Sunday -April 20, 2008

Today was another beautiful day, sunny and warm and the wind had died down so it was quite pleasant. On our way out of the campground we stopped to say goodbye to Pat and Jack and ended up chatting for ½ hour – oh well, we didn’t have that far to drive so it wasn’t a problem.

We had a good ferry crossing across Bolivar Peninsula (Texas Highways have a ferry crossing (free) across the peninsula); we were about ½ hour from the time we got to the ferry crossing until we were heading out on the other side so we couldn’t complain about that!
One of the Ferries


Looking Back At Galveston


Refinery on Bolivar Peninsula


Seagull Perched on Front of Ferry


One of the Large Ships in the Peninsula


One of the Ferries Crossing the Peninsula


The Little Tug That Could!


Coming Into Dock


The traffic from where we got off the ferry to I-10 was light and the roads were good, we picked up I-10 right at the Texas/Louisiana border and were planning on taking it pretty well to the cut-off to Abbeville. Like all good plans that one went awry – I was on the phone talking to Nan and not watching the interstate and all of a sudden we were on the road for the Lake Charles bypass, oh well, this is the way we went to Abbeville last year so we did it again today! At least there was little traffic so it wasn’t a major inconvenience.

On our way here we passed a number of oil drilling rigs and chemical plants, the sights and smells again reminded us of Sarnia and how we don’t miss all the pollution and smells!!!! Once into Louisiana coming in the back way we passed a number of crawfish farms/rice paddies. At this time of year they farm crawfish then when crawfish season is done they grow rice. We also passed a number of rice milling plants.

Marshland On the Way to Abbeville


Crawfish Farms



We got to Betty’s about 4:30 and she was out so Priscilla and Dave directed us to our site – it was a tricky back up as there was a 5’er which had just come in 2 spots over and their truck was sticking out but John backed in perfectly; much to his pleasure he had a number of people compliment him on how well he did it!! By the time we got set up Betty had returned so I went over and paid for 4 nights and got the password for the internet. There were a number of people gathered for happy hour so we grabbed a brew and joined them. Shortly after we sat down another couple came back from an outing and joined happy hour – they are from Port Elgin (retired there) but lived in Drayton and Elmira and he was a millwright for a fabricating shop that the company John worked for a number of years ago did business with – how many times have we said what a small world this is!!!!

Needless to say we had a late dinner and I am doing this now but will post it with pictures in the morning – I just don’t have the patience to deal with trying to do it all tonight.

Today we talked to my mom, our two daughters and our son so that makes it a good day!! And so ends another great gift of a day and we look forward to the mystery of tomorrow.

Saturday - April 19, 2008

Today was a beautiful day with temperatures in the high 70’s and just a very light wind, much pleasanter than the constant blowing we have had.

We headed into town as yesterday I had seen a mattress topper at Wal Mart that I thought might be good – it is 2-1/2” of foam with 1-1/2” memory foam on the top so altogether another 4”. John thought it would be okay so we got it then we went to Kroger’s where I got some fresh fruit and veggies and my yogurt, I really like Kroger’s yogurt the best.

There were a lot of people on the beach, and in the water today - with the calmer winds the water wasn’t so rough so would be okay for swimming. There were cars parked for almost a mile down the road from the pier and it was packed with people fishing, wonder if they were catching anything!

When we got back John got us hooked up so we are ready to head out in the morning. We also got the new mattress topper on the bed, looking at it I think I will need a stool to be able to get up into bed – lol!!!

I saw Jack and Pat, the couple from Newmarket with the Airstream, come in about 3:30 so invited them down for a drink. They are a great couple and we really enjoyed getting to know them, hopefully we will meet on the road again sometime!

John is barbecuing salmon for dinner and it is about time for me to do the noodles and cook some corn on the cob so I guess I will close off. Tonight will be another night of the usual – TV if there is anything on or else reading. I bought David Baldacci’s Simple Genius so think that is what I will be reading tonight. And so ends another great gift of a day and we look forward to the mystery of tomorrow.

Friday - April 18, 2008

Well, today was a much cooler day than yesterday, it rained off and on during the night but this morning the wind had switched to out of the north so it was much cooler, can’t say I am complaining!!!

This morning was pretty quiet then this afternoon I headed out to Wal Mart for a haircut, pedicure and some shopping; John stayed home and cleaned up the outside of the trailer etc., probably more to his liking than shopping!! Driving into town I noticed the surf had calmed down considerable, then coming back I saw a shrimper out in the bay.

By the time I got back it was time to think about dinner – where does the day go. Today I bought the new David Baldacci book “Simple Genuis”, so guess what I will be doing tonight! And so ends another great gift of a day and we look forward to the mystery of tomorrow.

Thursday - April 17

Okay, enough is enough, this wind is going to drive us crazy – how can anybody live with this most of the time!! Today was mainly overcast and still warm but the wind hasn’t let up, can we hope that it will tomorrow?

I took this picture of people walking along the pier today, bet they were getting wet from the waves!



Today we decided we would visit the Battleship Texas which is the last of the battleships designed after the British Dreadnoughts, this is something that John wanted to do and I don’t mind as I have enjoyed the other battleships, aircraft carriers and submarines that we have toured. Finding the battleship and San Jacinto (pronounced Yacinto) Monument was a real challenge, even Alice (our GPS) had a problem finding it, but we did eventually find our way there. This is a bridge we had to cross


San Jacinto Momument


It was an interesting tour, the Texas is not as big as the USS Alabama but is still a good sized ship and it is hard to believe that 1800+ people called this ship home – I think it would be awfully close and cozy to have been stationed on this ship, and just as a matter of interest part of the crew was a compliment of 80 Marines. There was a band on board ship that played every day at lunch as well as numerous other times and one of the crew’s main recreational activities was dancing when the band was playing at lunchtime! The Texas was operational from the 20’s until after the second world war but was decommissioned in 1945.

The Texas


Artillery


The Bakery


The Marines Sleeping Area


The Laundry


The Tailor Shop


The Post Office




We saw lots of huge refineries today on our drive to San Jacinto Bay and in the bay itself there were lots of tugs and barges activity.


We got home about 6 so had a bit of a late dinner, I want to get this posed and then I think it will be bedtime. And so ends another great gift of a day and we look forward to the mystery of tomorrow.

So much for getting this posted last night, I couldn't download any pictures last night so finally gave up and did them this morning!

Wednesday - April 16, 2008

This morning was cloudy and windy when we got up, the cloudy I didn’t mind for driving but I am really getting tired of this wind!!!

We left the park about 10 a.m. ( we are not early get on the road types) and by the time we got to Austin the sun was starting to peek out; the traffic to Austin was quite heavy but once we cleared there it was really good driving all the way to Galveston.

Around Lake Jackson we passed a lot of refineries, it made Sarnia’s Chemical Valley look like small potatoes. We had to cross this bridge,



as soon as we saw it we remembered it from last year – hard to forget!! We drove the spit of land between Crystal Beach and Galveston, we finally saw Galveston Bay and there were lots of beautiful beach houses - all built on stilts with beautiful flower beds, and an oil rig out in the bay. We had to cross a bridge with a $2 toll, that was fun as the lanes were really narrow!!















We got to Galveston about 3:30 and went into the state park; well how things change. There were only two sites available for 4 nights and they were both beside a washroom and there was an extra $5/night because they were an ocean side site, somehow a site beside a washroom doesn’t seem like it should be an extra $5/night to me and I don’t care whether or not it is right on the ocean!! The woman said it would be $31/night and the wifi was iffy – right $31/night with only water and hydro and iffy wifi!! We had just passed a new park that had looked pretty swish so I called it and the fellow listed all their amenities and as to price it would be $38.50/night with the Good Sam discount. I thanked him for the info and as I was about to hang up he said maybe he could do a bit better as it was between seasons, his bit better was $30/night! So here we are at Jamaican Beach RV Park with paved roads, a paved long pull through site, full hookups, cable TV, free wifi and a free breakfast on Saturdays and Sundays for $30/night – gotta love it.





Right after we pulled into Jamaica RV another Airstream pulled in behind us, we got talking to them in the office and they bought their 25’ Safari from Can-Am (John Hoekstra sold it to them so they must have a sense of humour!) - they are from Newmarket and know John Wylie – a small world!!!



We are now set up, have had dinner, have the 70 channel cable TV working and are ready for a quiet evening before heading for bed.




And so ends another great gift of a day and we look forward to the mystery of tomorrow.

Tuesday -April 15, 2008

Today was another nice, sunny day but it was WINDY!! Fortunately today was a stay at home, do chores, day – Molly Maid has yet to make an appearance so I did a good cleaning and washed the floors. I also go the laundry done as the park where we are going doesn’t have a Laundromat so I figured it would be just as easy to do it here where there is a good, cheap laundry and have it over and done with.

John finally thinks he has everything pretty well done for the taxes so today we got out the printer and got all the tax stuff printed off so he could make sure he had everything, another job done.

John got the truck hooked up this afternoon so that is one less thing to have to do in the morning. Tonight is another quiet night of TV or reading – so what else is new!! And so ends another great gift of a day and we look forward to the mystery of tomorrow.

Monday -April 14, 2008

Today was a repeat of yesterday’s weather, sure do like it and after hearing from friends who are on their way home and encountering cold, wet weather we are enjoying every bit of this warmth and sunshine.

Today we went to Wildseed Farms and the gardens and flowers were absolutely gorgeous, I will let the pictures tell the story.!


Entrance to Wildseed Farms














We toured the butterfly house and there were hundreds of beautiful butterflies, trying to get a picture of them was very hard as just as they would get in focus they would fly away.








It was a gorgeous place to spend a few hours and there weren’t a lot of people there today like I suspect there was on the weekend.

We decided to take the back way back home and went through Albert and Blanco and can you believe it the Town of Albert is for sale, wonder if whoever owns it thinks someone can make it into another Luckenbach!



I am going to get this posted now then will have to get busy and get supper going. We have nothing planned for tonight other than TV (that is if there is anything worth watching) or else a good book. And so ends another great gift of a day and we look forward to the mystery of tomorrow.