RJ is starting to take hockey lessons!
On Jan. 3rd, we went to see Donna's new office
in the Longworth Building.
Bob and I had tickets to watch Donna's swearing-in
and the election of the new Speaker-of-the-House.
The kids and Donna in her office
We met cousin Jade
Jade, Jett, and their dad Mark
are part of the Buffalo branch of the family!
Donna with Sara, RJ, and Julia
Cousins at the reception: Sara, Debbie, Diane, Sean, Bob,
Donna with Julia and RJ, Jett, and Mark. Debbie and Mark
are brother and sister. Sean is from the Cleveland East Side
branch of the family.
We drove through three states to get to DC
and back
to Cleveland on Jan. 4th.
We flew to Texas on Jan. 5th
and discovered that the shrubs Bob planted
had survived the summer and fall.
Our first expedition was, of course,
to the Padre Island Brewery.
I ordered the kale salad!
On Friday Jan. 11th the gang headed to Mexico.
Jerry got a "boot shine" at the Alley Bar.
We ventured to Port Isabel on the 12th
for the Causeway Walk to South Padre Island.
It was almost four miles from start to finish.
We celebrated with breakfast at Yummie's.
Diane, Wendy, Bob, Dennis, Nancy, and Jerry.
I "shot" the Eclipse last night.
:-)
After playing pickleball in Brownsville this morning,
we decided to drive to Boca Chica to see the
SpaceX rocket that was supposed to be launched
in four to five weeks. Photos below show what happened!
Big windstorm last night...blew the rocket right off the base!
Blue--rocket on the left; silver base on the right.
Doesn't look like there will be a launch in February!
Site of the launch pad down the road from the
rocket construction. This pad is barely started.
We went down to the beach on the Gulf of Mexico....
Pretty windy...not really a beach day. :-)
On Friday, the 25th, we went to a fundraiser
for the La Feria Fire Department.
The next day we sang along with ABBA FAB
On the 27th, we headed north to visit Mikki and John.
Diane and Mikki taught together in Germany
and had not seen each other since 1977!
Inside there's plenty of fun--note the firemen's pole
from the loft to the main floor! :-)
The Bunkhouse provides more space for family and guests.
John and Mikki's favorite restaurant.
Back yard
Bob on the awesome deck
Thanks to John, we woke to a warm fire one morning.
Dining room big enough for all the kids and grandkids..
With great sunshiny weather,
they took us on a tour of the Hill Country.
First, we went to the Kendalia General Store.
Hill Billyz was closed, but as luck had it,
Billy came by to do some work and let us in.
There is food, music, and dancing on weekends here.
Billy's wheels..inside.
Of course, we had to stop in Sisterdale
at the Winery
I think every spot in the hills has a dance hall
and some "refreshment." This wine was "resting."
Great spot for sorting bolts...
This pic's for Jane who sorted out
Bob's bolts when she and Mary Jo
came to the farm!
We didn't want to miss Luckenbach,
but Willie Nelson and Waylon Jennings
were here only in spirit.
Mikki said that years ago, the musicians would
drop in unannounced once in a while.
Took advantage of the Kissing Booth....
and were entertained by the local musicians.
The rooster outside was competing with the music inside.
Jack (Mikki's first husband) came for coffee the morning we left.
He was an insurance rep in Germany and went to UND.
Bob, John, Mikki, and Jack
Of course, Jack had his UND Sioux Alumni
license plate holder on his car.
Thanks for a great time, John and Mikki
Love the "Adios, Y'all" sign :-)
and drove out to the LBJ Ranch after that.
They called it the "Texas White House" because he had
many meetings out here, including some in the pool.
The tour guide said LBJ spent 490 days here during
his tenure as President.
Bob and LBJ's Corvette...
and "Air Force One-half"
Lady Bird, LBJ, and Diane :-)
After driving through Austin traffic,
we found the LBJ Library and learned a lot of history.
LBJ's presidential limo
Leaving Austin at 5 p.m. is probably not a great idea.
The city has grown exponentially, but the roads have not!
The next day we toured the USS Lexington
aircraft carrier up on the deck with the planes.
Our timing was perfect--the rain began after we got inside.
So, we went to the living quarters down below,
Engine room,
and food service areas. Can't imagine living on a ship;
I got claustrophobic just touring down below the main deck.
The Rising Sun flag at the top indicates where a
Japanese kamikaze hit the ship during WW II.
I thought most of the oil activity was in the western part of Texas,
but we spotted this huge refinery just outside Corpus Christi.
Took the pic through the raindrops on our vehicle window
on our way back to La Feria, our winter home. :-)
We drove through three states to get to DC
and back
to Cleveland on Jan. 4th.
and discovered that the shrubs Bob planted
had survived the summer and fall.
to the Padre Island Brewery.
Jerry got a "boot shine" at the Alley Bar.
The guys all had pedicures.
We ventured to Port Isabel on the 12th
for the Causeway Walk to South Padre Island.
It was almost four miles from start to finish.
Diane, Wendy, Bob, Dennis, Nancy, and Jerry.
After playing pickleball in Brownsville this morning,
we decided to drive to Boca Chica to see the
SpaceX rocket that was supposed to be launched
in four to five weeks. Photos below show what happened!
Blue--rocket on the left; silver base on the right.
rocket construction. This pad is barely started.
We went down to the beach on the Gulf of Mexico....
for the La Feria Fire Department.
Diane and Mikki taught together in Germany
and had not seen each other since 1977!
John built an awesome home in the Texas Hill Country.
This is the playhouse.
Inside there's plenty of fun--note the firemen's pole
from the loft to the main floor! :-)
The Bunkhouse provides more space for family and guests.
they took us on a tour of the Hill Country.
Billy came by to do some work and let us in.
This pic's for Jane who sorted out
Bob's bolts when she and Mary Jo
came to the farm!
but Willie Nelson and Waylon Jennings
were here only in spirit.
Mikki said that years ago, the musicians would
drop in unannounced once in a while.
He was an insurance rep in Germany and went to UND.
license plate holder on his car.
We then headed to Johnson City to see LBJ's childhood home
and drove out to the LBJ Ranch after that.
They called it the "Texas White House" because he had
many meetings out here, including some in the pool.
The tour guide said LBJ spent 490 days here during
his tenure as President.
we found the LBJ Library and learned a lot of history.
Images of LBJ with other famous people
The museum was on three floors; most of the rest
of the building was the archives--note the red files above.
The city has grown exponentially, but the roads have not!
We stayed at San Marcos that night on the way to San Antonio
and had Texas waffles for breakfast! How cool is that!
We took a tour of San Antonio, ate at Augie's BBQ,
and walked the River Walk. The weather was 40 degrees,
and no one was down by the river (not even in a van).
I forgot to take pics down there.
Then we headed to Corpus Christi.
So, we went to the living quarters down below,
the dentist's office, (Ouch!)
I got claustrophobic just touring down below the main deck.
Japanese kamikaze hit the ship during WW II.
but we spotted this huge refinery just outside Corpus Christi.
Took the pic through the raindrops on our vehicle window
on our way back to La Feria, our winter home. :-)
