Big 12 Championship game in Jerry's World

Saturday, December 5, 2009 a day that will forever be imprinted on my memory. Or at least until I sleep. Wayne and I drove from Rockport, TX to Austin early in the morning. We met four busloads of people at the UT Alumni Center to board buses to Jerry's World/Cowboy Stadium in Arlington, TX. As we came up to the area where you turn right off Hwy 30 there was this beautiful overpass to the left. I have no idea where it goes but it was beautiful. If you look carefully you can also see a plane getting ready to land at DFW.

This is our first glimpse at the stadium from the bus. It kinda reminds me of a space ship.

Here is a better shot from outside. This is about two hours before game time and the parking lots are getting full. At $50+ for parking I'm glad we took the bus. Plus, the traffic was awful. This place is in the middle of a neighborhood and a shopping center.

Here is Wayne inside. He is in the area where they allow standing room. I wouldn't mind watching a game from this area.

This is the view looking over the railing of the standing area to the field.

This is looking out the windows away from the field out onto the area where they were having tailgate parties in the tents. Note the sunset at the very top of the picture.

Here is a better view. Too bad there was so much reflection from the bright lights in the room.

Here is the giant TV screen anouncing that this was sponsored by Dr. Pepper.

Here are Wayne and I. Proof that we were there. As you can see there is mostly red around us.

Our seats were on the second level right below the first suites. Here is the band at half-time.

And here are the players whooping it up right after we won with my "Hook'em" sign in the picture.

It was a squeaker but a win is a win. Next stop the National Championship game.

After Thanksgiving at the creek

The Friday after Thanksgiving we drove to Sargant, TX to see Marynelle's brother, Murray, and his wife, Sandy. We had a wonderful visit. On Saturday night there is a lighted boat parade on Caney Creek. Everyone decorates their boat houses and piers for the parade. This is a view looking across the creek from their house. You can see their doorway reflected in the water on the lower left hand side.

We went down to their screen house to watch the parade. I went out on the dock to try to get pictures of the boats and they moved by. I was able to get some better than others.

I love the way the lights reflect in the water.

There were big boats and little boats and everything in between.

Lighted palm trees decorated some boats.

I bet that lighting these downriggers was fun.

There were boats filling the creek with lights.

Santa and his reindeer decorated this boat.

I think this was probably the boat with the most lights.

This is the clearest picture I got.

We have watched the North Padre Island boat parade for years but we were always on a deck high above the boats. This was a whole different perspective.

Stamper Thanksgiving

We went to New Caney, TX for Thanksgiving with Wayne's brothers and their families. Wayne's brother, Kim, has two Pomeranians and here's Trouble getting to know them. Later we were able to let them out of the pen.


As we have always said, "He plays well by himself but not well with others." He finally learned.

Kim's wife, Irma, loves to decorate for the holidays. She inherited most of Wayne's mother's collection to add to her own so everything was beautifully decorated.

Here are some of the pies that we had along with our turkey dinner with all the trimmings. My favorite is the chocolate/pecan pie that Darrel's wife, Tammie, makes each year.

Irma had this wall unit built especially for showing off all of the decorative pieces. Wayne's mother made many of the larger pieces when she was doing ceramics.

This is one of the Thanksgiving decorations that she made.

Here is another display cabinet.

The mantle was decorated with houses and autumn trees. Irma will just need to change out the trees to be ready for Christmas.

Two of Wayne's brothers and their wives, Kim and Irma, and Darrell and Tammie were there along with some of their children and the children of one of Wayne's other brothers, Leslie. Everyone enjoyed dinner and went home with a full tummy.

Back in the Austin Area

 

On Friday, Nov. 6 we drove back to Georgetown, TX to go to the next three University of Texas football games.  We stayed at New Life RV park again.  Here is a picture of the coach with the sunset in the background.  Note Trouble in the pen in front of the coach.

 

We had a night of beautiful sunsets when we arrived here Friday night.

We went to the UT vs Central Florida game last Saturday and we flew our colors proudly.

Trouble loves his pen and will play with anything.  Here he is playing with a leaf that blew into his pen.

Now he is ready to get out.

Sunday we took our daughter, Nola, and granddaughter, Michelle, out to Wild Flower restaurant in Georgetown.  Here is a picture of the three generations or women.

NAS Corpus Christi

We got up Friday morning and drove to NAS Corpus Christi. The FamCamp there is located on a peninsula so it is always pretty windy. There is all kinds of wildlife around. Here is a heron standing by a tree looking out toward the bay side of the peninsula.

Here are two of the dozen or so jack rabbits that live in the RV Park.

This is really a beautiful setting. Standing in our site we can see the water in the bay close to where the fishing pier is. Note the four jack rabbits.

This is the view looking toward the munitions depot and the Laguna Madre.

And here is a view of one of Corpus Christi's beautiful sunsets.

Saturday night we went to the Texas Exes Corpus Christi game watch for the UT/OU game watch. We got to see many of our friends and meet some new ones. The game was nerve wracking but we won.

Tuesday Wayne had an appointment with his cardiologist. He did an echocardiogram and said that yes Wayne's heart had decreased in function some but not as dramatically as the doctor in Missoula had thought. His functioning is not bad enough to put a three lead pace maker in nor for a heart transplant. For now there is nothing to do but to go on with life as it is.

Wednesday morning I left for Houston for a week to be with my daughter whose husband has decided that he doesn't want to be married any more. Please pray for her.

Wayne and Trouble are being bachelors for the week and Wayne will work on potty training. Also one of his close fishing buddies was banished from his house for his wife's all girl reunion so he brought his motorhome out to the base as well. Last I heard they were planning on being on the beach fishing this morning.

We left Georgetown this morning to go to San Antonio, TX. When we are in San Antonio we always stay at Fort Sam Houston Army Base in their FamCamp. To get to the RV park you have to drive past the on-base cemetery. It is a somber reminder every time of the multitude of young men and women who gave their lives that you and I might live the lives we do today. We followed a military funeral into the cemetery.

Wayne had an appointment with his dermatologist this afternoon. He checked the area where he had cut out a cancer last spring and froze a few more places today. We got to eat at one of our favorite restaurants, Sea Island, while we were there. They used to have a restaurant in Corpus Christi but it closed so we always try to eat there when we are in town.