Summer of 2010 - Camping, Boating, Fishing, Parades, Carnivals, Rodeo, Birthdays

The above slide show provides a number of pictures taken during the summer some of which are displayed in the below posting.  Click on the picture and you will be taken to a larger screen..

It has been a while since I posted anything to my blog.  We have been very busy this summer traveling, enjoying grandchildren, spending time with family and friends,  dealing with damage to our home as a result of a water leak and the most stressful,  but good outcome, Susie had a heart attack and spent a number of days in and out of the hospital and is currently doing fine, thanks to God and the great Doctors at St  Luke's Houston Hospital.


In May we had a great time celebrating my son in law's Mother's birthday camping and boating on Lake Belton.  Both grandsons and our daughter weren't feeling well but as the weekend progressed they were better.  It was a fun time and even greater and more fun once they began to feel better and were able to join us at the lake.  Judy and Darren rented a pontoon boat, I launched my boat and we strolled around the lake taking in some time to do a little fishing.  The boys really enjoyed getting to go for a boat ride.  We had great food and enjoyed a wonderful birthday cake.

Lake Belton in May Josh, Noah and Rob

Our Family - Father's Day June 2010

  In June we spent time with family and friends.  We had a great father's day weekend with Josh, Amy, Noah, Andy and Josh's Mom and Dad Judy and Darren.  The weather in June was very mild this year and we spent a number of days enjoying our RV camping on Lake Belton.  Amy, Noah, Josh and Andy were able to come down to our home on a weekend in June.


In July we celebrated July 4th  camping on Lake Belton, attended the Belton Rodeo ,which was fantastic and watched the 2 hour Belton parade in downtown Belton.  We had not attended the Parade before, it was really great,  bands, clowns, old cars, fire trucks, tractors, horses, wagons, dancers, motorcycles and politicians(unfortunately),  were all part of the parade.  We all  enjoyed the parade, Noah and Andy really had a great time waving their hands and waving the American Flag at parade participants. The following weekend we celebrated my birthday with them and attended a Round Rock Express Baseball game and dinner at Salt Lick Barbecue, mmm great place to eat.

Andy and Noah waving the flags and watching the Parade, Belton, Texas

Uncle Sam Wants You!

Andy rode the Merry Go Round a number of times, the Giraffe was his favorite.

The following day, Noah and Amy weren't feeling well, we took Andy to a Carnival.  He had so much fun riding the rides.

Andy loved the train especially riding  in the engine.

After my birthday celebration we headed home, we were looking forward to a relaxing week ahead of just doing nothing.  Well, when we opened the door and walked in we saw the following:

Upstairs bedroom floor, the ceiling had collapsed, the yellow is insulation, the white is sheet rock.

The air conditioner pan drain line to outside the house had broken and leaked into the attic, through the upstairs ceiling, down through the floor, through the first floor ceiling and down to the floor downstairs.  What a mess and a surprise.  Unfortunately later that day I received a phone call that one of my Aunts had passed away and that her funeral would be in two days.  We were able to get some people in to start cleaning up and drying out the house the next day and then on the following day I went to my Aunt's funeral.  Susie didn't. go with me as she wasn't feeling well and wanted to stay back to get some things done around the house due to the damage from the water leak.

I drove up to San Marcos where the funeral was held and then spent the night with my Mother, planning on going back home later that next day.  My Mom and I headed for breakfast and I called my brother to come join us.  As we were visiting his phone rang and it was one of my sisters, she said that our daughter was trying to get a hold of me as my wife was on the way to the hospital in an ambulance.  I left immediately and arrived at the hospital in Tomball, Susie was stable but had been complaining of chest pains and was having a hard time breathing.  Over a period of a couple of days, they ran all kinds of test that did not show anything conclusive.  The doctor said there was a possibility that she might have blockage to the heart but that he needed to perform a Heart Cath.  Susie chose to be released as she wanted to get to the Medical center downtown St Luke[s Hospital where she and I both felt she would get much better care.  We went home and Susie was able to get in contact with a nurse who had handled some of our daughters hospitalization in previous years.  She was very helpful and the next day called back and said the Dr in charge of the Heart transplant team would take on her case.  We went for an appointment and the Dr immediately had Susie admitted and they performed numerous tests with a diagnosis of Heart attack.  They implanted a stint in the main artery in front of the heart successfully.  During and after her recuperation from the stint procedure she has been able to get a complete physical from head to toe resulting in other minor issues that should be addressed, fortunately nothing serious at this point.  She has done well, is feeling good and has quit smoking, cold turkey.  I am so proud of her, it has been an emotional roller coaster, she is doing fine.

each and every day just being together.  We went to the beach a number of times, went to Schlitterbaun on her birthday, rode the ferry, ate at a number of great restaurants and enjoyed grilled hamburgers that Amy wanted for her birthday dinner.    Susie was feeling well and was able to enjoy the weekend, very fortunate considering what the previous 3 weeks had brought her.

When we first arrived, Noah had to lead the way into the water.  A fantastic feeling and so much fun.

It was  so much fun seeing the grandsons enjoying the beach.  We all enjoyed the sand and water, the

weather was great and the RV park was extremely nice.  We stayed at the Jamaica Beach RV Resort on the West side of the Island.  We had a very nice spot on the end giving us a lot of room to spread out.  The park had a miniature golf course that we enjoyed, a water balloon and swimming pool.  Everyone enjoyed the beach so much we did not use the pool.

The RV spot we rented had a real nice lawn area surrounded by beautiful flowers.  We were on the corner which gave us this private area to enjoy, directly across the road from the RV office.  This picture was taken from the 3rd floor deck of the RV office, providing a great view of the Gulf of Mexico.

We walked aboard the ferry and rode it across and back from Galveston Island and Bolivar Peninsula  It took about an hour and we saw a number of Dolphin.  Josh is carrying Andy with Noah walking beside going on board.  Amy and Susie and I were following behind them. .

Brothers: Noah and Andy on the Galveston Island beach 

Amy's birthday party celebrated in the RV at Galveston Island, Texas

Amy, Josh, Noah and Andy had to head home the day after her birthday.  Susie and I stayed an extra day.  We decided we would enjoy the morning on the Island and drive over to Lake Charles, Louisiana for one night.

Sunrise on Galveston Island August 10th, 2010

Galveston Island, Texas sea wall at sunrise, statue commemorates the 1900 storm.

Lake Charles was fun, we would have been better off going home instead of going into the casino, oh well it was an enjoyable visit and we did get to enjoy a wonderful meal the evening we were there.

RV  park beside Lake Charles, Louisiana casino

  After our visit in Lake Charles we headed back to Belton to store the RV and visit with Amy, Josh, Noah and Andy before we headed home.  On the way back, we chose to stop and spend the night in an RV park in Cut N Shoot, Texas.  It was a very pretty park, very peaceful and quiet.

Cut N Shoot, Texas RV park

 The last weekend in August we went back to Temple, Josh and I stayed with the boys and had a great time together enjoying Chucky Cheese, watching movies and playing with toys.  Amy and Susie took a couple of days and went to Granbury where they enjoyed a play and stayed at a nice bed and breakfast.  They also visited Susie's uncle in Fort Worth to celebrate his 90th birthday.  After coming home on Sunday evening, I drove up and visited him on Monday celebrating his birthday.  We came home the next day.


We stayed home labor day weekend, enjoying just doing nothing and visiting with friends over a nice dinner and football game.

We spent a number of days looking at stone, cabinets, granite and other items in order to get the house back in shape from the damage done by the water leak.

This past weekend we went back to Temple, Josh and I picked up his Dad, Darren and went Dove hunting in Luling, Texas.  We had a great time and brought home 37 dove.

We are back home for a few days.  Next known trip will be to celebrate Andy's birthday in early October and Josh's birthday in November. 

Our next planned long trip will be a Hawaii cruise, flying to Hawaii the day after Thanksgiving, starting the cruise for 7 days visiting 5 Islands, ending the trip being at Pearl Harbor on Pearl Harbor Day visiting the memorials and activities in memory of that horrible event and the last day fishing for Marlin.  We have the opportunity to go on the trip with one of my sisters and her husband and son  as well as other members of my brother in law's family, one of which is his uncle Clarence who was serving on Pearl Harbor December 7, 1942.  We are looking forward to the trip and will enjoy getting to be with Clarence and hear about his memories of that day..

The beauty of Easter and Blue Bell & Blue bonnets - no where but Texas

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Every spring one of the most look forward to activities for our family is the annual Easter egg hunt hosted for several years by my sister Janet and brother in law Ray.  We were able to attend a few of them while our children were growing up.  This last couple of years has created so much excitement toward this event again now that we have two grandsons to participate.    The sheer excitement and laughter of all of the children on this day is so heart warming and a great tribute to Janet and Ray for consistent opening of their home for all of us, not only on this day but many different family activites throughout the years. Thank you Janet and Ray for creating so many fond memories for all of us at your home.

Noah and Andy having a picnic.  Noah sat down in the middle of the yard while the egg hunt was still going on and he told his Mom, I am having a picnic, Andy came over and joined him. 

Another event that I wanted to share is a trip to Washington County, Texas in and around Brenham, Bellville and Chapel Hill.  The bluebonnets and other wild flowers are especially vibrant this year. Some friends of ours, Barbara and Don are building their retirement home in this area and Don called to let me know that the blue bonnets were blooming and we were welcome to come see the flowers and their new home being built.  Our daughter and two grandsons were coming to see us on Thursday and it just so happened that they would be within 8 miles of Don and Barbara.  With Don and Barbara's kindness we met the 3 of them there Thursday morning.  Wow, I have never seen such beautiful flowers growing wild in one place.  We left there and toured the Blue Bell Ice Cream factory.  Blue Bell and Blue Bonnets, no where but Texas.  Thanks Don and Barbara, you have a wonderful place and it was so kind of you to drive us around your property and create such a memorable day for us.

Noah had so much fun running through the flowers.  He picked some for his mother and took them to her, it was  special to watch how carefully he selected each flower for her. 

Andy was a little apprehensive and unsure of being out in the wild like this.  Every step was calculated to ensure that he didn't fall.  This is unusual for him as he typically tends to approach things aggressively, especially climbing and lifting himself into or out of different situations.

Amy and her two boys, unfortunately Josh was working and couldn't be with us.  We are so proud of the 4 of them. 

As we were leaving Don and Barbara's property I took this picture, you can see the home being built on top of the hill.

Next stop Blue Bell Creamery, Brenham, Washington County, Texas

The Blue Bell Cremery tour was very informative.  I was amazed how attentive Noah was, watching and listening during the whole tour.  Then to top it all, at the end of the tour, we were served some ice cream, flavor of our choice. 

Noah holding hands with the Blue Bell girl leading the Blue Bell cow, you can see the Blue Bell logo on the truck in the picture above.

A rose at the Blue Bell Creamery

More flowers at the Blue Bell Creamery

The next  few pictures were taken on the way back to Houston off the old Chappel Hill Road between Brenham and Chappel Hill. (North of Highway 290)

I end this post with a picture of Andy, taken by my niece Erika at the Easter Egg hunt. This is a cute picture especially since his Mom and Dad are Texas A&M graduates and his Granny and I are Aggie fans.   

University of Texas Quaterback year 2029?

Live Oak Ridge Park Lake Belton, Texas

We have been using our Travel Trailer a lot lately. After our trip to Phildelphia, Virginia, Washington D C and Maryland (didnt take the travel trailer) we went to visit Amy, Josh, Noah and Andy for Andy's first birthday. We left there after a few days and went to Kyle, Texas for our family reunion at an RV park on the San Marcos River and then the following weekend we were celebrating the Kyle High School Reunion. After the reunion we were back to Temple for Halloween and Josh's 30th birthday.

September and October have been full of traveling and we really had a great time at every activity and function we attended. Our trip was a lot of fun, the family reunion was relaxing and fun, the High School reunion was a lot of work but it turned out great, Andy's birthday was a sheer joy, Halloween was a blast watching Noah Trick or Treating as a Pirate Captain and Andy as a Scare Crow. Enoyed Josh's birthday party on Friday evening, having lunch and dinner with him and his family on Monday his birthday.

Our next planned activities are a visit from Amy, Josh, Noah and Andy this next weekend and going back to Belton Lake to store the Travel Trailer, Boat and a Truck in two storage units we rented last week. It will be nice having the toys there as this is our home away from home. I have posted a few pictures of the RV Park we stay at when we are visiting the children. It is a very pretty, clean and quite park just a few miles from the children's home.

Other planned trips will be to Kyle to enjoy Thanksgiving with my Mother and brothers and sisters and their families,camping in Canton, Texas the first week in December with Sharon and Danny and then celebrating Christmas enjoying the two grandsons on Christmas morning.

We haven't stopped since mid September and we will be busy toward the end of the year.

Early morning at Live Oak Ridge Park on Lake Belton, Texas, our home away from home.

We enjoy the same spot each time we go as the play ground is directly behind us. Noah and Andy really enjoy the slides and swing.

Another real nice feature is that the sites are far apart from each other. Each site has a paved slab for the Travel Trailer, a covered concrete picnic table and benches, a fire pit and barbecue pit. The public showers and restrooms are a short walk from this site.

The roads are wide and paved and the park is extremely clean and well kept.

The view of the lake from the site is beautiful and is directly across the road from the site. While there are sites available across the road, we like site number 9 , the view isnt blocked by another camper. Another reason we like to park on this side of the road is that the park sits on a bluff and the drop to the water is about 30 feet straight down .

Philadelphia and Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, Washington D.C. and Baltimore, Maryland Trip September 23 to October 3, 2009

(to viewall of the pictures we took on the trip click on: http://picasaweb.google.com/holtnotesrah/PennsylvaniaWashingtonAndBaltimoreTrip2009#l
Our trip started with a flight from Houston to Philadelphia. We were in Philadelphia from Wednesday to Friday having the opportunity to visit a number of historical sites, tour the US Mint, the Constitution museum, a tour of the city of Philadelphia on a Duck vehicle and we enjoyed great Philly cheese steak sandwiches, Pizza and a wonderful dinner at a Tavern well over 200 years old.

Rob, Susan, Connie and Henry in Philadelphia,

Independence Hall, the place where our Declaration of Independence was signed, the location where the United States was born and the place that served as our nations capital for the first few years.

Philadelphia is a wonderful city, full of historical sites and tours. Visiting this city gives you a deep appreciation for what the men who signed the Declaration of Independence did for all of us and how the document they wrote and signed has shaped our country and laid the foundation for what we are today.

While not to get too political here, our visit deepened our concern for the current administrations approach to policy and their approach to governing the people of the United States. Our fore fathers jeopardised their lives to ensure a foundation was laid for a country whose Constitution starts out as We the People, governed by the people for the people and not the Government or any one individual leader.

Philadelphia was the home of Benjamin Franklin. We toured the Franklin Museum and walked all around the neighborhood where he lived, worked and is buried. Unfortunately, his home and printing building is no longer there, however there is documentation that provides information as to the exact location of where the home and printing business were located.

The next three pictures is that of Christ Church where Benjamin Franklin and his family attended along with other Revolutionary Leaders. His in laws sat in pew 70 in the church and when he married he sat with the wife's family in this pew in the late 1700's

Christ United Church in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Known as "The Nation's Church" because of the famous Revolutionary-era leaders who worshiped here, Christ Church was founded in 1695. It was the first parish of the Church of England (Anglican) in Pennsylvania. It is also the birthplace of the American Episcopal Church

Pew 70 where Benjamin Franklin sat with his wife and in laws

The grave site of Benjamin Franklin, his wife and his in laws, Christ Church Burial ground.

Christ Church Burial Ground is one of America’s most important Colonial and Revolution-era graveyards, with 1,400 markers on two beautiful acres right in the heart of historic Philadelphia. Located three blocks from the Church, and just across the street from the Visitors' Center, the Burial Ground is the final resting place for some of our most prominent leaders including Benjamin Franklin and four other signers of the Declaration of Independence. (Picture is a sign next to the cemetery.)

We rented a car in Philadelphia on Friday and drove to Lancaster County, Pennsylvania Amish Country. It is a short hour in a half drive and we arrived at our bed and breakfast, Flowers and Thyme around 5 pm. The countryside is very beautiful, rolling hills, pristine and well manicured farms all over the country side. I had seen pictures and television shows about this area; I never really grasped the beauty, much less the pride the Amish take in their properties.

We noticed that the major crop in this area is corn. We saw a number of farming activities while we were in Lancaster, County. A very rural area with a number of small towns most of which are populated by the Amish people.
Another Amish farm we saw while in Lancaster County.


You could hear the horse and buggy from far away as there is a distinct clip pity clop on the pavement. I was amazed at how quickly the horses could get around. We also saw a number of the Amish people walking and riding scooters (not motorized) and bicycles. I don't have any pictures, I honored their desire to not be photographed.

While we were in Lancaster, County, we toured an Amish Farm, rode in a horse and buggy through the country side, saw covered bridges, went to a canning factory and sampled many different relishes, pickles, canned eggs, beats, etc. and ate lunch at an Amish Fund Raising Benefit having the opportunity to visit with some of the families. This particular benefit was to collect money in case some of their Amish neighbors needed help with hospital bills Learned to make a pretzel at a pretzel factory, Susie and Connie viewed an Amish film while Henry and I went to a wine retail outlet where we enjoyed samples, ate dinner with an Amish family and just enjoyed the very laid back quiet of this part of our trip.

This is part of the Amish Farm that we toured, the tour lasted over an hour. We were able to get a real feel for their way of life.
While we saw a number of homes with clothes drying on the line, some Amish use propane appliances. No electricity is allowed, the reason is that they do not want to be tied to an electrical line not knowing where that line may supply energy to someone outside their faith.

My Pretzel on the left, Susie made the one on the

We left Lancaster County and drove to Hershey, Pennsylvania, a half hour away where we visited the Hershey theme park and took a theme ride that showed how many of the Hershey products are made, packaged and shipped. We drove through town and saw the many street lights that look like Hershey kisses.

Hershey Chocolate and Candy Factory in Hershey, Pennsylvania

Hershey, Pennsylvania Street Light. Some of the lights were chocolate kisses unwrapped and other lights were the wrapped candy kisses.

From Hershey, Pennsylvania, we headed toward Virginia, our first stop in Virginia was a three and half hour drive to Luray, Virginia to spend the night in the Shenandoah Valley. We rented a cabin on the side of a mountain with a wonderful view. The cabin was very large and had all the conveniences of home. We bought steaks, corn, salad and dessert before we got there, breakfast foods were in the refrigerator. Henry grilled the steaks and we enjoyed sitting on the deck eating our great dinner.

After the sun went down, Connie and I observed how pretty the full moon was in the sky and we pointed it out to Susie and Henry, it was later that we realized that the moon was not full and that it wasn't a tree branch that blocked part of the moon. The moon wasn't full, we enjoyed a great laugh about all of the conversation we had about that beautiful full moon. Non the less, regardless of the moon, this was a very romantic spot. We sat by the fireplace that evening and enjoyed listening to music and relaxing.

Our cabin in the Shenandoah Valley near Luray, Virginia
View from the middle deck of the cabin, there were three decks, one off the lower bedroom, one off of the living area and the third off the 3rd floor bedroom loft.

Looking down from the loft bedroom to the living area, a great place to stay.

After a nice breakfast, cooked by Henry, we packed the car and headed for our next destination, the Luray Caverns in Luray, Virginia.

The caverns are beautiful and claim to be the world's largest. This is really neat, the bottom is a mirror image of the top due to a crystal clear pool of water on the floor of the cave.

The tour took about an hour and was well worth the stop.

We left the Caverns and headed along Skyline Drive, Virginia to Charlottesville, Virginia. Skyline Drive is 105 miles long and connects to the Blue Ridge Parkway from the north. It took us three hours to make this drive, stopping at a number of overlooks to enjoy the beautiful views. The fall color had just started, the temperature was in the high 50s and low 60s a nice reprieve from our recent hot summer back home.

The views were awesome and the weather fantastic.
Henry, Connie, Rob and Susan along the Skyline Drive in Virginia.

We ended our drive near Charlottesville, Virginia. We spent the night in a house that was built in 1817 by James Dinsmore who was the master carpenter for Thomas Jefferson's Monticello. After a nice dinner, an evening in a beautiful room and a great breakfast the next morning we headed to tour Monticello, home of Thomas Jefferson just a few miles down the road from Charlottesville.

Dinsmore House, built in 1817 across the street from the University of Virginia in Charlottesville, Virginia.

Left Susan and Rob and across the table Connie and Henry enjoying breakfast at the Dinsmore House.

After breakfast we checked out of the Dinsmore House and drove just a few miles to Monticello. This is truly an amazing place, the tour of the grounds and house took almost 3 hours. After the tour we ate lunch at Michals, Tavern just a few miles from Monticello. Lunch was a buffet and served by waitresses dressed in early 1800's clothing. The food was very good and we enjoyed eating in this old log cabin tavern. We left the Tavern and went to the Thomas Jefferson winery, a winery near Monticello located on land where Thomas Jefferson had grape vineyards. The wine is made and bottled under the Thomas Jefferson name.

Monticello home of Thomas Jefferson outside Charlottesville, Virginia

The working portion of Monticello, the ice house, cellar, kitchen etc. was housed below the house in this structure.

Michal's Tavern between Charlottesville and Monticello

We drove to Washington, D.C. where we stayed 3 days touring all of the landmarks, enjoying all of the beautiful scenery and we took a dinner cruise on the Potomac River. There was a lot of walking in this town. We utilized the mass transportation, the subway system is very clean, reasonably priced and proved to be the best mode of transportation while we were there. The weather was great and it was great to visit this historical city again. Being able to see the changing of the guard at the Tomb of the Unknown soldier was just as moving this time, as it was when I saw the ceremony a number of years ago. Our hotel was very comfortable, we stayed in the Covention center district and it proved to be conveniently located for everything we did. We had tickets to tour the White House and United States Capital. We visited the US Mint, Connie and Henry visited the Supreme Court and I toured the Navy Museum and Susie and I toured the Spy Museum while Connie and Henry toured Ford's theater.

The Washington Monument, we rode an elevator to the top and the view of Washington was spectacular. I took the next pictures from the top of the monument.

The White House

The Lincoln Memorial in the background and the World War II Memorial in the foreground.

The Jefferson Memorial

The Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in Arlington, Cemetery.

On the next to the last day of our stay in Washington D.C. I walked over to the Navy memorial museum.

Lone Sailor Statue at the Naval Memorial Museum


Picture taken off the computer screen in the memorial, my personal page.

Our dinner cruise was very relaxing, the food and music was good and the view of the monuments at night was great.

The Spirit dinner cruise prior to boarding.

Sundown, right before we sailed for our dinner cruise.

The US Capital at night taken from aboard the Spirit during our dinner cruise.

On Friday afternoon we caught a shuttle from our hotel in Washington D.C., riding to Baltimore, Maryland. Our hotel was located on the Inner Harbor and we had great views of the harbor from our room. We enjoyed lunch at water side and walked around viewing the beautiful views of the ships in the harbor. That evening we enjoyed a fabulous crab dinner in the city and walked aroung the water front viewing the city lights and just playing tourist.

The USS Constelation docked on the water front with our hotel in the background.
Oh no, must be time to head home, Henry on the left, Connie on the right. Notice who is holding the sign and who the Old Crab must be. :)

We had a great time, the trip was very memorable and being with such great friends made it much more memorable.

The month of October is an extremely busy month for us, we will be home about four days all month. We ended the above trip the first week in October, immediately we headed to Temple, to celebrate our beautiful grandson Andy's first birthday, we had a family reunion on the San Marcos river where we enjoyed camping in the RV with Josh, Amy, Noah and Andy. The following weekend was my High School reunion which turned out to be a lot of fun and then I took the camper to Temple and came home for a couple of days. We leave for Temple again tomorrow for Halloween and celebrating Josh's birthday

We are enjoying ourselves, dont know how I ever found time to work.