Waltz Across Texas (Part 3)

What kind of a blog writer leaves her blog to the spiders and crickets for months at a time?
One that is busy, overwhelmed, preoccupied, lazy, discouraged, bumfuzzled, disorganized, depressed, dazed, ... or one that has spent too much time of Facebook perhaps? I won't make a lot of excuses or offer good reasons why my blogging has been neglected. I'll just say I've been a bad blogger, please forgive me, now let's get back to whatever it was we were talking about before I wandered away.

Oh yes, my trip across Texas.

It has been so long ago now I think I may have a hard time recalling details. I do have photos though! (You know you could count on that, right?)

After Big Bend National Park, we visited our kids in San Angelo where I spoiled the granddaughters as much as possible.
And do you blame me? Spoiling is so much fun! Now you can go ahead and tell me how cute they are, and I'll tell you how sweet and perfect they are, and we will all agree that grandchildren are the greatest reward a person can get this side of heaven.
I'm obviously into my grandkids a lot more than I'm into blogging because the past few months are represented by many more pictures of them than blog posts. Again, can you blame me?

From San Angelo we traveled on to Austin to visit some good friends. (Brittney and Terry Crain) And to see some sights and kill some time before the weekend.
If you are ever in the Austin, TX area, be sure to have dinner at The Oasis on Lake Travis. The view at sunset might take your breath away!

Believe it or not, this was my first time to visit my beloved Texas' capitol.A part of me wishes I could have been around when Texas was an independent nation--The Republic Of Texas. I like the sound of it!

From Austin we headed for Houston to visit more of our children.There we attended the Wings Over Houston Airshow. That was a first for me also. All I can say about that is WOW! It was money well spent and even the sunburn I got was worth it.I saw planes flying straight up and straight down and backwards, right side up and right side down and all the directions in between. There were wing walkers and parachute jumpers and mock water rescues. A reenactment of the bombing of Pear Harbor created lots of smoke. I learned that you can actually see the sound barrier quivering around an aircraft as it flies at the speed of sound straight toward you. And then there were the Blue Angels. Oh--My---Goodness!!!

I took WAY too many pictures. Most of them didn't turn out and few of them can do justice to the show. Take my word for it. Wings Over Houston is one of those must see kind of things. Next year it will be held October 23 & 24 and will feature the USAF Thunderbirds . If you can be in the area, don't miss it!

From Houston we drove back to Amarillo--home--where daughter #3 keeps a candle in the window for us. She's a good kid and I don't know what we would do with out her. Here she is with Michael W. Smith. I sure hope he doesn't mind my posting this picture of him on my blog, but it is the only picture I could find of my kid!(Michael was in concert at Trinity Fellowship Church in November. That was another WOW experience. If you ever have the chance to hear him in person, don't miss it!)

Whewww! That was quite a trip!
Almost everywhere we go (outside our home state) people comment about how "PROUD" Texans are. That, I can't deny. Yes, I am proud of my state and my heritage as a Texan. I won't apologize for believing that Texas is the best state in the union! (If you don't believe me, ask any other Texan and he'll tell you the same thing!)

We Texans have a lot to be proud of! We live in a beautiful state with beaches, mountains, rolling hills and flat plains. We are a strong group of people who (for the majority of us) believe in small government and freedom and independence for the people. We are friendly and hospitable. Texas...there's no place quite like it!

Waltz Across Texas (part 2)

As I promised, here is Big Bend National Park as seen through the viewfinder of my camera. You know I get snap-happy, and like always, I took way too many pictures. Believe it or not, I'm only sharing a small part of my Big Bend collection.
I'll be honest with you--when hubby said he wanted to "waste time" in Big Bend while we waited for the weekend when we could visit our kids in San Angelo, I was not too excited about the idea. But I was wrong, and our few days there was no waste of time. The weather was perfect and the park is beautiful. The months of October and November is a good time to visit this picturesque desert.

If you decide to make the trip this winter or next spring, be sure to take hiking boots, a walking stick, and a couple of good canteens. (If you are planning a summer vacation, go to Colorado instead!) As you hike the trails and drive the paved and dirt roads, be prepared to marvel over the scenery, wildlife, and dessert vegetation.

I hope you enjoy my pictures--forgive me if this is vacation picture overload but I just couldn't help myself!

Look on the map of Texas and find our southern boarder, the great Rio Grande River. Typically the Rio Grande can be crossed easily on foot in many places. But due to some good rains and water released from a Mexican reservoir, the river was flowing deep and wide--and VERY muddy.

Across the river is, of course, Mexico. Here you see some Mexican citizens who were operating a little illegal business on American soil. They were on their side of the river, watching me through binoculars as I watched them through my zoomed camera lens.
And here are four more amigos who hiked down river a short distance from the camp. They too were keeping a close eye on me.

Here is their business--hand made bracelets, necklaces, wildlife trinkets made from twisted wire, and walking sticks. The items and the prices are written on the butchered milk jug. There were several of these little stores set up on big rocks on the American side of the river.

The Mexicans cross the river in their canoes, leave their merchandise, return to the Mexican side and wait for park visitors to leave cash in the jugs. (They are happy to take donations if you don't want any of their goods.) Then, they make their way back across the river to collect.You can buy the same trinkets in the visitor's centers and ranger stations at about three times the price posted on the jug. But the higher priced items have gone through the proper channels to be legal imports. We don't believe in encouraging illegal activity across our boarders, so I just took pictures and kept my money in my pocket.

FYI--Just in case you decide to visit Big Bend, be aware that some drug traffic happens across the desolate and impossible to secure river boundary, so it is important to obey park rules and avoid the illegal business.

It is hard to put into words the beauty of the diverse desert and mountains of Big Bend. I love nice scenery, don't you?
The subject of the photo below is the mule ear peaks in the background. We just happened to get into the shot.

As I tried to take in all the beautiful views I also enjoyed the wildlife. This osprey was just passing through. Though these birds do not live in the area, they migrate through the park. I was at the right place at the right time.
I noticed this sapsucker while we were hiking up a mountain trail.The deer hanging out at one of the camping spots weren't the least bit afraid of us.

Can you see my hidden treasure? I drive Rick crazy when we hike because I notice all the little details of nature.The desert is full of tarantulas and this one is missing a couple of legs. Poor little guy.We saw two javelinas, but those little creatures are fast and camera shy. I tried to follow them through the desert brush, but I lost them quickly. Not only are they fast, they are mean so I gave up the chase.

No picnic is complete with out ants and....

a turkey buzzard! This is one UGLY bird.

Scenery, wildlife, and plants--oh, the endless number of different desert plants. I couldn't photograph them all.
This little beauty takes shelter under other bushes and vegetation.

Very pretty but DO NOT TOUCH!Okay okay. Enough of the pictures. Big Bend National Park gets two thumbs up from me and I have never been a desert lover. But I must say, this desert is full of hidden treasures. Just take my word for it--it is a nice place to visit even if you wouldn't want to live there!

From Big Bend we went to San Angelo and then on to Austin. Part 3 to be posted soon. Come back again!

Waltzing Across Texas (part 1)

Well, hello there! Yes, I know. It has been a while. Excuse me while I hang up my hat and knock the dust off of my boots. I've been waltzing across Texas.

Okay, maybe not exactly waltzing, but I've made my way across a good part of the state these last few weeks. Drag out your map of the greatest state in the USA and check out where I've been.
After a long summer of no work, hubby was finally deployed to a hail storm in El Paso mid September. (Answered prayer)
I stayed in Amarillo to help daughter #2 and my sweet granddaughters move away to be with their daddy. (It was a happy time for them but very sad for me.) I'm trying to be a grown-up about it all, but it's not easy. Remember my post about what seems good to some doesn't seem good to others?
Well, it is good for their family to be together following God's guiding hand, and I guess I'll live. But I surely miss having them around.
I spent a few days cleaning carpets and putting some of my furniture that had been in storage back in my house, then I was ready to be with my man. I set out from Amarillo on October 13th for El Paso via Greyhound bus. Now before you say anything, let me tell you that when I told some of my friends that I was going to ride the bus over 400 miles, I got a few doubting looks and discouraging remarks. (No, I'd never done Greyhound before.) So it was with great apprehension I climbed the steps and sat down in a seat as close to the front of the bus as possible. (I had been advised by my worried friends to try to sit up front for the sake of my safety and sanity.)

I decided--trying to look on the bright side--that if the bus trip turned out to be a bad decision, at least I would have something to blog about. Fortunately (but yet somewhat regrettably), the trip was simply long and dull. No one on the bus got rowdy, no one tried to steal my purse. It was not crowded so sweat and odors weren't a problem, and if you've ever driven from Amarillo to El Paso, you know there is not much to see except a lot of sand and a few small desert mountains. I even kept an eye out for little green men when the bus made a stop in Roswell, NM, but I didn't see any. I did encounter a couple of characters at the bus station in El Paso while I waited for hubby to pick me up. Just as I felt like I REALLY NEEDED TO GET OUT OF THERE my knight in his big blue truck came to my rescue. Whew!

While Rick finished up his last few days of work in El Paso, I hung out at the RV park.It really wasn't quite as bad as the sign said, but it was not a place I would want to retire! The sun was very intense even when the temperatures were mild. The park's brochure stated they had good shade.
Um hum. Never believe the brochures.As you can see, the spots were a little cramped, and the trees were about seven years away from making a good shadow.
The century plants were four feet tall (or taller) so maybe tucked beneath one of them was where I was supposed to find the shade.
The park had (as most parks do) a few coin-op washers and two dryers. One dryer melts clothes and the other just tumbles with no heat at all.I'm glad our rig is fully self-contained because the "facilities" weren't the best I've encountered.It wasn't a five-star resort, but it offered easy access to the interstate and was near most of the neighborhoods where Rick had claims. That made his commute time short and our time together longer.

If you've read my blog for a while you know I put out an effort to hunt for joy. Even in the desert of a place like El Paso, TX I found it. Riding down the highway I noticed the signs over the exits to the Mexican border. No fire arms allowed. I gave thanks to God for my right and freedom to own and possess a gun, to protect myself if need be. A quick glance across the border again brings thanksgiving for my home. Even my home on wheels is more comfortable and spacious than some of the homes just across the river. It was a good week.

Work done and "between storms" once again, we headed for Big Bend National Park.

(Check back for part 2 of Waltzing Across Texas.)

Midlife vs. Adolescense

Hmm. Can't say that I see a whole lot of difference between the two. Both are marked by change and growth, drama and anxiety, joys and sorrows, emotional turmoil --life is out of our control and full of uncertainties.

For me, adolescence was a long time ago, but according to my failing memory, I think I made it through that season much easier than I'm struggling through these midlife days. Back then, change was good. It offered hope, challenges, improvement, and excitement about the future. But now, when I look in the mirror and see how time has changed me, and remember fondly days gone by while wondering about the future, ...Oh brother!

The hair (what hasn't fallen out) is silvering more every day. The eyebrows (no longer arched just so) are relocating to other places on my face. I can't find my waist and, well, let's just say my girlish figure has headed south for the winter.

Uncontrollable physical changes are not the only anxiety triggers of midlife. Health issues--that's a biggie. And planning for retirement--wondering if retirement will even be possible before the age of 95--can keep us mid-lifers up half the night worrying. In seventh grade we stressed over pimples, wearing the right clothes, and who "liked" whom. Today I stress over things like the problems my children face, the economic downturn, and the future of my nation (just to name a few). Hot flashes, mood swings, double chins and bat wings...What pill should I take for my achy joins, and have you noticed how the print on those darn labels gets smaller ever time you buy a new bottle?

One of my friends once told me, "Whoever said life begins at 40 was full of c**p!" I'm inclined to agree with my friend and I'm thinking it must have been a foolish teenager that said it.

But hey, midlife is not all bad. One of the biggest benefits to this awful season of life is grandchildren. They give us opportunity to act like silly little kids without judgment or condemnation. We can play, pretend, make silly faces, talk like babies... Our kids may think we are starting to go through our second childhood, but who cares? We are finally smart enough to live every moment to the fullest and we aren't going to let anybody spoil it for us. Besides, tomorrow we won't be able remember what we did, so in our minds, it never happened!

Another positive is the senior discount at restaurants. We mid-lifers seem to want to color our hair and wear "younger" styled clothing, etc. to hang on to our youth. But, I've discovered that if you let your silver locks glisten and wear those unflattering pants with the elastic waistbands, a polite and considerate server won't insult you by asking if you want the senior discount, (even though you aren't really that old) she will just give it to you anyway.

The Bible tells us that all our days are numbered and written in God's book. So if I really am at the midway point in my life, then I'm 16,802 days away from seeing my Savior face to face and walking the streets of heaven for eternity. (If I live to be 92.) That day, no matter how many days away, is something to look forward to.

So until then, I'll avoid mirrors, wear my custom readers, use tweezers on my face, wear long sleeves, play with little kids, and just put up with the aches and pains while enjoying discounts when I can. No, life didn't begin at 40, but it didn't end there either.

And hey, look on the bright side. We don't have to worry about who "likes" whom any more. Frankly, we don't care!