Friday was our shopping day to prep for the Italian feast on Saturday. We spent half the day driving around to different stores finding everything we needed. Much of our time spent in Texas is spent in an HEB market. That is the largest grocery store chain in Texas and they pretty much own everything else in the State. It is also the place where both Grandma and Grandpa work every day. The stores are huge and well stocked with everything you could need. Also, the food prices here are incredibly low compared to back home...we can see why some people decide to retire here.
Friday night was the big surprise for the girls -- WNBA game at the AT&T Center. We saw the San Antonio Silver Stars take on the Connecticut Sun. It was a close game but the highly ranked Sun pulled out the victory. What an ordeal we had getting to the arena in the first place. We took two vehicles to Aunt Megan's house to pick up Uncle John and Aubrey, because Megan' car broke down earlier in the day. Unfortunately, this put us another 40 minutes behind schedule and to make matters worse, we drove right into a thunder and lightening storm which made traffic slow to a crawl. The rain was gravely needed here since they have been in a drought for some time, but did it have to happen at that moment? Of course, the car that Charlie was driving got a flat tire on the way. Grandpa freaked out, since he does not deal with change very well or any type of problem. So, we got the tire fixed and ultimately made it to the game. The girls, Lauren, Alyssa, and Aubrey had a great time anyway. We stayed after the game for an outdoor Christian Rock band concert right outside the arena. The band was not very good though...
Sunday, July 19, 2009
Thursday, July 16, 2009
Texas Vacation -- Day 3 and 4
We woke up in Las Cruces around 6 AM on Wednesday and Lauren and Daddy went on a run. They had quite the adventure since they got lost halfway through the run, but eventually made it back to camp after 45 minutes. We took showers at the camp showers, which were quite nice actually. Then we headed off for the 400+ mile drive to Sonora, TX.
Our plan was to arrive at the Caverns of Sonora Campground around 3 PM and take the cavern tour. Unfortunately, Daddy forgot to account for the time change to Central Standard Time, putting us at 5:00 PM arrival and therefore too late for the cavern tour. Oh well, at least we have Carlsbad caverns on the way home. We will make sure we get there with plenty of time to spare.
The campground was low frills (only $15/night), but it was nice. We had electricity and water and a great view of the canyon. We saw peacocks (up close and personal) as they walked up to our motorhome and clearly were used to human interaction. Anthony called them "Pea hocks", so now that's what we call them. We also saw some deer and some cows in the nearby canyon. Daddy barbequed tri-tip and Mommy made her famous cheesy noodles and we were all full by the end of the meal.
The meal must have satisfied us since we all slept in until 9 the next morning! We never sleep that late, especially with the boys. So, on the road again to the Celanos house in Texas. After a relatively easy 200 mile drive into Cibolo, we arrived around 1 in the afternoon. Megan came over with Andy, Aubrey and David and the kids had a great time together. They played out in the backyard on the slip and slide that Grandpa bought for them, which was nice in the 105 degree heat.
After a delicious dinner of beef brisket and Grandma's home made potato salad, Grandpa, Daddy, and Megan took all the kids to Freddy's Famous Custard for dessert. The kids loved it!
That's all for now...
Our plan was to arrive at the Caverns of Sonora Campground around 3 PM and take the cavern tour. Unfortunately, Daddy forgot to account for the time change to Central Standard Time, putting us at 5:00 PM arrival and therefore too late for the cavern tour. Oh well, at least we have Carlsbad caverns on the way home. We will make sure we get there with plenty of time to spare.
The campground was low frills (only $15/night), but it was nice. We had electricity and water and a great view of the canyon. We saw peacocks (up close and personal) as they walked up to our motorhome and clearly were used to human interaction. Anthony called them "Pea hocks", so now that's what we call them. We also saw some deer and some cows in the nearby canyon. Daddy barbequed tri-tip and Mommy made her famous cheesy noodles and we were all full by the end of the meal.
The meal must have satisfied us since we all slept in until 9 the next morning! We never sleep that late, especially with the boys. So, on the road again to the Celanos house in Texas. After a relatively easy 200 mile drive into Cibolo, we arrived around 1 in the afternoon. Megan came over with Andy, Aubrey and David and the kids had a great time together. They played out in the backyard on the slip and slide that Grandpa bought for them, which was nice in the 105 degree heat.
After a delicious dinner of beef brisket and Grandma's home made potato salad, Grandpa, Daddy, and Megan took all the kids to Freddy's Famous Custard for dessert. The kids loved it!
That's all for now...
Tuesday, July 14, 2009
Texas Vacation 2009; Days 1 and 2
Well we have finally started our Celano Family vacation to Texas to visit mom and dad. We decided to leave late afternoon on Monday instead of early Tuesday at 4am. Charlie liked this idea since he would be the one driving that early. We got to our first camp site in Blythe, CA around 8:30pm on Monday. This was the Colorado River KOA and it brought back some memories for us. The Hollingsheads would remember this campground from one of our trips from the past. We referred to this place as the “Tweaker” campground. We set up quick and went straight to the pool to cool off only the pool was a little on the warm side. We swam, ate dinner, watched a movie and went to bed. A good night sleep and up at 8am to start the drive to the next camp spot.
It was a long drive day (500 miles +); the kids all did pretty good until Chaz all of a sudden asked for the bowl and got sick. He was fine after that. It was a pretty hot day on the way (average 105 degrees), but at one point, we drove through a cloud burst with pretty big rain drops. We stopped at an airplane museum (Pima Air and Space Museum) to fix lunch in the motor home and have Charlie stretch his legs a little. The kids wanted to go inside the museum to look at the planes but we were on a tight schedule. We arrived at our camp site (Las Cruces KOA) in New Mexico around 5:30pm our time and 6:30pm New Mexico time. Of course we set up and went straight to the pool. It felt great. We all played football in the water.
This campground is very well maintained with level, pull-through spots with an incredible view of the valley below. It is one of those “rules heavy” campgrounds though. No one under 18 years old in the pool area without adult supervision, which screwed up our set up plans. We have a plan in place when we arrive at a campground where the girls take the boys to the pool while mom and dad set up the motor home. Hopefully, this plan will work at future campgrounds.
It was a long drive day (500 miles +); the kids all did pretty good until Chaz all of a sudden asked for the bowl and got sick. He was fine after that. It was a pretty hot day on the way (average 105 degrees), but at one point, we drove through a cloud burst with pretty big rain drops. We stopped at an airplane museum (Pima Air and Space Museum) to fix lunch in the motor home and have Charlie stretch his legs a little. The kids wanted to go inside the museum to look at the planes but we were on a tight schedule. We arrived at our camp site (Las Cruces KOA) in New Mexico around 5:30pm our time and 6:30pm New Mexico time. Of course we set up and went straight to the pool. It felt great. We all played football in the water.
This campground is very well maintained with level, pull-through spots with an incredible view of the valley below. It is one of those “rules heavy” campgrounds though. No one under 18 years old in the pool area without adult supervision, which screwed up our set up plans. We have a plan in place when we arrive at a campground where the girls take the boys to the pool while mom and dad set up the motor home. Hopefully, this plan will work at future campgrounds.
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