Time continues to fly by. Already we’ve seen the first week
of March go marching by. Unbelievable! However, Spring is springing!
Monday morning’s temps were in the mid-60s, heading to the
high 70s later in the day. While it was still cool, I attended the Yoga session
at 9:45, followed by Sweatin’ to the Oldies at 11:30. Whew! Dick took a walk
through the park and then along Fulton Beach Road, seeing Snowy Egrets, Herons,
and a Kingfisher. It was really windy, so the Kingfisher had a really bad hair
day! Ha!
That afternoon we went to Gary and Pam’s for a farewell happy
hour. Tuesday morning we would be saying farewell to Pam and Gary, Robert and Lynn, Marvin and
Shirley, and Randy and Jeri. All plan to return next year, but it’s still an
emotional time.
Tuesday morning temps had risen to 69°. Dick worked while I
went to our weekly Stitch and Bitch session. I’m still working on the baby
sweaters. (As of today, 3 down, 5 to go!) Then, Dick and I had breakfast at
Whataburger on our way to do laundry. It’s so good to get that out of the way,
and it takes only about an hour and a half to get ‘er done. Dinner that night
was at Panjo’s Pizza, with David and Marihelen, Dick and Fran, Tracy, and Bob
and Sharon. Yummy stuff!
We decided to take a driving tour of Rockport, to see the
Great Blue Herons and Great White Egrets nesting in the tops of the Live Oak
trees. So cool to see the herons stretching out their necks in their mating
dance.
Of course, we just had to stop at Dairy Queen for a bit of
dessert on the way home.
Last week I forgot to include this photo that Dick took while walking along Fulton Beach Road. This lovely creature was just a few yards from the road.
Temps Wednesday morning were again in the high-60s, making
for another beautiful start to another beautiful day here in the Coastal Bend
of Texas. While I Yoga’d and sweated to the oldies, Dick walked the park and
Fulton Beach Road. He saw Egrets, Great Blue Herons, and a Sparrow Hawk, along
with lots of smaller woodland birds. Not getting enough of seeing the birds, he
hopped on his motorcycle, riding to Lamar to take in the Whooping Cranes,
Sandhill Cranes, Spoonbills, and Black-bellied Whistling Ducks.
That evening was happy hour and dinner at the clubhouse. This week’s menu was Pennsylvania-style chicken pot pie, rolls and butter, and rolled strawberry-filled cake. Yummy! After, Dick played Texas Hold ‘em ‘til 9 p.m. I spent the evening knitting.
Goliad, Texas was our destination on Thursday for the day,
bringing along David and Marihelen. Temps had already hit 70° by 7:30 a.m., and
were headed to the mid-80s. Nevertheless, we took off at 10 a.m. with our first
stop at the historic Presidio La Bahia in Goliad.
The Presidio La Bahia was originally founded in 1721 on the
ruins of a French fort, and moved to a 2nd location along the
Guadalupe River in 1726. Just 21 years later it was moved to its current
location on the San Antonio River. By 1771 the entire Presidio and its mission
were completely 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.
The civilian settlement near this fortress was named Goliad, believed to an
anagram of Hidalgo, in honor of the
patriot priest Miguel Hidalgo, father of the Mexican War of Independence.
The Presidio was captured by insurgents twice during the Mexican War of Independence, each time defeated by Spanish troops. By the end of 1821 Texas became part of the newly formed United Mexican States. In October 1835, days after the beginning of the Texas Revolution, a group of Texan insurgents marched to LaBahia and after a 30-minute battle, the Mexican garrison surrendered. The Texans gained control of the Presidio.
During the siege of the Alamo, Texan command William B.
Travis asked La Bahia commander James Fannin several times to bring reinforcements.
Fannin and his men attempted a relief mission, but abandoned it the following
day. After the fall of the Alamo, General Sam Houston ordered Fannin to abandon
La Bahia, which he did on March 19, 1836. His relaxed manner of moving out
culminated in being captured and imprisoned in the Presidio, by the Mexican
army, under orders from General and President of Mexico Antonio Lopez de Santa
Anna. On March 27, 1836 the Texan captives were marched outside the Presidio
walls and executed. Colonel Fannin was the last to be executed. A memorial wall
was erected adjacent to Presidio to memorialize Colonel Fannin and the men who
were so brutally massacred on that fateful Palm Sunday.
After walking through this monument we decided lunch should
be next on our agenda, so we headed into Goliad to the Hanging Tree Restaurant,
located directly across the street from the historic Goliad Hanging Tree. We
noshed on catfish and fries, a chicken sandwich, and a chef salad. Sure filled
the void!
The Hanging Tree is a Texas-style symbol of justice. For 24
years the court trials of Goliad County were held under this big oak tree.
Death sentences were carried out immediately, usually within a few minutes. As
you can see there are/were many handy “noose-worthy” limbs available. (Years
later, in 1857, this tree also served as gallows for a number of impromptu
lynchings during the “Cart War” between Texans and Mexicans. The cart wars were
caused by ethnic and racial hostilities of Texans toward Mexican Texans, who
had built a successful business of hauling food and merchandise to and from San
Antonio and other interior towns via oxcarts, more cheaply than their Anglo
competitors.) No tally was kept for how many men died in The Hanging Tree, but some
estimates range into the low hundreds.
After lunch Marihelen and I walked through a few of the
local shops; she made a few purchases…I made none.
Then, we all trekked through the historic Goliad County
Courthouse, originally built in 1894 at a cost of $67,888.95 with limestone and
brick. A 1902 tornado forced the courthouse to be used as a hospital and
morgue. Then, a 1942 hurricane destroyed the clock tower. Finally, in 1964, the
courthouse was restored to its original carved staircases and walnut wainscots.
We wandered through and up to the 2nd floor courtroom, which has
been restored to its original beauty, including the bench seating.
Then, we trekked across the street to the Goliad museum,
which houses artifacts from over 150 years. The museum is located in an 1871
meat market, and it features a variety of exhibits on local occupations,
farming, and ranching. Early Texas life displays include Indian artifacts and
tools, some military memorabilia from the Texas Revolution, World War I and II.
Life of the 1900s is represented by displays of fashion, schools, children’s
toys, photos and furniture. This was the 2nd time Dick and I had
visited the museum, and both times the docents were very informative.
We returned home around 4:30, in time to rest up a bit
before going to the clubhouse for an evening of Pegs & Jokers. Ten of us
crowded around a table to play, but unfortunately the women couldn’t come up
with the cards to beat the guys. They won 3:0.
Friday morning’s temps were cooler than they had been u
days, just 59° at 7:30. I headed to Yoga and Dick took a walk through the park
and along Fulton Beach Road. Again, he saw egrets, herons and the Sparrow Hawk.
We had burgers in the clubhouse at noon, then at 4:30 grabbed David and Marihelen and went to the annual Oysterfest celebration, benefiting the Fulton Volunteer Fire Department. Two huge tents were set up in Fulton along the water, one for crafts and vendors, one for food and entertainment. The doors opened at 5:00 so we were there just in time to beat the crowds. In addition, there was a midway full of rides of all sorts for all ages. (We did not ride.) We walked through the craft tent, purchasing the obligatory Oysterfest t-shirts. We also bought a cedar sign to hang from our 5th wheel that reads, “RJ and Gail, RVNomads.” Marihelen made a few purchases, as well. Then, off to the food tent where David downed a dozen raw oysters; Dick, Marihelen and I noshed on fried shrimp. All the while we listened to the fabulous music of Purple Sage, a country rock band. They were really good! Live music went on all weekend, as well as the sale of food and beverages. We were home by 8:00, leaving the festivities to the crowds.
We had burgers in the clubhouse at noon, then at 4:30 grabbed David and Marihelen and went to the annual Oysterfest celebration, benefiting the Fulton Volunteer Fire Department. Two huge tents were set up in Fulton along the water, one for crafts and vendors, one for food and entertainment. The doors opened at 5:00 so we were there just in time to beat the crowds. In addition, there was a midway full of rides of all sorts for all ages. (We did not ride.) We walked through the craft tent, purchasing the obligatory Oysterfest t-shirts. We also bought a cedar sign to hang from our 5th wheel that reads, “RJ and Gail, RVNomads.” Marihelen made a few purchases, as well. Then, off to the food tent where David downed a dozen raw oysters; Dick, Marihelen and I noshed on fried shrimp. All the while we listened to the fabulous music of Purple Sage, a country rock band. They were really good! Live music went on all weekend, as well as the sale of food and beverages. We were home by 8:00, leaving the festivities to the crowds.
The temp Saturday morning was 67° at 7:30. The day was only
going to get warmer—almost 85° by mid-afternoon. Dick worked; I knitted all
day, needing to get those baby sweaters done! When Dick returned home we sat
outside, drawing an impromptu happy hour crowd: Steve and Karen, Steve and
Marty, Bob and Sharon, Dick and Fran, and David (unfortunately Marihelen wasn’t
feeling well). Such fun times with good friends.
Sunday morning Dick and I went to First Baptist Church of
Rockport. Guest missionaries were there from the International Mission Board,
serving in Romania. They shared not only the good things God is doing in that
country, but also the needs facing the people there as well.
After a quick stop at Walmart, Dick went to work ‘til 2:00
when we met at the clubhouse for an afternoon of Pegs & Jokers. There were
enough folks for 2 tables. Women won at our table 3:0. The guys won 2:1 over
the gals at the other. That evening Dick again played poker at the clubhouse,
being the big winner coming home with $4.60. Yea!
Whew! Another full week gone, and we’re well on our way into
another. We hope this finds you well. Feel free to drop us an email if you have
time. We’d love to hear from you!
Hugs,
RJ and Gail
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