After I left Ed and Cathy...

I went and stayed 5 days with my Aunt Goldie. She's so dang cute! We went to an interpretive center of the California, Oregon, Mormon Trails and the Pony Express.

Here's Aunt Goldie with her Trapper Boyfriend...as she referred to him! lol
Although the museum was about the white settlers and their westward expansion, it did speak of the impact on the Native Americans. I LOVED this flag made of buffalo skin.

and the settlers point of view...


California goldrush trail...

Here we are in a covered wagon. We got to experience "riding across the river" in it! lol
It moved and shook as some "guy" led the oxen across the North Platte and that guy up there on the horse kept cussing at the dang river and telling us, "Whatever you do, DON"T stand up!"

Here's a map of the Oregon Trail...to find all that land to farm!

Goldie found herself another man. Woah!


It spoke of all the hardships they encountered...day after day for months doing the exact same thing...and dealing with the death of the loved ones along the way.

Repairs to the wagon...

Journaling...

Knowing there isn't enough food for all the trailsmen and his tribesman...
Pony Express...It took 10 days to carry mail, on a running horse...

The interpretive center was great, we had a good time. That afternoon, we headed to go see my niece Melissa and great nieces Mikayla and Madison.
Here they are, showing me their lavender room!
They have such a nice house! Monte and Melissa painted the whole thing!

Here is M&Ms bedroom. I just love the mint green and brown...reminds me of thin mints!


Here's their awesome kitchen...Melissa, how do you keep your house so clean?

Monte is finishing the basement...doing it all himself! Here's the girls play corner!

And us...we had a wonderful visit. Cool that Mikayla and Madison got to see the Great Great Aunt Goldie! And I just love Melissa! You'll be seeing this cute little family again!
More to come of my visit with Aunt Goldie!

My Week's Vacation

Started off with spending a couple days with Ed and Cathy.
Ed was getting ready to meet up with his HS buddy and backpack in the Wind Rivers for a week...(yes, he needed those snow shoes you see in the back!)
And here's little Dah Dah, being so cute!

Here we are at the Holiday Inn for brunch, just before he headed out for his backpacking trip.

We went to Buffalo to meet Jolene and Gary for lunch then to decorate mom's grave.
Here we are with Chuck.


...and Gary!

Here's mom's headstone (and dad's to the right). The ground is still settling, so grass hasn't been planted yet.
We added flowers and I added a couple more things...
I couldn't resist this bunny rabbit...mom loved cute little creatures!
And these flowers with a cute little fairy girl in it...
Chuck waited patiently in the car while we looked at the other family headstones, pulled weeds and dried our eyes. Then we all sat (laid) down in the shade. He wanted me to take his picture a million times. I had to take this one so you could see his hippy necklace Aunt WooBee (Velvet Ginger) got him and GREEN mardi gras beaded necklace I got him.
You're HOT, Chuck!

Then off JO JO and Gary went and we did too! I'll tell you more about that another day!

Yes Chuck, I'll take your picture one more time...sheesh!

'Lest we NEVER forget...

We're not in Kansas, we're in Nebraska...

Is this a cool photo, or what? Just outside Lake Alice School stands our mother, 16, her younger sisters; Cora, 13, and LauraBelle, 11. There were 13 kids in the family.

Aunt Goldie said LauraBelle played with that doll until she was 15!