New Mexico-TLC for the RV

We are now on central mountain time. When we crossed the state line, we changed, and we are now only one hour ahead of San Diego.

It's beautiful here-desert climate and very cold. We left Ft. Stockton and arrived in Carlsbad in time to wash the RV (got the first of many layers of dirt and dead bugs off), an oil change and vacuumed the RV. We did all that and then had time to visit the Living Desert Museum. It was nice to let the kids run around as Lilly was a complete spaz case. I told her that she could walk ahead of me or behind me but not NEAR me, as I might push her into a cactus.

Our campground is huge and beautiful. It's very cold. Funny to think that 3 nights ago it was near 80 degrees and we were night swimming. I think it will be in the 30s tonight. Great for star gazing.

The intenet is not great here, so I'll probaly check back in once we get to Albuquerque--Tues or Wed. And I can't post pictures either. Maybe next time! We'll visit Carlsbad Caverns tomorrow and/or Monday.

On the road again

One thing about Texas, it's big enough to be its own country. We drove six hours and we're still in the middle of no where. Thankfully there's this campground adjacent to I-10 in Ft. Stockton. Tomorrow we'll drive to Carlsbad Caverns. Another thing, we have seen so much road kill on this trip, I half regret not keeping a tally, as sick as that sounds. Our connection here isn't strong, so no pictures of this expansive land (or road kill).

Bigger than us

More interesting than our day of school, camplife and ride downtown is the following link. My sister sent it to me, and it's more important than our trip. Please view.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/21134540/vp/27652443#27652443

San Antonio, day 3

Another great day for the roadscholarz. We had PE this morning which meant swimming until lunch. It's the first campground pool that has been open on our trip since Moab. We did school much of the afternoon, and then I really had to muscle up for a Wal-Mart run. We were pretty much out of groceries, and I ate our last tuna pack. On our way to Wal-Mart, we passed a Costco! In we went, and the kids said, "This is sooo fun!" Seeing all the familiar foods was a BIG deal to them. I"ve stopped reading food labels on this trip, since I've had to let a lot of cooking preferences go along the wayside. But Costco was IT. We made it over to Wal-Mart too, with the walkie talkies, and then the topper was dinner at Chipotle!

One thing the kids have been doing in camp is the Tour de KOA. They take their bikes around this one loop and race eachother. It's pretty classic. No wipe-outs, yet.

Now they are swimming under the full moon, and I'm about to jump in the hot tub. It has a sign on it, very prominently displayed, Adults Only. Rest assured, the pool is 4 feet away, so the umbilical cord can still reach.

Remember the Alamo!

What a great day. After taking the BUS into town, we went right to the Alamo. As luck would have it, we were there just as a touching Veteran's Day ceremony was starting. It was an honor to be there as the men and women who served our country stepped forward to be recognized. Rhody, the kids all thought of you too.

We began our audio tour and Jack could not get enough. The girls pooped out, claiming that hunger was overwhelming them. I left Jack at Alamo, and the girls and I went for sandwiches. After lunch all of us rejoined and watched a short History Channel movie on the Alamo. Charlotte, it was not the gory one! There was so much to see and learn, we may have to do another day there. It was the site of one of the bloodiest battles for Texas' independence from Mexico. Davey Crockett was there and is one of Jack's idols. In March of 1836, the Alamo fell under the leadership of Santa Ana. All the men fighting for Texas were killed, except for a few slaves.

From Jack:
The Alamo is problbaby going to tie in first for favs for me. It was a sanctuary, shrine, museum, memorial and a sign of Texas independece all at one place. I was looking forward to this for the entire trip. This spot made me happy and very sad. At times I wondered what would happen if I were there, knowing that Santa Ana would attack that morning of March 6, 1836. I was suprised that there are many mysteries and very few remainders of the missions. I loved it. I cannot express how much I loved it. I can't believe I am where I am now. This spot is the earliest spot I know that I have wanted to go to. It was so cool!

GB:
From the Alamo we strolled along the Riverwalk and into the Rivercenter Mall. We decided to catch a movie (not something educational which I have been fairly focused on). We saw Madagascar. I *wish* I had been tired enough to sleep. The kids loved it.

After the movie we walked back down to the Riverwalk and had an early dinner. The bus ride home was exciting as by then it was dark, and I had no idea where we were. Thankfully the bus driver took pity on us and announced our KOA stop.

Tonight is journaling, math and reading. Happy Veteran's Day. Today is our 10th week out. I'm so proud of the kids and how well they are traveling. They're ready to go home, but they don't want to go yet--they're still excited about what's left to do. It's all good.

San Antonio, day 1

We left Austin this morning but didn't get past the city limits before stopping at Cabela's. Jack was sooo happy. It was a great time to stop as our drive today was only an hour, and we were on no specific schedule. We went in, with walkie-talkies, and the kids roamed the wild indoors of Cabela's.

Once we arrived in San Antonio, we checked into our KOA for the next 3-4 nights. It's 80 degrees, the pool is open, and there's a *bus* that will take us downtown for a dollar each! I'm so happy not to try and drive through another downtown. We stayed in camp and caught up on laundry and school.

Tonight we made a fort and are having a movie night, courtesy of my book club gals. Don't let the smiling faces in the fort picture fool you too much.... true confessions, 2 of them were in tears prior to the fort building. I am not perfect, nor are they, and we've had a lot of togetherness. I'm sure I could of handled the fighting situation a little better than I did. There's a good chance the fort is a by-product of a mother's guilt.

We'll spend all day tomorrow at The Alamo and the Riverwalk, via the bus!

Pictures from Austin

Here are few shots from Austin. We walked across Congress Bridge and down along the river. We drove around the capitol and found our way to ice cream. We were hoping to see the famous bats that live under Congress Bridge. At dusk, hundreds fly out for their night of hunting. But since they are Mexican bats, they've already migrated south for the winter, so no luck. Our planned BBQ dinner didn't quite work out either, but we found a great place just down the street from our campsite. The restaurant was The Shady Grove, and we were able to eat outside and enjoy the music and lights. Tomorrow we'll drive to San Antonio. Remember the Alamo!