Don't mess with Texas...

After a sixteen hour drive straight through Mississippi, Louisiana, and almost all the way across the state of Texas we arrived in Pecos where Arnold's grandmother lives! We had a fun visit with her! The kids have grown up quite a bit since our last visit with her when she says they were still "running around like babies". While in town we visited the Pecos zoo (a drive through zoo where you literally drive past all the animals watching each one from the comfort of your air conditioned vehicle. Trust me! It is unlike no other and the only way to visit a zoo!), the local playground (only a few hundred feet from the famous drive through zoo), and the local Walmart!
The blue bottle tree is something the kids hear about from Arnold all the time. He remembers as a child going to visit Granny in the summer and collecting the blue bottles to put on the "tree". He and granny were out and about one day when she spotted the "tree" and told Arnold how beautiful she thought it looked. It was just a dried out branch from another tree but its branches twisted in a way that made it pretty and unique. Arnold pulled the tree out and carried it home. Dug a hole and placed it in the spot it still sits today in the corner of the backyard at Granny's. The kids counted 78 blue bottles. It was fun to get a picture of them standing next to the infamous blue bottle tree!

One thing we miss the most about being so far away is the chance to be around family. Being able to visit Granny in Pecos, Texas during our trip made us realize how lucky we were to see her and enjoy hearing all the things she remembers about Arnold growing up. We'll cherish the time we spent with her in Texas!