Home For A While

After a whirlwind year around the western U.S., we headed back to the Dallas/Fort Worth area.

We stayed at the Vineyards RV Campground on Grapevine Lake, only 10 miles from our house (the one that we sold). Being on the lake is a priorty for Joni - she loves that kayaking!

Becky and Gary Sublette came out one day for some grilling and we ended up doing some karaoke. Joni and Becky took the house down!

She got to go kayaking with some special friends from Trophy Club. Mary Jane Mulaski brought her kayak to the lake and left it there for the length of our stay. That made it easier to come out for some kayaking fun and not having to haul the kayak each time See Joni and Mary Jane getting ready for a float.

Kathy and Skip came out to the lake also for some grilling and kayaking. (See Skip and Kathy in the kayaks).

Larry and Kathy Lehrmann joined us for a campfire and grill out. It was alittle cool that evening but the fire kept us toasty warm.

We were"home" for 2 months and enjoyed every minute of it. There's no place like home.

Joni Visits Jim and Barbara

On Joni's way back to Texas from New Hamphire, she decided to stop in NYC to visit her son, Jim, and his wife, Barbara.

A bike ride through the Bronx was scheduled for that same weekend, so we rode in it. There were a few thousand bike riders which took part. We started near the new Yankee Stadium (pictured) and rode about 30 miles around the Bronx, riding through some areas we wouldn't have gone through without the safety of many riders and a police escort. We took the subway to get to the starting point and then again to get back to Manhatten.

It was a very chilly day with morning temperatures in the 40's and warmed only into the 50's, but it was a great day for a ride. You can see how chilly Jim was.....doesn't he look cold? Pictured is the highway which went to the George Washington Bridge with the sign for the exit.

Joni also got to visit with Barbara's parents, June and Joe. Joe gets alot of kidding these days, as he is actually "Joe and Plumber". His name is really Joe and he is really a plumber. Go Joe!!!!! Pictured are all of us in Jim and Barabara's apartment.

Joni Visits New Hamphire

After our year long trip throughout the west, we were finally back in Texas. But, Joni wasn't there long before she went to New Hamphire to visit her Mom and brother. Leaving Delton behind, she flew to New Hamphire for a few days.

Mom is doing great. She seems happy and healthy and has just completed her first year in New Hamphire, having moved there from Florida last year.

It was a beautiful time of the year to visit the northeast. The leaves were full of color and the temperatures were ideal. Pictured is Mom in her backyard at the Spruce Wood Inn, where she lives. Also pictured is Mom with some of her friends in the lounge at SpruceWood. There are many nice people there and Mom has made some nice friends.

Joni also enjoyed visiting with her brother, Rich, and his wife, Adele, their son, Justin, and his girlfriend, Amanda. They have a mutual interest in motorcycles. Harley's in particular. Pictured is the group getting ready for a ride. Be Careful!
It's nice for Mom to be close to family, as Rich and Adele live only a few miles from her.

Ken and Ann Montgomery

While we were visiting the Doty's, they told us that Ken and Ann Montgomery were also living in the area. Ken was our music minister at First Baptist Trophy Club and has directed some of our elaborate Christmas and Easter pagents. They only lived a few minutes away from Delton's son, Chris, so we decided to give them a call.
We spent 2 evenings with them. The first one was a visit to their house. The second one was for diner at their house and tour of their church. They have a lovely home. They live there with their 2 girls, Hannah and Sarah and 2 dogs and a cat. We remember when Hannah was born, in the midst of one of our pageants at FBC Trophy Club.

Ken is the Worship Minister for First Baptist in Bentonville, Arkansas. The church is beautiful, as you can see in the pictures. There are many very talented people in their choir and orchester. Ken gave us a few CDs of their pageants to listen to. They sounded very professional. Ken and Ann love their church and life in Arkansas.

We loved visiting with them. If anyone from Trophy Club is in the Branson area, they would love to see you.

Roy Rogers, Jr. Show

All of us "boomers" remember Roy Rogers as one of our favorite cowboys - "King of the Cowboys". Even Joni, being from New York, watched Roy and Dale and was a big fan. She went to the Roy and Dale Rodeo at Madison Square Garden in New York City, many times.

After going to the Roy Rogers, Jr. show at Silver Dollar City, we decided we also wanted to go to the Roy Rogers Museum and live show at the Happy Trails Theater in Branson. It was well worth it. It brought back many childhood memories for both of us.

The Live Show featured Roy Rogers, Jr. (See Roy, Jr. singing in the black shirt.) He sang lots of Roy's songs and spoke about what life was like being the son of Roy and Dale. He had some funny stories to tell, but what came across most was the quality of family life they lived. Roy and Dale had 9 kids, both natural and adopted, and he mentioned many times how much love there was between all of them.

Also joining the show was Roy and Dale's Grandson, Dustin Roy Rogers, seen on stage with his dad, Roy, Jr. Dustin looks alot like Roy!. After the show we got to meet both of them. (See us with Roy, Jr. on left - now wearing a red shirt - and Dustin next to Delton)

We went to the museum where we got to see photos, memorabilia, home movies, guns, costumes and Trigger, Buttermilk, Nellybell the Jeep (see picture), Bullet , and much more. Trigger, Buttermilk and Bullet were all stuffed - the real deal - (see photos) .

The car that they rode in the Pasadena parade was about as "cowboy" as you can get. Check it out! Gun door handles inside and out, guns everywhere, saddle console, bullets decorations lining the seats and lots more.

As I close this story about our trip to the Roy Rogers and Dale Evans Museum and Show - all I can say is: HAPPY TRAILS TO YOU UNTIL WE MEET AGAIN!

The Dotys

We had a great treat! We got to see Tom and Karen Doty, friends we haven't seen in about 10 or 12 years.

We met the Doty family at First Baptist Church in Trophy Club, TX. They moved to the Ozarks after only 3 years in Trophy Club, but we became good friends there. They now live in Springdale, Arkansas. And their family has grown. They have 3 kids, Keri, Brady and Dallas. All have married and now there are lots of grandchildren. Pictured are Tom and Karen with Keri's family and Brady's family. Keri and Garth (husband) met in Texas, where Garth played the part of Jesus in our church musical.

When we realized they were only about 2 hours from Branson, we decided a visit was necessary. We drove down to see them for a day, went to church with them, had lunch and spent the rest of the day at their lake house.

Their lake house is beautiful and is enjoyed by their whole family. They are fortunate that they all live close and can get together often.

We have gotten to see many friends and family as we have traveled around the country, many that we haven't seen in a long time. Hope we don't wait another 10 years before we get to see the Dotys again.

Andy Williams Show

Andy Williams presents a show in Branson, It's great! You would never know he is 82 years old. He sings and dances and jokes around as if he is 10 years younger or maybe 15 years younger.

The Moon River Theater is across the street from the Moon River Grill, (pictured) both owned by Andy. We had lunch at the Moon River Grill (pictured) with the Rankin family and guess who walked in??? Yes - it was Andy himself. He makes frequent appearances at the restaruant. What a thrill that was! We forgot to bring our camera with us to the restaurant. Big mistake!

His show was very much like his old TV shows, very lively, fast moving and enjoyable. He had a variety of guests from singing families (pictured), to tap dancers, to magicians and more. He sang many of the songs that made him famous - including Moon River. See the picture of the finale, where all the guests lined up across the stage.

The Andy Williams Christmas Show will be presented during the holidays. We would have loved to see that one but we won't be in Branson then.

Silver Dollar City

Silver Dollar City is a fun entertainment park similar to OpryLand in Nashville. There are arts and crafts, rides, shops, and lots and lots of shows. All who work there wear 18th century clothes.

We went there with Mark, Sherry, Myron and Bill (all friends we met in Colorado). Mark and Sherry work at Silver Dollar City. Mark works in the carving shop (see Mark and Sherry with Mark's canes) and sells the canes he collected in the Colorado mountains and carved in Fun Valley. Sherry works in the children's area, making sure no one gets hurt (see Sherry in her costume).

As we walked thru the park, we enjoyed seeing all the arts and crafts shops. See Delton and Mark watching the craftmen working in the saddle shop. Also see Joni and Delton in jail!

There are many shows going on throughout the day. One of the most popular shows at Silver Dollar City is the ROY ROGERS SHOW (see Roy Rogers Jr. in the black shirt and pants) presented by Roy and Dale's son. You could see the resemblance to Roy. He told stories of Roy and Dale and Trigger and Buttercup and Nellybell and all the stars from the TV show. It was great!

We also went into a saloon and saw a cute musical skit, with bartenders, show girls dancing on the bar, and more.

Have you ever seen a Mule Jump??? A whole show was produced around mules jumping over sticks of different heights. The mules jumped from a standing position and did a pretty good job. I guess the interesting part of the show is that mules are supposed to be so stubborn and one never knows if the mule will jump or not. What do you think????

On the way out of the park, Delton was stopped by a very pretty girl (?) who was fasinated by him and couldn't resist putting her arms around him. Delton abliged him. What a cute picture.