57

 

I left Dallas around 9 a.m. Enroute to San Leon I counted 57 vultures! I saw a group of about 30 roseate spoonbills as I drove along the bay in Galveston, so pretty. I saw 5 herons, lots of gulls and many raptors. I saw a boat tailed grackle in the parking lot at the Dollar Store plus some small sparrows. Some times the speed limit was 80 mph. I drive 82 and these Texans are speeding by me left and right. I even got passed by trucks carrying fuel and one carrying a "Wide-Load." I ran into a few rude ones who would not let me merge but most were nicer. I saw several people who were stopped by the police so I know they enforce traffic laws here. Look at these cute bunk bets in this place. Do you think I should buy these? I see they are $500-$600 so maybe not. Very comfy though.

Here is my view from my deck. I sat on the deck eating left over fried rice. I watched the ducks come out of the pond and come right up to the deck. Some were mallards and some looked like domestic ducks. I can hear a rooster crowing in the distance. A teenager was playing with his dog who was not listening to him. A pair of grandparents were walking over the bridge with their grandchildren. I unpacked my car and would prefer not to drive at all tomorrow but I might have to if my coffee creamer spoils. The lady who owns it left the air conditioners on at 69 degrees and most of the lights on. I am sitting on a leather couch just like the one I want to buy except it doesn't have nail head trim. The place is very clean with black marble counter tops, black stove, and black fridge. There is no tub but there is a nice shower with glass doors. The floors are gray planks, the walls are white and the kitchen cabinets are gray. On the wall in the living room is a painting of a pelican with turquoise water in the background. Across from that is a 5 panel painting of a turquoise rose. The bedroom has a blue quilt on the bed. The windows have wide slat white Venetian blinds. The front door has 9 frosted windows. Actually, I might buy a place like this some day. The RV park has a lot of rules. They do background checks. Absolutely no sex offenders are allowed. Two vehicles per unit must be in working owner. No vehicles can be washed on site (although I saw a guy doing that). Fishing and crabbing are welcome. No cast nets or crab traps allowed. No swimming in lake. No boats, rafts or canoes. Absolutely no children on the bridge or near pond without parent/adult supervision. No pets in lake. Spaces must be kept clean and neat. All trash must go into the dumpster. No large boxes outside allowed outside of the units. Small refrigerators, freezers or other appliances are allowed outside of unit at an addition fee of $20/month per appliance. No smoking in or within 30 feet of office, bathrooms, or laundry rooms. No consumption of alcoholic beverages is any common area. Quiet time is from 10 p.m. to 7 a.m. All children should be inside at this time. No loud music will be tolerated. Please respect your neighbors. We do not tolerate drunken parties, fighting, drug use or any illegal activity. No second chances. One offense and you will be asked to leave immediately. Absolutely no late wandering around the park. If police are called to your space for any kind of disturbance you will automatically be asked to leave. The list goes on but I think you get the picture.

W

Last night I bought a ticket to the George W. Bush presidential library. I chose the last available time which was 3 p.m. I figured if I left Independence, Kansas by 9 I could make it to the library by 3.

Lucky for me I got up early and left at 8 a.m. I booked it through Kansas right quick.

I missed my chance to pay for a toll road in Oklahoma so  now I have to call them and pay over the phone. I got my first insect on my windshield over a river in Oklahoma.

I counted seeing 15 vultures, a handful of hawks, ducks and geese and other small birds. I saw horses, cows, sheep, goats and 3 deer carcasses on the road.

I ate lunch while driving. Some of the roads were 80 mph which is faster than I like to go.

Sometimes the highway had 8 lanes going in one direction. There was frequent road construction.

My knuckles were white!

This is a metal portion of the twin towers.

I got to the library at 2:30. I couldn't find a place to park. I stopped a young man of color for help. He offered me directions and said he was going there himself. So I offered him a ride. He is an engineering intern on campus and the Southern Methodist University is closed to students right now. He was very helpful. After that it was a six minute walk to the library and I got there 2 minutes early.

George W. is not my favorite president. I thought he was unnecessarily pugilistic and in favor of the big oil companies. I liked his father better.

But he wasn't all bad.

He had a sense of humor and I liked his self-deprecating style.

He appeared to be a good family man. He loved his daughters.

This is the view from the Rose Garden.

He tried to do things for the environment. He saved a big chunk of islands in the Pacific Ocean near Hawaii.

He tried to help education but I am not sure that he did.

He could have been more helpful after Hurricane Katrina!

I liked Laura Bush.

She seems like a fine woman.

I liked his way of respecting tradition.

I thought trickle down economics was a bunch of malarky.

Living in the White House is difficult. They spent all their winter holidays at Camp David. George W. enjoys exercise as a way to blow off steam. Me too.

I think he did a fine job creating this library.

The staff were helpful and friendly.

I am glad I visited.

I think I will like the LBJ library better. My cousin says the LBJ library is good.

I read in a book about the hospital in New Orleans that George W.'s plane ride delayed the Coast Guard from rescuing people.

I enjoyed this 10 minute video about the oceans.

My hotel is on Airport Boulevard and there is construction all around here so I ordered Chinese food to be delivered. That broccoli and garlic dish was hot and spicy and every so good. I have two more meals of fried rice in the fridge plus another fortune cookie. Now I am super thirsty! 

 

Give Them Hell!

This morning I stopped in Eaglesville, Missouri for a cup of coffee and the young fellow at the counter looked at me (hood up, masked face), and said, "Coffee free for you. Happy New Year!" Wow. I was glad I stopped there for coffee. Getting it for free made it more delicious.

I drove through Missouri and into Kansas when I got the idea to visit the Truman Presidential library. So I drove back into Missouri again.

Truman was the president when I was born. 

He seemed to be a truly nice guy, "salt of the earth" type of man.

After FDR died, he had to take over the job.

He came into office at a very difficult time.

He grew up on a farm but did not want to be a farmer.

Mucking out the pig pens was the job he really dreaded.

He had to make some dreadful decisions.

I love Norman Rockwell art. Always have.

While driving today I saw 7 hawks. Five were red tailed hawks I think. One hawk seemed to have a red face and a white breast and I have no idea what kind of hawk that was. One nearly hit my windshield and I think it was a Northern Harrier. I saw Canadian geese, ducks, American Crows, 2 eagles and a bunch of smaller birds that are hard to identify when I'm driving 65 miles per hour. I saw cows and horses and sheep. I also saw oil rigs and lots of agricultural. 

Highway 169 had long stretches of farms and no towns. I was getting nervous about running out of gas so I stopped in Iola to buy gas. Then I figured I should use a restroom. I found the city hall and walked in. The only person in the place was a woman who said I could use the restroom. She had a dog near her desk, a little Pomeranian with a bow atop it's head. I asked if this is the city dog? She said it was. On my way out we had a nice chat about the weather. She said I was lucky that I stopped when I did because I might have run out of gas. That turned out not to be true but we did have a nice chat. 

The high temperature today was 50 degrees Fahrenheit and it felt wonderful.

I made it to Independence, Kansas before the sun had set. I asked the nice man and woman at the reception desk if they could recommend a good Asian restaurant. He answered, "I am Asian but I do not like most Asian food." He recommended a Mexican restaurant about four buildings away from the hotel.

So I walked down the road and had an excellent Mexican dinner.

The service was great and the food was delicious.

Tomorrow I am aiming to go to the George W. Bush library on the MSU campus.

I already bought a ticket for 3 p.m.

I hope I make it in time!