Texas Glory

In my last post I wrote about my trip to Texas to visit my daughter and see my firstborn grandson married. Rather than go over every party and aspect of this grand occasion, I thought I would just tell about some of my impressions.

Above is a picture of the wedding couple. The wedding was distinctly a reflection of Chelsea ‘s unique tastes and it made for a very interesting and varied experience. Chelsea was a dream in her mermaid like dress—one that very few women could get by with. A perfect figure wrapped tightly with the ruffles below her derrier (I think). The bridesmaids wore short skirts with cowboy boots and Chelsea herself is said to have changed into her boots under her dress for the dancing. Food and drink were wonderful and plentiful and the setting at the ranch was beautiful.

I learned to love the Texas Aggie’s fight song and it is ringing in my head all the time. There were a lot of the grads there and they get in a circle and sing it and then lock their legs and sway and whoop at the end. They first did this on the ship we were on for the rehearsal dinner and I thought it sort of interesting, but the second time at the reception for the wedding, I decided I really liked it.

By the way, on this ship we were supposed to see millions of bats flying out from under one of the bridges. We sat and waited but this was not their night. If Texans were this hard up for entertainment I felt sorry for them. And of course, they aren’t , but people were lined up on the streets above and all the ships were sitting there waiting. I guess it is sort of like the swallows coming back to Capastrano, but then this is supposed to happen every night!

But the really beautiful wild life I saw were the two white swans on the lake guarding their young. And deer were around too at night.

Roadside Texas Bluebonnets and Indian Paintbrushes and some little white things and some pink cup like wild flowers were abundant along the roadsides all over. Sometimes there were fields of bluebonnets—a lovely sight. And the trees and shrubs were at least 10 shades of green all the way from almost black to a light chartreuse. I never became a great painter, but I did learn to see the world in a whole more vivid way!

But my most favorite sight are the cows out to pasture not in fields , but in groves of live oaks. I love this scene more than any other in this hill country. It is one of the first things I ever noticed about the Texas countryside.

Learned that when Texans say “It is only down the road a piece” could mean anywhere from 15 to 100 miles.

A plethora of friends and family attended—260 of them found their way through curvy, hilly LBJ country even fording streams to get to this wedding. In the car I was riding in we were using one of those new-fangled direction things they have on the cell phones and finally even the machine gal gave up and got lost in the wilderness we were in!

So many of these people have such interesting family histories that go way back to Poncho Via I think. I believe they all fought at the Alamo along with Davy Crockett. I jest. But Chelsea goes back to Robert E. Lee and her grandfather and great grandfather were all professors at Texas A and M.

When it rains it is as if someone is up there tipping over the clouds it comes down so hard and fast. And the thunder scared the bejesus out of Dave from San Diego.

The lake house is heaven on earth. People we knew from all over the United States were there—good friends that one wishes one could see every day . There were people from Minnesota, Wisconsin, New York, San Diego, Dallas, Phoenix, Flagstaff, Colorado. Old friends who mostly all knew one another met for dinner and two or three good evenings of catch-up conversation and fun. It was a very special time.

Chelsea and Jake are somewhere in Italy now enjoying their honeymoon. They had an auspicious beginning. Let us hope and pray that their lives will continue to be filled with happiness and joy.

Good Times A Comin'

Texas is supposed to be in the South and the South is supposed be warm and even hot, right? Somebody didn’t give the right order then because it is cold, cloudy, and damp. But my spirits aren’t ! It is beautiful here at the lake.

I had a great flight down here. I saw the most majestic thunderheads while on the plane that I have ever seen as we approached Austin and the pilot managed to miss most of them. The peanuts were delicious as well!

I am here for my first-born grandson’s wedding. From all I have heard so far it is going to be a very busy week. Julie and her husband have been working cleaning everything in sight—the kayaks (I couldn’t get my butt down in one and worse I could never get out again if I did), the boat, every nook and cranny of the lake house—even the motorcycle if one of the guests choose to ride it.

The rehearsal dinner is going to be on a cruise ship on a different lake located in the city and the wedding will take place outside of a barn on a ranch and the reception held in aforementioned barn. I guess this is la rigeur for dreamworks weddings here.

People will start coming in on Wednesday and from then on it is go go go. I don’t know if this ole gal can take all this excitement!!!!

Julie is out planting flowers in pots on the pier. Everyone has big elaborate piers down here as they don’t have to take them down for the winter. Some even have second stories!

It’s going to be a great ride and we will send some pictures of the big event. And I hope to get to answer some of your comments sometime soon. I want to thank you for all your kind responses to my last post. This is not my computer. I think I will have to get a new one. The last one has served me well.

Don't Give Up on Me

You haven’t heard from me because I’m having some computer issues. My daughter is posting this for me from her computer. Please don’t forget me until I get mine fixed or get to a computer that works. That may not be until next weekend.

My son, Jim, put up several bird feeders around my yard and cardinals, chickadees, red-polls, golden finches, and nut hatchers have visited. What a pleasure also to watch my willow tree leaf out – first of my trees in the spring – last to lose its leaves in the fall. The squirrels have begun their usual romp and tag-playing round and round the willow's big trunk. They've entertained me for the past hour.

Prior to that I watched the Masters golf tournament with Phil Mickelson winning again. I’m happy for him and for his wife and family. He seems like such a neat guy and his wife has been very sick this past year.

I'll catch up as soon as my computer is up and running. In the meantime, don't give up on me.

Happy Easter

This morning is Easter morning and I am not sitting in church. I instead have read the news of more killings in Baghdad, armed robberies a block from my house, more problems in South Africa, and violence in many parts of the world. This is supposed to be a day when we celebrate victory over death and peace among men.

Why am I so sad? We have always had wars and violence so what makes today any different? It just seems like we have more of it than we ever did except when we were at war. Or perhaps we hear more about the violence in Africa and in Iraq and Afghanistan than we ever did before and more instantaneously. Celebration seems like a mockery.

However, as someone once said to me, there have always have been enough good people to keep the world going and doing the right thing. I hope I am among the good people who are trying to lead the world in the right direction. And I know that there are a lot of you out there who are trying to do the same thing.
I didn’t go to church today. But I still share the hope of Easter in my heart and a wish for all of you for peace and love. HAPPY EASTER!! !HAPPY PASSOVER!!!