There Goes the Sun!

April 4-10, 2024

Katherine and I take in the eclipse!

In 2017, Dick and I experienced a total solar eclipse in Liberty, MO.  That very day, Dick put the April 8, 2024 total solar eclipse on our calendar!  It was probably close to a year ago when he started looking at average weather trends along the path of totality and selected Waco, TX as being a good place from which to view the eclipse.  With the location decided, it was an easy choice to stay at Magnolia RV Resort as they promised a week filled with fun entertainment and activities to accompany the big event!

Covered sites were unique for us!

As soon as the 10-day weather forecast was available, we began checking it out for the 8th.  As luck would have it, the forecast for the 8th was “cloudy”.  As days ticked by, the forecast stayed steady and we had resigned ourselves to not being able to see much of the eclipse.  Little did we know that Katherine, the co-owner of the RV park, is a woman of prayer and she had been praying for a month for clear skies!  Sure enough, the day started out cloudy.  But, as the morning moved along, glimpses of blue sky began showing through.  By the time first contact happened, there was only an occasional wispy cloud floating by.  We had pretty much clear skies for the entirety of the show!  If you have any prayer requests, I can give you Katherine’s number!

No eclipse glasses needed during the time of totality!

Totality lasted for four minutes, 13 seconds.  It was amazing to see the photoelectric lights come on that surround the swimming pool as the sky darkened and took on the appearance of dusk.  “Totally” worth it!  Danny, who co-owns the RV park with his wife, put together a fun playlist of songs that we all enjoyed poolside during the eclipse.  Everything from “You are my Sunshine” to “Here Comes the Sun” kept us entertained as we peered through our eclipse glasses at the sun shining high in the sky.

Fellow camper, Broc, shared his photo taken with better equipment that our phone camera!

Other entertainment scattered throughout our stay at the park included an Eclipse Painting Party.  A local artist taught the class to a group of us.  Step by step, the champaign kept pouring and I kept painting.  Bottom line – I had a ton of fun!  However, I’m going to stick to quilting!

The NCAA Women’s Basketball tournament was going on during our stay at in Waco as well.  Danny had the poolside big screen up and running for each of the games we wanted to watch, along with a cooler filled with bottles of water and cans of beer for those of us gathered at the pool.  Now, that's southern hospitality!  Those Hawkeye women sure made us proud to be from Iowa!

We also couldn’t resist checking out the pool for the typical reason – you know, cooling off on a hot spring day in Texas!  Live music was offered pool side by Daggnabbit one evening, which was a treat for doing a little two-stepping!

Waco is conveniently located between Dallas and College Station, so we had to take advantage of the proximity of two more presidential libraries.  It was a 90-minute trip north to Dallas where we visited George W. Bush’s Library located on SMU’s campus.  For me, there are strong associations with 43’s presidency and the September 11, 2001 attacks.  It must be so for most, as there was a very thorough exhibition examining the attacks and the response not only from 43, but from the nation as well.  It put me right back in Harding Middle School where, one by one, teachers abandoned lesson plans and watched the unbelievable sight of the twin towers collapsing.  Parents were pulling students from school, certain that our nation was at war.

Another day trip was to College Station where we visited George H. W. Bush’s Library located on Texas A&M’s campus.  It was great to find a section of the Berlin Wall that fell under 41’s presidency.  The stark contrast between the two sides of the wall clearly points out the difference in life between the east side and the west side.  One side boldly adorned with graffiti – only stark, barren concrete on the other.

George and Barbara's secluded gravesite in along a beautiful path that winds behind this pond.

Being springtime in Texas was evidenced by the bluebonnets being in full bloom.  Texas certainly chose a beautiful flower to be their state symbol.  Its competition was the prickly pear, nominated by legislator “Cactus Jack” who admired its hardiness and strength. It was the National Society of Colonial Dames of America who not only nominated the bluebonnet, but carefully placed bluebonnet floral arrangements on each politician’s desk the day of the vote.  Now, that’s pretty darn clever!

We had to do a little bit of shopping in Waco while we were there.  Chip and Joanna Gaines certainly are leaving their mark there.  The magnolia trees may not have been in bloom, but Chip and Joanna’s Magnolia stores certainly were!  Their stores were all crowded with people, making me wonder if I had my seasons confused and it really was Christmas instead!

We also found a cute shop called Spice Village.  It had everything from clothing to tea towels.  Pretty much nothing you need but everything you want!  I did find a cute top and a couple of cute dresses!

Bitty & Beau’s is a coffee shop located next to Spice Village.  They not only offered a great cup of joe, but also offered employment to the disabled.  T-shirts, coffee mugs and anything else they sell, proudly say “#NOT-BROKEN” and “Radically Inclusive” on them.  While Bitty and Beau’s may not be much (if any) of a money maker, disabled individuals are learning valuable skills in an environment that is supportive and self-esteem building.  I’d hang out there every morning if I lived there!

We had heard that there was a historic suspension bridge in town, so we went to check that out.  It’s actually within walking distance of Bitty and Beau’s.  It turns out that this bridge was how the cowboys got their longhorn cattle across the river as they made their way along the Chisholm Trail!  It’s now a pedestrian bridge.  It was fun to close your eyes and imagine the sounds and smells of the cattle being herded on their way along the dusty trail of days gone past.

Only a few miles outside of town is Mammoth National Monument.  There we saw skeletal remains of Columbian mammoths from 65,000 years ago!  The discovery began in 1978 and continues today.  Along with mammoths, giant sloth (when standing on their hind legs would have been tall enough to be able to reach over a two-story building), camel and saber-toothed tiger bones have been found.  Did you know camels lived here BEFORE they lived in Egypt?  That blew my mind!

Homestead Heritage Village is a Christian community based on values of simplicity, sustainability, cooperation, service and quality craftsmanship, located on the north edge of Waco.  It reminded me a lot of an Amish village, with all of the little specialty stores.  We found the mill, where we purchased fresh ground pastry flour and, of course, the quilt shop where I selected a bit of fabric!  In addition, there was the leather, cheese, forge, pottery, woodworking ... shops!  All offered quality items that had been hand-made by the residents of the community.  We had heard rave reviews about Café Homestead, backed up by the fact that it’s listed as one of the top restaurants to eat at in the state of Texas.  Naturally, this made our list of things to do!  It did not disappoint!  This has to be one of the best all-time favorite meals out I’ve had!  While there, we learned that on December 23rd, 2022, the café caught fire and, in a matter of hours, burned to the ground.  Well, this community all came together to cut the wood, build the furniture, forge door knobs and curtain rods, weave fabric for upholstery … and had the new restaurant up and running six months later!  I’d say that’s cooperation!  It was fun to not only eat and shop there, but we loved walking around their grounds, smelling the sweet scent of jasmine in the air!

The flour is ground with power from this water wheel!

The sign behind us is from the only remaining cedar wall after the fire.  Note how charred it is.

Yes, we are officially in the south once again!  We even found sweet tea to prove it!

P.S. Our stay started out with a fun get together with two couples we met in California!  They are from Oregon and Washington and happened to be camping 40 miles north of us!  While in California, we celebrated Thanksgiving with Janine, Tim, Teresa and Scott!  Several months later, we met them again outside of Palm Springs.  It was beyond delightful to share dinner with them once again, Texas style!  It does make me curious where we will see them next!