Thanksgiving with the Cali Kids

It’s almost become a tradition to spend Thanksgiving with Drew, Erin, Shannon, and Carl. AND I love it. I so enjoy being in their lives as they do the things they love to do. 

The weather was so nice, temps in the 70s so a walk around Drew and Erin's neighborhood with Winnie started us off. Look at those beautiful leaves. 

Guess we tired out Winnie. 

And a rare sunset from Drew's back yard was a perfect end to the first day. 

Decorating for Christmas and waiting for Shannon to come down for our Thanksgiving dinner. Unfortunately, Carl had to work overnight so we missed him. 

We visited 2 wineries while Shan was with us - E-16 and Turley's. Great tasting wines and relaxation. 

Then Drew and Erin handed me off to Shannon and off we went to Nevada City. We took a hike along the Yuba River and found where Santa relaxes. Look in the lower left-hand corner of the one picture. Yep, Santa is naked, soaking up the sun. I guess even Santa has to relax somewhere. 

Next it was time for Shan, Carl, Bandit and Jax and I to head up toward Truckee to cut down their Christmas tree from the Sierra Nevada forest. So much fun and what a great idea for the forest service to allow this to help with forest management. 

On the way home, another sunset. 

Decorating the tree was next. Loved looking at the ornaments Shan has collected over the years. 

Another hike among the trees in the Sierras. It was gorgeous. 

It was time for me to spend more time with Drew and Erin so Shan and I met them at a brewery in Auburn. 

While Erin taught at Pure Barre, Drew and I walked around Old Sacramento. The city has done such a nice job restoring the buildings to give us a glimpse at what Sacramento looked like in the 1800s 

Demolition Derby time in Cumberland Maryland

Ryan and Bo we’re doing their Derby thing, so we stopped on our way back home. Lew, Denise, Lloyd and Vilma joined us. It was a cold, rainy and very muddy weekend. The good news is that Bo won the derby and took home $15,000. Not bad for a weekend. 

This is Ryan's car. 


A couple other cars that took my eye. 

Time with the Countermines

Our time in Tennessee is always so special because we know we’re going to be spending time with friends, Terry and Sandy Countermine. This time was no exception. We even got to spend time with Barbara Smith, a storyteller and Terry’s sister Phyllis. 

Walks at Persimmon Hill, a quilt shop visit and a walk through Jonesborough, good food, snuggles with the dogs, and shared stories rounded out our time. 

A National Historic Site, then across Oklahoma into Arkansas.

We headed east on I-40 and stopped to visit Washita Battlefield National Historic Site. We learned that Peace Chief Black Kettle was attacked by Lt. Col. George Custer. This was a very controversial attack. At the time it was hailed as a significant victory but many Indians and whites labeled it a massacre. 

Windmills were a very useful tool for settlers. 

As we were driving East, we saw the newer windmill. They were all along I-40. The clouds were fluffy behind the windmill. 

The western towns’ “ skyscrapers” are either water towers or graineries. 

Tonight we’ll stay at a Corps of Engineers campground in Arkansas, a beautiful, restful place. 

There was a nice hike through the woods in the campground. 

The weather was perfect. We sat outside looking at the lake till about 9:30 (late for us!). 

Next morning, we visited Fort Smith. A lot of history started here with the Louisiana Purchase in 1803. There were actually two Fort Smiths. As white men were moving into the native American territory, the first fort tried to keep peace between the Cherokees and the Osage in the Arkansas River Valley. This fort eventually fell into disrepair. 

About 10 years later, the second fort was built as a supply depot since the Arkansas River was there. Steamboats ran from St Louis and New Orleans with supples. After the Civil War, the fort was closed. 

Wagon to haul prisoners to court. 

The gallows. 

Continuing our travels, we headed for Tennessee. We spent the night in Murfreesboro at a Harvest Host Winery, Centurt Farm. After a wine tasting with generous pours, we bought 4 bottles!  

Up early, we visited one last battlefield, Stones River. I had not heard of this battlefield before but found it in my Passport to National Parks book. 

We learned this fierce 3-day battle provided a much needed boost to the North in the Civil War. 

When we woke up, we saw our first dew and fog in a month. 

On our way to visit Terry and Sandy Countermine, we also got to see some colorful leaves. 

Leaving New Mexico and heading East

It’s hard to leave New Mexico with the blue skies and interesting places to stay and cut, but we need to be back East for the Halloween weekend for a demolition derby that Ryan and Bo will be driving cars. 

As we were driving east on I-40, we were surprised to see fields of cotton. 

Tonight we will stay at Black Kettle Grasslands, a nature preserve of over 30,000 acres of grassland used for cattle grazing, hiking, camping and fishing. We boondocked at the Skip Out Campground, along a small lake, near Cheyenne, Oklahoma. 

Had a very peaceful, relaxing night. 

Tomorrow we’ll continue heading east.