From Pirates to The Big Tree...Goose Island State Park

How can you beat a Pirate breakfast? The Resort put this on for everyone so we were there bright and early.....well, 9AM anyway.

They were prepared for a crowd.

Pancakes.....plain, chocolate chip, or blueberry anyone?

And bacon or sausage or both....please!

Plus coffee and orange juice.

Yummy breakfast!

You can tell we all enjoyed it.

 

Every bite of it! 

They even brought around more coffee and orange juice.

As soon as we were all done with breakfast, we headed out to Goose Island State Park to see the big tree! The Big Tree is estimated to be over 1000 years old probably closer to 2000 years old. Also called the Lamar Oak because it is located near the old town of Lamar which was destroyed in the Civil War.

Other large trees can be climbed on just because they know kids will do that.

The Big Tree is 35 feet in circumference, 45 feet tall, and has a crown spreading over 95 feet and it is protected by a rail fence. It has survived between 45 and 50 hurricanes, droughts, and other disasters. It was named the largest tree in Texas in 1969 but is now second to one found in Brazoria County in 2003.

There are also many smaller things to look at that are also very interesting.

The Big Tree to your right and the Gulf of Mexico to your left.....what more can you ask to see.

Well, we wanted to see the camping areas in case we came again. There are numerous camping spots right next to the beach like this.

Some repair work was in progress maybe from storm surge. It is pretty flat in this area.

There is a really long lighted pier for fishing.

There were bags of these shells bagged up by the pier.

We also toured the other camping areas which are much larger in the woods. Many of them were really nice very private sites.

Next on the agenda was a trip to a winery for wine tasting.

Some people got there before we did.

However, there was plenty of room for us.

They had two long bars all set up.

After we did the tasting and picked up some wine to take home, we headed out to Paradise Key for dinner.

It's a very large restaurant with inside and outside seating.

We only had to wait about 10 minutes before they had a table set up to seat all of us.

Dinner was really good and there was a wide variety of food to choose from.

Another great day in paradise!

Change is in the Wind....a Jello Kind of Day



 

Plans are made in jello when we get together and this was one of those days. Since we visited the Blue Crab and Spirit Sculptures on an earler day, we decided to take the morning off from sightseeing. Several of us were going to have our rigs washed and waxed between Saturday and Sunday. Scrub Monkeys Wash and Wax came and did a great job with all the rigs.  Later we headed over to the Bleu Crab for lunch.

It was good.

Saturday night was our Pink FlaminGoes Potluck and Bingo night.

 

 

 

This is the only time I play Bingo but we always have a good time. Everyone brings a prize and everyone wins a prize so it is fun for all who come and play.

The Historic Fulton Mansion

I was in Rockport about four years ago and looking forward to seeing the Fulton Mansion but it was covered in scaffolding during a huge remodel so I was glad for the chance to come back.

The house was built between 1874 and 1877 by George Fulton and his wife Harriet and was originally called "Oakhurst". It is French Second Empire style with plank walls and shell aggregate basementand a mansard roof.

The tour starts in a building behind the mansion with a lot of historical information.

Not surprising that cattle ranching started it all although you don't always think of that when you are on the coast.

The laundry room was in the basement of the mansion but it was pretty light since a good part of the basement sits above the ground.

Pantry storage room.

The fuel storage room was unique since few houses had central heat like the Fulton Mansion. This was only one of the many innovative features of the house.

This room is the larder which is like a refrigerator where perishable food was stored. The walls were thick and water circulated around blocks of ice.

Next up is the butler's pantry with a description below.

The dining room included the Fulton's original china which had a rose band pattern and the letter "F" on it. Several of the chairs were originals.

The fireplaces were the heat registers where the central heat was ducted from the Coleman furnace in the basement. Each one was finished differently and were very ornate.

I think this was the office/library.

There was a small conservatory for plants.

This is the master bedroom.

This is part of the Holden bedroom where the two daughters would stay when they visited. Annie and Hattie married two brothers....Eldridge and Charles Holden.

One of the rooms was left in the unrestored state so you could see how extensive the renovation was.

Another view of the Holden bedroom.

The Fulton House has two and a half bathrooms with hot and cold running water and three flush toilets with a septic tank buried outside.

Rainwater was collected on the roof for the copper-lined tub.

The sitting room.

The tour was very interesting. We noted in the renovation room that a trailer park was located on the front lawn of the house prior to when the state took it over in 1979.  Had to include a shot of Carolyn in Anita's Slingshot as that is how she traveled over to see the Fulton House.