The morning after the Great Storm, we emerged to survey the damage to the Amarillo KOA. Many people were walking around doing the same thing, and all were in a state of disbelief. We had survived the equivalent of a category 1 hurricane, with 70- to 80-mph straight-winds and 2-inch hail. The KOA had plenty…
After our stressful preparation, we finally set off for our first overnight stay at the Amarillo KOA, a familiar stopping point along the way to many western destinations. The six-hour drive was uneventful, but as we pulled in to the campground, we could see some rather ominous-looking clouds on the horizon. A quick check of…
After a nearly two-month camping hiatus, we were finally able to prepare for what we called our Black Canyon, Brown Sands vacation–a visit to Colorado’s Black Canyon of the Gunnison and Great Sand Dunes national parks. We had wanted to visit both parks during our Rocky Mountain Adventure, but there wasn’t enough time. Our Fourth…
This weekend marked five years since we first began camping at Loyd Park, a little piece of paradise about a half-hour from our “sticks and bricks” home in Oak Cliff. It would be challenging to count the many weekends we’ve spent at our favorite backyard campground, and the many times we’ve extended our stay from…
Once upon a hot week in July, Jon decided to vacation in Phoenix. As the plane was about to land, the pilot announced that the temperature was 117 degrees. The woman in the next seat turned to Jon and said, “It’s a dry heat.” Jon responded, “It may be, but it’s still hot!” Our weekend…
We hadn’t been to Loyd Park since January, when we promised ourselves we would never return. At the start of 2020, the park implemented a price increase that made us reconsider Cedar Hill State Park as our weekend destination. After spending eight consecutive weekends at Cedar Hill SP, we were required to shelter from home…
An April 3, 1968, Martin Luther King Jr. spoke to striking sanitation workers in Memphis, telling them the reason he had joined them in their month-long protest of their working conditions was simple: “We are saying that we are determined to be men. We are determined to be people. We are saying that we are…
While far too many stir-crazy Americans threw caution to the wind this weekend and ventured out of their COVID-19 isolation chambers to hit beaches, boardwalks, and bistros throughout the land, we spent our time at the Sanger KOA reflecting on the meaning of Memorial Day. The official observance of Decoration Day began in 1868, when…
Little did we know on March 22 that we would spend the next eight weeks sheltering in place at Hampshire amid the COVID-19 pandemic. Jon began working from home on March 18, and will likely continue doing so until at least June. We’ve limited out outings to shopping for essentials, and then only Cliff goes…
For most of the 19th century, Great Britain engaged in a diplomatic practice that came to be called “splendid isolation.” The nearly century-long policy was characterized by a refusal to enter into permanent alliances or commitments with other European nations, effectively leaving Britain without any friends. The policy ended with the 1904 Entente Cordiale and…
