner time. We chose to stay on-site and use our pizza coupon for Tahiti Joe's. After dinner, Mark and Scott kept the kids while Jennifer and I went out to find the local grocery.

Gosh, we are just at the end of the first day...

Yesterday, we were up early and after breakfast, we were ready to head out for day of shopping. Lauren's destination was the

where the shopping

went on and on. Her favorite store being the

Juicy Couture Store.

Andrew found the Oakley Store and purchased himself some new lens for his sunglasses.

Little Man was just entertained on the

playgrounds and

indulging in a very large piece of pizza!

After shopping until we almost dropped we headed back to the resort and spent the rest of the afternoon in the lazy river and the pool. After a refreshing time in the pool, we grabbed a snack, jumped in the car and made our way to Freemont Street. We watched the

overhead laser light show and were entertained by

a magician.

Caden took on

Darth Vader and posed with

Sponge Bob.

Again, it was early to bed and early to rise. And, today, on day 3 in Vegas, we decided to head over to Hoover Dam where we drove across the

newly constructed bridge, turned around and came back to the dam for

our tour. We also collected a cancellation stamp here and one at Lake Mead Recreational Area in Boulder City.

This evening, we had dinner reservations at Cabo Wabo's on the Strip. We shopped and watched the

dancing fountains at the Bellagio.

Even though the days seem to be non-stop, the memories are priceless! And, just to think...we have 3 more days to go...

Texas Bound...and beyond!

2011-07-20T21:10:00.001-05:00

Yesterday was our last day in Durango. We didn't do much. Mostly, we hung out in the RV Park and began the process of packing up the motor home. Then, after lunch, we decided to take

one last drive through the mountains.

We stopped at the

Alpine Rose RV Park to pick up information for future use. They are located about 2 miles north of Durango on 550. However, they only have a weekly rate which seemed pretty pricey at somewhere between $250 and $300 depending on the type of site you wanted for high season. Maybe, I would have to think twice about staying here for a month.

Our drive took us on into town and then out a back road. We saw

some beautiful homes high up above the river. And, we some some

beautiful barns in the valleys not far from the river's edge.

We climbed high in the mountains where we found

Lemon Reservoir. All that was missing was the moose!

We hated to have to turn around, but our day was drawing to a close and we still needed to have dinner and finish packing.

Once we were back to the campground, we grilled our hamburgers and Andrew made us

one last campfire that we

enjoyed until the last ember burned out.

This morning, we were up early. Unfortunately, Mark had to get out his drill motor and retract that stubborn back jack. Guess, we are going to have to talk to Tiffin about the situation...ugh!

Once all the jacks were up and slides were in, we were ready to roll as we had a long travel day ahead of us.

I got this one

last shot of Durango and we climbed up 550 South.

All, too soon, we were seeing

the mountains of New Mexico.

It was on through Albuquerque, a quick stop for lunch, and by late afternoon, we were welcomed

to Texas. However, our day was not quite over. We drove on to Amarillo, where we are staying overnight at the Oasis RV Park.

Tomorrow's drive will take us on into Fort Worth.

We have had a great 10 days in Colorado, but, the family vacation fun is not over. We have just 4 days to regroup before we fly out with Scott, Jennifer, and the kids for a week in Vegas. And, the summertime adventures continue!

Not Quite As Planned...

2011-07-18T23:25:00.000-05:00

Today, was our last day with Greg, Kate, and Zachary. We really didn't have a plan, but, we knew that at the end of the day, we wanted to grill, have a campfire, and make S'mores.

This morning, while we were waiting, for them to get to the RV Park, Poppa and Andrew thought they would get the

wood ready for tonight's campfire. They were out chopping away, when Andrew came to the door and said, "Moppa hurry, Poppa, cut his thumb".

By the time I got to the door with a towel, I met Mark. With one look, it was decided that we needed to make a trip to town to find the Urgent Care Center. As we were pulling out, Greg and Kate were pulling in. So, I left them with all the kids and headed into town with Mark.

Without any trouble, we found the Urgent Care Center and checked in. It wasn't too long until we were able to see Dr. Sanders. She determined that his thumb would need to be stitched up. She did a great sewing job and 5 stitches later we were on our way.

While, we were in town, Greg and Kate decided to take the kids to the ski area to play on the Alpine Slides. Thanks Uncle Hoppy and Aunt Kate for a great adventure and lunch.

This afternoon, once we were all back to the RV Park, Greg and Poppa hung out with the kids and laid low. Kate and I decided to make a run into Durango. We heard about a

great photo spot on Rim Drive that overlooks the city. We wanted to take a look for ourselves. They were right. We found this spot on the campus of Fort Lewis College, and

this spot by the golf course where we could see

for miles and miles.

We found these beautiful

roses and

flowers blooming right outside the

small chapel located on campus.

Before the rains came,

Kate was able to snap a shot of

this deer on the golf course, just across the road from the Lion's Den. The golfers didn't seem to bother her at all.

Before heading back out to the RV Park, we made one last trip down Main Street and the tee shirt shops. We found a few items we couldn't live without.

By the time we returned to the motor home, everyone was ready for dinner. Poppa started the grilling while Kate and I got the rest together. Yummy dinner...chicken, corn-on-the-cob, green beans, salad, cantaloupe, and garlic bread.

After dinner, Andrew started our

campfire. We

roasted marshmallows, and

enjoyed S'mores until no one could eat anymore.

Poppa, we are sorry

about your thumb, and even though our day didn't go quite as planned, thanks for chopping the wood that made our

great fire that completed our day and weekend with Greg, Kate, and Zachary.

I Think I Can...

2011-07-17T23:57:00.001-05:00

Today's adventure took us to Historic Downtown Durango where we boarded

the Durango & Silverton Scenic train.

This is a narrow gage railroad. The Denver & Rio Grande Railway arrived in Durango on August 5, 1880, and construction on the line began in the fall of that same year. By July of 1882, the tracks to Silverton were completed. The line was originally constructed to haul silver and gold ore from the mountains. However, passengers soon realized it was the view that was truly precious. This scenic line has been in continuous operation ever since.

The coal fired, steam powered train uses from 3 to 5 tons of coal every trip.

Today, it chugged out of the

out of the Durango Depot and headed through town across 550 and into

the back country. It passed by

beautiful lakes, and climbed up and up, and

around the mountain.

We entered

the San Juan National Forest and while the train keep chugging along, we continued to enjoy...

beautiful flowers,

wildlife,

crazy people on raging rivers, and

mountain shadows on calm waters.

There were places that the train

ducked under bridges,

let off steam, took on water, and

crept by the rocky walls of the canyon.

And, after a 3-1/2 hours of a breath taking trip, we arrived in

Silverton.

We pulled into the

Depot just after noon. After posing for a

picture or

two, we decided it was time

for lunch.

Afterwards, we had plenty of time to do a little

shopping and laughing. When we had shopped until we dropped, we stopped off by the local ice cream shop before it was time to

board our bus for the trip back to the

Durango Depot.

Thanks to the little engine that said, "I think I can" and chugged all the way up and through the back country from Durango to Silverton, we were able to enjoy yet another view of this beautiful area of Colorado.

Which Way To Ouray?

2011-07-16T23:18:00.000-05:00

First of all, we are excited that Greg, Kate, and Zachary have joined us for a few days here in Durango. Andrew and Lauren were glad to see Zachary and of course, I had to get their

Vacation 2011 picture taken as soon as possible.

So, now for today's adventure. We headed north to Ouray, by way of Silverton. But, oh my, by the time we reached Red Mountain Pass, I was beginning to wonder

which way to Ouray.

There are 155 curves from the pass into Ouray. The shops in town sell shirts to prove it!

Finally, after that last curve, we found ourselves in downtown Ouray. Since this was our first time to be here, we found the Visitor Center and after browsing through all the brochures, we found as couple of fun activities.

First, the kids wanted to go to the

Old Mine and take a train ride. We purchased our tickets and had time for lunch at the outdoor cafe there on the premises. Soon, our tour would start, but, before we could

board our train, we were issued these

great outfits.

Once, everyone was loaded onto the mine train, we

headed into the old mine. After we traveled some 1850 feet into the mine,

we unloaded. Our lead miner then told us all about mining, not only in this mine, but others throughout the state of Colorado.

Afterwards, both

Zachary and

Lauren got to try their hand at mining.

I guess they didn't care for mining, because, once, we were out of the mine, they decided they would like to try

panning for gold. They worked pretty hard at it and finally got a little help

from Mom, Dad, and

Poppa.

When all was said and done, they decided they really didn't want either to be their jobs, but, were pretty proud of their

little bottles of gold.

Next, we were off to Box Canyon. We made our way

up to the top to catch

this view of the canyon and the

falls. Then, we made our way

down, down, down to catch this view of the the falls. And, to see

just where we came from high above the canyon floor.

Before leaving, we had to do just a little

shopping on the streets of the historic downtown area.

We really enjoyed our day in and around Ouray. But, then it was finally time for us to head back to Durango by way of those 155 curves in the road...and now, you too, know...which way to Ouray!

A First For Us...

2011-07-15T23:22:00.000-05:00

Today, was a first for us. Our destination,

Mesa Verde National Park.

We entered the park, and found that the visitor center was

15 miles up, up, and up. When we arrived at the park headquarters,

Andrew, Lauren, and I collected our official park stamps. We also signed up for a tour to Cliff Palace. However, in the meantime, we had plenty of time to look around at

Spruce Tree House before our tour. We followed the walkway down to the bottom where we could get

a better look. We even got to

do a little climbing around.

Soon, it was time to head down the road to meet

our park ranger for our tour of

Cliff Palace.

This is the crown jewel of Mesa Verde National Park and is an architectural masterpiece by any standard. It is the largest cliff dwelling in North America. They were discovered in December 1888, by two cowboys out herding cattle. They commented that even through the blowing snow, the cliffs in canyon looked like a magnificent city. It is thought that these dwellings date back to AD 1200.

Well, back to the tour...the ranger took us

down narrow paths and up

ladders until we reached the base of the dwellings.

We stopped for a

brief history lesson about the people that lived here in the Mesa Verde and why they moved from the

Mesa Top to the alcoves below.

We saw the

chambers that were build for ceremonial uses.

When our tour ended, we still needed to get out. Well, what goes down, now must go

up and

up.

When we finally wiggled our way up and out, we were starving. We headed to the nearest

picnic area.

After enjoying our lunch and catching our breath, we took a drive around the Top Mesa Loop before it was time to leave the park.

Before we left the park, we stopped at the entrance, where I was issued my very own Senior Park Pass. Now, I don't have to share with Mark. There are some advantages to turning 62.

Once, we were back in Durango, we made a stop in historic downtown to do

some shirt shopping. Then it was off to

dinner where we reflected about our day.

It is said the Mesa Verde National Park isn't easy to get to, but, it was a great day and we all agreed it was well worth the trip.

Hiking Pass Trail

2011-07-14T21:29:00.001-05:00

This morning, after breakfast, we packed our backpacks with water, snacks, and cameras, and headed to

Coal Bank Pass which is about 35 miles north of Durango. We parked and found the

trailhead for Pass Trail. Today's adventure would take us on a 5 mile round trip up into the mountains.

The trail map was right when it indicated that most of the trail lies on the

side of the mountain with lots of vegetation and

timber.

We had a great time following the trail through the

trees. We even found places that were still covered in

snow.

In fact, here is a

snowball for all of our family and friends back home who are suffering from the extreme heat of this summer.

We climbed up moderate switchbacks, enjoying all the beautiful

flowers that grow beside the paths. Near the top of the trail, at the base of the peak, we decided to stop for a

snack. We rested beside this beautiful little

lake, admiring what God has so beautifully created. Lauren shared her snack of pretzels with one of the

locals.

It was then time to move on, and just around the bend from the lake, was

this view. They say in late summer the meadows are filled with blooming flowers.

All too soon, and after lots of fun and laughs, it was time to head down the mountain.

We stopped by the motor home, regrouped, grabbed lunch, and headed into town. Mark wanted to stop by the car wash to get the car cleaned up from all the back roads we traveled yesterday. And, we needed to make a trip by Wal-Mart for a few goodies. Tonight we grilled some yummy jalapeno cheese burgers and then we made a fire just so we could make

S'mores. A great end to a fun day.

Up AnD dOwN aNd AlL aRoUnD...

2011-07-13T22:33:00.001-05:00

Yesterday, we arrived at the

Durango Riverside Resort and RV Park. We had to wait for our site to be cleared, but were soon escorted right to Site #31. We pulled in to what seemed like a fairly level space. Mark and Andrew placed the jack pads under the jacks and I proceeded to let down the jacks. All was going good until I got an alarm from one of the rear jacks. The rear jack was trying to extend too far. When we tried to retract the jacks, they all came up except for the one that had set off the alarm. Mark had to get out the

tool box and with the help of his drill motor, he had to manually raise the jack. Where were you Jim Meacham? We added additional jack pads, reset the jacks, and all was good.

Oh, yes, while he had out the tool box, he had to re-solder a wire that had vibrated loose on the water pump.

Once all the repairs were done and

we were settled in, it was time to do something....so, we headed back into Durango to take a look around and find the

local Visitor Center. We gathered all the brochures we could carry and headed back to the campground to make a plan.

We also made a stop by the

Honeyville Bee Factory. We saw the bees

hard at work, and the results of

their labor.

Once, we were back at the motor home and had dinner, we were ready to talk about our plan for today. We decided that we would get up early and head over to

the little town of Silverton. Again, we stopped in at the Visitor Center, picked up a couple of maps for Jeep Trails and headed for the

Alpine Loop. We checked with several and they all assured us that our Jeep would travel these trail without too much difficulty.

We traveled from the pavement to

dirt roads, to

gravel roads.

We took a turn at

Picayune Gulch and climbed up and up winding around to an

mine. We were going to travel on around the loop, but, were advised by one of the tour guides there that we shouldn't try the rest of the loop from here. So, we headed back down the hill to the main road to finish the loop in reverse.

Wow, what sights we saw...there were

beautiful waterfalls,

ghost towns that

dated way back.

Lauren

posed for pictures while

Andrew enjoyed climbing around the old structures, and

Poppa tried keeping up with all of us.

The

flowers were beautiful

everywhere we looked.

After a great morning, we headed back into downtown Durango for lunch. We found

Thee Pitts Again, a restaurant, that has been featured on the Food Network show, Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives with Guy Fieri. Wow, was it yummy barbeque.

With full tummies, we took a walk around town, checked into the

Durango/Silverton Train ride, a future plan, and did a little window shopping.

By this time, we were ready to head back to Durango, but, we wanted to do another Jeep Trail. We traveled out of Silverton on 550 towards Ouray to the Ophir Pass road. Oh, my...not only were we in the back country, we were

in the high country. By the time we got to the summit, we were eye level

with all the snow and ice still on

the mountains.

Oh...the sights we saw, but...only a couple of times did I question our sanity.

By the time we finally made it back to Durango, we were all starving, so we made a stop by Papa Murphy's for pizza and headed to the motor home. I don't think anyone will have a hard time sleeping tonight, especially our driver, who did a great job taking us Up AnD dOwN aNd AlL aRoUnD. We can't wait to do it again!

A Good Start...

2011-07-11T22:06:00.001-05:00

Yesterday was a crazy day. I got up and headed off to pick up Mom for church, lunch and some errands. We had a great day. Then, when we returned to her house, she wanted me to look at a cyst on her back that we have been watching for several weeks now. Oh, my!...it appeared that it had become infected. I called our Home Health Care Nurse and after consultation with her, I took her to the Urgent Care Clinic. She had a scheduled appointment with her dermatologist for Tuesday, but this couldn't wait. We got to the clinic, and, as I suspected the cyst had become infected and needed to be removed. In just a little while, the doctor on call, had us all fixed up and prescribed an antibiotic for her to take for the next 10 days.

I am so sorry she had to go through that, but, I am glad we got it taken care of before I left town. Now, my sister is on duty, and will do the follow up doctor visit. Mom...I hope it is already feeling better.

After getting Mom situated back at home, I headed to the house to finished a couple of last minute things before we pulled out. It was about 6:15 when I got home. Andrew and Lauren had arrived and were ready to go. Scott and J said their good-byes, we hooked up the car, posed for our traditional

departure photo and were ready to roll.

As we traveled north on 287 from Fort Worth to Childress, I made sandwiches for dinner. The kids enjoyed the

giant black and white cookies that Great MiMi sent for them. Thanks MiMi, the cookies were great and more like cake.

We played lots of

Angry Bird, and then before we knew it, we were arriving at the Super Wal-Mart in Childress, Texas for our overnight stay. It didn't take any of us long to go to sleep.

This morning, we were up by 6:30 and ready to move on by a little after 7:00. Today, we continued our journey north on 287 to Amarillo, picked up I-40 at Amarillo and headed west to I-25 in Albuquerque, NM.

Again today, while Poppa safely chauffeured us down the highways, the kids and I

looked out the windows,

took funny pictures of ourselves with the iPad, and talked Poppa into stopping at Clines Corners for a yummy lunch.

While we were stopped for lunch, Mark and Andrew took time to check

the brakes with the heat gun since we had been going up and down the hills and fighting a pretty strong wind. All was good with the brakes, however, Mark disconnected the Brake Buddy in the Jeep. He said, he felt like it kept pulling him back. The compressor had made a strange noise last night when he connected it. So, we aren't sure if it is malfunctioning or if it was just the strong winds today. Guess he will have to get it checked out.

We continued on to the end of our day, which took us to I-25 in Albuquerque. There we headed north to the Hollywood Casino RV Park in San Felipe Pueblo, about 35 miles out of Santa Fe. This is a great

overnight spot. The sites are $10, and have 50amp service with a central water and dump station. We were also able to get

fuel right across the road. We had dinner in the Casino, which was just so-so. The kids got to go though the Casino to the buffet. They laughed and said a casino is just a Chuck E Cheese for adults. Guess they aren't far off.

They also had fun this afternoon

climbing around on the hills next to the RV Park. They got back to the motor home just before the

rain came and the temperatures dropped into the 70's. Coming from Texas, we haven't seen those numbers in a while.

Tomorrow, we will make our way on to Durango, Colorado, where we will stay for 8 days. We have had a great start to our summer "grandkid" vacation and even though there is rain in our forecast, we are looking forward to settling into our RV Park in Durango and setting out on some exciting adventures.

A Happy Birthday Weekend

2011-07-04T21:56:00.001-05:00

Since we returned from our trip to Lake Murray, we have stayed busy and busier. There is not a day that goes by that there is not something going on or being planned.

Caden and Kourtney have been taking

swim lessons at the YMCA and they are both

doing good.

Kinley is

is growing like a weed and is a keeper for sure.

All the big kids have been busy with their own agendas and we see them when we can or when they have time for us...LOL

This weekend has been a big one. Kourtney will turn 4 on July 12, but we helped her

celebrate on Saturday. All the kids had a great time

playing at the play scape and

having cake.

Of, course...she could hardly wait to

to get to the business of the day!

Her favorite was the

set of walkie talkies. Way to go Great MiMi, your gift was the hit!

It was a great day in the eyes of a 4 year old. Happy Birthday Kourtney, we love you.

Yesterday afternoon, as tradition would have it, we went to Lake Weatherford for the our annual

July 4, celebration.

There is always something good coming off the

grill. And, while John is hard at work doing all that cooking, the

kids are busy staying cool in the water or

digging the in sand.

Of, course there are some that just

take it easy. But, everyone has a good time and enjoys all the great

food. We usually finish the evening with fireworks around the lake. However, with all the burn bans in the area this year, we didn't get to enjoy that part of our tradition...

And, the only fireworks that we saw this year was from New York Harbor by way of

Direct TV...and it was quite a display...Happy Birthday, America, we love you!

Now, with all the birthday celebrations behind us, we have started planning for our next get away, which will begin on July 11. This one is for the big kids. We originally planned to take them to the RGV and South Padre, however, the temps just keep insisting on exceeding 100 degrees. So, yesterday, Andrew and I made a plan, discussed it with Poppa, our bus driver, and decided on heading to a cooler spot...so now our destination is Durango, Colorado. While we have been to Colorado a zillion times, we have never been to this area, so needless to say, we are looking forward to a new adventure and some cooler temperatures.

Stayed tuned as our plans start to take shape and our adventure begins. For now, we hope you all had a great July 4th weekend and celebration.

Last Day...Lake Murray

2011-06-15T21:52:00.000-05:00

Sadly, today was our last day at Lake Murray. So, after breakfast, we set out to make the most of our time.

We started at the

Tucker Tower Nature Center, which we had seen the other day from

from across the lake.

Like, I said, we arrived at the tower parking lot and

made our way up some steps and

a long path that went up hill all the way. We stopped to see a few

pretty flowers and

a dragonfly. After all, it is a nature center.

Finally, at the top of the walkway, we reached the

tower entrance. Once, we were inside, we had to

climb lots of steps to finally reach the

top. And, from there, we could

see lots of things...mostly, how beautiful we thought

Lake Murray is. We stayed for a little while and just looked around from all sides of the tower enjoying the view.

Then, we made our way down the steps and the trail, stopping by the

the gardener's gate where we saw a

beautiful butterfly playing in the morning sun.

We left the tower and headed north on I-35 to take a look at Arbuckle Lake, which was about 35 miles away. We had been told it was a nice lake, which we guess it was, but, Poppa said the

the campsites had a little to be desired. And, they didn't have a place for us to swim. So, we took a vote, and decided that Elephant Rock was the best!

On the way back, they talked Poppa into a stop at

where else, but...

Once, we were back to the motor home and all rested from our morning trip, it was time for our

last swim. We swam, played in the sand, and swam some more, until it was finally dinner time. Still not ready to give in, they headed to the playground for a little more time there.

Finally, when the

geese came home to nest and the sun set, they were finally ready for baths and bed.

What a great last day for our summer "macation" 2011 with Caden and Kourtney. And,

they would like to thank all of you for joining them for their stay at Lake Murray State Park. We hope you can visit here sometime...and maybe we will see you here, because, we will be back.

A New Adventure

2011-06-14T21:10:00.001-05:00

Today, we headed out in search of an adventure. First, we took a little drive to look at a couple of the other camping loops, but we found nothing better than what we have. So, it was back to the lodge headquarters where they have a

water sports rental facility and small water park. Our intention was to rent a paddle boat. However, because there was a little wind today, the staff discouraged the paddle boat and suggested a kayak. This is something Mark has been wanting to try. I wasn't quite sure how it would work out with the little folks, but was assured they would do just fine. So,

we took the boy at his word, boarded our kayaks and off we paddled.

We had a great time and our hour was up before we knew it.

Then there was lunch and nap time for all. Later this afternoon, we went for

swim before dinner.

The evening brought some cooler temperatures, so we took a walk through the

the forest to the next camping loop to the

big playground. The kids had fun climbing, playing, and sliding until a pesky bee stung Caden. So, we headed back to the motor home for a little first aid and some ice cream.

We have had another great day and our new adventure was certainly the highlight and something we will do again.

For now, it is time to say good-night and see you tomorrow.

Lake Murray...Day 2

2011-06-13T22:01:00.001-05:00

Well, I have to say that after all of our efforts yesterday of getting a spot here at Elephant Rock Campgrounds, today,

we pretty much had the park to ourselves.

We started our morning with a

walk. A little ways down our main road, we found a

trail that took us to the lake. We stopped along the way to

pose for a picture or two.

Then Poppa saw a trail road that said closed, but we took it anyway. It looks like they might be getting ready to make

some more campsites. While we walked along this road we saw really neat stuff, like

where ants live. And, we saw some

real pretty flowers. It doesn't take much to entertain a child.

We made our way back around to our swimming beach, and to our surprise, it was

occupied. We found a package of feed that someone had left behind, so

we fed the geese.

By this time, we had walked a little over a mile and decided we needed to cool off...so we gathered our

swim jackets and noodles and by the time we got back to the beach, the geese were gone and

we had the lake to ourselves.

And, other than lunch, a nap, a snack, more swimming, dinner, and a little laundry, that just about concludes our day 2 here in Oklahoma.

See you tomorrow for another adventure.