We have a few photos for you. It's quite a mixture. Rather than putting in a bunch from my Green River trip, I've added a link to the San Juan Outdoor Club newsletter blog that I do for the club. I put in quite a bit there about that trip so, if you're interested, feel free to pop over and give it a look.
Now for some photos to entertain you.
Peg posing under an antler arch at the entrance of a silver jewelry store outside Durango.We headed out in Minerva April 17th for a trip to Texas. We decided to make a wide sweep and see everyone we could. Our first stop was Vega to visit Betty Jo and Joe.
As you can see, they're doing well, sassy as ever.
Betty Jo posing by one of her special finds.
For anyone who has not traveled across the panhandle of Texas, here it is. Mind you, there are golden grasses and green fields there also. We just happened to be passing an unplanted field here. The lack of vertical enhancements is accurate, however!Our next stop was Wichita Falls to see Tom, Susan, Clayton & Landon. Wade was able to come up as well so we had to get in a bit of golf. This was the first time I really sweat in about five months!
Landon about to put the whampum on the ball. Luckily, he has the other three fellas to offer bits of wisdom and advice.
Susan willingly fell prey to Peg's enthusiasm for making jewelry. They spent more than a few minutes in the local jewelry and bead establishments. Some very attractive earrings were the result, as you can see.
A group shot in the back yard.
Bonnie enjoying the recliner while everyone was otherwise occupied.After a lovely weekend in Wichita Falls, we headed south. First stop, Doug and Laura's new property about 9 miles west of Llano.
They had already done a lot of work on the land, moving boulders and rocks, clearing islands around trees, preparing the house pad, etc. This is Doug and Laura under one of their many large liveoak trees.
It got a little warm that afternoon as you can tell from their expressions here as they pose by their entry gate.
Doug in his new hat. Many of you know that it is a rare occasion one gets a photo of Doug without his eyes being closed. This is one of those rare photos so I had to put it in!
A bit more of the work in progress around some of their trees. When we were there, they had moved some of their out buildings but still had the septic, electric and water to do. Since then they have moved completely and are up and running.
Standing on their house pad. They're very close to San Fernando creek, crick, stream, river, not sure which it is, really. But the highway has a bridge over it so it gets substantial water at times and is their main source of water as I understand it.Our next stop was, of course, Austin and San Marcos. We stayed in an RV park in south Austin so we could access the city as well as San Marcos and surrounding area.
Peg posing at 5 Mile Dam park near San Marcos. This is a favorite hangout for students and kayakers in the area. And it's only, yep you guessed it, 5 miles from town.
I met up with Judy and Jane at 5 Mile Dam for a leisurely paddle. We met late afternoon which is such a beautiful time there. We paddled up river into a lovely secluded space that is tree covered with crystal clear water allowing us to watch the fish and plants enjoy their habitat.
This was the maiden voyage for Jane's new kayak, a Venus sit-0n-top. She was kind enough to bring her other one for me to use so I wouldn't have to haul Lucille 1800 miles! Thanks, Jane.
Later in the week, we met Doug, Laura, Tommie, Britt, Kayla and little Laura at The Oasis. For those of you not familar with The Oasis, it is a restaurant overlooking Lake Travis. It is famous for the sunsets and myriad decks it offers. A lightening strike resulted in it burning and they have rebuilt it bigger and better than before. If you're ever in the Austin area, I recommend you visit. They have beautiful grounds and statuary as well as the daily solar performance.
Kayla is growing like nobody's business.
Lele (little Laura) posing on the patio.
A view from the deck.While I was off camping with some of my gal pals, Mom visited a gourd demonstration by one of her favorite gourd artists, Judy Richie. This was near Fredericksburg.
Judy Richie (left) demonstrating her pine needle weaving technique.
We took a little nostalgia tour of Austin. Here's the capitol as we drive down Congress Avenue. The weather had turned cooler and cloudy, thank goodness! Not so great for photo taking but wonderful for us as the high temps and high humidity were really getting to us.
As many of you know, the main motto there is "Keep Austin Weird" and I had to put in this photo of a pick up covered entirely with CD's to show that they take that motto seriously.
Judy & Randy invited us for a lovely meal at the Salt Grass Steakhouse (formely Joe's Crab Shack) which is located overlooking the San Marcos river just near the springs of the river's origin. It's always a fun time with them.We left Texas and headed home but not without a stop in Santa Fe, NM! Peg had her list of bead and jewelry suppliers and we found them all. We spent some time getting to know that town a bit better. It has a lot to offer if you have the time to enjoy it.
One of Peg's "finds" in Santa Fe. Bonnie and I went for a long walk and when we returned, she still wasn't finished in this place!
A lovely sunset as we were returning to our RV park near Santa Fe.A few days after our return, I left for a week on the Green River in Utah. You might recall I did this trip last year and was the only female. It was great fun so I signed up again this year. Luckily, there was one other female with me on this trip so it was 10 men and 2 women. We had a great time but I only put one photo here. If you want to see more, click on the San Juan Outdoor Club link on the side and scroll down to the Green River trip. There are more photos and also a link on that page to see one of the fella's photos.
This was the view from my tent as I woke up one morning.
My tent site at one of our stops. We continued down the river and camped at a different place each night. We traveled 103 miles total.A few days after I returned from the Green River trip, I headed out for Raton, NM for a Becoming an Outdoor Woman (BOW) weekend. I had attended a couple of these in Texas and had a great time. Women gather for 3 days to take workshops on a wide range of outdoor sports and activities ranging from all kinds of gun knowledge and hunting to backpacking, fishing, orienteering, photography and tracking plus. There were about 30 different classes with close to 200 women participating at the NRA Whittington Center near Raton. I didn't take photos as I was too busy during the workshops. I'll just share one of some of the wildlife there.
The property is inhabited with Pronghorn which I learned are neither sheep, goat, deer, nor antelope. They are a family in and of their own, unlike any other animal. They are unique.
On my drive home, which was lovely, I stopped to get a photo of the Twin Spanish Peaks which a few of you might recognize.We have managed to stay put the last couple of weeks. We did have a little snow late in May just to remind us that we do live in the mountains. It melted very quickly but was a nice bit of cold before the summer.
Our little bear has snow on his nose. And notice that our baby aspens are leafing out!The outdoor club is in high gear now. I threw in this photo to show the beautiful greens and snow-topped backgrounds that we're enjoying around here.
This is a group that is enjoying one of the group's Easy Hikes. I'm taking the picture.
A Springtime view of Pagosa Peak.
A Springtime view of Peg sprucing up our landscaping.
Pretty colors abound.
We've added a few comfort items to the back patio.That's all for now. Lots more stuff is planned for the next couple of months so I'll be posting more photos as time goes by. As I look at my calendar I'm hardpressed to find a blank day! We'll keep you apprised of our goings-on and you do the same when you have a few minutes. We loving hearing from everyone and our door is always open for a visit (unless we're gone, of course)! Ta for now.
