PUMPKIN PATCH

First Methodist Church...Hillsboro, TX

 

 

 

  

 

Miss Dell telling a story to the students 

Waiting to board the bus to head back to school

Vannie's in her element!

Back Home...Pumpkins for Me, too!

Vannie and Dave headed out early one morning.  They were going downtown to the First Methodist Church to help sell pumpkins at the church's Pumpkin Patch.  They had been encouraged to sign up the week before at the Wednesday night supper.  V and D had only been to church one time and this had been their first supper, but these folks were signing up people left and right...and before you could say "Jack Robinson", their names were on the list.

It proved to be a delightful experience.  Eight classes of kindergarten students came on V and D's shift.  They came two classes at a time.  One of the ladies from the church read them a story.  Vannie taught them a Halloween poem..."Hey, Black Cat...Where's it at?...Halloween, I mean...That scary scene"(Short and sweet)  All of the kids had 50 cents with which they purchased a small pumpkin to take home.  I wonder how many pumpkins actually made it home in one piece.   Dave passed out cookies and Kool-Aid.  Then they boarded the school bus and headed back to school.  Everyone was happy! 

...and to top of the day...V and D brought back a couple of pumpkins to put by my door.  Along with the scarecrow they got at Wal-Mart...I was looking good for the season!!!

Now, I can hardly wait for Vannie to bake some pumpkin bread..  I'll be looking good AND smelling good!

Pumpkin Bread
1 1/2 cups flour
1 cup brown sugar
1 cup mashed pumpkin
1/2 cup butter
2 eggs
1 1 /2 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ginger
1/4 teaspoon cloves
Heat oven to 350 degrees.  Grease 3 mini loaf pans.  Combine all ingredients.  Beat at medium speed, scraping bowl often, until well mixed.  Spoon batter into prepared pans.  Bake 30 -35 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.  Cool 10 minutes.  remove from pan...Enjoy!


IT'S GRANDMA'S BIRTHDAY...LET'S CELEBRATE

Madeline's here...Coming in my door!

On the way to the party...Can you see me waving out the back window?

First recovery stop

Sweetie Pie

The Lafayette Fam

 

Niece Stephanie and Husband Rusty...The organizers! 

 

Cousins...Sue Ellen, Roger (Dave's Brother), and Dave

The birthday girl with her 3 youngest great grandkids

 Madeline and Stephanie's Dog

Mr. Cooper...Gotta love that hat!

It's hard going up a hill...A big cousin helps a lot!

 

The Austin and Lafayette bunch with Gran

On the way home...Tech Savy Kid

And another one...Sure helps on a long road trip

A grandkid reminder

 

The party goers roared in to Hillsboro for just a brief time.  They were going to Louisiana for grandmother's 95th birthday party.  When I saw Emilie, Madeline, and Vincent arrive from Austin, I knew I had to get my hugs and kisses in quick, because they were heading out soon.  It was a long drive, and with two little ones, it can get a little crazy.

 

Suitcases were loaded...along with all kinds of toys, snacks, and more to help keep the kids satisfied.  Kids and Adults were stuffed into my BFF (The Ford Truck) and off they went.  By the time they got to the end of the street, I was already missing them. 

 

Vannie said their first stop was at a wonderful Sonic in Tyler, TX.  It had a huge playground with sand.  There were picnic tables and places to order your food close by.  Dave said Madeline and Vincent loved it.  They were able to play off some of that pent-up energy.

 

According to Vannie, Gran knew about the party.  She wanted to go to dinner at the old Mohawk Tavern in Monroe, LA.  She loves the shrimp delight salad there.  What she  didn't know was  that Emilie and kids and Ashley and his family were coming.  Sometime surprising Gran can backfire, but this time she handled it well, according all the party goers.  The cousins loved being together (most of the time). The food was good...the service was great...and the grandma felt special!

 

V and D and the Austin Crew made it back to Hillsboro in one piece.  They came...They went...and one little goldfish on my step was all I had left to remind me of their visit. 

 

 

 

TEXAS STATE FAIR 2013

V and D with their sweet Cousin Janet...They visited Janet for a few days before the Fair.

Whoo-Whee...Dem Cajun's on a BEEGG Wheel!

Nothing like a Fair Midway

 

Vannie said she was itchin' to pop a balloon...didn't happen.

That must be a TEXAS pumpkin!  That guys overalls are rockin'!

Looks like the 1964 World's Fair...That's another tale I've just heard about!

 

Which one has the winning number?

All the lights!!!

Vannie kept called his goat an Algora Goat.  It's Angora, Vannie!...LOL

Oink

 

What is it?

OMGoodness...a Fried Moon Pie!  V said she could feel her arteries clogging up with each bite.

 

Quilts

Crafts...Van Gogh's Starry Night in Buttons

Canning

 

Legos

Big Tex

Dave said these were all over the place and in every color of the rainbow.

 

While I was enjoying life in Hillsboro, Vannie and Dave were livin' it up at the Texas State Fair in downtown Dallas.  What a grand time they had!  They said it brought back so many memories of when they went as kids and when they took their own kids to the Louisiana State Fair in Shreveport. 

 

Vannie said that some things just never change...the midway,  the games, the smells, the sounds, the rides, the food, the animals, the preserves and jellies, the quilts and crafts,

Dave said that he did notice that everything was WAY more expensive...there were different foods, like those fried Moon Pies (there was even fried lemonade...how could they do that)...the canning products were displayed differently... the quilts were hung really high (probably to keep hands off)...there were more vendors selling stuff (jewelry, vibrating chairs, fudge, vitamins, and more)...and they never found the chickens. 

When I asked him, why he wanted to see the chickens, he just surged his shoulders and said, "There's just so many different kinds, Gypsy."  OK...But they are nasty little creatures. We have some right over the fence in Hillsboro.  I can hear that rooster crowing every single day.

 

Now...I wanted to hear a little more about that vibrating chair.  You think we could fit one or two in me.  Vannie said they sat in one and heard the whole spill from the salesman.  They measured it, and tried to figure out how they could possibly get one or two in me.  They would be so comfy to sit in while watching the tellie.  But, alas, no way...just wasn't going to happen...and Dave said they were a tiny bit pricey.  I would have enjoyed the vibrating part, too.  Oh, Well, can't have everything you want.  But it is nice to dream!

 

I'm still laughing over the "Algoria" goat.  They were cute things.  Looked like they just came out of the beauty shop...fresh perm!  And did you notice the size of that pig...my goodness me, what did they feed that thing...fried slop (OK, if they can fry the lemonade, they can fry the slop).

 

Big Tex...He obviously is THE thing to see at the Texas State Fair.  V and D went to a "Big Tex" Museum where there was old Big Tex stuff.  I think he used to move and maybe sing in past years.  He was just hangin' this year. They said lots of people were taking his picture, so he had a big smile on his face.  I loved the picture of Big Tex done in Legos.  Whew...makes me tired just thinking about putting that thing together. 

 

My stomach is still doing flip-flops just looking at the pictures of the Ferris wheel.  V and D said that it is the tallest in the western hemisphere.  I'm sure glad they rode it BEFORE they ate the fried Moon Pie.  It might have been really messy...on the people down below.

 

Looks like a good time was had by all!!!

 

 

 

 

TEXAS VINTAGE RALLY or COME AND TAKE IT RALLY

...also called The Come and Take It Rally

Gonzales, TX

 

Look at us...my kind of folks!

 

Fred and Judy Hazen

Chairmen of the Event

 

My neighbors...a rodeo was going on right next to us.

These guys must bring their own flies with them...and they loved sharing them.

 

Music for breakfast...Paul Gulick on guitar and Ron Hampton on harmonica

 

Vannie and the 5K...Now, that's a story!

Come and Take It Parade...with flags

 

...and floats

 

and old cars/trucks

 

...and cowboys and horses

 

See the little short dude in the back row...that's Dave.

Loves to sing...First Methodist Church in Gonzales

 

Open House Sunday Afternoon...The hat is back!!!

 

Come and Take It...Come and Take What?...When V and D told me we were going to Gonzales, TX to the Come and Take It Rally (Texas Vintage Rally) I was confused.  I didn't grow up in Texas, so my Texas history is a little lacking.  Vannie tried telling me something about the Mexicans giving a canon to the Texans, and then they wanted it back.  The Texans actually buried the canon to keep the Mexicans from getting it.  The story goes on and on...but the bottom line is that the Mexicans didn't get it back.  Those Texans are a tough bunch.  Since I have a Texas address now, I think I am going to have to read up on Texas history. 

 

The rally was really top notch.  There were 93 airstreams..a nice mixture of vintage and new.  I love the way they use that word "vintage" instead of such plain decrepit.  Fred and Judy Hazen chaired the event.  They are members of the Texas Highland Lakes Unit.  My vents go up for the Hazen's and their committee members.  Great Job!

A rodeo was going on right next to us.  Oh, the aroma of cows and horses and sweaty cowboys was .......goodness, I just can't think of the word.  But I'm sure most of you know what I mean.

One morning when I woke up, I could hear waves of music coming from the breakfast area.  It was so soothing early in the morning.  The sky had a pink glow making my silver body glisten.   There was a  breeze sweeping over me.  I could feel myself really starting to wind down.  I could get used to this..harmonica and guitar just doing their thing.

OK...Vannie and Dave have been doing the C25K deal three mornings a week.  They are on week 7 out of 8.  It is an app on their phone that guides them from the couch to running in a 5K.  Well, Dave read in the Gonzales paper about this 5K that was happening Saturday morning. Vannie decided she was ready to give that a try.  They headed out early to sign up.  Dave decided he was not ready.  It happened, and the story they told when they returned was a hoot.  Vannie came in sporting this big bronze metal with a big smile on her face. To make a long story short...Vannie came in dead last, but because there were only 3 people in her age category, she won 3rd place. 

After they rested up from the race, they roared off the see the Come and Take It parade.  According to them, it was a perfect small town parade...flags, floats, bands, horses, old cars, Shriners, and more. Vannie said it was one of the longest parades she had ever witnessed.  But everyone was having a great time...and they did, too.  They made some new friends...Stephanie Sobolik and Julie Jordan from Austin.I can see dinner in their future. Hope they include me.

Vannie met a really nice couple at the water station during the 5K.  They invited her to church...guess they through she needed a little "praying for" after that race. Anyway, Dave LOVES to sing, and he'll sing in any choir that will take him...so Sunday morning they went to the First Methodist Church in downtown Gonzales, and Dave sang.  Super nice people and some of them even showed up at our Open House on Sunday afternoon.  Open House with the airstream bunch is always fun.  So many people coming in and out...Vannie with her lampshade hat and Dave telling about their adventures...and me in all my glory...what's not to love!

A Great Rally...