Comments:
I've been working in the steel industry since '66 providing reinforcing steel for concrete construction in the Greater Houston Area. Walter Etie was one of my most unique and notable customers until he came into a pile of money and retired from the business. Roy Dale Horn was also a customer until his early death. Am now semi-retired, my job consists of taking customers hunting, fishing and ballgames.
My first wife and I are travelling around the country with a cruise thrown in every now and then.
Addendum #1 (5 January 2010)
Pat and I took a four day trip to New York City in April '09 to visit our son Timmy who lives in Brooklyn. Pat really enjoyed the trip.
Last June, Pat and I went on the National Parks Road Trip; Grand Teton, Yellowstone, Glacier, Waterton Lakes (Canada), Zion, Bryce Canyon, Petrified Forest and Painted Desert. Saw all sorts of wildlife: grizzly bear, black bear, elk, mule deer, bison, coyote and big horn sheep.
In September '09 we went on a cruise to Alaska. Sailing the Inside Passage is a calm and peaceful experience. The land excursions were very nice. Viewed bald eagles, salmon swimming upstream to spawn, dall sheep, moose, wolves, fox and caribou. Took an eight hour train ride to Denali National Park and went on a bus tour of the park. I expected to see a greater number of wildlife in Alaska but was a little disappointed in the quantity.
The week between Christmas and New Year's Eve our children traveled with Pat and me to New Braunfels and set up our new travel trailer. The four of us made day trips to several hill country parks and had a large time.
We are planning our 2010 travels.
Addendum #2 (5 June 2010)
Pat and I went on a cruise from Galveston to Barcelona, Spain at the end of April '10. Went to the following ports: Nassau, Bahamas; Ponta Delgada, Azores; Malaga, Spain, Cartagena, Spain and Barcelona. Then we went to New England on a driving trip in May '10 and visited: Longwood Gardens near Philadelphia; Fallingwater near Pittsburgh; Norman Rockwell Museum in Stockbridge, Massachusetts; Walden Pond in Concord, MA (Mrs. Bradford probably rolled in her grave when I stepped on the pond's shore); several battle sites of the first war for independence.
Addendum #3 (11 January 2011)
October 2010 Pat and I drove to California to visit President Ronald Reagan's Library outside of Los Angeles. A retired Air Force One airplane is exhibited in the library, very impressive. We went on to Las Vegas and saw a show named Jersey Boys which is a biography of the singing group The Four Seasons, a very well done perfomance by exceptionally talented people. Left Las Vegas and went to Arches National Park and Canyonlands National Park in Utah, viewed spectacular rock formations with outstanding coloring. Our children joined us on a camping trip to Alpine, TX the day after Christmas. We went to Fort Davis, a restored cavalry fort located north of Alpine; Big Bend National Park, there the children hiked to "The Window", Pat milled around the visitor's center and I drank a couple of beers while sitting in the truck in the parking lot. Speaking of Big Bend, I read a newspaper article that claims the Rio Grande Boquillas crossing is to be opened in 2012 for legal crossing. The crossing is described in Robert Earl Keen's song Gringo Honeymoon. The U.S. federal government closed the crossing in 2002 due to 9/11. Prior to 2002 Pat and I made the "unofficial" entry into Mexico and return to Texas on two occasions.
Addendum #4 (16 January 2012)
Year 2011 went quickly for me, consisting of my mother's passing in May and several road trips from late May through early November. May 29 - June 5 drove to Kansas, Missouri and Iowa. Entering Dodge City I noticed several Mexican restaurants in town, I counted seven of them within a 1 1/2 mile stretch. Outside Dodge City was a newly built casino and next door was a very large entertainment building. The casino had slots and gaming tables. Approximately 70% of the casino customers were Hispanic. Other visits in Kansas were: Monument Rocks; President Eisenhower's Library and Fort Riley. On to Independence, Missouri we toured "Give 'em hell Harry" Truman's Library and pressed on to Iowa where President Hoover's Library and Amana Colonies are located. July 10- 18 headed up to Estes Park, Colorado and Rocky Mountain National Park to escape the heat around Houston. August 22 - September 12 took off for Alaska. Driving through British Columbia and Yukon Territory was impressive and challenging; wildlife of all breeds was impressive and planning gasoline stops was challenging. Arrived in Tok, Alaska and started the approximately 1,000 mile highway loop to Fairbanks, Denali National Park, Talkeetna, Wasilla, Anchorage, back to Tok and the Canada border. During the total 10,306 mile trip were many wonderful and varied sites. October 18 - November 3 revisited Colonial Williamsburg, Virginia and experienced speeches presented by actors that portrayed Washington, Jefferson, etc. Viewed the gunsmith's shop, armory, wood working shops, book binding shop, brick yard and several taverns. We and other tourists participated as jurors in a re-creation of a trial for a woman charged with practicing witchcraft. Actors played the roles of the charged woman, judge, lawyers, bailiff and witnesses. We the jury found the guilty and sentenced her to death. November 8 - 11 pulled the camping trailer to New Braunfels for polka music and German food at Wurstfest.
