The next morning Beth and I got up late (it's warm in Texas!), just in time to go to Sweet Temptations Cafe for dinner. We had peach cobbler on the patio at 91℉ in the shade. Lovely! Afterwards, Amp drove us round the neighbourhood, and we had a look round Half Price Books, a huge second-hand book and music store.
At night, Barbara Anne took us to Cafe Express for tea (dinner to some!) then we walked to the Kitchen Dog Theatre to watch a play called 'Nickel and Dimed'. We all three had a great evening. To top it off, we got free pieces of pie from Breadwinners cafe to take home as they were closing up for the night!
On Sunday 14th May (Mother's Day in the U.S.), Amp drove us out to his Mum and Dad's place in a sheltered housing complex close by. Ruth and Amp (II, or Junior!) treated us to a slap-up meal of roast beef, tatties (potatoes) and green beans. We also met Bubba's brother Zack, his wife Becky, and her mother Charlotte (who was visiting from Paris, Texas). I wore my kilt which was a big hit.
In the afternoon, Amp took us round White Rock Lake (behind Barbara Anne and Amp, above) and parts of north Dallas to see the grand houses, then at night it was pizza at Picasso's before catching a film at the Galaxy cinema. Watching 'United 93' (about the fourth plane hijacked on 9/11) the night before our flight to Corpus put the fear of God into the both of us! ;-)
Monday 15th, Barbara Anne very kindly drove us back out to DFW for our 10:35 flight to Corpus Christi. We arrived at 11:40 and were picked up by Barbara and Bill, a.k.a. Aunt B and Unca Willie!
We were immediately whisked off to the boat store, Gulf Coast Marine, a handsome and very LARGE facility on South Padre Island Drive. We rendevouzed with Cousin Billy, who let me ride with him in his truck to Cancun restaurant where we all had dinner.
Back at the store, Uncle Bill treated us to a grand tour in his golf buggy, which was a hoot! In the photo you can see the front of Bill's '66 Mustang, nicely juxtaposed with some boats in one of the warehouses. I wanted to ship the Mustang back to Scotland via slow boat, but he wouldn't let me. ;-)
After checking in at the Holiday Inn on Padre Island (thanks again to Barbara and Bill), we went back to the house for a beer. Billy picked me up at 5:30pm, and we met up with his buddy Geoff, who took us out fishing on his catamaran!
We sped around between Flour Bluff and Padre Island, caught a few trout, and I managed to keep a hold of my dinner (and my glasses, cap, and beer)! I had a magic time. We met the others about 8:30pm at Doc's restaurant for some Red Snapper and Lone Star beer before being driven back out to the Holiday Inn for 11pm.
On the Tuesday, Barbara and Bill picked us up at 11:30 and drove us to the Corpus Christi Yacht Club. We met cousin Billy, Billy's girlfriend Kim and her folks, who were visiting from Omaha. The pecan-encrusted oysters went down a treat! The next photo show the Corpus skyline from the Yacht Club.
After dinner, Aunt B and Unca Willie took us to see a replica of Christopher Columbus' ship, the Niña, built to commemorate the 500th anniversary of his voyage in 1992. Some guy in a kilt got in the way of the photo, though.
Then it was off to view the USS Lexington (below), a WWII aircraft carrier which is now a floating museum. Uncle Bill actually helped supply the Lexington during the war in the Pacific, which I thought was particularly poignant - both of my grandfathers served in Europe, and my Mum's father was in the navy too, serving on a minesweeper in the North Atlantic.
After having a look at the old GCM boat store location, we trawled for some souvenirs before returning to the house for a party. Barbara and Bill's friends Erich and Vera came round, along with Billy, Kim and her family, and Boo the dog too!
Barbara and Bill showed me their Hysterical Marker (below) and I enjoyed a wander round the back garden, complete with canal and trawler!
The next morning, Wednesday 17th, I got up early and had a walk along the beach, then had breakfast with Beth in the hotel (french toast and sausages. Mmmm!). Our hosts picked us up at 10:30 and took us to the airport for our 12:30 flight to Midland.