...going coastal...

it has been years since we visited Galveston Island...we were amazed at how the city has recovered from Hurricane Ike...we tried to explore as much of the island as time would allow...we did drive the 32 miles of beaches from one end to the other...the seawall has improved by the city bringing in 200 feet of sand in front of it for walking and shell hunting...back into town lots of history can be seen in the building architecture and museums...seeing the documentary of "The Great Storm" was very interesting...this was the hurricane of the 1900s that destroyed Galveston....

not having early warning over 6000 people died

few of the shells found

hurricane water levels on a post downtown...

the opera house

took in a tour of the Lone Star Flight Museum...

watched the sunset with brew in hand at Jimmy's on the Sea...

a great visit to Galveston Island....we will be back...

...Moody Gardens Rainforest Pyramid....

Moody Gardens was so much more than we had imagined....it is a 240 acre complex which houses 3 glass pyramids surrounded by gardens...I can only imagine what it looks like in the spring and summer when all the flowers are in bloom...we just missed the Festival of Lights which is only on the weekends and we were down on the strand during the weekend...next year,however,we did decide to visit the Rainforest Pyramid this trip...a 10 story pyramid with huge tropical plants giving shelter to birds, bats, monkeys and butterflies, frogs and even a sloth...it was just like walking thru a real rainforest....a place I would have loved to bring my students when we studied the layers and life of the rainforests of the world...it brought back so many memories of the kids doing their reports on the different animals....the staff has done a tremendous job in bringing it back to full scale since the hurricane in 'o8...I truly enjoyed it...a place to visit again...next time the Aquarium Pyramid....I have to see the penquins....

visitor center at Moody Gardens

a scarlet ibis

so close you could reach out and touch them....

monkeys were everywhere....

termite mound...huge!!!

he was just posing for me....

...Dickens on the Strand...

...Galveston Island once again transformed into the 19th century Victorian London and this year we were there...OMG, so much more than we had expected...costumed vendors, strolling carolers, roving musicians, bagpipers, jugglers, Cathedral Ringers Handbell Choir, a parade with the "queen", a civil war encampment and yes, Bill's favorite, the "Steampunk" group...for those of you unfamiliar with "Steampunk", as it was explained to me...the high tech in the Victorian era of the future that never happened...pictures below will illustrate...yeah, I was lost also...he he...we do plan on being there next year and yes, in costume...if you have any old Victorian clothing you don't want let me know....

strolling carolers

steampunk Santa (note goggles on his hat)

the queen with the beefeaters

the bobbies tried to arrest me

I'd have a hard time just gettin on...

more steampunkers...just wierd...

great costumes...

so cute...

...Galveston's Tree Sculptures....

...the combination of the powerful winds and waves from Hurricane Ike in 2008 uprooted many of Galveston's trees that formed so many of the beautiful tree canopies...many saw dead trees and waste after the storm, but a few of the homeowners saw a chance to morph symbols of destruction into signs of rejuvenation....so, artists, began to breathe a second life into something Mother Nature attempted to destroy...homeowners and the artists replaced the majestic oaks with whimsical tree sculptures...with a map and the driving skills of Bill we followed the Galveston Tree Sculpture Tour and found many of the sculptures...most of these tree sculptures are located within the East End Historic District....

pod of dolphins and mermaid

two crested herons

angel

pelicans

large pelican holding a fish

yellow lab

mermaid

a geisha girl

these were only a few of the sculptures...we found all 17 of the ones on the the tour and then found out there are many more off the beaten path...another adventure for another time....

...life is good in Galveston....

we settled in across the street from the gulf...could not have asked for a more perfect spot...Jamaica Beach RV Park is about 11 miles outside of Galveston...Dora and Ron are the perfect hosts...waffles and sausage breakfast...life is good...

a funny twist to Buffalo wings

right across the street from the RV park



the seagulls greeted me this morning...beautiful sunshine and perfect for beachcombing.....we are now off to explore Galveston and YES, make our stop at Walmart...he he.....

Hummingbird fest and first trip with "Joe"

it didn't take long to get "Joe" all packed and ready to go...OMG, we didn't know what to do with all that room...four days and we were on the road to Rockport...our favorite little fishing village...Tuesday, Sept.13, we pulled into Lagoons RV Resort and quickly set up our "home" for a couple of weeks...

                                                     putting away things in the kitchen could not have been easier...I could not believe all the extra space...

wearing my favorite apron

of course, first stop is stocking up on grocery at the local Walmart....then early evening...woke up to a beautiful morning...the new sleep # bed had us sleeping like a log...Thursday, we drove to a few of the

hummer homes...when we returned to the park, we were welcomed by the Chapmans and Griffins...what a welcomed sight...visited for the evening and planned our attack for going to the fest the next day...

Friday morning, we all went to the Hummer Craft Mall at the High School and met everyone for lunch at our favorite Mexican Resturant, Las Comalas...Bill and I were off to 14 hummer homes...this must have been the year for hummingbirds because there were tons more than previous years...Saturday morning we met Ken and Kathy, friends from home...this was their first time and was this a treat for them....

Kathy was so excited to be able to hold one of those tiny hummingbirds....

I was able to wear the hummer helmet...standing still was the hardest part...
I did have hummers all around me...look closely at the one directly in front of me....



this particular home had over 40 feeders and they were doing a documentary for a television station in England...from there we went to where Beau teaches at the Jr. High to tour the out door gardens...

you could tell a lot of work from the students go into keeping this place going....



Sunday morning, all of our company left, so we were off to explore Aransas Pass....we

ate a Micky's Bar and Grill...very good burgers...while we were there I received a phone call from the Rockport Chamber of Commerce telling me I had won a drawing at the hummerbird fest...yes, a 20 x 14 signed photograph of two Whooping Cranes taken by a local photographer And a cruise for two to tour the whooping cranes' nesting area....too cool....

we plan to take the tour in February when the cranes have all migrated to Rockport....we stayed at the Lagoons RV Resort for the next week...we spent the days, fishing, walking the beach in Port Aransas, took a trip to Corpus, drove to the Naval Air Station, and took a round trip thru Mustang Island...our reservation was up the next day so we prepared to leave...little did we know, we would only drive 5 miles to another RV park..."just to try it out"....

we drove into Watersedge...right across from the bay...large lighted fishing pier across the street...we were lucky to get one of the "prime" spots...facing the bay...could not have been more perfect...

this was our view first thing the next morning....I took this picture from the passenger seat in the motorhome....we grabbed a cup of coffee and walked out on the pier just in time to see a couple of dolphins...

weather was perfect...we drove to Port Aransas again to spend the day...finally saw our favorite bird, the rosetta spoonbill



we only stayed for two more days...we had an appointment to take "Joe" back to the dealership for it's one month check...sad to leave Rockport but we know we'll be back soon....

 

Saying goodbye to Gus

Sept.9,2011 was the last time we saw Gus...he was traded in for our new 2012 Southwind 32 ft...we quickly named him "Joe" and we were off for new adventures...

The Norwegian Comes to Texas

Karen and Audrey and Lily traveled over 1100 miles from Arizona to Texas to spend a few days with us...we had a wonderful time...lots of eating, drinking, sightseeing and laughing...a good time was had by all...click on the link to watch a photoshow of the visit...http://www.photoshow.com/watch/Wu6Kr8Ah

...enjoying Rockport....

Wednesday morning, Bill played horseshoes with some guys in the park for a few hours while I walked the park...went to our favorite Mexican Resturant,Los Camales for lunch then a little shopping downtown...a quiet evening in the park...Thursday morning was a different story....a coffee and donuts and show and tell...an hour of meeting new people and learning of the weeks' activities...never a dull minute...then we were off to Goose Island to try our luck at fishing...



some people had a little more luck than us ....


...we had better luck at locating a family of whooping cranes and a flock of pelicans...



...we can never be in Rockport too long before we hop on the ferry and head to Port Aransas...a ride to the jetty, a drive along the shore to hunt for shells, a stop at the birding center to watch a flock of pink spoonbill roseattas and last, enjoy a big plate of fried onion rings on Finn's deck....tomorrow we plan to help decorate a float for the oysterfest parade...will post pics of that later....