Bishop's Palace - Galveston, TX

This 20,000 sqft home was built for Walter and Josephine Gresham and their 9 children.

Walter and Josephine came to Galveston from Virginia following his service in the Civil War.

Mr. Gresham was an attorney and entrepreneur. He was a founder of the Gulf, Colorado and Santa Fe Railroad, eventually working to bring about the merger of the Santa Fe with the Atchison and Topeka Railroad. He also served in the Texas Legislature.

 

More interesting information about the magnificent grand homes and other buildings of Galveston can be found at http://www.galvestonhistory.org/1892_bishops_palace.asp

Fishing Success - Galveston Island, TX

We were up early fishing today. 

We wade out into the gulf to mid-thigh and cast out.

We both caught our first saltwater fish. 

Bob caught this 6 lb. red fish and I caught a 6 lb. Atlantic croaker.

We threw my Atlantic croaker back as this red fish will be plenty for us to eat.

No photo of me with my fish because no one was around to operate the camera.  But he did get a great photo of our feet.  LOL

Galveston Island - Galveston, TX

Galveston Texas

The Beach

Monday Morning

 

Sam Houston Jones State Park, Lake Charles, LA

We are staying through Sat. Sept.29th at the Sam Houston Jones State Park.  It is located about 2 miles north of Lake Charles, Louisiana. 

This little guy was window peeping.

Critters of Lake Charles, Louisiana

Lizards, turtles and gators, oh my!

 

The Charpentier District

National Register of Historic Places

One of the more modest homes

More than 40 blocks of hundreds of turn-of-the-century buildings of mixed styles with turrets, towers, richly carved gables, shingling, sunbursts and fans, leaded glass, and extensive "gingerbread" dripping from the porches and railings.  A mix of grand houses, public buildings and smaller working-class homes, the Charpentier (French for "carpenter") District stands in homage to the carpenter-architects who freely designed as they built, creating a unique lake Charles-style. 

With direct access to the gulf, Lake Charles is rich in history

http://www.cityoflakecharles.com/

Raining here since 8:00 last night and not ending til tomorrow.  Looks like a trip to the mall today.

The Mississippi River at

Baton Rouge, LA

Deer in the Campground at

Sam Houston Jones State Park

near Lake Charles, LA

Jefferson Davis Home Biloxi, MS

Touring the last home of Jefferson Davis

The home was named "Beauvoir" by the second owner, Sarah Dorsey.

Jefferson Davis took ownership of the home in 1879.

The property sits across the street from the white sandy beach and the Gulf.

http://beauvoir.org/about/about.htm

The house is furnished with most of the furniture original to Jefferson Davis.

Below is one of two identical cottages on the property.

The home is about 180 years old and was never damaged until Katrina.

The photo below was taken 7 months after the hurricane.

The first photo above is the home today.

It took two painters 13 months to finish painting the interior walls to their original decor.



Nice prime real estate on the water, sandy white beach and only blocks from downtown Ocean Springs, MS.  Population of Ocean Springs is about 17,400. Nice town with nice people.

The first place shown on the video below is listed at $1,000,000.

http://www.trulia.com/property/3078238544-213-Front-Beach-Dr-Ocean-Springs-MS-39564

Bob is ready to go shrimping.  He liked this big shrimp boat.

Yesterday's catch.

3 lbs. all cooked up. (this is only my share)

Tomorrow we are on the road, heading west on Interstate 10 to Lake Charles, LA.

Taking it easy on the beach

The Gulf of Mexico is beautiful

Hope those Gulls don't fly over about now.



Biloxi, MS



Our friend Hermie, the Hermit Crab

$2.50 a pound. I thought this was soooo awesome until Bob was cleaning & pulling heads off and he found a squid among them.  Ewwwww!  ICK!

The Squid



This little 1" fish was in with the shrimp, too.  But he was adorable.

Devastation still remains from Katrina

More devastation and some survive

Cruisin' the Gulf

We are leisurely driving toward Mission, TX. We are to report for our new jobs on Oct. 15th, so we are sightseeing along the way.  We are extremely happy to be back near the BIG water again.  We are currently camping at Davis Bayou Campground in Gulf Islands National Park.  The campground is only 1/4 mile from the gulf, but seperated by trees and marsh. 

Some people kayaking in the bayou

Wildlife in the bayou

Turtle?  I think it is on the left side of this pic.  This little area was thick with turtles.

Haven't seen any gators, yet.

Little crabs

Lots of little crabs

Close up pic of a little crab

Big grasshopper

Big Bob

Sunday afternoon drive

Wading with Monsters

Bridge from Biloxi, MS to Ocean Springs, MS

More big bears

I love Bear Country.

Grizzlies

Part 1

Cubs

Cry Baby & otters

Bear Country U.S.A. - Rapid City, SD

Big Horn sheep in Bear Country

Goats

Bear

Cubs



Bear Country

Part 1

Bear Country

Part 2

More to come from Bear Country, but we're hitting the road this a.m.

Rapid City, SD

The photo below was taken in the museam.  Those are smaller scale  sculptures used in making the monument.



A steam engine in Hill City, SD

Bob between the boulders

An Antelope

I couldn't believe how pretty her eyelashes were.

She wouldn't tell me what brand mascara she uses.

Sylvan Lake in Custer State Park

Sylvan Lake Video

Buffalo in Custer State Park

Buffalo

Part 1

Buffalo

Part 2

Buffalo

Part 3

Buffalo

Part 4

Okay, I kind of went crazy about the buffs

No Buffalo





Scottsbluff, NE

Scottsbluff National Monument and the Oregon Trail

Wicket decided to attack the Longhorns pulling the covered wagon in the video below.

She'd run up to bite their ankles and knock her tooth on the hard plastic.

What a Goof!

Scottsbluff National Monument Video 2

A lady offered to take our picture.

How nice!

Me and the Longhorns

Got the bull by the horns



A mule deer just a few feet from the road to the top of the monument.