HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!

We have the most creative customers. Some of them even decorate their Christmas Card envelopes. I just had to share this one:

Happy New Year everyone. Be safe, be responsible and HAVE FUN!!

Merry Christmas!!

Well, all the bells have been shipped, delivered or picked up by customers. Fingers crossed; no one has called to say they received the wrong bell.

So, the shop door is closed. Sheila is taking a nap.

And yes, that bed is a little small. That is the cat's bed. We did buy her a bigger one for Christmas, but she seems to prefer this one for her morning nap.

Philip and Julien made the tamale run this morning. Not sure why they aren't smiling. Maybe they are already full of tamales even before starting the trip home from Delicious Tamales in San Antonio!!

We hope everyone has a very happy holiday season. Be happy, be mindful and be careful.
Thanks for your business and your friendship.    Judy and Philip

Working Hard

We are staying late in the shop every night to get all orders completed.

We can still take orders, so all or go to the website and order online quickly!!!

Bell Shop Helper

I forgot to mention in my last post that we added a new helper to the bell shop.

 This is Sheila. We adopted her from the county shelter, where I volunteer. Actually, she wandered onto our property one rainy day, but wouldn't come to us when she called. She ran off but turned up a couple of days later in the shelter. I figured it was meant to be. She is a very nice dog, well trained, afraid of thunder and gun shots (not a good thing out here in the country), good with our grandkids, hardly ever barks. For the first several days with us, she didn't shed at all. But, as soon as I think she decided we were going to keep her - POW - she began to shoot hair off her body and hasn't stopped since.  I vacuum every day. We think she is a Healer (she has that "Bentley" mark on her head and eye make up (one eye heavier than the other!)
She is good at chasing squirrels and deer - things that keep our shop safe.

Happy Holidays

November came and went without me posting. But we had a restful Thanksgiving. Ate too much. Weather was nice. Today, things appear to be changing. In fact, it is pretty cool outside.

We have been busy with a few things other than bells.

We moved our boat, Hey Jude, from Lake Travis to Clear Lake Shores. The eventual goal is to get to Rockport, but we transported her to Clear Lake first to have some work done. Our plan was to have all work done and be able to navigate over to Rockport by Thanksgiving.

 Unfortunately, the boat hauler was perhaps not paying attention and drove under a low hanging tree just before getting to the marina in Clear Lake. Looks like a single branch caught the upper deck railing and twisted it up badly. So, now along with the planned upgrades, we are having to deal with insurance companies and a local person to repair the railings.
Poor boat.

Here is a picture of just one corner of the railing. Looks like a little tornado

just danced around on the upper deck of the boat. 

I have also become a steward for a Little Free Library. If you aren't familiar with this concept, it is simply the old "take a book, leave a book" idea that you have probably seen at resorts or coffee shops where you can borrow a book or exchange a book for one you are finished with. Little Free Library is actually a non-profit organization. Any person can build a library in any style, use a newspaper stand, recycle a piece of furniture, etc for their structure. Then the steward initially puts books inside and gets the word out to neighbors to come borrow and donate books. I will monitor it regularly to make sure books stay in good condition. 

Because we live off of a private road, placing the library near our front gate wouldn't work, so instead, it is located less than a mile away in front of PoPo Restaurant (the only business close by). It is on the road that all local residents pass on their way to Boerne or San Antonio, so it is convenient. PoPo's has been around for many years and is a very popular place for people to drive to from other nearby towns to eat. Plus lots of biking groups meet there before starting their rides. So, my hope is that it will be well used. 

                       That's me shaking hands with the Popo Restaurant owner, Sam Bournias. Our friend and now adopted family member, Kelly (who some of you have met), was the builder. It's painted to match the rock work and trim of PoPo's. 

If you are interested in finding out more about this concept, just "google" Little Free Libraries and lots of information will come up.

We have started getting Christmas orders and have even started getting those orders completed. I will take some pictures of Santa's elves in the shop and post them!!

October 2016

October finds us getting ready for the Huffines Art Trails Show. Here is the link to get all of the info:

                                             http://www.huffhinesarttrails.com/

Last year, the show was cancel due to a Texas Monsoon. So, it will have been two years since we have seen many of you. I think it is supposed to be cold, so bring your jackets!!

If you need something special regarding a bell/bells, email us quickly so we can get it ready to bring.

Just an update - we have moved our boat from Lake Travis to the coast. More on that story when you stop by and see us at the booth.

AND.... guess who stopped by our property this week? The Monarch butterflys. Apparently they like us and 50 of them have been roosting in the live oaks out in the front yard of The Big House. They have been there since Thursday of last week (13th).  It has been great watching them flutter around out there. My pictures aren't great, but here are a couple.

                                         Sorry - this one was taken at night with my phone.

Ok, that's it for now. See some of you this next weekend!!

First Fall Show Coming Up!

We took a short break and visited friends in Pacific Grove, CA. The weather was beautiful as was the coastline. Saw otters and seals; no whales.








Now we are back and getting ready for our
trip to Midland for Septemberfest. It is always a
good show, nice customers and the museum folks treat the
artists very well.

If you are a reader who is planning to attend this show and you want something specific - a  6 or 7 dot bell or a personalized sail - email or call us by Tues if possible. We can try to accommodate you.

End Of Summer

First, let me say that The Rockport Art Show was great. The weather wasn't bad. Hot but not miserable. The show has a new director and he did a bang up job. All went smoothly, sales were good and we were once again located next to Joey and Paula Blazek from Beaumont. Besides Joey being this year's poster artist, they are just very nice people.
We managed to sample the meals at several great restaurants and checked out one of the marinas for a possible new home for our boat!

Back at home, we have survived the mini drought and then the wonderful rains. Weather gets weirder and weirder. We have had one "norther" and are expecting another? In August? Crazy.

Next up on the bell agenda will be Septemberfest in Midland in mid September. I think the museum grounds are back to being able to be used again after their refurbishment. I'll post again about the show.

Finally, for those of you who have followed our personal life and know about our boat adventures and plans.... I am going to wake up that other blog listed in out "links" - A Relevant Life. I started that blog early in my retirement which coincided with the purchase of Hey Jude, our trawler. Lots of plans have come and gone, but we now have made a big kick start to a  commitment to her and to ourselves.  She is going to leave her home at Lake Travis and be transported down to the Texas coast.
If you want to know more, make your way over to that other blog and I will fill you in.

ROCKPORT - Be There or Be Square!!

What a great way to celebrate the 4th of July!

Come to Rockport and visit this art show. We hope to see all of our regular customers. Dress cool cause it is always hot.

We are very excited that our regular artist neighbors Joey and Paula Blazek will be our neighbors again. However, more importantly to know.... Joey is this year's poster artist of the show!!

We are working hard to be able to leave early and enjoy Thursday night in Rockport.
If you are reading this and thinking you want a 6 dot bell, email or call us and make sure we reserve one for you.

We Told You So!

Just to make sure you were paying attention when we warned you about those darned yellow jackets. This bell hangs on the side porch of The Big House on our property.  I looked up inside this bell this morning and this is what I saw.

So.... be careful out there!!

KING WILLIAM SHOW

Yikes! So I totally missed posting about the Woodlands Waterway Show!! Well, it was great, as usual! The weather was probably the best we have ever had there. Thanks to everyone who came to the booth to buy or order a bell or just to say hi.


Now, we are getting ready for the King William Show this next Saturday. The Fiesta River Parade is tonight and sadly, it has been raining on and off all day. It's raining here in Boerne right now; not sure about downtown San Antonio. Hopefully the weather will be good Friday for set up and Saturday for the art show (and funky parade).


I was working in the shop yesterday and uncovered the one and only sail left from our initial Fiesta experience many years ago when King George Fisher ordered a nice number of small bells to give as his official Fiesta gift that year. I promptly grabbed up that sail and framed it.

Somewhere we have pictures of the shop packed full of these sails laid out waiting for the adhesive that was holding those little round decals onto the sails to dry. Nice memories.


Happy Fiesta!!

The End of a Journey

Well, it's over and we are home. I could say that now that we are "seasoned" travelers in handling lengthy air travel and that the trip was so much easier because of that. However, the truth is that the  second and longest leg of our journey home was easier mainly because the seat next to me on the airplane was EMPTY!! We were therefore able to spread out which enabled us to sleep considerably more than we did on the way over. Now, let me add that Philip has slept 16 out of 24 hours since we got home, so that has helped also!

We had a memorable trip and have already discussed what a second trip might look like. But it is nice to be home. Our cat remembered us and the two Texas grandkids seemed very happy to have us back. 

Tomorrow, we will be back in the bell shop and our thinking will turn to getting out those orders that came in while we were gone. 

As I took a quick look back over my pictures, I thought I would just share a last few highlights.

Colors of a robe on a Buddha in Anghor Wat.

In all the little towns we travelled through, pots full of flowers and plants were in front of all stores, business and most homes.

Beautiful pool full of lily pads in Cambodia.

A street sign in Kanchanaburi.

A sad commentary, but a more positive use of a bomb casing.

Some homes were on the immediate side of the road.

Others were high in the air. 

Buddhas were, of course, everywhere.

Philip found street food where flavors were coded by "Little Dots" just like our bells. 

                                                          

That's all for now. Thanks for following our trip 

 

Kanchanuburi, Thailand

We have left Bangkok again by train but this time we headed northwest for the town of Kanchanaburi.

As we have progressed through our trip, our trains have become progressively more basic. This time, there was no choice in coaches or seating. It was a third class train and all basics wooden seats. 

We had to leave from the old train station in Bangkok which wasn't connected by subway or even another train, so we had to take a taxi to get there. We made it and had a pleasant 2 hour trip to Kanchanaburi. 

We made many stops at little train stations along this trip and all were very well decorated with bright colors and lots of flowers. 

Lots of farming going on along this route. Rice, corn, bananas and what turned out to be, castor bean trees. 

Some fields had just been burned off, so we had lots of smokey air to contend with, especially in the mornings. Other fields were being flooded just after planting, and yet others had a full crop growing. 

We had made reservations at the Felix Resort, which overlooks the river. We arrived at the station, took a TukTuk. This resort was unusual. 

It was older, but nice. It was obviously a prime place for a conference with lovely grounds, several large meeting rooms and lots of small palapa with seating spread throughout the area for breakout sessions. It had two restaurants, two pools, a room for movie viewing (just DVD's I think) and more. But it was eerily vacant. We were able to walk from the back of this resort into one end of town and view the new bridge which was constructed so that the rail line can work. Tourist go here, walk the bridge, take a selfie and watch the train go by. The original bridge was damaged as part of the war and has not been reconstructed. 

As nice as it was, not many folks stay at The Felix.  In fact, we only stayed one night and then moved into town to The Bridge Hotel where we could just step out of our door and be on the streets with the cafes and shops. 

The streets of Kanchanaburi look much like the streets of the other towns we had been in.

 Lots of cafes, bars, massage parlors and .....

Even in this small town there were several 7-Eleven stores. Several of the cafes and bars are oriented toward Austrailian food, since lots of Aussies come to visit. 

If you read this blog back when we travelled to Morocco and Spain, you might remember that the was a picture of Philip protectively using the ATM in a department store in Spain. And you might remember that that was our first time to use an ATM. Well, never let it be said that we aren't progressive. Here Philip is again using an ATM in another foreign country.

We met a very nice couple from England and did some our sighting with them for the next couple of days. This is Philip and David waiting for yet another train. 

You know, those Brits make conversing so nice. Those great accents make the whole conversation seem like a visit with learned people from PBS. The four of us took this train up to Hellfire Pass. 

The train trip was fine. The scenery was beautiful. These pictures are hazy because of that morning smoke I mentioned. 

The information was sobering. While yes, I saw the movie the Bridge Over the River Kwai, what we learned here was first, that the movie, as with all movies got some things wrong and second, that here is one more situation that proves how cruel man can be. We went to the Hellfire Museum and walked part through Hellfire Pass where part of the railway had been constructed. 

On our last morning, we went to the Kanchanaburi cemetery which is the final resting place for many of the soldiers who died during the building of this railway. There are two more cemeteries in the area as well. There are Dutch, British and Australian soldiers here. All American soldiers had been removed from graves and returned to the U.S. This is an extremely well groomed cemetery. Every day, there is a crew of workers tending to the plants. Every grave marker is well identified, plants are in between every marker and the surrounding ground has nary a small weed in sight. There are monuments with the list of regiments and names of soldiers.

Lots of personal messages from family members are written on little crosses or attached to small bouquets. PD just place a fresh flower cluster on the monument. A very sad footnote here is that while the Japanese honored the Geneva Convention regarding recording keeping of Allied POWs and of their subsequent deaths and internments, absolutely no records were kept regarding the Indians and Asians that were captured and forced to labor here as well. All of those thousands of people died and there bodies were dispersed of without any honor or records.

Just across the street from the cemetery is the Railway Museum. 

This museum has been the endeavor of one gentleman in conjunction with the Thai government. Lots of funding from Australian and Great Britan. In the process of touring this, we met the current manager, himself an Aussie. He has been there for 11 years and shared a great deal of "backstory" information. Research is ongoing as it is their goal to help any family whose ancestor may have been in one of the camps to locate the camp in which that person may have been interred and find out any information they can help with. Again, another moving experience. There is so much history here, so much about how and why this happened and how the Thai government has been so respectful of the remains of all of these soldiers. 

So.... That finished up our visit to Kanchanaburi. We packed up our bags and boarded the Wednesday afternoon trainand made our way back to Bangkok. 

Our Time in Phenom Pehn

We went to Phenom Pehn knowing once again that we would be doing some serious visitations. So, we tried to mix in some good things too. 

First, let me say that our hotel view was lovely. We again found ourselves directly across the street from the Mekong River. We had great views of the boats on the river and the very busy street just below. We were in a very busy area of town. We travelled everywhere via TukTuk. 

This is a closeup of one of the riverboats you can travel on to go up and down the Mekong. I think that might be the way to go.

Our first task was to visit the Cambodia Genocide Museum. This is one of the Khmer Rouge tourture sites that existed during the 1970's. Again, while I went in, knowing some history, I became ashamed by how much I didn't know about this aspect. Absolutely no pictures are allowed, so I have none to share. It was a very moving and emotional experience. Here is the website information.

S21 Victims - The Killing Fields Museum of Cambodia

www.killingfieldsmuseum.com/s21-victims.html.

While the grandsons were with us, on this somber visit, we spilt them up and managed to shield them from anything but just basic info about the structure. And then as a reward for being patient and quiet there, we found two different kid friendly activities in Phenom Pehn to do.

One was call The Kid Zone.  It is a place full of different physical activities. You pay for which ones you want to do and for how long. It was great. Very well supervised by young attendents. The boys chose race cars and rock wall climbing. 

The second kid activity was fun for us all. We went to the 4D presentation of The Finest Hours.

It was quite the full experience. The movie was in English with Cambodian sub titles. This was a movie about ships, New England storms, boat sinkings and rescue during a storm. A 4-D presentation means your seat rumbles, rocks, rolls and generally pitches you around. You get wind and mist blown in your face. The whole idea is to experience the movie as if you were on the ship or in the big storm. Very effective! Everyone had fun and no one got seasick.

We had some good dining experiences in this town. However, you know that annoying habit of waiters that we have all experienced where in their effort to impress us, they take our order by memory ... And then get it wrong, instead of just writing it down. Welł, add another complication to that trick - when the wait staff doesn't understand much English. We did have several wrong orders or actual "no shows" on orders. 

Once again we met ex-pat Americans who had great restaurants. 

We also actually found a Mexican food place. Food was ok. They were out of Margaritas. Obviously this one wasn't run by a Texas ex-pat! They did have decent taco ships, however. But nothing like Alamo Cafe or Mama Margies back home. Can you tell what I will be eating upon my return home?

Have I mentioned how many times we ate pizza on this trip? It is what you do when you travel with young kids. 

So.... This was it. Time to say goodbye to Jenny and the family. No matter how much time you have been together and how much fun you have had, this is always hard. When you give birth and raise those kids, it never occurs to you that someday they may be so far away. 

We all piled in a big Taxi and made our way to the airport and here we spilt. lots of hugging and a few tears and the noisy crew headed off back to Laos. We went to our Bangkok Airlines and headed back to Bangkok.