The Willy Willy Christmas Tree

If I started telling you about the Willy Willy Christmas Tree you’d have no idea what I was talking about. But to Madeline and me, we have known this special tree by that name for 50 years. That special tree is the Zilker Park Christmas Tree that just about every Austinite has probably stood under and twirled around. When our first born son, Matthew (born in 1974) was young, 2 or maybe 3, we had planned to go see “The Christmas Tree” one evening. There had been a big build up to seeing it, he had probably seen it on … Continue reading The Willy Willy Christmas Tree

My Mother

Bonnie Gay would have been 93 next month, but she left us behind 35 years ago. She was only 57. Her sudden death on December 14, 1990 was one of the greatest shocks in my lifetime. It just didn’t seem like it was that time. She grew up poor, in a very large family. She was the 8th out of 11 children. Her oldest sibling was born in 1916 and the youngest was born in 1937. Her father died when she 9 years old. Bonnie went through the 8th grade at Smithwick Community School, then the 9th grade at Palm … Continue reading My Mother

My Mother In Law Has Been A Bad Influence On Me A Couple Of Times

I have professed that I have chosen to drink very little alcohol in my “adult life”. I think I’ve even said that it’s doubtful that any of my son’s have ever even seen me embarrass myself, at least from being … Continue reading My Mother In Law Has Been A Bad Influence On Me A Couple Of Times

Looking at our Lineage

If you are thinking about getting married and you both have deep roots in Burnet County, it’s a good idea to look at your genealogy. You never know who your cousins are. In our case my 5th great grandfather and my wife’s 6th great grandfather were one and the same. Of course this isn’t a new discovery, but it’s the first time I’ve diagrammed it out to this degree. Continue reading Looking at our Lineage

Grandma (Gma) has been on a quest to make lasting memories

Madeline always told her grandchildren that she would take them on a special trip when they graduate from high school. It was up to each one of them to figure out where they’d go and they could also take a friend. Then she made a photo book chronicling their trip. Tyler, the oldest went into the Marine’s after high school, so his trip was delayed. When he got out of the service, she took him to Cuba. Just the two of them. Holly wanted to see Paris and other parts of France. Her friend Meagan went too. Nathan wanted to … Continue reading Grandma (Gma) has been on a quest to make lasting memories

A Baugh Family Thanksgiving

I am so Thankful that FaceBook allows this to be a smaller world and that we can come together as family. On Tuesday, 2 days before Thanksgiving we were able to welcome many of Madeline’s family, most that she hadn’t met before or had only seen a limited number of times. There were cousins that she knew existed, but as often times happens, only a long ago funeral were the only thing that would have brought them together. In the Baugh Family, we found so many wonderfully nice folks. Everyone came and contributed food to allow us to have a … Continue reading A Baugh Family Thanksgiving