STARBUCK'S WITCH

I am sitting at the Starbucks which is located about 3 miles from where we are parked for the month.  It's a stand alone store in a small strip mall, across from a great BBQ restaurant.  Most coffee shops are not quite as noisy as this one is!  WOW!  There is a gal behind the counter who has a cackle like a witch and she has no volume control button.  Not a very smart choice of people to put in a public place.  It is so nerve wracking that I may have to leave soon.   Those of you who know me and my coffee addiction will know it must be pretty bad for me to leave so soon!

COWBOYS AND HORSES AND TIM, OH MY!

Last week (late because of a lousy signal, remember?) we went to the San Antonio Rodeo.  The cheap tickets for $25 were in the nosebleed section, of course, so the following photos are not the best!   

 

The opening ceremony where the houses and riders and flags parade in was beautiful.  The next photo is painful.  It looks like a rag doll doesn't it?  Nope, real live human being.  A very bruised human being. 

 It was fun to watch the roping. 

  

And this guy was just plain stupid, don't you think?

  

Beautiful teamwork.

  

Setting up the stage for the main show.

  

And here he is, Tim McGraw!

  

Thank goodness for the huge screens in the center of the arena or we wouldn't have seen a thing.  Like I said, the cheap tickets were in the nosebleed section!

 

It was a good concert......He was sporting excess facial hair because of the new movie he is in.  Fun day!

BE MY VALENTINE

The weather today was horrible!  It was cold and heavy duty rain fell most of the day.  We went for a drive in the afternoon, looking for the Pandora Jewelry store, which we finally found on the third try.  A short time later, this beauty was on my wrist!  Isn't my hubby a sweetheart?  Especially since I've been kind of depressed and cranky lately......probably homesick for kids and grandkids.  I picked out the three charms.....the red Murano glass with the hearts on it is for Valentines Day of course, the sea green Murano glass bead reminds me of the green sea glass I like to find on the ocean beaches, and the Bible in the enter is to remind me what is the center of my life, my faith in God.  The two silver guards on the sides are quite plain but were my favorite of the choices.  Now I can add to this charm bracelet......another sea green glass bead will be my first addition, and then a fish for Alaska, a sea shell for Florida, a palm tree for San Diego, a horse shoe for Texas,.....oh, this could go on and on, couldn't it!   I love my new bracelet!  And I am my hubby's valentine and he is mine.

JUST WONDERING.........

You know when you take a pound of ground beef, brown it with onions, green peppers, and add ketchup, mustard, Worcestershire sauce, maybe brown sugar, or variations of those and other ingredients, and serve it on a bun,  what do you call them?   Do you call them Sloppy Joes, as I do, or BBQ sandwiches?  Or loose meat sandwiches?    Or made-rites?  Or taverns as my grandma called them, and when we were kids we were sure our parents wouldn't let us eat something called taverns!  They were evil places!  Or do you call them steamers, as our friends from Maryland called them when I brought them as my contribution to our Super Bowl supper?  I'm sure there are plenty of other names, too.  But I want to know what you call them.  Please tell me.  And also tell me what part of the country you live in.  Maybe it's a regional thing?

Just wondering........

URGENT PRAYER REQUEST

Prayer warriors needed.  A friend of mine, Claudia, who is my daughter Kari's best friend, is wife to Bart , and who is the mother to twelve adopted children, needs our prayers.  Bart took Claudia to the hospital in the middle of the night where they discovered she had two blood clots.  The one in the arm was complicated, but emergency surgery was successful, but she also has one in her heart.  The doctors are now deciding what is the best way to treat that clot, so the doctors need prayers that they will make the right decisions regarding the clot in the heart. Please pray for them, for Bart and the family, and for Claudia who is one of the most remarkable women I have ever met.  Besides adopting twelve children herself, she works in the adoption world, and her goal is to find a home for every child who is waiting for a home and a family.  Please pray for her.

Thank you in advance for your prayers.

THE ALAMO

After our wonderful lunch on Friday we went to the Alamo.  It was very interesting to see, especially after we had already viewed the IMAX film about the Alamo.  This was the corridor on the side we entered.

 

Huge arches with metal bars make for pretty shadows. 

  

The front.....don't know how I managed to get a picture without people on it as there were lots of folks visiting that day.

  

  

  

Some of the walls are covered with creeping ivy.  Really pretty.

  

I had been told to listen for voices because some people find the Alamo is inhabited by the ghosts of those who fought for freedom from behind these walls, but I didn't hear anyone.  Not Davy Crockett, Jim Bowie, Travis, or anyone else.  I do thank them for what they did and for setting the example of never giving up.  Everyone behind the walls was killed and their names are recorded on plaques inside the chapel.  There were men from Texas, Lousiana, Alabama, Virginia, Pennsylvania, and other states, and from the countries of Ireland, Scotland, and Mexico.  One man is known simply as John.  This was a very interesting history lesson.

Remember the Alamo.

FIRE AND WATER

Friday we headed downtown San Antonio to see the sights.  Samantha on the Garmin got us right to the parking ramp by the Alamo.  Thanks Samantha!  Don't like getting lost downtown huge cities!  Our first order of business was food and because Glenn and Carole had been there before, they knew about Pat O'Briens and the outdoor seating area.  This is the fountain.  Isn't it cool?  Fire and water seemingly mixed.  I loved it!

 

There is a gas fed ring just inside the water jets, and it certainly gives the illusion that the fire and water are completely mixed.  What fun!

  

The outdoor seating area is in a little fenced off area where the tables are located.  We had a nice view of the street, and of the decorated tree right outside the fence.

  

I'm guessing this place will be rocking tomorrow for Fat Tuesday!

  

Ernie, ever the mechanic, had to get a closer view of the fountain to see how it worked.  He probably would like to build a fountain to carry along with us on our travels so we could have fire and water all the time.  No, not fire water,  fire AND water!

  

 Next stop The Alamo. "Back in 1836 Houston said to Travis, 'take some volunteers and go fortify the Alamo.'  Sorry, I break into song everytime I hear the word Alamo.

GUESS WHERE I WAS TODAY?

In the southern part of Texas
In the town of San Antone
There's a fortress all in ruins that the weeds have overgrown
You may look in vain for crosses and you'll never see a-one
But sometimes between the setting and the rising of the sun
You can hear a ghostly bugle
As the men go marching by
You can hear them as they answer
To that roll call in the sky.

Colonel Travis, Davy Crockett, and a hundred eighty more
Captain Dickinson, Jim Bowie
Present and accounted for.

Back in 1836, Houston said to Travis
"Get some volunteers and go
Fortify the Alamo."
Well the men came from Texas
And from old Tennessee
And they joined up with Travis
Just to fight for the right to be free.

Indian scouts with squirrel guns
Men with muzzle-loaders
Stood together, heel and toe
To defend the Alamo.

"You may ne'er see your loved ones,"
Travis told them that day
"Those who want to can leave now
Those who fight to the death let 'em stay."

In the sand he drew a line
With his army sabre
Out of a hundred eighty five
Not a soldier crossed the line
With his banners a-dancin'
In the dawn's golden light
Santa Anna came prancing
On a horse that was black as the night.

Sent an officer to tell
Travis to surrender
Travis answered with a shell
And a rousing rebel yell
Santa Anna turned scarlet
"Play deguello!" he roared
"I will show them no quarter
Every one will be put to the sword!"

One hundred and eighty five
Holding back five thousand
Five days, six days, eight days, ten
Travis held and held again
Then he sent for replacements
For his wounded and lame
But the troops that were coming
Never came, never came, never came...

Twice he charged and blew recall
On the fatal third time
Santa Anna breached the wall
And he killed 'em, one and all
Now the bugles are silent
And there's rust on each sword
And the small band of soldiers...

Lie asleep in the arms of the Lord...



In the southern part of Texas
Near the town of San Antone
Like a statue on his pinto rides a cowboy all alone
And he sees the cattle grazing where a century before
Santa Anna's guns were blazing and the cannons used to roar
And his eyes turn sorta misty
And his heart begins to glow
And he takes his hat off slowly...

To the men of Alamo.

To the thirteen days of glory
At the siege of Alamo...

These are the lyrics from the Marty Robbins song from back in the day.  We went to downtown San Antonio today and I have lots of pictures.  However, the wireless signal is too weak to load them......guess who is not happy with that situation?!  Tomorrow I have to do some laundry and the signal is better down at the laundry room so hopefully I can post the pictures. 

And just so you know, I won't be complaining about the weather!  Today was a beautiful sunny day.  Ernie and I went jacketless and the sun was plenty warm.  I might add that it's the first nice day in about 2 weeks, but I said I wouldn't complain about the weather so I won't.  Just saying that it didn't rain!

GOOD BYE AND HELLO

We left Corpus Christi on Sunday morning.  Saturday night we were treated to this lovely sunset as a going away gift.

And when we arrived here on Sunday afternoon, we were welcomed by this beautiful cardinal.  Later on, when the sun was shining and he ventured out into the beautiful light, I realized he was the most vibrant colored cardinal I had ever seen.  I hope I'll be able to get more photos of him in days to come.  That is if the sun ever shines.  This is our third day here and so far the 10 minutes of sun on Sunday was it.

 

But hallelujah!  The wind isn't blowing!  It's cool (coolest daily temps in 20 years) and gray and foggy, but THERE IS NO WIND!  YAY!

TIME'S UP

We bought a month's worth of internet connection one month ago today.  Our time runs out in about 30 minutes.  I had photos from my walk today to post, but the connection is so weak that it's won't load photos.  15 minutes for one.............so I'll just forget it for today and bid you farewell until we get to San Antonio.  We'll take off in the morning and it's only three hours away so we should be there by noon.   The campground lists wifi...... hope it's better than this one!

THE SUN FINALLY CAME OUT

 

I guess I complained enough yesterday so the sun finally came out.  I walked the beach, as I do every day, and caught a few photos.  This guy comes around almost every day about four in the afternoon and goes for a little ride on the bay.  I'm guessing he gets off work at four and needs to refresh himself a bit before heading to his dorm room.  It is pretty much clockwork, every day at four he is out there, sun or not.  Yesterday he lucked out because the sun did come out.  In fact it turned out to be a lovely afternoon. 

 

 

GUESS WHAT OUR WEATHER IS TODAY?

Can't guess?  I'll tell you.  It's gray, rainy and WINDY!  What a surprise.

RECENT PROJECTS

I have made three really cute aprons since we've been in Corpus Christi, but I haven't taken pictures of them yet.  I have fabric for about 6 more so maybe I'll do one whole photo shoot on aprons!  I've also made two pocketbooks, purses, bags, or whatever you call them.  I made the pink one first and loved it, so I've been using it.  Now I've finished the lime green and aqua one, and I wish I would have waited for that one!  Oh well.  I also have fabric for about 4 more bags........I'll probably get another one out of the bunch!  It's hard to see, but the bag is roundish squarish.  It's called the tulip bag, and all four sides are exactly the same, but you put a small dart on the two sides so it folds in nicely on the top.

 Which one do you like best?  I really think the green one is cutest.....and I made the handle a bit longer and it "fits" me better!

And just so you know.  The background for the photos is "The Queen Chair."  Several years ago we gave mom this camping chair for Mother's Day.  She loved it and christened it "The Queen Chair."  We often took mom and my sister camping with us, so we just left the chair in our trailer.  Therefore, I claimed it when she died because I had possession of it!  And now I am the Queen!

MONDAY TRIP TO NORTH PADRE ISLAND

Monday was the most beautiful day we've had since we arrived, almost a month ago.  We took advantage of the weather and drove across the big bridge over to North Padre Island.  We just turned left on one of the public beach roads, and this is where we ended up.  The Gulf was covered in diamonds sparkling in the afternoon sun, and someone was apparently trusting that no fish would take the bait on the end of this line and interrupt the little snooze he was taking on the pier.  There were a lot of folks fishing, I didn't see anyone catching anything, no one seemed to care, and I think the sole purpose of the afternoon on the pier was to soak in the sun.

 

Or maybe to just gaze off into the distance along the shoreline.

 

Pictured below is the road we were driving on.....the sand!  It's a super highway on bright sunny afternoons!

On one side was the Gulf with several oil platforms off in the distance.

Some of the travelers on the highway weren't in cars.  Doesn't this look like fun?

 

The other side of the road was lined with sand dunes.

When we returned to our campsite I decided to go for another walk along the shore of the Bay.  All in all,

it was a beautiful day in Texas.

LAST THURSDAY - CAMPGROUND TOUR

This is a tour of our campground.  The pictures were taken Thursday morning.  It's it a beautiful place?  This is right behind our trailer, looking to the North where the laundry room and bathrooms are located.

This is our lovely view to the East overlooking Corpus Christi Bay.

 

The next one is to the South Southeast and the beautiful sunrise. 

And this one to the West shows you the large campground and the many trailers that are camped here.

There.  Wasn't that a fun tour?  Bet you all want to come down and enjoy the beautiful scenery for yourself!

THE KING RANCH OR I'M A PIONEER WOMAN WANNA-BE!

Yesterday we visited the King Ranch in South Texas.  This ranch is one of the largest in the world, sprawling over 825,000 acres at the present time.  Captain Richard King founded the ranch in 1853, and today the ranch is recognized as the birthplace of the American ranching industry.

The King Ranch also produced the first registered American quarter horses, and claims the only Triple Crown winner to come out of Texas.  That horse was Assault.

 

At the present time there are 300 quarter horses on the ranch.

 

The King Ranch developed the Santa Gertrudis breed of cattle.  I am not a cattle expert by any means, but I think these cattle are beautiful!  Look at the rich cherry red color!  I think they are absolutely lovely!  And there are 60,000 of them on the ranch.

 

We met a real honest to goodness cowboy, LoLo.  He is in his 80's, plays a mean harmonica, and still ropes cattle.  He just celebrated his first anniversary with his new wife!

 

And now I'm going to complain about these longhorn cattle.  Look at them, posing with their heads down in the grass!  I'm trying to take their picture and they are not cooperating!

 

 I don't get it.  Everytime Pioneer Woman takes pictures of cattle, they look right at her.  Straight, head on shots.  No, not these cattle......they keep their heads down in the grass.

 

 How can I ever complete with P-Dub's cattle photos if these guys won't look up for me!  Oh, you say I'll never be able to compete with her photos?  Well, yes, I know that.  But these cattle just made me feel a little bit like her.  Well, except that we were riding in a bus, not in the truck with Marlboro Man.  And we were just visiting this ranch, we don't own it and live on it like they do.  But hey, I was taking pictures of cattle like she does!  The cattle just won't cooperate!

 

Oh, thanks.  You weren't exactly my choice of cattle to photograph, but at least you have your head out of the grass.

 

And you may not be gorgeous, but you too are at least walking around with your head above the grass.

 

Thanks guys for letting me play Pioneer Woman for a couple of hours!  I had a ball!