Sign in office-December 31, 2012

 

"Please do not throw your cigarette butts on the ground. The squirrels come out at night and smoke them and we are trying to get them to quit."

 

One might conclude from the signs in the park that squirrels are a real hazard here OR perhaps an employee has way too much time on their hands.  

 

 

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!



Sign at entrance-December 29, 2012

This sign greets all guests entering Pecan Park.

Truer words have never been written!

 

 

The little squirrel on the picture is the mascot of the park. His name is Jerry P. Cann. I am not making this up. It is winter so we don't see any squirrels. Apparently the place is crawling with them during the summer along with a kazillion kids heading to the river with their tubes or floats.

 

I wish you a very blessed and peaceful Sunday. Can you believe 2013 is just around the corner? 

New Braunfels-December 28, 2012

We went to New Braunfels today. It's just down the road. We had hoped to see some coaches but there were none that interested us enough to even go inside. Then we stopped at a new restaurant called BJs Restaurant and Brewhouse. It was a huge restaurant. It was very, very nice. The food was excellent. Out of curiosity we checked their website and there are BJs in a number of states. Derrick has eaten at one in Westminster, CO. He said is was only pretty good. Ours was delicious, so obviously they are not consistent nationwide. Too bad.  We picked up a few things at Target and also at Camping World. Nothing to write home about. It was just good to get outside though it was still windy. At least the sun was shining! Sounds like another front is headed our way. We are so excited!

San Marcos River-December 27, 2012

It did not warm up today anywhere close to what they said it would. It is very cold and looks like it could snow. Not sure whether it snows here at any time. So, we went to lunch at Carino's because Italian is a warm food for cold weather. Then we came back and went exploring beside the San Marcos River. This park has river access for tubing and kayaking during the summer. The water is very low which is normal during the winter. I was surprised to find it such a pretty shade of green. All along the river they have a 9 hole disc golf course. We got plenty of exercise! A cup of hot chocolate sounds good now.

Looking downstream. Even with the leafless trees it's still pretty.

I love walking beside rivers.

 

 

Looking upstream. You can see the river is low.

 

We surely do hope tomorrow is warmer and the sun comes out. We might drive over to New Braunfels tomorrow. 

 

 

San Marcos, TX-December 26, 2012

I must tell you that our Christmas was the worst day ever. We were under tornado warnings for the first part of the day. It poured rain. The wind howled. Then it changed to severe thunder storm warnings. But the wind did not change. In fact as the daylight ended the wind increased to a very alarming speed. It was fierce and it was relentless. We slept little last night. The wind was still awful this morning but it had turned very cold out of the north. We could not get out of Beaumont fast enough. We even passed up where we planned to stay tonight and kept on driving to try to get out of the winds. It is calmer here but will be cold one more night. We think we might keep our sanity now.
I tried to get pictures of downtown Houston because it is really pretty. When I looked at the pictures I realized I had taken a picture of the traffic, too. It was unbelievable. Jerry had to keep his eyes on the road and I watched the idiots flying all around us.

We noticed the pollution was bad, too.

 

At one point the road was 5 lanes on each side plue 2 HOV lanes on each side. Plus the shoulder is designated as an "evaculane" for Hurricane evacuation. Have you ever been on an interstate with a total of 14 lanes? Oh my, it was wild. But we made it!! Getting to San Marcos was equally as interesting. Again, we made it! As we passed through a tiny town called Fentress, I noticed that their water tower is not only shaped like a watermelon, it is painted like one. It was hilarious.

 

 

Ok, use your imagination and you can see a watermelon. I was taking this from the passenger seat so it was tough. You get the idea.  

 

 

We are happy to be here beside the San Marcos River. Pictures to follow later in the week. 

 

 



Christmas wishes-December 24, 2012

Merry Christmas from Rocky!!

 

And also from Cheryl and Jerry!

Downtown Beaumont-December 22, 2012

We read about the fun spots in downtown Beaumont and wanted to check them out. Unfortunately downtown is completely devoid of human beings. Evidently they only crawl out at night. So, we drove around and found the largest fire hydrant in the world. I took a picture of it alone and it does not show it's size. So, I backed up and got one of real fire hydrants so you can see it really is big. This is across the street from the Fire Museum of Texas which is closed on Saturday. Go figure.

We did not wait around for the dog to show up!

 

We drove some more and ended up at the Port of Beaumont. What was so interesting about the port is the enormous number of military vehicles painted in sand camo. They are lined up by the hundreds. What we could not determine is whether they are shipping out or being shipped back into our country. There certainly was no one to ask as it is off limits to curious people like us.  The entrance to the port is marked by the propeller off of a tanker named the Osprey. Again, it is another huge object and quite impressive.

 

 

 

We guessed this propeller to be about 21-22 feet tall. (Actually I guessed 25 feet!)

 

On the way home we stopped at the H.E.B. Plus store to get the "fixins" for Christmas dinner. We are going to cook chicken and sausage gumbo. It will be a first for us, but I think I can do it. We tend not to do the traditional or usual holiday meals. Today was another interesting day. The weather was very nice. It was clear with a cool breeze. The fresh air felt great.

Have a very blessed Sunday tomorrow. 







Port Arthur, TX-December 21, 2012

After it warmed up this morning we headed to Port Arthur which used to be a major seaport. Not any more. There was nothing there. Hurricanes Rita and Ike devastated this city and nothing was built back. It has been cleaned up but there are no businesses there. The streets are wide, clean and empty. It was really depressing to see. The refineries appear to at least be partially working. The seaport and its ships are not visible from any place we could find. We could see the tops of huge shrimp boats over the top of the sea wall, but no way to get above that sea wall. It was just so sad and not at all what we expected. We did find an interesting Buddist Temple that was decorated with Christmas decorations. That seemed a bit off kilter to us, but then what do we know? Two of the statues had pomegranate trees growing by them. The pomegranates as well as the trees were about the size of our little beauty. However some of theirs appeared to have been frozen already. Ours is pampered.

We don't know who she is or what she represents. The flowers were very pretty.

 

 

A statue to the Vietnamese Martyrs. They are all holding crosses. We certainly

do not know the story behind this one and there was no one to ask. Very curious.

 

 

On the way back we stopped and had a late lunch at Rancho Grande. It was just excellent! To all of our On The Border buddies: I wish we could all eat here one day. It was so very good. The service was just as top notch. We were extremely pleased we lucked into this one. Another cold night is on tap. It was awful last night but warmed up nicely today. This was another interesting day.  

 

 

 

Pappadeaux-December 20, 2012

They say Beaumont is where Cajun meets Texas cowboy. So, where did we go today for lunch? Pappadeaux's. It's a Greek and seafood restaurant. We ate at one in Denver years ago so we knew what to expect. It is a huge restaurant that seats 376 with an extensive menu. We could not even count the number of wait staff working today. The place was packed. The food arrived promptly and was cooked to perfection. We had a fabulous meal. And it goes without saying we had a unique server who wanted to be sure we got good food in case the Mayans are right and there is no tomorrow. I assured him that there is no mention of the Mayan calendar in the Bible and I felt we would probably all still be here tomorrow. He was a tad on the weird side, but efficient.

Courtyard entry into Pappadeaux's, a great restaurant. It looks like such

nice weather. It is anything but nice.

 

The wind howled relentlessly last night. This coach rocked a lot. We spent quite a bit of time sitting in the living room. I'm not sure why we thought that was safer than the bedroom. Then it started raining meaning the blowing dirt had a better chance of sticking to everything. What a mess. The sun came out but the nasty wind has not let up. It is quite cool and not a good day to be outside at all. We are at least much better off than other parts of the south.

Yesterday I spotted a house under construction about a mile or so from this park. I drove back today to take pictures. I could not take any of the front of the house as a person I suspect to be the owner was there. His white Cadillac had Alabama plates on it. I could not get the whole house in one frame.

I was going to tell you that we bought this to be our winter retreat but figured you would not believe me. This house, still under construction, is massive and extremely pretty.

 

 

Cute little thing, isn't it?

 

We hope the wind lets up soon so we can plan something for tomorrow. 

 

 

 



 

 

 

Beaumont, TX-December 19, 2012

The trip from Kinder to Beaumont is a short one, but it seemed longer because the wind was just horrible. There was construction at the exit where we wanted to get fuel. We got it, but it was a real challenge. We were extremely grateful to arrive here safely. The wind is to continue with rain beginning in the wee hours of the morning. I took quite a few pictures today and only one is even worth looking at.

This is the bridge in Lake Charles that we must cross to get to Texas.

This is the only bridge I have ever detested crossing. It's like driving up into

the sky and then falling off the other side. It's bad in a car, but breathtaking

in a coach. I talked like a magpie all the way across it.

 

 

So you are probably asking "Why Beaumont?". We say, "Why not Beaumont?". We've never been here and the only way to see what's here is to spend a week and explore. We were extremely pleased to get to shop in an H.E.B. Plus grocery store this afternoon. We fell in love with these stores in Kerrville, TX last year. This one was like a WalMart store, huge and spread out. The store is clean. The aisles are wide. And the prices are great. H.E.B. stands for Here Everything's Better. 

Last day in Kinder-December 18, 2012

Today was a beautiful day and we were overdue for it. Saturday was cloudy and misty. Sunday we got 3 inches of rain. Monday was windy. Today we needed to see the sun and feel a fresh breeze. We got a free buffet (each of us) at the hotel so we rode the shuttle over there and walked back. The food was good and probably tasted better because it was free! I took a picture of the hotel Christmas tree with my phone. Not a great picture however.

You know it's fake by it's perfect shape.

However, it is still a happy tree.

 

 

Tomorrow we move on into Texas. We have lots of time to waste before we get through this winter. Therefore we are only going a short distance each time we move. Neither of us can stand the thoughts of staying in one place for 3 months of winter. So, we will just move a little each time. We have to consider weather, too. We do try to think about what we are doing though some may say it does not look like it. 

Pat's of Henderson-December 15, 2012

We can add today to that growing list of wonderful and unique experiences. We decided to drive to Lake Charles and have lunch at Pat's of Henderson. No, it is not in Henderson. The original Pat's is there and is still run by family. This one is run by family also. Big family. Huge restaurant. The parking lot was jam packed. We knew there would be a wait. There was no place to stand while waiting much less sit so we went into the Oyster Bar. We were the only ones in there, so the bartender/waiter started talking to us. What we learned would probably fill a book. The conversation really took off when he asked if we knew where Kerrville, Texas is? Indeed, we spent several weeks there late last year. He takes his sons over there to hunt on a ranch owned by the owners of these restaurants. We decided, since we were having so much fun, that we would just eat there, so we took our name off the other list and ordered lunch. The food was out of this world. They prepared the wrong meal for me, so he put that one in a box and ordered me the correct one. We have lunch for tomorrow now. Brooks was the guy's name. He was fun, interesting, full of personality and extremely efficient. A number of people caught on to what we were doing and joined us there. They were packed to the gills because one of the local colleges had graduation today. There were graduation parties going on. Brooks said they had reservations for over 300 people for lunch. And then there we were! Fabulous food. I had grilled red snapper with sauteed crab meat. Jerry had the Who Dat Crawfish Etouffee. What wonderful food. Brooks had the owner come in and talk to us about their traveling experiences. She insisted our next time in the south we go to the Pat's in Henderson. We promised we would. She was just delightful. I did take a picture of their tree which was really pretty in person but it does not show that well in a picture.

It's a very happy tree. It reflects the happy owners

and happy employees.

 

Tragedy-December 14, 2012

It's hard to think about blogging today. Please pray for the people affected by the horrible tragedy in Connecticut. No parent sends their small child to school thinking they will be killed by a lunatic. I can't wrap my mind around that. Pray, pray, pray.

DeRidder-December 13, 2012

We did drive to DeRidder today. It was farther away than I thought. We climbed in and out of a number of Tiffins, found two we could settle for and then fainted when we were quoted the price. Now we know why they still have 2011s still on their lot. So, once again we keep this coach a little longer. We are too tired to go anywhere else tonight. I will say that I was completely caught off guard by large numbers of women and girls in prairie dresses and those weird hairstyles that cannot be described in print. What is going on in that area? We were able to get some fresh satsumas so we are happy campers now.

Kinder, LA-December 12, 2012

We arrived in Kinder this afternoon. We are on the Coushatta reservation. We like it here, but we also have some business to take care of tomorrow in nearby DeRidder. It was such a nice day though a bit windy. We drove out of sugar cane fields and into the land of rice terraces everywhere. Most were empty and already prepared for spring planting. We will be here at least a week. It's another happy place and we like places like that. We will also try to see some sights in Lake Charles. I bet there's some good food there. We'll see what tomorrow holds.

Better today-December 11, 2012

Even if we didn't feel a bit better today, we'd be better off because the sun finally came out. There's something about the sun. It is still extremely cold today. I don't think it ever got above 50°. The wind just goes right through you. It was a good day to clean and get ready to move on tomorrow. It is going to be cold in the morning but we have decided to move a short distance down the road regardless. Not sure we'll ever get out of the south! By the time we decide where we want to spend the winter, winter will be over. Such is life. We're not in a hurry.

Under the Weather-December 9, 2012

Our eating like pigs came to a screeching halt when I came down with what would appear to be a light case of the flu, only lasted about 5 days. Jerry now has it. In this small a space it is hard not to share all germs. In addition the weather has turned nasty today so it was a good day to stay in. We did get an opportunity to stop at an art gallery called Deux (two) Bayou Gallery in Sunset, LA, yesterday. The artists work there and sell their artwork also. We were greeted by an elderly gentleman who claimed to be Native American but had a full facial beard. He had me by the arm and was trying to teach me his native language. Jerry thought we were going to have to buy one of his cypress rain sticks in order to get out of there. They were only $50 per foot! Two foot minimum. Then there was one lady who made necklaces out of hand painted goards. They were very pretty. We finally made our break and came on home. By then Jerry knew he was coming down with this stuff. We both had flu shots a long time ago so maybe we are able to get well quicker because of the shots. They say Tennessee, Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana and Texas all have unually large numbers of flu cases especially for this early in the year. Aren't we lucky? Tomorrow is another day and we will be better. After we receive our mail that was forwarded, we will make plans to move on to another spot in this fascinating state.

Avery Island-December 7, 2012

The obnoxious fog lifted about 11:00 AM, so we took off for Avery Island. This is the only place in the whole world where the real Tobasco sauce is made. No matter where you buy Tobasco it started at Avery Island. Today they were bottling for Lebanon. We have been there before, but it is so interesting we had to go again.

Entry to the bottling plant. You should spell the pepper in that place. Wow!

 

The pictures of the bottling plant did not turn out well because of the flash. Sorry

 

Avery Island is built on top of a salt dome, one of only five in this part of Acadiana. There are different numbers provided for the real depth of the dome. During the War of Northern Aggression a.k.a. as the Unfortunate Incident, those Yankee troups raided and ran the McIlhenny's off the island. Bet they wanted that salt. It was a meat preservative, you know. The family reclaimed it later and started working with the peppers to create different flavors. The lastest is Sweet and Sour Tobasco sauce. Jerry really likes it. This island is so interesting at so many levels. I would probably be happy to go back again next year.

Then we went Konrika Rice Mill. It had such a weird feeling in the entry that we turned around and left. That's the only way I can describe it. Just weird.

I have one more picture to share since so many failed today. I am betting you have never, ever seen a tiny travel trailer jacked up on stilts to keep it from flooding. This was quite a unique sight. I hope you can see it. I was facing the sun, not a good thing. I don't think I'd want to live that close to the rainroad tracks!

 

 

 



 

 

 

 

 

 

Fog-December 7, 2012

Pearl Harbor Day.
Yesterday we waited on the fog to clear and it gave us only time to walk a little. The fog is much worse today so we are not sure how long we will have to wait on it to lift. The lakes were not visible when we got up and the Cute Red Vehicle was only a shadow. Neither of us has ever been in fog like this. We are not comfortable driving in it because we do not know these roads that well. Hopefully we will be able to do something special today. More later..........

La Fonda's-December 5, 2012

I'm going to have a hard time telling you about today and keep it brief. It was another terrific day.  Before I get too carried away, let me show you our little pomegranate. We are so excited that it could possibly survive.

There are actually two of these on the tree. This is the most traveled

pomegranate tree in the country. It has covered over 16,000 miles in 23 states.

It likes living in the south the best, but not in the salt air of the Gulf coast.

 

 

Ok, now for lunch. We met friends, Cheryl and Doug, at La Fonda's in Lafayette. It is a great Mexican restaurant and it gave us a good break from all the Cajun food we have been consuming. Doug and Cheryl are from Seattle. I met Cheryl in the laundry room at Lake Osprey. They have a daughter and family living in this area, so it worked out well that we could meet for lunch. We had a great waiter with an infectious personality. He really entertained us. The food was wonderful. I had the best tamales I have had in many years. Yummy. After lunch we just continued to talk oblivious to the fact everybody left but the four of us. Finally three hours later we decided to exit. And this is what we saw:

 

 

Cute Red Vehicle was all alone.

Doug asked if we needed help finding our car!

 

It was well past dusk when we got home. That drive allowed us to see some of the Christmas displays, one of which was Santa and his sleigh being led by 4 reindeer. We wonder if the others were a casualty of the hunting season, or Santa and his 4 got hungry and dressed the loosers out in the driveway! Gotta have fun and laugh when you can. What a fun and memorable day. 

 



Poche's-December 4, 2012

The full name of where we had lunch today is Poche's Market, Restaurant and Smokehouse. Short and simple. I can say one short word for the food--fabulous!! I brought home enough of my gumbo to have two more meals off of it. Jerry got the pork chop which came with rice and gravy, green been casserole, cole slaw and a roll. The portions were huge. I woudn't mind if they cut the portions a bit. But the locals seem to like it the way it is. The market is fun to walk through. We really enjoyed this meal. After a full morning of rain, we were happy to see a break in the clouds. Now the clouds have rolled back in and the rain is starting again. There was nothing to do this morning but stay inside and watch the poor birds on one of the lakes.

This snowy egret had sense enough to get under a tin roof while it was raining.

 

 

See the splash? That duck went to the bottom for food while his buddies looked on.

 

 

There are two loons in the midst of these ducks. Can you find them? No, they are not politicians. They are really loons! The ducks are either wood ducks or mallards. I'm not sure which because ducks are not in my field of expertise.

 

After lunch, we saw a road that looked interesting so we drove on it. Ended up in Grand Coteau and Sunset, LA. It was a fascinating drive. Great homes. Lots of sugar cane growing. A step back in time on one stretch of the road and big mansions on another stretch. It was very peaceful. It was yet another fun day. 

 

Crazy Bout Crawfish-December 3, 2012

Today's late lunch was at Crazy Bout Crawfish in Breaux Bridge. We have talked about this place since we ate there a year ago.

So would you eat here? It's a locals place, so yes indeed we were

happy to eat here last year and again today.

 

 

I had chicken gumbo and Jerry had a crawfish burger. We ate light because we have waited patiently for a year to enjoy their out of this world bread pudding. It is just the best. We could almost eat here every day but there are so many wonderful food establishments here that we have to keep moving from one to the other so we can fit them all in.

 

 

 

This is a recycled metal sculpture of a crawfish that stands out front.

I wish the picture was a bit clearer.

 

 

Advertising is displayed on the ceiling, a first for us.

 

As it normally goes with us, we were seated next to a very unique local character. Big Dave Thibedoux was at the next table. He is a local dj on ESPN radio. We all talked to each other while his company credit card was declined! What a terrific time we had, just as we did last year sitting next to a table of local people who were nuts about LSU. I did ask a young lady on Saturday why people in this state are so happy? She replied, "It's the food. We have such good food!" Indeed she is correct. 

 



Zydeco breakfast-December 1, 2012

Today was the experience of a lifetime. We were told we had to go, so we got up while it was still dark, I'm not kidding, so we could get in line in Breaux Bridge for this event. At 7:15 AM there was already a line at the front door. No one adequately prepared us for this breakfast. At 8:30 Ruben Moreno and the Zydeco Re-Evolution started playing. Instantly the dance floor was overflowing with people, dancing at full speed. I simply cannot tell you what this is like. It was happy and fun beyond what words or pictures can tell. We were seated with a couple from Breaux Bridge so we were able to ask about places we needed to see. They were very nice and we enjoyed sharing a table with strangers.

Home of the Zydeco breakfast. Translates to cafe of friends.

 

 

They start at a very young age teaching them to dance

and love this special music.

 

 

 

 

This is a very old elevator that's right at the front door. This building started out as a coffin manufacturer and sales showroom. The coffins were made upstairs and lowered to this floor via this elevator. Every place in Breaux Bridge has its history.

 

 

 

This store is across the street. The entry reflects the merchandise, unique and delightful. It is a wonderful gift shop. It would be easy to leave a ton of money in this store.

 

 

A rice paddy that appears ready to harvest, but we are not sure.

Just an interesting sight we saw on the way home.

 

 

Besides the fabulous music and the most festive atmosphere we have experienced in years, the food was wonderful. I had sweet potato pancakes with praline sauce, cheese grits and coffee that needed no cup, just a handle. Jerry had cheese omelet with crawfish etouffe, biscuit and cheese grits. We probably won't need to eat anything else today. It was truly delicious. I am so sorry you could not join us. We will never forget this incredibly fun breakfast.