Texas Trip-Visiting the National Museum of the Pacific War

Posted by Gabrielle

Finally, the post about the Nimitz Museum. This one was so much fun! Thank you so much, Gan and Granmary, for helping us to visit!!!

Reading the displays. This one was food for thought for we older ones, but the little boys were getting restless.

Jedidiah, Elliot and Tobias waiting for the submarine display to open.

They had a submarine in here and recreated the sights and sounds of the bombing of Pearl Harbor, complete with radio broadcasts, flashes of explosions, blasts and a light-animated missile shooting across the floor. :) The little boys loved this one and we stayed to watch it several times.

Benaiah got down on the floor to look under the submarine...very cute!

Jedidiah, Christianna, Arianne, Tobias and Elliot reading the display for an actual WWII airplane.
Submarine periscopes were a hit with the little boys who were tall enough to reach it, especially as they spotted a ship on the horizon. ;)

This one gave me a start at first...but these kinds of planes actually flew. ;)

Examining a crashed Japanese airplane. To add to the effect, the background behind it would change colors every few seconds. I happen to have captured this one in periwinkle, but I have several others in green, red and yellow.

Benaiah sure was enjoying the hands-on, "little boy friendly" parts of the museum!!!

Watching the video in ease

In the Combat Zone. This was an actual boat that has been preserved. It is made out of mahogany, so is kept in a climate-controlled room. It was fascinating to examine, and much bigger than I had ever imagined these could be.

Who'd like to ride a horse like that?! :)

Captain Jed eating an apple

Captain Elliot

Captain-ess Christianna

Captain-ess Arianne

Timothy
We spent much of our days in Texas at the home of the Verniers, who hosted the business meeting my father was on. Thank you, Vernier family!

That evening, the Courters and Verniers gave us a positively delightful concert! Thank you so much; it was such a blessing.

More pictures from the Museum on pages 5-8 of my Texas Trip photobucket album

Texas Trip-Time at the Biedermanns

Posted by Gabrielle

While we were in Texas, we had the privilege of staying with the Biedermanns at their beautiful farm. It was such a gorgeous, peaceful little place, and we so enjoyed spending some time here and getting to know the Beidermanns. Thank you for your hospitality!!!

This was the cabin we girls stayed in! Isn't it cute?!

When we were packing to leave, several black cows wandered into the field and allowed themselves to be photographed and gazed upon with wondering eyes by several little boys. :)

The great room-served as kitchen, dining room and living room

Mrs. Biedermann and Mommy

Our family picture

And our family picture with the Biedermanns!!!

More pictures on pages 4 and 5 of my Texas Trip photobucket album

Texas Trip-The Alamo and Riverwalk

Posted by Gabrielle

Due to some "minor" computer issues, I have been a little remiss in blogging about our trip. But, at last, we are up and running again.

Our family picture in front of the Alamo!

Examining the Koi pond in the Alamo gardens. There were some BIG fish in there!

This is the large tree in the Alamo gardens. It is enormous with thick, spreading branches and had chains supporting the largest branches. It was very pretty and I loved this picture of it that seems to suggest something dark and secret. :)

The monument in front of the Alamo to the soldiers who fought and died there.

Front of the Alamo itself

Elliot and Benaiah with one of the display cannons in the Alamo. The little boys loved these! Surprise?! :)

We walked part of the Riverwalk in San Antonio across from the Alamo until we ran out of time. Since it was the tourist off-season it was being drained and cleaned and didn't look so pretty, but the pretty part of it that we did see reminded me of a lush tropical island.

The family, minus yours truly, on the riverwalk

Check out my Texas Trip photobucket album, pages 8-11, for more pictures at the Alamo and Riverwalk!!!

Texas Trip-Traveling

Posted by Gabrielle

Introducing: the first in a series of posts about our wonderful vacation in Texas!

Our first two and a half days of traveling to Texas were pretty uneventful, but the scenery was beautiful as we drove through states we hadn't been through before-South Carolina, Georgia, Alabama, Mississippi and Louisiana. Needless to say, we spent a lot of time in the car.

Some read books...

Some colored...

Some worked on ipods...

and some took a nap! ;)

We stopped at a very scenic rest area with a scenic boardwalk spanning a typical southern swamp and rocking chairs overlooking the view.

Elliot and Benaiah

Speculating on how deep the marsh is and what would happen if a little boy dropped a shoe down there. :)

Benaiah on the turtle

The family strolling down the walk

A better view of the place

Benaiah enjoyed peeking down through the railings

Elliot

Benaiah at another rest stop

Jedidiah

Playing freeze tag-a good activity after sitting in the car as much as we did

Benaiah just being plain ol' cute!

Hmm...is this the way you escape "it"? ;)

The sky was such a clear, beautiful blue!

They had some interesting trees here in the far south-shorter and farther reaching with branches in scraggly and interesting shapes. More pictures to come!

Check out my Texas Trip photobucket album, pages 11 and 12 for more pictures of these days!