The crew scattered to the four winds in the morning, with Renee and Nikki heading to Sulphur Springs to tour Medicine Chest ("it was great", quote Nikki). Grace and Grace toured several of Mount Vernon’s medical facilities and Tilai and Nina hit the computer at BF Hicks Law office for some internet time.
There was a helter skelter of activity as the crew descended on the Mount Vernon Rotary Club for our much anticipated presentation. Our hosts had talked us up so much that in the desire to live up to expectations we ran drastically overtime. (oops!)
The much anticipated boat trip on the lake was cancelled due to high winds, but it didn’t stop Nikki and Renee from scaring the living daylights out of Tom Shiels who was unfortunate enough to volunteer to take them out on the jet ski.
Tom admitted later in the evening that he had only been out on the craft 4 times and never been so fast (Renee even lost her towel).
A wonderous evening affair was held at Tom and Sandy's house on the lake and the group, ate drank and talked and talked and talked.... way in to the night.
in Kilgore
Our last day in Mount Vernon commenced with each group taking in Sunday mass at our family’s respective churches. Tilai and Nina had a second dose of holiness with a visit to an Evangelist Gospel Singing Church. It was an interesting and enthusiastic experience and both girls arrived for lunch bouncing off the walls with enthusiasm, and outbursts of “Praise the Lord!!!”. Fingers crossed another opportunity to rock a Sunday morning away will come our way.
Lunch was held at the Mount Vernon Cafe where we met our wonderful new friends Shirley and John Griffin and President of the Longview Rotary Club, Pat Florence. After a teary farewell to our Mt Vernon friends we hit the road for Longview. 1.5 hours later we arrived in Longview and headed home for a quiet evening with our new families (not without a quick Starbucks fix).
Jefferson, here we come!!!. Pat’s motor home was bursting at the seams as the 6 of us, plus Sandy and Dianna made our way to the town of Jefferson for their annual Craw fish boil.
Then it was on to a local establishment to try some brews and get us in the mood for peeling crawfish and bopping to a Southern band providing entertainment at the festival. 
rnon and then the kind folk at Mt Vernon scheduled an outing at the Loan Star Saloon!!! It wasn’t long before we were boot scooting round the dance floor. We all got a good workout when the local cowboys twirled us round and round. Grace and Gracie used their charm to get a photo on a nice big Harley. A few tequilas later and we were chatting, dancing and playing shuttle board with the locals. Six Aussie girls in green intrigued the Texan men and we were famous for an evening.
