Couples Retreat

Our first Couples Retreat!


Welcome back, girls!

We are glad that you brought your guys!

A campfire gathering is always fun!

Kenneth's favorite was the campfire cookout!

We had a picnic in the National Forest!

Forest Road 76 offers a beautiful backdrop for a fun outing.

Kory and Troy

Patty and Kenneth

Lesley and John

The parting shot!

We were blessed with beautiful weather, old and new friends, fun and relaxing times!

Please plan to come again!

Current Projects

One finished.
With the completion of the cushions, the Wrought Iron additions are ready for the front deck!













And one begun!
With the pending new roof, we decided that enlarging the back deck should be done next. And so it begins.

Is it Spring, yet?

Larry and Terry (my favorite NM BIL and NM SIL) came up from Ruidoso for a spring visit. Between them, they have four green thumbs! So, I enlisted their help with our flower planting and tree transplants! I requested a wave over each plant to ensure it's survival.

The reward?


A 4-Wheeler Picnic at Coyote Creek, complete with wine, chicken salad sandwiches and homemade chocolate chip cookies! The weather was beautiful and we were relaxed.

When we went to bed on Thursday evening, there was a dusting of snow. On Friday morning, there was three inches and still falling! Hmmm... What to do on a snowy day at the cabin? Mickey and Terry decided to design and build a bat house. Larry did the research. Did you know that 100 bats will eat 600 million bugs (2200 pounds) in two hundred days? No more bugs at the cabin!

Larry was the engineer, Terry the project manager.

Mickey was the general contractor and me?

I am the photographer/storyteller.

The finished product - one bat house for you and one for me! Come see ours! As per instructions, it has a southern exposure and is seven to eleven feet off the ground.

Oh yes, it is a Spring snow! Soft and pretty!

"Merry Hearts" with Blonde Hair

"Merry Hearts" ("A merry heart doeth good like a medicine." Proverbs 17:22), my Bible Study group spent the weekend, 4/2-4/5 with me at the cabin. There are 12 of us, but only 7 could make it. (L-R) Elaine, Bobbye, Jan, Greta, Gae, Carol and me. The white spots in the picture are snow falling! We ate and ate, played games, watched movies, talked and talked and laughed and laughed and some of us spent time in the hot tub. What a fun time! Thank you, Merry Hearts for our time together! Let's plan to do it again!
Mickey wants to know why everyone has on their blonde hair except me! Hmmmm.....

Hurry Spring!

We just returned from the cabin where there was pretty snow falling this morning to Amarillo where it is WINDY! I had planned to put the summer sheets on the cabin beds, but not quite yet - the forecast low there for tonight is 16 - brrrrr! I think I may wait until later in April when the nights are a little warmer and the flannel sheets are not as needed. Mickey cleaned and refilled the hot tub and painted a personalized glider and rockers for the deck. They provide neat, comfy additional outdoor seating and are strategically placed just below the outdoor heater - mmmm, nice! Now, we need cushions. I look forward to sewing on our next work trip. We have a nice fire prepared for our return and will not try to hurry Spring again!

Spring Break 2009

Charlotte is going to the cabin with her "soup case"!

Our son, Cory and his three boys, Will (8), Grant (6) and Brock (3) joined us and our daughter, Crissy and her four children Jack (9), Holly Grace (7), Mitchell (4) and Charlotte (2) for Spring Break this year. We had campfires, 4 wheeler rides, hikes, hot tubbing and skiing. Brock saw the first "chick monk" of the season and we had "cotton balls" (aka popcorn balls) on our picnic at the end of a hike! Grammy and PawPaw are still recuperating!

Cory and Crissy

Jack

Will

Holly Grace

Grant

Mitchell

Brock

Charlotte

There is always maintenance to do!









Hot Tub Fun!

Fire building

PawPaw and "all he needs"














Jack's attitude.

Holly's success.

The traditional measurement!

Entertainment tonight!

We love to entertain our family, friends and our weekend guests. Many years ago, I prayed for the gift of hospitality. Several years ago, Mickey wanted to convert our Amarillo home into a Bed and Breakfast. Now, we have combined these desires in the mountains. Our weekend retreats are comfortable and a good fit. We enjoy meeting new friends and welcoming our seasoned guests. We love to watch the tension leave as our guests enjoy the panoramic mountain views, the hot tub and being together. It is always exciting to watch projects develop as guests work on what they love doing.

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