For those of you who have never traveled through the central part of Texas, it is probably not like you have imagined it, if you have mental pictures from the many Western movies similar to my memories. On the drive today from Fort Worth south to Austin, west to Fredericksburg, and then south to Kerrville, we are driving through gently rolling hills filled with green pastures and grass, small towns and cities, and blooming trees and flowers. It is far from the dusty images which Amarillo and El Paso bring to mind. One of our favorite Texas sights has also begun to appear: the Texas Bluebonnets! We sighted our first of this spring season this morning near Hillsboro, south of Fort Worth. Everyone in the Hill Country is especially fond of these beautiful flowers, which not only appear in various shades of blue, but also in reds and whites. To see the masses of them in bloom is simply breathtaking! This year everyone in our area has been concerned that we haven't had enough rain for the bluebonnets to appear, so we'll see as we travel close to Fredericksburg if any are appearing.
One of our special places to visit in Fredericksburg (20 miles north of Kerrville, and not too far from the LBJ ranch) is the Wildflower Farm. Next week one of the groups we have joined at church is making a trip to the farms to see the Butterfly Garden, which we haven't seen before. Both of us are looking forward to that! Hopefully, we will be able to get pictures both of the butterflies and the flowers to put in next week's blogs.
As we approach Austin, both of us are quite thankful that we are almost finished with this trek! Both of us are now sitting on the king-sized pillows and have aching posteriors. How happy we will be to reach Kerrville and our wee housie! Happy and safe travels to all!
Wednesday, March 18, 2009
Tuesday, March 17, 2009
Adventures in Moving
Whoever coined the slogan "Adventures in Moving" must have had a sadistic streak about a mile wide, because driving that mile in a Budget rental moving truck is all it takes to convince one that driving in one of these things is awful. If it is an adventure, surely it is one of the worst ones available at the present time, and we will be happy to settle for a less "adventuresome" life after this trip! This truck bounces, squeaks, is truly uncomfortable, and is unbelievably noisy, so we can't even talk, let alone play music. Thankfully, in emptying our storage unit, we found some king-sized bed pillows, so I am sitting on one with my heated, massaging back pillow on top of that, which may allow me to walk at the end of today's drive, IF I continue some kind of drug of choice (that is, IBP, Advil, or Tylenol). You can perhaps understand why, after spending three hours of lifting, carrying, and loading yesterday, and then driving from Omaha to Salina, Kansas, we were so thankful to stop for drinks, dinner, and bed! The guys who were hired to help us for "two hours" counted their driving time in the two hours, so when 10:30 arrived, they were out of there, and the two of us continued the loading of the truck. Actually, we were amazed at our endurance and surprised to be out of the Omaha at 12:30 and to be reaching Salina by 5:00. 1HW is an excellent driver, in spite of this vehicle, but he has decided that bumping along at 65 mph is about the fastest this baby will go. Since it has a diesel engine, it is gulping gas like crazy, and we are getting about 10 mpg. So going faster than 65 would make the gas mileage even worse. So on we plod.
Traveling from Nebraska into Kansas proved to be a remarkable change in scenery. Nebraska seems to still be recovering from winter, while Kansas already shows signs of spring. all along the way, the Kansas farmers had green fields, which we guessed might be winter wheat. As we reached the Salina area, there were newly plowed fields, as well, and as we reached Wichita, the fields were showing the bits of newly sprung plants in the field. Suddenly, it really looked like spring, as forsythia was in bloom and trees were covered with white blossoms. In the pastures, little baby calves are trying to keep up with their mamas and very fun to see. It did strike us that the outskirts of Wichita's "skyline" made it appear as a metropolis, but when we were closer in, those buildings were primarily granaries and mills. Now that we are in Oklahoma, the green continues for miles. Although it was a chilly 26 in Salina this morning, it has warmed up considerably, and by the time we (hopefully) reach Denton or Fort Worth tonight, we expect to be in short sleeve weather.
We plan to reach Kerrville tomorrow, hopefully in time to retrieve Max from puppy camp. Hope he remembers us after two weeks! Happy Travels to all of you!
Traveling from Nebraska into Kansas proved to be a remarkable change in scenery. Nebraska seems to still be recovering from winter, while Kansas already shows signs of spring. all along the way, the Kansas farmers had green fields, which we guessed might be winter wheat. As we reached the Salina area, there were newly plowed fields, as well, and as we reached Wichita, the fields were showing the bits of newly sprung plants in the field. Suddenly, it really looked like spring, as forsythia was in bloom and trees were covered with white blossoms. In the pastures, little baby calves are trying to keep up with their mamas and very fun to see. It did strike us that the outskirts of Wichita's "skyline" made it appear as a metropolis, but when we were closer in, those buildings were primarily granaries and mills. Now that we are in Oklahoma, the green continues for miles. Although it was a chilly 26 in Salina this morning, it has warmed up considerably, and by the time we (hopefully) reach Denton or Fort Worth tonight, we expect to be in short sleeve weather.
We plan to reach Kerrville tomorrow, hopefully in time to retrieve Max from puppy camp. Hope he remembers us after two weeks! Happy Travels to all of you!
Thursday, March 12, 2009
Our Visit to Omaha
Here we are, two-thirds of the way through our visit to Omaha. Look
ing outside, one would think it would be in the fifties, as it is bright and sunny with no wind. However, in March here, looks are definitely deceiving, as it is a chilly 13 degrees out there. Inside the house, there are numerous activities going on, and everyone is snug and warm.
While
Kristy and Tim have been gone, the grands have continued to complete their school assignments with little protest or f
ussing. Keilah was diligently working on the Progressive Era, and I couldn't help but smile when I saw the picture of William Jennings Bryan, whom I will always think of as the "Cowardly Lion." Meanwhile, Liddy finished practicing her piano lessons, getting ready for Sunday's recital, while James was reading his assigned Christy, by Catherine Marshall, one of the favorites on my book list. Next they watched at their science video lesson. At present Sarah is working on her Bible lesson; James is on math; Susannah is reading; Keilah is practicing her piano; and Liddy is studying Spanish on the computer with a Rosetta Stone program. So even though their mom/teacher is away, the work continues, each rotating through their individual 
assignments.
Soon, 1HW will take Susannah to her basketball practice, while the rest continue. The house is a constant busy buzz, which is quite delightful for us to hear most of the time. We especially enjoy the sounds of music from the piano practicing as Keilah, James, and Liddy get ready for the Sunday recital, as well as the laughter which dominates most of our activities together. The card and domino games have been riotous and fun for all, regardless of who wins (not usually me!). Along with the chatter is the comfortable silence, which happens occasionally as all seven of us sit reading. Winter days are so good for that! We hope you are warm and comfy wherever you are!
ing outside, one would think it would be in the fifties, as it is bright and sunny with no wind. However, in March here, looks are definitely deceiving, as it is a chilly 13 degrees out there. Inside the house, there are numerous activities going on, and everyone is snug and warm. While
Kristy and Tim have been gone, the grands have continued to complete their school assignments with little protest or f
ussing. Keilah was diligently working on the Progressive Era, and I couldn't help but smile when I saw the picture of William Jennings Bryan, whom I will always think of as the "Cowardly Lion." Meanwhile, Liddy finished practicing her piano lessons, getting ready for Sunday's recital, while James was reading his assigned Christy, by Catherine Marshall, one of the favorites on my book list. Next they watched at their science video lesson. At present Sarah is working on her Bible lesson; James is on math; Susannah is reading; Keilah is practicing her piano; and Liddy is studying Spanish on the computer with a Rosetta Stone program. So even though their mom/teacher is away, the work continues, each rotating through their individual 
assignments. Soon, 1HW will take Susannah to her basketball practice, while the rest continue. The house is a constant busy buzz, which is quite delightful for us to hear most of the time. We especially enjoy the sounds of music from the piano practicing as Keilah, James, and Liddy get ready for the Sunday recital, as well as the laughter which dominates most of our activities together. The card and domino games have been riotous and fun for all, regardless of who wins (not usually me!). Along with the chatter is the comfortable silence, which happens occasionally as all seven of us sit reading. Winter days are so good for that! We hope you are warm and comfy wherever you are!
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