A very special trip to Inks Lake...

Though we really hoped for cooler weather for this week...after all it is September, this weekend could not have been more perfect! This trip was to celebrate my sweet hubby! He turned 60 earlier in September and we really wanted to celebrate and honor him as a family.  Behind the scenes, the kids and I were busy making plans, working on some special projects, etc. to make this time extra special. Larry and I were blessed to get to slip out of town a few days early and just veg, scout out a perfect spot for us all (which we learned at Inks is quite an ordeal!) and get ready for the kids and grand kids to join us on Friday. We arrived on Tuesday afternoon, and found a really sweet spot to start our time, and had it just been us for the week, we would have stayed in that very spot but we needed more room for another trailer and tent, so once we spotted another place open up, we moved and held it till the kids arrived on Friday. The weather was really warm, well, HOT so we stayed in the camper more than we have ever done during the day. But in a way, it worked because it really gave my sweet, hard-working man time to nap and veg as much as he wanted! We took a few walks (early morning), Larry did a little kayaking and just a little bit of fishing. We cooked a big breakfast one morning and then did a chicken pot pie one night in our dutch oven. We both really like cooking with the dutch oven and we both love eating meals out of the dutch oven! 

We really "set up" camp this time more than we have so far. On our trip to Utah, we were too busy sightseeing and so this was the first time we used the awning the whole time and even hung some rope nights to enjoy in the evening! 

 I had a lot of fun playing around with our new camera and enjoyed taking pictures of my hubby!

 Love watching my man paddling around and do little fishing.

Zach, Meg and the boys arrived around 3 on Friday, so they set up quickly and we enjoyed visiting. They gave Larry their gifts, which he was shocked with a new handgun. Something he has been really wanting, but didn't expect! I have some pictures of this sweet time, but for some reason they will not load! Grr.

The little guys were so sweet about the gifts they picked out for him as well. 

Then we drove to Marble Falls and ate at an incredible Cajun Place that Z&M knew about and it was delicious. We stopped by Bluebonnet Cafe and picked up a Coconut Creme & a German Chocolate Creme Pie! Then we headed back to camp and David, Ashley and the kids arrived about 30 minutes later. It was VERY dark, so we helped them get set up, we had the tent set up but lots to get settled before bedtime. Then we had pie, visited and headed to bed. 

Saturday

We were all up early and the kids were anxious to fish and kayak. The site was so great, it was right on the water, so it was super convenient for the kids to play and us to watch! 
Zach and Meg cooked a delicious breakfast of sweet potato pancakes and sausage, so yummy! They are quite the cooking team and had things ready so quickly! We all ate and then while the boys were watching the kids, the girls snuck over (best we could), and put together the table for Larry's celebration. Meg and Ashley did a great job putting together things, Owen, Clay & Will had made banners, and Meg brought lots of fun Mason jars and she filled them with all of Larry's favorite snacks. Larry loves snacks...so it was perfect for him...and none of us complained about all the yummy junk food!!! Though we all contributed with pictures, etc. Ashley did a wonderful job of putting together a great scrapbook for Larry, celebrating his 60 years. Larry was so surprised and very touched by all the pictures and words from his family.
We spent the day playing around the water, rented two paddle boats and the kids had fun taking turns paddling. The kids loved floating around in the kayaks, it was overall such a relaxing day of playing. David and Ashley provided a yummy sandwich bar and so once again...we ate! 

We continued to play around camp, then all cleaned up and headed back into Marble Falls because we all decided we wanted Cajun food again! We ate, then headed back to camp for s'mores...which to Emma made our camp out official! It was such a sweet day of relaxing and celebrating Larry!
 
Sunday
Zach and Meg once again cooked a wonderful breakfast, breakfast burritos!
We again enjoyed a day of being together as a family and watching our sweet grand kids and kids playing together. Warms our heart. The boys were so good about  helping Emma and Hudson into the water and tied their kayaks together and gave Emma a chance to paddle but had someone right beside her to help out if she needed it. The area we were in was pretty shallow water, so that also made us feel better!
 

 

We enjoyed so much the slower pace of just hanging out and playing!
One of the sweetest moments, Will and Emma got in a kayak and probably for an hour they made a little trail through the water of break crumbs in attempts to entice the Canadian Geese and it worked! We all wish we had a video of the moment those geese decided to fly in and eat their buffet. A group of about 6 flew within inches of their boat, landed and enjoyed the kids feeding them. I wish I had a picture of their eyes as those BIG geese fly in, I thought they were going to land on top of them! Priceless. They were so excited their plan worked!
We begin the sad task of packing up camp, enjoyed sandwiches again and then it was time to say goodbye and head home.
Our trailer once again provided us with such a perfect little home away from home and we love it more and more each time we use it!! It was so fun to watch the grandkids take turns coming into the trailer and check it out. They all love it and as Owen said a million times this weekend, "Honey, this is the MOST perfect trailer EVER for you and Bud. Its just the right size!" 
We couldn't agree more!


This time together as a family was perfect! We all feel extremely blessed to have Larry in our life. I can't express how much I love this man. I feel so blessed by God when he gave me him. We have had so many good times and look forward to many more. Our family means the world to us, so to have this time to be together, to honor him and do something this family loves to do...be out in God's beautiful world! We are very thankful for our Dad, "Bud" and for me, my precious husband. 

May 22, 2015...Last day in Colorado....and then its time to head back to Abilene. :(

We had another wonderful nights rest, it rained off and on all night and that sound on the top of the trailer was glorious!  We got up, drank coffee, read, walked around camp and then walked to the camp store and got a really cute “Casita-looking” trailer  Christmas ornament. Then we walked down to Baker’s Bridge, where Paul Newman and Robert Redford in “Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid” took the big jump into the water!  Beautiful spot! 

 Fun to see some kayak come past as we were at the bridge, looks like a popular spot.

We went to a place we had read about on a Durango App, Urbanspoon and Yelp. It was a ranch called James Ranch, a working ranch by a Mom, Dad and their 5 grown children, spouses and grand kids. It was beautiful, lush green, stream running through the property and so many cute little buildings, barns, patios, etc. One of the daughters and her husband had opened a “Food Cart” where they served wonderful, delicious foods from the farm. Everything was delicious and fresh! WONDERFUL! They had a tour guide/map you could pick up and walk around and it explained their process and it was so relaxing, such friendly owners and a neat setup! We loved it!!! Wish we live close enough to come here again and eat there when all their fresh summer produce is coming out of the garden. They also have a very small but cute market located in the building where they make their cheese. We bought two little chunks of cheese, wish so much we could have gotten a few more things but since we are headed home we didn't want to try to keep things frozen, etc.  I wish we would have discovered this little gem earlier, but so glad we got to eat here at least once!
 Pretty sure this is the cutest food truck we have seen!

Here is the market, it would be so much fun to come back later, to see the flowers in full bloom, the garden and to eat again!!! Their menu changes depending on what they are harvesting at the time! :)

Not many food trucks give you such cute tables to sit at and this view!

Our view while we waited for our food...aaahhhh.

 This stuff is AMAZING!!! If any of my Abilene Peeps (or Katy Peeps) see this anywhere, we might need to enjoy one together. Comes it several flavors and oh my, soooo good!

  Lunch is served....

 Larry had a Elk burger with yummy garlic mayo and it was so tender and moist!

 I had the Inside-Out Grilled Cheese(their own cheese of course) with Black Current Jelly (that the make themselves with their own berries). Something about the salty of that cheese dipped in that jelly...my mouth is watering now. And let me just say, a little cheese on both sides of the bread...genius in my books!

 And it did...

On our walk we got to see their new calf, so sweet! 

We left the ranch and walked through another place called Honeyville Farms, they sell lots of cute honey products and honey bee items. Got a really cute towel for the kitchen! Then we headed back to camp to relax and enjoy the afternoon. I worked on loading pictures, read, and talked to Ashley while Larry took a snooze. Then we watched a few of our DVD (The Unit) as it was raining again and it was sooo cozy inside little Holly. We enjoyed baked potatoes that we had wrapped in foil and cooked in the crock pot and ate inside as it was raining but we enjoyed watching another couple of “shows” as we know when we get home we won't have the time to be lazy like this! So cozy and nice! We took a walk around the camp…can’t believe how many trailers have moved in! Everyone gathering for Memorial Day weekend. We leave in the morning, we were gonna pack up but because of the rain we will just wait and get thing packed and ready tomorrow.  We head to Albuquerque tomorrow and then home on Sunday. God has been so good in allowing us to have this time away and we have been so blessed with  safety and good health. 

Saturday, May 23^rd.

Got up and enjoyed a cup of coffee before packing up and heading to Albuquerque. Sad to see this trip end. Left the campground and stopped by the Farmers Market in Durango. Such a cool little market. Got a baguette of bread and a Danish for breakfast and then headed to Albuquerque. Ran by Camping World when we got into Albuquerque, then checked into the campground. Very nice people and a clean stop. Saw two Casitas parked in the same campground but never met owners. We went to REI, TJ Maxx, then to Il Vicinos to eat supper, so Larry was a happy camper! Visited with campers next to us, hooked back up to the Jeep and did all the prep work we could before heading in for the night. We watched two episodes on “The Unit” and hit the sack as tomorrow will be a long day of driving...and we have left pretty country!

Sunday, May 24^th

As we left Albuquerque, we spotted some Hot Air Balloons but never got super close...these are just pictures I took out the window of the car. But we talked about it could really be fun to come back for the Hot Air Balloon Festival they have here each year. Another trip in the Holly...sounds good to us!

Got up at 6:30, made coffee and got on the road by 7:30. Made several stops in the first hour…gas, then to get some fireworks for the boys, then to buy some moccasins for Emma as her treat and only stopped for bathroom and gas breaks. On the way home, since we had lots of talking time, we worked on Knight Camp. We sent a text to the kids to see if they might want to meet for supper when we get in and they were delighted, said the boys had been asking for days-weeks when we were coming home. Makes us feel good! We aren’t necessarily ready to be home but it will be good to see the family and friends. We are ready to go somewhere again! Got home around 5:30. Lots to clean up, but the memories are great!
We are amazed at how much we have enjoyed our little trailer and look forward to many more trips!