New Adventures - Moving... Visiting... going south : July 2013

Monday, July 29, 2013

Animals, Fishes, Lizards, Snakes.... Moody Gardens, Galveston TX

There are several layers to the gardens. Tom and I started from the top walk way and worked our way down. The butterfly enclosure was the only disappointment... no butterflies. There are different groupings of plants and where possible critters to represents different geographical regions. There are also static displays with information on cultures, indigenous people, sound effects... we spent a good two hours going through the exhibits and I took over 200 photos. Tom even got out his new I phone and took pictures.

Giant Sea Otter napping

Yellow spotted ray

Two Towed Sloth

From this angle it looks like someone lost their wig
White faced Saki

Pygmy Slow Loris
There are several exhibits that have darkens for the animals

Madagascar Giant Jumping Rat

Prehensile-tailed Porcupine

Green basilisk

Panamanian Golden Frogs

Horned Chameleon

Gaboon Viper

Birds in the Tropical Rain Forest, Moody Gardens, Galveston TX

There are birds flying, walking, perching everywhere in the gardens. The Gardens are a non-profit organization... even though there is a huge complex with golf course, water parks, beach and hotel. Tom and I had fun searching the branches looking for the elusive creatures.

This pair were inseparable and seemed to really enjoy each
others company

Scarlet Ibis

yep their are two birds here??
Won't even speculate as to what they are doing

Blue-bellied Roller

Sunbittern

Discovery Road Trip, Moody Gardens- Galveston Tx.

First -- a kitchen gadget note. I bought a Zak Designs Ice Cream Tub. For some unfathomable reason our freezer will turn chicken, beef, fish, veggies in to solid frozen blocks.... however ice cream gets mushy and melts. On our shopping trip with the kids I found this container - Ice Cream Tubby are popular because they’re innovative, durable and they have a unique and fresh look. Take your ice cream with you and keep it cold, with this portable insulated container. It has a freezable gel lid so it’ll keep your ice cream cold while you’re out-and-about or just bringing your favorite pint home from the grocery store.

I put the whole Tubby in the freezer to get cold. I bought a pint of Ice Cream, because of the heat it was a little soft by the time I made it to the boat. I put the container in the Tubby and put in freezer. Next day after dinner I got it out. While we did not have ice cream soup the stuff was soft, thick milk shake soft. Next time I will empty the contents in the Tubby and see if that helps. More to follow

After several days of rain, Tom and I decided on a road trip. A friend of ours suggested http://thedaytripper.com/daytrips/ to peak our interest. We decided on Moody Gardens and the Rainforest Pyramid in Galveston Texas. -

Moody Gardens features three main pyramid attractions. There is the Rainforest, an Aquarium and a Discovery Pyramid, dinosaurs, and science-oriented exhibits. This photo is actually from their web cam.

Deinonychu

This clear pyramid reaches the height of 10 stories. After Hurricane Ike, a $25 million enhancement project brought nature closer to visitors. The multi-level Rainforests of the World project focuses on education, conservation and possible future breeding with new rare and endangered animals. Giant Amazon river otters, saki monkeys, ocelots, and a wide range of other animals, birds, reptiles make up more than 1,000 species of exotic plants showcased the diversity of the rainforest environment.

The rainforests of Asia, Africa, and the Americas are featured through the popular bat caves, crashing waterfalls, and Mayan Ruins. The warm, humid interior simulates the climate of rainforests on warm days.

The grounds are beautifully landscaped, everything in bloom
This was a plant at the entrance
Plumeria (common name Frangipani) is a genus of flowering plants in the dogbane family, Apocynaceae.^[1] It contains seven or eight species of mainly deciduous shrubs and small trees. They are native to Central America, Mexico, the Caribbean, and South America as far south as Brazil ^[2] but can be grown in tropical and sub-tropical regions.

There are bromeliads scattered through out the rainforest.

Ipe Tree
The durable wood of this tree is resistant to fire, pests and mildew
The Forestry Stewardship Council certifies sustainable ipe
harvesting. Boardwalks in Atlantic City and Coney Island are made from
the wood

The garden has an extensive collection of Orchids, their
fragrance filling the misty air.

A side note here --- recently one of these bloomed
WASHINGTON, July 29, 2013 — After six years of anticipation, that rock star of plants — a rainforest giant known as the corpse flower for its putrid odor — has bloomed here, and is the subject of a new video by the American Chemical Society (ACS), the world's largest scientific society. It is available athttp://www.bytesizescience.com.

one of the few plants not in bloom... African Violets

view from in back of a water fall

Tuesday, July 23, 2013

Second part of Lackland AFB static Display

To many planes not enough room. Here are a few more that we saw, each with its own unique story. If you get a chance... stop by and walk through history

The North American Aviation P-51 Mustang was an American long-range, single-seat fighter and fighter-bomber used during World War II, the Korean War and other conflicts. The Mustang was conceived, designed and built by North American Aviation (NAA) in response to aspecification issued directly to NAA by the British Purchasing Commission. The prototype NA-73X airframe was rolled out on 9 September 1940, 102 days after the contract was signed and, with an engine installed, first flew on 26 October.^[3]

The North American F-82 Twin Mustang was the last American piston-engine fighter ordered into production by the United States Air Force. Based on the P-51 Mustang, the F-82 was originally designed as a long-range escort fighter in World War II; however, the war ended well before the first production units were operational.

In the postwar era, Strategic Air Command used the planes as a long-range escort fighter. Radar-equipped F-82s were used extensively by the Air Defense Command as replacements for the Northrop P-61 Black Widow as all-weather day/night interceptors. During theKorean War, Japan-based F-82s were among the first USAF aircraft to operate over Korea. The first three North Korean aircraft destroyed by U.S. forces were shot down by F-82s, the first being a North-Korean Yak-11 downed over Gimpo Airfield by the USAF 68th Fighter Squadron.

The Lockheed C-121 Constellation was a military transport version of the Lockheed Constellation. A total of 332 aircraft were constructed for both the United States Air Force and United States Navy for various purposes. Numerous AWACS versions were also constructed. The C-121 later saw service with smaller civilian operators until 1993.

A visit to Lackland Air Force Base,

Sunday started cloudy, humid day but that never stopped anyone. We decided to visit Lackland Air Force Base... Tom was looking for new Ray Ban sun glasses and the Shopping is excellent on base.

Just a note on the base.

Joint Base San Antonio (JBSA), which includes Lackland Air Force Base, was established in accordance with congressional legislation implementing the recommendations of the 2005 Base Realignment and Closure Commission. The legislation ordered the consolidation of the three facilities which were adjoining, but separate military installations, into a single joint base – one of 12 joint bases formed in the United States as a result of the law.

Lackland AFB is named after Brigadier General Frank Lackland. It is the only entry processing station for Air Force enlisted Basic Military Training (BMT). It shared this status temporarily with Amarillo Air Force Base during the Vietnam War until Amarillo AFB's closure in 1968.

Lackland AFB hosts a collection of vintage military aircraft on static display on its parade grounds, including a B-52 Stratofortress, F-4 Phantom II, SR-71 Blackbird, C-121 Constellation, B-17 Flying Fortress and a B-25 Mitchell.

After a long walk around the Static display, we went to the mall, Barnes and Noble and finally the Alamo Dinner Theater to see Despicable Me 2.

A note on the Static display. Most of the air craft have an Enlisted Story attached to the plans. I have related some of these, but not all. We spent over an hour making the complete circuit and it was well worth it.

C-47 Sky Train

You will notice metal pins sticking up off the props and
high edges of the planes to keep birds off. This Dove
was determined to have her nest here and found a spot.
B-25 Mitchell