Snow in Port Arthur!!

Snow!! Just what I was hoping to get away from. What to my wondering eyes should appear on the
morning of Wednesday December the 10th but SNOW!!!



Bring on the jokes now. An inch or so of snow and there actually were traffic problems as a result. To be fair, most of it had to do with ice forming on the bridges which are pretty high and pretty steep to accommodate all of the ship traffic. (Crazy little thing called OIL pronounced AWL) a large percentage of which gets refined here.
In any case, there were lots of folks outside taking pictures. Apparently there hasn't been any accumulating
snow here since 1973. I don't know any different of course since this is my first time down here.

At the YMCA where I'm staying a couple of staffers started to build a snowman until they realized how cold it made their hands feel. Certainly a new experience for them and definitely made the place look a bit prettier for me.

Port Arthur

Not exactly "deep in the heart of Texas", Port Arthur is just over the line from Louisiana. It also isn't the train wreck I imagined it to be in the wake of Hurricane Ike. I chose it because this was the closest Habitat chapter to Galveston and to be fair, Port Arthur was extremely lucky to be spared. Fifteen miles in either direction along the Gulf Coast things are pretty bad. The storm damage in town is mostly left over from Hurricane Rita. In any case, I'm working with some good folks trying to provide decent housing to people that need it.

After work I take the long way home and do a little exploring. The landscape is dominated by oil refineries and chemical plants. It's kind of like hell and explains a lot about people's outlook and disregard for the environment. It was probably a pretty tough place before it was settled but the heavy industries haven't improved it.

I'm staying at the local Y. Right now I have it all to myself. I'll have it to myself again next week and then share it with sixty or so volunteers. Without any TV or windows it will be nice to have something more lively to come home to. For now, I'm getting caught up on my reading. LOTS of reading.

Habitat - Port Arthur

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Every local Habitat for Humanity organization is different. Most are set up for local people to get together on a week-ends and finish a house over eight weeks with a fairly steady crew.

New Orleans was set up to take anyone that showed up on any given day so that they tell the folks back home what the city was dealing with. Biloxi dealt with college and church groups coming down for a week and doing it that way.

Port Arthur or more accurately, Beaumont had elements of all three. We had local people, mostly Habitat participants. We had college groups coming down during their vacation time. And in one of those only-in-Texas touches, we had inmates from a local prison. This occasionally worried the parents of the college kids but generally went off without a hitch. Forgive some of the rough manners and these guys had skills.

The glory and the downfall of the whole thing was the local full-time people. Mr Robert was a joy to work with. A Texas Cajun who had retired from his home interiors business he had a wonderful way of letting people know what needed to be done in a way that was clear but appreciative and fun.

The other full-timers tended to quarrel with each other and run to Mr Robert to adjudicate things. The folks in the office didn't seem terribly motivated and the people on the job sites chafed at the lack of logistical support.  Still, houses got built. Volunteers had an opportunity to participate and appreciate and in its own halting way, it worked.

Austin

Nothing better than an excuse to visit an old Fernwood friend. Andrea Shearer and I worked together in the cauldron of the Fernwood office together and between the stressful times and the quieter times got to know each other pretty well.

She had since married, moved to Ireland and had two kids but had moved back to Austin. Her children are cuter than cute and except for leaving them with their Dad to go off and hear Toni Price play we got along quite well. Charlie is the extrovert and asks lots of hard but insightful questions. Georgia Bee is quieter and less overt. Both are delightful and I became very fond of both of them.

Austin is also a must-visit when in Texas for many reasons. It's the state capitol and not coincidentally the oddball capitol of Texas. The University of Texas is largely responsible for producing and attracting this colorful crowd of characters and Andrea was only too eager to give me a taste of the town.

San Antonio

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It took a whole lot of back and forth before I got there.
-Got sick my last day in New Orleans
-Got some medicine...Stayed and extra two days
-Drove to Florida...Still felt sick
-Did nothing for two weeks recovering
-Watched a Red Sox game...Felt better
-Drove to Lake City...Camped Out
-Drove to Pensacola (awesome night on the beach)
-Kissatchee National Forest (Louisiana)
-Ouachita National Forest (Arkansas)
-NO TRAIL MAPS OF OUACHITA?!!! DOH!!!
-Emergency plan B...visit Andrea in Austin
(Sounds like the start of an alphabet book)


After a couple of fun days hanging out with Andrea and her two cuter than cute kids (ages 3 & 4) I headed off for San Antonio. My goal was the River Walk and it was just as good as advertised.
The whole thing is down below street level and it's both a peaceful oasis and a wonderful outlet for all sorts of colorful cafes, shops and hotels. There are places to sit and relax sprinkled throughout, historical markers from time to time. There's even an amphitheater at a bend in the river with the stage on one side of the river and the seating set into the opposite bank.

I went in the morning when things were just getting going. Many of the boats were for taking water from the river and watering the plants. I had a lovely (and slightly spicy) Mexican breakfast just so I could linger and take it all in.

West Texas

3/27-4/1
Click on Title Bar for Pictures

Have to admit, Texas had been pretty crowded up to this point. East Texas or the triangle (Dallas- Houston-San Antonio) is home to most of Texas' 24 million people.

West of San Antonio things are different.

The desert takes over and you can go for miles without seeing a single house or building. I went through a rainstorm that kept getting darker and darker before getting to Del Rio. From Del Rio I drove along the Rio Grande with the 'hills of old Mexico' in view. Gradually the Texas side became more and more mountainous as I got closer to Big Bend. I ended up at Guadalupe Mountains National Park, home to the highest point in Texas at over 8600 feet.


This is the end of the Pecos River where it flows into the Rio Grande. The sides of both rivers are quite steep at this point and one of the reasons the Rio Grande makes such an effective border.

The Rio Grande is hidden from view down in its canyon. The mountains in the distance are the 'hills of old Mexico'

Guadalupe Peak. El 8749' (Highest point in Texas).
Guadalupe Mountains is a gorgeous park about 100 miles east of El Paso along the border with New Mexico. Back- packing is next to impossible because there's no water. I opted for a couple of day hikes instead.