Houston, We Have Lift-Off!

April 10 – 19, 2022

Our time in the Houston area found us camped outside of Conroe, Texas at Lake Conroe RV and Camping Resort.  Conroe is a small town with a large appreciation of their Texas heritage!  There, we loved touring their Lone Star Monument and Historical Flag Park!  

A large portion of the park was dedicated to our brave veterans.  I was especially touched by the “Remembered Whispers” memorial.  This commemorative display certainly was not whispering the day we visited!  The strong gusts of wind had the chimes screaming the accomplishments made by Women Airforce Service Pilots (WASPs)!  It is shocking it wasn’t until 1977 that President Carter granted military status to them.   

Another section was filled with famous quotes reminding me that the freedom I enjoy as a citizen of this amazing country did not come without sacrifice.  My favorite was from a song by Lee Greenwood which we all recognize.  “And I’m proud to be an American, where at least I know I’m free.  And I won’t forget the men who died and gave that right to me.”  

I just love the independent and proud attitude of Texans.  Even the story behind the evolution of their state flag reflects the autonomous nature of this region.  The “Come and Take It” cannon is part of this evolution. In 1831, this land was part of Mexico, which provided the colonists at Gonzales a cannon to defend themselves from Native Americans.   As murmurs of yearnings for independence were growing, Mexico asked for the cannon to be returned.  The colonists’ response to this request was a flag with an image of the cannon and the words “Come and Take It”.  Mexico’s attempt to capture the cannon was the beginning of the Texians’ fight for independence.  I simply couldn’t help falling in love with this boldness!

Blue Bonnets - the Texas State Flower

The design of the Texas state flag is credited to Dr. Charles Bellinger Steward in 1838.   This tri-color, lone star design is proudly flown and used in various ways throughout Texas.  Everything from mailboxes to lawn chairs proudly displays the flag's design.  Each of the states we have traveled to has a lot of pride and love of their state, but none as large as the pride we have witnessed in this Lone Star state!  Given the size of this enormous state, it’s rather fitting!

My father established a barber shop in Eldridge, Iowa in the 1950s. Dad’s shop had formerly been a bank, a telephone company and probably several other businesses before Dad opened his barber shop in it.  I love the building which still has the original vault from its banking days.  This being said, I couldn’t help being drawn to the “Oldest Barbershop in Texas” while touring the historic area of Conroe.  Apparently, even Elvis Presley had his hair cut there!  Elvis came to Conroe in 1955 to perform at Conroe High School!  How cool is that?  (I still think Dad’s vault is a bit cooler; however, even it’s not the oldest barbershop in Iowa.)

We had a couple of “lift off” moments while we were visiting the Houston area.  Our first “lift off” was an incredibly uplifting day at the Houston Space Center!  They have an amazing museum which houses a replica of the Space Shuttle and one of the actual Boeing 747 transports.  You could go inside both and experience how the feat of giving the shuttle a piggy back ride on a 747 was accomplished!  

Shuttle Flight Deck

Boeing 747 Interior

Also included in the museum was the actual Apollo 17 command module, which was the final visit to the moon.  It launched December 7, 1972.  Within a period of four years, they went from flying around the moon to landing on the moon and successfully making it back to Earth… or did they????  We had a neighbor in the campground who tried his best to convince me the entire thing was made up.  I somehow managed to resist asking him if he believes Roswell is a cover-up by the government or if he believes aliens landed there!

Barb welcomes the Apollo 13 crew safely home!

Apollo 17 -- the last visit to the moon

Mercury 9 (Faith 7) – the last of the Mercury series

Touching a moon rock (or is it?)

Saturn V – launch vehicle for Apollo series

The Space Center also includes access to the training facility where astronauts continue today to train for space exploration.  It was fun to envision Ken Mattingly diligently working out a way for Apollo 13 to safely make it back to Earth after their disaster.

Beyond doubt, our highlight of the day was visiting the original Mission Control Center!  The entire room has been left exactly the way it was during the years of moon exploration.  We were able to sit in the visitor section of Mission Control, where media and family sat to see and hear how the flight was going.  During our visit, they replayed the audio of Apollo 11’s landing and first steps on the moon.  They had all of the electronics set to display exactly what they displayed during this historic event.  Even I was completely enthralled.  I can only imagine the emotions my space enthusiast husband was experiencing!

Our second “lift off” moment was actually more of a “take off”!  Dick and I decided to accept Brandon and Anne’s kind invitation to join them in Salt Lake City for Easter as well as my birthday!  It seemed everything fell right into place for us to make this trip possible.  The campground allowed us to leave our RV unattended for a few days (campground rules typically forbid this), we found on Rover (a dog sitting app) a wonderful home for Frankie to stay, airline tickets, and finally, an airport parking facility where we left our truck and had them shuttle us to and from the airport.  I love it when a plan comes together so well! 

We landed in SLC, picked up our rental car and made it to the Madeline Choir School just in time to pick up Josh and Eva after school!

Spending the Triduum with Brandon’s family was delightful!  Josh is a chorister at the Cathedral of the Madeline, making the Masses and services on Holy Thursday, Good Friday and Easter Sunday all the more special!

SLC has an annual ecumenical Stations of the Cross procession which we participated in.  Eva was quick to volunteer when asked who wanted to carry the cross to the next station (a few blocks away)!  Before I knew it, Eva and I found ourselves embracing the very symbol of our salvation.  It was a humbling experience in which I have Eva to thank for.  Left to my own, I would have been very content to let someone else carry the burden.  I certainly didn’t’ have the threats and intimidation Simon of Cyrene experienced, but I couldn’t help but try to imagine how he felt as he carried Christ’s cross.  

Eva coined a creative term for when I paint her fingernails.  Rather than giving her a manicure, Eva calls in a “Nana-cure”!  It has become somewhat of a tradition for Nana-cures to happen during our visits and Easter morning was no exception!

Zoe suddenly is nine months old!  It was such a treat to spend a little time with this youngest family member. Zoe is full of smiles!  All you have to do is let her catch you smiling at her and she rewards you with a big grin of her own.  Oh, the innocence and bliss of infants!

                                                       

Brandon and Anne completely spoiled me for my birthday!  Both Eva and Josh had soccer games that day for us to attend.  Watching their soccer games, nestled in the valley of the surrounding Wasatch Mountains, was beyond marvelous!  

Between games, Brandon suggested a birthday lunch at Finn’s Café.  Finn’s specializes in Scandinavian-influenced breakfast and lunch dishes.  I was beyond thrilled to find Jule Kaka french toast on the menu!  Yummy!

After filling our bellies, we took a stunning hike along the Bonneville Shoreline Trail.  Access to the trail is just across from Brandon’s home!  Spring flowers were starting to come into bloom, making the views of the city below just that more breathtaking!  

In the midst of all of this, we were thrilled to be invited to attend a virtual Seder dinner with our good friends, Ken and Rhonda!  How exceptionally meaningful it was to be celebrating Passover together.  Singing the traditional songs, breaking Matzah, dipping the bitter herbs in the salt water, eating charoset and hearing the Passover story is a powerful reminder of Christianity’s roots.  I have so much gratitude to Ken and Rhonda for allowing us to be included in this beautiful holiday!

Shopping for Seder Dinner!

Josh has become quite skilled at pickleball!  It was a fun “last hurrah” of our visit to find an open pickleball court and get a little bit of exercise.  It’s just shocking how quickly the grandchildren seem to be growing up!

Up Next:

Lake Tawakoni, Texas