The Wild, Wild, West!

We have been having a grand time visiting family and friends - can you tell? We loved spending time in Albuquerque with Kathy, Deb, and Chuck, visiting old haunts, and hanging with our buddies.

Plus, we got to spend some time with some of my SWIFT work team (miss them!) and Doug's old Gunrunner softball team. Can't believe it has been a year!

Next stop, Ruidoso to visit my family. This is Billy the Kid country and has lots of history, plus just beautiful mountains and valleys

Mom and Dad threw a 42 party (dominos) and, as you can tell, we ate lots of yummy stuff and stayed up way too late!

We got to enjoy some of the nightlife of Ruidoso with my sister and family (Anessa, Eric, and Gavin) - a chuckwagon dinner and western show at the Flying J Ranch.

Gavin braved the horseback ride and shoot out and we all laughed and sang during the entertainment - it was a hoot!.

Jim and Tawona invited us out to their house to pick yummy apples in the Hondo valley. It is harder than it looks, but we were able to get plenty!

Doug and Eric really enjoyed learning how to "Fast Draw" - check out the video. I gave it a try, but couldn't hardly hold the gun. It is tough.

Jim and Tawona compete in competitions. Jim is going to the Nationals near Reno this weekend. Good luck to them!

Giggles and Grins!

Watch Doug and Steve on stage!

Our Travels: Nevada, Illinois, New Hampshire, and Texas!

Now, that's a whirlwind trip!

As part of our summer vacation, we are trying to finish up projects, plus visit as many family and friends as time allows.

We visited Doug's family in Reno and had a great time. We arrived just in time for a family birthday party (Linda and Nicky), we played craps and won (wow), we were treated to a wonderful Sunday brunch, plus more.

The best thing - we were able to deliver the family antiques to the next generation. So nice to shutdown the storage area. Thanks Scott's!

We also got to meet our new niece, Nikayla. What a beauty!

Next, off to visit my family in the suburbs of Chicago. We had a great visit with Becky, Dave, and Ryan - just like always.

No matter how long we have been separated, it seems like yesterday. Gotta love that!

We had a great time losing money betting on the ponies at the Arlington Park Racetrack. What a beautiful track, plus the sun was shining - nice treat!

And, or course, we had to go watch the Chicago Cubs play. We must have been good luck - they won!

Next stop, Goffstown, New Hampshire to visit more of my family - Ken, Lisa, and Brittany!

Ken and Lisa have a beautiful "boathouse" on the lake where we spent lots of hours floating, eating, drinking, and socializing with the locals. Great fun and wonderful lobster!

We also got a chance to watch our niece, Brittany, play volleyball and had a great time. Brittany is Captain of the JV team and has a mean knuckle-ball serve. Just like her ol' aunt!

From there, we flew down to Texas do help my sister Becky find a house in San Antonio. What's family for anyway? First, we took a couple days of vacation to goof off in Austin - we love that town plus we needed some rest. Now, we are zooming around San Antonio looking for the perfect place. I am not sure the value we are adding, but we are happy to help!

As much as we have enjoyed our summer vacation, we are really missing our boat, plus we are pooped! We are used to a much easier lifestyle - no alarm clocks, planes, schedules, etc. Silly retired folks!

And, just in case you haven't been watching the Pacific weather, our boat that is docked in San Carlos was in the path of Hurricane Jimena. Our boat is fine (we think) but the towns on the Baja and the mainland were hit hard. So sad, for the local families and so much to rebuild...