Texas and California

 At Galveston's north end is the Bolivar Ferry, which carries cars and pedestrians over to the mainland and back continually.  It's a fun trip and for Meg and me while in school here back in ...... it was a "cheap date!"

We drove over and spent the day birding and nature-watching at Anahuac Wildlife Sanctuary.Meg and her Dad

Now, tell me the truth, how many of you knew Texas had alligators?  We saw several that day, along with many varieties of birds.

Though Texas is known for its barbecue, its pits are seldom noteworthy!  I found this sign interesting:

What's this?  Stonehenge? In Texas?

Yep, it's Stonehenge II, a creation of two guys who just had a crazy idea and fashioned this out of concrete and wire.

 Highland Games are always high on our list and the San Antonio games are held every April in Helotes.  Our Scottish dancers perform and there's always lovely music to enjoy.  Here's Caili, one of our dancers, entertaining the crowd with her violin and voice.

We went to a "muster" of military RVer's and invited our own WWII vet to come along. Here are two 90+ year olds regaling each other and us with stories of the war.  Neat time! 

Carl used to live nearby and this lady, Margie,  the owner of the RV park, was a frequent visitor in his home as a little girl.  Nice reunion!

In April we flew to California for a week to visit with Sabrina and be there for a play that she was in. 

Josh and Bina just "chilaxin" a while!

A little welcome back to California at a local Mexican restaurant.                                                                                    Sabrina's newest roomie.

Along with some of our best friends there: Josh and Heidi. 

Meg found "Thurman Ally"; not sure about the story but they spelled her maiden name right.

Sign in a men's restroom:    

Interesting thought for the smokers out there!!

The play was "The Mouse That Roared", which you might remember from its movie version with Peter Sellers.

The play was a perfect delight, carried off professionally by a cast and crew that appeared to have a lot of fun together.

Before flying home we spent one more day at the Huntington Gardens and Library, a perfectly wonderful oasis of beauty in the Pasadena area.

At the entrance to the Chinese Garden

The library is a repository of some of America's most famous paintings, including these of our Founding Father:

Just before leaving we happened upon a few of the local flock of green parrots, escapees from times past, that now live in California, as well as south Texas and Florida.  A beautiful documentary by Mark Bittner of the Wild Parrots of Telegraph Hill, in San Francisco, is well worth your time.  His personal blog makes interesting reading as well.