Winter Trip 2015: Bryan/College Station/P.E.T. Workshop--Part Three

Wed. Jan. 28: Marv got right back to work on the available drive trains but I was at a bit of a loss for jobs so I did a little bit of several things. I learned how to put together the wooden seats and backs and used up all the cut wood that was available for those. Then I packed the bags of Assembly Parts and Tools, and bags of extra parts until I ran out of wrenches and bags. I ended the morning by putting cushions on the seats I had built, leaving one undone and one started but not finished for me to do tomorrow. After lunch today we drove southwest to Somerville Lake, a very large reservoir, about 45 miles away. There is a state park there with two units across the lake from each other. We went to the larger one to ride our bikes. It has about 6 camping loops, including an equestrian area, and a big picnic area/boat ramp. There was hardly anyone there and we rode 8.5 miles in and out of all the loops. In the whole place there were only two campsites taken and one host site, all on different loops. The sun was shining and it was nearly 80°, with a breeze off the lake, so after biking we sat at a table in the picnic area and read for a little while before driving back to Bryan. Dinner tonight was at the old Brauhaus for really good German food and Shiner beer on draft.

Thu. Jan. 29: Marv spent most of his last morning painting metal parts for the P.E.T.s. They do it with regular hand held spray cans so his hand cramped up on him frequently. He wore a face mask and there are huge exhaust fans in the small room but it still got a bit “heady” in there. Patient George, the former foreman, taught me how to cut the material, change bits, add staplers, and attach seat belts so I was capable of building a seat from the cut wood on up. As I finished the two left from yesterday, Chester put together the wooden parts of three more seats and backs. I got them all covered and on the shelf for packing. It had been really nice to work in such a welcoming, grateful workshop and we were exhorted to come back anytime. After a quick lunch at the campsite we drove to the George Bush Library. We hadn’t been really planning on paying it a visit, but Ken, our P.E.T. contact is a docent for them and wanted us to see it so we met him there at 12:30. He got us in for free, gave us the “lay of the land”, and left us at the theater to watch the twenty minute video about the Bushes. Then we used the audio tour to guide us around the extensive displays. We learned that he had based his life on service to country and closeness of family, values learned from his parents. After two and a half hours we were back outside to enjoy the last really warm day of sunshine we expected to see for a while. A park right at the border of College Station and Bryan gave us a chance to hike a mile on trails that wound through bamboo and other plants twenty feet high that sometimes hung low enough we had to bend to go through the tunnels they formed. From there we found a recycling center where we could get rid of some things we didn’t want to just throw out. We are noticing that at least this part of Texas is more service based than Michigan. There were three guys who came out to help us with our small bag of recycling, and there are baggers at every lane in the grocery stores and people to take your groceries out to the car, if you wish. We made spaghetti for dinner and listened to MSU beat Rutgers 71-51 with our Spartan Access before watching another “Newsroom” and heading to bed.

Shop Foreman, Jeff, beside the P.E.T. trailer

Peggy makes an important call in George W. Bush's Oval Office

Marv is ready to sign a bill in the Oval Office

George W. Bush Library

Winter Trip 2015: Bryan/College Station/P.E.T. Workshop--Part Two

Tue. Jan. 27: The noise from the freeway starts to crank up before 6:00 and a neighbor revving a diesel truck made waking at 7:00 pretty easy for us. Back at the P.E.T. workshop I started with seats again but spent most of the day drilling parts. Like the shop in Florida, they have a jig or a gizmo for nearly every job which means that even unskilled workers like me can step in and help with little training. The shop’s main welder (NOT an unskilled job!) had a stroke in November and is just getting back into action so they are behind with their metal parts. There are some on order from another Texas P.E.T. workshop but until they arrive the shop is approaching a standstill. Marv put together the cart’s wooden boxes with Mike. After we finished we returned to the campsite to read in the sunshine before making wraps for lunch. Afterwards we drove south and east to Washington-on-the-Brazos to the state park and historical area that was the home of the Constitution for the Republic of Texas. In a replica of the building where the representatives met to hammer out the new republic, a park ranger gave a very informative talk to the four of us present to listen. The now abandoned town site was once home to thousands of people drawn to a low spot in the river on the main trade route to Mexico for hundreds of years. The ferry that was built there was the only way to cross the river for decades. But when they refused to pay to have the railroad come to Washington, the once thriving town withered away to nothing. As townspeople moved away they dismantled buildings leaving hardly any signs of the bustling frontier town. It was a beautiful afternoon to walk around and read the many historical boards that help one to see the town as it once was. In another part of the park the state has moved a farmhouse from nearby Barrington Farm that was the home of Dr. Anson Jones, the last president of the Republic, who was instrumental in acquiring statehood for Texas. Outbuildings have been added and it is again a working farm. One man in period clothing was present to answer questions about the farm techniques and the heirloom livestock that are raised there. Although it was nearly 5:00 we went on to the interesting town of Brenham, the home of Blue Bell Ice Cream. We were too late to tour the creamery but we walked around the historic old town and found a Sweets shop where we could share a double dip cup. The sun set as we made our way back to the campsite, where Marv cooked some chicken breast in Caesar Salad Dressing and herbs for us to have over couscous. After an episode of Jeff Daniels’ “The Newsroom”, we were more than ready for bed!

Inside Independence Hall

Outside Independence Hall

Ferry Street was a busy thoroughfare leading through town to the Ferry landing

Barrington Farm House

Farmer outside a slave cabin

Heirloom cattle

Mural in downtown Brenham

Winter Trip 2015: Bryan/College Station/P.E.T. Workshop--Part One

View of old campus at Texas A&M

View of old campus at Texas A&M

Panorama of part of the  Bonfire Memorial

Sun. Jan. 25—Thu. Jan. 29: It was really nice to have a whole day to explore the area before volunteering started. So after a leisurely breakfast and reading some of the Lansing State Journal on our tablets, we headed into College Station. Without a guide we drove around the perimeter of the campus and found out that much of the Old Campus prohibits cars. So we circled around and out to West Campus and parked the truck so we could get out the bikes.  Then we spent a couple of hours riding and walking the mostly flat campus. It was interesting to see another Land Grant College. There weren’t many students out on a Sunday but those we passed were friendly and invariably greeted us and/or asked how we were doing.  The day was sunny and the temperatures were in the sixties so we were very comfortable. The Bonfire Memorial taught us a bit more about, not only the tragic collapse of the iconic bonfire in 1999 that killed 12 people, but also a bit more about the Cadet Corps, about which we would learn even more in the coming days. After riding about 3.5 miles and walking quite a bit in areas where bikes are prohibited we returned to the truck. As we were loading the bikes I asked two coeds who walked by where we should go for BarBQue. We followed their directions to C&J just off campus and had a delicious, late lunch. After frogging around for a while we found historic downtown Bryan and wandered around it without a guide, but reading the Texas historical plaques gave us a good overview of this railroad town that had its heyday in the first half of the 1900s. The downtown has very few shops now, but lots of Bonds offices and lawyers. There is an historic theater called the Queen which has been gutted for renovation but still has its large, lighted, revolving crown on the roof. One old hotel has been renovated and reopened. There is a German restaurant that has been there for a long time but, like most everything, it was closed on Sunday. We will try to get back to it sometime this week. When we had pretty much seen everything we returned to the campsite and relaxed in the warm sunshine before making chicken rice soup from last night’s leftovers and then watching the Pro Bowl.

Carnegie Library in Bryan

Monday we got an early start, after a quick bowl of Raisin Bran, and got to the P.E.T. workshop soon after 8:00. Most of the workers were already there though and we found out they only work until 11:00 here! That is one of the differences we found from the workshop in Penney Farms, Florida where we worked last year with Janice and Lou Oiens. The Personal Energy Transportations are about the same though, although in Texas they use treated wood instead of painting all the boxes in bright colors. Our contact, Ken, met us and showed us around and then the shop foreman, Jeff, put us to work. Marv built the front fork “drive trains” with Dick and I put together seat cushions and backs with Steve and attached them to the wooden frames. There were only about 8 people working and the only other woman was sewing in the office area. Like in Florida, most of the workers were in their 80s and 90s. Steve and I ran out of wooden parts because the shop’s router is broken, but then I put together seat cushions until I ran out of the covers and it was time to quit. It had been a good morning! Marv and I found a Tourist Information place and got ideas of how we could spend the nice afternoons we now had. After a sandwich and apple at the camper we drove to nearby Bryan Lake. It is a large reservoir just north of Bryan and pretty near the RV Park. There is a bar and grill called the Icehouse but it turns out that it, along with most of the park, is closed for the winter. We did get the bikes out and rode on the levy partway around the lake for 5.3 miles. We saw an anhinga and an egret and lots of coots, and very few other people.  There was time to read and relax in the sun again before dinner. Chuck at the RV Park told us that it had rained every day last week and the weekend looks to be down into the 50s so we’re sure enjoying the warm weather while we can. After a full day, Spanish Rice and salad at the camper tasted great!

Winter 2015-Starting out

Thu. Jan. 22—Sat. Jan.: We left a day later than we had planned and prepared. We both had lingering colds, Mom H. was sicker than we were, and we got about two inches of snow on Tuesday and three on Wednesday which meant driving in salty slushy conditions, so we waited for Thursday. In the stress of the packing Marv inadvertently shaved half his beard! He shaved his neck like he always does and headed up his right cheek without changing the head on the trimmer. He trimmed the rest of it closer than usual, leaving him a bit unbalanced but happy in the knowledge that his beard grows so quickly he would soon look okay. I got to see more of his face than I’ve seen in over 40 years. Unfortunately, we awoke to more snow so we might as well have left as planned. Nonetheless we got up early, closed up the house, took some flavored sparkling seltzer water to Mom and got on the road about 8:30. The snow had stopped and there were only wet roads until we got to the freeway and then it was pretty smooth sailing so we made it to Auburn around 10:30, where we met Ken at Jeremiah’s Brewed Awakenings for a short visit. In Fort Wayne we stopped to play with Josh and visit with Jen, who made us grilled cheese sandwiches and tomato soup for lunch. We made it to Carmel around 3:30 and played with the kids and talked until dinner time, when Craig met us at a Mexican Restaurant where we celebrated Analyn’s fourth birthday. Sarah left before the rest of us to go to bell practice. When we were all back at the house Analyn opened our bag full of presents: a sweatshirt outfit, a Cinderella music box, a Hello Kitty make-up bag, an Olaf the Snowman pillow and blanket set, and a game of Pixie Sticks we found in Nanny’s stuff.

Boppa meets Tiny the Bear

Josh REALLY loves Tiny and Boppa

Ana holds up her new sweatsuit

Analyn, Elijah and Jordan check out her presents

Friday was Ana’s “real” birthday so, after getting the boys off to school, Craig, Marv and I went to a nearby doughnut shop for breakfast. Ana picked out the item I knew she would—it was an unfilled long john covered with icing and pink and white sprinkles—and a bottle of strawberry milk. She amazed us all by eating every bit of the big pastry! When Craig and Ana left to get her to school, Marv and I left to begin our journey to Texas, getting on the road before 9:30. The roads were clear and dry, and it was cloudy and about 30°. After a quick stop to wash the salt off the truck and camper we drove around Indianapolis and then headed southwest, through Illinois, a bit of Missouri and into Arkansas. The temperature slowly rose and, though it was mostly cloudy, it was a pleasant enough drive with no drama or excitement along the way. We had thought we’d get to Memphis and stay overnight and visit the Civil Rights Museum there. But it was only around 5:00 so we continued. There was a surprisingly good sunset and then we got off the road to try and find someplace for dinner. It was dark as we exited and drove past a small business district, and then we found ourselves on an unlighted road with no place to turn around. The seven miles seemed like much farther before we came upon a farm with room enough for us to pull in and turn around.  We were shaky from tension as we pulled into a busy Mexican place for dinner and to gather our wits. Afterwards we made it all the way to Little Rock and stayed at a Budget Hotel that turned out to be exactly what we needed for a good night’s sleep.

Ana is four!

Daddy/Daughter Doughnut Date

Friday's sunset

After cereal and bagels/English Muffins on Saturday, we were underway before 8:30 and continued our journey. After we bought gas the truck computer said we had plenty of miles to get to Texarkana. Unfortunately, once we got below about 55 miles left in the tank and 30 miles let to Texarkana, the computer started dropping faster than the miles were being covered. Panic was setting in as there were no gas stations in sight. Our GPS said there was Flying J truck stop five miles away and the truck said we had 15 miles left. As we pulled up to the gas pump the computer said we had 4 miles left! Ugh! Too much drama! But the gas was $1.75, about as low as we had seen it so far. So all was well.

Once we got around Texarkana we had no phone or internet signals driving state highways and country roads southwest across northeast Texas. At one point we had a brief signal and found out from a text from Ann and an email from Barb that Denny had taken Mom to the ER because her cough was so bad and she felt so crummy that it was feared she had pneumonia. We felt quite helpless as we continued driving until we were back into communication about an hour from College Station. We learned then that the hospital had released her with three new prescriptions after determining that she did not have pneumonia. We also managed to call Aggieland RV Park to tell them we’d be there a day earlier but they said it was no problem.

The GPS took us right to the RV Park, which was giving us a good deal since we were there to volunteer at a P.E.T. workshop. It’s close to the highway so it’s noisy but we had internet and cable TV and there were very few people staying there this time of year. It was sunny and 62°, which felt pretty wonderful to us Northerners. After getting set-up we found a nearby Kroger and bought groceries, and then gas for $1.63 after subtracting a dime per gallon for our Kroger points. Back at the camper, we made salad and rice to go with a roasted chicken. We cleaned up and walked around the campground for some exercise, then talked to Mom for a bit before we settled in for an evening of blogging and watching “Pirates of the Caribbean”. We’re looking forward to having a day to explore the twin cities of Bryan and College Station (home of Texas A&M) before we start our work at the P.E.T. workshop on Monday.

Sunny and 60 degrees in southern Arkansas

A Special Trip to the Cotton Bowl

Thu. Jan 1, 2015: This was the Big Day and the whole point of the trip. The shuttle bus left at 7:30 to take us to the Tailgate, which was held in a large hall a short walk from the stadium parking lot. At the door, some people still needed to get a wrist band. And the person putting them on was none other than President Lou Anna Simons herself! First we found four seats at a table right inside the door, so it would be easy for Rick and Lynette to find us. Then we got right in line for the buffet breakfast as they were opening up so we had hardly any wait at all. As we returned to our seats the lines quickly became quite long. It was a full Texas breakfast with wonderful cinnamon rolls (which they quickly ran out of L) and there was an open bar with beer, wine and frozen margaritas but it was a little hard to get too excited about booze that early in the morning! The band from the President’s Reception the night before was again playing and the same Alumni people welcomed us and started getting us pumped up. Our table was shared with two brothers-in-law from Muskegon, one with his daughter and the other with his son. We chatted with them until Rick and Lynette got there and immediately found us. From that point on, we picked up as if we had just seen them the night before. It was so wonderful to see them!

After eating we went back into the icy rain to walk to the stadium. Lynette was forced to take her “too big” purse back to their car so Rick, Marv & I made our way in without her. Our tickets suggested entering at Gate K which brought us to an escalator up one level and nearly to our seats. AT&T stadium (the Dallas Cowboys’ stadium) is a two year old, state of the art, no expense spared, billion dollar venue. The hallway we walked to our entrance was carpeted, there were large picture-posters on the walls and it was as quiet as an office building. Glass doors opened to our section and then the noise hit us and we saw the famous   50 yard long video screen hovering over the field. It is unbelievably huge and has great resolution. The roof is retractable but it wasn’t open because of the weather. Because this was the “Goodyear Cotton Bowl” they had a remote controlled small scale Goodyear Blimp floating around with cameras mounted on it. The teams were practicing on the field and we could watch them and look around and get our bearings. Most of the MSU fans and band were together in one corner of the stadium and we were probably outnumbered about 7 or 8-to 1 by the Baylor fans. Since Waco is only about 90 minutes away, this was like a home game for them and they had shown up in droves. Baylor also had a real bone to pick because they felt they should have been in the top four for the championship playoff. And for three quarters of the game, I thought so, too. Their quarterback, Petty, had a quick-fire delivery and managed to connect on pass after pass, and our defense just couldn’t seem to contain the receivers. Our defense was doing better on their running game, though, so they looked very one dimensional but effective. Connor Cook, on the other hand, was having trouble controlling his passes and we were doing better with the rush than with the passing game. Early in the fourth quarter we were down 40-21, and had not scored after the first quarter until late in the 3^rd.  Ken was texting me that we should go to a bar somewhere to watch the other bowl games, and I was cringing as I thought about how much money we had spent on the trip. Marv will explain what happened then:

I think most of the MSU fans were at the point of just wanting MSU to make it respectable.  If things continued as they had, it looked like we might end up losing by 30 points.  But in the last 12 minutes the MSU defense kept Baylor out of the end zone and even blocked a field goal, which led to a drive for the winning touchdown. The first of MSU’s three 4^th quarter touchdowns came with about 12 minutes left.  That was followed by a successful onside kick. Cook then threw a horrible interception, but the defense held. This was followed by a second touchdown drive.  Baylor’s next possession ended with the blocked field goal attempt, which popped into the waiting arms of Williamson who ran it back past midfield. The final MSU drive following the blocked field goal was not pretty.  There were too many missed passes by Cook.  But he threw a perfect pass to Lippet on a 4^th and 10 that kept the drive alive, and then three plays later threw the touchdown pass that tied the game. The extra point put MSU ahead for good.  Baylor got the ball on the 25 with 17 seconds left, a daunting task, but not impossible for Petty.  The MSU defense really showed up, with two sacks followed by an interception by Riley Bullough.  GAME WON!  There are lots of good stories that come out of a game like this but the one I like best was that it was Marcus Rush’s last game.  He had started 53 in a row, a new Spartan record. He has always been a good solid defensive end but never got the notoriety with Shilique Calhoun on the other end of the defensive line. Well, at the end of this game Rush was the one that blocked the field goal and he made one of the sacks of Petty to seal the victory.  What a great way to end a career!

We stuck around for the very low-key trophy presentation and then walked back to the buses, where we bid farewell to Rick and Lynette, after getting their assurance that they’ll come visit us in EL where we can show them around campus to see all the changes. It took a very long time to get out of the stadium traffic and onto the freeway but since we were in the warm bus with a load of euphoric fans we didn’t really mind. We got back to the hotel around 5:30, where a buffet dinner was ready for us right inside the doors. We joined a table of very enjoyable strangers and spent a long time just rehashing the game with them as the crowd dwindled and the dinner was put away. We finally got back to our room about 7:30. Marv was semi-interested in going back downstairs to watch OSU vs Alabama at a bar, but I was too, too exhausted. We needed to pack and had to get up at 5:45 to finish packing, eat breakfast and get on the shuttle back to the airport at 7:00. As it was, we didn’t even make it to the end of the OSU game before we collapsed in bed.

Fri. Jan. 2: We made it downstairs to have breakfast at 6:30 only to find out they had changed the bus departure to 7:45. UGH! We really could have used the sleep. But we lingered over breakfast and talked to new friends, finding out that OSU had beaten Alabama to qualify for the Finals against Oregon playing for the first National Football Championship. That meant that MSU’s only two loses for the year were against the two teams that will play for the Championship! It will be interesting to find out what our ranking is after that game Jan. 12. Everything from then on was just as slick as going to Dallas had been. We had an even better box lunch, which we ended up taking home and eating. A tailwind meant we didn’t need to stop to refuel and we were back in Lansing in just under two hours. Because of the small jet there was no wait for our baggage and we hopped in the car and drove home, euphoric over the wonderful trip to the Cotton Bowl!

Trumpeter playing "The Star Spangled Banner"

Marv and Peggy at the game

The Team warming up 

Rick and Lynette's selfie at the game

This says it all!

MSU praying at the end of the game

Can you find the trophy?

Dallas Skyline Jan. 1, 2015

A Special Trip to the Cotton Bowl

Wed. Dec. 30: We could sleep in a little bit this morning before we went down to the big buffet breakfast in the Coronado room. As we looked around for a table we realized we were being hailed by Lee & Joy Jacobs so we sat and caught up with them and a colleague of Lee’s while we ate. Today’s MSU food treat was MSU Gummie Bears. Wednesday had been left pretty open for people to do several optional tours, none of which we had bought. There was a shuttle bus for $15 a person to take us downtown to the battle of the bands in the afternoon. Instead we decided to try the DART bus system on our own. We caught the bus across the street from the hotel and their cash machine from which we planned to each get a $5 all-day pass was broken so the driver said to just pay on the next bus. He took us right downtown where we got off near the Aquarium and walked to the Historic West End District. At Tourist information we got a map of the area and found out that there are free buses and trolleys to get around the downtown area. In looking for a bus we realized we were right at the famous “Grassy Knoll” and Book Repository building from which Lee Harvey Oswald allegedly shot JFK. The day was cloudy and temperatures in the forties, but it wasn’t bad for just wandering so we looked around a bit more before getting a quick lunch at Gator’s in Old Town. That was the only for which we paid the whole time we were in Dallas. With a bit more walking we caught a bus to the park in the Arts District where the Battle of the Bands was going to be held. Since we were an hour early we went into the Dallas Art Museum across the street and wandered their exhibits. Then we gathered with other fans to enjoy MSU and Baylor marching bands as they took turns playing their greatest hits. After about an hour we walked several blocks downhill to catch the #49 bus back to the hotel. The excursion had cost us a grand total of $5 instead of $30.

Back at the hotel we cleaned up a bit and then went to the President’s New Year’s Eve reception. Again, there were several open bars and copious hors d’oeuvres, but after the excesses of the night before we imbibed lightly. There was a good but very loud Texas band playing, which made visiting harder as we sat at a table with a small group which included Trustee Joel Ferguson (who later spoke to the group), before we again joined Lee & Joy standing at a table. There was another presentation by Alumni Association and the President, and finally Mark Dantonio. The party broke up after that and we returned to our room to rest a little bit and change into our New Year’s Eve duds. From several choices we had picked a party hosted by the Dallas Alumni Associating and held at the Blues House, back downtown in the historic district. It promised a cash bar, “heavy” hors d’oeuvres, a live band, a midnight Champagne toast, and visits from the MSU cheerleaders and Sparty. It was very loud and very crowded with people having more fun than we were. The main room with the bar and the band had a few tables, all of which were taken, and lots of people standing. We went to a sort of covered porch area behind the bar where it was quieter and where Candy and Wayne welcomed us to share their table. Candy graduated from MSU in 1971 and met Wayne in Colorado years later. They now live in Arlington so she convinced him to go to the game with her since it is so near their home. It was a bit cool back there but the waiters were good about bringing their trays right to us so we spent a pleasant evening chatting with Candy and Wayne, doing a little dancing, and people-watching. As soon as midnight passed and we had our Champagne we rushed outside to see the spectacular fireworks display nearby. The temperature had dropped and an icy rain was falling so we were happy to walk only a few blocks back to the warm shuttle bus to go back to the hotel where we again tumbled, exhausted, into bed.

Dr. Pepper display outside a ballroom at Hilton Anatole

"Old Red Castle" with Travel Information

The "Grassy Knoll"

West End District

Battle of the Bands

Natural Science Museum 

Dallas New Year's Eve Fireworks