Yesterday we went to the Wildlife Animal Park near Sonny and Sandy's house. Being a Saturday and summer it was quite crowded--and it was quite HOT!! I thought the dry heat would save me--but I was drenched everywhere. Sonny gave me a portable mister (he bought it a Wal-mart) but even then I was having a tough time. Bill took a lot of good pictures of the animals. We loved watching the lions sleeping on top of a car.
After we left the park we went to the pier for a delicious Mexican meal. It was amazing that only 15 miles away the weather was 15 degrees cooler.
Today we joined Sonny and Sandy for breakfast again and then went to church with them. They attend a huge church called North Coast. It offers a variety of venues--depending upon what type of music you like. You can have traditional (hymnal), a cafe setting where you drink coffee and eat bagels, hard rock, etc. The music portion of the service is played at the same time in all the different places..then the pastor is videoed into the room on a large screen. Today we went to the live service where the pastor actually was. We really enjoyed his preaching.
Afterwards we took a coastal route to watch paragliders as we ate our lunch. It was a gorgeous day-the breeze was just right and the weather was a perfect temperature. We then drove to a beach that was crowded with a herd of seals. The water there was crystal clear and an aquamarine blue--very unlike the drab ocean color where we live. It was fun watching the seals interract with each other.
Next Sonny drove us to the cross the sits high above the city. We walked up to it and were able to see a 360 degree panorama of the area. It was so pretty.
We came back to Sonny and Sandy's to rest and wait until the Southern California traffic dies down. If we left at 5:00 or 7:00--we would still arrive home at the same time. Good old So.Cal traffic!!
Sunday, August 5, 2007
Saturday, August 4, 2007
Sonny and Sandy in Sunny San Diego
Thursday was a 13 hour drive followed by Friday's 7 hour drive. It was amazing watching how the terrain shifted from the green grasses and trees to meadows and then finally bare desert with the cacti and tumbleweed. The desert area topped 110 degrees...but it was all dry heat...something we haven't had in a month. Coming into Imperial Valley we were astounded by the rocky terrain. It resembled a volcanic area..but the rocks were sandstone instead of igneous.
When we arrived in San Diego we felt right at home sitting in traffic on the 15 freeway--something else we really haven't had to deal with very much this past month.
We met up with Sonny and Sandy (Sonny is a close friend of Bill who co-teamed with him when he was working in the technology dept at the district office). We had a delicious dinner at the Spaghetti Factory and shared our mid west trip and theirs to the Caribbean.
We are having fun learning more technology from Sonny and drinking his famous smoothies!
Now we're on our way to the Wild Animal Park.
When we arrived in San Diego we felt right at home sitting in traffic on the 15 freeway--something else we really haven't had to deal with very much this past month.
We met up with Sonny and Sandy (Sonny is a close friend of Bill who co-teamed with him when he was working in the technology dept at the district office). We had a delicious dinner at the Spaghetti Factory and shared our mid west trip and theirs to the Caribbean.
We are having fun learning more technology from Sonny and drinking his famous smoothies!
Now we're on our way to the Wild Animal Park.
Thursday, August 2, 2007
Six Tires Texas
Let me tell you a story:
About 30 years ago Bill and I were assistants to our youth pastor at Ascension Lutheran Church. One summer we took three cars filled with 16 and 17 year olds to a Luther League convention in New Orleans. The cars were rented out by Avis. (Their motto was “We try harder.”) Our first breakdown was in San Bernardino.
A few hours later we traded that car in Phoenix-but it was much too small. The two days later Bill had a flat tire between El Paso and Junction, Texas. A few hours later I had a blow out 20 miles beyond Junction in the middle of nowhere. When we went to change the tire—there was no spare tire! So we sat on the road with 20 kids.
We finally started carpooling the girls back towards a KOA camp that we had passed several miles back while the boys stayed on the road. Finally a small tire was found in a little gas station (those were the days gas stations had garages and not mini marts.) The tire really didn’t fit—but it had to do.
The boys pulled in late and even though it was 11:00 they wanted to go swimming. Then we had had to sleep in the long grasses (mosquitoes, chiggers, and all!) in our sleeping bags. Bill woke us all up at 4:00 A.M. so it was still dark. One of the boys accidentally hit the horn and it would not turn off. Bill and some others scrambled under the hood to stop the horn and someone accidentally pulled the ground wire that starts the car. Well, the horn stopped but now the car wouldn’t start. We could hear applause coming from the nearby tents as we pushed the car out of the camp.
Now we had to get on the road with one car that needed to be hot wired to start, another that could not go over 40 because the tire was too small, and another that was too small for comfort.
We finally limped into a small tire dealership in little town. It was the 170th day of a rubber strike so they had a very difficult time finding tires that would fit for the car. We were forced to put four brand new tires on that car. When we looked at another car we realized that it too needed two tires. Avis could not purchase it in that small town but was willing to reimburse us when we got back. Bill and I had just received our very first credit card with a limit of $300. We spent it all.
For years we have told this story to people and we have always referred to this small town as “Six Tires, Texas.” We have never known where “Six Tires, Texas is but yet we have always talked about it as if it is the official name.
Why am I telling you this?
Well, last night we slept in “Six Tires, Texas” otherwise known as Kerrville. We stayed with our friends Mike and Michelle Hozman who have retired there and love it. Kerrville now has 20,000 people and looks much different than it did 30 years ago. It was fun catching up with Mike and Michelle and seeing their home. There are deer everywhere so Bill was able to get a few photos. The deer are very bold and even come up to the glass doors of the house (though we weren’t able to witness this last night.)
We left at about 9:00 for a 12 hour drive to Tucson, Arizona. (and passed the KOA camp.) Gone is all the greenery we have seen for the majority of this vacation. Most of the day was desert. We went through a few rainshowers but nothing terrifically bad.
We switched off driving so Bill could get some rest. I became a little nostalgic as I heard “Sloop John B” on my iPod. I could hear in my mind so vividly Kiersten and Sean singing it on our 1992 vacation to Nebraska “I wanna go home—oh let me go home”
At that time it annoyed me-- but today it brought good memories of family time.
Its nice to be back in a state that offers seat covers in the rest rooms!
About 30 years ago Bill and I were assistants to our youth pastor at Ascension Lutheran Church. One summer we took three cars filled with 16 and 17 year olds to a Luther League convention in New Orleans. The cars were rented out by Avis. (Their motto was “We try harder.”) Our first breakdown was in San Bernardino.
A few hours later we traded that car in Phoenix-but it was much too small. The two days later Bill had a flat tire between El Paso and Junction, Texas. A few hours later I had a blow out 20 miles beyond Junction in the middle of nowhere. When we went to change the tire—there was no spare tire! So we sat on the road with 20 kids.
We finally started carpooling the girls back towards a KOA camp that we had passed several miles back while the boys stayed on the road. Finally a small tire was found in a little gas station (those were the days gas stations had garages and not mini marts.) The tire really didn’t fit—but it had to do.
The boys pulled in late and even though it was 11:00 they wanted to go swimming. Then we had had to sleep in the long grasses (mosquitoes, chiggers, and all!) in our sleeping bags. Bill woke us all up at 4:00 A.M. so it was still dark. One of the boys accidentally hit the horn and it would not turn off. Bill and some others scrambled under the hood to stop the horn and someone accidentally pulled the ground wire that starts the car. Well, the horn stopped but now the car wouldn’t start. We could hear applause coming from the nearby tents as we pushed the car out of the camp.
Now we had to get on the road with one car that needed to be hot wired to start, another that could not go over 40 because the tire was too small, and another that was too small for comfort.
We finally limped into a small tire dealership in little town. It was the 170th day of a rubber strike so they had a very difficult time finding tires that would fit for the car. We were forced to put four brand new tires on that car. When we looked at another car we realized that it too needed two tires. Avis could not purchase it in that small town but was willing to reimburse us when we got back. Bill and I had just received our very first credit card with a limit of $300. We spent it all.
For years we have told this story to people and we have always referred to this small town as “Six Tires, Texas.” We have never known where “Six Tires, Texas is but yet we have always talked about it as if it is the official name.
Why am I telling you this?
Well, last night we slept in “Six Tires, Texas” otherwise known as Kerrville. We stayed with our friends Mike and Michelle Hozman who have retired there and love it. Kerrville now has 20,000 people and looks much different than it did 30 years ago. It was fun catching up with Mike and Michelle and seeing their home. There are deer everywhere so Bill was able to get a few photos. The deer are very bold and even come up to the glass doors of the house (though we weren’t able to witness this last night.)
We left at about 9:00 for a 12 hour drive to Tucson, Arizona. (and passed the KOA camp.) Gone is all the greenery we have seen for the majority of this vacation. Most of the day was desert. We went through a few rainshowers but nothing terrifically bad.
We switched off driving so Bill could get some rest. I became a little nostalgic as I heard “Sloop John B” on my iPod. I could hear in my mind so vividly Kiersten and Sean singing it on our 1992 vacation to Nebraska “I wanna go home—oh let me go home”
At that time it annoyed me-- but today it brought good memories of family time.
Its nice to be back in a state that offers seat covers in the rest rooms!
Tuesday, July 31, 2007
Awful Auto Trip to Austin
Nick and Kiersten wanted to finish looking at real estate so we took Alijah to visit my former students who have recently moved to Forney Texas which is just 30 minutes away from Red Oak.
They have a beautiful new home that they purchase for $160,000 with all the upgrades. They seem to be very happy.
Today was extremely humid so I did everything possible to stay in air conditioning.
We dropped Kiersten and Nick off at the Dallas airport at 5:00 and then headed toward Austin where we had reservations in a 4 star hotel. Because of road construction everywhere it took us 5 hours to get here. The locals told us there is always road construction. Traffic was horrible--and its even worse when it is night in an strange environment. We finally reached the hotel in downtown Austin at 10:00. It is lovely and huge but I wish we had more time to enjoy it.
Bill found PriceLine.com so we found a $260 room for $75. Downtown Austin seems fun--but unfortunately we won't be able to enjoy it--we need to move on tomorrow.
They have a beautiful new home that they purchase for $160,000 with all the upgrades. They seem to be very happy.
Today was extremely humid so I did everything possible to stay in air conditioning.
We dropped Kiersten and Nick off at the Dallas airport at 5:00 and then headed toward Austin where we had reservations in a 4 star hotel. Because of road construction everywhere it took us 5 hours to get here. The locals told us there is always road construction. Traffic was horrible--and its even worse when it is night in an strange environment. We finally reached the hotel in downtown Austin at 10:00. It is lovely and huge but I wish we had more time to enjoy it.
Bill found PriceLine.com so we found a $260 room for $75. Downtown Austin seems fun--but unfortunately we won't be able to enjoy it--we need to move on tomorrow.
Monday, July 30, 2007
Real Estate in Red Oak
This morning we woke up and all agreed that we wanted a smoke free environment for breakfast--so we headed down the road for the nearest IHOP in Waxahachie.
We then met a realtor who has been helping all of the church people find houses and locations to live.
We some some very nice houses--all of which were under $175,000. Homes here come with molding, painting, front yard land scape and alot of extra nicities. The houses are brick and stone and have brick mail boxes. One builder even offers bug control--pipes are built into the walls where an exterminator then blows his chemicals. Cost is $40 quarterly vs our bug company which we pay $75/month.
The nice thing about this area is that builders do not just build in their own tract. They will build on your land if you desire.
We inquired about the beautiful home that we visited yesterday on the lake--it was $400,000.
Even though it was warm we had thundershowers off and on through the day. Alijah was fearful so Bill told him it was just the clouds playing their drums. This was something Alijah could relate to since his dad plays the drums.
Kiersten and Nick had dinner so we took Alijah to a bar b que place and then back to the hotel for a bath and much needed rest.
Sunday, July 29, 2007
Dallying Around Dallas
This morning we went out for breakfast and went to a place where we heard the food was good. It was a small local restaurant but unfortunately it was smoked filled which made our dining experience quite unpleasant. We ate and left as quickly as possible.
We then went to Pastor Josh's house (Kiersten and Nick's youth pastor) where they were having home church. About five or six families have now moved to Texas with more on the way. Upon our arrival they began a combined church service with the people back home in California via web cam. We could see them and they could see us. The pastors on both ends gave a brief message and then they opened it up for testimony. Brandon (now in Texas) gave a tear jerking testimony and Tory (who is still in California but leaving at the end of the week) also gave a tearful testimony. It was a powerful church service using technology.
We then drove around and saw the church property, took pictures of Tory and Denise's house, visited Brandon's apartment, and stopped at the home of some friends of Kiersten and Nick's. This 4,000 square ft lakefront home is absolutely gorgeous. It was $400,000. All during our travels we were experience thunder showers.
We drove into downtown Dallas and met Kiersten's longtime friend Amie. They haven't seen each other since high school. We ate at the Spaghetti Factory and then took a horse drawn tour around Dallas. We saw the location of where Kennedy was assassinated. Alijah loved the horse. We then went up to the top of a the Reunion Tower where we saw a spectacular view of the city. The glass elevator was fun too.
The day ended with hot fudge sundaes from Sonic. It was a long day!
We then went to Pastor Josh's house (Kiersten and Nick's youth pastor) where they were having home church. About five or six families have now moved to Texas with more on the way. Upon our arrival they began a combined church service with the people back home in California via web cam. We could see them and they could see us. The pastors on both ends gave a brief message and then they opened it up for testimony. Brandon (now in Texas) gave a tear jerking testimony and Tory (who is still in California but leaving at the end of the week) also gave a tearful testimony. It was a powerful church service using technology.
We then drove around and saw the church property, took pictures of Tory and Denise's house, visited Brandon's apartment, and stopped at the home of some friends of Kiersten and Nick's. This 4,000 square ft lakefront home is absolutely gorgeous. It was $400,000. All during our travels we were experience thunder showers.
We drove into downtown Dallas and met Kiersten's longtime friend Amie. They haven't seen each other since high school. We ate at the Spaghetti Factory and then took a horse drawn tour around Dallas. We saw the location of where Kennedy was assassinated. Alijah loved the horse. We then went up to the top of a the Reunion Tower where we saw a spectacular view of the city. The glass elevator was fun too.
The day ended with hot fudge sundaes from Sonic. It was a long day!
Saturday, July 28, 2007
Taxiing around Texas
We spent a leisure morning trying to just recoup--we even had room service on the house (due to last night's mishap.)
We got into Texas around 4:00. As we drove we enjoyed the wide expanse of the sky with the cumulus clouds--a sight we don't get to enjoy much in California.
The highway system is much different than California. There are long frontage roads along the freeway that only go one way- which makes it very difficult to navigate to a store or restaurant that you pass on the freeway and want to get to.The lanes on the freeway are also more narrow--which means you really need to concentrate on the road.
Downtown Dallas is beautiful. There are many interesting shaped buildings. It looks more modern than downtown Los Angeles.
We took Brandon and Veronika to dinner at a local Bar B Q. It looks like a hole in the wall but the food is very good.
We then took off to pick up Kiersten, Nick, and Alijah at the airport. Dallas airport is much larger than LAX. It is also much more confusing. They were taking American--which comes in at three different terminals in different parts of the airport each of which required a maze to get to it. After a long phone call listening to automated voices saying push this button and now that button we finally learned that we were to go to terminal D. Kiersten Nick and Alijah arrived safely but they were very hungry. So we told them we would take them to dinner.
Nick borrowed his cousin Tory's GPS and tried to use it to find us a TGIF restaurant. Well we drove and drove and drove into a black nowhere until the GPS told us that we arrived. Frustrated, Nick called the nearest TGIF and discovered that it was inside the airport!
Well, we drove some more and because the frontage roads are so hard to navigate we got off at a street that barely had anything on it. We did see a Mexican restaurant so we decided to eat there.
Well, basically we were the only whites in the restaurant and the whole menu was in Spanish--not just the entrees--but the description of the entrees and everything else written on the menu.
The food actually was very good.
We managed to find our way back to the hotel--but as we got out of the truck we were greeted by huge crickets--something that Kiersten definitely is going to have to get used to if she wants to live here.
We got into Texas around 4:00. As we drove we enjoyed the wide expanse of the sky with the cumulus clouds--a sight we don't get to enjoy much in California.
The highway system is much different than California. There are long frontage roads along the freeway that only go one way- which makes it very difficult to navigate to a store or restaurant that you pass on the freeway and want to get to.The lanes on the freeway are also more narrow--which means you really need to concentrate on the road.
Downtown Dallas is beautiful. There are many interesting shaped buildings. It looks more modern than downtown Los Angeles.
We took Brandon and Veronika to dinner at a local Bar B Q. It looks like a hole in the wall but the food is very good.
We then took off to pick up Kiersten, Nick, and Alijah at the airport. Dallas airport is much larger than LAX. It is also much more confusing. They were taking American--which comes in at three different terminals in different parts of the airport each of which required a maze to get to it. After a long phone call listening to automated voices saying push this button and now that button we finally learned that we were to go to terminal D. Kiersten Nick and Alijah arrived safely but they were very hungry. So we told them we would take them to dinner.
Nick borrowed his cousin Tory's GPS and tried to use it to find us a TGIF restaurant. Well we drove and drove and drove into a black nowhere until the GPS told us that we arrived. Frustrated, Nick called the nearest TGIF and discovered that it was inside the airport!
Well, we drove some more and because the frontage roads are so hard to navigate we got off at a street that barely had anything on it. We did see a Mexican restaurant so we decided to eat there.
Well, basically we were the only whites in the restaurant and the whole menu was in Spanish--not just the entrees--but the description of the entrees and everything else written on the menu.
The food actually was very good.
We managed to find our way back to the hotel--but as we got out of the truck we were greeted by huge crickets--something that Kiersten definitely is going to have to get used to if she wants to live here.
Friday, July 27, 2007
OK in Oklahoma City
Well we sadly left our journey through Kansas today. It has been a wonderful experience seeing 7 of 10 of Bill's cousins and reminiscing about their youth and childhood experiences. We have begun a trek through the Quick, Dulley, Miler, and Bullis family trees looking at hundreds of old pictures, newspaper articles, and other artifacts. There is still so much more we need to learn. There is a rumor that we may be related to Jean Harlowe and Joan Crawford--but I personally think we'll need to check that out. Deb and Kaj say they are related to Abe Lincoln by their father's lineage.
Thursday and Friday we were back in Kansas City--but this time on the Missouri side visiting Deb and her brother Kaj (rhymes with "by"). Deb has a huge house on five acres. It feels like it is in the middle of nowhere--but in all actuality it is only five minutes from the city. She has a barn, pool, pond, basketball hoop--all of which are presently not being used. The house is huge (and the full basement makes it even bigger) but will need lots of work to get it up to par. She and her boyfriend Carl have been moving into it this past year and still have not completely moved in due to health and other issues. But the house has great potential. An interesting aspect is that a huge spa (like our outdoor spa) was put into the bathroom--but there is no drain for the water! There is a long staircase going upstairs--but it is so steep my whole foot does not fit on the step--I had to turn my feet at an angle to walk up the steps.
Kaj took us into the city on Friday to see the Norman Rockwell display at Grand Central Station. Deb wasn't feeling well so she wasn't able to go. The railroad station is very elaborate and grandeur. I could just visualize all the people in the early 1900s scurrying about trying to catch their train.
I couldn't get over the enormity of the hallway and the beautiful decorative ceiling. It reminded me of the ceiling of the Capitol Building.
We LOVE Norman Rockwell and the display was so fun. Not only were the Saturday Evening Post magazines displayed--but the photos were re-created using look alike scenery and mannequins. We were even able to hold some of the relics.
Next we went to the art museum to see the French impressionist display--which the three of us thoroughly enjoyed. The free headsets tour made the experience even more enjoyable. Kaj makes his living as a painter (he even gave us one of his prints) so Bill brought Kaj an unfinished painting of their grandfather's. Hopefully Kaj will want to finish it one day.
We found the area where their grandfather lived when he lived in Kansas City. We have the address but we think they renamed the street.
It was Kaj's birthday (Happy Birthday Kaj!) so Deb made a nice angel food short cake and we celebrated.
Deb had an abundance of photos of the Miler-Bullis family so we spent an entire evening going through the boxes trying to decipher who was who and who was related to who. After going through four family trees it became quite confusing to me! We did find a picture of Bill's baby brother Jack who died only a few hours after birth.
Today while driving through Witchita we tried to find Jack's grave--but no one was at the cemetary to help us. We'll have to try again next year.
We drove by two of Bill's childhood homes in Witchita. One house was all boarded up and surrounded by tall overgrown grasses. The other (Bill's favorite) looks so much smaller to Bill. He says the the "crick" (creek) next to it also looks different. The trees are gone (especially the tree they used to swing across the "crick.") The elementary school is still across the street.
Oklahoma is very green and expansive with small rolling hills. There is lots of grass with trees on the hills. You can easily see how easily a tornado could come through. With the floods that recently came through here, we were surprised how low the river was.
Our hotel is in downtown Oklahoma City. Our room has a beautiful view of the city. We went to the hotel restaurant for dinner. My dinner was very good but Bill had a piece of glass in his fettucini so we had our meal and breakfast tomorrow comped. Bill walked over to Sonic to grab a hamburger. There are Sonic drive ins everywhere in the midwest. I miss our old drive in restaurants with the waitresses on roller skates. Bill passed by Hooters to get to Sonic-but he told me he didn't go in.
Bill has just learned that we have no internet service at our hotel in Dallas. We will be there with Kiersten and Nick Saturday through Tuesday. We will try to go somewhere to get on line to keep this Blog posted. Til then...
Thursday, July 26, 2007
No internet in Kansas City
I am sitting outside a cafe that has wireless internet but we are on the go. Just a quick note to tell you that I won''t be able to blog until Friday night when we are in Oklahoma City at the hotel. We are staying with Bill two cousins Deb and Kaj--where there is no internet. We are touring Kansas City today. Gotta go cuz I'm sitting in the car and they are waiting to go. I'll talk to you Friday!
Tuesday, July 24, 2007
Honoring Daddy B
We had a wonderful day in Topeka. We went to the Topeka Country Club and presented them with a beautiful plaque in honor of Bill's great grandfather Wilbur Bullis (Daddy B) who was the club president for 10 years and is thought to have financially helped the club during the depression. The plaque held his 10 iron (yes 10) made of hickory.
The club manager gave us a tour of the club, treated us to a beautiful lunch, gave us several books, and xeroxed all of the board notes the year he was president. He told Bill and Dee to come back next year to play a round of golf. We were treated like celebrities felt very special. It also turns out that the club manager grew up two blocks away from Dee when they were in elementary and high school. What a small world!
We then looked for the building where their grandfather Glenn Miler had an art studio. We found the building and presently it is the office of a Litigation Specialist for Capital Murder Cases---the very same job that Dee has! What a coincidence!
The building was very charming--it even had an elevator operator. We found a huge bank vault. We assumed it was empty.
Next we went to the Topeka library where we researched the Miler and Bullis family. The library itself is fascinating and filled with history. We found pictures of Bill's mom and aunt in old Washburn College yearbooks, discovered a book that had a write-up on Wilbur Bullis in an old book, and discovered a census of the Quick family.
Afterwards we went to Marge's niece's house to have a wonderful bar b que dinner. The home was lovely and very charming. The neighborhood reminded me of the Universal Studios street that they used for "Leave It to Beaver" etc. I love the original wooden floors, the garden room, the crown molding--everything you would imagine of a mid west home.
We definitely will need to come back to do more research.
The club manager gave us a tour of the club, treated us to a beautiful lunch, gave us several books, and xeroxed all of the board notes the year he was president. He told Bill and Dee to come back next year to play a round of golf. We were treated like celebrities felt very special. It also turns out that the club manager grew up two blocks away from Dee when they were in elementary and high school. What a small world!
We then looked for the building where their grandfather Glenn Miler had an art studio. We found the building and presently it is the office of a Litigation Specialist for Capital Murder Cases---the very same job that Dee has! What a coincidence!
The building was very charming--it even had an elevator operator. We found a huge bank vault. We assumed it was empty.
Next we went to the Topeka library where we researched the Miler and Bullis family. The library itself is fascinating and filled with history. We found pictures of Bill's mom and aunt in old Washburn College yearbooks, discovered a book that had a write-up on Wilbur Bullis in an old book, and discovered a census of the Quick family.
Afterwards we went to Marge's niece's house to have a wonderful bar b que dinner. The home was lovely and very charming. The neighborhood reminded me of the Universal Studios street that they used for "Leave It to Beaver" etc. I love the original wooden floors, the garden room, the crown molding--everything you would imagine of a mid west home.
We definitely will need to come back to do more research.
Monday, July 23, 2007
Kasting Around at K State
Today we had alot of fun trying to do some research on Bill's dad. Bill Sr. was an All American quarterback at Kansas State, a member of Tau Kappa Epsilon, and in the ROTC. We went to the Alumni building and dove through old yearbooks to find many pages that lauded Bill Sr.'s football skills. We drove by his old fraternity and took pictures. We searched for trophies or other memorabilia that the school might have from 1943 but had no success because offices began closing. Unfortunately we're off to Topeka in the morning and won't be able to continue our search.
Bill remarked that Kansas State is not at all like he imagined. The buildings are made of limestone rather than the brick that Bill anticipated. We took pictures of the old football field where his father used to play. The present football field is absolutely huge and the nosebleed section is right up there in heaven.
The weather seemed to change constantly today. We had rain at one moment and sunny skies the next. But it didn't stop us.
Bill's cousin Dee has a wealth of stories about his grand dad and great granddad. He is the oldest of all the cousins and seems to have been the recipient of all the family's tales.We are trying to encourage him to record all the stories for future generations to come.
Bill's family has a very colorful past and I know our children would all be interested.
I wish Grandma Barbara had been here today. She would have loved walking among the same buildings that Bill Sr. once did and seeing his football field. I also thought of Sean today and the legacy Papa left him of being a Mechanical Engineer. Papa would be proud. And we are proud of Papa!
Bill remarked that Kansas State is not at all like he imagined. The buildings are made of limestone rather than the brick that Bill anticipated. We took pictures of the old football field where his father used to play. The present football field is absolutely huge and the nosebleed section is right up there in heaven.
The weather seemed to change constantly today. We had rain at one moment and sunny skies the next. But it didn't stop us.
Bill's cousin Dee has a wealth of stories about his grand dad and great granddad. He is the oldest of all the cousins and seems to have been the recipient of all the family's tales.We are trying to encourage him to record all the stories for future generations to come.
Bill's family has a very colorful past and I know our children would all be interested.
I wish Grandma Barbara had been here today. She would have loved walking among the same buildings that Bill Sr. once did and seeing his football field. I also thought of Sean today and the legacy Papa left him of being a Mechanical Engineer. Papa would be proud. And we are proud of Papa!
Sunday, July 22, 2007
Eye on Eisenhower and Old Newspapers
This morning the guys went out to play golf and do their bonding guy stuff. Before they left Dee killed a ringneck snake that was slithering right outside the house. He put it in a baggie to examine it and left it on the kitchen counter for Marge and I to discover. Marge and I had a jammie morning drinking coffee and catching up with each others' news.
We drove to the Eisenhower library in Abilene to see if there was a painting of Bill's grandfather. It is rumored that grandpa gave Ike one of his paintings and we were hoping that it might be there on display. But no luck. We enjoyed looking at all of the displays and learning more about Ike and Mamie. I especially enjoyed an exhibit which had a typical living room of the 50's. The TV in the room showed commercials that we viewed back then and it was fun going through memory lane. Goodyear tires were $19! Remember Ipana toothpaste?
In going through the photos that Dee has, we found an old scrapbook that his great aunt had created. Bill great grandfather was the sheriff of Topeka and she had saved newspaper articles that mentioned his various arrests and duties. Reading these newspaper articles was a real hoot. We just laughed and laughed at the colorful commentary of the reporter. The stories read more like a short story than the news.
Here are some examples:
"There are still several naughty negroes at large...."
"..he was intoxicated and swearing like a pirate."
"During the evening several Desdemonas came to see their Othellos (in jail)..."
"..Blanche Glacey who is a white by birth and a negro by trade."
A headline reads "Pounded His Wife"
Another news article tells of the marriage of Bill's great aunt. It tells of all who was invited, the menu for the reception, and lists all the gifts they received and who gave them the gifts.
"Small colored thief was swiftly brought to retribution this morning."
"The court will take pleasure in sticking it to them this afternoon"
"The court gave the youth some good advice and a chance to return to his happy yappy home in Missouri."
"A woman was arrested who was passing the police station drunk. She said that she was not (hic) drunk only "nervous" She will have a hearing this afternoon for her "nervousness."
A headline reads "An Opportunity to Save a 17 year Old From Hell" It is about an arrest of a streetwalker.
Another headline:"Threw His Mother in Law Out of the Window and is Arrested"
Saturday, July 21, 2007
Miler Memories
We arrived at Dee's house in Manhattan, Kansas. Manhattan is the home of Kansas State where Bill Sr. went to school and became an All American football player. Dee and his wife Marge live near a lake in a small close-knit community about 20 minutes away from civilization. They live part time here and part time in Chicago where we visited last year. They recently built a home on property that Bill Sr. and his brother in law purchased in the early 60s for $500. We are so happy that someone in the family is finally using the land.
We were welcomed by a potential storm and enjoyed watching the dark clouds- anticipating a potential tornado. No tornado but we had a gorgeous rainbow--the most brilliant I have ever seen. The colors were bright and vivid.
We joined Dee and Marge in a community potluck. The food was delicious--what you would expect of Kansas country cooking...homemade casseroles...not food from Costco. Everyone was friendly and welcoming and I was impressed that they said grace before they ate. As I said-- this was a community gathering--not a church function.
We enjoyed listening to the cicadas as we ate but we were very careful not to go into the tall grasses --lest we be attacked by the chiggers!
We drove down to the lake after dinner and saw four deer eating their dinner. Vultures were circling everywhere and we discovered that some fishermen must have cleaned fish and left the remains for those turkey buzzards.
I saw my first cardinal today. It is such a beautiful bird!
This evening we have been reminiscing about the Miler side of the family (Bill's mom.) Dee pulled out tons of old pictures and documents and we are trying to figure out who all the people are. They are putting together family tree names with photos.
Dee told us how we were cheated out ALOT of money. Many of you may not know that every year we receive oil money. We were swindled by a distant relative and should have been receiving much much more oil money. In another circumstance the same rich aunt became senile and before she died the Presbyterian church and a swindler lawyer got her to sign over 95% of her estate to them in her will. She thought she was giving the family 95% and 5% to them. Dee contested it for the family--but lost.
Dee also showed Bill one of two Nazi rifles that Bill's dad brought back from WWII. The other one should be with one of Bill's brothers according to Dee but Bill has no recollection of this rifle.
They are also questioning whatever happened to their great grandpa's gun who was a sheriff in Topeka.
I am enjoying looking at all of these old photos even though I don't have a clue who they are. All of the flapper outfits, old cars, and "fashionable" bathing suits. Bill and Dee are enjoying putting faces to names.
We found a lovely picture of the oil baronness. She was very lovely and wore a gorgeous wide brimmed hat with feathers and flowers with a velvet band. She wore a hand batisted dress with pin tucks all down the front. I am suggesting to Bill that we scan it, frame it and pay homage to her.
We were welcomed by a potential storm and enjoyed watching the dark clouds- anticipating a potential tornado. No tornado but we had a gorgeous rainbow--the most brilliant I have ever seen. The colors were bright and vivid.
We joined Dee and Marge in a community potluck. The food was delicious--what you would expect of Kansas country cooking...homemade casseroles...not food from Costco. Everyone was friendly and welcoming and I was impressed that they said grace before they ate. As I said-- this was a community gathering--not a church function.
We enjoyed listening to the cicadas as we ate but we were very careful not to go into the tall grasses --lest we be attacked by the chiggers!
We drove down to the lake after dinner and saw four deer eating their dinner. Vultures were circling everywhere and we discovered that some fishermen must have cleaned fish and left the remains for those turkey buzzards.
I saw my first cardinal today. It is such a beautiful bird!
This evening we have been reminiscing about the Miler side of the family (Bill's mom.) Dee pulled out tons of old pictures and documents and we are trying to figure out who all the people are. They are putting together family tree names with photos.
Dee told us how we were cheated out ALOT of money. Many of you may not know that every year we receive oil money. We were swindled by a distant relative and should have been receiving much much more oil money. In another circumstance the same rich aunt became senile and before she died the Presbyterian church and a swindler lawyer got her to sign over 95% of her estate to them in her will. She thought she was giving the family 95% and 5% to them. Dee contested it for the family--but lost.
Dee also showed Bill one of two Nazi rifles that Bill's dad brought back from WWII. The other one should be with one of Bill's brothers according to Dee but Bill has no recollection of this rifle.
They are also questioning whatever happened to their great grandpa's gun who was a sheriff in Topeka.
I am enjoying looking at all of these old photos even though I don't have a clue who they are. All of the flapper outfits, old cars, and "fashionable" bathing suits. Bill and Dee are enjoying putting faces to names.
We found a lovely picture of the oil baronness. She was very lovely and wore a gorgeous wide brimmed hat with feathers and flowers with a velvet band. She wore a hand batisted dress with pin tucks all down the front. I am suggesting to Bill that we scan it, frame it and pay homage to her.
Friday, July 20, 2007
Blogging in Basehor
We arrived yesterday to Basehor, Kansas which is near Kansas City to visit Bill's cousin Susan. Since they still have dial up I was unable to write a blog successfully so I am writing this now In a McDonald's in Kansas City that has wireless internet.
Uncle Ed and his wife Mary was there for dinner and since he is the oldest remaining family member we reminisced with him about his memories of the Quick family. After he left Susan brought out a huge family tree that she has been working on. We had fun contributing more information for her and Bill plans on photographing what she has done for our records.
This morning we had one of Eddie's famous omlettes. He took us to Fort Leavenworth and Atchison to visit museums. We learned that Kansas was named after the Kanza Indians and it became a state in 1861 (after California) We also learned that David Atchison was actually the president of the US for 23 1/2 hrs. President Polk was going out and Zachary Taylor was coming in. Taylor did not want to innaugarate on a Sunday because he was religious so Atchison who was the President Pro Tem took over during that Sunday. He was so excited that he celebrated too much Saturday night and had to sleep it off all Sunday during his entire presidency. Now how interesting is that!!
We took a tour of Atchison and learned that a lot of the house are haunted...they were highlighted on the Travel channel.
Eddie and Susan both look terrific. You wouldn't recognize them...they have lost so much weight! Good for them! Heather is working at JC Penney and Ashley is doing summer sports in everything!
We are enjoying sleeping in the basement (especially me) since the basement is so cool. Eddie is fixing it up and is in the middle of building a very nice bathroom.
Eddie, Susan and Ashley leave for New Orleans tomorrow to do some mission work. Keep them in your prayers.
Tomorrow we head toward Manhattan which is about 2 hours away to see Bill's cousin Dee. We are looking forward to that.
Thanks to the Roberts for their great hospitality!
Uncle Ed and his wife Mary was there for dinner and since he is the oldest remaining family member we reminisced with him about his memories of the Quick family. After he left Susan brought out a huge family tree that she has been working on. We had fun contributing more information for her and Bill plans on photographing what she has done for our records.
This morning we had one of Eddie's famous omlettes. He took us to Fort Leavenworth and Atchison to visit museums. We learned that Kansas was named after the Kanza Indians and it became a state in 1861 (after California) We also learned that David Atchison was actually the president of the US for 23 1/2 hrs. President Polk was going out and Zachary Taylor was coming in. Taylor did not want to innaugarate on a Sunday because he was religious so Atchison who was the President Pro Tem took over during that Sunday. He was so excited that he celebrated too much Saturday night and had to sleep it off all Sunday during his entire presidency. Now how interesting is that!!
We took a tour of Atchison and learned that a lot of the house are haunted...they were highlighted on the Travel channel.
Eddie and Susan both look terrific. You wouldn't recognize them...they have lost so much weight! Good for them! Heather is working at JC Penney and Ashley is doing summer sports in everything!
We are enjoying sleeping in the basement (especially me) since the basement is so cool. Eddie is fixing it up and is in the middle of building a very nice bathroom.
Eddie, Susan and Ashley leave for New Orleans tomorrow to do some mission work. Keep them in your prayers.
Tomorrow we head toward Manhattan which is about 2 hours away to see Bill's cousin Dee. We are looking forward to that.
Thanks to the Roberts for their great hospitality!
Wednesday, July 18, 2007
A Dayful of Memories
We sadly departed from Russell saying good by to Cindy and Jim. We are hoping to return next year to Taryn and Neil's wedding. Thank you Cindy for taking me to your manicurist to have my nail repaired. Yesterday at the lake I smashed my hand on the gate and a nail snapped off (Ouch!!). I have another 21 days--so it would have really bothered me. (I still am wondering how my nails will look at the end of this).
Her manicurist lives in the same neighborhood as Cindy and Jim and has a salon in an old converted garage the sits behind her house. She even has tanning beds. Her salon looks very nice and contemporary.
We spent the day reliving Bill's memories. We drove to Beloit where Bill's grandparents lived and where Bill had a lot of fond memories. We saw the farm which is quite different than he remembers. All that remains is the old garage and chicken coops.
We went to the community swimming pool and they allowed us to go in and take pictures. Bill also took a picture of the stream where his brother Doug pulled him up out of the water spill and Bill scraped his finger so badly that a scar still remains on that finger.
His aunt and uncle's old house is now deserted so we were able to walk around and look inside and take pictures.
We walked into the high school that Bill Sr. attended and took pictures of the Trojan that sits on the football field. As we approached to take a picture of the statue we ran into the grounds keeper who had just finished repainting it. Talk about timing! He was just washing his brush.
We went to the cemetary where his grandparents and aunt and uncle are buried. I love reading the old tombstones that stand upright rather than lie flat on the ground.
I found it to be amusing that in Beloit the Senior Center is in an old converted church..right across the street from the city's funeral home.
Next we drove to Salina where Bill grew up. We visited two houses--one is gone and is now condos. When we approached the other house he couldn't remember the address--even Doug didn't remember. We visited both elementary schools but one of them was converted to a business building. I found it interesting that it intersected with "Mulberry Street" (of Dr. Seuss fame). Bill has memories of being a student crossing guard--a very important job in the 6th grade! Today the other elementary school is being used as a red cross station because there was a big chemical explosion in Wichita and people needed to evacuate.
Bill took pictures of the baseball field where he has a lot of fond memories.
We are on our way to Brookville Restaurant which is no longer in Brookville but in Abilene. Brookville is a quaint town in the middle of nowhere but was famous for its old inn which served only one thing--a family style chicken dinner. The last time we came 15 years ago I was so impressed. Every single dish on the menu was exceptional--the home style fried chicken,cole slaw, creamed corn, mashed potatoes, and biscuits. Now we'll see how it is since it changed locations.
I have loved spending time with Bill today and watching his excitement as he relived his old fond memories.
Her manicurist lives in the same neighborhood as Cindy and Jim and has a salon in an old converted garage the sits behind her house. She even has tanning beds. Her salon looks very nice and contemporary.
We spent the day reliving Bill's memories. We drove to Beloit where Bill's grandparents lived and where Bill had a lot of fond memories. We saw the farm which is quite different than he remembers. All that remains is the old garage and chicken coops.
We went to the community swimming pool and they allowed us to go in and take pictures. Bill also took a picture of the stream where his brother Doug pulled him up out of the water spill and Bill scraped his finger so badly that a scar still remains on that finger.
His aunt and uncle's old house is now deserted so we were able to walk around and look inside and take pictures.
We walked into the high school that Bill Sr. attended and took pictures of the Trojan that sits on the football field. As we approached to take a picture of the statue we ran into the grounds keeper who had just finished repainting it. Talk about timing! He was just washing his brush.
We went to the cemetary where his grandparents and aunt and uncle are buried. I love reading the old tombstones that stand upright rather than lie flat on the ground.
I found it to be amusing that in Beloit the Senior Center is in an old converted church..right across the street from the city's funeral home.
Next we drove to Salina where Bill grew up. We visited two houses--one is gone and is now condos. When we approached the other house he couldn't remember the address--even Doug didn't remember. We visited both elementary schools but one of them was converted to a business building. I found it interesting that it intersected with "Mulberry Street" (of Dr. Seuss fame). Bill has memories of being a student crossing guard--a very important job in the 6th grade! Today the other elementary school is being used as a red cross station because there was a big chemical explosion in Wichita and people needed to evacuate.
Bill took pictures of the baseball field where he has a lot of fond memories.
We are on our way to Brookville Restaurant which is no longer in Brookville but in Abilene. Brookville is a quaint town in the middle of nowhere but was famous for its old inn which served only one thing--a family style chicken dinner. The last time we came 15 years ago I was so impressed. Every single dish on the menu was exceptional--the home style fried chicken,cole slaw, creamed corn, mashed potatoes, and biscuits. Now we'll see how it is since it changed locations.
I have loved spending time with Bill today and watching his excitement as he relived his old fond memories.
Tuesday, July 17, 2007
Names Names Names
Last night as I laid in bed I was thinking about all of the duplicate first names in our two families. I decided to record them here to see how many we have.
Sean Quick Sean Hein
Doug Quick Doug Hein
Brandon Quick Brandon Schwartz
Bill Quick Bill Fountain
Lisa Fountain Lisa Goers
Barbara Quick Barbara Goers
Mary Merchlewicz Mary Scott Nease
Teryn Balthazor Taryn Schwartz
Susan Roberts Susan Rawlins
Jim Balthazor Jim Merchlewicz
Christine Goldberg Christine Fountain
Debbie Quick Debbie Lofgreen
Bob Quick Bob Cassleman
Casleman in Bill's family Casselman in Lynn's family
Its amazing to see how many duplicates there are in our families!
We went back to the lake today and had fun riding around in the boat. We had a carp swimming around us as we swam in the lake. We had fun comparing our school systems. Kindergarten out here goes from 8:15 to 3:15.
Teryn and her fiance Neil went to dinner with us to a Mexican restaurant for dinner then we cam chatted with Kiersten and Nick.
Its been hot here so the lake was a great relief.
Off to Salina tomorrow!
Sean Quick Sean Hein
Doug Quick Doug Hein
Brandon Quick Brandon Schwartz
Bill Quick Bill Fountain
Lisa Fountain Lisa Goers
Barbara Quick Barbara Goers
Mary Merchlewicz Mary Scott Nease
Teryn Balthazor Taryn Schwartz
Susan Roberts Susan Rawlins
Jim Balthazor Jim Merchlewicz
Christine Goldberg Christine Fountain
Debbie Quick Debbie Lofgreen
Bob Quick Bob Cassleman
Casleman in Bill's family Casselman in Lynn's family
Its amazing to see how many duplicates there are in our families!
We went back to the lake today and had fun riding around in the boat. We had a carp swimming around us as we swam in the lake. We had fun comparing our school systems. Kindergarten out here goes from 8:15 to 3:15.
Teryn and her fiance Neil went to dinner with us to a Mexican restaurant for dinner then we cam chatted with Kiersten and Nick.
Its been hot here so the lake was a great relief.
Off to Salina tomorrow!
Monday, July 16, 2007
Enjoying the Yellow Brick Road
We were exhausted after the wedding and slept well. We got up to enjoy a nice Sunday brunch with the wedding party. We then went over to spend time at Sheila and Don's house (Sheila is Bill's cousin--the mother of the groom). They had to go back to the hall and pick up the food and decorations...they have so much food left over! They were planning on 300 people and only about 150 came....so they brought home the huge buffet bins filled with meat, corn, potatoes, etc. Now these will go along with the tons of brownies left over from the rehearsal dinner. They literally could do another huge party. While they were gone we watched TV and fell asleep. Then we had a pleasant time catching up with the news of their family.
We then drove to Russell Kansas to Cindy and Jim's house. (Cindy is Bill's cousin.) We chatted endlessly catching up on years' worth of news. Bill and Cindy recollected their childhood memories of their grandparents and their farm. Then we taught them how to play cribbage. The girls whooped the guys! Way to go girls!
The wind came up and then we began to experience thunder and lightning. A fun experience for us Californians!
We finally experienced a leisurely morning. Jim brought us the famous Kansas breakfast pizza. It was so good! We chatted in our jammies, ate pizza and drank our morning coffee.
Around noon we headed to a dock that Jim and Cindy own at a nearby lake. It is a dock that is covered and has a picnic table. They have a boat and we cruised around the lake enjoying the sun and the sights. We stopped at a cove and went swimming..the water was perfect temperature! We had a barbque and then we all fell asleep from so much activity!
This dock is infamous in our family's memories. When we visited here 15 years ago we stayed until the sun set and spiders appeared everywhere from underneath and completely surrounded us. Especially spooky at dusk! Arachnophobia!!
We are enjoying their tiny two lap dogs "Kermie" a yorkshire terrior (who is really their daughter's dog) and "Little" a chihuahua. They had fun on the boat too.
We video cammed with our kids and Grandma B and had fun catching up with the news of the family back home (and in Sunnyvale). Cindy and Jim have Mac computers (as we do) so all four of us are sitting around with our white laptops doing whatever we need to do.
Hopefully we'll whoop the guys again in cribbage!
Saturday, July 14, 2007
Our Third Wedding
Well, today was the last of the three weddings in a row-California, Nevada, and Kansas. It was interesting comparing the weddings since all three were entirely different. Garden, wedding chapel in Vegas, and church. Each wedding definitely had its own flavor. Today's wedding reception in Kansas was the most different experience for us--most likely due to the cultural difference between city California and small town Kansas. Much of the music was country western. We did the chicken dance, the hokey pokey and even a few polkas were played. The weather here was warm so midway during the reception many of us went back to change into our comfortable clothes and flip flops. We observed that many people here in Kansas smoke--something that we aren't used to in California--and when you haven't been around it, it becomes very noticeable.
Another difference is the lack of paper seat covers in public rest rooms. I remembered from the last time we traveled that many states don't offer seat covers--so this time I came prepared and brought small packages of seat covers that I carry in my purse. (I bought a ton of them at Longs before we left.) I wish I knew why other states don't consider this to be a must.
This morning Bill and I drove with Mary (Bill's cousin) and her husband Jim to Hays (an hour away) to visit a quaint little shop that Mary had read about. Downtown Hays looks like it was built in the 1920's--or even older. Like so many towns, it has a lot of deserted buildings. Between here and Hays there was mostly just green pasture. Every once in a while we would see a farmhouse. If we saw five houses together we decided to call it a community.
There are a lot of tiny little frogs hopping around the hotel--something else we aren't used to. And yesterday on our walk to get dinner for Mary and Jim we almost stepped on a garden snake. And you should have seen Jim and Mary's windshield--it was smothered in bug guts! They were hit by swarms of bugs on the way over here.
The weather has been hot and humid--so we women who are menopausing are having a rough time. How did the pioneer women do it? They probably never lived long enough to go through menopause!
Well its after midnight and we have breakfast with the wedding party in the morning--
Friday, July 13, 2007
Flat, Farms, and Family
We left Colorado at 9:00am mountain time and drove into Great Bend at 4:00 central time.
The distance between our house and the Kansas border is 1,267 miles. Kansas has not really changed much since we were there 15 years ago. It is still flat, flat, flat. Bill was able to take pictures from the car as I held on to the steering wheel. We saw a wide variety of different farms-old and falling apart to Victorian style. It is amazing the number of people who live so far away from other people. But I guess that's what farmers do!
Many of the towns are small and don't seem to have much "happening." It is amazing how many abandoned or neglected houses and buildings we have seen. Great Bend is considered to be a large town--but it feels like we are in a time warp. Anywhere from the beginning of the century to the 50's. And like everywhere else we've been--many buildings are empty.
The main road of Hoisington (where Bill's cousin Sheila lives) is paved with old bricks! (but not yellow). The houses are all old and have basements and front porches. It is fun to drive by and see the people sitting on their front porch.
I didn't realize how excited I could be over seeing a stoplight at an intersection. That means that the town we are entering is somewhat larger! Don't tell anyone-but Bill accidentally went through a red light. I guess it's because we haven't seen one lately. Fortunately no one saw him. He has been very good at abiding by speed limits even if the locals whiz by us. They must wonder about our license plate "2bquikr."
We are staying at a hotel at the convention center which is more like an average size Marriott. Our room opens to an indoor courtyard which permeates of chlorine due to the large inside pool that most of the hotels in Kansas seem to have.
We attended the rehearsal dinner with 60 of Sheila and Don's closest friends and relatives. Don cooked a great ham dinner buffet for everyone. Walmart provided more brownies than you've ever seen..maybe it will be the wedding cake for tomorrow (just kidding!) They are expecting 300 at the wedding tomorrow.
Doug and Sean have really grown since I last saw them 15 years ago! (Duh!)
It was fun getting reconnected with Cindy and Jim (Cindy is Sheila's sister--Bill's other cousin.) Cindy and Jim are both teachers so we had fun comparing Kansas vs. California. It sounds like there is bureaucracy no matter where you are. Cindy teaches art and Jim, her husband, teaches music and science. Their daughter Teryn is getting married next year in August to Neal who is a farmer and fencer.
Bill has been taking pictures but so far he hasn't had the time to figure out how to upload the pictures to the blog. (Where is Sonny (Bill's tech buddy) when you need him?) We'll post them as soon as he figures it out.
The clock says 9:30 pm but my body says 7:30. I don't particularly like time change--especially in the morning when the alarm says 7:00!
But I am really enjoying the road trip. We have loved Maui all these years but I think it was time for a change. We love seeing how other people live. It makes us appreciate--what we have.
Bill's cousin Mary just called. She just arrived in town and wants to go to dinner. (Since my body says its only 7:30 should I eat again? No I think we'll just go for a drink.)
Thursday, July 12, 2007
A Rocky Mountain High
The day began with a delicious complimentary breakfast that the Inn provided. There was a wide selection of foods made to order. They even offered strawberries, bananas and cream to the ladies. What a deal!
We drove through the Rockies along the Colorado River. The rocks are really rugged and the dirt still has that rich red color. We saw groups of people river rafting along the way--especially in Whitewater National Park. We were in awe of the beauty that surrounded us.
We stopped in Glenwood Springs to eat lunch. It looks like the town just got its new "Mall" consisting of a Target, PetSmart, and a few other familiar stores. We ate at Applebees instead of venturing out to the local diners.
Vail was interesting--there are tons of ski slopes and the town is filled with condos and lodges. Right now everything is so green compared to where we live but we could easily imagine the area covered with snow.
We reached 12,000 ft and were right at snow level. We saw spots of snow that still remains on the mountains.
Denver looks like any major city--the difference is that there are no real suburbs like in L.A. There is nothing outside the city but green pastures. (Just like L.A. used to be when we first moved to T.O.)
Leaving Denver we saw a huge raincloud ahead--and sure enough we had to go through it. The rain pounded so hard on the windshield it was blinding. Fortunately there was no one else on the road and it only was a short while.
We stopped for the night in a small town called Limon and the wind almost blew us away! (How close are we to Kansas???) The houses and buildings in Limon are very old and many of them are abandoned or boarded up. We ate at a bar/restaurant where the locals hang out. It was fun people-watching--the people were stereotypical of a small town and the bar seemed to be the "happening place"...but everyone was very friendly and pleasant. I'm sure they love seeing new faces around.
I finished reading "The Quickie" by James Patterson. I really liked the book for a good summer read. It is easy to read and a real page turner. If you like mysteries I highly recommend it. It's only in hard back but I purchased it at Costco.
Happy anniversary to Nick and Kiersten! We loved seeing the 3D pictures of Kayleen. We think she might look a little like Kiersten. We can't wait to see her!
Wednesday, July 11, 2007
Zipping thru Zion
We left St. George around 10:00am and headed toward Green River, Utah passing through Zion National Park. Bill intended on taking numerous photos for his art work but unfortunately the sun never came out and the brilliance of the multicolored rock was lost. We were still able to enjoy the majesty of God's creation. The mountains and rock formations are awesome! We stopped several times along the way to enjoy the canyons and the peaks.
We had lunch in a quaint little restaurant overlooking a herd of buffalo in the middle of nowhere.
We arrived at 5:00 in Green River. It is a very small town--nothing much is here but the river. But Bill chose the Best Western which definitely was the best choice. The room is very nice and overlooks the river. A table and chairs are provided on the grass outside our room to sit and enjoy the river. The hotel also offers one of the few restaurants available in this very small town. Life around here is very different from the hustle and bustle of home.
It is hard to imagine what people do in these tiny little towns in the middle of absolute nowhere that hardly even has a grocery store--let alone anything else.
Weather report says we're headed directly toward thunder showers tomorrow.
Wish us luck!
Tuesday, July 10, 2007
To Vegas and Back to Vegas
We had a great time at Brandon and Taryn's wedding in Vegas. There must have been a million weddings cuz it was 7-7-07. The wedding was great fun and everyone was beautiful. Grandma Barb and I spent the wee hours talking and solving the world's problems.
We flew out of Vegas Mon at 12:30 pm and drove back by Vegas today (Tues) at 5:00pm to begin our month journey. We are staying in St. George, Utah at a very nice Comfort Inn. It took us 7.5 hours to get here. We're now in mountain time so dinner was later than we planned.
We thought we were set with all of our technology--but Bill's bluetooth for his phone isn't working, the adapter we purchased to power my laptop in the car doesn't fit, and when we plug in the ipod the speakers don't play in stereo. Uggh!
Technology however did enable Bill to video conference with Kiersten and chat with Sean using the wireless here in the room. Good night for now!
We flew out of Vegas Mon at 12:30 pm and drove back by Vegas today (Tues) at 5:00pm to begin our month journey. We are staying in St. George, Utah at a very nice Comfort Inn. It took us 7.5 hours to get here. We're now in mountain time so dinner was later than we planned.
We thought we were set with all of our technology--but Bill's bluetooth for his phone isn't working, the adapter we purchased to power my laptop in the car doesn't fit, and when we plug in the ipod the speakers don't play in stereo. Uggh!
Technology however did enable Bill to video conference with Kiersten and chat with Sean using the wireless here in the room. Good night for now!
Wednesday, July 4, 2007
Las Vegas
We begin our journey July 7, 2007. Our fist stop is in Las Vegas to attend the wedding of Brandon Schwartz and his bride Taryn.
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