PAINTED SHOES #2.

These are Esther's Harley Davidson clogs. She likes American Indian motifs/designs.

All of these symbols mean something. There are: Clouds, rain, lightening, sun, arrows, feather, tadpoles, badger track, dragonfly, wolf track, weaving pattern, running water, cactus, days & nights, paths crossing and different border patterns.

I won't tell you the significance of the symbols...it's a secret. I'm getting the hang of painting shoes and it's alot of fun!

I CAN ROW A BOAT.....CANOE??

We went over to my friend Esther's house this morning and bought this canoe. It is in excellent shape and came w/ 2 wooden paddles.

Gene sweat about a gallon and me about a half gallon getting it into position to drive across town....and it was only 9 a.m.

Stowed it safely in our backyard until we find a better way to transport it out to Lake Amistad (14 miles) and/or the Pecos River (50 miles). The lake is so much closer but I hanker to canoe between those high, high sheer cliff walls of the river. We need to buy life vests etc....and the weather needs to COOL OFF!!!!!

This is my grandfather "Woody" in his canoe that is now used by my nephew Toby in San Marcos, Texas. This picture was taken in 1939. Who took it? I spy a paddle in the front of the canoe...whose is it? Certainly not my grandmother's. Woody painted the crest of his beloved West Point on the bow...a portion of it remains today. This canoe is still in frequent use 72+ years later. Should I buy a pith helmet? Uh...no. What is under Woody's tarp?

Bennie cares not about any canoe. 3 legged dogs don't swim.

Willie doesn't care either...all he wants is a warm, soft pillow for his all day nap. Other news: Gene went to a teacher's party last night at the lake and said the star gazing was EXCELLENT! When was the last time YOU saw the milky Way?

ADIOS PECOS HOUSE! SOLD AUG. 24, 2011

We certainly shared some very good times w/ folks at the Pruett House.

Rodeo Time was always special.

The place looked pretty in the snow.

I just loved doing hours and hours of research on the history of 423 Oleander St. Pecos, Texas.

It was rather a privilege to have lived at this grand home for four years. We were just a small sampling of all the folks who brought the place alive since 1905. We are relieved to have sold the house.

TWO NIGHTS IN CORPUS CHRISTI, TX WITH C.J.

Corpus Christi is the Home of the Original Whataburger...a 2 story hamburger joint...I don't think this is the original first one....but it looks cool! The corporate office opened there in 1950 and there are 700 of them across America today. They moved the office to San Antonio in 2009.

We saw this kayaker both mornings and he was paddling far, far, far and then out of sight...and he crossed the barge lane. What a fool.

Our corner room at the Omni was on the 14th floor, with a small balcony...so we had excellent views with floor to ceiling windows. This is the USS Lexington. It's a museum on the bay with a flight simulator, theater, cafe and you can rent it for private parties...get more info online...take an online tour! We did not go there. The Texas State Aquarium is the white building on the far left. We didn't go there either. We just ate and shopped and talked alot and drove around the town. We visited a chocolatier and ate candy they make there everyday.

A nice cockeyed view of the street along Shoreline Blvd. Corpus Christi bay is BIG! It was fun to watch how the sunlight played & sparkled across the water and watch the designs in the water that boats leave behind.

The marina right down to the right of our hotel. They have ferries that run every hour over to the area of the Arts Complex, Aquarium and USS Lexington...for only $3. round trip.

This is one of the ferries....A/C and everything.

We watched barges going under this bridge out into the bay...big ones were pushed by tug boats. We also saw shrimp boats. We wished we had brought our binoculars. The building in the foreground is the new courthouse.

We got up at 6:30 a.m. today to watch the sunrise. Our hotel view was an always changing array of interesting things to see. It was fun to check out the seagulls, pelicans catching their dinner and big gray/blue herons. We went and walked along the sea for awhile around dusk last night. I had not seen the Texas coast in over 20 years and the water is still an ugly color and Corpus is industrial...but we didn't care. I could live there. After spending 4 years in Pecos...I could live anywhere.

In the background you can see the plants where they process corn products etc. The building w/ the columns is the old courthouse and it's BEAUTIFUL and falling down and creepy at night...save it...somebody save it!! It was built in 1914 and closed in 1977. The jail was up under the roof...I think those small windowed top 2 floors that you can see on the side of the main building. Many folks refugeed there during big, bad hurricane type storms that almost leveled the city over the years. It has a chain link fence around it now and there is a historical marker in front.
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Other observations: All during the drive down there I saw lots and lots and lots of cotton. Cotton growing, cotton drying on the plants, plants that had already been picked and HUGE pressed bales of picked cotton. They use well water to irrigate and I was SO proud of all those farmers for producing a good crop despite our terrible Texas Drought!
I saw many roadrunners. They were a-runnin' across the road....naturally.
I saw that I had just missed the Cowboy Homecoming Festival as I drove thru Pleasanton, Texas. Seems like it's a reunion with live music for 3 nights in a row. 
I saw this little dumpy bar off of the hiway near Pleasanton and it was Sunday afternoon and there were 4 or 5 cars parked out front...and to the side was a horse wearing saddle and bridle...tied up to a tree. Someone actually rode their horse to the bar! The old west still lives in the year 2011.
I always write down funny or interesting things that I see so I can look them up online when I get home. This trip I wrote: Big Foot Wallace Museum & Polk Stump Hollow. By the way- there are no squirrels in West Squirrel Creek...no water either....and there were no turkeys or water in Turkey Creek.
One thing I've noticed (on signs) is that depending on what part of Texas you are driving around in...a creek is also called a slough or branch or draw or gully.
That's all...thanks for reading my blog!

PAINTED SHOES by MARY.

My friend Bobbie donated her clogs so I could try out shoe painting...THANKS BOBBIE! Will mail them to you tomorrow.

Bobbie is a quilter so I made her shoes in a "crazy quilt" design.

Who else wants me to paint their shoes? I can make some different custom designs.

CACTUS GARDEN AT LANGTRY MUSEUM.

Blooming cactus are funny looking...to me. Something so beautiful on such an ugly plant.

You can see this one has been blooming like crazy!

I like the patterns that fallen mesquite beans make.

Uh-huh...here comes trouble.

Horse crippler.

I would like see the magenta flowers that these produce in the Spring. I like the way the shadows are falling in this picture...it looks like a moonscape.

Coral fossils...these look exactly like the ironshore rocks on Cozumel. I did not see any fish around this rock.

Do not sit on this tuffet. The cactus garden is very nice and you can tell they work extremely hard on it. My pictures do not do the place justice at all.

LANGTRY MUSEUM/JUDGE ROY BEAN GROUNDS.

I love windmills. Someday I'd like to visit the windmill museum in Lubbock.

Windmills had to be climbed and greased...every few days!

This one's a "beaut"...especially in the setting of the Cactus Garden.

Do not disturb...in case it ever rains...someday.

Funny looking rain gauges.

This ol' wagon wheel has just about had it. Where did it take people...and who were they? Ever since living in Pecos I've wanted to own a wagon wheel...BADLY! Maybe someday I will.

This is the top of a building right next to the museum. It used to be a cafe but is now a private residence. I like the photo alot w/ the big, blue Texas sky as a background.

BORDER PATROL FUN AT EAGLE'S NEST CREEK....

We stopped at Eagle's Nest Creek (it's always dry) right outside of Langtry. You can't see it here but it's over 100 feet to the bottom. Gene was making me nervous.

Then we see this Border Patrol officer across the creek. He's looking at us and we're looking at him. He has binoculars and so do we. He's all decked out in bullet proof vest and water on his back. I watch him climb thru the barbed wire fence in front of him. Then he started walking along the very edge of his high cliff and then he sat for 3 or 4 minutes right across from this giant broken off rock. It was a sorta "where's waldo" moment because he was pretty camouflaged and small. I kept watching to see what the heck he was doing. The guys had lost interest.

All of sudden he jumped up and took off running FAST! Where's Waldo? And what is Waldo chasing? We never found out. He ran up and over the ridge and disappeared.

Mexico...the direction Waldo was running.

LANGTRY....AGAIN.

Gene's teaching pal Rene had never been to Langtry...what? So we took him there. Enjoyed the museum and grounds (as always). I tried to take different pictures this time since I've already blogged Langtry so much. This is the Torres House built before Judge Roy Bean ever arrived.

I have "thing" for adobe...it seems to last for at least 100 years. I just like the texture. Actually, this isn't adobe....see above photo... This is rock. Back breaking work huh?

We saw this poor guy by the tiny, cactus choked Langtry cemetery....gross...but it IS a different sort of picture.

We drove down to a boat ramp on the Pecos River. There is still plenty of water in the river and Amistad Lake.

State Park boat dock. Wish I'd had a canoe. The water looked so calm and inviting.

Look close and you'll see THREE bridges in this picture...and Senor Geno too. On the way home we had an old fashioned picnic lunch high on a bluff above the river. It was in the shade and a good breeze was blowing. It was a fun day and Rene was THRILLED w/ the views. Rene needs to travel more.