On the Front Porch - and Off

Judy and Lonnie's Vist

Judy and Lonnie, she of my traveling friends, paid us an overnight visit over the weekend for a look at our new house and community, and for a long-overdue visit. After the requisite golf-cart ride (both around the neighborhood and over to Kemah), dinner at Gilhooley's (which we knew they'd love, and which they did), and a relatively-early night, Tom graced us all, the next morning, with a delicious boudain omelet "dressed" with a fresh-fruit-and-orange-liqueur topping.

Judy took this shot that morning:

and I caught her about to climb aboard for the trip home:

I hope that Lonnie was able to concentrate on driving home, given Judy's provocative (in Lonnie's stated opinion) attire.

Other Porch Doings
Man, these doves are bold, as well as prolific. Are they on their third set of babies this spring?

Annie and Papa (?) Dove Face Off

Another Sunset:

And some close-ups of our giant bird-in-paradise plant, flower:

and leaf:

Glenn and Anna's Visit

We had also taken a golf card ride to Kemah when Glenn and Anna were here the weekend before, stopping for lunch at Bakkus Taverna. We were taken by this Lotus (Note the license plate, too.), and Anna wanted a photo made to send to their son Daniel, a car buff. He was impressed, as was Tom.

Art, Barb, and David's Visit
No pictures, but we enjoyed seeing them on their day-trip over from Sabine Pass. Sitting on the front porch peeling and eating Tom's boiled shrimp, we caught up until it was time for them to run errands and for Tom and me to run to Baytown for a doctor's visit. That evening they went to the South Shore Harbor boat show while Tom and I met some of the CLS gang at T-Bone Tom's for dinner and live music. That was a good day.


I don't know why I wasn't inspired to take pictures of our guests during their visits. Well, actually, I guess I do: I suppose it is because I am not quite myself, nor have I been for more than two weeks, since I've been suffering, on and off, with a cold or allergies. Just when I think I'm getting better and can resume my normal activities, my coughing and sleepless nights resume, and I decide that I'd best just rest, momentarily regretful for dancing at T-Bone Tom's or walking through the neighborhood, causing a setback. I've finally decided to go to the doctor, which I will do tomorrow. I will be flying to California to see Elizabeth and Nathan next week, right after another busy weekend with more guests, so it's time to grab this thing by the throat and strangle it.

Christmas around the House and in the Hood

Around the House

'Tis a small Christmas, but bigger than a boat Christmas

 Is any of that for me?

Our only outdoor lighting; While we are, I'm sure, a disappointment to the neighborhood, our little outdoor tree makes us happy.*

In the Hood
From funky to traditional, from ironic to earnest, CLS is in a Christmas mood.

Clear Lake Shores Annual Christmas Caroling: The Caroling Carters
Oh, my goodness, what a perfect time, one made for me. Forty six golf carts toured the island, stopping mainly at shut-ins' houses to warble out our songs. The singing, while awful, was loud and heartfelt; I fit right in.

Tommy, Tina, Randy, using cell phone light to read their "hymnal."

The Debbies, excited (Bonus: They had both seen the Texans beat the Colts, and they both really care.)

Mark and Maridee, my caroling cart passengers

Mark, Ranola, and Maridee caroling in an unscheduled stop for Tom (voluntarily housebound to prevent others from catching his bad cold).

Next year I hope to add a lawnchair brigade component. May have to import Billy and some others to get it going.

*Moving out of our Baytown house provided an occasion for sloughing off many extraneous items, including 2/3 or more of our Christmas stuff. And while I am not unhappy about most of the sloughing, I do wonder why I thought that we needed to rid ourselves of all of our lights. Aargh!

More CLS Scenes/Moments

Inside the House

We have put some of Tom's turkey prints up the wall along the stairway since this picture was taken.

After spending the night out on the town about ten days ago, Annie slunk into the house beat up and bedraggled, minus her collar and her usual swagger. A few days later we realized that the scrape we had seen was not the only injury under her chin; she had a large puncture wound there as well. A vet visit entailed being gassed, stitched, and shot up with antibiotics, resulting in a renewed if slightly less delinquent cat.




In the Garage

Anyone familiar with our garage/dump in Baytown would be amazed and impressed, or maybe just relieved, by the organizational impulse Tom brought to the garage here.

He has artfully hung mementos, . . .

constructed and filled shelves,

and devised ways to simplify his work there.

Tom has had well-appreciated help from Tommy and Art (who, amazingly, picked up and hung the Mercury 25 outboard by himself) and also from our young neighbor Cody, but he has also constructed wenches and levers and other devices to lift and install items such as this heavy hose reel. I've always admired the way he approaches a problem, taking his time, thinking it through, and gathering tools before finally tackling and solving it, and this hasn't changed.

Credit also needs to go to Ronnie R., who rebuilt the garage, adding high, sturdy shelves, after Hurricane Ike brought several feet of water into the structure. Tom is placing the more valuable items up high, in hopes that Ike will be neither repeated nor surpassed in the near future. If it is, we still feel fairly secure, in that our living space is probably eighteen or twenty feet above the water.  

Around the House

We found a place in the flowerbed for St. Francis.

So this is why they call these flowers "birds of paradise." I can't believe we have these in our flowerbed!

I love this tree down in Sundial Park, in the area (about a half mile from our house) where golf carts gather to watch the sunset each evening. I will probably do a long-term photographic study of it at some point.

Annie

 Annie has forgiven us for leaving her in a stable for months and months, and has taken to the easy life. She was happy to accept the attentions of Elizabeth and Nathan, and they were happy to use her as a Bauer substitute until they were able to see their own baby again back in California.

We have agreed that, given the total freedom to which she became accustomed at Gerri Lynn's place, it would be cruel, unusual, and impossible to enforce a stay-inside policy on our cat, so she comes and goes. As I write this at 9 p.m., we are concerned that she remains outside somewhere, but we will accept the anxiety that comes with granting our youngest the freedom to which she was born.

Have You Missed Annie?

Annie was born of a feral cat in David's boat repair shop; we acquired her, a tiny kitten, when her mom and siblings disappeared, apparently killed by critters of the two- or four-legged variety.  So perhaps it was no surprise, given her heritage, that she seemed to adapt to life as a stable cat at the Seigelman's. She was friendly and sweet to us on our daily visits, cuddling and rubbing, but her aggressive side showed itself as she dealt with the other cats.

An adaptable cat she has been, having lived in her short life (She's not yet a year old) in our house in Lakewood, on our boat in Virginia, in David's rent house, and in Peacock Stables, and has mostly-silently traveled by car multiple times for multiple days (staying in multiple hotel rooms) at a time. But we worried that she might not adapt back to the good life on our boat, away from the delicious smells of horse, texture of grass, and provocation of birds. Our worry was misplaced.

Our first night on the road: Annie and Tom at La Quinta in Slidell, Louisiana.

And the same couple onboard Second Fantasy. Annie can not get enough of Tom.

Her brief stay in the barn seems to have improved Annie's personality, making her a more-grateful cat. We recommend stable boarding for anyone whose pet/spouse/child may be taking his owner/spouse/parent for granted.