The Big D "A"

Autumn at the Dallas Arboretum is a treasure of colors. Thousands of chrysanthemums combined with 50,000 pumpkins, squash, and gourds are a treat for the eye. We spent a leisurely afternoon meandering down the paths, enjoying the wonderful gardens.

Aunt Mary's 95th Birthday

 
 
This post is quite late, as I've been having trouble with Java Script. I finally figured out a way to post via Picassa, rather than directly on Blogger.com. So. . . Happy birthday, again, Aunt Mary. We had fun getting those 95 roses to you! And Edward had even more fun getting them back home with you.

The Little Engine that Could

 

 

 

During our last few days here in St. Louis, we took a train ride along the Meramac River. The Wabash, Frisco, and Pacific operates a 12-gauge steam driven railroad every Sunday from May through October. With the beautiful weather and Fall colors, demand was high and all three trains were running to capacity. It was a family affair, with our granddaughter, daughter, and son-in-law.

Jelly Belly Comes Camping

 
While here in Missouri, we had the pleasure of meeting the Jelly Belly team from California, here for a promotional at a local store. As you can imagine, they made friends quite easily and not just because of the samples they so freely shared!

Boo-Boo. Boo Hoo.

I guess after three years on the road we were overdue for a major mishap. We were all packed up and headed out of town when about 30 miles down the road the transmission guage started heating up. Then as we looked for an exit, we lost the speedometer. Then as we slowed for the exit ramp, we lost the air brakes. We DID make the truck stop and called our emergency road service for a tow. Once hooked up to the tow truck, we got in our car (which we were towing) and headed for the service center. We arrived ahead of the tow truck and were checking in when the motorhome arrived. Along the way, major damage was incurred to the front end and to the rear rock guard. A bad situation had become worse. So now we're back in the townhouse until we can get everything worked out. Anyone want to buy a used RV?

Playing Local Tourist

Drew's sister and her husband are visiting and we decided to take the tasting tour at Whetstone Chocolate Factory in St. Augustine. What a treat! Whetstone was a wholesale supplier to giants such as Nestle’s, Hershey and M&M Mars, but now only sells it's own brand. Our tour guide was not only informative, but entertaining as well. We got to "work the line" with a Lucy replica (remember the I Love Lucy episode where she couldn't keep up with the assembly line and was popping chocolates in her mouth to get rid of them?). A reaffirmation of the health benefits of chocolate, had us leaving with a bagful of delectable delights.

Home Sweet (New) Home

We've been busy getting settled into our new townhouse. Lots of furniture to buy, an outdoor kitchen to design, unpacking and everything else that goes into a move. But the big stuff is done and we have a little time to sit back, enjoy, and entertain a little before we hit the road again. We're proud to share a few pictures of our new place. Three-car garage, killer kitchen, no yard work, no painting, life is good. . .