In my home office chair again

Incredible weekend for all the family, the great conversations, for seeing Joe as he opened his cards and gifts, for seeing both town people and extended family join together and celebrate a really good guy, a guy who loves life, people, animals, humor, hunting, fishing, chasing oil wells and pickup trucks.

Saturday morning I woke with a sore throat from sleeping in a smoking room, yuk.

I drove out to join the family at the house, a place on a bunch of acres just outside of town and was met by 6 dogs of every size yet united in doing one thing, barking! One has a tongue that hangs out a lot, perhaps its because he has been bitten by a snake twice in the last two years yet lived.  They are so funny as they compete for ones attention.

There is a very large family room with chairs and couches all around plus this massage chair that will just tear you up with its routines, wow.  There is a huge flat screen on the wall and non stop westerns or football.  Joe was an extra when they made the Alamo movie so that one gets played quite a bit.  He knew Richard Widmark and John Wayne who were in the movie.

Last night I was moved to a non smoking room which had been updated.  A totally different experience. Another reason to quit smoking, you get better rooms at a motel.  At about midnight I gave up and went to sleep but was up at 8 this morning.  Thinking to do something nice I stopped for doughnuts and took a dozen, only $6.00.  Well two other people had the same idea so there were plenty!  We all sat around and talked for awhile, someone showed me how to do Facebook and I enjoyed learning. 

Then the buzz was that we were invited to go visit a nearby ranch, a ranch with hundreds of acres, a ranch owned by one of Joe's long time friends, a guy who get his real financial start when his new company was hired to clean up the Waco mess after the government killed all the men, women and children, that's Janet Reno!  That contract got him launched he eventually sold the company for a reported $90 million dollars.  He owns other companies as well but has mostly retired now and travels the world searching for big game.  On his huge spread he has constructed a large building where he keeps his big game.  So we were invited to come over and see.  It is not possible to describe with words but there are hundreds of deer, lions, water buffalo, dozens of different kinds of deer from 10 inches high to 8 feet tall, he has giraffes, hippos, all mounted on backdrops that simulate the wilds where they came from.  The museum is amazing and there is even a gun room where his rare guns are kept, on was from Colt and was the only one of its kind ever made.  Both he and his wife were friendly and told stories about their adventures.  She complained that since he got a faster jet he got back sooner and was under foot, funny sort of complaint.  All in all it was a great experience and I'll share some of the photos tomorrow.

About noon I loaded up the rental car and hit the road.  Now hitting the road there is different.  The freeways are wide and in perfect condition with speed limits up to 80 mph so the trip back was quick and easy.  Since I arrived back early they bumped me to an earlier flight and I first flew to Austin, a 35 minutes flight, then stayed on the plane for Oakland which left very soon.  I arrived back in Oakland just before 7, found my car and headed home.

The weekend was very special.  I got to spend time with a family I treasure, a family that still has open arms for me in spite of Nan leaving all of us about 6 years ago.  Last night David pulled out a book of photos of Nan and there were ones in there I had no seen in a long time.  What a beautiful lady and what a great honor to have been married to her for 36 years.

I'm very thankful to Dana and Tim for getting the pink pass that allowed this weekend to happen for me.  Everything went very smoothly.

Love to all

Tim