Radically Retired

Category: Travel

  • Just Ask a Question

    Just Ask a Question

    Before we left Starbase, we noticed one Tesla truck that was bright orange.

    It stood out from the pack of identical metal coloured ev’s like the proverbial sore thumb.

    There was a fellow plugging it in to the charger and his wife/girlfriend was taking photos. There was another couple nearby who appeared to own one of the grey metallic clones.

    Hubs thought that these people looked approachable, so he decided to stop and ask them some questions about the cyber trucks.

    They were all extremely obliging, answered all of hubs’ questions, and even invited us to their Mars-themed beach party, which was to take place last Saturday evening.

    We asked if they were Space X employees and they told us they were from Dallas and Missouri and were just major Tesla fans visiting the area over Christmas.

    They told hubs that once you buy a Tesla cyber truck, you can customize it any way you wish to.

    The young couple that owned the orange Tesla, had every electric kitchen appliance you could think of, plugged in to the box of the truck!

    Friendly and fun folks
    Hubs shirt matched!
    They even had a sleeping tent on top!
    Funny name, and there’s a
    story behind it, of course

    Once again, we learned that people are friendly and kind – all you have to do sometimes is ask a question.

    P.S. Although we appreciated the invitation, we didn’t attend the Mars Beach Party. I would imagine that it was pretty “far out, man!”

  • Lost in Space on Christmas Day

    Lost in Space on Christmas Day

    Our Christmas Day here in SouthTexas involves an hour’s drive over to Starbase at Boca Chica Beach.

    This past year, Elon Musk was able to rename Boca Chica Village and the surrounding area to Starbase.

    Each year, the growth in the area is mind-boggling. Christmas day is a great day to visit because many of the employees have the day off, and there aren’t many tourists.

    This year, in addition to the massive expansion happening at the rocket production facility, there was a new hotel in progress, and Tesla Trucks galore.

    Rocket production facility will be over one million square feet when completed
    New hotel behind the rocket production facility
    Tesla trucks everywhere

    We met a safety technician who explained to us that when the sales of Tesla vehicles dove this past year, Mr. Musk brought all of these trucks (and more in other lots at Starbase) for his Space X employees to lease at very reasonable rates.

    This was part one of our Christmas day drive.

  • Sand Sculpture Paradise

    Sand Sculpture Paradise

    Every year, before Christmas, we make the hour drive over to South Padre Island, TX to take in the new sand sculptures.

    These amazing works of art are sculpted by sand artists from all over the world.

    The only sculpture you’re allowed to touch is Santa’s chair, and I once again tried it out.

    “I’ve been a very good girl, Santa!”
  • Love is All You Need

    Love is All You Need

    My cousin, Carrie has visited us in Texas a few times since we bought our place here.

    Hubs and I have enjoyed touring her around and I’ve especially enjoyed the fact that she loves to walk and hike.

    My feature photo was taken at Quinta Mazatlan, a fascinating and fun place to visit in McAllen, Tx

    We found this mural while hiking the trails that surround the historic adobe mansion.

    As I was making this post, I was reminded of the Beatles’ song, “All You Need is Love”.

  • Ranch Hand Weekend

    Ranch Hand Weekend

    Once every year, King Ranch – the biggest working ranch in the USA, hosts a breakfast for the public. All monies collected are donated to local charities. This is the only day all year that private vehicles are allowed on the ranch proper.

    Hubs and I have attended the breakfast twice since 2019, once by ourselves, and once a couple of seasons ago, with friends from home who were ranchers at one time. This year, along with these same friends, we skipped the breakfast, but did the bus tour of the ranch.

    The bus tour is open year round and is a great way to spend 1.5 hours learning about this 825,000 acre (in South Texas) massive ranching operation.

    On the same weekend as the ranch hand breakfast, the city of Kingsville hosts a festival, complete with vendors, food and art demonstrations, rides for kids, entertainment, and lots of opportunities to get to know the locals. We decided to do the bus tour on the morning of the festival, so we could spend some time checking out the happenings in town, and then head out for the tour after lunch.

    Unfortunately, just as the bus tour was about to begin, the rain started. We went anyways and, with the exception of not many photo ops through the bus windows, we didn’t regret it.

    At the train museum in Kingsville, we met some young dancers preparing for their performance
    All were very obliging to have their photos taken
    I’ve always wanted to try on a Sampan hat. Who knew I’d be able to do that in cowboy country?
    This was inside the King Ranch Saddle Shop in Kingsville. I think this guy liked Cindy
    Me, doing my best Vanna White pose, showing this tree decorated with antlers!
    Cindy and our bus driver/tour guide.
    Cindy and I sat at the back of the bus
    Photos through a drizzly, wet window aren’t the best. The King Ranch brand is everywhere
    The King Ranch was instrumental in the development of the American quarter horse.
    The turkey vultures were numerous and huge!
    Originally named “The Santa Gertrudis Ranch” … The Santa Gertrudis name was given to the cattle that the ranch is famous for developing
    A small portion of the beautiful King Mansion – still in use by descendants of the namesake who built it

    After my post Steamroller Blues? , I promised some of my followers that I would explain the festival in greater detail.

  • Oh to Have 8 Hands …

    Oh to Have 8 Hands …

    … Not just for the many flavours of ice cream, like the fellow in the mural, but to get everything done that I want to in a day.

    This time of year is usually busy for me, as I prepare for Christmas.

    Either this year is busier than usual, or another year added to my age has slowed me down a bit. Hmmm – I wonder which is true.

    My goal for tonight and tomorrow morning, is to try to get caught up with the bloggers I follow.

  • Steamroller Blues?

    Steamroller Blues?

    I’m out of sync with my regular post times this week.

    This is a busy week, so today will be my only post.

    On Saturday, we made the two hour drive to Kingsville, TX to take in the Ranch Hand Festival.

    This was our third trip to the festival and our second trip there with good friends from home who winter in a park near here.

    One of the demonstrations that was new to all of us was the one by TAMUK (Texas A & M University Kingsville) arts department Javelina Printing Club.

    Their printing press was a steamroller! My feature photo is a screenshot from a movie I found about them on Facebook – not my own.

    The process: Designs are carved into a block of wood, and then ink is rolled over the whole slab.

    This is a clip from a movie I shot

    Once this step is complete, the slab is laid face up on the ground and a large sheet of paper placed over it, and then thick matting is layered on top of all.

    The steamroller then drives over and backs up over the lot.

    And voila!

    This is my own photo of the finished print being lifted off the ground

    It was fun and interesting to witness this unique process!

    There were many prints done over the course of the day, and this was apparently their 12th year at the Ranch Hand festival.

    Google Image

    I don’t know how we missed it on previous visits, but am happy we found it this time!

  • Home Grown

    Home Grown

    This mural, on the side of a roadside service station in Saskatchewan, Canada – although weathered, depicts some history of the pioneers and farming in our province.

  • Cats and Colours

    Cats and Colours

    We’ve been stopping in Llano, TX every year on our way south since 2019.

    I found the subject for my feature photo during a walkabout on our first visit there.

  • 2016 – The Wrap Up

    2016 – The Wrap Up

    What started out as an incredible year of long distance travel from January, to and including July, ended up with shorter trips from August to December that focused on weddings of family and friends, my Dad’s 85th birthday party, and lots of quality time with our own small family.

    Each part of the year held its own memories and treasures, and the best part was that hubs and I were both now fully retired, so neither of us had to miss a minute of it because of work schedules.

    We kicked off our retirement with a year packed with everything imaginable. It’s almost as though we were compensating for all of the things we had to cut short or miss entirely in our working careers.

    It was a good year.