Conner Museum, Kingsville, TX Dec. 3, 2011

We sold the little RV that we had taken to Alaska and delivered it to Kingsville, TX for the new owners. While in Kingsville we visited the Conner Museum on the campus of Texas A & M University of Kingsville.

One of the most interesting areas was the "Hall of Horns", the lifetime collection of Graves Peeler. Peeler collected trophy game animals from all over North America. Included in the collection are 4 Boone and Crockett Mule Deer.



Also in the collection were elk, moose, big horn sheep, stone sheep, caribou, antelope, mountain goats and bears. Here is a good comparison of the grizzly bear and the brown bear. Notice the wide fore head of the grizzly on the left. Peeler was also one of the men responsible for saving the Texas longhorn cattle from extinction.

The Collared Peccary, or locally know as the Javelina, are the only native, wild, pig-like animal found in the United States. There are called Javelina for their razor-sharp tusk, Spanish for javelin or spear. Ranging from 35 to 60 pounds and 20 to 24 inches tall, they have poor hearing but good eye sight. Their typical diet includes agave and prickly pear cactus.

This kitchen display from circa 1880-1900 included a Hoosier Cabinet, manufactured in Greencastle, Indiana where my sister-in-law lives. Also note the wooden barrel wringer washing machine on the right.

Another display depicted a different kind of kitchen, the chuckwagon, a much needed piece of equipment used to feed the cowboys on their long trail drives or just tending cattle on the huge ranges of Texas. It carried everything needed to feed the hungry hands, all condensed into a very small space.

The museum also contained animals, birds and snakes native to Texas, a large display of barbed wire and branding irons used to identify the cattle that roamed the ranges of south east Texas. It was a very interesting and I'm glad we took the time to stop and visit.

Goose Island State Park, Rockport, TX Nov. 29, 2011

A warm, sunny day took us to Goose Island State Park, just north of Rockport, Texas. Our first stop was the "Big Tree", one of the most famous Live Oaks in the world. It was named the Texas State Champion Coastal Live Oak tree in 1969. The Texas Forest Service estimates its age at over 1000 years old, but more recent estimates place it nearer to 2000! This grand old lady has a circumference of 35 feet and a diameter of 11 feet. Her crown is 89 feet wide and she is 44 feet tall. According to climatologists the Big Tree has survived between 40 and 50 major hurricanes and numerous droughts, floods, and wildfires.

Numerous other Live Oaks stand guard around the "Big Tree". The way the oaks lean is common along the coast, perhaps because of the almost constant wind from the Gulf. They are very strange looking, rather eerie.

Next we took a walk out on a fishing jetty. The tide was out and we saw a lot of jelly fish in the water.

Soon it was time for our picnic lunch. Syd and Jen were the tour guides for the day and we found a relazing place near the water to eat.

Another beautiful day in Texas......

USS LEXINGTON, Nov. 15, 2011

We toured the aircraft carrier, USS Lexington Museum on the Bay, docked in Corpus Christi. The "Lex" has flight deck 910 feet long and had a crew of 1500 men and women. Despite repeated attacks during World War II and the Japanese reporting her sunk no less that 4 times, the USS Lexington came back to fight again, prompting Tokyo Rose to dub the carrier "The Blue Ghost."

A "Tomcat" sits on deck, among many other aircraft. We were also able to tour many areas inside the ship, including the captain's quarters, mess hall, dental facilities with 2 dentists and 7 technicians, surgical facilities with a 20 bed hospital, 2 doctors and 14 corpsmen, and a very "posh" room where visiting dignitaries were entertained. There were over 40,000 books in the library. The crew daily consumed 660 pounds of meat, 164 gallons of milk and 97 dozen eggs!

This "Skyhawk" used by the Marines had "Capt. C. R. Connor" under the cockpit window. I wonder if he's related??

A "Cobra" helicopter had this message written on it: "Don't bother running you'll only die tired." We spent about 5 hours on the ship and could have stayed longer as there is so much to see. There are rooms full of interesting stories, pictures, and memorabilia inside along with an I-max move and many short videos throughout the ship.

Commissioned in 1943, the USS Lexington has served the US longer and set more records than any other carrier in the history of naval aviation. During WW II she spent 21 months in combat in the Pacific Theater. Her planes destroyed 372 enemy aircraft in the air and another 475 on the ground. She was the oldest working carrier when she was decommissioned in 1991. A heartfelt "Thank you" to all who served on the "Lex" and to all of our brave soldiers all over the world.

Corpus Christi is privileged to be selected as the permanent home of this national treasure.

Shrimp, October 30, 2011

Roger, our friend from Buckhorn Resort, spends the winter here at Aransas Pass. He introduced us to his shrimp supplier. Conn Brown Harbor was once the home port for dozens of shrimp trawlers which fished the Gulf of Mexico and at one time earned the title of "The Shrimp Capital of the World."

Conn Brown Harbor is the preferred location to purchase fresh seafood......right off the boat. These beautiful shrimp sell for $4 a pound and are huge! That is a luncheon plate they are on, waiting for the grill.

Here is the finished product: broccoli, noodles, garlic bread, and delicious gulf shrimp. Yummm.

Port Aransas, Texas, Oct. 26, 2011

We took the ferry over to Port Aransas crossing the Corpus Christi Shipping Channel as that's the only way to there from here! It is a free 24-hour ferry system that costs around 12.1 million dollars a year to run.

Our destination was the I.B. Mcgee Beach Park which offers camping, restrooms, picnic tables, a fishing pier, and of course, walking on the beach.

This stringray had washed up on shore. It was probably about 14 inches across.

We enjoyed a long walk on the beach and the next time we visit, we will bring a picnic lunch and stay longer. Even Ceilidh can come. I love the beach!

Our New Winter "Home" - Aransas Pass Tx

Here we are at Aransas Bay RV Resort for the winter. Bill will be doing general maintenance and I will be working in the office, having aerobics 2 days a week and working with flowers.

Aransas Bay is only in its 2nd winter season and the park should be full soon as the Winter Texans filter in. Our site is towards the end of the first row. As you can see, the sites are well groomed.

Bill and Jim, another workamper, riding around in the golf cart, seeing what they can find to do.

The office and recreation hall are in the same building. This is where I will have aerobic classes.

We have a salt water pool. Doesn't it look inviting? Another lady has water aerobics everyday so I will have to try that out! I can't wait until she gets here.

DC, Florida and Back to Texas, Oct. 3-13

We drove into Washington, DC one day and toured the US Capitol building. It is a very pretty building and we had an informative tour. But I couldn't wait to get out of DC.

Two and a half days later we were in Melbourne, Florida, where again we parked in a driveway-Bill's moms. Although her eyesight is failing, she hasn't changed much in 3 years and still has that beautiful smile of hers. We all went to see "Dolphin's Tale" and enjoyed it very much. Also went out to lunch a couple of times. I was able to attend Bill's niece, Katie's baby shower while there and had fun watching her open all her gifts.

We drove to Aransas Pass and dropped off the little rv, then up to Kerrville to pick up our big rig. We enjoyed seeing some of our friends at Buckhorn Lake Resort where we spent the last 2 winters. Here Bill is chatting with Bill Cookson one sunny afternoon.

Baltimore, Maryland Sept 26 - Oct 3

A visit with Bill's son, Billy, in Pasadena, Maryland was a lot of fun. Here Billy is cooking ribs-were the good!!

We were also able to "camp" in their driveway.

Most nights the grandchildren, Emma and Donavin, here with Ceilidh were spent in the rv with us. It was so much fun to have the little ones around. It has been 3 years since we last saw them and they have grown by leaps and bounds.

Emma enjoyed playing with some dragons we gave to her and Donavin. There is also a board game that goes along with the dragons and a story book. We had fun playing even though they won!

Luckily we have bunk beds in the rv. Emma had the top bunk and Donavin the bottom. They had lots of fun in the rv.

One day we took them to a NASA space center that had lots of interactive things for the children to do, Bill included! They area playing with a space ship.

There are also space suits for the children in which to dress and good backgrounds for pictures.

Emma LOVES salmon patties so, of course, we had to make them for supper one evening. She got right in there and mixed them up then shaped them into patties.

Next it was Grandpa's turn to cook them on the grill with Emma overseeing the process.

On Saturday we went to the Baltimore Aquarium. Donavin liked the sharks and turtles. We all enjoyed the dolphin show.

The aquarium is located in downtown Baltimore in the harbor area. This seems to be the center of a lot of activities in Baltimore. The buildings are modern and there were lots of people "paddling" around in the dragons. Maybe we can do that another time.....

Sunday afternoon was picture time. Bill, Emma, Dana (Bill's fiancee) and Donavin were all smiles.

Once again, times goes by so quickly and it is time to head to Florida then back to Texas for the winter.

Nebraska, Indiana, Pennsylvania, Sept 8-25, 2011

Omaha, Nebraska Sept. 8-12

Some places you just never get tired of, like the Bohemian Cafe in Omaha. Every time we visit our dear friends, Bonnie and Ed, we have lunch at here. The food is to die for!

And a trip to Omaha isn't complete without a trip to the amazing Omaha Zoo. It is one of the very best in the whole world! Here Bonnie is interacting with one of the gorillas.

A visit to downtown Omaha brought us to the memorial to the early settlers. There are several life size likenesses of horses, wagons, and the early pioneers that passed through Omaha on their trek west. Downtown Omaha is a truly beautiful city.

Every night (and any free time during the day) found us playing some card or dice game. Here Ed thought he was pouring some money out of this cache, when in fact, he grabbed his juice bottle and dumped it in his hand. Boy, was he surprised! We had a good laugh over that one.

Leaving Nebraska and crossing the Missouri River revealed the river still in flood stage. These farmers and landowners have been flooded since June. Unbelievable!

Next stop was Greencastle, Indiana, to visit my Sister-in-law, Judy. One outing took us on a drive through the countryside to this picturesque "Cataract Falls" covered bridge. This area of Indiana has many, many covered bridges on little used back roads. It is always fun to come across one.

Another day, Judy treated us to a boat ride on a near by lake. In a couple of weeks the area will be wild with fall colors.

Saturday afternoon found us having a picnic in Judy's back yard with some of the nieces and nephews. My how big the young ones have grown!

Judy has always had a love affair with Golden Retrievers. Here she is holding Rocky. Her other dog, Tigger, is with a handler and has earned several "points" towards his championship.

Next stop, Meadville, PA, where my daughter, Lisa and Kevin, informed us they had gotten married! What a wonderful surprise. They have been together over 10 years. I am so happy for them. We had just enjoyed a delicious dinner at the Montana Chop and Steak House, a new restaurant in Meadville.

We parked the rv in Bill's sister Sue's front yard and enjoyed visits with many of our friends from work and neighbors. Sue had fixed ham and eggs for breakfast this morning. It was good to see her after almost 3 years.

On Sunday we stopped in Pittsburgh to visit Bill's boyhood friend, Mark. They have been friends since they were in grade school. Mark is a special friend to us. We had a late lunch together before heading further east to Maryland.