Russia was a whirlwind of experiences, tastes, and sites. From the mighty Red Square and magnificent St. Basil Cathedral to the clackety clack of the Trans Siberian Railroad to standing on the border of Europe and Asia in Ekaterinburg to teaching English at summer camp in Novosibrisk to standing on the bluff overlooking the Yenisi River in Krasnoyarsk to flying Aeroflot to St Petersburg and spending the day in the Hermitage Museum and the night watching the lights everywhere and the bridges rise for both social and commercial boats then back to Moscow for a stroll among the flower competitions [View Full Entry]

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While our parents generation had Pearl Harbor, V-E and V-J days and knew what they were doing on those days. Our generation remembers what we were doing when President John Kennedy was assassinated and when the twin towers in New York fell. It has been five years since terrorist hijacked four planes and attacked the United States. Today it is referred to simply as 9/11. Here’s to the heroes of Flight 93. … We were so excited to visit Home & Park Motors, birthplace of our Roadtrek 200 Versatile Motor Home. The visitors parking area was made only for cars; Will [View Full Entry]

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March 3, 2006 A trip up the mountain to El Cielo Biosphere in a cage truck... It was a dark and stormy night…well, not stormy, but definitely dark. And, oh, the stars! No light pollution down here. The night was restless, anticipating the knock o­n the door from Karen, the designated wake-up caller, listening to Mexican music in the middle of the night coming from the Nopalita plant next door where they package the pads of the prickly pear, hearing the click click of the room’s ceiling fan, barking dogs, and, early in the morning listening to the dew drops, like [View Full Entry]

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Kathy's nephew,Forrest ,told us about a place up in the mountains where he hunts. We have spent the last two weeks enjoying the area. We went off route 34 and took a small dirt Arapaho National Forest road, 139, and about two miles back we found a campsite near Keyser Creek. It was a perfect outdoor spot with the rushing waters bubbling over rocks to keep a constant music playing. Will fixed the awning that had blown off in a sudden wind burst in NM; it now rolls in and out like new with the instulation of the $40 piece we [View Full Entry]

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After waking up at Waldorf we decided not to park again o­n a slant as we roll to that side and sleep uncomfortably. We did some almost forgotten shopping and drove down to the Concho River where we did our morning constitutional. Before long we were head into a group of 5-K runners. They did not want to give up the sidewalk so we chose another route that brought us through the historic part of town. Today mostly antique shops the old town is still busy. The facades of the buildings remain oldwest, and the insides stil awit customers. We worked [View Full Entry]

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Luckenbach Texas, where everybody is somebody.... Took an early morning bus tour of the LBJ Ranch, o­n the Perdanales River, just west of Johnson City. We are liking the Texas hill country more and more: rolling grasy meadows with big live oaks and colorful wildflowers everywhere. We spent the afternoon under a tree catching up o­n paperwork and doing a few minor repairs.Toward evening we drove to Luckenbach, TX. A "town" that was o­nce for sale,"lock, stock and dancehall," it has become a country legend and a "Texas state of mind."While it has become a tour bus stop, and not a [View Full Entry]

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Yesterday we planted posts after clearing around a mesquite tree at Osprey Overlook. Thorn bushes like to grow close to these trees keeping their roots shaded. The walking trail to Alligator Pond road that Will mowed last week looks pretty good. We did a little trimming and it is wide enough for two to walk side-by-side. It was about 90 degrees and we drank lots of water and tried to stay in the shade; Will was nice and cool in the bobcat while drilling the fence posts as it is air conditioned. Kathy directs the drill to the correct position and [View Full Entry]

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A day at the zoo watching the gorillas, hippos, monkeys, big cats and birds then dancing to music at Harley's. . .. After our morning walk followed by breakfast at the outpost we prepared a flyer to put in stores advertizing the black van for sale. We are ready now to sell it. We came up with a list of everything included with he van and put a price to each item. It came to $4000 and includes the new brakes and transmission along with mattress, 12-volt cooler, inverter, etc. After lunch we drove to Brownsville, about 40 minutes drive and [View Full Entry]

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The kite competitions were held today. Two teams did routines. Four people each with a two string kite fly in formations. It is spectacular to watch. A guy from Huston, TX came down and set up lots of kites to add to the festivities. He had big lizards, a cat, a teddy bear, trains of 50-100 kites and had fun keeping them all in the air. He showed Will how to fly an airfoil plane. It had a big pull with air filling the foil. Will had it doing loops! For just $150 he could own his o­ne. Will helped Rick, [View Full Entry]

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Horses, cows, calves, bulls, clowns, cowboys and cowgirls. . . We attended the Los Fresnos PRCA 16th Annual Rodeo. We arrived a little early so walked around the carnival grounds and found some food booths. Kathy had a turkey leg and Will picked a briquette sandwich. The wrap the turkey leg in tinfoil and put it over a mesquite wood grill. The meat is so juicy and just melts in your mouth. We watched the hog judging while we ate. The Rodeo started about 3pm with the bull rides. Then came the roping events and the bucking horses. Last was the [View Full Entry]

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