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Published: March 20th 2011
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Arid Garden
This part of the Texas State Gardens represented the West Texas desert. Feb 1—I visited the Texas State Gardens this morning, although I thought this was probably not a good time of the year to see it at its best. Also, the wind was blowing furiously, probably gusting to about 40 or 50 miles an hour straight out of the north and very cold. The RV wanted to wander all over the road.
Sure enough, there weren't a lot of flowers blooming at the Gardens. Their kale was absolutely beautiful though. I went through the bromeliad greenhouse. I really don't care a lot for those kinds of plants, but it was out of the wind! There were several tropical birds in cages, all looking cold and scared of the banging noises all around them. Next stop was the orchid greenhouse. A nice, warm 70 degrees and out of the wind, again. There were some gorgeous blooms. I stayed awhile and took lots of pictures. The butterfly garden was empty of many blooms and the butterflies were hiding. The hummingbird garden was the same. I took the bird and butterfly walk which was restful in view and fairly protected from the wind. The rose garden was lovely, but cold. The would be a
Orchid
One of the many lovely orchids at the Texas State Gardens. beautiful place to visit in a couple of months!
After leaving the gardens, I decided to drive along the coast about halfway to Houston and stop again. I crossed downtown Corpus—the old town—and saw the air craft carrier, Lexington, in the bay. I realized I hadn't really seen the real Corpus at all. Guess I will have to come back. The bridge and causeway across the bay are really spectacular. The rest of the drive was tiring. I had the wheel in a death's grip due to the wind. I finally arrived at the Bayside RV park in Palacios about 5:30 and got a place for the night. What a beautiful park! It is right on the bay, looking out to the gulf on one side and an inlet full of shrimp boats on the other. Too bad the wind and cold keep me from walking around tonight!
Feb. 2—The wind howled all night and rocked the RV constantly. This morning we lost power about 10:00. I started the generator, but with less than a half tank of gas, it smelled badly. Bootsie was all huddled on the couch, looking cold. I said “to heck with it,” and
Parakeets
The birds were cold and bothered by the sound of the strong wind at Texas State Gardens. we both went back to bed. I woke up to deathly quiet. There was no wind. I felt eerie with the lack of sound, but the electricity was back on.
Feb 3: We are staying put in Palacios. The temperatures never have made it above freezing and with rain off and on, there is ice everywhere. I did get out and walk around for a little bit, but the skies are gray and the wind is bitter cold. I took a few pictures then headed back to the warmth of the RV. I spent time reading, doing some writing and, of course, playing games on the computer. Thank goodness I have access to the internet here. The park host told me the weather was unusual for this area, which seldom sees ice.
I found out Palacios was originally called Tres Palacios which is “three palaces” in Spanish. There is a legend that a ship wrecked in the bay, here and the sailors saw an image of three palaces and swam toward them, reaching the shore safely that way. The story is captured in a mural on one of the downtown buildings. Later, I discovered the town was really
Bromeliad House
I liked the dolphin. I'm not sure why it was in the greenhouse with the bromeliads, though named after the Spanish governor of the area. His name was Trespalacios. I like the legend better!
Feb 4: The temperatures got above freezing today for a little while and the sun was out. The ice started melting. I didn't realize I was parked under some power lines until a big chunk of ice hit the roof. Bootsie and I both jumped! Later more chunks fell, but they weren't as big or as loud as the first one.
Bootsie—Marty has been home for a long time now and hasn't run off and left me behind. We have played a lot and I have given her a lot of loving to show her how happy I am that she is here. I have been cuddling up to her in bed at night, too. It's been cold!! Today noises on top of the RV have been scaring me, so I have been keeping close to Marty and she's been petting me a lot! Feb 5: I finally thought the roads might be safe to travel again. Even though it has been cold at night, there hasn't been any more rain, so nothing to refreeze. I left Palacios and headed
Take a Seat
I liked this bench with the drape painted on it. Texas State Gardens. to Houston and the suburb of LaPorte, where cousin Jimmy and his wife Patsy live. I got there in the late afternoon and had a little trouble finding the house. The address in the Davison family catalog is wrong. Luckily, Jimmy saw me drive by and stood out in the driveway so I could see him when I came back around the circle!
After I got parked in the driveway and all hooked up they took me out to dinner at a restaurant which was right on the water and I ate fresh shrimp in a dish with a French name. (can't remember the name, but it was good.) We sat by a window and watched the tankers and barges go up and down the port waterway. After dinner we had a good visit before heading for bed.
Feb. 6: We went to Sunday School and church then went to Applebees to eat lunch. After visiting a bit more I pulled out to drive on to Dallas. I would have liked to have stayed longer with Jim and Patsy, but heard another weather front was coming in and thought it best to leave. I sure enjoyed getting reacquainted
Kale
The kale was beautiful at the Texas State Gardens. with both Jim and Patsy.
Dallas was foggy and misty and I got there just about dark. I was glad I hadn't waiting any later to leave LaPorte. I was tired when I finally got parked, etc., but I did watch the first half of the Superbowl. It looked like it was a good game, but I couldn't stay up any longer! I'm glad to be back “home”!
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Roberta Carpenter
non-member comment
Hi Marty its funny I got your blog this afternoon, I was thinking about you and Bootsie and wondered where you two were. I'm glad you made you trip short and safe. I'll be looking for the next blog for you and of course Bootsie. Lv ya Roberta