JAMAICA BEACH

"Construction Camp"

Jamaica Beach RV Resort had a Good Sam Rating of 10/10/10. It had advertised good paved roads, 111 pull-thru sites, cable, wifi, pool, spa, splash pad, lazy river, outdoor movie theater, activities, and minutes away from cruise lines, NASA, etc. The amenities sounded too good to be true.

Upon arrival,the receptionist told us we did not have a reservation. And we could not park on the site they had originally assigned to us. Finally, the two gals were able to verify our reservation and assured us the "premium" lot they assigned us was nice...and quiet.  It was in the new section but there was "grass."

Windshield View

We were very disappointed upon arrival at our site. The sod looked like they put it down that morning and it had not been rolled out, very uneven and lumpy. A worker was covering the sewer pipes with duct tape as there were no caps. 

During the day there were workers placing rerod and pouring cement for new sites, working on construction of the lazy river, and hauling dirt in a skid steer or large bucket roller past our site.

The heart of Galveston was 11 miles away from us as Jamaica Beach is on the west end of Galveston Island. There was no wifi for 90% of our week's stay.

Funny, the RV resort map indicated a dumpster would be placed on the end of the row alongside our "premium" lot. Yuck!

The Best Thing: Although the beach was about three blocks away from us, we could hear the surf through the walls of the motorhome (for three days we could hear it but not see the surf...sea fog).

"ICI ON PARLE FRANCAIS?" (Do You Speak French)?)

"Joie de Vivre" (Joy of Life)

Jeaux Biff's (Jeaux pronounced "Joe")

Zydeco is a fast tempo musical style dominated by the accordion and washboard.  The music integrates rock and roll, shuffles, and waltz.

Saturday Morning Zydeco Dancing

We were lucky to find a Saturday Zydeco breakfast in Breaux Bridge at Buck & Johnny's. The place was hopping by 8:30 in the morning where Terry & the Zydeco Bad Boys were playing. The best thing was the fellow playing the "rub board". 

"Laissez lesbon temps rouler! Let the good Times Roll!

New Zydeco Friends

Above Ground Burial Tombs

Above ground burials are more expensive than in-ground burials. Possible reasons include preventing water damage and leakage, saving space when below ground sites are not available, and having a more stylish memorial in their wake.  We were told an above ground burial in this area costs upward of $20,000.

LET THE GOOD TIMES ROLL!

Lafayette, LA is in the heart of the region called Acadiana, consisting of 22 parishes. The Cajun region of Louisiana is known as Acadiana. The term Acadiana encompasses the Cajun & Creole Country, land settled generations ago.

Cajun Jam Session at "Joie de Vivre"

Cajun culture began with the arrival of French Acadians, french speaking people from Canada, who migrated to and settled in Louisiana between 1765-1785 after the English stripped them of their land and exiled them.  Over 3,000 of them made their way to Louisiana. 

Crawfish Capital of the World

Breaux Bridge, LA is located just east of Lafayette, LA.  Because of the crawfish farming and cooking the state legislature designated it as "la capitale Mondiale de I'ecrevisse". Native Americans in this area are credited with first harvesting and eating crawfish before the Cajuns arrived. It took some time to convince Cajuns to eat crawfish but by the 1930s they were seen as a good source of protein, especially for the poor Cajuns. 

Acadiana produces the most crawfish in the state and has the most crawfish acreage. The Atchafalaya Basin with its varied region of rivers, bayous and swamps iis the largest swamp in the country. 

Where do the crawfish come from?  First you need rice. Farmers use rice fields as crayfish ponds by adding crawfish seed to the rice bed. So they actually grow two different crops in the same field.  

Going for Lunch on the Levee

Where's the Beef?

"Laissez les bon temps rouler!" Let the Good Times Roll!

BISHOP'S PALACE

Bishop's Palace is One of the Most Lavish Homes in U.S.

As we drove by this home, I was impressed by its beauty. The Bishop's Palace is so exquisite,it was definitely worth a look.

The Bishop's Palace, formerly the Gresham mansion, was built in 1892.  It was built for Walter Gresham, a Galveston lawyer and politician, his wife Josephine, and their nine children.  

Octagonal Mahogany Staircase with a Pulpit

It is an ornate Victorian-style house with 19,082 square feet. The raised basement once housed the kitchen and servant's quarters. There are three formal floors that include stained glass windows, rare woods, painted murals and ceilings, intricately carved ornaments, and exotic materials and furnishings. There are impressive fireplaces from around the world. One fireplace is lined with pure silver.

Fireplace with Silver and Onyx Mantle

Because the mansion was designed for strength and beauty, it survived the Great Storm of 1900 virtually unscathed. The Gresham family welcomed hundreds of survivors of the hurricane into their home.  

Post Card Box (Family Photo Album)

In 1921, Galvestonians raised money to purchase the house for the Galveston-Houston Archdiocese.  The Catholic diocese bought the home in 1923. While Bishop Christopher E. Byrne resided there one room was made into a chapel with stained glass windows. After the diocesan offices were moved to Houston, the Diocese the mansion was opened to the public in 1963.

The Galveston Historical foundation purchased the property in 2013. 

The home is estimated to have cost $250,000 at the time. Its value today is estimated at over $5.5 million. The building is listed by the U.S. Dept of Interior as a National Historic Landmark. 

LONE STAR FLIGHT MUSEUM

Lone Star Flight Museum

The golden age of aviation is recalled at the Lone Star Flight Museum. It hosts more than two dozen vintage aircraft, all in flying condition. The LSFM boasts a collection of planes from WWII to the Vietnam War era.

Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress

The B-17 was primarily used by the U.S. Army Air Force for strategic daytime bombing campaigns during WWII against German military and industrial targets. 

B-25 Liberators Bombed Tokyo

The Doolittle Raid, a/k/a the Tokyo Raid, was a dangerous secret mission in WWII, the first air raid to strike the Japanese Home Islands. Colonel Jimmy Doolittle was in charge of this mission. At his request a special bomb sight was cobbled together from two pieces of scrap aluminum. The cost of materials was only 20 cents. This special bomb sight was nicknamed  "Mark Twain" and
replaced the Norden bomb sight that had a price of $10,000.

Col. Doolittle Tokyo Raiders

Doolittle and his crew were the first off the USS Hornet. As a result of an early takeoff, the 16 B-25 bombers were short on fuel to reach safe zones.  All of the airplanes, except one, either crash landed or the crew bailed out.

Russian MiG-15

The MiG-15 was a jet fighter that incorporated swept wings to achieve high speeds in combat over Korea. It outclassed the West's straight-winged jet fighters. With the more refined MiG-17, the basic design again surprised the West when it proved effective against supersonic fighters such as the F-4 Phantom II in the Vietnam War.

Checking Out a WWII Trainer Aircraft

The U. S. made Cessna AT-17 Bobcat is a twin-engine advanced trainer aircraft used during WWII. 

Navy Corsair Maximum Speed 462 MPH

The fast and powerful Corsair fighter was the first Allied plane capable of going toe-to-toe with the Japanese Zero.  It was designed to operate from U.S. aircraft carriers.  The Corsair saw service during WWII and also flew during the Korean War.

Me & My Fly Boy

The Lone Star Flight Museum suffered heavy damage from Hurricane Ike in 2008. The hangars and Hall of Fame were flooded with eight feet of water. Most of the airworthy planes were flown out of the museum prior to the hurricane, including the B-17 and the B-25.

The LSFM is in the process of moving to Houston to avoid repeat of the devastation suffered during Hurricane Ike.

AT THE BEACH

Playground of the South

There are 32 miles of sand beach. The east end is flanked by hotels, condos, shopping, attractions and restaurants. The west end is residential, mostly condos and single family structures. 

Galveston has many soft beaches and calm, warm waters along the Gulf of Mexico along with different types of parks on the beach. 

Toes in the Sand

It is believed that the barrier island known as Galveston is believed to be over 5,000 years old.  On the west end of the island, where we were, the dunes roll right into the prairie.

It Doesn't Get Any Better

The Seawall is a great place to take a stroll or a bike ride with many diversions ranging from souvenir shops to restaurants and, of course, the "Pleasure Pier".

Galveston Seawall

At 10.4 miles long, the Seawall lining the Gulf of Mexico is the world's longest continuous sidewalk.

Beach on San Luis Pass

Pleasure Pier

Beware of Snakes in the Dunes

Original Beach Home?

SEA FOG

“Galveston, Oh, Galveston, I still hear your sea winds blowing.” 

Sea Fog

NO, THAT'S NOT SMOKE YOU'RE SEEING. It's "sea fog." Wind plays a big role in the story of sea fog. The sea fog originates over the Gulf of Mexico.  Warm and humid air moves across the comparatively cooler waters of the Gulf of Mexico and drifts onshore from relatively warm onshore winds. 
This fog lingers until the heat of the sun evaporates it, often lasting into the afternoon.

Rock Jetty

The best spots for surfing are along the Seawall where there are rock jetties and fishing piers. 

If You Can Surf Galveston, You Can Surf Anywhere

It's not a surfing mecca because it's hard to surf on the small,choppy surf on the Gulf coast.

Dry Docked Oil Rig

Large structures such as oil platforms, offshore platforms and oil rigs have living and industrial facilities to drill wells, extract and process oil. Off shore oil rigs are brought in to Galveston and Houston for dry dock repairs.

Carnival Cruise Ship

On January 14 and 15 three Carnival cruise ships were affected by heavy fog in Galveston. There were a string of delayed departures forcing Carnival Cruise Lines to shorten each cruise and make itinerary changes.