Catching Up!!!

As Doug wrote in his post, we're back in the state of Arizona after having been away for almost six months. It's amazing how much living we've done since we've been gone and to sum it all up, life has been great!!!

It's been quite the busy week since we've left Florida eight days ago. After we left Atlanta, we made our way to Little Rock, Arkansas to spend time with Doug's Mom, Nancy, and her husband Roy. We had talked about going for a bike ride that we've done several times before, but Doug and I were too exhausted so we decided a relaxing day with family would be better. Doug's Aunt Betty and Uncle Denny came over later that day for a visit. And just as we got there, it felt like it was time to leave. How can everything go by so quickly?

The next day, Friday, we drove to Gun Barrel City, Texas where we visited our friends Glenn and Etta at their lake house. Their lake house is so beautiful plus it's an amazing place to just kick back and relax! And speaking of relaxing, Etta and I went out on the lake the next day with wave runners. After having gone through my bone infection ordeal, it was a great feeling to be on the lake. But because of my medical ordeal, Etta thought it would be a good idea to cover both my feet in plastic bags while I was playing on the wave runner. I did look funny though with plastic bags on each foot wrapped with neon pink adhesive, but my feet didn't get wet nor did I have to worry about any bacteria from the water!!! Thanks Etta for your concern.

That evening Glenn and Etta hosted a party for their friends which was a blast. The food was simply amazing-Glenn smoked a rack of ribs and a brisket, Etta made several dishes, and their friends brought over a variety of dishes. It was a fun evening as we laughed a lot and enjoyed all the great food. 

Even though it was a holiday weekend, Glenn and Etta had to return to their house in San Antonio on Sunday and they invited us to join them there for the night. We took our time getting there stopping along the way to letterbox. It turned out to be quite a big deal letterboxing that day because I found, with Doug's help, my 200th stamp in Corsicana, Texas. Very exciting!!! And before we got to their house, we found a famous bakery, Collin Street Bakery, in Waco where we stopped to eat lunch and of course had some cookies and other treats. The bakery was originally started in Corsicana, Texas over 115 years ago and is actually famous for their fruit cakes that everyone raves about. No, we didn't try the fruit cake because they don't just sell one piece, you have to buy the whole thing. You can check them out at www.collinstreet.com.

(Kim's 200th Letterbox find)

I always think of Memorial Day as the beginning of Summer so we decided to do a little side trip to celebrate the upcoming season. In addition to letterboxing, I also love, love, love to find and photograph unusual post offices all over the country so what better place to do that then Luckenbach, Texas! It's an adorable little place with a population of just 3 people where everybody is somebody according to the locals!!Then we drove to Fredricksburg, Texas which is located in the beautiful hill country of the state. I tried to talk Doug into playing golf so I could shop in town, but he didn't go for it! That's ok otherwise I would have found a few too many things to buy!!!

We spent Monday night in Van Horn, Texas which is in the middle of nowhere, but was actually made famous by John Madden back in 1987. Madden stopped at a local restaurant called Chuys in order to watch Monday night football then he told everyone what a great meal he had. Madden had returned to Chuys often while traveling plus he even has a meal named for him. I have to agree with Madden that Chuys is an incredible mexican restaurant in the middle of nowhere!

So all of this catch finally brings me current to today, Tuesday. Whew!! So we're back in the state of Arizona where we visited Chirachua National Monument. I knew nothing about the monument, but was overwhelmed with it's beauty and history. It's located in the southern part of the state near the city of Willcox. The monument is famous for these incredible rock formations that are tough to even describe. You can check out some of our pictures to get an idea of what I'm talking about. And you can check out the national park service website, www.nps.gov for additional pictures and information, but if you're ever in the area, the park is a must see.

Once again, we thank you for sharing our incredible journey with us this summer; we're glad you're here. Please feel free to leave us comments as we would love to hear from you. I promise to keep a bit more current so I don't have to write a book next time!!