We traveled to Cedar Hill State Park to get away from March Madness, only to find ourselves surrounded by it. The park was crowded with campers of every sort, including Boy Scouts in tents, newbies in Class B’s, seasoned pros on electric scooters and first-timers. Having done this routine for more than eight years, we…
Our weekend at Loyd Park included the first day of Spring, accompanied by a symphony of birdsong. The warm weather allowed us to enjoy gentle breezes through open windows, visits from a mallard couple just outside our door, and persistent pecks from a pesky cardinal. The budding trees, greening grass, and blooming flowers all conspired…
The combination of unseasonably warm weather and water main repairs at Cedar Hill State Park brought us back to Loyd Park after many months. We had been away so long, in fact, that a Spec’s wine and liquor store was built nearby during our absence! We arrived at 6:15, after spending nearly an hour in…
Poor Abe Lincoln. As we set out for the weekend, we knew we would be spending his 213th birthday enjoying mild weather at Joe Pool Lake. We also knew there would be very few references to America’s 16th president, other than to use “the party of Lincoln” as a taunt against Trumpublicans. For Jon, who…
Because we had a long weekend that included the MLK holiday, we decided to extend our stay from the previous weekend through the week, enabling us to take cocktails and dinner each night at Cloud 9 while returning to “work” at Hampshire at the start of each day. The unexpected 11-day staycation gave Chef Cliff…
We arrived at Cedar Hill State Park on a mild Friday afternoon under overcast skies. The cloud cover, which lasted throughout the weekend, kept temperatures in the 40s and 50s, making for chilly meal preparations on the Big Green Egg and Blackstone grill. While preventing us from dining al fresco, the weather was perfect for…
When we heard the weather forecast for Christmas weekend, with high temperatures in the 80s, we decided to cancel our winter getaway to Galveston and stay closer to home. Instead of dedicating more than 11 hours of our holiday time to driving, we went to Cedar Hill State Park, where we managed to get a…
This weekend, Jon closed one chapter of his professional life and prepared to start another. After more than seven years with the Department of Radiology at UT Southwestern Medical Center, he will introduce the role of Communications Coordinator in the Department of Internal Medicine on Monday. His new department is more than three times the…
We spent the weekend recovering from our recent 1,200-mile road trip to visit Jon’s family in Illinois, which included replenishing our supplies and checking for wear and tear on Cloud 9. The exceptionally warm weather was ideal for enjoying gentle breezes through open windows and spending an entire evening at a crackling campfire under starlit…
Our Thanksgiving visit with Jon’s family began the weekend before Turkey Day, as we readied Cloud 9 for its long road trip. We camped at nearby Cedar Hill State Park, where we enjoyed mild weather ahead of what promised to be an unseasonable cold snap in the St. Louis area. Preparation included checking the tires…
Garinns on the Go 