Galveston to Nacogdoches, TX

Thursday - December 14 - Today was "get clean" day.  In the morning we went to the laundromat to get Mom and Dad's clothes clean.  Then in the afternoon, I went to the spa (groomer).   I had a Bath, Haircut, Manicure, Pedicure, the full deal.   While I was at the Spa, Mom and Dad went to the Human Groomer and got haircuts.  We are now all ready for the Holidays.

It was a beautiful evening, so Dad made us a fire.  Doesn't my hair look great!

Friday - December 15 - Today we went to visit Dad's cousin Becky and her husband Gene.  They have a vacation home in Galveston.  The humans went out for lunch at The Mosquito Cafe.  Mom and Dad really enjoyed it and recommend it for anyone visiting Galveston.  After lunch, they came back to Becky and Gene's and I got to play with their fur kids Bandit and Jinky.  They have a nice yard and it was fun. 

Saturday - December 16 - Today we went to Pier 21 where the Elissa is docked.   Dad's cousin Teresa, Teresa's husband Devon and Gene all volunteer as crew on the Elissa.  They were doing training and maintenance and it was fun to see where they like to spend their time.  The Elissa is a three-masted, iron-hulled sailing ship built in 1877.  That's prehistoric in dog years. 

Being part of the crew, sometimes they need to go up to work on the sails.  Looks really scary to me!

 

After lunch with Becky and Gene, we took Becky out to the campground so she could see our "vacation home".  After Becky's visit, we decided to go for a drive on the Bolivar Peninsula.  To get from Galveston to Bolivar you need to take a Ferry.  

The trip over was pretty smooth, but on the way back, I thought we were going to broad side a cruise ship leaving port.  Fortunately, they got out of the way and we were able to get safely back to the dock.

We saw pretty Christmas lights all over the island, but the ones in front of the Galvez Hotel were particularly nice.  

Tonight Mom and Dad planned to meet Teresa, Devon, Becky, and Gene for dinner.  When they got to the restaurant, they had two nice surprises.  First, there was a Christmas Parade.  Teresa said that she arranged it in Mom and Dad's honor.  The other surprise was even nicer.  Teresa and Devin's son Dustin, Dustin's wife Stacey, and their two month old son were there.   Mom and Dad were pretty excited to meet baby Ethan.

Sunday - December 17 - Today we left Galveston and drove through the Piney Woods of East Texas to Nacogdoches.  After settling into our campground, we drove into town to look around.  Dad and Mom found out that Nacogdoches is the oldest town in Texas.  That's way old

Monday - December 18 - We went back into Nacogdoches.  Mom and Dad went to the visitor center and then took a walk around downtown.  They saw the Fredonia Hotel that was built in 1955 and recently remodeled to it's original mid-century modern glory.  They said it was really cool inside.  It was like stepping back in time, but everything was nice and fresh.

In the afternoon we went to Lufkin.  Mom and Dad went to the Texas Forestry Museum and then looked around downtown Lufkin.  On the way back to the motor home we went to the Arboretum at Stephen F. Austin State University in Nacogdoches.  The Arboretum mainly features the Pines of East Texas, but the understory is filled with Japanese Maples, Azaleas, Rhododendrons, Camellias, and other woodland plants.  The Japanese Maples still had some nice fall color and the Camellias are starting to bloom.  We even saw some interesting "art". 

  

San Antonio to Galveston

Friday, December 8 -  Today is a very special day - my 11th Birthday.   It was also a special day since we woke up to snow!!  The last time they had this much snow in San Antonio was either 1984 or 1985, depending on who you ask.  Anyway, it was a really long time ago!!

This is a photo that Dad took last night before we went to bed.

Luckily, the snow melted pretty fast so we decided to drive to Boerne, a town about 15 miles from San Antonio that has several cute little shops downtown.  Mom likes to look at this kind of stuff.  I took a nap in the Jeep.

Mom and Dad weren't gone too long.  When they got back, they decided to try a local brewery.  It was a nice afternoon and their were patio heaters, so they decided to sit out on the patio where I could join them.  Dad ordered ice for me, which is one of my favorites.  They brought me a whole paper bowl full.  I ate the ice and then started to eat the bowl.  Dad told me I wasn't supposed to eat the bowl.  Who knew?!?!?

Friday evening Mom and Dad met Dad's cousin Janice, Janice's husband Robert, and their daughter Jen for dinner at Mamacita's.  They said that they had a great Mexican dinner and enjoyed catching up with the family's activities.

Saturday, December 9 - Dad's cousin Paul came by to visit with us.  It was good to visit with him again.

In the evening Mom and Dad drove downtown to the River Walk and had dinner at Casa Rio.  Casa Rio is one of the first restaurants on the San Antonio River and Dad remembers going there when he was a boy.  Mom said it was a beautiful evening and there were LOTS of people on the River Walk.  They had to wait an hour for a table, but there was a live, outdoor Christmas concert near the restaurant, so they got to enjoy that while they waited.

Here is a photo of the River and some of the lights in the trees.

Sunday, December 10 - Today was a biggest travel day in a couple of weeks.  We drove from San Antonio to Houston, about 200 miles.  In Houston, we got to see Dad's cousin Amy and Amy's husband Johnston.  We parked in the Rec Center parking lot for Amy and Johnston's neighborhood.  It was nice to be so close.  In the evening, the humans went out to dinner.  They had a good time and lots of good laughs.  I forgot to take a photo of Amy and Johnston, but you can check back to the Thanksgiving photos.  We saw them in Ft Worth and they are in pictures there.  Two visits in a month is fantastic!

Monday, December 11 - Today we moved the motor home to Galveston.  We will be here at Galveston State Park for a total of six nights.   We have a great spot looking toward the bay.  We enjoyed spending the afternoon watching the birds in the salt marsh around us.  There are lots of different kinds of birds.  I don't know all their names, but they are fun to look at.

We saw this sign on the way to our camp site.  It has me a little worried.  Hopefully Alligators don't like Poodles.

Tuesday, December 12 - Today we drove the Jeep to Lake Jackson, Texas.  Mom and Dad had lunch with Dad's Aunt Harriet, Aunt Harriet's daughter Kathleen, and Kathleen's husband Erle.   Then they went to Kathleen's house to continue to visit.  I forgot to take pictures again today, but Mom and Dad told me about all the fun they had catching up with Aunt Harriet, Kathleen, and Erle.

Wednesday, December 13 - Today we drove to Kemah which is a little town on Galveston Bay.  Mom and Dad used to live north of Houston and would sometimes come to Kemah.   They said it has changed a lot and they didn't recognize much. 

They had lunch at Gilhooly's in San Leon.  This restaurant was featured on the Travel Chanel by Andrew Zimmerman.  The signature dish is Oysters Gilhooly.  Mom and Dad say they are awesome.  You can Google for the recipe.

Bluffton to Fredericksburg

Sunday, December 3 - It was a pretty quick travel day, since we only moved about 50 miles down the road to Fredericksburg, Texas.  There, we met up with our camping club friends Robin, Jerry, John, and Florence.  When we arrived, it was sunny and 80 degrees.  The humans decided to have Happy Hour outside and catch up on each other’s travels.

Monday, December 4 - The gang headed east to the LBJ Ranch to learn about the 36^th President of the United States.

   Jerry risked life and limb to entice the longhorns for a photo op.

That eventually led to some nice shots.

The gang toured the livestock barn to see descendants of LBJ’s cattle.

Robyn couldn’t resist stepping to the podium to explain the direction our nation must follow.  LBJ looks pleased with her message.

The group enjoyed touring LBJ’s home, including seeing this tree that became known as the “Cabinet Oak” since many cabinet meetings were held beneath it.

After a great day at the ranch, the group adjourned to The Fredericksburg Brewery for “linner”, a combo of Lunch and Dinner.  On the way home they enjoyed the Christmas Lights in Fredericksburg’s Market Square and then retired to the Campground for a fire and discussion of the day.

Tuesday, December 5 -  Today the gang headed into town for shopping along Main Street.  Later, they went to Luckenbach.

The girls did a little jam session.

They also had time to listen to the pro’s jam.  After Luckenbach, they went into Johnson City and had “linner” at the Pecan Street Brewery.  This gave them front row seats for lights on the square.  This is the court house.

And lights next to the local electrical Co-op office.

Wednesday, December 6 - Today we woke to rain and cooler temperatures (30’s).  Part of the group went into town for a visit to The Museum of the Pacific War while part of the group stayed at the campground to catch up on various things.  Later, they gathered at hour house for Happy Hour, snacks, and a review of the day.  A fun time was had by all.

Thursday, December 7 - After hugs and good-byes, they all agreed that it was great “to have this time together and to share a laugh or two”.  Robin, Jerry, Florence, and John continued on their way east for their Christmas holidays and we turned the motor home toward San Antonio.  

Fort Worth to Bluffton, Texas

We've been pretty busy doing things, so I've gotten a little behind posting my reports.  I'll try to get caught up!!

Wednesday, November 29 - Today we left Fort Worth and drove to Bluffton.  Bluffton is a little town in central Texas near Lake Buchanan.  Dad's Aunt Lucy and Dad's Cousin Nancy live near each other on Lake Buchanan.  We have a great place to park between the Bluffton Store and the Bluffton Post Office.  We get to park here because Nancy owns the Bluffton Store.

After we got set up and settled in, we went over to Nancy's and we all took a walk by the lake, including Nancy's daughters, Darby and Chuy.  Darby and Chuy have four paws like me.  We've visited them before, but it was fun to catch up.

Thursday, November 30 - Mom and Dad had a catch up day.  Mom had some work to do for a client and Dad washed the bay doors on the motor home to get the grime off from the snow in Wyoming.  They probably did other stuff, but I took a nap, so I'm not sure what they were up to.  When I woke up, the motor home was clean and tidy and Mom's work was done.

Later, we went for another walk by the lake and then the humans all went to Llano for dinner at a Mexican restaurant and to see Llano's Christmas Light Display.  It was pretty awesome.  Here are some photos.

The elves may look familiar to some of you...

Friday, December 1 -  Today Nancy took us for a drive around the ranch.  This isn't your typical drive in the country.  It involves a 4X4 truck.  It was cool.  We went up to the Million Dollar view.

It's a great view, but it involves a hike for the last part.  The best part, I found a real Deer antler.  I'll remember this day forever!!! (or at least until I finish eating the Deer antler)

When we got back from the ranch, we took our daily walk with Darby and Chuy.  Then, the humans had pizza from the Bluffton Store and played Dominoes at Nancy's 

Saturday, December 2 - Mom and Dad went into Marble Falls today.  It's a nice little town near Bluffton.  A pretty drive through the Hill Country, nice shops, and a brew pub for lunch.  Dad wanted to buy a set of longhorns to put on the front of the motor home.  Fortunately, all we brought home was this photo. 

When they came back, they had a nice visit with Aunt Lucy at her house.  Then we went to Nancy's for another walk by the lake.  I could get used to this!! 

Sunday, December 3 - All too soon, it's time for us to move on.  Before we left, we got this photo of the Bluffton store.

We also got this good-bye photo Marie, Nancy, Marie, Chuy, and Darby.  Sorry that you are seeing the back of my head.  I didn't want to take my eyes off of Chuy and Darby.

Our next stop is Fredericksburg, Texas.  I'll write soon to tell you about that!