TEXAS SPRING FLOWERS

If you thought flowers couldn't grow

in the sand by the beach,

you'd be wrong.

Here are my favorite Texas beach flowers.

Enjoy!

FAVORITE SUNSETS

I'm nor sure if I like sunsets or sunrises better...

The sky is the handiwork of God that we can see every day!

A LITTLE NIGHT MUSIC

So sorry you can't actually hear the music.

You have to imagine it.

I know you can.

Here is the moon with Venus and Jupiter.

Not sure which planet is closest to the moon.

The moon is a bright jewel in the western sky - here on the beach.

Visit http://earthsky.org/moon-phases/waxing-crescent to get a good education on moon phases.
I learned that what we see is the moon's own shadow! So, what is that patch of fuzz?

Photos all taken with my Canon Power Shot at 9:30pm on March 25, 2012.

THEN AND NOW - Hurricane Ike

On September 13, 2008, our world was rocked by a monster hurricane.

One subdivision in our town (Holiday Beach) was hit to the extreme.

Nearly every home was either badly damaged or completly gone.

Below is a shot of one street - no houses at all!

All the space between the highway and the Gulf was licked clean by the hungry monster.

But now, three and one-half years (42 months later), the homes are coming back - rising from the dead, so to speak.

The shots below show the same views as right after the storm.

This is a shot in the same direction as picture #1 above.

This is the same street, from the other end.

This is the same view as the second photo above. Now, the Gulf isn't visible behind the homes.

And this is the way it is throughout the Peninsula! New buildings replacing the empty sand.

MEPHIBOSHETH, the little Mule

Now, when I look back on it, our kids really did have an idyllic childhood at the country church in the middle of Iowa. One of the parishoners loaned us the use of a pony that was pregnant by a donkey. She had her colt in our horse yard (while the kids were in school) and we named him Mephibosheth!

He is the "last of his line" because the offspring of a horse and a donkey is called a mule and it cannot procreate.  "Meffy" was cute - and a great source of interest for the kids.

Oh yeah - they learned how to "scoop the poop" as well. We can't have that in the preacher's horse yard on Sunday, can we?

This is the pony - small enough to give the kids rides, and gentle, too. But I can't remember her name...

"Meffy" was just like most colts, playful and nosy. He loved to nip you when you weren't looking.

Good memories.

The Nina and the Pinta - The Ships of Columbus

Photo from: www.thenina.com

Sunday, March 4th was beautiful, sunny and warm. A special day. So, to celebrate, we took this jaunt to Freeport, TX to view (and tour) what (in 1988) was "the first truly, historically correct replica of a 15th century Caravel." "It was in Valenca, Brazil, using only adzes, axes, hand saws, and chisels, in addition to naturally-shaped timbers from the local forest, that the Sarsfield 'Nina' was built." (Taken from material handed out at the Columbus Ships site.)

The Pinta

The Nina

Information on the Nina

Photo displayed on the Pinta.

There are no pix of the Santa Maria because that ship, if replicated accurately, would have required deeper water to sail and would not have been able to visit as many ports as have the other smaller ships. However, if you "google" the Santa Maria, you will find pictures there.
The original Santa Maria ran aground in Hispaniola and sank on the first voyage. She was a nao, or freighter and was built in Galicia. She became the flagship because she was the largest of the fleet but Columbus disliked her for her dull sailing qualities, and when she sank he recorded in his journal she was very heavy heavy and not suitable for the business of discovery. The least was known about the Pinta, and after the first voyage she disappeared from history without a trace. The Niña, like the Pinta, was a caravel, which was a common trading vessel in use during the Age of Discovery.

Columbus changed the Niña's rig to a Caravela Redonda before the first voyage. The Niña was Columbus'; favorite. She made the entire first voyage, bringing the Admiral safely home. When Columbus had the pick of the whole Merchant Marine on his second voyage he selected her out of 17 ships as his flagship for an exploratory voyage to Cuba, and purchased a half share in her. After his return she made an unauthorized voyage from Cadiz to Rome, was captured by a pirate off Sardinia, recaptured by her master and crew and returned to Cadiz in time to sail to Hispaniola early in 1498 as advance guard of Columbus third voyage. She was lying in Santo Domingo in 1500, and we last hear of her making a trading voyage to the Pearl Coast in 1501. The Niña logged at least 25,000 miles under Columbus' command.

(www.thenina.com)

GULF COAST ACTIVITY - SEEN FROM THE FERRY

It just happened that we were going across to Bolivar Peninsula at the same time as these two cruise ships were coming and going. The Carnival Magic was just coming in - waiting for the tugs to do their job.

This one was going.

This one was coming.