Our trip on the Texas State Railroad

Yesterday, after an overnight stay in Palestine, TX, the kids and I took a ride on the Texas State Railroad - from the Palestine station to the station just outside of Rusk. It was a beautiful day, and the trip on the 70 or so year old train was wonderful. That part of Texas is beautiful: rolling hills, a river and many creeks and ponds, farmland, forests. Just wonderful.

Here's Kira (bottom right corner) as we waited to board the train.

Parker and Kira, still waiting to board the train!

We had many seats to choose from, and the kids took advantage. Someone was always riding backwards, it seemed!


Here's the station as we pulled into Rusk. It's beautifully restored, and the lunches they served were good, too!

And here are some photos of the front of the Rusk station. It's just gorgeous, including the picnic grounds in the last photo.

End of school, 2008

Thursday, June 5, was the last day of school around here. Parker and Kira seemed to have wonderful last days of school -- parties, beach day, awards assemblies, and the like. Austen had such good grades, attendance, and test scores that he was exempt from all seven of his final exams, so his last days in the school year were mostly spent NOT at school!


Parker (center, white shirt) is waiting for the awards assembly to begin.


Parker's name has been read!


Parker shows us his A/AB Honor Roll certificate!


Anne (very proud mom!) and Parker after the assembly.

to Washington-on-the-Brazos

Yesterday, we went to the state park at Washington-on-the-Brazos, just southwest of Navasota. The park contains a wonderful visitor center with many exhibits explaining Texas history, the reconstructed building where the Texas declaration of independence from Mexico was drafted and signed, a terrific picnic area overlooking the Brazos River, and the restored and still functioning Barrington Living History Farm. We all had a terrific time.


The Brazos River


Tree climbing after lunch was a big hit with all three kids!





The reconstructed building where the Texas declaration was drafted and signed.



More tree climbing!

Where the ferry used to take people and their possessions across the Brazos River.

Lots of wildflowers ... all over the place. They've clearly had more rain that we have at home.


The farmhouse on the Living History Farm is built in standard Texas "dog-run" fashion; that breezeway between the main rooms on the first floor is magnificent on a hot day!


The cookhouse was built separately and away from the main house. If it happened to burn down, the entire farmhouse wouldn't burn down, too!

The barn was also built in "dog-run" fashion. It and the other farm buildings were built away from the main house.

2nd graders' field day

Kira and all the other 2nd graders at her school had their annual field day on May 13 - postponed from May 6 because of heavy rains and soggy fields! They had a GREAT time!

Mother's Day flowers - beautiful!

Mother's Day flowers from Robert, Danielle, and Simone. They are gorgeous! My smallest cat, Ruse, however, thinks that flowers and leaves are snacks! So I have kept the flowers in my bathroom - with the bedroom and bath closed off for as long as the flowers are looking good!

More in my back yard

In the first photo, you can see the 'spent' amaryllis blooms from the first stalk - and the new blooms from the second stalk. The second stalk of flowers was a big surprise to me!

In the second and third photos, you can see some of the day lilies that have started to bloom in my little bit of forest!

Spring 2008!

Gorgeous stuff in my back yard!

Catching up

Here's Kira in her Easter dress and (below) and hunting Easter eggs after church. (She's the blur at the left!)

And here are some snaps of Ken's birthday party. Since he had to work on his birthday (the 31st), we celebrated on the 30th when he was home!
Kira was especially ecstatic about the candles - the kind that are supposed to relight after being blown out. Well, one of them worked!

UPDATE: Austen objected to the photo above that includes him. He prefers this one; he is in the "guise" of Martha Stewart's second cousin twice removed!!