Awake: 6:17am Temp 64 sleep 6+17 sunny & windy overnight @ Von Ormy, Texas.
This morning before we leave the campground, both Gary & Grace made phone calls relating to the missing camera to no avail. They will continue the phone hunt throughout the day.
We 4 ride in the Suzuki & visit the Texas Air Museum/Stinson chapter (20 min east). Not knowing the museum hrs, we arrived early but the curator left us in anyway. Of all the military/civilian museums I have visited, we’ve never heard or known about the “VUMS;” Veterans of Underage Military Service. Boys and girls, as young as 14, with the permission of their parents, joined the military service. This was not legal or militarily approved, but due to the need for bodies in WWII, many got away with it; some even receiving high honors, others were dishonorably discharged. The curator himself, was a vum & his picture & name are in the book to prove it.
Some of the museum contents had recently been transferred from two other hangers to this much larger hanger, so complete organization was not yet accomplished. As it was, we found plenty of things to look at, read & take pictures of. I never tire of aviation paraphernalia & stories; neither does Gary. We spend about (2) hrs @ this museum; the girls were also quite curious, occupied, & patient.
Gary makes a call to both the River Boat & Trolley Company; nothing yet.
Next, we drive south for 10 min to the Mission San Francisco De La Espada founded in 1731. Had it not been for Brother Jerome @ the church itself, this self tour would have lasted maybe 30 min. But Brother Jerome, invited us into the church and proceeded in his witty and entertaining way to tell us of the mission’s early days and to relate his personal experiences at the mission, including dressing and undressing the statues. He is very knowledgeable and most informative and interesting. We were there for at least 1.5 hrs.
Lunch time @ the Bill Miller BBQ on Roosevelt Road; K & I share a chicken salad & veggie soup; it was real good. G & G also have a sumptuous lunch.
Now it’s more Mission visiting time. The Mission San Jose….founded in 1720; known as the “Queen of the Missions” due to its size and organization of the social village/community. The elaborate sculptures that adorn the exterior, including the Rose Window demonstrate high craftsmanship. Here we have a park volunteer by the name of Mark, who starts with a group of (12) & before the tour is finished, the size doubles because he is so good. He toured us through the mission grounds, living quarters of the Indians, the church etc. He tells us that in 1794, the inhabitants were eating more wheat than corn so a small gristmill was built & operated by water power so those early settlers could have seconds. We all checked it out & sure enough, it had been recently renovated & worked amazingly well.
From here, it’s only a short drive to Wal-Mart. Would you believe, Grace found her camera! It was boxed & behind a locked cabinet but Gary convinced someone to unlock that door. Now G & G are back in the photography business again. Some needed groceries were also found but another stop @ the HEB store was necessary before returning to our campground. Terri called earlier: Gary has a package sent by UPS. We pick it up along the way.
Grace makes fried cabbage & mixed salad; Kathy bakes ham with pineapple + broccoli. We have our wine with cheese outside on the picnic table & start eating dinner about 7:10pm in our coach. Afterward, Grace & I work together setting up the features on her Sony; someone must have made minute changes. Late evening, Gary announces ……… he has a new I-Pod; sent to him from daughter Vicki. How nice.
High temp? Lights out: 12:15am
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