A day of driving and we are not far from the Louisiana-Texas state line.  We are staying for the night in the Sam Houston Jones State Park in Louisiana.  The drive was uneventful, though for a great part of the way — as we were driving along I10 West – we drove on bridges whose very columns rested in water.  Once, we crossed the Mississippi.

Although we connect Sam Houston with Texas, he traveled extensively in western Louisiana.  As for the Jones part – that is in honor of a former state governor who was instrumental in setting aside this land for the public.  It is a beautiful 1,087-acre park near the city of Lake Charles and a relaxing place to stop.

After setting up camp and having a snack, we set out for a river path hike along the Calcasieu River, which meanders southward to the Gulf of Mexico.  Hot, humid – yes; beautiful, pristine — also yes.

Sugar Land, Texas

We arrived at Bill’s cousin’s house, Burt and Ryva, in Sugar Land, Texas, just outside of Houston.  We haven’t seen them in over 40 years but a warmer, more welcoming couple you would be hard to find.

Burt is an internationally known miniaturist – most of his works are in bottles: ships in bottles, depictions of children’s fairy tales in bottles, and Judaica in bottles.  His research is extensive and his precision and detail are exquisite.  Many of his ships contain actual pieces of wood from the original ships, a project in itself as it often takes months to receive permission and procure the wood pieces.

Burt’s works are featured in museums all over the world; he has pieces in both Yad Vashem and the U.S. Holocaust Museum.

And he is also a certified master gardener, as his yard attests.

After spending the afternoon getting reacquainted, we made a short trip to a supermarket in a mall to stock up on supplies.  There were small islands of grass between some of the parking spots and, getting out of the van, Sima was treated to a Texas specialty: fire ants.  They stung, they burned, and then they itched.  We brushed them off but her ankle was full of welts, although it is getting better.

Burt and Ryva treated us to a dinner at a sumptuous steak restaurant called Genesis, known as the best kosher meat restaurant in Houston.  Sima had a steak and Bill had a most amazing hamburger with an egg, onion strings, and slices of pastrami on a bun, an unusual combination but totally delicious.  We also had a chance to meet Burt’s son Michael, who joined us for dinner and who, like our sons-in-law, is a programmer.  Genesis is indeed one of the nicest restaurants we have been in; the ambience, food, and service were extraordinary.

NASA

Today we travelled out of this world; we went with Burt and Ryva to NASA.  As children of the space exploration age, who can still name the various missions (Mercury, Gemini, Apollo…), this was a must-see.  To orient ourselves, we took a 90-minute tram ride which first stopped at both the Apollo Mission Control Center, where we sat in the room which we are all familiar with from TV and movies (and, spoiler alert, it is much smaller than it looks on screen). 

We moved then to the large warehouse-style room in which the astronauts train and test equipment before it is actually put into use.  NASA is already working on a Mars mission and will be using robots to set up a base before humans arrive.

We touched moon rocks and Mars rocks (came here by meteor); we walked through a 747 (the actual plane) and shuttle on top of it (a mock-up).

Of course, we could not leave without visiting the gift shop.

The George Ranch

An important day of the year, Sima’s and our daughter Tomi’s birthday; yes, they were born on the same day 30 years apart.

With our wonderful hosts, we visited the George Ranch Historical Park.  It is a trip through 100 years of Texas history.  The ranch is a working ranch, but also showcases four houses from four generations of the George family; the houses date from the 1830s, 1860s, 1890s, and 1930s.  Folks dressed up in period clothes, each acting the part of a family member, conveyed to us – in an interesting and knowledgeable manner – the story of their era.

The 1830s cabin was especially interesting: a pioneer brought to Texas by Stephen F. Austin with the promise of cheap land.  The house was a dog run (meaning there was a covered space between two sections of the cabin where the wind would pass through, cooling the people sitting there).  A historian-researcher dressed in clothes of the time told what it was like for the first residents of the farm to build, live, and operate the land claim.  He was excellent!

The home of the second generation followed.  We learned about cattle drives and how the George family got very rich by buying cattle for $4 a head, herding them north, and selling them for $40 a head.  The cattle drives lasted only about 20 years until the railroad was able to come south.  Think about all those John Wayne movies which represented only 20 years of history!  We visited an operational chuck wagon from the cattle drive era.

The third house was a Victorian mansion from the 1890s; truly beautiful rooms.  Near it was a working blacksmith shop.  We asked the young man who was making a set of tongs if he ever got used to the heat and flames near his face – and he said no.

The fourth house, from the 1930s, was a typical rich family’s house of the time.

The discovery of oil and natural gas on the ranch in the ‘20s and ‘30s turned the George family fortune into real money.  The family died out in mid-1900s but the foundation they created, the George Foundation, continues and supports this historical landmark.

We finished the day with a visit to Belden’s supermarket which carries a great deal of kosher food – we bought corned beef and turkey, hard cheeses (the smoked Gouda was excellent), a great challah and challah rolls.  And then to dinner at Saba’s kosher grill – nothing like Genesis, but when you are traveling, it looks good.

Shabbat and Shavuot

After a morning of talk and laundry at Burt and Ryva’s, we checked into a Hampton Inn which was walking distance from the Chabad, as Houston was in the middle of a record-breaking heat wave.  They say it was just as hot in Israel.

We were warmly welcomed to Chabad of Sugar Land for Shabbat and Shavuot by Rabbi Mendel Feigenson and enjoyed Friday night dinner at his house and luncheons at the shul.  The rabbi and his wife are gracious hosts, and their family members and guests were good company.  On Shavuot (or Shavuos as they say in the States), Bill was the only kohen and thus had to do birkat hakohanim by himself.  He very much missed the comradery of the early minyan priestly union.

Between the eloquent talks of Rabbi Feigenson, the great meal at their house, the very good lunches at the shul, and the unique and interesting character of the congregation, we had a very delightful holiday.

As preparation for and part of the chag, Sima brought with her Yael Ziegler’s book, Ruth (Maggid Studies in Tanakh) and has been reading it on and off.

Remember the Alamo!

It was not a long drive to San Antonio from Houston to see the Alamo.  And again, a piece of our education stood in front of us. The Alamo mission building and grounds, the site of the famous battle for Texan independence, is in the middle of downtown San Antonio.

Texas gained its independence during the revolt against Mexico in 1835-1836.  In the battle for independence, the Alamo – a mission turned into a fort – pitted 200 Texas civilians against 6,500 of General Santa Anna’s trained Mexican army.  Under the leadership of William Barret Travis – together with more well-known defenders James Bowie and Davy Crockett – the Texans held out as long as they could.  After three weeks, the final battle lasted 90 minutes, with all of the Texan fighters killed, though a few women, children and slaves were left alive to spread the story.  (Some families had entered the Alamo for safety when the news of Santa Anna’s approaching army reached them.  Most others fled.)

After the Alamo, in addition to walking around one of the cleanest urban centers we have ever seen, we took a stroll along the San Antonio River Walk, quite a long stretch of winding walkway right on the water.  Interesting, beautiful, and lots and lots of restaurants.

Afterwards, a short drive to the Guadalupe River State Park for a hike and an evening’s rest.  We have camped in three state parks so far this trip (Alabama, Louisiana, and Texas) and each was a place we would happily return to.

Guadalupe Mountains National Park

Did we say that Texas is a really big state?  Well, we wanted to see the Guadalupe Mountains National Park, so we drove.  We overnighted at a Walmart and drove some more – miles and miles at 80 mph (the fastest speed limit we’ve come across) with only two other cars on the final 50-mile road.  When we reached the park (switching over to Mountain time), we were in awe.  There are certain things we see on our travels about which we say, “This is truly stunning.”  This is one of them.

The park is surrounded by the Chihuahuan Desert which reaches hundreds of miles south into Mexico.  Its highest peak is Guadalupe Peak at 8,751 feet with a 3,000- foot elevation.  No, we did not take that strenuous 8-10 hour hike; we did two others.

The Pinery Trail (short, easy) took us to the ruins of the Pinery, a stagecoach station – and the way the mail first crossed the country.

The Devil’s Hall Trail (longer, more strenuous) took us up one of the mountains, a 500-foot elevation.  With the mountains in front of us, and riverbed below, it was beautiful – and restful; we were the only ones on the trail.

Back at the campground for a quiet night; no hookups but waking up to the sight of the mountains was wonderful.