South Padre Sign
Can you give me a clue to step two? Jump? Head between knees? Fire!?
Snowbirding
St Patrick’s Mardi Gras
Mardi Gras is one of those can’t/must miss experiences. Crowds aren’t my thing, but I’d watch from a balcony if Steve weren’t horrified at the very idea. So I knew the New Orleans St. Patrick’s Day parade we saw with friends last year was the closest I’d ever get to doing Mardi Gras, and I was charged. The parade was rated ‘family friendly’ so who would have thought I’d end up trading kisses for flowers? I expected to see paraders tossing cabbages. I’d even brought a grocery bag to haul the veggies home. Instead, I filled the bag with beads and watched revelers squirt drinks […]
Springtime in West Texas
From a distance it looked like a lilac bush amongst the mesquite, but no, it’s Texas mountain laurel, rumored to smell like grape Kool-Aid. I wish I could ID the rest of these blossoms–maybe someone out there can help? I also wish I could have included a picture of cavorting lambs, but Steve scared them away.
Wireless Bird Call
On a rickety, hundred foot tower in the Peruvian rain forest, our guide couldn’t spot the toucans he’d hoped to show us. “I’ll call them,” he said, and pulled out his cell phone. We all laughed and watched as he pushed an icon and…played a toucan recording. The toucans came. I recognized their beak shape, but they weren’t Fruit Loops toucans–just dark colored birds we might see anywhere except for their profiles…that and answering phone calls.
Dream Catching 2
In Old Town Albuquerque, my cruise friend, Sally and I learned about Dream Catchers, artistic webs to hang above children’s pillows. The beads fastened into the web are said to catch dreams before they reach the children. They filter out nightmares, and pass the good dreams to feathers dangling beneath the web. The feathers then transmit sweet dreams to the sleeping children. This was news to me. I’d always assumed that Dream Catchers were intended to snare waking dreams and help them come true. Later we came across a box of unfinished dream catchers in a going-out-of business store. I liked that the Dream Catchers were […]
Port Galveston’s Got Legs
As we headed across the bridge to visit Ocean Star Offshore Drilling Rig & Museum, Steve speculated about the structures across the bay. I was too interested in the pelicans to make a good guess as to what they were, but Steve figured it out. His guess was confirmed at the museum, the ideal place to learn all about those jack-up platforms. The “towers” in the first picture above are actually legs that are lowered to the seafloor and secured, so the platform can be jacked up out of reach of the waves. Lots more to see and learn on the Ocean Star, and probably your only chance to explore an off-shore rig inshore.
Galveston’s Rescued Tall Ship
Standing on deck, soaking in the masts, rigging, and other nautical necessities* was extra thrilling after seeing Elissa’s history video. Built in Aberdeen, Scotland in 1877, she sailed the seas for 90 years and was bound for a scrap yard in Greece when the Galveston Historical Foundation bought her. It took 4 years just to strengthen her enough to survive the tow ‘home.’ Had the Foundation known how many volunteers, historical craftsmen, and donations her makeover would take, she’d have probably stayed scrap. Little wonder that Elissa is one of the world’s oldest sailing hulls still in operation. Galveston has to be proud of her as well as their fortitude in seeing the […]
Galveston, Port of Storms
Galveston history makes for a strong role model in challenging times. The Galveston hurricane of 1900 is still counted the deadliest natural disaster ever to strike the United States. After a night of battering wind and waves, survivors found much of their thriving city demolished if not washed away. Islanders had no contact with the mainland, no water, lights, fuel, or water. Many had no shelter. Food and clothing were scarce. The task of disposing of over 6,000 bodies was so gruesome that men had to be forced at gunpoint to take part, and whiskey was allotted to ease their anguish. After dumping the bulk […]
Bridging 4
I’m a bridge walker which is nothing like a street walker. I just love bridges. I’ve walked the Brooklyn, Sydney Harbor, Royal Gorge, Multnomah Falls, London (in Lake Havasu) and pretty much every other bridge I could get my feet on. But until Steve and I walked the Rio Grande Gorge Bridge outside Taos, New Mexico, I’d never seen a bridge equipped with a phone offering on-the-spot suicide counseling. Ten of those hotlines were spaced along the Rio Grande Gorge’s span. Why is suicide such an issue there? A Taos Pueblo tour guide told us that young American Indians are two to three times more […]
Dog Gone 2
In search of attractions to add to our Deep South itinerary, I came across a coon dog cemetery. I like dogs and cemetery strolls, but I think it’s enough to know that this coon dog cemetery exists. If you’re thinking of adding it to your list, Labor Day might be the time to go. An annual festival includes Bluegrass music, hickory smoked barbecue, decorated graves, and a Liars Contest telling tall tales. No, really, it’s true!