Burnett Family Reunion

We had a great time with the Burnett Clan (Linda's family) on South Padre Island, Texas!

David Adams brought crab and salmon when he and Denali came down here from Dutch Harbor, Alaska. Mmmmmmm! We ate until we popped.

Christmas On SPI

Wishing a Merry Christmas to everyone!

We are enjoying the Burnett Family Reunion at a condo on South Padre Island at the southern tip of Texas. Weather has been variable, but mostly very nice. Much laughter, great food, a short visit to Mexico and a lot of fellowship.

Carl has been photographing wildlife in the area. He identified each as shown in order below, and welcome any corrections from you expert birders out there.
1. Alligator
2. Black-necked Stilt
3. Brown Pelican
4. Clapper Rail
5. Common Moorhen
6. Great Blue Heron
7. Great Egret
8. Lesser Yellowlegs
9. Long-billed Curlew
10. Marbled Godwit
11. Northern Pintail
12. Pie-billed Grebe
13. Reddish Heron (Love the crazy dance to catch prey.)
14. Roseate Spoonbill
15. Sanderling
16. Tri-colored Heron
17. Western Willet
18. White Ibis
19. White Pelican
20. Wilson's Plover

It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas. . .

We have had so much fun decorating our house for Christmas; first of all, we're seeing our beautiful decorations for the first time in about 4 years and second, we love our house and it is so much fun to see our decorations on it.

We put the tree up which is always a trip down memory lane: the souvenir ornaments we've collected on our travels; the ornaments we've received from friends and family; and the ornaments hand-made for me by my mother, my sister, and my nephews.

Such a wonderful time of year!

Conger Cousins Re-United

We gathered in Muncie, IN for the first ever Conger Cousins Reunion. My dad had 9 brothers and sisters, and I had 26 first-cousins. There was 21 years difference between the oldest and the youngest Conger child so several of the cousins are deceased.

When we met, 14 first cousins (many with spouses) showed up (many of these had not seen each other in 50 years!) Additionally, there were 2^nd and even 3^rd cousins who attended. We all learned that we have some very interesting, vibrant cousins and the consensus was that we continue the reunion on some regular basis.

One of the most eye-opening events of the weekend was the result of genealogy work that one of the cousins had done on their grandfather, Charles Everett Conger. It turns out that his lineage can be traced to 14th century when the name was Belcombre. Years passed and the name became Belkunger; more time passes and the name become Belconger. When his ancestor came to the US in the 17th century, the name became Conger.

We spent part of one day touring Muncie seeing homes where various family members lived.

On Sunday we attended Hazelwood Christian Church where Granddad and Grandmother attended. When looking through the church directory, we found a picture of Emma Conger. Nobody at the reunion knew her as a relative, but it seemed possible since Grandmother's name was Emma. Carl Googled her and found that she had attended Ball State University in Muncie and attended church at Hazelwood while in school. Subsequently, she move to Indianapolis. Karen, Carl's sister, contacted Emma and found that she is Uncle Joe's great-granddaughter (Joe is my dad's oldest brother.).

All in all, the reunion was a resounding success and we are eager to have another in a couple of years.

Our Road Trip in a Nutshell

• 13 days
• 3373 miles
• 11 states
• 8 different overnight stays
• 19 different restaurants
• 6 books read (by Linda)
• NUMEROUS new Conger cousins with whom we reconnected
• COUNTLESS attractions (both quirky and non-quirky); miles of spectacular scenery; pictures taken; hours of enjoying each other's company

It was an amazing trip -- it exceed both of our expectations! We are already planning our next road trip!

East To Iowa

After packing up, we decided we wanted to return to the Dundee Dell because there were some sandwiches on the menu we wanted to try. Rachel was again our waitress and we got to meet Monique, the general manager, who Carl had been e-mailing about our visit.

On to Iowa: miles and miles and beautifully-manicured cornfields. We stopped in Winterset, the birthplace of John Wayne and to take a picture of one of the bridges of Madison County.

We arrived at our friends' house in Cedar Rapids about 5:30 and went to dinner at a wonderful Italian restaurant where we met their "Wednesday Night Group." Neat group of folks!

A Day in Omaha

We started the day looking for the apartment where Carl lived when he first arrived in Omaha. We not only found it (in fact, he drove right to it!), but we found the neighborhood bar where he hung out -- Grover's Inn. We went in, had a Bloody Mary and visited with the owners. On to the SAC (Strategic Air Command, where Carl worked) Museum and then to Stella's for one of their world famous burgers. When Carl lived here, Stella still made the burgers; the diner is still owned by a family member and they still make burgers the way Stella did!

We were successful in finding the other places Carl lived and then went to another of his famous haunts, the Dundee Dell for dinner. A great trip down memory lane for Carl and he was thrilled to share this part of his history with me!

Slide Show to Match Earlier Posts

Pictures from Turner Fall, OK; OK City National Memorial; and Nebraska City, NE.

A Report from the Road

We left Erica & Allen's about 10:00 yesterday morning (we planned to be on the road at 9:00, but that's when we waked up!). We headed north on I-35, got pictures of two county courthouses, and ended up at Turner Falls in OK around 2:00 p.m. We had a picnic at the base of the BEAUTIFUL falls and then headed for Oklahoma City. We spent about an hour reflecting and mourning at the Oklahoma City Memorial (we'll post pictures later -- we're a little out of sync with blog posting and camera downloading). On to Stillwater for a visit with our niece, Bekki. We had a delightful dinner and evening visiting with her.

We left Bekki's at 7:45 this morning, still driving north on I-35. I was amazed at the neatness of the properties: no junk, no dilapidated buildings, etc. Beautiful country. Our first real stop was in Nebraska City whose claim to fame is that one of its prominent citizens established Arbor Day by the ceremonious planting of a tree on April 10, 1872. His philosophy: "There is no aristocracy about trees; a tree planted by a poor person will grow to be as spendid as one planted by an opulent person."

We toured the park which comprises the largest variety of trees I've ever seen in one location. We also toured the cider pressing operation, wine store, as well as the tree farm. We picnicked on the grounds with approximately a million billion lady bugs (give or take).

Arrived in Omaha about 6:00 this evening. We're spending the evening in preparing for a full day tomorrow of touring Offutt AFB and visiting Carl's favorite haunts during the four years he was stationed here.

First Day of Road Trip

We are off for a two-week road trip: destination Muncie, IN for the first ever Conger Cousins reunion. Every time I ask Carl about taking something his reply is "we have plenty of room." I have taken him at his word! Today as we were loading the car, Carl says, "does ALL this go?" I responded, "you said we had plenty of room!" We have an ice chest, a picnic basket, gifts for the reunion, games to play, and LOTS of clothes!

We left New Braunfels in a flurry of thousands of butterflies migrating to the south. We got to Fort Worth about 7:00 and took our daughter, Erica, and son-in-law, Allen, to dinner at one of favorite restaurants, Mamma Mia.

It doesn't yet seem like a road trip; it just feels like a trip to Fort Worth to visit our kids. More tomorrow!

The Great Bus Escape

We had a good time at the Officer Candidate School reunion in Washington DC. The final event was the banquet last night.

These reunions started out with just three classes of 1963 (63A, 63B, and 63C which was my class) showing up for our 40th anniversary in San Antonio. Now we have been joined by 63D, the last class of OCS, plus a number of individuals from prior classes, the oldest of which was in 1949. OCS was established in the early forties to enable enlisted people the opportunity to become officers. In 1962 USAF made the decision to close OCS following the graduation of 63D and limit future commissions to folks holding at least a bachelor's degree. Enlisted people who received commissions have long been called Mustangs. (Whinny!)

We went on a tour of the CIA that was arranged by a classmate who, although retired, continues to work in some capacity for the CIA. He told us that he got special dispensation for our group to go on the tour, with which he was helped by the CIA museum curator and tour guide. Her father and father-in-law were both USAF pilots so she went to bat for us. She was excellent. Very knowledgeable and entertaining. We came away with a newfound respect for the organization.

Saturday, we loaded up on a bus to go to the Udvar-Hazy Center which is a new addition to the Air and Space Museum, where large planes and spacecraft are on display. We got about two miles from the hotel when the side doors for wheel chair access popped open, and the automatic braking system engaged. We came to a halt while the tour guide, driver and a few of us tried to get things rolling again. No luck, so after sitting for over an hour, six of us walked down the freeway about 100 feet, climbed the railing, slipped through a hole in the fence and made our escape. (See the attached pictures.) Subsequently, the tour guide called taxis which would only respond when police officers were on-site to allow it. We were back at the hotel within 20 minutes, while the rest didn't get back until nearly two hours later.

Day 1 in the Nation's Capitol

What a GORGEOUS day!

We borrowed our friends' MiniCooper (what a fun car!) and went to AAUW Headquarters (which is actually more of an AAUW museum). I saw several folks and Carl had a chance to tour the place.

Then we went on a tour of the CIA, which is something not everyone gets to do. Our tour was arranged by one of Carl's OCS classmates who works at the CIA. Our tour guide, Curator and Director of the CIA Museum), is the daughter of one of his classmates and the wife of a CIA operative! An EXCELLENT tour guide: knowledgeable, well spoken, and a great sense of humor.

Upon registration for the tour, we had to furnish our Social Security numbers and driver's license numbers. When we arrived, we had to all get off the bus (leaving cameras, cells phones and any other electronic devices behind) and go inside a small building where a CIA police officer called our names one by one, checked our ID, and issued our visitor's pass. While we were doing that, dogs were checking out our bus!

VERY interesting and informative -- and such a special treat!

Stay tuned for tomorrow's report.

Off to DC

Tomorrow we leave for Washington, DC for the reunion of Carl's Air Force Officer Candidate School class. We have a number of fun things in store for us including a tour of the CIA, a lunch cruise on the Potomac, a show by the Capitol Steps comedy troupe (tagline "we put the MOCK in Democracy"), and seeing a number of friends who live in the area.

To prepare for the trip, I had a pedicure and had my toes painted Air Force Blue!

West Texas Sunset

GNO

I am fortunate to be one of eight girlfriends who have been together for YEARS (I'm one of the newer members and I've been part of the group for over 30 years!)We used to all work together and would get together regularly for coffee breaks and/or lunch. Once we started retiring, we knew we needed to make an effort to get together; thus GNO or Girls' Night Out. We established the 2nd Tuesday of each month to get together for drinks and dinner at a local restaurant. We did that for years and then 2 of us moved to New Braunfels.

Those who still live in the Fort Worth area still get together for GNO and, if we happen to be in the area on that date, Susan and I will join them. We also now have two weekends a year that we get together.

I had the group to my new house for the fall get-together and one of the girls brought each of us a purple t-shirt with GNO and Girls' Night Out printed on the front along with a picture of a witch! We all wore them shopping on Saturday and received quite a few "What coven do you belong to?" comments :-)

We have a wonderful weekend full of rowdy KENO games, shopping, catching up, and just general silliness.

Girlfriends ROCK!

A Visit To The Watts Ranch

This past week we drove out to West Texas to Sharon (Linda's sister) and Maxie's ranch near Iraan, TX. The ranch covers about six sections and they are building a hunting cabin that we are helping with. The daily work schedule is:
1. Ease up out of bed and ride the four-wheeler to check on deer and turkey feeders.

2. Work on the cabin a couple of hours, stop and eat breakfast.

3. Work on the cabin until Maxie declares recess and eat lunch.

4. Nap and/or read.

5. Ride the four wheeler to look at birds, deer, javelinas, and let JJ and Grover chase jack rabbits. JJ thought he nearly caught one until the Jack saw him when he got within about three feet away.

6. Happy hour followed by dinner.

Pretty rugged schedule, but we struggle to stick with it. (LOL)

On one of our rides we saw thousands of Monarch butterflies roosting in the trees at the bottom of a draw. It was an amazing sight. Here are a few pics we took.

Back on Texas Soil

As of Tuesday, we are back on Texas soil. As happy as we are to be home, we had such a special two-week visit.

In addition to the adventures chronicled in prior posts, we also enjoyed:

• the crisp, clear, dry air of the high desert;
• numerous rowdy rounds of "Settlers of Catan";
• feasting on apples, nectarines, peaches, and pears fresh from neighbors' trees;
• worshiping in the Bishop United Methodist Church; and, most especially,
• hanging out with family and building additional memories.

We spent the day at Yosemite National Park: even though the falls were dry and the rivers were low, it is still one of the most beautiful places I have ever visited.

Hiking From South Lake

About 20 minutes from where our family lives are several beautiful lakes. One day we hiked from South Lake to Long Lake -- come along with us!

Trip to Mammoth

On Saturday we drove to Mammoth for the afternoon. We took in their premier Arts & Crafts Festival which is held there on Labor Day weekend each year. Carl and I bought a beautiful wooden salad server set inlaid with turquoise and a doorbell set in carved rock which, coincidentally, matches the rock around our house; Stan and Karen bought a wonderful pottery platter done by none other than the nephew of Jonas Salk!

We took a drive up to Lake Mary and Lake George -- two of the most beautiful lakes I've ever seen -- and we capped off the day with a little shopping and dinner at The Auld Dubliner, a wonderfully authentic Irish pub. We enjoyed fish & chips, bangers and champ, and corned beef and cabbage boxty -- DEE-LISH! To our total surprise, when we got ready to head back to Bishop, we had spent almost THREE hours in the pub! Time does fly when you having fun. . .

Update from Bishop, CA

Our previous post showed a pic of Mt Tom from Karen & Stan's front yard with smoke in the air from the fires in the mountains. After a shower and northerly breeze last night, the air this morning was crystal clear.

California, Here We Come!

On Tuesday, September 1, we arose in the "4's" and caught a 7:30 flight from San Antonio to Reno, NV. We were met by Karen and Rick (Carl's sister & B-I-L hereafter known as K&R) and started the gorgeous 4.5 hour drive to Bishop, CA.

We stopped in Walker, CA to have the famous Walker Burger for lunch, and arrived in Bishop about 4:00 p.m. at Stan & Karen's (Carl's brother and S-I-L, hereafter known as S&K) where we are staying.

Bishop sits at about 4000 feet above sea level in the Eastern Sierra and the sub-division where K&R and S&K live sits at about 6400 feet above sea level. The picture below is looking out S&K's front door at Mt Tom which rises 13,648 feet above sea level!














On Wednesday, the Karens and I went into town so that I could have a foot evaluation (I have been plagued by toe cramps when wearing tennis shoes). Sure enough, the young man diagnosed my problem and recommended a shoe for me. I wore them the rest of the day with no cramping so, the next morning, I decided to join Carl, Stan and Karen on a 3-mile walk. The scenery was beautiful (see pictures below) and the toes didn't cramp!

A Week on a West Texas Ranch

We just returned from a 5-day visit with my sister and brother-in-law at their ranch in West Texas. B-I-L Maxie and his two siblings were each given approx 5.5 sections (3520 acres) of their parents' ranch about 20 miles west of Iraan where Maxie, Sharon and I grew up. M&S are building a hunting cabin on their part of the ranch and we decided to go out and help them.

We worked hard the first two days, finishing up the forms for the foundation that was poured on Thursday (pictures will be forthcoming as soon as Sharon sends them to me -- I forgot my camera!). Suffice it to say that I added rebar "wire twisting" to my construction skills resume!

After work, lunch, clean-up and a nap, we would take a ride in their 4-wheeled Polaris Ranger. In addition to the longhorn cattle, sheep, and goats they raise on the ranch, we saw quail, dove, roadrunners, jackrabbits (which JJ and Grover LOVED chasing), cottontails, deer, a variety of butterflies and even rattlesnake tracks. JJ and Grover also kept us safe from vultures touring the area by barking at them whenever they came into view. One afternoon, it showered on us as we were riding around -- quite refreshing!

One evening we were treated to a spectacular lightning show -- one that only the skies of West Texas can produce.

While there, I collected some cacti for our desert garden at home: cholla, horse-crippler, lace cactus and another type I'm unsure of.

Every evening after dinner, we played 42 -- Carl and I managed to win enough so we were not totally humiliated!

It was a great week and it reminded me of all the things I loved about living out there. . .

Freezing, Drying, Cooking -- Oh My!

A blessing, and a curse, of closing down the kitchen at Camp Meeting each year is dividing up the food that is left -- most of which is perishable.

Carl and I have spent the last two weeks processing this food:

• we made 9 quarts of tomato sauce from the tomatoes;
• I made quarts of cream of carrot and cream of broccoli soup;
• I have squeeze dozens of lemons and limes into ice cube trays;
• we packaged 3.5 quarts of de-veined and de-seeded roasted Anaheim peppers;
• we stuffed 2 dozen green bell peppers;
• we took 2.5 dozen eggs, whipped them, and froze them into 15 snack bags;
• we took an additional 2.5 dozen eggs and cracked 2 into each of 15 snack bags;
• cut up multiple pounds of chuck roast and vacu-sealed into manageable portions; and
  
• cut the meat from 2 large watermelons and froze into manageable-size packages.

It is test of our kitchen skills -- we LOVE it!

It's a Small World After All!

This morning Carl let JJ and Grover out and heard the sound of a chain saw close to our property. Upon investigation, he found a woman with her husband and a friend. When they introduced themselves, Carl realized he knew the woman. They began the game of trying to figure out where they knew each other and finally realized that she, Cindy, worked at River City Grill where Carl and I frequented and became friends with her.

She and her husband now own the property two lots down from us and we are all thrilled!

No Smoking, Please

I was working at my laptop when I suddenly smelled the faint odor of cigarette smoke. Since there are only four of us who live here and (1) I have NEVER smoked, (2) Carl quit 30 years ago, and (3) to our knowledge, JJ and Grover haven't taken up the habit, I was quite puzzled. I called Carl into the room but he didn't smell anything.

I continued my work and, periodically, I smelled the smell. I finally realized that I the smell was strongest when my hands were close to my face. Sure enough, my hands smelled like cigarette smoke! The only thing I had done different was to open a new jar of Burt's Bees' Hand Creme, which smells like almonds in the jar, and smells like cigarette smoke on my hands!

I love Burt's Bees' products, but I think they need to work on the fragrance of this one. . .

Weekend at the Beach

We spent the weekend at the beach in Port Aransas with 4 other couples. Some of us fished (amoung those creatures caught was a large sting ray), some played in the surf, others built sand castles and all enjoyed the weekend.

Friday night we ate the best pizza I've ever had at a dive called The Gaff; were we to be there next weekend we could participate in the belt sander races they are hosting (if you don't have your own belt sander, you can borrow one from them!). Only in Texas!

Camp Meeting 2009

A belated posting for a fabulous 12 days, during which time we enjoyed a respite from the grueling drought and triple-digit temperatures we are having in the Hill Country -- we had 6 days of steady, gentle rains and we wore jackets much of that time!

Additionally, we experienced:

• spiritual revival through wonderful pulpit messages, congregational singing, and special music;
  
• learning my new favorite game, "Settlers of Catan";
• climbing the mountain for the first time in 25 - 30 years;
• quality time with family and life-long friends; and
  
• enjoying breath-taking mountain vistas.
  

Enjoy the picture show:

Load 'em Up; Move 'em Out

Tomorrow we are headed out to the Davis Mountains in far West Texas for the annual gathering of Bloys Camp Meeting. This is my 61st year as I attended before I was a year old; it is Carl's 19th year. My father attended every year of his life except the 3 years during WWII when he was in the South Pacific -- his CO didn't understand the importance of attending :-)

It's a one-time-a-year event and we stay in not-so-airtight cabins so we have to take our bedding and towels. We also never know whether it will be hot, warm, or cold so we have to take clothes for all seasons. This year, however, we are taking some items that are somewhat unexpected:

• electronic keyboard
• dorm-size refrigerator
• microwave oven
• air compressor
• ladders
  
• window fans
• plastic drawers
• hanging baskets
• hummingbird feeder and nectar
• large plastic tubs to use for storing cups and glasses in the kitchen
• cutting boards
• flourescent light bulbs
• plywood
• 2x4's
• lawn chairs
  

It amounts to a pick-up bed and utility trailer full -- we look a lot like the Clampetts!

I'll be away from internet, television, radio, and only minimal cell phone connection, so I'm signing off until the week of August 10.

Float Trip

Carl's younger daughter and her husband visited us this weekend and we made a float trip. A float trip, in Texas Hill Country vernacular, is floating the Guadalupe River in an inner tube (it's also known as "toobing").

Our trip wasn't so much a float trip as it was an arm paddling, butt bumping, tube pushing/pulling/dragging/carrying trip.

However, a great time was had by all!

"Birding" In Paradise

I am a bird watcher in the purest sense of the word; I am not a bird spotter, a birdcall-recognizer, or a bird identifier -- just a watcher. Compared to me, Carl is a professional (he keeps a field guide beside his chair on the deck), but actually he is an amateur compared to real birders. Regardless of our skill levels, however, we thoroughly enjoy watching the beautiful feathered creatures on our property. Here is a sample of what we see every day (click on the picture for the caption:

Beep, Beep!

All of our appliances beep at us: the washer, dryer, dishwasher & microwave beep when their cycles are complete, the refrigerator beeps when the door is left open, the oven beeps when it is preheated, and the coffepot beeps when it cuts off. And all the beeps sound just alike!

This morning I heard a beep. I checked all the usual suspects and found that clothes were in the washer. Ah Ha! I put them in the dryer, certain I had found the culprit. I went about my business and heard the beep again. I followed the sound and traced it to a smoke detector. Carl changed the batteries, and again we were certain we had found the problem. Several minutes later, another beep. I went to the area of the smoke detector and saw that Carl's cell phone holster was clipped to a pair of pants hanging there. However, there was no phone in the holster. We decided to change the batteries in a nearby smoke detector, to no avail. We still had the beep.

After awhile Carl came in to get his phone and it was in his pants pocket rather than in the holster. The beep was to notify him of some reminders he had programmed into his phone.

AAAAAH, beepless at last!

Virtual Tour of Our House