On the occasion of my seventieth birthday, John thought a trip to a place of my choice would be fun.  We’d been to San Antonio once before and I loved the city and all the things offered there.  We flew from Moab “international” to San Antonio, via Denver.  Rented a car and headed on out.

Our first stop was on the east coast of Texas, Port Lavaca, several hours from S. A.  The first thing we saw in town was Half Moon Bay Light House,  sitting in the parking lot of the local civic center.  It had been moved from where it originally stood, out in the water of course.  A photo is included here.  If you’re a lighthouse buff,  just Google its name.  Near the beach, we saw a very bright mural on the side of Port Lavaca’s local theater.  It was certainly eye-catching so a picture of it is also included here.

Our trip took us directly south along the coast, through Corpus Christi, where we spent a night and had a wonderful meal of the most delicious crab cakes at Landry’s.  Our ultimate destination was Laguna Atascosa NWR because my goal was to see as many birds as I could to add to my life bird list.  I was not disappointed!  On the road before getting there we saw a red-shouldered hawk, and Caracaras.  At the NWR there were  green jays, great kiskadees, a green kingfisher, lots of mocking birds, an Altamira oriole, and Chachalacas.  The NWR is a lovely place with a seventeen mile drive with pullouts to view shore birds, javalinas, white-tailed deer and armadillos and the illusive ocelot, if one is lucky.  There was also an algae-covered alligator lurking in some leaves along a path near the visitor center.  We wondered if it was plastic because there wasn’t a twitch or eye blink from this fellow.  The question arose, “why would a NWR have a plastic alligator?”  We met a couple from Washington State who wondered the same thing.  The lady considered throwing a stick but then remembered that these creatures are very quick on foot.  So we’ll just assume it was real.

At one spot, I thought I’d get close to shore to take a photo.  John said it didn’t look like a good place, but being who I am, I thought I’d get as close as possible without getting into the mud.  As luck would have it, my very next step was into the muck, which sucked me in up to mid-shin.  While trying to extricate myself, my sneaker and sock were sucked from one foot.  It’s an unbelievable feeling having mud suck you in.  There must be hundreds of sneakers in the mire, a veritable mine of them, from previous attempts by people to take photos.  Here I am with plastic knife scraping mud off my pants.  Each day we are to learn something new.  Well, I did that day!

Our next stop was the Brownsville Zoo, a very neat place.  John and a monkey howled at each other.  The monkey got really excited and began doing all sorts of high-wire work, a really fun thing to see.  Afterward, we drove toward Mission, TX, to see an early Mission;  however, it was closed that day.  Continuing on, we went to McAllen, TX, and the Bentsen RGV State Park, another gem.  Once again, there were birds, including a Clay-colored robin to be added to my list.

There were just a few days left of our planned tour and we wanted to spend some time in the city of San Antonio.  We visited the five Spanish Mission churches, the grounds of which are now part of the National Park Service.  The NPS takes care of the paths, roads, parking areas and grass areas around the missions;  however, the churches themselves are separate entities, whose active parishioners care for and finance them.  We arrived at Mission Concepcion just twenty minutes before Mass on Sunday morning and wanted a quick tour.  The front entrance was under repair so everyone, parishioners and tourists alike, had to enter through the Sacristy where the priest was trying to robe for Mass.  While there, the Sacristan took us through the church pointing out various things.  When we got to the back, he showed us the baptistry which has a font built into a wall and has been used since the Mission was built in the 1700s.  Across the central aisle was another chapel in which the rope for ringing the bells hangs.  It was time to call the faithful so the Sacristan began to ring the bells and asked if John and I would like also like to pull.  We did, of course.  That memory will live in my mind forever.

The San Antonio Riverwalk is another great attraction in the city.  Everything was decorated for Christmas and beautifully lit.  Vendors were plying their gift wares and an atmosphere of fun and celebration was in the air.  There was also another bird to add to my list, a yellow-crowned night heron roosting in a huge tree along the walk.

Fredericksburg, TX, was also on our list of places to visit.  It is a tourist town to be sure.  In the early seventies, Main Street had many boarded up buildings and was about to disappear into history when someone had the foresight to ask that the shops and hotels be refurbished, with the help of town funds,  and that the town be advertised as a tourist destination.  It worked and Fredericksburg is now, a great place to visit.  There is still a very German influence as evidenced by the Christmas decorations in the town park.  An old German hospital  was now selling kitchenwares.  Admiral Nimitz was born there and the town has a museum dedicated to and about him.

Our last day was in San Antonio as we had to catch our flights back home.  We had such a wonderful time.  It was relaxed because we didn’t have a tight schedule.  Every place we visited got our full attention without hurrying to get somewhere else.  There was even time to see an exhibit of ancient, as far back as 1350 BC, carved jade at the San Antonio Art Museum.  The artistry and craftsmanship of these pieces was incredible.  Other attractions we enjoyed  were the Botanical Garden, the King William District, where German merchants settled in the mid 1800s and where there are beautiful ante-bellum houses still to be seen.  There is also a German men’s singing society and, because of the time of year, a Kristkindl Markt, where one can buy gift items for the benefit of a German civic organization.  There was also an incredible Japanese Tea Garden built on a old land fill across from Brackenridge Park.

Temperatures in San Antonio had gradually warmed up and it was very pleasant.  We walked everywhere we could.  When we arrived home in Moab, our weather was totally different in that the car was frozen and we had to defrost for a while before being able to drive home.

Thanks everyone for reading this very “windy” ‘blog.  I’ll look forward to receiving your comments.

The African violet was part of a family in one pot.  The family gave up and I was able to rescue this one portion of the plant.  So this one is a bit of a triumph.  Here it is sitting on my window sill.  Since the other promised blossoms are not open, I thought I’d give you a look at one of my African violets, which is in bloom.

Thank you for reading my ‘blog and commenting on it!

It’s exciting to be waiting for flowers on plants that haven’t bloomed before and these should be beauties.  If I can remember the drill on posting photos, I’ll send pictures when these blossoms open.  Here are the buds.

Sarcocaulon crassicaule

Piaranthus punctatus

Yes, we are alive and well and able to tell the story of this year’s Jeep Safari.  John had thirty possible participants on his trail and twenty-eight actually came to enjoy the trip.  All knew what they were doing so we encountered no problems along the way.  Our tail-gunner had to give a little driving advice to a girl who was out for the first time and, together, they made everything work just fine.  It’s always amazing to me when people show up and have never done this sort of driving before.  Kudos to them for wanting to try.

The  3-D trail  has been John’s to lead for eight or more years and he loves it for the scenery and the ease of driving it.  Its name derives from the fact that, near the end, we go to an overlook from which everything we’ve seen can be appreciated from one spot.  

The first photo above is the back of his trail leader’s jacket showing the Red Rock 4- Wheelers club emblem and some of the patches for the years he’s participated.  Photo two is a canyon seen from an overlook which is our lunch stop.  You’ll notice in photo three that the wagons are circled during lunch break.  Last, but not least, is a photo of one of our fans seeing us off at trails end.  Yes, it was a perfect day!

Merry Christmas everyone. 

This post is just to show you how the “magic” of tree decoration happens at our house.  In past years, we’ve had huge, live trees which John would go out to cut for us.  About eight years ago, one of our neighbors presented me with this tree so we’d have something to set up for Mom to see.  It was wheeled to wherever she was sitting for her to enjoy.  Now it seems this little tree has become part of the family and we get it out each year.  No more hauling those large , heavy trees for us.  It was suggested that we buy one of those pine-scented air fresheners, for hanging in cars, to put the Christmas tree aroma into the house.  Think we’ll pass on that.

Over the years we’ve collected many tree ornaments.  The mama bear holding her cub, the Christmas spider from an old Chech story about a very poor family who had a tree but no trimmings.  The spider spun her web to cover the tree with glistening threads. There are birds with feathery tails and the latest addition “a major award” in the form of a lamp shade with a leg  from “A Christmas Story”,  are some of my favorites.   There are also some Depression era ornaments, formed like grape clusters, from Mom’s home.  It’s always a treat to get those out.

I hope each of you has a wonderful Christmas with family and friends and will enjoy a Happy, Healthy and Prosperous New Year.  Thanks for stopping by to visit my “blog.

Here I am trying it out in the back yard.

Here are some of the pictures.

These pictures are the result of dinking around, trying some of the features.  There is a ‘smile shutter’ that detects smiles, which is why we have a picture of Katie showing her pearly whites.

Expect lots of pictures from me in the coming months.  My goal is to improve my photograhic skills.

Thanks Katie & Rich for a terrific birthday gift.  (It’ll keep me out of trouble too!)

Since my last post, I’ve been partying in Philadelphia at my cousin’s wedding, which was fabulous.  The ceremony itself was in what was a 1700s school house since converted to a chapel.  The reception was the most sumptuous one I’ve ever been to, with luscious food, and wonderful company.  My brother and I went together and enjoyed sitting and enjoying the occasion with family we haven’t seen for a very long time. 

You are probably wondering about the first pictures on this post.  It is a mural,  done in stained glass by Tiffany, and originally designed and drawn by Maxfield Parrish.  The glass was done in forty-two squares and then assembled in the lobby of the Curtis Publishing Building.  Even though I’d lived in Philly during my early years, I saw this mosaic only once before and that was just a few years ago.  It’s stunning!

Oops! Forgot to put a space between these two pictures, so you’re getting a totally eroneous idea of Elfreth’s Alley.  It was  begun in 1736.  The first photo is of my favorite house, which is actually in a corner of a cul du sac.  The second photo is of two houses just into the first row of houses on the Alley.  At the right end is what  was once a carriage house that we had considered buying in the early 1970′s for $45,000, a breathtaking price at the time.  The wooden doors of the stable were in need of repair and the cobbled side yard, which was once visible from the street and had an iron, circular staircase to the second floor, is no longer open to public view.   This particular property is now worth at least one million dollars.

As one of the oldest cities in the USA, of course horses played a very important part in city life.  These troughs were placed around town by the Phila. Fountain Society in the 1850s for the purpose of giving horses a much need drink while working.  Now, as you’ve noticed, they are planted with flowers.  They should probably be refilled with water as the Phila. Police Department has a mounted division on duty once again.  If you’ve never seen crime prevention done from horseback, it’s a treat to watch.  Once, there was a bank robbery in progress in center city.  The mounted officer just sat on his horse outside a revolving door leading from the bank to the street and, bingo!, the robber was apprehended. 

Ugh!  A sign you say?!  Well, it’s a very informative one about this part of old city.  Headhouse was rebuilt for Philly’s Bi-Centennial in 1976.  Across the street, to the right of the sign, was Headhouse Tavern, where designers and signers of the Declaration met for discussion over a pint.  Another of the tavern’s illustrious patrons was Dr. Benjamin Rush, mentor to Merriwether Lewis.   To be in close proximity to these wonderful old sites gives one a real feeling for the history of the place. 

These three photos are about our country’s birthplace.  A mall was begun and the Liberty Bell installed into a separate building on it for our 1976 celebration.  It was felt that millions of people going through Independence Hall to see and touch the bell (one can no longer touch it) would undermine the building.  Carpenters’ Hall, on the right, was the meeting place of the First Continental Congress in 1774.

This tiny house, sandwiched between an updated colonial storefront and a CVS, seems very humble and is probably what the family,who had it built, could afford at the time.  It’s one of my favorites.

Well, you’ve helped me relive my trip.  Thanks for visiting and checking out my ‘blog.  I would love to have any comments you’d care to make.

We had occasion to visit Goblin Valley State Park, UT, in August.  It is a very unique place, as you can see.  In some of the photos, there appear to be gaggles of rocks chasing each other.  The park sign explains the formations.  John appears to be watching a goblin who is taking pictures.  Gottcha! It was a blistering, hot day so we didn’t attempt the hikes among the rocks.

Goblin Valley is just another of the remarkable places to visit in Utah.  Y’all come.  Meanwhile, while you’re planning your trip,  your comments would be most welcome.  Thanks for viewing my ‘blog.

Yahoo has updated my ‘blog site and, of course, that means becoming acquainted with a new method of doing things.  (Quite frankly, I sometimes feel that I’m past it as far as learning is concerning.)  Anyway, this  Huernia flower is so different, you had to have an opportunity to see it.

The secret is MORE WATER – something we’ve been learning ever since arriving in Moab.  Years ago, when we first lived in Moab, there were a peach tree and two apple trees in our yard.  One afternoon an elderly neighbor of ours leaned over the fence and asked if we liked apples and peaches.  He recommended MORE WATER, as apparently he was keeping track of our watering methods.  After that, peaches and apples were juicy and delicious.

Our next adventure is coming up in September when we will be visiting as much of Italy as we can in three weeks.  Each of us, John and I, have some different interests so we are deciding on some balance of art, architecture and history, food, and vegetation, not to mention cities each of us would like to see.  Part of the excitement will be flying standby and using EuRail plus public buses and spur lines to see our chosen destinations.  You’ll be reading all of the gory details when we return.  Meanwhile, we’re trying to learn some basic Italian in case there are no English speakers in smaller towns.  We are assured that language is not that big a problem.

Would love to have your comments on my blog!