Before School Started, We Departed

 "Guns have metamorphosed into cameras...Now nature tamed, endangered, mortal , needs to be protected from people."

-Susan Sontag

 

A family on the Riverwalk.

Summer was winding to a close and so much needed to be done to prepare for the fall.  It's a feeling I hadn't had for fourteen years, but the ritual carefree summers, school in the fall, and the countdown to spring begins; is once again a part of my life as my little one started her first year of school.

We decided to take one last trip to Seaworld to use those season passes before they expire and enjoy the last of summer.  Zoey was ecstatic, but I was nervous we would have to leave John behind once again.  Fortune smiled on us and last minute John finished the job, so we picked him up in Ozona, (a few hours south of here) and made our way to San Antonio once again, arriving late Friday night.

In the gardens at the Alamo.

Our hotel was right near the Alamo, which we hadn't visited previously, so I insisted we visit the
landmark on our way to breakfast.  The small mission/museum/battleground contains beautiful gardens, accounts of famous historical figures, and intriguing artifacts.  This provided an excellent brief history lesson for Zoey and a nice detour for the morning.

Driving into Seaworld in the summer was much different than it had been before. Steady streams of cars clogged the entrance and a flood of people poured forth and through the gates.  Strollers, large families, and mounds of backpacks and bags jammed up the checkpoints until we were allowed  into the park. 

The sun reflecting off the  dark pavement combined with 100°+ temperatures caused us to all feel overwhelmed by the heat almost immediately.  We ducked into indoor exhibits to find relief from the heat, but it was only temporary.  We decided to try a roller coaster and found that most of the visitors were either watching the aquatic shows or escaping to the water-park, leaving little to no lines for the roller coasters.  YAY!

One good-looking couple in downtown San Antonio.

Karlie, John and I traded off Zoey duty on the larger rides and thoroughly enjoyed the cool breezes and thrills of the coasters.  Zoey had recently gone through a growth spurt and now qualified for the 42" height restriction rides.  Approaching each new ride lead to lots of anxiety for her, even tears at times, but immediately after each ride she insisted on going again and again, which was fine due to the lack of lines.

Having already seen all the water-shows, we decided to brave the water-park.  The lines were massive and the  pools were crowded, but we enjoyed ourselves, not even noticing the heat the rest of the day.

On the Riverwalk.

Dinner in downtown San Antonio was an amazing churrascaria (Brazilian Barbeque) named Fogo De Chao, followed by a couples evening on the Riverwalk as Karlie took Zoey to bed.  I couldn't have asked for more.


We rose early the next morning to travel towards Natural Bridge Wildlife Ranch, a drive-thru safari, expecting the animals to be most active early in the morning.  I had seen these safaris on Travel Channel and the like, so once I found we had one here in Texas, I didn't want to miss out.

The nice lady at the gate took our money, handed us bags of undesirable looking pellet feed and told us to not feed the animals by hand, but to drop it on the ground...I don't think many people follow this rule, us included.  There were deer of every sort, a couple lazy rhinos (in enclosure), wildebeest, mountain sheep, buffalo, big horn cattle (bigger than the buffalo to our surprise) and the like.  The elk were super docile and patient, sticking their head into the car and accepting a single morsel of feed at a time.  

The ostriches on the other hand were anything but docile.  They showed no fear of cars or human contact,  They would spot the car and charge, then bravely stretch their neck through window into your space (if you were still in that space and not climbing over the seat) and quickly, almost violently snatching feed from our hands or wherever they could find it, sometimes trying to take a finger to two too...greedy birds.  These assertive birds even caused some cars to quickly roll up windows in fear of the overgrown chickens.

Entering the zebra area, signs warned that they do bite.  We observed the warning and began tossing feed to the roadside, when John realized, the zebras had devised a way to get hand fed despite the warning.  The result was a big toothey grin, allowing you to toss the feed pass their quivering lips into their gaping mouths. A hilarious sight.

The tour ended with a walk through monkey, parrot, kangaroo, giraffe and lemur exhibits.  The petting zoo was full of disinterested, overfed goats and one young deer. A nice gift shop displayed many souvenirs we neither needed, nor have the room for in our tiny home, so we settled with a coloring book for Zoey to remember her adventure.

The trip was a great end to a great summer, and the wildlife park is a definite must see if you are ever out that way, but be sure to get in early in the day to avoid tired animals and long lines, it was worth the effort.

(The video is a bit wiggly at first, but gets better...sorry :)

The Big Step

  “I don't remember who said this, 

but there really are places in the heart you don't even know exist until you love a child.” 

-Anne Lamott

Kindergarten; I have been just as anxious about Zoey's first day of school as she was.  She's been my life for the last six years (including pregnancy) and my partner all through moving down here.  For so long it's been me and her-always together.  I wasn't eager to see my little buddy traipse off to school day in and day out, and she wasn't eager to leave me, but I knew it had to happen, and before we knew it, the day was upon us.

She woke up excited and anxious the first day, unhappy that she was up before the sun, but ready to go.  John didn't have a job scheduled for the day, so he was able to join us for the big day.  We were there well before the bell and the first in the classroom. The walls were full of posters, ABC's, numbers and the like.  The tiny chairs chairs were arranged around knee height tables, perfect for my little girl.  We parted as soon as she was settled in her assigned seat and starting her breakfast, which is served each day in the classroom, so she would get used to the idea of us leaving.

Picking her up, she kept asking me if I saw this and that.  I soon realized she thought I was in the hallway watching her the entire day.  I informed her I wasn't there all day and she seemed shocked.  She lamented that school wasn't what she expected and didn't want to go again.

Day two, I dropped her off in her classroom and she sat there in her kid sized chair, purple bows in her hair and tears welling up in her eyes.  I wanted to grab her and hold her as I always do, but I parted quickly feeling once I was out of sight she would do better.

I picked her up and found she had refused breakfast; preferring to sit with her arms crossed and her head hung to pout (she even reenacted it for me).  Once again she was upset school wasn't as fun as expected and said she didn't want to go again.

Day three was especially difficult as the Raptor Program had started and parents were lined out the door trying to get registered to take their kids to the classroom.  At the entrance of the hallway moms and dads were trying to send their kids down the crowded corridors as many of them clung to their parents and cried.  I realized that if I tried to register, she wouldn't make it in time for breakfast, (they have to be 15 min early), so I too tried to get her to walk the 20 feet to her classroom.  She refused and as a teacher grabbed up the hands of the tearful red-faced kindergarteners who were too afraid to go alone, Zoey started to fight and cling to me.  I had to peel her off, and walk away, crying myself.  I noticed many other moms were also crying, so at least I wasn't the only one.After school I found she again refused breakfast, and again didn't want to go back to school. 

Day four I had registered after school, and arrived extra early to receive my pass.  Once in the classroom I thought we would be fine, but she decided to cling, scream and cry once again upon my parting.  I had to hand her to the teacher and dash out once again.

Determined to change her behavior, I devised a reward system of smiley faces in imitation of the teacher's reward system, and promised her a trip to Chuck-e-Cheese if she could improve her behavior.  Immediately the next day she allowed me to leave with tears in her eyes, but without a fight.  The days after that the tears began to wane, although she informed me she cried through a few lunches.

Week three is upon us and she is happy and eager to go to school.  No tears and no fighting.  She even wakes before her alarm and now tries to drag me out the door before it's time so she can be the first kid there.  She still insists mom walk her all the way to her classroom, which is fine with me because I know someday she'll not want me there.

She's learning so much already, made friends in her classroom, and told me she now loves school.  Mom is sad her little girl is growing so quickly, but is enjoying some peace and quiet and getting to some projects that had been too difficult to start with a little one on my heels. 

Just Keep Swimming...

When life gets you down do you wanna know 

what you've gotta do?  Just keep swimming. 
Just keep swimming. 

Just keep swimming, swimming, swimming. 

What do we do? 

We swim, swim.  
-Dory

This year I decided Zoey was going to learn to swim.  I looked into swimming lessons and the price quickly discouraged me from that idea.  As long as we're here in Midland, we have free access to the trailer park pool, and an opportunity such as this may not present itself in the future.  So since I'm not working, I decided I'd teach her myself.

Trying on goggles, with jammies.

She was on-board with the idea in theory, but the reality was a bit beyond her comprehension.  She has never enjoyed the feeling of water anywhere near her face, and the tiniest drop running towards her eyes in the bath would result in hysterical crying and an exasperated mother trying to calm the irrational child.

Fully entering a pool was equally challenging as she would tense up if she wasn't fully clinging to me; and stiffly thrash her arms and legs unwilling or unable to follow any direction from me or anybody else.  When I would try and get her to float on her back, with me supporting her; the same result, tense thrashing and refusal to put anything other than the back third of her head in the water.

With a full summer of practice available, I started her out first weekend the pool opened and started getting her accustomed to the water by going several days a week.  Our sessions were short since even if the weather was over a hundred, her little body couldn't stay warm in the cool pool and in a matter of 10-20 minutes she was shivering and her lips turned purpley-blue.

She started to relax a bit after a few weeks and was even willing to launch herself from the shallow end into my arms a couple feet away, but still no face in the water.  A low buoyancy life-jacket allowed her to start to tread water a bit, without the fear of getting anything on her face.  Then I got her a pair of goggles, which she refused to wear at first, but after much bribery, she put her face in the water, and from that moment on it was 1, 2, 3 and down she would go as long as she could. 

One month from the day we started our regular lessons, she suddenly put her face (with goggles) in the water and swam a good 4 feet to me, then raised her head to tread water.  It was as if she suddenly figured it out.  Her reward was a cute wetsuit I won on ebay, to let her stay a little warmer while swimming.

I am so proud of my little girl who now even puts her face in the water without goggles, although very briefly, and can swim.  We now can swim laps together in the pool with snorkels, unassisted by flotation and she loves get thrown to the bottom and swim to the top herself.  She still has a long way to go for me to be confident with her far from my rescuing reach, but she accomplished what we set out to do, and I couldn't be happier.

Rabbits

 “Be brave, little rabbit. Take a chance.”
― Cherise Sinclair, Breaking Free

Behind our house, in front of our house, and along the road, we see hundreds of cotton tails in our area.  Every sighting is fun and we never tire of it.  Zoey has yet to catch herself one, but I'm sure she won't stop trying.

The purchase of new shoes for school introduces another rabbit to her.  The rabbit goes around the tree and then down the hole.  I know this has been the adage for ages, but I never understood it until I was older and I don't think it makes much sense to her either; but she's got to figure it out before school starts.  Her first lace up shoes are going to be another learning experience for us both.

Texas Critters!!!!

“Don't grumble! Don't stew! 

Some critters are much-much,

Oh, ever so much-much 

So muchly much-much more unlucky than you!”  

― Dr. Seuss

 When we decided to move to Texas, I often heard concern over the critters.  'Aren't you afraid of the snakes, scorpions, and tarantulas?'  'Watch out for snakes, scorpions and tarantulas!'  'How is Zoey going to play outside with all the snakes, scorpions  and tarantulas?'  It seems people have the image that every square foot of Texas is covered in these buggers all ravenous for human flesh, but I'm here to tell you, it is not.

courtesy of Texananreview.com

Ever since I've moved to Texas, I've kept an eye out for these buggers, simply so I can check them off my 'cool experiences list'.  If you know anything about my siblings and I, you know that we don't shy away from the creepy and crawlies, in fact we love 'em, so I've been looking for my bragging rights.

The rattle snakes have alluded me, although my neighbors had one under their deck, killed it, and let Zoey play with one of the two skins it had shed while living in their shed and eating the mice (a community service if you ask me).   I think I saw a scorpion from a distance in the Kingdom Hall, but a brother squashed it before I could get a good look or picture.

Lastly is the tarantula.  This critter had alluded me too for some time, although Karlie was privileged with two sightings.  I had researched the Texas Brown Tarantula, and although it is poorly named since it is sometimes brown, black, or a combination of the two, I felt I could identify it.

Sunday evening back from Corpus Cristi, Karlie and I were recovering from our long drive back, (by sitting more of course), when Zoey runs in.  "Mom, I found a tarantula!  I just know it's a tarantula because it's huge!"  We ran outside to find a mid-sized Texas Brown Tarantula in the middle of the yard, surrounded by Zoey, a couple neighbor kids, and their squeamish mom.

I poked it with a stick and it scurried.  I poked it again and it scurried.  This was a good sign, no aggressive behavior, i.e. front legs in the air.  My neighbor, surely fearful of it's plots find it's way into her house and eat her face in her sleep,  threatened to try and maneuver her car to run it over, so I decided it needed saving; after all who else is going to eat the cockroaches?  I may be adventuruous, but I'm drawing the line there.

I carried it on the stick to the edge of the field and it still seemed docile, so I decided to try and hold it (of course).  I put my hand to the ground, as if I know exactly what I'm doing, and coaxed the spider toward my hand.  It quickly scurried across my hand and up my arm!  Aaaahhh!! I swept the little guy onto the ground as if it's his fault that I chose to hold him and he should know exactly where he is and isn't allowed to be.  Again with the stick; slowly, slowly, then... scurry across my hand.  Shaking the willies off, I managed to calm my nerves and convince him to move slowly into the palm of my hand despite the fact he was now attempting to hide in the brush.  I could barely feel it's weight and the touch of it's tiny legs.  As long as it wasn't scurrying, it was easy to hold, though I was afraid with it's speed it would find it's way once again heading toward my face; or I would drop it and shatter one of it's tiny legs.  After a little coercion and minor bullying I talked Karlie into a brief holding and then we let the little creature go into the field behind my house. 

If you ask me, I think the Texas critters and many creepy crawlies have got a bum rap.  If you are ever so privileged to see one, take some time and research it; you might just find they're not so scary.

Corpus Christi and All That

"Let us be grateful to people who make us happy, they are the charming gardeners who make our souls blossom."

 -Marcel Proust

Fourth of July weekend was great!  Karlie had time off for the holiday and made plans for visiting the our friends in the Corpus Christi area.  If there's one thing I know, visiting the Lossings is a guaranteed good time!  I reluctantly left John behind (still sad about that) and happily joined Karlie for another adventure. 

Zoey got to "surf"

Corpus is a "short" 7+ hour drive if you don't stop; winding from the Big Bend area, through Hill Country, to the Gulf Coast.  We made the trip in 8 hours, cuz we just had to eat and stretch.  It's funny how a driving and distance becomes relative when you have to drive so much to get anywhere of consequence.  John averages two hours each way for work and we've averaged 2-5 hours to visit surrounding areas just for the weekend.  If we're willing to take five hours to San Antonio, Austin, or Dallas, what's another 2-3 to see old friends and the ocean?

We arrived Thursday afternoon and met up with Corey and Vanessa Lossing to head out into the Bay for a day of sun and fun; meeting up with our hosts Melissa and Trey Cross and their awesome little boys Luke(9) and Elijah(3).  The water was calm and the sun shone bright as we caught up on years apart, drank water and sipped on beer, snacked, fished, splashed, and after the sun set, spied a few bursts of fireworks across the bay.

"The Shell"

Zoey found a large spiral seashell, (I'm thinking Horse Conch but I could be wrong), and after inspection Karlie awarded it to her as her first ever found seashell. She proudly carried it around all day, holding it up to everyone's ears and claiming she could hear the ocean, (of course we were on the ocean, so hearing it was easy), then brought it home in the car.  The next morning we were belting up to go to breakfast and she let out a bloodcurdling scream.  A large hermit crab had emerged from the shell and was attempting to carry his home to a wetter location.  Sadly she returned her shell to the ocean, although glad to be rid of the dreaded creature inside.

Friday was filled with brunch in an art gallery overlooking the water and meeting up with Miki Amlin, and a brief tour of Corpus.  Melissa and the boys then treated us to a small water-park, Hurricane Alley, where the Zoey challenged herself to even go on a slide that splashed her in the face.
Evening was spent dining on great food at a Hampton's Landing, a breezy-all-deck restaurant perched above a small marina, and enjoying the company of Melissa and Elijah as the older boys fished.  We topped off the evening at Greg and Gail's house, enjoying some good laughs and stories as Zoey and Elijah played like old friends.

Karlie leaping on the beach!!!

Saturday was a treat as it was Zoey's first trip to the ocean to experience real sand waves and where we were privileged to meet some of their friends from the area.  The beach was packed with people enjoying the holiday weekend, and many flew kites-making the beach beautifully festive.  Karlie and I made sure to play like kids, swimming out and riding the wavers, making the best of our beach time.  Zoey said she wanted to build sandcastles and made a small attempt, but found searching for shells and sand-dollars to be much more fun.  She's always been whiny about water in her face, so I didn't think she'd really enjoy the waves.  WRONG!!  She loved it, laughing when the largest waves overtook us and hollering "in-coming" at every decent sized swell.  She had so much fun she lost her voice by the end of the day.

Me and my ocean hair.

Melissa and Trey have some great kids and were amazing hosts.  (They were there,  but I stink at taking pictures when I'm having fun.)  We loved catching up with their family and friends, and making new friends.  Karlie and I agree, we're going to have to visit again, maybe permanently.

A Year And A Half Later...

 “If you do what you’ve always done, you’ll get what you’ve always gotten.” 

~ Anthony Robbins

Morning sun through my bedroom window.

 We've lived in Texas, in an RV, for a year-and-a-half and to some it may seem genius, to most a bit of craziness.  Sometimes I feel it's a bit of both.  There's a lot of give and take when you undergo such a change in lifestyle, but we feel what we have given up has all been worth it.

I've often written about the changes, but with another year under foot, I feel the need to write up another list. (Sorry list haters.) So here it goes; the positives and negatives of selling everything, moving halfway across the country for better employment, and moving 3 into an RV:

Zoey and the neighbor Courtlyn.

Positive aspects:

Zoey, Savannah, Tessa, Sara, and friend :)

• Cut out the Fat -We own very few possessions and cannot purchase more unless something goes.  It keeps things concise.
• Fewer bills - We've cut out the unnecessary including a mortgage.
• No More Plastic!! -Bye-Bye credit card debt....I hope to never see you again.
• Vacations!!!- Now we can afford to take a vacation without breaking the bank or putting it on credit.
• Being a mom - Zoey starts school next year and I'm savoring the moments with her.
• New Friends- We have friends at the hall and Zoey has made a good friend with the 3 year old neighbor girl, so I feel more comfortable when she wants to play outside knowing she's not alone.  (Zoey says this is the best part of moving to Texas.)
• Realizing our dream - We are well on our way to someplace exotic!!

Everything must fit in there.

Negative aspects:

• Long Hours - John's work schedule can be crazy long hours, and I miss him often...temporary life upset.
• Midland, TX - I hate to be such a downer on Midland, but....I keep saying temporary. (Zoey says we need to find "a place with just the right hot and cold.")
• Bad Bathroom Setup - We knew this when we bought our RV, but finding  an affordable RV with space for 2 bedrooms; limits options.  The bathroom/bedroom combo gets a bit tight and chaotic....not our forever home=temporary.
• Limited Space - As I said no unnecessary purchases, but I LOVE to shop and find a great deal.  So sometimes I bring something home, a toy, dress or shirt, and find there's no space....grrrr.
• Organizing - Part of this is my fault, I've never been good at keeping things tidy, but I feel I'm organizing this place allllllll the time and it still needs work!

Fun little craft projects are great in the RV.

My sister-in-law, Jessica, asked me when we were last in Idaho if the RV ever really felt like home?  The answer is: Yes, it is home.  It's amazing how easily a completely different environment, especially a nontraditional one, can become a home.

 In the end, things get to me at times when we can't find much to do or get any customer service in this town, or when I shove another shirt into an overflowing drawer and reorganize an entire cabinet to fit a box of cereal.  When I feel whiny, I think of all the progress we've made, the stresses we left behind, the fun we're enjoying now, and the dreams we're realizing; and I remember the little inconveniences are worth it.  Everything in life has positives and negatives, the trick is finding an imbalance between the two.  For us the positives of our change vastly outweigh the negatives.  It's good to be imbalanced.

Amarillo by Morning...

"Amarillo by morning, Amarillo's on my mind."

 -George Strait

It was time again to pack our bags, don our finest dresses, and clip on our badges for the convention.  In years past I was assigned to Ogden, Utah, but this year my cross-country move had adjusted our assignment to Amarillo, TX; another first. (Click on title for musical accompaniment in another window, skip ad)

Growing up, going to Ogden, Utah each summer was a treat.  We would go a day early to avail ourselves of the many offerings in the area:  water-slides at Cherry Hill, Lagoon amusement park, and the Salt Lake Zoo.  The convention site, the Dee Events Center, is large and accommodating to the massive five to seven thousand in attendance with well cushioned seating.  Women's restrooms were always in high demand (Honestly what are you ladies doing in there that takes so long!) , parking although adequate was a pain to negotiate out of, the massive center tended to get a bit warm, and the hotels were at times quite a distance away.  There are positives and negatives and I loved the place.  So this year I was a bit saddened, although curious to be going to Amarillo this year.

Karlie and I had asked around as to what to expect, and the area was given low reviews:

"We call it Cowtown because it smells like cows."

"It's just like Midland."

"We'd rather go anywhere else."

Therefore,  our expectations were low, which I think always helps you enjoy a place.  Low expectations lead to little surprises.

It was a four hour drive from Midland, but the terrain and scenery changed little on the drive over.  We found our way to the Amarillo Zoo  which had a low, $4 adult entrance fee.  They had Lions, Tigers and Bears oh-my; lemurs, foxes, parrots, and snakes; even a Long-horn cow, horses, goats, and sheep...not exactly your normal zoo residents.  It was small, odd, a little sad and certainly a $4 zoo.  Afterwards we strolled by a stinky (there's that cow smell we were told of) duck pond, then found our way just out of town on I-40 to the Cadillac Ranch.

Cadillac Ranch is a public art installation with tailfin Cadillacs ages 1949 through 1963 planted nose first in a field west of Amarillo.   Having seen it on the Travel Channel, I had planned on this visit as soon as I found we were headed that way.  

After a brief visit by what I'm sure is the top-selling-in-spray-paint Home Depot in the nation, we met up with our friend Reuben and wandered through  the fence bordering the property.  Graffiti nuts had started their tagging well before the actual exhibit, decorating the dumpster, fence posts, even the barbed wire around the field.  A careful circle was plowed around the path and the cars to discourage people from wandering into the arid field.  Spray-paint cans and lids littered the area, noisily rolling about in the wind.  Graffiti is encouraged and embraced.  After a few hesitant sprays to test our colors, we went to work making our temporary art.

We labored for the better part of an hour, I think, under the Amarillo (yellow in Spanish) sun.  Our art was great, but short lived.  Many of our pieces were already covered by other enthusiastic tourists before we had finished.  Years of this practice left the cars drippy, looking like they were melting in the hot sun.  With Silver, Blue and Purple finger tips and satisfied with our experience, I gathered as many paint cans as I could carry in my little bag and we left the place a little cleaner than when we arrived.

Zoey's personalized graffiti.

Reuben and I.

Karlie climbing for art.

Melissa hanging out a windshield.

Lastly that day we ventured to the Big Texan Opry,  an outlandish display of all things Texan:  big steaks, big hats, big chairs, big boots and creepy hologram pictures on the wall (not sure how that's Texan, but amusing nonetheless).   Dinner there was a bit overpriced so after out self-guided tour,  we ventured out and enjoyed our meals elsewhere.

Oh and big Cows!

 The next day we arrived at the convention site, parked across the the street from the site and made the short walk into the Cal Farley Civic Center.  To our surprise, the majority of the seating was already taken as the stadium seating only holds 4,987.  Additional seating was on the floor, but we still ended up behind the stage staring at a curtain for the first half; but the second half, we had front row seats to the drama as they took down the curtain for the presentation.

Zoey in her princess dress!

The average attendance was between 3,500 and 4,000 making it a much smaller crowd than the conventions in Ogden.  The site had the opposite positive and negatives of the Dee Events Center:  hard seats, tight seating, and too much A/C, were offset by great parking that is easy to get out of, close hotels, and adequate restrooms. We arrived much earlier the next two days to ensure better seating, although we slipped behind the stage at noon on Sunday to position ourselves in front of the drama once again.  Zoey declared the Sunday drama to be the best play she had ever seen.

Our afternoons were short, but we managed to see the premier of Man of Steel (not the best, in my opinion), and experience a few local eateries.  Our favorite dinner was at Sava!, an Italian restaurant which made their own cheese!!!  The three of us split three dishes and desert and loved every bite.

Overall, I'd have to say my experience of Amarillo was good.  Not exactly a vacation destination, but if ya'll find you'self in Amarillo by Morning, Ah believe y'all 'll have a giddy-up time.

Desert Oasis

 

“In the desert, the only god is a well.”
― Vera Nazarian, Dreams of the Compass Rose

We live in a desert, and like all deserts, there are oases.  All of the oases in Midland are man-made, slippery slime coated ponds unfit for even the ducks who frequent them or local highly chlorinated pools where every soul for miles retreats during the summer 100° temperatures.  Last weekend Karlie, Melissa, Zoey and I decided to make the trek to find a pool a little less chlorinated and whole lot more beautiful; Balmorhea.

Balmorhea State Park was created under Roosevelt's New Deal program in the 1930's during the great depression.  The program cemented in an area of wetlands to create a 3.5 million gallon freshwater swimming pool, complete with a shallow area for kids and 25 ft deep "natural"  (term used loosely) area with rocky bottom.  Many people bring their snorkel and scuba gear to view the various underwater mosses, fish, snails, and the occasional turtle (from what I hear).  All of this bad for the habitat, but good for a fresh dip.

We arrived early since the park limits entrance to the number of parking spaces and made full use of the crystal clear waters.  Zoey is practicing her swimming abilities, ie thrashing, so she donned a cute little whale fin life jacket for the adventure (I think it's a shark, but I guess sharks aren't cute enough for her). Zoey spent a lot of time in and out of the pool because the 70° pool was just too cold for her skinny little body to endure for too long, but she enjoyed every minute nonetheless. 

The kids in adult bodies, Karlie, Melissa and I, took turns snorkeling and improving deep water diving skills.  Once as I floating along I viewed a man scuba-diving nearby.  I waved and he waved back, then rose from the bottom extending his spare regulator towards me.  I was not going to pass this up despite the little thought of what other slobber may be on the regulator.  So I quickly dove to meet him, and grabbed the regulator, shoved the possible germ infested piece into my mouth, purged the water (this can be done by pushing the purge on the back of the regulator...a little trick I learned during a short lesson 13 years ago scuba-diving through Sandals Resorts in Jamaica) and off we went along the bottom of the pool.  It was a blast, and upon surfacing I am convinced I need to get certified.

Midway through our day we walked to the source of the water, where, in the 90's, efforts have been made to rehabilitate a fraction of the wetlands that were destroyed during the construction of the pool. As in the pool there were several large black Headwater Catfish, Mexican Tetras, and Comanche Springs pupfish(an endangered species specific to the area).  We sat on a dock tossing bread crumbs to the fish,glimpsed a garter snake slither throughing the water, and lured Red-eared slider and Texas spiny soft-shelled turtles to the surface with our delectable white bread, not fit for human or animal consumption.

A little bit sun baked and a whole lot tired, we left around 3pm for a quick glimpse of the Balmorhea Lake then on the road again, Zoey was out like a light and slept the entire 2 hour drive back to Midland.  Along the way we took a few moments to photograph one of the many cool old farm buildings supposedly abandoned when farmers and ranchers became rich from the oil under the land they once worked.

The trip was a great outing for the weekend and was reminiscent of  the cool although not so clear waters of Dierkes Lake I had grown up with.  I think we'll have to go back sometime, perhaps next time we'll drag John along, even if it isn't his cup of tea.

Great Wolf in Grapevine

 "Part of our responsibility as parents, as adults, is to set examples for children.  But we have to like children 

in order to be really happy fulfilled adults."

-Bobby McFerrin

John heard it through the grapevine at work, that we just had to take Zoey to Grapevine, TX for the time of her life.  Therefore, with little notice, as always, we packed up our bags and our favorite 4th person and headed out towards Dallas again for the weekend.  This time the roadside bluebells had withered and

mounds of yellow and red flowers had taken their place.  The scenery became greener and beautiful the nearer we got.


Our destination was the Great Wolf Lodge, home to a huge indoor water-park, open only to lodge guests and multiple of other kid friendly attractions designed to suck parent's wallets dry (we refrained from all the extras).   The temperatures were scheduled to be in the 70's for the weekend, which is great for most outdoor activities except swimming, so the lodge was a great excape for us and exactly what Zoey wanted.

Tickling her to smile because she's sad we're leaving.

Although Zoey is growing up too fast for me, she still is that little girl who loves her princess frilly swimsuits and the kiddie pool.  She slid down the smaller slides nearly a million times.  We talked her into a few bigger slides, one of which she refused to go down again after the first ride due to an unfortunate water-up-the-nose blast.  She loved the river where she could run in the current relying on her life jacket to steady her and she even rode the waves in the wave pool without hesitation.

The place really caters to kids, but we decided to be among the young at heart, so we adults traded off watching Zoey so we could enjoy some of the more adventurous rides.  Karlie and I had a few issues with our coordination at the rides ends in tandem tubes and once she flipped from behind me over my head and once I bit her head.  In the end we survived and had so much fun I didn't bother stopping to take any pictures inside the water park (not to mention I was fearful of what the water/humidity would do to electronics), so you'll just have to use your imagination and settle for this one leaving pic (day 2).

After a long day of driving and play, we ended the  night  at Joe's Crab Shack (yummmmm)!

Pirate John wants his crab pot.

Of course we posed in the cool mosaic bathroom.

We ordered Zoey's meal first, which was a good decision since she crashed immediately after her meal.  Those who play hard sleep hard.

The next morning Karlie and I played with Zoey for a few hours in the waterpark, even sneaking her onto one of the bigger "boat style" rides; as she was about a half inch short of the height requirement.  We thought she would enjoy the speedy ride, but the deadpan look on her face was clear...'this is not my idea of fun Mom!'

Although the lodge would allow us to stay in the water-park until 9pm that night, we had to be home for John and Karlie to be ready for work on Monday, so we checked out and headed to lunch.  On our way to find a place, we stumbled across the Central Market in Southlake.  John and I found some elusive fruits we had desired to try such as: mangosteen, dragon fruit, mamey sapote, and manzano bananas.  Karlie too knew what she wanted and found a huge assortment of loose-leaf tea that we could barely pull her away from.  There was so much selection I was in heaven, but with a five hour drive back, full grocery shopping was neither advantageous or a priority.

Some of our bounty. (Mamey Sapote, Kawino Horned Melon, Dragon Fruit , and various teas)

Dragon fruit is soooo cool.

 After lunch at the Cheesecake Factory...

Our view at lunch!

...we stopped by Cabela's to spy camping gear and their amazing stuffed exhibits (Zoey thought she got a zoo outing also).  We then pointed ourselves back towards the Chihuahua Desert and Midland, TX. Goodbye rivers, lakes and everything green. It was a great weekend and I'm so glad I have such a great daughter, husband, and sister to share it with.  What will future weekends bring?