Good Morning!

One of my favorite times at the beach is the early morning.

Here's a photo that makes me smile.

 

 

Can you see an image of a cross in the sun's rays?

 

 

A little vacation...

I took a few days and visited a favorite destination.

Want to guess?

Ok...you got me...

the beach.

Yep, it's a favorite.

And...we just happen to have one fairly close.

 

You've most likely heard of Galveston, but have you heard of Bolivar Peninsula?

It's a small stretch of land that almost connects to Galveston.

 

 

source

 

And if you're traveling from Galveston to the peninsula, you get to take a ferry.

Yep...pretty neat.

And guess who also likes the ride?

...these guys.

 

 

They are a hoot.

I love their attitudes.

 

 

Yep...just hanging out because

you know, they're on beach time.

 

 

And when you see the 1852 lighthouse,

 

 

you know you're almost there.

 

 

Where do you like to travel for quick get-aways?

 

 

Chadwick...

 

I should be moving on, but I've had the Hawaii Five-O theme song playing in my head all day.

And, that brought to mind other shows that I've been drawn to as well.

Now, I'm not really an Elvis fan, but I do like to watch

Blue Hawaii.

Angela Lansbury just cracks me up in this scene.

She's talking to her son {Elvis} and her tone of voice in speaking his name is too funny!

"Chadwick...is that you?"

 

source

 

Now critics say this is her worst movie, but I think all these movies are just fun.
Just take a look.

Do you have a favorite Elvis movie?
 

 

Just a little trip...

 

I've always wanted to visit Hawaii.

I think it started when I was younger and

Hawaii Five-0 was on TV {the original.}

 

source

 

When the music came on,

I just wanted to get up and dance in my little lime green bikini!

{Oh, you know you had one too.}

click below

 

Is your head just a boppin?

 Yep...mine too.

 

Now, I have family and friends who've visited, even lived there and I could always feel just a tinge of jealously as they were describing all their glorious adventures.

I've heard about the:

beaches

flowers

volcanos

sand

food - oh yeah the pineapple too!

and the prices.

 

But I figure, If I ever get the chance to go, I'm not going to worry about the price,

I'm just going to enjoy every second!

 

How about you?

Have you ever traveled to the islands?

If so, I'd love to hear all about your adventures!

I won't be jealous...well, maybe a bit.

 

Aloha!

 

 

 

A Little Friend...

Just look at this gorgeous little guy.

His feather patterns...

the mighty spindly legs.

But, I must admit, it was his eyes that stole my heart.

I was enamored of him...

and he was a bit curious of me too.

 

 

It was as if he wanted to be my friend

and

tell me of his day at the shore.

 

I obliged and listened.

 

 

 

Shelling Adventure...

I love seashells,

any kind of seashells.

I think they are an amazing work of nature...

each one special, each one unique.

 

I've lived near a beach my entire life.

I've also visited quite a few beaches,

from coast to coast,

(it's been quite a treat.)

The sand might be a different color,

the water clear or murky,

or the shore sandy or rocky.

It doesn't matter.

I love them all.

 

One particular area that has become a favorite is the southwestern beaches of Florida.
There are so many choices...

 

I discovered one particular spot quite by accident,

in fact it was here in blogland that I first learned of Sanibel.

Yep, go figure.

 

The blog was written by Pam Rambo

from I Love Shelling on Sanibel Island.

Sanibel Island?

Where is that?

 

 

I was intrigued.

So I read (and read) her blog.
It was about:

shells and sea life and gorgeous sunsets.

really?

She stated that due to the curvature of the island,

the Gulf's shells and sea life are deposited on it's beaches.

really?

 

Can you see it in the above map?

It kinda looks like a dolphin...

doesn't it?

 

I was hooked, really hooked. 

Each day I'd check for current news/pictures/videos from Sanibel.

(What would she discover today?)

 

If you take a look at her site,

you'll see that Pam chronicles her adventures of shelling.

She also has links for a lot of helpful information.

Oh, and the pictures...

you have to see her pictures (and videos too.)

 

source

 

I was sold.

 

Our first trip was a couple of years ago

and we were not disappointed.

There were shells,

and shells,

and more shells.

The people were so friendly,

the lodging was comfortable and cozy,

and there were miles and miles of beaches (with amazing sunsets.)

We came back with our own sea treasures,

treasures that I proudly display in my home.

 

Fast forward a few years,

and we were ready for another trip -

this time as "experienced" Sanibel shellers. (ha)

We scoured Pam's blog again for places to stay and things to do.

She suggested the Island Inn on Sanibel.

It was perfect.

 

source

 

source - This was our actual living room!

 

We saw her advertisement for a shelling cruise.
Hm...Pam + shelling + beautiful beaches + family + new friends...

 

source

 

Well, that was an obvious choice.
YES!
We made our reservations, brought our shelling bags, and counted down the days.

 

And guess what?

We had the time of our lives.

 

Not only did we get to go with Pam,

and meet Pam,

and learn from her wealth of knowledge,

we took a picture with her!

Yep, we are now shellebrities (as Pam would say!)

 

And guess what else?

She was the nicest,

friendliest person you could ever meet.

really.

 

So, if you're EVER in the SW Florida area,

you HAVE to visit Sanibel

and take Pam's cruise.

You WON'T be disappointed!

I promise!!

 

Click here for the NY Times article on Pam and Clark.

 

(PS: I have a ton of pictures to share of Sanibel...stay tuned!)

 

Until next time,

Sharlotte

 

 

 



 

Terror on Highway 59

This is a post in a series. To start at the beginning, click here.

On our way to visit Lake Livingston in Texas, we pass through several small towns.

One of them is Coldspring, Texas - the county seat of San Jacinto County.

It's a quiet little town, with quaint buildings, a little shopping district, and of course,

a courthouse.

Now, I have a friend who's father lives there 

and I've actually visited once myself.

 So this little town wasn't completely unknown to me but to my husband, it was a new site.

As we drove around a bit, we saw a sign that pointed to the 

historic "Old Town" and historic jail.

Sold...we love visiting historic sites.

We toured the jail and saw life as it was then...

the docent of the jail was quite interesting.

She had her facts down and enjoyed showing us the memorabilia from days long ago.

There were docket books, clothing, pictures...and one special cabinet 

which held photographs of previous members 

of the San Jacinto County Sheriff's Department.

She casually motioned to an adjoining cabinet which housed a stack of cookbooks

but more importantly the grouping of books detailing the arrest of notorious

Texas sheriff: 

J.C. "Humpy" Parker.

What? A sheriff arrested by the FBI?

In this little town?

Really?

So as we were leaving, I purchased a copy of his story and read, and read, 

and read.

I'm not sure what intrigued me most:

the fact I live right off of this highway

or

the fact that a small Texas town (so close to me) has such an interesting past.

As I read, I was both shocked and amazed that this happened in the late 70's!

from the dust-jacket...

"The story that put a crooked Texas sheriff in jail.

An assistant United States attorney called it "highway robbery." An american civil Liberties Union lawyer called it "a monstrosity of justice." A young sheriff's deputy said it was "scary what we did."

They were referring to an extraordinary arrest trap set up by the San Jacinto County sheriff's department along US Highway 59, just seventy miles north of Houston. Young motorists traveling along the four-lane highway were systematically terrorized over a five-year period by deputies who stopped cars without cause and conducted brutal searches for marijuana. In 1980, for example, this tiny, five-deputy sheriff's department chalked up as many drug arrest as Houston's seven-hundred-deputy department.

The sheriff and his deputies flagrantly ignored the law, and the victims of their arrest trap often were subjected to humiliating strip searches on the side of the road. Some were tortured in a sadistic, medieval fashion, with handcuffs, water, and towels."

The book is a well written and a quick read...filled with actual accounts of witnesses, victims, and legalities.

Mr. Sellers, the author, was a reporter who received numerous awards for investigation and news reporting.

If you're curious about small town corruptness, this is a must read!

And...

as far as I know...

Coldspring is back to being a quiet, good-old-boy type of small town.

Drop by if you're ever in the area...

and you too can see where history was indeed made.

Just be sure to drive the speed limits!

The "Good" Old Days...The Jail

Now let me say that I am the scaredist scaredy-cat you ever met.

I don't like to be scared and I won't scare others.

It's just not my thing.

No scary movies or stories...

Nope...not for me.

So don't worry, this post really isn't scary.

It's just that being in an old jail is kinda creepy.

But it was daylight

and there was a docent

and my husband

and a few other people.

Ok...here we go...

Let me begin by saying that the building itself was pretty.

Bricks are always attractive, aren't they?

Now the bars on the window were a giveaway that this historic site was indeed a jail.

It was built in 1886 - opened in 1887.

The ground floor was the booking area and living quarters for the sheriff.

improvised kitchen

The second floor were the cells.

It was interesting seeing the actual places where criminals were held.

We could enter the cells, but the docent asked us not to close the doors, just in case the old hinges would get stuck.

No problem.

This next photo is an interesting shot...

see the taped off section?

Yep...trap door.

Above this section was a metal circle to hold the rope for a hanging.

And even though there was documentation on the actual rope...

...it wasn't actually used. 

In fact, no hangings were ever held at this site.

But going up the stairs, the trap door was clearly evident.

We had to watch our step on the way down... the steps were narrow and steep

(and well worn.)

Whew...we made it...that's it!

The "Good" old days "Old Jail".

Up next...the "Terror on Highway 59."

(right around the corner from this site- yikes!!)

The "Good" Old Days - Buildings

This post is part of a series. Original post here.

As promised...

this post is all about the buildings brought in to the historic "Old Town"

 to reconstruct the original town-site.

There was a Corn Crib.

From my research these were used to store corn, which was a staple for the economy.

The logs were left without chinking (filling between the logs) so that the corn would stay dry.

The Two Room School House

The Post Office

The Railroad Station

Seeing these old structures was a trip back in time.

Thoughts of events were going through my head

as in:

Wouldn't this be a neat place to sell your wares?

or

Wouldn't this be a neat place to have a gathering?

But...strangely all the buildings were locked, in fact padlocked.

We peered inside the old crusty window panes and could see pieces of the past

but one could tell there had been no activity.

No visitors,

no parties.

We had one last building to see,

an old general store.

There was a woman selling her wares.

Inside the structure was filled with her treasures...all of course, for sale.

The picture above is from the original Magnolia store that couldn't be salvaged.

It served as the model for this reconstruction.

Now my thoughts went back to this little dealer.

How did she make ends meet?

The old real estate adage of "location, location, location"

didn't fit this place at all.

strange.

She was nice though and knowledgeable about the area.

She asked if we had driven down to the end of the road...

had we seen:

the old bank vault?

or the old oak tree?

Yep...a historical site. See here.

YIKES!!!

Back to my thought of a gathering of friends?
No thanks!

Now if you're still reading and still curious, the jail tour is next.

It's not scary, just a little creepy.

The "Good" Old Days...

This past weekend, we happened upon a hidden "Old Town"

approximately 30 or so miles from our home.

This site was the original square, 

but after a fire burned most of the buildings, 

the "businesses" were relocated several blocks away.

What's left at this site?

the jail

That's it. 

But the historical society wanted to reconstruct the area,

so buildings were brought in from surrounding towns.

a post office

a general store

a corn crib

a railroad station

and 

a school

Being in education for many years, this two room school house caught my attention.

One side was for grades 1-4

the other side for grades 5-7.

And these rules were posted on their historic website:

 RULES FOR TEACHERS 1872

*  Teachers each day will fill lamps, clean chimneys.
*  Each teacher will bring a bucket of water and a scuttle of coal for the day's session.
*  Make your pens carefully.  You may whittle nibs to the individual tastes of the pupil.
*  Men teachers may take one evening each week for courting purposes or two evenings a week if they go to church regularly.
*  After ten hours in school, the teachers may spend the remaining time reading the Bible or other good books.
*  Women teachers who marry or engage in unseemly conduct will be dismissed.
*  Every teacher should lay aside from each pay a goodly sum of his earnings for his benefit during his declining years so that he will not become a burden on society.
*  Any teacher who smokes, used liquor in any forms, frequents pool or public halls or gets shaved in a barbershop will give good reason to suspect his worth, intention, integrity and honesty.
*  The teacher who performs his labor faithfully and without fault for five years will be given an increase of twenty-five cents per week in his pay, providing the Board of Education approves.

really?

RULES FOR STUDENTS

Good students in early schools were expected to earn more than high marks.  There were many rules to follow and duties to perform.  The schoolmaster really was the 'master' of his pupils.  Children were told to obey the master of the school even if obedience meant having to stand still while being strapped.  Here are a some rules for students.

*  Respect your schoolmaster.  Obey him and accept his punishments.
*  Do not call your classmates names of fight with them.  Love and help each other.
*  Never make noises or disturb your neighbors as they work.
*  Be silent during classes.  Do not talk unless it is absolutely necessary.
*  Do not leave your seat without permission.
*  No more than one student at a time may go to the washroom.
*  At the end of the class, wash your hands and face.  Wash your feet if they are bare.
*  Bring firewood into the classroom for the stove whenever the teacher tells you to.
*  Go quietly in and out of the classroom.
*  If the master calls your name after class, straighten the benches and tables.  Sweep the room, dust and leaving everything tidy. 

source

hm...

times have sure changed!

Now, if I have spurred your curiosity for this little "Old Town", check back with me.

I took many interesting pictures of the different structures. 

And... there's more...

mystery

scandal

corruptness

and yes,

even

terror.

Stay tuned, the plot will thicken!