Countdown to Christmas is continuing. Just 10 days ‘til the
big day, and we’re getting into the spirit of the season here in the RV park.
Decorations are hung, goodies are being baked and prepared for cookie exchanges
and neighborly get-togethers, Christmas carols are heard playing throughout the
park, and everyone has smiles on their faces.
As I mentioned last week, I received my Christmas gift
early: a Yamaha keyboard! Monday, I received another “gift”: a box of music,
sent by my brother Ron (thanks, Bro), from my “stash” in Minnesota. Woot-woot!
What a treasure! (I still have tons
more back there, but this is a good start…) The box included Christmas music,
and 8 books from a favorite composer/arranger of mine, David Combs and Gary
Prim. I’m now playing to my heart’s content. Dick is happy!
Dick continues to work in the office, almost daily. I knit,
crochet, play my keyboard, and “hang” with the girls. Tuesday morning I
attended the weekly “Stitch and B…” session, and afterward spent some time with
gal friends Marty, Mary, and Karen, as we visited Walmart (I purchased fabric
to make a dust cover for the keyboard) and the local thrift shop, Castaways.
This was followed by lunch at the Apple Dumpling Deli in Old Town Rockport. All
the salads, soups and breads are made onsite and the bread is also available
for purchase. YUM!
Later in the day Dick and I attended happy hour at Ed and
Angie’s, to celebrate 3 birthdays happening on that day: Ed, Margaret Chef
Betty; and Jim who celebrated his birthday on Sunday. What a good time, and
good eats!
After dinner we played Pegs & Jokers at the clubhouse
with Bill and Carole, John and Sarah, Alice and Linda (who graciously played
for the men). Women won 3:0! Hurray!!! We’re back on a roll!
 |
Tilly the turtle passing through our back yard on the way
to lay her eggs. She's usually sunning herself on the
shore of the pond, also in our back yard. |
Dick was a busy guy on Wednesday, even though he took the
day off from the office: he washed the camper! We’re finally able to tell that
it’s really white, not the dingy gray we’ve almost
become accustomed to.
Later that day we attended happy hour at 4 p.m., followed
by another wonderful dinner by Chef Betty. That night the fare was Burgundy
beef stew, garden salad with a cucumber and dill dressing, bolillos (a hard
crusty French bread-type roll), and a chocolate minty dessert. YUM-YUM! At
least on Wednesdays we don’t go hungry! Thanks, Betty!
Dick worked in the office again on Thursday, but took time
off to go with me for groceries and a trip to the local post office to ship
packages for Christmas. (Amazingly, the post office had run out of stamps for
the 3rd time since Thanksgiving! Huh…)
And, after dinner we played Pegs and Jokers with Bill and
Carole, Bob and Sharon, Gary and Pam. The women won 2 of the 3 games we played.
Woot-woot!
Weather this week has been pretty static, with temperatures
starting out in the 60s and reaching the mid- to high 70s by mid-afternoon.
Nice. No snow!
Friday was another work day for Dick. At 4 p.m. we headed up
to happy hour, and a presentation by Summer (the daughter of our park
maintenance supervisor, Don) on the Red Dragon Pirate Ship Adventure Cruises.
The Pirate Ship offers a “swashbuckling thrill and interactive entertainment”
as it cruises through the bay out of Port Aransas, offering “dolphin sightings,
water gun fights, sword battles, cannon firings, tales of pirates, face
painting, area history, music, dancing, and more!” Summer provided brownies for
everyone, and drew names for prizes: a day of fishing, a trip for 2 aboard the
pirate ship, and a pirate sock monkey. Dick won the trip for 2 aboard the
pirate ship! Merry Christmas, Honey! We’ll take advantage of that when a group
from Bay View RV Resort goes on a cruise in January. Fun, fun!
A trip to Goliad, Texas for their Market Days was on the
calendar for Saturday. Our activities director, Connie, reserved a 24-passenger
bus through Big Time Travel for the day so 17 of us boarded and headed out at 9
a.m. that morning. Cinnamon rolls were served on board, thanks to Angie who
bakes them for the park every Saturday morning. Yum-yum!
The trip to Goliad was uneventful, but as we neared our
destination, off to the left of the highway we noticed about a hundred (or so
it seemed!) buzzards roosting in the trees. Quite a sight! Wish we could’ve
gotten a photo.
We arrived to the town square in Goliad where over a hundred
vendors were set up around the courthouse, and along the downtown streets.
Along with crafts, clothing and wood carved items were food and jewelry, Tupperware
and candles. Crazy! And, if shopping these vendors weren’t enough, the streets
of Goliad are lined with boutiques, delis, and specialty stores. We bought
apple and pear chutneys at one of the specialty stores after tasting some of
their samples. And, we bought cheese spread from one of the vendors who happens
to live in Rockport, and is at most of the market days in this part of Texas.
Yum-yum!
 |
| Above and below: Christmas in Goliad |
 |
This little guy is a Pome-Poo, but
we're convinced he's more like
a little bear. |
Lunch for some of us was at the Hanging Tree Restaurant. The
restaurant was very busy due to market days, and was sorely under-staffed in
both the kitchen and out on the floor. We waited for almost an hour after
ordering, for our food to be delivered. The food was good, albeit long in
coming!
The restaurant is right across the street from the historic
big oak hanging tree of Goliad, a symbol of justice, Texas-style. For 24 years the court trials of Goliad
County were held under this tree; death sentences were carried out promptly,
usually within a few minutes. The tree also served as a gallows for a number of
impromptu lynchings during the 1857 “Cart War: between Texans and Mexicans. No
tally was kept for how many died at the hanging tree, but there are estimates
that range into the hundreds.
 |
| L to R: me, Sharon, Bob, Mary, Steve, Marty, Karen and Steve |
After walking around for a bit longer, folks reboarded the
bus by 2 p.m. with everything from holiday gifts, to home décor items, to food
stuffs, etc.
On the way back to Rockport we stopped at the Presidio La
Bahai, a fort founded in 1721 by the Spanish army that became the nucleus of
the town of Goliad. Originally built on the ruins of the failed French Fort
Saint Louis, the presidio was moved to a location on the Guadalupe River in
1726, and moved again to its present location in 1747 along the San Antonio
River. By 1771 the presidio had been rebuilt in stone and had become the only
Spanish fortress for the entire Gulf Coast from the mouth of the Rio Grande to
the Mississippi River. Today, La Bahia is considered among the best preserved
Spanish presidios in the U.S. The entire compound, including the “Lady of
Loreto” chapel located onsite, has been carefully documented and returned to
its 1836 appearance. The National Historic Landmark now stands as an important
religious and cultural center in Goliad, the chapel serving as both a church
and heritage site. The history of this site and stories spanning over 250 years
can be explored. It’s worth a stop to see the presidio and the Lady of Loreto
mission located on the same site.
 |
| The Presidio |
 |
L to R: Lady or Lareto Chapel, the Angel of Goliad, Zaragoza's memorial and
cemetary of those who lost their lives in the Goliad Massacre; a
plaque to memorialize Zaragoza, and Zaragoza's birthplace. |
(Note: Francita Aalvez was known as the "Angel of Goliad" for saving the lives of Texas prisoners of war in the "Goliad Massacre" and at Copano and Victoria, Texas, by interceding on their behalf and persuading the Mexican officials for help. )
A stop at Dairy Queen in Tivoli, Texas was our next and
final stop before landing at Bay View. We love their Blizzards!
Happy hour that evening was a Bob and Sharon’s, where we
also joined Steve and Karen, and Gary and Pam for a time of talking, laughing,
and sharing. There’s never a shortage of things to talk about with this gang!
We purchased tickets for “Symphony
by the Sea,” a combined concert of the Rockport-Fulton High School Choir and
the Corpus Christi Symphony Orchestra, held Sunday afternoon. Gary and Pam
joined us for this 2+ hour concert, presented annually by the Education
Foundation of Aransas County Independent School District.
A short video was shown at the start of the concert,
produced by the Education Foundation, featuring the best teachers of Aransas
County and the grants awarded them this year, totaling almost $200,000. These
grants have allowed state of the art improvements going beyond what public
funds can provide in order to directly enhance students’ knowledge, thinking
skills, and career preparation in creative and innovative ways. We were
impressed by the impact this focus on education has on the students and
community.
Then, the concert began!
The concert was held at the Martha Luigi Auditorium on the
Rockport-Fulton High School Campus. Almost 150 high school students, under the
direction of Yvonne Jaggard, were accompanied by the Corpus Christi Symphony
Orchestra as they sang Christmas selections, such as
Nowell, Nowell, Nowell;
Rejoice;
and
Christmas Memories. The Symphony
Orchestra’s featured guest conductor was Andrés Franco, who is the principal
conductor of, and starting his 5
th season with Caminos del Inka
(which focuses on the music of the Americas, from ancient to the contemporary
with imaginative multimedia orchestral and ensemble concerts). Committed to the
education of young musicians, Mr. Franco serves as conductor of the Fort Worth
Youth Philharmonic. A native of Columbia but living in Fort Worth, Texas, he
has conducted orchestras throughout the U.S.; an accomplished pianist, he has a
bachelor’s degree in piano performance, as well as a master of music degree in
piano performance and conducting. And—he has a fabulous sense of humor, which
was conveyed throughout the performance.
The Corpus Christi Symphony Orchestra is in its 69th
consecutive season, and is the premier symphonic orchestra along the Texas Gulf
Coast. Their principal performance venue is the acclaimed 1,400 seat, $18 million
performing arts center at Texas A&M-Corpus Christi. They’ve appeared with
Van Cliburn, Itzhak Perlman, Marvin Hamlisch, Andre Watts, Sarah Chang, to name
just a few.
Now, on to the guest appearances: Byron Stripling (featured
trumpet and vocalist), Bobby Floyd (keyboard), Robert Breithaupt (drums), and
Clark Childers (author and narrator). Wow!
Here are some samples of the wonderful music from the concert; just click on the highlighted link:
Byron Stripling. Again, WOW! If you have an opportunity to
see and hear him, please do so. He’s an accomplished actor and singer,
appearing in the Broadway musical, “Satchmo,” the television movie, “The Young
Indiana Jones Chronicles,” and his performance in the 42
nd Street
production of “From Second Avenue to Broadway,” featuring his virtuoso trumpet
and comedic performance. He appeared at Carnegie Hall with Skitch Henderson and
the New York Pops, making him a pops orchestra favorite. He also performs at
jazz festivals throughout the world. Currently, Byron is the artistic director
of the Columbus (Ohio) Jazz Orchestra, leader of his own quartet, and is
constantly in demand to play with pops orchestras around the world. We can
attest that he brings the audience into his performance. He exudes happiness
and joy, both through his trumpet and his vocals. And, what a sense of humor! Magic!
He was accompanied on the keyboard by Bobby Floyd, an
accomplished musician in his own right. Bobby has performed extensively in the
U.S., Canada, Europe and Japan, and includes major jazz festivals, concert
halls, and numerous night clubs with Ray Charles, Jeff Tyzik, Chris Howes and
Sarah Morrow. In his hometown, Columbus, Ohio, Bobby has been a feature with
the Columbus Jazz Orchestra, The Columbus Symphony, and ProMusica Chamber Orchestra
where he shared the stage with Dionne Warwick, Doc Severinson, Autural Sandaval,
Faye Robinson, and many others. He’s also opened for Spyro Gyra, Smokey
Robinson, and others, and has accompanied artists like David “Fathead” Newman,
Bobby Watson, Greg Osby, and Billy Hart.
On to Robert Breithaupt. In over 30 years of concerts and
tours, he has performed in diverse solo, group, and orchestral settings,
appearing with a virtual “Who’s Who” of great jazz talents. He regularly
performs with Byron Stripling, and Broadway star Sandy Duncan. Robert is
Professor of Music and Department Chair of Performance Studies at Capital
University in Columbus, Ohio, and considered one of the nation’s leaders in
percussion education. Since 1978 he has developed one of the most recognized
undergraduate percussion programs in the U.S. And, he has his own signature
drum stick line!
Finally, Clark Childers, author and narrator. Clark is a 5th
generation Texan, born and raised in Corpus Christi. Home for the Christmas Eve
snow storm of 2004, he was inspired to write his first children’s book, “More Snow for Kids,” which was a runaway
success, and inspiration for “The South
Texas Miracle,” in which he narrates the events of this weather phenomenon
to background orchestrations.
Wow! We were so blessed to be a part of this wonderful
celebration of Christmas. There were 18 songs performed during this concert,
interspersed with humor and inspirational thoughts. Perhaps some of the most
moving and emotional were the Christmas carols sung by the entire audience at the
end of the performance, when hundreds of voices were raised to sing “Joy to the World,” “Silent Night,” and “O
Come, All Ye Faithful.”
Yes, they all said “Merry Christmas,” setting “Happy
Holidays” in the closet for the day. (Actually, everyone here says “Merry
Christmas!”)
We were starving by the end of the performance, so off the 4
of us went to Charlotte Plummer’s Seafood Restaurant in Fulton for a bite. We
dined on salad, shrimp ceviche, shrimp and Gouda quesadillas, and shrimp gumbo.
Oh, and the margaritas weren’t too bad, either!
Afterward we took a little
drive through Rockport to see the Christmas lights. It was a beautiful evening,
with no clouds, a slight breeze, and the stars were out! Below are photos of the lights in Rockport and Fulton.
Well, that’s it for this week. As you prepare for the
upcoming holiday, all the hustle and bustle can be distracting. But please
don’t forget the real reason we celebrate Christmas.
Sending hugs and love your way,
RJ and Gail
