Family Time

Don and Andrea Clark are the owners and Don
is the winemaker. Their family comes from 
Sicily and they stay true mainly to Italian wine
types.

It was a little too cold to sit outside but they have
an attractive wine tasting room inside. Last time
we got to know the owners' daughter but this time
it was their oldest son, Ben. 

 

We left Lafayette on Wednesday heading for a visit with our oldest son and his family in Dallas. We had two intermediate stops to break up the trip. The first was a necessary night at a RV Park as it had been over a week since our last hookup for electricity, water and sewer access. The KOA in Shreveport was convenient, providing all this and a quiet night. But our next stop was another Harvest Host - Valle della Pace in Garden Valley, TX.  We stopped here two years ago on our last trip with Baby and it was just as nice as we remembered.

At the Tyler Texas State Park a trail goes all around the lake but we just did one section. A storm the previous week had left some trees down and muddy sections.

But it was warm(ish) and sunny so a great stop!

When it's a longish day traveling we plan a stop somewhere to walk and have lunch. This day we chose a Texas State Park in Tyler. The property was willed to the state by private owners in 1935 and the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) landscaped it and built the cabins and other structures.  It was a lovely day for a walk along the lake and we enjoyed a picnic lunch.

Michal, Maya, Scott and I spent a morning
playing at The Gathering Place, one of the very
best parks in the country!

Maya enjoyed communing with the Koi

The playgrounds, and there are many of them, are
artistic triumphs.

There are sculptures everywhere that are fun
to play in and admire.

And lots of comfortable places to sit or even, lie
down!

And it's all landscaped beautifully, even in the 
winter.

From there it was an easy 1.5 hours to the Shady Acres RV Park in Cleburne, TX. Baby will stay there for the next 3+ weeks while we visit Josh and his family in both Dallas and Tulsa, and then fly to Mexico to see Alan & Jeanette Feuer. It took us longer to pack up and settle our RV there as the only site available had electrical problems and we had to wait until the electrician resolved them. But we were on time at the airport to pick up our granddaughter Maya who flew in for the week from London. Josh's home in Dallas flooded again (the first time was during our visit two years ago) over the Xmas holidays due to pipes that burst when frozen. They were having a vacation at our home in Vermont when it happened! So we all stayed for two nights at a hotel near their home in Dallas so they could interview contractors. Then on Sunday we drove up to Tulsa where they have an apartment in time to see the Super Bowl - great game!

Josh, Scott, Maya, Shira and Jonathan visited
the Perot Science Museum in Dallas while
Michal and I prepared for Shabbat.

The museum has lots of interactive activities 
inside and out.

And we had fun hiking in the Arbor Hills 
nature preserve.

Josh and Michal dressed for Friday night
service at the Synagogue. 

Josh and Michal are living in Tulsa during the week as Josh works mostly in Oklahoma now (he's a radiation oncologist) with their two youngest children, Jonathan and Shira. Maya is finishing secondary school in London and the oldest two, Daniel and Ariella are at Columbia University. They reserved a hotel room right next to their apartment in downtown Tulsa for us Sunday through Thursday. 

Ready for a trip along the Arkansas Ricer in Tulsa.

Scott and I got our E-bikes out again and enjoyed the beautiful long bike path along the river here. Another day, Maya rode with Scott. We all had fun at The Gathering Place, the amazing nearly 100 acre park which opening in 2018. Then we all drove back to Dallas for the weekend. Josh and his family come back weekends to attend services at their synagogue and see friends. They had a bunch over for the Shabbat meal on Saturday. The living room, kitchen and one bedroom & bath are still usable. Maya flew back to London Saturday night and we flew to Mexico on Monday. More to come in my next post!

Jonathan and Michal snuggle up