In February we had a great time hosting the 40 year reunion for RCMP Troop 11 in Houston, TX. Kathy was able to meet up again with some of her RCMP Troop members from all over Canada. We stayed at hotel near Discovery Green in downtime Houston so we able to easily enjoy city attractions.

On Wednesday we took the Metrorail train down to the Museum District and enjoyed a special Exhibit of Norman Rockwell’s art work. After lunch at the MFAH we walked through the Cullen Sculpture Garden before taking the train back to the downtown area and the hotel.

In the evening on Wednesday, we enjoyed the Manager’s Complimentary Reception at the hotel, after which we had dinner at Hearsay on the Green.

On Thursday, we went for lunch at Jackson St BBQ, a traditional Texas pit BBQ.

After lunch we walked down to Allen’s Landing and then along Buffalo Bayou to Sam Houston Park.

In the evening we enjoyed the Manager’s Complimentary Reception at the hotel, after which we had dinner at Saint Arnold’s Brewery

On Friday we drove south to League City to spend the whole day at Space Center Houston. We enjoyed the tour of NASA’s Johnson Space Center visiting the Houston Control Center, the Astronaut Training Center and Rocket Park.

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On Friday evening we enjoyed traditional south Louisiana seafood dinner at the Ragin’ Cajun.

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It was a very enjoyable reunion.

We just loved looking after our granddaughter Evie this week

Our second son, David has spent the last three years working in Europe. Two years in Paris working at L’Oreal’s headquarters and then a year in Birmingham, England working for Jaguar-Land-Rover. We are very happy to welcome David back to Texas!

Last weekend I rode my 2015 BMW K1600GTS motorcycle (KBiK) out to the hill country to participate in the ST-Owners WinterSTOC III event in Medina, Texas. We stayed again in a very comfortable cabin at the Hill Country Resort and Event Center just north of Medina.

We enjoyed riding two of the Three Sisters; TX 336 and 337. We did not ride the third Sister, TX 335 because the low cloud and misty rain turned the road wet making the twisties a bit more treacherous.

The Three Sisters are probably the best roads in Texas for motorcycle riding.

It was an enjoyable weekend of riding and being with a few close friends.

I have enjoyed organizing and riding in the WinterSTOC event in 2019 and in 2018.

All my WinterSTOC III pictures are here!

The joys of being a Grand Parent

This weekend, Kathy and I returned to the Lower Pecos Region of Texas to visit Seminole Canyon State Park to see more pre-Indian shelter settlements and pictographs in Presa Canyon.

We had a great day with our great guides, Lance and Susan. All of the other nine people who had booked cancelled, so we had the tour to ourselves. It was a full day of hiking, bouldering and bushwacking down Seminole Canyon, and then up Presa Canyon to the pre-Indian Rock Art sites. It started off cool and foggy but the sun burned through and we had a beautiful clear day.

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The Rock Art was stunning, mystical but so full of meaning. Very well preserved in great detail in Black Cave, but more indistinct and blurred in some of the other sites more prone to erosion and spawling of the limestone.

All of our pictures are here

Previously, we have enjoyed seeing the rock art in Fate Bell Shelter in Seminole Canyon in 2011, and more recently in December 2019, visiting Bonfire Shelter and Eagle Cave.

We plan to return to see the White Shaman Shelter in March.

I look forward to another enjoyable year riding “KBiK”, my 2015 BMW K1600 GTS motorcycle!

In 2019, I rode over 22K miles throughout the USA and briefly in Canada.

My plans for 2020 starting to come together. For the first half of the year, I have planned about 10K miles of riding to the following events and locations:

• ST-Owners WinterSTOC III, Medina TX
• ST-Owners Big Bend Bash IV, Terlingua, TX
• ST-Owners RanchSTOC IX, Meridian, TX
• USA MotoGP races at Circuit of Americas, Austin, TX
• Visit the Regency Suspension Bridge, San Saba, TX
• Spring Ride to:
  • ST-Owners ArCampSTOC, Harrison, AR
  • ST-Owners Georgia Spring Rally, Suches, GA
  • BMW K1600 Tame the Dragon, Stecoah, NC
• June Ride to:
  • ST-Owners LocSTOC & Barrel, Spring Green, WI
  • ST-Owners NatSTOC XV, Spearfish, SD
  • The great roads of the Eastern Rockies in Colorado

I am still working on possible rides for the second half of 2020. I would like to go up to Canada again!

See all my motorcycle rides here!

A large adult Red Shouldered Hawk joined me during my walk along Horsepen Creek this morning. Also saw some Coopers Hawks but they were too far away for me to photograph clearly.

Early Morning Walk along Horspen Creek in our neighbourhood. Cool water in the Bayou creates a low fog. We often see Owls, Red-Shouldered and Cooper Hawks on these walk.