Eggs and Bacon in Fredricksburg

Our plan was to get off the ground right after sunrise and head to Fredricksburg for breakfast. The alarm was set for 5 am, we got dressed only to find that ground fog had moved in. So we didn't get away as early as hoped, but we did go. Climbing up above the cloud layer the flight was smooth and the morning air was cool, we landed and ordered breakfast at the Airport Diner. After breakfast we walked around the airport, took a look at the Hangar Hotel and watched other planes land. The day was beginning to heat up, so we took off and headed home. The ride was hot and bumpy until Dale climbed to about 8,000 ft., the air temp dropped to 70 degrees.
We made a brief hot stop in New Braunfels to top off the gas tanks for the trip home. We landed in Victoria, quickly put the plane in the hangar, cranked up the AC in truck and went home.

What does rain look like???

What is that?????????
We heard thunder, a dark cloud, saw a rain drop........
...............only one, but it did cool off a
little.
Staying close to home these days......
..............to darn hot to do anything.

Smoking Hot in Texas

Another week with no rain and the drought worsens. The last few days the wind has been blowing to dry things out even more. I can't even remember what rain smells, sounds, or looks like.

Redfish on the Menu

It was a rough ride across Espiritu Santo Bay this morning to our favorite fishing spot. A strong South wind had kicked up some good size swells and the going was slow, wet, and rough. We finally made it to the lakes and decided to try drifting across in hopes of snagging a red or two. We had to use the drift anchor to slow us down, or it would have been a short drift. After a few drifts we had landed two reds, one being a nice 26 inch fish. We moved around, tried some other spots and then headed to Pringle and Conti. The tide was low, but we made it thanks to Dale's excellent navigation skills.
We fished, but had no luck. We ate our picnic lunch, fished a couple more spots and headed back across the bay. Since we were going with the waves, it was a smoother, drier ride.
Dale cleaned our fish, sure going to make some tasty meals. We talked with a fishing guide that only had 2 keeper reds on his trip and called it a day. Guess we didn't do to bad, if the pro only had two.

Purr-fect Day for Flying

With the annual finished, Miss Ice Tea Too was ready for flight. We took off, turned South and followed the coastline to Port Aransas, Texas for a seafood lunch. We flew low over the beach most of the way, waving to the boats. We saw lots of boats, lots of wade fishermen and lots of SHARKS!
The surf was calm and boats dotted the coastline along the Gulf. Landing at Mustang Beach Airport we found out the trolley no longer makes a stop at the airport FBO, so we walked up to the highway to catch a ride.




Beach and Station Street Grill was our choice for lunch,
Dale had fried shrimp and I had crab stuffed fried shrimp,
both were great. W e grabbed the trolley after lunch and
made our way back to the airport for the trip home. We
flew the beach back and saw a BIG shark swimming near a
wade fisherman on the Gulf beach.........wade
fishing is risky!!!

Under the Sea in Curacao

Our trip to Curacao is over, the dive gear washed and stored away, and the photos posted online. The dive gang-Laurie, Chris, Dave, Dale and I spent a week in Curacao at the Marazul Dive Resort near Westpunt, diving with Ocean Encounters West. Our flights on Continental and DAE went smooth, we picked up our rental van and arrived at the resort around 9 pm. Our bungalow, #11 had 3 bedrooms and 3 bathrooms with a full kitchen and living area. Tired from a day of travel we crashed after a hot shower. The next morning we did our check-out dive and made arrangements for our boat dive the next day. We drove into town and got supplies at the big Centrum market for the week.
Our dives were good, no current, 79 degree water, 50-60 ft., with pretty good visibility. We saw the usual marine life.....turtles, lots of eels, Christmas tree worms, Flamingo tongues, barracuda, a seahorse, and the biggest green moray eel any of us had ever seen. The reef was pristine, one of the best I have ever seen, lots of huge sponges, corals and soft corals. During our surface interval we stopped at the "Blue Cave" and had a chance to snorkel into the large cavern, an interesting experience. I had the chance to snorkel with a pod of spinner dolphins during one surface interval and it was a thrill. Our captain "Tookie" spotted the pod and yelled for us to put on our snorkel gear, as we neared the dolphins he told us to quietly enter the water and swim toward the pod. Dave and I both got in and began to swim hoping to get closer. Much to my surprise the pod came toward me and swam within a few feet of me. WOW! Dave also got a close up look at the creatures.
We sampled some of the local restaurants in Westpunt....Sol Food and Jannchies. We checked out some of the beaches near Westpunt....Playa Forti, Playa Lagun, and Santa Cruz. Dale and I snorkeled one afternoon at Playa Lagun and enjoyed the crystal clear water.We even saw a local young man that had caught a eel and was butchering it, taste like chicken!
Our last day we drove into Punda for some shopping and sightseeing. The brightly colored buildings lined the streets and made great subjects for our photos. Walking across the Queen Emma floating bridge, it was hard to imagine it was built in 1888. We enjoyed Dutch lunch at an outside cafe with ice cream for dessert.
Saturday we left the resort headed to Hato Airport for our DAE flight to Aruba and then onto the Continental flight to Houston. It was a long day of travel, lots of lines, lots of security screening, but we arrived home safe and sound.
Curacao is very much like Aruba, but the wind seems to blow harder........at times it seemed like hurricane force winds. I also think Curacao has a more European flavor than the other ABC islands. The diving was good, easy, and all went well. Another dive trip in the books!

Living in Color

We now have color at our house, the painter finished painting all the interior rooms. Dale and I started putting up the crown molding, after painting all of it. We started in the small bathroom, it went well, so we tackled another room. Poor Dale spent lots of time measuring, cutting, fitting, and going up and down the ladder. I was in charge of spackeling the joints, sanding the joints, and then painting the joints. Room by room we worked, leaving the family room/kitchen for last.
We came up a few pieces short, called and placed an order which arrived the next day. This weekend we WILL finish the job!