Important Days in December, 2012

So many important days in late December!  We arrived back in the Houston, TX area late on the 23rd.  Just in time to smooch Adler awake from a nap.  Groggy and smushy, soft, he popped up when he saw that it was Mimi ticking his tummy!  Then he joined Papa and I on the couch for a bit of a story-book read. 

Adler's Birthday is Christmas Eve.  He is 3!  Such a sweet little man and if you ask him "who's boy are you?"  He will say "Mimi's Boy!"  That is unless it's the day he's Papa's Boy, or Nonna's Boy, or Momo's Boy, or Mommy's Boy, or Daddy's Boy!  Ha Ha!  I, of course, love it when he's Mimi's Boy!

Christmas means the world to us - first, as the birth of Jesus, and then, as a wonderful time to celebrate family.  We enjoyed the most wonderful dinner hosted by Sara and Justin at their beautiful home!  Their tree was precious - filled with tiny ornaments that Adler picked out and hung (some, over and over again).  Joining us were Colleen, Joe, George, Sophie, Jamie, Diego, and Ava.  Mac, Larry, and I really loved laughing with the kids while we snacked before dinner on strawberries and melted chocolate and Justin's yummy cheese dip.  Dinner was delicious - a beautiful turkey breast and spiral ham and dishes made and brought by all.  Then on to presents!  It was so fun watching Adler and his little cousin, Ava, open their gifts.  Adler can use his imagination to the max with his presents - from tools to dragons.  Out of all my gifts, I think the most awesome one is the family photo calendar from Sara and Justin!  It has a place of prominence in the RV.  Here are a few photos...

Little House on the Prairie Museum, Independence, KS

We took a drive out to the Little House on the Prairie Museum near Independence, Kansas.  It was another brisk Kansas day but with gorgeous open blue skies.  Fall colors are now on the tail-end of being beautiful with trees becoming more bare. 

The one room cabin is a replica but shows how Laura Ingalls Wilder might have lived in the late 1800's.  It is believed that this is the birthplace of Baby Carrie of "Little House on the Prairie".  Being at the home site, it was easy to imagine the stillness of the prairie and possibly the sounds of wolves howling!  I closed my eyes and thought about what it might be like to live in such rough conditions in terrible snowy weather!

There was a small garden, a 19th Century one-room schoolhouse, hand dug well, and of course, meadows.  Quite a sweet little walk through the past. 

Weekend activities....

Weekend activities can be just about anything.  From laundry (glad our RV has it's own combined washer/dryer) to visits to shops in town and the local library.  And from peanut snacking (my bag contained a 3-nut peanut) to biking and exploring.   Saturday, we had the wonderful pleasure of a visit from Fred and Kim.  We had an amazing tour of the Amazon Fulfillment Center and a nice lunch at the local buffet.  The wind blowing here in Kansas made outdoor activities not so fun that day and Sunday, but Monday was beautiful.  The turning leaves are still so nice and the bikes make it easy to enjoy them.  We found a neat trail near the parks and ball stadium.  After a busy day, Larry makes a grilled steak for our dinner tonight - yum!  Here are a few random photos.     

Dancing in the ballroom of the Brown Mansion

We danced today in the great ballroom of the Brown Mansion in Coffeyville, Kansas. The home was completed in 1906 for W.P. Brown, area businessman. The ballroom is over 900 sq. feet and had men's smoking areas as well as a woman's fainting room. Double doors opened out onto the balcony where fine orchestras once played. All of this was on the third floor of this 16 room, 3-story mansion. The main floor had beautiful wood floors, the same as the ballroom, hand-painted patterned walls and ceilings in some rooms, and an exquisite Tiffany glass chandelier in the dining room and Tiffany lead-glass at the front door. Larry noticed and inquired about an original Edison light bulb that still burned to this day! They were quite different than today's light bulbs. The second floor bedrooms were wonderful to see with original furnishings in much of the mansion. There was even a manual rope-pull elevator! We especially enjoyed the part of the tour that included the basement. It was unbelievable how big the space was! Wine cellar, pantry, walk-in icebox, butler quarters, laundry area, and more! There was even a full-length bowling lane which, unfortunately, had the wooden floors removed to save the whole home from termite destruction. This beautiful find is certainly one we will return to visit later in the year to see it decked out for the Christmas holidays.  Thanks, Gary & Linda, for visiting this mansion with us - we enjoyed your company and lunch very much!

Here is the chamber web link for more information: 

http://www.coffeyvillechamber.org/Brown-Mansion-35983.asp

Amazon Book Order Arrives!

We just love receiving an Amazon order!  Another box of books has arrived to share with Adler who has a tremendous love of reading.  Although there are miles between us right now, we can still read together -thanks to FaceTime calling and Skype! 

We have already enjoyed the book titled "I Love You Through and Through".  Adler was so cute, mimicking the pictures in the book!  We are looking forward to our next call when we can read "How do Dinosaurs say Goodnight?" or some of my favorite Little Critter books (we have to look for the little spider).

We love you through and through, Adler! 

Amazon book haul!

You skipped a page, Papa!

I can read all by myself!

Even Super Heroes read... especially books about Super Heroes...

A play on names...

Here is our "Play on Names" group out for a Monday meal at Eggbert's Restaurant in Coffeyville, KS. 

Gary, Larry, Harry  and... Linda, Lea, Leta

Celebrating Fred & Kim's 18th Anniversary

We enjoyed food, fun, and frivolity at Incredible Pizza celebrating Fred & Kim's 18th anniversary.  It's amazing how much fun it is to be a kid again, and yes, you have to be "this tall"!

The miniature golf course was really cool - it was lit with black-lights and the course represented traveling Route 66 with interesting facts and signs throughout.  I managed to get two holes-in-one!  We also played air hockey and skee-ball and ate way too much.  We ended the evening visiting around the fireplace watching nostalgic T.V. shows like Bewitched and Dick Van Dyke.  Congratulations Fred & Kim - thanks for sharing your happiness with us!

Friends, Pizza, & 360 Cookware

We just had the most awesome evening with friends, Gary & Linda watching a 3-D Grand Canyon movie and having delicious pizzas cooked in their 360 Cookware.  This waterless cookware is fantastic!  They created many different flavors of mini-pizzas using red bell pepper, turkey pepperoni, mushrooms, ham, pineapple, mozzarella, cheddar, and parmesan cheeses!  All using an electric skillet and of all things for crusts... flour tortillas!  So crispy and tasty!  To end it all up was a wonderful pineapple upside-down cake also cooked in this fabulous skillet! 

Interested in checking out this cookware?  Visit: http://www.garyandlinda.360cookware.com/ or email Gary and Linda at ChefGaryLee@gmail.com

Ralph Mitchell Zoo - Independence, Kansas

We visited Mitchell Zoo, a wonderful little free zoo and park in Independence. As we entered the zoo, we saw what's called "Monkey Island". It is a neat castle-like stone housing for monkeys that was built in 1932. Miss Able, the first space monkey was born in this zoo in 1957 and went up in the capsule of a NASA Jupiter Rocket in 1959. We really enjoyed all the birds, ducks, and swans. There was a large owl and eagle and we saw a bobcat, turtles, wallaby, python, llamas, ostrich, peacock, emus, and buffalo! The park itself had wonderful playgrounds and a really neat train. We made fun little mini-videos with the train and Humpty Dumpty to send to Adler to share this little zoo and park with him.

A few photos:

Amazing Amazon First Days

We have had amazing first days at this, our third workamping adventure, at the Amazon Fulfillment Center in Kansas!  Most everyone loves the arrival of their Amazon box - whether it's a new Kindle or great toys and electronics.  This Center is gigantic - 1.1 million square feet - 27 miles of conveyor belt!  It is a sight to see with all the product staged for shipping.    We are working in packing, which is so fun!  It is work, but we are considering this our Amazon Fitness Plan! 

We have met really nice people here in the RV Park and are car-pooling.  The folks in training have also been helpful and nice.  Everyone is willing to help with directions in this big place or letting you know when it's time to take a break.  The area is pretty at this time of year with trees showing nice fall color.  Tomorrow we will be looking around the area towns.  We have discovered a cute little zoo, a nearby movie theater, and places to eat.

Stay tuned!  We will be here until almost Christmas! 

Final Days at Fred's

Enjoyed our last few days at Fred & Kim's. We took a trip into Tulsa to go to an estate sale looking for treasure. Then we picked up a mini-frosty ice cream and hit the local flea market. You could find anything you were looking for there from live snakes, flamingo plates, and Elvis memorabilia to quilt stands. There was even a clown! Our stay in the Keystone State Park had beautiful lake views and a nice place to ride the bicycles. We were even able to listen to the live band on the water at the local pier restaurant. Thanks, Fred & Kim, for putting up with us - hope to get together again soon!

Our front door view at Keystone Lake State Park

Thank a Teacher

On our travels, we see lots of billboards!  I saw one that said "Thank a Teacher" so this post is to thank our daughter, Sara, 5th Grade math and science teacher.  You do make a difference!

Buttermilk Biscuits

On the road again!  First stop is to see my brother.  Fred & Kim are wonderful hosts!  Already enjoying Kim's homemade buttermilk biscuits and the view of the lake from the the big porch!

Pull-out pantry shelving

After weeks of searching for pre-fab pull-out shelving or wire baskets for our pantry, Larry decided to design, build, and install his own.  And they are fantastic!  The pantry shelves have small openings - only about 9" - but they are about 25" deep making it very hard to see what was at the back.  These pull-outs will make it so much easier to find things!  He also built dividers for what we were calling our "junk" drawer.   Needless to say, I am a happy camper!

Organized!

And more organized!

Caught Up!

Our journal is caught up. It was more difficult than I thought to go back and write about the past year and 4 months. For anyone reading to catch up, it’s probably best to select each post from the sidebar menu to get a more chronological look of our travels. Going forward, it will work like any other Blog - most recent post on top.

In reviewing what I’ve written, I realize I’ve missed posting about several other wonderful things and visits - such as watching an eclipse with friends and their children and visiting family not often seen (my, how the little ones have grown). Wonderful birthdays, and other holidays celebrated, and fish fry fun and water parks - to name a few. There have been new births and yes, even funerals for loved ones. Some memories are personal but all memories are close to our hearts.

Lubbock Area Veterans War Memorial - July 7, 2012

Larry's dad, brothers, uncles and friends are among those who served our country.  This memorial in Lubbock, Texas is a tribute to them and the other men and women who served.  It represents those who have a connection to the Lubbock and South Plains area. It is composed of individual bricks engraved with names and other information about their service.

We visited the Memorial around dusk and the sunset, reflections, shadows of the pillars, and then the lights gave heart-touching impact to the magnitude of such bravery. The sacrifices made by these individuals to keep our country free is meaningfully honored at this Memorial. Throughout the Memorial are engraved quotes. If you get the chance to visit, take time to read them - my favorite was a quote from Elmer Davis: "This will remain the land of the free only so long as it is the home of the brave".

New RV & Big Trip - April 20, 2012 - July 10, 2012

April 20, 2012 - May 4, 2012

Returned to the home area for more time with family before heading out on what we are calling the "Big Trip". And guess what? We bought a larger RV - a 2012 Jayco Eagle 5th wheel and enlisted our kids help to “move“. Moving all of our worldly possessions from a 27' to a 40' - took more effort than you can imagine even though it was just steps between the two rigs! Couldn't have done it without Sara and Mac’s help! So, the big dream is a reality - we are full-time RV'ers and about to set off on what‘s to be the first of (I hope) many big trips!

Here is a bit of a bullet-point recap of some of the things we did.  We drove 8,199 miles!  Diesel averaged $3.76 per gallon and we averaged 12.7 mpg.  With club discounts, etc. we averaged paying about $25.00 per night for camping - sometimes in lovely campgrounds with palm trees and pools and once with painted tires used to enchance landscaping!  I don't have photos of some sights and people (I often forgot to take pictures being "in the moment") but the memories are going to last a lifetime.  Visiting grand destinations doesn't begin to compare to the time spent with family and friends - those are the most precious memories!

May 4, 2012 - July 10, 2012 - The Big Trip

• Galveston, TX - Visit my favorite sister & brother-in-law
• Seguin, TX - Visit friend, Liz
• Brownfield/Slaton/Seminole/Wellman/Lubbock, TX - Visit Larry's family & friends 
• Tombstone, AZ - Realistic re-enactment of the Shoot-Out at the O.K. Corral
• South Rim - Grand Canyon
• North Rim - Grand Canyon
• Merced/Atwater/Lincoln/Watsonville, CA - Visit cousins and aunts and their families
• San Francisco/Golden Gate Bridge - Arrival of my brother
• Yosemite National Park
• Lake Tahoe, CA
• Petaluma/Sonoma & Napa Valleys
• Bodega Bay/Bodega, CA - site of Alfred Hitchcock's filming of The Birds
• California Coastline - stunningly beautiful!
• Armstrong Redwoods State Natural Reserve
• The Petrified Forest, Calistoga, CA
• Sequoia National Park
• Las Vegas, NV
• Hoover Dam
• Cloudcroft, NM
• Hobbs, NM - visit nephew and family
• Brownfield, TX - visit Larry's Dad, family & friends 
• Brownwood, Texas - great Underwood's BBQ
• Adler, TX - no it's not a real place but it's a Top destination - Grandson City!

Again, a few photos:

Travel day in new Jayco

Shoot out at the O.K. Corral

Grand Canyon





Grand Canyon hellicopter ride



Brother, aunts & cousin







Cousins

Golden Gate Bridge - 75th anniversary

Old family photo of Golden Gate Bridge - 1966

Wine Tour

Beautiful California Coastline



Romantic!



Schoolhouse & Church featured in "The Birds"

My meeting with Alfred Hitchcock





Cousin & wife

Armstrong Redwoods

Sequoia

More giant sequoias

Las Vegas, NV

Relaxing!

Cloudcroft, NM nesting hummingbird

Let's keep in touch!

Grandson City events