Welcome to JOYFUL REFLECTIONS. Also welcome to MARCH!!!! My header picture this month is a photo I took of the pretty Crocus blooms in our yard... The Crocuses and Daffodils are the first signs of spring here in Tennessee. I am definitely ready for SPRING...

Wednesday, April 22, 2009

Back from RAINY Texas


We are home from our vacation in Texas, visiting my middle son and family. We had an 'interesting' trip to say the least. We went to Texas not only to see this wonderful family--but especially to see the girls play softball since I've never gotten to see them play. WELL----we got to see NO softball at all.

While there, they had some of the worst storms and flooding and hail and wind and tornadoes that I've seen ---EVER!!!!! There was a tornado that touched down a few miles from their house---and even though they didn't get the tornado (thank God), they did get alot of wind and rain... It blew their VERY heavy grill completely over.. Their lawn furniture went all over the place---and one chair even propelled through the fence leaving a big hole in the wooden fence. I'm sure the winds were 60-75 miles per hour.. Scary!!!! Their basketball goal blew over and put a dent in their van... Unbelievable!!!!! AND---there was alot of FLOODING.

All of these heavy rains and storms finally stopped on Sat. night. BUT--the ground was too wet on Sunday for the tournament. SO--Mark took us all around the area to see all of the storm damage from Hurricane Ike (from last Sept)... There is still so much damage down there --it's totally mind-boggling. We also went down to Galveston and checked out the beach, the Strand and Seawall. I was pleased to see that Galveston has done SO much to make the area look better especially along the main streets. We drove a little ways down West Beach---but didn't get to go across the ferry to see all of the damage in Boliver (east side of Galveston) this time.. The worst damage we saw was in San Leon ---south of Kemah. There are houses and houses all along the bay area that are just totally empty (and very damaged). People just seemed to walk away from their homes. Only the people with MONEY have been able to rebuild.

George and I took everyone to Kemah (which also has done a great job of rebuilding since Ike) for dinner on Sunday night. That was nice!!! Kemah is a recreation area (restaurants, boardwalk, shops, all kinds of rides, a little train, boating, etc.) We went to Babin's Restaurant---for seafood and cajun food. YUM!!!! We sat outside ---with the bay behind us. It was a gorgeous day --and when we got back to their house, we got to sit by their pool for awhile. As bad as Friday and Saturday were, Sunday couldn't have been prettier!!!!

Here are some pictures for you. Above is Grammy with her grands. The picture was taken at Babin's Restaurant in Kamah (on Galveston Bay)--near Seabrook, TX. Below are more.




My wonderful son and daughter-in-law; This picture was taken at Babin's Restaurant.The picture was dark--so after I lightened it to see their faces, you now can't see Galveston Bay in the background.




Mark and his youngest daughter (age 12) on the beach in Galveston ---on Sunday, April 19




Mark and family---in front of their beautiful hone in Seabrook, TX




A close-up of this little family; As are most young families these days, they are all VERY busy.. The oldest daughter (15 1/2) is being trained to be a lifeguard this summer (Summer job). She is also learning how to drive. (Brought back memories of me teaching my three sons to drive!!! "Been there---done that" and don't want to do it again!!!! ha)

All in all, it was a great trip---and so much fun to see the all four of them... Maybe someday, we'll get to see the girls play softball!!!! Oh Well!!!! It's colder than cold here.... Our low tonight is 35 degrees. GADS---why aren't we in Texas sitting by the pool?????? ha

Hope all of you have had a great week/weekend. I will catch up on blogs this week!!!!
Hugs,

49 comments:

Kim said...

Great pictures of you and your grandkids! Sorry to hear to the weather. I am glad you all made out okay.

RA said...

Welcome back, Betsy! I have missed you. The weather sounded very scary. I'm glad that your family was alright. Good to know that you had a nice Sunday. Thanks for sharing the interesting activities. Have a great day :)

Rose said...

Oh my! I am sorry you didn't get to see any softball. Sounds like you had a narrow escape with the tornado. That wind would have been something else to witness.

I'm glad you are back home safe and sound.

Carol Murdock said...

Hey Betsy....Welcome home! I think the oldest girl favors Grammy! The weather can really put a damper on things sometimes huh? Glad you all are safe! My daughter is has been here since Friday and we have been having a shopping frenzy!
Carol

Beth said...

So glad to know you got back safely, Betsy! I'm sorry about all the nasty weather, but thank God you were all spared the worst. It looks like you had a great visit anyway, and I'm sure they were all were thrilled to see you. Welcome back.

Arkansas Patti said...

Welcome back. So glad you all survived the storm but sorry the softball game was cancelled. I'm sure it disappointed the grandparents as much as the players.
It does look like you nicely salvaged the visit though.
On the 17th while you were gone, I passed on the Zombie Chicken award to you. Well deserved. Sorry about the timing.

Busy Bee Suz said...

What a beautiful family. SO sorry about the storms...but that is how they DO them in Texas...big!!!
Perhaps they can video tape a game or two and send them to you. You can still cheer...but the girls just won't hear ya!
Glad you both made it home safe and sound.

Connie said...

Glad to have you back. Sounds like you had a good time even if the weather wasn't great.

What a beautiful family. It would have been so nice if they could have showed off their softball skills for grandma.

Susie said...

Sounds like you had a great trip even with the bad weather. I'm glad it was no worse than it was.

Glad you guys are back safe and sound.

Unknown said...

'bout time you got back! Sorry the weather was bad. Your son's family is adorable and what a beautiful home, you should have taken a larger photo of it......oh yeah, it's the people you wanted to show off.........don't blame you there! Welcome home, bundle up and drink some hot chocolate.

Peggy said...

Welcome home!

Diane AZ said...

Too bad about the weather. You sure did get some great photos of the happy family! Welcome back!

Jen said...

I saw the weather on the news and felt so bad for you all.
Great smiling family-glad you got to go visit.

Cedar ... said...

I'm so glad that the tornado didn't damage your son's place. I'm sure it was a tragedy for others in its path, though. Sorry about no softball! My granddaughter's first game is today after school, but it is a long drive away so i'll wait for home games next week. Maybe you should have stayed longer and enjoyed warmer weather now that the storms have passed!

I Am Woody said...

Sorry you missed out on the softball but I am very glad you are safe and that they had relatively little damage. I thought of you when I saw how much it was raining in Houston. Looks like you had a wonderful visit!!

Shelley said...

Betsy - I'm sorry for the storms! But I know you had a wonderful time w/ your family! Your granddaughters are so beautiful!! This bad weather has really seemed to drag on - I hope we've seen the last of it!
Missed ya!
Shelley

SmilingSally said...

What a shame it rained so much, but they are a good looking family.

Femin Susan said...

too bad about the whether.
cheers!

Pigeon said...

Welcome back home. I missed You! I'm sorry about all the bad weather during your trip.

Karin said...

I'm sure glad you didn't let the lousy weather stop you from having a great time with family! Very nice photos - one grand sure has a great resemblance to grandma!! Beautiful family Betsy!

Hope it warms up for you real soon!

Love, Karin

Becky said...

you are going to have to quit bringing the rain on your trips with you ;)

Glad you had a good time with your family.

Deborah Godin said...

Well, maybe not entirely the kind of excitement you were looking for, but glad you are safe and had a wonderful time with your family!

Unknown said...

Betsy
What a wonderful weekend in spite of the storms. Thank goodness there was no lasting damage to your family and you made it home fine. You can always toodle back there for a ballgame a little later maybe. I bet this trip you spent more time with them than you would have had the weather been gorgeous around the clock.
Happy Twirls

SweetAnnee said...

So glad you're home safe and had a good time
despite the weather ..

hugs, Deena

Mary Isabella and Kiley too! said...

What a sweet and beautiful family you have. I am so sorry you did not get to see a softball game. I know you had a good time anyway...m.

Cicero Sings said...

Hey Betsy, welcome home! Glad you had a fun time with the grands even if the weather was horrible and you didn't get to see them play.

Life guarding is a good summer job. As for driving ... I'd make a horrible instructor!

Clara....in TN said...

Glad you are home and sorry you didn't get to see the grands play ball. But I'm sure just seeing them was sufficient. A lovely family and a beautiful home.

Tina said...

Oh Betsy, and how you were looking forward to seeing some softball..:(
Wow, you sound like you could write a book, winds, blown over grills, dents in cars, flooding...yikes!! Sounds horrbile! BUT in all your pics EVERYONE has a big smile.. so it does prove that despite all ma nature's nastiness the family had fun!
Glad you got back safely and can settle down with your backyard creatures and your roses!! :)

Jackie said...

Welcome Back!!

This Is My Blog - fishing guy said...

Betsy: Sounds like a fun trip, so glad you got to visit with the family. I have spent some time in Houston and it really can rain down there.
We had snow flurries today.

Natalie said...

Looks like even with the rain you guys had a blast! Glad you made it through the storms ok. My family and friends in AL had a few close calls as well but thankfully the were all ok.

Leedra said...

Glad you had a very good visit, despite all the bad weather. Love seeing the family photos and are glad to have you back.

Leedra’s Photos For FunLeedra’s Greeting CardsPhotography By Leedra

Mandy said...

Sorry you didn't get to see any softball, but I'm glad you had a nice visit! You have a lovely family!

Mandy

Jane said...

Glad you are home and in one piece!!

Jane

Ruth's Photo Blog said...

Hi Betsy,It is good to have you back on the blog.You have a lovely family and I must say I can see the Granddaughters look like Grandma.Too bad the weather was not better.
Blessings,Ruth

Wendy said...

Welcome back!! Too bad the weather was awful. I'm glad you were able to take some pics, though. Your family looks wonderful. Nice to visit family. I guess softball will have to wait until another time.

So your granddaughter wants to be a lifeguard? My son did that a few years ago. You have to be 18 here in Canada in order to take the "nationals" . Since my son just turned 37, well that was almost 20 years ago now. Time flies!!!!
Glad you're back safe and sound.
Hugs

EG CameraGirl said...

Sorry about all that bad weather, Betsy. But it looks like you had a fabulous time just the same. Lovely family!

Diane said...

Betsy, Beautiful family, that was what it was about anyway, wasn't it. The tornado and wind and rain were just for your entertainment!!!

lola said...

Dear Betsy.
I'm so glad that you are home safe. Scary to see & hear the wind like that. Sorry that your son had some damage. Also sorry you didn't get to see any ball games. They are fun.
We had some bad weather here. It followed us all the way back from Tn. Yes, my granddaughter was sweet enough to carry me up home for a visit. It was nice.

Unknown said...

Sounds like a great trip. I flew over Galveston earlier this summer, before the big storm.

Loran said...

It looks like I'm not the only one who is glad you are back online. I'm sorry you didn't get to see the girls play softball, but it looks like you managed to have a good visit anyway. Our trip to Texas last month was rainy as well, but we are having real spring weather here in Utah and it was glorious today!

Anonymous said...

It looks like you had an excellent time visiting family and feeling the pulse of the community. Did you get to find any waterfalls in the region?

Neal said...

I'm glad you're home safe and sound. It sounds like you had a great time with your family.

Unknown said...

I'm glad you enjoyed the trip in spite of the weather. They are a very nice looking family!

PCovi said...

Nice getting to see some (more) of your family!
I have been in Texas when there was lots and lots of flooding...and I've been to Galveston...It would be hard to keep a place nice that takes a hit from so much weather all the time.

Mary said...

I"m glad you had a good time despite the storms. They sound like they were really awful.

Cassie said...

Thanks for the "tour" of your Texas trip. So sorry no softball games, but at least you got to be with those lovely granddaughters and the family. Patrick has been at school in Houston for 2 weeks(back to Phx on Friday!) and he said they've had lots of stormy weather and near hurricanes too.It's been 97-102 degrees here lately but should get 'down to' the 80's this week end. I hope. I hate hot weather.Not sure for sure when we'll get back home to Idaho. Okay, better go now!

Anonymous said...

So very sorry about the rain & tornadoes - but at least you got to see your family!!! Beautiful pics too!

Janie said...

So glad you had fun in spite of the weather. Great photos of the family!