CORPUS CHRISTI, TEXAS JANUARY 25, 2014

We left Houston this morning and are headed for Corpus Christi.  Made a stop on the way at Cuero, TX to visit the Chilsom Trail Heritage Museum.

Outside the museum.

We couldn't take pictures in the museum, but they did let us take a picture of this window display.  The long horn is an actual taxidermy steer.  The museum was great...covering the 20 years  ( 1860s-1880s) that Texas cowboys drove cattle from the Rio Grande to the railroads in Kansas City to be shipped east.  These cattle were originally brought here by the Spaniards and were free ranged.  After the civil war, the value of the steers in the Texas area was very low because there were so many.  They could be sold for about $4/head in Texas but $40/head in the east. 

We were surprised by the number of the refineries as we drove into Corpus Christi.  As the sun was setting it cast a golden glow on these oil tanks and refineries in the background.

That beautiful sunset was also reflected on the USS Lexington, a WWII Aircraft Carrier in the Corpus Christi port. 

We got such a great camping spot --on the beach facing the Corpus Christi bay.

Sunrise view from the front window of our RV.

Morning coffee on the bay. 

Headed to North Padre Island.

On to the beach!!

Liz looking for shells on the beach.

Driving on the beach...you can drive 5 miles  and then an additional 54 miles if you have 4 wheel drive.

Crane in the waves looking for a snack.

HOUSTON, TEXAS JANUARY 23, 2014

Kind of a gray day so it was a perfect time to visit the Johnson Space Museum in Houston. If you ever have a chance to visit this...it is amazing.

Outside of the NASA mission control building.

This is the actual mission control center used from 1965 - 1992. The current mission control is a floor beneath this..but no visitors allowed!

All the missions from 1965 - 1992.

Space vehicle mock up facility.  This includes facsimiles of the International Space Center (ISS), the Russian transport module which is the grayish green sphere in the front of the picture (this is used to transport astronauts to the ISS), and all ISS attachments which are different modules from all countries involved.

This module is in development for a mission to Mars..probably in 2035.

Actual Saturn V Rocket...HUGE!  Used to send Apollo astronauts to the moon.

A moon rock that is available for touching.

So, of course, I had to touch it!

Actual Apollo Module...3 astronauts were aboard this!! Tight quarters!

Lunar Rover Trainer

Explanatory sign for Lunar Rover Trainer

This is a life sized model of the Mars Rover "Curiosity". It is currently on Mars exploring the Red Planet and analyzing soil & rocks to find out if microbes could live there.

We ended the evening with a wonderful dinner to meet the Gonzales' family.. This is our sister-in-law's family and they were so warm and welcoming.  Not all of her family could make it, but there were about 15 there.  Mexican food was great and the company was even greater!

Awoke the next morning (1/24) to a lovely ice storm!   Even Houston is not immune to the polar vortex!

HOUSTON, TEXAS JANUARY 20, 2014

Welcome to Texas!!

Bella Vista...this is where Bill & Mary live in Pearland, Texas, a suburb of Houston. We could park our RV at the club house there for two days.

Bill & Mary's house.

A trip to Kemah for lunch on our way to Galveston.

Beautiful warm day...lunch outside with Bill & Mary at the Flying Dutchman on the Gulf.

Bill & Mary on the beach at Galveston.

NEW ORLEANS JANUARY 16-19, 2014

Superdome!

Cafe Maspero..great place to get Po'boys!

Gary the Snail got a hat in New Orleans!

Laurie & Craig enjoying beignets & coffee...really this isn't all we did!

Some souvenir shopping!

One of many interesting buildings in the French Quarter.

A little different take on a wreath.

All of us before Bill & Mary arrived.

Lunch on the balcony.

This is the first floor of the restaurant where we had lunch...on the right is a big boiling pot open to the air...today it was boiling shrimp but will be boiling crawfish when they are in season.  Unfortunately we were too early for the crawfish season.

This was a really exclusive antique shop in the French Quarter..armed guards...but somehow Gary & Craig got a personal tour of the place by the owner.  They said it was amazing. It was filled with HIGH priced antiques..to give you an example..there was a mosiac from the Basillica, Vatican City priced at $950,000!  Most were priced over $100,000. Needless to say we didn't purchase any souvenirs here!

Once again, here are some of the musicians and characters that line the streets of the French Quarter giving it uniqueness.

Now, this had to be the most unique.. a baby grand piano being dragged through the streets by a bicycle while the musician played!

On our last night in New Orleans, Craig treated us to dinner at his favorite New Orleans restaurant.. The Court of Two Sisters.  Thank you Craig!!

Here is our waiter preparing our Caesar salads at table side.  This was so much more delicious than the bagged caesar salads I usually pick up at the grocery store!  

In the courtyard of the restaurant after dinner.

One of the entrances to the Court of Two Sisters.  It is so big it has entrances on two streets.