There's no place like home, there's no place like home, there's no place like home!
Although we weren't privileged to drive through Kansas this trip we did agree with Dorothy about coming home! Thanks to some slight errors in navigation we did drive through Oklahoma, New Mexico, Colorado, Texas and Utah. We had a great time in Texas a full trip with amazing and unusual adventures but there is truly a feeling of peace at finally coming home.
The homecoming was great as the neighbourhood children were all running out to greet us when we pulled up. We love being loved and missed!... Maybe we should go away again just so we can have another homecoming!
Slow and Steady
Although it isn't always a race that we are running slow and steady is a good motto for many endeavors.
Paige is always good for a few surprises and when we visited this trip it was no exception. She had acquired some new animals for her managerie. The more exotic the better! When we first arrived at Paige's house she asked us what we thought of her tortoises. I wasn't sure whether or not she was serious but chances are she was... and the kids went out to look for them in the yard. They came back puzzled about the seriousness of Paige having tortoises.. Paige sent them back out confirming that yes there are two out their somewhere in the yard... "just keep looking". Finally after neither kids nor I were successful... Paige came out and to our amazement she found both and truly how could we have missed them I'll never understand!
The Sulcata tortoise or torti... (plural?) were remarkable. The large one... barely liftable and the size of me when scrunched into a ball, was named Tommy, the small one, maybe 15 lbs. and the size of a large not so cuddly cat, was named Aslan.
These new additions to the petting zoo although... not really a pet nor something that you 'pet'... were such an attraction. Everyone wanted to see and touch... and some even "Can I lift?" They lounged in their pen all day and ate carrots that were offered to them... large crunchy bites at a time... count your fingers periodically!
The are surprisingly fast I thought since I was expecting true slow motion... but they could really move if they felt so inclined... and their strength was something I wasn't prepared for either... If something was in the path watch out... knocked over or pushed along the tortoise didn't care as long as he could keep going.
Which brings me to the big story! Paige hadn't had them long and the pen was still being designed so that there would be a strong enough enclosure for them to live in. Meanwhile they had the run of the yard... it's fenced in and was fine until one afternoon..... when Aslan was on the move.... He 'ran' away from home! the fence wasn't closed all the way tight and he made a break for it... we didn't notice immediately and spent hours searching the neighbourhood for the runaway tortoise!. Paige lives next to a series of large hay fields that were being harvested that week. So we determined that the tortoise wasn't on the street, anywhere in the yard or at the neighbours so it must be out in the fields....
It was evening when we discovered he was missing and we stopped looking when it was dark. The next morning we finished feeding animals and then the kids and I all went out to the fields. We formed a line like search and rescue teams and spread out to comb the field. We had already proven that they were difficult to find in the yard ... out in these fields we were certain we wouldn't have a chance! While tortoises may not be particularly slow after our observations so far... they do seem to be steady... and follow a straight line... so we determined that he would have followed the fence line and when it turned he would turn... We had been searching for close to two hours and followed our theory, doubting at each step that we would find him when Memo called out that he found a clue!!! He had indeed... some tortoise poop!... Never, I'm sure have eight people danced so excitedly around a pile of tortoise poop! It meant that he was in the field... that he was alive... that he was this far out in the field ... 1/2 mile from the house now... and that we were on the right trail! But it was also Texas... the weather was 98 degrees and climbing the humidity was 90%, and we were tired, hungry, thirsty, getting sunburned and oh yeah... walking through a prickly hayfield being eaten alive by mosquitos and chiggers! We called Paige at work with our great find, searched for about another hour and then we headed back to the house for some water!
Later that day we headed back towards the poop so we could start our search again... We were slightly encouraged by the poop still but it was wearing us all out. After another disappointing search session we were all gathered around the poop again trying to decide what to do. We really didn't know that there was too much hope! Miles and Sarah said that they had been praying while they walked because they didn't want to keep searching. The discussion that followed was rather interesting. How could praying help find a tortoise, Why would God answer a tortoise prayer, If they prayed then why were we all still out here... if God was willing to find the tortoise wouldn't he just make it come home. Sarah explained that "God loves all animals including tortoises and if we ask then he'll answer." Some kids were still confused, so tired and beginning to dislike tortoises for all the trouble they cause I ended their conversation with... "God does love all animals and knows everyone and he has said that if you ask he will answer... HOWEVER, you still have to do your part you can't just expect him to do it for you... and he works in mysterious ways so perhaps the tortoise would be waiting for us at the door when we got home or perhaps he would never come back... we don't know what the answer is.. maybe a kid on the other side of town has been praying for a tortoise and his parents told him they wouldn't get one but that he could keep it if it showed up all by itself... and so he was answering this boys prayer right now... who knows??... but we couldn't very well expect him to help us if we didn't even ask, so if they wanted to pray for the tortoise that was just fine!" It was quiet for a minute and then Tree asked, "Do we all have to say the prayer or just one of us?" So we stood in the hot hayfield around some poop and said a prayer for a tortoise!
Then we went home!
Paige was excited when we got home... She had been talking about her missing tortoise to well anyone with ears! and someone had suggested using search and rescue dogs now that we had some poop. But search and rescue dogs aren't allowed to be used to search for pets. She had received an email however from a lady who had a dog trained for search and rescue who just so happened to also be trained in searching for Sulcata Tortoises! NO WAY! Apparently a few years ago she had heard about a program in Nevada where they were training dogs to find these tortoises. So she arranged to have her dog cross trained. She has the only dog in Texas who has had such a training and would love to come help us look for Aslan. She couldn't make it that night but she would be out the next night!
We continued to look in the field a few more times... although by now we were tiring a lot faster so we started to drive the field in my Trooper going slowly with us all looking out the windows.
The evening the lady and her dog came we were all so excited. We needed to leave them alone to do their work since a large group of us would be too overwhelming for the dog. So we followed at quite a distance and whispered! It took all of 8 minutes before we heard the yells... He did it... I can't believe it! We took off running and sure enough Paige was returning with the turtle in hand! We'll never know if the turtle had finished with his adventure and was heading home on his own or if he would never have come home if we hadn't sent the dog after him but we were amazed!
We tested out the dog by having Memo hide in a tree and then the dog found him... it was like a variation of hide and seek. Both dog and master were very patient with the crazy bunch of us! We reunited Aslan and Tommy who I'm sure were happy to see each other.. (it's not easy to tell what the emotions of an African Sulcata Tortoise are). Paige slept well that night knowing that the tortoises were safely locked up in the horse trailer until the enclosure could be securely finished for them!
Paige is always good for a few surprises and when we visited this trip it was no exception. She had acquired some new animals for her managerie. The more exotic the better! When we first arrived at Paige's house she asked us what we thought of her tortoises. I wasn't sure whether or not she was serious but chances are she was... and the kids went out to look for them in the yard. They came back puzzled about the seriousness of Paige having tortoises.. Paige sent them back out confirming that yes there are two out their somewhere in the yard... "just keep looking". Finally after neither kids nor I were successful... Paige came out and to our amazement she found both and truly how could we have missed them I'll never understand!
The Sulcata tortoise or torti... (plural?) were remarkable. The large one... barely liftable and the size of me when scrunched into a ball, was named Tommy, the small one, maybe 15 lbs. and the size of a large not so cuddly cat, was named Aslan.
These new additions to the petting zoo although... not really a pet nor something that you 'pet'... were such an attraction. Everyone wanted to see and touch... and some even "Can I lift?" They lounged in their pen all day and ate carrots that were offered to them... large crunchy bites at a time... count your fingers periodically!
The are surprisingly fast I thought since I was expecting true slow motion... but they could really move if they felt so inclined... and their strength was something I wasn't prepared for either... If something was in the path watch out... knocked over or pushed along the tortoise didn't care as long as he could keep going.
Which brings me to the big story! Paige hadn't had them long and the pen was still being designed so that there would be a strong enough enclosure for them to live in. Meanwhile they had the run of the yard... it's fenced in and was fine until one afternoon..... when Aslan was on the move.... He 'ran' away from home! the fence wasn't closed all the way tight and he made a break for it... we didn't notice immediately and spent hours searching the neighbourhood for the runaway tortoise!. Paige lives next to a series of large hay fields that were being harvested that week. So we determined that the tortoise wasn't on the street, anywhere in the yard or at the neighbours so it must be out in the fields....
It was evening when we discovered he was missing and we stopped looking when it was dark. The next morning we finished feeding animals and then the kids and I all went out to the fields. We formed a line like search and rescue teams and spread out to comb the field. We had already proven that they were difficult to find in the yard ... out in these fields we were certain we wouldn't have a chance! While tortoises may not be particularly slow after our observations so far... they do seem to be steady... and follow a straight line... so we determined that he would have followed the fence line and when it turned he would turn... We had been searching for close to two hours and followed our theory, doubting at each step that we would find him when Memo called out that he found a clue!!! He had indeed... some tortoise poop!... Never, I'm sure have eight people danced so excitedly around a pile of tortoise poop! It meant that he was in the field... that he was alive... that he was this far out in the field ... 1/2 mile from the house now... and that we were on the right trail! But it was also Texas... the weather was 98 degrees and climbing the humidity was 90%, and we were tired, hungry, thirsty, getting sunburned and oh yeah... walking through a prickly hayfield being eaten alive by mosquitos and chiggers! We called Paige at work with our great find, searched for about another hour and then we headed back to the house for some water!
Later that day we headed back towards the poop so we could start our search again... We were slightly encouraged by the poop still but it was wearing us all out. After another disappointing search session we were all gathered around the poop again trying to decide what to do. We really didn't know that there was too much hope! Miles and Sarah said that they had been praying while they walked because they didn't want to keep searching. The discussion that followed was rather interesting. How could praying help find a tortoise, Why would God answer a tortoise prayer, If they prayed then why were we all still out here... if God was willing to find the tortoise wouldn't he just make it come home. Sarah explained that "God loves all animals including tortoises and if we ask then he'll answer." Some kids were still confused, so tired and beginning to dislike tortoises for all the trouble they cause I ended their conversation with... "God does love all animals and knows everyone and he has said that if you ask he will answer... HOWEVER, you still have to do your part you can't just expect him to do it for you... and he works in mysterious ways so perhaps the tortoise would be waiting for us at the door when we got home or perhaps he would never come back... we don't know what the answer is.. maybe a kid on the other side of town has been praying for a tortoise and his parents told him they wouldn't get one but that he could keep it if it showed up all by itself... and so he was answering this boys prayer right now... who knows??... but we couldn't very well expect him to help us if we didn't even ask, so if they wanted to pray for the tortoise that was just fine!" It was quiet for a minute and then Tree asked, "Do we all have to say the prayer or just one of us?" So we stood in the hot hayfield around some poop and said a prayer for a tortoise!
Then we went home!
Paige was excited when we got home... She had been talking about her missing tortoise to well anyone with ears! and someone had suggested using search and rescue dogs now that we had some poop. But search and rescue dogs aren't allowed to be used to search for pets. She had received an email however from a lady who had a dog trained for search and rescue who just so happened to also be trained in searching for Sulcata Tortoises! NO WAY! Apparently a few years ago she had heard about a program in Nevada where they were training dogs to find these tortoises. So she arranged to have her dog cross trained. She has the only dog in Texas who has had such a training and would love to come help us look for Aslan. She couldn't make it that night but she would be out the next night!
We continued to look in the field a few more times... although by now we were tiring a lot faster so we started to drive the field in my Trooper going slowly with us all looking out the windows.
The evening the lady and her dog came we were all so excited. We needed to leave them alone to do their work since a large group of us would be too overwhelming for the dog. So we followed at quite a distance and whispered! It took all of 8 minutes before we heard the yells... He did it... I can't believe it! We took off running and sure enough Paige was returning with the turtle in hand! We'll never know if the turtle had finished with his adventure and was heading home on his own or if he would never have come home if we hadn't sent the dog after him but we were amazed!
We tested out the dog by having Memo hide in a tree and then the dog found him... it was like a variation of hide and seek. Both dog and master were very patient with the crazy bunch of us! We reunited Aslan and Tommy who I'm sure were happy to see each other.. (it's not easy to tell what the emotions of an African Sulcata Tortoise are). Paige slept well that night knowing that the tortoises were safely locked up in the horse trailer until the enclosure could be securely finished for them!
The Facepainter
Adriana has a part time job that goes along with the petting zoo. She does party face painting. She has become quite a face artist. It is a simple set up and makes a decent pay. Kids clamor to her for a painting and always leave satisfied!
Way to go Adriana!
Way to go Adriana!
Paige's Fun House
Many hours of fun were squeezed in among the major activities of Scarborough Faire and Pony Parties... Monopoly games, movies, arts and crafts, dressing up, movies, washing cars in the rain, go carts, movies, animal care, being tied up with shrink wrap, movies, slumber parties in one room, moving the barn across the pen, movies, searching for tortoises, playing video games, movies, laundry, dipping strawberries in chocolate (a tradition), movies, shopping at the outreach and did I mention watching movies!!
We had fun!... even if Duncan couldn't remember Paige's name but made a big deal about remembering Adriana's name. Everyone had a pair of crocs except Duncan and we searched for a pair everywhere he went... It wouldn't hae been quite so difficult if we hadn't cared about the size or if he hadn't cared about the colour. He wanted red crocs and I wanted them to fit him. We managed to convince him to wear some blue go diego go ones until we could find the reds, but it wasn't easy!
Duncan was convinced that Carlos was trying to feed him nuts. His nut allergy has everyone reading labels carefully and he is so patient while he waits to find out if he gets a piece of the cake or a donut... he asks about everything and really handles it quite well when we tell him things have nuts... unless Carlos says it. Carlos was offering him a drink and Duncan was convinced it had nuts and wouldn't take it! After that he didn't trust anything Carlos offered him. Carlos found this most amusing and laughed which just made Duncan all the more frustrated.
Caleb also made Carlos laugh... After a nice soak in the stock tank swimming pool, Caleb was walking back to the house and tripped, landing hard on his arm. Both Paige and I saw the fall and were immediately concerned that his arm was seriously hurt. We rolled him over and tried to assess the injury asking does this hurt?, how about this?... Carlos walked up and lifted his arm and started pumping it up and down and then said "He's fine". We were all so shocked at the callousness and we all broke out laughing hysterically.
Petting Zoo
There were about six tasks to be done throughout the day and really almost anyone could do any of the tasks.
1. The entrance gate was about the only one that required much skill and it consisted of giving people their change, accepting money, and opening the gate to allow entrance to the zoo... Oh... and to keep non paying customers behind the safety barrier. ... even for photo taking! (This job proved to be very taxing for me... I didn't keep my money facing the same direction and I got fired. I didn't hand out business cards to the parents when their child came in, so I got fired. I chatted too much and didn't notice people lining up to get in, so I got fired. I couldn't seem to hold the money, count the change, hand out cards, open the gate and the rope barrier without letting animals escape... so I got fired!... the problem was I kept being rehired as the need arose).
2. The exit gate person could actually do their job sitting down... they opened the gate for children too young to operate the latch and offered hand sanitizer to those who had visited the animals.
3. Carrot patrol!... this became Duncan's favourite task! People could buy a carrot to feed the animals for $1.00. It worked quite well since all the animals except the ducks could eat the carrots it was the best treat. However, since the zoo saw approximately 350 patrons each day and at least half of them bought at least one carrot... the animals needed to still be as excited about being offered a carrot at the end of the day as they were at the end of the day! The animals had access to grain and water throughout the day as well. So, carrot patrol meant picking up the half eaten carrots or carrots that children had abandoned and throwing them over the fence into a strategically placed basket. These carrots were then taken home and fed to the animals who hadn't opted to go to Faire that day. (Now I say strategically placed basket..... it was in the small storage and changing quarters where we could go to eat or change our clothes... get away from being stared at by the public... but if we sat too close to the 'strategically placed basket'... stray carrots were known to hit us in the heads).
4. Poop Patrol. Self Explanatory really... make sure to clean up after the animals that have pooped!.... All 50 or so of them. And not just once an hour... but within minutes of them pooping. So, broom and dustpan in hand that job kept us all busy. Carlos seemed to prefer this job over the gates... didn't have to talk to anyone to pick up the poop and people tended to keep their distance quite nicely.
5. Keep the grain and water dishes supplied. To avoid any unnecessary spills to have to clean up after, only an inch or so of food or water was ever put into the dishes which of course meant more frequent top ups.
6. Answer the myriad of questions posed by both visiting children and or parents.
I wasn't too good at this task either since I regularly responded with... ahhh... let me ask Paige.
1. The entrance gate was about the only one that required much skill and it consisted of giving people their change, accepting money, and opening the gate to allow entrance to the zoo... Oh... and to keep non paying customers behind the safety barrier. ... even for photo taking! (This job proved to be very taxing for me... I didn't keep my money facing the same direction and I got fired. I didn't hand out business cards to the parents when their child came in, so I got fired. I chatted too much and didn't notice people lining up to get in, so I got fired. I couldn't seem to hold the money, count the change, hand out cards, open the gate and the rope barrier without letting animals escape... so I got fired!... the problem was I kept being rehired as the need arose).2. The exit gate person could actually do their job sitting down... they opened the gate for children too young to operate the latch and offered hand sanitizer to those who had visited the animals.
3. Carrot patrol!... this became Duncan's favourite task! People could buy a carrot to feed the animals for $1.00. It worked quite well since all the animals except the ducks could eat the carrots it was the best treat. However, since the zoo saw approximately 350 patrons each day and at least half of them bought at least one carrot... the animals needed to still be as excited about being offered a carrot at the end of the day as they were at the end of the day! The animals had access to grain and water throughout the day as well. So, carrot patrol meant picking up the half eaten carrots or carrots that children had abandoned and throwing them over the fence into a strategically placed basket. These carrots were then taken home and fed to the animals who hadn't opted to go to Faire that day. (Now I say strategically placed basket..... it was in the small storage and changing quarters where we could go to eat or change our clothes... get away from being stared at by the public... but if we sat too close to the 'strategically placed basket'... stray carrots were known to hit us in the heads).
4. Poop Patrol. Self Explanatory really... make sure to clean up after the animals that have pooped!.... All 50 or so of them. And not just once an hour... but within minutes of them pooping. So, broom and dustpan in hand that job kept us all busy. Carlos seemed to prefer this job over the gates... didn't have to talk to anyone to pick up the poop and people tended to keep their distance quite nicely.
5. Keep the grain and water dishes supplied. To avoid any unnecessary spills to have to clean up after, only an inch or so of food or water was ever put into the dishes which of course meant more frequent top ups.
6. Answer the myriad of questions posed by both visiting children and or parents.
I wasn't too good at this task either since I regularly responded with... ahhh... let me ask Paige.
Buddy
Not all memories are happy ones.... Buddy was discovered by Memo and Caleb out in the garbage cans one morning. Obviously we heard "Can we keep him" from some but from others.. (Carlos)... "Take him with you please!!" But no, Buddy was one dog too many for Paige's operation. Buddy only lasted a week. We took him to a petting zoo in front of the feed store in the hopes that someone might want to adopt him but we still had buddy when the day was over. Sarah became quite attached. However Buddy also caused some casualties and had to go quickly... Our favourite two little baby goats had their lives shortened at Buddy's hand and I don't think Sarah knew quite what was the saddest part. She had grown fond of the baby goats and mourned their lives and also felt betrayed by Buddy but still couldn't quite let him go without some tears. Paige found someone on the local radio flea market show who took him.
Lemonade anyone?
To begin this was a school assignment, albeit optional. Once we had signed up though we did feel rather obligated. We didn't know at the time that we signed up that we'd be in Texas in June heat and humidity. I must find a way to get some hindsight beforehand!
In Texas we were though, so on the last weekend in May we held our lemonade stand. Not just any lemonade stand. A raise money for Juvenile Cancer Research lemonade stand. We were just one of many across the nation that weekend also. Check it out... take a tissue.. www.alexslemonade.org
Anyhoo... I was content by this point to make up pitchers of lemonade, sit on the corner and see what happened. But either Paige believes that anything worth doing is worth doing well or she is a crazy workaholic who isn't aware of heat or exhaustion.
She made all the arrangements for not just one lemonade stand but for two! First one to be held at the new gas station opening up on the highway at the entrance to her neighbourhood. She brought the pony carousel, picked up the lemons, ice, sugar, made the lemonade mixture, loaded the coolers and table, called the local radio station and made an announcement. All we had to do was show up!
Heat with humidity sure makes me drag my feet, even for a good cause. I kept offering to just write a check to the foundation and let all the kids have a day off! Such a bad influence I was. I did try to have a good attitude. The kids made signs and we had a donation even before the lemonade arrived. Paige arrived to set up the ponies and someone who had heard about it on the radio had driven over to donate... didn't care about the lemonade. I had to admit that most people stopped so their kids could ride the ponies and then felt obligated to donate something... (likely would have been the kind of thing I would have done) Duncan, Miles and Sarah kept the ponies busy riding which ever pony needed a rider. They ended up with some sunburned knees at the end of the day. We stayed for three and half hours and went home sticky, hot and exhausted.
The next morning, Paige had us up at the crack of dawn... It was time to do it again.. but this time it was in the parking lot in a much busier location. The local feed store across from Wal-mart in Waxahachie. She only brought one pony this time, with pink mane and tail mind you!, and a trailer full of small furry creatures for a full petting zoo. I went to Wal-mart to buy ice and came back in time to finish setting up the lemonade.
Again Paige and the kids did all the work... I was truly awful! It was almost unbearable to be outside another day and this time on the asphalt! The shade tents were the only saving grace and the abundant supply of cold lemonade! This was a much busier location though so not as much time to nurse my complaints because I had to put on the happy fund raiser face and serve hot Texans some pucker up lemonade!
When it was all over and we had put away all the animals, tents, woodshavings, lemonade supplies and cleaned up after our little event we had raised $200.00 and we did feel good about ourselves.
My hat is off to Paige and her kids for doing these types of petting zoo and pony events all the time because if I wasn't already fired I'd have quit! My aversion to being in the heat and humidity, my allergies to the furry creatures or perhaps I'm just plain lazy!
Paige can sure make a mean cup of lemonade though....
In Texas we were though, so on the last weekend in May we held our lemonade stand. Not just any lemonade stand. A raise money for Juvenile Cancer Research lemonade stand. We were just one of many across the nation that weekend also. Check it out... take a tissue.. www.alexslemonade.org
Anyhoo... I was content by this point to make up pitchers of lemonade, sit on the corner and see what happened. But either Paige believes that anything worth doing is worth doing well or she is a crazy workaholic who isn't aware of heat or exhaustion.
She made all the arrangements for not just one lemonade stand but for two! First one to be held at the new gas station opening up on the highway at the entrance to her neighbourhood. She brought the pony carousel, picked up the lemons, ice, sugar, made the lemonade mixture, loaded the coolers and table, called the local radio station and made an announcement. All we had to do was show up!
Heat with humidity sure makes me drag my feet, even for a good cause. I kept offering to just write a check to the foundation and let all the kids have a day off! Such a bad influence I was. I did try to have a good attitude. The kids made signs and we had a donation even before the lemonade arrived. Paige arrived to set up the ponies and someone who had heard about it on the radio had driven over to donate... didn't care about the lemonade. I had to admit that most people stopped so their kids could ride the ponies and then felt obligated to donate something... (likely would have been the kind of thing I would have done) Duncan, Miles and Sarah kept the ponies busy riding which ever pony needed a rider. They ended up with some sunburned knees at the end of the day. We stayed for three and half hours and went home sticky, hot and exhausted.
The next morning, Paige had us up at the crack of dawn... It was time to do it again.. but this time it was in the parking lot in a much busier location. The local feed store across from Wal-mart in Waxahachie. She only brought one pony this time, with pink mane and tail mind you!, and a trailer full of small furry creatures for a full petting zoo. I went to Wal-mart to buy ice and came back in time to finish setting up the lemonade.
Again Paige and the kids did all the work... I was truly awful! It was almost unbearable to be outside another day and this time on the asphalt! The shade tents were the only saving grace and the abundant supply of cold lemonade! This was a much busier location though so not as much time to nurse my complaints because I had to put on the happy fund raiser face and serve hot Texans some pucker up lemonade!
When it was all over and we had put away all the animals, tents, woodshavings, lemonade supplies and cleaned up after our little event we had raised $200.00 and we did feel good about ourselves.
My hat is off to Paige and her kids for doing these types of petting zoo and pony events all the time because if I wasn't already fired I'd have quit! My aversion to being in the heat and humidity, my allergies to the furry creatures or perhaps I'm just plain lazy!
Paige can sure make a mean cup of lemonade though....
Sarah's Pony Party
Sarah celebrated her birthday in Texas. Paige went all out for the event and arranged for a pony party!.... oh yeah... we were living a month long pony party with petting zoo.... hmm.. well for her birthday we took the pony for a ride in the field. Sarah loved it as she always did! Did you notice Paige also has a unicorn!!!
Fool Hardy
There were stages throughout the Faire with exciting shows every hour. The stage next to the petting zoo was no exception. However the Fool Hardy clown show was exceptional! We only had to attend it once to know that we would plan our activities around when the next Fool Hardy show would be! They had a smaller more intimate crowd and once a day it was children only! The children of Faire workers known as the fairies would attend the 5pm show and it was delightful. They were enchanting and truly a child friendly show... which some shows couldn't boast! We learned a few tricks that we tried out at home and no we won't tell how they work!
One Elephant went out to play
One of the perks of knowing Paige is who she knows and what you can get because she knows them! And she knows EVERYONE! She had been making a deal with the elephant trainer who also owned the llama ride booth to trade some bunnies and goats of hers for a llama saddle. She mentioned to him that her niece and nephew were in town and he said to bring them over for an elephant ride! So during a slight lull at the petting zoo we all took off for the pachyderm area!
We brought some carrots to say thank you to the elephants... not knowing what to offer the elephant trainer! There were so many of us that it took two turns. Paige, Duncan, and Miles, then Memo, Caleb and Tree. The big boys had a longer ride since the elephant needed to relieve himself while they rode and of course I took a photo to the amusement of the trainer who called out "I saw that flash... always a sicko in the crowd who can't even let the elephant have a little privacy."
We brought some carrots to say thank you to the elephants... not knowing what to offer the elephant trainer! There were so many of us that it took two turns. Paige, Duncan, and Miles, then Memo, Caleb and Tree. The big boys had a longer ride since the elephant needed to relieve himself while they rode and of course I took a photo to the amusement of the trainer who called out "I saw that flash... always a sicko in the crowd who can't even let the elephant have a little privacy."
En Garde
Miles has been fascinated with things sword and shield, dragon and knights for as long as I can remember. This was like a fantasy come true to spend three days watching jousting matches, having knights pass him along the roads, and to be set up next to the sword and shield shop. Joy, the lady running the shop was as her name suggests... a joy. Tree taught Miles and Duncan that if you were kind to the shopkeepers it would pay off. So they ran errands for her and offered her drinks and took her wares to display during the daily parade. In exchange at the end of our three days the boys each were awarded with their own swords and shields. Caleb chose a large katana sword. Miles a regular sword and a dragon shield, and Duncan a small dagger and a knights shield. Now we all had to watch our backs... they were armed! These went with them everywhere, including to bed.
Along with their sword and shields was some intense training over the three days. The petting zoo was located across a meadow from the jousting arena. The joust occurred three times a day. The two boys were anxious to watch each time. If we left the petting zoo we had to take with us the petting zoo flags as advertising .. fair enough... although as you can see from the above photo I don't think the two boys were very good at the advertising once they started to watch the joust! By the third day they had seen plenty of jousting and they were ready to try it for themselves..... no not really.... there was a booth set up with a wooden horse to train future jousters and they had wanted to try that since the first day. We waited for our chance to get away and tried out the joust. Miles was a natural, holding his lance and got the ring on his first ride... Duncan took two swipes at it unsuccessfully but came away beaming anyway. They are both completely convinced that they have to have one of these jousting trainers in the backyard and wanted me to take good pictures of it so daddy could build it when we got home... I dutifully took the photos and promised to let daddy know! My two squires had done it all and had a fantastic fantasy weekend!
Along with their sword and shields was some intense training over the three days. The petting zoo was located across a meadow from the jousting arena. The joust occurred three times a day. The two boys were anxious to watch each time. If we left the petting zoo we had to take with us the petting zoo flags as advertising .. fair enough... although as you can see from the above photo I don't think the two boys were very good at the advertising once they started to watch the joust! By the third day they had seen plenty of jousting and they were ready to try it for themselves..... no not really.... there was a booth set up with a wooden horse to train future jousters and they had wanted to try that since the first day. We waited for our chance to get away and tried out the joust. Miles was a natural, holding his lance and got the ring on his first ride... Duncan took two swipes at it unsuccessfully but came away beaming anyway. They are both completely convinced that they have to have one of these jousting trainers in the backyard and wanted me to take good pictures of it so daddy could build it when we got home... I dutifully took the photos and promised to let daddy know! My two squires had done it all and had a fantastic fantasy weekend!
Scarbourough Faire
There isn't a more perfect quote to sum up a fair than the goose in Charlottes Web. "The fair is a veritable smörgåsbord"!!!
We lived the Faire life for three very full, hot, long days in Waxahachie Texas. Three days that felt like more.
While still tired from traveling to Texas and adjusting to the one hour time difference, the 15 degree temperature increase and the intense humidity, we were up bright and early on Saturday morning chasing animals into crates and loading them onto the trailer, being fit for costumes to help us blend in during the '16th century', and generally causing quite a hullabaloo as the ten of us prepared to have a full day at the Faire.
The first truck pulling the trailer of animals and gear left with the boys and they headed for the Faire grounds to unload and set up whilst us damsels... (16th century... getting in character) stopped at the bakery for the day old pastries, ice and drinks for the day ahead. We pulled into the peasants entrance... because of course as lowly farm workers we do qualify as peasants... we took Paige's advice and used the flushable privies before heading to work... but wait Paige let us in on a little secret!!... stop at the braiding tent on the way to the petting zoo for a hairdo that would last us all three days she said! The exquisite braids did more than just last three days... they kept our hair off our necks in the 100- degree weather and high humidity, they kept us looking remarkably tidy looking even though we knew by the end of each day we had a full layer of grime all over us. The braiding had one other perk... and that was that by the time four damsels had their long hair braided and headed to the petting zoo... the grueling work was done!
We weren't in the zoo all day though. We explored about 1/3 of the fairegrounds that day. We attended shows, looked in a few shops, and wandered around quite a bit. We were in the parade after lunch and that was fun... for most of us. Paige carried the smaller tortoise which was awkward to carry but had the desired effect of getting a lot of attention for the petting zoo... until that it it pooped on her... The parade route takes you all the way through and around the fairegrounds so I was glad to have a quick overview of the place... I just wish Duncan hadn't tuckered out half way along the route. I had to give him a piggy back ride to finish the parade and then walk all the way back to the zoo area. (I used short cuts whenever possible)
(these were the strollers and wagons of the 16th century for hire at the faire)
Some of the kids favourite activities from the faire were the maze(Nicholas nickelby... oh... I can't remember the secret password!!), the human powered ferris wheel (the ladies had a crush on Duncan and he was happy to woo them with a bottle of cold water in exchange for yet another ride!), games of skill (renaissance carnival games... with real knives.. My worst nightmare!... Miles loved it!).
Cleaning up at the end of the day was almost an event in itself... and seemed to go very quickly... of course I was just a photographer. I was amazed at the way the kids could catch the animals and crate them so adeptly. But it must have been fun because sometimes as we waited for Carlos to arrive with the truck and trailer the kids would dance amongst the animals.On the last day of Faire we attended the end of the day ceremonies. A true challenge to describe. The bagpipes and the amazing costumes... the merriment of dancing we all got caught up in it... And finally the cannon boomed and it was all over .....
roll end credits!
Dr. KABOOM
Doktor Kaboom was the highlight of our trip to Texas... I have to say 'TO', because we didn't even get to Paige's house before she called to give us directions to a theater in Dallas where there were tickets waiting for all of us to see "DOKTOR KABOOM"! It was a good thing it was a phenomenal show because after my two looong days of driving I wasn't really in the mood for a 'show' but was I wrong... it was just what the 'Doktor' ordered.
He was a special friend of Tree's from their years at Scarborough Faire together. In fact the inscription in the program mentioned Tree. To describe the show would be difficult.. umm... a comedic scientifically explained magic show in broken English / German accent!.... yeah... that's it!
www.doktorkaboom.com
Road Trips
Day two of the trip seemed boring compared to day one! No one threw up, had a migraine, Of course today I was prepared... I had the complimentary cups and the plastic ice bucket from the motel, some paper towels, and some water that wasn't frozen! We had all had a better nights sleep and we went to breakfast at Denny's with a 20% discount! Well fed, well rested, off we went! The day passed uneventfully for the most part but we did start the trucker game. We tried to get the truckers to honk their horns as we passed them. We succeeded 23 times.
The landscape in Texas doesn't change much in many hours of driving southeast! But the speed limit does... we were forever slowing down to go through a small town and then back to 70. We stopped in Wichita Falls to deliver a package and then we were 'on the road again'. We pulled into the Dallas Fort Worth area at 5:30 PM... exactly what I had planned to avoid! We were in the thick of the traffic, an accident ahead of us had us at a crawl and Paige was calling, urging us to hurry because she had tickets for the evening. We were running on fumes and I was nervous to take an exit in case I couldn't figure out how to get back on the freeway. We did find a gas station that we could get access back onto the freeway simply.
We were greatful for a fairly uneventful traveling day. This was how we assumed our whole trip would have gone. It restored my faith in road trips. Knowing that we had traveled 1400 miles and lived to tell our tales made me think that maybe we could actually consider the return trip at some future date... and possibly a new road trip to somewhere else some day.... we'll see.....
The landscape in Texas doesn't change much in many hours of driving southeast! But the speed limit does... we were forever slowing down to go through a small town and then back to 70. We stopped in Wichita Falls to deliver a package and then we were 'on the road again'. We pulled into the Dallas Fort Worth area at 5:30 PM... exactly what I had planned to avoid! We were in the thick of the traffic, an accident ahead of us had us at a crawl and Paige was calling, urging us to hurry because she had tickets for the evening. We were running on fumes and I was nervous to take an exit in case I couldn't figure out how to get back on the freeway. We did find a gas station that we could get access back onto the freeway simply.
We were greatful for a fairly uneventful traveling day. This was how we assumed our whole trip would have gone. It restored my faith in road trips. Knowing that we had traveled 1400 miles and lived to tell our tales made me think that maybe we could actually consider the return trip at some future date... and possibly a new road trip to somewhere else some day.... we'll see.....
Are we there yet?
Disclaimer:(This post best read before eating something)
Road Trips are well known for open mouth snoozing, kinks in the neck, restlessness, potty stops, boredom and the inevitable "Are we there yet?"
When I set out on this endeavor, combining four kids and only Mummy into a small car and headed out on a 1400 mile drive, I anticipated most of the above happening by packing dvd's, music, books on tape, snacks, books. I figured I had it covered, besides I've traveled with the kids before and they travel fairly well. We got a great start to our trip leaving at 4:30 in the morning and heading east, map in hand off we go. We'll call from Amarillo, I told everyone, that's where we'll spend the night!
Our first gas stop was scheduled for Grand Junction, CO. We didn't quite make that. We stopped four times for "I really can't hold it" potty stops and then Duncan was sick. I was so proud of myself for packing light for our trip... until that moment on the side of I-70, with a half-naked boy, a now disgusting carseat and no way to clean up, nor catch any future heavings.
How could I not have packed a single babywipe, or so much as a cup, let alone a bucket... no towel to now drape over the seat, only juice in the cooler as the water was all frozen solid still.
I used my socks to scrape the majority of the mess off the boy and the seat. I searched everywhere for something to put the soiled items in .... dumped out the granola bars box and stuffed it with stinkiness and put that at the furthest corner of the car.... not that it helped much... the car seat although now scraped "clean" with socks had to still be used. I had clean clothes to put on my sticky boy who was still heaving on the side of the road. I draped a clean t-shirt over his seat and we got situated again. The only thing I had found for him, should he need to heave while we traveled on, was his very much loved Froggy boots. It took some convincing that if he needed to use it I would indeed clean them when we found some water; I would not throw them away! He no longer had shoes for the trip though having already soiled his sandals and now his only other shoes had been turned into an emergency bucket! He was really a good sport. We managed to make it to a picturesque little town, albeit in Utah still, with a gas station Wendy's combo, about thirty minutes later and his boots were spared! A slightly better clean up and now some overpriced towelettes, a large empty Wendy's cup.. for purposes we didn't care to divulge to the lady taking our order, everyone pottied and squished back into the car. The sun was now coming up and shining directly into our eyes.
My thoughts "Am I insane?", "We're only 2 1/2 hours from home, do we carry on or turn around or just stay here?", "This is a nice town... the money we'll save on gas for the rest of the trip we could get a motel room and enjoy the sights.", "I am a glutton for punishment", "That's the worst of it... it can only get better from here", "Carry on, carry on, carry on....".
The kids all put shields up over their eyes and went back to sleep as I drove off into the sunrise. (Sorry... Tangent here ... Love must be blind because otherwise why would it be depicted as romantic to ride off into the sunset... I realize this is the sunrise but really driving or riding into the sun is blinding, annoying and not terribly safe!) After an hour the sun was finally high enough for me to not squint even with my sunglasses on and we had arrived in Grand Junction, CO. The gas stop was painless.. the kids slept and we were gone again. (I'm once again reminded how appreciative I am for pay at the pump)
I had stayed up getting everything finished so that we could go on the trip and with the kids asleep and the road from Grand Junction to Denver starting out rather dull... I was feeling tired... at nine o'clock in the morning... bad sign!... So lots of air conditioning and time for some blue tooth telephone calls... I found that people who were up at 9a.m.MST and not on vacation didn't have much time for chit chat, but it did the trick and I was awake and now so were some of the kids. The allure of driving to Texas was wearing off for me since I was already bored of driving and Duncan's previous heavings were warming up in the back, not to mention his seat, and starting to smell rather nasty... It wasn't until this time that I realized I should have rinsed out the soiled clothing in the granola bars box.
We were now winding our way through the rockies and ascending and descending and going through tunnels... Duncan lost it a few more times and there aren't really pulling off spots along these roads.... Sarah and Miles were sitting on the farthest side of their seats with their noses plugged. The Wendy's cup had done it's job but now we needed to empty it. I hadn't had enough sleep the night before, the car stunk, I'd been squinting for over an hour that morning and I'm driving along some really winding roads.... if that wasn't a recipe for a disaster... I started wondering why there wasn't a yellow line in some areas, but each time I turned my head to see something the kids were pointing out I'd see that the yellow line was back... hmmm I looked away and then back a few times in a row and low and behold there is indeed a yellow line I'm just losing my vision! This only happens when I'm getting a migraine, but I feel okay... well maybe I'm just a little tense... nope this is a migraine coming on... Now I'm panicking... there isn't a place to pull off... I'm becoming intensely aware of everything... my sunglasses are rubbing against the top of my ears and annoying me... the air conditioning is blowing right into my face, ...I must put all of my concentration into driving safely! Caleb had his scouts first aid kit in his back pack and this was definitely a time to dry medicinal intervention... I couldn't sleep this migraine off in a dark room for 6 hours.
The medicine didn't seem to have any effect and so as soon as there was an exit I found a spot to stop. Almost instantly the Wendy's cup was begged for and I managed to fill it twice. (I meant to stop on the return trip to see if we had indeed killed the small bush in the gas station by using it as our dumping spot)
We just sat in the car with the windows down for some fresh air... in a gas station, hmm... and the kids I'm sure were just not sure what to think now. It was almost an hour before I felt I could try moving my head without it falling off. We all went into the gas station so I could get a cool paper towel and all of us could potty break before we headed on. Two attempts to leave the bathroom but I suddenly felt the urge to return to heave and then Duncan, who I guess had found a granola bar and a juice box, needed to also heave after my example.
Again my thoughts, although now hurting my head were considering calling it quits... "get that motel room... we're only six hours from home and it seems we are an eternity away from Texas at this rate. It's noon.. who gets a motel room with four kids at noon just outside Denver, CO. After heaving I was feeling more at ease and my vision had returned to normal. We'll proceed for a while... I think we have to admit to falling short of Amarillo though."
After about 45 minutes it was apparent that my head was going to explode and I simply couldn't go on like this... we were south of Denver although how I don't remember! We found an exit to a small rural road and pulled off under the shade of a tree next to a cow pasture. I double checked that we had cell reception and gave the kids strict instructions not to get out of the car and that at the sign of any trouble, obviously wake me and Caleb was to keep phone ready to call 911. (The only way to get rid of a migraine.... SLEEP!... usually quiet, dark room sleep but now any sleep was welcome!)
I slept almost two hours off and on, finding it difficult to let myself go into a deep sleep wondering if we were indeed in a safe place. Channa called and chatted with Caleb for a bit about the situation and encouraged us to go on to a motel even if it was only two in the afternoon. Once I woke up I could feel that the dull low headache was going to be manageable and it was time to find out where we are and where could we potentially go from here! (Once again, I am so impressed with my kids understanding and patience!) So on the road again we learned we were just north of Colorado Springs... hmmm... Channa called to help us arrange where one adult and 4 kids would be able to stop for the evening. Colorado Springs wasn't to be but perhaps Pueblo. Since that wasn't very far we decided to venture onto the road again.
I could see normally now and the headache wasn't requiring me to close my eyes, stay still or to hold a, very stinky cup anymore. We decided that Pueblo which we reached in only thirty minutes was just not far enough for day one so we called Channa and asked where can we get to next that will accommodate us. It was Raton, New Mexico or Amarillo, Texas. Raton was 2 hours and Amarillo was 5. We opted for Raton since it was only 3:00 and we should be able to handle that much driving.
We took our time. We had a relatively short drive ahead and plenty of daylight left. Thankfully we weren't on winding or climbing roads anymore and the sun was now beside us since we were heading south and not directly in our eyes. The temperature was cooler and the wind wasn't as strong. With our good driving conditions we turned on our book on tape again and listened to the end of Winnie the Pooh. Then we put in our primary songs cd for this year. Duncan sang his lungs out to Tell me the Stories of Jesus, and then we worked on Called to Serve, which got everyone invigorated. We realized now that we hadn't stopped to eat all day, just having the snacks in the cooler and stopping for more unpleasant needs throughout the day so we began discussing dinner options that might appeal to the weak stomached traveler! We settled on Subway with the kids telling me of their current deal of a $5.00 footlong! Now where is a Subway when you want one? We finally found one about 20 miles down the road in a small town called Wolfensburger. It was a nice little town three miles from the freeway and we enjoyed the chance to wash our hands and faces and be rid of the stinky cup and napkins. We enjoyed our subs, used the potty and returned to the road! Raton here we come!
We were planning to stay in a motel 6 in a small border town in New Mexico with a name that meant rodent! We tried not to let ourselves dwell on the eeriness of our plan and instead began to be excited that Channa had told us that this motel had a pool!
We checked in, learned that their pool wasn't yet open for the season, that our room faced the freeway, that the ice machine was broken and that there were two beds waiting for us to flop!
I showered (new blog to come about Showers and Water) even though there wasn't even a complimentary shampoo available, we watched the only episode of American Idol that we had seen at all this season.. the finale!, I called Channa, Daddy and our neighbour Amber who had been calling to find out if we were still safe since she couldn't believe that anyone would venture out on a road trip with their children alone. We then called Paige... each call had the same update in about 2 minutes, I double checked that the doors were locked the drapes were closed and we all fell asleep.......
We were barely half way, it had seemed to take a week to go this far... it was going to be very hot and humid... this isn't a good time to visit Texas, March or October are good times in Texas... We could just head North in the morning and go home maybe the kids would be so sick of this crazy trip they wouldn't notice that we never actually made it to Texas... no that isn't fair .. halfway isn't too bad... I wonder what tomorrows' drive will be like..... Are we there yet?.....
Road Trips are well known for open mouth snoozing, kinks in the neck, restlessness, potty stops, boredom and the inevitable "Are we there yet?"
When I set out on this endeavor, combining four kids and only Mummy into a small car and headed out on a 1400 mile drive, I anticipated most of the above happening by packing dvd's, music, books on tape, snacks, books. I figured I had it covered, besides I've traveled with the kids before and they travel fairly well. We got a great start to our trip leaving at 4:30 in the morning and heading east, map in hand off we go. We'll call from Amarillo, I told everyone, that's where we'll spend the night!
Our first gas stop was scheduled for Grand Junction, CO. We didn't quite make that. We stopped four times for "I really can't hold it" potty stops and then Duncan was sick. I was so proud of myself for packing light for our trip... until that moment on the side of I-70, with a half-naked boy, a now disgusting carseat and no way to clean up, nor catch any future heavings.
How could I not have packed a single babywipe, or so much as a cup, let alone a bucket... no towel to now drape over the seat, only juice in the cooler as the water was all frozen solid still.
I used my socks to scrape the majority of the mess off the boy and the seat. I searched everywhere for something to put the soiled items in .... dumped out the granola bars box and stuffed it with stinkiness and put that at the furthest corner of the car.... not that it helped much... the car seat although now scraped "clean" with socks had to still be used. I had clean clothes to put on my sticky boy who was still heaving on the side of the road. I draped a clean t-shirt over his seat and we got situated again. The only thing I had found for him, should he need to heave while we traveled on, was his very much loved Froggy boots. It took some convincing that if he needed to use it I would indeed clean them when we found some water; I would not throw them away! He no longer had shoes for the trip though having already soiled his sandals and now his only other shoes had been turned into an emergency bucket! He was really a good sport. We managed to make it to a picturesque little town, albeit in Utah still, with a gas station Wendy's combo, about thirty minutes later and his boots were spared! A slightly better clean up and now some overpriced towelettes, a large empty Wendy's cup.. for purposes we didn't care to divulge to the lady taking our order, everyone pottied and squished back into the car. The sun was now coming up and shining directly into our eyes.
My thoughts "Am I insane?", "We're only 2 1/2 hours from home, do we carry on or turn around or just stay here?", "This is a nice town... the money we'll save on gas for the rest of the trip we could get a motel room and enjoy the sights.", "I am a glutton for punishment", "That's the worst of it... it can only get better from here", "Carry on, carry on, carry on....".
The kids all put shields up over their eyes and went back to sleep as I drove off into the sunrise. (Sorry... Tangent here ... Love must be blind because otherwise why would it be depicted as romantic to ride off into the sunset... I realize this is the sunrise but really driving or riding into the sun is blinding, annoying and not terribly safe!) After an hour the sun was finally high enough for me to not squint even with my sunglasses on and we had arrived in Grand Junction, CO. The gas stop was painless.. the kids slept and we were gone again. (I'm once again reminded how appreciative I am for pay at the pump)
I had stayed up getting everything finished so that we could go on the trip and with the kids asleep and the road from Grand Junction to Denver starting out rather dull... I was feeling tired... at nine o'clock in the morning... bad sign!... So lots of air conditioning and time for some blue tooth telephone calls... I found that people who were up at 9a.m.MST and not on vacation didn't have much time for chit chat, but it did the trick and I was awake and now so were some of the kids. The allure of driving to Texas was wearing off for me since I was already bored of driving and Duncan's previous heavings were warming up in the back, not to mention his seat, and starting to smell rather nasty... It wasn't until this time that I realized I should have rinsed out the soiled clothing in the granola bars box.
We were now winding our way through the rockies and ascending and descending and going through tunnels... Duncan lost it a few more times and there aren't really pulling off spots along these roads.... Sarah and Miles were sitting on the farthest side of their seats with their noses plugged. The Wendy's cup had done it's job but now we needed to empty it. I hadn't had enough sleep the night before, the car stunk, I'd been squinting for over an hour that morning and I'm driving along some really winding roads.... if that wasn't a recipe for a disaster... I started wondering why there wasn't a yellow line in some areas, but each time I turned my head to see something the kids were pointing out I'd see that the yellow line was back... hmmm I looked away and then back a few times in a row and low and behold there is indeed a yellow line I'm just losing my vision! This only happens when I'm getting a migraine, but I feel okay... well maybe I'm just a little tense... nope this is a migraine coming on... Now I'm panicking... there isn't a place to pull off... I'm becoming intensely aware of everything... my sunglasses are rubbing against the top of my ears and annoying me... the air conditioning is blowing right into my face, ...I must put all of my concentration into driving safely! Caleb had his scouts first aid kit in his back pack and this was definitely a time to dry medicinal intervention... I couldn't sleep this migraine off in a dark room for 6 hours.
The medicine didn't seem to have any effect and so as soon as there was an exit I found a spot to stop. Almost instantly the Wendy's cup was begged for and I managed to fill it twice. (I meant to stop on the return trip to see if we had indeed killed the small bush in the gas station by using it as our dumping spot)
We just sat in the car with the windows down for some fresh air... in a gas station, hmm... and the kids I'm sure were just not sure what to think now. It was almost an hour before I felt I could try moving my head without it falling off. We all went into the gas station so I could get a cool paper towel and all of us could potty break before we headed on. Two attempts to leave the bathroom but I suddenly felt the urge to return to heave and then Duncan, who I guess had found a granola bar and a juice box, needed to also heave after my example.
Again my thoughts, although now hurting my head were considering calling it quits... "get that motel room... we're only six hours from home and it seems we are an eternity away from Texas at this rate. It's noon.. who gets a motel room with four kids at noon just outside Denver, CO. After heaving I was feeling more at ease and my vision had returned to normal. We'll proceed for a while... I think we have to admit to falling short of Amarillo though."
After about 45 minutes it was apparent that my head was going to explode and I simply couldn't go on like this... we were south of Denver although how I don't remember! We found an exit to a small rural road and pulled off under the shade of a tree next to a cow pasture. I double checked that we had cell reception and gave the kids strict instructions not to get out of the car and that at the sign of any trouble, obviously wake me and Caleb was to keep phone ready to call 911. (The only way to get rid of a migraine.... SLEEP!... usually quiet, dark room sleep but now any sleep was welcome!)
I slept almost two hours off and on, finding it difficult to let myself go into a deep sleep wondering if we were indeed in a safe place. Channa called and chatted with Caleb for a bit about the situation and encouraged us to go on to a motel even if it was only two in the afternoon. Once I woke up I could feel that the dull low headache was going to be manageable and it was time to find out where we are and where could we potentially go from here! (Once again, I am so impressed with my kids understanding and patience!) So on the road again we learned we were just north of Colorado Springs... hmmm... Channa called to help us arrange where one adult and 4 kids would be able to stop for the evening. Colorado Springs wasn't to be but perhaps Pueblo. Since that wasn't very far we decided to venture onto the road again.
I could see normally now and the headache wasn't requiring me to close my eyes, stay still or to hold a, very stinky cup anymore. We decided that Pueblo which we reached in only thirty minutes was just not far enough for day one so we called Channa and asked where can we get to next that will accommodate us. It was Raton, New Mexico or Amarillo, Texas. Raton was 2 hours and Amarillo was 5. We opted for Raton since it was only 3:00 and we should be able to handle that much driving.
We took our time. We had a relatively short drive ahead and plenty of daylight left. Thankfully we weren't on winding or climbing roads anymore and the sun was now beside us since we were heading south and not directly in our eyes. The temperature was cooler and the wind wasn't as strong. With our good driving conditions we turned on our book on tape again and listened to the end of Winnie the Pooh. Then we put in our primary songs cd for this year. Duncan sang his lungs out to Tell me the Stories of Jesus, and then we worked on Called to Serve, which got everyone invigorated. We realized now that we hadn't stopped to eat all day, just having the snacks in the cooler and stopping for more unpleasant needs throughout the day so we began discussing dinner options that might appeal to the weak stomached traveler! We settled on Subway with the kids telling me of their current deal of a $5.00 footlong! Now where is a Subway when you want one? We finally found one about 20 miles down the road in a small town called Wolfensburger. It was a nice little town three miles from the freeway and we enjoyed the chance to wash our hands and faces and be rid of the stinky cup and napkins. We enjoyed our subs, used the potty and returned to the road! Raton here we come!
We were planning to stay in a motel 6 in a small border town in New Mexico with a name that meant rodent! We tried not to let ourselves dwell on the eeriness of our plan and instead began to be excited that Channa had told us that this motel had a pool!
We checked in, learned that their pool wasn't yet open for the season, that our room faced the freeway, that the ice machine was broken and that there were two beds waiting for us to flop!
I showered (new blog to come about Showers and Water) even though there wasn't even a complimentary shampoo available, we watched the only episode of American Idol that we had seen at all this season.. the finale!, I called Channa, Daddy and our neighbour Amber who had been calling to find out if we were still safe since she couldn't believe that anyone would venture out on a road trip with their children alone. We then called Paige... each call had the same update in about 2 minutes, I double checked that the doors were locked the drapes were closed and we all fell asleep.......
We were barely half way, it had seemed to take a week to go this far... it was going to be very hot and humid... this isn't a good time to visit Texas, March or October are good times in Texas... We could just head North in the morning and go home maybe the kids would be so sick of this crazy trip they wouldn't notice that we never actually made it to Texas... no that isn't fair .. halfway isn't too bad... I wonder what tomorrows' drive will be like..... Are we there yet?.....
Our Texas Pitstop
We were driving through Wichita Falls, TX where my friend Amber's parents were currently serving a mission and she had a little birthday gift for us to deliver to her mother. They were so kind to us weary travels. Greeting us with cold water and ice cream treats! If we didn't know what fun was laying ahead of us... we would have been content to stop here
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