September 26, 2010
We left Hondo this morning in rain and the memory of heat from yesterday. Not the case in Marathon! We spent the day following the Rio Grande, west and north, to much cooler temps and very few clouds in sight. The wind, however, is at its usual west Texas gustiness.We spent a very nice week in Houston, rain daily, but family and friends are well worth the humidity.
We elected to drive US 90 for an alternate route west to Reserve, NM. and glad we did. Staying on I-10 through San Antonio is painful in an RV, but staying west on US 90 was a breeze! This was our easiest trip thurough SA, TX. First stop was Hondo and the Alamo Area Escapees Co-op. It was our first visit to both. Hondo is a pretty nice town located in terrain somewhere between hill country and south Texas plains. They have a whole bunch of cotton in that area and farmers busy getting it in while others are plowing for the next season. As members of Escapees, the co-ops are a very good deal. You spend $15+elec to stay at someone's improved site. The advantage to this is a very wide, well-maintained RV site. The clubhouse is usually nice and folks are friendly. We are looking at a few co-ops on this trip to see if we want to settle into one of them, but no time soon, we are ready to roam!
On the trip today we had very little traffic, a good thing on a 2-lane road. But what we did see was wonderful. We went through Sabinal, Uvalde, Bracketteville, DelRio and Sanderson. Sabinal was a nice small town, Uvalde, however, however, was way better than expected. What a nice town, very clean, and very busy. We were looking forward to seeing Bracketteville, the setting for the Alamo movie. We were impressed with Fort Clark Springs but never saw an indication of the filming location. I guess that was a long time ago. The Fort has a museum of John Nance Garner, we really should have stopped, but then we would have missed the very best part of the day....
A BALD EAGLE! Russell spotted him in a mesquite tree along the road. He was a beauty! I don't know if he sweated out the summer here or had just arrived for the season, but he looked happy. We saw a smiling bald eagle in south Texas.
Spending tonight in Marathon, home of the Gage Hotel, which I understand has marvelous buffalo steak. This is according to our world-traveling friend, Nick. We may walk down there for dessert.
Sunday, September 26, 2010
Saturday, September 11, 2010
Austin, TX
September 11, 2010
Logged in to see photos commemorating the 9th anniversary of the terrorists attacks. I don't mean to ignore or demean the loss of all of those lives, of the change of culture our nation experienced and continues to, but I do not need to return to the feelings I had. The selfish ones of a mother of a young man. I have to take stock of the fact that my fears were not realized, but so many mothers do not know that relief. How do we view those countries whose day-to-day lives are filled with many such acts of terror? We had planned to visit the site of the Pennsylvania plane crash when we turned for home. I hope we get back to see it. To pay respect to them and to all the other lives that changed on that day 9 year ago.
On a lighter note, we toured Austin last night on a quest for an "old Austin" place to eat. We drove Lamar from Rundburgh Lane to Manchaca Rd., a long, slow drive at 5:30. We saw a few recognizable places, but mainly we saw change. This is not the same town that we loved in the late '60's and early '70's and of course it is very different from the Austin my parents moved to as newly-wed students in 1949. But I'm guessing that the new students of 2010 look with the same eyes as previous generations.
Among the most noteworthy new-Austin sights: a metro train(Austin shouldn't be big enough to need this), a new pedestrian only bridge across the Colorado(very good!), an Organic Mattress Store (didn't know we needed one), frisbee golf at Pease Park. Most of the fast food places that we frequented are long gone and the ones still here are sporting unfamiliar names, which I guess means they are still locally owned, a good thing. Of course all the national chains are represented. We spotted Threadgills fairly early, "too early," said Russell. Two hours later, I was pretty hungry and suggested Threadgills, "Too late, it'll be packed!" So the Black-Eyed Pea looked good and uncrowded. It probably fit our profile better than Threadgills does anyway!
Logged in to see photos commemorating the 9th anniversary of the terrorists attacks. I don't mean to ignore or demean the loss of all of those lives, of the change of culture our nation experienced and continues to, but I do not need to return to the feelings I had. The selfish ones of a mother of a young man. I have to take stock of the fact that my fears were not realized, but so many mothers do not know that relief. How do we view those countries whose day-to-day lives are filled with many such acts of terror? We had planned to visit the site of the Pennsylvania plane crash when we turned for home. I hope we get back to see it. To pay respect to them and to all the other lives that changed on that day 9 year ago.
On a lighter note, we toured Austin last night on a quest for an "old Austin" place to eat. We drove Lamar from Rundburgh Lane to Manchaca Rd., a long, slow drive at 5:30. We saw a few recognizable places, but mainly we saw change. This is not the same town that we loved in the late '60's and early '70's and of course it is very different from the Austin my parents moved to as newly-wed students in 1949. But I'm guessing that the new students of 2010 look with the same eyes as previous generations.
Among the most noteworthy new-Austin sights: a metro train(Austin shouldn't be big enough to need this), a new pedestrian only bridge across the Colorado(very good!), an Organic Mattress Store (didn't know we needed one), frisbee golf at Pease Park. Most of the fast food places that we frequented are long gone and the ones still here are sporting unfamiliar names, which I guess means they are still locally owned, a good thing. Of course all the national chains are represented. We spotted Threadgills fairly early, "too early," said Russell. Two hours later, I was pretty hungry and suggested Threadgills, "Too late, it'll be packed!" So the Black-Eyed Pea looked good and uncrowded. It probably fit our profile better than Threadgills does anyway!
Wednesday, September 8, 2010
Waco with Hermine
Sept. 8, 2010
We are at the Midway COE RV Park on Lake Waco. Beautiful grounds, the lake, great campsite with picnic table and grill, even some left over wood right there, watching Hurricane Hermine pass on through. We have "reserved" tables at Starbucks where I've just made my latest discovery!
A FREE BOOK! (my favorite kind) www.bookcrossing.com is the website label on the inside and I just visited it for the first time. You "catch" the book, log on to record the BCID number and where found. You read the book then "release" it, write a review and log where the book is at that time. You can trace how long the book travels and where. Each book has its very own blog.....Like We Do! the website tells you how to download your own labels and numbers to adopt other books for the "catch and release" program. I am anxious to read and release, and release some of my excess baggage with labels to see where they travel next.
Otherwise, life is good in Texas. We had wonderful weather for walks and BBQ's at Bluff Dale. We got to visit with many friends in the area. Dallas was typically busy, but great to enjoy family. We are doing the same in Waco, but leave tomorrow for Austin and more of the same. Next Stop: Houston!
Along the way we are visiting libraries and graveyards working on family tree. This has been great fun and we have met a few, very distant, cousins while enjoying some of the current ones. Nice Combo!
Russell is packed up and ready to roll, more later.
We are at the Midway COE RV Park on Lake Waco. Beautiful grounds, the lake, great campsite with picnic table and grill, even some left over wood right there, watching Hurricane Hermine pass on through. We have "reserved" tables at Starbucks where I've just made my latest discovery!
A FREE BOOK! (my favorite kind) www.bookcrossing.com is the website label on the inside and I just visited it for the first time. You "catch" the book, log on to record the BCID number and where found. You read the book then "release" it, write a review and log where the book is at that time. You can trace how long the book travels and where. Each book has its very own blog.....Like We Do! the website tells you how to download your own labels and numbers to adopt other books for the "catch and release" program. I am anxious to read and release, and release some of my excess baggage with labels to see where they travel next.
Otherwise, life is good in Texas. We had wonderful weather for walks and BBQ's at Bluff Dale. We got to visit with many friends in the area. Dallas was typically busy, but great to enjoy family. We are doing the same in Waco, but leave tomorrow for Austin and more of the same. Next Stop: Houston!
Along the way we are visiting libraries and graveyards working on family tree. This has been great fun and we have met a few, very distant, cousins while enjoying some of the current ones. Nice Combo!
Russell is packed up and ready to roll, more later.
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