Author: Julia

I am a retired software solutions architect. I have been married to my husband, Bruce, for over forty years. We went full-time RVing for 3.5 years and saw much of the United States. After deciding to stop RVing, we bought a ranch house halfway up a hill on five acres. After Bruce and I talked about names for our five acres, we settled on Blackberry Homestead as a homage to the wild blackberries on the hill. We are working on creating our homestead. I love cooking and enjoy sharing recipes. I am also an artist, and I’ll share my current projects. Gardening and reading are my favorite hobbies.

Eating Southwestern Succotash and Steak Salad with Jeanne and Larry

June 5, 2023 Once we arrived in Golden, Colorado, we started contacting our friends. I reached out to my friend, Jeanne from http://www.ajeanneinthekitchen.com. She invited us over for this fabulous meal. It was another steak night and it was also another salad night. I LOVE a good steak salad. This deliciously colorful salad was loaded […]

Dinner in the Evening and then Driving from Ellis, Kansas to Golden, Colorado the Next Day

June 4, 2023 On May 20 (Saturday), we were invited to dinner by a friend who lives in Hays, Kansas. We had a lovely time. Much to my surprise, her oldest (7 years old) boy remembered me from the Halloween extravaganza FirstBank does. While I was dressed up as a witch, my friend let her […]

Out of Order Post – Another Fall

June 3, 2023 This morning (Saturday), we walked over to the Grateful Bread Bakery in Golden, CO. The heavy rains had washed large rocks onto the bridge to the center the bakery is in. I was glad I was wearing my hiking boots, as they supported my ankles as I tripped over a rock about […]

Fort Hays Historical Site in Hays, Kansas

June 2, 2023 Since we had some time before our dinner invitation on May 20th, we decided to check out the Fort Hays Historical Site. I enjoyed this walking tour. It was free, but I think they normally charge. All the prices were marked out, with free written next to them. The simulated bison ( […]

Broken Down Miniature Train in Ellis, Kansas

June 1, 2023 While in Ellis, Kansas, on Saturday (May 20), I wanted to ride the miniature train. It normally runs on Saturday, so I was hoping we’d get a chance to ride it. It wasn’t running last year when we visited Ellis. In the morning, we walked over to the train museum to buy […]

FOTD – Lilac

May 30, 2023

Leaving the Great Salt Plains State Park for Ellis, Kansas

May 30, 2023 We packed up the RV on May 19 and headed west on OK 11 and then north along US 281 until we hit I-70. We took I-70 west straight to Ellis, KS. Luckily, it wasn’t raining as we packed up and hitched up. It started raining on us as we drove west […]

Last Hike in Great Salt Plains Lake State Park in Oklahoma

May 29, 2023 The day before leaving (May 18), we went on one last hike. We walked over to the beach area campground along the road. We had to go out of the state park and onto the main road before going back into the state park. We walked past the dam. Once we got […]

Digging for Selenite Crystals at the Great Salt Plains National Wildlife Refuge in Oklahoma

May 28, 2023 One of the things I wanted to do was dig for selenite crystals at the Great Salt Plains National Wildlife Refuge. It is the only place in the world that you can dig for hourglass shaped selenite crystals. Now, we didn’t bother to look up what to bring, as we expected to […]

Checking Out the Salt Plains National Wildlife Refuge in Oklahoma

May 27, 2023 After our hike in the morning, Nox was tired and just wanted to rest with all her toys. I wanted to go see the Salt Plains National Wildlife Refuge, which is next to the Great Salt Plains Lake State Park. Bruce and I left Nox behind in the air conditioned RV since […]