February  The RV park where we were staying had WiFi problems.  They were trying to redo the whole system, so we didn't have any way to post on the blog for the last 3 weeks that we were there.  We had a lovely site among the live oak trees, though.

  

Here is a recap of those weeks.  In Fulton, we visited the the Fulton Mansion, built in the 1800s.  It was beautifully restored and had beautiful views of the bay.  On the way there, we passed a grove of trees that looked they had literally been sculpted by the wind!

We decided that Jax was needing a bath after another one of our beach days.  So we swung by the Dog Wash.  Seriously, this is just like a DIY carwash, only it's for dogs.  You make selections like Shampoo, Rinse, Condition, Blow Dry, etc.  So funny!

Later that evening, we left Jax at the camper and we went to dinner.  I had been wanting to go to this place because it is right on the water.  It is called Paradise Key Dockside Restaurant.  Great food (scallops and shrimp), great view, and the Key Lime pie was scrumptious!

Later in the week we spent most of one whole day at Aransas National Wildlife Refuge.  This is one of the few places where you can still see Whooping Cranes in the wild (we saw three of them).  They are still endangered, but are slowing making a come-back.  It is estimated to be up to approximately 500 now (it was down to only 15 at one time).  We also saw alligators and many kinds of birds in the marshes and salt-flats.

We took a short walk to a five hundred year old oak tree standing all alone just a few steps from the beach.

There were lots of walking trails, but we had to be careful to watch for alligators and snakes, especially with Jax.  We also climbed the 40 foot observation tower to get a better view of the whole area.  The weather was just perfect and we had a great day!

February 8 Wednesday   We really hadn't planned to go the beach again today, but Jax kept begging.  We are such push-overs that we finally agreed to go.😏  Anyway, it was another beautiful day, 88 degrees and a light sea breeze.  We stopped for lunch at a really cute place called The Angry Marlin.  They let Jax come with us, on the patio, so everyone was happy.

After lunch we drove on down to Padre Island National Seashore.  Once there, you can drive for 60 miles on the beach!  However, only the first five miles are maintained.  After that, 4-wheel drive is recommended.  We have 4-wheel drive so we drove about 10 miles, stopping every now and then to walk on the beach, look for sea shells, and just enjoy the day. 

Jax jumped in the waves and chased seagulls again.  We spent all afternoon there. I got 3 miles on my step chart and most of it was barefoot, sandy toes walking!   On the way back out we stopped at the visitors center to clean up.  The Rangers there told us we had to stay there for awhile.  No one was allowed in or out of the Park.  Apparently, there was a grass fire near the entrance to the Park and it wasn't safe to drive down there.  The Ranger didn't know how long we would be stranded.  As it turns out, it was only about an hour.  We took our sun-kissed, sandy bodies back to the RV for a light supper, clean-up, and bed.  Retired living is such a blessing!
 

Tuesday February 7  The last few days have been beautiful here in Aransas Pass.  First we went to Goose Island State Park.  We found Stinky Beach, which was stinky from rotting seaweed.  Not pretty, but interesting, and the birds love it.  This state park's claim to fame, though, is Big Oak Tree.  The tree is over a thousand years old and beautiful.

Several days we have taken the ferry over to Port Aransas on Mustang Island. We have walked on the beach, collected seashells, and soaked up the sunshine.  Jax loves the beach as well.  He jumps in the waves and chases seagulls.  Today we drove several miles on the beach, hoping to find a deserted section, but no luck.

Aransas Ferry

  Sometime this week we are planning to drive further down to Padre Island National Seashore.  I can get another stamp for National Parks and Sites book.  I finally got some good seafood at Redfish Willies.  Yum!

Monday January 30  Monday dawned bright and beautiful.  Highs to be in the 70s.  We have been working our way through a list of things to do here and one thing was left on the list, Admiral Nimitz Museum.  It turns out that it is actually 3 museums.  It was primarily dedicated to the Admiral, but it actually told the history of  the military and many of its wars, mostly WW1 and WW2.  There was information about the Presidents and commanders during this time period that was new to me.  It was fascinating and we learned a lot.  We went for about 2 hours in the morning and then again in the afternoon,  so we could see it all.  Even if you don't have any interest in military history, I think you would find this place interesting.  

Japanese mini sub

Later in the afternoon we went by Das Peach Haus to pick up some Rasberry Chipolte Sauce and some jarred sliced peaches for a little peach tart.  Yummy!  Cute place.

Saturday January 29  Today we met Johnny and Shari in Kerrville, Tx .  We found a very eclectic gallery there called River's Edge Gallery.  It was fun and the gallery owner was great.  He and Johnny may have a business deal going on some cedar wood 😀  We had lunch at a great little place called Francisco's.  After lunch we decided to head on down to Bandera, Tx.  More shops and galleries, but nothing spectacular.  We had some delicious home-made pie, tho.  It was spectacular!  Then we all headed home.

Sunday, January 30, was a work day.  I did laundry and Pops worked on his new art piece (Kokopelli).

 After lunch, Pops went with a fellow RVer, Mark Cassell from Wichita, back to Kerrville to shoot some sporting clays.  They went to the the Hill Country Shooting Sports Center.  Unfortunately, the Sporting Clay course was closed, but they were able to shoot some 5-Stand.  It was a nice day.

Friday January 27  Our plan today was to go to Comfort and Boerne.  However, we spent the whole day in Comfort!  What an adorable little town!  Most of the town is made up of very old rock buildings.  They have been refurbished but have kept most of the original stone and woodwork, and all of the charm.  The shops were fun and interesting.  We had lunch at the High Street Cafe, which was excellent.  The cafe was more modern and looked out of place with the old antique buildings around it, but the food was delicious.  Another fun day on the road!

Thursday Jan26  The weather turned cold for a few days, so we are just checking out some galleries and more shops.  We spent about 2 hours in the Koch Native American Art Gallery.  Beautiful artwork. But the best thing was visiting with the gallery owner.  He was fascinating, with lots of stories to share about the artists and the history of some of the paintings.  We even ended up buying a painting from him!

The gallery owner gave us a tip on some good local places to eat, so we went to his favorite.  It was a great tip.  The food was really good, but the restaurant was strange and interesting in an expensive, junky way.  It was an old wool warehouse that was full of old junk.  Ratty old fabrics, broken furniture, rusted old metal pieces.  The crazy thing about it was the prices of the junk.  There was a small broken chair with torn upholstery, the stuffing coming out, one arm missing, and it was $300!  There were old torn, ratty draperies that were $450!  Crazy!

In Fredericksburg there are about 60 wineries!  So we finally decided to try one.  After a tip from one of Michelle's friends, we chose the Grape Creek Winery.  It is a beautiful place and I enjoyed the "tasting".  The man who helped us was fun and helpful.  I knew I didn't like sweet wines, but now I also know that I prefer "full-bodied" wines. 😀 I bought 3 bottles of delicious, full-bodied, dry wine!











Pops has also been busy with his art.  He has produced some gallery-worthy (in my opinion anyway) pieces.  Here are some samples: