Monday July 1st
What a welcome there was for me at the bus station! There was Jan, her daughter Crystal, Charles and a few minutes later Maggie. They took me for lunch at TGIF and of course I had a wonderful Cobb Salad. After lunch we strolled around Dallas in the rain and boy was it humid. We went to the place where JFK was shot and then on to the Aquarium which was quite different to the one in Monterey but very interesting in its own way. After wandering around a few shops we headed off for Greenville and Jan’s house where I met the cat and Nicole, Jan’s younger daughter.
There was a lovely little room prepared for me and there was a computer at the foot of the bed………lol…..hope she doesn’t think I am addicted.
Jan and Charles were the perfect hosts and took me off around the surrounding area of fascinating antique stores, specialty shops, malls and outlet stores make Greenville renowned for bargain shopping.
This part of Texas features lots of cotton and is home to more than 50 modern industries including electrical hardware, space electronics, agricultural chemicals, household rubber products, oil-field machinery, aircraft and clothing. Audie Murphy, the nation's most decorated soldier of World War II, was born in a rural area a few miles north of Greenville. One of the highlights was the visit to the Puddin’ Hill Bakery where there was a scrumptious array of world-famous pecan fruitcakes and chocolate delicacies tempt visitors and of course I was tempted. It was here that I first came across Jelly Bellies……….delicious.
Visit http://www.puddinhill.com and see for yourself
Jan took me to see her new school and it looks very nice……it will be quite exciting for her especially as she is changing grade levels too. I met her Mum and Dad when they came round for dinner .....very nice family.
Thursday July 4th
We went to a baseball game at the Ballpark in Arlington ….. the Texas Rangers played the Tampa Bay Devil Rays ….. I was all decked out in my brand new Texas Ranger hat and wearing the Texas star we were given as we entered the Ballpark, quite an impressive stadium. This was my first baseball game. I was not too impressed by the Air-force fly past as I was not expecting it and it did give me a bit of a fright but the fireworks display and aerobatic display at the end was great.
Friday July 5th
Today we set off for Waco to meet up with Bette. We started off reasonably early and Maggie and Jan introduced me to "Outlet Malls". Fascinating places.....could have spent hours there but we didn't......lol. I was handed over to Bette at the Waco Crackerbarrel and it was a sad farewell indeed. Thank you so much Jan and Charles for your wonderful hospitality, your warmth and your friendship .....I will treasure it forever. .....and Charles I think of you every day when I use the oven mitt you gave me. The next page will take us to College Station.
Well after all the tears were dried Bette, Holly and I set off for College Station. Once again the lushness of the vegetation surprised me. Funny how we carry pre-conceived ideas of what a place is like and this was most definitely not what I had thought Texas would look like. When we arrived at Bette's house I met her charming husband, Raymond her other daughters Brooke and Brittany.
Brooke and her husband, Robert had their little daughter with them. She is just so beautiful and her photos certainly don't do her justice.
We went out for a BBQ and this was my first experience at this kind of restaurant. The meat was delicious and I never stop wondering at the endless coke drinks. After dinner Raymond took us on a drive around the neighbourhood and surrounding countryside.
Saturday 6th July
Went shopping with Bette ...... I love visiting all the different supermarkets and comparing them to home. Later we went to the Bush Library at the University and all in all we had a lovely day. Will be trying some of those recipes from the Bush Family Recipe Book that Bette gave me. We had a lovely dinner at home with one of Bette's friends and then a real good old chinwag in the garden just relaxing. It is a pity it is such a short visit. My heartfelt thanks go to Bette and her family for their Texan hospitality and especially to Brittany for giving up her bedroom to me.
Sunday 7th July
Had to wake up early to get to the bus station. It really was a sleepy Sunday morning and nothing was open, not even the bus station. There was, however, an amiable policeman just going on duty and he let Bette take my picture with him and his police car.
The bus was almost empty and that made for a very comfortable journey. Had a little layover in Houston but only really saw the skyline. There was lots of evidence of the recent floods on the way to San Antonio.
Made it into San Antonio around 3 in the afternoon but because it was a Sunday I had to wait in the city centre for a bus to take me to the hostel. What a beautiful building Bullis House is with a fascinating history San Antonio architect Harvey Page designed this house for General John Bullis. Construction was completed in 1909. A native of New York, Bullis spent much of his career on the Southwest frontier and lived here until his death in 1911.
http://www.bullishouseinn.com
The bed'n'breakfast part is in the main building and the hostel is off to the side. We did have the use of the swimming pool which was a blessing because of the oppressive heat. Air conditioners run day and night thank goodness. I settled myself into the room and wandered down the street looking for someplace to eat but unfortunately nothing open....Sunday night. Had something to eat at Bob Millar's BBQ not to be recommended. It is a strange neighbourhood....lots of restoration and renovation going on. It can't seem to make up its mind if it is up market going down or down market moving up.
Wednesday 10th July
I am actually writing this in the beautiful garden at the Spanish Governor’s Palace and it really is beautiful ..... beside the fountain there is a magnificent avocado tree.
Unfortunately they are not ripe or I would have been having them for my lunch. I took the Yellow Trolley right round its route and then got off at the Courthouse. The court officers were very helpful but all of the trials were either over or recessed for lunch so I just went off wandering again. Not surprising that I should find myself on the river again. This time at the River Centre Mall where all the cafes are. I stopped and listened to a Paraguayan group called Fusion Andina, playing…..they were so good and I bought a CD. Later I took myself up the America’s Tower…….fantastic view from the top………you could even pick out landmarks. Took a leisurely walk back to the Alamo Plaza and who should I meet but my Trolley driver who leapt out of his trolley to give me a big good-bye hug.
Had dinner out tonight with Lara of the English girls and a couple from Wagga Wagga Australia, Tony and Gay. We had a nice meal and Lara wanted to go downtown to see the Riverwalk at night but hadn’t wanted to go alone. Off we all went and I must say it looked even better by night.
Thursday 11th July
Had a leisurely breakfast this morning and packed up for the long trip to Princeton. Lara was going on the same bus as far as Austin so we set off together for the bus station. The station could only be described as chaotic….. there was only one girl trying to tag luggage and sell tickets and of course there were far too many people wanting to get on the bus. Eventually another bus was arranged as this is apparently quite common on this route. We had an excellent bus driver who even added his own personalised touch by allowing another gentleman to exit at a non designated stop so that he could get to a hospital without going all the way back into Dallas. The driver from Dallas to Memphis was also very good. He wanted to know all about hostelling and travelling on the cheap. The icing on the cake of course was Sierra better known as Chrissie. Midnight and there she was at Benton with her nephew, sister and a friend just as she said she would be.
It was wonderful even if it was only for a few minutes. The bus driver and the passengers were very impressed, as I was too, at people travelling so far and so late just to say hello and he held the bus up for a little longer just so we could have a longer visit.
This journey started out in Texas and we travelled through Arkansas, Tennessee, Kentucky and Indiana. Five states in one day
What a welcome there was for me at the bus station! There was Jan, her daughter Crystal, Charles and a few minutes later Maggie. They took me for lunch at TGIF and of course I had a wonderful Cobb Salad. After lunch we strolled around Dallas in the rain and boy was it humid. We went to the place where JFK was shot and then on to the Aquarium which was quite different to the one in Monterey but very interesting in its own way. After wandering around a few shops we headed off for Greenville and Jan’s house where I met the cat and Nicole, Jan’s younger daughter.
There was a lovely little room prepared for me and there was a computer at the foot of the bed………lol…..hope she doesn’t think I am addicted.
Jan and Charles were the perfect hosts and took me off around the surrounding area of fascinating antique stores, specialty shops, malls and outlet stores make Greenville renowned for bargain shopping.
This part of Texas features lots of cotton and is home to more than 50 modern industries including electrical hardware, space electronics, agricultural chemicals, household rubber products, oil-field machinery, aircraft and clothing. Audie Murphy, the nation's most decorated soldier of World War II, was born in a rural area a few miles north of Greenville. One of the highlights was the visit to the Puddin’ Hill Bakery where there was a scrumptious array of world-famous pecan fruitcakes and chocolate delicacies tempt visitors and of course I was tempted. It was here that I first came across Jelly Bellies……….delicious.
Visit http://www.puddinhill.com and see for yourself
Jan took me to see her new school and it looks very nice……it will be quite exciting for her especially as she is changing grade levels too. I met her Mum and Dad when they came round for dinner .....very nice family.
Thursday July 4th
We went to a baseball game at the Ballpark in Arlington ….. the Texas Rangers played the Tampa Bay Devil Rays ….. I was all decked out in my brand new Texas Ranger hat and wearing the Texas star we were given as we entered the Ballpark, quite an impressive stadium. This was my first baseball game. I was not too impressed by the Air-force fly past as I was not expecting it and it did give me a bit of a fright but the fireworks display and aerobatic display at the end was great.
Friday July 5th
Today we set off for Waco to meet up with Bette. We started off reasonably early and Maggie and Jan introduced me to "Outlet Malls". Fascinating places.....could have spent hours there but we didn't......lol. I was handed over to Bette at the Waco Crackerbarrel and it was a sad farewell indeed. Thank you so much Jan and Charles for your wonderful hospitality, your warmth and your friendship .....I will treasure it forever. .....and Charles I think of you every day when I use the oven mitt you gave me. The next page will take us to College Station.
Well after all the tears were dried Bette, Holly and I set off for College Station. Once again the lushness of the vegetation surprised me. Funny how we carry pre-conceived ideas of what a place is like and this was most definitely not what I had thought Texas would look like. When we arrived at Bette's house I met her charming husband, Raymond her other daughters Brooke and Brittany.
Brooke and her husband, Robert had their little daughter with them. She is just so beautiful and her photos certainly don't do her justice.
We went out for a BBQ and this was my first experience at this kind of restaurant. The meat was delicious and I never stop wondering at the endless coke drinks. After dinner Raymond took us on a drive around the neighbourhood and surrounding countryside.
Saturday 6th July
Went shopping with Bette ...... I love visiting all the different supermarkets and comparing them to home. Later we went to the Bush Library at the University and all in all we had a lovely day. Will be trying some of those recipes from the Bush Family Recipe Book that Bette gave me. We had a lovely dinner at home with one of Bette's friends and then a real good old chinwag in the garden just relaxing. It is a pity it is such a short visit. My heartfelt thanks go to Bette and her family for their Texan hospitality and especially to Brittany for giving up her bedroom to me.
Sunday 7th July
Had to wake up early to get to the bus station. It really was a sleepy Sunday morning and nothing was open, not even the bus station. There was, however, an amiable policeman just going on duty and he let Bette take my picture with him and his police car.
The bus was almost empty and that made for a very comfortable journey. Had a little layover in Houston but only really saw the skyline. There was lots of evidence of the recent floods on the way to San Antonio.
Made it into San Antonio around 3 in the afternoon but because it was a Sunday I had to wait in the city centre for a bus to take me to the hostel. What a beautiful building Bullis House is with a fascinating history San Antonio architect Harvey Page designed this house for General John Bullis. Construction was completed in 1909. A native of New York, Bullis spent much of his career on the Southwest frontier and lived here until his death in 1911.
http://www.bullishouseinn.com
The bed'n'breakfast part is in the main building and the hostel is off to the side. We did have the use of the swimming pool which was a blessing because of the oppressive heat. Air conditioners run day and night thank goodness. I settled myself into the room and wandered down the street looking for someplace to eat but unfortunately nothing open....Sunday night. Had something to eat at Bob Millar's BBQ not to be recommended. It is a strange neighbourhood....lots of restoration and renovation going on. It can't seem to make up its mind if it is up market going down or down market moving up.
Wednesday 10th July
I am actually writing this in the beautiful garden at the Spanish Governor’s Palace and it really is beautiful ..... beside the fountain there is a magnificent avocado tree.
Unfortunately they are not ripe or I would have been having them for my lunch. I took the Yellow Trolley right round its route and then got off at the Courthouse. The court officers were very helpful but all of the trials were either over or recessed for lunch so I just went off wandering again. Not surprising that I should find myself on the river again. This time at the River Centre Mall where all the cafes are. I stopped and listened to a Paraguayan group called Fusion Andina, playing…..they were so good and I bought a CD. Later I took myself up the America’s Tower…….fantastic view from the top………you could even pick out landmarks. Took a leisurely walk back to the Alamo Plaza and who should I meet but my Trolley driver who leapt out of his trolley to give me a big good-bye hug.
Had dinner out tonight with Lara of the English girls and a couple from Wagga Wagga Australia, Tony and Gay. We had a nice meal and Lara wanted to go downtown to see the Riverwalk at night but hadn’t wanted to go alone. Off we all went and I must say it looked even better by night.
Thursday 11th July
Had a leisurely breakfast this morning and packed up for the long trip to Princeton. Lara was going on the same bus as far as Austin so we set off together for the bus station. The station could only be described as chaotic….. there was only one girl trying to tag luggage and sell tickets and of course there were far too many people wanting to get on the bus. Eventually another bus was arranged as this is apparently quite common on this route. We had an excellent bus driver who even added his own personalised touch by allowing another gentleman to exit at a non designated stop so that he could get to a hospital without going all the way back into Dallas. The driver from Dallas to Memphis was also very good. He wanted to know all about hostelling and travelling on the cheap. The icing on the cake of course was Sierra better known as Chrissie. Midnight and there she was at Benton with her nephew, sister and a friend just as she said she would be.
It was wonderful even if it was only for a few minutes. The bus driver and the passengers were very impressed, as I was too, at people travelling so far and so late just to say hello and he held the bus up for a little longer just so we could have a longer visit.
This journey started out in Texas and we travelled through Arkansas, Tennessee, Kentucky and Indiana. Five states in one day
posted by Maureen at 5:47 PM
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