>>>>>>>>>>>>>> The Cooke's Retirement Page  <<<<<<<<<<<<<<

December 10, 2005

Rita retired from the Carson City Sheriffs Office December 31, 2004
Art retired from Honeywell January 31. 2005
February 2005:
• Spend time in Sacramento and Tracy with friends
• Attend Don's wedding in St. George
March 2005:
• Pat came to Carson City and spend some time with us and won some money gambling
April 2005:
• Rita's sisters spent time in Carson City
August 2005: Start Cross Country Trek in the Bounder
• Spend time in Minneapolis
• The Brave New Workshop's annual summer series features exciting guest artists, brand new shows, and up and coming groups from across the comedy universe!
 
• Spend time in Chicago
• Lake Geneva Venetian Festival, an exciting summer fair highlighted by carnival games, live entertainment, firemen's water fight and water ski shows showcases the Geneva Lake lakefront. Venetian Festival - A fixture in the lake Geneva area for 43 years, the five day festival features a carnival, craft fair, water ski show, musical entertainment, local cuisine, and the Festival's traditional lighted boat parade followed by a fireworks display high above Geneva Lake
• The Robert R. McCormick Museum is a historic house museum that depicts the country home of a family that made the Chicago Tribune the “World's Greatest Newspaper.”   Joseph Medill (1823-1899), who became the owner of the Chicago Tribune newspaper in 1874 built this house in 1896 for his daughter and son-in-law, respectively, Katherine Medill McCormick (1853-1932) and Robert Sanderson McCormick (1849-1919).  Medill’s grandson, Robert Rutherford McCormick (1880-1955) took possession of the house in 1920.  Robert McCormick lived in the house until his death in 1955.
• The First Division Museum at Cantigny is dedicated to the history of the Big Red One, the famed 1st Infantry Division of the United States Army. The museum is located on the Wheaton, Illinois estate of the late Colonel Robert R. McCormick. During World War I, McCormick, later the long-time editor and publisher of the Chicago Tribune, was commander of the 1st Battalion, 5th Field Artillery, part of the First Division. He renamed his estate Cantigny in honor of the first American battle of the war.
• The Brookfield Zoo is owned by the Forest Preserve District of Cook County and operated by the Chicago Zoological Society.  Enjoy a wild day at Chicago's Brookfield Zoo, 365 days a year. From an arid African grassland to steamy tropical rain forests, you'll take a journey through some of the most exotic landscapes on Earth, home to over 2300 animals representing more than 400 species.  Visit the Brookfield Zoo website for more information...
September 2005:
 
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Reflection on the "The Bean" at Chicago's Millennium Park         Buckingham Fountain Downtown Chicago
 
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       Visit to Chicago FD Station 121 Jeff's assignment for the day                            Ladder 40 Jeff's ride
 
• Spend time in Cleveland
October 2005:
• Spend time in Cleveland
• Visit friends and Family in Pennsylvania


 
• Worked on Pat's 40 acre Farm


• Attend Rita's High School reunion


November 2005:
 

• Kentucky
• Visit Fort Knox where we were based while in the Army.  The United States Army Armor Center and Fort Knox, the Home of Cavalry and Armor.  Fort Knox, is about people; great soldiers, outstanding civilians, and wonderful families that form a bond to provide for the nation's defense. The on post residents and off post neighbors share equally in this task. And because of the great support this installation has received from its surrounding communities throughout the years, it has become one of the premier training centers in the world. Fort Knox is a team leading the Army into the 21st century by developing cutting edge technology which enhances training, readiness, and the nation's war fighting capabilities. US Army Armor Center, Fort Knox, KY
• The Patton Museum of Cavalry and Armor was established in 1949 to preserve historical materials relating to Mechanized Cavalry and Armor and to make these properties available to Armor soldiers and for public exhibit and research. The Museum is administered by the U.S. Army Armor Center, Fort Knox, Kentucky, and is one of the largest in the U.S. Army Museum System. Patton Museum of Cavalry and Armor
• Mammoth Cave National Park was established to preserve the cave system, including Mammoth Cave, the scenic river valleys of the Green and Nolin rivers, and a section of south central Kentucky. This is the longest recorded cave system in the world with more than 360 miles explored and mapped. Explore Mammoth Caves
• Tennessee
• Nashville, TN
• Did you know...the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum is an architectural wonder in itself.  One side of the building is a RKO style radio tower while the main building, with windows resembling a piano keyboard, ends in a Cadillac tailfin style flourish.
• Did you know...In 1941, Nashville was granted the first FM license in the United States .  Music City then became the first to enjoy static free radio.
• Did you know...Elvis recorded more than 200 of his songs at RCA's Historic Studio B on Music Row.  The red, blue and green lights found in the studio are a remnant from one of Elvis's Christmas albums.  Unable to get in the holiday spirit while recording in July, he was having trouble finishing the album.  The crew solved the problem by installing holiday colored lights, putting up an artificial Christmas tree in the corner and cranking the air conditioner up as high as it would go to create the festive atmosphere. Nashville, TN
• Nashville Zoo offers many animal species found around the world.  These beautiful creatures can be found in equally beautiful habitats like Gibbon Islands, The Unseen New World and Bamboo Trail as well as the Hyacinth Macaw, Meerkat and Bongo exhibits.  The Zoo also offers the Grassmere Historic Farm, Critter Encounters petting area and exciting animal shows and programs.  Nashville Zoo
• Memphis, TN
• Elvis Presley's Graceland! The mansion tour consists of the living room, music room, Elvis' parents' bedroom, the dining room, kitchen, TV room, pool room, and “jungle” den in the main house, and, behind the house, Elvis’ racquetball building and his original business office.  Recently opened was a section of the mansion that was previously closed to the public. The tour now includes never-before-seen items like the desk from Elvis’ personal office and an extensive collection of his stage costumes.
• Automobile Museum, a green Cadillac convertible marks the entrance. Guests walk down a landscaped, curbed, tree lined “highway” past colorful exhibits of vehicles owned and enjoyed by Elvis. Highlights include his famous 1955 pink Cadillac, 1956 purple Cadillac convertible, 1973 Stutz Blackhawk, the red MG Elvis drove in the movie Blue Hawaii, his Harley Davidson motorcycles, three wheeled super cycles and more. Also displayed are personal items such as his leather cycle jackets, gasoline credit cards and driver's license. A modern day tribute to Elvis' passion for cars is a special exhibit of two official 1998 race cars with Elvis-themed designs: the Elvis NASCAR that was driven by racing star Rusty Wallace and the Elvis NHRA "funny car" that was driven by John Force.
• Custom Jets, this tour begins in a re-creation of an airport terminal with an entertaining video on the history of the planes. Guests step outside to take a quick peek at the small Hound Dog II Lockheed JetStar plane, and then walk aboard the much larger customized Lisa Marie jet, which Elvis named after his daughter and often referred to as his “flying Graceland”. Highlights include the luxuriously appointed living room, conference room, sitting room, and private bedroom of the jet.
• Sun Studios began when Sam Phillips launched his record company in February of 1952. He named it Sun Records as a sign of his perpetual optimism: a new day and a new beginning. Sam rented a small space at 706 Union Avenue for his own all purpose studio. The label was launched amid a growing number of independent labels. In a short while Sun gained the reputation throughout Memphis as a label that treated local artists with respect and honesty. Sam provided a non critical, spontaneous environment that invited creativity and vision.
• Beale Street has been playing the blues for more than half a century. Named after an unknown military hero in 1841, it acted as General Ulysses S. Grant's headquarters during the Civil War. But, Beale Street's heyday was in the 1920's, when the area took on a carnival atmosphere and gambling, drinking, prostitution, murder and voodoo thrived alongside the booming nightclubs, theaters, restaurants, stores, pawnshops and hot music. One club, The Monarch, was known as The Castle of Missing Men due to the fact that its gunshot victims and dead gamblers could be easily disposed of at the undertaker's place that shared their back alley.
Waco and Crawford, TX
• Crawford, Texas has changed quite a lot since the President and First Lady purchased their 1600 acre Prairie Chapel Ranch from the Engelbrecht family in 1999. Dubbed "The Western White House," where once the buildings were closed and boarded up, now tourists and townsfolk sip their morning coffee and stroll the sidewalks of this reborn little town.  Several gift shops have sprung up along the main street. One shop is in the oldest building still remaining in the downtown district. Built in 1894 to house the S.E. Powell & Son's General Store with The Mason's meeting on the second floor. The Crawford Post Office moved there in 1910 and remained there until about thirty years ago and boarded up since. Now the original windows are open again and customers are walking on those old slat boards on the floor. When perfectly quiet, you can actually hear the mortar lightly falling from between the old bricks like whispers from the past.



Entrance to the Ranch

San Antonio, TX

• Originally named Mission San Antonio de Valero, the Alamo served as home to missionaries and their Indian converts for nearly seventy years. Construction began on the present site in 1724. In 1793, Spanish officials secularized San Antonio's five missions and distributed their lands to the remaining Indian residents. These men and women continued to farm the fields, once the mission's but now their own, and participated in the growing community of San Antonio.
• River Walk - Since the early 1950s and on to the 90s, Tourists and locals alike have strolled along this amazing River and enjoy all that it has to offer, the history, wonder, beauty and pride that have made San Antonio what it is today.  A marvel of nature and ingenuity, it has inspired and enriched the lives of its neighbors as well as its visitors for centuries.


December 2005:

• Yuma, AZ  --- Rita and I have settled into our Winter home in Yuma, AZ at Las Quintas Oasis RV Resort.
We plan to stay until sometime in March.  If anyone wants to get a break from the weather your welcome to spend some time with us just call, our cell service if free on weekends and after 7:00 PM MST weekdays.  I have also been updating the website (see link below) with our travels since August.  We have put over 5000 miles on the motorhome and we have had a great time, except we miss the grand kids.  Thanks to everyone that we stayed with during the trip, it's wonderful to have good friends and family!!

-- Christmas has come to Southwest Yuma

• Yuma is nestled in the Yuma and Gila valleys of southern Arizona, offering a climate that blends pleasant desert sunshine with the cool waters of the Colorado River. Our clean air affords residents and visitors alike a year round vista of surrounding rugged mountains.  Ranked by Money Magazine as one of the top places to live in the United States, no wonder many of the people who visit our community one day return to raise a family, retire in comfort, or simply take advantage of being part of one of America's fastest growing cities.
• Yuma River Tours --- In talking with people over the years, we have found many are looking for new activity ideas. Some are looking for excitement; others are looking for relaxation. Some enjoy wilderness trips; others relish historic tours. All enjoy beautiful scenery. A day on the Colorado River is filled with all of the above. Join us on one of our jetboat tours on the magnificent Colorado River north of Yuma and we will be your guides through this wilderness wonderland.
• Imperial National Wildlife Refuge protects wildlife habitat along 30 miles of the lower Colorado River in Arizona and California, including the last unchannelized section before the river enters Mexico.  The river and its associated backwater lakes and wetlands are a green oasis, contrasting with the surrounding desert mountains.

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Our Visit to Area 51 and Rachel, Nevada
Traveling the Extraterrestrial Highway




You are about to enter the alien universe of the Little A’Le’Inn, located at the gateway to the mysterious Area 51!
Does it really exist? Is it a myth or a conspiracy…do you have the courage to find out?
(Earthlings are always welcome!)


Select the image to see the LITTLE ALEINN



Rita by remote Hot Springs in the Nevada Desert


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Point Reyes National Seashore

Point Reyes National Seashore contains unique elements of biological and historical interest in a spectacularly scenic panorama of thunderous ocean breakers, open grasslands, bushy hillsides and forested ridges. Native land mammals number about 37 species and marine mammals augment this total by another dozen species. The biological diversity stems from a favorable location in the middle of California and the natural occurrence of many distinct habitats. Nearly 20% of the State's flowering plant species are represented on the peninsula and over 45% of the bird species in North America have been sighted. The Point Reyes National Seashore was established by President John F. Kennedy on September 13, 1962.

Pat, Rita and I travel to Point Reyes to see the California Gray Whales as they migrate back to Alaskan waters.



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Fort Churchill State Historic Park
1000 Highway 95A
Silver Springs, NV 89429
(775) 577-2345

Fort Churchill was once a U.S. Army fort built in 1861 to provide protection for early settlers. It was abandoned nine years later, and today the ruins are preserved in a state of arrested decay. Twice a year the Nevada Civil War Volunteers puts on a civil war encampment at Fort Churchill.

A visitor center displays information and artifacts of the fort's history. The Pony Express and the Overland Telegraph once passed through this area. Nearby is Buckland Station, a Pony Express stop, supply center, and former hotel built in 1870. Facilities at Fort Churchill State Historic Park include trails, a campground, picnic area, group use area and access to the Carson River. Visitors can enjoy hiking, historic and environmental education, camping, picnicking, photography and canoeing. The park is located eight miles south of Silver Springs on Alternate U.S. 95

Rita and Pat at Fort Churchill, Nevada.  This was an Army Fort to protect the early settlers traveling through Nevada.