Our main reason for stopping at Lake Conroe was to relax a bit and to visit with the daughter, son-in-law and grandson of our long-time friends. Needless to say, Tryna had a great time taking on the part of stand-in grammy.

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Al was walking around our campsite and found some pecans that had fallen from the tree beside the coach. I sent him out with a bag and after gathering, cracking and picking we ended up with about a pound of pecans. YUM!

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We were surprised that Lake Conroe was so large. Often times when Thousand Trails says they're on a lake you don't find much water but that wasn't the case here. You can actually cruise around the lake on a replica of an 1800's stern-wheeler.

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Huntsville was founded as an American Indian trading post in 1836, the year of Texas independence. Sam Houston was among the prominent early Texans who resided in Huntsville. This hollow concrete statue entitled "A Tribute to Courage" stands 77-feet tall and is the tallest statue of an American Hero. Al looks so short standing at the base of the statue!

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Everything is big in Texas - even this anthole!

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For nearly 100 years, the Port of Houston has been an economic engine for this region, for the state and for the nation. It is rated as one of the 10 top ports in North America. We were lucky enough to get tickets to take a 90-minute narrated tour of these waterways.

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We got to see huge ships being loaded and unloaded as well as tugboats...

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...and barges being pushed like this one and others pulled.

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We got to see an incredible view of the Houston skyline as we made our way down the ship channel.

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We were told not to miss the Kemah Boardwalk so we headed there for dinner and a stroll. It's not only on the water but there is something for everyone. There were many ethnic and fish restaurants, an amusement park and shops. It was a fun place to wander for a bit.

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Galveston has a history that dates back to 1817 when Jean Lafitte and his pirates established a settlement here. By the Civil War, Galveston was Texas' principal seaport and the leading commercial center and by 1890, it was Texas' largest and wealthiest city.

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A local hardware merchant had Ashton Villa built in 1859. It was built in the Victorian Italianate style and was one of the first brick structures built in Texas. The house survived the hurricane of 1900 though the town of Galveston lost many homes as well as more then 6000 people. Because of the devastation caused by the storm, they decided to raise the grade of the city. As a result, the basement of Ashton Villa was filled with sand and some 3 feet of dirt raised the yard. As a result, 3-feet of the original wrought iron fence is now underground and the house is surrounded with a short fence! In 2008, hurricane Ike hit Galveston and Ashton Villa had some 18-inches of water in it.

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Restored to its turn of the century splendor, this 28,000 square-foot, four-story structure was completed in 1895. The Moodys established one of the great American financial empires, which was based on cotton but grew to include banking, ranching, insurance and hotels.

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JC Trube, a local businessman who emigrated from Denmark in the mid-1800's, built Trube Castle in 1890. It was built of Belgian brick and stucco and for some reason was not raised after the hurricane of 1900. It is referred to as "the strangest house in a city of strange houses".

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The centerpiece of Galveston's resurgence is the 36-block area of Victorian neighborhoods that have been restored to their original splendor. This area is easily recognizable by the iron-fronted buildings and the beautiful Victorian "painted ladies, one of the country's best known collections of such architecture.

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In 2008, Hurricane Ike covered most of Galveston Island in a tidal surge. The winds and waves uprooted many trees and led to the demise of thousand of others. Rather then dig up all of the dead trees, many homeowners chose to turn the stumps into art. We saw many of sculptures, all paid for by private donations and the homeowners themselves. I chose to share the Crested Heron with you though there were many others I was tempted to put up here.

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Star Drug Store is the oldest drug store in Texas. In 1886, the Scanlons, a prominent real estate family in Galveston, purchased land and built two buildings known as the Levy Building and the Star Drug Store. The Scanlons hired one of Galveston's most renowned architects, Nicholas Clayton, to design the buildings. He created attaching facades with asymmetrical window groupings consisting of arches and elaborate decor.

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We decided to explore the other Galveston attraction next - the beach. We headed east to drive along Seawall Boulevard while gazing out over the Gulf of Mexico. We came upon Pleasure Pier, an amusement park that's perched out over the water reminiscent of West Haven, Connecticut's old Savin Rock.

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It was a great day to wade in the Gulf of Mexico.

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We rode the Galveston Ferry to Bolivar Peninsula just to see what was there (and because we tend to collect ferries). It was a glorious day to be out on the water where we got to watch the dolphins playing in the water in front of us.

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The highlight of our trip to the peninsula was this lighthouse. It was built in 1872 and towers 117 ft. above sea level. It guided mariners for 61 years but was retired in 1933 when the South Jetty light replaced it. The lighthouse survived both the 1900 and 1915 hurricanes and provided a safe place for locals to wait out the storms. The Bolivar lighthouse is made of brick sheathed in cast iron plates and then riveted together. It once glistened with a white-and-black banded exterior, but now is covered with rust and is almost a uniform black.

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Our original neighbors in Placentia some 40 years ago live here in south Houston. Through facebook, I've been able to reconnect and today we got to meet once again. First we went to Floyds Cajun for lunch and some chatter. Then we moved the group over to Santa Fe and Vi's "Funny Farm". She has four horses, that she rides all the time, geese, chickens, dogs and who knows what else. Obviously nothing has changed, Vi is still an animal person.

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27-years ago at a stable in Yorba Linda, my son Chris got to witness the birth of this horse. It's a memory he still carries with him today so it was kind of special when Christy got the halter on Choctaw and brought her to me. She's pretty much retired now but she is still a beautiful lady.

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Sunday night found us all at the Cockeyed Seagull for karaoke night. Amy has been the Texas karaoke champion for two years and has traveled to Nevada to compete on the national level. This last summer she was in the top 10 in the country! Everyone but Tryna took a chance at the mike. Vi used to sing professionally and she still hasn't lost it and Christy and Amy are following in her footsteps.

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The evening wouldn't have been complete without a group picture. The only drawback to an otherwise wonderful night is how smoky it was in the bar. The Texans are definitely still smokers!

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