Wyoming, here we come!

Wow, a whole month in Wyoming, how will we ever spend it?  Ha ha, sorry, I couldn’t resist the chuckle!  For a state that is known for it’s “wide open spaces”, it’s got two of the biggest National Parks:  Grand Teton and Yellowstone!  That’s a pretty big draw, for us anyway...that, and some other stuff like Cody, The Devil’s Tower, and a big FMCA rally in Gillette.

Unlike our visit to Texas, this trip will have so much, that I will have to break it down into several blogs, or it will take you a week just to read one! So much has already happened, and it’s only June 7th!  (as I shared, I kept writing, not knowing when I would be able to post!)

We left Colorado bright and early June 3rd and made it into Wyoming and over the Continental Divide and into the Grand Tetons by end of that day!  Phew, what a full day!  A beautiful one though.  The wind kept following us, but the sun was shining the whole way and “no traffic” as you might guess, since as everyone keeps saying, “there’s more cows that people here!”

I really got lucky and was able to book us right into the Grand Teton National Park’s campground at Coulter Bay RV Campground.  What a great campground!  Just what you would expect...large pine trees with nice long pull-thru sites tucked in here and there.  Close to neighbors, but not intrusive.

Once settled in, we were off!  So much to see here, and only 4 1/2 days to do it all!  With no time to waste, and map in hand we jumped into our little Toyota truck and started our first excursion.  It didn’t take long before the “Oh my goodness” and “wow” and “oh, oh, I see an animal!” came out of our mouths.  Our first spotting was some majestic Trumpeter Swans and then a gaggle of Canadian Geese in the neighboring pond.  Right on the heels of that, I spotted an elk peaking out from the forest at us.  I have learned to be quick on my camera, I’ll tell you! ...and thank goodness for telephoto lens!  Soon after we saw several people pulled over to the side of the road, so out we went to see what they were all looking at, and was informed, it was some Sandhill Cranes, so out comes my camera and telephoto lens!!

That was it for the “animal spotting” for the first day.  As much fun as that was, they are outdone by the grandeur of those mountains, I must confess.  My father, who was a world traveler (many times over) once told me that of all the places he’d visited in the world, he thought the Tetons were the most beautiful.  I came to see what he meant...and I have to agree, they are truly majestic and can only really be appreciated in person, I think.  To stand in front of them, and look straight up at their cragily formations, with snow covering only parts (at this time of year) is a sight to behold.  I think, as others have said, it has a lot to do with the fact that they don’t start with a rolling hill then head upward, but rather the land is flat and then they go straight up.  Of course there are explanations and names for all that, that’s what the museums and visitor centers are for, me, it’s just about the simple beauty of it all.  It doesn’t hurt either that the “flat” land in front of those mountains is covered (at this time of the year) with the wildflowers of deep purples of the lupines & duncecap, soft blue of the Alpine forget-me-nots, yellows of the little sunflowers and arrowleaf balsmaroot, and the gray-greens of the big sagebrush.

Back at the campground, we’d met our neighbors, so we end our day with wine and shared stories of what we saw and did.  They chose to float down the Snake River and have lunch.  Sounded like so much fun, but I just didn’t see how we could fit it in!

Day two brought us one of our “big wow’s”!  The one animal that I have wanted to see, for the last 18 months, has been a moose.  I have looked for one in all the places that “advertise” to have them...all the way up to Nova Scotia!  And do you think I could ever see one? Noooo.  I’ve gotten to think that they are a myth that is just an advertising PR ploy to get folks like me to come to their area!  Well, I FINALLY GOT TO SEE ONE!!  Yep, full on!  As we were driving along, coming back from one of our excursions, a bunch of cars were pulled over to the side, so we did (of course, that’s what you do here!) and someone whispered loudly, "a moose!") I ran!  He was just lazily standing in HIS pond, munching away on HIS afternoon snack, ignoring all these strange creatures staring at him.  I was able to get about 20 feet from him, snapping away as fast as I could.  After about 10 minutes, I just sat there and watched him.  I was in awe.  What a magnificent creature, so handsome yet so funny looking at the same time.  One time when he looked up, he had some algae on his nose, it was just so cute.  He would blow bubbles, take a few steps, take a look at us, at me? and just continue on as if we weren’t even there.  What a thrill.  I still get a chill when I think of it.  Now I’m a happy camper.

Beside all the natural beauty here, there is a lot of history too.  Mormons had a settlement here at one time and some of their homes and barns are still standing.  Some of the old trappers and surveyors along with their photographers also left behind buildings and reminders of the past.  Reminders of how tough life was, and how tough these people were to live here then.

For something a little different, we took the aerial tram up to the summit of Rendezvous Mountain.  Wow, what a incredible view!  You get a full 360 degree view of the whole Jackson Hole Valley.  Once there, you climb a little more and you are at 10,450’!   We’ve been lucky and the weather has been spectacular, so even though it was windy and cold up at the top, it was clear and sunny, so you can see for miles!  Pictures and hot chocolate were a must!  Afterward, I found out that they also do paragliding trips off of the same mountain...so I decided this would be the perfect place to give it a try!  It’s something I have wanted to do for years (well, hang gliding, anyway).  What better place than here?  So I signed up for the next day.

On our way home, we had another surprise...Jack, like me, has an animal that he has wanted to see...a bear.  Every time we go out, he and I keep our eyes out, and he just keeps saying, “ok bear, come on out...just cross the road for us, it’s ok”.  We had heard that there was a grizzly that had been coming into the campsite at night, but we hadn’t seen him (that’s probably a good thing, actually).  But...we got a treat!  We saw a mommy black bear with her triplet cubs!   She was just about on her way out of the open area, but we were able to catch her for a couple of minutes and a couple of photos.  So cute!

Our third day, I kept waking up from 5am on, all excited about the flight.  Finally we were out the door and on our way.  We were almost there when I got the call...they had to cancel the flight as the wind died down.  Darn.  Well, we rescheduled for the next day (our last!) and I reserved the first flight out at 7:45am.  Since we were more than half way to Jackson Hole, we decided we might as well go on into that town and see it.  So we spent about three hours browsing and having lunch there.  Cute “tourist” town.  I read that the medium age is 32, but that it caters to the wealthy tourist and the young “workers” have a hard time affording to live there.  The young man who runs the photo imaging for all the tours etc. agrees.  He makes pretty good money, and gets free ski lifts ($1600 for the season) but rent, food, etc is still really expensive here.  If your not a ski snob, I can’t see the attraction (over other areas) myself. 

Our fourth and last full day was flight day!  Up bright and early (it’s over an hour’s drive there) and excited!  The day was gorgeous, and had a little wind, yea!  We took a truck ride up the mountain where we learned that we would be jumping off at about 9,500’!  I asked about the differences of hang gliding and paragliding and found that with hang gliding you needed stronger wind and were at it’s mercy, as you pretty much went were it sent you, and it was also a bit more uncomfortable with your neck stuck up while you were prone.  With paragliding, it takes less wind, you have pulls on either side of the canopy that maneuver you around, so you control where you go and how fast you go, and it’s more comfortable since you are in a sitting position.  Cool.  My pilot was Dan, a great instructor who explained everything I needed to do - since I was in front and the one who would be leading us down the hill and jumping us off it!  I have to say, the idea of running off a cliff that is over 9000’ high really sounds crazy, doesn’t it?  But, hay, you only live once, right?

Well, what can I say, it was the thrill of a lifetime!
 Off we went and into the air like a dream.  So great up there, just like I imagined it would be.  Some part of me has always wanted to be a bird, flying high above, looking all around, with nothing but the sound of the air around me,  This was like that, except I didn’t have to work at it, just sat back and floated.  Dan let me control the canape, so we did some swaying to the left and then to the right, we did a circle, then he showed me some dips and some dives, then I said my stomach needed some more “float time” and all to soon our time came to an end and we landed as easily as we took off.  Pure joy.  One more thing I checked off my bucket list.  Good for me. 

What a great way to end our visit to the Tetons...from the top!

...on the road in Wyoming,  Marie

If you wish to view the rest of the photos from this trip, you can at my Flickr account at:http://www.flickr.com/photos/74905158@N04/

Color Colorado Beautiful!

I’ve been to Colorado a number of times, with and without Jack.  When one of my sons lived there, I used to visit the Denver area where he and his family lived, and always enjoyed it.  The trips that Jack and I made together had been car trips, enjoying such fun things like taking the train from Durango to Silverton & back. 

There is something about Colorado that pulls at me in a way that few states do.  Every time we come here it’s like being submerged into a book filled with brilliant colored pictures on every page.  It’s hard for me to describe, but no matter how many times I see this state, and it doesn’t seem to matter where in the state, I am in awe of it.  I am mixed with anticipation to see more and the desire to stay still and keep looking at what is in front of me. 

This trip was no different, and one filled with wonderful surprises and enjoyment.  Last year while we were in Lexington KY we met another couple who also owned an Allegro just like ours (if you have been reading my blog all along, you will remember the story of Jack running out our door to catch them when they drove by us!).  We have kept in touch and they were gracious enough to invite us to visit them in their “sticks & bricks” home in Littleton CO.  Having enjoyed their company so much when we first met them, we were delighted to have the opportunity to spend some time with them again and spend a few days seeing that area of Colorado. 

En route there, from our stay in Texas, we spent just a couple of days in a great state park in Trinidad CO.  We had a site overlooking the lake that was just beautiful!  So quiet and peaceful, you couldn’t ask for anything nicer, a true gem.  Trinidad is just over the state border, and a darling little town.  We took a day and spent all of it visiting every nook & cranny and I had a ball snapping lots of pictures!  The whole town dates back to the turn of the century and many of the old buildings still had some great “ghost ads” on them, and many were well cared for and still being used.  They were a coal mining town, and proud of it.  They even kept the last coal burning steam engine, and have it on display.  Nice stop and worth the visit. 

We needed one more stop before we could make it into Denver, so we chose Colorado Springs.  The campground I chose was one of “convenience & price” over “looks”.  Prices here are “sky high” and all you get for it is a place to park, basically.  Very windy here too.  Seems it just kept following us from Texas no matter where we went!  We only had the rest of that day to see anything because we wanted to pull out early the next morning to get to Littleton at a decent time.  I was hungry by the time we got settled, and having read up on the area, I chose not to go into the Springs, but to go another direction instead, to a town nearby called Manitou Springs.  There was a “castle” there that served lunch and did tours, so I thought, yea, two things in one trip! Ha!  So off we went to the Miramont Castle.  What a great choice I had made!  Lunch was superb and the tour was great...but best of all...I fell in love with the town.  I mean I really fell in love with this town.  This is the first place that I have been to that I have turned to Jack and said (the magic words) “I think I could live here”.  I talked with the delightful gentleman who served us, and asked him tons of questions about living there.  Weather being one of my big concerns, he explained that Manitou Springs being down in this little valley, gets missed by all the big storms...they just seem to “go over the top and sprinkle down instead of getting the full force”.  Snow is minimal and melts quickly, etc.  Hmmm..
We drove around a bit, but really didn’t have the time to get out and walk it much, or to do much “investigating” - this time - but there will be a next time, for sure! 

The following day we finally arrived at our friend’s with open arms and not only “hook-ups” but a guest bedroom and bath all our own!  We were treated like a queen & king the whole visit!  They were wonderful “tour guides” taking us all around, showing us such beautiful places like Chatfield Lake State Park (camping!) and Red Rocks where they have a beautiful, huge outdoor amphitheater where well-known artists come to entertain.  We spent one day visiting a darling little town, antiquing, eating great burgers & sweet potato fries topping it all off with fresh made ice cream afterwards.  Such a beautiful place, great visit and wonderful friends.  With reservations in the Grand Tetons, we had to say our “goodbyes” but with promises to get together again soon, and hopefully meeting up on a camping trip up ahead!

Colorado...we WILL be back!

...on the road in Wyoming,  Marie


If you wish to view the rest of the photos from this trip, you can at my Flickr account at:http://www.flickr.com/photos/74905158@N04/

Did you miss me? Staying "in touch" can be harder than you think!

Wow, are we ever dependent on the internet and cell coverage these days, huh?  When you can’t use either one, for almost three weeks (yikes!) it’s almost painful!  That’s what happened to us.

I don’t know if it’s true of all, or most National Parks, but it sure turned out to be so with the Grand Tetons and Yellowstone National Parks - no WiFi or Cell connections anywhere in, or even close to the parks!  Major withdrawal, I confess!  At our first park, the Grand Tetons, it got to be our afternoon entertainment, when new folks would arrive and try to make a call.  As we sat with our neighbors, drinking a glass of wine, we would watch them pull out their phones, try a call, walk around trying to get a signal, then after several attempts they would come over and ask us if we had any luck with our cells, was it just them, or was there no coverage at all?  When we gave them the bad news, you could just see the color drain from their faces.  That’s when we would say, “pull up a chair and have a glass of wine, there’s nothing else you can do about  it!”  You get a mixed feeling of total isolation that gives you permission not to check in with anyone, and really missing conversations with loved ones.

But, by week two, and Park two, it wasn’t fun any longer.  No WiFi to blog, to check the weather, to make reservations, to check e mail, to contact friends and family, ugh.  No cell coverage to talk with our family and friends, to share our excitement of the days activities with - nothing.  We really felt cut off from the world.  One day we were able to get two bars on my cell while we were up at the Yellowstone Lodge and I quickly made a couple of calls, and was able to get through to one friend, one sister and had to leave a message to one son and a “missed call” to the other, before the service faded out again!  Darn...

I've laughed at my two sisters who don’t use either, and now have to laugh at myself for being so dependent on both of them!  Of course, living the kind of nomad life we lead now, how could we not?  It’s not been so long since the “old ways” that I’d forgotten how to manage without, so I was able to find a “land line” and use 800 numbers to make our much needed reservations, and I went ahead and typed up my blogs on “pages” that I just pasted onto it once we got a WiFi connection.  We were at one of the stores here in the park the other day and the power was out.  The two folks running the store just got out the old charge card machine and forms and kept right on running their business.  When we congratulated them for their steadfastness, they shared that an earlier customer said that they were up at one of the other stores and when the power went out (it was a bad storm through the whole park) they just said “sorry, store closed, no power”.  That’s the difference between people who knew how to do business before there were computers to do it for you, and young people who never have! 

Anyway, all this is to say, we are back on line, and happy about it!  So, I will be posting several blogs and tons of pictures, one right after another!  Thanks for understanding and missing me (you did, didn’t you?)

...on the road again, in Wyoming...Marie

Well...this is Texas, y'all!

BIG, flat, windy, and dusty - that's Texas!  At least the north/west Texas "panhandle" is!  Boy-howdy, it's been quite an experience visiting this state this time, I can say!  27 days of wind, rain, lightening, thunder, sun, some gorgeous sunsets, some black skies and a number of days of tornado "warnings",  phew, we've experienced them all.

Our trip began with a couple of "one nighters" through Pecos & Abilene to Plano where my son lives.  We booked ourselves into the only RV park there is in Plano - a mobile home park that has a number of extra spaces they keep for RVs.  It didn't look very safe or hospitable, but in the end, it really turned out to be an ok place.  It had a lot of shade and the folks around us were friendly.  It was really just a home-base while we spent most of our time with my son.

Three days after we arrived we got to go to the church he has joined and watch him and about 200 others baptized.  It was quite a sight!  Over a thousand folks singing, praising, and just being happy together.  The day turned out to be a beautiful one too, which was nice for the ones being baptized since they entered a special pool, full in!  Lots of food and fun.  It was great to see the friends he's made and what a great group he's connected with here.  Not having any family here, this is so important, and I'm happy he's found such a supportive loving church family.

After all that excitement, we spent the next few days seeing a bit of Dallas.  First up was the Dallas Arboretum and Botanical Gardens.  What a beautiful place!  It is 66 acres that includes a couple of estates and is one of the top 3 arboretums in the US.  It's broken out into separate themed gardens and pathways along the beautiful White Rock Lake.  We spent most of the day there and still didn't see everything.  My son and his fiance were considering an outdoor wedding, so we spend some time looking at various places in the park for potential sites.  Of course they do weddings there, and of course the prices are steep...but one can dream, can't one?  It's the kind of place that you want to wander slowly, sit and gaze, daydream, even bring a book and an apple.  We got the kids a yearly pass and said that this was the best "de-stresser" one could ever ask for, right in the heart of a big city!  Truly beautiful.

I then took a quick flight out to Silicone Valley for the week to celebrate Mother's Day with my daughter and family and see my grandson get baptised!  What a glorious week!  Fantastic weather, great fun, lots of laughter, got to visit with old friends, beautiful baptism (very different from the other one!) wonderful food, many, many hugs & kisses - who could ask for anything more?  His Catholic baptism was only with 3 others (babies) and quite "formal", so quite different from the other one - but true to his personality, he made it fun!  His godmother is a dear friend I hadn't seen in years, so it was a great time visiting with her, celebrating with champagne and wonderful food my daughter & son-in-law made.  Spent hours on the floor playing space ship, or castle or monsters or beanbag toss or whatever with my grandson, in between lots of hugs and kisses to keep me until next time.  I got two visits to Asian restaurants, my favorite!  ...and more hugs & kisses as we tried not to cry when saying goodbye, one more time.

Back in Texas it was load and go!  I had sent a grocery list to the guys and had them packed and ready to hit the road when I arrived.  We all were off to go camping!  We headed off to Lake Texoma, in Eisenhower State Park, the four of us and dog.  We got a great camping site with beautiful trees that shaded the whole area.  The RV sites don't get close enough to see the lake (only the tent sites do) but there are trails to it, or you can drive closer and walk down.  We did both on separate days.  Our site was more than ample to handle our rig, their tent, both trucks, the picnic table and plenty of play area for Sadie (their chocolate lab).  Jack wasted no time meeting our neighbors and Dwight and Fran joined us the first night with wine and even a taste of some "apricot moonshine" he picked up in Tennessee!  Fun evening!  The next day the kids and I went for a hike to the lake (Jack took the shortcut and went back to the rig for a nap!).  Phew, it was hot!  I cut back and made it back to the rig before I fainted from the heat.  I always get a scolding when my face turns bright tomato read and I'm about ready to fall over...
The next day, we drove close to the lake and walked the short distance in.  Sadie had a ball swimming to and fro as we all took turns throwing a stick into the water for her to fetch.  She sure slept well when we got back to the campsite!  That night the ranger came around and warned us of the bad weather situation.  The tornado had just hit Oklahoma and might be coming our way.  At the very least we were in for some extreme winds and possibly rain and hail.  If the tornado was coming, he would be driving around with his bull horn warning us to take shelter.  They didn't have one, and we shouldn't stay in the rig..."so just find the lowest spot you can and hunker down".  Jeez...some help he was!  We told the kids to pack up their stuff, bring everything in and sleep in the rig with us tonight.  Well, the good news was, nothing happened.  The bad news was, Jack discovered that he was allergic to the dog!  The kids ended up leaving for home later that afternoon, and I vacuumed and washed everything I could, loaded him up with allergy pills and he fared ok.  Oh well.  That night he read the weather report that the tornado was headed straight for Eisenhower State Park, so we pulled out early the next morning and headed to Wichita Falls TX

I'm here to tell you, there isn't a dang thing in Wichita Falls TX!  Nothing between the two cities, nothing but a couple of murals that I thought were pretty impressive,  a couple of signs that were funny and lots of flat, windy, dusty land.  Wow.

Amarillo tries.  They think BIG here.  Every 5 minutes along the Interstate (40) is a billboard advertising "FREE 72oz STEAK dinner if eaten in 1 hour"  They must have hundreds of these billboards!  Of course we had to have dinner there, someone has to help pay for all those billboards!  No, we didn't try the challenge, but we did order a steak (6oz) and I have to say, it was pretty darn good too.  What a place, my or my.  Just about what you would expect, big, flashy, loud, funny, outrageous, over the top, you get the picture...fun!

The other thing Amarillo is big on is what they call the "other grand canyon" Palo Duro Canyon State Park.  A 120 mile long and 800 feet deep canyon that you drive around.  There are trails that you can walk, bike or horse ride along and most are several miles long.  Of course they have a Park Museum/Museum Store (such as it is), a campground and during the summer they add a Musical Drama and Interpretive Theater. that word much, and with good reason.  We've seen much better in Arizona, Nevada and Colorado...so, a bit underwhelmed, but maybe we are just spoiled.  We didn't tell them so...
We took the drive.  Well...Arizona, you don't have anything to worry about.  It may be "big" (Texas likes that word) but "pretty" it isn't.

 Amarillo also has a botanical garden, albeit a small one, but a sweet one none the less.  Amarillo Botanical Gardens is only 4 acres, but it is filled with beautiful themed gardens such as fragrance, Japanese, Palo Canyon and butterfly.  It has an enclosed tropical conservatory with a waterfall and tropical plantings.  Nice.

We finally got to try Texas Bar-B-Que before we left the state, and weren't disappointed.  Dyer's Bar-B-Que in Wellington Square was great!  I discovered that "Texas style" has a vinegar base to it, vs Kansas, say, has a molasses base.  Cool.  Interesting.  4 very large pork ribs came with (get this): Cowboy beans (no surprise, and very good), coleslaw (also no surprise, and also very good), potato salad (a bit on the mustard side), fried onion rings (yum!), Texas bread, and a little bowl of apricot jelly? jam? juice?...not to sure...had to ask what it was for, she said some people put it on their toast, some on their ribs (hm mm).  Oh well...All for less than $10. I needed a doggy bag.

A couple of afternoons of the obligatory antique shopping, mostly down the "Historic Route 66 District.  Of course I was able to find just a couple of treasure... Really wanted to see the private collection of old RVs of Jack Sismore.  He's got RVs dating back to 1921!  His little museum was closed for the holiday weekend (double darn), but maybe we can squeeze in a few minutes as we leave on Tuesday, maybe.  If so, I'll share it in the next blog.

We saved the "biggie" for last...the famous "Cadillac Ranch"!  Everyone's heard of this place, right?  I've wanted to see it for years! It was put up back in 1974 by 3 guys who were a part of an art group. There are about 10 mid-century Cadillacs half-buried nose-first in the ground, out in the middle of a wheat field, off of the I 40.  What I didn't know, was that people (are encouraged to) graffiti them!  I just thought they were painted and you just go see them.  No...it is an "active art" where people come with their spray cans and have at it!  How did I not know this?  I guess my head has been stuck in the dirt all this time too!  It was a busy place I tell you!  People, cans, action, sunshine, wind, picture taking, art happening, the whole thing!  What a hoot! Tomorrow we leave the great state of Texas, and hopefully the constant wind (and tornado warnings).

Here's a few pictures, loads more (of course) in my Flickr account, but for now...

 

...on the road en route to Colorado,  Marie

If you wish to view the rest of the photos from this trip, you can at my Flickr account at:http://www.flickr.com/photos/74905158@N04/

Back on the road again!

I love our travel days.  The excitement starts from the first moment I get up.  Jack and I have an unspoken "travel day routine".  As we go through our morning rituals of dressing, bed making, teeth brushing, breakfast, etc. we follow each thing with putting things away in their travel spots (vs camp spots).

As Jack moves outside to unhook us I continue through the rig clearing things away and preparing for travel.  Once we are unhooked I pull the sides in and bring up the stabilizers, with that my excitement really begins to rise because I know that the time is really close to 'take off'!

All that's left is to position the tow vehicle to hook-up and do our double-check and we are ready to go!

That's the moment I've been anticipating.  The moment I get to hop into the passenger seat and enjoy the view!  I love this part.  Every moment in this seat is an adventure.  No matter if we've traveled this road before, there's always something new to see.  I love sitting way up here with this big window all around, showing me the beauty surrounding us.

I never tire of it.  Each mile is different from the last.  Every trip an adventure.  Each with the anticipation of "what are we going to see today?"

 We are currently heading to Texas to visit one of my sons who moved there while we were "on the road" last year.  He lives outside of the Dallas area, a part of Texas that neither Jack or I have ever been to.  This makes it an extra special trip, showing us new areas of the state, and reuniting us with our sweet son and his fiance'!  True to our previous experience of Texas, so far, it's pretty much what we've seen before - miles of sagebrush, a few hills here and there, a few small towns to go through and this time some agriculture to watch.  No matter, it's all fun for me!

The excitement doesn't end at the end of the day.  Arriving at a new campground is fun too.  Once we are parked and set up, I can hardly wait to go and take a walk around and see the place.  Perhaps to meet someone along the way and chat.  Maybe even learn something new about the area!  Always a new sunset to watch for.  A new opportunity to take a photo.  A time for Jack and I to laugh and share what we saw and enjoyed about our journey today, another adventure enjoyed together, another one to look forward to tomorrow.  Some more than others, some just "one night stands" as I've shared before, but some turn out to be real treasures, that we almost don't want to leave.  Some have brought us new friends that we've kept in touch with, some we want to go back to again.

This year started out quite a bit different than the last...but that's okay.  Each year is a new journey, and new lesson to learn, a new adventure to experience...but I have to say, it sure does feel good to be back on the road again!

...on the road in Texas,   Marie

Pardon my pause...

Please pardon my pause while I take some time to grieve the loss of my brother, as his battle ended faster than we anticipated...  I will be back "on the road" again soon... Marie

Emotions...

What a strange day.  Have you ever felt every emotion the human being possess at one time?  That's what I'm experiencing today.

I had another blog to post today, but I am to emotional and need to share, with you, my friends and family.  We have just left San Diego after a full week of cramming every minute with special visits with our wonderful friends and family.  I'm exhausted, elated, sad, happy, excited, afraid, proud, angry, confused, eager, and numb.

It was so great to see so many of our friends, to hear first hand all the news and successes and get all the hugs in person.  One of our friends has lost over 90 pounds and is model beautiful.  She just beams with her new self confidence.  Another is managing her life with the loss of her husband of many, many years and fulfilling a life long dream of going to Africa and then later this year to China.  One friend has adopted her two little nephews (ages 4 & 6) at an age (in her 50's) when most are looking toward their retirement, not starting the responsibility of a family.  I am so proud and happy for these ladies who have had major challenges and have risen to the top and are beautiful winners all!

It was so great to see so many of my (ex?) co-workers and how successful everything is going, personally and with the Zoo as well.  No surprises there though!  I was able to spend some time with a friend who is getting ready to join the "retirement club" and learned about another one doing the same.  The first one is going back to her "first love" of writing and has promised me a signed copy of her book when it's published, how great is that?  She has ignited a fire in me.  She wasn't the only to encourage me in that area, and that meant a lot to me; it touched me greatly to get such sweet feedback, thank you.

Spending time with my family was very special.  Even when we lived in the same town we didn't see each other enough.  As many of you know, my brother is fighting a loosing battle with cancer, so time with him is precious.  He is my "big brother", the one who was always there for me, teaching me how to dance, how to catch frogs and with no mom around, even how to curl my hair!  He was my protector and my night in shining armor.  He would get up early and take me to the Easter sunrise services I wanted, and I would get up early and help him fold his newspapers for his route.  I don't remember ever fighting with him, but I do remember him tickling me until I wet my pants!  He is the best brother a girl could ever ask for. Everyone should be so lucky.

We are back out in the desert for a few days before we go help a dear friend celebrate her 60th birthday and then we are off and on our way to continue our adventure!  I think this will be an interesting year...as always, thanks for coming along with us...

 

...kicking back in Indio Ca,   Marie