Retired and Trippin

On Saturday morning, January 15th, we attempted to leave South Padre Island a little before 9:00 am.  I started up our car and it ran very rough.  I drove away thinking it would smooth out.  It didn’t.  The check-engine light came on also.  We returned to Ron and Terry’s to find out if there were any Ford dealerships nearby.    As we drove back the car started running smooth but the check-engine light remained on. There were several dealerships within 50 miles but we either could not make contact with their service departments or they closed at noon.  We decided to head to Rosenberg, TX and hope for the best. We drove north on Hwy 77.  Just north of Raymondville both northbound lanes of traffic were funneled into a Border Patrol checkpoint.  An officer looked in and visually checked us and the interior of our vehicle while a dog sniffed the trunk area.  We were delayed only a few seconds.  It rained off and on (mostly on) all the way to Rosenberg. We arrived in Rosenberg at about

On Wednesday, January 12th we slept in, had breakfast, and went for a walk. We saw a 2:30 showing of the Little Fockers, played Spinners, and had dinner at Blackbeard’s. On Thursday, January 13th, we slept in, had some coffee and then walked across the street to the Palms Café for breakfast. We got back to the house around noon and then went for a long walk. Chris and Terry went to a local fish market and bought some fresh shrimp, which were included with some pasta for dinner . . . LARRAPIN good! We did some reading and played some cards. Ron and I were the champion spades team. Friday, January 14th dawned with more clouds and light rain. We took a long walk and then went to lunch at Amberjacks Bar & Grill, which is located on the intracoastal waterway side of the island. The food was very good. We saw numerous pelicans roosting on a dock near Amberjacks. We played some more cards where Ron and I reinforced our status as the spade champions. We had three days on the island a

Today we drove from San Antonio to Ron and Terry’s rental on South Padre Island.  We stopped for a walk on the beach at Mustang Island State Park located just south of Corpus Christi.  It felt pretty cold; low 40s and windy.  The pictures below were taken in Mustang Island State Park.

On Sunday, January 9th, we drove from Marble Falls to San Antonio.  We drove a circuitous route to see more of the Texas Hill Country but we did nothing else special.  We checked into our Best Western motel, drove the downtown area to get the lay of the land, and then impersonated vegetables the rest of the day. On Monday, January 10th, we took the “Grand Tour” offered by Alamo Sightseeing Tours.  They picked us up at our motel at 8:20 am and off we went.  We visited the Japanese Tea Garden, the Institute of Texan Cultures, the Buckhorn Saloon and Museum and the Texas Ranger Museum, the Alamo, the Mission San Jose, the Mission Concepcion, and El Mercado (a Mexican market place, where I took no pictures). Chris and I were also able to check out a portion of the River Walk area of San Antonio.  As luck would have it, however, the River Walk was drained for cleaning and maintenance so we did not get to see it in its full glory. We did have lunch at PAESONS, an Italian restaurant alo

Today was fantastic!  It was around 30 degrees and sunny when we left our motel in Marble Falls.  We took off for the Enchanted Rock State Natural Area. ( http://www.tpwd.state.tx.us/spdest/findadest/parks/enchanted_rock/ )  We drove across 1323 from Hwy 281 to Hwy 16.  It was a beautiful route.  Along the way we photographed two buzzards waiting on fence posts for us to pass so they could continue feeding on a deer carcass at the side of the road. We saw several signs that warned of “LOOSE LIVESTOCK” on the road.  Chris wondered how the highway department knew the livestock were promiscuous!? Enchanted Dome was great.  It is a gigantic granite rock protruding nearly 450 feet into the air.  It is actually a batholith, which is a large underground rock exposed at the surface by erosion.  Enchanted Rock is a small visible portion of a humongous underground rock that spans 100 square miles. We had a great time hiking to the summit and climbing around on the rocks. From Enchanted Roc

Chris and I left Shawnee on January 6th at about 9:00 am.  We were headed for South Padre Island to visit with our friends Ron & Terry and then to Rosenberg to visit with brother Don and his family but we were going to do some sight-seeing along the way.  We drove to Burleson, TX with a stop at the University of North Texas in Denton, TX , where we took a walk around campus to get the blood circulating.  The Best Western Inn & Suites in Burleson provided our lodging for the night. On January 7th we departed Burleson on Hwy 174 south to Hwy 67 south to Hwy 220 south to 281 south.  No interstate driving today.  Along the way we stopped to photograph a couple ranch entrances. Chris is trying to figure out what kind of entrance she wants for her ranch!?!?!?! We arrived in Marble Falls, TX in time for lunch.  We ate at a Chili’s with a great view of Lake Marble Falls.  After checking in at the Marble Falls Best Western we were off to Inks Lake State Park where we took a 3+ mile