And so far we've kept our promise to each other, with this past September being our 4th reunion (dubbed HGR for "House Glue Renew")

 

This is pretty typical of our week together! A whole lotta "cuttin' up," as Mama would say!

 

We started out the week meeting in Arlington, Texas....

 

...to catch a series watching our favorite baseball player, my nephew Wyatt, who plays for the Texas Rangers.

Mark couldn't make it for the first game, but us 3 sisters and our men had fun cheering Wyatt on!

 

We stayed at an Airbnb in Arlington, and Wyatt came over to hang out with us after the first game. I love this picture of him with his mama/my sister Maria!

My brother-in-law John is so talented...he handcrafted custom fly-fishing rods for Wyatt and his wife Hallie.

Personlized, even! I think they're too beautiful to get all grody and dirty actually fishing with them!

 

A private autograph session...I can't believe how much Wyatt looks like his Grandpa Bud (my dad) here!

 

Oh...and we did chew a few pieces of bubble gum that week! What's baseball without bubble gum?!

 

The next morning we visited nearby Fort Worth Stockyards.

 

We browsed the shops...(this is a taxidermied cow, not a live one!)...

...and watched the morning cattle drive down the main street of old Fort Worth.

Those are definitely some LONGhorns!!!

My brother Mark and his family arrived in Arlington the next day, with all three of their kids. Scout is a high school freshman, and they picked up their 2 college kids...Blaise is a freshman at nearby Texas Christian University and Ethan is a junior at Texas A&M. So great to see all of them!

More baseball ahead, this time with the whole gang!

Guess who we're cheering for?!

 

C'mon baby, let's do this...see the ball, HIT THE BALL!!!

Our left-fielder is ready!

Nice catch, Wyatt!

Outfielders' meeting during a pitching change...not sure how well either of these other guys speak English...

We were VERY thankful that the Ranger stadium is enclosed...it was 97 degrees outside!

For our side entertainment, we watched the security guy who works the family section kick people out right and left. He's very good at his job and very protective of the players' families. Don't even think about sitting in this section unless you have a special ticket!

 

Wyatt came over for brunch with us the next morning. Some us had bought new jerseys, so of course we had to get them autographed.

After the game, dinner that evening together (the college kids had to go back to school)...a fun way to wind up our time in Arlington!

 

The next morning, we made the 4-hour drive south to New Braunfels (near San Antonio) where Mark lives for the rest of our HGR weekend.

 

It was Homecoming weekend for New Braunfels High School. We got to meet Scout's boyfriend Conner and learn about the very interesting Texas homecoming tradition of the girls getting giant "mums" (they are plastic) from their dates that they all wear to school on Friday. As we all know, everything is BIGGER in Texas!

 

A visit to Mark's is never complete without some animal drama involving some of his menagerie. This duck and Egyptian goose were unlikely-but-inseparable partners who were creating a mess around the swimming pool. I see an easy solution to this dilemma, but Mark wasn't eager to follow my suggestion to send them to birdie heaven.

 

And then there was the dilemma of this nest of wasp that had taken up residence underneath the new pool house roof...

...which Nick sprayed and stomped after they settled in at dark.

 

Scout and Conner off to the Homecoming Dance...

Another of Mark's critters...

And of course, good old Taffy-dog is Mark's 4th child!

 

Mark gave us a tour of his school digs at New Braunfels High School where Mark runs the Junior ROTC program. These facilites are temporary as next year the program will move into newly-renovated building that will have lots of space and be an amazing place for Mark and his cadets.

Mark gave me a flag-folding lesson...

...an important skill that I can't believe I've never learned after all these years. If I'm not careful, I learn something new every day!

 

Dinner at McAdoo's, our favorite New Braunfels restaurant....

 

Before we left, the two daredevil siblings (that would be Barb and Mark...Maria and I are much more sensible!) cruised the countryside on Mark's motorcycle. 

 

I love my siblings and we always have lots of fun together!

And that's a wrap for...

...the House Glue Renew 2024.