Buckhorn Christmas 12--10

Christmas Season at Buckhorn Lake Resort in Kerrville, Texas, starts with the "lighting up" of the resort. Thousands of lights merrily adorn the buildings and roadways starting in late November.















Even Santa is here in his RV!














But the REAL Santa and Mrs. Claus are parked just across the street from us! Ceilidh didn't like Santa very well, with the big beard and all, but she sure liked Mrs. Santa.













In mid December the workampers all got together for a potluck with the meat being provided by the owners of the resort, Dee and Kathy. Dee is on the extreme right and Kathy is seated in front with her leg in a cast from ankle surgery. We had a white elephant gift exchange and also were presented with Buckhorn jackets from the owners. What a great crew we have!!








Christmas day finally arrived and I guess Santa forgave Ceilidh for not being friendly to him as she got several gifts to open. How she loves to tear off the paper. Sometimes I think she'd rather play with the paper!

















Many of us gathered in the "Barn" for the traditional pot luck Christmas dinner. You know how potlucks are-loads of delicious dishes to try and the deserts.....go right to my hips!!





















Our dear friends, Guy and Judy, were able to join us for Christmas dinner and we had this snapshot taken in front of the fireplace. They will be getting married at their new home in Custer, SD, in September and we are planning to attend the wedding on our way back from Alaska. They are the sweetest couple and so much fun. We wish them only the very best that life has to offer.








MERRY CHRISTMAS TO ALL!!

San Antonio River Walk Dec. 17, 2010

We took a trip to San Antonio with our friends from Buckhorn, Christine and Steve. The first stop was a tour of the Alamo. For 13 days in 1836, nearly 200 men under the command of William Travis defended the Alamo from Mexican General Santa Anna's army. The final assault came on March 6. The desperate struggle continued until the defenders were overwhelmed. People continue to "Remember the Alamo" as a heroic struggle against overwhelming odds-a place where men made the ultimate sacrifice for freedom. The Alamo remains hallowed ground and the Shrine of Texas Liberty.

As expected, the Riverwalk was a profusion of color. Lights hanging from the trees and luminaries along the river made for a happy holiday stroll.

Back at the Riverside Mall a huge Christmas tree was decorated in white lights and surrounded by red poinsettias in the center of the river.

Several horse drawn carriages covered in Christmas lights lined the streets. This one reminded me of Cinderella's coach. The horse was strikingly similar to my favorite horse that I had owned many years ago, Sully's Casidoll, a part Arabian mare.

San Antonio gets all decked out for the Christmas season even if there is no snow!

Friends-Jim and Nancy Dec. 12,2010

We had a pleasant surprise phone call from Jim and Nancy wanting to stop by for a visit. Bill and Jim worked together at Meadville Medical Center in Facilities Engineering Department and Nancy and I worked together in ICU at the same hospital in Pennsylvania. We did some catching up on families, my daughter Lisa and their daughter Jody were good friends in school. We showed them around the resort and tried to convince Nancy that fulltiming was the way to go, but she has strong ties to her grandchildren in PA. I think Jim would like to get "on the road" maybe someday..... We always welcome friends to visit us. We'll leave the light on for ya!

1 Million Lights in Johnson City, TX 12-07-10

We rode the Buckhorn Bus to Johnson City, TX on Dec. 7 for dinner and to see the (over) 1 million lights in town. First stop was the Silver K Cafe where we had a very tasty meal. I had Mediterranian Pasta with olives, artichokes, spinach, feta cheese and a light sauce. Bill had fried catfish. I would highly recommend the Silver K Cafe to anyone traveling through Johnson City, and the prices are very reasonable.

After dinner we took a stroll through town. Our first stop was a little park a block from the cafe. It was filled with cartoon displays that would delight any child and adult alike!

Next stop was the court house. All four sides were covered with lights, top to bottom. It was stunning! Many other buildings in town were also decorated with beautiful lights.

We saved the best for last. The Pedernales Electric Company Headquarters in Johnson City puts up a breathtaking display of over a million lights. Each trunk, branch, and limb were covered with lights as well as the tree tops of the many live oak trees surrounding their buildings.

I doubt that there's a display anywhere in Texas as beautiful as Johnson City at Christmas time. Sure gets you in the Christmas Spirit- Merry Christmas to all....

New Mexico and Back to Texas Oct. 22, 2010

Heading into New Mexico on I-40 we came upon the little town of Gallup, New Mexico. I noticed in a tour book that there was an exhibit devoted to the Navajo Code Talkers at the Gallup NM Cultural Center. Bill's dad, a radio repairman in the Army during WW II, was accompanied by "Dyken" (sp??), a Navajo Code Talker. Bill's dad could repair the radios but couldn't talk on them Most of the time he didn't even know what island he was on, only that they were occupied by Japanese. There was a very informative 2 hour movie on the code talkers. The Navajo Code was never broken by the Japanese and thus enabled our troops to communicate with each other without exposing troop movement and battle plans.










Next stop - Albuquerque, to visit Bill's cousin, Ben, wife Joan, and Aunt Ernie. The four days we spent there flew by-what fun they are! Ernie, in her early 90's, even fixed spaghetti for us one night! What a sweetheart, ya gotta love her!!










We spent three nights in Amarillo, Texas and were able to visit the American Quarter Horse Museum. It is a beautiful new facility depicting the history and achievements of the Quarter Horse industry. What a versatile animal, race horse (fastest for a quarter mile, hence the name), ranch horse, and pleasure horse. They can do it all.

We witnessed some beautiful sunsets from our RV Park, the Oasis, just west of Amarillo. A few days after we left, some friends were staying there and had 70 mile an hour winds! That's not a fun time in an RV! Glad we were back in Kerrville by then.

We were greeted by this sign at the entrance to our winter "nest". It was good to be back among our many RVing friends and look forward to a fun time this winter!

Petrified Forest and Painted Desert, Arizona Oct 12, 2010

Petrified Forest and Painted Desert National Parks, Arizona

October 12, 2010

On our way from Arizona to New Mexico via I-40 we visited the Petrified Forest and Painted Desert National Parks.

The Petrified Forest contains one of the largest petrified wood deposits in the world. Here I am standing beside a huge petrified log.

There's Flat Stanley. He liked the pretty colors in the petrified wood which is abundant throughout the park.

Blue Mesa is an ideal setting to see the effect of erosion on badland hills. A one-way spur road leads to the top of the mesa for an awesome panoramic view One area of the park, Newspaper Rock, has more than 650 petroglyphs adorning boulders that tumbled to rest below the cliffs. Due to defacement of these petroglyphs and unstable hillsides, the area is closed below the cliff. The petroglyphs are visible with binoculars, but difficult to photograph.

Continuing through the Petrified Forest soon brings you to the Painted Desert. Several overlooks provide breathtaking views of the area.

The Painted Desert area once served as a respite for travelers along Historic Route 66 where an in is located, now a National Historic Landmark.

Grand Canyon, AZ Oct 9-11, 2010

GRAND CANYON, AZ

Our next stop on our trip back to Texas was the Grand Canyon. Camping in Williams, AZ, a quaint little western town, the drive to the canyon was about 50 miles. On our first day at the canyon, we opted to take the park shuttle bus which travels the 8 mile Hermit Road and Rim Trail and includes 8 main viewpoints. You can get off and on whenever you want and a couple of the stops we decided to walk the rim trail to the next stop.

Here is a glimpse of the Colorado River that traverses the canyon floor 4000 feet below. The average width of the canyon is 10 miles.

Our second day at the canyon, we drove to the east entrance on the 23 mile Desert View Drive. The 70 foot Watchtower was designed by Mary Colter in 1932 as a re-creation of the ancestral Puebloan (Anasazi) towers found in the Four Corners region and preserved at the Hovenweep National Monument. Despite the name, it is not clear whether the peaceable ancestral Puebloans employed these structures as enemy lookouts.

The inside of the tower itself, painted by Hopi artist Fred Green, depicts various aspects of Hopi mythology and religious ceremonies. You can take the stairs to the very top and - what a view. The Watchtower was built to provide the widest view of the Grand Canyon and it is breathtaking! Colter was a perfectionist and scrutinized every detail down to the placement of nearly every stone.

Just to give you an idea of the enormity of the Grand Canyon, in the lower left of this picture you can see a small portion of the Colorado River. This section of rapids is 1 mile long!

The different colors of the canyon come from layers of shale, limestone, and sandstone.

Best Friends Animal Sanctuary, Kanab, Utah, Oct. 2010

Best Friends Animal Sanctuary, located at Angel Canyon in the Golden Circle of southern Utah, is home, on any given day, to about 1,700 dogs, cats, and other animals from all over the country. Many of them need just a few weeks of special care before they're ready to go to good new homes. Others, who are older or sicker, or who have suffered extra trauma, find a home and a haven here, and are given loving care for the rest of their lives.

The Best Friends Wishing Garden, outside the welcome center provides a quiet place dedicated to the animals. Best Friends reaches across the nation and around the world, helping local communities to rescue animals in distress and to set up spay/neuter, shelter, foster, and adoption programs in their own neighborhoods. Best Friends employees over 400 people, from administration, to veterinarians, trainers, groomers, caregivers, maintenance, and tour guides, and hundreds of volunteers, many who spend their vacations here to help any way they can.

Their rapid response team brings rescue and relief to people and pets in times of crisis and disaster. Their work is supported entirely by donations of their members. They ensure that animals that come into the care of Best Friends will never again be alone, hungry, sick, afraid, or in pain.

If you are interested in donating to this wonderful cause to protect unwanted animals, please visit http://www.bestfriends.org/.

God Bless those who help the animals.......

Bryce Canyon, Oct. 8 2010

On our way back to Texas for the winter, we spent several days in Kanab, Utah. We visited Zion National Park and also Bryce Canyon National Park. Kanab used to be called "Little Hollywood" because of all the western films made here.

We liked Bryce Canyon the best. The scenery was spectacular and the Hoodoos were just awesome. I have never seen such unusual rock formations.

The highlight of our trip to Bryce Canyon was a 2 hour trail ride to the bottom of the canyon. The trail was very narrow and steep in places, but our surefooted horses maneuvered it safely. It was good to be back in the saddle again! This will surely be on my "places to return to" list. Southern Utah is stunningly beautiful!

Crater Lake Boat Tour, Sept. 12, 2010

We decided if we were going to take the Boat Tour of Crater Lake we'd better do it today. Soon it will be snowing and the tour boats will be put away for the winter. It was another beautiful day at Crater Lake. The lake was still and the reflections were breathtaking.

Bill was admiring this reflection of the west rim.

The boat tour requires a 1.1 mile walk down a steep trail on the side of the caldera. It is even steeper going back UP!!

They say 1.1 miles down and 11 miles up. This is the only path that goes down to the lake shore.

Our boat awaits us on this crisp, clear morning.

I didn't get my feet in Crater Lake but I did get my hand in it. It wasn't as cold as I though, being the deepest lake in the U.S. at 1946 feet. But then I was in a shallow area along the bank.

The Phantom Ship Rock formation is even more impressive as you get closer to it. It is 16 stories high and so fragile looking; it's a wonder that it survives the harsh winters here at Crater Lake.

One last view of the Phantom Ship from water level. It really does resemble a pirate ship.

The tour boats are kept in these boat houses on Wizard Island for the winter. Notice the piles of lava rock on the shoreline.

This area on the west side of the caldera is strikingly different from other areas that are covered with trees. Notice the multicolored rock on this hillside.

This 30-foot tree trunk has been floating upright around the lake for many, many years. It travels up to 4 miles a day and you never know where it's going to appear. Evidently the root ball is still attached, keeping it in this position. The lake is 5 miles by 6 miles.

After the boat tour and the hike back UP the caldera we were famished so we enjoyed a delicious lunch at the scenic Crater Lake Lodge overlooking the lake.

We took one last view of the lake from the porch of the lodge. Just beautiful!