Tuesday, June 28, 2011

Louisiana

We arrived in Baton Rouge on Sunday....The drive from Austin was a long one.  Texas is a BIG state.

Sunday night we had dinner at Sammy's and ate our first crawfish meal. They were very good, tasted like lobster.  The seasoning that they put on them was outstanding with a nice kick at the end.



Delicious Crawfish in Baton Rouge

Monday morning we took Frankie on a run at the University Lake.  It was very humid and hot, but a nice run around LSU and surrounding neighborhoods.  Frankie cooled off in the Lake every now and again.

We left for New Orleans Monday afternoon.  On the drive in we drove on a long bridge that stretches across Lake Ponchutrain.  It was pretty cool.  We took Frankie for a walk around the Garden District.  There are so many beautiful houses they just keep getting more and more Grand.  Most of them were built in the mid 1800's. The different colors, shapes, and rod iron are stunning.  The front porch windows are long and narrow, stretching from floor to ceiling.  Some windows have doors that can be opened beneath them.  It's really neat.  Walking around and looking at the houses has been my favorite part so far.

Last night we went to the French Quarter for some drinks and entertainment.  It's a great place to people watch.

Aimee trying on masks


On a balcony on Bourbon Street


Hurricanes at Pat O'Briens


Listening to Music on Bourbon Street

We walked around and popped our heads into a few bars that had bands playing.  There wasn't any bad music playing.  The Jazz and Blues is sweet music to our ears.  The people here are very nice and eager to strike up a conversation.

Great band in French Quarter


More live music


Freshest oysters we have ever had!!


Aimee grabbing a handful from some random guy

Frankie is enjoying his walks around the city.

Did I mention it's HOT and HUMID!  You sweat the instant you walk outside.

Saturday, June 25, 2011

Austin

Austin is a great town with lots of energy.  We are loving the music, food, and unique people.  The buildings in downtown are pretty cool.  The Driskill Hotel is big and beautiful even for todays standards.



We went bar hopping on Wednesday and heard some awesome musicians...this town is full of them.  Later that night we went to Eddie V's for some great food.  We had a great time wining and dining.

Thursday and Friday we drove around the city just to get a feel for it.  We checked out Travis Lake, a few small surrounding towns.  There is quite a bit of open land surrounding Austin.

Every morning we drove down to Town Lake and ran around the River that cuts through the city.  The trail is roughly 10- 11 miles around.  There's also a dog beach which Frankie took full advantage of jumping in the water to cool off.  There are always people paddle surfing, canoeing, and rowing along the Lake. Along the trail you will come upon someone playing music for all to hear.



Edward Aquaifer is a natural spring just off the river.  The temperature of the water stays around 68 degrees all year.  This makes it a great swimming hole that is open to the public.  As we were running the trail we stopped to watch people jump off the bridge into the swimming hole.  It looked nice and refreshing.

Friday night we went to Guero's mexican Cantina for some yummy food.  Their margaritas where awesome.  After that we walked around South downtown and came across some unusual shops and stores and as always there were people playing music on the street.  We then went to Amy's and had some ice cream, then back to Guero's to listen to there live band under the big oaks.  It was a nice night to relax and listen to some great music.



So far Austin has been our favorite place.  The people are nice and a little quirky!

Later today we are heading for Louisianna.

Monday, June 20, 2011

Big-D

We rolled into town on Saturday, and met up with my cousin Shawn and Derek. We had a great time visiting and eating some yummy pizza.

Sunday Josh and I piddled around for most of the day, then met up with Shawn and Derek to eat at Mias Tex- Mex, the food was great and so was the company.  

  

After dinner Derek took us to see Jerry Jones and Troy Aikmans house.....very nice houses in a very nice neighborhood.  Next we topped the night off with some custard from Harry's....It was delicious.  Josh and I had a blast hanging out with Shawn and Derek.  Thank you guys!

Dallas Cowboy Cheerleader's Locker Room


Inside Cowgirl Stadium


What an amazing Stadium,  I still like Invesco Better!! LOL!


Rangers Ballpark


Here are a few miscellaneous pics...

 Josh and I gave Levi a holster and cap guns.  Colby got a Tow-mater truck.  They loved it..

 Playing in my suitcase..


They loved playing in Frankie's cage.  

Wednesday, June 15, 2011

On the move...

It had been a great week in Kansas.  It was nice to see a few storms blow through.

Monday we relaxed most of the morning, then we decided to go to Old Town and eat at Old Chicago. Their pizzas are awesome and the beer was good.  After that we decided to check out the Sedgewick county Museum, come to find out Monday was the only day it was closed.  So we walked a couple of blocks to an antique store in one of the old buildings there in downtown Wichita.  After that we called it a day and enjoyed a nice quiet evening at home.




Tuesday morning Josh went golfing with Grandpa Jake and cousin Randy in Wellington.  I caught some rays by the pool.  Later that night we went to say good bye to Tim and Donna.

Today we visited with Josh's Grandpa Bert at his place.  It was nice to see him.  We then visited with Grandpa and Grandpa Davis.  Grandpa John gave me a few peppers and garlic from his garden.


We are now on our way to Paul's Valley, OK to stay with my brother and his family for a few days.  I can't wait to have some fun with Levi and Colby...

Monday, June 13, 2011

Family Reuinion

This weekend was filled with a lot of love, laughter and seeing family that I haven't seen in a long time.  It was so so nice to catch up and visit with all of the Family members that were at the Clearwater park.  We showed up to the park around noon on Saturday and sat down to eat lunch.  Fried chicken, potato salad creamed corn, and baked beans were some of the highlights on the menu, along with Sherry's homemade salsa.  We played bingo and Aimee won the blackout round for Aunt Connie's afghan!  She is so lucky, especially at her first Wise Reunion.  We stayed around until about 9 pm.  It was a long day, but totally worth it.  We went back to my Dad's house, showered and crashed.

Sunday we met back at the park around noon again.  We ate sub-sandwiches for lunch, visited some more for a few hours and took pictures.  Everybody started packing up and leaving around 2 pm.  Most had to either drive back to Missouri, or KC.  I am so glad that we made it back this year.  I am definitely going to have to make it back more often.  10 years is way too long!

Grandpa Bert and Me


Aimee after winning Bingo


The JR Wise Bunch


Matt and Me

After everyone scattered we went over to my good friend Matt Allenbach's house.  It was great seeing him and Stacy again.  We brought over fish to fry and cooked potatoes and squash on the grill.  After a couple of cold beers dinner was ready.  It was so delicious!  We sat around and visited, and watched the Dallas Maverick's win the NBA Finals.  It was a good weekend!

Catchin Up

Being back in Clearwater has been nice.  We have gotten to see many friends and family that we haven't seen in a long time.  Thursday Aimee and I went to Old Town to River City Brewing Co. and enjoyed some of Wichita's finest brews.  Their Wheat beer was delicious!  After havin a few cold ones, we went to dinner with Cindy and Aunt Charlotte.  Dinner was great and it was nice to visit with everyone.  While we were eating, it hailed on the restaurant 3 times.  A pretty strong storm rolled in that evening.  The conditions were right for a tornado, but thankfully none formed.  It was raining so hard, we got 3 inches in two hours!  It was great to see some weather.  We don't get that ever in Vegas.  We made it home safely but visibility was poor because of the rain and 60 mph winds.

Friday we just lounged around in the morning hours and cooked breakfast.  It has been really great to ease into almost everyday.  I guess that's why vacations are so fun and relaxing!  We headed up to Wichita in the afternoon for lunch and some antiquing.  Lunch at Taco Shop was very good.  This is a little mexican place I used to go to a lot in high school, it brought me back.  Then we stopped by a couple of antique shops, which Aimee absolutely loves to do.  Nothing really caught our eye, so we went back to Clearwater to relax a while before meeting up with my Mom, Grandma Helen, and Grandpa JR for dinner.  Dinner was good, but the company was even better.  It was nice to see my Mom so happy and I am glad that she has followed her dreams and has been so successful so quickly.  She found a job the first day she looked and has even secured a house to live in.  Looks like God's plan is working out, and that He is watching over her!

Thursday, June 9, 2011

On to Kansas


Fresh Squash and New Potatoes from Grandpa's Garden

Yesterday we headed up to Clearwater.  We stopped off at Walt's and got a hamburger and fries.  After lunch we went out to my Grandparent's house.  It was really nice to see them.  We were able to visit with them for a couple of hours.  Frankie was introduced to some new farm animals.  He saw goats, chickens, ducks, and rabbits.  While we were out walking around the farm my grandpa gave us a bunch of fresh squash and new potatoes he had harvested that morning.  I can't wait to eat them!  It was great to see them, and hope to visit a few more times before we leave next week.

After visiting with the grandparents, we went over to Tim and Donna's.  It was a lot of fun hanging with them at their house.  Donna made spaghetti, steamed broccoli, strawberry salad, and texas toast for dinner....Delicious!  We got to see Heath and Huey, which was nice.  Houston just graduated from high school and Heath is working out at Vulcan Chemicals.  It is always a good time with all of them.

After dinner, we walked back to my dad's place and called it a night.  The wind was whipping around last night and the electricity went out around 1 am.  A nice warm welcome back to Kansas..LOL!

Tuesday, June 7, 2011


Wakita Co-op Elevator


Oklahoma Wheat Field

The last two days have been filled with a lot of R&R.  Aimee and I have been relaxing, reading, watching TV and went to the Medford city pool.  It has been nice not to have to be anywhere or do anything.  After two weeks on the road I think we are both unwinding quite nice from the fast pace of Vegas.  We watched a couple movies at the house we are staying in, and went to have dinner in Blackwell yesterday.  We also hit up the city pool with Melissa, Levi, and Colby.  It was nice to splash around and get some sun.  The boys had a blast!

Today we went out to Wakita, OK to see Aimee's brother Chris at work.  He is the manager at the Co-op there.  He took us up the elevator and showed us around.   It was neat to see everything he does and look around the country side from the top of the elevator.  Also a little fun fact....Wakita is where the movie Twister was filmed.  We even went to see the lot where the old house used to stand. Very cool.  For dinner, Justin and Latisha invited us over for pizza and to watch True Grit.  Good food with great company!

Well, tomorrow we will be heading up the Clearwater/Wichita area.  We will be visiting with more friends and family, and going to the Wise family reunion on saturday.  Looking forward to seeing some family that I haven't seen in a long time.

Monday, June 6, 2011

Gone Fishin



My Big Kill


 Pond near Salt Plains


One of the Smaller Bass we Caught


Emma with a Bullhead Catfish


Levi with Catfish


Sunday was a beautiful day to get a hook wet.  Eric, Aimee, Frankie and I went fishing at a pond that Eric and I had fished the previous week.  We had a great time!  Frankie had a ball as usual, Aimee broke her rod right off the start, but all in all we went home with 7 decent sized Largemouth Bass.  We fished there for a couple hours.  During a cast, I heard something crawling in the grass next to me.  I looked down and there was a 2 ft. Water Moccasin about a 18 inches from my left foot!  It was dry, which means it probably had slithered right behind my heels and I didn't even know it!  Luckily, I didn't move and it moved away from me.  That was definitely the highlight of the morning, besided hooking into a couple fish.  Then we made our way to another pond closer to Medford.  Levi and Emma joined us there.  We ended up catching about a dozed bullhead catfish that were only about 6 inches long.  But the kids had fun and even hooked a couple themselves! (with a little help from the adults of course)  We fished there for an hour or so, before the kiddos got a little hot.  So they went inside to take a nap, while Eric and I went prairie dog hunting.  Eric's father-in-law has some land where a bunch of prairie dogs have taken over the field.  So they go by and target practice every so often to lighten the damage these guys have done to the field.  I happened to hit one from 150 yards away from the drivers seat of a truck with a .270 cal rifle.  A lucky shot probably!  Aimee and I ended the evening by hanging out with her parents and relaxing on the couch.  Good end to a great day!