We Hit the Peak!

Pike's Peak, that is. It would be so sad to say that days 3 & 4 of our trip were the peak of what turned into 10 days. However, given the company we kept, it would not be far off to make that statement, either. I'll get to that in a minute...Day 3 we awoke in Manitou Springs, Colorado. What a CUTE little town. It is also where one boards the Manitou-Pike's Peak cog railroad which is the highest cog railway in North America. So, the temperature was cool in Manitou Springs, but it certainly was comfortable. We bought our tickets and boarded the train. Then, mom started coughing so I went to get her a bottled water. While in the shop, there were a couple of "kids" looking for sweatshirts...now, I'm from S-Central Texas. I'm not accustomed to people talking about sweatshirts in August so I asked the sales-clerk if we really needed sweatshirts on Pike's Peak. She responded that the current temperature was 42 degrees but that it had fallen from 44...WHAT!!! Yep, I bought us each a sweatshirt and we were off.

It took us over an hour to get to the top but the ride was pretty straight and no one complained about suffering from motion-sickness and it was comfortably cool. Then, about 2/3 of the way up, we decided that it was a little too cool so we put our sweatshirts on.  As we continued our climb to the top, the conductor regaled us with tales of earlier explorers and adventurous souls who thought it would be great to live on the mountain and try their hand at taming "Mother Nature." However, for most, it's like the old commercial used to advise: "It's not nice to fool with Mother Nature"--not advisable either.

temp was 41

windchill was 32

The views from the top and the beauty you see are unbelievable. I do not have the words to adequately explain the immense panorama you find at >14,000 feet. Trees do not grow that high but particular species of mammals are hardy enough to thrive in this environment.
So after too short a time, we boarded the train for our descent back to Manitou Springs. We enjoyed a great lunch and headed for my cousin Duane's house.

Duane is my dad's nephew, (that is, Duane's mom and my dad were siblings) and he was raised in Kansas, near Wichita. Growing up, we visited my paternal relatives on occasion, that is, maybe once a year. My parents had the five of us very close together and travelling with young children, toddlers and infants was certainly not something anyone (then or now) would have dreamed about. As we got older, my sisters and I always wanted to get to know Dad's family. You see, we were (and still are) close to mom's side and wanted the same types of relationships with Dad's. Time, circumstances and distances kept us from getting close to most of them, except Aunt Dorothy, (Duane's mom). She and my dad maintained a close relationship so we did get to know them the best. Duane is an interesting combination of traits. There are so many things about him that remind me of my dad. Physically, they share some likeness but, even more important to me, their personalities are similar. Both highly intelligent, self-motivated and driven to succeed. However, it is their sense of humor that draws me. Duane is a NUT!!! There is just no other way to describe him. He has such a dry sense of humor, you can just never be sure if he is being honest or telling you a whopper of a lie.  

"kissing camels" at Garden of the Gods"

Duane and his wife (the saint) Carol, live in Colorado Springs, very near the Garden of the Gods. Their home is beautiful and they were great hosts. Our first night there, we sat on their back patio and shared drinks, told stories, (mostly true...I think), and reminisced. It was a great time. After a couple of hours, we decided we'd better think about eating dinner...I would have been fine with more of my Gentleman Jack but eating was probably a good idea too. We decided on pizza and Carol ordered. When it arrived, the pizza was rectangular in shape. Duane had his fodder...for the remainder of the night, we heard comments about "square" pizza. Things like: "how in the world can anyone call this a pizza pie...pies are round." Well, obviously this is one of those "location" stories (you just had to be there...) but it was classic Duane and I loved it. I was immediately transported to my youth and the bantering of my dad and my Aunt Dorothy.

Colorado red granite

View from the road to the Peak

Our original plans were to spend only one night with Duane and Carol, then hit the road again. We decided to stay an additional day. Duane and I drove up to Pike's Peak on our 4th day. It was simply, breathtaking! I have to say, I enjoyed both means of transportation to the top. They actually take approximately the same time and they are completely different. The scenery to the top via the drive is much better. Additionally, there are multiple "turnouts" for those all important "Kodak moments."

Duane 

As beautiful as it was, for me, the best part was getting to spend a couple of hours with Duane. We discussed life, work, and family. We told stories, (mostly true...I think) and shared some of the most incredible beauty I have ever seen.

All-in-all, maybe we did hit the peak of our trip on days 3-4...




Come back to see what the next several days were like.
TTFN

Lois

My "Enchanted" Guardian Angel...

South Zone

On day two, we bid good bye to Clovis and turned North toward the "Enchanted Circle." I can't wait to tell you about that place and, more importantly how I found it, but you just have to drive with us through New Mexico.

Middle zone

Mom's idea of how to survive the
drive through New Mexico.

Whiskey for me and beer for the horses.

North Zone

To be fair, New Mexico should discussed in three zones: South, middle and North. The South zone is interesting because it is completely devoid of any type of excrement. The reason behind this phenomenon is that there is not a creature (great or small) that is willing to live in this area of the world. (OK, that's just my theory, it has not actually been proven...yet). The middle zone is more interesting because, as you can see, there are things worth looking at as you drive through the middle zone, on your way to the only real part of the state worth visiting, the North Zone. The North zone is beautiful. There are mountains, streams, beautiful historical towns and should not be missed!
(Regardless of what mom will tell you, you will see some pretty interesting things on the road as you drive. The pic to the left just cracked me up. we saw this house about mid-way through the state. The horses are actually on the front patio of this house and it just reminded me of that Willie Nelson song about beer for horses...remember, my mind wanders...)

So, we finally made it to our first planned site for the day: Enchanted Circle...So, "what the heck is Enchanted Circle?" you ask. Well, my cousin, Duane, (You'll hear much more about him and his wonderful wife, Carol, in a couple of days), suggested I visit this part of New Mexico. (Now, after I tell you about Duane, in an upcoming post, the following will make much more sense), When he first suggested I visit "Enchanted Circle," I was sure it was some  kind of commune in the mountains where people sat around chanting then danced "NECKED" inside standing stones after passing a pipe filled with "wacky-tobaccy." Let me just say that I am not here to judge anyone and if that's your thing...fine, I'm just not interested in participating...with my mother along.

Plaza in Taos

Red River

As it turned out, Enchanted Circle refers to a drive through Northern New Mexico that includes Taos, Quista, Red River and Angel Fire. The area is beautiful and I definitely plan to return (with a group of the most fun people I know), and spend at least a week hiking, rafting and exploring the region. Taos and Red River were my two favorite places on the drive but after learning more about Quista, I can't wait to hike that part of the Guadalupe canyon.

After leaving the circle, (in true road warrior fashion), we continued North toward Colorado. As I mentioned on the first day's post, we had no plans as to where we would stay nor when we planned to be anywhere. So, mom looked at the atlas and found a "grey-line" road that would allow us to shave several miles off of a trip to Canyon City via Walsenburg. Well, it sounded like a great idea to me so we turned east to find our "grey-line" road. This would be a great time give you some information about "grey-lines" used in Rand-McNally's atlas. According to the legend in the book, the condition on these roads may change often and drivers should check with locals before attempting to navigate these roads. As it turned out, we didn't find that particular grey-line road, but the above information will become important in just a minute. Since we couldn't find the grey-line, we found ourselves in Walsenburg (where we stopped for limes for our vodka-tonics we intended to drink as soon as we stopped for the night...didn't happen) much earlier than we thought we might. So, we checked the atlas again for our next tourist attraction and decided to head toward Canyon City and ultimately to Cripple Creek. That meant that we turned once more to the Northwest.

dirt "grey-line" road

Just about five miles (+/-) before Canyon City, we found "Colorado 65 N.--SCORE! 65N was exactly the road we were looking for (we thought). So, we turned due North...this is where the information about the grey-line roads is important. Colorado 65 South is a perfectly great road. It is paved and goes to a perfectly nice little town, Florence. Co 65 N, however, is not anything like that as we discovered. Soon after turning north, we began to see signs that read: "No trucks, no campers longer than 25 feet..." The signs should have simply read: "TURN YOUR DUMB BUTT AROUND AND FIND ANOTHER ROUTE!!!" The next thing we noticed is that the pavement ended. Then, mom noticed that the name of this area was "Phantom Canyon" and it was starting to get dark. Now...those of you who know me well know that being in a place where phantoms may exist, in the dark, is not something I would normally do while conscious and completely sober. Still, we continued.

Guardian Angel

Almost immediately, however, God, (who loves me very much,) sent my guardian angel (who was driving a brand-new, complete with paper plates, red Cadillac). As soon as I saw this beauty behind me, I pulled over and let it pass. Then, I stayed with it like I was at the end of a tow-rope tied to it's bumper. As mom said, "Don't lose that car, we have no service on our phones and that car may be the only hope of our dead bodies ever being found if you go flying over the cliff in the dark and we go hurdling through time and space and end up splatted at the bottom of the abyss...thanks for the confidence mom. OK, maybe she didn't really say all of that but, we were both thinking it! This road was so narrow and windy that at times, I swear we were chasing our own tail-lights!


Now it's dark and we get to a tunnel...not just a regular tunnel...a tiny, narrow, short, "are we even going to fit" tunnel. Well, we watch my guardian angel creep through and we decided to give it a shot. First, though, we pulled in the side mirrors, just in case. Boy, did we breathe a sigh of relief when we emerged to the other side in one piece. So we continued navigating switchback after switchback and one more tunnel for THIRTY NINE miles! When we finally emerged from warring with the phantoms and made our way to Cripple Creek, all I wanted to do was give the Caddy's "Guardian Angel" a big hug and buy him/her a drink...they disappeared!

Well, unfortunately, the only hotels we found in Cripple Creek were,
 what we affectionately named "Whortels. Cripple Creek has reinvented itself into a remake of a historic gambling town. The buildings are very old but most have been reinvented and refurbished into copies of what saloons and gambling halls would have looked like during the 1800s. Mom and I decided that since we escaped the phantoms, we probably didn't want to test our luck with staying in what could be rooms haunted by long-dead saloon girls so we decided to continue on and found ourselves in Manitou Springs for the night.

It was, obviously a very long but very memorable day.
Stay tuned for more from the road.

ttfn

Lois

 

Miles and miles and miles and miles and...........of Texas!

So, we're off again! My wanderlust has been in overdrive again but commitments have kept me locked down to the house. There have been weeks this summer where I haven't even gotten in a car more than one day in 10...WTH?! One of the bonuses of being chained to the house (speaking metaphorically here), is that I've had some time to think about and plan and revise and plan where I want to go and what I want to do on this trip. Initially, I tried talking Haime into going with me. Let's just say that that idea went over like the proverbial "toot-in-church," he was not interested after he learned of my (still sketchy) travel plans. Thankfully, mom was very willing to take his place, so after double checking with a couple of other potential "road-warriors," we elected to hit the road...just the two of us. Our general itinerary includes travelling through the hill

country and part of the panhandle of Texas, through New Mexico from Clovis to the Enchanted Circle area, to Colorado, Wyoming and to Mount Rushmore in South Dakota and back home. Our route is very general and the only commitment we made to each other is that we were going to take our time and not be married to any specific plans. If we decide to go to a particular place but then see something else that catches our attention, we were going after the bright-shiny-attention-getter. (Think of the dog in the movie "Up!")

So, as stated earlier...were off! (Oh, I forgot, we also decided that since we were going to be "casual" travelers, rather than our normal "road-warrior" travelling selves, we also decided to leave at a "reasonable" time rather than our 4-6:00 AM departure). This first day, we didn't actually "hit the road" until about 10:00! I can not make you understand how completely different that simple time change is for me, so I won't even try.

 

Our first stop was for lunch. Our travel time put us in Fredericksburg, TX at lunch time. Now mom and I have both been to Fredericksburg hundreds of times. So, we decided to eat somewhere completely different since this was a sort of "new" adventure. So we went through the town to the outskirts to a place known for its German fare.  I love schnitzel and theirs was very good. Now mom, loves liver and onions, however, she normally only eats it at one chain of restaurants. Well, I talked her into branching out and trying the liver and onions...she hated it. Then for dessert, mom loves apple strudel and they had it on the menu. Well, German restaurant, German dessert...what could go wrong? Yep, the strudel. Anyway, we had snacks in the car so we were off again.

 

We must have changed our minds about the route we were taking, no fewer than 5 times. Ultimate we found ourselves heading toward Sweetwater, TX in route to Clovis, NM. If you are like me and grew up with parents who listened to country music, you might remember an old song that spoke of there being "some mighty sweet water down in Sweetwater, Texas." Well, let me take a moment to dispel any thoughts you might have about "Sweetwater" being a mecca for vacationers...NOT! Sweetwater is, however, the "Home of the World's Largest Rattlesnake Round-up." What the heck?! I have too many questions about the kind of person who goes searching for these venomous pit-vipers. What the hell happens to a person during their formative years to turn them into a "rattlesnake hunter?" It will open your eyes to Google this event. So, please take the time to do that...then look at the images of the "Snake Queen." Apparently, if you are the lucky winner of the "Miss Sweetwater Rattlesnake Roundup," you get to have a ginormous snake wrapped around your shoulders...yes, its still alive!...enough said!   

 

Well, thankfully we missed this annual party gathering of snake hunters. We did make it to mass. Of course, a funny thing happened on the way to mass. We had found a couple of Catholic churches in Sweetwater via Google and discovered that the Saturday evening mass was to be held at Immaculate Heart of Mary parish, on Alabama street. Well, as we approached Sweetwater, there was an exit for Alabama street, so we took it. Then just a few blocks down, we found a church. Mom saw that the name of the church was a "long" name so we surmised that it must be the place...it wasn't. So, we kept going. As we continued through this town, two things came to us. The first, if we were rattlesnakes, this area of Texas would probably seem like Nirvana, (until round-up time); and second, not being rattlesnakes, goodness, we are so glad we don't live there!

 

We made our way across the border and into New Mexico for the night. We congratulated ourselves on our first day's ability to stick with the plan of staying flexible and called it a night. Tomorrow's destination was to be the "Enchanted Circle" so stay tuned...

 

TTFN,

   

Lois

What if Shirley MacLaine isn't crazy?

My mind wanders. If you've ever had a conversation with me, you know that I tend to take the long way around, sometimes, to get to my point. Well, if you've read many of my posts, you've probably see that I write in much the same way. Add to that, while I'm giving you many more details than necessary, and the related history of events/encounters/relationships, I might also "bird-walk." You know, for example, I might be discussing how I acquired some bit of information/knowledge and the next thing you'll hear me say is, "wait, that reminds me of...", that is a bird-walk. So, with that, let me explain the "what-the-hell-is-she-going-to-talk-about-now-with-that-kind-of-a-title," theory behind the title.

Well, it started a few years ago. As I've mentioned previously, Haime and I are cradle-to-grave Catholics. From a very early age, we have been taught that if you lead a good life, keep the commandments and jump through a few more hoops, you'll go to heaven when you die, provided that you are free of sin upon your demise. Now, if you happen to croak prior to being able to avail yourself of the confessional and you meet-your-maker with some unconfessed, and therefore unabsolved faux-pau, well, you'll probably find yourself in purgatory (not the ski resort, you goof--you know who you are!) Think of purgatory as "hell-lite," only you get to get out of there, provided that you've served your time. (Time is also credited to you when your surviving family, friends etc. offer prayers for your early release). Once you've served your time, ZIPP...your beamed up to Heaven. Now, the third option is HELL! I mean, like Monopoly...do not pass go, do not collect any reading materials, you are going to the eternal barbecue as the main course.    

Well, I know you're gonna be a little shocked here...I'm not sure I'm buying that particular if-then scenario any more...OK, I've always had a problem with that. No, I'm not channelling W.C. Fields here, (you know the story...Mr. Fields had been ill and was not expected to survive and a friend came to visit him one day and found W.C. reading the bible. Now Mr. Fields was never considered a religious man and when the friend asked him about  it, W. C. replied "I'm looking for loopholes.") 

Anyway, think about it, we are taught that our God is a loving and generous and forgiving God. Our lives, our talents and our blessings come from Him. I believe that. So, here's what I'm thinking, what if this life we are living is our purgatory? What if Shirley MacLaine isn't crazy? What if the lives we live today are our time

and chances to right wrongs that we've committed in previous lives or our opportunities to learn that God is Goodness and Love and Truth and Light? I was having the beginnings of this kind of conversation, the other day. (Not about Shirley, I actually came up with that a few hours later, while mowing the lawn)...but, what if I'm right? 

Doesn't that mean that we owe it to ourselves to speak and act and cherish and hold and love and give-of-ourselves more than we think possible? Doesn't that mean that we ought to learn from our past mistakes, (I'm talking here about the ones we've made in this life because I'm honestly not convinced that Shirley isn't crazy). Well, I'm trying...and trying...and trying...and trying. You see, I'm human. I wake every morning and repeat my mantra before I get out of bed: "Lord, please keep your arm around my shoulder and your hand over my mouth." Unfortunately, all too often, I knock His hand away and there goes my mouth. But, I'm learning. I think that's the important thing, don't you? That we learn. That we make honest efforts not to repeatedly make the same mistakes.

Well, that's it. If I decide to publish this post, thank you for indulging my drive to share my mind wanderings as they have manifested themselves through my writing tonight. 

TTFN

Lois

Treasures...

Have you noticed how your priorities change as you age? Or, perhaps a better way of phrasing that question would be: have you noticed how your ideas about what is important in your life change?

As I've mentioned in earlier posts, I come from a family of five daughters. We are very close in age and we try, in adulthood, to maintain the close relationships that we formed when we were children. One of the truths about our childhood, that was never really apparent to any of us when we were growing up, is that we did not have a lot of money. It would be unfair to say we were poor, because we weren't. My mother was a "stay-at-home" mom for most of my childhood so the five of us were raised on my dad's salary. One of the advantages of the parents with whom I was blessed, is that together, they could do just about any/everything. Mom sewed our clothes, could make quilts to warm us, could make a delicious and filling meal from a variety of things and made our house a loving home. In addition to his ability to fix most leaks, breaks and malfunctions around the house, my dad was also an outdoors man who hunted and fished and brought home many different samples of "Nature's Bounty" for our consumption. I remember, growing up, it always seemed like a sort of adventure to discover what the different meats tasted like. Mom would fry, broil and/or bake the game in various recipes (most of her own creation); and Daddy would grill. Most of the things we sampled were delicious, (I never did develop a taste for frog's legs, however and yes, Elizabeth, a lot of the game tasted like chicken).

Now, lest you think these are just random thoughts, let me get back to my original question...when I was young, some of the ideas I had about what was important was to have "store-bought" clothes and to eat in restaurants. As I mentioned, mom made our clothes. Looking back, I can't believe how selfish, the younger version of me, was. With five daughters, mom always took the time to ensure that we had the opportunity to express our individuality. Even though some things were "hand-me-downs," she made sure that we also had our choice of fabrics and patterns for most of our dresses, shorts, shirts etc. It's only as I have gotten older that I've matured(?) enough to realize what a wonderful gift her time and talents were to all of us. Thanks mom, and I'm sorry it's taken so long to realize the treasures you gave us through your time, talents and unconditional love.

Another treasure we were given by our parents was the understanding of the importance of friends and family. This was abundantly clear in our house. We were constantly surrounded by extended family and friends. My love for entertaining comes from my parents. My earliest memories involve get-togethers with friends and family. My aunts, uncles, cousins and grandparents were all fixtures at our house or us at theirs. In my memory, (faulty as it is becoming), weekends meant that we were either cleaning the house because mom and dad had family friends coming or we were getting dressed in our best "play clothes" so we could all load-up the station wagon and go visit these same friends.

It's no wonder, really, that I LOVE to host parties and "get-togethers." One thing I love more than that, however, is spending time with the friends and family that are so dear to me. They are the greatest treasures in my life. This week, I had the opportunity to help host our annual July 4th barbecue. This is always a fun event. This year, some of the regular attendees were unable to join us but they were replaced by others who haven't joined us in a while as well as some new faces. This annual party actually started when we were children.

At Easter-time, one of more of the local department (read "general") stores would carry cute little "Easter chicks" that had been dyed various pastel colors. I remember asking for one of these little cuties for a couple of years with no success. Then one Easter, each of us girls got an "Easter chick" for our "Easter basket." They were ADORABLE!!! They were soft and cute and so much fun. Daddy built a "coop" for them but when we were outside, we love to let them out and play with them. UNTIL...they got big. Let me stress...BIG! They were no longer any kind of cute. They were mean! Whenever they would escape their coop, they'd chase us around the yard and peck us. Well, pretty soon, we weren't about to go outside and play because we were afraid the demon chicks would go on the attack! Finally, my dad had had enough of five screaming and crying little girls who refused to go outside and run off excess energy because of the demon chickens. So, being the problem solver he was, he told mom to call the family and friends and invite them to a July 4th barbecue chicken dinner and Independence Day celebration.

So the tradition continues. We missed a couple of years along the way but not many. While the other foods may differ from year-to-year, (this year, thanks to my garden, we had a pretty tasty grilled eggplant pate), the star of the show is always barbecue chicken. Among this year's partiers were my "sista-from-anotha-mista" and her hubby. Candee and Bob are terrific people. Candee and I worked together in California, where they still live. Bob is our "unofficial, official photographer" and is never without his camera. Candee is probably the most artistic person I know. She has the creativity, talent and determination to "figure out" any artistic medium she chooses. When we are together, she stretches my imagination and encourages me to "get in touch with the right-side of my brain." We are good together and she is definitely one of the "sisters-of-my-heart."

Thankfully, my priorities have changed as I have aged/matured(?). Things have become less and less important to me and people have become more so. I am so blessed to have people in my life that I admire, respect, enjoy, love and TREASURE.

TTFN

Lois

A Day of Hands...

Father's day is a day of "hands" for me.

My father died in June of 2007, about a week and a half after father's day. I LOVED Daddy! He had a wonderful   sense of humor and was the most intelligent man I have ever met. His ability to learn to do whatever he set his mind to figuring out, was the most amazing thing about him. Present him with a problem, a task, a concept or any challenge and he would "chew-on-it" until he was able to successfully calculate, complete, build, engineer or produce a solution. Honestly, I do not remember a single time he was stumped. Now, to be honest, I have to also admit that he was human. He could be very short-tempered and he did not suffer fools well. But for me, he was the perfect father.

So, on the one hand, father's day is a painful reminder of what I lost that day in June, six years ago.

On the other hand, there is father's day with Haime. Haime is not the biological father to my sons, however, for the past 20+ years, he has been so much more than a step-father to them. He has offered support, opinions, pride, and direction to them. He has truly impacted the men they have grown to become. He has loved them as his own and never misses an opportunity to brag about how proud of them he is. So, on that hand, father's day is an opportunity to express my gratitude to Haime for being the "father" that he didn't have to be to my sons, just because he married me.

Then, on another hand, there is father's day with Chipper. Chip became a father about three and a half years ago. He is more patient with his son than I would have imagined he would be, based on his teenage-self that I raised. Chipper takes his father role very seriously

and is just as likely to spend hours reading stories or playing Lego's or redesigning train tracks or doing puzzles as he is to do anything else in his spare time. Again, to be honest, Mallory is a big reason that Chip is such a good dad. They are truly partners in their marriage and most importantly, in their parenting. It is such a treat for me to watch Chipper as he faces the daily challenges of parenthood. (Mostly it's fun being the personification for the saying: Children are spoiled because no one spanks Nana!).

You see, father's day is a mixed bag for me. My life is so much richer because of the influence these three fathers continue to have on my life. Eventually, if Boo decides to become a father, or if I am still  around (God willing) when/if my grandson does, I'm sure there will be more hands to consider on this special day.

Happy father's day guys! I love you all.

TTFN, 

Lois

Padre Island!

Haime and I enjoy spending at least one long weekend, each year, at the beach with Chipper, Mallory, Carter, Reece and Chelsea. For the past few years, we have stayed in Port Aransas, TX and have found ourselves there on the first weekend after mother's day. When there, we like to stay in a condo on the channel that provides guests with access to a private fishing pier and fish cleaning facilities. Haime likes to fish...by that, I mean he spends nearly every waking hour fishing. The rest of us swim, visit the art show which coincides with our visit every year, shop, paint etc. The only thing Haime joins us for is one meal per day. The others also enjoy fishing, just not to the extreme level that Haime does. As for me, I confine my fishing to the seafood department at the local grocery or to the menu at one of our favorite restaurants.

This year's beach trip was a bit different. First, we had to schedule it on a different weekend...Memorial Day weekend, to be exact. Secondly, we stayed on Padre Island rather than Port Aransas (Mustang Island), and thirdly, we stayed FREE OF CHARGE at Chelsea's grandmother's place...Thanks Diane.

The condo had a pool, which we all enjoyed, and it was located on a canal; but, the guys agreed that the fishing just wasn't the same. We did spend more time on the beach this trip than on others in recent memory.

OK, this is another one of those times when the reality of a situation just hits you in the face. We were there on Memorial Day weekend. Yes, it is generally considered the "unofficial, official first day of summer." With that said (typed), we all knew that the beaches were probably going to be crazy crowded...what we didn't realize was that at some places, cars were parked 4-5 deep. HOLY CRAP!!! I know, for some of you, actually parking on the beach is a foreign concept. But, in Texas, along most state beaches, it is legal to park on the beach, as long as you buy a beach parking permit. There are a few, small sections of beach that are designated "free parking" and, of course, that's where the crazy-crowded places were.  

We drove further down the beach and were very happy with the places we found that were much less crowded. Carter LOVES the whole beach experience. He is not bothered by sand getting in his swim trunks, nor the taste of salt water, nor the seaweed that washed up. He is also getting more confident and daring with each passing day. I believe that a lot of his confidence comes from the fact that he is constantly surrounded by loving, caring, supportive parents and extended family. He knows, with every fiber of his being, that he is as protected from dangers and peril as he can possibly be. (Wouldn't this be a perfect world if all children had that?--yes, I know, I digress...). I also like the ocean, (I don't like sand in my swimsuit, though) and I can't wait until Carter is a little bit older and I can teach him to body surf or to at least ride the waves in...(actual surfing is just not something we do in Texas...although, a wet suit might help fight some of the effects of gravity-something to consider).

Anyway, our time at the beach came to an end WAY too soon. Tonight, Haime and I had dinner with Carter, Mallory and Chipper and we all agreed that we should consider more frequent beach trips. Actually, Mallory and I agree that Haime and I should just buy a house down there so we could go as often as we like. Haime and I have discussed this idea for years, then, just when we start getting serious about finding the right place, Haime changes his mind. He says he just can't leave his golfing buddies...WHATEVER!

TTFN

Lois