BATTLESHIP TEXAS BB-35

Tuesday, March 30 – Beginning with this blog when you click on a link, it will open into a new window. This will keep the blog always open in a separate. We hope this will make looking at the links easier.

We have to pick up our neighbor today at the truck shop. He's having a new bed liner sprayed in his new truck. They are in the process of switching from their motor home to a new 5^th wheel toy hauler.

We then went to Houston to tour the Battleship Texas.



It is docked in the Houston Ship Channel.







They were dredging the channel when we were there.





This area is right in the heart of the Energy Corridor. This is the location of all the oil refineries.







Upon entering the ship,



we stopped to talk to one of the Texas Park Rangers, Jim Moon, who was welcoming people aboard the ship. I had read previously that many of these volunteers are work campers. These work campers, volunteer in exchange for a free campsite with paid utilities. Well, sure enough he was a work camper and was originally from Ohio.

 

Well, after talking for quite awhile, he asks us if we would like a personal and more extensive tour of the ship. Heck yeah! Our tour lasted about three and a half hours. He took us to every nook and cranny on the ship.
The TEXAS is the last of the battleships, patterned after HMS Dreadnought, that participated in World War (WW) I and II. She was launched on May 18, 1912 from Newport News, Virginia. When the USS TEXAS was commissioned on March 12,1914, she was the most powerful weapon in the world, the most complex product of an industrial nation just beginning to become a force in global events.



 

In 1916, TEXAS became the first U.S. battleship to mount antiaircraft guns and the first to control gunfire with directors and range-keepers, analog forerunners of today's computers. In 1919, TEXAS became the first U.S. battleship to launch an aircraft.







In 1925, the TEXAS underwent major modifications. She was converted to oil-fired boilers, tripod masts and a single stack were added to the main deck, and the 5" guns that bristled from her sides were reduced in number and moved to the main deck to minimize problems with heavy weather and high seas. Blisters were also added as protection against torpedo attack. 

The TEXAS received the first commercial radar in the US Navy in 1939.



New antiaircraft batteries, fire control and communication equipment allowed the ship to remain an aging but powerful unit in the US naval fleet. In 1940, Texas was designated flagship of US Atlantic Fleet. The First Marine Division was founded aboard the TEXAS early in 1941.  After service in the War in the European theater, the TEXAS was switched to the War in the Pacific.  It’s color was also changed from light brown (the color of Atlantic ships because of being tracked by subs) to dark blue (Pacific ships are blue because they were being tracked from the air by planes and the blue blends in with the ocean).  After the war, on April 21, 1948 the Texas was decommissioned.

Communication room

 



Typewriter used for coded information



Our tour included…

The Bridge,

 







The Brig





The Captain Quarters…Walter Cronkite had his first assignment on the Texas. President FDR and Eisenhower met in this room.







The rooms where the cannon powder and shells were stored



The Furnace room







and even down to the very bottom of the ship where the engine shaft exits to be joined with the propeller.



While being active in World War I and World War II, the Texas was only hit once. Here is a picture of the actual shell that did not explode when it hit the Texas.



They are in the process of refurbishing the ship’s floor. It was Teak but it is to costly to replace it with that so they are using treated lumber.



In addition to all the info you can read about the Battleship Texas, it was the first battleship to have a plane take off from its deck, first movie theater aboard a battleship, and first battleship to have radar.

We went everywhere. Places the general public are normally not permitted to enter. It was absolutely amazing. We also met Jim’s wife, Jan. What a great couple. We can’t thank them enough for their hospitality, time and friendship.

After the tour, Jim even took us to the campsites and introduced us to the boss in charge of hiring work campers. Of course we picked up an application. We'll consider this opportunity in the heart of Houston for future camping opportunities.

After that we drove across the street to San Jacinto Battlegrounds.





This is location of the final battle for Texas Independence. Sam Houston led his troops against Santa Anna of Mexico. With the cry of “Remember the Alamo” the Texas soldiers slaughtered the Mexican troops killing over 5000 soldiers. This led to Texas independence and eventual statehood.

We ended our day in Houston by eating at the famous seafood restaurant on the Houston Ship Channel called the Monument Inn. We dined at a window table watching the ships move up the channel to the many refineries.







The Exxon Baytown Refinery, the largest refinery in the USA and where our youngest daughter Carrie is employed as a chemical engineer, is located on this channel and was in view out the window of the restaurant. Look real close and you can see the refinery.



A very amazing day!

To see more pictures of the Texas Battleship, click here.

To see more pictures of the Ship’s Captains, Quarters click here.

To see more pictures of the ship’s guns, click here.

To see more pictures of the Houston Ship Channel, click here.

To see more pictures of Paul and I, click here.

Thanks for visiting. Have a Blessed Easter.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY PAUL

Saturday, March 27 – HAPPY BIRTHDAY….PAUL. It was a beautiful day. We took a ride to the Alabama-Coushatta Indian Tribe reservation. The Reservation is located 17 miles east of Livingston. The Alabama-Coushatta Indians are a proud people who have occupied the area since the late 1700's, before Texas became a state.  Its location is on a 4,600+ acres of virgin timberland called home by some 500 members of the tribe. They are members of the Upper Creek Confederacy of Indians and are of the Muskogean Nation and their languages similar to the Muskogean dialect. The tribe migrated from southeastern United States (Alabama and Mississippi.

 

In the early 1800’s, Sam Houston recommends that the state purchase 1,280 acres for the Alabamas and set aside 640 acres for the Coushattas. The land for the Coushattas is never plotted nor surveyed; and so, either through marriage or special permission, they come to live on the allotted land with the Alabamas - uniting the two to become the Alabama-Coushatta. Many other Coushattas move to an area near Kinder, Louisiana, where a majority of whom still reside today.

The Alabama-Coushatta have  lived for 74 years without any assistance. With their land being unsuitable for raising crops or grazing cattle, they are forced to roam the Big Thicket area in search of food. When hunting becomes prohibited during certain seasons, malnutrition and disease strike hard. At one time the Tribal population was reduced to less than 200.

The picture below is the community building. Activities such as meetings, dinners, special events are held here. The public may also rent the facilities.

The Reservation also has a campground, Lake Tombigbee, which open to the public. The campgrounds have complete camping facilities available - primitive sites to RV stations with full hook-ups, new restrooms equipped with bathhouses, covered pavilion, picnic tables, fire rings, swimming areas, hiking and nature trails which are centered around the 26 acre Lake Tombigbee.

The reservation is located 17 miles east of Livingston and 15 miles west of Woodville on U.S. 190.

 

After our ride, Marsha made my favorite dinner, meatloaf. She got me a delicious carrot cake. I opened my gifts which included a battery voltage monitor that will tell me how much charge my house batteries are holding and a remote monitor for our electrical management system. EMS tells our electrical usage and will automatically shut down if an electrical problem happens. It was a great birthday. We even went out to the Mexican Restaurant for a drink. The girls tell me that they have something in store for me when they come Easter Sunday.

Sunday, March 28 – The weather has been beautiful!!!

Last night Jackson High School, the school Marsha and I taught at and the high school the girls graduated from, won the Boy’s State Basketball tournament. It is the first time any team from Jackson has won a state tournament. Congratulations Jackson!

We went to Ice Cream Social with Ed & Linda Levin. We met this couple in Quartszite, AZ this winter. They will be here for about two weeks and are parked right next door to us! After talking to Ed this evening, I realized they were parked a couple spaces up from us this fall here at Rainbow's End. We didn't know each other, at that time. What a small world we live in sometimes!

Monday, March 29- I hate to keep repeating myself but……another gorgeous day! Paid our rent here at Rainbow's End. Comes out to $14/day which includes utilities! Not bad.

We played a new domino game tonight...Spinner. Lots of fun!.....Old People and their domino....jeesh!

That is all for now. Hope you all have a Blessed Easter.

WE ARE STILL HERE!

Monday, March 22 – Spring has returned to East Texas. It was a little cold Sunday but we are back to bright sunshine and warmer temperatures.

Marsha spent the day at the hair salon. I mean the ENTIRE day. Boy does she look “HOT”!!!

Tuesday, March 23 – Went to Houston for my first post-surgery check-up. I was hoping to get an early release from wearing this back brace. Instead the doctor said he wants me to wear it for 8 total weeks instead of 6. This is due to the amount of muscle that had to be moved, and the location of the fusion.....darn! Other than that, the doctor was pleased with my progress. He had ordered an electrical bone stimulator to encourage growth but my insurance company is refusing to pay for this device....hmmm? The x-rays looked very good and shows better than a 90% correction of the spinal offset.

Main Street, the location of Texas Orthopedic Hospital, is a beautiful road. As we turn onto the street, there is a mall with water-fall towers. The yard is perfectly manicured.

On the way home, we have to drive down a street that is shared by the Metro. The tracks run along the side of the road.  According to Carrie, who used it to go to the Rodeo….three times, says it is really a fast and economical way to get around the city. This is the first time we saw it, but only for a moment. We never heard it coming, and then it was gone.

So, we are looking at May until I am permitted to drive. My next doctor appointment is June 10. We are considering a trip to Red Bay, Alabama between these two dates to have some service work done on the motor home. We have to look at travel time and distance.

While in the Houston area, we did some shopping (I napped in the car....ha ha!). Marsha stopped at Target, Kohl's, Bed Bath & Beyond, and Pet Smarts. None of these stores can be found in Livingston.

Wednesday, March 24 - Back to work cleaning up winter debris at the activity center. We've already cleaned up over 30 leaf bags of trash, just in this area. I think we cleaned up over 10 additional bags around the laundry room. JEESH....this place needs a garden club!

The birds are driving Bella CRAZY!!! We put up two bird feeders. We have to fill them just about every other day. The squirrels are climbing up the pole and dumping the bird feeders. So, Marsha has to spray the post with Pam and they slide right down. We have a window bird feeders also. Birds fly in, and Bella flies up to the window. It is so funny to watch her tail go back and forth at 50 mph. She even tries to catch the birds but jumping at the screen. What a hoot!

Thursday, March 25 – Marsha has a friend here, Louise, who makes tons of quilts for her family. She is making what she so fondly calls her Memory Quilt. She explains that it contains squares from all the quilts she has ever made. Louise asked Marsha to help her lay out the squares. They went over to the Activity Center about 9:30 a.m. and Marsha got back about 11:45. How can it take that long to put some squares….whatever those are….on a sheet? I don’t get it. All that matters, is Marsha had a good time and said she learned some more quilting tips from Louise. They are going back sometime next week to look at it again. Glad they know what they are doing because I sure don’t.

The Memory Quilt.

This is Louise with her quilt.

Took the motor home out for some exercise today. We drove about ¾ of an hour to get the engine exercised, fluids circulated, slides moved, generator exercised, etc. Everything seemed to run smoothly.

Marsha gave the inside a good cleaning. It's amazing the amount of dust that blows in and settles on things. She dusted and ran the sweeper real good. Of course, she ran the sweeper just two days ago.

The rest of the day was spent doing nothing…..so we had planned. Marsha went in and put on shorts. As she was sitting in the sun, she looked down and saw what looked like…sort of….poison ivy on her leg. On her right arm, it looked like she had gotten bitten by fire ants. Well, off to the Urgent Doc office. Two hours later she returned saying, “The doctor isn’t really sure what I have. Since I don’t itch and nothing burns, she can’t believe it is fire ant bits. The leg stuff doesn’t resemble poison ivy either. So, we are just going to treat you with anything that would be poison. They gave me an injection, just in case. I went to Walmart to pick up a prescription for suave and a Presidion pack.”  So much for the rest of the day.

Thanks for stopping by. See you next time.