Chloe filming Jackie taking his bike back over the creek.  We couldn't help but crack up!

Hiking the Little Devil Tower off the Needles Highway

Tame buck along the hiking trail

Buffalo on our safari

The smart road biker waiting for a car to shield him along the road...smart man!

Leaving the park for Custer to ride the Rails to Trails George Mickelson Trail we came across this male not far from
our cabin.  There was a road cyclist from Minnesota waiting there afraid to pass him, we shielded him with our car so he
could pass safely.  Our tour guide said buffalo can get testy and to never trust them because of their speed and agility.  He
said females can top 35 mph and can jump a 6 foot fence.  Breeding season is also July and August so that was one
smart cyclist!

Antelope on the Wildlife Loop

Burro on the loop

Jackie took us on a part of the Centennial Trail at Custer State Park.  As you can see, it really was a trail for horses

This is one of several tours of horses on our shared trail.  There were I'd say, 50 horse trailers parked at the campgrounds
near Centennial Trail Head.

Some dummy in Custer State Park added like 5 inches or more of sand along parts of the trail and we spun out a bunch

There were also a gazillion trees down on the trail which was fine for horses but meant a ton of dismounting for us.
I would say we only got a mile or so until the first waist deep creek.  Custer really should change this leg of the trail
to a hiker and horse trail and leave the bikes out of it.

A doe hanging out.  The deer in Custer State Park were very tame, they don't scamper and panic and run like they
do in Eastern Arkansas.  She was very cool about watching us ride by and she was there on our way back 

The waist deep creek.  Chloe said, "let's do it mom, it'll be a great adventure"

Then here's Jackie taking his bike back across.  Talk about learning a lesson

On the Wildlife Loop there were prairie dogs, antelope, deer and these burros 

Selfie on the Buffalo Safari

I wish I could remember our safari tour guide's name, but he told us so many facts regarding buffalo.
The oldest female runs the show, bucks until about 2 can stay in the herd and there are a ton of small herds
among the 1,400 buffalo in Custer State Park.

Close up

This baby he said was about a month old

On the Little Devil's Tower trail

Custer State Park reminded us a ton of the beautiful Dolamites we got to see last year in Northern Italy

Canoeing on Sylvan Lake

I stayed on dry land during the canoe trip (of course).  I should mention that on the Centennial Trail, I went in the
water trying to cross back over.  My new insulin pump and sensor CLAIM to be waterproof but my last one did too,
so I panicked and got out fast and everything was okay.  Another reason I don't like the water with all my equipment

July 25, 2015

We arrived at Custer State Park on Saturday, July 25, 2015 and stayed in a cool cabin at the Blue Bell lodge.  The park boasts 5 lodges spaced out across the 71,000 acre park.  It really was a great park, thanks Jackie for being our Rick Steves tour guide again and doing a great job of planning our vacation.  We stayed three nights in the cabins, sightseeing, hiking, tried to mountain bike one day, went on a buffalo safari and had great dinners at several of the lodges. I'll let the photos take it from here.

Summer Vacation Quotes, 2015

Chloe took this cool picture

Custer State Park, Sylvan Lake

You know there's gotta be a selfie in here somewhere

Chloe got this on our Buffalo Safari Tour.  We highly recommend this tour, very educational

My favorite photo of Chloe climbing in the Badlands, South Dakota

August 1, 2015

Happy Birthday to my brother Craig! I sent him one of my favorite birthday cards, I cannot wait for him to get it...hahahahahaha!

Ok, I'm uploading a gazillion photos from the past week and while they're doing their thing, I have GOT to share our quote list.  It's hilarious, I cannot stop laughing!

1. "I don't care if you have I.V.'s in you on a gurney, we're sticking to the plan" -Jackie referring me trying to cut down on the number of miles in the saddle at Custer to Hill City.
2. "Where's the offering plate and microphone?  He  needs donations..." -Chloe referring to Jackie's preaching about cutting down the miles.
3. "Crazy Horse is who's driving the car" -Me
4. "I've got everything under control"- Jackie
5. "Every time I close my eyes, I see a line of motorcycles" -Chloe
6. "What is that doritos?" -Jackie after smelling Chloe's belch
7. "Preach, preacher" -Chloe on Jackie's lecture
8. "Only I can say stick it" -me "Duh, Dad" -Chloe
9. "They've weathered bigger storms than that"- Chloe in response to two old ladies in the Mount Rushmore gift shop when they said "it smells like something died over there," while shopping for magnets and they kept shopping. Chloe witnessed two teenage boys look at each other and walk away, must have been them lol.
10. "Sir, what's your name? Marvin? welcome Marvin" -our buffalo safari tour guide got his name wrong
11. "It's a love hate relationship" -our buffalo tour guide referring to the 750,000 harley davidson riders in the Custer State Park for the three week Sturgis party
12. "Who ate my special K protein bar?" -Jackie
13. "My God, do you expect me to go to bed at 6:45? I walked around and saw chuck wagons roll in, had a milky way and listened to the the people singing" -Jackie the night before we rode from Custer to Hill City.
14. "Where do you want these (fruit snacks)?"-me to Chloe "On my bike so I can eat them at a rest stop while I'm waiting on you two" -Chloe

In adition, we referred to dad as "Rocket Dog" a meerkat on Meerkat Mannor because he's always looking around being the big dog. I was referred to as the Cat Broker when I was texting Mel Harvey and Andrea Gentry about adopting our kitten Boom Boom then sending both to the West Memphis Animal Shelter.  Chloe was Peter Jackson for movie making and the Royal Baby, we called her "Her Highness".

More blogs to come.  We went last night to Jackie's very first Major League Soccer match in Kansas City and Chloe and I loved it even though we were pooped from the 12 hour drive there from Deadwood.  It really was something to see.

Chicago 2015

Wendy's girls Ayelet 6 years, Chloe and Maytal 8 years

Before Ravinia, Wendy took us to Sushi Kookie and I was thrilled
Chloe loved it.  Go Chloe!

Before we left for Chicago, I got this photo of Pharaoh and Boom Boom

Chloe babysat August and Stella before we left for South Dakota

Chloe and I had a little spot in the park to watch Wendy play

Chicago Symphony Orchestra at Ravinia Festival

Dang blurry, but this is Ravinia

Chloe and I rode 19 miles on the Brookfield Zoo trail just northwest of Wendy's house

The bean, Downtown Chicago

Chloe took this

Eran plays cello in Grant Park's Symphony Orchestra every summer.  The park is outstanding and Eran mentioned that
this 10 week music festival is the only one in the country that is free to the public.  That's awesome!  And it was awesome!

Eran there right in the middle

Millennium Park

Grant Park Symphony Orchestra

Sunday morning Chloe and I rode the Lakefront Trail downtown Chicago

Then we added on seeing Taylor Swift in Soldier Field

It was a good concert with about 55,000 people there, the biggest concert I've ever been to

Taylor is known for special guests at every concert, this is Sam Hunt.  They sang his single "Take your time"

There was another camp for Chloe this year, Ferncliff in Little Rock

Chloe had a hard time getting cousin Audrey to pose in photos this year but here they are

Add caption

Audrey rock climbing

Audrey

Somehow the infamous Celo (Ferncliff camp counselor from England) got a hold of Chloe's camera.
He's a real ham they said.

July 16, 2015

Chloe and cousin Audrey went to Ferncliff's Night Owl camp this year.  They had a blast and I cannot wait to get them together to rehash it.  We didn't get to do that this year because both Kathy and I added trips the day before the camp was over.  She headed to Florida and Chloe and I went to Chicago.  I had the itch all summer to figure out how I could see Wendy and Eran with their girls and see her play Ravinia and Eran in the Grant Park Symphony.  So we made it happen and it was a great three day weekend.  I got to hear about camp all the way to Chicago but again, I wanna hear both of the girls rendition of it.  I'll let the pictures tell the rest of the story from late July.

St. Louis and more summer updates 2015

What a busy summer!  Chloe tolerated the Cardinal's baseball game pretty well

Forest Park bike trail...this fabulous park in the middle of St. Louis is bigger than Central Park in NYC.  There is more
than one trail, bikes were on this path and most walkers stayed on a limestone path.  The place was packed on a Sunday morning

Chloe going by a roller blader...she said she wants to take her pack of dogs and skate at the cemetery in Birdeye

Chloe was the liturgist on Father's Day.  We had a guest pastor that day from Rhodes College in Memphis, Margo Richardson, she is a senior there and gave an outstanding sermon that day that literally made me burst into tears as
I thought about Braden Bradley's family. (He was a classmate of Chloe's that committed suicide a few weeks ago).
Her sermon was about waves and the ocean and about Jesus in the boat with his disciples when a storm blew up.
How could Jesus be asleep in times of distress?  Actually, she said, He is always in the boat with us during smooth
seas and times of storms.  Man, that sermon hit the spot.

Chloe and Anna Claire Burrow in 2007 and last weekend 2015 in St Louis.
How they've grown!!!  I'm laughing because their smiles are exactly how they were 8 years ago!!!

Look what we picked up in Benton, Missouri at Boom Land on our way home.  We stopped to get some fireworks Sunday
and this loud kitty was screaming under some cinder blocks out front and the staff said they'd found this kitten in their
air conditioner unit that morning.  They gave me a box and I had planned to have it put to sleep because I thought it was
so sick but turns out this kitten is healthy, 6 weeks old and now named Boom Boom.
She's living in a crate in the play room for now and she looks much better!

Chloe and Anna Claire are in the back and her twin Conner up front with her other twin brothers Brooks and Bryce
The Burrow's are a great group of kids, no back talk, no serious fights, they get along so well.

I took Chloe to meet mom and Audrey and there was a 30 mile parking lot going West
bound on I-40.  We got off at Brinkley and ended up meeting her near Hazen.

Boom likes to strut around the dogs, she better be careful, those dogs like to mouth her

When we got to St. Louis, two of our bikes' chains were off....Jackie got all frustrated about my seat height and the time
it took us simply to get out of the hotel garage.....Look at Chloe LOL!

Chloe after the Fourth of July 4 miler Saturday.  She did great, ran two full miles
then we ran/walked the last two.  She did remark that she hates running....I'm
surprised to hear that, she's actually a good long distance runner.  I'll have to
encourage her on...

At 14 in Arkansas you can get your permit, Chloe got hers a few weeks ago after two tries.  She does good, drives slow and
is very cautious.

It's hard for me to believe that with Cooper next door for two weeks and over at our house a ton, that this is the only
photo of him.  Left to right (this is after the pool a couple weeks ago) Julia Shepherd, Stella, John B Shepherd, Cooper,
August and Chloe.  I think this is the day Whit went to read on the couch at his dad's office.

Wednesday, July 8, 2015

Whew, what a busy summer!  We are just back from St. Louis where we saw the Cardinals play, ran a 4 mile race Saturday and had planned to ride the Mississippi River Trail but it was flooded so we rode bikes in Forest Park Sunday.  St. Louis is such a cool town, we had a great time being there. Chloe loves her new bike, it's a Specialized Ariel and it goes FAST, in fact, at one point I thought she was juicing Sunday morning.  She went so fast on the Forest Park Trail that she passed the car lot.  LOL!  We met up with Jackie's high school friend Colley Burrow and his family in St. Louis and enjoyed being with them.  I don't have a photo, but Chloe's been taking golf lessons and is doing really well.  The golf pro Rob said she has a really good swing!  Cooper Stovall, Chloe's cousin from Richmond, Virginia was here two weeks so we had him over a ton watching movies, swimming and playing a new card game called Continental Rummy.  Chloe and I became very good at it.

Chloe and cousin Audrey leave for Ferncliff on Sunday for the week.  Chloe's been down all week because she gets homesick every year.  But every single year she says how much fun it was.  That's the reason I keep sending her.  When she goes to college, she needs to stay there and not leave at semester.  I'm a homebody and so is Jackie but we didn't mind camp and stayed at college.  So we'll see.  I'll post funny things next week about camp.