Relaxing at Lake Palestine

We are back this week to the reality of work and YMCA Day Camp. We enjoyed a wonderful week at Lake Palestine in Flint, TX near Tyler last week. We either went swimming in one of the resort pools, the indoor waterpark or we went fishing on the lake. The kids had a good time and so did I. The resort was really nice and big, the kids had there own area with even a small kitchen. The main area had a large bedroom and bathroom, living area, dining and kitchen. All the amenities were great and every morning we woke up to a view of the lake from our bedroom window or patio area. Dennis stayed with us the first couple of days before heading back to work the rest of week.

We played mini-golf, shuffleboard and I was able to walk Maxie every morning. Yes, the pets went with us, Maxie our spoiled fat dog and Cupid the hamster. We even had a girls night one night with pedicures, facials and gifts for each other. On Sunday morning our second day, we visited Charlie and Betty Cortez who used to live in Baton Rouge in the same neighborhood as Dennis when he was young. It turns out their house was just about 2 miles away from where we were staying. They have a charming lake house great for two retired people and we had a pleasant visit. The kids enjoyed their swing in the back yard made from an old Colorado ski chair lift. We were also able to drive into Tyler which is about 15 miles away for some shopping at the mall, a movie and to go to the zoo.

I have been to many zoos around the world, including the biggest ones, but the Caldwell Zoo in Tyler is at the top of my list. The animals are in the best environments and the zoo is very easy to walk around and not get lost or tired. My favorite was the white tigers and the penquins. In the late afternoon some days we tried our luck at fishing using worms and crawfish with chicken blood for bait.
I was too cheap to buy a fishing license so I just let the kids fish. Denise was lucky to catch one small fish and Brianna none. They kept saying "If Uncle Boogie was here we would catch a bunch". I guess my skills at fishing weren't good enough. All in all, we had a great time and I was able to watch the Tour de France on the last week. I am a big fan of Lance Armstrong and wish him the best next year. He placed third this year, but hey, he was retired for three and a half years. He will be 39 next year and probably the oldest man to race the Tour de France.

Saltimbanco

Last night we went to see a spectacular show put on by Cirque du Soleil. The name of this show was Saltimbanco. So far we have seen Alegria, Corteo and Varekai and they have all been very entertaining. If you love acrobats this is a must see. The show is at the Cypress Berry Center until Sunday, July 19 and than it moves to the Toyota Center in downtown Houston. This is the first time they are having something this major in our part of the woods in Houston and it was nice because the traffic going in and out was a breeze and it took us about 10 minutes to get there. Unfortunately, you aren't allowed to bring a camera so these pictures are not mine!
If you want to know more just click on the links and there are a lot more pictures there to view.
Tomorrow we leave for a week long stay at Lake Palestine, near Tyler, TX. I am looking forward to just relaxing and taking it easy! I'm sure the kids will keep me busy as will Dennis and his bottomless stomach. Brianna wants to do a girl's night just like I do with my buddy friends. She even wants us to exchange gifts. The resort has an indoor waterpark so at least my kids will get a break from the sun. They have been going to the YMCA Day camp all week and have been swimming each day so needless to say their tans are very dark.

We have a winner!

Denise and Brianna entered an art contest at the beginning of June at the Houston Health Museum about the planet Mars. Denise actually got third place in her age group and she wins tickets to the museum and a Health Museum Mars backpack with a few goodies about Mars. She was very excited about that because she has this fascination for the planet Mars. Click here to see the winning pictures.
The wife (Barbar Padilla) of one of my co-worker's, Kyle Howard was on America's Got Talent last night. She did a great job and got a standing ovation. We wish her all the best because she has certainly been through a lot.