So Much To Catch Up On!

I’ve been either too busy, too ornery, or too lazy to work on the blog, so, grab yourself a snack, a cup of coffee, and put your feet up for this one. 

My last post included a picture of the big cat that was spotted close by the RV park here on the base.  Well, the very next day after posting the picture, we saw the cat here in the RV park and as we watched it saunter across a large clearing and into the woods, I was snapping picture after picture, excited that I was recording this sighting that is so rare.  However, after the cat disappeared into the woods and I opened the camera to get the memory card with all those treasured pictures…….IT WASN’T THERE!  It was still stuck in the side of my laptop where I had downloaded pictures the day before.  So, needless to say, I was kicking myself big time!  And I think DeWayne would have liked to kick me too.  So no pictures of the cat, but we’re still watching for it, in case it comes back around and I’ll have another opportunity to get some pictures.

The 16th was Jana’s 17th birthday and Casey also had a Christmas program at the school that evening, so we all gathered at the local Mexican Food restaurant for a dinner and cupcakes for the birthday girl….


Then we hot footed it on over to the downtown auditorium to see little Casey in the Christmas Program…


That’s my handsome grandson just above the music stand with the white shirt and red tie.  We had a great time watching all the kiddos sing and perform Christmas songs.  We also ooo’ed and awww’ed at the Christmas lights in downtown McAlester, but being in a moving car, I didn’t try to get pictures of that.  They were gorgeous tho!!

One day last week, I made a trip over to Ginger’s house to get the Christmas Day plans and menu finalized so we could get our to-do lists and shopping lists synchronized and ready to go.  I carry the camera with me most of the time, so sure enough, on the way out of the base, I spotted a herd of deer lying in the grass, resting.  So I pulled over, rolled down the passenger side window of the car and took a few pictures. 




Then on my way back home from Ginger’s house, I got close to the RV park and spotted a few more not far from the RV, so I pulled over and got a few more pictures.
Some were grazing…


Some were just walking around…

And these two were playing, then proceeded to stand on their hind legs and fight?/play?/dance? 


  The 21st, Ginger piled in the car with me and we made a fast trip to Idabel for my doctor’s appointment, the office Christmas party at SOS with our friends and my former co-workers, then on down to DeKalb to see the folks, get the mail and to retrieve a few items from storage, then back to McAlester. 

I was pooped by the time we left DeKalb, so Ginger drove us all the way home.  Thank you, Ginger!  It gave me a chance to just ride and relax for a while.  And it was great to spend a day with my daughter.

The rest of the week was busy with chopping onions and celery, boiling eggs, making cornbread, etc. for dressing, plus transferring computer files and such from DeWayne’s old computer since he was buying a new one. 

On Thursday, I went to Ginger’s house again to see what I could to to help her get ready for the influx of family on Christmas day, but she had everything under control.  On the way over, I spotted the deer again, all standing really close to the road, so it was picture time again!




As you can see, they were as interested in me as I was of them.  But they didn’t fluff their tails until someone else passed by on the road.

We really love being in this FamCamp at McAlester.  It’s not just all the wildlife roaming freely around but the fact that we are the only occupied RV in the entire park.  It’s like having acres and acres as our own personal place. 

Anyway, I spent some time with Ginger and family and watched a little TV.  I took a picture of her Christmas Tree…

Got a shot of Casey as he played his computer game…

And of Curt lounging on the couch…

We watched a show that I’d never seen before on TV which was “American Pickers” and the guys on the show were rummaging through a barn full of old signs to find that one-of-a-kind treasure and one of them picked up this sign that Curt wanted a picture of.  Here’s why:

Blue ribbon, no less!  LOL

Yesterday was Christmas day, so I bounded out of bed to get my shower, put the dressing together and ready to cook, grabbed all the food and the camera and headed to Ginger’s for the big day.  I walked out the door to start loading the car and it was snowing!  Little bitty flakes, but snow none the less.  I watched the fine white stuff blowing all over the streets as I drove over.  DeWayne was coming later in the truck and, of course, had to bring a few items that I forgot to take with me.  It worked out great that way. 

Everybody arrived by 11:30 for the day and we had dinner ready by noon.  Oh my gosh, we ate like pigs!  But the best part was having my kids and grandkids around and enjoying each other for the day.  I was the family “pest” with the camera most of the day, but DeWayne took a few shots as well.

Here are Ginger and Curt, our hosts for the day..

Ginger with brother Kevin:

Me with Tommy and Shanece:

Jana in her bedroom:

Samantha, Clay and Phillip on Jana’s bed:

Skinny little Casey Don in “Sissy’s” bedroom:

Kevin’s twins Levi and Ace, Tommy’s daughter Maci, and Ginger’s son Casey playing cards in the garage:

DeWayne telling a story:

Curt with his new grandson:

Tommy’s Clay and Samantha again:

Kevin and me:

The twins again:

Me after dinner (leaning on my fella):

Clay after dinner:


Now, you remember that I mentioned I was the PEST WITH THE CAMERA?  Well, here are the ones that prove it.  Each picture portrays that “You again with the damn camera?” look that I got A LOT yesterday, lol.  Here they are…..




Wow, if looks could kill, I’d be a dead duck right now!  Love it!

Anyway, we had a WONDERFUL Christmas day and came home to settle in for a leisurely evening.  It didn’t take me long to change into my “fat clothes”, kick my shoes off and put my feet up.  Ahhhh….I was happy, warm and comfy, so it was a great Christmas.  I hope you all had a great day as well.

I'm so blessed to have a great family!  I've decided we are rare in the fact that no matter how many of us get together, there is NEVER any kind of family squabbles going on.  We just have lots of fun and enjoy each other.  I love it and so appreciate that none of my family are petty or selfish.  They just love each other.  You just can't beat that!

Now it’s the day after Christmas and we vowed to stay put for the day, just catching up on the blog, watching TV, listening to music and staying warm. 

That’s all the news, so stay tuned for the next episode of “The Breeze”, but in the meantime…..
HAPPY TRAILS!!!

McAlester Natural Wonders

It’s a slow and easy existence here in southeast Oklahoma and we’re looking forward to Christmas at Ginger’s house.  She is hoping to be off most of the week before Christmas and we plan to cook a great dinner, plus decorate and heat her garage for the big gathering.  All are invited that can make it and don’t have plans already. 

The home that we no longer have, was always the holiday gathering place for my family, so we now have to rely on other family members to house the gatherings.  Ginger has been elected this Christmas and, as usual, she is equal to the challenge.  Thank you, Ginger!

After posting on the blog Tuesday, I looked out the kitchen window that afternoon as all the base personnel were leaving for the day, and there was a herd of deer just running around next to the Famcamp.  This is unusual to see them so close, so I ran for the camera.  They were all moving around pretty fast and with my “super zoom” lens, it was really hard to keep the camera still enough to get pictures.  I ended up with three out of about thirty that weren’t a blur.



Aren’t they gorgeous?  I feel lucky to get at least three pictures since it was getting dark at the time.  Thank goodness for software that allows me to lighten the pictures.

We woke up Wednesday to fog and a heavy dew, so this is what was outside the bedroom window before the sun eventually popped out and burned it all away.



We spent a leisurely day around the house.  Ginger brought Casey and Jana over after work for a while, then I went over to their house so us girls could watch “Eat, Pray, Love” on pay-per-view.  Jana had read the book, but neither she or Ginger had seen the movie.  Second time for me, but it was as good as the first time.  Great movie!

My biggest goal yesterday was to get the laundry done.  The laundry here at the Famcamp is my own personal laundry room since the only other occupied RV in the camp moved out several days ago.  We have the place to ourselves and it’s like having a huge yard to enjoy all by ourselves.  Plus the base personnel have put up lots of Christmas decorations and lights, so “our place” is beautiful at night as well.

Oh, and as for the wildlife, here is a picture taken outside someone’s office here on the base, not far from the famcamp, on Wednesday.

Now, that’s a huge cat!  I’m not surprised they are here since this area is full of prey and a great food source for the cats.

I’ve managed to get a few pictures of turkey from a distance here in the Famcamp the last couple of days and they were “okay” pictures, but this morning, I walked in the bedroom and there in front of me were three turkeys, scratching around in the grass right outside our door!  Jackpot!

Two of them wandered out of sight pretty fast, but one of them hung around long enough to get some good shots before he realized he had been left behind and hot-footed it back to the pack.



The bedroom window is a great place to get pictures of the ever-changing conditions and critters outside, so I keep the camera on the dresser and ready to go at all times.  I was sure glad of that this morning.  FINALLY!  Turkey up close!

Other than a trip to Wal Mart, we don’t have any plans for the day.  It’s cloudy outside and there’s a cold wind blowing, so I’m not in a big hurry to get out in it.

That’s about all the latest from our corner of the world.  I’ll keep the pictures coming as long as I can find something to stand still long enough.  In the meantime…….
HAPPY TRAILS!!!!!