Happy Endings

Our dessert at the Thai restaurant was coconut ice cream with warm chocolate cake. It was like a fancy Mounds bar.




Here is everyone ('cept me I am behind the camera duh.) after lunch/breakfast at you guessed it: Cracker Barrel! You just can't go wrong there and Terry, Sharon and I had a hankerin' for breakfast while UJ was more in tune with the time of day. 1pm ...he had lunch and we had breakfast. :o)

Terry and Sharon caravanned with us home and helped us work in our yard ALL day today. Pictures will follow when we have it all cleaned up. I don't know how we would have gotten it all done if they hadn't helped. Terry cut down trees, Sharon trimmed bushes and UJ and I hauled tree limbs to his truck til I thought we might fall out. We made three trips to the recycle pit and still have a truck load of railroad ties to haul out next. Our garden spot will be nice and cleaned up lickety split.

I am not glad about returning to work tomorrow but this has been a super fun weekend. UJ and I needed the time away from home, had fun with friends, ate some great food and got to spend some great quality time together.

We all look forward to this time every year.....can't you see why?

Thank you Terry and Sharon (or SHAIRN! as Terry says.)for your hospitality, generosity and most of all for your companionship. You are cherished here in the House of Joe. :o)

The One With Food

Here is Uncle Joe and Terry enjoying some music and a funnel cake.















Sharon and I shared this one. :o)









Sharon with a mouth full of funnel cake























This was the first time Terry and Sharon had Thai food. Denton has a wonderful Thai restaurant we go to every time we are there. The owner remembered us from our other visits and was glad to see us back...and with more customers! I am happy to report that the picky eater of our group, Sharon, loved the Chicken Pad Thai she ordered. (There was a small pile of veggies on the edge of her plate, but hey....she at least TRIED the dish!) Terry had a ball with his bottle of Thai lager, Singha.

Heavy Metal Jazz

This is the main Jazz Stage, where we were planted all day. We soaked up some good sun and some good tunes.
The great trees around us provided shade on and off throughout the day.
My favorite picture. This is a metal artist. It is very colorful and wonderful don't you think?
Metal sculptures. I can't imagine having this in my yard or home. I would probably fall down and hurt myself on it.

Snooze and Don't Loose

These folks are sitting across from the Jazz Stage where we were. They can bring in coolers and other paraphanelia...like a tent and tables. Enlarge the picture to see the family that laid claim to a plot of land.
This is not a Jazz music fan. He took advantage of the nice weather and took a snooze. (This would never happen if our children were there.)
Another snoozer.

This gentleman apparently borrowed the nearest lady's hat and didn't seem the least bit embarrassed about it either.
Aren't you glad I didn't get his face?

Big Texas Trip

It's true! Everything IS bigger in Texas!
Look at the size of this strawberry we picked up for a snack in our hotel room.
A shot across the waterway to the arts and crafts tents. There were a lot of them and we went to all of them.....twice.
A funny horse made out of....horse shoes.
A funny picture of .....whoever you think they are.

Trip Pix

I promised the children that I would post pictures. I can't tell a fib to my babies so here you go CarlyJo and CassiJo. (Be good and do what Nana and Papa tell you to do. I hope they tell you to have fun and eat ice cream!)

Below: We are off. I am in the drivers seat honing my traffic skills. I'll keep you updated on how that is workin' out for me.








Look what is right across the street from our hotel!























Look what I got for us while UJ rested from the long drive. The bed was so comfy and he had the most comfy pillows ever and a nap took him as soon as we got there.


Below: We had it on good authority there was a good restaurant at this exit, but we couldn't find it, so we went to our good ole stand-by Cracker Barrel. It is just so fun to hear the music and eat good homestyle food, play games at the table and do a little shopping after a nice (quiet) meal.















Below:UJ kept to his usual: open faced beef samwich. Pretty tasty. I got some chicken tenders and who knew that asking for honey mustard was totally out of the ordinary. It took them a looooong time to bring it to me. (Sound familiar Susie?)




















Any good southerner knows what this is. Any takers? Go ahead....guess what it is. Until Susie came to visit me I had no idea that this was a "southern" thing. What regional "food thing" do you have in your area?








Below: Uncle Joe is sitting on the porch after dinner waiting for another epiphany. (While we were at a Cracker Barrel in Tennessee he had an epiphany about country music as he looked out across the mountains as the sun was setting. I'll let him tell the story if he hasn't already.......)















Maybe I'll get in front of the camera for a few pics tomorrow. Stay tuned!

Totally Trippin in Texas

Here is where we are this weekend. We have been coming down to Denton Texas for the last 4 years to a great Jazz Festival. Out whole Saturday will be full of music and fun festival food: roasted corn, Gyros, frozen chocolate dipped bananas, funnel cakes, corn dogs and slushies and kettle corn. :o)

Our friends Terry and Sharon come up from Benbrook to lounge with us on the square and soak up some sun as we watch the musicians. Sharon and I sneak off a few times to look at all the arts and crafts. There is a ton!

I hope to find another nice piece of turquoise jewelry, or maybe something else that tickles my fancy. My fancy is very ticklish so there is no telling what I will come home with. Heehee!!

We have new folding chairs just for this occasion, new nice smelling sunscreen, visors and magazines for me to read when I get tired of people watching. Believe me there are some very unique and interesting people at the Jazz Fest.

Our plans also include Terry and Sharon's maiden experience of Thai food. There is a great place down here that we go to every time we come to town and I am really looking forward to it again. If you haven't ever tried Thai food you are really missing out on some great foods. It is very fragrant, wonderful and light. I just love it!!

Can you tell I am very excited to have a bit of a holiday from home? This is the one time Uncle Joe and I get to be alone. There is a long trip in a small car so I can really pick his brain about things. He is a captive audience. Literally. One bad thing: my radio antennae is broken so we had to listen to cd's all the way down here. I forgot my cd holder so we had to make due with the ones that escaped under the seat....slim pickins! Maybe I will come home with a new jazzy cd for the trip home. :o)

OK I am off to Starbucks which is just across the street from our hotel. How great is that??

Stay tuned for pictures later......

Three Feet

This is what our feet looked like at the end of the day at Old Fort Days or Heritage Days here in Fort Gibson. We went to the fort and walked around looking at the period re-enactors and sampling some food and drinks. It had been raining Thursday evening so it was still a little muddy to say the least.















There are a whole lot more pictures down below.....take a peek!

Look how fast this guy is pickin'...his hand is a bit blurry. Notice on he banjo there are no frets. UJ wants to learn to play one of these.

This is Mr. Roberts, one of CarlyJo's former teachers. He is impersonating a Buffalo Hunter. The gun he is holding is very heavy and VERY loud.
CassiJo had a laundry lesson from The Laundress. We learned that Laundresses made more money per day than the soldiers! She had to make her own soap and fetchher own water. The contraption you see on CassiJo is how she did it.
Cassi and Papa play "I am going to stomp your foot" He was trying to beat her up the hill. I think he won.
This craftsman is burning a pattern on a tomahawk handle with a telescope lense.

I am so glad we don't have to use Thunder Mugs any more. Aren't you?
Cassidy on the top story of the Fort.
One of the rooms in the Fort .
Soldiers passing the time by singing with the band.
These musicians were very good. The man on the left is playing the bones. he is clacking them together for rhythm.

Uncle Joe has been saving these root beer bottles for a year. The man who sold us them said he would give us a free refill.
Turns out not to be the same guy and the new guy wasn't too happy to give it away even though we bought two more! I think I'll tell on him.







Three beauties. Carly, her friend Ashley and Cassi pose on the cannon at the fort













Carly smiles weird on purpose












Then I get a real one.

Super Sunny Weekend

Cassi finds a new baby to play with, now maybe she will stop asking for a sister!
She loves horses still!
Papa said, "I'll be there in a minute" an d he meant it!
Uniformed re-enactors.
Cassi was very naughty.