Clayton and Penny's Retreat

Cruise on Carnival Triumph

Clayton — Sat, 22 Nov 2014 18:38:06 +0000

We joined our friend Brent and his family for their first cruise. We departed Galveston for Progreso, Mexico and Cozumel Mexico on a 5 day cruise. It was a blast. We had a great time. October is a great time to cruise. We've heard so much about Buc-ees, so this time we actually went there. It is a huge place just north of Houston. They have lots of jerky, snacks, sandwiches and lots of gas pumps. Pretty cool.

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Spring Lake – Camping with family

Clayton — Fri, 05 Jul 2013 19:20:19 +0000

The 5th of July, we packed up the camper and headed to Spring Lake Campground. We met Jo Dee and Tom and Mom Van Campen, and later the kids. We had three campers set up in a row. Chris and Mikala, Steven and Brandi, Matt and Seth, and Jeffrey were all there. Tom's daughter Sydney was there with her boyfriend and her daughter. Her boyfriend proposed to her the first night. Of course she said yes. We fished (with a special wristband), could have went swimming in the pool (with another special wristband), and played Horse Shoes (no wristband needed). The place was a nice change of pace. We stayed till Sunday.

4th of July Party

Clayton — Thu, 04 Jul 2013 19:12:03 +0000

We had our first large party at the new house on July 4th. It turned out great! We invited family and friends and most everyone showed up. We had horse shoes and games and of course shot off fireworks. We set a couple of 4x8 sheets of plywood in the corral area, drug a hose out there, and set off the fireworks to the north. It turned out just as well as we were hoping. The wind was light and nothing started on fire. No injuries either.

Camping at Lake Texhoma

Clayton — Tue, 04 Jun 2013 15:04:42 +0000

Our friends Daryl and Jenn invited us to go with them this year to Lake Texhoma. We've never been able to go with them, but this year was different. We had a blast! On our way down there (6 hour drive), we drove through Moore, Ok. That is where the really bad tornado hit the week before. The damage was unbelievable. Unfortunately, all the traffic slows to a crawl, to look at the damage. I wonder how long the traffic will be like that?

We arrived around 9 p.m. in the dark. What a pain to set up in the dark.

The next morning, Penny and I looked around the waterfront area.

Jenn's Dad, Joe, has a boat and is happy to take everyone fishing. Joe, Kim, Jerry, Daryl, and Clayton all went out for the first fishing run. Oh, and Herc, the giant Schnauzer!

Daryl caught a small one, that got thrown back. Clayton had a couple that got away.

Later, Daryl caught one from shore. A Carp. He was injured by the hooks recovering the feisty fish and asked Clayton to hold if for a picture.

Friday, we all set out for a little swimming at a beach across the lake. We took the boat on two trips to get everyone there. The beach had really nice sand, and the water temp was pretty nice.

Over the few days, lots more fishin', horse shoe throwin', and eatin'.

We had a great time.

Clayton takes a trip to California

Clayton — Mon, 19 Nov 2012 19:03:55 +0000

Last week, I was sent to Tustin California for a business trip. I went to Rockwell/Collins to learn about their 'Venue' in flight entertainment system. One other employee from the San Antonio Service Center was sent. We had a two person class. It was very informative. A great bunch of people there. They made me feel welcome.

I really like going to California on the company's dime.

Here is the Hotel. Embassy Suites.

The view out my window.

We went down to Newport Beach and saw the water. I was trying for palm tree shots, to rub in into Jeff's friend. He was a bit jealous, I think.

Keystone Lake, Ok

Clayton — Wed, 13 Jun 2012 00:58:04 +0000

Last weekend we ventured south to Keystone Lake. This lake is just west of Tulsa. Our friend, Mike is going to school in Tulsa, so his sister, Jen got us all together for a long weekend. The lake is ok, but the campground was marginal. We are used to a lot better facilities, and lake access. We had a good time though, as we usually do. Jeff took his friend, Matt. We didn't catch any fish, except with a net, and then just little bitty bait fish. We did a lot of swimming and games at the campsite. We got on the jet skis for a little while as well.

Jeff receives an award at school

Clayton — Wed, 02 May 2012 01:41:11 +0000

Jeff got an award at the school award ceremony tonight! He got an award for being student of the week for 2 weeks. We are all proud of him.

First trip of the season – Lake Afton

Clayton — Mon, 23 Apr 2012 16:01:49 +0000

Penny and I took off to Lake Afton for one night last weekend. We just wanted to find any problems and get everything ready for the 2012 camping season. It was a nice trip. We enjoyed the time together, just the two of us. Jeff didn't want to go, so he went to the drive-in movie with his friends, and spent the night at Matt's house.

All we really did, was fish from our great campsite on the lake.

The wind was out of the south, all day, and gusty. After the sun warmed it up, it was nice.

Then, after 6 oclock, or so, it got calm and was absolutely beautiful!

First catch, was small, but a fish!

This was the biggest one. About 2lb of Drum. He was fun to catch.

Penny got some small ones too.

A Close Call – Spring Tornadoes 2012

Clayton — Mon, 16 Apr 2012 20:43:08 +0000

We weathered another spring storm with tornadic tenancies. This one was close! Saturday was deemed a likely day for tornadoes all across Kansas. I assumed they were over doing it, like the news media does lately. All day we had nothing but winds and clouds, until 9:30 p.m. The weather guys predicted a tornado was churning up from Oklahoma and would hit Haysville at 10:25. We hunkered down in the Basement, and around 10:25 the power went off! We let it wind down after nothing more happened, and ventured outside, no damage! Sunday we ventured out to 79th street, just 1/4 mile south, and found lots of tree and fence damage. The tornado didn't really touch down, but did do some damage and then east of us, showed its full power. East of Broadway, it left a wake of damage, through a mobile home park (Always), and then to Spirit Aerospace(Formerly Boeing). It was classified an EF3. Here are some pictures on 79th street and broadway.

Easter 2012 – A Beautiful Day

Clayton — Wed, 11 Apr 2012 00:17:47 +0000

It's been a while since I last posted. I think it's about time to put something fun up on the web site. Here it is! Easter this year brought the whole bunch, excluding JoDee and Dad. We did the usual Easter egg hunt, both inside and out. We ate some lunch, played some games. We had great weather! A good time all around.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZaG1Z8oo4rA&feature=youtube_gdata_player http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=79WsKJHI65o&feature=youtube_gdata_player