Category: TRAVELS & JOURNEYS

HAPPY HOMEMAKER MONDAY & RECIPE LINKS week 27 of 2024 ~ BLOG 366.183

Be sure to join us for Happy Homemaker Monday and link up with our host, Sandra at Diary of a Stay at Home Mom

WEEKEND RECAP

This was supposed to be super brief as we are still away having a fabulous time on the coast with beautiful weather, at least weather we like  – cool, cloudy, 60’s, breezy… Thanks to a dear friend we had the opportunity to spend several carefree days in the coastal resort community of Ocean Shores. But, I couldn’t sleep and was ups so early I found quite a bit to say.

We left last Thursday after my eye doctor appointment to avoid the Friday traffic. Well, that didn’t work. Between construction and just way too many people, traffic was still a nightmare, just not as bad as it would have been on Friday. We ended up in a cute little and colorful town for the night.

Friday we trekked down to Cape Disappointment that has 2 light houses and seriously earned its name for more reasons than the internet will tell you. 😀  We then crossed one of our favorite bridges to Astoria, home of the Goonies where we visited a favorite antique store, but didn’t buy anything for a change and had a fabulous late lunch/dinner at Astoria Brewing Company before checking in at Ocean Shores. Such a beautiful place and what a view! We also had a momma deer and her fawn that spent the evenings in front of our balcony.

Saturday we spent at the Sand & Sawdust festival followed by a little antiquing in junk stores and then beach combing in the afternoon at low tide. We found odd things to buy this trip like a vintage pair of pinking shears that hubby is going to oil for me and 3 OLD knobs for a set of drawers I already have as well as an OLD rusty hand saw that hubby will clean up for me so I can paint it for a Christmas tree. I LOVE the new architectural salvage company we found.

Sunday found us having our coffee with having a bit of a storm and turbulent waves that sounded glorious by the fireplace while we had the sliding door open. The weather was such that we were certainly glad we had opted for indoor activities which included a coastal drive where we encountered an odd “new” (built in 2005) little town, Sea Brook, that is a planned community resembling Pleasantville or home of the Stepford Wives or maybe the Truman Show or even the fictional town of Stars Hollows from the Gilmore Girls in a location previously abandoned by the navy after WWII and left off maps for years as well as a visit to make a deposit at the local casino for a friend LOL. Here’s an article that really spells out that odd little town. We also had brunch/lunch at a fun little spot called, Brunch 101. Oh my was the food awesome. This was half of an amazing chicken and biscuits Benedict that hubby and I shared. But I LOVE their motto! “Brunch without mimosas is just a sad late breakfast”!

Unfortunately, today we will be saying goodbye to Ocean Shores and heading homeward, but will stop somewhere tonight near a few towns we like that have some great antiquing.

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY

Can you believe it’s July already? It seems like the days are running on double time. I’m not ready for July!!!!! For heaven’s sake it’s only 177 days until Christmas!!!!

THE WEATHER OUTSIDE

The weather is glorious here, but will get warmer and warmer as we trek towards home. I see at home we will finally and consistently reach the 80’s this week, so I’ll enjoy the 50’s-60’s here as long as I can.

TO DO LIST, APPOINTMENTS & PROJECTS

THIS WEEK’S TO DO LIST, PROJECTS & APPOINTMENTS
  • There is a cribbage tournament this next weekend that I will be shopping for on Tuesday on our way home, but with the holiday I’m not planning much else this week except trying to get a hold of the primary doctors office to process a necessary referral to the ophthalmologist.

DVR/TV TIME

WHAT’S ON THE DVR/TV
  • Whatever taped while we were away. I know Christmas in July started on Hallmark and the Summer Baking Championship will be on there.

READING TIME

I’m about two thirds through Phillipa Nefri Clark’s House at Angel’s Beach. I decided to wait on the The Memory Thief until we get back – just seemed too heavy for a vacation read.

FUNNIES

MENU PLANS

BREAKFAST is always a work in progress for me – it will generally be hot water and a fruit yogurt 😀
7/1 MONDAY
7/2 TUESDAY
7/3 WEDNESDAY
7/4 THURSDAY
7/5 FRIDAY
7/6 SATURDAY
7/7 SUNDAY
DINNER
 OUT
 TACO TUESDAY
 MEATLOAF & SAUER POTATOES
 HOBO PACKS on the GRILL
CRIBBAGE TOURNAMENT CORN/YOYO
CRIBBAGE TOURNAMENT CORN/YOYO  
 CRIBBAGE TOURNAMENT CORN/YOYO
DESSERT
 
 
BUTTER BISCUIT CHERRY COBBLER
 

FAVORITE PHOTOS FROM THE CAMERA

This is a wide open category this week and if you have been following me on Facebook or Instagram you know I’m really behind in posting pictures 😀 so I’ll just give a couple of the highlights from this weekend – A couple of sunsets from our balcony, a foggy rainy landscape, Irwin the friendly raccoon who was living in the boulders I was crawling on to get a lighthouse picture, the town hall from the cute little town of Sea Brook.

 

INSPIRATIONS

LIFE TIP

HOMEMAKING / COOKING TIP

RECIPE LINKS FROM LAST WEEK

WEEKLY FEATURED PARTY LINKS

WILDLIFE SAFARI ~ BLOG 366.26

Back during COVID on a whim we took a trip to Wildlife Safari where humans are captive in their cars and the animals roam free which was perfect for not being able to interact with people at the time. 

We recently found out that Wildlife Safari accepts food donations to help feed the animals. And by food donations I mean that the local county works takes roadkill there, but they also accept other donations like the freezer full of meat and berries (whole turkeys, fresh picked blackberries, recent meat from a deer and elk hunt…) I cleaned out from the new estate sale we’re working on.

Our local Wildlife Safari has a globally successful cheetah breeding program. That day we were fortunate enough to run into a docent that was FULL of wonderful information. My favorite piece of trivia was that like other jungle cats, female cheetahs are loners and do not bond well with others, whereas male cheetahs MUST bond with other males to survive.

They had several new cheetah cubs at the time that are now grown, but playful. The giraffes and elk were full of piss and vinegar that day! 😀

 

WHEN I GROW UP

I have always been interested in architecture, remodeling, repurposing and just being a creative problem solver. If I could go back in time I think I would LOVE to be an architectural salvager! What an interesting career that would be.

On our last trip we finally went to the AURORA MILLS ARCHITECTURAL SALVAGE and I was NOT disappointed! We had driven by MANY times over the years, but never actually stopped. I LOVE THIS PLACE!!!! I fell in love over and over with so many of the fun and unique items and I let my mind run free creating project after project.

They had beautiful furniture pieces. I fell in love with the solid 8 foot tables, dovetailed chests and well used drafting tables as much as the old game pieces of pool balls, boxing gloves and carrom tables, corbels and banisters. The barber chairs and old mannequins were so wonderfully unique and preserved.

Here are several and I do mean several pictures of some of the fun things we saw.

 

HAPPY HOMEMAKER & MENU PLAN MONDAY week 18 of 2020

GOOD MORNING everyone!  It’s Monday, isn’t it?  Truly some days I’m not really sure right now.  We have another week of staying home under our belt.  How is everyone faring?  Staying Busy?  Happy Kids?  They (those in charge) are starting to talk about opening a few things around here.  Personally, I try and avoid the news at all costs and only listen to the medical professionals.  I continue to pray that there is a breakthrough in the end allowing us to go back to more “normal” daily lives.

Be sure to join us for Happy Homemaker Monday and link up
with our host, Sandra at Diary of a Stay at Home Mom

OUTSIDE MY WINDOW & THE WEATHER OUTSIDE & WHAT I’M WEARING Levis and a purple 3/4 sleeve t-shirt are the uniform of choice today.  It supposed to be in the 60’s and gray most of the week with a little bit of rain here and there.

ON THE BREAKFAST PLATE Hot water & Apple Squash Pineapple baby food

AS I LOOK AROUND THE HOUSE, WEEKLY TO DO LIST, HOUSE & CRAFT PROJECTS, APPOINTMENTS With all the time in isolation things are looking really good around the house with a lot of projects done well before we even knew they needed to be doe LOL 😀

MONDAY
  • SORTING AND FILING UPDATE
  • WALK
TUESDAY
  • recipe updates on the computer
  • STORAGE CLEANING
WEDNESDAY
  • LAUNDRY
THURSDAY
  • FEED PEACOCKS
FRIDAY
  • PLAN TRIP TO SEE SIL and help her out with a few things since we had to cancel the family reunion 
SATURDAY
  • Farmer’s Market would be nice – still dreaming
SUNDAY
  • cleaning and laundry

WHAT’S ON THE DVR/SOMETHING INTERESTING I’VE WATCHED There are a few Hallmark movies and shows I’ve taped as well as some cooking shows that I’ll try and catch up on

I’M READING  Switching over to Jana DeLeon’s Bayou Bodyguard was a good choice.  I’m enjoying the diversion!

FAVORITE PHOTO FROM THE CAMERA Yesterday was ABSOLUTELY beautiful and we did the whole loop around the pond where I got a few great pictures of the BIG beaver dam, goose island where there was some loud territorial disputes going on since there is a limited beach area, new geese families, some pond wood, wild thistle, and a stray fisherman.

MENU PLANS FOR THE WEEK
MONDAY
TUESDAY
WEDNESDAY
THURSDAY
FRIDAY
SATURDAY
SUNDAY
BREAKFAST
YOGURT & HOT WATER
YOGURT & HOT WATER
YOGURT & HOT WATER
YOGURT & HOT WATER
YOGURT & HOT WATER
QUICHE
PANCAKES
LUNCH
TURKEY & CHEESE WRAPS
GRILLED CHICKEN & TOMATOES
MEAT & CHEESE WRAPS
??
SALAD & FRUIT
??
??
DINNER
POLYNESIAN CHICKEN & SALAD with PEPPER DRESSING
HAM & BROCCOLI NOODLE CASSEROLE & SALAD
ANTIPASTO PASTA SALAD
MONROVIAN CHICKEN PIE
NATCHITOCHES MEAT PIES & SALAD
PEPPER STEAK & SALAD
SAUERBRATEN & ROASTED POTATOES with GINGERSNAP GRAVY
DESSERT
ZUCCHINI GINGER CAKE
 

SUCCESSFUL RECIPE LINKS FROM LAST WEEK

FEATURED PARTY LINKS FOR THIS WEEK

RECIPES TO LOOK FOR THIS NEXT WEEK OR SO

  • INSTA POT BROCCOLI CHEESE SOUP
  • ZUCCHINI GINGER CAKE with GINGER CREAM CHEESE FROSTING
  • PORK CHOPS IN TOMATO GRAVY
  • SWISS CHICKEN CORN CASSEROLE

INSPIRATIONAL

LIFE TIP

HOMEMAKING/COOKING TIP

MILDRED KANIPE MEMORIAL PARK

Yesterday we took a short drive to see just how many trees actually toppled and blocked roads around us during #TheNightTheLightsWentOutInOregon 3 weeks ago, to find a new place to hike and explore as well as just plain enjoy the almost spring like weather.  We also ran across some local history!

One thing is for sure, road crews are guaranteed jobs for the foreseeable future!  On ALL the roads, but especially the smaller roads where trees fell they have come along and used a chainsaw to cut out the part across the road for now leaving the tops and bottoms along the shoulders for later.

We ran across a sign for the Mildred Kanipe Memorial Park and followed it to a fun area with equestrian camping, old historical buildings and an animal preserve.  The weather was beautiful for several hours and we enjoyed a nice walk, but I fell in love with the peacocks especially!

From the signs around the park and what little information I can find, Mildred Kanipe was a very colorful, strong willed woman and extremely set in her ways, an unforgettable character all the way around.  She always carried a pistol and a rifle when n the ranch.  She NEVER married and ran the 1100 acre ranch ALL by herself except for the occasional hand she would hire.

Mildred’s Gift

She passed away in 1983 leaving her entire beloved ranch, that her family had owned for over a hundred years and she had added to over the years, to the public as a county park.  Mildred’s gift included almost 1,100 acres of land consisting of pastures, creeks, rolling hills, orchards and forests. Historical structures include a turn-of-the-century schoolhouse that they are seeking grants for to restore, a farmhouse, and outbuildings. Her wish was for the buildings to be preserved, a ranch museum developed, equestrian trails and camping to be available and the land was to remain an animal refuge and the land and plants preserved.

Mildred left VERY specific instructions for her burial on the property also.

I fell in love with the natural beauty of the area and the peacocks in particular! They are so beautiful and graceful too.  This older woman comes to feed them regularly and when she pulled in the birds flocked over to her like she was a long lost friend 😀

We’re going to go back with a picnic when the weather warms up a bit.  I’ll remember to take my regular camera, but here are a few from my cell phone for now.

 

There was quite a bit of damage within the park from old trees that fell and literally splintered picnic tables, but I was impressed with these metal braces someone made many years ago for this old tree to preserve it.  The peacocks seem to really like this tree and while I wasn’t able to get a picture, they were all up in the tree when we first arrived.

I truly felt like I could hear these trees making a SERIOUS noise as they landed and splintered these tables.  Not that I was there when it happened, but in my head they were really loud!

I saw this glove and my mind went to Tom Hanks LOL He has an InstaGram account where he posts single lost items – a truly virtual LOST & FOUND 😀

2019 SNOWMAGEDDON update

So while the power is on and the internet is cooperating I’m going to do a quick update.  Hubby had been saying how disappointed he was that snow had been on the forecast all month, but never really materialized.  Well, I’m here to tell you BE CAREFUL WHAT YOU WISH FOR!

We’re accustomed to snow, lots of it even from our time in the U.P., but unfortunately this little town wasn’t!  They are used to a couple inches that melts away fairly quickly.  It would have been okay and even a little bit funny if it hadn’t happened ALL at once and taken down thousands of trees and the power too!  I was never this cold even during the long winters of the Upper Peninsula… Here we are a week later and still have several inches covering everything.

Hubby tried to keep the walkway cleaned off, but every time he’d finish it would start snowing again.  At one point during the 3 day outage it was warmer in the refrigerator than the house and it continued to snow even more with tons of road closures all hampering the repair crews and their efforts to restore power.  Even the cell towers took a beating leaving us with compromised communication.  My neighbor and I resorted to throwing snowballs at each other’s window to get each other’s attention. 

During daylight hours we would use the cars to charge up phones and electronics which would also help melt the snow off the cars while we sat there getting a little bit warm and charging up. I braved it and walked over to talk with my neighbor.  Neighbors checked on each other and banded together as necessary.  Some were kinda stupid running propane heaters in houses that had gas pilots, letting their kids go out and get cold and wet with no way to warm them back up or take their cars where they couldn’t get out without making a HUGE slushy, icy mess.

I have to tell you 2019 Snowmageddon will not be forgotten ANY time soon.  Remote rural areas will NOT even be restored for weeks to come. 

When we finally left the house we were so surprised by just how many trees and I mean BIG trees had fallen onto and over roadways, onto power lines, houses, cars…  Clean up will take some time!  The sun made an appearance on Friday for a few hours and it felt heavenly, but other than that it has usually only appeared at the end of the afternoon in time to start setting.

HAPPY HOMEMAKER, MENU PLAN & UPDATE MONDAY week 27 of 2018

GOOD MORNING sweet ladies.  I CANNOT believe we are in JULY already!!!  We had a warm and uneventful weekend here where we watched some NASCAR races between the gym, pool and biking we’ve been doing for my recuperation.  I did make a few new recipes that were yummy and have gotten quite a bit of reading done also.

Be sure to link up with
Sandra at Diary of a Stay at Home Mom for Happy homemaker Monday
and with Laura at I’m an Organizing Junkie for Menu Plan Monday.

OUTSIDE MY WINDOW & THE WEATHER OUTSIDE & WHAT I’M WEARING – hot, hot and more hot, but the humidity is only about 15% and I grew up in this kind of dry heat so it’s much more tolerable than Texas was with its HIGH humidity 😀 Highs this week are supposed to be around 110° and the lows around 80° and continued LOW humidity.

ON THE BREAKFAST PLATE – a banana, green tea and a protein bar

CRAFTS / PROJECTS – nothing at the moment

ON MY MIND / THINGS THAT ARE MAKING ME HAPPY – Life in general makes me happy these days.  I recently read somewhere that the happiest places in the world are those where enlightened leaders shifted their focus from economic development to promoting quality of life. THIS!! THIS is the place we are looking for to live!  Anybody know where it is?

 

HEALTH UPDATE – We are finally following a “recovery” routine.  An hour at the gym in the mornings using the machines specific to building up the muscle I’ve lost and then 2 miles on the stationery bike plus 2 more on the treadmill.  Then it’s home for the pool time where I am using a “volleyball” as a flotation device that I sit on and my arms to tread water back forth for several laps using my arms especially and water aerobic weights before I finish with several regular swimming laps and then just some plain old sun time 😀 After dinner when the sun sets and the temps have dropped below 100 we do several miles on the “regular” bike before showering and calling it a night.

I do seem to be getting more calories and eating better as well as building back the muscle, but am still losing weight so am keeping a close eye on the “BIG” picture.

The goal is to keep up this very specific daily routine between now and our nephew’s wedding in late September in hopes that I can look decent in a dress! as well as get my stamina and strength back so I can lead a good daily routine in life.

FAVORITE PHOTO FROM THE CAMERA – I’m still editing through pictures from the trip west as well as my SIL’s house and ran across these. The first was one of my favorites from Cadillac Ranch. I love the face on the wheel.

My late BIL loved crows and had this fountain installed at their house.  The fountain never worked right and they converted it to a cactus garden, but I’ve always loved it and her view beyond it 😀 And her wild flowers that pop up here and there are so gorgeous

INSPIRATION

AS I LOOK AROUND THE HOUSE / WEEKLY TO DO LIST & HOUSE PROJECTS /  APPOINTMENTS

  • LAUNDRY… just a couple loads, after all how much can you dirty living in shorts and swim suits? 😀
  • LIVING AREAS… pretty clean since we are in a smaller space for the summer and I keep the clutter picked up and the dishes done regularly
  • YARD… trying to keep the flowers extra watered and added some extra sun shades
  • BLOG… some recipe updating, future post planning for when I get back into a “normal” routine and even some holiday post planning

CURRENTLY READING AND ON MY WAIT PILE

I’M READING Debra Clopton’s Windswept Bay series and am almost finished – Book #10 With this Forever

WHAT IS ON THE DVR OR LIST TO WATCH – last week was so blasted hot that we did some netflix and redbox movies so we could stay in during the heat of the day.

  • 🙂 12 STRONG – enjoyed it a lot
  • 😀 GAME NIGHT – FUNNY
  • 🙂 HURRICANE HEIST – thought it might be bad as it didn’t have too many well known people in it, but we really enjoyed it
  • 🙂 TOMB RAIDER – really enjoyed it
  • 🙁 THE ESCAPE OF PRISONER 614 – we didn’t even finish this as it was really trite
  • 🙂 HOTEL TRANSYLVANIA – really cute
  • 🙂 HOTEL TRANSYLVANIA 2 – just a cute as the original
  • ??? RED SPARROW – still not sure what I think about this one
  • ??? ANNIHILATION – VERY weird
  • 😀 A WRINKLE IN TIME – good, but so un-Disney
  • 😀 ESCAPE PLAN 1 – REALLY enjoyed this one was looking forward to 2
  • 🙁 ESCAPE PLAN 2 – the audio is horrible with all the techno music and it jumped all over the world leaving a less than cohesive story – we actually turned it off and did not finish it.
  • 🙂 15:17 TO PARIS – this film hit a little close to home since one of the guys was from the town we were living in when the Thalys train attack (August 21, 2015) happened.  That was the same town that just 2 months later had the UCC college shooting (October 1, 2015) needless to say a very emotional time for our little community.
  • 😀 THE WORLDS FASTEST INDIAN – what a neat movie! I can’t imagine anyone but Anthony Hopkins playing this role!

HEALTH & BEAUTY TIPS

HOMEMAKING/COOKING TIP

MENU PLANS FOR THE WEEK

BREAKFAST

SNACK

LUNCH

DINNER

SNACK/DESSERT

MONDAY

CHEERIOS, SMALL BANANA & GREEN TEA

PROTEIN DRINK

GRILLED CHICKEN BREAST, TUNA SALAD OR ??

CHEESY CHICKEN PANCAKES

PROTEIN SHAKE

TUESDAY

PEACH YOGURT & GREEN TEA

PROTEIN DRINK

GRILLED CHICKEN BREAST, TUNA SALAD OR ??

PINEAPPLE PEPPER CHICKEN & SALAD

PROTEIN SHAKE

WEDNESDAY

CHEERIOS, SMALL BANANA & GREEN TEA

PROTEIN DRINK

GRILLED CHICKEN BREAST, TUNA SALAD OR ??

??

PROTEIN SHAKE

THURSDAY

CHERRY YOGURT & GREEN TEA

PROTEIN DRINK

GRILLED CHICKEN BREAST, TUNA SALAD OR ??

HONEY SOY PORK & PEANUT NOODLES

PROTEIN SHAKE

FRIDAY

BERRY YOGURT & GREEN TEA

PROTEIN DRINK

GRILLED CHICKEN BREAST, TUNA SALAD OR ??

JALAPENO HONEY STICKY WINGS & SALAD

PROTEIN SHAKE

SATURDAY

??

PROTEIN DRINK

GRILLED CHICKEN BREAST, TUNA SALAD OR ??

C.O.R.N. clean out refrigerator night

CARAMEL APPLE HAND PIES

SUNDAY

BRUNCH at a Friend’s house

PROTEIN DRINK

GRILLED CHICKEN BREAST, TUNA SALAD OR ??

TEQUILA CHICKEN SALAD

PROTEIN SHAKE

SUCCESSFUL RECIPE LINKS FROM LAST WEEK

Still no Alien Cows to be found

We took one last trip to see if we could find the alien cow or at least one of his kin, but still no luck. We did however have a wonderful day and saw quite a few friendly animals.  We found some recent turtle egg activity and lazy alligators.  The moss on the lake was so mossy that it was easy for them to hide.

STILL IN SEARCH OF THE ALIEN COW

One of our favorite places here to visit wildlife is Brazos Bend State Park. We tried to go back in November, but were turned away as they were still closed due to damage from August 26th’s Hurricane Harvey that had the park under 6 feet of water and did major damage to the park. To date they are still not sure how many alligators just floated away during the storm.

Tuesday was sunny, but on the cool side so the alligators were only visible when sunbathing along the lake edges, but the birds were everywhere.  Unfortunately, we only got about half the park in as I just plain ran out of energy.  We’ll go back in a few weeks.

After several visits I was curious about what alligators actually eat. My research shows that what they eat is dependent on their age and size, but they are primarily carnivores no matter what. Researchers have found fruits and berries in dead alligators also. As they grow they will progressively hunt for larger and larger prey including turtles, raccoons, muskrat, large fish and some birds that live near the water. There have been reports of dogs, panthers and even black bears being eaten by alligators. Once an adult they will feed on any pretty much any animal that comes near the water. Alligators tend to NOT prey on anything larger than they are. I’m sure given the right scenario, they might prey on just about anything if they are hungry enough. Alligators tend to avoid humans, but when provoked they may attack. As you can see from my pictures there are plenty of turtles and birds that live in and around these alligators.

Even the turtles were sunbathing trying to stay warm.

Like I said, the birds were EVERYWHERE including this guy who I thought would turn and fly the other way as we got closer, but did the complete opposite landing right next to us and then taking his time crossing in front of us.

After reading this I have to wonder who and why they created a park where there is NOTHING separating you from the alligators except your common sense to keep your distance. ALL of the alligators I saw today were larger than I am!

Back in 2011 when we were here taking care of my aunt we made our first trip to the park and on the way home we saw an “ALIEN” cow.  We have looked evey time for the cow or an offspring, but still NO luck.

CHRISTMAS COUNTRY CHURCHES

These are 2 of my favorite country churches from Michigan.  I took these pictures in 2011 at Christmas time ON THE SAME DAY. That’s how fast weather changes with lake effect snow!



I JUST LOVE OLD CHURCHES! The bottom 3 pictures was a REALLY neat stone church in the middle of town.



But, my favorite country church is from a teeny tiny little town called Mansfield. It was once a growing little town until there was a mine disaster.  Now all that exists is the monument to the disaster, the church and a few random homes.

AN ADVENTURE – THE HARD WAY

Life has been so topsy turvy lately and we both just needed a break.  We decided to take a day and visit a favorite park of ours, Brazos Bend State Park.

There is a don’t touch or pester the alligators rule and as long as everyone behaves there are no issues seeing the alligators via their natural habitat.  They are not caged or fenced and people just know to leave them alone and enjoy the park.  There are also several wonderful birds, turtles and old mossy trees to enjoy making this a truly unique experience.  Boots and Alien Cows is a post from a few years back if you are interested.

On our way to the park I kept a look out for Alien Cow. It had been several years since we’d seen him, but we ALWAYS look just for fun.

But, the universe had another idea on how we were going to spend our day. The park closure changed our day big time. Alligators wander off from the park during the best of times, but the flood waters were 4 1/2 feet in the park and the estimate is that 300-350 alligators just floated out of the park in floodwaters along with several venomous snakes. There was a pretty informative article here if you’re interested. Here are some images from GOOGLE to give you an idea of what a trip to Brazos Bend is like.

Personally I fear the cotton mouth snakes more than the alligators.  The park itself has been flooded during the last 3 BIG floods – Memorial Day 2015, April 2016 and Hurricane Harvey 2017 which was the worst and forced the park closure so pathways, ponds and signs could be re-created.  This time they lost several buildings too.  The wonderfully informative Ranger at the front gate told us they were slated to re-open November 7th so we will try again after that time. I’m anxious to see how it’s changed.

So we decided to head for the coast, Freeport in particular just because we had never been there, but once again the universe had another idea as a HUGE fire detoured us. Fortunately it was a very nice day and we went with the flow to Surfside Beach.

The beach was absolutely perfect and many people were out enjoying it just like us, including the pelicans and surf birds.

This is an area that builds its house on HUGE pillars because of strong storm surges during storms and hurricanes.  While most places appear to have gone unscathed here, there were several still in need of repair and many already undergoing a rebuilding.

And no road trip for us would be complete without major roadwork in our path.

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HECETA HEAD DESTINATION WEDDING

My brother got married a year ago and it was a destination wedding to a very special place that means a lot to him and my new SIL, Amy. We had family coming in from ALL over the country for both of them and being a Virgo, list maker and compulsive planner I started asking questions early on.  Since we were the closest to the location I felt responsible for helping in ANY way I could – from decorations, the cake, picking people up from the airport, etc…

My first stop was the Heceta Head Lighthouse Bed & Breakfast webpage.  One of the first things that struck me was that they need a better webmaster, but then it was pointed out to me that because they are a lighthouse on the coast, they get the business either way, but I still believe there should be better information and facility pictures for when your are spending an arm and a leg for the weekend. So, one of my goals of this post is to add some decent pictures here as well as Pinterest for those who feel they need more information before spending $315 + tax a night just for a room.

This was a “later in life” (they are both in their 40’s) first wedding for each of them and they were keeping it small so I really wanted it to be perfect for them.  Just trying to pick out a date turned into a HUGE fiasco.  The web page shows dates blacked out so they were trying to work around that to pick dates that would coincide with their available days off from work and coordinating family flights etc…  LONG STORY SHORT the blacked out dates ARE available for weddings and large parties, but have to be booked through the general manager, but since the general manager was SUPER SLOW to return ALL calls and emails, it took FOREVER to start planning this wedding.  The webpage has a link to wedding packages, but they are not clear or thorough.  You have to contact owner to even know what the wedding packages are.

The webpage also does NOT have decent pictures of the facilities. If you have never been there you are left to fill in the blanks with your imagination. And with the pricey dollar amount on the weekend people kinda want to see what they are getting for the money. While we were there for their wedding people were stopping by trying to locate the owner/manager about their own weddings since their calls were not being answered.

The following quote is directly from their webpage: “Having just a few guests at your wedding, let us take care of your wedding plans! You set the date, pick a package and relax.” Which as I can tell you IS NOT the case.

I grew up in an era of customer service and the customer is always right.   While that may not always really be the case I still believe business should be conducted a certain way – COURTEOUSLY.  Even if you are busy and have more business than you need you SHOULD ALWAYS return calls and emails.  The practice is akin to not burning bridges to me.  The customer you turn away today by not answering will not be there tomorrow nor will anyone they tell about their poor experience. Unfortunately, EVERYTHING became last minute in the 5-7 days before the wedding because of this.

To top off the management issues they were having EXTREME water problems.  When we arrived we found this note on the refrigerator. No phone calls before to tell us to bring bottled water, no one there to pave the way with explanations, just this note.

On our first night there we found we had NO water as we went to bed.  This meant NO flushing toilets, taking showers or brushing teeth unless you had a bottle of water laying around. They began trucking water in around 130AM right past our window! So that also meant very little sleep also. No one told us in advance that water was being trucked in to fill the tank periodically. No one told us that the tank had MAJOR leaks in it also and the water would continue to seep out on top of it. Apparently their water source had been cut off by a coast road crew repairing the road.  

I have to tell you though none of that mattered to me when the water abruptly stopped as I was in the shower with a head full of lather the next morning.  NOPE, I was EXTREMELY pissed off.

Amy’s beautiful bouquet.
 Amy and her father walking down the aisle.

 Chris and Amy taking their vows.


 YAY! They did it!

 Casual and western!

Chris and Amy with her family (Allison, Tom, Dink, Amy, Chris, Aiden, Jen and Branen). LOL notice the boys shed their shoes as soon as they could.

Chris and Amy with his family (stepdad Glenn, mom, Chris, Amy, me and hubby)

Jen and Branen having a cute moment.
Branen waiting for dinner.
Aiden waiting for dinner.

Chris and Amy weren’t decided on a cake type so I offered to have my girlfriend, Heather (a gourmet cupcake baker) provide an assortment of their choice and they were a HUGE hit.  Everyone loved being able to try all the different flavors. They even did the ceremonious cutting of the “cupcake”.

Chris and Amy chose a wonderful sit down dinner from a local caterer that tasted fantastic! They also chose the candles and lanterns that I was able to pick up locally and I made the napkin rings.
 Chris & Amy with her parents, Tom & Dink.

 The setting was as peaceful and perfect and idyllic as was possible.

 Uninvited guests form a peanut gallery.
This was the view from our room! 
 Tom enjoying the appetizer spread before dinner.

ALL and ALL we had a great time DESPITE the poor management and water problems which says more about our abilities to roll with the punches than the Inn’s ability to problem solve.  To this date the owner/manager has YET to call me back despite my many calls to him and I’m sure since he has my money he never will. 

 

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