IN TEXAS

WHEN WE LEFT LOUISIANA WE WENT TO SPEND A COUPLE OF DAYS IN DALLAS TEXAS. WE VISITED MY COUSIN BETTY AND HER HUSBAND GEORGE. THEY ARE WONDERFUL PEOPLE.  WE HAD DINNER WITH BETTY;S DAUGHTER( MY SECOND COUSIN OF COURSE) WENDY. HER DAUGHTERS JAMIE AND MEG WERE THERE ALSO. WHAT A NICE FAMILY. I AM BLESSED WITH GREAT RELATIVES. THE NEXT DAY WE HAD A TOUR OF DALLAS. WENT TO THE TEXAS SCHOOL BOOK DEPOSITORY,TOOK LOTS OF PICTURES AND TOURED THE MUSEUM. WE SAW SOUTHFORK AND THEN WENT TO DINNER. THE CHRISTMAS LIGHT SHOW IN FRISCO CENTER WAS FANTASTIC.
   WE HAD TO LEAVE EARLY THE NEXT MORNING TO GO TO ARLINGTON TO PICK UP A NEW TOW BAR FOR THE CAR. THEN WE DROVE 500 MILES TO EDINBURG TEXAS.  WE STAYED AT THE LAZY PALMS RANCH. IT WAS JUST A PLAIN OL CAMPGROUND.  WE FOUND THAT EVERYTHING DOWN HERE IS A RANCH.  IF YOU OWN A HOUSE LOT OR 10,000 ACRES IT IS A RANCH.  THE WEATHER WAS GREAT. COOL NIGHTS AND WARM DAYS. LOTS OF FIRE ANTS,SNAKES AND DUST.  WHILE DOWN HERE WE SAW A COUPLE OF WILDLIFE PRESERVES AND WENT TO SOUTH PADRE ISLAND.
   TEXAS IS VAST AND DRY. WE BOONDOCKED IN SANANTONIO AND THEN WENT TO TERLINQUE. THIS IS A SMALL ONE HORSE TOWN. BIG BEND NATIONAL PARK IS HERE. THE PARK IS IMPRESSIVE. SHADES OF BROWNS AND REDS AND YELLOWS. HIGH MOUNTAIN CLIFFS. WE SAW ONLY 2 ROADRUNNERS WHILE WE WERE HERE. WE WILL SPEND CHRISTMAS HERE AND MOVE ONTO TUCSON.  THERE IS A DROUGHT HERE AND THERE IS NO WATER IN ANY RIVER EXCEPT THE RIO GRANDE.  WENT ON A BACK ROAD WITH THE CAR. WAS PRAYING THE WHOLE TIME THAT WE WOULD MAKE IT.  I WILL GO TO CHURCH , AND I WANT TO GO TO CHRISTMAS MASS. THE CLOSEST CATHOLIC CHURCH IS 67 MILES AWAY. BETTER BRING A LUNCH. 
TEXAS IS NOT ALL FLAT, BUT YOU CAN DRIVE FOR MILES AND MILES WITHOUT SEEING A HOUSE OR EVEN ANOTHER CAR.  IF SOMTHING HAPPENED IT WOULD BE HOURS OR EVEN DAYS BEFORE YOU WERE HELPED. NOT A PRETTY STATE BUT VERY IMPRESSIVE.

MORE PICTURES OF DALLAS. SCULPTURS IN BUSINESS DISTRICT OF CATTLE HERDING. ALL LIFE SIZE.

MORE PICTURES OF LOUISANA AND TEXAS

THESE ARE SOME PICTURES OF LOUISANA AND TEXAS.

LOUISIANNA

WELL WHEN WE WERE IN MISSISSIPPI WE DROVE EVERYWHERE. WE WENT TO THE JOHNSON SPACE STATION WHERE A REPLICA OF APOLLO 13 WAS. THE SPACE STATION WAS AN EDUCATION CENTER. THEY SHOWED WHAT THE FUTURE WILL BE FOR THE SPACE PROGRAM. THE STATION WAS NEW AND WAS DEDICATED BY FRED HAIZE FROM APOLLO 13.
   WE ALSO DROVE ALONG THE BEACH. THERE WERE SCULPTURES FROM A LOT OF DEAD TREES THAT WERE KILLED BY KATRINA. A LOCAL ARTIST CARVES LOCAL WILDLIFE FROM THE BRANCHES.
   AFTER 2 WEEKS IN MISSISSIPPI WE WENT TO LOUISANNA.  WE STAYED AT OPELUSASIS FOR A COUPLE OF DAYS. THEN WE MOVED TO POUCHES FISH CAMP. OREANA LOVED THIS PLACE. THERE WERE FOUR MAN MADE LARGE PONDS THAT WERE STACKED WITH LOTS OF FISH. THE BIRDS WERE ALL OVER THE PLACE. EGRETS, BLUE HERONS, GREAT WHITE HERONS, IBSIS DUCKS, JUST TO NAME A FEW.  WE SAW LOTS OF SUGAR CANE, WE WENT ON SWAMP TOURS. LEARNED THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN  A BAYOU AND A SWAMP. SAW ALLIGATORS AND THERE WERE A LOT OF DUCK BLINDS IN THE MIDDLE OF THE LAKE.  WENT TO SEE EVANGELINE,S TREE. LOTS OF FRENCH DOWN HERE. STREETS WERE NAMES RUE,S ETC.
  WENT TO MELROSE PLANTATION ON THE CANE RIVER. LOTS OF HISTORY. 300 YEAR OLD TREES WERE EVERYWHERE. THE PLANTATION WAS A SMALL CITY IN ITSELF. EACH HOUSE HAD STORAGE( THE AFRICAN HOUSE) THE WEAVING HOUSE, THE SMOKE HOUSE. THE SCHOOL HOUSE THE SLAVE QUARTERS, STABLES, REPAIR HOUSE FOR BIGHOUSE AND FARM REPAIRS. IT WAS A REAL EDUCATION HOW PEOPLE LIVED YEARS AGO.
  WE WENT TO ST AUGUSTINE'S CHURCH WHERE THE WEDDING SCENE FOR THE MOVIS STEEL MAGNOLIA;S WAS SHOT.

  WE THEN WENT TO NATCHITASIS LA.  THERE WAS A SMALL POND AT THE COUNTRY LIVING CAMPGROUND. SNAKES ALL AROUND AND THE POND HAD 2 ALLIGATORS. NATCHITASIS HAD A CHRISTMAS FESTIVAL OF LIGHTS. THE DOWNTOWN WAS LIKE A SOUTHERN NEWBURYPORT.