It's a gusher!

Currently in Rockport, Texas (outside of Corpus Christi)
Heading to Harlingen (near South Padre) next, then on to San Antonio and Austin

The last day we were in Beaumont, we visited the Spindletop museum run by Lamar University.
The Spindletop dome was a mound created by underground salt deposits.  One observant man noticed oil leaking from the salt as it was being harvested.  A few folks drilled a couple of times and...nothing.
Then in early 1901 - the Lucas Gusher hit.  Paydirt.  The oil boom in Texas was on!

Memorial to the Lucas Gusher

The Memorial was on the original site until 1979 but then needed to be moved because the ground it was on was soft and the memorial was sinking.

Folks rushed to Beaumont to make their fortunes.  Clapboard buildings sprung up to service the workers and their families.  The development was named Gladys City after a child known to the man who conceived the layout.

Replica of Gladys City

We learned a bit about life in Beaumont during the turn of the 20th Century.  First, the Barber Shop.

Not only could men get a shave and a hair cut, they could rent the chairs to sleep in overnight since housing was short.  They could even get a tooth pulled here.  Yuck!!

The all important Saloon.

When our Johnny saw this sign, he really thought we were going to sit down to a cold PBR.  Sorry Johnny, the sign is just to give an air of authenticity to the museum village.

A good blacksmith is a necessity during an oil boom - somebody has to keep all the tools working well.  It's this guy.

He really is a blacksmith and the shop is operational.  He volunteers at the museum in the hopes of getting kids interested in being blacksmiths in order to keep the craft alive.

There was a lot more information regarding the importance of photography, printers, and the oil stock exchange.   History lesson for the day!

I then talked Johnny into driving through the Oaks Historic District thinking we would see some older homes like in some of the streets near downtown DG (Downers Grove).  Wrong again.  There were some beautiful older homes open to tours.  But there were also many homes in disrepair.  We enjoyed looking at several lovely homes with varied architecture along with their well manicured lawns and gardens.

Back to Nature

We are leaving for Corpus Christi area tomorrow (Rockport, TX)
Then Harlingen, TX and San Antonio

We will be in Arizona in mid March


Since we have been exploring many cities the last few weeks, I was anxious to get back to hiking.  The warmer weather and the Beaumont area provided a perfect opportunity for us to explore the Big Thicket National Preserve.
First we took the Kirby trail that had a bunch of tall pines, magnolias, and live oak trees.

There were a couple of interesting things to see in this forest.

We took a turn off to see the cypress trees that grow in the swamps, called sloughs.  That proved to be the most interesting part of our hike with various tree shapes and bark.  Johnny is really good at remembering all the names and native regions.  I just appreciate the beauty of Nature!

Below you can see the "knees" that grow above the roots in the swampy areas of the cypress trees.  No one is quite sure of their function  - they are an odd shape and look kind of weird and spooky.

At one point in our hike, we ran into this sign.  They haven't finished cleaning up after the hurricane in December.  We turned around and retraced our steps at this point in the trail.

Once we finished the Kirby trail, we went over to the Pitcher Plant Trail as recommended by the Ranger at the Welcome Center.   The Pitcher Plant is carnivorous in that it eats insects!  Bugs are attracted by the sweet smell and then trapped in the long stem.  The picture below is in winter, of course, so it looks brown.  But in summer they are a beautiful yellow.

Finally, on our way out of the park (in the car) we saw this little guy.  Not sure if he is dead or alive, but it's our first armadillo in Texas!

Continuing on the Nature theme, our RV park is very close to the Beaumont Botanical Garden, so we checked it out.  There were sculptures of dinosaurs - see the pterodactyl.

And some beautiful (and valuable) koi fish - dark, cream color and orange.

There is a lovely outdoor section that has a rose garden, a Japanese garden and a butterfly garden among other things.  But in winter there was not much worth photographing.

We also went to the Cattail Marsh as recommended by the docent at the Botanical Garden.  It was a cool day so we didn't see beavers, alligators or many fish.  But lots of birds - mostly ducks! And this little black and white guy who thinks he is above it all.

These two were diving for their dinner.  I don't know why I think this is so funny.

This guy either thinks he's a rooster or wants to tell us which way the wind blows.  He had a really sweet sound.

This is just an overall view of one side of the marsh.  We met a couple of men who were bird watching using a high powered binocular.  They were watching an eagle at a nest in the distance.  They also showed us a flock of white egrets where one was light blue! Highly unusual.  I don't have a photo because they were too far away, but it was really cool.

The parade

Currently in: Beaumont, TX
Next up: Corpus Christi and Harlingen, TX'
We will be spending most of February in South Texas - trying to stay warm til Spring!

This post is a bit late, but on our last day in NOLA we went to World of Mardi Gras for a tour.  We learned a lot about this celebration that takes place in cities all over the country.

Of course most of us know that Mardi Gras means Fat Tuesday.  It takes place before the 40 days of Lent on the Church calendar.  What we didn't know was that in New Orleans there is not just one parade, but over 50 parades that take place up to 2 weeks before actual Mardi Gras.  The parades do not take place in the French Quarter because the streets are too narrow.

We got a behind he scenes tour and were able to see how the artists put the floats together.  The warehouse is huge! This is just part of one aisle.

They use styrofoam to create the images.  Then paper mache over the styrofoam to create a smooth surface for painting.

Next they objects, called props, go to painting.

The props are used again and again from year to year.  The styrofoam is easy to change.  The results are stunning, really, when you can see them up close.

Each "Krewe"(organization that puts on a parade), has their own theme.  The floats are financed by the Krewes where each member pays dues and then has the opportunity to ride on a float.

There is a lot of history behind the parade and the Krewes from their names, to the colors, to the items they throw during the parades.  For instance, there are laws in Louisiana that prevent corporate sponsorship and therefore the parades cannot be televised.  The tour cleared up a lot of misconceptions I had about Mardi Gras and the parades.  Laissez les bons temps rouler! 

Michael's here!

Heading to Beaumont, Texas today
We will be in Texas until late February

Michael arrived for a long weekend and some warm weather.   He was in charge of the Uber transportation from our RV campground on Lake Pontchartrain to downtown NOLA.  Our first stop: Louis Armstrong Park.

I thought this jazz sculpture was cool.  Wait a second, who is that guy on the end?

There is so much to see in the French Quarter also known as Vieux Carre (old square), we decided to use the Battle of New Orleans as a backdrop to seeing the sights.
Where to start?  Jackson Park, of course!  Andrew Jackson and a small group of American defenders overwhelmed British Troops in the Battle of New Orleans.   The Americans included state militias, Cherokee Indians and Jean Lafitte's pirates.  Andrew Jackson returned 25 years after the Battle to the Place d'Armes to lay the cornerstone at the park that would eventually bear his name.

Below is a sculpture of Jackson on his horse representing the review of troops before the battle began.  You can also see the Cathedral of St. Louis King of France in the background.  It is the oldest Catholic Cathedral in continual use in the United States and the building dates back to 1794.  After victory over the troops, Jackson requested a thanksgiving service, and a solemn Mass was offered.

At this point we needed some refreshments.  On to Cafe du Monde for some sustenance.  Love those beignets!

We then left for Pirate's Alley where we learned that Jean Lafitte's (leader of the pirates) brother was held in a prison here before he escaped to help Jackson defeat the British.  We stopped in for some Pirate's Punch, Calico Jack, and Absinthe cocktails.

On our way to the the next stop, we saw a band walking down the middle of the street.

Turns out it was a wedding!  How fun!

We finally arrived at Maspero's Coffee House.  In the pic below, our noble tour guide was reading from his phone to tell us that Jackson planned the defense of New Orleans with the Lafitte brothers in an upstairs room at this location in late 1814.

The next stop is the Old Absinthe House.  This location also claims that the Battle of New Orleans was planned at their location.  In 1951, a judge proclaimed that both locations, Old Absinthe House and Maspero's Coffee House, could lay claim to the legend.
Oh, and another random band in the French Quarter.  There were several as we walked the Quarter from one historic place to another.

We were too far down Bourbon Street to go back and find the Old Absinthe House, so we moved to the next site:

Legend says that the Lafitte brothers used the blacksmith business as a "front" to sell slaves and goods that they plundered on the high seas. Both brothers and their privateers helped the Americans at the Battle of New Orleans in exchange for promises of amnesty for past offenses.  The location has been a bar for many years now.  Cheers!

Finally, we stopped at the Old Ursuline Convent.  It was under construction and so a picture was not in order.  The night before the battle was to start, the sisters prayed for victory for the Americans.  Once the battle was over, the sisters cared for the sick and wounded from both sides.  Jackson and his staff stopped by the convent to thank the sisters for their prayers.  Every year a Mass of Thanksgiving is said on January 8, the anniversary of the Battle of New Orleans.
We also decided not to tour the final stop on this self guided walk given that it was just outside the French Quarter. The site is currently a US Mint but was formerly Fort Charles, where Jackson reviewed the troops and began the march to surprise attack the British.

So, the touring was over and we were ready to enjoy some fun on Bourbon Street!

After a traditional dinner of Muffuletta and gumbo, we stopped to listen to some zydeco music, complete with washboard and spoons (far left hand side).

The next morning we were ready for the hair of the dog...

 Best Bloody Mary's in New Orleans!

Garden District

Currently in: New Orleans
Next Up: Beaumont then Corpus Christi, TX

We were finally able to get out and see some sites beyond Bourbon Street.  A stroll down Saint Charles Avenue was just lovely. Here are a couple of the beautiful homes we saw.

And they are getting ready for Mardi Gras!

We also saw several streetcars run down the middle of the street.  The line on Saint Charles Avenue is the oldest continuously operating street railway system in the world!

After lunch and some window shopping on Magazine Street, we checked out Lafayette Cemetery1 dating back to 1833.

Since NOLA is located below sea level, bodies in their cemeteries are buried in tombs above ground. Many cemeteries are in disrepair so the Archdiocese has launched Save Our Cemeteries to fund a restoration.