Now that we have been in our new house for about 9 months the deer seem to treat our yard just like any other in the neighborhood - it's a place to get something to eat.  A few days ago I was having my coffee and we noticed a herd of deer that leisurely strolled through our yard, crossed the street and began feasting on our neighbor's flowerbed.

We just went on a short trip to Abilene (TX).  Our 2-night stay at the Elegante Suites, as well as tickets to Abilene attractions, was paid for by a AAA contest.  We didn't think Abilene would be very exciting, but getting away is always nice.  There was no interstate highway to get us there directly, so we took off on state and farm highways.  It was a very nice drive--certainly little traffic in our way.  As it turns out, Abilene has some nice historical attractions.  One is called Buffalo Gap--a small town on the site of a gap that buffalo traveled in pioneer days.  There was an old courthouse, built in 1880, as well as other old buildings and cabins.  This is a picture of the old courthouse.

There is another historical attraction called Frontier Texas.  It chronicles the history of the area using holographs, sounds, and images that make the history come alive.  Children would be very impressed.  We also visited a museum honoring the 12th Armored Division that fought in World War II and were prepared at a large army camp in Abilene called Fort Barkley.  Who knew that Abilene had anything besides 3 Christian Colleges!