More Abilene

We went with the kids to the Abilene State Park nearby.  Kind of a rustic place built at a small creek where buffalo used to gather and wallow...hence the name of the near-by town; Buffalo Gap.

We packed a lunch and Mom had a moment of quiet while the kids played on the  play-ground equipment.  I saw some Bluebirds, but not a whole lot else. 

The family has a big yard with lots of places to run.  The neighbor lady informed C that the rattlesnakes haven't hibernated because of the warm weather and are found in the flower beds and shrubbery.  So no hide and seek in the bushes!  You don't have to tell me twice!  One was making it's way into a neighbor's garage.  Lovely.  How would you like to step out of your car on a rattlesnake?

The weather has been beautiful...sort of an extension of summer with temps in the 80's and 90's.  Quite a contrast to the 40's and 50's up north.

A favorite park. 

These guys weren't very neighborly at the park and seemed like they wanted us to move on which we did.

E made us a fancy meal with sandwiches and pizza and individually drawn placemats.

A catalog from Toys' R Us brought giggles and the start of the Christmas' lists.  Hey, wasn't it just your birthdays?  Can it be that these two are really 8 and 6?

Prettiest Town I've Ever Seen

Our trip for October birthdays began with a visit to my brother Don and wife Jeannie.  Then the Abilene family joined us at the Perot Museum of Science and History.

Like most things in Texas, it is big and expensive. 

Dallas is not the city it was when I went to seminary.  The main north south road was North Central Expressway.  Then it was four lanes, now it has ten and is still congested.

I think E liked her birthday gift. 

And so did M.

Then it was on to Abilene and gymnastics class for E. 

Oh yes, i forgot.  E was excited to stay in a motel because you could order breakfast.  This place even had cartoons while you ate.  How great is that?

Some of their birthday gifts were a lot of fun but a little scary.  Papa had an arrow zing right under his nose until clear limits were set.

In Dallas we walked by the original Hunt estate, named Mt. Vernon... it has dropped down to just 19 million from 34 million if you are interested.  It requires ten full-time workers to keep it up.

Then there was the last BB practice.

Saturday the kids went to the base for a mock "Kids Deployment" to help them understand what it is like when parents get deployed.  They got uniforms, dog tags, ID cards, canteens, mission orders and were sent to a plane like Daddy's for deployment. 

Of course it wouldn't be like the real deployment without the typical "Hurry up and wait."  The waiting part wasn't so popular.

Inside Daddy's plane there is plenty of room to romp around

And you had to climb up a ladder to get into the cockpit.

Who says the military isn't changing?

This bomber was sitting next to Daddy's plane but we didn't get to go into it.  Dyess AFB has both the C-130J's and the B-1 Bombers.

But each of the kids got to "shoot" a gun.   

And we watched the K-9 demo.

And after a visit to the "Welcome Home" hanger for food and trinkets it was back to the house with the balloons they got  as souvenirs.  It is bad enough when Daddy gets deployed, so I don't think I want the Grandkids to be deployed too.