My Medical Mission to Thailand Part 1

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Our church has an Outreach Program which includes sending Mission Groups out for medical care and construction projects in far off lands. I had previously been to Puebla, Mexico just outside of Mexico City to help a Medical Mission visit several villages to provide basic medical care and education. Every two years, we send teams to Thailand to help the  Christian Mission to the Orient at the Lana Theological Center (LTC) in Chiang Mai, Thailand. LTC runs a school and assists outlying, small churches in villages outside of Chiang Mai. As you can imagine, spreading The Word in a predominantly Buddhist country has its challenges but there are a significant number of believers out there to Shepard.

Thailand has been through many changes over the years. The Thai people emigrated down from China around the Sixth Century and became a Monarchy early on. Back then it was Siam until 1932 when it changed names to Thailand and befriended Japan during WWII. As the war progressed, that changed; Thailand saw an increase in American and British presence helping supply forces in China through its strategic position on the border of then Burma (now Myanmar) with aircraft flying “The Hump” over the Himalayan mountains and the Burma Road into China. Of course, we had a big military presence there during the Vietnam era because of its proximity to Laos and Cambodia. Though there have been many coups and political unrest, they have currently settled on a Parliamentary-Monarchy form of government with the military still overseeing developments.

As of this writing, Hamas has attacked Israel and in the initial fighting, several Thai citizens were killed or taken hostage by Hamas. Little known fact, Thailand provides almost all the foreign farm labor in Israel. And there may be consequences for the country's agricultural economy if large numbers of Thais choose to stay away after the Hamas attack. Many of the Thai workers have to borrow money to go to Israel and now they are returning, jobless and in debt.

LTC Compund

LTC was originated by David and Deloris Filbeck. Their daughter, Carmen, and son, Ken, now operate the Center. The Filbecks were called to bring the Gospel to the Lua people of Northern Thailand in 1960. David spent 10 years learning the culture and language. But the Communist insurgency in 1974 had David return to the States where he taught at several Christian Colleges until 1982, when they were called back and settled in Chiang Mai, the largest city in the North. Their children returned with them and they named their ministry the Christian Mission to the Orient. As part of their leadership training program, they turned the LTC into a four-year Bible College sending out graduates to leadership roles in their communities and to plant new churches in North Thailand.

Registration/Triage

Our reason for being there was because of an idea Ken had in 2007 of doing mobile clinics in outlying villages. Ken is actually Doctor Ken, an accomplished Emergency Room physician who practices in Thailand, Australia and California. Under his and Carmen’s supervision, teams like ours come to Thailand to do medical, dental and vision care. There is no real organized medical care outside of the major cities in Thailand. This would require travel into the city and can be quite costly. So clinics like ours are the only real chance for people to meet or be treated by medical people. We did not have a dentist this time so we focused on vision and medical care.

After an initial registration process, vitals were taken and they were triaged to either vision, medical or both. The Thai students did all the registration and interpreting (which led to interesting conversations as they tried to interpret medical stuff to our English). The vision folks, Danny, Amy, Chad and Sherri, had low tech manual gauges to determine eyesight measurements and gave out one pair of donated single vision readers and one pair of sunglasses. It was pretty rewarding watching the reaction of the patients who put on their glasses and for maybe the first time, were able to see and read in focus.

Our care givers were two RNs, Sara, Pamela, and Doctor Ken. They interviewed patients and diagnosed what they could, given our limited supplies and equipment. The people we met were mostly farmers and field workers doing hard labor. Most chief complaints were pain in joints, cold and coughs, general fatigue and the occasional trigger finger (fingers that lock when extending or contracting into a fist) or Carpal Tunnel. There was a pharmacy to dispense pharmaceuticals and vitamins prescribed by the Care Team.

I was partnered with Ken’s son, Samuel, a current phlebotomist and new medical student. Samuel was also somewhat fluent in Thai and was our interpreter. For the cases of general fatigue, we were tasked with doing B12 injections in the arm and for the joint pain we were doing direct knee injections or shoulder joint injections of pain medication. Samuel was a natural having stuck many folks in his work but I was the holdout. Let me explain.

Someone came up with the idea that I had vast medical knowledge from my days as an EMT when I was a Sheriff’s Deputy in San Diego (yeah…it’s ok, I laughed too). I was trained as an EMT as part of my duties flying as an Observer and Pilot for ASTREA, the Sheriff’s Aviation Unit. This period was almost in the black and white television days; the expectation was monitoring patients as we flew them to an ER in our County. We didn’t inject people with drugs but we could monitor a drip from an IV bag. We didn’t diagnose their conditions or offer treatment. We “scooped and hauled” as they say in the industry and got them to competent medical care waiting at the helipad like the opening scene in M.A.S.H..

So, imagine my surprise when Dr. Ken announced I would be injecting people with really sharp needles in places I normally would have avoided. Dr. Ken, on his behalf, was an excellent teacher and his demonstration was to grab my arm and inject me with a B12 shot in the bicep. He said, “Any questions?” I was a little stunned and said,” No.” I then began my career as a jungle Medical Tech. 

Joint-Army 1st Clinic

This went on for the first clinic as I happily drew B12 from ampules, turned to these lovely people and had Samuel ask which arm, as I poked and dispensed the B12 into their arms. We would trade off the injections but there were times when Samuel would wander off to help someone or interpret; then I was on my own with no one to supervise. Scary stuff. Dr. Ken came by and said he was going to do a knee injection. He prepared his syringe and had Samuel and I watch as he did so. He showed us how he found his mark and just slipped it in a sweet spot just to the side of the knee cap. He soon came back and had Samuel do one. Then came a steady stream of knee shots interspersed with B12s that Samuel was doing by himself while I held his alcohol swabs and band-aids if needed. 

Then came the double-team sales pitch by Dr. Ken and his co-conspirator, Samuel. Dr. Ken asked if I wanted to try the knee injection. To say I was hesitant was an understatement. Dr. Ken and Samuel, both said it was “easy” and nothing I couldn’t do. I held off and took the matter under submission as we ended the first clinic. 

The second day, we set up in another church and began our injections. Soon Dr. Ken came by with another knee injection and called me over to watch. As cool as a cucumber, Dr. Ken did his magic, found his mark, injected and withdrew. He then said the next one was mine. In 90-degree heat and 75% humidity, I felt a chill go down my back. Sure enough, within minutes, another injection came up and I had to prepare a syringe for this really nice lady I had never met before this moment. I followed Dr. Ken’s instructions, found what I thought was the right spot, slipped that needle in with a satisfying “pop”, and pushed the plunger and got out.  Amazingly, contrary to what you might think, there was no blood and she walked away without even a band-aid. I was relieved to say the least. From then on, Samuel and I traded off B12 and knees the rest of that day. 

I.T. Support

After each clinic, as a reward, we would make a 7-11 run. Yes, 7-11 stores were everywhere in the Chiang Mai area we were in. As well as Burger Kings, McDonalds, Dairy Queens and Taco Bells. If you didn’t notice the bundles of cables and wires hanging precipitously from the telephone and power poles, you’d have thought you were home in the States. Yes, this is one of the places you call when you need IT support. Go figure. Well….there is all that driving on the wrong side of the road stuff too.

On the third and last clinic we saw some shoulder joint injections come in. Dr. Ken did a couple and did show Samuel and I how to do them. Luckily, there were only a few. Samuel did some and one of our intrepid RNs, Pamela, wanted to try. Clearly, she wanted to expand her repertoire and, like a kid in a candy shop, with a big smile on her face, got a shoulder and a couple of knees too. I wasn’t able to get a shoulder in but that was ok with me.

We were based in Chiang Mai but for the clinics, like Mexico, we secured lodging in a hotel close to the villages we went to. The Royal Ping Garden and Resort was a short drive to the two villages we worked at. I should point out that most of the hotels in this part of the world were called “resorts." At one time, The Royal Ping may have been a luxury hotel property but it lost some of its luster. It’s a bit run-down but clean. We were treated to a buffet breakfast and dinner after a homemade lunch was served at each village we worked at. It had usable Wi-Fi and a nice pool. It was mostly constructed of wood and you can imagine what the effects of rain, heat and humidity has on a building in that part of the world. There was a vast distinction between the room accommodations. The guys started out in a one room cabin with one giant bed made from several mattresses. The women had similar accommodations but once viewed, chose to rent better rooms for themselves. There’s a reason it has a 3.8-star rating in TripAdvisor. 

In its defense, we were in rural Thailand amidst the jungle and the rice fields by its namesake, the Ping River. It is the rainy season and when we got there it had been raining on and off since our arrival in Chiang Mai. Then, the river was a meandering stream along the property. But on our first night there, it began to rain torrents. We’re talking water park like water cascading from the pitched roof onto the pool and patio. By morning, we could see the river had climbed its banks and was now a raging river with fast moving water and now waterfalls where there were none.

Everywhere was lush and green. The rain and, no doubt, high water table, formed big trees and flowers and an occasional Marijuana bush. You can’t miss that distinct bright green and leaf. I hadn’t seen green like that since my flying days spotting Marijuana fields in rural San Diego. I spotted several right alongside the road. It is legal in Thailand since 2022, and we saw several dispensaries in Chiang Mai. 

Ok, that covers the medical portion of the trip. I will soon have Chapter Two, our travels to Thailand and our assimilation into Thai culture.

The Passing of David Kelly

The Passing of David Kelly

Diane and I did not know David a long time and came into his circle through Chad and Sara. We spent most Sundays together at Church and went to long spirited lunches afterwards. He would, against our wishes, provide our Grandson, Robert, with lethal doses of candy from the café at Church. We were occasional co-workers and we visited his home a few times to celebrate birthdays and holidays.

What I learned in that short time was that David Kelly was a great man. Not like Kings, Presidents or Soldiers but as a human being. He was kind and generous and always there to lend a helping hand. But besides his family and friends, he loved his City and our church, Compass Church.

He was a big part of Colleyville, Texas and Colleyville was a big part of him. He served this community both politically and spiritually and helped make it a better place for its citizens and our congregation. David had been a Mayor of Colleyville and folks still referred to him as Mr. Mayor when they saw him on the street.

The other thing I learned was David had a good heart. He was a good provider, father and grandfather and most of all, a good friend. He was always there with a kind word, a bit of encouragement and ready with a joke to lighten your load. He was generous with his time and resources and a prayer if you needed it.

My favorite memory I will take with me was a birthday we spent with him. Little known fact, David loved Bingo. He had won big the week before his birthday and, instead of buying something for himself, reinvested those winnings in his friends and family by sponsoring us at a Bingo Hall. Of course nobody but David won that night. It was so entertaining watching David; he was engrossed in his Bingo devices, giving advice, shielding his eyes with a green banker's visor I had gotten him for that event, surrounded by other Bingo enthusiasts and, of course, people watching, kind of like visiting Wal Mart after 10 p.m.

Things were tough for him in his final days but I’m sure he was reminded of another David who struggled with fear and doubt. In Psalm 59:16, David was aware King Saul had sent men to capture and possibly kill him, but David leaned on his faith in God to get him through praying:

“But I will sing of Your power;

Yes, I will sing aloud of Your mercy in the morning;

For You have been my defense

And refuge in the day of my trouble."

It was tough watching him in his final hours. My wife, Diane, remarked how life, sometimes, can be cruel as we watched him struggle. I agreed because I didn’t want our friend to suffer so. I felt a rich life shouldn’t end this way.

But then it came to me that our friend David was no longer there. God had already picked him up and was probably on his way home. What we were seeing was what God intended us to see. God had gathered his friends and family at his bedside because He saw something in us that needed work.

God knew we all had thoughts and feelings of anger, sadness, regret, remorse and forgiveness that hadn’t been dealt with yet. Some had been consistently caring for our friend for quite some time and knew their efforts, though at times heroic, were coming to an end. Others had been brought up with him and knew those days were coming to a close. Some of us had only known him for a short time and wished we could have had more time to share with him.

God is a realist after all and knew that in the days to come, these feelings wouldn’t subside easily but the time we spent there would comfort us in knowing we had been there for him and had his back when he needed us most. After having watched over him and reflecting, most of us left to go back to the world we knew and soon after, David finished his journey with his family close by.

And I know for sure David has found and passed through that narrow gate of Matthew 7:13-14.What comforts me the most is knowing he is now with Jesus, probably peppering him with some probing questions that needed answering (if there are cellphones and Google in Heaven, David is working his phone really hard) and meeting up with those who proceeded him.

My hope is we’ll meet up again someday but for now, David, thanks for being my friend.

The Passing of Bettye Louise Hammons

As some of you may recall, my good friend Douglas Hammons passed away back in December of 2021. A short time ago, I learned his wife of 41 years had passed away. I was able to attend the Celebration of Life and was invited to speak. It was hard but having known them in life, I really needed to send off Miss Bettye as well as reflect on my friend Doug gone just 18 months ago.

I came to the program kind of late to the game. I first met Bettye’s husband Doug working with him at the Federal Courthouse in Plano, Texas. Doug would regale me with the goings on at their place, about the deer, coyotes, possums and rabbits which frequented their place which bordered the Corp land on Lake Lewisville in Little Elm. When he would complain about some critter digging up their flower beds or eating through some electrical wiring, I would remind him they lived in a nature preserve and what did they expect?

 

We struck up a friendship and I was invited out to their place. We walked the pasture and worked in the barn and his workshop. I eventually went along and helped at some of his sound gigs, helped rework the pump house and joined them for supper. There’d be cornbread and chili, spaghetti and some kind of cake or pie. There was always a pot of coffee on and Dr. Pepper in the ice box.

 

Afterward, we’d sit up on the porch with the fan blowing to keep cool and he and Miss Bettye would tell tall tales of their exploits as volunteer firefighters and Miss Bettye’s days at the school district. They waxed poetic about the “good old days” of their beloved Little Elm or Little Ellum as the old-timers would call it. The town had definitely changed over those years, and not always for the good.

 

Whenever I was over, Miss Bettye would always bring me back to her sewing room and display her latest work of great big bed spreads or something new for one of the grandkids she cherished. She really went all out on some of those patch-work quilts and bedspreads, some patriotic to just wildly colorful. She loved her family and especially Doug. The feeling was mutual, every day, I recall seeing Doug out the back door of the courthouse on his lunch break, calling Bettye, always referring to her as his “child bride”, checking in with her.

 

Of course, we all knew Miss Bettye was having medical issues and was having trouble getting around. I recall for the longest time, one of the planks of the porch right in front of the door had broken through and Doug mentioned Bettye had almost tripped over it. I asked him why he hadn’t fixed it. Doug said the boards had all been custom cut and planed for the porch and he didn’t have any replacements. I told him he needed to get that done. Weeks went by and I came over for some project and saw it was still broken but now was a hole in the flooring. I went home and mentioned this to my wife who had met Bettye and was a sewing fan too. She got all upset and said we needed to get that board fixed.

 

So I told Doug about this at work and told him we were gonna fix that board the following weekend come hell or high water (which, by the way, did occur from time to time in their back yard, you may have seen the pictures). Sure enough, I got there bright and early on Saturday, we made a trip to Lowe’s, (well, we actually had coffee first and strategized on the porch) got us a plank and used his planer to get that board just right. We then screwed that thing down to seal up that gap. Miss Bettye was very appreciative of our efforts. But it was months before he painted it so it continued to stick out like a sore thumb.

 

We will miss her, I will miss her, the feisty woman with very strong opinions about just about anything and fiercely protective of her family, her home and her land. Woe became the errant city worker, stranger, irresponsible garbage collector or wrong-way driver who came down South Hillside Drive at any time of day.

 

I know it hasn’t been that long since Doug left us and I’m pretty sure she could have stayed with us a little longer but I’m thinking she just got impatient and just wanted to get back to him sooner than later. Thanks Bettye for including me in your life.

Our Texas Everbowl Experience

Everbowl is a superfood bowl and smoothie shop. Everbowl is a fast-casual, healthy food eatery featuring a menu of build-your-own Açaí and other "craft superfood" bowls and smoothies. Founded by healthy lifestyle advocate and San Diego serial entrepreneur Jeff Fenster, Everbowl started as a singular operation in San Diego's Poway community  in 2016.

 
When asked why he came up with the idea, Fenster explained, "As a parent and fitness enthusiast, I wanted to be on the right side of history when it comes to encouraging healthy eating habits. I decided to open Everbowl locations in multiple, high traffic areas to ensure that everyone has the ability to access superfoods, fresh fruits and vegetables in the hopes that consumers will integrate these foods into their everyday lives."
 
Everbowl has a corporate philosophy they call “Unevolve lifestyle.” The Unevolve lifestyle doesn’t mean opting out of modern pleasures—it means pursuing them happily through movement and nourishment that actually feeds you, not just fills you. This is accomplished by using all natural ingredients. Stuff, in their words, “That has been around forever.”
 
While visiting Diane prior to our marriage in the middle of Covid, she had taken me to an Everbowl in Bonita, California, for my first Everbowl. Very fresh and loaded with Açaí ( I am reminded constantly....it's pronounced Ah-sigh-ee) and fruit. When I moved Diane to Texas, we tried a couple of local Açaí bowl places but none raised up to the level of her Everbowl experiences. Diane often bemoaned the lack of quality Açaí places and prayed that Everbowl would expand into Texas. And then it happened

She learned an Everbowl had opened in Flower Mound, Texas . Diane closely followed their expansion and when she found out they were opening a store in McKinney, Texas , a few miles from our home, she was as giddy as a school girl and scheduled us to attend the soft opening of their McKinney store.

 

So in the late afternoon, we made our way out to the corner of El Dorado Parkway and South Custer Road on the border of Frisco, Texas and McKinney. There we joined a cue of other Everbowl faithful to be among the first 500 patrons to get a free bowl of their sacred blend of Açaí and fruit. While in line we met with a couple of the franchise owners and spoke with Justin from Corporate.

He explained how franchisees are brought in to learn the Everbowl process and culture so the product stays consistent between stores no matter what region they come from. The same Açaí made in California will be made in Texas or wherever Everbowl expands to. To see the video, click HERE.

We all inched our way to the entrance while only five people at a time were allowed into the inner sanctum to get their bowls. Finally, Diane and I made our way by the gate-keepers to order our bowls. I ordered the Apple Up and Diane got the Chewy (minus the Coconut).

We closely followed the servers as they handmade each bowl to order. Laying the base Açaí halfway up the bowl and then handing it off to more servers who layered in all the toppings until it’s journey ended at the cashier and into our waiting hands.

Gaines World Waco, Texas

 

Diane and I were enjoying a visit by Jean, a long-time friend of Diane’s. Jean resides in Rhode Island and spent some time with us during the hottest Summer in North Texas (or anywhere for that matter). Jean, apparently, is a big Joanna and Chip Gaines fan and one of the things on her bucket list (and Diane’s) was to visit Gaines World (sorry, Magnolia Farms) in Waco, Texas

I was a viewer for many of the early years until…Shiplap happened. Suddenly all Joanna’s projects “had” to include that flagitious white planking on at least one wall or along with a headboard or two. Sorry…I had to draw the line there. I could sometimes sense the new owners on reveal day looking at their newly remodeled and flipped home wondering how that entered into the design. I understand the designers desire to “leave their mark” on a room or home but my first question on camera might have been, “Ah…..can we take that down after the show’s over?”

But you have to hand it to them, they took a formula house flipping show and built a brand that blossomed to include their own television network, books, magazines and a killer merchandizing program that is generating lots of revenue.

So, we decided to make the two hour drive down the I-35 to visit Nirvana. The ride was typical Central Texas (well…most of Texas) in that it’s flat as a board and most times on the Interstates, you can see where you’ll be in an hour or so.

Making the trek down I-35 is not complete unless you make a stop in West, Texas. About halfway between Dallas and Waco, it is Kolache Center (a delicious Czech fruit filled pastry) for most Texans. West was originally settled by Czechoslovakian immigrants who grew cotton, wheat, grain sorghum, and raised cattle. You may have heard of the huge fertilizer explosion in 2013. A fire set off the entire supply of Ammonium Nitrate (think Oklahoma Bombing) at West Fertilizer and killed 15 (mostly first responders trying to put out the fire) and injured 200. West has been recognized as the “Czech Heritage Capital of Texas” and “home of the official Kolache of the Texas Legislature”. We made a stop at Slovacek’s at exit 353. There Jean and Diane made an initial reconnaissance (and restroom break) for future pastry and trinket purchases on the way home. We then proceeded into Waco.

Waco (named after the Native American tribe who lived there) is a medium size city of around 140,000 and is the County Seat of McLennan County. It is better known as the home of Baylor University (Go Bears), the Texas Ranger Museum, the Dr. Pepper Museum and the home of one of the best preserved Columbian Mammoth sites in the world. In 1978, bones were discovered emerging from the mud at the confluence of the Brazos and Bosque Rivers. Excavations revealed the remains of at least 24 Mammoths, one camel, and one large cat were found, making it one of the largest findings of its kind. And you can’t forget David Koresh and the Waco standoff outside of town and the home to the White House Press Center near George W. Bush’s Ranch in nearby Crawford, Texas. So, Waco was already a house-hold name when Jo and Chip showed up on the scene.

Now about Magnolia Market (or as I refer to it the “Holy Land”). Cotton was, and still is, a big deal in Texas. Early settlers of Texas in the mid-nineteenth century, grew, ginned, and shipped cotton not only throughout Texas, but also to Europe, South America, and India. Cottonseed was second only to lumber as the most important cash crop in Texas (prior to oil being discovered). Not only did they ship raw cotton to the milliners of the world, mills sprang up all over the state as Texas established itself as the leading processor of cottonseed in the nation, and one of the largest suppliers of cooking oil, shortening, margarine, and salad oil—byproducts of cottonseed oil. Waco reigned in the South as the “King of Cotton” until the onset of the Great Depression.

In Waco, in 1910, J. T. Davis established Brazos Valley Cotton Oil, Inc. The main operations of the company took place at a mill located on the block between Webster Avenue and Jackson Avenue in the heart of Waco’s business district where Magnolia Market now resides.

By purchasing thousands of tons of cottonseed annually from farmers, and employing up to 75 men, workers then extracted oil from the cottonseed to be used for both cooking and industrial purposes. After the mill processed the seed, the oil was shipped all over the world. Whatever was left over, in order to prevent unnecessary waste, the mill sold unused meal as cattle feed. The Great Depression marked the decline of Waco’s cotton industry, but business at the cotton oil mill continued for many years.

In 1950, workers completed construction on the two 120-foot-tall silos which today are Magnolia Market’s most notable landmarks. Between 1957 and the late 1980s, the plant changed hands several times but was no longer active and was finally vacant by the 1990s.

In 2014, local residents and now famous house-flippers Joanna and Chip Gaines purchased the property with the intention of building their brand and resurrecting the historic property.

They opened their anchor store, Magnolia Market, and have added additions such as a retail showroom (Magnolia Home), a monthly antique and craft market, a Whiffle Ball playing field, Magnolia Press Coffee (I’m sensing a theme here) and a food truck court. They are also working to retain the historic integrity of the site through efforts such as the preservation of the original silos. After years of disuse, the reimagined mill and now Market remains the centerpiece of the city’s economic redevelopment.

We got our bearings and made a beeline for the Magnolia Table, a restaurant inside the historic (flipped and remodeled) Elite Café opened in 1919. The menu was simple and had all your standard Breakfast and Brunch fare. The food was well-made and there was a lot of it. I had the Avocado Toast with scrambled egg.

Diane and Jean each had the Farm Breakfast. Jean got sausage and Diane got the bacon. They also included these little handmade tater tot potatoes. Food was good, service not so great. Our server didn’t recall Jean had asked for Decaf and he dropped the ball on waters and coffee refills.

We then made our way to Magnolia Market, a short distance away. There, all things Joanna and Chip reside. There are T-shirts, hoodies, hats, antiques and bric-a-brac galore for the discriminate home decorator in us all (well, some of us anyway). There is a cornucopia of other things Joanna and Chip on the surrounding property. Like Disneyland, there’s a treat (literally) around every corner. Food trucks litter the back lot as well as other vendors hawking their sweets and drinks. There’s a large park-like area with places to sit and imbibe in their branded food and coffee drinks, and an outside production studio kitchen area from which they conduct their cooking competitions. For a walk-thru of the back lot, click HERE.

Of course, the ladies came out with several purchases including a walk-through of Joanna’s Silos Baking Company. Like Disneyland, customers had to wait in a cue outside and a gatekeeper handed out price lists of the items inside then allowed you through the door, one at a time, so you didn’t waste valuable Magnolia Time pacing around the shop. It’s important to note that most of the people I saw on the grounds were women. Oh sure, there was the occasional husband/boyfriend but mostly it was individuals and packs of women taking group selfies and rummaging through the place. They certainly had found their demographic for sure.

And why, you ask, did they name their company “Magnolia?” Well, Chip explained to People.com,“You know what’s interesting about a Magnolia tree?” he asked his kids after they plant one together. "On one of our first dates, I climbed up a Magnolia tree and I pulled her off a Magnolia bloom and I gave it to her.” (Can you hear the collective “Awwwwwwww…from the romantics out there?) Folks, you can’t make this stuff up. Oh yeah, it’s probably important to mention both Joanna and Chip are both graduates of Baylor University, she has a degree in Communications and he in Business. These aren’t just two house flippers, folks. We’re talking bonafide entrepreneurs who took home remodeling to a new level and created an empire.

Silos Baking Company

The ladies had gotten their Jo Jo fix (I’m calling her that now that we’re friends and have a new-found respect for one another). They were all shopped out and ready to leave but not before a return stop at Slovacek’s to pick up stuff they didn’t get the first time then the long and winding road back through Fort Worth and Dallas traffic back to our homestead in Aubrey.

Back in the Saddle Again

After a three-year hiatus, we have returned to cruising. It was back in May of 2020, and Diane and I were set to depart San Diego for Mexico on Norwegian for her first serious cruise. Several years prior, she had gone on a three-day cruise to Mexico which didn’t enamor her to cruising. So, you can imagine our disappointment the night before (literally as I was preparing to fly to San Diego) receiving an email from Norwegian telling us, due to Covid, the cruise was cancelled. The good news was I still flew to San Diego (on a practically empty flight, I got all three seats to myself) and instead of my gallant and romantic marriage proposal on Formal Night on that cruise, I proposed over a dynamite lasagna at Dolci Café Italiano in Rancho San Diego. In retrospect, I kind of liked the lasagna proposal idea better.

So, now happily married for two plus years, we decided to try the cruise again. To make it easier, we chose a Galveston, Texas departure, a relatively nice five-hour drive from Aubrey south to the Gulf. Once ensconced in our hotel, we wandered out into historic Galveston (Emancipation Proclamation read June 19th, 1865 “Juneteenth”, 1st City in Texas to become electrified, Hurricane of 1900, etc.) and ended up at Salsas Mexican Restaurant on the Seawall for dinner.

We stayed the night and preparing for a full day of cruise-boarding nonsense, began our day at Millers Seawall Grille, a must do for Breakfast. We both had the Spinach Omelet with grits and one of their AMAZING biscuits they use for their Biscuits and Gravy and the basis for their Peach Cobbler. Very reasonable prices, lots of food and they keep the coffee cup full the whole time.

So, lucky for us, Carnival had relaxed their Covid protocol and we no longer had to get negative tests prior to boarding. They didn’t even take temperatures. I had preregistered and got an early check-in and timed our arrival just right. We unexpectedly (contrary to some of my earlier experiences) glided through security and check-in. Assisting in this endeavor, Carnival uses “VeriFLY” so we could upload our Covid vaccination records which made the check-in more efficient. Except we had to upload personal information to ANOTHER third party (I know they’re probably NOT going to sell our info; I hate that) not a bad idea. Unable to get into the room right away, we settled into a table in the Lido dining room and drank some water and juice as we gazed out onto downtown Galveston.

Once our deck was opened, we were surprised to find all our bags waiting for us in the hall. We quickly unpacked and I showed Diane the ship. We decided to do formal dining and were seated at a large table with three other couples. Everyone was a cruise veteran but the conversation shifted to where we were from. Two couples were native Texans and two (including us) were transplants. It was first night, so it was a quiet meal. We excused ourselves after dessert and wandered toward the shops.

Most cruisers, at one time or another, will venture into the shops to browse their wares (usually expensive wares). Diane was like a kid in a candy shop (which she also bought). I am convinced there is a buying gene in all women (hey, I’m not judging and its not just a woman thing, although it seems to be a dominant force in them). Everything glitters under high-intensity lighting and it is hard not to shop. Of course, there is always that item she forgot to pack (Hmmm….) which she has to pick up to complete her cruise experience.

First Sea Day was mostly getting around the ship and exploring all the nooks and crannies, most importantly locating the Coffee Shop and trying out the Lattes for quality control. Got our first real Main Dining room experience in a table for eight. Not our cup of tea but we’ll fix that the next day and got a small table with just the two of us on Formal Night.

Second Sea Day opened with rain, a small outer-band cell from Hurricane Earl which dissipated quickly. Hit the shops again briefly and made it to Brunch with a neat couple from Houston at a table with a window view off the stern.

Occasional rain kept most everybody inside so we stayed mostly in the cabin reading and watching movies. In my experience, Formal Night is usually later in the week but we suited up and after the obligatory photo shoot, got a table for two and had a wonderful Prime Rib dinner. We eschewed the show and returned to the cabin to prepare for our first stop in Key West, Florida .

Key West is one of my favorites and I was glad to take Diane there. We had signed up for a Parasailing excursion and we were all set to go. Let me digress just a little. As some of you may know….I used to park helicopters for a living and am a big fan of aviation. I am NOT a big fan of hovering out in space attached by a single cable, which appeared to be frayed in some spots, dragged along by a high-powered boat with two 20 somethings making life or death decisions on my behalf. That said, it was an amazing experience we got to share together.

Having cheated death, we were able to spend some time wandering downtown Key West. We needed sustenance and hopped into Two Friends Patio Restaurant for a disappointing black bean hamburger for Diane and the “Special” Grilled Cheese Hamburger for me. Diane’s did not look appealing and mine was under-cooked and the greasiest piece of ground beef I’ve ever tasted.

Diane’s bucket list included a chocolate dipped Key Lime pie from Kermit’s. So, we Google Map walked there and she got her pie and I got my traditional Key Lime slice. Excellent flavor you can’t capture anywhere except Key West, home of the beautiful yellow juice of the Key Lime. Just as we finished, it began to drizzle, then it started to rain, then it was lightning-thunder and it was pouring buckets (think Gene Kelly in “Singing in the Rain”). We now had about a mile back to the Ship so I utilized my technology and ordered up an Uber. Our lovely Jamaican driver rolled right up and after dropping us under the overhang of the Opal Key Resort, we made our way through the parking structure and only had about 100 yards through the deluge back to the pier. We were soaked but happy.

Next stop was Grand Bahama Island with a motor tour of the island with stops at Taino Beach, where Diane got a swim in the Atlantic a mere 55 miles from West Palm Beach, Florida. The beach was beautiful and though it rained on and off, we were struck by the beauty of it all. It was quite evident that they have yet to fully recover from (wait for it Tonia….) Hurricane Dorian in August of 2019. It rolled through the Bahamas as a Cat 5 storm and left a long trail of destruction all the way up the eastern coast of the US. We drove by several homes and businesses which had been severely damaged but not been rebuilt. 

We then headed to Half Moon Cay which is part of Little San Salvador Island. It’s a cruise ship haven funded by the Cruise Lines as a private setting for the passengers to shop, swim and do some water sports. Rain had dogged us all along our trip but finally moved on as we parked off the coast outside the harbor. Diane can now check off “Tendering” off the ship to get to the shore. All of us wedged together as we braved the choppy seas until we got inside the breakwater and docked.

Diane got some ocean swim time and we got some shopping done for family and friends.We topped it off with a Bahama Mama and an Island Fruit Drink, both laced with Rum. Now onto our final destination, Nassau.

We are sort of programed to think of Nassau as the main island in the Bahamas. Though it is the capitol and most populous island in the chain (you’ve seen it in several 007 movies) we actually visit the island of New Providence. The Bahamas is a chain of 700 islands (30 of which are inhabited) and 2,400 Cays in total with a total land area of 3,860 sq mi.

The Bahama Islands were originally inhabited by the Lucayans, a branch of the Arawakan-speaking Taíno, for many centuries. Christopher Columbus was the first European to see the islands, making his first landfall in the "New World" in 1492 when he landed on the island of San Salvador. Later, the Spanish shipped the native Lucayans to and enslaved them on Hispaniola, after which the Bahama Islands were mostly deserted from 1513 until 1648 due to nearly all native Bahamians being forcefully removed through enslavement causing their extinction (thanks Chris). In 1649, since the place was vacant, English colonists from Bermuda, known as the Eleutheran Adventurers, settled on the island of Eleuthera. 

The Bahamas became a British crown colony in 1718, when the British clamped down on piracy (why Pirates of the Caribbean was partially filmed here…. oh yeah, Johnny Depp has his own island here too). After the American Revolutionary War, the Crown resettled thousands of American Loyalists to the Bahamas; they took enslaved people with them (thanks for that, too) and established plantations on land grants. Enslaved African people and their descendants constituted the majority of the population from this period on.

Thankfully, the slave trade was abolished by the British in 1807; slavery in the Bahamas was abolished in 1834 (thanks Queen Victoria). Subsequently, the Bahamas became a haven for freed African slaves. Africans liberated from illegal slave ships were resettled on the islands by the Royal Navy, while some North American slaves and Seminoles escaped to the Bahamas from Florida. Bahamians were even known to recognize the freedom of enslaved people carried by the ships of other nations which reached the Bahamas.

We made it ashore and joined others on a short voyage to Pearl Island for swimming, snorkeling and a catered lunch. We learned that, until recently, Eddie Murphy had owned the island and was now in the hands of another. When we got there around 9 a.m., it was relatively cool but quickly got hotter as the sun rose in the sky. There were occasional clouds passing overhead which kept the sun off us initially but once the clouds departed, it became really hot with very little shade available (see photo). Lunch was pretty good serving BBQ chicken, rice and beans, a fried fish fillet and Cole Slaw. We got our “complementary” Daiquiri and tried in vain to keep cool.

Thankfully, our ride returned to take us back to the pier but, due to poor maintenance (an electrical problem one of our fellow guests, a marine mechanic, tried to help fix but was still unable to get her going) the boat was unable to take us back so the tour guides called in a second boat which successfully got us back to dry land.

It was two days back to Galveston so we spent time in the cabin reading and sleeping (don’t judge….it WAS a vacation after all). We did take in a show or two and we had one more Formal Night to dress up for. All in all, a pretty good first time for Diane (well…except for the intermittent Internet service).

We made it back to land and once off the ship, shuttled to our car and made a beeline for a local Starbucks for a Latte for Diane. We began our drive home up the I-45. By noon, I was ready for a break and we stopped in beautiful Madisonville, Texas.

We could have stopped at Buc-ees but I like local and we stopped at The Lake Side Restaurant (yes…there is a small man-made reservoir close by). I had a nice BLT and fries and Diane had the Grilled Cheese with seasoned fries. Having stretched our legs, we then made the long drive back home to Aubrey.