To everyone near or far from this secret location undeneath the umbrella of the Houston metroplex, Merry Christmas, and Have a Happy New Years! Saying "Happy Holidays" is for wimps. When I want to say something, folks, I don't mess around.
Friday, December 25, 2009
Merry Christmas!!!
To everyone near or far from this secret location undeneath the umbrella of the Houston metroplex, Merry Christmas, and Have a Happy New Years! Saying "Happy Holidays" is for wimps. When I want to say something, folks, I don't mess around.
Tuesday, December 22, 2009
Divine Intervention
Did you ever get the Christmas blues so bad that you couldn't shake'em no matter how hard you tried? I've found out that examining yourself inside, down deep, taking a couple of days to do it, talking to God, and talk to someone you trust really helps.
Wednesday, December 9, 2009
A Tale of Four Elements Pt. 7 & Finale
Got an early start on the day. We picked up, packed up, and prepared to move out. After I came down from the loft (I will never do that again) I proceeded to have a Grand Mal seizure. Thank God that I was safely on the good ol' terra firma before I had it, because like most of them, I am unnaturally sensitive, and yes, I was conscious for this one. Each seizure is it's own individual world of hurt, and no two are the same. That's just the way it is. As soon as I was able (aka 20-30 min) I got back in the game and continued to help in packing up.
I barely got some oatmeal down my stomach and was able to stand, maybe walk, when dad was ready to get the truck and trailer, meaning I was to go with him and M.
Now, it's not a long ride into Livingston from the state park, it's just a matter of finding the Uhaul place. After 5-10 minutes of looking, we finally find the place, only there's no building. All I saw was a newly-built half modular building up on cinder blocks with no a/c which I could have really used then, because I was starting to get nauseated for some reason. My mom once told how she found I was so hot-natured (body-temp). In '88 my parents had a picture taken of them in period dress, holding me (also in costume). There was little to no breeze that day, and you can tell how happy I am because of the waterworks dripping from the costume. I had no a/c on me, plus, no breeze. In short, I hate being hot. I think that played a part into my nausea, but the rest of the players were my meds. It took dad 15 minutes to secure truck and trailer, but that didn't really matter at the moment. What mattered was if there was a was a trashcan I could upchuck in if I had to. Finally, we were outta' there, Dad and I in the truck, and M driving the van. I'm not fond of Matt driving anything but his Mustang. Safe to say, we got back in one piece, and yes, I kept my all of my cookies where they belonged.
This is where I might lose you. I felt like the presence of the two elderly women across the road, well, were not all they might have shown themselves to be. I as a Christian am steeped in the Bible, and I believe we might have been neighbors with guardian angels for a few days. I just have a gut feeling. Their timing was impeccable for the whole time we were there. Take this any which way you want. As for me, I think God was in that place the whole time, but that's just me.
Finally saw the National bird, the Bald Eagle. perched atop a 50 ft tree. And here was I thinkin' I was going to have to go all the way up to Alaska to see them.
We're out of the shelter ahead of time about 11:30ish-12p and on the road for good, having enjoyed each other's company about as much as we do at home, only we don't have too many electronics out here. That's what camping's all about. Whoops! Didn't pack something? Adapt. That's the name of the game. That's the fun in camping is when you get to adapt and change things when the presise instrument is out to lunch. How we beat all four elements is a miracle, but it took the whole family. In short IT WAS A TEAM EFFORT!!! THANKS GUYS!!!
I barely got some oatmeal down my stomach and was able to stand, maybe walk, when dad was ready to get the truck and trailer, meaning I was to go with him and M.
Now, it's not a long ride into Livingston from the state park, it's just a matter of finding the Uhaul place. After 5-10 minutes of looking, we finally find the place, only there's no building. All I saw was a newly-built half modular building up on cinder blocks with no a/c which I could have really used then, because I was starting to get nauseated for some reason. My mom once told how she found I was so hot-natured (body-temp). In '88 my parents had a picture taken of them in period dress, holding me (also in costume). There was little to no breeze that day, and you can tell how happy I am because of the waterworks dripping from the costume. I had no a/c on me, plus, no breeze. In short, I hate being hot. I think that played a part into my nausea, but the rest of the players were my meds. It took dad 15 minutes to secure truck and trailer, but that didn't really matter at the moment. What mattered was if there was a was a trashcan I could upchuck in if I had to. Finally, we were outta' there, Dad and I in the truck, and M driving the van. I'm not fond of Matt driving anything but his Mustang. Safe to say, we got back in one piece, and yes, I kept my all of my cookies where they belonged.
This is where I might lose you. I felt like the presence of the two elderly women across the road, well, were not all they might have shown themselves to be. I as a Christian am steeped in the Bible, and I believe we might have been neighbors with guardian angels for a few days. I just have a gut feeling. Their timing was impeccable for the whole time we were there. Take this any which way you want. As for me, I think God was in that place the whole time, but that's just me.
Finally saw the National bird, the Bald Eagle. perched atop a 50 ft tree. And here was I thinkin' I was going to have to go all the way up to Alaska to see them.
We're out of the shelter ahead of time about 11:30ish-12p and on the road for good, having enjoyed each other's company about as much as we do at home, only we don't have too many electronics out here. That's what camping's all about. Whoops! Didn't pack something? Adapt. That's the name of the game. That's the fun in camping is when you get to adapt and change things when the presise instrument is out to lunch. How we beat all four elements is a miracle, but it took the whole family. In short IT WAS A TEAM EFFORT!!! THANKS GUYS!!!
Tuesday, December 8, 2009
A Tale of Four Elements Pt. 6
We had a brief breakfast to start day 6 of our expedition at Lake Livingston S.P. Dad, Dan, and Matt really needed to quicktime it on the repairs to that truck, but mom had traced out a pattern of the of one of the radiator's thingamabobs (yeah, flunked car anatomy 101, too). Really not trying to become permanent inhabitents of the park or notify our next of kin; we were just trying to enjoy our vacation, which is what led me take a shower after breakfast. As soon as this was done, I stepped outside the restrooms and I thought I saw a 'coon, only it wasn't. It had the body and colory of a long house cat, and tail of a raccoon. I haven't researched this creature yet, but with my inquisitive nature, you can be sure I will.
Ok. Car update. Filter failed. All we can think of at this time is a tow truck. Now the choice is logically Triple A, in fact, my mom gets all the through to the office in Livingston, but the call is cut off just in time for me to have an epiphany- Why not rent a small truck and trailer to get our things home? Boom! Instant success! Less expensive than a full-year plan. I couldn't help feelin' kinda' proud of myself, since everyone but yours truely had gotten involved with that truck, I finally jumped in at the last. I guess it was a "Family" campout after all. It all matters in how you look at it. I thought we were going up to the state park to relax, and yet, the opposite happened. Now we need a true vacation to recover from our last "vacation."
Heard what I thought was a Bald Eagle. Never have seen one live and in the wild before, so that inspired me to go on a picture exploration. Once again, another beautiful day.
When I got back, Dad was finally ready to go exploring. So I took my camara and dad drove us to the far end of the park, exploring some nature trails, and the marina on the way. This was a unique park in that it did "horse hikes." They were seasonal of course, and shut down at the moment, but we found a really nice campground there, too.
On our return, I promptly sat down to a idyllic scene out back on the "porch" picnic table. I sat there and read for about an hour when dad built another fire and starting the coals for the dutch ovens. I insisted that we have dinner outside on our final night. That, like all of the sunsets, were individual, and one-of-a-kind, and naturally, I couldn't resist it. It was nice, sitting down with my family by a roaring campfire with a good meal fighting off the biting cold. About 10p. we finally turned in after several rounds of Chickenfoot. (You may have noticed that's our favorite family game on campouts- That's just a rumor started by a constant winner at the game.)
Ok. Car update. Filter failed. All we can think of at this time is a tow truck. Now the choice is logically Triple A, in fact, my mom gets all the through to the office in Livingston, but the call is cut off just in time for me to have an epiphany- Why not rent a small truck and trailer to get our things home? Boom! Instant success! Less expensive than a full-year plan. I couldn't help feelin' kinda' proud of myself, since everyone but yours truely had gotten involved with that truck, I finally jumped in at the last. I guess it was a "Family" campout after all. It all matters in how you look at it. I thought we were going up to the state park to relax, and yet, the opposite happened. Now we need a true vacation to recover from our last "vacation."
Heard what I thought was a Bald Eagle. Never have seen one live and in the wild before, so that inspired me to go on a picture exploration. Once again, another beautiful day.
When I got back, Dad was finally ready to go exploring. So I took my camara and dad drove us to the far end of the park, exploring some nature trails, and the marina on the way. This was a unique park in that it did "horse hikes." They were seasonal of course, and shut down at the moment, but we found a really nice campground there, too.
On our return, I promptly sat down to a idyllic scene out back on the "porch" picnic table. I sat there and read for about an hour when dad built another fire and starting the coals for the dutch ovens. I insisted that we have dinner outside on our final night. That, like all of the sunsets, were individual, and one-of-a-kind, and naturally, I couldn't resist it. It was nice, sitting down with my family by a roaring campfire with a good meal fighting off the biting cold. About 10p. we finally turned in after several rounds of Chickenfoot. (You may have noticed that's our favorite family game on campouts- That's just a rumor started by a constant winner at the game.)
Friday, December 4, 2009
An Irony
I'm constanly surprised by this city I'm living in, the Houston area. Anyhow, it snowed for the third straight year, and this time in the daylight meaning a dip into the high 20's is expected. For as much as I hate living here, the snow makes this place look pretty. We've got a 1/3 in down, right now. (If you want to see pics, esp of snow on a palm tree, go to my Facebook acount. It will be up by tonight.)
Wednesday, December 2, 2009
A Tale of Four Elements Pt. 5
Another late start again, while the neighbors begin to leave, one by one. Apparently they were going to take their Sunday getting back to where they belonged, while we were still stuck. We had brunchfast late again, typical for home. I don't what got into M, but he began to cook chicken for breakfast, and all I know is that some of it made it's way on to the shelter floor. Needless to say, the vacuum cleaner (Sara) did the honors. Did I mention that chicken was raw? Well, that dog erupted 10 minutes later. That little episode lasted about an hour. She eventually settled down, but she doesn't have the brains God gave a goose when it comes to food. She's a Beagle alright, but all she'll hunt are our plates and our food. Very intelligent, even nicknamed her "Nanna" after the dog in Peter Pan but Sara is just not a hunter, unless it's a squirrel, and then, hold your ears.
D's car a work in progress. He, Dad, and I run into Livingston to get parts for the truck at Auto Zone, Wal-Mart, and Lowe's. In the parking lot at Wallyworld, I see my dreamcar: an '84 red Corvette. Needless to say, I got a lot of good shots of it!
On our return to the shelter, Dad announced that all work (fixing the Ford) was going to stop for the day, but needed mom to do one final thing: cut out the gasket material out since she's got a talent for working with her fingers
I wound up spying a red-admiral butterfly. Check that. I saw at least a dozen swooping in and out of those trees. I stood, dumbfounded, for the first time, getting to see my favorite butterflies take flight. If you're a nature lover, you'll understand my excitement when you're surrounded by them. I was six when I picked up my first insect guide, now here I am at nearly 22, and I finally have caught up to them at last!
The day ended with a real campfire (no, no propane. Eagle built. Eagle strong.) Fact is, we had that sucker burnin' well before sundown, and had we wanted it too, could've burned well in to the morning. At nine p.m. or so, we all went inside to play everybody's favorite game, Chickenfoot.
D's car a work in progress. He, Dad, and I run into Livingston to get parts for the truck at Auto Zone, Wal-Mart, and Lowe's. In the parking lot at Wallyworld, I see my dreamcar: an '84 red Corvette. Needless to say, I got a lot of good shots of it!
On our return to the shelter, Dad announced that all work (fixing the Ford) was going to stop for the day, but needed mom to do one final thing: cut out the gasket material out since she's got a talent for working with her fingers
I wound up spying a red-admiral butterfly. Check that. I saw at least a dozen swooping in and out of those trees. I stood, dumbfounded, for the first time, getting to see my favorite butterflies take flight. If you're a nature lover, you'll understand my excitement when you're surrounded by them. I was six when I picked up my first insect guide, now here I am at nearly 22, and I finally have caught up to them at last!
The day ended with a real campfire (no, no propane. Eagle built. Eagle strong.) Fact is, we had that sucker burnin' well before sundown, and had we wanted it too, could've burned well in to the morning. At nine p.m. or so, we all went inside to play everybody's favorite game, Chickenfoot.
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