FREEPORT TEXAS

Yesterday, when I got up, the moon was shining through  a bank of clouds. The mist off the river gave the park lighting a misty yellow glow.

The whole campgrounds looked surreal and beautiful.

Then, the sun struggled  through the mist in pink and purple hues.

The WINs were already finished with their hugs and mugs gathering  by the time I was finished with my therapy exercises I do each morning.

Paul, Garth and the two pats decided to visit Bay City.

Arlene handed out some persimmons she found. They are very small and of an oriental type I’d never seen before. Pat, on the left,  will be parting from the group after Mardi Gras New Orleans, but will rejoin them again before they head west. We all hugged goodbye and bid them a fond farewell.

We arrived in Freeport and  got permission to stay for a night at the VFW. I liked Harvey’s hat and took a picture. This is a very active club and we learned that clubs that only serve beer are open to the public. If they serve booze, they are considered private. That is a Texas State rule.This club has computer gambling, as well, and is very active.

Freeport is a very industrial city and doesn’t have much to see, but we always head for the local museum. The city was organized around its sulfur deposits by Dow Chemical. Dow bought acreage and sold housing lots cheap and got a workforce. It grew from there.

A maritime  industry developed.

And, from museum to museum, it is a given that you will see hurricane damage and a town rebuilding. Freeport also straddles the Brazos river and has weathered floods over the years.

As usual, I find something interesting I’d not heard  before. An all woman Supreme Court?

If you travel with kids, this is a great museum for kids. Fun and educational.

It has a mini planetarium and we enjoyed it just as much as any kid. You lie back on bean bags and the sky story is narrated above you. (There wasn’t a kid, or another person in the museum.)

The museum had a huge room devoted to U.S. Presidents and elections. A replica of the oval office,  a table sized map of the United States explaining how the electoral college works.

Pictures of presidents and their most famous quotes while their most famous speeches are broadcast on a video. 

I had never heard this one from Nixon. I guess this wasn’t his most famous quote. I’m not sure how the quotes were picked. But, they do tell a story of the times.

We still deal with our liberties today. Have we learned anything from the past?

The museum was a bit short on artifacts, but I loved this gorgeous old organ. What beauty and craftsmanship to admire.

And, as a curiosity, this is the hand washing station in the men’s room. I guess you could call it a big sink. Today, we move to Galveston Island.

A MEET AND GREET WITH WINS.

From Palacios, Texas, we drove north toward Wadsworth where a bunch of WINs were camping on the Colorado River for a few days to go kayaking. WINs  stands for Wandering Individuals Network, a singles group Jim  belonged to for ten years.

When we arrived, the WINs were out, but Jim recognized their rigs.

We wandered down by the fishing docks and watched people fish. This woman said she was fishing for catfish.

Her husband hoped to catch a bass. He got one earlier but had to throw it back because it was too small.

On the next dock, this group said they were hoping to catch trout.

While standing there, the wind blew a plastic container with potato chips off the railing and into the water.

This young woman managed to snag it and drag it back up.

These two guys said they were hoping to catch some time away from home.

When the WINs returned from their daily excursion, we met them for cocktails at 4:00. It is a tradition to bring your drink, and snacks, and have a chat. Ellie is an old-time pal of Jim’s who has been on the road for over ten years full-time. Next to her is Paul, a newbie. Originally from Michigan, then a Californian from Modesto. Just retired and is a full timer.

Pat still keeps a house in Oakdale but travels in her rig for months at a time.

The group celebrated another Pat’s birthday. She is trying the lifestyle out. She is on the left. Arlene, on the right  is from West Virginia.

Garth, at the end of the table, is a retired school teacher and also new to life on the road and enjoying it.

The WINs are huggers and in the mornings they meet with MUGS and HUGS.  They start every day together and end it together before reporting to the privacy of their rigs. No one is required to take part in any planned activities. Ellie is the volunteer leader of this group traveling together as they move East. They plan their stops together and figure out where to dump and water and stay. There is something for everyone in this type of travel. I admire these women who have the guts to go it alone on the road in their respective rigs. I don’t know if I could do it by myself, even with the comfort of a group.