Houston Fun

We spent last weekend kicking around Houston, Texas.  We started out early Saturday morning from Livingston and drove over to PPL, an RV vehicle and parts dealer.  We had no real “needs”, just wanted to browse at a place that we did lots of on-line business with while working on the Airstream.  While there we were told about an RV show going on down at the Reliant Arena, so off we went to check it out.  It was quite a show - lots and lots of new rigs and a few parts dealers were there as well.  Of course we had to stick our noses into the newest and greatest on offer from the big names.  Lo and behold, while looking at one of the Tiffin rigs the salesman on board introduced himself… Bob Tiffin himself!  Glad we’d been saying nice things about his RV!

Having only two days to see the remaining sights, we picked up a Houston City Pass.  This provided a discounted entry into several attractions - we made it to three of the five venues on offer.  The first was the Downtown Aquarium.  While the building is large, the aquarium itself is a rather small place; most of the building is devoted to conference rooms, restaurants and lounges.  But we got some really nice photos while there.

Jellyfish

Moray Eel

Coral

Blue African Frog

After leaving the aquarium we dropped in at the Houston Zoo.  And what a zoo… as in the parking lot - that place was packed!  We spent the next several hours strolling around enjoying the sun and temperatures in the low 60’s.  We had expected a larger and more modern zoo for a city the size of Houston, but we had a good time anyway.  Strangely enough, the zoo’s version of an aquarium was actually better than the downtown one – go figure!  So here are our friends of the day a little earlier than usual in the blog.

Meerkat family portrait

Wishing for a place to run

Who me??

The shy type

Me and my newest best buddy

We spent Saturday night close to Galveston and drove over to the beach bright and early on Sunday morning – checking out the waterfront and the architecture.

Galveston historic district

Following Galveston we headed for the Johnson Space Center on the southeast side of Houston. We got to see the Mission Control Center, Mock Up Training Facility where the astronauts get to train for their missions, and the Saturn V rocket that took the astronauts to the moon, along with lots of static displays, films, and lectures at the Visitors Center.  Heinz even got to try out “landing” the Shuttle on Edwards Air Force Base at one of the simulators.  He didn’t do so well – should probably have worn his trifocals, eh?!

Mission Control Center for the Shuttle missions

Heinz checking out the mock-up training lab

Cool toys in the simulation lab - future rover for future moon and Mars missions

Saturn V rocket that took us to the moon

One of the later stage rockets

One of the Extra Vehicular Activity suits and propulsion units

Heinz “landing” the Shuttle

Our original plan was to visit the Houston Museum District, an area of town that houses around 10 different museums ranging from the Museum of Fine Arts to the Buffalo Soldiers National Museum and the Weather Museum.  Unfortunately, there was just too much to see and do at the Johnson Space flight Center, and we got away too late to see the other venues.  So we headed back to our rolling home back in Livingston, and prepared our stuff for the trip out the next day.

For more photos of Houston, please check out our Photobucket album.

We're now in New Orleans with Mardi Gras in full swing, so we'll post on this week later.

On the road again...

We’re on the road again.  Leaving Shreveport, we traveled a whole three hours south to Livingston TX, and the Escapees RV Club headquarters.  We're taking care of some business – working on our driver’s licenses endorsement for the RV, getting the rig weighed on all axles to check the weight distribution, etc.  

Our last few days in Louisiana were busy.  We continued in the pattern for this visit…food, food, food!  There were more great meals with family and friends including a return trip to Jan’s for catfish, Superior Grill for Mexican, Herby K’s for shrimp, and McAllister’s Deli for a little bit of everything.  

Sister Kathy and sister-in-law Annette at Superior Grill

It's crawfish season!

Shrimp Buster at Herby K's

In addition, we spent the last few Wednesday nights joining my dad cook/serve at his church suppers.  The man simply RULES that kitchen!  He doesn’t do any of the cooking, but is in charge of getting the dining hall set up and the serving line arranged.  He even has a 1^st grader telling everyone that Daddy is his “boss”.   Needless to say, he found plenty of work for Heinz and me each week.

Daddy getting ready to serve up spaghetti.

Heinz doing the "German" thing and rearranging the kitchen drawers!

Luckily we have now picked up a bicycle for myself, so I can start working off some of those calories I picked up of late.  We left my road bike behind in Kansas and got me a fitness bike while in Shreveport.  We found that most of the riding places we were running across were packed dirt, gravel, or rails to trails types, not really made for road bikes.  Now, if the weather would only improve (too much rain lately).  But we did make a few rides while on base at Barksdale.  We rode up to the base museum one day and found people working on some of the display planes.  We chatted with a woman doing some painting on a B-17 and she let us climb in and look around a little.  What a treat!  Unfortunately we didn’t have the cameras with us at the time, but went back later to get a few pictures of the outside.

B-17  "Miss Liberty"

B-17 Ball Turret

Speaking of being on base, it was kind of nice staying on a military base again - in this case Barksdale Air Force Base.  One gets treated by the sound of freedom flying overhead all day (and some nights), and the Star Spangled Banner played every evening to close out the day.  The on-base FamCamp sits next to a bayou with some great scenery.  We took a few strolls along the bank and got to see a blue heron that hung out in the area.  Sorry no pictures of him though, camera shy I guess, he flew off too quickly.

The sound of freedom - B-52 flying overhead.

Cypress knees in the bayou.

Now that we've made it to Texas we checked in with some old friends in Nacogdoches, TX.  The plan was to get together for dinner and some catching up.  At  0130 the four of us finally said goodnight/good morning and Heinz and I crawled into the car for the 2 hour drive back to Livingston.  What a blast!

Heinz, Nancy, Teresa, and Micheal...midnight and still talking.

Today we drove over to Houston and spent the day poking around an RV show, the Downtown Aquarium and the Houston Zoo.  Tomorrow we plan on touring the Houston Space Center and the Museum of Fine Arts.  Photos and details to follow on our next blog posting since I haven’t had a chance to do any editing of the photos yet.

Since we’re back on the road we should return to posting updates a little more frequently, but as usual, it will depend on experienced thrills and chills and available wi-fi’s, so stay tuned.

Our friends of the day:

Snack time.

Take me with you!

Excuse me, I need a menu here!

'Nuff said!

Still hanging out in Louisiana

It's been a low-key couple of weeks here in Louisiana.  The weather has been mostly on the warmer side (50-60's) with a few colder days.  There was one nice thunderstorm a few nights ago.  We've always loved watching and listening to thunder and lightening and it's just not something many parts of the west get in any significance.  So we kicked back and took it all in with pleasure.

We've been enjoying the local restaurant scene and have eaten some really good Southern/Cajun food during our time here.  Soft shell crab at Ernest's Orleans Restaurant, crawfish etoufee at Ralph & Kacoo's, fried crawfish at Copeland’s, more fried catfish at Jan's River Restaurant, and some killer shrimp po-boys at Sam's Seafood have been just a few.  Some of these meals were enjoyed with family and friends and others were just the two of us.  In addition, we’ve had family over for dinner a few times in the new rig. 

Recently we met my brother, Joe, for Sunday Mass at a church built in the 1800’s.  After Mass we headed off to St. Joseph’s Cemetery (one of the city’s oldest) for a memorial service for the priests buried there.  Three of the graves are priests that died in the 1873 yellow fever epidemic.  We wandered around a bit, looking at headstones from the 1800’s and imagining life at that time.  So many of the graves were for children and young adults.  After the service it was off to one of the favorite activities in the good food South…eating lunch!  This time it was at El Chico’s, one of the oldest Mexican restaurants in town.

Grave of Fr. Biler, yellow fever victim

Joe, waiting for his enchiladas

Friday we picked up my dad bright and early and the three of us headed south to Natchitoches, LA to spend a day playing tourist.  It was a beautiful, crisp and cool morning with a spectacular sunrise.

Louisiana sunrise

For those unfamiliar with Louisiana history, Natchitoches was founded in 1714 as a French fort to prevent the Spanish from advancing from Texas into Louisiana and to set up trading with the Caddo Indians.  There was a Spanish mission and fort at Los Adaes, around 15 miles to the west, which ended up being one of the biggest trading partners with the French fort - how ironic.  Guess that’s what happens when you are the only two outposts for a couple of hundred miles in any direction.

We ate breakfast at Lasyone’s (pronounced Laz-ons), the home of the original Natchitoches meat pie, a local favorite food, spicy hamburger meat in pastry.  We followed that by some time at Fort St. Jean Baptiste.  The original fort has long since rotted away in the Louisiana humidity, but there is a full-scale replica based on the original engineer’s plans that were found in France.  We got a private tour by a state park employee, as things were quiet that morning.  

Lasyone’s Restaurant

Palisade at Fort St. Jean Baptiste

Daddy and Heinz discussing the fort’s terrain

After driving around town a little, checking out the old antebellum houses, we headed down the Cane River to Melrose Plantation.  The plantation was originally owned by Marie Therese Coin-Coin.  She was a slave, owned by Claude Thomas Pierre Metoyer, with whom she had 10 children.  He arranged for her to obtain the land by Spanish land grants.  Their son, Antoine and his wife built the first two buildings on the property, the Yucca House (1796) and African House (1800) and later the “big house” in 1833.

Daddy and Heinz in front of African House.  The corner posts were not originally part of the structure, but the roof was damaged by Hurricane Rita and are now necessary until repairs can be completed.

The “big house” from the porch of Yucca House.

In 1884, Melrose Plantation was bought by the Henry family.  “Miss Cammie” (wife of the owner), made Melrose a haven for artists and writers.  In the 1930’s, a woman who was a cook at the plantation found some paints in the trash and asked if she could have them.  Thus started the painting career of one of America’s best-known primitive artists, Clementine Hunter.  The plantation still owns many of her paintings.  The upper floor of the African House is home to several murals that she did for the Henry family.

Baptismal scene

Monday washday

Field work and Church

250 year old live oaks on the plantation

We have also taken advantage of some of the prolific pecan trees in the area.  It’s pecan season and Barksdale AFB has some fine trees located in public areas.  Therefore, we have spent some time crawling around picking up pecans.  So far we’ve shelled about six quart bags and have at least half that many more waiting to be shelled.  At the price of pecans there may have to be another trip over to the trees in store for us before we leave town!

Our friends of the day - pecans, pecans, and more pecans!

It's work, but worth the outcome!

New Year’s in Louisiana

It’s 2012…Happy New Year to all.  For a change we actually managed to be awake at midnight, barely.  No partying, no fireworks of our own, just a nice bottle of Petite Syrah and Heinz’s fabulous crab dip (recipe at the end) with fresh French bread. 

We had a nice quiet non-white Christmas weekend with Heinz’s family.  The meteorologists kept teasing us with predictions of snow, but it stopped short of Kansas City other than a VERY brief flurry.
Our stay was pretty uneventful, but we did have a good time hamming it up with Carl and Suzi at a party along with tooling around town checking out the restaurants and lights.

Santa's helpers ready to ride.

Christmas Eve had us in Lawrence, KS at Craig and Annelee's eating Oysters Rockefeller and Oyster Soup and a potluck of tasty treats from everyone else.  Annelee presented us with the finished product Santa cookies and received well-deserved oohs and aahs from everyone.

Finished Santa, ready to make his rounds

Craig and Grady, relaxing after the oysters

Santa’s (somewhat older) helper

Christmas innocence - what it's all about

Christmas Day was quiet, ending with a great meal at Suzi and Carl’s house.  Carl can roast one mean turkey with sausage stuffing!  We ended the meal with slices of Heinz’s Linzertorte and the NFL.  What more could you ask for?

Prepping mashed potatoes

Linzertorte, one of Germany’s gifts to the world!

Two days later we headed off to Louisiana.  The new motorcoach drove like a dream and we had no problems at all through the Ozark foothills in Arkansas.  We’ve left the cold and wind of Kansas and are enjoying the balmy weather in Louisiana immensely.  We plan to spend a few more days here visiting with family before heading off on our 2012 adventures.  Stay posted, there'll be lots to chat about in the coming months.

___________________________________________________________________________________

Crab Dip

1 Dungeness crab (or 1 large can of crab meat)

1 Wedge Parmesan cheese, grated
1 Tbsp dried onions

1 Can artichoke hearts (non-marinated), chopped

Mayonnaise

Mix the crab, cheese, artichokes, and dried onions with enough mayonnaise to create texture of tuna salad.  Place in casserole dish and bake 25-30 minutes at 350 degrees, or until the top is golden brown.  Serve hot with slices of French bread on the side.

Life is all about change...

As we mentioned in our last posting, we’ve made the decision to stay on the road for the next few years.  That being said, we thought long and hard... talked and talked... and finally came to a sad but hard truth.  The Airstream was great for a one-year adventure and would have made a great art studio after settling down (our original plan).  But if staying on the road for an indefinite period of time is in the works, then a few more amenities, as well as the ability to haul along some more of our stuff, would be nice to have.

Therefore, we went shopping and bought ourselves an early Christmas present: a 40 foot, 2000 American Eagle, Class A diesel motorhome, and an orange Honda Element as our “toad”.

It was with a giant sigh of relief on Heinz’s part that we traded in the F-250 (more and more strange noises) for the Honda.  With many a deep sigh and a few nostalgic tears (especially from me), we are getting ready to put the Airstream up for sale.  But, our new home gives us an additional 90 square feet of living space, and lots of basement storage for all the crafts, tools and outdoor gear.

The new place has some features that the Airstream didn’t and we didn’t realize how much they were missed until we had them again.  As idealistic as we were about going to the camp shower, IT IS nice to have a working shower and full bathroom in your home, ... as well as a built-in washer/dryer, ice maker, dinette, and two couches. We're scheming about how to personalize the interior through the use of colors and textures, but will live in it for a while waiting for the right inspiration to come along before we take the plunge to tweak.  The coach is full of interior cabinetry, and the solid walnut gives off a rich glow at night that imparts a warm and cozy atmosphere - Heinz thinks that with the lights low, it feels like the interior of a boat at night.  If you'd like to see some pictures of the inside, they are available on Photobucket.  Just click on the link and enjoy a tour of our new home.

We’ve moved in and are getting settled into our new home a little at a time.  There are still boxes moving from spot to spot, items getting put away and then moved to some other spot, items that you KNOW you’ve put into the new space but have been lost in the black hole of moving.  You all know the drill, the “ new home syndrome”.  But you’d think that we could find something as simple as a computer cord in 380 square feet!

Besides moving in, we've checked out the local bookstores, caught a great movie (Hugo...Highly recommended!), and spent lots of time with family.  This week Suzi and I went up to Heinz's Aunt Annelee's and helped her make her annual Santa Claus cookies.  Suzi was in charge of eye placement and I got the honor of cutting some of the shapes!

Hurry Suzi, they need to see.

Santa cookies resting and waiting for the red/white glaze to be applied.

Last night I caught the Christmas baking bug myself and made four pans of Potica, a yeast cake with walnut and poppy seed filling.  My mom always made these at this time of year and the smell while baking instantly brought back some wonderful memories of her.

Potica waiting to be glommed down

Decorating in any RV is a little more challenging than in a house, no room for my multitude of Santas for one.  As a result, most of my Santas got swept out in the "get rid of our stuff" storm.  Fortunately, they didn't travel far, as they found a new home with Suzi and Carl.  For our new home, I picked up a tiny tree, and decorated with a few ornaments I could not part with, as well as a new mini-Nativity Angel that I bought in New Mexico (right front).  

That's the latest for now - more to follow after the holiday season is over and we are back on the road.  Here's wishing EVERYONE a wonderful and merry Christmas and a warm and happy New Year!

Heinz and Teresa