National Museum of the Pacific War

Today we drove to Fredericksburg Texas to see the National Museum of the Pacific War.  I enjoy going to museums and learning about the history of our country.  I am especially drawn to WW I and WW II museums and I have seen a few in my time but this was beyond anything I have ever seen.  I am already making plans to return to Hill Country in the Spring and I will be going back to this museum.


The first part of it was the history of the relationship of Japan with China with America etc… Then you walked into a room and listen to the events prior to the attack on Pearl Harbor.  When that was over the doors open and you step into another room that had a submarine in it and informational boards… Then the room grew dark, the bombs started dropping, film clips started that showed the destruction and the devastation of Pearl Harbor.  You heard the voices and heard the despair.  I want to tell you I wasn’t ashamed to be standing there with tears running down my face, I wasn’t the only one.  It was intense. 


The museum is what it says it is…..  It covers the Pacific War from beginning to end.  I did not allow myself enough time to really explore and I regret that.  So I am going back and I will spend the day. 


Fleet Admiral Chester W. Nimitz was born in Fredericksburg.   There is a museum honoring him as well that I would like to see. 


We took the time to walk to the cemetery while there.  It was late when we left and didn’t make it to San Marcos until after dark.  We ate our dinner at Luby’s and then headed to the park.  Tuesday the van goes in to have the furnace fixed.  We are hoping to be hippo hunting by the weekend.  Our fingers are crossed.


Click here for more pictures of the Lyndon B. Johnson State Historical Park

	Lyndon B. Johnson’s Boyhood Home.
Sauer - Beckmann Living History Farm 1915 - 1918 Neighbors to the Johnson Family
	School House
	Birthplace of President Johnson
	The Texas White House.  President Johnson’s home.

Lyndon B. Johnson, 36th President of the United States

Randomness

My children and my mother will tell you I have a habit of chasing things.  Today I took a look at my dash aka the zoo and I realized that every stuffed animal that is on my dash are animals I have chased.

Lizards – I know Gila Monsters are poisonous.  They are fast but I caught up with one and got a few great pictures.

Possums – they are not a whole lot of fun to chase because they eventually just give up and everyone thinks I took a picture of a dead animal.  I have chased one or two….  I even had a dog pull one out of the bathroom closet in my old yeller trailer. 

Coyotes – it was in Texas and I saw one trotting down the road.  I slammed on the brakes and jumped out.  Mom was yelling don’t you be chasing it.  I didn’t because there are certain animals you have to show respect for.  Especially if they can run faster than you.  I did get a good picture. 

Spiders – I have danced with tarantulas in Arizona and Guatemala.  I have had quite a few close encounters with some unknown spiders as well. 

Today I found a stuff vulture….  Yes I have chased vultures.  I feel a kinship with vultures and crows.  Someone told me that my spirit animal is either a vulture or a crow and maybe that is why I feel a kinship with them.  This week I was able to dance with the vultures...  It was awesome.

Now I just need to find a bee…..

Random pictures of random things.  I will post pictures of LBJ State Park Tuesday.

Pedernales Falls State Park

Technorati Tags: Pedernales Falls State Park

	Pedernales Falls State Park is located 10 miles east of Johnson City. The park is on the Pedernales River.
	Before 1970, the area that is now Pedernales Falls State Park was a working ranch, known as the Circle Bar Ranch. The state of Texas purchased the land for the park in 1970, and the park opened in 1973.
	The park also has a number of picnic areas and campsites, including some primitive campsites that require a hike of two miles or more to reach. There are also 19.8 miles of hiking and mountain biking trails, 10 miles of equestrian trails, and 14 miles of backpacking trails.

Just Bring It On In

This morning we awoke to no heat, the furnace died.  I did my check to see if there is anything I could do to fix it but it is going to require someone with more skill than I have.  We are in a small town so I wasn’t to hopeful in my search of repairmen. 

I know I am going to hear “why don’t you take the van back to the Roadtrek people that fixed your window?”  Simply put they are idiots.  When I pulled into their place of business I walked all over the outside looking for someone then I walked the length of the building and went into the showroom.  Then I yelled “Yoo Hoo anyone here?”   I was really puzzled because I had an appointment and you would think someone would be there.  I went back to the van and talked to mom about the situation.  So she went into the showroom and hollered to no avail.  We decided to get back in the van and leave.  When we got to the van this kid came up to us and said “what do you want?”  I felt like I was inconveniencing him by being there.  Then when the window was repaired I had the fun job of cleaning up all the glass.  It was in the seats, the rug, in our bedding, it was EVERYWHERE!  I had them order the parts I needed to fixed the rest of the stuff wrong with the van and decided never go to a Roadtrek Service Department again.  We have only been to three out of the 4 I know of and two of them were god awful. 

This morning I found a RV Service that was opened on Saturday about 10 miles away and I gave them a call.  I was promptly transferred to a technician.  I was feeling hopeful.  I told him what the problem was and I thought it could be the thermostat aka doo hookie.  He said “no problem, just bring the furnace in.”

I said “excuse me.”

He said, “take the furnace out out of your rig and bring it in.” 

I told him to have a nice day.

No really I did tell him to have a nice day.

I found another place about 50 miles away and they scheduled us in for Tuesday. 

We are going to be here for  awhile. 

I am going to think of something positive…. Before I started RVing my idea of fixing something was to beat it with a hammer.  I have learned to make repairs and fix things that I never knew I could fix.  I also am learning how to cook without burning something or someone.  There is just one thing I cannot do… I cannot take my furnace out and drive it 10 miles down the road. 

It is going to be a great day tomorrow.

This I Know

I was asked who are you and I am going to try to introduce myself. 

I am not who you think I am.   Professionally I am quite good around people and very friendly.  I have won awards and accolades.  Professionally I am the one you want to hire.  Yet when I got in my car and drove home from work I became the person I have always been – quiet and unbelievably uncomfortable around people.  I am getting better, I am coming out of my shell.  Ever since I bought the van I have been approached more and more.  I have had other van dwellers do a u-turn to visit.  At first it was a little disconcerting.  Now I am getting use to being approached.  I am also a little leery about disclosing my exact location for fear that someone I don’t want to meet will knock on my door.  Vans are few and far between.  In the 4 1/2 years on the road I have had to take out my bat only twice.  I am a fierce protector and I have been taught to strike and strike hard because I just don’t want someone taking my bat away and using it on me.  So you could say I am a little shy about revealing where I am because I don’t want to be found.  I do realize that I need to let people know where I am and I will do so in a vague sort of way, just check my labels.

Who is my ma?  She is probably the most awesome person I have ever met.  She is a lot like me.  Quiet, a little uncomfortable around people but she is coming out of her shell.  

This I do know….  whenever I make plans, plans change.  This is what I like about my life.  I had the last three months all figured out then Mom and I started talking about a certain cemetery in Louisiana that we missed due to bad weather and how much we would like to see it.  This morning we decided to scrap all plans and head to Louisiana.  We won’t drive straight there, we will just meander…. Meandering is good.  You see more, do more, and take too many pictures.   

Today we left Blanco State Park in Blanco Texas and we are staying 19 miles away.  Boy are we tired, it was such a long drive.    Seriously, we found a lot to do and the next thing I knew it was 5 o clock and it was time to find a place to sleep.  I picked up some Bison Jerky and an orange soda pop and called it day.

We will probably stay in this area for the weekend and Monday we will head out….  We are going hippo hunting in Texas. 

Expect Pictures tomorrow. 

Books, Sporadic Rain, and Quiet

In 3 days I read two books and started my 3rd one this afternoon.  While visiting my daughter, Hannah I had the opportunity to visit several used books stores and books sales.  My library in the van is stocked up.  The novel “The Wild Girl” was bought simply because I love the author, Jim Fergus, who wrote “One Thousand White Women.”   He didn’t disappoint with this one.   The story is about Ned Giles, an Apache girl, and the great Apache Expedition of 1932.  The characters in the book are introduced and you quickly form an attachment/ emotion to them.  Fergus writing is prose, he is a brilliant storyteller, and I just couldn’t put the book down.  It is inspired by several true stories and that makes the book feel “real.”  A brief and vague synopsis of the book is a group of wealthy men organized an expedition to free a boy who was kidnapped by the Apaches.  Ned Giles joins the expedition as a photographer.  While in a small Mexican town Ned discovers a wild Apache girl and he comes up with the idea of trading her for the kidnapped child.  The rest of the story is unbelievable.

When I finished “The Wild Girl” I pulled out “Your Name is Renee.”  I spent a wonderful afternoon reading the true story of Ruth Kapp Hartz.  Her family were German Jews and were targets of French as well as German anti Semitism during WW II. 

This evening I am reading S.C. Gwynne book, “Empire of the Summer Moon.”  According to a reviews online, “The book traces the rise of the Comanche people from their roots as primitive bands of hunter-gatherers to their mastery of the horse and emergence as the feared power brokers of the area. At the center of the narrative is the charismatic Quanah Parker, who skillfully navigated the gaps between his traditional culture and the emerging, settled culture of the late-nineteenth century. Quanah was the son of a Comanche warrior and a woman named Cynthia Ann Parker, who was kidnapped at the age of nine and chose to stay with the Comanches. Quanah was a brilliant, feared war chief who guided his people in adapting to new realities after their final suppression by the U.S. Calvary. An outstanding addition to western-history collections. --Jay Freeman “

Hannah I want to keep two of these books so I will be sending them to you to put in my library.  The stories are not your cup of tea, historical, Empire of the Summer Moon is a little dry, and all of them had some violence.

Mom and I are going to stay in this area a few more days.  It rained sporadically today so we were confined to the shelter and the van.  It was a soft, gentle rain so walking in it was a delight.  There is peace in hearing the night noises instead of traffic.  We slept with the windows and two curtains open so we were greeted with light and air when we woke up this morning.

Life is good.

Along Came A Spider…

When my children were young I had them stretch the arm out and then twirl.  It wasn’t some weird dance or game, I was showing them their personal space.   I went on to explain that no one was allowed in their personal space and what to do if someone entered their space without permission. 

We all have our personal space that man, beast, arachnids are not allowed to enter.  Today we reached our destination and after setting up camp I put my chair under the shelter and proceeded to get lost in a really good book.  About 15 minutes into the book I noticed a black spider was dangling right in front of me.  I felt like it was either trying to get my attention (accomplished) or it was trying to hypnotize me (scary thought).  It was so close I could tell you how many hairs was on it’s arse.  I have the utmost respect for spiders but I also have my limits.  This arachnid definitely invaded my personal space and I was tempted to swat it.  Instead of resorting to violence I slid out of my chair and just watch it as it slowly started it’s descent again.  When it made contact with the cement it immediately scurried to find shelter.  I figured it owed me something for scaring the bejesus out of me so I grabbed my camera. 

My mother came across a hairy wolf spider in the basement of her house.  It was perched on the door and so she gave it a good swat.  What she thought was hair was actually hundreds of baby wolf spiders that blew on her after her shoe made contact with their mama.  I think she had nightmares for months.

All spiders use venom to kill their food but, in most species this venom is only harmful to their food.  Only about a dozen species of spider have venom that is actually harmful to humans, of those only one is a tarantula, all the others are generally small spiders such as the notorious Black Widow Spider.  So why are we so afraid of them?  

I took some pictures today, click here to view the rest of them.  

Thicket

We are taking the van in today to have the vista window replaced.  Roadtrek was very prompt in shipping the window and the latches I requested and I am so happy they did.

We really enjoyed our time in San Marcos Texas and truly enjoyed our stay at Pecan RV Park.  The river that ran along side the park was beautiful.  We visited the cemetery and did some sightseeing while staying here.  I will be posting pictures tomorrow.

I am such a fan of Jim Harrison and one of the places he writes about is a thicket.  A thicket is a place where you can go alone to see but not be seen.  It is a place of comfort, security, a place where you can think or dream.  Tomorrow after the van is fixed, mom and I will be heading to a “thicket.”  We plan to spend a couple days there before heading to another one.  We will not have amenities, just water and electric, and if my phone works I will be able to get on the net. 

The pictures I am posting is the last of the photographs I took while in Lampasas Texas.  It is of Oakhill Cemetery - home to Walter Acker and  James S. Gillett, two residents of Lampasas.   It was a historic cemetery and mom and I spent half a day there just exploring.  It was filled with deer and it was a lot of fun to watch them.  It wasn’t fun the times they were watching us and jumped out of there hiding place and scare the bejesus out of me. 

Walter P. Acker
Walter Acker joined the Confederate Army in Paulding, Mississippi at age 16. He arrived in Lampasas in 1875 as an attorney in 1878, State Representative in 1883, and Mayor in 1901. In 1910 Acker moved to Harris County and served three terms in the State Legislature from that district. In 1930 he was honored as the last Confederate Veteran to serve in the Texas Legislature. He died at the Confederate Home in Austin.

James S Gillett
Lawyer and frontier fighter. Born in Kentucky. Attained rank of Major in Mexican War, 1846-49. He was elected to the 3^rd Texas Legislature, serving 1849-50. Appointed by Gov. P.H. Bell, he was Adjutant General of Texas, Nov. 24 1851, to Feb. 4 1856. He was again in the Texas Rangers in 1859 – 60 and served under Confederacy in Civil War, 1861 – 65. He married Elizabeth Harper. One of their children was famed Texas Ranger James B. Gillett.

Click here to view more pictures of Oakhill Cemetery.