A few weeks ago Vacation Number One was climaxed by the Wedding of Child B to The Love Of Her Life. Those two are off on their own lifetime adventure now. And now Sweetie and I are on Vacation Number Two. So far, nothing really drastic has happened, but lots of good things have!
On Saturday and Sunday I attended a family reunion with my Lovely Bride at Lake Whitney. I knew some people there, although I had not seen many of them in a decade or more. Some I had never met at all. And there were one or two embarrassing moments when I could not recall the names of one or two people that I knew reasonably well. That was not a serious issue in itself, but taken together with all of the other things I have been forgetting of late, and I have to wonder if something maybe misfiring (worse than usual, I mean!) in my brain. Such is life after fifty, I suppose.
Lake Whitney is very beautiful this year, due to semi-normal rainfall in the area, as well as to all the samples of wildlife running (and flying) around the park. The facilities there were very nice as well, and very well maintained. The best thing was the staff. They were very friendly and helpful. They genuinely seemed to love their jobs and enjoy working with park guests. Okay, maybe that was second best. I have to admit that the best thing was the food and fellowship (pick the order!) we enjoyed during the reunion. Some of the family had been there for two days or more, and we were all closer by the time it was over. By the way, did you know you could rent pontoon boats there? It's true.
The only hitch in the reunion was that on Sunday afternoon, my Lovely Bride was called into "active duty" when one of the reunioners was stricken with a heart malady. Luckily that all ended well, with the ill relative being sent home after a few hours at Providence Hospital in Waco.
Since Sweetie had gone with the sick relative and another family member to the hospital, I packed up our gear at the shelter we had rented, then drove to Waco. My Lovely Bride was ready to go by the time I reached Waco. We spent the night with my dear sister-in-law. There were plans for Monday, but instead of doing the planned activity (work) we decided to go shopping at the outlet mall at Round Rock, near Austin. Sister and Cole took us, and I was pleased to be a passenger instead of the driver, for a few hours. The ladies and the young gentlemen found things to buy. I did not purchase anything myself, but enjoyed the shopping, anyway. So we played on Monday. Work to come on Tuesday!
Tuesday morning, 6 AM came around right on schedule. I should have been eager to get on the move, but I was not. The bed was so comfortable. I indulged my laziness by staying in bed another thirteen minutes, but daylight was burning. By 7 AM my Lovely Bride and I were on the way to the Fiefdom, the name we have given to land my sweet grandmother gave me. This is a very nice little piece of the old Meeks Dairy, but it has lain fallow for quite some time now, and will take a couple of years to convert back into a working operation of one kind or another. Part of that work consists of cutting down all the trees that have taken over the dam at the stock tank. No trees were intended to be there, and the trees there now present a danger to the integrity of the dam. So they have to go.
But one of the best things that happened on Tuesday happened BEFORE we arrived at the Fiefdom. I saw a lady crossing the little farm to market road and I recognized her to be a cousin I had not seen in probably thirty years, and that is no exaggeration. Oh, I had seen pictures, but not the real, live cousin. I skidded to a stop in the driveway and, I am pretty sure, scared my cousin. To make matters worse, it was obvious by the look on her face that she did not recognize the young man getting out of the black pickup. I could see that she was deciding whether to stay or to bail. But I jumped out of the truck, told her who I was, and THEN she was glad to seem me. We just got to talk a minute, but it was a glad reunion, nonetheless! Then, on to the Fiefdom.
We were greeted on arrival at the Fiefdom by a buck white tail deer. He was magnificent to watch, but he seemed to make a point to stay just ahead of our vehicle instead of really trying to get away. I watched the buck, all the while thinking this was not exactly normal. About that time movement way off to the side caught my attention. I turned and saw why the buck was trying to distract us. A small herd of deer, consisting of two or three does and three fawns, was making their getaway in the opposite direction. Deer are one of the animals represented here, but there are also wild pigs, and, believe it or not, a panther passes across the land occasionally. Not only are cougar tracks found, but at a home nearby, two dogs were killed by the cougar. Yes, my friends, I had a rifle and a revolver with me, not only in the very unlikely event of a cougar attack, but also in the much more likely case of feral hogs or any snake unfortunate enough to make an immediate appearance.
By 8 AM we were hard at work on top of the dam. My Lovely Bride and I took turns cutting down segments of a huge cedar tree and hauling away the cut wood. This, my friends, was the Cedar Tree Godzilla! The trunk was about three feet in diameter, but then divided into five or six separate "trees." We worked on this tree and a few smaller trees which encircled the cedar for over an hour before I decided that the chainsaw blade was dull. We made a quick trip to the local hardware store and bought a new chain, then raced back to work some more. The new chain was the magic we needed. By noon the large tree and several smaller ones were history...or, rather, firewood. And my Lovely Bride and I were bushed. Fortunately, my mother called about this time and said lunch was ready. We packed up and went to visit Mom and have lunch with her. Mom fed us well, I have to say. After lunch and a brief siesta, we went to visit my brother and his wife. I had not seen either of them in a couple of months, so again, another happy reunion. The reunion was short but sweet, then we had to get back to our home base at Waco, to prepare for the highlight of the evening, dinner with one of my lovely cousins.
We met my cousin and her husband at one of our old Waco haunts, La Fiesta. It was great to see her again. We were joined by my sister and her family. As an added bonus, as we were walking into the restaurant, I saw a person I recognized from my previous life in Waco. I had not seen him or his wife in over twenty years. Again, a short but happy reunion, then on to dinner with my sweet cousin. We laughed and talked for over two hours, and somewhere in there we managed to eat dinner. I know the food was good, but the company was so nice that the cuisine was almost just another backdrop. We caught up with each other's families and generally had a good time. All too soon it was time to leave. We all promised to try to see each other more often. I wonder how many friends and loved ones tell each other that, and really mean it, but just do not get to follow through? We said our goodbyes and gave hugs all around, then went our separate ways.
Once again, the morning came too soon. Wednesday was the day we decided we would pick mustang grapes. So once again we forced ourselves to get up early and get started. Man, I thought this was vacation. We went back to the Gatesville area to a location where grapevines line the fence along an unpaved country road. I have to say that some of the area in which we picked grapes was very snaky looking. But we beat the grass and swung our buckets through the weeds to try to clear the way of any lurking reptiles. Hornets and wasps were hazards as well, but we avoided all harm. In about two hours we had picked more grapes than we needed. Mustang grapes are a variety of wild grapes that are basically not edible off the vine. Okay, you can eat them, but you may not really like the taste. In fact, they would probably sting your mouth for hours. But when rendered and canned, these grapes make some of the best jelly you will ever taste. And the juice can be diluted and sweetened, again, making one of the best natural fruit drinks you will ever taste. So having gathered our crop and avoided any unfortunate injuries, we drove back to Sister's house.
By 5 PM my Lovely Bride and I, and Cole, the nephew, were on the road headed for Old San Antone! We plan to take in a few sights, plus my Lovely Bride will present some of her stroke work at a national conference in the Alamo City. She is becoming quite renowned in her field. I am very proud of her. The trip to San Antonio was shortened, and more fun, when we took the toll road at George Town. Actually, it was not shortened by miles, but by speed. The toll way allows speeds of up to 85 miles per hour. I had not driven this fast in quite awhile, so this was fun in itself. By the time we arrived in San Antonio, had supper, and settled into our motel room, it was getting on toward 9 PM. It took awhile for little Cole to calm down enough to go to sleep. The sights of the large city, as well as the boredom of riding for three hours, had wound up our little nephew, so it took awhile to get him in bed. Now I am the only one awake. Tomorrow promises more fun and adventure...hopefully of the relatively tame and fun kind.
On Saturday and Sunday I attended a family reunion with my Lovely Bride at Lake Whitney. I knew some people there, although I had not seen many of them in a decade or more. Some I had never met at all. And there were one or two embarrassing moments when I could not recall the names of one or two people that I knew reasonably well. That was not a serious issue in itself, but taken together with all of the other things I have been forgetting of late, and I have to wonder if something maybe misfiring (worse than usual, I mean!) in my brain. Such is life after fifty, I suppose.
Lake Whitney is very beautiful this year, due to semi-normal rainfall in the area, as well as to all the samples of wildlife running (and flying) around the park. The facilities there were very nice as well, and very well maintained. The best thing was the staff. They were very friendly and helpful. They genuinely seemed to love their jobs and enjoy working with park guests. Okay, maybe that was second best. I have to admit that the best thing was the food and fellowship (pick the order!) we enjoyed during the reunion. Some of the family had been there for two days or more, and we were all closer by the time it was over. By the way, did you know you could rent pontoon boats there? It's true.
The only hitch in the reunion was that on Sunday afternoon, my Lovely Bride was called into "active duty" when one of the reunioners was stricken with a heart malady. Luckily that all ended well, with the ill relative being sent home after a few hours at Providence Hospital in Waco.
Since Sweetie had gone with the sick relative and another family member to the hospital, I packed up our gear at the shelter we had rented, then drove to Waco. My Lovely Bride was ready to go by the time I reached Waco. We spent the night with my dear sister-in-law. There were plans for Monday, but instead of doing the planned activity (work) we decided to go shopping at the outlet mall at Round Rock, near Austin. Sister and Cole took us, and I was pleased to be a passenger instead of the driver, for a few hours. The ladies and the young gentlemen found things to buy. I did not purchase anything myself, but enjoyed the shopping, anyway. So we played on Monday. Work to come on Tuesday!
Tuesday morning, 6 AM came around right on schedule. I should have been eager to get on the move, but I was not. The bed was so comfortable. I indulged my laziness by staying in bed another thirteen minutes, but daylight was burning. By 7 AM my Lovely Bride and I were on the way to the Fiefdom, the name we have given to land my sweet grandmother gave me. This is a very nice little piece of the old Meeks Dairy, but it has lain fallow for quite some time now, and will take a couple of years to convert back into a working operation of one kind or another. Part of that work consists of cutting down all the trees that have taken over the dam at the stock tank. No trees were intended to be there, and the trees there now present a danger to the integrity of the dam. So they have to go.
But one of the best things that happened on Tuesday happened BEFORE we arrived at the Fiefdom. I saw a lady crossing the little farm to market road and I recognized her to be a cousin I had not seen in probably thirty years, and that is no exaggeration. Oh, I had seen pictures, but not the real, live cousin. I skidded to a stop in the driveway and, I am pretty sure, scared my cousin. To make matters worse, it was obvious by the look on her face that she did not recognize the young man getting out of the black pickup. I could see that she was deciding whether to stay or to bail. But I jumped out of the truck, told her who I was, and THEN she was glad to seem me. We just got to talk a minute, but it was a glad reunion, nonetheless! Then, on to the Fiefdom.
We were greeted on arrival at the Fiefdom by a buck white tail deer. He was magnificent to watch, but he seemed to make a point to stay just ahead of our vehicle instead of really trying to get away. I watched the buck, all the while thinking this was not exactly normal. About that time movement way off to the side caught my attention. I turned and saw why the buck was trying to distract us. A small herd of deer, consisting of two or three does and three fawns, was making their getaway in the opposite direction. Deer are one of the animals represented here, but there are also wild pigs, and, believe it or not, a panther passes across the land occasionally. Not only are cougar tracks found, but at a home nearby, two dogs were killed by the cougar. Yes, my friends, I had a rifle and a revolver with me, not only in the very unlikely event of a cougar attack, but also in the much more likely case of feral hogs or any snake unfortunate enough to make an immediate appearance.
By 8 AM we were hard at work on top of the dam. My Lovely Bride and I took turns cutting down segments of a huge cedar tree and hauling away the cut wood. This, my friends, was the Cedar Tree Godzilla! The trunk was about three feet in diameter, but then divided into five or six separate "trees." We worked on this tree and a few smaller trees which encircled the cedar for over an hour before I decided that the chainsaw blade was dull. We made a quick trip to the local hardware store and bought a new chain, then raced back to work some more. The new chain was the magic we needed. By noon the large tree and several smaller ones were history...or, rather, firewood. And my Lovely Bride and I were bushed. Fortunately, my mother called about this time and said lunch was ready. We packed up and went to visit Mom and have lunch with her. Mom fed us well, I have to say. After lunch and a brief siesta, we went to visit my brother and his wife. I had not seen either of them in a couple of months, so again, another happy reunion. The reunion was short but sweet, then we had to get back to our home base at Waco, to prepare for the highlight of the evening, dinner with one of my lovely cousins.
We met my cousin and her husband at one of our old Waco haunts, La Fiesta. It was great to see her again. We were joined by my sister and her family. As an added bonus, as we were walking into the restaurant, I saw a person I recognized from my previous life in Waco. I had not seen him or his wife in over twenty years. Again, a short but happy reunion, then on to dinner with my sweet cousin. We laughed and talked for over two hours, and somewhere in there we managed to eat dinner. I know the food was good, but the company was so nice that the cuisine was almost just another backdrop. We caught up with each other's families and generally had a good time. All too soon it was time to leave. We all promised to try to see each other more often. I wonder how many friends and loved ones tell each other that, and really mean it, but just do not get to follow through? We said our goodbyes and gave hugs all around, then went our separate ways.
Once again, the morning came too soon. Wednesday was the day we decided we would pick mustang grapes. So once again we forced ourselves to get up early and get started. Man, I thought this was vacation. We went back to the Gatesville area to a location where grapevines line the fence along an unpaved country road. I have to say that some of the area in which we picked grapes was very snaky looking. But we beat the grass and swung our buckets through the weeds to try to clear the way of any lurking reptiles. Hornets and wasps were hazards as well, but we avoided all harm. In about two hours we had picked more grapes than we needed. Mustang grapes are a variety of wild grapes that are basically not edible off the vine. Okay, you can eat them, but you may not really like the taste. In fact, they would probably sting your mouth for hours. But when rendered and canned, these grapes make some of the best jelly you will ever taste. And the juice can be diluted and sweetened, again, making one of the best natural fruit drinks you will ever taste. So having gathered our crop and avoided any unfortunate injuries, we drove back to Sister's house.
By 5 PM my Lovely Bride and I, and Cole, the nephew, were on the road headed for Old San Antone! We plan to take in a few sights, plus my Lovely Bride will present some of her stroke work at a national conference in the Alamo City. She is becoming quite renowned in her field. I am very proud of her. The trip to San Antonio was shortened, and more fun, when we took the toll road at George Town. Actually, it was not shortened by miles, but by speed. The toll way allows speeds of up to 85 miles per hour. I had not driven this fast in quite awhile, so this was fun in itself. By the time we arrived in San Antonio, had supper, and settled into our motel room, it was getting on toward 9 PM. It took awhile for little Cole to calm down enough to go to sleep. The sights of the large city, as well as the boredom of riding for three hours, had wound up our little nephew, so it took awhile to get him in bed. Now I am the only one awake. Tomorrow promises more fun and adventure...hopefully of the relatively tame and fun kind.
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