Storming the Castle!

One week ago today, I set out on the open road for a week-long adventure.  No hotel stays were involved, so I needed to meticulously plan the itinerary for several day trips.  Staying with family in the Victoria area would provide for a base of operations.  The first destination was the Alfred D. Hughes Unit in Gatesville, Texas.  A friend is assigned to that unit, and I try to visit whenever I can.  The last time we saw each other was when he was assigned to the Ellis Unit in Huntsville.  We had a great time of fellowship, and the two-hour visit passed by as if it were only a few minutes.  Who knows when I'll get to see him again.  Before heading out to the Victoria area, I was able to drive around town.  Gatesville is a former stomping ground in a former life when a friend and his family lived in the area.  Now it has been roughly 24 years since I have been in the area.  Even travelling to Gatesville was different.  I had never approached the municipality from the north.  It was always from Houston or Victoria that I would arrive in this small country town.  The app on my phone had me taking seemingly endless backgrounds that brought to mind the movie Texas Chainsaw Massacre.  Ha ha!  Felt like even the backroads had backroads.  Thankfully, I eventually arrived at my destination very much relieved.  A lot has changed as I didn't remember anything of what I saw, except for my friend's former home.  I simply parked nearby and reminisced about the good ol' days.  Since it was a Sunday morning, I didn't want to disturb whoever lived there.  Especially not knowing if the same family still owned the home.  One last tribute to this cherished memory was to visit two friends, a husband and wife, in the nearby cemetery.  On a rare note, I didn't have any difficulty in finding the gravesites.  After a few minutes of honored respect for this sacred area, I finished the day trip after arriving at Mom's house very exhausted.  The adventure continued on Monday as Mom and I travelled to Bellville, Texas.  Newman's Castle was the featured attraction.  Other than the castle and a few minor attractions, there's absolutely nothing to do in Bellville.  The history behind the castle, as well as the castle itself, were fascinating.  The sister of the former owner/builder of the castle, gave the history and provided a glimpse into the life of her brother.  We toured the castle at a leisurely pace and felt satisfied in the money and time spent.  Place this on your bucket list should you ever find yourself in Bellville.  Before heading back to our base of operations, we also checked out the local bakery, the Bellville Perk coffee shop, the adjacent bookstore, and President (Trump) Burger, one of the local eateries.  A trip to Gonzales was scheduled for Tuesday.  For as long as I grew up in the area, I never took advantage of the historical sites in this "Come and Take It" town.  Yes, I finally saw the actual cannon along with the site of the very real event in Texas history.  Most of the sites were within a few block radius in downtown Gonzales; however, the Gonzales County Memorial Museum, Gonzales County Veterans Memorial, and the Horace Eggelston House were a few blocks distant from city-center.  Compared to Bellville, Gonzales is a happening city.  We also checked out the County Courthouse, Old County Jail Museum, Texas Heroes Square, Independence Square, Come & Crepe It (coffee shop), and the local Italian restaurant, to name only a few items we experienced.  Once again, we were exhausted after a day filled with almost endless activity.  Our final day trip outing was to Victoria.  As usual, we shopped at three of the city's thrift stores, ate at Chili's, and took care of a few other odds and ends.  The main attraction, for me at least, was getting to see a friend whom I haven't fellowshipped with in over 20 years.  About a year ago, she and her husband moved to Victoria from Houston.  We knew each other from church; however, I have never officially met her husband.  Our hour of visiting over coffee at Starbuck's went by very fast.  Guess we had a lot of catching up to do.  It was great to see her again.  Maybe I won't wait as long to see her again.  Thursday took me to Yorktown in order to formally introduce myself to two Find A Grave contacts.  Mainly, I wanted to work out at Westside Cemetery.  Overall, the cemetery looked well maintained; however, the family plots were atrocious looking!  I did the best I could with the time alotted and the tools at-hand.  Maybe I'll plan a more extensive trip in the future and spend more time bringing the family plots back from the dead, so to speak.  On Friday, very pleased with my week-long trip to here, there, and yonder, I headed back to Fort Worth with a detour in Austin.  I wanted to shop at the Salvation Army store and to pick up some cigars at Pipe World on Anderson Lane.  This was the cherry on top of the proverbial ice cream sundae.  Once back in Fort Worth, I quickly put everything away and got settled back into my normal routine.  Now that all the loose ends have been taken care of, I can now plan for my next adventure, whatever that may be.  What adventure would you like to take?  Vacations don't need to be expensive.  Would love to hear from my audience on their travel plans.