Monday, June 25, 2012

Bay Landing TT

After leaving Nacogdoches and Foretravel our first stop was Bridgeport, TX. We are staying at Bay Landing.

Bay Landing TT (6)

Bay Landing is a very large park. We chose a 50 amp site near the activity center so it was an easy walk to the pool table.

Bay Landing TT (3)

They have A-frame cabins and on the other side they have duplex like cabins.

Bay Landing TT (7)

A gazebo with restrooms, electric for picnics and parties overlooks the lake.

Bay Landing TT (8)

The family lodge. They have pool tables there for the kids that are in pretty sad shape and coin operated.

Bay Landing TT (17)

Nice swimming pool area.

After walking around the park for a couple of days and not finding the building with the pool table we found out that the adult lodge burned to the ground and they have not started re-building yet.

Bay Landing TT (10)

Besides the access to Bridgeport Lake they have their own fishing pond.

Bay Landing TT Lake Bridgeport

Bridgeport Lake with the bridge we will take to head West.

Bay Landing TT Storm

A storm came through and tested the front for leaks, I am glad to report we have no leaks.

Next Stop Lubbock, TX for 1 night and fuel at Sam’s Club.

Monday, June 4, 2012

National Funeral Museum

5/17/2012 On one of my trips to Costco in Houston I passed a sign that pointed the way to a Funeral Museum. Our friends Vern & Linda are here so we decided to take a day trip and find this museum.

National Museum of Funeral History (6)

What an interesting place. They laid out the interior in different sections. Vern & Linda in the section saluting our servicemen.

National Museum of Funeral History Vern & Linda Haley

Presidential funerals

National Museum of Funeral History (3)

Abe Lincoln was fully laid out

National Museum of Funeral History Lincoln lying in state (2)

There was a section on the funerals of the Popes

National Museum of Funeral History Pope area (5)

A section on the Egyptians and their mummies.

National Museum of Funeral History Egyptian (4)

National Museum of Funeral History Egyptian (3)

This led to the section on embalming, how it started during the Civil War and the process they used (no photos of this).

They have one section that displays different types of coffins.

National Museum of Funeral History boat coffin

Behind the boat coffin is a chicken coffin a cow and this lovely fish. 

National Museum of Funeral History blowfish coffin 

There was even a coffin built for 3.

National Museum of Funeral History casket for three

The story was that this couple lost their baby and decided they couldn’t live without her so he was going to kill his wife then take his life. They had made arrangements to have the baby dug up and then all three were going to be buried together. The couple changed their minds and moved away. Strange story.

There was a great display of different types of hearses.

National Museum of Funeral History sleigh hearse

National Museum of Funeral History funeral bus

This was a Funeral Bus, It would carry the casket, the pallbearers, and 20 mourners. The bus was originally built on a Kelly Truck Chassis. Initially owned by a San Francisco funeral home it was climbing uphill to a cemetery when the weight of the aft section caused the bus to tip back. Pallbearers tumbled into the mourners and the casket overturned. The embarrassed funeral director removed it from service took it off the chassis and for next 40 years a ranch hand called it home. It has been restored to running condition on a Packard Chassis. The tires and wheels are original with tires made out of hard rubber.

National Museum of Funeral History wood carved hearse

This hearse was made out of hand-carved wood.

National Museum of Funeral History new area (2)

There is a new section that hadn’t opened yet that displayed the funerals and death of famous people.

National Museum of Funeral History Linda & Rockey

We all really enjoyed this unique museum and now we are getting hungry. We stopped at PPL Motorhomes and both Dick & Vern bought a new TV antenna called a Jack to replace the batwing for local channels. Then onto The Haven for lunch. Linda had met the Chef on an Airplane to Dallas some time ago and he invited her to visit if they were ever in Houston. We had a great lunch of appetizers then drove around downtown gawking at the tall very strange looking buildings.