I’m not sure whether or not I should be disappointed that this year’s Wild Game Dinner didn’t feature any armadillo, but I will admit I halfway expected the roly poly critters to be on the menu. Unlike any fundraiser I’d been to before, the event benefited the Del Rio Chamber of Commerce. It attracted hundreds of people from throughout the county and while I can’t imagine recommending such an event to the organizations I help fund raise for, it seemed to be a success.
Hosted at the civic center, the event kicked off by shuffling the crowds through a chow line where nothing but wild game was served. Attendees ranged from hardcore hunters wearing vintage Wranglers to just about every student pilot training at Laughlin. As for the food, the wild boar and turkey weren’t bad, but I quickly understood why the food isn’t the main attraction. Rather, it’s all about the guns!
This year’s event featured a gun raffle with 100 rifles and shotguns, though if I were to guess I’d say there were probably a few more guns in the room – not to mention the pickups outside.The guns were said to have a combined value of $50,000 and rumor has it, more than 4,000 one dollar tickets were purchased. While the odds could have been better, one of our friends won two – not a bad return.
This definitely counted as a "y'all" moment and a Texas adventure to add to the baby books. What will Mikayla think when she’s old enough to go through it???
Hat’s off to Laughlin’s Captain Moore duo for a great spouses’ day! They introduced us to what John is going through during pilot training and then sent us soaring with T-6 flying lessons (from the ground that is).
From the control tower you can see the dozens of T-6s lined up on the flight line. Apparently there are 40-50 T-6 flights at Laughlin per day. I'm not sure how many T-1 & T-38 flights come in and out.
Climbing to the top of the control tower wiped Mikayla right out!
(BTW - Although we're in Texas, it was 37 degrees out when we left the house this morning! Hence the sweaters and blanket.)
Airplanes, airplanes, airplanes! The white ones are T-1s and are what John will move to after the T-6. It looks like a business jet.
The three planes pilots train in at Laughlin. From left to right is the T-1, T-6 and T-38. Everyone starts in the T-6 and then they break out to the T-1 or T-38 depending on whether they'll be flying "heavies" (like John's C-17) or fighters.
A better view of the T-6s from the catwalk, which is essentially a wraparound porch on the control tower.
On the way to the simulators we ran into Daddy and did the great pass of the baby so that Mommy could go flying. (From the look on John's face, you can see that he's intimidated by my incredible flying skills.)
Who needs a fancy flight suit anyway....?
Does this thing have a seat warmer?
So, I'm assuming someone is going to tell me how to start this thing...
"Mom! I can't believe you just did that, you should really leave the flying to Daddy."
Fheew, a co-pilot! But shouldn't he be in the plane?
Hold on, what happened to the runway? Turn the flash back off.
Three appetizers, nine side dishes, a 12 pound turkey, an 18 pound ham and three desserts, four if you count the ice cream, later, we successfully rolled away from a Texas Thanksgiving. We kicked off the holiday at our house with friends by tapping our keg of homemade Hard Paddling Cider. (For those who don’t know the back story, we made hard cider with our friends Ben and Joni from back home. It took a year of fermentation after hand crushing 275 pounds of apples to create the final product and we can now officially say it was worth the wait. Cheers to our success Harvester 9!) With an alcohol content of 9% it’s a bit dangerous and ensured that everyone enjoyed the rest of the evening.
Mikayla did fantastic and hung out with Daddy and friends most of the day. Though by the end of the evening it was clear that she and I had not spent much time together and she let me know it was time for Mommy time.
It was a harsh punishment, but Friday was spent cuddling before the Ducks game and leftover feast that night.
The rest of the weekend was spent not doing much of anything. We decorated the house for Christmas, and while we didn’t get a real tree this year, since we’ll be gone at the holidays, we’re reminded of home every time we walk by and smell the trees at the store! It's a bit different, putting up Christmas lights in shorts and t-shirts, but a few holiday decorations and the spirit of anticipation that comes with the season is enough to make just about anywhere cozy.
If there was ever a year to host Thanksgiving outside, this would be it. The temperature is forecasted to be a high of 79 with a low of 40 degrees. Too bad we don’t have a picnic table! The view isn’t nearly as pretty as it is back home since the leaves don’t change colors, they simply die and fall off, so I guess we’re not missing much by keeping the turkey indoors.
The past couple weeks have once again sped by. Two weekends ago, John and a couple friends went camping and had their site visited by a raccoon and wild pig. The guys survived, however the banana nut muffins were not as lucky.
Mikayla and I have attempted to become more adventurous with our daily walks, even venturing off base a bit more. Though when we tried to find hiking trails around the lake and instead found desolate dirt roads with vultures flying overhead, deer as thin as sticks and bushes with spikes all over them, we decided to keep going. Fortunately, we were at least able to find a campground with a fishing dock to walk around for a little while.
Mikayla continues to do better at entertaining herself. She’s found blankets to be great toys – that or she’s practicing to be a nun. And today, she reached out and grabbed a rattle for the first time, which she immediately tried to eat.
This past weekend we headed to San Antonio. No matter where the road takes us, we’re never short of things to chuckle about, and this time, one such thing was a home for sale via a handwritten yard sale sign. Best of luck to them I suppose.
Most of the weekend was spent shopping anywhere other than Walmart and I can’t say how thrilled I was to visit a real grocery store! I felt like a kid in a candy store when we walked into Whole Foods and could have spent the entire day shopping. Fortunately for John and Mikayla’s sake, I pretty much stuck to the list of Thanksgiving ingredients and then we hit the road.
Mikayla continues to love road trips! She spends a fair share of the drive sleeping, but also enjoys looking out the window and telling us stories. We have a mirror hooked up for her in John’s car that has a monkey overhead – I’m not sure what she was saying, but she had all sorts of things to tell Mr. Monkey this weekend.
It’s been fun to listen to Mikayla's pigeon talk evolve. In addition to having specific cries, she has very specific conversations to tell us what she wants. Perhaps the easiest to decipher is her food request, which almost always serves as a prelude to the great breakdown demanding food.
It’s hard to believe that Mikayla will be three months old on Thursday. She’s growing fast, becoming more playful every day and definitely has some spunk in her. The other day as John picked her up during a crying fit that was spurred by nothing more than wanting to be held, I caught her sneak out a smile as if to say, ‘hah! I got my way,’ watch our world, here comes Mikayla Jo!
Awe, wine. There’s nothing like a good glass of Oregon wine to remind me of home. We really should try out the local winery here in Del Rio, I just haven’t mustered up the courage to venture in quite yet...perhaps this weekend.
For anyone that’s checked the blog during the past few weeks, I apologize for the lack of entries. The days have been a bit hectic getting moved in, adjusting to life on base and with John jumping into pilot training. Good news is, 400+ boxes and who knows how many trees worth of paper later, we’re finally settled. We unpacked the last room this weekend and are to a point where I’m able to sit back and spend some time typing.
Our house is nothing glamorous, but we’ve done what we can to make it cozy and I it will work for the year. Besides, there’s a ceiling fan in almost every room so Mikayla thinks it’s the best house ever! Virtually all of the homes on base – aside from the big wigs' – look the same. They’re mid-50s rancher style duplexes. The interiors vary a little bit, but not much. Ours is a “two plus” bedroom, which essentially means we have two regular size bedrooms and a little one. It has a “his and hers” bathroom, which is odd, a big fenced backyard and a huge pine tree in the front yard. We’re kitty-corner from the base commander’s house, so we probably won’t be hosting many wild parties, and we’ve already established a social circle that makes it seem like we’ve been here far longer than we have.
(Mikayla doesn't mind folding laundry, as long as there is a ceiling fan involved.)
For the most part, unpacking went smoothly, though there were a few lessons learned for the next move. In particular, throw away the grease jar before the movers come! We emptied the trashes, but completely forgot the grease jar. Fortunately, almost all of the grease made it to Del Rio without spilling... Also, don’t assume the labels on the boxes have anything to do with what’s inside. After all, why wouldn’t the stereo be packed with the flower pots???
John’s pilot training is off to a running start and going very well. It’s no surprise he’s excelling in the academics and can’t wait to hit the flight line next month. He spends most of his day in briefings, AKA class, comes home for lunch and then hits the books with a study group in the evenings. Mikayla and I had a chance to watch him practice parachute landings, which I have to admit looks a bit like a bunch of grown men jumping off platforms and rolling around in the gravel, as well as his time in the pressure chamber. Ironically, I think we see each other more now than we ever did before.
Mikayla continues to grow and her personality blossoms more and more each day. For Halloween she was a pumpkin and a monkey, and in the past couple weeks she’s started giggling which is a heart melting sound.
We haven’t been able to get her to roll over again, but she’s gotten much better about entertaining herself and napping on her own. She’s finally big enough for her swing and naps to the sound of the ocean just about every day. By the time we take her to see the ocean, she’ll probably fall asleep the moment she hears the waves crash.
Recent cold fronts have brought the temperatures all the way down into the 70s during the day - not quite like November at home - and while I could tell you stories all night, it's time to head to bed. On that note, I leave you with a few photos and I'll try to keep the posts coming more regularly going forward.
It may have been completely by accident, in fact I'm 99.9% certain it was, but nontheless, Mikayla rolled over! She was practicing tummy time with Daddy and all of the sudden she stuck her right arm out, tucked her left arm back and voila! She successfully rolled herself on to her back and escaped her workout...at least for a little while =). Unfortunately, I missed the whole thing, but it was still quite exciting (lol, the things that are now exciting!).
Who needs a clock when you have Reveille? For those of you who haven’t been in the military, or haven’t lived on base, you’ve likely not had the privilege of hearing the electronic rooster stir the base throughout the day. Blaring through the towering speakers located around base – which double as sirens –every morning begins with the Reveille and Ruffles, afternoon is marked with Flourishes and the Star Spangled Banner, and the evening is put to bed with Taps. (I could have the Ruffles and Flourishes backwards, but I think that’s the way it goes.) The times apparently change depending on the base, but at Laughin the tunes play at 7 a.m., 5 p.m. and 10 p.m. Good news is that although the speakers are closest to Mikayla’s window, she sleeps right through the morning alarm. The bad news is, while I can’t hear it from our bedroom, it comes right through the baby monitor…
Our first week in Del Rio has been spent getting to know the base and settling in as much as we can while still living in temporary housing. John stays busy “in processing,” while Mikayla and my world has taken a welcome, lax turn. We spend much of each day staring at each other, trying to figure one another out, and the rest of the day feeding. Ok, perhaps that’s a bit of an exaggeration, we venture out at least once a day in between Mikayla’s breakfast, brunch and lunch, or lunch and post lunch, appetizers, small plates, dinner or dessert… no wonder she’s now 11.68 lbs!
In all seriousness, Mikayla’s doing terrific and is growing like crazy – physically and intellectually. She becomes more and more engaged each day and continues to get prettier. She has come to love bath time and is able to hold her head up high when she lies on her belly. (That could have something to do with John lying on his belly next to her rooting her on as though she’s tackling an opponent in a wrestling match.) We’re working on napping in her crib or anywhere other than my arms, but have a ways to go on that one. She’s sleeping about 6-7 hours for her first nighttime stretch, so we have no complaints there, though when she decides to complain about something it’s clear that her lungs have gotten stronger as well.
Over the weekend, the base hosted a family career fair of sorts and brought in several different types of Air Force planes for the flight trainees and their families to tour. A C-17, which is the plane John will fly, was among those brought in allowing John to take Mikayla on her first tour. It is truly an amazing airplane which was reflected in Mikayla’s starry eyed, speechless reaction.
We certainly don’t have the same options for weekend outings as we did in Portland, but we have found ways to stay busy and have fun. Mikayla attended her first AFB Oktoberfest – there weren’t many lederhosen, but the beer was plentiful, and we spent Sunday afternoon at Lake Amistad. The lake is a reservoir on the Rio Grande separating Del Rio from Mexico. Despite the cooler temperatures (mid 80s) and a little bit of wind, it didn’t quite feel like fall.
(No, it's not a beauty mark, just a spot on my lense that I'm trying to hunt down.)
We’re scheduled to get the keys to our house on Friday and with luck our belongings will arrive prior to move in. In the meantime, Reveille sounded more than two hours ago so it's probably time for Mikayla and I to get up.
OK, here it goes. First impression of Del Rio, TX – “What are we doing?”
Biggest Shockers:
·It’s small, really small. Wikipedia reports 50k people, in actuality, it’s closer to 30k.
·Despite its size, there are a few chains such as Home Depot, Chilis and Sonic Burger.
·Walmart looks like Whole Foods compared to the local grocer – ummm, yeah.
·The town makes the base look luxurious, and while the base is nice, that’s saying a lot.
Pleasant Surprises:
·The terrain around the town is pretty cool. The river beds are in deep canyons and with deep blue green water. Lake Amistad, just outside of town is enormous with sparkling blue water that reminds me of Florida.
·Though small, Laughlin AFB has done a nice job accommodating families relocating to the area and the neighborhoods are pleasant.
·Everyone, from the locals to those on base, have been very friendly.
The drive from Pecos south was relatively uneventful. The further south we got, the more and more Border Patrol cars we passed heading north (perhaps they were headed for Canada?) and just under an hour out, we passed through our first inspection point. Since we were headed toward the border we didn’t have to stop, however the infantry of border patrol personnel, drug dogs and mirrors to check under each car was impressive.
Pulling into town felt like we were pulling into Mexico, a few small shops, some rundown buildings and sparse homes in worn neighborhoods. I have to admit that for just a moment, I had to swallow the culture shock that I was overcome with and remind myself why we’re here. Leaving Portland, John and I talked about how the coming year would make us appreciate where we came from. We successfully achieved that the first day.
Good news is, it’s only 13 months and it’s sure to come with great stories. I'm in a bit of shock, but I'm glad we're here. At least gas is cheap and thank heavens for online shopping! Besides, who needs 3G cell phone service when the Sirloin Stampede offers all you can eat steak and shrimp for $8.99?
Six days and 2,183.1 miles later, we made it to Del Rio! It was quite the road trip for a little girl who won't even be seven weeks old until tomorrow and she took it like a trooper. All in all, I would say Mikayla cried for a combined hour or less during the drive (don't worry, she is a real baby and fussed during other times, but to our fortune she was perfectly content as long as the car was rolling).
I was pleasantly surprised as we drove south to find that Del Rio’s “hill country” really does have hills. In fact, there are some really neat river canyons and surprisingly large rolling hills covered with a combination of golden grasses and brush and dark green shrubs. The last time I was in what was supposedly Texas Hill Country, I don’t recall seeing anything resembling a true hill.
Coming into town we were met with a few surprises and perhaps a bit of a reality check, but you’ll have to wait until tomorrow to learn more. I’m a bit worn out this evening and going to call it a night, but wanted to let everyone know that we're here. Stay tuned and thanks for following our journey.
Welcome to Texas! Where trucks come in white, white or white , the horizon is decked with oil wells and the welcome gift at the hotel is Bud Light. Today we traveled 356 miles from Santa Fe, NM to Pecos, TX, leaving us with a quick 238 miles to go to reach Del Rio. For the most part, the terrain was flat, dry and covered in sage brush and short bushes that looked more like tarantula legs than plants. I’m guessing they’re some sort of cactus, but really have no idea.
It was far from our prettiest day of driving – we’re definitely not in Oregon anymore, but was a good day to sharpen our random knowledge. For instance, it may only come in handy when playing Trivia Pursuit, but we can now say that we had lunch in Roswell, NM, best known for its 1947 UFO incident (no UFOs were sighted along our drive); stayed the night in Pecos, home of the very first rodeo…or so they say; and that five acres of land between Loving, NM and the Texas border goes for $27,000. Other sightings include seeing our first Texas cowboy loping along the side of the highway, miscellaneous picnic tables scattered throughout the desert, just in case anyone wants to stop and absorb the view – which Mikayla did – and lots and lots of barbed wire! We were also only the second customers to ever order pizza on the Internet from the Pecos’ Pizza Hut, which apparently makes us memorable and from out of town.
While we haven’t heard any “y’alls” yet, it’s clear this year will be an adventure and that we have a lot to learn before we’re considered Texans. Did you know that to pass a car (or more likely, truck) in Texas you don’t have to change lanes? Instead, the slower vehicle moves over to the shoulder as the faster vehicle approaches. I guess they take their welcome sign seriously: “Drive friendly – the Texas way.”
