Heartland

Andrew and Asher w/Grandpa at Mr. Peabody and Sherman

Asher is focused on his post-movie custard at Freddie's

Andrew is hoping for a bit of a juicy worm in his -- gummy worms

the boys with their stuffed alpacas from Wildflower Ridge Ranch

The Wichita area is the Heartland for more than one reason for us!  Not only is it the heart of the USA, but it's where our grandsons live. And those little guys above have our hearts.

Baylor's progress on new stadium as we were leaving TX

wondering if it'll be complete next time we come down here

can't remember the town, but a cool courthouse in a TX town

3-18-14:  Decided to head north a little earlier than planned.  Tho we will really miss our peeps from the hill country, we are looking forward to seeing our KS family before heading to Branson for our workamping gig. Had a lovely day to be on the road.  Saw our first bluebonnets of the year near Marble Falls, TX.  So glad we got to see some before leaving TX.  Tonite we spent the night at the Airport COE park on Lake Waco.

This is what a tornado watch looks like in KS

3-20-14:  Arrived Wichita!  Visited with Mac a bit and caught up on some rest on our first day.

wheresgeorge.com

3-21-14:  Stopped at a Sonic and rec'd this dollar bill in our change.  I googled it and found it had traveled over 500 miles in a couple of years. This one began it's journey in Minneapolis.

Frank, me, Christa

3-22-14:  I went over to the rv park office to introduce myself to Glen and Sue's friend, Christa, who is a workamper there.  She introduced me to Frank, the manager of the park.  We talked about the possibility of David and me workamping here when in Sept/Oct - after our Branson gig. Sounds great to me.  We've been kinda wanting a workamping job near the KS family.

3-23-14:  Yikes! 25 degrees when we woke up!  Love it!  As David and I were having breakfast this morning, we decided to talk to Frank about just staying here to workamp instead of going to Branson.  It was a very tough call because we love the Ozarks so, and the people we work with at the Dewey.  What a blessing it has been for us the past 2 years.  We've learned so much and made some lifelong friends there.  But, we are feeling a tug in our hearts to stay in Wichita near the grandkids and the rest of the family for a few months. So we talked to Frank and Sondra and the 4 of us agreed to the gig.  Working at an rv park is the the last thing we'd considered because we tend to look at educational gigs. But we are very excited about learning a new realm of workamping.

playing Panties with Greg and Linda Sue

gettin' our Panties on

3-24-14: Finalized our workamping plans with Leah in Branson, and Frank/Sondra here. Sure gonna miss our Ozarks peeps.  But feeling blessed to get to stay here.

 Got to spend the day with Greg and Linda Sue today for pizza and panties!  Always so much fun to be with these 2. We had a lot of catching up to do --- and plans to make for our 6 month stay in Doo-Dah.

Let's Paint Wichita!

big surprise -- the only one in the group not focused on painting is yours truly!

me, Brooke, and her friend Tiffany --- not our beer

finished product

3-27-14:  Got to go to Let's Paint Wichita with Brooke and Tiffany tonite.  Had a blast.  Tho, as usual, it's hard for me to sit for so long  and listen to instruction.  So I just kinda finished mine up on my own.  Fun night!

selfie with brother-in-law, Doug

3-29-14:  Enjoyed bbq at Mac's today with the fam!  

Heather Louise

aka:Yuriko Hohri

the finale

this beautiful backdrop was painted in one weekend by the students!

selfie with Sheila -- Heather in background

the cast

the guys after the show

David and Sheila -- their old high school

4-3-14:  We attended Heather's play tonite at South High -- David's alma mater. The play was "The Good War", Oral Histories of WWII, written by Studs Terkel.  It was different than most plays. The cast sat solemnly throughout and took turns speaking about their character's viewpoint of the war.  Very interesting perspectives.  Heather's role was Yuriko Hohri, a Japanese woman living in Chicago with her husband.  They were both active in the Council for Japanese American Redress.

4-4-14:  Ended our week of training.  I still have a lot to learn, but I think it's going to be really fun.  David says his part is a "piece of cake".  We'll see.  :)  We couldn't have picked nicer folks to work with.

Avery, the Great Dane and Koko, the Yorkie share a bed

Grandpa tripped and Avery came quickly to his rescue

Asher's sign for his "lemon store"

Andrew turned the garage into a drink store

4-5-14:  Justin and Brooke both had to work today, so they asked if we could keep the boys.  Heck yeah!  I asked her what time we needed to be there, thinking it'd prob be around 7:30ish.  Retirement has turned us into non-morning people for the most part.  But we've been getting up around 7-7:30 this week to be at work a little before 9:00.  When she told be she has to leave the house about 6:20, I had to ask her to repeat it.  I did NOT see that coming!  But we did it!  We left our place about 5:20, stopped for donuts, and got to their house in plenty of time.  Once she left for work (Justin had to leave even earlier), we both crashed on their couches.  The boys woke up and spotted Grandpa first and woke him up.  They didn't see me under the blanket so they both jumped and squealed when I sat up.

The rest of the day was a blast! A busy blast.  They played Wii for along time.  I finally made them play outside for awhile since it was such a nice day.  They were busy, happy, hilarious boys.  Looking forward to more great times with these fast-growing fellas in the next few months.

David treated him to a Sonic burger for his birthday

he loves it when I sing to him -- not

4-6-14:  Today is Rocky's 12th birthday!  He's sure going to miss his daily swims in Table Rock Lake.  But we will find him some fun hikes and such in the flatland.

Yes!

4-7-14:  Found a wonderful fabric shop today in Historic Delano district in Wichita.  They have a yarn shop there, too, but it was closed.  So that'll be another outing.

Looking forward to some new adventures here in the flatland. Although I am a mountain girl at heart, I do love the beautiful prairies and wildlife in Kansas.  It'll be fun to learn more about them.  And if grain elevators are your thing, come see us!  There are plenty here to see.

Much love and Go Shockers!!

Sherman, Penny, and Mr. Peabody

Your Mama's a.....n Alpaca

This 1 year old's name is Peter Rabbit

We visited the Wildflower Ridge Alpaca Ranch today with Jerri/George, Dawn/Ron, and Leanne/Steve.  It was a beautiful day and we learned so much about these adorable animals.  In fact, I left there really wanting one. Gonna need a bigger rig.

these cuties are 1 year old - very friendly and snuggly

The youngsters were kept in their own pasture so they wouldn't get the older ones riled up.  They were frisky and friendly.

Zoro

They are pretty used to photo opps

Dawn getting to know some yarn

The guys, most of them sires, were kept in another pasture.  They kept them separate from the females until they needed them to get together.   The males have these cute bottom teeth called fighting teeth.  However, if they show signs of fighting much, they are neutered.

The alpacas and people alike listening to Mr. Don

found out this guy's name is Gus

Ron giving them a little treat

They got lots of little treats from all of us while we were there.  Not sure how their d igestive system works with that because an alpaca has THREE stomachs!  And, interestingly, they have a communal poop pile, rather than piles everywhere like most pastures. Farmers like to buy alpaca manure because it has no odor and doesn't draw flies.

These guys are sniffing out the leftover treats

The fellas were happy to come see us at the fence.  And they'd eat the treats very gently out of our hands.  But if we tried to pet their heads or necks, they'd move back a bit.  They are very protective of those 2 parts of their body.  Wasn't a problem to feel of their backs.  Which, btw, felt like a big fluffy cushion. Alpacas live about 22 years and can weight between 165-205.

meeting the girls

We went over to the big pasture where they keep the girls.  One of them is expecting a baby any moment now.  They stay pregnant 11 1/2 months -- sometimes as long as 12 1/2.  And can get pregnant again 3 weeks later.

the red one leading the way is due to give birth any moment now

When they get ready to deliver, they sit down on the ground for the big event.  The owners try to be nearby during delivery.  However, they kinda know when to get involved and when not to.

beautiful colors

Alpacas have 16 natural colors.  Multi-colored alpacas have more than one color on their blanket (basically this is their back) and are in less demand because the yarn wouldn't be prime. The white alpacas are in the highest demand because they tend to have more fiber than the others.

this one didn't miss a beat

what's the guy with the camera gonna give us to eat?

don't they look like they're smiling?

they all have 2 toes and a pad like a puppy's

Alpacas are from the Camelidae family which includes 6 camel-like mammals:  the 2 true camels ( a one-hump camel and a 2 hump camel), the "New World Camels" (the llama and alpaca), and the "South American Camels" ( guanaco and vicuna).

David named this one Lady with a Toothpick 

Alpacas were brought to the US in the 1980's and were stopped in the 90's.  There are over a million in the USA now -- some in every state.

Hey, Cutie

this one had much redder hair on her head than body

the white ones have more fiber than the other colors

April is shearing month.  Alpacas are hogtied and laid on a table or ground for the shearing. Don assured us they don't fuss long while being hogtied. They relax and seem happy and frisky when they get that thick fur off.  April in the TX hill country is already pretty warm usually.

C'mon, Mr. Don, let me at that bucket

not a multi-colored because his blanket is one color

Leanne feeding Gus

Sup?

selfie with Peter Rabbit

selfie with Jerri

selfie with tour guide and ranch owner, Don Weeks

Jerri feeding Zoro

selfie with Gus

Peter Rabbit nuzzling my hair

Peter Rabbit 

feeding the girls

David feeding Miss Carrot Top

Madelyn

Dawn giving them some treats

they all have a cleft palate 

this one can't quite reach that gray fiber

Mr. Don told us so many neat alpaca facts

David feeding the one year olds

got treats?

the girls don't shy away from the camera

I noticed that I was feeling NO allergic reactions to the Alpacas as I do with so many animals -- shedders mainly.  We learned that Alpaca wool has little to no lanolin in it, which makes them hypoallerginic!  Yay!  I want one for sure!

 listening to Mr. Don's info

Smile!

sniff, sniff

Wow!  Don gave us so much info!  His wife Beth, the fiber freak, gave us more when we hit their little gift shop.  They sell yarn from their own alpacas.  Tho she spins some herself, they send most of their fiber from the blankets (torso) to The Shepherd's Mill in Phillipsburg, KS to be spun.  Leg and belly fiber is sent to Paint Rock, TX to make rugs. And they had some great rugs for sale! Neck and chest fiber is sent to a co-op to make pillows, duvets, felted purses and hats, etc.

alpaca fiber before they send it to Kansas to be spun

Mrs. Fiber Freak Weeks showed us some alpaca she dyed with koolaide

Beth not only does some of her own spinning, but she dyes also.  One method she likes to use for solids is crockpot dying.  She will use the microwave for some stripes.

this is some she's getting ready to spin herself

educating us on what she does with the fiber/yarn

alpaca socks

the redbuds were popping out on the ranch

I'm trying to pull Madelyn close for a pic -- she was fiesty, but settled down

Had to get some Madelyn yarn to remind me of my late  friend, Madeleine

they yarn I'm holding came from Madelyn

Jerri got some yarn double-spun from Renegade and Zoro -- this is Zoro

Zoro is a smoocher

Here's my Gus yarn and Gus -- he's a cuddler

I think he's done this picture thing before

he may have just wanted to know who my scarf was made out of

Learned so much today! This was a highlight of our winter!  Thanks, Don and Beth!

selfie with David Crossman

We all went over to Cranky Frank's for some bbq after our tour of the ranch.  We ran into David C there.  David and I met him and Ann at JCRV our first winter there and became fast friends.  We summered with them in Creede one year and got together for cards and golf each winter after that.  They would stay at Lady Bird after that one year at JC.  Sadly, we lost our sweet Ann in 2013.  She was sure on my mind this winter.  Especially each time I sat down to play cards.  I just never could beat that lady!  :) Great to see Mr. David.

Saw these twin baby goats with their mom out on 1341

3-14-14:  Jerri and I made a yarn run today and I showed her a "new" way. David discovered it a couple of months ago and took me that way.  It's on fm 1341 all the way.  It's a beautiful hill country drive through farm and ranch lands, hills, and along Cypress Creek. On the way we saw huge herd of goats with lots of new babies.  Jerri pulled over and we took a few pix.  So cute!  The moms were running to catch the herd, but each time they'd stop for a sec the babies would latch on.  The twins above were particularly cute with their little black heads!

she would run a few steps to try to catch the herd

each time she stopped, they'd latch on

Jerri said, "look at the babies milking!".  How funny.  Not milking, Jerri, nursing!  Ok, so it wasn't Jerri who said that.  What can I say?  I'm a city girl.

My baby

Lots of babies in the pastures right now: sheep, goats, alpacas, calves, etc.  But the baby in the above pic is still the cutest, right?

3-15-14:  Jerri/George and David and I went over to Medina today to have one last burger at the Apple Store.  Yum, yum, yum.  This place is a must for anyone coming to the hill country.

McClintock gear for March 17

I wore my green bamboo kerchief with Wanda's clip on the front

Sarah, me, Jerri

 Sarah stopped by this afternoon to say "bye" to David and me.  I gave her a green scarf I'd made.  She told me something I'd never heard, but googled it and got the details. Green is the color for Catholics on St. Patrick's Day and the color for protestants is orange!  Wow, who knew?  Well, evidently the Irish know.  Their flag has green stripes for Catholics, orange for protestants, and white for peace among the 2.  Thanks for teaching me something new, Sarah, Sarah!

David with his McClintock cap

3-16-14:  St Patrick's Day and my sweet mother-in-law's birthday.  Miss her more all the time.

JCRV is moving all their powerlines underground, so today the power was off most of the day.  Luckily it was a beautiful, pleasant day. So most of us sat around outside and knitted, read, and visited. According to Ron, who used to do this while waiting on retirement, it went of without a hitch!

bye Big Boy

3-18-14:  Welp, it's time to head on down the road.  David and I are on the way to Wichita to spend a little time with family before workamping in Branson.

We couldn't stop and get pix, but saw lots of bluebonnets in and near Marble Falls, TX.  Pretty!  We also saw several peach orchards loaded with pink blooms and some green, green pastures. Oh, and I called Beth at Wildflower Ridge and the pregnant alpaca still hasn't had her baby.  Beth said she's the one who took 12 1/2 months last time.  So the wait is on.

our site on Lake Waco

sunset

 Spent tonite at the Airport Campground in Waco.  Super windy, but very nice otherwise. Once we set up, I popped a benedryl (or actually a wal-dryl) and crashed. So I will rely on his pix.

3-19-14:  On to OK City for an overnighter.  Tomorrow we should arrive Wichita.  Can't wait!

Happy Spring to all our peeps!!

Zoro, Madelyn, and Renegade