Texas Vacation 2022 - Day Four (First Half) - Alpine, TX to McDonald Observatory, TX

 Happy Birthday Mister!  Travel is the BEST birthday present for my sweetheart.  This morning is COLD, but I'm trying to get a few pictures of our little home for the next few days.  Come along on my little tour.  The outside of the building and our little screened in porch are first followed by the main room.

Texas Vacation 2022 - Day Three (Second Half) - Marathon, TX to Alpine, TX

 The second half of our day begins with the entrance to Big Bend National Park.  This is the point the whole trip was planned around.  Come along and just view the splendor, with minimal comments (well, I'll try).

Texas Vacation 2022 - Day Three (First Half) - Crane, TX to Marathon, TX

Good Morning to all!  The sun is rising and we are on the road before 8 a.m.  We've opted to wait until Fort Stockton for coffee, so wish us well.  Please.  A quick drive through Crane - there's a little more, but not much.

Off we go --- to Grandfalls for gas and then down the highway.  It is STRAIGHT south and the highway appears to just go on and on and on.  I'm channeling my inner Woody Guthrie with This Land Is Your Land.  It seems super appropriate for our trip today.

Texas Vacation 2022 - Day Two - Abilene to Crane, TX

 Day two dawns and after saying good-byes to family, we are off to see a friend.  Kelly lives along our route and we are meeting at her house for coffee and cinnamon rolls.  She knows how to send a friend off on an adventure.  Kelly lives on the banks of Lake Colorado City -- what a great view each day.  I'm a little green here and that's okay.  Two weeks on Flathead Lake in April will make my world right again.

Texas Vacation 2022- Day One - Cisco Old Zoo

 We are OUTTA here!  It's time for a road trip and I'm more than ready.  Mister and I have not wandered off alone for a week since last October and our beach trip.  We are, once again, doing some Texas exploring.  When one lives in this large of a state --- it takes a LOT of trips to conquer the state and we are not even close yet.  In fact, I think I want to start marking the routes we have taken on a map so that we can actually discover what areas are left for day trips and what will require more time.  Onto the task list it goes.  Well, I went off track there, didn't I?  

So . . . we really didn't move too quick this morning, finally having the car loaded and driving west at 10:40.  Well, alrighty then.  A phone call to Jen so that she can meet up with us later is made and we are on the road.  Somehow we bypassed breakfast in our plans to depart and by the time we are in Eastland, we're hungry.  A stop at Heff's Burgers fixes it all, but now I'm stuffed.  That burger was HUGE.

After our lunch, a quick drive through Eastland follows and I'm able to learn a wee bit about this town that we pass quite often.  The old Eastland County Jail contains many artifacts and memorabilia of Eastland county and Law Enforcement history.  The jail once hosted one of the infamous Santa Claus Bank Robbers in 1927 and is the site of the last public lynching in the State of Texas.  It is only open by appointment and since today is Saturday, no one is available to do just that.  A picture is what we get.

Winter Day in Dallas

 Soooo - the weather guessers were right.  It's dang cold out and at least we don't have any desire to go out as we are still quarantining with COVID.  We'll just watch through the windows.  It's warmer that way.  This is my morning view.

Until We Meet Again - Dear Paula

 How do you say good-bye to someone you've only known a few years and felt like you've been together your whole life?  It's something I'm doing right now as painful as it may be.

I am an older woman, as she was - there was only a year between us - and when I first attended funerals everyone dressed in black because it was a time of mourning.  However, it is not a time of mourning but, rather, a time of celebrating her life.  I'm going to bring it a bit brighter and happier today, as she would want it.