I'm sitting here right outside of Gunnison, CO in the Airstream, smelling the Carne Asade in the Crockpot, while listening to Miranda Lambert on The View and thinking I need to get up and take all this dirty laundry to the laundry but it's been such a long time since I posted anything that this seems to be the most important thing going on right now!  There has been so much that has gone on since I last posted and I'm not going to have time to include all of it right now but I'm going to have to hit the high spots.

The most prevalent thing on my mind this morning is that Maddux is trying out RIGHT NOW in Coppell for Team USA.  What an honor!  Bryan is with him and texting Melanie and she's letting me know how it's going.  "Threw 20 pitches, did well, catcher couldn't catch his cb and cu."  Curve ball and Change Up, maybe?  "Wow.  He just put on a show at ss.  Wow"  "Didn't hit well."

When I heard yesterday he had been selected for this honor I told his Dad, "I need a picture.  I need to see that boy!"  Well, evidently he was in the process of waiting for a haircut and the picture shows his confusion of getting his picture taken at the barber shop.  Love this kid!

If he makes it he will have to be in Cary, NC the end of August.  We are already thinking about a caravan with his other grandparents, Ron and Martha, a/k/a Papa and Mimi to watch this next step in Maddawg's future!

The next big thing is the transformation Jacoby is going through this summer.  He has always been such a 'fraidy cat and so cautious in everything he does but his inhibitions have been unleashed as of late.  Much to the horror of his Mom.  She walked in the other day to find him standing on top of his table.  This table is what he has pushed all over their house for the last couple of years but never, NEVER has he ever considered getting his feet off of the ground, and safety, until just recently.  Melanie says he is going through a phase of climbing.  This is not something unusual for a kid much younger than Jacoby but with all of Jacoby's "issues" this is HUGE!  

Here is Jacoby visiting with Grannie and listening to the birds in her backyard.

Miss Katie-bugg has been on the go all summer long.  She has gone to volleyball camp at Texas A & M and Tarleton and Cheerleading camp at Padre Island and to Corpus Christi to celebrate Mikayla's birthday.  The picture below is what Melanie took just seconds after Jacoby heard Kaleigh's voice after she had been gone for 6 days.  He does love his sister!

The biggest thing going on this summer is that we're not in Texas!  We went to Sedalia, Missouri for the 55th Annual International Airstream Rally.  We were there for three weeks and had a wonderful time visiting with friends, playing Joker, going to seminars, carrying the THLU flag during the opening ceremonies, listening to great entertainment, going on tours, receiving personal (photography) awards and for THLU, voting in the delegates meetings, eating a lot, and much, much more.

When we left Sedalia, we spent the first night outside of Manhattan, Kansas at Tuttle Creek Lake.  I believe it was a Corp of Engineer place.  Very nice but very, very hot.  We saw 109 degrees the next day before we got out of Nebraska.  This picture is the sun rising over Tuttle Creek Lake the morning we were there.  This just might be an entry in the photo contest next year.  

From there we went to Cripple Creek, CO for about 10-11 days.  Had a really good time touring the area and eating at the Casinos and playing the penny and nickel slots.  

One thing Cripple Creek is known for is their pack of donkey's who roam the streets.  One Sunday morning we found them visiting the schools.  There were 9 of them and they were munching on the scrubbery and leaving deposits on the porches for someone to have to clean up on Monday.

While we were there, we visited the Butte Opera House.  Not once, but twice.  The first day we saw a melodrama that was really, really good.  I didn't know what a olio was but we saw one.  Lots of singing and dancing following the show.  Not related to the show, just in addition to the show.  The next afternoon we went back for the matinee again and saw My Fair Lady.  It was just as good.  Amazing talent.  The actors, sold tickets and seated guests and ran the concession stand too.  

After Cripple Creek we went to Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park.  We spent 3 or 4 days walking around the top of that Canyon and looking down and taking pictures.  Then last Sunday night Jimmy started having trouble with his heart rhythm again.  We decided we probably better get down to a lower elevation and we had been really struggling with trying to boondock without water and sewer and wifi.  But before we left, Jimmy wanted to go down to the floor of the canyon - so we could look up.  It was worth the whole entire trip!  So very beautiful.  I got some really pretty pictures of the water.  As much as I love my Airstream, I would have loved to have tent camped down there and tried some fishing.  The road to the bottom was 16% grade.  Very steep.  Here are a few of my favorite pictures:

I got out 39 letters yesterday to prospective members with brand new Airstreams.  Took me most of the day!  I also finished up and sent the newsletter to Judy to distribute.   Two new members in the last two weeks!  Tonight Jimmy and I went to the laundry and got all of that caught up.  Whew!  He's filled the water tank and we'll wait till the last thing in the morning to empty the grey and black tanks.  We meet up with the Craigs, Prices and Callahans for lunch tomorrow and go in together to the Rocky Mountain Vintage Rally.  So we are going to attempt this boondocking once again!  There are several meals and Happy Hours that we are going to have to provide food for and I'm a little concerned on how I'm going to do that without water and electricity.  Oh well, City Market is just down the street - we might be doing salads from the deli!  

Then Monday we leave everyone behind and head toward Ridgeway State Park.  Kelly and Steve Sosland stayed there last year and really bragged about how nice it was.  We are to meet Gary and Marilyn McClanahan there and stay for four days then we are moving to the KOA in Ouray for about a week.  I think Gary and Marilyn are going to stay longer but that's as long as we're going to stay.  We really need to get home.  I've got a Driver's Manual to write and I need to get things ordered and organized for that Caravan in October.  That's right around the corner.  I hope I've left myself enough time to get everything done!  Plus, I'm still a big Mama's girl and I miss my Mama.  I also miss getting to see those grandkids.  I know they've all grown up over the summer and Jacoby probably won't even remember me.  

I started this post early this morning and it has taken me all day to get back to it and get it finished.  But I'm done.  I'll try not to wait so long next time to write so I won't have so much catching up to do.