SPRING VACATION

We enjoyed our vacation this week. We started Tuesday by driving to Fredericksburg where we visited Pat's Hall, the dance hall being refurbished by Kathy Shearer where she will host weddings as well as reopen the dance hall that has both an inside and outside dance areas. Last Friday (a week ago) she hosted a wedding party outside where it was a little windy but worked out. Her daughter Maggie is doing the painting and is almost finished. She plans to have the first dance in July when the rest rooms are finished. Former bands were Willie Nelson, George Strait, and others back in the 50's when they were just starting. Kathy is keeping her book publishing company Shearer Publishing and specializes in cook books. The dance hall used to be her office and warehouse, but she is keeping warehouse space but renewing the dance hall and concession area.

We shopped downtown Fredericksburg, which is what you do there. We started at the Chocolate shop and then Nancy had to make every aisle in Dooley's 5 and 10. I got a new hummingbird feeder for me and a rain guage for Nancy. At another store I found a WWII cap that I had seen others wear and Nancy gave it to me as an anniversary gift. Tuesday was our first anniversary.

My new cap. 

We spent the night with my daughter and heard the report of Ness the nurse about her planned medical mission trip to Kenya this summer. One day will be a safari. She is looking forward to the trip. A couple of years ago she made a mission trip to Mumbai, India.

The next day took us to our planned vacation in Port Aransas. There are a few new large buildings, but as we drove around I began to remember when I was there 50 years ago when our kids were small. The coast line is not much different. We walked along the surf and found a few keepable shells. We ate seafood at the Trout restaurant the first day and had a grilled platter Thursday at The Fin. Both were excellent. Thursday we visited the Visitor's Center to learn that this weekend is hosting an International Sand Castle contest with contestants from all over the world and expecting 100,000 visitors. We went back down to the beach for breakfast overlooking the Gulf and then drove by the sand castle building area. They were building advertisement sand piles that were complex.

Nancy in front of the advertising sand pile.

This was an old-timer with a couple of small sculptures.

We left Friday morning under dark clouds and wondered if the rain later that day would destroy the sand castle. We stopped for lunch at a chinese restaurant about 50 miles north of SA. It sprinkled on us and Nancy drove to Hamilton with the wipers on for part of the way. Needed to rinse off the salt.