WE ARE HOME!!!

Got home safe and sound Thursday night. It's good to be back in our own bed after sleeping in twin beds at Taft. We had a wonderful 9 weeks and hope you enjoyed keeping up with us. Sorry for the delays as there were issues with computers and cameras. I just realized I didn't post the picture of Herb (Taft '61) and Cheryl Carlson that we took at their country club the Wednesday before we left Taft, so here it is!



There are more pictures that I just remembered I didn't post, but we are heading out to see the grandkids so it will have to wait!!

VEGAS BABY!

Wednesday, we met up with Missy (one great gal from Taft Summer School) and her mom, brother and Aunt. We stayed at Harrah's with them. It was so fun. While waiting for them to get ready after being in the pool, I went gambling (surprise) and hit 6 out of 6 for $800 buckaroo's on Keno.

We went to dinner with Missy and her mom at Outback while her aunt and brother went to play Bingo! Missy updated us regarding her interviews at University of New Mexico and UNLV. We had a wonderful time chatting!! Afterwards Jack headed upstairs while the girls and I tried our hand at Video KENO. We didn't have any luck, but we had fun.

Thursday morning we headed home!!

HOOVER DAM

On our way to Vegas, we came in the back way over Hoover Dam (click here to see some great photos and some info) While driving, Jack was so interested in the construction that was happening. He said "looks like they are going to build a bridge, but where??" and as we drove over the hill, he got his answer!!!

WOW DINER!

WOW DINER

(505) 287-3801
1300 Motel DR
Milan, NM 87021

Cute little place Jack found while getting gas, so of course we had to eat there!

ALBUQUERQUE, NEW MEXICO

After visiting with Phil, we headed south to Albuquerque where we met up with some long time friends. We had dinner at Tucano's Brazillian Grill and OH MY GOODNESS!!! It was amazing!! It's a buffet where you go get the salad and side dishes, but they bring the MEAT! There is a little thing that looks like a salt shaker but it has red on one end, yellow in the middle and green on the other end. If you want your server, lay it on the side for the yellow. If you want MEAT, turn it up so the green side is showing. If you want them to STOP, turn up the red side! Take a look at the pdf on their site (click on the Albuquerque location) and see all the different things they bring to the table....beef, chicken, vegetables, glazed pineapple, pork, shrimp to name a few!!



But the best thing was that we got to spend time with John and JoJo!!!

After dinner, JoJo and I went to the casino where we had so much fun! I was a big winner!! The boys went back to the house and watched TV on John's big 73" screen. They talked football all night while JoJo and I played.

SANTA FE, NEW MEXICO

We met up with yet another '61 Taftee, Phil Kahil, in Santa Fe. He took us on a tour of the town where we stopped at the Georgia O'Keefe Museum to see her work. I hadn't known anything about her before the summer. My friend Sue, who is the Art Teacher at Taft during the summer, had some books on Georgia O'Keefe and her works. So I was pretty excited to be able to see her paintings in person at the museum. After the museum, we went over to a local restaurant called "Tia Sophia's" and had a great time talking and catching up. Phil is a real entreprenuer who has had some fantastic inventions. We saw a special on Discovery Channel about his recent idea. It is very fun to meet all of Jack's classmates and see how they are all doing.

AMARILLO, TX

Can you see the two rainbows???










We left TN on Sunday and headed to Amarillo, TX. When we got there the sky was getting dark and VERY WINDY!! I thought that maybe a Tornado was headed our way. We got checked in and the rain started pouring. There was some hail, but nothing big. After it stopped, we headed to a local eating spot called "COUNTRY BARN BBQ & STEAKS" We had a really good dinner and our waiter was very cool. He said we were the best customers he'd had all day. Pretty sad huh? When we left the restaurant the sky to the right was SUNNY and the sky to the left was DARK & CLOUDY which meant "RAINBOW"...not one, but TWO!!! The last 3 pics are of the complete rainbow from side to side. Just awesome.

TOUCHDOWN BABY

Since Laney was in the womb, she's been holding her hands in the air, so we've called her "touchdown baby". GO TITANS!!







Blowing kisses to Grandaddy Jack and Grandma Nancy. MMMMM-WAAAAAAAA

SWIMMING AT JUDY'S

Saturday at Judy's!

VISITING THE KIDS IN TN

We arrived in TN on Wednesday and stayed at Kelly & Curtis' home. We got to play with Laney!!



Laney had given Grandaddy Jack Mickey Mouse to hold for her!






She is so stinkin' cute!!! And she can say "Jack" and "Nancy". The Grandaddy and Grandma will come in time.

GATLINBURG, TN

SMOKY MOUNTAINS....check out the smoke!!



Tuesday we headed towards Gatlinburg, TN but when through the city of Cherokee where there was a Harrah's casino. Well Jack was nice enough to stop there for a while so I could "play". I had lots of fun and he walked around, ate lunch and read his book. That was so enjoyable to me and I appreciated him stopping. Well we landed in Gatlinburg, had a nice hotel room next to the stream that goes through the mountains. There were ducks and cute baby ducklings. We walked downtown and ate at Logans. We sat by the window so we could "people watch". There was a BIG lady who had on a WHITE tank top (OH YES SHE DID) with NO bra! A young boy about 10 jumped up on a bench by our window and started playing the air guitar. Had no clue we could see him!! Sadly on both accounts, we didn't get a picture!

DELIVERANCE

After leaving Bill around 3:00, we drove through the Blue Ridge Mountains. We drove, and we drove and we drove. About 9:00 at night we were still driving through the mountains and had been behind a pickup truck that had a gun rack in the window. We were following them for about 80 miles. Then Jack decided to sing the banjo song from Deliverance "do do do do do do do do do" and we started laughing. THEN Kelly called us and we told her what was going on and she said there is a T-shirt that says "paddle faster, I hear banjo music" and we laughed for about a half an hour. We landed in Boone, North Carolina and were soooo tired.

VIRGINIA

Then we met with Bill Crutchfield (Taft '61) and had lunch with him at the Fairmont Country Club in Charlottesville, Virginia. After an enjoyable lunch and conversation we headed over to the University of Virginia for a private tour by Bill. He was on the Board of Trustees for 8 years and has knowledge that most people don't. He helped in the restoration of the dome that was destroyed by fire and was then rebuilt that way Thomas Jefferson had originally had it done. We saw gardens and fences that Thomas Jefferson had designed. We saw Edgar Allen Poe's room from when he attended the University in 1820. The tour Bill gave us was very informative and insightful. Just meeting Bill was the highlight of my day!!

MONTICELLO

On Sunday, August 2nd we left Taft and headed to Virginia. We visited Monticello, the home of Thomas Jefferson. We had a fantastic tour of the bottom level of the home and was also able to walk around the grounds. There was a nice film we saw before we headed up to the house which gave us some great information. I wish we had had more time to check it all out.