By
Gypsy Rhapsody
Glamor Shot on the way to NM
Ain't I purdy!
(a 1977 Airstream that has many homes)
NEW MEXICO
The Land of Enchantment
TEXAS
Don't Mess with Texas
LOUISIANA
Laissez le bon temps rouler
"Let the good times roll"
Even though our official address is Texas,
We (V, D, GR) can call each of these states HOME
NEW MEXICO
V and D bought a timeshare there over 30 years ago. For the last 10 years, they have had part-time jobs from Memorial Day to the middle of September.
TEXAS
Ten plus years ago V and D discovered NTAC (North Texas Airstream Community) in Hillsboro, TX. They purchased a lot...and then a villa. It's one of my favorite places, because I'm literally surrounded by my "people".
LOUISIANA
V and D were born and raised in North Louisiana and lived and worked in South Louisiana for 42 years. Their "roots" are definitely there. They discovered me in Dry Prong, LA...so I've gotta lot of "roots" going on there, too.
(Just a little review, since I've been in La-La Land since last summer.)
UPDATE
Year in review...Summer 2024-Summer 2025
Before we left NM in 2024, our Breaux Bridge friend,
Beverly Whitaker, came for a visit. She had been
to Utah for a class reunion, and was on her
way back home. Vannie and Dave had so much
fun toddling around Questa and Red River with Bev.
Vannie and Dave were excited to see Scotty Rosatto, from Youngsville, LA .
Scotty is an owner at the Caribel Condos, where V and D work for the summer.
Scotty had installed some security cameras at the Caribel.
He had come up to check on them.
Such a nice visit. He treated them to a yummy dinner at Red River Brewery.
V and D's friend, Ellen Woods, from Questa, had a wonderful birthday
and memorial celebration. She said that she planned this great party
for when she died and decided that she would like to come to
her own memorial celebration. It was at the Monte Carlo Bar and Grill in Questa.
In October 2024 V and D headed to North Louisiana
for Vannie's high school class reunion. They thought I needed a little
R and R, so they took Minnie G with them. They parked on their
land in Bernice, and invited some relatives to come out for a visit.
left to right
Dave, Vannie, Stella, Noah, Judy, Stephanie
Ladies...left to right...Jean, Sue, Vannie, Janie, Julia...
Guys...Cal, Bill, Danny
Julia worked really hard, and made the whole event very special.
On to Thanksgiving...
Austin People came to Hillsboro (NTAC).
Lots of good food and fun and laughs!!!
Emilie, Maddie, V, Vincent, D
Had a babysitting gig in Austin.
V and D loved seeing Maddie cheering.
While they were there, Maddie and Vincent cashed in all their change
they had been saving for the Paris trip in the Spring.
Loving her 3wheeler
Getting close to Christmas
The Progressive Dinner at NTAC is always a blast.
Vannie and Dave's villa was the "Salad Stop". Lots of
great salads were prepared by the ladies of Avenue C.
I was even all decked out, and folks came in me and visited
and ate. I think I had as much fun as all the visitors.
Dave was one of the servers, so out came the tuxedo t-shirt.
On to Lafayette for Christmas with the Harris'.
Breakfast at Mel's Diner is always a favorite occasion.
Ashley, Diane, Cooper, Kat (C's girlfriend), V and D
Of course, Vannie can't leave out their grandcat, Bob.
Always good to see Bob...
First United Methodist Church
Christmas Eve
V and D's Friend from way back, Ann Dalme
Dave said it was a beautiful service.
Vannie and Dave ended their Christmas excursions
in Austin, TX with Emilie, Maddie, and Vincent
...and of course, Prince...
he loved his stocking!!!
Twinsie's
Dave's sister-in-law, Judy Harris came for a visit
in February. I loved her being at NTAC,
BECAUSE
she stayed in me!!!
Good ole Gypsy is always ready and willin' to accommodate guests.
Judy and Vannie were enjoying a Dr. Pepper at the Dr. Pepper Museum in Waco.
...and then...this happened!!!
Vannie and Dave traveled to Paris, France...
(that's right...NOT Paris, Texas)
They traveled with Emilie, Vincent, and Maddie.
Nobody asked me to go along.
Probably couldn't get my big behind in one of those airplane seats.
There they all are...Emilie, Dave, Vannie, Vincent, Maddie.
I think Vannie said this was taken at the top of the Centre Pompidou, Modern Art Museum.
If you look carefully, you can see the Eiffel Tower.
The tower was named after the engineer Gustave Eiffel, whose company designed and built the tower from 1887 to 1889. It was the centerpiece of the 1889 World's Fair.
Bet you didn't think I knew all this stuff.
Hey, I know how to use Google, too. I'm not just a pretty face.
How in the world can Maddie get her leg up on high?
Incredible!!
I just hurt all over when I look at this picture.
Vannie is lookin' very Frenchie here.
She was so happy to see her old friend, Notre Dame Cathedral.
The cathedral is over 800 years old.
The fire on April 15, 2019 destroyed much of the framework and spire.
Craftsmen from all over the world came together to restore the cathedral
to it's beauty. It reopened Dec. 8, 2024. Dave said it was a miracle.
Notre Dame is even more beautiful than ever.
Right next to the cathedral is the most popular bookstore, in Paris,
and maybe the world, Shakespeare and Company.
As you can see, all these kids are lovin' Paris.
Carpe diem
(Seize the day)
Dave said one of his favorite things on the trip was heading out each
morning while everyone was still sleeping to the local bakery (boulangerie).
Pain au chocolat was always in the bag, along with another
French pastry. Delish!
To sum up their Paris trip...
Mangez bien, (Eat well)
Riez souvent, (Laugh often)
Aimez beaucoup (Love a lot)
Back to the states...I sure was happy to see them!!!
And so was their son, Ashley.
CC's Coffee is always a fun place to visit, drink coffee, and just be happy to be together.
Ashley is quite the artist.
Vannie said it was so much fun to zero in to all the nooks and crannies of this
incredible piece of art.
V and D's daughter-in-law, is production coordinator of Festival International in Lafayette.
She treated Vannie to this beautiful festival scarf.
While in Lafayette, V and D celebrated grandson Cooper's 20th birthday.
Where...Mel's, of course.
Speaking of birthday's...Vincent turned 16 and got his driver's license.
YIKES
...and Maddie, as of June 2, is a teenager...
My goodness, that's a lot of food for a little girl.
Guess she's not so little anymore.
Before V and D headed west for the summer,
some NTAC friends treated Vannie to coffee and a pastry
at Overflow Coffee in downtown Hillsboro.
Georgiana, Sheila, Judy, Sue, Pam, Van, Ginger
Look at old Dave.
While the girls were downtown having coffee,
he was relaxing under the apple tree having his cup of Joe.
AND THEN, WE'RE OFF
TO THE WILD BLUE YONDER
Vannie says when they see that first masa,
they know they are heading west.
Wind Mills
Texas sure has a bunch.
Dave says Texas has a lot of hot air, for sure.
Here's my cute self at one of our stops along the way.
Gloria Gonzales' RV Park
Questa, NM
Vannie and Dave love their spot so much.
...and so do I.
Tout est bien qui finit bien
(All's well that ends well)
There I go...speaking French again.
Bet you didn't know I could do that either.
Remember I lived in Louisiana a long time.
Final Celebration
