This past Thursday Linda and I drove to Bandera Texas to meet Cheryl, Chuck, and the boys at the Flying L Guest Ranch. It was great to get away. The guest ranch has changed so much since we were there last year.
Three new guest houses were added, all in country theme, along with a water park that came complete with a lazy river and wave pool!
On Friday we chose to take advantage of the nearby Medina River. We wanted to rent tubes to float it but we were told that the water was too low. That was crazy to us since we couldn't touch bottom for the majority of our time in the water.
Cheryl, Gibby, and Sean "floating" upstream on their way to the rope swings.
Linda and I puttering along. Neither one of us was very comfortable in the water since we couldn't see the bottom. We decided that as long as we had each other we could muster the nerve to paddle upstream.
Gibby climbed to the top of the tree with the highest rope swing first. That boy has no fear!! It only took a few seconds at the top before he pushed off and swung like tarzan!
He was so brave! There was no way that I could do what he did. I wish I could have caught the splash he made, it was huge!!
See the grin on his face? He was having so much fun!
Sean getting brave to climb to the top of another rope swing. There was no way I was going to climb this tree with the water shoes I had on. Yes Cheryl, I'm a chicken... bwaaakk bwaaakk!!
Sean as he floats through the air... for a minute I was afraid he wasn't going to let go of the rope!
Linda and Cheryl on the bank. Cheryl has more gumption than I think I ever will. She got up and joined the boys in the trees like it was nothing. I admire her bravery. She told me it comes from growing up with brothers and male cousins!!
Sean climbing the tallest tree. I'm not sure if he did it because Gibby already had or not but still!! I can't imagine climbing the tree much less jumping out of it!
Sean's big splash, I think he told me he touched bottom on this one!!
Cheryl, Linda, and myself on the big rock in the middle of the river. It was crazy because it was so slimy underwater and yet you couldn't see where the rock touched bottom.
Cheryl told me that I had to jump off the rock with her... so I did as I screamed like a baby all the way down!! I'm sure I made a few children deaf that afternoon. We had so much fun!!
Saterday we drove to Fredericksburg with the intention of picking peaches but it turned out we were one weekend too late. So instead we spent the day walking around the shops and visiting with Uncle Sonny and Aunt Shirley. They are such a hoot!! I think we wore the kids out since they went back early with Chuck to swim at the Flying L. Linda and the others were good sports as Cheryl and I walked them from one end of the strip to the other. It would be great to go back during Octoberfest don't you think??
Sunday morning we all had really good intentions of picking apples in Medina but it turned out that the orchard was closed on Sundays. So Linda and I drove back home but not before we bought real Fredricksburg Freestone peaches at a roadside stand. They were so sweet that they dripped sugar as you ate them.
There had been a burn pile in the yard for a few months so we put the fire pit in the same place. Every couple of scoops was loaded into a trailer pulled by the lawn mower and moved to low spots in the yard. What hard work that was... and I hadn't lifted bricks yet!
During one of my breaks I took these pictures of Gretchen and Fritz, Sam's cousins and Linda and Robert's dogs. It was rare to get a good picture of them holding still. I don't think they understood all of the commotion outside.
Family picture!! An even more rare event since Gretchen cannot normally stand Sam that close to her without barking and growling. I think they were all resigned to being kept inside and gave up fighting each other.
Work in progress... There are flat rectangular pavers in a trench under the brick pavers you see. The bags that the loose rock came in were deceiving, you would have thought they only weighed ten pounds. More like thirty! After lifting twenty of them and emptying them in their proper spots a girl could get worn out! Notice Kenneth and Linda are the observers at this time... hmmm!!
Linda built be a tent like structure so that I was in the shade while I worked. It was so humid out there! I was really proud of how level the pit was turning out. Every time I laid a brick the level was there to tell me if I was off or not. Tedious work but so worth it!
Kenneth on the porch admiring his handy work. He did such a wonderful job making a place that we can all come and enjoy this fall and winter. I am so proud of him and his ingenuity!!
The finished product!!! Of course the lawn around the pit needs a little bit of work... we tore it UP!!!! I can't wait to see Robert's face when he sees it for the first time, and then when he looks around the yard! Eventually there will be an extended patio around the ring where you can place chairs and still prop your feet up on the edge. Please don't walk on it!!!! I'm not sure how well the paver glue stuff we used will work yet and I really would like it to set well. Look for an invite for the first fire!!
