KEEPING TRACK OF ERWIN & GAIL: Louisiana here we come.

Let me start this blog with an apology! I wish to apologize to any and all Texans who may have been offended by some statements I made about Texas. I spoke prematurely as we had really not gone far enough into Texas to make the conclusions I did. After leaving Benson TX and heading East we found a totally different Texas. Once past the Davis hill and through the Pecos we discovered that Texas does have some very large mountains and some very deep valleys. I must stop comparing mountains to our Canadian Rockies, as there are no mountains in North America with that kind of grandeur and these mountains have grandeur of their own. They also have some trees that are not of the Palm type, that do grow to some spectacular heights and sizes. So please, Texans, put your guns away and accept my apologies. I’m Sorry.

After driving, through a spectacular Texas, for what seemed to be forever we arrived at our current location, a camp site called The Cascade Caverns RV park where, when we leave tomorrow, we will have been one full week. Saturday was a day of shopping and resting followed by Sunday, a day of worship with the good folk at the E. Free church here in Boerne TX. Monday was to be a day of sightseeing but we woke to slightly, frozen water lines and a fridge that had quit working, so we spent the day waiting for repairs and just resting for an even larger day Tuesday. Tuesday we went to Luckenbach, Texas where everybody’s somebody. We didn’t see Waylon, Willie or the boys but did visit a very unique post office and store. From there we went to Fredericksburg TX, a little slice of Germany tucked quietly away in the middle of Texas hill country. Texas decided, that day, to show off its very big cold weather, so we limited our visit to mostly indoor activities as I failed to pack my winter coveralls on this trip. We visited the Pioneer Museum, where we saw some interesting things about the Germans that founded and lived in the area. From Fredericksburg we went east to see where president LBJ was born, lived and died. We learned quite a bit about the guy that succeeded the great JFK and all that he did during his term and a half as president. We drove around his Ranch and saw some of the original Herford cattle that he raised, well not the original ones, but the decedents of them. We saw the private Jet, often referred to as Air Force ½, that LBJ used to get back and forth from the White house in Washington DC to the White house in Texas. We toured the hanger museum but did not tour the Texas White house as we were running short of time. We went from there to Johnson City where LBJ grew up and from there to home in Boerne. On Wednesday we did what all people do who are anywhere around San Antonio, we went to the Alamo. Remember the Alamo? Yes, that is the place, where after 13 days of sitting around waiting for something to happen or for reinforcements to come; in about an hour and a half of fighting, 1200 men were dead, 600 Texan and 600 Mexicans. The Alamo fell that day in 1836 and so we “Remember the Alamo” We followed that with a walk on the infamous River Walk, not to be compared to The River Dance, This River Walk along the river is unlike any walk along the river I have ever experienced. I said “different” it was not my intent to imply that it was in any way better. Then came today, the cavern at The Cascade Caverns RV park had not yet been seen. So we had a look at the tour and after finding that there were 120 steps down and the same amount back up, along with several feet of having to walk in a bent over position, we decided that only one of us old people would need to sacrifice. So I sent Gail. Of course she had to tell me about all the things I missed like the stalagmite and all the other, mites there might have been, along with the bats and the lizards and other wildlife down there. I saw all the pictures and that will have to be good enough for me.

As I sit here writing this for you, I must tell you about a small problem I am experiencing. Arthritis, bursitis or whatever other ritises there might be, are all doing their best to eliminate the entire use of my right arm. I find that I need a much longer spoon to get my soup to my mouth and, if I had any hair to comb, I’d need a real long rat-tail comb to get that done. So if you find a little time, say a little prayer. A little prayer and a lot of Ibuprofen, I’ll be back to what passes as normal(?) real soon.

I’m going to post a few pictures and then let you get over another one of these.

God Bless. With love

Erwin & Gail