Main Street Bethlehem, Burnet, TX

Last Friday I went along with five friends on an outing to Burnet, TX ( http://www.cityofburnet.com/ ) which has a population of about 6,000 and calls itself the Bluebonnet capital of TX. Burnet, which I'm told is pronounced Burn it, durn it!, is about 90 miles north of where I live in northern San Antonio.

We left around 3 PM and stopped at the Blue Bonnet Cafe in Marble Falls. ( http://bluebonnetcafe.net/ ) Oh my, oh my. Talk about good old Southern cooking!! And that fudge pie at the end. You'll just have to go and experience that for yourself!

After that meal our objective was to experience Main Street Bethlehem at the First Baptist Church in Burnet. Main Street Bethlehem was first opened in 1993 and has been up and going every year since. It starts the first Friday of December and runs for two weekends from 6-9 PM. It is obvious right away that this is a true labor of love for the church members. First of all, there is NO CHARGE! They want everyone to come and share in the experience. They dress in costumes and carry on as we suppose folks did at the time of Jesus' birth doing all the ordinary things people might have done in the town of Bethlehem.

Here are the 6 of us with one guy in line behind us sneaking into the picture like we brought him along! The guy behind me is the one brave male who came along with we 5 women!

Our group of 6 

Scenes from Main Street:

Cooking outside

Selling ducks and geese

Making butter and cheese

Bed maker

Tavern

 

Jailer

 

Synagogue

 

Blind beggar

Basket makers

Spinners and weavers

Potter

 

Bread makers gave samples

Grinding corn

Brass items for sale

Children playing a board game

Toolmaker

 

Blacksmith

 

Produce market

Turtledoves for sale

Basket cart

Leather workers

 

Family at dinner

Old couple at home

No room at King David Inn

Getting close to the stable....

Camel

 

Donkeys

 

Cattle were lowing

And the highlight of all of Bethlehem....

Mary, Joseph and Baby Jesus complete with the bright star!

God's gift to us

 

On our return trip we got to enjoy the Christmas lights along the way that it was too early to see before. WOW! The lights at the power company in Johnson City ( http://johnsoncity-texas.com/ ) were amazing. I tried out the 'take your own photo' thing and did pretty well this time. I keep trying!

Lights in Johnson City, TX

Blessings,

gk

Another Trip to Muleshoe

I went to see my sister June at the end of September. At that time I didn't know if I'd ever see her alive again. It was a pretty tough trip. On November 7 hospice called to let me know that it would be likely that June could die any time. We couldn't get to Muleshoe until November 15th. I guess June was holding on until we could get there because we saw her late on the evening of the 15th and then she died just before midnight that night. So I did get to see her one more time. She couldn't talk to me but I got to talk to her!

The next day, Friday, we had a simple burial. Because of infection issues we wanted to have everything done quickly to minimize exposure to as few as possible. It was just Bob and me, the grave digger and the funeral director and his wife and my friend Tyrone. Tyrone and I were in the same High School class. I didn't know that he had been visiting and praying with my sister regularly. And never did I ever imagine that he would be with me at my sister's burial. Small town life is just wonderful that way in providing close relationships.

 

 

 

A simple burial

That evening we were blessed with a beautiful ending to the day....

Sunset in Muleshoe, Nov. 16

Saturday we worked on plans for a memorial and Bob and I went to my childhood home. Sad to say someone had recently broken into the house. It's been empty for a year now. I'm not sure why now but there you are. Boxes of stuff were upended making a pretty big mess. They took a small TV, a suitcase with a laptop inside, a dresser and a valet. We don't know how much other stuff is gone but my brother and I had already gotten most of what we wanted from the house. I'm looking around in my own house with new eyes. Why do we keep so much useless memorabilia?!

The memorial was Sunday, November 17th. I was happy to find out that there were people visiting my sister all along that I never knew about. I got to meet her hairdresser, fellow sorority sisters, church family and co-workers from Cannon AFB. People stood up and told about my sister. It was very personal. Again, small towns can be a big plus. Folks pitched in to make it a nice memorial.

My brother and me

Now it's just my brother, Clifford, and me left in my immediate family. He lives near Tyler, Texas. All we have left in Muleshoe is a house......and some good friends.

Gray home near Muleshoe

Blessings,

gk

A Belated Welcome Home

Last Wednesday Fort Sam Houston hosted a 'Welcome Home' ceremony for Vietnam Vets who never got any sort of welcome at all. I was fortunate to be able to volunteer with the Military-Civilian Club ladies to assist in the event. Lots of veterans came and family members and friends along with them. It was a great day that warmed my heart. All the units at Fort Sam were represented on the Field.

Staff Post Parade Field

As people began to gather we volunteers worked to get them to their seats and to pass out flags, programs and souvenir medals.

Folks began to gather

 

 

I stood in back during colors so this is what I saw of everyone proudly saluting during the National Anthem.

National Anthem

One guy up in the stands held this flag designed to say 'thank you' to the troops. I have no idea if it is an official design but it did the job in any case!

Thank You Flag

After the requisite speeches and certificate bestowals all the active duty troops and civilian visitors lined up on each side of the street leading to the Quadrangle and we cheered all the Vets along the way. Many had tears in their eyes and I had goosebumps just being there. It was wonderful.

Cheers for the Vietnam Vets

At the Quadrangle there was a planned reception with guest books to be signed for a time capsule. I made doubly sure I got my name in there to mark the day!

Guest Book

I'm so grateful I get to participate in such events. Being a military spouse can be tough at times but events like this make it ALL worthwhile!!

Finally, a proper welcome home!

Blessings,
gk

More of Kyoto

Getting around without a car consists of a LOT of walking (or biking but given they drive on the left I was not willing to even think about biking) and figuring out train schedules. Karyn and David seem to have this down. And you have to be careful about getting on the right train. On a trip years ago returning from Hiroshima we ended up on the express train to Tokyo. We did not want to go to Tokyo but the train doors locked before we figured out what was happening. Katie did a lot of bowing and apologizing. I don't know if they had a stop scheduled or if they stopped to let us off but in any case we did not go all the way to Tokyo!

So....outings generally began with a walk to the nearest station if I was lucky, only a few blocks. Karyn and David live amidst about 3 stations. This is the closest one. I cannot remember the name.

Nearest train station

On this particular day we went to what I think is the main station in Kyoto. See that oval in the middle? It's a good meeting place.

Main train station

 

 

Now for a cool escalator ride all the way to the top......

Last of the ride up

.......where we saw a bamboo garden and great views of Kyoto. Kyoto is in a big valley among the mountains (hills?) and is around 1.5 million in population, about the same as San Antonio.

Bamboo garden

Kyoto

Not a lot to the garden but the view was great. And now to look back down to the lower levels.

Looking down

I love the design of this building. There is only one arched area on the left and the one on the right is a reflection. There is a stage next to that red thing in the center of the picture. The stage is about half-way down to the bottom level. All the steps above the stage also serve as seating in the amphitheater formed there. Pretty cool.

On the way to a local shopping area we passed this building. Karyn doesn't think it fits in at all but I kind of like it. Every city needs one of these!

Kyoto's 'needle'

Guess what I found in the shopping center?! Fiber!!! Made my day. 8^)

Yarn!

Knitting needles. Bamboo, what else?!

Swedish fabric in Japan!

Just like home!

 

 

At the end of our outing we found a nice place to eat. It is infinitely helpful to have someone who can interpret the menu. Thank you Karyn for making sure I always got something I liked!

Look at the size of those bowls!

Karyn had tempura

Lastly, we browsed a 100 yen store. You never know what you might find there. I could spend hours browsing but this was a quick run. My most memorable sighting....

Huh....butt pads!

No, I did not buy them. And yes, I know it says 200 yen. Go with it. I didn't buy fabric either....or yarn! I was very good plus I could not read most of the labels. Harumph!

Blessings,
gk

Kyoto

I recently spent 10 days visiting Karyn and David at their new home in Kyoto, Japan. I left San Antonio on Wednesday, Oct. 10 and arrived in Kyoto on Friday, Oct. 12. This involved spending one night in Salt Lake City as well as crossing the International Date Line and a 14 hour time zone change. It was not an easy trip! David met me at the airport in Osaka and Karyn met us at the train station in Kyoto.

Pizza downstairs

Entrance to apartments

The apartment where Karyn and David live is above a Pizza Hut. No, we never had any pizza! Who wants pizza in Japan?! To the right of the Pizza Hut is this entrance to the apartments. There is a locked door for security so no surprise visits.

David and Karyn at home in Kyoto

After depositing my luggage at the apartment we went out to eat at a nearby Nepalese Restaurant. Nearby means that we walked a ways but did not get on a train. This is what you do when you do not have a car. It requires more time management and a lot of exercise, a totally foreign idea to most Americans!

Nepalese Cuisine

The owners of the restaurant obviously have seen Karyn & David before. We were warmly greeted and well fed. The train station is just a few steps to the right in this photo. The trains rumbling overhead totally add to the overall ambiance of the place! The food was yummy though.

After the meal it was back to the apartment and BED! Yes.....but it was difficult to get to sleep. The excitement of arrival and the time change messed up sleep the whole trip. That's just one of the hazards of international travel. Plus it's just not your bed at home. In fact, this was a futon on the floor, Japanese style. It was an immersion experience. 8^)

Now that I'm home sleep is still a mess. Good that I'm retired and can take my time about adjusting!

Blessings,
gk

A Tough Trip

Last weekend I was in Lubbock, TX visiting my sister, June. A family friend gave me a call and said "If you want to see your sister when she might still know who you are, then you need to come now." My brother came as well and we were able to get some things done together for a change. It was really nice to have him there with me.

I last saw June during the summer right after Bob's retirement ceremony. We headed up to Muleshoe (8 hour drive) and brought paperwork with us. THANK GOODNESS we did that. Medical and durable powers of attorney were all put in order. June was bedridden but totally in full control of all her mental faculties. This trip it was hard to tell if she was in touch with reality. Sometimes yes and sometimes for sure, no. Out of the blue she asked "Where's Bob?" so I know she knew who I was or at least who I'm married to!

I got a two-for-one visit in as well. The family friend fell and shattered his elbow so he was in the hospital too. He told me he is 86 or 87 years old. I had no idea!! Wow! He was raring at the bit to get out of that hospital and get on with his life. God bless James! Here's a photo of James that was in my previous email of Pic of the Day. This was in October of 2011 when June first got sick.

Our angel on earth!

Right now June is out of the Lubbock hospital and back in Park View...a nursing home in Muleshoe. It is unbelievable how quickly and how far she has gone downhill in this past year. Hospice is on board to help us out and we are fortunate to have them. It has helped out amazingly to have the powers of attorney all in order. EVERYONE, sick or not, needs to have these. I cannot emphasize that enough. Do it!! Okay, I confess I don't have POAs but it was vital for my sister who has no spouse or children to speak for her. Without this I could get NO information and had great difficulty in helping out in any way.

Here's a photo with a wonderful nurse....

And a photo of the two of us....

And a close-up....

It's easy to see how I might look in a few years. The resemblance is startling, even to me. And I have to finish with a pic of my Garmin the GPS of my dreams. It never fails to tickle me when I put in a destination back home. Turn in 66 miles!

From Muleshoe to the hospital in Lubbock

Take care of yourself and your family! You never know!

Blessings,
gk