Spring Break

Well, this Spring Break was a fun week. It was pretty relaxing, which I'm starting to enjoy, rather than RUNNING AROUND all of my vacations. The beginning of the week was pretty relaxing but from Thursday-Saturday I got around a lot of Texas. Looking forward to the summer now! Got quite the line-up now. Colorado, New Mexico, New Braunfuls, Cruise, England. I'm getting excited. But I'll enjoy my last 2 and a half months with the kiddos.

Thursday is FREE Admission to the Museum of Fine Arts Houston buildings. Sandi and I went later in the day.

I loved the different painted walls. Saw some exhibits on India, Korea, and Native America (Mesoamerica).

Then, I went to HOLLYWOOD, lol, jk...just the name of the restaurant.

The picture turned out funny and bright lol

Friday, I went to West, Texas. It's a Czech town full of love.

Started my journey here at this store. Found the CUTEST longhorn ring, guitar pic earrings and Czech ornament. Could have spent a LOT more but I resisted a bit.

This was the Old Theater that was pretty torn up but...

it had a historical marker. :)

The reason I went to West was because of this place, Sulak's. It's a Cafe that serves a range of food including Czech food, what I would call German or Bavarian. I had the sausage, no schnitzel or sauerkrat though. While I was there I discovered some AMAZING news that I'll post soon.

Saturday, Aunt B and I, my PITC (partner in travelling crime) went to Tyler, Texas to follow the Azalea Trail. Well, 1) the azaleas aren't blooming yet and 2) it was FREEZING and raining. Started at the Chili Cook-off but as you can see the tents were pretty bare. Aunt B bought us two cups but I thought it was DISGUSTING. She completely disagreed but I threw mine out immediately. :)

We went inside for the judging but it was no big deal.

The room beside us was the Flower Show. Really pretty set-up...

Both of those events were here, in the Tyler's Women's Building...Found out the historical plaque was on the OTHER side of the building. Bummer...

Down the street we found this BEAUTIFUL backyard. Amazing...

And, they let complete strangers wander around in their backyard!

Um, excuse me, may I please move into your backyard, thanks!

With the weather keeping us inside we stopped at the McClendon House.

Historical :)

Lots of pink in here.

Beautiful porch....

OMG, I was with Aunt B the first time she had STARBUCKS!! HAHAHA yes!!

That night we just played with Corkie and hung out. Poor thing.....

Sunday morning it SNOWED. Yes, it SNOWED!!

Tried to get a picture of the snow on the trees on the first day of Spring. Lol, only in Texas, you know....

Looking forward to seeing my friends and students at work tomorrow. But eagarly awaiting next weekend. Going to Goliad, Texas to watch the Goliad Massacre reinactment. Stupid Mexicans took out Texans. I think Texas should secede from the USA, declare war on Mexico and the drug cartell and take their asses out. That's right. Remeber the Alamo, Remember Goliad. We could take them.

Last Weekend *Running Behind!*

Last weekend I explored Gonzales, Texas. It's about 2 hours the west of Houston. It was a great trip I took on my own. I wish the city was a bit more renovated but with the lack of businesses, and therefore, city taxes, there's little hope for this brave city, where the state of Texas was born and bred. Long live Gonzales...COME AND TAKE IT!

I began my journey at the Gonzales County Courthouse, a building on the National Historic Registry. Really beautiful...
Old Square of Gonzales still looks like the old town, it almost transforms you into another time period as you walk around.
The state historical marker on the courthouse...
The view from across the street of the courthouse.
Around the courthouse were the historical First Baptist Church that was started in the 1800s.
The First United Methodist Church was also started here in the 1800s. Interesting how they were right beside each other.
Lol, and here's the Old Jail and Museum. Hilarious story....
I had to go in to see the Visitors Center and was greeted by a nice, friendly woman. I got plenty of brochures for the area. The place is the old jail and the entire place is open to tour...at your own risk. When I went in there was a family of four touring the upstairs cells and gallows. I looked at the rooms pictured below. Then I went to climb upstairs and the family of four left. All of a sudden, I was very aware that I was all alone in this abandoned jail where many men died by hanging. I couldn't even get up the stairs lol. All I could think of were those ghost shows you see commercials of where the guys are inside the dark places and they start feeling and hearing things. Yea, so I got the HELL outta there quick. Lol, I plan to go back when I have my dad with me...or someone else to protect me from scary noises. :)
The jail is also on the National Register of Historic Places. Two for one!
On the first floor was the jailer's bedroom.
This was beside the bedroom, where the woman and "lunatics" room was.
That about says it all. Below was the room it was posted on.
I think they call this solitary confinement now.
This was almost at the top of the stairs. The wooden frame you can almost make out would be the gallows where all the criminals were hung. Yea, then the stairs lead to more cells.
Monument to the soldiers who died in the Civil War fighting for the Confederacy.
Memorial to the men who died fighting for Texas.
Next, I was off to the reason I came. The Gonzales Memorial Museum was written about in the March issue of Texas Highways. It talked about the restoration that was needed and how important it was to Texas history.
The reflection pond
To the left of the Memorial are the giant oak trees where the families met after the Alamo fell. Sam Houston was here and made the decision to burn the city of Gonzales to the ground as he knew Santa Anna would use all the resources they had. The families who lived here, even though they had just lost their husbands, brothers and fathers at the Alamo, had to pack up their belongings and head for refuge. The curator of the museum said this is the only time in history where there were Texas refugees.
Love my historical markers...
On either side of the museum were two different rooms of artifacts. One room was set up with many artifacts used by women and children. I took lots of pictures for the lessons I teach on how children lived in the past.
This was a 5 foot mammoth trunk that was found in the area by some local boyscouts.
And on the opposite side was the museum of the war history museum. Here is the cannon that started the Texas Revolution! Mexico gave Texans this cannon to protect themselves from threatening, dangerous Native American tribes. However, Mexican laws and taxes were hurting native Texans and they decided to revolt. They fired this cannon at the Mexican troops which started the war. That's what the battle cry, Come and Take It is for. Days after we fired this cannon and took out a few Mexican troops we had the tragic Battle of the Alamo. The day I visited was the day anniversary of the day the Alamo fell.
Up close and personal
The curator who ran the museum has letters from many historic societies proclaiming that the proof he had for this to be the actual cannon was accurate. We won't ever really know but it's pretty neat to think that you're starring at the one that started the Texas Revolution.
And behind the Memorial is the Ampitheater...

All in all, I would love to return to the do the marathon from Gonzales to San Jacinto and go to the jail. So, hopefully, this won't be the last Gonzales sees of me. :)