Vacation Time

So what's going on in Texas these days?  We enjoyed some beautiful warm days and some sightseeing too.   On our way South we happened to pass by Sikeston, MO about lunchtime and without much arm twisting was able to talk my husband and daughter into going to Lambert's.  This is one of my all time favorite places to eat.  There are only 3 that I know of.  One in Sikeston, one north of Branson and one in Gulf Shores, AL.  It just so happens that we have been to all 3 of these places in the last 2 years and so have hit them all.  You order a meat and 2 sides and the waitstaff comes by with big pots of black eyed peas, fried okra, macaroni and tomatoes and their trademark "throwed rolls."  It is always so funny to see bread flying across the room.

This was our daughter's first time.  She ordered a chef's salad and you can see it was colossal.

 While we were in Houston, we visited the Johnson Space Center.   Much of it is a children's science interactive are, but there are lots of space vehicles and rockets, etc. to view.  We took a tram ride to see the astronaut training area and the ISS full scale models.

These weird looking things gave me the creeps.  Look like something out of a sci-fy movie.

We took Flat Stanley along and took his photo on the Space Shuttle potty and in the cockpit.  I figured First graders would love that.

 On the space center property there are a herd of long horn steer.  Who knows why.  No explanation given on the tour.

 The next day we went to Galveston.  This amusement park is built out on a pier.  It was very hazy and got worse as the day went on.  So we headed indoors to visit a Rainforest arboretum/ botanical garden/ animal house which contained beautiful orchids,

 colorful birds,

 and furry critters like this little guy.  He was so funny.  Every time I got ready to click the shutter on my camera he turned his face away.  Maybe he doesn't like the flash, but he seemed to sense exactly when I was pressing it.  So this is the best of many, many, many attempts to get his photo.  Maybe he is just camera shy?

 At the end of the day, we ate at a pier side restaurant -- fabulous seafood.  Here are our 3 kids --
our daughter, our son and his girlfriend who also lives in Houston.  What a cute bunch.