Counting Down to Take Off

 What do you do after the Party Overload blog post, relax on a giant floatie in the Gulf of course. As you could imagine, relaxing kinda goes out the window as more and more people show up along with a gallon or so of Rum Punch...............you can see where this is going......lol. And yes, after 4 hours of floating I had to pour Sheryl into bed as she had just alittle to much fun........and rum......lol.

 The next event at the Sunset Lounge, was a performance by the Classic Rock Band Haywire. This is the second time this year they played here on base and put on another great show. Interesting 'Factoid" the lead singer Paul, appeared on the Millennials Vs Gen X season of Survivor. Another great evening of entertainment with friends.

I received a pretty nice compliment the other day. I posted one of my photos on the Sigsbee Facebook page of a Sunset Kayak trip the base had sponsored. The lady in charge of the base Information, Tickets and Tours office contacted me wanting to buy the photo for display in their office. I stopped by today to see where she hung it and low and behold it is displayed on the wall right as you enter the building, how cool is that!!!.
Even though it may not seem like it, the partying has slowed down a bit due to all the people leaving as the season comes to an end. We have actually been relaxing but staying busy with day to day life. Speaking of day to day life, all of Sheryl's tests came back on a positive note with just a couple of alterations to her meds. So she has been given the all clear to head out, our first stop will be Miami to visit our newest Grand Daughter.
Ok, that's it for now, looks like we'll be headed out around April 2nd, so stay tuned for more.

Week Two Here in Huntsville

 Week two here in Huntsville has been pretty much the same as week one, a lot of just day to day living. You know, all the fun stuff, housekeeping, laundry, shopping...........ahhhhh the fulltime lifestyle, the fun never ends.....lol. We have gotten out and explored the town and checked out the fall colors in the nearby mountains. The fall colors have been nice, but due to the extreme drought conditions here in north east Alabama, they haven't been amazing. The leaves do a quick color change then promptly dry out, shrivel up and fall, it's been a bit disappointing, but still nice. I have done a little hiking it the mountains (see photo) and have been doing a lot of scouting around for photo locations which helps keep me entertained. Sheryl has been busy making a new baby blanket for our soon to be grand daughter and other assorted projects to keep her entertained. She has also been stocking up on craft stuff for our time in Key West as supplies are pretty limited down there. We have a couple weeks left here, we do have a day trip or two planned before we leave, but that will be another entry. That's it for now, I know not an exciting fun filled week to read about, but hey they all can't be like that. Ok see you back here next time...........................

Village Creek State Park, AR

 After a pleasant 5 day stay at Ft Chaffee, it was time to move further east on our trek towards Key West. Our next stop would be Village Creek State Park in East Central Arkansas, however our trip would be delayed a couple hours. While doing my pre-departure walk-around, I discovered a low tire on the drivers side rear, it just happened to be the same tire that had valve stem problems in OKC which I thought had been fixed. I couldn't get a pressure reading on the tire, so I couldn't tell if it was the valve stem was bad again or the tire was low. We knew we would need roadside assistance to fix the issue irregardless of what the problem was, however being on a military base we knew it would be a major problem to get help onto the base. We decided to limp on down to the nearest gas station just off the base and call for assistance from there. We called our roadside assistance (through our RV insurance) and they wanted to have our rig towed to the nearest tire shop to have it looked at, that seemed pretty extreme for a tire issue. We decided to call a local tire shop which said they could come out and fix our tire on site for 85.00, that sure beat the heck out of having our rig towed, so we just paid them out of pocket and had them come out. The service man was on scene within 15 minutes or so and had our tire off and fixed within 30 minutes. Turned out, when we had the valve stem worked on in OKC the tire didn't seat right on the rim when it was re-inflated (they didn't remove the tire for the fix) and it was leaking air from around the rim. Our mobile service guy took care of the valve stem problem, and seated the tire properly and had us on our way in no time. So after a couple hour delay, we were on our way.

 It was a normal travel day made long by the tire issue, but we made it into the state park by 4:00 and got all settled in. We had a nice pull through site with only a couple other site around us. As most state parks go, we had the place to ourselves during the week, but of course it filled to the brim on the weekend. The park itself was very well kept as most of the Arkansas State Parks seem to be. Pretty good for a system that does not charge an entry free into their park system.

 During our time at Village Creek, I of course had to get out and explore the area a bit. I set my sights on the St Francis National Forest about a half hour away. The forest had two main roads running through it, a portion of the Great River Road and Crowley's Ridge Scenic Byway, both portions were dirt/mud/gravel through the forest. Thank goodness for our Jeep and having 4x4 and the aggressive tires or I would have been stuck pretty good a couple of times, not the best place to explore after a good rain. However it was a great day out and an enjoyable trip through the forest.

 Village Creek State Park is contains two lakes and most of the activities are centered around them. We did get the kayak out and had a great time exploring one of the lakes, Scrappey Doo even approved as he rode in the front with Sheryl. Here are a few shots of the Lakes and the Fall colors as the leaves are just beginning to turn here.

One thing we found hard to believe, was the lack of cell service in this part of the country, hence the late posting. Hope you enjoyed the shots and we'll see you next time from Loretta Lynn's Ranch!!!

Relaxing at Ft Chaffee

 It has been a relaxing 5 days here at Ft Chaffee, but our time here has come to an end. We will be heading out in the morning for Eastern Arkansas and Village Creek State Park. We are looking forward to someplace we haven't stayed before. Poor Sheryl has been nursing a cold that the grandkids so lovingly gave to her before we left OKC, so she's been feeling kinda rotten. Good thing we've been here several times before and have seen most of the sights. I did get out for a few hours the other day, heard of a place called Natural Dam and wanted to check it out. Once I arrived I was pretty disappointed, there was no water flowing over the 50' wide dam, just a trickle at the far end. The above shot is all I was able to capture. I'm sure in the spring when water is really flowing it's a beautiful place.

 Not to be detoured, I found a walking path and headed upstream and was able to get this shot from a rocky island in the middle of the stream.

After Natural Dam, I pointed the Jeep eastward to explore the Cherokee Prairie Natural Area, the largest expanse of wild prairie left in the Arkansas River Valley. Again fall is not the time to come expecting lush vegetation and wild flowers, spring would be the optimal time. However I was able to find some green and red turning foliage to add a little color to the scene. These are two places we will definitely return to if we happen by in the spring time.
Again, not a whole lot happening our way, just relaxing and cold fighting. Hoping Sheryl is feeling better tomorrow for our trip eastward. So that's all for now, see you next time from Village Creek S.P.

Exciting Last Few Days

 Lately I have managed to win a couple of online contests, one was an actual photo contest and the other a "Like us on Facebook" contest, both contests had photo enlargements as prizes. Well after much debate on which of my 1000's of shots to have enlarged, I decided on these 2. The bird shot was taken in Everglades N.P. and the Leaf was shot at Natural Falls S.P. in Oklahoma. Sheryl and I were quite pleased with how they turned out. Hmmm, now what to do with them???, not much wall space in the motorhome. Probably keep them to display during my photo sales.
The next exciting news was, the folks at Military Living magazine contacted me, requesting to use some of my photos on their website and publications. How cool is that!!! Of course I said yes and was happy as a clam to know a magazine thought they were good enough to use. No monetary compensation was requested and they will be giving me full credit for each photo used, and of course just knowing they will be enjoyed by lots of people works for me!
 

 After a few days of hanging around the house (been to hot to really get out much) I took a little backroads trip around the rural OKC area and ran across this sign. Well of course that instantly got my curiosity up, so I explored a little further.

 Yes indeed, the bridge was definitely out. I'm sure, if you've been following along on our journey, I'm a sucker for old and abandoned places. This bridge turned out to be pretty cool, so I just had to get some shots of it.

 Not even the roads exists anymore.

 I say it been quite a while since it's been used.

That's all the news around here that's fit to print, we'll be heading out towards Northern Arkansas on Aug 7th. Looking forward to some new scenery and fun with our kids who will be meeting us there for a week. Ok, until next time......................................

My First (Real) Wedding Shoot

 Hard to believe it's almost the end of the month already, my how time can fly, especially when your busy. These last couple of weeks have been just that. First off, Sheryl had her pinky toe operated on, to remove a piece of bone that never healed. You see she broke it while we were in Key West (no she wasn't drinking (that day.....lol) and it never healed. Shes doing pretty good now and due to get the stitches out here in a couple of days. Next on the agenda, a friend asked me if I would photograph their Sons wedding for them and I agreed. With the planning, bridle shoot and the wedding itself it all added up to several days and I must say quite the experience, now I know why wedding photographers charge so much.  As much fun as we had doing it, I don't think it's my cup of tea and I'll stick to travel and landscapes, not saying I wouldn't help out a friend or family again.

 The wedding was held at the Oklahoma State Capital Building and what a beautiful venue for a wedding. Surprisingly there is no charge for the use of it and they even provide all the chairs and tables needed for both the wedding and reception held on 2 different floors.
With Sheryl's help in posing everyone while I took the pictures, I believe they turned out pretty good for my first time. Everyone who saw the pictures so far has been very pleased, and of course that makes Sheryl and I happy as well.

 Fleeing the Scene of the Crime

 Wedding Party

 Striking a Pose

 Of course the Voluntary Signing of the License

The Happy Newlyweds

Our time here in OKC is coming closer to an end (finally), we have about to weeks left and we'll be off and running again. We'll need to stay with-in a day of so of here as we need to be back around mid Sep for an appointment. Then off to SW Kansas to celebrate Sheryl and her Twin Sisters birthday at the Family Homestead. After that another wedding in the OKC area and then we'll make our escape and head towards Key West again. Man this retirement gig with wear you out!!!

Ok, that's it for now, there is more, but we'll save that for our next post. Until then.............................

Key West Garden Club at the West Martello Tower

 While Sheryl and I were out and about one day, we ran across the Key West Garden Club located in the West Martello Tower Civil War Fort. There are three Civil War Forts located on Key West, one is at the State Park, one is now a museum and the this one is ran and maintained by the Garden Club.  As can be imagined, the grounds are full of gardens and beautifully landscaped. There is no entry fee, they just ask for donations, so we put a few bucks in the box and toured the grounds. For once I didn't have my camera, so a return trip was in order, and here are some of the results.

An enjoyable few hours out, hope you enjoyed and we'll see you back here again next time.

Winner Winner Chicken Dinner!

I was pleasantly surprised  this morning when I found out I had won a photo contest I had entered. The theme was landscapes. This is the winning photo, it was taken at the Yankee Girl Ghost Town along the Million Dollar Highway in Colorado.

Two Rivers Photo Walks

We've been enjoying our time here at Two Rivers, a little bit of sight seeing and a whole lot of just hanging out. The park is almost empty, which makes it very peaceful and quite most of the time. We have been visiting  with Sheryl's niece and husband off and on when we can, but trying not to over do it either. The last couple of day I have found myself with time to kill, so a couple of photo walks were in order. Like we have mentioned many times before, we love small towns and especially unique small towns like this one. Here are a few shots from around the area, hope you enjoy.

The last three were from Manitowoc, the next town over. Including the S.S. Badger (largest passenger steamship in the U.S.) and the Manitowoc Lighthouse. A WWII submarine on display at the Maritime Museum.
There's really quite a bit to see here in this area of Wisconsin and we are just pacing ourselves to get it all in.
If you would like to see more of this area, you can check out our Flickr site, just click on the Gallery page to the right. That's it for now and we'll see you back here again.........................

Downtown Russellville Photowalk

 We've been back in OKC for a couple of days now, we were only going to stay for a week while Sheryl attends the Baby Shower. We decided with the 4th of July coming up, we didn't want to try and find a park then, so we went ahead and upped for two weeks.

Before leaving Russellville, I went to the Old Downtown area for a little Photowalk. I love the old downtown's of small town America, especially the one with the Town Squares. Russelville doesn't have a town square, however they have a fully restored old train station and have some very unique back alleys.

 Old train cars outside the station

 Original Billboards

 Flowers brighten the streets

 Painted windows behind an Art Studio

 Alleyway Patio

 Dr Pepper at the old Drug Store

 Rock Island Cars

 New Blooms against old Architecture

 Imagine the beauty in everything, because you never know if it's the last thing you will see.

Train Station and Tracks

Hope you enjoyed the shots, next time your in a small town, look down an alley or just under the surface, you never now what little gems you mite uncover.

Take Care and we'll see you next time.....................