Mon-Thur Mar 28/31 2016 - Castroville, Gulf of Mexico, relax and golf

Mon-Tues Mar 28/29 2016 - Castroville and Gulf of Mexico

Mar 28 -  Castroville - We were quite interested to discover this weekend that Texas does not have a Stat holiday on Good Friday or Easter Monday. Stores are open normal business hours all over the weekend which was quite strange to us. We decided to go into Castroville and use the self guided tour of the town, starting with a delicious Latte at our favorite coffee shop.. “Octanes”. Then a walk through town reading up on the history of several of the old houses and also visiting the Steinbach house and Museum. It is old house built in the 17^th century in Wahlbach in France and moved here to Castroville and re-built back in the late 90’s. It was a labour of love for the townspeople and was also helped along by people from the Alsace region of France who came over to help with putting it all together here in Texas.

On our walk through town we were most impressed by the amazing array of wild flowers here in Texas and lining the streets. So beautiful. A nice lazy day followed by a nice dinner at home in the rig.

March 29 – South Coast

We have always wondered about whether we should have camped on the South Coast of Texas on the Gulf of Mexico. We have met several people who spend their winters there in either Corpus Christi, Port Aransas and thereabouts. So we decided to do a day trip down there to explore. It is a good 3 hour plus drive so we started out early-ish and headed straight through Corpus Christi to Port Aransas (out in the bay). We drove around and went for Oysters and other seafood delights for lunch at the Virginia Oysterhouse on the bay… great lunch and a beautiful spot. Got the free short car ferry over to Rockport to check out the area that Mike and Lisa are thinking of moving to. Found a good RV park nearby (Coastal) in Rockport and marveled at the low price of great houses there. On advice from Lisa and Mike we went to Charlotte Plummer’s restaurant right on the dock and had some fresh shrimp while watching oyster’s being unloaded by the sackful off fishing boats just outside the window.… such fresh seafood!! We couldn’t eat all the shrimp, so we got a doggie bag to take some home to enjoy tomorrow. It was a great day trip but a bit too short to really appreciate and get to know the area. I think we both are glad that we spent our Texas time in the Hill Country. While the beach and seafood are great, it seems that there is more variety of landscape and great cities in Austin and San Antonio. But Rockport is a great place and I think Lisa and Mike would love it there. 

March 30th - After a day out we didn’t do too much today.. but we did enjoy our shrimp appetizer with bubbly in the late afternoon… decadent!!

Mar 31 -Another day of golf.. may be our last before we leave but never say never… especially with golf… especially around Derek.. especially when it’s cheap!!

  

Sat - Sun Mar 26/27 2016 - Easter in Houston

Sat - Sun Mar 26/27 2016 - Easter in Houston
Saturday: We packed up the truck and headed out around 9:30 and made it to the Marriott Springhill Suites in Rosenberg just after 1pm. Lisa got a great rate for us. After checking in we headed to Jehan and Jason's house about 20 minutes away in a very small town called Needville. What a beautiful home they have. They were all busy preparing food etc for the evening gathering of friends and family. We felt so welcomed and part of the family. Jason had an uncle and cousin staying at the house for a week and later in the day several friends arrived. We had a BBQ and sat outside enjoying the company... a bunch of people played the flip-cup beer game, which was hilarious to watch.. Derek got in there and did pretty well after some practice (and a couple of beers). After the BBQ a bunch played a bean-bag toss game which became quite competitive. We left about 9:30 feeling very happy. We miss our family at Easter, but Jehan and Jason and Lisa and Mike made us feel like part of their family and we feel very lucky to have such great friends in Texas. 
Sunday: After a great breakfast atthe hotel with Lisa and Mike we headed back over to Jehan and Jason's place for an Easter egg hunt. It was hilarious that Lisa and Jehan spent so much time 'hiding' Plastic eggs (with chocolate kisses inside) all around the garden and Brody just wanted to stop with each one and eat the chocolates!! Lisa had to pick most of them back up after he lost interest... at 2 years old, he just didn't get the idea straight... next year I am sure he will be out there gathering them up with abandon! He enjoyed opening his Easter gifts. Jason cooked a delicious Pork loin on the BBQ and we also had Mikes famous devilled eggs (which we all chipped in to peel.. they were tough to do). Also enjoyed Jason's jalapenos stuffed with cheese, wrapped in bacon and BBQ'd... (yum) along with a multitude of other goodies... There was enough food to feed an army, but we did our very best! Wow was it good! After lunch and a sad farewell, Derek and I, and Mike and Lisa left to go home. It took us just over 3 hrs to get back to Castroville. Neither of us could eat anything else that day. What a beautiful Easter to remember. 
PHOTOS TO FOLLOW when we get home and have good internet!!

Wed-Fri Mar 23-25 2016 Golf and cycling again

Wed-Fri Mar 23-25 2016 Golf and cycling again
Wed - Basically a hangout day... beautiful sunset
Thurs - can't resist going golfing again today.. when you are paying around $50us for two of us for 18 holes on a great course including a cart on a beautiful Texas day... not much wrong with that! Had great fun and enjoyed a beautiful sunset and BBQ at the rig ... ready for another ride tomorrow
Fri - packed another picnic lunch and headed back to the Mission Trail with our bikes. Parked again at Mission San Jose and this time we turned north. We missed the Mission Conception on the way... and made it up into the Downtown San Antonio area of the River walk... didn't take in the Alamo Mission again as we have done that before. We couldn't find a nice picnic stop in that area so we headed back along the trail on a 'mission' to find the Mission Conception. It was a short ride off the trail and we were glad we found it. It is the best preserved of all the missions and we enjoyed the visit and our picnic lunch in the grounds. We headed back to the truck. It was a beautiful carefree ride of about 21 km. Mostly easy rolling ups and downs and beautiful landscape of riverside wild flowers and small dams. Lovely day. Stopped by Castroville on the way home to gas up and pick up supplies for our trip to Houston for Easter with Lisa, Mike, Jehan, Jason and Brody. Gotta take some Almond Joy Macaroons from Haby's bakery!!!

Mon/Tues March 21-22 2016 - Golf and mission trail cycling

March 21 2016 - Golf again
We woke  up to a cold morning,  2 degrees, but a beautiful sunny day. After pottering around in the morning we headed out at 2pm for a game of golf. It was a little windy but it had warmed up considerably and we had a great game. getting to know the course much better. unfortunately there were a bunch of students there practicing for a high school tournament this week, which made the game a little slower. We realize thought that it is March, and we are golfing, and it is beautiful and sunny... not much to complain about really!! 
We had dinner and made plans to cycle part of the San Antonio Mission River Walk/ bicycle trail. Derek loaded up the bikes onto the truck  and we made a picnic lunch ready for tomorrow.

March 22 2016 - San Antonio Missions by Bicycle 
San Antonio river walk is famous for its downtown section, complete with restaurants, bars, boat rides etc etc, but there is more to the river walk. There is a walking/bicycle trail that follows the river (often on both sides), that winds its way between 5 missions (Alamo being the most famous). We started at the San Jose Mission which is geographically approximately half way between the most northerly point of the trail  (the Alamo) and the most southerly point (Mission Espada). Suitably sun-screened and lunch-packed, we headed South to the Mission Espada,stopping along the way to admire the old San Juan Aqueduct. We had lunch at the Mission Espada, siting on a bench in the mission grounds. Lovely! We then headed North on the other side of the river. The trail coming south was paved, but on the other side of the river was hard packed earth.. harder going on a full stomach in the hot sun, but we enjoyed the ride tremendously and stopped at the Mission San Juan on the way. All the missions have a similar story of being a means for Spain to 'occupy' the new world and spread Christianity to the 'indians'. The missions provided shelter and safety (from other tribes etc)  and food. They taught them new farming methods and taught them the Spanish language and other subjects in mission schools. On the surface it sounds good, and I won't go into the cultural harm and devastation the mission system caused to the indigenous populations in this huge area of the continent. Suffice it to say that no amount of sugar coating will make the mission system anything but what it was. Occupation by foreign lands, enforcing foreign cultural and religious practices upon its indigenous inhabitants for their own purposes. 
Anyway, it still makes for fascinating history and beautiful architectural relics for us to enjoy on our ride. We ended our ride back at the Mission San Jose (approx 20km) We were glad we only did half the trail so we can come back later this week for another ride to do the second (northern) half.  

Thur-Sun March 17 - 20th - Lisa and Mike and family visit

Thur-Sun March 17 - 20th Lisa and Mike and family visit

Thurs Mar 17th - Today we got ready for the weekend. We have Lisa and Mike and their grandson Brody coming for the weekend from North Austin. They are babysitting for Lisa's daughter Jehan and her partner Jason until Saturday afternoon. We are really excited about seeing them again. We decided that we should go to the Castroville cafe on Friday and then cook at the rig on Saturday for the whole gang when Jehan and Jason arrive to pick Brody up.  So we did all the shopping for the weekend and got the rig cleaned up inside. 
Friday Mar 18th - Lisa, Mike and Brody arrived  (with Charlie, their dog). So good to see them and get all caught up on the news (Jehan and Jason expecting - yey). They are thinking of moving further south toward Rockport some time in the next year. We had a lunch of cold-cuts and buns. Brody has grown so much since we saw him last.. he is a little boy now instead of a baby, but he is very big for 2 years old. He has an independent streak and can be quite a little imp, but he is so cute and adorable that you cant help but smile at him and want to hug him constantly. We all went to the Castroville cafe for dinner (no corkage, which is nice) and we all had a great meal. The highlight were the "N'awlins Shrimp", as in 'New Orleans"... wow... shrimp the size of small lobster tails, with perfect spices. Yum!! We decided to go to a huge flea market in San Antonio called Trader Village tomorrow morning. 
Saturday Mar 19th -Trader Village and BBQ
San Antonio Trader Village- oh my goodness.. it is a treasure hunters paradise. It is the biggest market we have ever seen. Everything from boots to bath soap. There were permanent vendors and people who just rent a spot to sell off stuff (a la garage sale). Janice bought a pair of stretchy pants. She wanted to try the round snacks they were selling in a huge bag (they pour hot sauce all over them...), can't remember the name of them but oh my gosh they are good, taste great, but probably not the healthiest of snacks... seems that way all the time don't it? 

Spent a few hours there walking around. Back at 3 and Jehan and Jason arrived. Derek cooked pork tenderloin on the BBQ, Janice did wonders with all the fixins, although not having brought a masher, the mashed potatoes were a challenge to prepare with a fork!!  The Dzuiks BBQ sauce from Castroville made the pork taste amazing, everyone said meal was “delish”. The chocolate 'almond joy' coconut macaroons from Haby's bakery were a hit with everyone.

Jehan and Jason took Brody home about 8 pm (Just south of Houston). Before they left they invited Derek and I to their home near Houston for Easter weekend next week. We accepted, with great joy.  Lisa and Mike stayed till 11.30 chatting, with a large portion of laughter thrown in.  Mike was drinking Chelada!! Bud light with Tomato juice (pre-mixed in a can)??? Okay he is a friend, so we will forgive him his weird taste in drinks!!! So good to catch up with good friends. Seems an eternity since we met in Austin,  Dec 10th 2012, both embarking on a new phase of our lives, they having sold up in Minnesota, leaving friends and family to move to Texas and live in their fifth wheel, and us having sold our house of 35 years and living full time for a while in our fifth wheel. So much has happened for us all in these last few years. 

Sunday Mar 20th - Wimberley

Another great day with great friends. We all decided to head to the small town of Wimberley, close to half way to Mike and Lisa's place, so we took both cars.  It was about 2 hours drive and well worth the effort. We thought Fredericksburg was a great place, but Wimberley gives it some competition.

Wimberley is filled with interesting stores and unique art.  The town was the scene of terrible and tragic flood devastation in May last year. Still lots of uprooted trees and remnants of the storm. We had  a delicious  lunch at the Leaning Pear…Wood oven Pizza and salad. Walked around town and then had Amy’s ice cream…from Austin…awesome. Bought a few unique gift items. Can't believe we haven’t been here before now!!  Around 5 o'clock we said our goodbyes to Lisa and Mike  and headed home, stopping at the edge of town to see the flood devastation… such a sad event and a reminder of the changing weather patterns that are affecting our world. 

Home around 7:30 and later Skyped with Evan and Kyle. Lovely day with good friends and ending with family. 

 

Wed Mar 9- Wed Mar 16 2016- hanging out and golf

Wednesday March 9 - Saturday March 12

Just a veg period. Weather began to turn bad, temperature dropped from mid twenty’s to 16 and the rains finally arrived, and it satyed for three days.  Did some basic stuff, water softener, roof seal, laundry etc Also binged on the last season of  Downton Abbey. Time also to update the blog and get some admin work done. We ordered a new camera to replace the one that disappeared in San Antonio. Got the same model so our extra batteries work with it.  (Amazon)  It arrived on Saturday. Went for dinner to Castroville Café on Friday. What a fabulous little restaurant.  Great steak for Derek and a huge fresh flounder for Janice. the bread with green Pesto/olive oil bread dipping was fantastic... couldn't resist taking a carrot cake home to savour later.
Did some grocery shopping on the weekend and cleaned the rig. The park filled up quite a bit over the weekend as March break begins. 
Sunday  - March 13 - Golf
Our first game of golf at the Alsatian Golf course .. we have been longing to play as we look out over the 13th tee from the RV resort pool. The course did not disappoint and we had a great game in beautiful sunny warm weather. In fact it was one of Janice's best games ever... one of those games that just keep you coming back. After the game we relaxed with a cold beer and BBQ'd some pork tenderloin. Humid overnight making sleep difficult.

Monday March 14
A day to enjoy the sun. We lazed by the pool, had a swim and Janice had a rather large Margarita, which came served with a mini bottle of gold tequila upturned in it... after they had already poured in a good measure at the bar... All this while Derek enjoyed his $2 draft... well not really (bud light).. he decided the switch to the $4 Shiner Bock... now that's better!! 

Tuesday March 15

Wow a misty sticky morning. Warm fog !

Went into SA and got the police report and filled out the RBC insurance claim for the camera. Having got a copy of the invoices etc from Duncan and Wright. What a beautiful day with a vivid sunset. 

Wednesday March 16 - Golf

Had another golfing day. Perfect weather. Game wasn't as good (score-wise), but the enjoyment factor was still way up there. We are booking through GolfNow and are paying only $20-$25 a round including the cart for a full 18 hole game. Janice lost a few balls this time but Derek go the record for losing three into water on one hole!!! He didn't think Janice's imitation of the breaststroke after the last splasher was quite as hilarious as she did.  We 'found' a few extra balls in the long grass along the way, so all was not lost as they say!   We had a good laugh. Pain killers are helping Janice get through the days, but it is concerning how quickly her back is deteriorating and how she now needs pain killers every day. But 'it is what it is' and she is dealing with it in in her own way. 

Tue Mar 1 - Tue Mar 8 2016.. Diane and Bern visit.

Tue Mar 1 - Wed Mar 9 2016.. Diane and Bern visit. 
Note: Camera went missing Mar 6th .. so no photographs ... sad!!

Tuesday March 1^st

Moved rig over to our month spot. Prep day for Diane and Bern coming tomorrow. Went grocery shopping into Hondo and got a few bits ready for their room. Really excited to see them both tomorrow. Forecast for heavy snow tonight and tomorrow morning. Hopefully they will be able to take off.

Wednesday Mar 2

Easy morning and then off to the airport to get Di and Bern. They delayed their flight to avoid the early morning snowy drive to the airport and all was well. Derek dropped Janice off at Arrivals to meet them and went to park the truck in the Cell phone lot to await their call. He promptly fell asleep with the ignition off  (he forgot the truck phone only works with the ignition on)…some time later he was loudly and unceremoniously awakened by Janice hammering on the window…oops  !!! Janice, Diane and Bern started walking when they couldn’t get Derek on the phone, and realizing it was a bit further than expected, they accepted a ride in a rather questionable airport employee’s truck… not the brightest thing to do, but it was almost a necessity. The snoozer was suitably shocked and apologetic!

Di and Bern settled into their room for a quick snooze, then we picked them up again and  brought them back to the RV park and we had a grilled BBQ chicken salad. Great to see them.

Thursday March 3

Beautiful sunny day so off we went to Fredericksburg. It is one of our favourite small towns with lots of great shopping. Sort of a Texan version of Niagara on the Lake. Walked around town for a while and then, after picking up some fresh Pecans just outside town, we headed to Becker's winery and vineyard for a tasting and a lovely picnic.  Fun day.

Friday March 4

Another fine day so the decision was to take in the San Antonio Botanical gardens. We had a lovely lunch there. Although March  is not the best time to visit a botanical gardens, they have done a great job maximizing the space with flowers and it was a great day. 

Saturday March 5

Went to Austin, Lunch at the Hilton grill then Di and Bern went on the duck bus tour while we enjoyed a walk about and a coffee.  Diane and Bern really enjoyed the duck tour and they had a great driver/guide. Dropped by Salt Lick on the return and had another fabulous Texas BBQ. Home quite late after tons of traffic and roadworks

Sunday March 6

Still no rain yet each day thunderstorms were forecast. Went in to San Antonio. First to the San Jose mission then, the Alamo and then settled down to late lunch at the Riverwalk. Di and Bern went on the boats, Janice and I went for a coffee, then realized that we had left the camera on a wall. It was gone. Have reported to the police but no expectation of getting it back.  All our photos for this year, including our trip so far have gone as we hadn’t uploaded them yet. Sad, but it was a wonderful day regardless

Had dinner back at the rig, shrimp marinara and pasta.

Monday March 7

Basically a local day to slow down a bit. Went on a great hike around the local regional park in Castroville and reached the cross at the top. Had coffee and cake at the Castroville café, must go back there! All restaurants seem to close on Mondays, so after much deliberation we ate at the Alsace. Food was excellent.

Tuesday March 8

Into Castroville for Bern to shop,  and then on the to the Natural Bridge caverns at New Braunfels. They were discovered in 1960 and are quite spectacular and interesting.  (photos courtesy of my Iphone). Then we drove to Gruene village for lunch by the river and a walkabout. Sadly in the early evening we dropped Diane and Bern at the La Quinta airport hotel, where they overnighted for their early morning flight home tomorrow. It is hard to believe that their week visiting with is over so soon. We had such a great time and enjoyed showing them some of the sights, sounds, smells, and tastes of Texas, as well as exploring some sights we have not seen ourselves.  Texas is a great state, such a varied landscape and friendly people.

OLD FRIENDS, GREAT FRIENDS

THE LAST SPOT THAT I LEFT MY CAMERA !!

INTREPID HIKERS

MADE IT TO THE TOP

WE DID IT

PROUD MOMENT

NATURAL CAVERNS IN NEW BRAUNFELS

CHANDELIER FORMATIONS

SO BEAUTIFUL

WELL DESERVED AND YUMMY LUNCH - GRUENE

DELICIOUS CHICKEN FRIED STEAK

CACTI IN TOWN - GRUENE

HANGING OUT IN GRUENE