Floatin' With Family

Nothin' says summer like floatin' the river.

Our children were busy with teenage things, so just Abe and I drove down to San Marcos, where we met up with the Sawans and the White cousins.

It was a bit chilly as we first stepped into the river at the Lions Club rental entry. A chilly 72º is maintained year-round, as the San Marcos is a naturally formed river and spring-fed.

The Meadows Center for Water and the Environment is located along the San Marcos Springs. The springs are home to Texas blind salamanders, fountain darters, and Texas wild rice, plus several other threatened or endangered species. I'm pretty sure I did not see a Texas blind salamander nor a fountain darter, nor would I know it if I did, but they are somewhere in the river.

The San Marcos is one of the largest aquifer-driver spring systems in the world. The sign says, "Go around. Protected wild rice."

I did spot a different endangered species under the bridge--the elusive mermaid .

Lots of sunning going on with the turtles.

This yellow-crowned night heron was not phased as we gently floated by.

At the end of the trip the grownups waited for the kids to go down Rio Vista Falls.

Finished off a great day with a late lunch and then Abe and I headed home.

[June 7]

Young And Sweet, Only 17

You are the dancing queen, young and sweet, 

♪♫🎶 only 17 ♪♫🎶

Maybe Daiy's not the dancing queen, but she is young and sweet, only 17,  and the birthday queen.

After birthday lunch of Chick-fil-A, the boys and I finished creating Daisy's very specific birthday cake.

Double-layerd cookie cake in the shape of 17,

with daisies and other pops of color.

Nailed it.

We didn't see much of the birthday girl because she spent the day at the lake with her friends.

Brayden, Chela, Jeremiah, Daisy, Sam, Haley, Marley, Anna, Addison and Vivian

We all love our birthday queen.

[May 30]

It's Been Great, Goodbye Freshman, 11 and 8!

 It's that time of year again to say so long to another year of school.

Last day of freshman year in Rawlins Hall, with Zeke's friends Amé and Xavier. He and Xavier will be roommates again next year.

ALA did not have an 8th grade promotion ceremony, so I made my own.

These three kiddos make me proud. Time is going by so fast. 

[May 22]

Sooner or Later

Will Daisy be a Sooner? We will find out later. But first, dessert.

The OU campus buildings all match with crimson red bricks and cream trim, and it's actually a pretty campus. Very small and walkable.

Being founded 135 years ago, the University of Oklahoma is 17 years older than the state itself. The colors are crimson and cream; the Choctaw words, "okla" and "homma" mean "red people," or Native American. Maybe that's why they chose crimson as the school color?

Bizzell Library, lovingly referred to as The Biz, is a beautiful building inside and out.

The stacks have glass floors. These were originally installed because this portion of the library was built before the invention of electricity and lights. The glass floors let natural light in.

The Great Reading Room is a place that remains silent. Interestingly, there is an old confessional booth in the room. You can see it to the right of the picture.

In 1889, the 'Boomers' were traveling west in conestoga wagons for Land Runs. The white cloth that stretched across the wagon's frame resembled a sailing schooner, hence the name prairie schooner. Each land race began with a pistol shot, and those who jumped the gun were called sooners. The name Sooner came to represent energetic, determined individuals, and violà--Boomer Sooner was born. The Sooner Schooner that races around the football stadium is a small version of the prairie schooner that was used to long ago. Boomer and Sooner are the little white horsies that pull the wagon around the football field during games.

Will Daisy be a Sooner? Probably not because they don't offer the cheap Texas rate that used to be available. But I guess all things are possible.

[May 8]