Merry Christmas from Galveston Island

We wish you blessings, peace, serenity and joy as we celebrate Christ’s birthday. . .

And don’t forget music, presents, good food, friends, family and lots of fun. . .and maybe some bubbly champagne!

I love Christmas lights

Don’t you just love Christmas lights?

Jerusalem

Baby Jesus’ manager in Bethlehem

A snail

I believe in angels.  Inspires me to want to break out in song: “Angels we have heard on high…”

Into the wild with the elephants

Mama giraffe and her child-the dark space behind them is Offatts Bayou in Galveston, Texas.

Christmas lighting is not complete without Santa. . .this Santa is riding the waves!

We’re in Galveston. . . pirate Jean Lafitte's ship?

Another sea creature

Hold it. . .Santa was riding the waves a minute ago. . .now he is snorkeling-this guy sure gets around! Duh!

This looks like Ms. Foxy who used to visit us at Laguna Seca Raceway in Monterey, California

Tobogganing. . .reminds me of growing up in the snow country of North Dakota!

We’re in Texas---a cowboy boot and the yellow rose of Texas!

By now you’ve probably guessed that these are not the lights in MY yard!  It is the annual Festival of Lights at Moody Gardens--one mile of Christmas lights!

In North Dakota no matter how cold it was we ice skated every day after school.  This is a real treat for these Texans. (No, I didn’t get out there-I haven’t been on ice skates for a VERY VERY long time!)

A poinsettia Christmas tree

The very small tree in our 5th wheel home.  A couple of years ago Lee & Don gave me “Betty’s Diner” (left of tree), this year we found “Gary’s Gas & Service Station” at Michael’s.

Our Candy Cane themed exterior lighting display on our site overlooking Offatts Bayou in Galveston.  A very nice place to call home this Christmas of 2010.

I got it. . .I got it. . .I got it! Wahoo!

You’ve already heard my whining about going to the RV park laundry room to access wi-fi.   (See previous post) 

Enuf already!  After a couple days of sitting on a very hard metal folding chair in the laundry room I decided to strike out in search of a solution, started by Googling wi-fi signal booster and discovered that YES there is such an animal as a signal booster!  Considering my limited knowledge of what I needed and whether or not it would really work for me I really didn't want to order on-line, but; encouraged by my on-line search I set out to the bricks and mortar stores, first, Radio Shack, (why do I ever go there. . .they never have what I need!) Staples, Best Buy--nothing.  “Oh, you just need a router,”  “No, there is nothing like that” were some of the sales answers I received.  I learned that you have to have an idea of what you need or you will be sold something totally irrelevant.

During my research I checked on ATT air cards but the monthly fee is about $59-nope, in my opinion too much.   While at the ATT store I learned more about tethering my laptop to my IPhone.  For me not an acceptable plan for me for a couple of reasons:  1. Signal not always very strong   2. Have to add an additional data package which is $20 for 2GB a month--- more money plus I would have to carefully watch usage so as to not go over 2GB!  (Of course, my dream and the ultimate is a rooftop satellite system but this is VERY expensive both when purchasing the equipment and monthly fees.)

Finally, at Frye's I talked to the perfect geeky salesperson!  "Yes, of course we have several choices” and lead me over to show me a couple of Hawking Technology signal boosters. . . I settled on a Hi-Gain Wireless-N USB Network Dish Adapter.

$66 and easy to install!   Got it home, took it out of the box, popped the CD into the drive and performed the easy installation, set up the 4” dish in the window and NOTHING!  I was too far away to receive the RV park network signal although the good news was I was getting a bunch of networks not previously seen (but neither of the two at our RV park!)  Woe is me--$66 wasted although I could tell it was a good product.  Oh well, I decided to keep it for future use since experience has shown that a weak wi-fi signal is a common occurrence in RV parks. 

The network signal I was attempting to receive is located in this restaurant on the grounds of the RV park.  The Silver Stream pull trailer was probably blocking my reception.

THEN, yesterday I moved the dish up to the top of the window and WAHOO, I got the signal.  I’m on!  No more laundry room! 

Ain’t technology wonderful!

Food note:  the restaurant, Boudreaux's has great red beans & rice!

It is frustrating!

Here we are in beautiful Galveston, love our site overlooking the water BUT are getting NO wi-fi at our 5th wheel!  So…rather than sitting at my laptop and looking at my Christmas tree and decorations:

I am sitting at my laptop in the laundry room at the park looking at washers and dryers and listening to a leaky sink!

# 41’s Presidential Library & Museum

One of our traveling goals is to visit all of the twelve Presidential Libraries. (ground was broken for #43’s at SMU in Dallas in November--it will be #13)  So far we’ve done Hoover, Truman, Carter, Clinton, and Kennedy.  And, of course we’re Californians so we haven’t been to the two in our state: Nixon and Reagan!  Our main reason for staying in College Station, Texas was to visit President George H.W. Bush’s Library & Museum which is located on the campus of Texas A&M University.

I particularly like the way it focuses on both his personal and public life.

The special exhibit was one my favorites:

The Heart Truth

first ladies

Red Dress Collection

Jackie O’s is the only one enclosed in a case

Hundreds of area school children were touring the library.  Yes, it was noisy until they left!  I had to laugh as I watched the kids climbing on President Bush’s shoulders, poking his eyes, sticking their fingers in his ear and up his nose!

Barbara & George were married in January 1945.  This is her dress:

The Gulf War exhibit

A real section of the Berlin wall.  I wonder why the “graffiti” is all in English?

President Bush loves to fish so his library has a lake…and he fishes in it!

And it is decorated for Christmas!