Happy Independence Day!!

Dressed in our patriotic best, we started the day with a heated game of "May I?" We had hamburgers with all of the fixin's for lunch...you can't get more American than that.

After lunch, Bill, Julie, Jamie & Shelby went to the swimming pool at Wintersmith Park in Ada. It was so hot & humid and the water felt SOOOoooo good!!

The city of Ada's big fireworks display was to be held at Wintersmith Park so when the swimming pool closed, we walked across the street to the park and found lots of things to keep us entertained until the big show.

Jamie & Shelby rode the train...

...and the carousel.

Bill, Jamie & Shelby played mini golf. We ate snowcones and found a grassy spot near the pond where Julie's mom & aunt Jean met up with us to watch the fireworks.

Jasmine Moran Children's Museum

WHO KNEW that, in the middle of nowhere Oklahoma, there is this great Children's Museum??

I'm not even sure how we found out about it...maybe we saw a sign or something and then checked it out on the internet. It was a very nice museum with lots of cool things for the kids to do.

the infinity mirror

the mirror that gave Julie the long legs she's always wanted...

the levitating mirror

Jamie riding a bike with a skeleton

OOPS! Looks like Shelby has hurt herself...

This was actually a very cool display about having a physical handicap. They had wheelchairs and then had the kids try to do everyday activities from the wheelchair (drink from a water fountain, get mail from the mailbox, etc.). It gave a fresh perspective to being disabled.

Shelby & Jamie in a bubble...

the Castle maze...Shelby found all four corners!

Ada, OK

Here we are...right before leaving Amarillo on our excellent adventure!

Today we drove to Ada, OK to visit Julie's uncle John & aunt Jean.

We HAD to stop at the state line for this photo!

We saw these flowers in Palo Duro Canyon and someone told us they were called "Indian Blankets". They also described a similar flower with a cone which were called "Mexican Hats". When we stopped at the Oklahoma state line, there were tons of both varieties.

We met Julie's friend, Donna, at Earl's Rib Palace in Oklahoma City for lunch. It was a short visit but still good to get together with old friends.

A Day Of Rest

Phil & Debbie (from Big D Cruisers) decided to stay an extra day so we tried to think of something that would be fun for everyone. Since Jamie had been such a trooper on Saturday, we told him that he could do something that he wanted to do...and, he wanted to go swimming. So, we were talking about the public pools and trying to work out the details when Julie threw out the suggestion to crash Cathy's house and have a pool/BBQ party. Emily called Cathy and she was so thrilled to have people come visit her! The water was cool (82 degrees) but it felt SO good in the heat and humidity of Amarillo!

We grilled hamburgers and finished up some leftovers from the Palo Duro picnic. Bill, Julie, Jamie & Shelby spent almost six hours in or near the pool. Phil & Emily also swam for a while. It was a perfect way to spend the day!!

Palo Duro Canyon

The PT's met at the Travelodge in Amarillo on Saturday afternoon to cruise out to Palo Duro Canyon. There were 10 PT's and since Emily had offered to help Cathy drive her car, Julie got to drive the Batmobile! YAY!!!

Julie had a great time driving the PT...it's a stick shift!!!

The Big D and Caprock Cruiser Clubs met at Palo Duro for a potluck picnic and just like any potluck, there was TONS of food! After eating, we headed for the water crossing to play in the water and mud. It was so weird to step into the water, though, because it was WARM!! In Colorado, if you step into a stream, it's cold because it's coming from snow melt. It was just unnatural for the water to be warm.

The temperature of the water didn't make a difference to Jamie & Shelby, however. They managed to get completed soaked and/or covered in mud! They had such a great time!

While playing in the water, Julie met a young man who, after talking with him, turned out to be a nephew of a friend who used to live in Alamosa. Small world!

We played in the water for an hour or so (OK, maybe two hours...) and then dried off and put clean clothes on the kids before heading over to the Palo Duro Ampitheatre. We all had tickets to watch the show "Texas" performed live in the ampitheatre. It was entertaining but made for a very long day. We didn't get back to Emily's house until after midnight. We were all exhausted!