Hi all,
We had a late departure to San Antonio with an uneventful trip over .... stopped at the Egg and I in Webster to inhale their fabulous Parisian Benedict ... and then on to the Fort Sam BX to pick up a new dress shirt ... the laundry shrank the collar by a half inch ... needed a new Calvin Klein Obsession deodorant - would you believe they use that scent to attract ocelots? Anyway we finally arrived at our granddaughter's home where they were in the midst of landscaping their yard ... it really looked great. That night we all headed to Chuy's, a popular Mexican restaurant. What great food! It was worth the hour wait. Our little great granddaughter, Maddie, was the star of the show ... she was a perfect child even after her bedtime. Here is some of her:
"Hi, I'm Maddie -- a Sweet Pea"
Hi Five, y'all!
"More chips, please!"
Then the other ruler of the house:
Boko lapin' it up!
Sunday we got off to an early start heading for Van Horn, Texas. About 20 minutes from there, at 80 miles an hour, we noted a slight vibration. After dropping the speed to about 65 the vibration seemed to get worse. We made it to the motel finally and made arrangements with one of the two car maintenance guys in town to look at it in the morning. So off we went to the Van Horn Cattle Company for dinner ... also one of two dining options in town ... I had the VHCC Special Burger ... an 8 oz pile of delicious beef done to your wishes ... complete with caramelized onions, jalapenos, bacon and bits of pepper ... I advise the server they needed to serve it with a much larger bun!
This morning we reported to A and A Automotive who took one look at the tires and said you need a tire guy ... and as luck would have it ... there was a tire shop across the road --- probably a cousin --- the verdict was tire separation .... my thoughts returned to the 80 mile per hour speed limit and possibilities as result of a tire blowout. Someone was watching over us, as usual. Anyway ..... an hour later we were on our way.
The rest of the trip was uneventful until a vigilant sheriff clocked us at 78 in a 65 zone ... honestly, I DID not see the sign, sir! Luckily, we got off with a warning. Now I have a very, very vigilant partner monitoring the speed!
Here are a couple of shots at a rest stop in Arizona:
Thankfully, we didn't see any snakes!
Well, we are settled into the Super 8 after a meal at the Country Pride restaurant .... the Reuben was great but DJ's spaghetti was sub par.
That it for now .... talk to you later
Hi all,
We are fixin' to hit the road again tomorrow. Our niece is getting married in Santa Barbara on the 16th and it perports to be a LARGE affair ... and we want to be part of it!
So, this will be short ... packing to do ... suit pants are a bit tight but I think they will do if I don't eat anything till the 15th... a new shirt is a must; size 17 is a bit tight. I thought I had a handle on this eating/weight thing. The car has been checked out by the car elves and that is all ready to go.
The plan is to hit our granddaughter's house in San Antonio on Saturday ... spend the night and head for Van Horn, TX. Then, after a stop in Eloy, AZ we should arrive in Ventura on the 13th, Tuesday. Our nephew and his family are putting us up for a few days ... how nice is that?
Anyway ....... that's it for now .... talk to you later!
Hi all,
Back home again ... the trip was pretty uneventful ... we did stop at Julia's for breakfast ... the migas was very very good!
Nice weather all of the way ... temps in the 90's ... light traffic even coming into Houston.
Every time we leave home and then return, be it for two months or five days, it is always good to come home.
Talk to you later ... heading for California next month to attend our niece's wedding and Colorado Springs in September for a squadron reunion.
Take care of each other,
Gene and Donna
Hi All,
A quiet morning here ... watched some of the talking heads offer solutions for what ails America ... too bad these folks can't really effect the myriad of problems that need solving.
Yesterday's highlight was the purchase of a new sofa. The old one was an eyesore ... hard to get out of ... uncomfortable, etc. This is such an improvement:
We did drive out to Julia's Restaurant in Los Fresnos for a late lunch. It is about 21 miles west of the island. They have a Saturday special called Tampiquena Platter. It is some frajitos, a tamali, a chalupa, a taco, some Spanish rice, refried beans and a dollop of quacamole. I really need to go on a restricted diet until, maybe, next Wednesday! But it is soooooo good!
This morning I visited Sea Turtle Inc which is a popular tourist spot. They are a turtle hospital and exhibit. Every hour or so they have a lecture that covers the things they are involved in ... rehab and conservation. Check out their website and visit if you are in the area: www.seaturtleinc.org. They had a number of turtles in large tanks that have suffered flipper loss or shell damage (mostly from boat props). Here are a couple of pics:
We plan to take care of some loose ends today which includes a trip to Wally's to get a mattress cover for the hide-a-bed in the new sofa. Then it's off to Blackbeard's for a late lunch. Then it's packing up our stuff for the trip home tomorrow.
After the original post, we bought new lamps, so here is the living room now:
Looks like the weather will be pretty good for the drive back tomorrow; we plan to stop at Julia's on the way out. They have to-die-for Migas, a terrific Mexican breakfast dish that Gene is addicted to. Check it out on Google!
Talk to you later.......
Hi All,
It is another lovely morning here in Paradise... not much chance of rain...
Yesterday we picked up the plexiglass top for the coffee table and drove out to the Federal Laguna Atascosa Wildlife Refuge which is about 10 miles northeast of Port Isabel.
Their claim to fame is a very endangered species -- the ocelot. We didn't see any! We took a 15 mile scenic car trail along the coast which concentrates on wetlands mostly. We did see several deer, 3 lizards and a bunch of little birds plus sea birds abound. These two birds were of note:
It is probably hard to see, but South Padre Island is faintly seen in the distance in this pic:
On our return we stopped at the Pelican Station --- AGAIN -- and had a late lunch ... yummy fish and shrimp! Here is a view of the SPI bridge from our table and a sculpture in front of the restaurant:
Our day was complete with coffee and a snack...
Talk to you later!
Hi all,
Nothing too exciting to report ... the Pelican Landing previously reported turns out to be Pelican Station. Interesting history with that. It seems it is built on the same spot in Port Isabel which was the terminus for a railroad between Port Isabel and Brownsville to compete with a near South Texas railroad monopoly by the King Ranch folks. It had three locomotives and 54 cars. The restaurant is filled with memorabilia from the era, 1800's, as well as a wonderful collection of pelicans of all sizes and many different types of materials and colors. There is a seafood market attached to the restaurant. If you get to this area, check them out! Plus, the food was excellent!
We need to pick up the plexiglass for the coffee table today and a new lock clasp. We have a large trunk containing our stuff for the condo, like dishwashing tabs, laundry stuff, extra TP, etc. I had is secured with a combination lock. Numerous attempts to enter the code failed ... numerous codes were entered (surely my mind was not failing me ... again) ... finally I broke the hasp to open the trunk. On close examination, the lock had a button on the side that must be depressed AFTER one enters the correct code. DANG ... DOUBLE DANG!!
No real plan for today ... maybe take a ride out the a wildlife area just north of here. They have a great car tour along the coast that is a sanctuary for lots of sea birds, various ducks and geese, plus some local critters. We might return to PL --- they are supposed to have a great pork chop lunch -- seems like food is a focus!
Talk to you later ....
Hi all,
We thought we would get away to the condo after the wonderful family gathering to celebrate our 60th anniversary earlier this month. Actually the date is in April but this allowed accommodation for school schedules, etc. We only missed our great granddaughter, Kayla, who had a previous commitment ... who could pass up a trip to Disney World in Florida for a couple of days with a bunch of old fogies. We missed her but are certain she had much more fun!
The trip from League City was 400 miles of mostly rain which made for a long day, but we are so hurting for rain, one can hardly complain about the blessing. We stopped in Port Isabel to pick up some essentials -- shrimp, cocktail sauce, and a few other snacky things.
The condo was in OK shape ... needed to fix a sink stopper, replace a missing glass on the coffee table (it had been broken) and see about getting the carpet cleaned.
Last night we just put our feet up ... enjoyed some steamed shrimp, cheese and crackers with an appropriate beverage and checked out America's Got Talent on the telly.
We had a laid back morning today ... this afternoon will include a tour of the island to see what's going on .... a trip to the glass guy ... a late lunch at the Pelican Landing followed by a visit to Wally World -- a social highlight! When I read this ... it sounds soooooo boring! BUT IT ISN'T!
Talk to you all later .....
Gene and Donna
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