January through March of 2015 was spent on South Padre
Island (SPI), Texas. As this was our 4th
time there, so I won't to repeat past slutigram content.
One great addition to South Padre was the visit by Anne.
A new attraction to the Port Isabel (near SPI) was a tour of
a shrimp boat and a talk all about wild caught shrimp being so much better than
farm raised shrimp. They convinced me,
as wild caught does taste better.
The boat remains tied to the dock, but the speaker gave a
great talk on what goes on when shrimping and all the safeguards that prevent
turtles and dolphins from being harmed during the several weeks at sea. This net has an escape port for turtles.
Coming and going, we stay with Elaine’s brother Richard and
his lovely family. Thanks for the great
time in Dallas.
I think it was 2013 when the George W. Bush Presidential
Library opened on the campus of Southern Methodist University in Dallas. All 5 living holders of our nation’s highest
office were on hand for the opening.
Elaine and I enjoy presidential museums, as you learn
a lot more about the person and their
life besides what the media has told us. We have now visited several presidential museums, including: JFK, FDR, Lincoln, Truman, Eisenhower, Hoover, G W Bush, G H W Bush and LBJ along with several of the homes of our presidents.
Bush was a part owner of the Texas Rangers baseball team, and his love
for the game is legendary.
The highly controversial 2000 presidential election taught
us a new phrase, a hanging chad, which is the little bit of paper that is punched
out of the ballot paper. Not a very good
method of voting as it turned out.
Like other museums, there is a display of some of the gifts
from foreign potentates given to him while president. These a gifts to the country and not the
person – so they become US property.
Some are pretty pricey with not a bit of plastic to be seen.
The famous “deck of 52 Iraqi most wanted” is there and you can purchase your ow deck in the gift shop. No, we did not buy any.
A full-scale replica of his Oval Office includes the
paintings that hung on the walls, the furniture where citizens, like us, and foreign
leaders were invited to relax and the desk.
We view the first woman president at her desk. BTW, that is not Hillary.
After a few months at home, we flew to Las Vegas, where we
were separated from some of our cash by those enticing slot machines. Lady Luck did not favor us. However, we enjoyed the sights and were
graced by the visit of Elaine’s sister Rita for a few days. We also caught up with a friend of Elaine’s
whom she met many years ago when she lived in Vegas. The lights at night are some thing to behold. You think your electric bill is high.
For many years Elaine has spoken highly of Cedar Breaks,
Utah National Monument and Bryce Canyon, Utah, National Park. A car rental was arranged and we traveled the
barren desert between Vegas and Cedar City for a mini-trip within a trip to
view these Parks. Great views.
Cedar Breaks is at the 10,000 foot elevation level. The main attraction is the great rock natural
amphitheater. It is over 2000 feet deep and
over 3 miles in diameter. Cedar Breaks
is not very large and can be experienced
in an half-day visit. Of course,
if you fall in love with this place, weeks can be spent hiking and exploring.
Quite common in the park are bristle cone pines. They are said to live for many centuries. One tree we saw was 1,600 years old. Aptly named, as the branches look
like a bristle brush.
At this elevation, winter had not yet released its icy grip,
so many of the wild flowers had not bloomed as of our visit. Cedar City has a blossom festival in July if you are interested.
Bryce Canyon was our next day trip from Cedar City. This National Park is at the 7,000 foot
level. Along with Cedar Breaks, Bryce forms
a chain of Federal parks that descend from here to Zion National Park, Grand Escalante
National Monument and culminating at the lowest level at Grand Canyon National
Park.
The park offers a free shuttle bus to most of the scenic
overlooks at Bryce. Leave the driving to
them and don’t worry about an available parking space at the more popular
stops.
While the scenery is similar to Cedar Breaks, Bryce
encompasses a much larger area, being about 18 miles long. The effects of wind and water erosion provide
interesting views throughout the park.
An impressive lodge was built during the Depression by WPA
workers (a Gov’t make-work program). You
can enjoy a fancy meal there or just appreciate the view.
Great places to visit.
