BELLA TAKES OVER THE BLOG

Monday, February 24 – Bella has felt “left out” because she hasn’t appeared in the blog recently. So she spent the day taking selfies so she could share them with her blogging friends. We agreed that she could post them on our blog.

I read online that the sun should not be to my back when I take my selfie. So I tried to take one with the sun in my face. That didn’t turn out so good…..I look squinty, don’t I?

I tried to get a photo of mom petting me, but it was really tricky. I had to study myself while she stroked away. Mom hates this photo. She is making the funniest face!

I wanted to show mom and dad what I look like when I am waiting for them to let me in. I was starving at this point.

This was the trickiest selfie to take. I had to time my shot perfect so to capture my tongue out.

This selfie was a bit of a challenge. My first shot wasn’t on the mark. But I think I hit it right on with the second photo.

 

I really screwed this one up.  I love to hide in the high grass – no one can see me!

Mom and dad said I did a great job taking this one.  Eloquent.

After a very long day of photographing myself, I asked mom to take a photo of me in my favorite position. Nite all.

Thanks for stopping by. Hope to see y’all back real soon. Have a great day!

ANOTHER GREAT VISIT WITH VERY GOOD FRIENDS

Friday, February 14  – We made plans to meet long-time RV'er friends, Louise and Duane, in Freeport, TX. Freeport is about one and a quarter hours south of Houston located on the Gulf Coast.

Duane and Louise are a wonderful couple that we met during our first week of full-time RVing back in 2009. We met at the Escapee RV Park in Livingston, TX. Interestingly, they are also from Ohio. They've been RVing for seven years. We believe we've been able to “hook-up” with Duane and Louise at least once per year since we've been RVing. We've met in different areas of Texas, Tennessee, and Arizona. It's been a wonderful friendship we've enjoyed over the past five years.

They are staying at one of their son's home in Freeport, TX, while their 5^th wheel trailer is being repaired. They were rear-ended in an accident in Mississippi back in November. That's a long time to be without your home. We hope they can get things repaired and get back on the road in the near future.

Freeport is a seaside community dominated by a huge Dow Chemical Plant. All types of petroleum refining is taking place in the area. This means hundreds of workers living in RV Parks and millions of dollars in construction. It's also a great fishing community and home to thousands pursuing life at the beach.

The “downtown” area of Freeport is rather deserted.

We enjoyed driving around with Louise and Duane exploring the area. We stopped for lunch at a local restaurant and enjoyed catching up on each others adventures since we were last together. Thanks, Louise and Duane, for a great day. We'll see you on down the road.

 

Duane, Louise, Paul and Marsha

We saw good old Stephen E. Austin on our drive back to Houston.

THIS & THAT – Yes, it's February 14, but the residents in the neighborhood behind the Elks Lodge are preening their yards. Trimming, mowing, planting flowers, and mulching. This is tough for Ohioans to understand. We don't do any of this until late April or May....LOL

Paul did a couple more carvings. Uncle Sam for celebrating 4^th of July or the Olympics!

Tree spirit.

Thanks for stopping by. Hope to see y’all back real soon. Have a great day!

FANTASTIC DAY WITH THE KIDS

Saturday, February 8 – Saturday morning, we headed to TopGolf.

TopGolf is the premier golf entertainment complex. This 15 million dollar golfing facility is quite a site! Three stories tall with over 102 driving range booths. It has several different challenges one can play while driving the golf balls. The balls have a microchip sensor hidden inside that the computer uses to tell distance and awards points according to how close you came to the target. Pretty cool.

There is a bar and restaurant on each of the three levels. This place is open from 9 a.m. till midnight…Friday and Saturdays till 1 a.m.

The lower level has pool table, foosball, darts, etc. Something for everyone in the family.

 

There is an outdoor patio on the third floor.

Dave and Kelly golf just about every chance they get. They are very good. Dave out shined all of us with his long balls and accuracy with the different targets. We used to golf but gave it up once the girls came along. Can’t raise a family and afford the cost of golfing.

Paul and Dave swing a mean club.

Carrie is the only one out of the family that hasn’t ever golfed. With all of our expert advice, she was really hitting the ball nicely. Check out the boots the girls are wearing below. Not exactly golfing shoes.

Carrie, Kelly (the lefty), Marsha.

After golfing, we took a little ride around the West side of Houston to show Dave where Kelly use to work and live when she resided in the Houston area. Things have changed in the Katy area (suburb West of Houston) since Kelly moved to Ohio a couple years ago.

We then had cowboy boots to buy. Dave wanted a pair of boots, and we knew just the place to go for a deal….The Texas Junk store! They sell used boots for a fraction of the cost of new and do considerable business this time of year – just prior to the Houston Rodeo. They had a pretty good selection remaining and Dave was able to find a “perfect” pair.

 

We then hung out together for the rest of the day until the “kids” decided to get cleaned up and hit some of the local bars.

We had dinner at an excellent Mexican restaurant.

Carrie lives in Mid-Town the “nightlife” area of Houston. There are plenty of places to find some fun. So retirees headed back to the campground and said our goodbyes.

 

What a wonderful visit we all had. Kelly & Dave flew back to Ohio on Sunday morning. We'll see them in a couple months when we return to Ohio for the summer and the upcoming wedding.

Thanks for stopping by. Hope to see y’all back real soon. Have a great day!

SAY YES TO THE DRESS!

Friday, February 7 – It was a CRAZY Thursday evening trying to get Kelly and Dave out of Ohio. Due to the weather, their flight was delayed for hours. But finally our daughter, Kelly, and fiancé, Dave, landed in Houston shortly around 1:00 a.m.

On Friday, the girls went wedding dress shopping, and Paul took Dave to see some Houston sights! Marsha had scheduled several wedding shops to visit. Before Kelly arrived, we drove around and checked them out to save time. Marsha then setup appointments. The girls were are off on a mission to find the perfect dress! Good Luck girls!

Well, they did it! Found the perfect wedding dress for Kelly. Kelly found her dress at the first shop. They kept their second appointment just to be sure. After trying on a few dresses at the second shop, Kelly knew the one at Marry Go Round was the one for her. Marsha took tons of photos but at this time can’t publish any of them. Of course, we all know it would be bad luck for Dave to see her in it before the big day.

The girls had tons of fun looking for the “perfect” dress.
 

Only had to go to two places before she said Yes to the dress!

Dave and Paul had a good time driving, riding the light rail and walking around Houston. We all met back at Carrie's apartment and went out for a late lunch.

Then it was off to the Wild West Saloon for some dancing, people watching, meeting up with friends and enjoying some adult beverages. We had a great time. We called it quits just before mid-night. The kids continued to party on.

Cell phone photos are just not the best in a dark place.

Kelly and Dave enjoying a Two-step dance.

Carrie and long-time friend, Nick.

Thanks for stopping by. Hope to see y’all back real soon. Have a great day!

OUT AND ABOUT AROUND HOUSTON

Tuesday, February 4 - Saturday, we spent the day with Carrie seeing some of the sites around Houston. Our first stop was a return visit to Texas Pipe and Supply. We visited this place back in 2010 and have frequently mentioned it to others. It left quite an impact!

The company is located at Highway 288 and Belfort on the southbound side.  The Texas Pipe and Supply company call this area  "The Eclectic Menagerie Park."

The Eclectic Menagerie Park is a sculpture garden. It was created by the owners of Texas Pipe several years back as a way to give back to the community. All of the art work has been designed and built by local artists who use steel or retired equipment from Texas Pipe for their work. Boy is it amazing!

Many of the sculptures are very detailed.

This is the strangest one.

There are several new sculptures since we were last here. The newest is the 10-story tall fishing pole. It didn’t catch a fish but a truck! The Mexican Mariachi band is also new.

The artists who constructed these works of art has never sold one of their creations. They build them for fun! This hobby just may be a little more expensive than golfing.....LOL

Yes, that is King Kong himself.

 

There are many more sculptures in this garden. So, if you find yourself driving South of Houston on Texas 288, watch for the Texas Pipe & Supply Company just as you pass the 610 Loop. We're sure you'll enjoy it!

Thanks for stopping by. Hope to see y’all back real soon. Have a great day!

CULLEN SCULPTURE GARDEN

Sunday, February 2 - The Lillie and Hugh Roy Cullen Sculpture Garden showcases art of 20th- and 21st-century. Isamu Noguchi created the garden in 1979. His plan was a modern approach to the traditional idea of a garden framed by concrete walls ranging in height. We are not modern-art lovers. We can stand there and stare at a modern art piece of hours and have no idea what the heck it is. Here are a few of the examples of the sculptures in the garden.

Entrance

Untitled

Two Circle Sentinel

The Large Horse

Back I, Back II, Back III, Back IV

New Forms

Decanter
 
There are 25 pieces in the Garden. Nice but not the best sculpture garden we've seen. New Orleans still takes the trophy as far as we are concerned.

Thanks for stopping by. Hope to see y’all back real soon. Have a great day!