Canyon Country Trip - August 16

Frank's Journal

We got up in the mourning and went to Zion National Park. We went through two cool tunnels to get to Zion. When we first got to Zion the altitude and my allergies made my nose bleed for 15 minutes and made my stomach feel bad. Then we hiked up a couple of trails and then we ate ice cream. After we ate the ice cream we hiked some more and saw cool waterfalls. Then it began to thunder really loud. Whenever it stopped thundering we went down a long trail to where the two mountains on both sides of the Virgin River came together separated by the Virgin River.

Canyon Country Trip - August 15

Frank's Journal:

We spent last night at Red Rocks State Park. We started out our day with a walk towards Church Rock.







Church Rock is a steep rock that looks like a church's steeple. When we got back we found out that prairie dogs had eaten our cookies!@#$





After we were done with our hike we went to Arizona to the Petrified Forest. The Petrified Forest was cool; they had lots of petrified logs and badlands.









A petrified log that was there weighed 43 tons--wow! Once we left the Petrified Forest we went to Aunt Linda's old house and spent the night there.

Canyon Country Trip - August 13-14

Frank's Journal


We spent the night at Muleshoe, TX (a nice but stinky town). (Here we are with the mule.)








Once we got to New Mexico we went to Petroglyph National Monument.






We hiked up a mountain and saw lots of cool petroglyphs.



In both days we have traveled through lots of terrain; we've traveled through plains, mountains, volcanic rock, badlands and layered mountains. We also saw Sky City, an Indian city on a mesa.

Mississippi Memories

Recollections of Decatur

I remember...

Climbing mimosa trees
and playing "Lost in Space,

Hot mornings in the pea patch
and sipping Coca Cola with Grandma,

Exploring all the "junk draws" for treasures
and sliding down the wooden hallway with the attic fan on,

Hiking across the pastures
and jumping from hay bales,

Walking down the red dirt road
and exploring the feed crib and old barn and block house,

Collecting eggs
and shelling peas,

Playing hide and seek
and "Ain't No Ghosts Out Tonight..."

Swimming at the club pool
and working up our courage to go off the high dive,

Waking up to the sound of birds through the open window
and the smell of biscuits in the kitchen,

Riding Goldie
and fishing for catfish with a cane pole,

Sleeping on feather beds at the old farmhouse
and pumping water from the old hand pump,

Cows at the farm
and the time my dad put me on one!

Cookies at Aunt Dorothy's
and milking cows at Uncle Sam's,

Big family dinners with sweet, sweet tea
and Aunt Bobbie's caramel pie,

Grandma chasing us with her false teeth
and watching "The Price is Right,"

Colored lights spinning on the aluminum Christmas tree,
and sleeping on the wooden floors with cousins,

Family
and love.

Dedicated to Grandma, Aunt Mavis, and all the ones we've loved and lost...