SCARY TEXAS

Although Texas is our home address, we weren’t in Texas in 2009 until the 21st of October. The weather was scary since we drove through the heart of Dallas in the fog and rain with accidents happening all around us.

We spent six days with our friends Jerry and Joan who bought a beautiful new home this year with an RV pad and 50-amp service. The six days were busy with visiting, shopping and sightseeing. Joan took me to her writer’s class at the senior center. We met with Joanne and Bill, Terry’s cousins, at the Red Lobster. Jerry and Terry had a great time speaking RV language and talking “techy talk”.

Joan took her grandchildren, niece and myself on a scary drive through a campground that was decorated for Halloween.

As we drove our RV south to Lake Conroe, we saw many places where water was over the side streets and overflowing in ponds and ditches. Yesterday, there was thunder, lightning and it rained about three more inches. Yes, that’s scary.

We drove by Huntsville with a statute of Sam Houston that is as big as the trees around it. Is that scary?

What picture is most scary to you? Don’t be too scared but have a FUN Halloween!

Fall in Iowa

Yes, we like to watch the deer running free but the deer are so numerous that they are a nuisance in Iowa. We were driving around the Red Rock Lake area when we saw nine deer in a couple of hours. Before Ryan shot his small deer with a bow and arrow, a deer jumped in front of the car he was driving, smashed the windshield and put dents in the car. Since the car belonged to his sister, she wasn’t a happy camper. Saturday, Ryan shot a seven-point buck with his bow and arrow. Many farmers think that it is great to harvest the deer that have been eating their corn and soybeans. When the corn and soybeans have been harvested, some deer have a hard time making it through the winter since their food source is gone.

We expected to see fall foliage but most of the leaves are green. It is a photographic occasion when you see a tree this red.

Along the Red Rock Lake area, we saw white pelicans and these strange birds. Do you know what kind they are? (If you want to see any photo made larger, click on the left bottom of the picture.)

Iowa Wedding

Never before have I wore all black to a wedding. A person of my generation thinks that black is for funerals but I’m happy that my nephew Ben is getting married. It’s just that black clothes are the warmest clothes that I own and it was snowing on Oct. 10, 2009, the day that Ben and Shawna got married in Moravia, Iowa. The picture is of the front yard at my daughter’s home.

The wedding ceremony was traditional with the bride in a beautiful white satin strapless gown decorated with red embroidery and the traditional long white train while the groom wore a dark suit with a rose in his lapel. The three bridesmaids and maid of honor wore brown strapless gowns with flounces of red, or orange or gold and carrying bouquets of flowers of the same hue. Then they covered up with coats, hats, scarves and blankets while the whole bridal party mounted a wagon with hay bales on it to be driven to the reception. To be sure you knew what occasion had occurred; the wagon was decorated with a big red heart and flowers and the words “Just Married” on the back. Don’t you wish that I had taken a picture?

The women in the bridal party wore scarves to cover their bare shoulders and traded their thin slippers for long socks and boots. Many relatives and friends changed into pants, boots and comfortable warmer clothing until they looked like a bunch of farmers out for winter fun just before doing chores.

Actually the huge white tent with propane heaters wasn’t as cold as I imagined it would be. There were salads, chips, dips, crackers, fresh vegetables and fruit, cookies, and buns to fill with hot ham or roast beef. I even had a strawberry dipped into the chocolate fountain. There were cans of “pop”, coffee and another fountain of punch followed by the traditional cake and ice cream accompanied by nuts and mints.

Of course, the best part of the wedding for me was joining my relatives in a joyful occasion and to welcome Shawna into the family.

Family News

We had our grandchildren, Emily and Nathan, visit at my daughter’s house and our RV. Emily and Nathan made peanut butter cookies and learned that if you need 1 and ¼ cups of flour and your 1-cup measuring cup is wet, you can use the ¼ cup five times. Following recipes is a good way to learn fractions.

Nathan made a birthday card for my mother’s 90th birthday. He wanted to draw 90 candles with a flame on each candle but was spending more time counting the candles than drawing them. Then he started to write on another sheet of paper. When I asked what he was doing, Nathan answered, “I’m keeping track of the number of candles.” He wrote 32 and drew a candle and then 33 and drew another candle. I’m proud of him not only for his persistence but also that he was able to finish all the numbers and all the candles without any help.

Mother was proud of this five-generation picture that was taken at her Birthday party. Pictured are my parents, my son, Rich and his wife Shelly and their daughter Heather with her children, Shawn, Marcus and Mercedes.

Our family picture shows brother Jim seated on the left, my mother Agnes, my father Clarence, and brother Clare in the front row. The back row includes is my sister Angie, myself, and sisters Clara and Joy.

It’s bow-hunting season for deer. Grandson, Ryan, asked me to take pictures of the deer he shot before he ground the meat into ground venison. He sliced the rest of the meat as thin as possible, added spices and is drying it for venison jerky.