Heatons report on trip to Keys

Dusty

Carmen and Blake Heaton took a 3,500-mile trip along the southern part of the United States in a 1997 Chevy pickup they were delivering to their grandson, Valente Reynoso in Florida.

They began the trip by driving to Phoenix where they spent two and a half days with their son Christopher.

The next stop was Abilene, Texas, where they had planned to meet an artist Carmen wanted to see.

Unfortunately, he was at his day job in court as a judge so was unable to get together with them.

He makes sculptures, mainly of animals, out of silverware.

On to Stephenville, Texas, where they had the second best chicken fried steak in Texas.

It wasn’t very good.

Next on the itinerary was the Magnolia Silos in Waco.

These former grain silos have been converted to a market where they sell furniture and also have a bakery.

The Heatons rode a trolley car through Waco to view the historic buildings.

Roundtop, Texas, was the next stop to see what the Junk Gypsies had for sale. They spent one night in Houston, then continued on through Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama and Tallahassee, Florida. It took two days to get to Islamorada, Florida, in the Florida keys, where their daughter Heather and her family live. The Heatons stayed a week with the Reynosos. They saw grandson Valente’s first LaCrosse game, attended three of grandson Xico’s Little League games and attended the Mr. Coral Shores High School competition, a spoof on the Junior Miss competition. Valente was the first runner-up. The Heatons flew home Wednesday of last week.

Sunday afternoon, Gary and Diane Monson, Jason Monson, Kent Monson and Cadence and Garin, Sandy Passmore, Doreen Riedner and Karen Broeckel met at the Bettie and Don Steiger Center at the Whitman County Library to hang 19 quilts made by the Dusty B.B. Club for its members over the years. The club will celebrate its 90th anniversary at its guest luncheon. The quilts will be on display to the public during May.