Arizona
Colorado
New Mexico
Oklahoma
Texas

Sept 2024 - June 2025
In fall of 2024 we enjoyed a housesit in Longmont, Colorado, just north of Denver. The cool days and changing of the seasons were truly spectacular! We enjoyed numerous hikes in the surrounding foothills and in the high country of Rocky Mountain National Park. The elk were in their bugle season (rut) and the surrounding beauty is unmatched. Daughter, Amanda, joined us and we had a great time!!
While in Colorado we began the planning for JoDon’s father’s, Stevie Cowan, 80th birthday party. About 70 persons attended, with about 60 of them family members! It was a fun party and we were happy that so many attended to honor Stevie. In the photo below are the immediate family members at the party.
During the holidays we returned to our adopted home, a ranch north of Peñitas, TX. The holidays pass quickly with volleyball & football games, campfires and getting together with “old” friends, pool parties, backyard football and formal holiday events. They are all different, but all great!
Between Thanksgiving and Christmas, we took a quick trip to Dallas to take care of grandies: Olive and Will. The trip included a holiday event at the Dallas Arboretum. The weather was cold and such a festive event!
This year’s special event was celebrating JD’s 60th birthday alongside our dear friend, Bill Martin’s 50th birthday. There was live music, lots of food and plenty of fun!!
After leaving South Texas we started making our way north with a stop in Dallas where we got up early to watch Olive participate in rowing. We also had the privilege of spending some time with JD’s brother, Nakia, wife Maggie and niece, Sara, in Dallas and later in Nakia/Magie beautiful new home in Valiant, OK.
By the end of April, we had accepted a house sit about an hour south of Santa Fe. What made this house sit standout was the house was off the grid: no electricity, no generator or water well. As sailors we were accustomed to make do with less so it was not a big hardship. The surprise was two late season snow storms. The dogs loved romping in the snow!
We repeated the Colorado house-sit then traveled to our next house-sitting gig in Prescott, AZ (pronounced PRESS-cut). We had an extra day so stopped in at the Black Canyon of the Gunnison NP for hiking and then on through the San Juan Mountains in SW Colorado. You could travel the world (and we have) and never find more beautiful sights as the 12,000’-14,000’ mountains from Montrose, CO to Telluride, CO.
Prescott, AZ was such a delightful find located more than 5,000’ in elevation. This means Prescott is normally about 15F cooler than Phoenix. In May, the weather was perfect for hiking in the numerous trails throughout the city and nearby. There is a section of town leftover from its mining days called “Whiskey Row.” Wow! What a place for ‘old folks’ to party (like its 1969)! I would seriously think about retiring to this community.
As you may have discovered we like to travel but this year got a little ridiculous traveling in a car in a Z pattern across the southwest of the U.S. While in Lake Highlands, we volunteered to pick up grandies Mia and Penny from summer camp north of Tyler, TX and drive them back to McAllen. The big surprise was that their cousin, Olive, decided at the last minute to join us on this adventure. It was a great surprise and a great week spent in McAllen, TX.

More very soon.

Best,
Brian and JoDon