Amarillo Trip III

Our last day in Amarillo took us out to the ranch, which turned out to be 45 minutes or so from Amarillo. Much like the rest of our time in Amarillo, we had a great time! That morning, Brandon and I went to buy dry ice because Alison's parents were sending us home with a cooler full of beef. We purchased the largest cooler we could find before coming to Texas, and we filled it with beef and dry ice before heading home! Thanks to the Basses!!! The meat is awesome - it is grass-fed beef with no antibiotics and no hormones.

We packed up and headed to the ranch after lunch and spent the remainder of the day there. Sam showed Brandon and I his bunker-turned-blacksmith shop, and then he got us throwing knives and hatchets. As you can see below, Luke was a little upset that he was not invited to do that with us! Sam then took us on a tour of the ranch, showing us the mesquite, the cattle, and the canyon before taking us to the shooting range. The evening ended with burgers on the grill, Texas-shaped sugar cookies, and a little swinging on the porch before we headed for Amarillo and then home.

Thanks again to Alison, Brandon, the Basses, and the Gaynors for all of their hospitality! We loved our trip and would love to make the trip again (although most likely flying next time rather than driving overnight)!
















Luke relaxing on the porch






































Is that a real cowboy?






















Brandon sticking a knife!















Philip sticking a knife!















Luke was not happy about getting left behind for the knife-throw. Notice the hat thrown on the ground.






















































Shiner















Texas cattle















Longhorn (despite owning some Texas Longhorns, the Basses are Aggies - Gig 'em Aggies!)















the girls & Luke touring the ranch















safety instruction















Apparently that was some shot - Alison was impressed! Allison says that Alison has "sass" here!















Luke wanted those things off his ears!















Not sure about this, but I think Brandon is more intimidating when he is shooting guns!















Twins!? Separated at birth?! Allison/Alison E./E. Fishbaugh/Bass - what are the odds they would meet three years ago?
















More instruction - it was fun to actually hit the targets!















Allison even enjoyed the shooting!















Palo Duro Canyon - the 2nd largest canyon in the United States; the Bass ranch lies on the canyon















Brandon, Sam, Phil































Family picture















Phil and Luke completing the tour















hanging out on the porch















Luke swinging















Grilling burgers!
















Ms. Piggy's cookies















swinging with Sam

Amarillo Trip II

Our trip to Amarillo continued with some essential stops - to get Luke a cowboy hat, to see the Cadillac Ranch, to eat Texas barbecue, and to visit the Panhandle-Plains Historical Museum. As you can see below, we had a great day! It was also Alison & Brandon's 3rd anniversary, which they kindly chose to celebrate by taking us around to see all the sights Amarillo has to offer!

We ended the day at Brandon's parents' house, where Kim and Brenda cooked us a delicious meal and and took us over to see their new home, which is currently under renovation/construction. We finished the night with a surprise cake and videos from Brandon and Alison's wedding and reception. We had a blast, and Luke slept soundly on the couch in the living room!

Trying on boots at Cavender's Boot City





















































Luke loved the boots!






















He may have loved the shiny belts even more!















Allison tried on the $600 boots.





















































Decorating the Cadillacs at Cadillac Ranch.















Some eccentric guy with some Cadillacs, land, and money decided to plant a row of Cadillacs beside the road. People can stop and paint them. A must-see if you are in Amarillo!






























Shopping for a cow-skin rug. As you can see, Luke found other things better than home furnishings!















What a find!















Hi!















A random soap box race car at the Panhandle-Plains museum.















An old oil rig. It was impressive.






























Luke voluntarily stood by this multiple times. We think he wanted us to measure him. According to the chart, he is nearly as tall as the Age of Eurypterids.






















More driving - Luke really came into his own on this trip in regards to driving things. He now wants to drive everything - the car, the boat, etc.

Amarillo Trip I

Sorry for the long delay in updating with any new pictures and info! We recently finished our time in Fort Wayne and moved back to Bloomington. We only stayed for a few days, however, before we took off for Amarillo, Texas, to visit our friends the Gaynors. As chance had it, the McNeillys were traveling across the country from Bloomington to California, and they stopped in Amarillo at the same time! It was one last law school reunion before we all headed our separate ways (or stayed in Bloomington, for us).

This was the most significant amount of time Allison, Luke, and I really had around the McNeilly's baby, Gioia, before they left!















I think I did okay with her - she was asleep within 10 minutes.















Peter, Brandon, and Phil standing around the baby. Isn't that what guys do?















The girls around the baby - this seems more natural (and Gioia seems excited about it!).















IU law friends - a sad farewell to the McNeillys (although we smiled for the camera).















Luke loves the dishwasher, no matter where he finds it!















He apparently also loves to watch Alison Gaynor do laundry! Who knew?






















Mommy and Lucas