More Exploring and a Tour

Today wasn't a great weather day. Oh, it was warm, but very overcast and WINDY!! Whew! Let me tell you, the wind blows here! But, we persevered and went about our day anyway. ;)

First stop, Curves. Do I sound like a broken record? Sorry. Once again Randy rode with me so we could continue on from there. However, no breakfast out this morning. We were good.

I really, really wanted to get some pictures of the birds here. From others' blogs I've seen lots of different birds and they are great, so I wanted some of my own. We drove along Fulton Beach and saw some pelicans (my favorite) and also some beautiful homes. The water on this side of town is Aransas Bay.

From Fulton Beach we went to Goose Island State Park. We went first to "The Big Tree." Yes, that's what they call the thousand year old live oak in the park. There's even a sign directing you to it! It is a beautiful tree. These live oaks are just gorgeous - I love them. All of the smaller trees surrounding the big tree are referred to as its "offspring."

We left the big tree and walked along one of the nature trails, didn't see any wildlife but had a nice walk anyhow. :) We did see a deer bed area. If there hadn't been a sign telling us what it was, we'd never have known!

My quest for birds continued as we drove through the park. We stopped for a bathroom break and next to the bathhouse was a birding area. I could have sat and watched the birds for the rest of the day. The squirrels in the park are in heaven and they are fat guys, too.



As we rode along the beach area, I was able to get a couple of good shots of a great blue heron and more pelicans. :) There is camping along the beach, but I don't think I'd like it very much. It was so daggone windy, you'd never be able to sit outside and enjoy the water or the birds or anything.

We left with me a happy camper 'cause I got my bird pictures.

Later this afternoon Deb & Rod joined us for a tour of Fulton Mansion, the home of George and Harriet Fulton, from whom the town of Fulton takes its name.

While the Fultons lived there, the mansion was called Oakhurst because of the oaks on the property. It was completed in 1876 and was the only home in the area with central lighting, heating and running water. Harriet left the home after George's death in 1893. Since then, the mansion has gone through various incarnations: a restaurant, a recreation center and even a trailer park! The Texas Parks and Wildlife Department acquired it in 1976 and spent over $1M renovating and restoring it. It is a beautiful home and many of the furnishings and accessories found in it are from the Fulton family.

It was a great tour and the house is absolutely gorgeous! See the pictures on our Webshots site.

Back home we decided to join forces with Deb & Rod for dinner. I made mac & cheese and Deb made pork fried rice and green beans. We took the mac & cheese down to their rig and had a great dinner and good conversation with lots of laughs. We are really enjoying getting to know them - how lucky are we to keep meeting folks that become friends! :)

Rod & Deb
Us

Tomorrow is our trip to Mexico. It's gonna be a long day - 3 hours just to get there! But, we'll be going with Deb & Rod, Jim & Ellie and Mark & Dortha, so it promises to be a fun day.

Until the next time . . .