A Texas-sized Trip - I

You may have noticed that I have been a little more quiet than normal here and on social media in the past few weeks. Well, you see, there is a reason for it...  We were traveling!

January and February here in Southern Colorado had been unusually cooler and snowy than the norm and we were READY to be in some warmer temps.  This was not a last minute trip that we made, but, rather, one that began working its way into our minds and hearts last summer...  but it was much needed.

We prepped and loaded up the camper, I packed my "entertainment bag" and we headed not only for warmer temps, but for a beach.  What was in my entertainment bag???  Lots of hand sewing projects.

❂I had 15 National Park Postcard blocks kitted up and ready to go.  These are EPP and finish at 5-inches square.  I completed 13 of them.  The last two involved curves and flat-back stitching and since I needed masking tape and a flat surface to have the best success, I left them to be finished at home.

Most of these blocks have been designed by Rachel over at Fiona Sandwich, but true to my nature, I tweak as I need.  















Like the lower right of the set of four... the original design was to be the Black Canyon of the Gunnison, but by changing some of color/fabric choices I was able to create a highway that winds its way up a mountain pass... like Red Mountain pass from Ouray to Silverton.

The crescent moon and fox are my own designs and the tent is a modified tepee block. 

❂I had recently agreed to pattern test a mini pinnie (pincushion) pattern for Shannon at Shannon Fraser Designs.  

I did big-stitch quilting on it while enjoying the shore at the National Seashore... Ahhhh!  
It took a long time... but only because I was so easily distracted by the surf and activity on the beach as people and cars passed by, as well as the seagulls and pelicans.

❂I had two embroidered blocks that will be offered as an alternative for one of the English Paper Pieced blocks in the Pieces From The Past Sew Along.  

These were the project that I worked on as we came home...  Texas is a BIG state and it takes a long time to get from Beaumont to near Wichita Falls.
As you can see the block with four flowers is incomplete...

❂The bag also contained books for our reading pleasure as we would nod off to sleep at the end of the day, music selections and a couple audio books.  Though we only finished one.  The Story - The Bible as one continuing story of God and His People... it is a chronological reading of the Bible in story format... no chapters and verses to distract you. 

Our ultimate goal was to camp on the beach... so Mustang Island State Park near Corpus Christi was our initial destination.  But it was too long of a drive to make in one day so we made a stop at our favorite goat farm - Lazy J Goats to visit with friends for the night.  We then went on to San Antonio after we had a "pit stop" in Fredricksburg for some lunch and wine tasting.  

We had been in Fredricksburg in 1996 and I had purchased a few bottles of a rose' wine that I really enjoyed and wanted to see if they still had it...  Score!  What a deal... wine tasting for $10 to try any five wines (and a bonus wine) and you keep the glass!  I actually got to try six plus the bonus because the guy giving samples pulled and poured a wrong one.  Who am I to complain??? 

Once we arrived in San Antonio the weather was warm and comfortable when arrived (77°F) but then turned cloudy the next day and we needed jackets to tour the Alamo, the Riverwalk and the Institute of Texan Cultures (there was a quilt show there created by the African American Quilt Circle of San Antonio.  Telling Our Story uses narrative quilts to give voice to San Antonio’s African American history).  

While viewing the exhibits of the various cultures that make up the population of the state (including Jews and Germans - where they discussed the immigrants arriving in Galveston), there was a naturalization ceremony that was to begin soon.  As we enjoyed the museum and the quilts we could sense the excitement of the soon to be US Citizens and their families grow.





Our original plan was to be at the Alamo KOA for two nights.  And then we looked at the forecast and they were predicting light rain all day the following day... when we were supposed to be headed to the beach.

Well... shoot. The beach would be no fun in the rain so we stayed one more day and did the Mission Tour via the public bus... in the rain... with a high of 50°.  The history of the Missions was interesting and worth the time.  We were able to warm up on the bus between stops and enjoyed some hot beverages with our lunch when we finished.

The next day we headed farther south!  We arrived at Mustang Island State Park only to learn that there were no open spaces available.  And while they allowed camping on the beach, it was only tent camping.  We headed to Padre Island National Seashore and found that the campgrounds (on Friday afternoon) were full as well.  BUT they had 60 miles of beach where camping (for free) was permitted!  

And then we were warned of the high tide... Something we had not even considered!  We were a bit timid and stayed close to the entrance of the beach area (The first picture is our view from the back door of our camper).  But after walking along the shore that night and the next morning we had a better understanding of high tide and low tide and just how high the high tide would typically go so we ventured further down the beach after a quick trip to Corpus Christi to visit the HEB Plus for seafood.  We then settled in for two nights. 

Thus began the seafood marathon... How many different ways can we enjoy shrimp, scallops and crab?  Oh, let me count the ways...

✔Crab salad sandwiches
✔Seafood Alfredo
✔Seafood Alfredo pizza (yep!  Pizza... while camping!)
✔Lemon Dill Orzo salad with seafood
✔Seafood Greek Pasta Salad
✔Seafood Tacos
✔Seafood Breakfast Burritos

They were all amazing!  But the breakfast burritos were the standout...  probably because they were just so unique.

We saw a gorgeous sunset the first evening (no camera) and an absolutely amazing sunrise the first morning.  We strolled the beach and even enjoyed a long bike ride along the surf.  We did some beach combing and found some interesting shells and jelly fish.

After three nights at the National Seashore we sought quiet calm at Lake Corpus Christi State Park after enjoying a tour of the USS Lexington in Corpus Christi.  The sound of the surf was LOUD! It wasn't a gentle ebb and flow like we had anticipated... rather it was like a constant roar and it wasn't until we left the shore that I realized I was a mentally tired from the sound and having to tune it out to even think.  

The quiet at the state park was a welcome respite and we looked forward to a bike ride... until I rolled my ankle as I was unloading stuff from the cab of the truck.

I am fortunate that our youngest child is a PTA and had advised me a few years ago about what to do for a sprained ankle.  I.C.E. - Ice, compression and elevation... along with an anti-inflammatory and massage.  While there was no bike ride that evening I was able to walk to and from the shower house on my own the next morning.

That was the end of our camping but the trip wasn't over.  I'll leave the second week of the trip for another post that will include my re-tracing the steps of my Grandparents' arrivals to the US via Galveston.

So... tell me what do YOU include in your "entertainment bag"?

I'd love to hear from you... leave a comment. 

Quilt Happy!

Melva

Melva Loves Scraps - Home of the Pieces From The Past Sew Along

that features vintage Kansas City Star quilt blocks!

Linking with:

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Friday Foto Fun at Powered by Quilting
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