Hello,

I’ve been ignoring my self prescribed duty of writing this blog. Now I’ve got to back track, but my memory is still fresh as I’m not really thinking about my day to day responsibilities.

Well, I didn’t get the job that I would have come home early for. I do have a job schedule Aug. 7th and 8th so I hope to be home early.

We left the dry heat of New Mexico on 7/21 and drove to the dry heat of Amarillo. While pondering the map book and not wanting to be on the road all day. I strongly suggested that we stop in Armarillo, TX for no other reason is that I noticed that this city in the Pan Handle had a State Park named Palo Duro Canyon. The Canyon was referred to as Texas’ Grand Canyon. Turned out there was no room at the campground so we stayed at a very plain RV park down the road. I’m glad we stayed. One of the cool sites in Armarillo is the Cadillac Ranch. Some of you might be familiar with the art installation created in 1971 by a wealthy Texas oil man. The installation is nine 1950s and 60s era Cadillacs with the noses buried in a line in the the corn fields, the big American tail fins pointing skyward. They are now a graphite platform. So many people enjoying themselves creating a very temporary design. That was really fun. I enjoyed watching and breathing in the fumes. After this we went to a very plain but excellent barbecue joint for dinner. Next we found and strolled on an old section of highway 66. Fun but not really exciting. It was so hot I was craving ice cream. I had the best Sundae I’ve ever had. Oh boy I can still taste it. This was likely my first Sundae in 3 years. I’ve saved the best for last: Advertised in the Canyon was a play called Big Texas. in it’s 53rd year. Starting at 8:30 in the evening. We got two tickets and scored excellent seats for this under the stars extravaganza about the history of Texas. It was a full theatrical musical event with a huge colorful cast , stage, props playing out in the vast colorful canyon wall as a backdrop. The show ended with fireworks celebrating Texas.

The next night, 7/23 we stayed at a Walmart Parking lot in Oklahoma. I bring this up not only because it’s a free nights stay but because it was so hot we decided to go out for dinner. We walked and by pure luck stumbled into a barbecue joint that was tucked into a lot of prefabricated.sheds. It was the best barbecue of the trip. The most interesting part of the evening was watching the Starlings, thousands of them fly in groups of hundreds over a field and through the Walmart parking lot and into a wetland. Fascinating for twenty minutes and then it was over

Next 7/23, Some like it hot. We stayed in a Army Core of Engineers State Park in Maumelle on the Arkansas River. I sighted some birds. a red headed woodpecker, a red headed goose and male and female swans. I had fun creeping up to take pictures. Yesterday 7/24,we rode our bikes into Little Rock. We went to a National Park Service Museum dedicated to the mid 1950s forced integration of Central High School. I’ll never seeing the high school in it’s beauty and witness to hate and promise.

Today 7/25 we drove to Memphis to visit my dear cousins Natalie and Shelley for breakfast, a trip highlight. Next time we’ll plan to stay longer. Here we sit in a Walmart parking lot. 95 degrees.

I’ve misplaced my camera. Hopefully I will find it, so I don’t have pictures to post.