Up To Billings

I took a quick trip up to Billings for work.  Didn't take many pictures, but this one is so delightful that I have to share.  So very cool.

We did all go to Samurai, a Japanese Restaurant that features teppanyaki.  It was a great evening and I am sorry to say that most of my pictures were indeed crappy.  People would have shot me if I had shared here.

Bekah and Jon Visit

This  weeks bike ride is in Cleburne.  We rise for another early Saturday and since Bekah and Jon are staying with us for the weekend, they are toted along.  When we arrive, Jon is asleep and so Bekah and I leave him in the car sleeping and walk Mister to the starting line.  After the race had started, we were walking back to the car when we ran into him coming to find us.  We then found something to drink, a place to hang out for awhile, and a snack or two.  The ladies in the stands keep the kids in treats for quite awhile.  We also wander around the area and discover that there has been a cricket infestation in the area and they are EVERYWHERE, including inside the school and the restrooms.  Ugh.  I have to work hard to keep Jon from bringing one into the car.

Mister does well in the ride and a few hours later, we are back on the road to Dallas.  Later that day, we stop off at a park to try and cool off a little in the 100 degree heat.  It didn't take long for Jon to locate a water gun and attempt to soak his sister.  Always fun to watch the interactions between the grands.

The Meddlesome Moth

We have discovered a new gastro pub in Dallas:  The Meddlesome Moth.  LOVE, LOVE, LOVE the tap selection and dang if they don't have some incredibly awesome Classic Mussels.  New hot spot for us.

Bike Ride in Paris

We are off to Paris!  That's right, you read that correctly.  Paris, TX is the location for this weeks bike ride.  Ya gotta check out the mock Eiffel Tower with the cowboy hat on top.  Leave it to Texas.  I Love This State!  Mister's ride went well and we had a delightful evening out listening to a great jazz band.  Life is good.

Announcement

What I need to say in this quick little post is that Mister and Lady are getting married!!!  I know, I know -- hard to believe.

We were in Waxahachie after a bike ride for Mister and stopped at the College Street Pub for some lunch.  Beside it was a cool little stream and we were watching the turtles down below the bridge we were standing on and just enjoying our time together.  Next thing I knew, Mister had a "peace symbol" ring and was asking me to marry him.  Tears and a yes came next.  Wedding sometime this fall.  More later.

Muffin Bread

Mister needed a treat and so I whipped up a batch of English Muffin Bread.  Oh my, it turned out so well and yummy.  Let's add some fresh jam and just enjoy.

Santa Fe

What a beautiful day in Santa Fe!  Our room at The Old Santa Fe Inn is so cozy that I almost don't want to leave -- almost.  I really want to explore this great city more though, so after a lovely breakfast, we head for the Old Town Square.  Mister and I discover the Native American Vendors's at the Palace of the Governor's and are instantly swept away by the lovely hand-crafted items.  It is not possible to walk away without a purchase for our home, thus a lovely little pot is making the trip with us.  The plaza is already buzzing this morning allowing us to take a seat and just observe for awhile.

On our list of must sees today is the Loretto Chapel and it's oh so famous staircase.  While driving, we read about this and are eager to see it.  From the website, "When the Loretto Chapel was completed in 1878, there was no way to access the choir loft twenty-two feet above.  Carpenters were called in to address the problem, but they all concluded access to the loft would have to be via ladder as a staircase would interfere with the interior space of the small Chapel.  Legend says that to find a solution to the seating problem, the Sisters of teh Chapel made a novena to St. Joseph, the patron saint of carpenters.  One the ninth and final day of prayer, a man appeared at the Chapel with a donkey and a toolbox looking for work.  Months later, the elegant circular staircase was completed, and the carpenter disappeared without pay or thanks.  After searching for the man (an ad even ran in the local newspaper) and finding no trace of him, some concluded that he was St. Joseph himself, having come in answer to the sisters' prayers.  The stairway's carpenter, whoever he was, built a magnificent structure.  The design was innovative for the time and some of the design considerations still perplex experts today.  The staircase has two 360 degree turns and no visible means of support.  Also, it is said that the staircase was built without nails - only wooden pegs.  Questions also surround the number of stair risers relative to the height of the choir loft and about the types of wood and other materials used in the stairways' construction."

I will let you judge for yourself.  It is a great old chapel.  Love, love, love it.

We wandered town for a little longer, enjoying the atmosphere and "back in time" feel to it.  It would definitely be possible to live here.  So many little nooks and crannies, inviting a person to find a story.  Oh I wish we had longer on this trip.  This is definitely one city we will have to return to.

As we leave Santa Fe, it is time to point our car east and back to Dallas.  It has been a great road trip and I look forward to many more.  As we leave the city -- a quick stop for a picture of the flowers that have fascinated me along the highway for two days now.  Beautiful.