Novice Niceties

Posted on March 11, 2026 by kathousekelli70

What a fantastic stay with ‘cousin Karen’, David, John and Anna.

Karen and David’s house appeals to me as it is like a museum!

Karen’s vintage collections all have a story and more than likely associate with family history.

Their house is beautiful made with heavy solid reclaimed timbers, David has built many houses over the years – beautiful vaulted ceilings, fireplaces to die for, spectacular inclusions and well thought out storage.

Friday we went into Abilene for a quick shop stop and go by another Indian store.

Hmmm I’ll have this one please!

Off to the country club for a quick sandwich, blue moon and Arnold Palmers while watching roaming squirrels and golf.

That night a ripper of a storm comes through with an awesome lightning show. Nice to hear the rain on a tin roof again.

The morning proves to be a vast contrast to the end of the hot weather we have had the whole trip. It’s a chilly 9C – feels like -1C 😳

We headed out for a quick trip in our old Dodge minivan (Karen and David bought it in 2019) on a 10 mile loop of their property, historical markers, family properties and the ‘cabin’.

It was time to head out and make the journey back to Dallas and flight home.

It’s been an awesome trip and we look forward to getting back again.

Stay safe y’all!

Kat x

Saturday 7th, March

West Texas

Posted on March 7, 2026 by kathousekelli70

Did a back track to Odessa this morning to the Bass Pro and boy are we glad we did!

Each Bass Pro has its own personality and inclusions depending on location and Texas didn’t disappoint. From the outside to the inside and grand walkway there is so much to see.

Gorgeous artworks and vintage memorabilia, taxidermy, the fish tank aquarium, the spectacular chandeliers and more!!

We have a final couple days with Wild Horse John, Anna and extended family in Novice.

From the time we hit their doorstep Karen and David’s hospitality is second to none.

Kat x

Back to Texas

Posted on March 5, 2026 by kathousekelli70

We lit out for Texas this morning after a hearty Cracker Barrel breakfast. Got to say the bacon at this one was better than yesterday’s.

We headed toward Pecos, Odessa, Midland via the beautiful Franklin Mountains State Park and Castner Range. It’s a steep incline/decline at 5244ft (still only half the height of some of the mountains we’ve been on in Colorado and only just a couple hundred feet shorter than our highest mountain in Australia) but the roads are perfect.

Lots of inland travel and into Texas, traveling the 180 through Carlsbad Caverns National Park, back up to 5700ft through Guadalupe Mountains National Park and passed the Butterfield Trail Marker.

The Butterfield Overland Trail (or Oxbow Route) traversed through Missouri, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Texas, New Mexico, Arizona and California. It was pre Civil War mail and passenger stagecoach route operating between 1858 and 1861.

What a hell of a trip during that time over this sort of terrain in all sorts of weather!

Cross country slight trip into New Mexico and back into the Texas panhandle we are back in oil and gas land through Orla – a very productive area.

On to Pecos where we stopped again and caught the damaged historic railroad depot, Judge Roy Bean’s, Jersey Lily and the gravesite of ‘gentleman gunfighter’ Clay Allison.

Keep heading East through oil fields of Barstow and on into Odessa.

Quick stop at the Indian store for Jack – picked up a poker chip – checked out the bikes.

From here we went to Midland again and this time got to visit the Bush Family Home. A State Historic site in Midland, Texas.

The original home was built in 1939 for Mildred Etheridge and features the original knotty pine walls and floors.

After a few moves around in 1948-1950 the Bush’s settled in Midland during his oil times prior to politics.

The Bush’s, George H. W and Barbara were associated with cancer research during and after their daughter Robin’s death due to Leukemia, with baseball which George W. had a love for also.

George W. had a love for baseball and Roy Rogers. He eventually had a part ownership in the Texas Rangers baseball team.

The house is still going under preservation and getting it back to period correct interior. There were so many fun ‘ancient’ things like the refrigerator, bakelite phone, uranium glass and more.

Thanks Chase for his exceptional guided tour!

A stay in Midland again before moving to Novice tomorrow.

Night!

Kat x

Scottsdale, AZ – Las Cruces, NM

Posted on March 4, 2026 by kathousekelli70

As we left Scottsdale this morning, we headed South and along the 60 towards Globe – funny enough Evergreen’s family came from Globe – Passed through Superstition Springs for a late breakfast then on through Tonto National Forest continuing our route.

Last photo with Buster, thanks for having us Big Iron and Evergreen!

Fun fact: did you know it takes Saguaro cactus 10 years to grow one arm? I stand corrected!! Each Saguaro cactus takes 75-100 years BEFORE it grows a side arm IF they grown any, and before I even read this, on the road I was marveling at some of them with how many arms they had! Let alone the fact that I was then creating caricatures in my head of some of them like you would cloud watching. Their flowers are the state wildflower of Arizona.

Going by my research, some of these are potentially 150 years old and then some!

Through Superior founded 1882, was originally a Silver mining town and today still runs a massive production of Copper mining. Ray Mine still operating today and a massive operation.

Like nearby Globe, Ray and Clifton, Superior was once a huge part of an Apache reservation.

We continued up in elevation from 1600ft up to 4983 feet before dropping back down.

We came into Kearny founded in 1958, named after General Stephen Watts Kearny who passed through the area in 1846 while leading 100 dragoons to California.

Hayden founded 1909 is almost a ghost town now but once home to the tallest smelter chimney in Arizona.

The landscape is changing to scrub and rocky outcrops as we drop back down again into Globe.

Globe (Western Apache: Bésh Baa Gowąh “place of metal”) was founded in 1875 as a mining camp. Silver was the draw card and the city of Globe was incorporated in 1876 with Globe printing its first newspaper May 2, 1878.

Its history remained laced with outlaws, murders, stagecoach robberies and more! Ike Clanton and Phineas Clanton arrived here just after the infamous gunfight at the OK Corral in Tombstone.

So much more history here and of course Evergreen has a brilliant photo in the guest room of distinguished looking gentleman from that era who are her family.

From here it was on weaving through snow capped mountains in the distance and headed through Geronimo and through to Fort Thomas established 1876. It was also previously Camp Goodwin part of the Apache Wars and Clantonville.

We passed the Pinaleno Mountains with the most prominent Mount Graham still with snow caps on it.

Things you don’t expect to see as you go through Safford into Solomon – a cowboy, yes cowboy, hat and all, riding an e-scooter on the side of the road!

Duncan founded 1883, originally a railroad way station called Purdy, was later renamed for Duncan Smith, a director of the Arizona Copper Company.

Uh oh! A stop with the local Sheriff 😬 just less than 14 miles into New Mexico. Jack gets a warning thankfully.

Into Lordsburg at a more regulated pace and back onto I10 headed for Las Cruces, NM.

We make it back to Las Cruces where we started some of our travels. Dinner at Applebees and right next to Cracker Barrel for Breaky in the morning.

Walmart just proved uneventful for what I was looking for so rest and relaxation now. Night!

Kat x

West Texas

Posted on February 19, 2026 by kathousekelli70

We arrived into Midland last night after another slight delay on the highway in.

We found La Cheve-Ceria for dinner. Excellent quesadillas and margaritas! A colourful and vibrant place seemingly filled with oil workers. We took a place at the bar and enjoyed the spirit while there. The menu? Other than the ‘Happy Birthday Shot’ at $40, everything else was $4!

Neon sugar skull on the ceiling at end of bar where you walk in.

Some late comers (and we were there only at 9pm) ordered the birthday shots that came out with full Mexican fanfare – lights, whistles, the music went up about another 30 decibels – they sure know how to party!!

Midland is oil and gas through to Odessa and the Pecos. If you’ve watched ‘Landman’ on Paramount then you will already have a good picture of what it looks like. Flat, dry, ground for miles, littered with oil pump jacks and gas fields with their pilot lights offering up a spectacle in the dark of night.

On through Odessa and to Pecos, we made a stop at the Pecos Museum. Pecos is home of the world’s first ever rodeo held 4th July, 1883.

Of course Judge Roy Bean “The Law West of the Pecos” was appointed a Justice of The Peace in 1882 in a desolate area of West Texas. He operated out of his own Saloon, the Jersey Lily so named after his actress wife Lily Langtry. The town of Vinegroon he also renamed – Langtry.

The Museum has a replica version of the Jersey Lily Saloon out back.

The Museum itself is the site of the Orient Saloon. Still with original floorboards, pressed tin ceilings, original bar, saloon tables (including one with shelves for your guns) and much memorabilia original to the saloon and donated from the community.

Oh and of course bullet holes in the North wall from the gunfight where Barney Riggs shot and killed William Earhart and John Denson on October 3rd, 1896.

There were a few more in the main wall also.

While John Denson must have been making a run for the door.

The re-enacted Jesse Heard said “…bullets were flyin’ and bodies were droppin’..”

Animated Jesse Heard at the bar. Original saloon tables including the square card table with gun shelves.

After touring all the rooms of rodeo, US Marshals, football, Golden Girls, house rooms, war and of course the gun room we left to continue our journey.

We are now keeping on West with clear blue skies and strong winds.

Kat x

JacknKats Place

Posted on October 5, 2020 by kathousekelli70

Yep, so it’s been awfully quite in Jack n Kat’s world what with COVID and all.

This past couple of weeks (and another to come) we should have been in the United States for Comin’ Atcha, Talledaga Speedway, Alabama and more, then that got cancelled with not being able to leave the country.

So we were to go to Chisholm Trail here, then that got cancelled.

I was going to cancel my leave but tired me having still worked during all the so called lockdown’s etc I was ready for a break. And hey! After the past six years of not having to work and then a year of part time – full time work has been an eye opener again!! 🤣🤣

So….I decide to keep two of my weeks leave and have a break with Jack. Let’s get some outdoor stuff done we say! Sure! Then thankfully we got quotes for some work to be done instead of assuming our very active and young brains could make our older and in Jack’s case much older body could keep up with our intentions.

Suffice to say it was still a very busy two weeks as I take every moment this evening of my last break for a very long time and head back to work tomorrow.

So what did we achieve?

Well it started with nights of painting the mural ready for the pool backdrop. 18ft long and 4ft high. Meh, did I bite off more than I could chew? Procrastination was taking hold about small difficult sections. Hence the horse and rider being the very last 6” x 6” done. He is my most favorite piece now!!

So the rest was organizing gardens and getting them set for ‘Pandora’ the garden fairy to arrive and work her magic revamping, planting and guiding me to be a good green thumb!

We worked our butts off moving plants, shoveling dirt configuring plantings, getting it just so for future garden happiness in a minimalistic care style for me.

The tidying up process prior to gardening and paving guys coming in. Ie: that was NOT Jack and I!

The after effects from Pandora’s magic! Oh and Scottie and Ian the paving guys. 🤣

The after effects, including painting of fences I might add and new bamboo screening.

So now it’s time to tidy, reinstall pool fence (‘cause you know I’m gonna change that up to glass later!) for safety and regulation, seal pavers, install mural and a bit more mood lighting before return to work.

What else got done during the staycation? Well a bit of shooting, hanging with friends, visit to IKEA to start the next renovation, hung a couple new blinds in newly painted window frames, checking and waiting on bar install, oh did I tell you I finished the reupholster of the bar stools? Did that, bit of sewing bit of crafting and just downright enjoying being home with the man. 😉

Hugs y’all!

Kat xo

Hays, Kansas – Edmond, Oklahoma

Posted on July 3, 2019 by kathousekelli70

It’s been a casual start to today and seeing as I have no car projects, it’s time for another little history lesson.

Hays was established in 1867, however prior to this, was located near the territories of Arapaho, Kiowa and Pawnee. It was claimed by France as part of the Louisiana Purchase in 1803 and became part of Kansas Territory in 1854.

Fort Fletcher was established by the US Army in 1865 (southeast of present day Hays) to protect stagecoaches traveling The Smoky Hills Trail.

In 1866, it’s name was changed in honor of the late Brig. Gen. Alexander Hays.

In 1867, with the construction of the Kansas Pacific Railroad, Fort Hays was moved northwest to better serve the railroad.

Then there is more history about a town called Rome, Hays City being formed, Rome was abandoned after cholera outbreaks and so became Hays!

A frontier town, it had its fair share of violence infamous in the American Old West. Some 79 outlaws are said to be buried in Boot Hill north of town by 1885. Wild Bill Hicock served as sheriff for a brief stint in 1869.

Germans settled in Hays around 1886, having a great influence on the culture of the town.

We continued south to Wichita, which began as a trading post on the Chisholm Trail in the 1860’s. It was a cowtown and frequent stop for cattle being driven from Texas to Kansas railroads.

The Atchison Topeka and Santa Fe Railways ran through her during its cowtown days and across the Arkansas River was the usual entertainment of brothels, saloons and lack of law enforcement. Wyatt Earp was one lawmen who at some point got Wichita back on the straight and narrow.

As early as the 1920’s and 30’s it also became known as ‘the air capital of the world’ becoming a US aircraft production hub.

So named after the Wichita people, the Keeper of the Plains monument is spectacular! We have been and visited this in person previously but here is a great sunset pic of it.

Check this out! The first ever Pizza Hut building!

Many fast food chains actually started in Wichita, Pizza Hut in 1958. The building is now located within University grounds.

We exited the I-35 to Wellington but we’re again disappointed the Chisholm Trail Museum is closed and with over an hour til opening time we had to continue on our way.

We continued to Edmond, formed during the April 22, 1889 Land Run. It was named after a Santa Fe railroad traveling freight agent. Well it was the name of the train depot was prior to the town being established but was adopted for the town name also.

The first public schoolhouse in the Oklahoma Territory was completed in August of 1889 and still stands as a historic monument on 2nd street.

The ‘Edmond Sun’ located down the street in the opposite corner is the states oldest continuing newspaper dating from July 18, 1889.

And so it is time for last catch ups, washing and packing before we head for Dallas and departure tomorrow.

Kat xo

Photo Credit:

Stagecoach Robbery by R A Davenport/Hip Postcard

Cowtown – Cowtowns Kansapedia – Kansas Historical Society

Pizza Hut building – Wikipedia

Edmond Schoolhouse – Edmond Historical Society

Onward to Cheyenne

Posted on June 27, 2019 by kathousekelli70

We left Manitou Springs yesterday morning, first visiting Miramont Castle.

Built in 1895 with a west wing being added in 1897, it was built as a personal residence for Fr. Jean Baptiste Francolon and his mother. Might I add right here and now – this place is huge just for two people to be running around in!!

Miramont has 4 floors, with 30 rooms covering 14,000 square feet. It features 9 styles of architecture designed by Fr. Francolon – shingle style Queen Anne, English Tudor, Romanesque, Flemish stepped gables, Venetian Ogee, Byzantine and half timber Chateau.

Inside and the first staircase to the 3rd level
One of the Entrance doors.

Being originally from France (then to New Mexico), I guess if he had travelled often through various parts of Europe before arriving in America then he would have seen many styles, thus incorporating his favorites into the castle.

Having been built in the late 1890’s and having some wealth, the castle included such luxuries as indoor plumbing, steam heat and electricity.

Fr. Francolon’s first house (located above the castle) was donated to the Sisters of Mercy for use as a sanitarium. They named it Montcalme.

Miramont means “look at the mountains” and when you reach the Queen’s Parlor Tea Room and feast your eyes on the stunning windows and view to the mountains you can understand why it was named so.

view from the parlor
this fireplace was hidden behind 2 lots of brick fireplace.

Hitting the road we make a quick stop into Manitou Springs Cliff Dwellings. Man these people must have been tiny! Either that or they lived with hunched backs all their life! No room for you to stand normally.

The Anasazi cliff dwellings, built more than 700 years ago, can be touched, you can go inside and there is a 3-story Pueblo-style building housing the Anasazi Museum. Worth a visit!

From here we headed out to Garden Of The Gods, taking the one way road in. It was busy given it is summer holidays here but we managed a park at the Visitor Centre and got that spectacular view of the rocks.

Leaving Clancy at that point we all set off for our next destination – Cheyenne, Wyoming.

Kat xo

The Law West of The Pecos

Posted on June 25, 2019 by kathousekelli70

Well actually we are headed NW, passing Villanueva, El Pueblo, San Miguel, crossing the Pecos River a couple of times.

The landscape is once again changing, with hidden ranch’s amongst a very green landscape and red rock cliffs.

With Clancy in tow, we are headed for Manitou Springs. Others have headed for Deadwood, the Turquoise Trail or back to Australia today.

Our first stop would take us into Las Vegas, NM where a brief trip into the Rough Riders Antiques store saw Clancy buy a gorgeous silver barrette and my score was a nickel silver Mexican hat pin that simply was just too unique to pass up.

Harvey House items!
I resisted this year.
Clancy’s new hair barrette. Handcrafted silver.
The ceiling inside the antique store.
The mexican hat pin that just had to come home with me.

We found that the Castenada Hotel is now open with 7 rooms and the bar for afternoon drinks. The ceiling, floors, windows are still original and yet there is still a lot of work to be done in getting the rest of the Hotel open. I look forward to a future visit to see her in all her glory!

Oh, and my fascination with the Castenada? She was the first Fred Harvey track-side hotel built in East Las Vegas that fed and watered passengers who journeyed the Santa Fe railway routes. When it opened in 1899 Teddy Roosevelt held a reunion of his Rough Riders here. The Rough Riders Museum just up the street is closed Monday’s but we did get to visit it last year.

As per the brochure (and having read the Harvey Girls book) Fred Harvey civilised the west. He developed and ran all the hotels and restaurants of the Santa Fe Railway, eventually controlling a hospitality empire that spanned the continent. He introduced linen, silverware, China, crystal and impeccable service to railroad travel.

We made a stop at Charlie’s Spic n Span Bakery – not for cream puff’s! – but a donut or key lime selection and coffee. We got a view of the mural whilst there. The mural is a documentary of South West and American History. Spanning the decades of time, it was created by some 300 students and additional community members.

We took a short trip past gorgeous Victorian houses and out to Montezuma Castle. Now and International school for students you can not visit the castle as its student use only now. It is truly magnificent in its size and presence set atop the hill in a secluded section of Montezuma.

We left New Mexico over the Raton Pass at a mere 7834ft and into Colorado. We are now in Manitou Springs.

As evening sets on this tiny town of Victorian charm, pubs, and shops, we enjoyed a couple of margarita’s and some dinner before retiring for an early night.