Houston 2006-2

Before leaving Corpus Christi we had breakfast at the City Diner. Good food, they have old high school pictures of various Corpus Christi alum. Farah Fawcett had two photos hanging over the entrance.

As we headed down south along SR 77 we saw mile and miles of flat land with scrub trees along the highway. Every now and then there was a cross over so you could head back north, but this area does not have a lot of towns.

We did double back to check out one antique shop. She had a great 1950's chrome kitchen set for $US 750.00! Would not be able to pack it in my suitcase to get it home, and don't have enough space in my kitchen to put it.

We arrived in Brownsville the most southern point of the continental U.S. We found a hotel and then drove into the downtown area. There were lots of Mexicans on the streets, and some interesting buildings. We saw the two border crossings with Mexico but chose not to cross over.

We then drove up to Port Isabel and onto South Padre Island. There is a very long bridge that has Pelican warning lights about every 100 yards or so. If they flash you are to stop your car immediately! Fortunately this didn't happen while we were crossing.

We drove along the strip of the island and went along one of the beach accesses and collected some seashells washed up on the shore. There was a sand fence along the shore, took a few sunset pictures that should be pretty.

We drove back to Brownsville planning on returning to South Padre Island before heading back north tomorrow.

The next day was very windy on the island, we saw a few surfers with parachutes catching the waves. We drove to the end of the pavement and tried to walk along the beach, but it was way too breezy. We went back and had shared a shrimp and chips lunch at Dirty Al's; Dirty Dave's bar didn't open up until afternoon cocktails.

We left the island and headed over to Los Fresnos before heading back up SR

In Harlingen, we found Picket Fence Quilt and Fabric Shop

Farther along we stopped and tasted some local oranges and grapefruits. While purchasing them a guy started chatting with mom, turns out he is East Indian and lives in Surrey [about 15 minutes from New Westminster]. He works in Texas, hoping to move back home permanently.

Back in Corpus Christi, we found the bridge to go over to Mustang Island. Down below we saw Doc's, a seafood restaurant. They had a huge deck that was covered and had screening on it so you could enjoy the sunset without having to wear your sunglasses. You could also enjoy watching the various sea birds diving for their dinners.

It was a sunny warm day that got up to 84F today. [I'm driving a GM Pontiac G7 2007 model that tells you the temperature on the display.]

We spent the night in Corpus Christi and then drove back over the bridge onto Mustang Island and stopped in at Tourist Info. She recommended a few antique shops and was excited to hear that we were heading up to the IQF, she usually goes but not this year.

We took the Port Aransas free ferry to Aransas and drove up through Rockport and then onto Tivoli. We saw the old Fulton Mansion on the water, there were some brown Pelicans sunning themselves on a pier across from the mansion.

In Victoria we found Opera House Antiques, I found a turquoise syrup dispenser for $5.00 to add to my collection. We then went back to Fossati's for lunch. They greeted us like old friends. After we went looking for Blue Moon Antique Mall, one of the largest in the area. They had several old quilts, but not the one I was looking for. I did see the same syrup dispenser for $10.00!

Around the corner we found Laurent Street Antique Mall, found two small square yellow Pyrex dishes that match a larger dish I have.

They also had several nice quilts, one that caught my eye looks like a triple Irish chain that was appliquéd onto the back rather that pieced. It didn't have a price on it, and has some wear to it. The lady in the shop left a message for the booth owner to see if she would call back.

Meanwhile I found a fan quilt with an "as is" sign on it for $35.00, it also has a small amount of wear, but called my name. The blocks are appliquéd onto muslin, 7 x 9 blocks about 8" square with no borders 58" x 74". It has polka dots, prints, and plaids and is a fun quilt. The binding comes from the back.

The owner of the yellow quilt phone and offered it for $60.00, I decided to take it also. It is 74" x 84", has yellow borders, backing and is bound with yellow fabric. It has many brightly coloured blocks that appear to be both hand and machine stitched.

We were the only people in the shop, and were chatting with them about their buying trips; they have made some trips up to the Canadian Maritimes. They enjoy cruising and mom was having a great time speaking with them. When it came time to pay the bill, she gave me 10% off on my smaller quilts and mom treated me to the two dishes. I got both quilts for just under $US 100.00!

Back on the road again along SR 87 through Cureo, with a wonderful historic downtown and some lovely old homes. We drove through Nixon celebrating its

The next morning we woke up to cloudy skies and a few sprinkles and checked out the outlet malls in San Marco. Mom found a cute aqua sleeveless cotton top, and I found a yellow long sleeved cotton top.

We wound our way along some rural routes first SR 80 [Texas Independence Trail] wherein Staples I found some snowflake stamps and mailed a parcel off to a friend. I did find some Gee's Bend Quilt stamps in Waelder; I saw those quilts while in Houston the last time. In Flatonia we stopped and checked out several Antique shops.

At Schulenburg we went back along SR 77 [Texas Tropical Trail.] At Hallettsville we caught SR 90 and wondered along until we came to Sugar Land where we spent the night. There were several small towns along the way with rolling ranches and farmland.

Tomorrow, onto Houston and the International Quilt Festival!