Sunday, October 24, 2010

The Next William Tell?

We think we have finally found something that will hold Elijah's interest.  Archery.  He tried it last week at Camp Classen day camp and really enjoyed it.  He usually tries things for a week or two, then gets bored with them and moves on to something else.  We usually go out and buy all the things he needs to participate in the chosen activity, then we are stuck with equipment we will never again use.  Fortunately for us his uncle has well equipped his sons, who are a few years older than Elijah, quite well with all manner of hunting equipment, including archery.  We are using one of their smaller compound bows to start out with.  I bought a target and three arrows and spent less than $20.00.  If he grows weary with archery, his cousins can have the things we bought and they'll have their bow back.
He's got his head too far back and this is the grouping he got for that==>
If he can stick with it and keep up his practice, we will look into private lessons and getting him some of his own bows.  He really likes using the recurve and long bows.  For now his uncle is teaching him what he can, he is learning all the safety rules, positioning, and proper nomenclature for all the equipment.  I guess we'll see.

Here he has better head position and so he got a better grouping==>

Monday, October 18, 2010

Such a homer!

I have to say that the nickname of "homer" describes me well. A homer is one who pulls for their team (the home team) no matter what.  For me that involves most any team from the great state of Texas.  This yer they have not been kind to my fellow homers and myself.  The Cowboys are stinking it up, the Longhorns have lost two games, (one to the team my homer husband cheers for, Oklahoma.  That was hard to take), the Mavs and Spurs didn't do so well either.  I'm not a fair weather fan ans some may be.  I still root for my teams no matter what.  It's just that this year they aren't giving me much to cheer about.  That is except for my Texas Rangers!  At this moment they are whooping up on the Yankees.  It is the 9th inning and they have just scored four runs and are still batting.  A southern girl couldn't ask for a better team to beat! 

I remember when I was a little girl, traveling from the Oklahoma panhandle to visit my grandparents in north central Texas.  It was a 7 hour drive and much of it was filled with listening to the AM radio station, WBAP.  I can still here the station's jingle in my head as I type this.  It was the station of the Rangers.  I grew up loving the Rangers and they stunk.  As a matter of fact, this year they became the last franchise to win a post season series.  37 years as the rangers and this was their first.  They also just won their first home playoff game against the much loathed Yankees.  If they can pull of winning this series, my favorite team will be in their first World Series!  (Okay, they just scored again with runners at 2nd and 3rd.  7-0 Rangers!) 

Maybe it is a trivial thing, but I love it!

Cliff Lee is my new favorite pitcher, sorry Nolan!  Also a former Ranger and now a part owner of he Rangers.

OOOOOklahoma!

Today I took Elijah to a day camp in the Arbuckle Mountains in south central Oklahoma.  For those of you out there who think Oklahoma is just a vast, flat expanse of waving prairie grass, think again.  Now when we say mountains around here, we are of course not speaking of the grandeur of the Rockies.  We are however talking about some of the oldest mountains ranges on the continent in the Arbuckles and Wichita Mountain ranges.  Back to my story.   Today we went to Camp Classen.  It is situated in the Arbuckles, near Davis, Oklahoma.  At just about 2 hours away from our home, you might think you were in a completely different region of the country.  The eastern deciduous forests become areas of western red cedars that then transition into grasslands that are typically associated with Oklahoma.

On top of the world, or at least Murray County, Oklahoma.

Lake Classen

This day camp we attended was a foretaste of what Camp Classen regularly puts on during the summer.  They have all the typical summer camp activities: archery, horseback riding, canoeing, hiking, etc.  Today the day campers were able to participate in a few of these activities.  Elijah chose to only participate in archery.  He really enjoyed it and was fairly good at it, especially for his first time.  he hit the bulls eye on one target twice and hit the target itself several more times.  He also shot the deer target through the ear.  Not a kill shot, but it can now wear fashionable earrings!
William Tell, watch out.  Literally!
After archery and lunch we went on a two-mile hike. For the most part it was an easy hike, with only one place where we had to climb a very high degree. It was quite fun. As we went on this short hike, we also walked through each of the previously mentioned ecosystems. The contrast in such a short amount of time was remarkable.





Fish in the almost dry stream.  They're thankful for the springs in the area.

Don't look down!

Invasive red cedars

Grass lands and cedars blending

Elijah is already bugging us about going to camp next summer.  Both of my nieces go every summer and they love it.  I guess we'll have to see.

Tuesday, October 12, 2010

Splendor

We are very blessed to be able to attend some of the best entertainment events around.  Some of them are going to be majestic, some will be a visual delight, others an audio delight.  We are so happy to hold season tickets for the inaugural Season at Armstrong Auditorium.  The venue itself is a study in splendor that alone is worth the price of admission.  Grand onyx walls, matched cherry wood panels, and even if you are blind you can't miss the three dazzling chandeliers in the grand lobby.

Here are a few pictures we have taken, they don't do it justice.




Last night we attended the sold out performance of the Bayanihan Philippine National Dance Company.  For a girl who grew up in Oklahoma, and who can barely remember how to Cotton-eye Joe, it was quite a spectacle.  The ornate costumes, the different styles of dance and music, (I didn't realize how heavily the Spanish had influenced the culture) everything worked together for an amazing evening.
http://www.bayanihannationaldanceco.ph/index.html


Other performances we are looking forward to include: The Vienna Choir Boys, Eroica Trio, and Andre' Watts.  The Russian National Ballet Theatre will also be performing Swan Lake.  I can't think of a better time to see a ballet.  I hope you can make to see some of these and several other performances that are scheduled.  Here's where you can get tickets!
http://www.armstrongauditorium.org/tickets/

Wednesday, October 6, 2010

Image loader is working, I think!

Here are just a few more pics, really.

He thinks he's becoming a local.  Or maybe it was entertainment night.

Roadside waterfall

Island Tour

Dexter our tour guide and some other local guy.  Oh wait, that's Jeff.


Argyle Falls

He ruined my children.

A new friend at Store Bay.

AAAHHHH, Tobago!!!!!

Today is our final day in Tobago. We have really grown to love this island.
More importantly, we love our friends that we get to see when we come here. Now that we are the only three of our group left, that feeling of wanting to get back home has set in.

This little island, while a very beautiful place, is far from what you see, on the commercials other Caribbean show you trying to get you there. I'm sure they have their own detractors and why would they show that? Here is slide show of a few of the pictures we took while here this time. We've been here three times previously and would come back in a heartbeat next year. After all, I still haven't seen the heart of the rain forest yet.

(Hopefully there will be a few more pictures to follow, but Blogger has not been loading pics lately.)


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