THE CONN BROWN HARBOR ARANSAS PASS, TEXAS

Aransas Pass, Texas was built around Conn Brown Harbor and was once know as the Shrimping Capitol of the world. I am told, that at one time there were over 300 shrimping and fishing boats docked there. Million of pounds of shrimp were harvested. The shrimp are not as abundant as they were back then and the fleet has grown considerably smaller. There are still quite a few boats docked there and regularly shrimp and fish the Gulf and the bays. I have included some photos of the harbor and the boats in anchor there.

With all the boats, there were lots men who sailed and worked the boats. Over the years many were lost at sea while shrimping and some during rescue work. A Lost At Sea, seaman's memorial was constructed in their honor. Plaques list the names of those who never returned. There is a lot of history in this quaint little town and if you are ever in the area it would be worth your while to check it out. We are in the fifth year of spending our winter here and enjoy the area very much!

THE GOOSE ISLAND BIG OAK TREE

Goose Island Oak Tree.. Aransas County.. Lamar, Texas

On the Texas gulf coast, protected from man but not from the elements of nature, is one of the largest live oak trees in Texas. In the 1960s, it was recognized by the organization American Forests as the largest live oak in the United States.

Legend has it that the Goose Island Oak was once a place where the cannibalistic Karankawas held councils and pagan ceremonies in which they devoured their enemies and even members of their own tribe. It is also referred to as a hanging tree and as a rendezvous of the fierce Comanche Indians.

Earlier visitors may have included the Spanish explorer Cabeza de Vaca in 1528 and Sieur de LaSalle in 1684. Governor Alonso de Leon, who came in 1689 to find LaSalle, found instead the ruins of St. Louis and rescued, from the Karankawas, the only three survivors of LaSalle's colony. Later visitors of the big tree have included famous people such as, Larry and Ginnie Burt and their trusty dog Sparky in December of 2009!!

The mammoth live oak is sometimes referred to as the “Bishop's Tree,” because a Catholic Bishop's home or chapel stood nearby in the abandoned town site of Lamar. The name “Lamar Oak” was probably derived from this town, which flourished in the 1830s.

In 2002 this former national champion live oak measured 340 inches in circumference, was 43 feet high and had a crown spread of 96 feet. Its age has never been accurately determined, but it is believed to be as much as 1,000 years old.

Ginnie, Sparky and I enjoy touring and exploring the many areas we travel in this great country of ours. The big oak tree we featured here, is one of many historic things we have been privileged to visit and observe. We enjoying sharing our experiences with you, as much has we do seeing them.

RANSOM ROAD RV PARK - ARANSAS PASS, TX

Each Fall we leave our log cabin in the woods of Northern Michigan on Oct. 15th. We hook up to our Cedar Creek 5th Wheeler and head south. On Nov. 1st we arrive in Aransas Pass, Texas and Ransom Road RV Park. We are here until April 1st. We travel for about 6 weeks and arrive back at our cabin sometime in mid May.

We love our winter quarters and the many, many friends we have made over the years. Ginnie, Sparky and I would like to share some pictures of the park with you all.

MY WORLD FAMOUS SECRET STUFFING RECIPE

I have had several request for my recipe for my "World Famous Secret Stuffing" which I have been making for over 50 years now.... I would love to tell you my recipe for it, but there really isn't one. I make my stuffing, kind of like Ginnie's mom used to make homemade bread.... a little of this and a little of that... throw it all together until it looks, feels and smells right. I can tell you what I put in it, but not how much of each thing.. I just wing it. Here is what I put in it:

White bread broken up, chopped onion, chopped celery, chopped apple, chopped turkey or chicken giblets, canned mushrooms bits and pieces liquid and all, canned cream of mushroom soup, poultry seasoning, salt and pepper, a touch of garlic powder, a little of Emeril's "Bam". The real secret to good dressing is a moist dressing... the liquid in the mushrooms and the mushroom soup makes it moist. When you mix everything up, it should be moist enough you can make a ball of it in your hands and it won't fall apart... it should tend to stick to your hands and fingers.

Another compliment to good dressing is the gravy you put on it. (Boy... this is making me hungry.. I am drooling on my keyboard!) Here is how I make my gravy:

I of course use the brownings from the roaster... I add mushroom bits and pieces and for the thickening I used canned condensed chicken soup.. several cans of it, depending on how much gravy you want to make. If it is still not thick enough after adding the soup you can mix up a little flour and water thickening.
GOOD LUCK AND GOOD EATING!

A LITTLE EXTRA TIP: The next morning after Thanksgiving or Christmas, some of that gravy with the mushrooms floating in it, goes really good on toast for breakfast! :-) (More drool on the keyboard) :-)!!

IS ANYBODY GOIN' TO SAN ANTONE....

Like the song says.. Is Anybody Goin' To San Antone? If you are ever near San Antonio, Texas.. you just have to go there. There is so much to do and see.. so much history, like The Alamo. As you walk it's halls and gardens, let your mind and imagination wander and you soon will realize what it must have been like when it was made famous so long ago.

The Alamo is just the start. From there the River Walk is a MUST see! It is one of the most beautiful setting you will probably ever see. The pictures I posted that Ginnie and I took while visiting there are beautiful... But, they do not do it justice! You have to see it first hand and for yourselves.

Don't' let the second part of the name "Walk" scare you off. It is big and you can walk it all, but there are river boat taxi's that will pick you up and drop you off all along the way. And they do this for a nominal fee. The many business, shoppes etc. are built on and in the water... many have streams running through them. It is beauty at it's best.

Yes.. do yourself a favor and check it out.. you won't regret it!! As a matter of fact, we intend to go back again this winter while we are in Texas.

CAMPFIRE BEEF ROAST AND FRESH GRILLED SWEET CORN

In an earlier post I explained how to cook a beef roast over an open fire on wet paper towels and a salt bed. We did another one a couple of days ago. This time I have some pictures of the roast cut up and ready to serve.. pink and juicy in the middle... you can't tell it from prime rib! Some fresh picked sweetcorn on the grill and a couple of Bud Lights... you can't beat it with a stick! Here are some pictures of us and our friends Bob and Sue showing you what the meaning of "ENJOY" means!

GRANDMA GINNIE AND HER FLOWER GARDENS

Some of the simple pleasures in life we take for granted, as they surround us everyday. Every time we walk up and down our wooden sidewalk, we enjoy the pleasures of Ginnie's labor in her flower gardens. She loves her gardens and spends countless hours in them.. weeding, thinning, transplanting etc.

Today, her neighbor, good friend and fellow gardener Joanne Kukla... brought some plants over, as she was thinning her gardens. When I seen Ginnie out there working to get her new plants in... I just had to take a couple of pictures. Ginnie knows her plants and how to take care of them. I think that is pretty oblivious by the beauty of these pictures.

As many of you know.. or may not know, we live up here in Northern Michigan and are as they say... back in the sticks! Woods surrounds us and the nearest little town and store is a twenty mile round trip. If you need something like a Walmart, that is a 100 mile round trip. So, you try to plan ahead on your supplies. Also, you learn to depend on your neighbors when you get caught short. I mention this, as when Joanne came over this morning she brought a dozen eggs to trade for some of Ginnie's Crisco. Is this the good old days or what!!

One of our Blessings is the joy and solitude of living in the woods and the beauty surrounding us... some being Grandma Ginnie's flowers.. these we want to share with you.

What a wonderful place to enjoy our retirement!