HOT!... and Vacation Pics

It's so hot this week that staying inside is the only reasonable choice (if you have one). It's supposed to be 104°F today and was at least that yesterday. Wichita Falls is expecting 107°...as is Yuma, AZ. How did anyone survive before air conditioning? We have turned our hot tub down to 83° .. which holds it around 92° and sure makes for a nice cooling off dunk in the afternoon. I think this heat is worse than the heat in Arizona... the humidity is so heavy. So... who was that was complaining about so much rain...??? ;o)



I took this picture on our way home from Phoenix while we were on vacation. I love these cactus "trees". They are the most amazing looking conglomerations of vegetation that I can imagine. And they were everywhere. Reminds me of a sci-fi otherworld-scape.


The really good thing about the entire trip was that after we reached Pecos, TX there were no itchy eyes, runny noses or clogged sinuses. It seemed that my (and DH's) allergies just disappeared.

If you ever get a chance to go to Pecos, TX...go. The museum there is huge and extremely well done for such a small town. This bar is the original one from the saloon and is in the original building with the original tables and chairs . The mannequin behind the bar is a recreation of the bartender that worked that bar ... he moves wiping the bar and talking about the history of this building. It's great. There are 50 rooms filled with history in this building and the adjoining one next door.






There is one room filled with nothing but memorabilia about Judge Roy Bean. If you have never heard of him, he was called "The Hangin' Judge" and named his little piece of the West "Langtry" because he was obsessively enamored with the world renowned actress Lily Langtry.


















These Indian grindstones fascinated me. Can you imagine how many generations it would take to grind down the one on the left and in the middle?








There is much more in the museum... I have many, many pictures but enough already..lol





It was terribly hot that day and after we toured the museum we just went back to the room and slouched for the rest of the day. Ventured out again around 6pm to find some supper.

This Best Western was new and did we ever love this room.....

Hiding My Head In The Sand... Mariella's Mitten Tutorial

We got home Saturday... tired and happy. Got to see that lovely little granddaughter and got some great pictures, but... alas... my pc crashed last night so I cannot post them until my pc is fixed. That shouldn't take but a couple of days (we hope) .... In the mean time, I guess I can post using my sweet DH's pc...but he has NO pictures on his... so this is one I had in Flickr.. It seems to fit my mood... ;o)

I just popped over to Knitting Nonni and she is doing a tutorial for those great mittens with the thumb in a comfortable place... imagine that... a comfortable thumb placement.. amazing. This will be one that I will have to do... Thanks, Mariella, for taking the time and trouble to post this tute....

If You Want to Hear the Gods Laugh....

Just tell them your plans... This is the hot water heater closet. Empty... It is in the process of being changed as we speak. When DH started to wash his hands this morning, guess who had no hot water. When he checked it water was dripping straight down into the drip pan....thank goodness. A few more hours and we would be replacing the living room and/or bedroom carpet. We knew we would have to replace this, but we did not plan on doing it until after we came back from vacation. However... we did talk about vacation a lot... and now the gods are laughing...

This project has been in the works for a couple of weeks. This is DH's shop...as we try to stop it from sliding down the hill...lol (or maybe not lol... ) It is (as is par for the course with this house) taking a lot longer than we expected to finish. The heavy rains of the last few days are not helping any with this project...but we sure needed the rain.

If you notice the empty areas of insulation in the flooring... that is where the squirrels got in and decided to set up housekeeping.. ;o) Anyway... with the footing now poured quite thick and wide, I think that problem will be eliminated. We can always hope... and squirrels will usually find a way...lol

Home At Last

We left last Thursday for a few days in Bull Shoals, AR. It was a short vacation mixed in with a trip to the dentist...not that that really makes sense..lol Anyway, it was wonderful to visit with friends and see the changes that have come about in the 5 years we have been away. There are a lot of things about Bull Shoals that we miss... the people, for the first and foremost thing. The quiet beauty of the lake and the country. The Ozark Mountains are absolutely breathtaking in their spring beauty. .. But of course, 5 years cannot pass without some changes...and the loss of those dear to you.

The first day we were there, DH came down with a "cold"... or maybe allergies. But by Day 2 I also had it. That was Saturday. By Sunday my nose was dripping like a faucet and I felt like I had been kicked by an Arkansas mule. Monday was the trip to the dentist.... teeth cleaning and a couple of fillings replaced. Then immediately on the road home....

Boy...was I ever glad to get home. Still sick yesterday and most of today. Feel better right now than at any time since we left. There is something inherently wrong with that.