Friday, April 27, 2007

Sandy Beach





While Dan stayed on the boat and fished, Zac and Karen walked on the sandy beach.

Dingy




Before we could walk on the beach, Zac and Dan had to get the dingy ready. The hand pump made this process go quickly.

Zac at the Helm




This is fun!

Boat Projects





Dan installed a new hatch, Zac and Dan worked on rebedding the chain plates to keep water from coming in, Dan converted the stove from compressed natural gas to propane, Dan changed the oil, Dan and Zac worked on installing a solar vent for the head, and Karen cleaned the inside and polished the teak wood.

Boxes





Once we arrived and the boat was moved from the storage yard to the work yard, the three of us kept busy with projects preparing for our time on the Sea of Cortez. First, we had to unload the boxes and find places in the many storage compartments on Obo.

Sunday, April 22, 2007

Trip to Mexico




Zac joined us on our three-day drive down to San Carlos. Dan’s truck was the mode of transportation, since we planned to sleep on the boat once we arrived in Mexico. It was an easy drive down with three of us rotating the driving responsibilities.

Friday, March 02, 2007

Silo




This silo in Roswell is the biggest one that we have seen. Years ago it was part of a cotton gin. Now it holds used office furniture.

Horns





Watch out for these HORNS! We saw many of these Texan Longhorns on this trip.

UFO





Roswell is the home of the International UFO Museum and Research Center.
Witness testimonies, photographs, maps, and copies of newspapers help to tell as complete an accounting of what happened in 1947 as possible. The visitor can then decide.

This museum is a leading information source in history, science & research about UFO events worldwide.

Go to www.roswellufomuseum.com to learn more about the 1947 incident here in Roswell.

Thursday, March 01, 2007

Sticks



The “sticks” at the bottom of this picture are actually stalactites that have fallen from the ceiling.

Crystal Springs Dome




About 95% of the speleothems are dry and inactive. Crystal Springs Dome could be the largest growing stalagmite in the cave. It was beautiful.

The Ladder


Ladder 216

This ladder, built in 1924, descends 90 feet into the Lower Cave which is an area that is undeveloped and is being preserved in its natural state for scientific study. How would you like to climb down to the Lower Cave?

Big Room




After taking the elevator down 750 feet it took us an hour to walk around this part of the cave. It’s the size of 14 football fields. Here you see some of the beauty of this cave.

Carlsbad Cavern


Carlsbad Cavern became a National Monument in 1923 and a National Park in 1930. The Park Ranger told us that there are as many as half a million Mexican free tail bats that live in the cave mid March through the end of October. One little bat can catch 1,000 mosquito-sized insects in an hour.

Seeds Un Wood

Weather Report

Saturday, February 24, 2007

Typical German food




Typical German food: Schnitzel and Sauerbraten - delicious!

The Symbol of Fredericksburg


The Vereins Kirche, the symbol of Fredericksburg, has been a church, fort, storehouse, meeting hall, library, and office. Today it houses exhibits on the history of this area . This eight-sided building, often referred to as the “coffee mill” structure, was erected in 1935 as a replica of the original Vereins Kirche which was constructed back in 1847.

Founder of Fredericksburg



May 1846 is when John O. Meusebach founded Fredericksburg, Texas.

Wow, this is BIG


Dan is looking at the 5 main engines on this Atlas 5 rocket.

Circle of Trees


This circle of trees was planted in memory of those who have lost their lives in space.

Astronaut


This astronaut watches over ZERO-G Diner.

The Arm


This arm gives the astronauts a chance to practice its use before going into space. It was made in Canada.

Space Center




Here we are at NASA'S Johnson Space Center looking into the Mission Control Room where the Flight Director and other scientists can be seen when there is a mission in progress.

Monday, February 19, 2007

Crunch, Crunch, Crunch



Walking on the beach on Galveston Island was a crunching experience. Many broken shells had been washed up on the beach. Here you see some of the different kinds of shells that we found. Walking on the beach in bare feet would not be pleasant.

Galveston Island State Park




These houses, which face the beach, border the State Park. Notice that they have been built on stilts and have shutters for protection from the storms in this ares.

Fishy


This was taken just outside of the aquarium gift shop on the Board Walk.

Kemah Boardwalk


What is that guy doing?

Kemah Lighthouse District


This unique area has some great shopping.

Pelicans





NASA Road, which is located between Houston and Galveston in Kemah, had decorated pelicans at almost every corner. For more information about the pelicans go to: www.pelicanpathproject.com

Friday, February 16, 2007

Birds



There were thousands of these birds known as grackles. At sunset they would gather together and all face the same way. Some mornings they were our wake-up call.

Mustang Island State Park



This is where we camped for several days while we toured the beaches and the Corpus Christi area.