50 Is the New 20 and Notes 🎶 Along the Way

We decided to have a quick weekend to celebrate another trip around the sun. It ended up being a trip within and around the Sphere in Las Vegas. No psychedelic’s needed but the sky was yellow and the sun was blue…

Brief videos of some recent shows.

BMFS! Hard to believe in 2018, Elizabeth and I just walked up to the rail in 3rd and Lindsey in Nashville with tons of room to boogie. String the halls was a who’s who type jam session. Billy and the band, Bela, Molly Tuttle, and so many more. Now he’s filling arenas. The world has noticed. After missing out on Revival in Buena Vista this past year, we were in for a banger of a night that I still don’t understand how they do what they do. Energy at an all time high. The largest crowd indoors he’s played for and they brought the heat.

We have a little pop of shows to start the year off. Billy, Todd from Railroad Earth, JJ Grey, and Railroad Earth. That’ll keep us fulfilled until the Spring/Summer tours start up.

Thanks to Bebe for a magical Thanksgiving. Wonderful Xmas in Shreveport for the first time in years. Been a busy but perfect end and beginning of the years. Peace

Unzipping the tent and seeing this will be hard to top. I could do this short hike every year and not get tired of it. Throwback to Oct. 2021

RIP Phil. I was lucky to be able to catch a few Phil shows and feel those bombs he’d drop.

I lost access to the site and in all honesty, I (We) have been too busy anyways to update but glad I somehow had the site renewed. We’ve had Thanksgivings, Christmas’s, Lily’s wedding, Telluride Bluegrass Festival, Birthdays, Anniversaries, family and friend visits, National Parks, and many more events and memories to reminisce. The problem is the recall is quite the challenge, uh oh!

So these are a few I could find relatively easy. Easy is more my style these days.

I’ve always believed my first LSU game was one of the games where scenes were filmed for the movie Everybody’s All-American in 1987. I may have made that up, but I am going to stick with that story, because well, it is very cool if true and how would I get that in my head if it wasn’t true? Don’t answer that…

One on one time doesn’t come often in our family, not as adults or with a kiddo. So when Ward put down a LSU game for his birthday, it didn’t take much for me to go overboard and all in. From missing a Friday of school, to stretching out in style on the plane, eating well, connecting with family, and a complete Tiger Stadium experience that included a beat down of Auburn, I’d day the wish came true.

A 13th birthday is a big one, and let’s just say Ward and I were in very different places on our 13th birthday or year for that matter. If you know you know hahaha. I am so grateful we are having a much different start to the teenage years.

We had a super tight connection in Houston, got some exercise running from one terminal to the next, not the last on, but close enough. We got to Baton Rouge and brother John’s house around 2pm. Not ready to sit for the day, Ward and I went ahead and took on campus like a champs. We were proactive in getting a glimpse of Mike the tiger since on gamedays, he often isn’t out. It was the right call as we got up close to him without the crowds, shopped at the giftshop, and hit up The Chimes for a pregame on Friday, even before the old people crowd eat, another good call. This was about celebrating and we sure did! A perfect weekend, really it was. People, weather, food, LSU, time with one another. I think the whole family will ask for LSU games next year 🙂

It takes a while to get settled at this stage of life, especially after this kind of move. 18 months later, not short on adventures, but the way it falls sometimes, we finally made it RMNP. Slightly over an hour to the gate outside Estes Park, CO., a few weeks ago I picked a random Sunday to look at the timed entry options. There are two different Timed Entry passes, one excludes the Bear Lake corridor, which seems to be the most popular, so limiting vehicles, people, and wear on the environment is why I assume they have that set up. If you don’t see availability for that area of the park, they also have a Hike Shuttle that departs throughout the day, leaving from the Estes Park Visitors Center. That is what we chose and only cost $2 if I remember correctly.

A great way to spend the day after work on the road for what seems like every night the past few weeks. It was just Elizabeth and I and we took advantage of the day, the weather, and the beauty. # 6 National Park since the move. Rocky Mountain National Park. Hiker Shuttle. Bear Lake Corridor. Dream Lake. Emerald Lake. Wildlife.

Perfect way to describe what happens when your Louisiana crew visits. For both of us. 4 full days of hitting the road, seeing a lot of what fueled the desire to hit the road and jump into our next crazy adventure. There are so many things to see and feel, having just 4 days is only a taste. Impressed with the get up and go itinerary they put together. Our crew had some normal “Real Life” things to take care of so we can continue living someone’s vacation but that’s part of it and still had a ton of time together. Work in Pueblo, Colorado for two days while Elizabeth worked with our never-ending schedule of back-to-school nights, travel soccer, football, school rides, and keeping the household running smoothly. After it was all said and done, Mark, Debbie, and Timothy were able to hike in Garden of the Gods, take a train up to Pikes Peak, visit Breckenridge for a nice day trip with great weather, a nice little hike around the Flatiron Mountains in Boulder, CO., get some grub in Golden, and certainly the encore of climbing the steps at Red Rocks Ampitheater for an always spectacular live show, especially since it was My Morning Jacket. Everyone should not only see a show there, but MMJ anywhere is worth the price of admission, and some. A few of the many pictures that captured some good times. Having family visit really ups the energy and positive vibrations for us. Can’t wait for the next trip, either a ski trip or a real Summer Mountain vacation.

Hey you guys!!!!!!! A few days busy at work, important customer visits in Bend and Portland, allowed us to celebrate our 21st anniversary along the Oregon Coast. It was the perfect getaway to spend time with each other and tackle the geography, one we both have never visited. Goonies never say die, and we can report they are still alive in Astoria, OR. where the Goonies house and opening jail scene were filmed. How could I pass on the chance to do the Truffle Shuffle? I couldn’t. There may or may not be video proof somewhere. We stayed a few nights in Cannon Beach, OR. overlooking the famous Haystack Rock and also where the opening 4×4 Jeep scene makes it way on the beach and last but not least, the Fratelli’s hideout. I loved that movie growing up, still do, so it was fun to see those sights.

First time to visit Oregon and I can say it was a success. Bend is perfect. Perfect scene, perfect downtown, perfect activities, a place I could easily convince myself to live in. I wouldn’t be alone; it seems a lot of others have the same idea. The Deschutes River runs right through the town, and it was busy with great trails to walk and awesome spot to float for locals and visitors. The Coast was so different than what we were used to seeing (The Gulf) and the little sleepy town of Cannon Beach was right up our alley. Here are a few pictures. As always, they don’t really do it justice and didn’t get to capture everything.

As you can see, there were some pretty awesome views. One by one, checking them off. Hard to believe this was really only two days with work taking up the majority of it but it important to always save time for yourself. I have a feeling we will be back with the rest of the family with us. Till next time!