LEAVING THE BEAUTY OF YELLOWSTONE

On our way out of Wyoming.

A Barn I want to paint. This is in eastern Wyoming.

It was very hard to drive east today away from the beauty of the Rockies! What a wondeful vacation we are having. I know we will try to get back next year as Lynn and I so love the mountains. We are now in Morrill, Nebraska. The drive to here was very barren and rocky. Amazing how different our country can be in just a few miles. We are seeing cornfield after cornfield and it reminds us so much of Iowa in August.

My back is doing a bit better today but I know with just a bump or a twist, I will be back to a place I don't want to be!!!!!! Will be glad to hear what the Dr. has to say when we get back to Texas. We had to cancel our plans to stay in Colorado until Sunday for a wedding. I just didn't feel I wanted to wait that long in so much pain. So sorry to miss it as I know it would have been beautiful. We have decided to drive to Des Moines and Creston on our way home and take a bit of a break or rest for my back. We have not been back since March of 2006. Hopefully, we can take a trip in October with the RV up thru the mid east states to Ohio. Back willing!!!!!

Well, we have a time change tomorrow so will lose an hour going east. We had a wonderful steak dinner at a little place here tonight. They had a wonderful relish tray with carrots, pickled herring, celery, black and green olives, dill pickles and ranch dip. Then we had a choice of the best brocolli cheese soup or salad. We each had one and shared. Then came the rib eye steak and potato cooked to perfection. After all was over, here they came with two mini cream puffs!!!! WOW. This is a town of 972-----in the middle of nowhere. Wish I could take them back to Texas. I guess the corn fed beef made the meal sooooooo goooooood!

More when I get back to the computer with pictures. Keep checking in

Beautiful Yellowstone

We have been seeing Yellowstone National Park for the last two days and what an experience. Beauty everywhere. Old Faithful was amazing. I had been there before, when I was 5 years old so as you might imagine, things have changed. We saw Bald Eagles, Wild Buffalo and Elk. the bears were hiding from everyone this week.

We spent the night last night in West Yellowstone and had a great Italian meal. The indoor pool and hot tub made the day and really felt good on my back. I have been battling back pain for two weeks and I don't think a different mattress every night is doing it any good.

We are in Cody, Wyoming tonight. We ate the best BBQ for a long time. Neat little town and probably will check out some shops in the morning but will swim first!

Well, off to see more of Wyoming tomorrow.

Then heading back to Texas. More to come.

Beautiful USA

VIEW OUT MY WINDOW AT PINGREE RETREAT!

Boy, was our drive yesterday wonderful. We are at the base of Yellowstone (Lander, WY) and today we will drive there and see all the beauty. Yesterday's drive was amazing. I have never seen such expanse and you could see forever. It sure does make one feel small! I could only hope that folks who live in the inner city could see the beauty of it all. It really could give one a sense of peace to stand alone in this great expanse.

There are snow fences everywhere along Interstate 80 and we came up a cut thru 287 where you didn't see any houses for miles and miles. Just expanse of hills, rocks, brush and blue sky.

What an amazing country we live in.

We are sleeping as long as we want, eating some very good food and going until we decide to stop. This is the way we love to travel. Hoping to visit the quilt shop here in Lander if it is open on Monday. This is a very clean small town with lots to offer.

Pingree Is Over For 2007

Well, Pingree is over and I had a wonderful time. Learned so much this time and really did kick back and enjoy the time. Didn't push myself but there was lack of sleep. Really don't stay up that late but when there are 37 creative women in a group like that, you want to try it all. Really enjoyed my time and the group has grown so close to each other. Such a varied group when it comes to age and to interests but the "little package of Polymer clay" seems to bring us all together. There is a song I found by Point of Grace that says it all. Here are the words.

Words & music by Douglas Mckelvey & Steve Siler

We were made to love and be loved
But the price this world demands will cost you far too much
I spent so many years just trying to fit in
Now Ive found a place in this circle of friends
In a circle of friends we have one father
In a circle of friends we share this prayer
That every orphaned soul will know
And all will enter in
To the shelter of this circle of friends
If you weep, I will weep with you
If you sing for joy the rest of us will lift our voices too
But no matter what you feel inside theres no need to pretend
Thats the way it is in this circle of friends
In a circle of friends
We have one father
In a circle of friends we share this prayer
That well gather together no matter how the highway bends
I will not lose this circle of friends
Among the nations, tribes and tongues we have sisters and brothers
And when we meet in heaven we will recognize each other
With joy so deep and love so sweet
Oh well celebrate these friends
And a life that never ends
In a prayer
That will not be long before
All will enter in
To the shelter of this circle of friends
That it will not be long before
All will enter in
To the shelter of this circle of friends

I will be posting some pics here tonight if I get time from our vacation! We are in Laramie, Wyoming today heading for the Yellowstone National Park!

More soon, keep checking in.

Vacation in August

Wildflowers along the Road

On the Route 66 past Amarillo TX




Well, we are off and running. We headed out on Wed. and made it to Amarillo, Tx. the first night. Ate at a great place, The Big Texan! Great food. On Thurs. we went to Taos, NM and enjoyed the weather. 68 degrees and very low humitity. WOW. Neat place. Great shopping and I found a few great different things. On Friday, off to Colorado Springs, Co. Got in late afternoon, Stayed at Microtel(loved that hotel) and had the best Chinese meal ever!

Creek Along the Way
Today we came to Denver. Got hotel early and went to Cherry Creek Mall and got some shoes, went to a movie and then to the Tattered Cover Book Store in the West End of Denver. Neat area. I go to the Tattered Cover every year when I come to Denver. Got some good books.

Lynn Hunting a Good Rock for our Rock Garden

Off to the airport to drop Lynn off in the morning , then off the Pingree http://www.pingree07.com/
for a wonderful week with polymer friends. Hope to get inspired as usual. Lynn will fly back to Denver next Sat. and I will pick him up and we will head north to Wyoming and the Yellowstone. I haven't been there since I was five and he has never been there. Should be fun.
Hope to get some good pictures.

Loss of Another Friend

A Flower for Eileen

One of my good friend from Colorado, Eileen Loring, passed away last week. Eileen was a wonderful artist and fun person. She had many health problems but was an inspiration to me as she really never let them get in her way. She passed away at a Rock Concert in Red Rock, Co. doing something she really loved. She will be missed this year at Pingree! We will celebrate her life on Thurs. Aug. 23 in the evening with all of her Pingree friends. I will miss Eileen very much and hope she gets to attend many rock concerts in Heaven.

Camp Woosley Is Over for 2007

Water Park, Canton TX.

Well, another year of Camp Woosley has come and gone. We had a wonderful time with the kids but missed Ethan who didn't attend. Maybe next year. Jennifer picked up the girls at the airport on Saturday and had a movie party that night at her house. Sunday they came to Mineola and we had an Italian Dinner that night. On Monday we went to a water park near here for a whole day!!! No sunburn for any of us! What fun for Lynn and myself as it was our first ever trip to a water park. Dinner at Dairy Queen---healthy choice!

Tuesday we did crafts---covered pens with polymer clay. Creativity filled the room. In the afternoon we went to the Mineola Sports Complex as Lynn calls it!!! Yes, a kind of dingy bowling alley but spent two hours trying to hit the pins. Not too bad scores, I must admit. For dinner we had a cook out and vegged!

Logo Photo~

Wednesday brought a trip to Tyler all of us wearing our camp shirts. I did the logo for them and it was such fun to see the girls cringe at the thought of wearing them OUT! ALL of us wore them and we really didn't get weird looks at the mall, at least to our face! I made one for Lynn with Director/CEO on it, Jennifer with Activities Director/ Bus Driver and me Cook!

Jennifer Activities Director and Bus Driver

After shopping at the Mall, all but myself went to a movie and dinner at Cici's Pizza. I went shopping at Hobby Lobby and then came home to take care of our Camp Mascot, Buddy Joe.

Tess playing, Emily music stand!

When they got home, we got set up for our Talent Show. Everyone of the kids thought of something to do, even Buddy did a trick. What fun it is to see what they came up with. Sam did a comedy act, Sydney did a contemporary dance, Tess played a solo on the violin and Emily did a hand puppet show. We even had a good friend come and take great pictures for us. After all was over we had cake and ice cream and then built a marshmallow fire.

Sam and his comedy act.

The week went so fast. Jen looked in on the girls dorm late one night and Sydney was on my computer doing Webkins, Emily was text messaging and Tess with video conferencing. Sam was watching Satellite TV. I guess technology was taken over sitting around the campfire getting bug bites and telling stories.

Sydney dancing!

Thanks to the kids, Lynn and I experienced the water park and had a great time. We decided why folks that are 61 years old don't have teens and younger. Our stamina isn't what it used to be but spending time with the kids really meant a great deal to us.

Camp Woosley Group Photo 2007