Hill Country Classic - Hamilton Pool

Last Thursday, we drove to Austin to visit Michele. While we were visiting Michele in Austin last week, Joanne & I drove to Hamilton Pool out in the Hill Country. A short steep hike leads down to this popular pool from the parking area. The short hike was hot in 100+ degree but the water was cool. I enjoyed treading water while the falls down to a trickle splashed on my head. Check out the pool at http://www.co.travis.tx.us/tnr/parks/hamilton_pool.asp

After munching sandwhiches that we picked up at Central Market, I hiked along the half mile drainage to the Pedernales River while Joanne continued to enjoy the pool.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pedernales_River

Joanne & Michele cooked gulf shrimp Cajun style for eating in experience while we ate out with Michele and Brian at normal and with Michele and Brian at weird places - See Keep Austin Weird ( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Keep_Austin_Weird ). While walking the beagles, Joanne & I discovered that a house that Michele has been interested in was for sale. Later in the day Michele put in an offer for the house!

Joanne & I also toured the Bob Bullock Museum before returning to Dickinson.

http://www.thestoryoftexas.com/the_museum/about.html

Ike Height

My brother, Bart and his wife Nita visited from Killeen this weekend. Bart recently retired as Colonel after thirty-eight years and five combat tours with the army and army reserve .

Topwater Grill, one of our favorite restaurants has not quite recovered from IKE so we opted for dinner at Landry's on Kemah's touristy boardwalk.

Landry's has a colorful history. Part of that history is told by the gauge now painted on the first floor wall. The gauge shows the high water marks measured from the building's floor for hurricanes since 1900. Note that the floor is about four feet above mean high water in the Clear Lake Channel just outside. Ike is off the scale! Looking out over the bay and realizing that Clear Lake is twenty-five something miles from the Gulf of Mexico, the volume of salt water that was pushed up the bay to bring the water level that high is just incomprehensible.

The Kemah waterfront was very different when we first "sailed" down the Clear Lake Channel and out to Galveston Bay. What a thrill it was to pass the shrimp fleet tied up across the channel from the restaurants. Some people still called Landry's, Jimmy Walkers. I can remember how good the seafood smelled as we passed the Flying Dutchman, Joe Lee's and of course, Landry's. The shrimp boats are long gone. In fact, the north side of the channel is almost barren; the pilings, packing houses and everything is just gone. Click http://www.art-photography-nature.com/Category_22.html to see some historical pictures.

All the restaurants are now connected by one corporate boardwalk lined with carnival games and amusement park rides. Of course, I liked it the way it was. Besides the great food, that is why I like Topwater Grill so much more. I suppose it is time to move on.

Kemah History: http://www.specialtyretail.net/issues/june99/waterfront.htm

Back in Houston

We are back in Houston wondering what we are doing here. We stopped in New Port Richey to visit Joanne's Mom before making the long two day drive back. Sherwood, our cat, turned out to be a good traveller on the boat and in the car. He wasn't happy but he persevered.

On the food scene, we timed our trip for a Cajun seafood lunch Pat Henderson's in Lake Charles For our first dinner back - Mely's for Mexican food. We hear Topwater grill is back in business but I think we will save that one for my brother's visit in two weeks.

Richard