It was a good travel day-cloud cover, good roads, reasonably priced fuel ($3.69), light traffic, varied scenery, manageable winds and best of all, the arrival at La Vista Campground. Above Rye Colorado, there is a small lake, Lake Isabel. We have not explored this part of Colorado a lot and never have been up here. We had a hard time finding a place not far from I 25 that was wooded, secluded, and without a burn ban. These three campgrounds fit the bill. We were told they really weren’t open for the season yet and we would probably have it to ourselves. We were thrilled! After living with so many people in and out for 4 months next to us, we were ready to be in the woods. If we could have found a place to dry camp we would have but the rangers said it wasn’t recommended in this area. Continue reading
Month: May 2014
We left the ranch mid morning with the sun shining and a warm day promised. Planning to drive to at least Amarillo seemed like a good plan as we wanted to be to Raton, NM the next night and in the Colorado mountains for Mothers Day. The drive went well enough that we pressed on to Dalhart about 1.5 more hours. It’s a small scenic town in NW Texas, almost to New Mexico. Matt had found a smaller RV Park with pull throughs so we didn’t have to disconnect the trailer that evening, just pull through the site, level up, put out the slide (which was not happy and bound up for some unknown reason) and fix dinner. Simple! Continue reading
Well, not exactly but almost. Every time of day at the Crockett Ranch is special. Mornings are lovely with sun streaks across the sky before the sun actually rises, the usual quiet, the birds, one of Russ’ dogs softly barking by the kennel. This morning, we were lying in bed talking about time with Russ the night before, waking up, and listening to the World around us wake as well, I heard one single solitary gun shot. Was a bit early for someone to be on the range and we were the only guests but I pushed the thought from my sleepy mind. The silence was changed shortly after by an ATV rounding the end of the arena. Before I could even actually place the sound in my foggy brain, Russ was outside our window with a good sized Tom Turkey over his fender! I jumped out of bed, grabbing my robe to go see what his victory smile was all about. He had gotten up early ahead of the group coming to the ranch for Mother’s Day weekend. With one more turkey tag in his hand, and this the last day he could hunt before season end, he had gone out to wait for the Tom who comes across the Ranch fairly often. The gunshot I had heard earlier was his. The Tom had come close to the mesquite patch below the arena and Russ had been waiting. Meat for the freezer! Yea! Continue reading
There will always be a special place in our hearts for Crockett Ranch. I suppose it is because our first visit there was a special one with Thanksgiving and all being together. It also is special to us because we spent two weeks there while the horrible cold spell hit North Texas (and the rest of the country). Russ had graciously allowed us to stay in the beautiful guest house. It was such a tremendous blessing! I am sure we would have frozen to death had we stayed in the trailer. Continue reading
Our schedule was packed when we arrived but got rearranged several times with schedule conflicts and sick kiddos. The Browns have had more than their share of strep throat and it hit again before Amy, Roman and Esther could come out to the lake to play with us. We had a lot of catching up to do with electronic media and email so it was a welcome change. It did however, mean all our commitments with the Browns would change and we would not get to see Samuel. That part was sad for sure. Matt has not seen Samuel since Christmas! They were part of why we stayed so close to Dallas all winter. The day was sunny and warm but we were tucked into a lovely shaded, cool, oak grove and got lots done. I even went for a bike ride! Continue reading
May Day! Our lovely Daughter texts this AM, thanking us for great memories of May Days past. A time when we spent days creating gift baskets and leaving them for neighbors, family, and friends. This May Day, I am not making May Day baskets, I am packing our house to head north. A bittersweet day, one filled with tear filled goodbyes with people we have come to love and excitement for what ABBA holds in the next chapter of this reinvention adventure. We have had the privilege of living amongst some great people. The 4 months here at Cottonwood RV Park have been good ones.
We are headed to Dallas today for 4-5 days to meet with mentors, get some BodyTalk done on ourselves, meet Samuel and Amy with their family, a former Home Group member in Dallas for Chiropractic School and that will pack that time I am sure. at least Amarillo today and then to Raton NM tomorrow. Landing in our beloved Colorado mountains around Rye for some alone time and maybe some snowshoeing if there is snow left but that’s another story. Continue reading
This little RV Park nestled in a slight depression in the Texas Hill Country has been our home for the past 4 months. A total of 35 sites are dispersed around main section of the park in five separate areas. There are lots of cedar and live oak trees making up small wooded areas such that each of the five areas seems like its own little community. We stayed in Site 22 for the whole time and had six to eight neighbors at any given time. There is also a mile-long nature trail that goes back into the woods to the rear of the property. Larry and Lee are the park managers and Larry helped us get settled in the first day and welcomed us to the park. Lee was recovering from heart surgery so we didn’t see him for awhile.
The slight depression made communications difficult as cell reception was basically non-existent. We purchased an external antenna and amplifier which I installed on a 15 foot mast which allowed us to get service as long as we stayed a few feet away from the amplified indoor antenna. Sure did make it hard to stay in touch with everyone though. Lots of dropped and garbled calls.
Three of our neighbors were there the entire time and we got to know several of them quite well. The Denman family was right next to us and they became very special to us and we developed a great love for James and Sarah and their wonderful children; Grace, Jessiah, and Samuel. Across the way we met Cindy and Lawton who also became close friends whom we had many special moments with; sharing life and much laughter around the campfire. Continue reading
