The Sand Fest WARNING LOTS OF PICS

Hello out there, well poor April it got totally ignored this year.  Maybe I can make it up this month.   We are trying to take in some goings on around here.  I do have to say they have Fiestas in this area-- a lot.  We don't really go to them we are not crowd people.  Now at a football or baseball game the crowds are suppose to kind of sit in place but the crowds that mill around and dilly dally ( they are enjoying themselves though and that is why they came to the party) and push and shove are not for us.  Is there such a thing as hermit crowd goers?   Well we are that I guess.   It is good people watching though.  Do any of y'all like to do that?  People watch?   Sometimes Eldon will be in the car while I pop into a store and he will be laughing and would say oh you missed a good one today.    Maybe that is our hobby? 

This weekend we did venture out to Port Aransas, a ferry ride away.   We were told to go later Sunday afternoon  for the Sand Fest event,  so we did go then but don't think we waited late enough.  Now before the weekend, I think last Wednesday we ventured over to see the beginnings of the Sand Fest with the carving and setting up, just being nosy and   see what we could see. 

We did think we were in the twilight zone though when we went Wednesday, usually the ferry wait is quite lengthy, no other way to put it.  There was maybe a 5 minute wait to get loaded on one of the ferries.   Then we were waiting and thought oh no they tricked us we have a wait, the Ferry revenge.   No just a ship coming thru the waters and it is always interesting to see them and sometimes you even see people and proves the ship is not being run by robots.   I have thought of that you know. 

We did go in ole paint, it seems to be the fun vehicle and probably tells the steel stallion what a good time it has.  Do you name your vehicles? 

We wandered on the beach, I couldn't find a stick but did say Hi to y'all.  It was a beautiful day and we brought chairs and just felt good to be on our mini vacation.  Even brought some Granola Bars, semi healthy snack and of course water and wore hats.  I always cover up like a mummy when I go.  I do wish I would have started that practice when I was 14 and did the cotton chopping in the fields with no sun screen or anything.  BUT that was before they figured out the Sun was not our very best friend.  Oh but it is, it would be pretty cold here if it didn't share it's warmth.     

 We went to the part of the beach  where the carvings would be and here it is Wednesday mind you and they had already started this giant sand carving.  Seems like people come from all over the world to enter this event because the sand is so fine.  Now to us when you play in the sand and being that fine means it gets into every crook and cranny of your body but I guess that is part of the beach.   Right?   

They did have a "dump tractor" as grandson use to call them pushing the sand around for another sand creation.   I wish now we would have gone back before Saturday that the showing opened.  We will remember that next year.  

 After we scouted out the beach we went to Virginia's by the Bay to eat.  We had forgotten that we have eaten there several times before we moved down here but we just didn't know the name.  It was ok but like Moby Dicks better, just our taste I guess.   Now the ferry line was longer than on the Aranasas  Pass side.  This is what we call the double back side of the line after you get to the part where the workers wave you on.  I think you can see the end where it doubles back.  

                                      This was behind us, one of  my fancy side mirror shots.   

Now you remember the image when we first went over to Port A, well here it is finished.  Seems like they just had to do some carving and pretty up things to it.  It was mainly lots of sponsor ads the best I could tell but still very impressive.  The day was beautiful and a slight breeze which is good.  There were soooooooooo many vendors, we didnt check them out but I am talking a double row of the tents that went forever plus some more by the sand carvings.   

They said the woman carved her side and the man carved his side and I think they met like last year and and have been together.  It might have been longer than that , it was interesting thought that the two carved these together and apart.

 \

This little guy was on part of this castle protecting it or not, maybe it was hunting for the cat?

                                                          

                                                       The backside of the castle

                              

                                                   The car from Back to the Future is below

 

                                                      The backside of the angel above

Oh I almost forgot the Ferry waiting on Sunday.  OMG  There are two ways you can get to the beach after you get off of the Ferry.  One thru town and the other a little bypass road.  Well the town line was horrible and so was the bypass road.  There is a turning lane you drive in for the Ferry only.  The line backed up FOREVER  and I am not kidding, took well over an hour and a half and finally made it to the staging area.  The poor traffic policeman  did not look very happy but did the best he could with a million and one cars waiting.  

There you go the Sand Fest, I took a pic of the pile of sand from above but guess it just melted away on the camera in never land?   

                       Thanks for stopping by and seeing what is going on in my world today.

Annette

XOXO

March 31 Bunny Trails

Hello and Happy last day of March.   I always forget how many days are in a month and I always have to recite the little saying I learned at least a million years ago.  30 days has September, April, June and November all the rest have 31 except for February has 28  except in a leap year and it has 29.   Where I learned it I don't have a clue and the fact that I remember it is almost an earth shattering event.  Really!!

It is funny little things you remember from growing up. Some are good and some are not as good but put those out of your head and just remember the good memories, like having mud fights and playing hide and seek when you are dressed up like an Indian or a Cowboy.  You never knew who the Indians were or the Cowboys until we started playing.  Sometimes I was an Indian and sometimes a Cowboy.  No planning we just played.    I know you all have a wonderful story to tell  and if you want to share it here that is good and if not it is good also.  Little things in life just pop into your head with no warning at all.   I guess I should write them down but then that might be work.

We did take a little mini vacation yesterday and went to the beach over at Port Aransas Texas.  The hardest part of that is waiting inline for the ferry to take us over to the island.  We thought we were almost in the twilight zone we only had to wait maybe 10 minutes and usually it is 1 1/2 hours or more, depending on the traffic.  They do have another giant ferry they have added and that helps also.     We usually are semi patient to wait though we just love watching the waves and just hearing it with all the energy in that water.   The wind was blowing, not the West Texas strength but blowing about 15 to 20 miles an hour, just a gentle breeze.  There were quite a few people at the beach  being as it was Good Friday and the Easter weekend. It is always interesting to see all the "set ups" people have at the beach, with tents and umbrellas ans what have you.   We just, after walking the beach, sat in the back of our SUV and had a nice non wind relaxing time.   We are bums now you remember.

We did take a picture of the waves and I had to write a little note to a sweet and strong friend.  I left an e out of her name but she didn't care.   Just felt good to do this and hear the gulls and watch the little "chicken birds" as our daughters use to call the little birds that ran around on the beach.   I have no idea what kind of birds they are so "chicken birds" are good for us.  Now the sun was so strong I could not see the edges of the words on the screen of my little fun camera  ( I do not take my ancient good camera to the beach ) so Eldon placed his foot on one side, I zeroed in on that spot  and then he went to the other side and his foot came with him, to mark the other side of the name.  We just laughed, he has done, in the photography world, different things than that for me to get the right camera framed image.   Thank you Eldon, you are the best helper ever.

While on the subject of Eldon helping me, he was a good sport about it all.   I had started photographing airplanes at night and he helped me with these also.  It was always interesting what we did in photography and certainly a fun adventure in my life.  Once he went up with me in a small plane while I was photographing something.   He was looking thru a camera also and said he didn't know how I did it for so long.  I always got funny feeling in the head for the rest of the day but it was still fun.   I wouldn't have traded those years for anything, meeting a great group of clients and today most of them I am still in contact with. That is a blessing.     Here is one of the planes we photographed with nothing but a flash.

Now this is the back of a painting.  A lot of the studio samples I just turned around and  used gesso and  then a painting surface for me.

Here is now the front of the painting, a reflection on the glass but if you remember I used this and two others as a back splash in our kitchen.

Now Eldon gets to see the finished images of my paintings.  He is my inspiration and best cheerleader joined by many cheerleaders for me on Facebook.   I am a lucky lady.

I just finished a painting and I did so stray from the inspiration photo I had to go by.  Man alive did I stray but it was some collage and painting and when it is collage to me that means add stuff Annette.  A little strong for some but you have to have fun with your painting or you just will burn out.  I mean all the paintings I create now are for fun and the stack of the paintings are growing.  I have sold some and some prints but just painting to keep me out of trouble.  I have added more white highlights on this Carmen Miranda inspired lady.   I just had to add goodies to her hat.  I guess my Texas bling just had to shine.

Now I did have a calmer self last week and did this Madonna and am using her also for Ciggies in my crazy quilting and even sold a few for other Crazy Quilters.

Well there you go my end of March shout out to you my readers.    Thank you for stopping by and seeing what is going on in my world today.

                                                              OXOXOX
                                                                Annette

A March This and That

 Hello there, March 1st, the first day of the month and shockingly the sun is shining and feels so good and taking in some Vitamin D.   It has been a cloudy and grey February.  Hummm if I remember correctly it was the same in January also.  The fog has been thick as pea soup, not green like the soup but pretty thick fog.  You could see it rolling inland.  Luckily we did get some Northern winds and that certainly helps blow the fog back out into the water.  We get lots of fronts with the weather here, we didn't realize that but just an adventure and learning all sorts of things.   Now I know things are a little different here in South Texas, they call it the Coastal Bend but South Texas to hubby and I.   When in West Texas it was Fall and Fall color and then Winter with Snow.   In January we got 3 inches of snow here in Rockport Tx,  it never really snows down here and I honestly think weather follows Hubby and I.  Really !!!! When we lived outside of Houston in 1972-3 in Katy, when Katy was a small town ( it has been gobbled up by Houston now ), we got snow.    It had not snowed in that area the paper said in 50 years.   Is this a pattern do you suppose?  Weather following us?   We found out the Hurricane had 9 tornadoes in it also.    Well we got the snow in January which finished snowing by 10 AM and was melted and gone by 3 PM. the good snow,  not like what is it they say, company and fish begin to smell after 3 days?   Well this snow didn't over stay it's visit for sure.  I took photos of the snow but they are in hiding from me.  Guess they are playing hide and seek and if they ever turn up I will share.   Then in February we got this :

The prettiest fall colors ever and was across the street so we could enjoy it for a few days.   Sadly the people who live there didn't get to enjoy it as much as we did, they were still not living in their home because of Hurricane damages.    A little color sprinkled here and there and was just a beautiful color.  I have come to the conclusion that  Mother Nature does what she wants to do down here or anywhere.  When she wants to clear her throat, she does it.  I will not complain though, weather just makes life interesting and I do like some seasons during the year.

I had to share what also happened in our Neighborhood.  The city came and it was our turn for round 1 of the clean up. Right now I think round 3 of clean up with the big trucks is going on.  It was a wonderful site to us all, the trucks and "diggers" as grandson use to call them.   We sat in the garage and watched this, gave the workmen thumbs us and we looked around and neighbors all along the street had their lawn chairs just watching it all get cleared up.  It felt so good to see the rubble go off to the meridian on Highway 35. That is the only place they have to put so much debris and it was for miles also but now the meridian  is getting cleared and that is such a good site.   I cannot imaging how much mold and not the best things for you was in the rubble. Silly us we didn't think to wear a mask so it did choke us up later but we lived and no complaints from us.

I do like the way his safety stabilizer was down on the "digger:    

We saw where they dumped the tree trunks and cuttings and they were making mulch, piles and piles of mulch.  Good to recycle and we are talking big mounds and piles of mulch.

Now we have not been as busy as the workers here but I have been painting portraits like a wild woman.   I don't know what I am going to do with them but the stack of paintings are growing.

Here are a couple of new paintings I have just finished, there are lots more but I won't bore you with them all.   I saw this one on the internet and it just spoke to me and kind of reminds me of the little girl on Golden Compass, I loved that movie so of course I had to paint this.  It is mixed media and sitting on my stack of pretties.   I like the way the owl and the girl are connecting and the colors just spoke to me.

One more painting Frida Kahol and I wanted to make her softer than the stern paintings and photos I have seen of her.   I did take some liberties with her but isn't that an artist's licence?     Again it is a mixed media painting. 

Now I have not been idle with my Crazy Quilting.   This is a beautiful heart a friend let me embellish for her.   I love to embellish but not the sewing part.  I laugh sometimes I have a rule that if the piece doesn't weigh 100 pounds it just isn't finished.   This is a relaxing art form of art for me to do while watching TV and  and and Baseball is fixin to start.    

I did have a pretty pin I added to this and the sweet Faerie someone sent to me.  I sadly don't remember who sent the faerie but a giant thank you for thinking of me.  

Well this is what happening in my world today and thank you for stopping by  

OXOXXO

Annette

A Grey Day in January and some CQ

Hello there, well as the title says it is a grey day in January.   Now it is Winter in our part of the world, I know Summer in other parts of the world, but the sun could shine and still be nippy outside.   We are getting a tiny bit of rain, always can use the wet stuff.   To me the grey days mean sacking in and watching a movie or six, cooking something yummy and just full of calories or taking a nap or something useful like that.   So I am fixin' to start another painting and then put some beads on a piece of CQ or something like that.   That should take care of my grey day in January.

We have had a different 2017 and now being 2018 not sure what we are doing, I know you kind of have a life plan but Hubby and I just go with the flow of doing whatever happens and deal with it..  Have you ever thought ok we are going to do this adventure, but then at the same time you and Hubby say the same thing and then you wonder if the adventure you are planning is the right thing? The timing is right? Just hold off til later, maybe? Is this what we are suppose to do right now?  I think this time we will listen to our Angles, yes gasp, we will listen to them.  We did ask them to lead us, I guess by the hand we are such hard heads and don't listen like we should.   We are both Taurus and that may explain why we are hard headed.  Well that just certainly sounded like ramblings but Grandson did say my blogs are like Bunny Trails and go all over the place.

CQ is still in my world and I think it and my painting is winning for the privileged of getting to stay in my jumbled up and everything has it's place, but looks like a unneat mess.  Well I know the ones that are artsy can certainly understand that sentence.   I figure if my art room is neat I am not creating a thing, so I had rather have it jumbled.   I will be getting rid of a lot of the unpainting and un CQ pretties.

I did this CQ pouch forever ago and just purchased a NEW phone.   Yes our old one was at least 6 years old but so cute and little. It would not give all of the text messages we got from Grandkids so out it went.   That is important to a Grandparent.  So we keep it as our night light so we don't step on the furbabies at night when we have to get up.  The old phone has not gone to phone heaven.   The NEW phone is bigger and I found the pouch and lo and behold it fit and now the NEW phone has a cute little coat when it goes out.  The other pretty on the phone is my credit card holder and holds all my "old people" cards Eldon says I have to have with me.  The pouch has a little pocket on the back so it holds everything I need.

A sweet little front of a bigger pouch, so love embellishing these and the more "stuff" I can get on them the better I like it. Not sure what the section above the faerie is, looks like two bunnies but  I don't have any bunny things.    I guess we can call it what we want.   Shapes, right?  Funny story, we were going to a nearby town to get the dogs food and I said you know that shape looks like a Kangaroo.  Well off at a distance it did,  it was a black plastic bag wrapped around a tree and I swear it had a tail and all the Kangaroo things.   Remember we were 4 lanes and part of a field and a very large media away and I am an artist and have sort of an imagination. Shapes.

This is one of my newer portraits, and I have named her Yellow Rose, one sweet lady has already purchased her and I cannot see what she creates with Yellow Rose.


I have been doing more portraits, almost like a mad woman, obsessed with them.  Learning the different techniques on Let's Face it 2018.  You do still have time to go sign up and would enjoy learning a lot of techniques and then when you like one just jump on it and play to your heart's content.    This month we are studying the Renaissance movement.   So learning a little, I don't think that will ruin my brain, and just enjoying it all .

I started doing these paintings and they were all girls, so I thought lets do a guy.  I looked and looked and found this one.  Well it was Joan of Arc so I thought she cannot look like a guy.  She was a strong woman but still a woman.  So I just took my artistic license and made her a girl.  I think she will approve.  

Now this young lady is not a Renaissance lady but she had a mind of her own and just appeared.  Now as you can tell I was going to add a flower but it turned into a white feather.  When white feathers appear Angels are around. A sign from beyond to offer hope and encouragement Spirituality,faith, protection, purification and hope. Looks like I am sending this to all who want to look at it.  I liked that  meaning.  

Another Renaissance lady, she was a modern day lady but then I just painted her in the Sepia/Umber tones.   I am loving doing these studies.

Now this lady is a Renaissance figure for sure, I did modernize her some.  I guess it is just in this Texas gal to make them look a little modern.  To me all the men and ladies of that time period all look alike in the paintings, but then it was in the 1400s to 1500s, I do have to remember that .

Alright last painting in this style, I cannot imagine all that hair, how hot it would be and the washing of it but they were use to it, whew she was fun to create.

                  These are my takes on the Renaissance period for right now.

               Well thanks for coming to see what is going on in my world today.

                                                      Annette
                                                       xoxoxo

A Wordy January Post

Hello and can you believe January is here?   I would say I just dilly dallied around but honestly I was doing something artsy, not sure what.   I always say though even making a peanut butter and jelly sandwich can be artsy, if you want it to be.  Really just can’t put my finger on it.  A quick update on Rockport, where hurricane Harvey paid a visit.   Rockport is healing and is and will be a slow process but it is healing and it is interesting to see it all come back alive.   Today the Pizza Hut opened back up in their rebuilt building, they had been operating out of a food truck.  Just things like that shows the strength of putting the town back together.   Roofs are being replaced for the homes that are still standing and we don’t hear as much hammering as we did in our neighborhood.   So many families are still without homes and that is so sad, we don't know if FEMA is helping as much as they should, we have heard stories pros and cons as in everything.  Everyone is excited the little beach here is almost restored with its  new little tiki huts and the sand looks so pretty now.  A new tin roof on the Maritime museum and the small birds are starting to come back.   The big dump trucks have been doing a wonderful job of picking up debris.  Everyone could pile  it up in their yard or by side of road and put in categories.  The categories were tins, tree stumps and brush and building boards etc.  There are mattresses and furniture in there and then appliances in their own group.   The piles were tall, very tall but now just here and there.   I think I saw where they are fixin to start pickup round two.   Just an interesting process to watch.  The Snowbirds aka Winter Texans, we always called them Snowbirds, are coming back and that is good for Rockport,s economy as well as them escaping the snow.  A post on that little subject soon.

 Our Dairy Queen parking lot, trees were scrambled but back to normal now.  Prettiest parking lot around I would say.


I have been doing some Crazy Quilting and of course loving it.   Believe it or not even when Baseball is not going on I either do the embellishing of the Crazy Quilt blocks or sketching. Now  the sketching is getting semi serious and the sketching be it with pencils or charcoal is getting in my blood.  Of course the painting is still going on in my art room. You can tell I am back into painting because just about everything I own to wear has paint on it.  Isn’t that a sign of an artist ?  I do have a little apron that one of our daughters gave to me to wear and it has a goodly amounted paint on it.

A few of the blocks I created and embellished around November.   There were more but don't want to wear your eyes out.   Of course with my faeries I have painted and printed on fabric.

The next two images are some CQ blocks I embellished for a dear friend Nicki.   Nicki created the blocks and I had the honor of embellishing them for here.   She is going to create pillows for her bed out of them.   

                    Love Nicki's saying here and she is represented by the woman in the ciggie.

                                     

                                   This block represnts her two beautiful grandchildren.   

I have started my second year of Let’s Face It, a painting group let by Kara Bullock of Lets Face it 2018.   There are several wonderful artists teaching their styles of portraits.   What fun for me and I know the other artists taking this online treasure.   Taking them online is wonderful, you can create in your jammies at anytime of the day.   I feel like it is pushing me to sketch and paint  which is a wonderful thing.  This year starting off we are learning about different artists in Renaissance Movement, I find this so interesting.  I cannot imagine what they went thru to paint with whatever kind of paints they used . I guess that would be a good could hunt up that just for a personal project for myself.   Any who, here is a painting  I have done so far this year. I don't want to over load you but more are coming.   Promise. Not the pinkie promise thing, just promise.

This is  my Piero Della Francesca (1415-1492 ), Renaissance Movement, influenced art piece.   Now I did remember doing a bride once with a red background.  The bride was shocked but when she saw the photo she loved it so I just had to do a red background on Mr. Francesca's version with an Annette touch.  Kara Bullock guided us thru this and I just can't get enough of the portraits.  This one is acrylics and I am new with them but you know I am getting hooked on acrylics also.  Lets face it I love, like and whatever words cover this creating art.

Now last year Annie Hammon gave some guidance with layers as did Kara here on this portrait.   When I did lots of pastels I use to do many layers so this right up my alley.   I met this beautiful young mother on a plane on our way to see Grandaughter and Daughter in Hawaii.  I fell in love with the strength and goodness of the young mother.   She was shy, to me very shy but she was trapped next to me and when she and her friend left I got hugs and they called me Nana.   Now that was a success to me.   This is a painting of their young son I did.  I used the layers and layers and I think that is what makes it glow so much.  To me like in photographs,  film has many many layers and digital does not.   That is another subject but just had to throw that one in.

Well I have more to visit with but will try to do better this year.   We will probably be moving again, we knew our "vacation" here in Rockport was only going to be a year and we need, we guess, to find a forever home.  I mean we have 25 more years to stay around.  We will be 100 then and really won't care where we will be living.   Besides I have a lot of CQ and art supplies I have to use before then.  We know wherever we land it will be the perfect place.

               Thanks for stopping by and seeing what is going on in my world today

                                                 Annette xoxoxo

Mother Nature and Harvey

Hello dear ones, well a lot has happened since my last post.   Do you remember that I said when we moved down here this was going to be a new adventure?  An adventure different than the last 75 years Eldon has had and 73 for me?   Well I have always heard to be careful for what you wish for.   I didn't realize I was wishing for it but Mother Nature took me serious.    We moved to Rockport Texas on the Gulf Coast in May of 2017.  THIS YEAR!!!   We have learned about the weather and if the clouds look stormy  it usually doesn't mean a tornado or hail storm  or any of the weather related clouds we are use to from West Texas.  They just fluff around and are pretty and go North.    Now we know they have hurricanes down in the coastal areas and have been watching one the weather men couldn't put a grasp on.   I told hubby oh oh this may be a goody coming our way.   Well on the 23rd of August Harvey was building and doing what hurricanes do.   He was a tropical depression then a storm not sure what he wanted to do.   Then they declared him a category 2.  We thought ok we can ride that one out, West Texans know wind, do we ever.   So we went to bed that night and woke up about 4 am with a rain you wouldn't believe, it lasted about five minutes and got an inch.  We looked at each other and thought lets turn on the TV.   Harvey had grown to a category 3 with storm serge of water what was it 8 or 12 feet.   He finished up a category 4.

We thought OK lets leave , we are not one of the ones who want to get stormed in when we could have gotten out in a safe timely manor.    We gathered up the fur babies, their food and beds.  Threw some clothes together and did remember to grab the fur babies shot records and our passports.   Guess we thought they would be checking passports at the county line or something lol.   We were prepared to stay with canned food, lots of water and toilet paper but just didn't think of us having to leave.   We were just loaded up and one of our sweet young neighbors came over and said leave.  We are leaving and have lived here forever.   Her husband was at work on a tug boat and said leave now.   We hugged and I wished her well and to be safe.   Just as we were leaving a dear friend called and said what are you doing?   We are going North, not sure where but just somewhere North.   She said come to our home in Abilene.  We have two big dogs and she didn't care.   An angel in disguise for sure.    When we moved here one house rule was to always have at least 1/2 tank of gas in the car at all times.  WHEW good time for rules.

We did move some furniture around in case windows got broken with limbs, we moved the 60 inch TV ( man that sucker was heavy) to the bed in the back and some paintings came with it.  Now when we moved the TV back to his perch it was twice as heavy carrying it.  I guess the Adrenalin  kicked in at least on my part.  I was not Wonder Woman helping Eldon carrying it back.   In fact we sat it on a towel and drug it over the floor.  Guess Wonder Woman stayed at Gingers.  We had called the rental people 4 times  that if we had hardware we would put the window coverings up.  They finally got back to us and said don't worry about it.   Our stuff and the landlords house?   OK.

We called the LaQuinta in Brady, we knew they accepted animals.  She said we have lots of room it is slow this weekend.   We thought bet it won't be for long.  When we left she said it was packed.  We weren't the only ones who came to Brady for the first night.   It took us 5 hours to get there but safe and sound were we and our little wards--Libby and Charlie.    The next morning we went down to breakfast and several people were there and some were from Flour Bluff outside of Corpus Christi.   They said it took over 10 hours to get to Brady.  Now remember we went the same route and took us 5 hours.   They had called for a mandatory evacuation.   Yea for us to leave early.   They planned to go back Monday the 28th.   This was the 25th when the breakfast happened.

Off we went to Ginger's home.   Safe and sound from Harvey.   We stay glued to the TV watching everything the Weather Channel had out there to share.   The motel across from where we had a lot of belongings stored was not holding up well.    I started laughing and laughing  and Eldon said what is so funny?   Well, when we moved here we knew we were going to move one more time either to another permanent home instead of a rental in  Rockport or another town.  We had saved the good packing boxes, folded them up and put up high so they wouldn't get messed up.   I said well at least our boxes, empty boxes will be safe.   I know I have a weird sense of humor.  A lot of empty boxes, but our attitude is that it is all just stuff.  STUFF we were out of harms way and  safe and sound with our fur babies and ourselves.

After Harvey cleared his throat and played havoc on Rockport, being as that is where he made land fall, we saw so many bad photos of little Rockport.  Such demolished areas and the news didn't exaggerate at all.   It was a mess.  Some we talked to afterward said the eye of it was just like you see on TV perfectly calm.  Then Katy bar the door when the eye passes thru.  Some had well water and generators so just hang on but be safe.

We didn't know a soul to call to see what our home and neighborhood looked like.  The high school really got it bad and we were very close by.   Then we thought of the owner of the storage unit, a precious couple and so friendly.  I called her and she said the storage unit was perfect didn't lose even one piece of tin.   The builder of the unit was from Lubbock Tx where we moved from and has many many units.  Guess he knew how to build them fo tornadoes.   She offered to go drive by our house and see what the damage was .   They had stayed in Corpus Christi at her parents home.   She texted and we had lost part of a fence and 2 shingles.  We were so blessed, we couldn't believe it.

Wednesday the 30th we went back to Rockport, still no electricity or water or sewer but in our haste to leave we never thought about the food in the freezer or fridge.   We had just gone to the store and it was nice and full of meat etc.  I have gotten in the habit of re wrapping the meat in freezer paper and then in plastic bags.  Why? don't have a clue but sure am glad I did because it would have been pretty stinkie to clean out the freezer but nope just grabbed the bags and tossed them in the trash.  We were there about 2 or 3 hours and was long enough with no air conditioner.   There was a cerfew of 7 am to 7 pm.

We went back to Kerrville to spend the night and then on to Eldon's sister's for a couple of nights.  Back to Abilene on Sunday to Gingers.  We heard by the way of 3200 miles away from daughter Dedria that we would have electricity by the 8th of September.  So we left Abilene of the 8th of September hoping that would be a happening.    Well lo and behold we had electricity and came back to Rockport on Saturday the 9th of September.   Our thinking is New Braunsfel is closer than Abilene and would stay there several nights until electricity was up.    The fur babies were perfect this whole time we could not have asked for any better and Libby the timid baby learned to go up and down stairs.  A giant task for her so in the motels we used the steps to keep her active.  Charlie needed no encouragement.   He is a ball of fire.

There is still tons of limbs and trash lining all streets after two weeks that we have been back.  We have internet now, two days, well most of the time it goes in and out and have TV now.  WHEW gotta get our Baseball game watching back in our schedule and saw the last episode of Game of Thrones for the season.

Fence is still down but have a temporary one for the fur babies up.   This is nothing compared to what others  are going thru.

Our Dairy Queen parking lot.   Pretty and so calm and shady in the back of the DQ building.   Now all of the leaves got stripped off of the trees but now after this time the leaves have nearly all grown back.  I will not show what they looked like stripped but how they almost are.   Even the pitiful tree in our front yard has leaves back.  Mother Nature takes care of her babies for sure.  We noticed the Oleanders are blooming and I don't think they lost one tiny leaf.  They are pretty tough plants I do have to give it to them.  Poisoness  but pretty.  While sitting at the DQ yesterday there is no telling how many trucks and pickups went up the main 35.  A few cars but most work vehicles all working to get Rockport back and cleaned up and running again.

This may be up there with the most damaged of the apartment buildings.  We have seen two or three that will tie but hard to see these.   Thinking of the poor souls who lived there and we know some just left town.  Their home was destroyed and they now have no jobs.   So many, well all businesses were damaged by Harvey.   The Wal-Mart was open part way with groceries and if you needed anything else they had runners to get what you needed.  They are now open 100% as of like 3 days or so ago.   Heb is open and now the Dairy Queen all of it, Whataburger drive thru only and the Sonic is now open with full menu.   Every day we drive thru the town to see what is being done.   Slow slow but getting there.

So many people donated clothing, water and what have you but there are many parking lots that look like this.   There was no place to store the clothing and I know it is has soured and mildewed.   Such a shame but just can't be helped.   The old HEB parking lots did have lots of people cooking being as there was no gas or really anything but now getting back some of the things we take for granted.  There were stacks and stacks of water for  free,  we didn't get any because we thought people suffered worst than we did.  Just the way we think.

In the center part of Highway 35 they are starting to stack limbs and wooden trash to have a control burn , I forget how many tons they have so far but have not made a dent in it.

The center part with metal trash is growing also and the land fills here and around.  I just can't imagine---what a bon fire this will make .  When I see piles like this I think of bon fires, when the kids would go and gather limbs and trees to make a giant bon fire before homecoming.

There isn't a street in Rockport that doesn't look like this.

We were driving around the neighborhood and saw this.  How perfect and pretty this yard is with all the destruction around it.   Just shows the people how pretty it was and will be.

You can see the pier, well what is left of it at Fulton/Rockport.  We have been going there to eat our Sonic toaster, feed the gulls and just enjoy hearing the waves lap against a little retaining wall.  The water is brown but when we first moved here until now it was BLUE!!!!   There was another Dolphin today showing off his tricks he knows.   We know it will all get back to the Rockport we moved down here for.

When we were at Gingers we did do some site seeing and I taught Ginger how to CQ.  That angel is hooked and she wanted to make a Boho bag.  Not a little pin cushion or pouch noooooooo a BoHo bag.  This girl took the task on and did so good.  So CQers we have another one to join the crowd.

I didn't want to make a book the size of Gone with the Wind or War and Peace but nearly.

 So here we are  Brady (Gingers son), me, Ginger and Eldon.  Kent was at work.   What a family this was.  Oh and notice Libby's back part in the pic with Ginger and I.   lol  We are sort of kind of back to normal and just happy to be blessed with so many friends who were concerned about us and offers to some and stay with them.   So see?   We are truly BLESSED.

Thanks for stopping by and seeing what is going on in our world .

     XOXOXO

ANNETTE