America's Favorite Pastime

When we were young, baseball was America’s pastime. Now it’s TV, video games and I-Pod downloads of strange music! But baseball is big in the life of Lincoln, our eight-year-old Texas grandson. Lincoln is named after Jerry’s grandfather, who was born during the Civil War. Young Lincoln is third baseman for the Reds in the local Pony League. Each game is limited to five innings or to one hour and 15 minutes; whichever comes first. We have had the privilege of seeing him play four games. He gets better with each game. Now he is fielding well, and he is consistently hitting some good line drives. His team is winning most of their games. They even beat a previously undefeated team.
We had planned to go camping with our family, but the area is getting twice as much rain as usual. Rivers and streams are running over, and there is an abundance of mud holes. Therefore, we continue to stay in the RV park located across from the Airstream dealer. It has concrete pads and WiFi; its location next to Cabela's makes it a desirable place to stay. We see our daughter’s family everyday and have at least one meal with them. The other night we drove to Austin to see “Mummies” at the I-MAX. We also play table games and were privileged to watch Ohio State thump Georgetown in the NCAA semi-finals. Did we watch the finals with Florida? ….Naaah

Family Fun & Worship

After returning to Buda from Sabine Pass, we found that our trailer repairs had been accomplished to our satisfaction. We pulled across the road from the dealer and registered at a campground for the weekend. It was time to gear up for the last day of the Austin Fair and Rodeo. It was a beautiful, sunny, fun-filled day. Our daughter, Stephanie Gillette, her husband, Steve, and Jack, 12, Lucie, 10, and Lincoln, 8 accompanied us.

Junk food at the fair is always special, even to grandparents. We saw a cow getting milked by machine, a fancy roper, a monkey riding a border collie, and a sway-backed horse named Glory who could dance and do many other tricks. We passed up the freak show! The livestock auction was fun, and the youth who had worked so hard to raise and groom their animals were rewarded with some extra large checks. Steve took the boys on a spinning bucket ride while Lucie and her mom played it safe with the old folks.

All of us loved the thrill of the rodeo! It was a big deal with many champion cowboys participating. Those bronco-busting, calf-roping, bull-riding guys were crazies, but they all miraculously survived. The grand finale included a concert by Neil McCoy.
The next afternoon, we attended church with the Gillettes at River Stone Community Church. Jack is the drummer in the praise band. The music was loud and rocky with unfamiliar lyrics projected on the screen. Gloria was once spotted holding a finger in her ear: Jerry thought the volume was just right. The band and pastor wore jeans. The preacher even had a hammer loop, but hey, Jesus was a carpenter. The message was Biblical and well delivered. The “on your feet” praise music lasted a long time, and we were asking ourselves, “When can we sit?” Maybe that was why everyone but us was so young. Things have certainly come a long way since “Little Brown Church in the Wildwood.” We felt like real old timers, but the young members made us welcome. They probably had the respirators ready just in case! We are delighted that Stephanie’s family is active in all facets of this evangelistic, storefront church. Steve’s construction skills are much in demand as the church continues to improve and beautify its old downtown building on a limited budget.

Houston Stopover & Blue Bell Ice Cream

After leaving Sabine Pass, we drove through Houston to spend the night with Sharon and Rusty, and their beautiful daughters, Jenna and Jalynn. Sharon is our daughter Stephanie’s sister-in-law. Rusty’s parents came from Corpus Christi, and we all had an evening of good food and fellowship. Jenna and Sharon attended a swim club banquet; Jenna looked beautiful as she and her mom drove away. While we took a walk down to a nearby lake, Rusty’s mom set out the delicious dinner Sharon had prepared for us. Rusty turns 50 this year and is riding his bicycle from Houston to Austin to raise money to help find the cure for MS. Good luck, Rusty! We enjoyed watching the NCAA game later as Ohio State came back for a 20 point deficit to whip Tennessee. It should be noted that everyone gave up and went to bed during the game except Jerry, the eternal optimist.

The next day we drove past many patches of blue bonnet flowers that adorn the Texas highways in the springtime. We also stopped to tour the Blue Bell Ice Cream Plant in Brennen. The fascinating operation included the packing of thousands of tubs of ice cream. Unfortunately, they would not allow cameras on the inside one hour tour. However the free dips at the end made up for that.

A Return to Sabine Pass, TX

In early December 2005, just after beginning our current RV venture, we delivered emergency care products from our church in VA to Sabine Pass. We also helped with the cleanup and recovery efforts for a week, as the town had been practically wiped out by Hurricane Rita. Now while warranty work was being done on our Airstream at a dealership in Buda, TX, we returned to Sabine Pass to see the recovery progress and visit friends we had met on our first trip. As we drove through the refineries toward Sabine Pass the odor told us that the refineries had definitely reopened, and the pick-up truck traffic let us know how busy they were. The first building we noticed on entry to Sabine was the new firehouse built by “Extreme Makeover.” In 2005 that site was a mountain of appliances that had been removed from the destroyed homes. The huge tanks that had been blown into town had been removed along with the barges that had floated into the front yards of the residents. Be sure to go back to our Blog photos in December 2005 to experience the full effect of the devastation.

It was a thrill to see Tammie’s Olde Tyme Diner open and busy. We had a delicious lunch there both days that we were in town. We were pleased that our 2005 paint job was serving as a backdrop for all the new furnishings. Rev. Dale Martin was overseeing the rebuilding of the Community Fellowship Church (Baptist). The old church had literally been broken in half by the hurricane. The Texas Baptist Men and their wives were present in full force. The women were sewing curtains for an agency in nearby Port Arthur, and the men were installing the trusses for the church (PTL). The Baptist Emergency Team of Texas were busy providing meals for the other volunteer,

We were pleased to see that Richard and Sharon, a couple we had helped in 2005, had their rental apartments practically built, and three were already occupied. They are also building a single dwelling home that will be available for rent soon. Renters are typically transient oil rig workers who need housing. All new structures must be 8-13 feet off the ground depending on location.

Kristi Heid, the school’s principal is to be commended for how well she and her staff managed the disbursements of tons of donated items and the dispatching of volunteers like us where help was needed. She gave us a DVD which depicted the powerful, overwhelming crush Hurricane Rita had given Sabine Pass. The school was spared major damage except for the theatre. Theatre is a major activity in Sabine. Rita had truly done a number on the interior and the roof of the building, but the “Extreme Makeover” crew tackled the renovation with a passion. It is now restored and more beautiful than before.

We also visited Kitty Key, the pastor of the United Methodist Church. The church now has a new roof and is in the process of building a new parsonage. Some of their support came as a result of Gloria’s relating the utter destruction of homes, businesses, and churches in a telephone conversation with her sister, Laurane, in Leipsic, Ohio. Laurane’s church, Leipsic United Methodist, responded with money and a crew to help with rebuilding several homes in the area. The pastor, Mary Buchong, and a team of12 workers, drove from northern Ohio to Sabine Pass, Texas, to give of their time and talents to help people they did not know. She and Kitty Key now correspond frequently.

There has been a lot of progress in Sabine Pass since Rita’s unwelcome visit. While they still have a long way to go, the people of this small town are resilient, tenacious survivors. We left Sabine wondering when we would be this way again. We have made many friends and have been truly blessed for having the privilege of knowing and helping people in need.

Fort Sam Houston, San Antonio, TX

We have always liked San Antonio. Fort Sam Houston is where Jerry attended the Army Basic Medical Service Officer's Course back in 1962 after switching from tanks. Our first long RV trip with our two little girls, Robin and Andrea, took us all the way from Marion, Ohio to Fort Sam. We pulled our Coleman fold-out camper with a Renault Dauphine and stayed for two weeks at the Circle B Trailer Park. The term "RVing" was not a familiar one at that time. It was October, the weather was perfect, and it was such a great experience. That would be the first of many trips to San Antonio. We had a wonderful church experience at Trinity Baptist and considered Buckner Fanning the best preacher we had ever heard. He is still an active minister in San Antonio but has retired as full-time pastor. He continues to be an icon in Baptist circles.

Our military campground at Ft. Sam is a far cry from the old Circle B Trailer Park. It is one of our favorite parks and is a great place to ride our bikes and use the many post amenities. One of the highpoints this time, in addition to attending Trinity, was visiting Joe and Fredda in their lovely home. We knew them in Northern Virginia before they retired to their native Texas. It was fun sharing a couple of meals with them and attending their Sunday school class.

Santa Ana National Wildlife Refuge, Mission, TX

If you enjoy birding, hiking or viewing all kinds of plants and wildlife, this is the park for you. The meandoring Rio Grande River provides the only boundary between two friendly nations that depend on each other and have cooperated to build the Falcan Dam. Between the dam and Gulf of Mexico exists a diverse land that separates two hemispheres. It's beauty and rich forms of animal and plant life must be preserved. Only a total of 10,000 acres are left from the original Rio Grande Valley ecosystem.

Our tram guides pointed out many points of interest. Among them was an old cemetary left as the only remembrance of the Viejo family, who once owned the 2200 acres which make up the refuge. Just like at the state park we had visited, the birds are unique and beautiful. Adjacent to the park is a farm where thousands of heads of cabbage were being harvested by migrant workers.

On our last visit to the Refuge, we took a three-hour canoe trip down the Rio Grande River. Our guides were most helpful as they pointed out many different kinds of birds that inhabit the area.

The large dark birds are chachalacas.

Following that trip and a picnic lunch near the bird feeders, we rode our bikes for a seven mile trip around and through the refuge. By the time we arrived back at our trailer, we knew we were no longer young.

Can you see the owl?

We arrived in Mission, TX on a lovely, sunny day and were delighted to find that Benson Grove RV Resort is nearly a perfect place to stay for a few days. The sites are mostly paved, and ours is shady. Behind our rig are an orange and grapefruit tree. Nothing like having breakfast appetizers on the house! For the real stuff, Jerry rode his bike to the clubhouse and had a $2 order of SOS (sausage and gravy over biscuits) on our first morning. This is a huge park with many semi-permanent trailers and double-wides occupied by Winter Texans. The streets are numerous, wide, and paved. Most of the residents come here each year from Canada, US, and other countries to enjoy birding, warm breezes , and fresh fruits and vegetables of the Rio Grande Valley. There is a fitness center, but we preferred biking. We also arrived in time for an evening of Bridge. Gloria won back her $.50 investment.

A few miles from the park is the Bentson Rio Grande Valley State Park, one of the best state parks in Texas for birding. One of the highlights was a screech owl (click the top photo) that shows his head every morning and naps inside the tree the rest of the day. We also took a free tram ride through the park and observed many other varieties of birds to include the famous green jay and the altamira oriole. Bobcats and javelina are supposedly plentiful, but we did not see them. However, it was easy to spot the red hat ladies, who were there in full force.

Zapata, TX and Mexico

We drove through the rolling, rocky, yucca and aguave covered hills from Del Rio through Eagle Pass and Laredo to Zapata. The weather was definitely tropical. We saw numerous flowering shrubs, blue bonnets, and trees with new green leaves. The Four Seasons RV Park also had many blooming trees, shrubs, and flowers. We breathed a sigh of gratefulness as we backed into our level spot with ample power and water pressure. We called our friends, Pastor Raul and Amelia Hernandez to let them know we would be in church with them but discovered their services were all in Spanish. Raul suggested we attend First Baptist Sunday morning and their church, New Life Baptist, in the evening. Carlos Montano and family would be presenting a concert of music and message in both Spanish and English. We were welcomed at First Baptist by a warm Sunday school class and an excellent interim pastor. We then met Raul and Amelia for a tour of their new church building; Raul had spent many hours helping with the construction and painting. We had lunch with them in a quaint Mexican restaurant that served delicious food. We returned to our respective abodes for a much needed nap.

Sunday evening’s concert was most entertaining; Carlos and his family had a bilingual message in song and word for each of us about serving a living Lord. He was born in Bolivia, and his wife, Lorena, was born in Mexico. They have three lovely children who also sing and play various instruments. They had a special tribute to Bolivia in song, costumes, and Bolivian video scenes in the background.

The next day Amelia prepared a sumptuous breakfast for all nine of us prior to our traveling in two vehicles to Mexico. We toured two missions that are receiving aid from New Life Baptist Church. One is located in Mier and the other in Ciudad Nuevo Guerrero near the US border. The Montanos stayed behind in Meir where they were to perform that night. It was heart warming to see young pastors, their wives and their children working to grow a congregation of believers with few funds and minimal amenities in their churches.

The town of Mier, celebrating 253 years, has a boot factory that produces 60 pairs of hand made boots a day using 50 employees. As you can see by the photo, they have many styles, colors, and various raw materials. The Mexican alligator boots are the most expensive, selling for $500. To our surprise, the clerk brought out a long hide and let it unravel on the floor. It was the skin of a python—at least 20 feet long. Uhg! We were also impressed with the Meir city building that housed an interesting history of the town.

We then drove to Guerrero for another tasty Mexican lunch served on colorful plates and in true Mexican surroundings. We also visited a Medical School for the Americas construction site. The sidewalk was made of old car/truck batteries buried in concrete. The battery wall across the front of the campus was also made to look like the “black” sidewalk. We met Maria and Pastor Pedro Tobias as a ladies’ Bible study was just concluding. There were at least 25 women and many children in attendance. When Maria and Roberto arrived five years ago there was just one family left in the congregation. Now they have made many friends in the village and the church is expanding. The Montanos will also perform in this mission later in the week. We who live and worship in beautiful sanctuaries must reach out to our Hispanic brothers and sisters in order to spread the truth. All four of the pastors we met could be making a lot of money in secular jobs, but they have been called and have responded to work for the Lord. We left Zapata with warm and joyful hearts and full stomachs as we bid them farewell.

Seminole Canyon State Park and Historical Site

We arrived at Laughlin Air Force Base Famcamp on Feb. 22 intending to stay for a couple of days. We had forgotten how wonderful the campground is and how many amenities were here to include a terrific fitness center and free laundry. As well, the weather was perfect, and it felt so good to not have freezing temperatures at night. We took and deep breath, relaxed and said, “Why should we be in such a hurry to leave such an ideal location?” We decided to stay for a total of nine days. An unexpected blessing was the church service and Sunday school class at the base chapel. The extended stay also enabled us to visit Seminole Canyon, an historic site that many other RVers had told us was must see.

The lunch was packed, our hiking boots were in the car, and the camera was ready for a great day in Seminole Canyon located 45 miles west of Del Rio. The Canyon covers almost 2200 acres dusty, rock filled land. Thousands of years ago the climate afforded more rain that produced lush vegetation and a variety of animals such as bison, elephants, and camels. Today there are still coyotes, jack rabbits, and other smaller creatures. Agave, Mormon Tea, and many varieties of Yucca are the most common plants and shrubs in Seminole Canyon State Park and Historic Site. Access to the Canyon is by professional guide only. The multi-colored rock art is spectacular but is in jeopardy due to the elements and being in unprotected areas of the Canyon. We hiked down 200 feet into the Canyon and then climbed rugged stone steps up to the overhang where the rock art could be studied up close. Although numerous figures or motifs are repeated in different locations, the exact meaning of the art is buried with the people who painted them.

The Visitor Center had several superior exhibits with dioramas depicting the primitive people who populated the area 12,000 years ago. It transitioned to the Native Americans who inhabited the area 5,000 years later and to the days of the sheep herders and cattle drivers. The climate has since become more arid and less farming friendly. We drove through the campground and were impressed with the spacious sites atop a mesa that overlooked the Lower Pecos valley. We had a 360 degree view of the rolling hills covered in tumble weed, Yucca bushes, and other green vegetation. The sky was vast and filled with clouds that held no rain. In the distance were several abandoned Southern Pacific Railroad freight cars. That section of the railroad in the canyon ended when a new bridge was built at the same site during World War II.

An interesting aside to our visit to the canyon was to learn how it got its name. Prior to and during the Civil War slaves were escaping to the Florida Everglades. The Seminole Indians protected them, and the slaves learned and embraced the ways of the natives. They married Native American women and bore black children. After the war, many of them traveled to Texas; some crossed over into Mexico. With their many years of experience with the Seminoles, they knew how to live and survive in the wilds. The Black Seminoles frequented the Rio Grande area and favored the canyon as a safe area in which to live. The US Army learned of the Black Seminoles’ wilderness prowess and enlisted them in the cavalry to help protect settlers in Texas from Native Americans such as the Comanches and Apaches. Thus, when the state purchased the land for a state park/historic site, it was named Seminole Canyon. Contrary to popular opinion, the Seminole Indians were mostly Floridians—not residents of Seminole Canyon.