The little town of Lamar, TX

This week, McGyver and I visited Lamar…It is a VERY small town, consisting of the Lamar Fire Dept., the Lamar Cemetery, and the Stella Maris Catholic Church..all part of a wide spot in the road just past Goose Island State Park. 

This little church is Stella Maris Catholic Church, and was founded and built in 1858, but not originally built on this spot.  It was built on another property in Lamar.  After being shelled by Union troops in the Civil War (sustaining little damage and surviving), it was badly damaged by a hurricane in 1919.  After repairs and restoration in the 1930’s , it was finally moved to this spot, next to the Lamar Cemetery, in 1986.    For more extensive info about Lamar, I have provided a link….Lots to be learned here…

“Founded in 1839,  Lamar became the first coastal town in (what was then) Refugio County.
Lamar's star rose and it became prosperous- that is,  until the town was destroyed by Union forces during the Civil War. Only a few shellcrete foundations remained.”..Most all of the homes and buildings built at that time were built on foundations made of this “shellcrete”, which is a mixture of crushed shells, sand, burned shell ashes and water (kind of like having a shell beach supporting your house …Below is a portion of the foundation that was under the Stella Maris Catholic Church..

Just across from the little church is the Lamar Cemetery…After getting help from McGyver opening the heavy gate, we walked in and toured this great old local resting place..

Above, right are the graves of Lydia Ann Hull Wells and James Babbage Wells, Sr., parents of Jim Wells, Jr., lawyer for the King Ranch Interests and namesake of Jim Wells County.

Having lived in a cemetery most of my teenage years, (you didn’t know that??, here is a link to my blog about "living" amongst the dead), I have a real interest in old cemeteries…and much reverence for those who are resting there..We walked all over and observed some very unique stones, and some names rich in history..

Above, left, Dennis is studying the graves of the Kroeger family. Here is a little info about this cemetery.  “This burial ground originally served pioneer settlers of the Lamar community. Founded by James W. Byrne (d. 1865), a native of Ireland and a veteran of the Texas Revolution, it was named for his friend Mirabeau B. Lamar, former president of the Republic of Texas. The earliest grave is that of Patrick O'Connor (1822-54), a bookkeeper for Byrne's business operations in New Orleans. The town of Lamar ceased to exist by 1915 and the cemetery was neglected until the 1940s when it was restored through efforts by the family of John Henry Kroeger, Jr. (d. 1944).”

Notice how the spelling of the last name changed from Kreoger, to Kroeger…and the stone on the right bears the Byrne name, the same as the founder of this cemetery..Yep, I was touching everything and channeling history everywhere..We also found a few interesting sayings engraved on a few of the stones…making us smile…

 

 

That is a wagon wheel in the middle of the Warren stone…Check out the saying at the bottom…”THIS IS WHERE RED AND ALICE STOPPED ROLLING”….Ya just gotta love it…or maybe it’s just my sense of humor….

 

 

 

 

 

This was found on the back of one of the family stones…If you cannot quite make it out, it says “ALWAYS TRUST YOUR CAPE”….This makes me think of what profound statement I would put on my own grave marker..HMMMM…food for thought, eh?

Well, I’m sure you are tired of touring tombstones.   Lamar has it’s lively and fun side, too..This month is the 10th annual LaMardiGras, held right here across from the cemetery and church at the Lamar Volunteer Fire Dept.

We will be gone when it takes place this year, but we did go to the 5th annual LaMardiGras, when we stayed at Goose Island in 2007..Here are a few photos of it…beer and food tent, music, dancing…and lots of beads..

You may recognize the very tall, dark and handsome man in the left photo…the one with a beer in his hand..The photo on the right are the firemen who were cooking brisket and ribs as fast as you could eat them…LOTS of fun here!!

OK, I realized we have a couple new peeps in the truck again..Welcome to Forrest the Printer, and Happy Trails (Chuck and Geri)….The Cave Dwellings can be a crazy ride, so buckle up and hang on tight!…  and as for me…my butt hurts from spending waaaay too much time in front of the computer…which I might blog about at a later date!!

Definition of a computer “bug”…per Dave Barry:

BUG… “A cute little humorous term used to explain why the computer had your Shipping Department send 150 highly sophisticated jet-fighter servomotors, worth over $26,000 apiece, to fishermen in the Ryuku Islands, who are using them as anchors.”

RV Cleaning Tips From Someone Who HATES Cleaning!

Today is “dump and clean” day…I choose not to dump, and let McGyver do that…I also choose NOT to clean, however there is no one to delegate that duty to, soooooooo…I succumb to the job of housekeeper/cleaning lady.. Definitely NOT my favorite, but hey, this is a small RV right??  Get on with it, I say!  And because I was at a loss for a blog topic (we have been housebound in the rain for 2 days), I decided to share with you a few of my favorite cleaning tools and tricks to get this over with fast..Yes, I will do anything for a blog!

 

My Swiffer 360 degree Duster..I can clean faster than a speeding bullet with this thing…and without a cape! And then there is my favorite shower cleaner, Scrubbing Bubbles Mega Shower FOAMER… With a name like this, you would think the darn thing would do it all without me…Well, almost..All I do is spray it all over our shower walls, let it sit for a minute (time to refill the coffee cup and grab a donut), then spray the walls with hot water from the shower.  This ONLY works if you have a removable head (shower, that is)..Ya gotta be able to take that little hose and aim it at the walls….This is where I think McGyver should be doing my job..A Hose Captain of  the Sandwich Fire Dept. is better qualified to get this done…right??.OK…wrong.

 

See that little hanger with the clips on it?…INVALUABLE!! After scrubbing off the shower mat, you rinse it with the removable shower head and hang it up to dry..This allows your shower floor to dry out, so black slimy things can’t grow..It ‘s also helpful to turn on  your overhead shower fan and open the vent…Those shower walls and mat dry out great,  and here’s  a bonus… you might catch a few bugs in the fan and watch them go around and around…Cleaning and extermination all in one job!! I know, I know..GENIOUS!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

What we have here is Clorox spray Clean-Up Cleanser with Bleach…Yes, I did say bleach..Now, before you go and using this stuff, please read the rules for cleaning your RV sinks…You can use this on ours…but, I don’t want a thousand nasty comments saying I ruined your sinks…(that was my disclaimer)..The reason I love this stuff is that it really helps get any coffee or tea stains out of the sink and drainer…I also spray my tupper ware dishpan and the drainer , then use a toothbrush to really get the gunk out…(I DO try to keep all coffee water in the dishpan and toss it outside..but that’s exactly what got my feet into trouble with our big step at the bottom of the RV..)

 

 

 

Ya know, sometimes I crack myself up at just how desperate I am to find a subject to make fun of…I apologize for the first half of this blog…HMMMM…No I don’t…You know me well enough by now to know how pathetic I can get.

I actually did get out for a little bike ride in the park today…(I refrain from walking with Dennis, as my feet are still in the healing process and he walks too damn fast!)..Guess who I spotted again this morning??

At first, Mr. Spoonbill was ignoring me, but I think he actually recognized me by  the bicycle, the jumping up and down, and the frantic waving…So, he posed…I also got myself a few other neat bird photos this morning…Bear with me, bird photo cringers, I just cannot help myself..

Not really sure what the guy on the left is…Maybe the tri-colored Heron?? (OK, I’m clueless!).  I’m getting pretty good at my covert stealth approach , gliding quietly through the grass on my old lady bike, hobbling off of it and sneaking through the dense underbrush with my camera poised for the good shot…James Audubon ..eat your bird loving little heart out!!

Yea, I know..this was a senseless effort.  Another example of Donna, flying by the seat of her “happy pants”….I just refused to let a blog slip by due to boredom…and YOU, my dear bloggers friends, are the ones who suffer!! 

“Who was the first person to say, "See that chicken over there ... I'm gonna eat the first thing that comes out if its butt"?” ~haven’t a clue who said it, but I laughed MY butt off!!

 

“THE 4 D’S”..a comedy act in the making.

Yesterday McGyver and I finally got to meet Denise and Dawn a.k.a.  The Cruzin 2some, and we were not surprised to find out that they are just about THE best time ever!!  We met at Alice Faye’s and had a very happy “happy hour”…actually more like a “comedy hour”..We laughed most of the time..Dawn and Denise, you two are some of the most fun campers ever !..and we had a fabulous time..Hope to see you again down the road…and thanks for the memories!!

Dawn was traveling incognito….Do we look like we were having fun..YOU BETCHA!!

McGyver was outnumbered at this party….and LOVED IT…Not sure what this Alice Faye’s bus is for, but if there’s a road trip planned , we four wanta know about it!

 

 

Dennis and Denise (not much difference in the names, right?) were playing at dueling photos…

After almost 2 hours, we figured we had caused enough trouble for poor Alice Faye, if there really is one,  and cleared out…A few hugs later, we separated…knowing we  had met 2 more wonderful blogger friends…It takes a  “hoot” to know a “hoot”, and you two were a real hoot!!

 

 

It’s a very pretty coastal drive on Fulton Beach Rd back to the Hiker..The Live Oaks are all leaning and windswept from the prevailing breeze off the Gulf…

 

This morning, I opted for a bike ride instead of a 2 mile walk…I think I overdid it Friday AM, thinking I could walk off the pain…WRONG!..I walked it right back on..So I let McGyver stride off by himself, and I took my bike out for a spin.  I wanted to go back to the residential are where we spotted the Roseate Spoonbill…

 

 

There are some very different styles of architecture here on the bay. The top left house was quite like a Victorian home you might see back in Illinois, except it was up higher in the air….  Then we have the very modern beach cottage  house, upper right…

I loved this last house on the right>  Right across the street from the bay, and also built up higher than the inland homes…Most of the coastal homes come with their own pier too. Can we just retire here?? At least you get some notice about approaching hurricanes…not so in Tornado Alley.

I pedaled my behind back by the inland lagoon where we saw all the birds yesterday and..at first..I thought I was coming up a big ZERO.  However, as I rode further, I spotted this dude flying over head and landing in a tree not far from me…

I really like the “do” on this guy…Is it a flirty little curl..or a very bad comb over??

It was threatening rain again today, and Den pulled out the awning so we could have our coffee outside.

 

Those pieces of wood on the ground are some Den put down so we can stay out of the mud if it rains…This area can turn into a real mud hole when wet…You oughta see me navigating my way across these boards..Is McGyver deliberately challenging me?? How much life insurance do I REALLY have, anyway??

 

..and speaking of life insurance, do these guys know my worth?

I really hate it when the Vultures pretend they don’t see us old people…turning their backs, ..hiding their heads..

YOU KNOW DAMN WELL THEY ARE FOLLOWING OUR EVERY MOVE..HOPING FOR SOMEONE TO DROP !!

 

 

I just realized these last 2 pictures look like something out of “Dracula”…or “House On Haunted Hill”…..No, that is not the moon at left..it is the sun trying to break the wispy bonds of the clouds this morning…(now, how’s THAT for waxing poetic??)

HAD ENOUGH YET?? I THOUGHT SO!! THANKS FOR READING, THO.

 “If a man watches three football games in a row, he should be declared legally dead.”
-- Erma Bombeck

THE AGONY OF “DE FEET”…

You may have noticed that I have a blogsite link on the sidebar of our blog… “Terrie Heiser Designs”…this would be THE Terrie Heiser who was Terrie Cave, our oldest daughter..She has always had a knack for decorating, and decided to try out a small business helping others who want to decorate “on a budget”…Let me just say, Terrie is the Queen of budget!! Check it out…she has some great ideas..

 

These pelicans are all lined up hoping that those men cleaning their fish will throw some left overs their way…Looks like the chow line at an “all you can eat” cafeteria to me.

 

 

 

 

 

I notice we got some new followers, Dean and Valerie who have a home base in the Southwest and zip around on lots of RV trips in their retirement…Welcome to the insanity of the Cave Dwellers…and don’t be scared..OK, be scared.

We have had some pretty foggy mornings here on the Gulf Coast.  It is like riding through a light misty carwash on my bike rides..

Usually this fog burns off by noon.  I have been riding my bike instead of walking jogging along side McGyver every day.  We also take a bike ride in the afternoon, and yesterday we rode outside the park into the residential area on the bay..I took the camera as an afterthought…and boy, am I glad I did…As we were riding along by a small inland lagoon, I spotted something pink ….

 

JUDY, JUDY, JUDY!!!!! I spot a Roseate Spoonbill…WHAT A SCORE FOR A JR. BIRD NERD!!!!! Sorry the pictures aren’t better,..and no, he is NOT standing on a duck, he is behind a duck..AND WOULD YA JUST LOOK AT ALL THOSE GREAT DUCKS, TOO!!

 

 

 

 

While I was jumping up and down and screaming at Dennis to come back, (he was ahead of me as usual), I happened to see this dude about to fluff up his wings and I just managed to “squeeze one off”..No, all you kids with Jr. HS humor in mind, that is NOT what you think. I squeezed off a PHOTO, A PHOTO!!!…and a fairly good one too!

 

I could have stayed there all day and watched this beauty…Rest assured we will be riding our bike that way in the future, too!

 

 

 

Thanks for all the kind words about my swan dive off the camper step…I am sore, but nothing is broken…and now I am beginning to see some swelling and bruising….WARNING! If you don’t like feet, especially with blue toenails, close your eyes as you move down…

Left foot damage top of foot, over the big toe….Right foot is a bluish puff ball along the right side….Hey, bruising and swelling + limping = sympathy…Oh yeah, I am milking it for all it’s worth…(Yes, that is a tattoo you see..and I have one on the other leg, too…Should come as no surprise to most of you)…

Dennis and I are very excited to meet some bloggers who are here in) Rockport/Fulton area…You may also follow  Dawn and Denise, they are fairly new to full timing and we really enjoy reading about their adventures and mis adventures…Well, we are meeting them for a “Happy Hour” at Alice Fayes’ On The Bay tomorrow afternoon….

CAN’T WAIT TO MEET YOU TWO…!!

REMEMBER, WHAT HAPPENS AT ALICE FAYE’S STAYS AT ALICE FAYE’S!

OK, I have sufficiently grossed out 90% of my followers with “feet fotos”, and alienated the other 10%, I’m sure, with the “squeeze one out” joke…Sorry, but that’s how I roll…See y’all soon and a big thanks to our family members for  probably being the only peeps have read this far..…

 

 

 

AND…AS IF I DIDN’T GROSS YOU OUT ENOUGH………..>>>>>>>>>>

 

 

 

 

“Style is knowing who you are, what you want to say, and not giving a damn.” ~ Gore Vidal