St John's -Part 2

Today is our last day in St John's and we started the day at The Rocket Bakery.

We were delighted to see Barb again and her sister Lisa whom we had not met before.   Barb and her husband Blair are dear friends we know from Beaver Dam and they are Nufy's.  Clearly Barb is very happy to be back home for a visit and we had a great time.

The bakery had some delicious coffee's and foods.

Then it was off to the The Rooms, the name of their Museum.  It is truly amazing with its wealth of information.  The Rock which becomes a reality to those who visit and read about the history of this part of Canada. The exhibits covers from the connections this place has with its early people,to the fishing grounds, to military installations, to melting ice.  Life here was very hard indeed for the native population and those early settlers.

NFL also has a rich military history.  The First World War was a defining moment in Canadian history and to commemorate its centenary which was 1 July this year on, 1 July 2016, The Rooms will open a new exhibit  which will portray the heroic efforts of the Royal Newfoundland Regiment both at Gallipoli and Beaumont - Hamel in France.

During these campaigns 500 NFL volunteers lost their lives in support of the British Empire.  Today and for always they will be remembered.

Just down from the Museum is the magnificent Basilica.

It is also provides a good view of the harbour.

Being Christmas, dotted throughout the Museum there are a variety of different Christmas trees.  They vary from the traditional.

To the extraordinary.

The Rooms are worth a visit.
Cheers Beverley and Ross

St John's, Newfoundland, Canada Christmas 2015

It has been some years since we last visited Newfoundland and so we decided to visit and enjoy a white Christmas.  As you would know NFL is a large Canadian island off the east coast of the North American mainland, and the most populous part of the Canadian province of Newfoundland and Labrador. The province's official name was "Newfoundland" until 2001, when its name was changed to "Newfoundland and Labrador" (the postal abbreviation was later changed from NF to NL).
Well there was some snow on the ground when we arrived very late on the evening of 21 Dec as shown by next morning photo of Signal Hill.

Within 24 hours the sun was out,  the temperature had risen and the snow melted but the St john's harbour still looked spectacular.

 In this place Sir Humphrey Gilbert on 5 August 1583 proclaimed this New Found Land a British Territory.

Today this is NFL's War Memorial.  There are still wreaths evident from Remembrance Day celebrations of 11 November.

 This is also the home of  the Labrador and Newfoundland breeds of dog.

There are many pubs dotted around City.

After walking the hilly, windy streets of the city it was time for a short  sit down.

 NFL is know for its great seafood and this NFL cod was delicious.

 So were the scallops.

This beef dish was also very tasty.

On Christmas day nothing much is opened, including restaurants.   We were fed a traditional Christmas Dinner courtesy  of the mother of one of the hotel's staff members. Another  example of the outstanding warmth, friendliness and generosity of the "Newfy's".

So much to see and do. A great place to visit.

Cheers Bev and Ross

Sattler - Texas

We house our RV at Canyon Lake in the town of SATTLER, TEXAS. Sattler, ten miles northwest of New Braunfels in the hills of east central Comal County, has also been known as Mountain Valley, for the local school, and as Walhalla, for the Walhalla Singing Club organized there in 1877. The post office was named for William Sattler when it opened in his home in 1856. Sattler had settled in Comal Town in 1846 and at Mountain Valley in 1853. Later the post office was moved to a general store, which became a business and social center for area farmers and ranchers. Part of the Sattler community extended into Hidden Valley, which was settled in 1863. The valley comprised more than 1,000 acres of farmland on the west bank of a bend in the Guadalupe River. Sattler had an estimated twenty-five residents until shortly after World War II. Records suggest it was virtually deserted by the 1950s; its revival in the mid-1960s followed the completion of nearby Canyon Dam and the inundation of the valley above Sattler. Thereafter Sattler served residents and tourists of the Canyon Lake area. Its population was estimated at thirty in 1990. The population remained the same in 2000.

Following is the Sattler Christmas Parade.  It was a wet day but this did not deter the locals who brought along their easy chairs to view the parade. 

The parade started with the flag bearers.

 Everyone knows everyone in small towns so the Constable is well known and was well received.

 The young ladies all enjoyed the opportunity to entertain the crowd.

 It would not be a country parade without the horses.

 There were many old cars in the parade but nothing compares to the Model T.

Next week we are off to St John's, Newfoundland, Canada for Christmas so expect some pictures of lots of snow.

Best wishes,  Beverley and Ross

New Restaurant near home

Over the 4 years we have lived in our home in San Antonio more and more conveniences are being built very close to where we live.  Last night we discovered this restaurant which has just opened up and its only about a 5 minutes drive from home.

The huge pizza over is covered with pennies.

The food is very nice.  This plate has garlic knots with herbed olives.

 Followed by a margarita pizza.

Accompanied by an antipasto plate.

 For those who can remember back when Dean Martin, Louis Armstrong and others were around, this wall shows those from that time enjoying a bowl of pasta.

It was a great evening and we will be back again to try their other interesting plates.

Best wishes,  Beverley and Ross

Thanksgiving 2015

Thanksgiving Day is a National holiday celebrated in Canada and the USA as a day of giving thanks for the blessing of the harvest and the preceding year.  It is celebrated on the second Monday of October in Canada and on the fourth Thursday of November in the USA.  Thanksgiving has its historical roots in religious and cultural traditions and has long been celebrated in a secular manner as well.  So today on Thanksgiving day we had a late lunch at the Wild Fish Seafood Grill in San Antonio.
Ross enjoyed lobster from South Africa.

Beverley enjoyed Chilean Sea Bass Asian style.

Accompanied by beets with walnut and asparagus.

Dessert was a delicious blackberry cobbler.

Completed with a double espresso and cognac for Ross

So from both of us a happy Thanksgiving.

May 2016 be a great year for all.

Best Beverley and Ross