Grandkids!

Grandson Zach Fields and the rest of his Mock Trial team at the state meet in Dallas, yes, his team was the state runner up, or the second best in the state!
Youngest grandson, Peyton Sanders mounted up for his first horseback ride. Yep, he's riding bareback! This is his uncle's place in New Mexico. He is right at home on horses.

While the rest of the country is busily dodging blizzards and snow storms, we are enduring the longest dry spell in recent memory. Hopefully, the spring will bring relief.

Books, authors and plots

During the Christmas holiday, daughter Kari vectored me toward Patricia Coldwell, and I enjoyed the first couple of her books, but soon tired of the simple same-old plot, and the perennial victim that the lead character was. Everyone was against her from the governor down, and she was a one person anti bad guy heroine. She must have more than a dozen books out, and you only need read one or two, the charactes don't change, and neither does the plot.

Now, I have discovered John Lescroart. He's got some really good stuff, and about 10 or a dozen books to his credit, and he weaves a very interesting tale. I still think Grisham is the best, but try one of Lescroart's

Gettin' Home

Monday was our last day in El Paso. Holly roused us up at 0530, we brushed our teeth, packed the Suburban, made a last visit to the "Loo" and started back to Amarillo. Oh, we did find that the highway from El Paso to Alamogordo would be closed all day Monday due to an Army missile shoot! Bummer!

We had to journey up I-10 to Las Cruces, then across the mountains to Alamogordo, an additional 45 miles to our trip, and an extra hour. It was fine, just took a lot more time for a really l0ng trip. We got home around 3:45, relieved Darin of his house/dog sitting, and collapsed. Monday evening was a wipe-out, but we are home.

SWEEPSTAKES!!!!

To no one's surprise, Team Americas won the competition, and will be rated top seed for the El Paso region when they attend the state competition early in March. All the teams were amazing, and the last mock trial for the session pitted the two top teams. Both of the top teams will make it to the state competition, and they both were great.

Zach's team was judged the best, by a small margin. Competition judges were three sitting judges. They were all very impressed by the calibre of the teams, one judge saying that the kids did a better job than some of the practicing attorneys that came before his bench.

It was l-o-o-o-ng day, and Zach was in court from 7:15 until after 6 pm! We managed to watch the last semi-finals and finals, and it was tiring just to watch these kids.

We'll be returning tomorrow (Monday) and back to the old grind...

Annual Trek to El Paso

Yesterday (Friday, 6 February) Judy and I packed up for our yearly trip to El Paso in celebration of grandson Zach's birthday. This would be our 16th trip for this occasion. Usually, February weather in this part of the world is miserable, but au contraire, it was a record day, temps were in the high 70's, windy and warm.

Actually, we normally do this around mid-February, Zach's birthday is Valentines Day, but he was competing in Mock Trial, and this weekend will crown the regional winners, and determine who goes to the State meet in Dallas in early March. Well, as usual, Zach's team was OUTSTANDING, and the kids won hands down in their two mock trials. Today will wind up the competition and Zach had to leave the house at 6:45 for a 7:15 meeting with the teams and sponsors.

February is a "good" month for us, our first child was born in February (12th) and we got our first grandchild in February. Hint----Kari was born on the 12th of February 1964, so that makes her 45!

More on this later, gotta prepare breakfast for Judy and the rest of the family.

Church update....

Last Tuesday (3 February) I got another tour of the new Worship Center. First service will be on the 28th of this month. It's been a long time building, but now it is all coming to a head.
The capacity is 4,000, somewhat larger than our present sanctuary. The worst seat in the new Worship Center is better than the worst seat in our present sanctuary.

"Preaching in the round" and as large as it looks, it will be packed out too soon. We plan two services initially, Saturday at 5:15, and Sunday at 10:45. I expect us to need to go to two Sunday services within a few months.

A major concern is parking. While we have ample parking spaces, some of them are w-a-a-y far from the building, shuttle buses of some sort, probably stretched golf carts, will be in service.

Stray dog or Texting while driving?

Just yesterday (Thursday, 29 January) Judy was surprised to be greeted by a phone call from the Amarillo PD. Seems a young lady, enroute to see her boyfriend, dodged a stray dog (She says it was a Schnauzer) and destroyed our brick mailbox stand and our neighbor's plastic one.
She did a number on the brick structure, and it also did a number on her car! Seems the radiator was perforated, the airbag actuated and the windshield broken. Fortunatley, she was not injured. (At least by the accident, parental correction may change that)

The wrecker driver cleaned up most of the debris from the street, and today, Rick Locke came by with son Josh, and got the rest. He will install a temporary box tomorrow, and we should be back receiving mail then.

The family of the young lady have been most helpful, insurance adjuster came by today for photos, and I feel assured that we will experience the least inconvenience from this accident. I do wish we could call in CSI to check her phone records for the time of the accident, I feel certain that the dog only exists in her imagination.

Just a few weeks back, a young mother taking her infant daughter to a doctor's appointment, was texting the babies father, and ran a stop sign, was hit by a concrete truck, and both died in hospital. I realize that laws will not stop texting or talking on cell phones while driving, but it certainly would raise public awareness.

Again, we are delighted that the young lady was not injured, and also delighted that Rick Locke has jumped in to remove the debris and start construction on the replacement.