Wedding Weekend

This past weekend was our niece, Sarah's wedding.  She married a great guy and we are all so happy for them both.  We flew into Raleigh to pick up Lefty's parents and from there we drove up to Charlottesville, VA.  And what a HOT weekend it was!!! The heat didn't keep us from having fun, however. 

Karl and Laura were able to meet us in Charlottesville and we drove Lefty's folks Tahoe around town for the festivities.  Note the "scooter" on the back. It made for some interesting maneuvering. 

We had a 6 a.m. flight home from Raleigh on Monday morning and thanks to Lefty's status, we got upgraded and enjoyed this view on the way home.

It is actually cooler here in Dallas than it was in VA. 

The Summer is roaring along.

Time doesn't stand still, and I am finding that is doubly true when you are on a vacation of sorts.  Z and I drove out to Emerald Isle in mid May and we have enjoyed a handful of days reading and relaxing, but the days somehow fill up with lots of events, activities, and a few distractions, that have taken us elsewhere as well.
 Z has been busy seeing friends here and there and everywhere. She has put on some miles since we have been here.  Truth be told, I have too.

The second weekend after we arrived, Lefty and I headed up to D.C. for a really special wedding.  One of Tine's really great friends from NC State got married and we were invited.  It was the most gorgeous wedding, with a very meaningful ceremony followed by an incredible dinner, and reception/dance.  One of the best wedding bands I have ever heard.  Congratulations Lindsey and Dave!

Part of the fun of being invited to the wedding was seeing Tine as a bridesmaid.  Her boyfriend P was with her at the wedding and we had such a good time with them and their fun friends.  The following day we drove Tine and P out to Annapolis, MD to P's parent's home.  They had invited us to brunch at their house, and we jumped at the chance to see them again before we started our drive back to NC.  We had the best time and enjoyed a delicious brunch.  Such a treat! P has the most wonderful family. We said goodbye to them and took a leisurely drive down the eastern shore of Maryland back through Virginia, and across the Chesapeake Bay and on down to NC via a new road.  (One of our favorite things to do.)

After I dropped Lefty at the airport to fly back to DFW, I had just a couple of days before I flew home as well.  We had made plans a while back to go to the Florida Keys for a fishing trip with some really fun, long time friends, so I had a couple of days to catch up at home before we left for Miami.  We had not been to Key West in years, and it was really fun to be back there again.

After our return from Florida, I had a few more days in Dallas before heading back to NC.  I had a chance to catch up with some friends for lunch one day, and dinner another. There was a nice stack of mail to sort through and all the other things that need attention after you have been away for awhile.

Now I am back in NC and enjoying some beach time, reading, riding bike, walking, etc. 

Since we arrived here in May, some big changes are in the works for Lefty's folks.  They are moving into a retirement community in mid July so there has been and will continue to be much to do to help facilitate their move. They will have to part with much of what they have in their 2 story home.  The new place is lovely even if it is small, so we will be busy next week helping them go through things to determine what they can take with them and what we will have to a new home for.  Big job!

Meanwhile I have a few more days to relax before the busyness hits. 

Building the Barn

We sold our ranch on the Jefferson River and the deal actually closed last week.  Lots of memories were made on that place and there is lots about it that we will miss.  But, we always saw it as an investment, so from that standpoint, we are really happy with the "deal".

Now we are going to start building a structure on our Elk Peak ranch which is north of Bozeman.  We are studying the architect's drawings as we speak and are really happy with the plans.  It will be a multi-purpose structure.  It will hold all our 4-wheelers, raft, tractor, truck and gear on the main level and we are finishing the upstairs as a residence.

There will be an interior as well as an exterior stairway, an upper level deck, and a lower level covered patio.  The idea is to finish the exterior to look like it is "old".  Construction starts SOON, and the fun begins.  I am adding lots of ideas to my Pinterest boards to capture some of the look we are trying to achieve.

Looking forward to following the progress.

Emerald Isle

After two days in the car with the two pups, it was great to get here.





- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Off to North Carolina!

Z and  I are off to the beach this Wednesday morning...EARLY.  If we don't beat the rush hour traffic, we will be miserable.  Our goal is to make to to the "pet friendly" Drury Inn in Atlanta with C and P.  Thankfully, they are good travelers and sleep the entire time we are moving.
Z is looking forward to meeting up with friends in Raleigh this weekend, and after checking in on Lefty's folks, I will get to the beach as fast as I can.
 Lefty will keep things under control here in TX and will join us in NC a bit as he is able.  Let the summer begin!

Moving on...

Changes are upon us.  The Stars didn't make it into the play-offs, so we are transferring our attention to the Rangers.  They beat the White Sox last night 5-0.  Great game! Moving on!

And in other news, we have accepted an unsoliscited offer on our Jefferson River Ranch in Montana.  We always said that if we got an offer we could not refuse, it would be time to move on.  So we are.  Time to start looking for a new place.  For the short run we think we will buy a town home in Bozeman as a landing pad to begin our search for a new property.  The search may take awhile, and we think having a place in town will be really fun for awhile. 

We will miss this place, but it's time to be moving on...

Fresh starts, new beginnings, more adventures, and a place to make new memories.  Life is full of twists and turns.  Thankfully, they have been fun ones.

Blue Bonnets

It is so pretty here in Texas this time of year.
It will get hot before we know it,but in the meantime, we are enjoying every minute of this.










- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone