What happened to the first 6 months of 2018

Rain! Hallelujah! After the long, hot and VERY dry summer it's a very welcome event. Our rain capture system was much in need of replenishing, as well as the ground itself. I was beginning to fear one of the dogs might fall into one of the ever widening cracks that were starting to appear around the yard! So far we've received just about an inch of water, and some of the smaller cracks are fading away, but the larger ones, along with all the rocks that have popped up, are still in evidence.

What happened to the first 6 months of 2018??????  Time sure flies doesn't it? And the business of day-to day activities meant the blog updates sort of went to the back burner, so there's a lot to catch up on. 

In January we started off 2018 with Larry "Steve" having a heart attack.  After treatment he left the hospital with three stents and a new outlook on life both mentally and physically.  After cardio-physical therapy and an array of drugs  he has lost over 50 lbs., has diabetes under control, and feels better than  he has in a long time. There are on-going changes to diet and exercise to keep him in good health, and he's doing all he can to follow "doctor's orders".

The boys try out a replica "That's All Brother" cockpit 

February was an eventful month. Skot started his new job with the Texas Workforce agency, in Austin. He's working with several folks he knew at the previous company, which closed it doors in December.

All little boys like airplanes, so we took the boys to the Commemorative Air Force museum here at the San Marcos airport.

The pride and joy of the collection is the C-47 called "That's All Brother" that led the D-Day assault over Normandy.
After examining all the historic aircraft and the many models in the visitor center they deemed it "The Best Day Ever!" So Mamaw and Papaw scored a few points on that one!

In March Daph went to Oregon for the annual Feathered Friends retreat at the coast.

There were only four of us this year, so we

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rented a smaller place than we have in the past. Our home for the event was a quaint little place right on the beach, on a cliff overlooking the ocean, and as usual we had a wonderful time catching up, walking on the beach and exploring the area.

We've lost track, but it seems we've been holding these gatherings annually for about 12 or 13 years. It's something we all look forward too. This year I gifted the ladies with t-shirts (from Kendra's business The Dabbling Domestic) so while we were enjoying an afternoon out at the Sea Hag in Depot Bay we took the opportunity to show them off.

In April Daph's sisters and niece visited and were here for the big Easter egg hunt.  Everyone jumped in and played Easter Bunny.
In fact, they hid the eggs so well we finally found the last of them this summer! Fortunately these were all plastic, and not the real eggs my parents used to hide.


In early spring we decided to double the size of the garden. The new soil we brought in was of pretty good quality, and we had a great early harvest of root crops. Raylan helped Papaw move some of that soil around with the tractor. He likes riding on the tractor but he gets so busy admiring the scenery that I'm glad he's not tall enough yet to drive it!

Thanks to the new soil the beets and radishes were especially nice! The boys had fun helping with the beet harvest, but they weren't too keen on tasting the ones we cooked up later.

We've been enjoying peppers and tomatoes all season, but as the heat increased, they decreased in size. Poor struggling little things. The plants certainly perked up when the rain started!

We made the decision last year to suspend traveling for the summer so we could be here for grandson Raylan's fourth birthday. We had missed his second and third birthdays, and really wanted to be here for this one.

His birthday is in mid-July, and G-Ma (Steve's mother) flew out for the big event.

He's a typical little boy, and this year's fixation is tanks.... remote control preferably! That was the theme of his party. Among his other gifts he received a set of two RC tanks, and he and Jax have been happily battling each other ever since.

G-ma was here for about a month, so we had lots of time for her to visit with the family and for her to get reacquainted with the Texas summer weather. She's a Texas girl herself, but after all these years in Southern California she's gotten used to a milder climate.

An anticipated camping trip right after school was out didn't happen due to the weather. When the pavement is too hot for the dogs to walk on and it's too hot to play outside there isn't much purpose for camping. Spending the days cooped up in a trailer with two large dogs and two very ambitious little boys isn't anyone's idea of a good time.

So we did other things instead. . . including lots of squirt gun battles on the porch and crafty projects in the house. We build bird nest boxes, assembled legos, and made scrap craft projects. We even tucked in a few science experiments, and a lot of nature studies.

We had prepared for the trip by purchasing a set of "bunk cots" for the boys that would fit in the trailer - more peaceful that two little guys trying to share a bed. They helped assemble the cots, and decided to try them out in the house. They liked them so well they've become the regular sleep-over beds.

In early August Kendra gifted us with passes to  Wonder World Park, here in town, so we loaded up the boys with a nice, cool!, underground activity.

The park features a cave and an animal park. The cave isn't the "wet" type, with stalactites and other drip formations. This cave was formed by an earthquake, and features some very interesting geologic forms, fossils, and human history. The original owner once held card games and bar (during Prohibition) in the cave, until his wife squealed to the Sheriff. That didn't turn out the way she'd planned though. The Sheriff was soon joining in the card games on a regular basis!

The animal park, accessed via a small "train" that the boys enjoyed riding. They have quite a variety of animals, and the emu's are the tamest. They love to eat the grain purchased in the gift shop, and are rather rude about waiting in line for their handful.

School started for the boys in mid-August. Raylan is in Pre-Kindergarten at Jax's school this year, which simplifies the transportation issues a bit. Jax is in first grade. They're both off to a good start!

Kendra's on-going battle with chronic Lyme has led to some additional very serious health problems, and our help with transportation and other supports was needed over the summer to get through those issues.  She's doing much better now and we hope that trend continues.

We also had a really long "to do"list that we just hadn't been able to work through when we were only home for half of the year. With all that new energy, and in spite of the summer heat, Steve's working his way down the "to do" list.

Showing off our robot carpentry projects
on the new back porch

We had a new back porch built, and are in the process of remodeling the guest bath. He's puttering more in the shop, and has added a few accessories to accommodate his college football passion..... it's now a "sports shop" (similar to a sports bar, only without the beer tap!)

Of course, there's plenty to do with the ongoing maintenance of the garden/property, and keeping up with watering due to the long heat wave we are experiencing.  Other projects are in the works.

We have missed our usual travels but sometimes a little change in routine is a good thing. We haven't hung up the keys but for now plans are set in the proverbial "Jello"!

 A possible trip to So. Cal for Moms 90th birthday in November is on the list.  We have identified some other things in the state we would like to see but the 100 degree heat has slowed down even our local travels. We hoping we can fit more in this fall and winter. Stay tuned!

Check out the album for a few more photos

MERRY CHRISTMAS Y'ALL!

Holiday Greetings from Texas!

We hope this little note finds you doing well and enjoying the holidays.

We’ve followed our usual schedule this year, spending the hot months on the road. Our summer travels began in May. We began by heading for the Black Hills and Badlands areas of South Dakota, where we enjoyed the cooler weather as well as the scenery and history. Custer Battlefield was a highlight. Then, to Nevada for the annual 4^th of July BBQ, and Tailgate Training Camp with friends in Oregon. We enjoyed visiting with sister Diana in Utah, and then spent several pleasant days rambling through state parks in Oregon, Utah and Colorado. Overall we traveled 7,884 miles. That’s a lot of scenery!

An early snowstorm did its best to get us in the holiday spirit, and the boys enjoyed playing in the fluffy white stuff. Steve’s mother is doing well. She joined us for Thanksgiving, and was here to enjoy the rare event. In the photo, Jaxen is proudly showing off his first missing tooth.

We’re keeping plenty busy when we’re at home. In addition to working around the place we’ve been on the road a lot helping out the kids. Kendra has developed some serious health challenges that prevent her from driving, so we’re filling in shuttling kids, and getting her to appointments. The boys are growing like weeds, and we enjoy every minute with them.

So that’s our 2017! We want to wish you a very Merry Christmas and a healthy and happy New Year! And don’t forget to look us up if you’re out this way. We’re always open for visitors!

SUMMER 2017 END OF TRIP SUMMARY

As I sit at home listening to the wind and rain from Hurricane Henry I recall some of the highlights of our trip and want to document some of the statistics resulting from our travels.

We left home May 24 as the temp. was approaching the Mid-90's heading to an area we enjoyed during last years travels. . . . The Badlands, Black Hills, Deadwood, Sturgis, Devils Tower, Little Big Horn and other related battlefields. Higher in elevation, these areas were much cooler and we really enjoyed the refuge from the heat we'd left behind.

We stopped at Lewis and Clark Caverns on the way to our annual Nevada BBQ then went down through Idaho to Nevada. We visited old friends for the 4th of July in Gardnerville, then moved onto Oregon for another reunion and spending about a month at some of our favorite haunts in the Cascades, including North Davis Creek, John Day, and the Wallowa Lake.

We had a great time camping with our Oregon friends at "Tailgate Training Camp" in the Ochocho's. After Wallowa Lake we moved on to Park City, Utah to visit a relative, then on to Flaming Gorge, Utah and across Colorado (Leadville) and towards home through New Mexico.

We returned home to Texas with the temp still in the mid 90's. . . just as if we'd never left, except we missed all those 100+ degree days!

Looking back over the summer, our favorite camping site was huge, grassy space we had in Clyde Holiday State Park in Oregon and least favorite was the steep, dry weedy site in Jordenelle State Park in Utah. The State Park was fine but our particular spot was not. The slope was so severe we could barely get in and out the door.

Our favorite historical visit was Little Big Horn and the best overall vista's were at Flaming Gorge, though Wallowa Lake and Leadville were right up there. We were gone 91 days, but nothing we couldn't cope with as few places offer the humidity we have in Texas.

And now for the statistics: We traveled 7884 miles. We spent $1860 for camping fees and $2015 for fuel for at total of $3876. For the entire trip we averaged $43 per day. I don't keep track of food as we eat about the same as we do at home.

Comparisons to previous years - When we started our summer travels in 2010 (six trips over the last seven years) we had no problem finding camping spaces and only needed reservations on holiday weekends. During this last trip we usually had to make reservations for the high tourist areas months in advance and other area's weeks in advance.

Fuel prices are down, more boomers are on the road, and I think their is less foreign travel, which has increased competition for space and has certainly increased crowding and traffic in high-interest areas.

State Park Campground prices are up. Several State Park systems are now charging day use fees on top of the campground fee's and along with reservation fees some parks are approaching the $40 per night range. New Mexico is the best deal for State Parks. $14.OO a night for water and electric. Of course, for us the Federal Campgrounds are the best deal due to the 50% discount for the senior pass. These are boondocking sites, so no services, but often very scenic.

Recreation management companies now handle the camping services for many state and federal lands, and they seem to be free to add extra charges if they see fit, so read the entrance boards carefully. We stayed at a forest service campground in the Black Hills that charged $2.00 extra per day per dog. No extra services for dogs were provided - as in no off leash area or anything else, but all the usual "no dogs here" restrictions were in place.

Who knows where our travels will take us this next year. We enjoy our home on wheels and after reviewing a lot of other rigs and floorplans on the market we've evaluated our trailer and future travel plans we are going to stick with the travel trailer and truck we have. You know what they say, if it isn't broke, don't fix it!

 We are happy to be home and look forward to spending time with family. We REALLY missed the grandsons and look forward to upcoming visits by friends and family to Texas. There's lots of exploring to do here!