TRAVEL

Well! – Here’s our travel update. Let’s see – where to start? Two weeks ago we went to Colorado Springs for the ARMY/Air Force football game. The game is played every other year at the alternating Military Academies. It all started back in the mid-90’s when our oldest son Wade attended West Point. Wade’s roommate John O’Connell was from Albuquerque and we ‘hooked’ up with his family and god-parents at various activities throughout their Military Academy careers. After they graduated in 1998 we all decided that attending the game in Colorado would be a great way for us to see each other and maintain our friendships. We missed 2005, but otherwise a mix of usual attendees have spent an early week-end in November in Colorado Springs with Saturday spend tailgating and watching football at the Air Force Academy. Donna and I have also attended two ARMY/Navy games in Philadelphia, and homecoming at West Point in 1997. For those of you who have never experienced a Military Academy football game, it is exciting, patriotic, and just plain fun! Game day is filled with aircraft fly-overs, the ‘exchange of prisoners’ (Cadets attending each other’s Academy), and the marching bands. Did I mention tail-gating? Before and after the game doing a little beer drinking, grilling, and making new friends, beer drinking, playing cribbage, and what else? Oh yea! Drinking a few beers! ARMY once again got beat by an aggressive Air Force team, but the pageantry and sharing the event with friends and family makes the trip worthwhile. This year’s game was also attended by Wade’s in-laws from Lubbock, Texas, Guy & Nina Hobbs from Albuquerque, Wade, Michelle and Connor from here in Frisco, and other West Point friends of Wade’s who now live in Minneapolis and Colorado Springs. Special thanks to Bob and his family for providing the food and the cooking. And thanks to Michelle’s folks who drove up from Lubbock and furnished drinks and the paper goods. Photos shown here are the 'group' in the stands; Guy & Nina from Albuquerque; ARMY Black Knight landing mid-field as part of pre-game show; the pre-game 'March-On; and a tail-gate photo. What else? I’m getting ready for my trip Washington State. I will busy with annual doctor appointments, seeing family and old friends, and playing in a cribbage tournament at Cribbage Hill, hosted by friends Gerry Adolfson and Margie Lehto. I get back late on the 7th of December, and then the next morning we’re off to South Padre Island for a week of absolutely nothing! Michelle and Connor are going with us, and Wade will come down later in the week. Since Texas is such a ‘big-ass’ State, it would be a 10 hour drive, and that’s why we’re flying SW Airlines ‘cheap’. My kind of plane ticket!