Life in the Texas Panhandle

Merry Christmas!

2011-12-25T21:51:00.001-06:00

We had a wonderful Christmas! And a bonus, totally unexpected white Christmas. The weather predictions said snow flurries. I think the “flurries” ended at about three or four inches. We all loved it!

Traditional Christmas Eve at Deedie and Bruce’s house. Oh, except for the fact there was not a fifth wheel in the driveway at their house. A few nights before it caught fire and burned up. They were really lucky as this happened in the middle of the night and Deedie just happened to wake up and see the flames shooting out. The fire department thinks it started in the electric box. So glad it did not lick the house and catch it on fire!

And Christmas continued. As usual, lots of presents, lots of food, lots of fun. All the kids make it so much more special. They have gotten to the point of sitting down, eating, then screaming “Let’s open presents!!”.

Ricky organized a game for the kids to keep them occupied. Pass the orange and where ever it stopped, that person was out. They had fun and it kept them happy for a bit. Then the presents got passed out and the opening began. The joy when they opened up the PS3. Yep, happy boys. From the mess that was left, I would say it was a good Christmas.

Christmas Day we did not have the kids but it was a great day. Molly, Raylan, Sarah, John, and Lauren; Cynthia; Ross and I; Kathleen, Mike, Zachary, and Zane. Great food – again! – and wonderful visiting.

Lauren, Cynthia, MollyMolly, Cynthia, Sarah Zachary, Zane, Ross Mike and Kathleen handing out presents. Lauren and John, up from San Antonio. Raylan, Cynthia, Molly Love the new ski hats with the Texas Longhorn on the front! I thought this turned out great – Raylan, Molly, Sarah, John, LaurenHope your holidays were wonderful! Merry Christmas, everyone!

Christmas Doings with Zachary and Zane

2011-12-24T08:51:00.001-06:00

The boys are out of school for Christmas so they spent the last two days with us. That means we try to find things to keep them a bit busy and not bored and missing their friends too much. Actually, they are getting better and keeping themselves busy with wrestling, boxing, throwing the ball, and more. But still, I like to find fun stuff to do. Last week I read an article about an exhibit at one of the banks here, Happy State Bank, of a model train and miniature houses. (Actually, I thought it was more than one train and Zane was quite disappointed when it was one!) So we decided to go see the “trains”.

Do you see the little travel trailer in front of Zane? I think we need this scene.

The boys just loved the Disney display. Maybe because we were just in Disneyworld this summer. Even New York City.We had to discuss the Statue of Liberty! At this one Zachary commented on how it looked like when we go skiing and all the hours on the hills. Pretty cool huh? Makes me want a village. I have a couple of buildings – that’s a start! But where do you store all this stuff!? Never mind.

That evening we cooked. The boys love to help cook. Stir fry. Zachary cut up all the zucchini – my kids never ate zucchini like these boys do. They love it.

Actually, he is cutting green onion tops here. And Zane did the stir flying. We even had a volcano. You can kind of see the flames. Ours did not work like Kabuki but we tried. And then we did the traditional Christmas cookies. Man, did we make messes. I think I was either cooking or cleaning the whole time they were here.

Whew! Done. Oh, there were lots more things we did. Wrestle, eat, box, play golf (indoors of course), play ball (yes, indoors), eat, wrestle, box, eat (this meant cook, clean, cook, clean, cook, clean, etc!).

Resting now for tonight and tomorrow. Then I can crash. Oh, wait, I will have to post Christmas. Never ending….

Annual Christmas Play

2011-12-04T09:57:00.001-06:00

This will be Zachary’s last year in this age group and play. He will be in the next choir and I am not sure what program they put on but I am sure we will love it. Zane will move up from Cherub Choir to the next age and will sing for the entire play next year before moving into the acting age. In other words, I think we will be attending lots of Christmas programs for the next few years.

The play was based in a Mall+Mart (get it) where the mannequins came to life and a little girl was lost in the closed store. She had to tell them the true meaning of Christmas. Very cute and fun play.

Cherub Choir and Zane:

First we had to get the waving out of the way.Then they sang a cute little song. I always enjoy watching the had gestures and faces.

Then they get off the stage and the play begins.

Zachary came on stage as a shopper in the Mall+Mart.The four mannequins around the tree.Keystone cops. I hear Zachary loved all the clowning around in this part. He did a great job!!They were there to catch the “robbers” in the store (mannequins come to life and the little girl).And ended with the whole cast singing.

Really, really cute play. Wonder if I can talk Ross into going back tonight for the last evening. Hmmmm.

Thanksgiving

2011-11-26T23:35:00.001-06:00

I was a little remiss this year with picture taking. Not sure why, just lazy I guess. But the day before was filled with cooking so maybe I was tired. Not!

Really, the boys and I made four pies and the dressing the day before Thanksgiving. And Mike was smoking the turkey so that was one less thing to do. The cabbage (yes a family tradition is cooked cabbage) did not have to be made until Thanksgiving morning.

So, two chocolate pies made with help from Zachary:

Uh, new can of cocoa became a bit of a challenge.

Then Zane helped with two pumpkin pies. What you don’t see here is him putting the pumpkin in the bowl. He would sling it out and some did hit the wall. I think I did more cleaning than cooking.

But we got it done! And Thanksgiving day was full of lots of family fun. Centerpieces thanks to my sisters!

And of course the annual wishbone pull. This little booger was slippery and hard to break.I finally had to get in there and help pull!

OK, just noticed I do not have a picture of Kathleen. How did that happen??? Well, next time. Love family stuff.

Flora and Fauna in San Angelo

2011-11-08T15:50:00.001-06:00

Recently we took a trip to San Angelo to pick up pecans. The pecans were not so good and the picking was slow and tedious. But the area was beautiful. There were so many different things to see and photograph. We were camped near Lake Nasworthy. A really pretty lake. I think this orange berry is from a Chinaberry tree. Poisonous. And the acorns were so cool!That little green pod is a pecan just about reday to drop from the tree. See all of them in the middle picture. One day we went to town and saw the International Water Lily Ponds. If you go to San Angelo, this is a must see. Beautiful.This is one of the best visitors’ centers I have ever been too as far a beauty. Wow. I was amazed. Here in Amarillo we have statues of horses. In Plainview they have cows. In San Angelo, sheep. Ross, Deedie, Bruce, Jerry, and Peggy enjoying the views.They were putting up lights all over town for Christmas. These in the bottom right pictures are giant poinsettias. Wish I could have seen them lit up.There are lots of deer, turkey and other wildlife in the park. Ants are abundant – and bit! Fire ants. I found out the hard way.A couple of times we were in the park when the Monarch butterflies swarmed in. What an amazing site to see. Loved the early morning dew. You could see some cool spider webs. One day we had a squadron of the Canadian Air Force fly overhead in formation. There were nine of them but I only got pictures of six at a time. And of course Bruce fished every day I think. Here he caught a catfish. Can’t wait to go back. It was really a great experience.

Sunset

2011-10-07T21:54:00.001-05:00

We rolled into Amarillo tonight and started waiting for the storms that were predicted. The sunset was what really caught my eye. It was wonderful. Hope you think so too!

From the first… Until the sun disappeared!

Raspberries and Alpacas

2011-10-06T18:07:00.001-05:00

Before leaving for Angel Fire I called about somewhere to park the trailer. As I was talking to the park owner, Monte Verde RV Park, she said we would be there in time to pick raspberries. WHAT!? We have been coming here for years. I did not know there were raspberries to be picked. Sure enough, near Mora there is a raspberry farm. We decided what the heck – let’s go pick some. The name of the farm is Salman Ranch.

Beehives – a necessity for the raspberries.This house was built in 1835. Amazing.This house was also built in 1835 but is not lived in. It sits way up on the hill.We ended up with about two and a half pounds of raspberries and the price was great – $5 a pound!

Going back to Angel Fire we stopped to look at the alpaca farm, Victory Ranch. I may have to take up my knitting again. That fiber is awesome!! Not sure I can afford it but I loved the yarn. And the alpacas are so cute!

They have hundreds of alpacas. They are sheared once a year in June and invite people to come help or just watch. They also have tours and let kids feed them. Well, anyone really. And they have spinning classes. Now that sounds like fun! I may check into it next ;year. And if you buy their yarn, the dye lot is the name of the alpaca it is taken from. Yep, worth the trip.

Fall colors in New Mexico

2011-10-06T15:59:00.001-05:00

We decided to take our travel trailer to New Mexico for a few days to see the fall colors. And we timed it right. But boy did it turn cold on us this trip. BRRRRRR! Thank goodness for our heater. Just want to share some photos.

First the colors…

Caught four redtailed hawks circling and hunting between Mora and Angel Fire.This is the one that caught my eye first. I thought it was an eagle. They are so big.And the snow up on the really high peaks was really beautiful. Wheeler Peak is among these.Next I’ll post photos of our trip over to Mora to pick raspberries and see the alpacas.

Action Zane style

2011-10-06T15:13:00.001-05:00

So I shared some pictures of Zachary in action playing soccer and thought I should share a few of Zane. He went great the first half of the game but slowed second half.

Warming up. The assistant coach in orange is Zachary, of course.Zane is into trying to knee the ball. Looks like he will be biting a tongue soon.

I have one to share of Zachary playing his goalie position. He is so ready for that ball.

Thanks for looking and commenting!

Labor Day Weekend – Pictures, tons of them!

2011-09-24T22:34:00.001-05:00

I just forgot to do a post about our fun Labor Day weekend. Kathleen had all the family over on Sunday for brisket and all the fixin’s. I even made homemade ice cream. It was a gorgeous day. The kids played outside – well, kids includes adult kids.

They played volleyball. Big and little. Tony brought smooth rocks so the kids could paint them. Pet rocks. He sprayed them gray and let them dry for the kids to paint later. Then food! Lots of it.And visiting. And more playing. And visiting. And playing and eating!

Then they painted their rocks. It was decided they would play kick ball. The rules were a bit – uh – confusing. While we watched… Explaining those rules. Pitching the ball. Base coach. It was a hit! RUN! Nice day, very nice!

Action shots

2011-09-20T20:44:00.001-05:00

Soccer has started and that means action shots of my favorite subjects, Zachary and Zane. Zane actually does not start until Oct. 1 but Zachary is up and running (pardon the pun). And since he is playing most of his games in Lubbock, I have to make sure I get my fill here. Oh, I will go to Lubbock for a game or two I am sure but for the most part, the three games here will have to do it. So far I have several good action shots but next time I am getting in closer! And trying to do more manual adjustments.

He is going to bite his tongue someday! By the way, do you love the white? I think it looks great but I can just imagine the cleaning for these things with pre-teen boys! Pinched out! This is one of my favorites. Zachary did not realize he was going so high for that ball! Zachary plays goalie most of the time. Scares me to death. I can just see missing teeth. The next four are in sequence. Look at the tongue! And the grass flying off the shoes! This position just yells “kick my teeth!”. Just out of reach! Can’t wait to share pictures of Zane and his head waggle.

FIRE!

2011-09-20T15:45:00.001-05:00

That morning I was hoping to capture some great picture of the sunrise on my way to work. So I put the camera in my car. Good intentions but it was FOGGY! No sunrise.

While sitting at the desk at work someone yelled “Come look!”. There was a fire – huge, roaring – a few blocks from us. We later found out it was a railroad car. I ran to my car and grabbed the camera. Just wish I could have gotten closer! The smoke was so thick! They eventually evacuated everyone within a few blocks due to the chemicals in the area. We still do not know what caused the explosion and fire. It made for a very exciting Friday and an early day.

Back to scrapping our Disney World vacation

2011-09-10T21:57:00.001-05:00

I am scrapping again. Maybe I can get back to my needlework soon. I miss it too! Anyway, what I am hoping is to get a book done for my family of these pages. That might be fun! Thanks for looking.

The credits are a muddle. The kits I am using are Lisa Minor’s, she has several at Scrap Debris, Britt-ish Designs, and Noreimerreason.

Our own ROCK BAND!

2011-08-21T12:22:00.001-05:00

We had fun with the boys – and Kathleen and Mike – playing a little Wii Rock Band. We rented Beatles and Country. We may have to go buy Beatles. Ross really liked it. Anyway… we had a blast.

First, you must remember to check your camera setting!! I had mine on manual and took some really good DARK pictures. I have edited them but they are still not great. Darn it. At least you can see the boys.

And that mic stand – it’s my camera tripod slightly altered! Don’t they look like a couple of professional singers? Moving those arms and head fast. If you could see his face, his tongue is out.The rest of the band. Yeah, they are not nearly as cute. :)From now on the pictures of the boys will be sparse. They start back to school Monday and both will be full time students. I better start exploring more photo ops!

It’s a bird! It’s a plane!

2011-08-20T22:55:00.001-05:00

Nope, it’s a rocket. A kid’s rocket that needs lots of adult supervision and NO Russian Olive trees. They have spikes that can destroy. You guessed it. Our first flight sent the rocket into one of the Russian Olives.Fill the water container.Pump, pump…and pump! (And check the wind direction!)It’s off!And over the trailer, into the trees. Boy was the wind direction wrong!It had a huge tear down the side (which we did finally fix. Have not flown it again.) We decided to try a balloon. It worked! Sort of.Ready to go!Blast off. And up. But not too far.Hopefully soon we can try the original again. When the wind is right. It was cool. Oh, we looked for a replacement rocket. Not luck – yet.

Summer activities

2011-08-13T14:30:00.001-05:00

It has been a hot, very very dry summer. So many things we wanted to do are closed in the morning and it was just too hot to go in the afternoon. Such as playing putt putt. Who wants to do that in 105 degree weather! Some of these places need to realize that and try to open in the mornings too.

We did go to Lights Off Golf in Westgate Mall. At least it is cool there even if it is a bit overpriced. Good thing we had coupons.

Both boys had fun. Zachary is pretty patient but Zane just gets up and hits without really looking at the hole. Gotta work on that!We also went bowling. I think we need to do that again. Everyone had fun! Look at that form!Not sure if you can see that tongue, but I know sticking it out helps.Take a look at those shoes! Stylin’!Oh yeah!

And of course summer would not be complete without a trip to the zoo. We decided to go early one morning and hope the animals were active. Sure enough, most were being fed. Silly pronghorn! He was really playing with his food.More to come. We launched a rocket and played Wii Rock Band. Not sure what next week will bring. It is the last week before they both start school.

Well, hello! Long time no see!

2011-08-12T23:10:00.001-05:00

Warning – Picture Alert!!

I had not realized how long it was since I posted to my poor little blog. Summer has been busy busy busy!!! And I really need to get back to so many things – scrapbooking and cross stitching for just a couple. I think that might just happen this fall. Both boys will be in school and my free time with expand by leaps and bounds. I will miss them I know. But at the same time, it is going to be good.

We took a short trip to Red River, NM this last week. Left on Wednesday with the boys and our dog. Then Kathleen and Mike came up with their two dogs. It was an interesting trip. And really nice and cool. Rained a couple of times on us. But we still managed to have some campfires and ate S’mores – of course!

First we had to go to Medipark Lake to practice fishing. Zachary caught a catfish, that escaped – WHEW! – and Zane caught something that slipped off the hook. Probably a perch. Heading out.. Columbine camp area. We went fishing one morning. After seeing the man across the lake pulling one fish after another in, Zachary went across and asked what he was using. Marshmallows and worms. Went back and played and ate. And watched the hummingbirds. Then took the boys back after buying some worms and grabbing some marshmallows.Still no luck. Found out Buddy loved getting in the water and chasing stuff downstream. Walking through the stream. More hummingbirds… And a chipmunk who wanted the dog food. And a butterfly sharing the water. And finally Dad helped them catch fish!!! Oh, they caught them but something about Mom and Dad being here helped. The boys played with the little gel pellet guns and had a blast for three hours! Campfires with S’mores – and a little hamming it up! Our camper set up. Playing a game. Just some views around us. And finally the trip home. We hit some storms and it really made the trip home interesting and pretty. A deer jumped in front of us as we neared home but she sailed out of the way. Whew! And, BAM!, we were home and back to the heat. Sigh. Come on fall.

Trying to do some vacation scrapping

2011-07-13T23:00:00.001-05:00

It is time to get back to scrapping. I am hoping to have a couple of books printed for us of our vacation. And I have decided I need to use a LOT of pictures. After all, this was a huge trip! So here are the first of my layouts.

I am not keeping up with credits. Sorry! I do know some were from Imagine by Fran, C. Shields, Tahera and Can Designs. For the most part Disney stuff is going to be from Lisa at Scrap Debris. She has some great Disney kits so be on the watch there!

Back to scrapping! And looking for printing bargains.

Picture sharing on my blog

2011-07-10T13:35:00.001-05:00

You know the main reason for my blog is to share pictures with friends and family. I had stopped using a watermark on these photos when I lost all my settings in a computer crash. Well, I am going back to the watermarks. Apparently more and more photos shared on the web are being used by those that have no right to them. Oh, I am not a professional photographer and lots of my photos are just family but they are still mine and I would like others to at least ask my permission to use them. I am talking about people I do not even know, not my family and friends.

It is easy to watermark photos on the blog posts but not so easy and fast when you share on Facebook. Guess I will just have to get in the habit of editing my pictures prior to sharing. Sigh. So now I will have to put a watermark on my iPhone photos too! Wow. Just thought of that. Better go see which program I have to use. Hmmmm.

About a week ago we went to my cousin Amy’s house for a get together. We had so much fun. I still need to make her a copy of my photos! Yikes. Just remembered. Sorry, Amy, I will get it done this week. Promise.

Everyone brought side dishes and sweets. Amy’s husband and others cooked out hamburgers and hot dogs. And we shot the shotguns and we went land fishing. Now that was a hoot!!!!

Amy set up the Wii so the boys were happy. And we had a sweet baby to pass around. But the land fishing was just priceless… Zane kept wanting to go back to it. Mike and Zachary both got lessons on shooting. And I tried. Hah! And then the sheriff showed up. Or at least deputies did. It was reported from one of the truck stops that we were doing fireworks. Nope. Just good old fashioned shooting. And one of the deputies was a friend of Kathleen and Mike’s. He is the father of one of the soccer players on Zachary’s team. All was good. So before the rain moved in we did a bit more “fishing”. Even the baby! Then we got clouds and rain…

Playdate

2011-06-25T17:57:00.001-05:00

Zachary was going with a friend swimming. Zane was sad so we decided to go to my house so he could play in the slip ‘n slide and other water toys. Just then I had a thought – call his friend Aiden and see if he could come with us. Well, actually I was calling his mom as she had called the day before asking about Zane going swimming and THAT was when I thought to ask about him coming to play. As you can imagine, Zane was thrilled! So we drove over just a few blocks and picked up Aiden.

These boys went from one activity to another. First the water.

After several other toys were played with, out came boxing gloves.Racing trains. It was a great day and I know they both did not want the day to end. However, it was time and we will do this again.

Summer in full swing…

2011-06-25T12:41:00.001-05:00

It is so hot here. Hot hot hot! Yesterday we had an all time record of 109 beating the old record of 108, met four times since the 1880s. HOT!! How are you beating the heat? We are also in the midst of an extreme drought. I have not planted any flowers or a garden this year – thank goodness!

We are staying inside and running the a/c – and the electric bill up! Our water is well water so I am sure the electric bill is getting a boost from that too. And the boys are swimming and playing in the water. But we have not really made it to some sort of normal summer routine yet. And Zachary heads for camp next week. Looks like the mountains around Red River, where we wanted to go for a couple of weekends this summer, are also dry dry. Not as warm as here but I think I heard there was going to be a ban on campfires. We may still go jus to be in a nice cool place. For a few days anyway!

Swimming lessons are going well. The first day Zane was immediately moved up. He is enjoying the lessons this year immensely.

Beginning classShowing them all he can do bobs. This and other abilities got him moved up.He wanted her out of the way so he could jump in. At this point he told them to move back. Mr. Independence.Sitting dive.He was the first one to show them how it was done. I could not get there fast enough for the first dive. After lessons we went swimming. The boys love to go down the slide.Zachary patiently waiting for Zane’s class to end.Zachary is at the end of his indoor football season. He has been playing more as quarterback this season and really has the arm on him. And he is not afraid to stay in the pocket and find his man. More later. Summer activities.

Heading home to Texas

2011-06-13T19:25:00.001-05:00

We left Tybee and headed for home through Atlanta, Birmingham, Memphis, and I-40 home.

Outside of Atlanta we decided to stop and see Stone Mountain. It is the largest exposed dome of granite in North America and has a carving on it depicting Stonewall Jackson, Robert E. Lee, and Jefferson Davis. Pretty awesome.

Heading into Birmingham we stopped for a quick view of Talladega. They were closed but we can say we have been there! As we were making our way through/around Birmingham, in the rush hour traffic I might add, we stopped in a traffic jam. Found out later it was a wreck. I think we were in that traffic for about 45 minutes. But as we sat we started noticing the trash and “neglected” houses with blue plastic on the roof and shredded trees. Tornado! We were driving by one of the paths of a tornado. Our hearts just broke for these people all over again. You just cannot imagine the devastation. Oh, you hear about it and see it on TV, but in person it is so much more.

After that we spent the night in the last two motel rooms in Jasper, AL. All rooms were taken by either displaced residents or construction workers helping to clean up.

Our next quick stop was Mempis, TN, Beale St. From here we went to Ft. Smith, AR to spend the night. Actually we stayed in Alma. I messaged a cousin there, Gary Hood, and he and his wife Judy came to the motel to visit. Loved it.

Then we went home, to Texas and our own beds! With wonderful memories.

Tybee Island

2011-06-12T22:36:00.001-05:00

What a nice way to end a packed week with some nice relaxation. We got there a day earlier than we expected so grabbed a motel room for that night. The kids loved playing in the surf.

The next morning we checked out of our motel and checked into our condo. We could not get in until that afternoon so decided to go exploring. We found a boat that would take us to see dolphins and a lighthouse.The dolphins were not jumping. They were too busy “he’n and she’n” as my dad would say. And we had very smoky air so the visibility was very low.We did learn that the dolphin with the pink belly was female and that there is always a threesome – two males and a female.After the excursion we went to see Fort Pulaski. Very interesting.This is on the roof.That evening we checked in and then went to eat at The Crab Shack. They had live alligators, small ones, that you could feed. The boys loved it and the food was great.The next two days were spent on the beach or relaxing in the condo.

To Savannah–Tybee Island via Daytona Beach

2011-06-12T20:25:00.001-05:00

We left Orlando and drove to Daytona Beach. Mike was really wanting to see the race track and since it was on the way… We also made a quick trip to the beach. If I ever get back to the east coast and want a beach to go to it would be Daytona. Really pretty, clear water, white sand. Much nicer than Tybee we found out later.We finally just let the boys strip to their shorts and go in. We had more clothes after all!We hated to go but had a date with a tour of the Daytona Speedway.Banked curve.On to Tybee Island, Georgia.

Day 6–and last–Disney World Park Hopping

2011-06-12T15:29:00.001-05:00

Not much left to see we thought. Well, I think we could go back and find so much more. But we limited the last day to what we thought we needed to see.

We went to Animal Kingdom first to see The Lion King. We were told it was a not to miss show. And they were correct!Music and acrobatics were awesome.Then to Magic Kingdom for Pirates of the Caribbean, Jungle Cruise, and the afternoon parade. We decided to take the boat.Mike went to get fast passes for a ride so the boys were going to ride the Aladdin’s Magic Carpet. We just sent Zachary and Zane not realizing that since Zane was under age 6 he had to have at least a 14 year old ride with him. It really upset Zachary but we just got on with them. No prob!To meet Mike then watch the show at the princess palace. The productions here are really breathtaking.We caught the bus back to Downtown Disney to get some things and eat some dinner. And ran into music and fun there. Dancing in the streets. Although Zane was too tired and just wanted to go home to bed, Time to go!