The Enterprise has landed! January update

'Seems like we're way past due for an update around here.

The Enterprise

First the big news..... we've got a new ride to tow our home for the upcoming season! Old Yeti was getting a little long in the tooth, so Steve began haunting the online discussion forums, checking out various makes and models and doing his research. Right after New Year's Day we went shopping and here's what followed us home. A Dodge Laramie, in basic white, with the mega cab.

The thing's so smart that we figure it will take us awhile to learn all the gadgets and gizmos. With the built in navigation system and all the other automated features we feel a bit like we're in a space ship - hence the name! The trick will be to keep it from outsmarting us. I know we'll enjoy all the features, and Shiner is really enjoying all the room she has in the back of the mega-cab (Yeah! I can bring more stuff home!) The Snug Top camper shell was installed this afternoon, so she's ready to roll. The inaugural run will be a quick trip to Arizona to watch the Super Bowl with friends, then on to California for a brief visit with family.

We're tucking this little trip in between remodeling the master bath and finishing up the skirting on the porch. The master bath project is basically a back-to-scratch project, so it may not get completed before we leave for the summer. Those little activities have been keeping us busy on the one hand, while with the other we've been helping to watch Jax while Kendra goes to therapy appointments for her shoulder.

We also made a weekend trip down to Mathis, near Corpus Christi on the Gulf, to help Skot's dad with an addition to their house. The guys did the carpentry work and the gals chased the little one. . . That's division of labor for you! Believe me, it takes three people to keep up with Jax! He had his little hands on every tool there, did a bit of hammering, and tested out the new floor.

Along the way this month my computer has also crashed twice, which has put a real dent in the genealogy work I've been doing - oh yes, that's the other little activity going on here. After moving crates of family photos and other information my relatives have saved over several generations I decided it was time to do something with them, so we took out a subscription to Ancestry.com. It's a pretty slick system, and makes organizing the material and locating missing bits of information quite easy. Perhaps, after I get it all organized, we can incorporate some of what I've learned into one of our trips.

A winter morning at the ranch