May 2, 2013 - Manhattan, KS

Not up until 8:00 probably because it was dark, cold and rainy. Really the only people in camp so shower access was no problem. Went to Amanda’s Bakery and Bistro for a breakfast sandwich and coffee. Was a cute little place with all sorts of interesting local knick knacks, cards etc. for sale beside comfortable tables and chairs. Spent the next 2.5 hours at the DDE Center. We first toured his home where he, his parents and 5 other brothers lived. Dwight’s mother, Ida, was the real motivator for all of the boys who went on to become very...

Apr 17, 2013 - Wild Weather!

Impressions: Blooming redbud trees, blankets of purple ajuga covering the fields, sheets of rain being swiped away by the windshield wipers, lightening bolts over the lake that seem to be suspended in mid-strike, Dixie trying to find a place to hide from the storm, hoping that we are not in the path of a tornado, listening to the clatter of hail on the roof, midnight at 4:00 p.m., drinking what we hope will NOT be our last bloody mary…. Safe for now...

Aug 26, 2012 - Manhattan, Kansas

It rained cats and dogs all night! It was touch and go whether the Randalls were going to have house guests again tonight, but the rain stopped around 10 am, and by 11:00 the bikes were dry. We said our goodbyes to everyone, and headed North, with all intentions of riding through Iowa. By the time we reached Clarinda it started to rain again, and dark clouds were hovering in the North. Soooo, we changed our minds and headed into Nebraska, and then on into Kansas. We rode some pretty awesome secondary highways, with farmland on both sides....

Jun 19, 2011 - A Night In Manhattan - Manhattan, KS

We were quite pleased with ourselves because we pulled out of Estes Park at 6:20 a.m. Sunday morning. Our goal had been to leave at 6:30 and it's always great to begin a 1,418 mile journey by leaving on time!! We had a long travel day of 557 miles ahead of us and knew as the day wore on that we'd be glad of the early start. Our first stop was in Boulder where we were sitting at Whole Foods when it opened at 7:30. Well, actually our first stop was at McDonald's for Bill to get a couple of gut-busters (a.k.a sausage biscuits)with which I had...

Mar 12, 2010 - Packed and Almost Ready!

We're almost ready to go! WOO HOO!!! The car is packed. We have four digital cameras, one video camera, one computer, two GameBoys and 7 games, four iPods, two portable DVD players and 14 movies, 3 cell phones, maps, trip itinerary, food, first aid kit, suitcases......*sigh*....YES, the kids all have good ol' fashioned BOOKS to read, too. (You didn't think I'd let them out of the house without those, did you?) DOUBLE CLICK on the photo to enlarge it!

Jan 17, 2010 - More Planning

Thanksgiving and Christmas have come and gone. Good times were had by all of us! However, I need to direct my attention back to our family vacation. Along with finding this website, I have found another site that will create quick videos made from pictures and video clips we upload to that site. I'm going to check it out to see if it may be something we could use during our family vacation. There are a few other lose ends I need to figure out. I need to start a list so I don't forget anything. :) The kids know we are going to go on...

Nov 24, 2009 - Planning

Thanksgiving is in two days. Although I'm extremely excited about heading to South Dakota to spend a leisurely weekend with my family and good food, I'm exploring this site. Neal and I have been thinking about San Antonio for about five months now, but we've been planning for a family vacation for three years. I'm anxious for March, to say the least. I'm going to keep planning. There may very well be many more good ideas I can incorporate into this adventure.

May 18, 2009 - Award, Graduation and beyond

The awards ceremony was nice and low key, Jason got a plaque recognizing him as the outstanding senior in his major (Hotel and Restaurant Management) as selected by the faculty. He got a handshake from the Dean and they pronounced his name right – always a plus. The 1 hour and 40 minute drive back to Shawnee was an adventure as we drove through a severe thunderstorm for about an hour of the journey. Visibility was very limited as the rain came down as hard as I’ve ever seen it. One of the towns we drove through recorded 4” of rain in 2...