A Saga of the Moores: Chapter 2: From Moreland's to Colorado.

Well, as you all probably remember, (you should remember. If you don't I'm terribly disappointed in my own talents of illustration), I wrote a blog a while ago, with pictures about us moving? Yeah, well, if you didn't see it, you can look at the post below this one. It's down there somewhere.

To quote myself (I like doing that), I said "I'll probably have the second history up by day after tomorrow."

Well, I've been working on it, and here it is. Yes, I know I'm late, but I was trying to be a lot more detailed on this entry so that everyone could make sense of it.

Due to my writing however, if you make sense of it, it's a miracle and we should call the president.



First, a treat to get you warmed up to my blog.

Do you recall seeing Robin Hood during our last blog session?





"Hoorah for the pirate king! For it is, it 'tis a glorious thing to be a pirate king"





Anyway, time to move on. Where did we leave off? Oh yes. We'd just seen a picture of the family on the porch as we prepared to enter cars. Uh, I don't really have many pictures from then 'til we arrived at Moreland’s.

Moreland’s? I thought we were going to Texas.

Ok, I'm gonna let myself explain this one.

Our airplane did not leave 'til the next day, and the Moreland’s were gracious enough to let us use their house instead of having to go to an icky smelly hotel.

I was happy, not because I was bothered by the hotel, but because I really, really like Moreland’s house.

Particularly the food...



Where did the ice cream sandwiches come from? You probably guessed it.

The Moreland family freezer.





I'd like to quickly state that we didn't steal the sandwiches, because Mr. Moreland did say we could have some... I think...

Gator apparently thought we had taken them without asking at first, and was nearly in tears because we were eating them.

When he was told we had permission, he was still slightly reluctant, but eventually he ate one.





I must warn you, Dad has a strange habit of smelling food before he eats it. I don't know why. He will smell EVERYTHING he eats before he eats it, with one exception. Menudo. Go smell some and you'll know why.





Here we have a picture of Kelly dropping a potato chip on the floor at Moreland’s. Since we were late, we just had to forgive and forget : )





Hearing Hunter barking, we ventured into the rugged outdoors of Alaska, and saw a family approaching us. Their faces seemed to be familiar, but we were so tired....

Ok, so that's not true. Actually, all the kids were yelling "Mom! Dad! The Heustis's are here! How did they know we were at Moreland’s?"





Then, all at once, everybody showed up, and started loading the luggage into not one, not two, not three, but FOUR suburbans.

As you can see, the speed even bewildered Kelly.





Todd was stacking bags into the car as fast as he could, which was barely fast enough.

He also seems to be asking David something.



While Todd was sorting, the kids were piling into vehicles, trying to get a seat next to whomever they chose before somebody else did!

Brenda kept it somewhat organized.





Jeffrey believes in the thousand-yard stare. We really must have been tired.



"Why don't you put the camera down and go carry some luggage?" - Todd.

Actual Quote.

At this point, I stopped filming until I got in the car-- HOWEVER, my top secret agent Kelly, managed to cover for me, with her photographer’s instinct.





See Todd? I work!!

Well, a little bit-- When I have to...





Gator loves whistling...

I don't know how Kelly does it, but she always takes the picture at the right time where Gator is concerned.





Reagan chose her seat. Of course, girls stick together.





Here's another pack of animals crammed into close quarters.

Please note the wild-eyed creature in the right of the screen...





Then, once we were all loaded, we headed off.

Then, we knew it was time to start goofing off in the car...



David was filming the absolute nonsense going on in the back seat (Jeff and I), but the video serves only as blackmail material. No entertainment value at all.





Meanwhile, Dale was trying to retain his sanity by talking to somebody.

Todd!





Well, we basically made life miserable for Dale until we reached the post office. When we arrived at the post office, we unloaded a bunch of boxes to mail.





I say that carrying one box is for the women and children!





Yes, that's a lot of boxes. Just think, we also had 18 people, a dog and a kennel, 18 'personal effects' and 18 suitcases, all squeezed into 4 suburbans. It was quite a caravan.





It's hard explaining four suburbans and 18 people.





Todd was tired that day.

I mean, he LOOKED tired that day, and he had every right to BE tired that day, so I assumed that he WAS tired that day.





Well, we all piled into the cars and headed down the road again.

I stuck my camera out the window and took a picture of the Kuhn's suburban.

Why? I have no Idea. But the picture actually came out pretty good...





The instant we got there, everybody piled out and started trying to do things. The kids were scrambling, the guys were unloading, Dad was parking the car, the security guys were getting annoyed, and I was taking pictures.





Even Kelly was getting out of control!

She was dancing in this shot...





Here's Gary keeping the kids under control with the 'Dad' look.





After the picture of Gary turned out so well, I decided to take one of Mom at the same angle. Then, I turned on a few color filters. Maybe I got a little too carried away artistically...

I really do like the outcome of this picture though.





Kelly took three pictures of the suburbans, being careful not to move, then gave them to me, and I spliced them together.

The result is a really cool wide shot. Behold!!





Well, we took all of the luggage into the building and checked it. We also checked the dog. It was starting to get busy in there, when to my surprise (and delight), Dad said we were going to eat at the village inn. Not my Favorite, but eating with friends makes food delicious.





Men always hurry where food is concerned.

Actually, that's just my excuse for the picture being so blurry.





David poses in the parking lot.





This is my favorite shot of Jeffrey, though it's low res. I really like that blue light...





I also got a picture of some random waitress. Actually, I was trying to take a picture of Todd and Amber, but I took a picture of this rather large person.

It's actually a requirement to be "large" to work at village inn for insurance purposes. That way, if you slip, you bounce back up, and they only have to replace the floor-- not your neck.





Well, because I was about to get on a plane, and because my battery was almost dead, I didn't take any more pictures 'til we were on the plane and leaving. Then, I only took two, because my battery was so dead.

Basically, we played around at the restaurant for about an hour or so, then we left for the airport. For some reason, now that we were actually leaving, it was not near as bad as I thought it would be. I'd spent many nights worrying about how sad I was going to be after I left, but actually, it wasn't bad at all.

I got one picture of Dad on the plane,





And another of Kelly.





We were all very eager to see Grandma and Grandpa in Colorado. Plus, this was the first time on a "Jumbo Jet" for some of us. Kelly took this picture.





But, after the plane took off, we lost some of our enthusiasm and lapsed into sleep. When Kelly awoke, she snapped some more pictures.

Jack was disappointed that he only slept a few minutes during the entire flight.





Reagan sat next to a very nice elderly lady on the airplane named Pauline. She was smiling the entire time, except when Kelly took the picture.





Gator is excited about seeing Grandma and Grandpa.





This is Andrea standing in the Airport in Colorado.

No, the stuffed animal in the backpack is not hers, and no she didn't steal it. It's Gators backpack.





Blue tape was a real lifesaver. We put it on our bags so we'd know which ones were ours.

I took this picture in a REAL hurry, (dead battery) and it didn't work out all that great.





It was ok though, because then Kelly turned to another area and got a gorgeous picture. It must be the camera.

Of course, this picture needed a little "work". *cough*.





After that, we rode on the subway. It was my younger siblings first time on a subway and I think David may have been a little worried about the brake system.





After getting all our bags outside I switched batteries with Mom's still camera, and started taping.



Hey, a picture of me! Kelly must have taken this one...





Gator eagerly awaited.... something. He wasn't exactly sure what, but he was waiting.





Ok, in this shot, we were waiting for somebody to pick us up. Jack didn't know we were waiting, so he jokingly said, "I know, I'll dance and maybe somebody will pick us up."

After a short dance routine, he started thumbing for a ride.





It was funny, cause almost immediately after Jack did his little dance, Grandma and Grandpa arrived with Larry and Susan.





Grandpa is a lot like Dad I'd say. Or maybe it's the other way around...





Of course, everybody has fun when Grandma and Grandpa are around.

This is a really good shot of Jack. My compliments to Kelly on this one...





From here we went to Grandpa and Grandma's house. On the way, I took a few pictures of Colorado. Particularly, the mountains and big hills, since I wouldn't be seeing many of those in Texas.





This picture came out much better, but at this point I was wishing I'd had something other than a video camera..





It's hard to keep 4 rowdy boys under control, but Grandma did it.

She passed the test with flying colors... and a big smile!

She's actually making Grandpa wash his hands in this picture, so I should say 5 rowdy boys : ).





Of course, as she was showing us around the house, Andrea Reins stopped at a wedding picture.

Then, everybody started admiring the near 100-year-old picture, of my Great-Grandparents on their wedding day.





I'm glad that we broke the tradition of not smiling for pictures.

This is a close up with a lot of glare. I guess he's sort of smiling, but she's not.

Maybe this wasn't her idea...





All the kids settled in pretty well. Jack immediately challenged Grandpa to a game of Chess.

Though it looks like Grandpa lost, I know that this is not the case.





It's amazing how the kids latch on to other people. For example, Jack and David grabbed Grandpa, Gator latched on to Grandma, and Reagan was practically glued to Aunt Susan.





Of course, I was very tired. I was taking pictures while all the other tired crewmembers were sleeping. Then, I lay down on the couch for a minute, and pushed play on my camera to watch a video of the good times at Big Lake.

Unfortunately, the equation goes as follows.

John being tired + nice soft couch = Picture below.

Yes, I really was asleep in this shot.





Well, apparently, during the hours that I slept, we had a small reunion, with family from all over Colorado arriving. When I awoke, I grabbed my camera (The tape from big lake being all the way at the end) and tried to record, but it didn't work properly. Of course, that's because I had switched tapes and all that.

So I merely carried my camera around half asleep. I had a few conversations but I was still half asleep. I KNOW I was half asleep because I was invited to go play football out in the back yard, and I accepted the invitation. Now, I'd only held a football once in my life, and that was at Anchorage, in Jordan's bedroom.

The closest thing I'd come to throwing a football was a little dog toy we had, and one time I played with a Nerfball with the fins in the back. That was at a Gothard Anger Resolution Seminar if I remember correctly...

Saying I'd go play was not the brightest thing, but I did it. Then, I wandered outside, and watched for a few minutes until I understood the basics. Then, somebody threw the ball my way, I caught it, threw it to somebody else on the same team, and I started playing. It was far from rough football, being mostly a "run with the ball" contest.

I did enjoy myself though, and I was sad when one by one, the players started leaving. Finally I sat down exhausted. When I remembered that my tape was the wrong one, and over, I changed it, and took a few pictures of Jack playing with the dog.



Throw the ball into the air, then hit it. The bigger the bat, the bigger your chances of a good hit!

At least, Jack thought so. After about 200 swings, he finally hit it.





Then, Hunter dutifully returned the ball.





When I went back inside, everybody but Uncle Larry and Aunt Susan, their children Greg and Angela, Uncle Bob, and Uncle Glen and Aunt Joan had left. Did that make sense? I hope so.



We went outside where uncle Glen threw an m-8o, shortly before he left.

AND THEN, Greg pulled out a bag of fireworks (it was Independence Day, known to some as "the fourth") and we lit a few.

I have about twenty minutes of fireworks, but I'll just post a few pictures from the pitch-black Denver night, and they'll have to suffice.













It wasn't cold outside, but the noise was furious. And girls don't like noise.





After saying goodbye to Larry, Susan, Angela, and Greg, I ate a few pieces of watermelon, and hit the sack.





Before we went to bed, Kelly took this picture of Jack and Grandpa.





The next morning when I came upstairs, my Greg and his sister Angela greeted me. I had slept in.

I don't know why I was so tired, but I was still a little dazed for the entire afternoon. Greg played games with Jack, David, and Gator, while Reagan played with Angela.

I sat and talked with Grandma and Grandpa most of the time. Then, Grandma had the most fantastic idea ever, and ordered pizza.

Here's Grandma setting out plates.





Pizza is a thing that causes great happiness...





Poor Greg. In a rush to get to the pizza he kicked the table-- Really, Really Hard.

He's afflicted with the same strange reaction to public pain as I am however, and he started laughing.

Derek and Jeffrey need to meet Greg.





Here's a picture I took of myself. Not all that great, but not as bad as they get sometimes.





After pizza, I tested Grandpa's chess skill.





He was the victor.

I didn't frame this shot very well...





I made up for the bad shot though, with a really good shot of Grandma.

Come on now, isn't that a good picture?





Though Reagan was having a fantastic time with Angela, we had to go. That is, Dad, Larry, Susan, Angela and I all had to go.





Ok, so we didn't have to go, but Larry's computer needed help. SERIOUS help.

So much help, that it took me several hours to get rid of the 13 accounts of spyware and 26 viruses.

In fact, it needed so much help that I didn't even do all that. There wasn't time. I actually had to start everything, and let Larry and Susan finish it.

The interesting thing, was that Larry almost enjoyed hearing how gunked up his computer was. Actually, I think he was laughing on the inside about how seriously I took the whole matter. I mean really, to ME, 26 viruses is completely insane. There is no possible way for a computer to get that much gunk.

Angela also thought it was pretty funny.





You know, for as much fun as I had listening to Uncle Larry (a really great guy), it seems odd that I haven't posted many pictures of him. Oh yeah, I was trying to keep all the pictures in order.

Larry's smile is awesome, but when it's a camera smile, it seems forced. It has to be a true smile for it to be his best. SO, I had to do a little secret espianage work, and here's what I got. Show them teeth Larry!





Here's a picture of a rather frustrated Larry trying to make the computer start up.





After fixing the computer (for the most part), Larry drove Dad and I back home.

But FIRST we had to make a little stop.

Seems that we needed to grab some bagels at the store, as well as some Nucoa margarine. This is a picture of Larry on his way into the store.





However, once we were in the store, margarine we did not find,
So Dad, (in order to compensate) searched for food of his own kind.

Donuts!!





Well, it was about one in the morning when we got to our Grandparents house, and Dad was very tired.





So, we all went to sleep, knowing full well that we'd be getting on an airplane again at eight in the morning, requiring us to be on the road at six.

When I awoke, (rather, had water dumped on my head at 6 in the morning) everyone was running like chickens with their heads cut off, trying to get everything ready.





Aunt Susan is quite cheery.... especially for six in the morning.





Funny things happen when you travel. For example, I remember Kelly's bag busted open, and we had to duct tape it closed.

In her own words: "For all I know, my shorts are scattered across the tarmac, and everybody'll know they're mine, because they have my initials on them."





So, we traveled to the airport, and parted. Colorado was a lot of fun, and it'll be fun to visit, but Texas was calling, and we followed the call.

Larry and Jack, the parting cowboys.





Beautifully framed shot. We were watching the Dog get loaded up.





It was finally here. The last flight. Texas was just few hours away....







I want to thank all of you who commented on and liked my first chapter, if you hadn't, I probably wouldn't have finished part 2.

I'll have part 3 up someday, and it'll be about Texas.

Remember, we're all writing chapters in our life's book, one page at a time, and we can't go back and edit them, so we have to make sure we do it right the first time.

I'll also be doing a "Photography Favorites" sometime, including many of my favorite pictures. If ya'all (not quite yawl yet) would like to send some of your favorite pictures in, I'll be sure to touch them up and put them in too. In fact, that'd be wonderful.

Have fun everybody, and I'll see ya next time!



~~ The Techy Texan ~~