More Halloween in KC

I AM NOW ABLE TO CONTINUE THE HALLOWEEN PHOTO POSTINGS. HERE ARE A SELECTION OF THE SHOTS TAKEN ON THE NIGHT GIVING US AN IDEA OF THE DECORATIONS, REFRESHMENTS AND PEOPLE IN COSTUMES. LOOKS LIKE QUITE A NIGHT!!!!!



WARNING: THESE PHOTOS SHOULD NOT BE VIEWED BY THE FAINT OF HEART!!!!

Halloween in KC

Two of my three kids are, to put it nicely, a little on the 'outside of the box'. The third one worries me some too, now that I think about it! Back to the point - Missey has always loved Halloween and this year finally took the opportunity to let her creative abilities run wild and, with the tremendous help of her dear friend Michelle, put together quite a Halloween Party at Michelle's house. These are photos of the beginning of that event. WAY TO GO GIRLS!!!!












These will eventually be tombstones.



















You can't throw a Halloween Party wearing Levis!!!






















They did not settle for just any old graveyard decor - variety was the name of the game.






















Where's her broomstick, Missey.



















Not sure what these were used for but I'm sure I will be able to correct this entry shortly.



















OK how did that mouse manage to crash the party - at least it doesn't appear to have eaten too much.















A sneak peak at the final product on P(arty) Day. Only wish I could have been there to take these photos myself!!! Oh well, there's always another year.
























Remember these up the page when they were just drying? Now they are ready to be put in place in the graveyard.















One more look at what the final table arrangements looked like just before the guests arrived to have food 'to die for'.

Belton Texas

This is the view from the front of our rig as we sit in our lounge chairs in the morning enjoying our cup of tea.










Some of our neighbors on the hill surrounding us enjoy the same view but chose to invest a little more in their place to enjoy it!!!






I walked down to the water's edge the other morning to catch this shot of sunrise coming up over the dam. Cloudy days bring out the camera to capture shots like thses.








Signs like these preserve our 'private park' while it undergoes repairs to the damage caused by flooding that raised the water level 30 feet above flood pool level.







Our picnic table and path up to the rig and our vantage point to watch lake traffic each morning.






When the Corp of Engineers built the dam they put in these concrete walls as part of the overflow area. They attracted graffitti for several years until a civic project was begun to paint a huge mural on it. 'Artists' came from all over the US to participate. In reality it was a huge 'paint-by-numbers' project after the design was outlined in black and created in minature.






A couple of the panels are depicted here.














A trip to nearby Salado was a short diversion. This bridge was relocated to the city and now serves as a pedestrian bridge over a small stream. Beautiful old bridge.








Not too far up the street after crossing the bridge this house has found a use for all those old bicycles. Not sure I would wnat a fence like this around my house but it certainly is different.








Remember the old troll and billy goat gruff? Well I found him at the other end of the bridge. Now it seems like he was supposed to be UNDER the bridge but perhaps I am mistaken.





In case trolls are not your 'cup of tea' how about a human sized rabbit? You certainly find the strangest things wondering around the neighborhood.





And finally a rainbow with a difference. This one was very high in the sky and showed no sign of reaching the ground. How are you supposed to find the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow if it never reaches the ground?

Family Photos

It is once again time to share a few photos of the family. These were taken by a variety of folks.









This is not exactly in focus but I love the shot so am including it.












A Dave and Lori shot.










We don't get too many shots of me and my two boys so when we do it is always special (for me anyway). Having Matty included with us is a big bonus.













The oldest Crawford boy and the youngest. This is James' evidence that Matthew's dad will be the cause of any future 'behind the wheel' incidences.







While visiting Sue and Charles, Becky noted that Sue had not been able to make it to a hairdresser - can you imagine! - so she volunteered to give her a new 'do'. A haircut and a little Becky magic and here is the result - looking GOOD!








Grandpa and Grandma decided to be the heroes and do the impossible by finding a puppy for the Gambers. Here Aunt Becky does a little cuddling.











Bradyn has really grown!!! His latest venture is into the world of badminton. After a bit of coaching he was playing like a pro. Note the 'rising on tiptoe' technique he has perfected.

Colorado to Texas via Missouri and Oklahoma

A stop in Missouri to visit family and friends was a welcome break after the long drive from Colorado (last hour or so into Kansas City in the pouring rain!!). After a brief visit with Missey we made the short drive to Lebanon to see James, Chery and our Lebanon friends. We stayed with Nancy at the Baptist Camp again and the Laclede Baptist Assoc men were having a gigging and fish fry. Since James had never even heard of gigging much less done any, it was a great opportunity for him to experience one of the truly redneck pastimes.





Here the boats are ready to go and James joins the other men for an hour or so of 'spearing the fish'.



Meanwhile I served as driver to transport the vehicles to where they would take out after the float and helped get things started for the fish fry. Several of the men provided fish from other trips (both gigging and fishing) so we had plenty of insurance in case it was a bad night for gigging (and allowed us to get a head start on the eating part of the night).




We managed to just barely keep fish coming out of the fryer as fast as the hungry men could down them. A generator and propane fryers sure were a far cry from my youth days when we had to rely on carbide lights and charcoal!


The men doing the gigging finally made it and we had managed to save them a few fish so they could eat before starting to clean the fish they had gigged. Everyone pitched in for the cleaning and they soon had the 100 or so fish cleaned and ready for the freezers.




Traveling down to visit Sue and Charles in Oklahoma we stayed on a lake we had visited before and found this camp getting ready for the goblins - even though it was more than a week away!


















Fall was definitely on its way as you can see from this shot.



















Along the way I found these two trees. Not much to say about a tree but, as they say, a picture is worth a thousand words. Here are a couple of thousand words. No extra charge for the bicycle!

Farewell Colorado

As we prepared to leave Colorado for Texas it was only appropriate that we drove past this sign as we drove around for a final look at some of the beautiful scenery and things we would remember about the area. The sign was a good prediction of what we found as we traveled west.



















One of the things I had put off until the very last was cutting aspen walking sticks for the family. The rangers will give you a permit to cut walking sticks (free) so it is just a matter of finding one you like the looks of and going to work. With so many beautiful aspens you would think this would be a very easy job but it turns out when you are looking for just the right size/shape/length it takes longer than you expect.




















I finally found the perfect candidate so it was time to get out the handsaw and go to work. If you have never made a walking stick from aspen you know the real work is just beginning (at least the way I make them). I like to do all of the prep with my trusty pocketknife and I peel off the bark, smooth out all the knots from where the branches were removed, sand it down smooth and put 3 or 4 coats of urethane for a nice protective finish. However, it is a labor of love so time is not of primary concern.













This is a shot of three of the walking sticks I have made during our travels. The one on the left is a finished aspen one, the next one is one from Shenandoah Becky found (not sure of the wood) and the one on the right is an unfinished one from aspen. The photo does not show the shiny finish very well but perhaps you get the idea.





















The National Forest provides a cabin for some of their rangers and this is one that might tempt Becky and me back into the workforce.










In the town of Creede we had noted this Episcopalian Church - founded 110 years ago and meeting in the existing building for 100 years. We never made it to a service but did speak with the vicar, (who serves several churches in the area) and would have enjoyed hearing him. Perhaps the next time we visit the area. I am also including this for my friend Charlie who first introduced me to the Episcopalian Church during our college days.













One of our friends at the lodge in Creede was Princess. She was a faithful companion as I went on my morning 'walkabout' and frequently came to our trailer to visit (and sit outside the door waiting on Becky to bring her a treat). She was a perfect lady at all times and managed to catch quite a few ground squirrels and chipmunks even at the ripe old age of 13.















Here Princess waits patiently for her afternoon treat.