Texas Roadtrip

We are a little more than half-way through our roadtrip through the South. We started off driving to Denver and staying with a friend and his brothers from Ethiopia. It was good to spend time with an old friend, and I was able to see an 'auntie' who also lives there. From there we drove to Oklahoma City to spend the night with one of Charlie's cousins, Terry. Finally we arrived in Arkansas, our first major destination, to visit and go camping with Clare, Charlie's sister. Chuck Koelling and his wife came over and together with Clare, her boyfriend Kyle and a few other of their friends we drove two hours north of Conway, AR to the Buffalo River. The water was cool and green and the whole experience was peaceful and beautiful. From there we spent some time in Tyler, East Texas, then on to Longview to see Adam, Charlie's brother, and his new baby Abbott Clare Koelling, born on July 23. Now we are in Dallas, and have been hanging out in Chucks nicely landscaped backyard drinking beer, eating good food and enjoying the misters and swamp cooler that made it more-than bearable to sit outdoors. Today we head down to Austin, to listen to some live music and see some more of Charlie's lifelong friends. After all this, we head west to Las Vegas to see some friends perform in Cirque de Soleil and then on to Oregon for a while. Much love to everyone.