Christmas in Lubbock

Lea and Bill (and their blended family of 6 kids) braved ice and snow to spend part of their Christmas vacation in Lubbock. From the left you see: Jon, Bill, Anna, Claire, Mary, Sophia, Hanna, Frank, and Lea. Jules was taking the picture.

Museum Days

Given some unusually, wintry-weather conditions, our daytime adventures were limited to the Buddy Holly Museum, the Texas Tech Museum, and the Ranch Heritage Museum. We slowed the kids down long enough to pose for a quick holiday portrait (personalities and all)!

Sellout Knight

What an opportunity for us all to become a part of history by attending a Texas Tech basketball game on the night Coach Bobby Knight would win his 880th basketball game and break the record set by Dean Smith.

ESPN2

We had fun planning and practicing with signs for the kids to hold up during the game when the cameras panned the fans! One side said, “Extra Special Perfect kNight 2.” The other side of the same cards said, “You Can Smile Now Coach Knight.”

Not this Night

The game turned out to be a close one but not a winning one for Coach Knight. So, the kids never did get to show their flip-side of the cards to the world. That didn’t keep us from enjoying our own cleverness!

We Had Our Fun

Given about 20 trips to the bathrooms, concessions stands, and souvenir booths the kids provided bonus entertain-ment to the game show! Who would have thought all 6 kids would want temporary tattoos?

Christmas at the Ranch

The ranch here in Lubbock is actually the National Ranching Heritage Center, a series of 40 structures located along a winding path (10 acres) on the Texas Tech University campus. For Candlelight at the Ranch, 2 evenings in early December, the paths are lined with luminarias and the buildings are complete with holiday re-enactors – some are stringing popcorn and others are making cookies on a woodstove.

Jon in the Barton House

Jon celebrated his 8th year as a re-enactor for Candlelight at the Ranch. His research helped him collect authentic period clothing like those of a turn-of-the century ranch hand. For Candlelight, Jon paints original Christmas cards following the ideas of those water colors Charlie Russell included in his Christmas greetings in the early 1900's.

Regular Ranch Guest

Jules’ mother, Mary Ruth Steffens, looks forward to joining the 3,500 people who stroll the grounds and peer in the windows of these old buildings. She was glad to learn of Jon’s fascination with this time period and happily added Uncle Dick’s gold watch and fob to Jon’s period wear.

Fall in Missoula Montana 2006

Jon got a substitute so he could join Jules at the close of her School Science and Mathematics Association meeting. We had forgotten about how much we enjoy the sights, sounds, and smells of Fall. Like kids, we took every chance to walk through the leaves. Fall is a sort of non-season in Lubbock as the Live Oak, our most predominant tree, is pretty green all year. The small, college town of Missoula lays claim to much history and provides unique downtown shopping opportunities like tea boutiques and chocolate eateries as well as a small Macy’s. Can you envision both a sushi bar and an Irish bar in Missoula? Jon preferred the Scotch eggs over the raw eel.

Fall Drift Boat Fishing

We were the last trip on the books with the Grizzly Hackle Fly Shop on October 29, 2006 for fishing on the Bitterroot River. We both "got lucky" when it came to finding fish on the river. In this photo, Jon is fishing while he waits for Chris (our guide) to grill a shore lunch of Terriyaki Chicken. You see our drift boat in the foreground. Jon stood to fish from the front of the boat and Jules sat (mostly) to fish from the back of the boat. Chris rowed (and tied lots of knots) from the center. This boat was amazingly steady! We shared the river-view with 5 Bald Eagles, 3 Whitetail Deer, and 15 Blue Heron. What an amazing day!

Jon Caught a Nice Rainbow

The guide might have been happier than Jon was when he finally "hit" on a fairly good sized trout. We fished with bead heads for the entire day. With the storm coming in (wind, rain, and finally snow by nightfall) we didn't see an insect hatch. Chris (the guide) claimed the "leaf hatch" was particularly good on this day. And as we looked up, there were yellow leaves swirling around and looking just like an insect hatch.

Jules Caught a Fish Too

As you view this picture, you can just hear our guide as he said, "Here, I know how to make it look bigger!" This guy, Chris, provided a steady stream of humor throughout the day -- at no extra charge.

Clark's Fork Trail

Jon got to spend leisure time walking along the Clark's Fork River trail that bordered our hotel property. That mountain in the background saw snowcover before we left on Monday.