San Antonio continues..

June 15, 2019June 13, 2019 / youngretireeneedsalife / Leave a comment

By 3 pm heavy downpours of rain had begun so my daughter and I went into the city to visit the San Antonio Museum of Art. Since HEB, (the famous supermarket), had sponsored a free visit from 4-9 we grabbed an adult beverage at the Emma Hotel.

The Emma Hotel was once a 19th century brewhouse and has been renovated to maintain that atmosphere. The man who owned the brewhouse was murdered by one of his girlfriends and his wife successfully continued the business through prohibition and beyond. San Antonio also has an amazing river walk with many quaint spots, however the rain precluded our outside visits.

At 4 pm we made our way to the museum and what an amazing place that was! As a former New Yorker who is a museum and arts hound I was extremely impressed. Oil money well donated and at work here. There was even a wing donated by Nelson Rockefeller, a descendant of Standard Oil fame, as well as a prominent New York State governor, and our 41st Vice President.

The Museum was formerly the home of Lone Star Brewery and while I enjoyed the Egyptian, Chinese, Greek, European and Latin American art I would have enjoyed a movie on how the building was renovated. It must have been quite a feat.

While I could rattle on about the glories of the Museum a picture is worth a thousand words so will close with these shots. It is a must see…

Thanks, HEB for your generosity. Local folks bring your children here on Tuesday nights 4-9.

Don’t miss the Dale Chihuly ceiling as you leave the museum.
It’s breathtaking. One of his finest.

Austin Landing

June 13, 2019June 11, 2019 / youngretireeneedsalife / Leave a comment

Being told by hotel staff that Houston traffic calms after 9 a.m. I began the last leg of my journey at this time. Katy Freeway is a 7 lane toll road, however, I am still unsure if I have a toll to pay. I caught a glimpse of a sign with the road website and called them. Friendly customer service folks told me to call again in 2 weeks. Huh?

Back to the journey.. And the award for best GPS travel navigator AP extraordinaire is Waze. She brought me directly to my daughter’s home. Thank you, Waze.

Upon arrival and after hugs, kisses and luggage duty we left for Elton John’s Rocketman at a local movie theater. I had brought a turkey and this was placed in the oven before we left for the movie. Elton’s movie was operatic with his songs explaining his life. Different.

Since my daughter is doing bathroom renovations we stopped at a big box store and Habitat for Humanity to check prices after the movie. In discussing the condo upgrades she mentioned the dials on her stove were backwards. Unaware I had placed a turkey in the oven on broil rather than 325 we rushed back to her home where we were met by clouds of black smoke as we opened the door.

With dinner now blackened and her condo relieved of smoke we headed for a Lockhart barbeque restaurant in Hill Country, Texas. This area of Texas is green and lush with many winery signs dotting the roads we traveled. Dinner was ribs and once completed we explored further finding “Wizard College.” This appeared to be a place where urban professionals train, however, we encountered a couple marrying at their chapel overlooking the hills. Interesting combination.

Ending our day we visited a guy friend of my daughter’s to pick up Mo, the dog. She and her guy friend dog share. Oh, relationships, will we ever understand them?

Our final stop was HEB, the most amazing and probably only supermarket in Texas. With HEB you only need one as they sell just about everything. First on my list, oven cleaner, as repentance for my sins.

203 Blogs

June 12, 2019June 10, 2019 / youngretireeneedsalife / Leave a comment

I just checked my Word Press statistics and was impressed to see I’ve written 203 blogs. This is a bit of an anniversary for me! Yippee! In my senior years I have found something to do. BLOG. Wish it was a more catchy phrase, but I’ll take it for what it’s worth.

Wouldn’t you know it last night at the Motel 6 in Katy, Texas, I found a Wall Street Journal newspaper. It had an amazing article on how Florida is tackling their crumbling interstate around Orlando. I was impressed by the article and grateful to learn of their actions.

Let me paraphrase – urban density makes rebuilding highways a challenge. I understand that and simply wish they’d post signs when they close I-4 and I have to find the airport for a 6 a.m. flight.

203 Blogs – What an accomplishment. I am on my way. Something for me to do. I am a Blogger and have a new career. Austin here I come!

The Endless Journey Continues…….

June 11, 2019June 10, 2019 / youngretireeneedsalife / Leave a comment

After leaving Beauvoir, (French for beautiful view, sorry forgot to mention that), I continued the endless journey. Having a diet coke ice cream float at a fast food place gave me the sugar rush to continue. With Alabama completed and one third of Mississippi down Louisiana would be a breeze or so I thought.

Since it is the summer road construction was vast in every state on route 10. While I’d like to say this hindered my trip it did not. Everyone merrily passed me even in construction zones. Though not a fan of speeding in construction zones I picked up my pace for fear of being trampled. Those Ford trucks sure can move.

Once through Mississippi I was traversing the sole of the Louisiana boot. Route 10/12 was often a bridge over a bayou and I passed through parishes. Since this was a Sunday I wondered where were all these folks going? Maybe to parishes? Bad joke..

With Louisiana bidding me farewell I finally arrived in Texas. Thinking I was near my destination I checked with Auntie Google. Could that be possible another 4 hours to Austin??

Tomorrow: Destination Austin.

Austin – The Endless Journey

June 10, 2019June 10, 2019 / youngretireeneedsalife / Leave a comment

Started my 1100 mile journey from Florida to Austin at 3 a.m. The roads in this part of Florida were well constructed and I made good time through the Panhandle.

If only they could clean up the Orlando road system. That is their jewel in the crown with the money makers of Disney, Universal, and Sea World. After visiting that area for over 40 years those roads remain a catastrophe and an embarrassment as world citizens visit the area. Enough complaining..

After 9 hours on the road I was grateful to see a sign which piqued my interest. Beauvoir, the home of the President of the Confederacy, Jefferson Davis, was a short jaunt off route 10 in Biloxi, Mississippi. The home was a lovely example of Antebellum construction. Along with the beautiful home and gardens there also was an interesting museum depicting the era.

Prior to his presidency, Jefferson Davis was a graduate of West Point and served as Secretary of War to President Franklin Pierce. His first wife was the daughter of Zachary Taylor, however, this marriage was short lived with her premature death. With his second wife he had 6 children 4 of which died during his lifetime. His daughter Winnie was considered the daughter of the confederacy and never married as her love was a union affiliate. In Jefferson Davis’ final speech he wished the nation to remain united.

The home is constructed of cypress wood and has survived 26 storms with the latest, Katrina, causing 10 million dollars damage and destroying many of the 60 out buildings. Rooms have hand painted frescos which can be seen in this picture as the docent stands next to a 250 year old functional grandfather clock.

Beauvoir was used as a confederate veterans home by over 2000 patients after Davis’ demise then became a museum.

View from the Beauvoir porch. Quite a spot to recuperate at.

And let me close with the garden views from Mrs. Davis bedroom window.

Preparing for the Journey: How to use the car radio

June 9, 2019June 9, 2019 / youngretireeneedsalife / Leave a comment

Here’s what she looks like.. a daunting creature

Anticipating an 1100 mile journey to Austin for a visit to my daughter I decided to learn how to use the car radio.

I began by attempting to turn the radio on. While it starts arbitrarily as I drive today it did not. I simply could not find “the spot.”

Continuing to fiddle with the radio buttons Sirus radio began to play. Though I had requested this be removed, it wasn’t, so I checked it out. There were various stations offered anywhere from the Beatles to Joel Osteen. Such diversity! No wonder why Howard Stern is worth 70 million dollars.

Eventually I was able to shut Sirus off and locate a “normal” radio station. This was a challenge and don’t ask me how, but I did. Will I ever be able to access the normal radio station again? Who knows, but, I’m sure I’ll be receiving a monthly bill from Sirus until I have 2 hours to figure out how to stop their service.

I think I’ll stick to prayer as I drive. It’s certainly cheaper and definitely has results.

Catch-up: Insurance

June 8, 2019June 7, 2019 / youngretireeneedsalife / Leave a comment

Home today recouping from a root canal. This was a perfect time to take on travel claims as the 800 mg. of Motrin every 6 hours certainly dulled the two pains – one in the mouth and the other in the a–. 🙂

I started with the travel insurance company and found their process a simple, on-line approach. One customer support call was all that was needed as the gal stayed on the line while I traversed their web site.

The next call was to my favorite travel company of which I am a gold member. When I placed my rental car order for my Arizona trip the pick up address was an Air Force Base. Never thinking the office was on base I completed the order. Well, the office was on base and since I lacked military clearance I could not enter the base.

Incurring $38 in Uber fees traveling back and forth from airport to base and back again, I wanted reimbursement for their error. But more than this I asked they amend the site to reflect this information. Others should not have to go through this angst, however, I had forgotten – no good deed goes unpunished.

On this, the fifth call, I totally lost my cool and was an ugly American. By the end of our conversation I had received a $200 credit, a migraine headache and was thankful it was time for more Motrin.

Moral of the story: Get the rental car at the airport.

Phoenix, the Friendliest Airport?…

June 5, 2019June 5, 2019 / youngretireeneedsalife / Leave a comment

Rather than route through Texas today American Airlines took me from Tucson to Phoenix. From here in 3 plus hours I will be catching a flight to Orlando. As I traversed Phoenix Airport I was surprised at it’s size.

Throughout the airport there are signs exclaiming they are the friendliest airport. Nice to know, however, I always questions these claims. How do you establish this? What is the criteria for the best or the tastiest or the most comfortable?

When I visit places I do research to test these assertions. For my research on friendliness I smile at folks, say hello and make small talk when in retail, grocery, or airport lines. As I was in the City of Phoenix 6 months ago and Tucson this past week my research is complete for these 2 cities.

SCORE: 50%

Let’s hope theses scores improve.

It’s Kathleen and if you don’t like what I say it’s still Kathleen.

Tucson: One Extra Day

June 4, 2019May 30, 2019 / youngretireeneedsalife / Leave a comment

Yesterday I received an email stating my flight was cancelled. I never received such a culprit as usually the email states the new flight information, however, this was absent. Grateful I checked my emails early in the day I scurried to the airport and deposited my rental car in the garage.

The line for the attendant and kiosk were both long and since the kiosk was faster I elected to use it. Upon accessing my new flight information I realized they had the wrong date for my flight . I flagged over an employee and showed her the screen. She broke the news my flight was rescheduled to the next day and I could speak with an agent.

On to another line to wait for assistance in getting a departure date for the current day. Upon speaking to the agent I learned Houston had a problem and this time it was bad storms. There were no other seats available. Since I was unaware if Tucson Airport was open 24 hours I selected a nearby hotel with shuttle service.

Which brings me back to my idea about the pod or short term hotel sites in airports. I am told they have them throughout Europe and know they are in Beijing Airport. With flights being cancelled at increasing frequency due to weather concerns this business would be a goldmine. Any entrepreneurs out there? I’d love to buy the stock.

Day 6: Tucson Caves, Lunch, and Zoo

June 3, 2019May 29, 2019 / youngretireeneedsalife / Leave a comment

Started at Colossal Cave Mountain Park in Southeast Tucson today. This cave is over 10,000 years old and has been in use since 900 AD first by animals, then Indians, and explorers. It is a dry dwelling with a 70 degree temperature.

For those wishing a more exciting visit the cave offers supervised climbs. Call for further information or check out their website colossalcave.com.

Down the street from the cave horse rides are available. The ranch house adjacent to the horse ride venue is currently under renovation.

Next stop… lunch

The Arizona Inn appears on the National Register of Historic Places. It was built in the 1930’s by Isabella Greenway, who served as Arizona’s first State Congresswoman. The property is a finely maintained work of art. Besides being a senator Mrs. Greenway established a furniture making company for disabled veterans. Some of these pieces remain in the hotel. She was a personal friend of Eleanor Roosevelt and both Eleanor and Franklin visited her in Arizona when he was campaigning for president.

Off to the Zoo…

The Reid Park Zoo was a pleasant surprise. It has a fine collection of animals and things to entice children with more intended in their Zoo Master Plan.

While there is much to see I was enticed by the story of the Andean Bears. A 26 year old 347 pound male has been brought a 5 year old female to mate with from a Switzerland zoo. While there is some chemistry it is too early to tell as she only arrived in the habitat in January. As I observed she was coy hiding in the mulberry tree while he lounged elsewhere. However at one point she attempted to get his attention by banging on his door as he continued to snooze under his tree. Aren’t relationships a bear? On to others and their stories.

The giraffes and peacocks reside together in their habitat. At 10:30 a.m. all peacocks splayed their feathers. What a site! Here are front and back versions.