Its Not A Vacation Until The Pictures Are Forced On Friends

As I was sitting here going through my pictures (ok, really.... I just finally got around to uploading them from my camera!) from my recent mini-vacation back home, I got to thinking. I didn't really share too much of that trip with you all.

In fairness, there is a very real possibility that no one besides myself has noticed this lack. Which could lend itself to everyone tuning me out. I will warn you, though.... I'm quite used to being tuned out. I AM a mother of a teenager, and as such being tuned out is quite a normal occurrence. And since I'm used to it, you should probably realize that it doesn't stop me or shut me up. Besides, as I'm also still remarkably unemployed, what else do I have to do? (Well, if you ask Coach there are several things, but that's another post entirely.)

But I digress.....

Here's a few of my favorite, thought provoking or just plain amusing things from my trip:

Does anyone remember Tonka trucks? Not the silly plastic ones they make now, but the original metal ones? My brothers had an entire construction crew of metal Tonka trucks. We used to spend hours playing with these in the sandbox my dad built for us in the back yard. And when we got too old to play with them any longer, my mom kept them. Which was a good thing, as this same crew of trucks was hauled out to provide endless hours of fun for my boys, and my brother's kids. This tree was once part of a trio of trees. The Three Musketeers of my backyard, if you will. That tree is roughly 35 years old. It has stood firm through a lot of climbing. It provided shade for parties. It was an anchor once upon a time for a hammock that was just perfect for reading in on a summer afternoon. It now stands alone in that yard. I wonder if it ever feels lonely? I had to smile, though, when the first thing my nephew did when we walked out into the yard was to go over and climb into that tree. My nephew is 15. I guess some things you never outgrow.

This truck, while theoretically my dad's retirement project, was the instrument which spawned both my brothers' love affair with pick up trucks, and my own with the men who drive them. A 1954 Ford, this classic will be a thing of beauty if my dad ever gets it done.

Speaking of my brother, this arm hangs off the left side of the older of the two (brothers, that is. I'm going to assume--probably quite safely--that his arms are the same age). To give some background behind the tattoo, this particular arm belongs to the bull rider brother I mentioned a looooong time ago. He's an iron worker, a welder specifically; and he loves lizards. In fact, at one point he had four rather large ones. Their habitat was so stinkin' big it had its own room in his house. The purpose of this tattoo was to cover up a bull riding scar. A few years ago, he was thrown from a bull. Nothing new in that. However, his wrist got tangled in the rope and he got pulled under that stupid bull. He had to have surgery on that arm, implanting all sorts of metal, and now has a scar from shoulder to elbow. Apparently he was tired of looking at it. Hence, the Welding Lizard.

So tell me.....

Are you sorry you asked for pictures yet? :)

**And yes, in the next few posts I will be introducing you to my family's goofy and adorable faces. Promise!**