Life at the Gables

We had a note from the local community people today  telling us to mow the lawn!!
I was not happy. So I phoned them and put them straight!!
I wouldn't mind but John has done everything he can to keep it looking good.
Their "inspector" came round two days before the gardener was due. They should come round today it looks great :0)

I really wanted an "At Home" day today so that's what I did.
Out at 6.30am to do the re-cycling

Saw the Teenager off to school at 7am

First cup of tea of the day.

Filled in the paperwork for John's opticians appointment.

Took a 20 minute power walk around the pond

Came back showered and made the beds

Put some washing on

Had "Tenzies".  Couldn't wait till 11am :0)

Rattled off the ironing 

Then after lunch I spent an hour or so catching up with Project Life.  I had so many photos to print off!!

The Teenager came home from school at 3pm and it was time to sort out dinner. John home, dinner made and time to sit for a while and watch a film.
A pretty regular day really but one I felt in need of.
How was your day?

John's new project at work is going slowly at the moment. Can't you tell? He's been making origami things out of $1.00 bills.

Getting measured for your Prom tuxedo can be a bit tricky!! Bend down please.

It's always lovely to see your friends especially when you haven't seen them for months. It's horrible having to say goodbye not knowing when you'll see them again. It's always a lovely surprise to get flowers from them saying Thank You . I think the "Thank You" should go to them  for coming all this way just to see us.
Don't you just love friends?

This park is just 25 miles from us and is a completely different world. Here it is concrete and cars. There it is green and calm. There is where the alligators live. And we saw quite a few!!

Some of the big ones were safely on the other side of the lake.

Some were on the side of the path.

Some of the "babies" (only 3 ft long) stayed in the grass.

One of the big 10 ft males decided that the path was his territory.  We had to walk up some steps by the smelly portaloos to get past him. We think it was a him!!  Didn't get close enough to find out.

Some went for the stealth look.

Some were quite happy to have a close up.


And some loved to pose for the camera.

They were all awesome but not as cool as the scary Halloween tree that was hiding amongst the trees.  It was completely surrounded by greenery.  I wonder why it's grey?

It was a great afternoon.  Put a teenage boy in charge of the binoculars and he will walk for miles. The weather was gorgeous but the mozzies till m…

This is what our reflection pool photo looked like

and this is what it looks like when the sun hits it.
(Source:  Google)

We took our first visit over to the other side of Houston  to visit the USS Texas and the San Jacinto Monument.
Construction of the USS Texas started in 1911 and she was launched in 1912.  She was commissioned in 1914 and is an amazing piece of engineering.

She served in both WW1 and WW11

The boys had a great time checking out the guns.


Hard to imagine that kids not much older than them  would have been manning those guns during the war.  


We took the obligatory family photos.  It was a tad windy.


We checked out the galley and the exhibitions then went below deck for a mooch.


we saw the wardroom, the sick bay, the engine room and where the poor everyday sailor lived.

Sailors had mugs.  Officers had silver ware!!  Obviously :0}

Needs no explanation.

John's arty farty engine room shots



The San Jacinto Monument is 567.31 ft high and is built on the  site of the Battle of San Jacinto in 1836 I would write about it all but there is a lot to it so feel free to check out the above sites …

When you download other peoples photos to your PC you sometimes find photos you can't remember having taken, had forgotten all about or just wish they hadn't!! And there are some that you took of the same thing but theirs are much better!!
San Jacinto monument.  The Teenager just wasn't quick enough to get out of the shot!!

Taken from the top of the San Jacinto Monument.  Too high for me to go up there. The Teenager tells me these are called reflection pools and all monuments have them!! Do they? Shame it wasn't sunny enough to find out.

The USS Texas from the top of the San Jacinto Monument

A cracking shot of the Teenager but what is up with me and John?   I look pregnant and he looks fed up!!

Was I really fluffing my hair?  There was no hope of it looking any better.   The weather had put paid to that

A very large elephant head that I must have missed at the  Buckhorn Saloon as I don't remember seeing it at all

I loved this once I realised it wasn't made fro…