Again lots of long rolling hills - a slight breeze at my back.

Riding down hwy 287 just past the Richland Chambers Reservoir I see a sign for Thien Tam, Benedictine Monestery, which is Vietnamese for "Heavenly Heart". This is where I am tonight.

This monestery is only 3 years old and on 300 acres. The Monks with the help of the local community and Knights of Columbus are building a beautiful facility for the Glory of God.

This is Brother Dominic, who has guest master duty. He is in front of a new Chapel that houses over a 100 relics of Catholic Saints.

The alter and pews were made in Viet Nam and the Relics with the Saints story are on the walls around the chapel. They hold an 11AM Sunday Mass in English.

The Monestary grounds are beautiful, They have a large building to hold very large retreats and functions. as well as picnic, play areas for guests.

I meet Mike who was helping out with laying out a peach and pear orchard they are planting starting with 100 trees this year.

I hope to return here some time and see the growth of this Holy Place.

The guest house living room - beautiful and restfull. Thank You Lord, again.

Everyday is special surprise and gift from God on this journey.

This is a big change from the tent the last few nights and I can update the Blogg.

and as I am finishing up this entry a huge rain storm is passing overhead. Just to remind me what a gift tonight is.

Leaving out fo Ft. Boggy and heading into Centerville, Tx for Church. only about 4 miles away.

Lots of rolling hills out this way.

The time traveled is a little misleading as you spend most of the time going up hill, seemingly taking forever, and no time going down hill.  In the end you got where your going and you see more of the country going up hill.

St Leo the Great church in Centerville, Tx. What a wonderfull parish.

The youth of the congregation with babies and young children was refreshing and reminded me of when I was young and there were all this young kids in church.

Fr Lowery From Tyler, Tx.

The priest is  actually from Tyler, Tx. In speaking with him I said I had only met one other priest from the USA last year in Albuquerque, New Mexico who was from Fort Worth.  Fr. Lowery knew Fr. Fernandez from St Thomas Aquinas   they had been seminary classmates.  It is a small world and we certainly are not in charge.

A pretty Texas scene, stopped here to dry out the stuff in one of my Pannier, that got filled with water when the top blew open the other night.

Didn’t get a photo of tonight camp spot – Pulled the road onto an oil tank farm service road and pushed into some post oak tree area to find a nice spot.  Only about 31 miles on the day.

The Three meals today were Pancakes at the Town restaurant waiting for church to open, Tacos sold after Mass at St Leo the Great church, and then a little Taco Restaurant Buffalo, Texas.  food expense for two restaurant meal and one church meal was 15 bucks.

Some more of the horses running along in their pastures - The day looks pretty good and expecting some rain.

Great little old time Soda Fountain in Leon - This fellow restored the sodafountain part of the old drug store. He has the last 10gals of Dublin Dr. Pepper syrup made.

The Dublin Dr. Pepper bottling plant stayed with pure cane sugar, when the rest of the Cola Industry went to High Fructose Syrup. Really does taste different. I had a banana Split with out chocolate. Once again the Guardian Angel had me duck in here and about 10 minutes later the sky opened up with deluge. That justified more coffee and the Banana split.

The name of this camp area is Ft. Boggy and for good reason. At the top of hill there was no standing water and there is lots of ground cover. Only 25miles today since tomorrow is Sunday

This is about 4 miles from St. Leo the Great Church in Centerville, tx.

The very light weight tarp has been working out well as a rain cover, I set it up and have a place to set up the tent out of the rain.  Since it is not that cold I am able to keep the rain fly open even when it rains. Also blocks the car lights from reflectors and is more out of site.

Raining off and on today. Here is how the fireants are dealing with the water higher and higher mounds. The desert had thorns all over, Here has fireants all over.

Still Tooling along a pretty good pace.

Stopped for a little lunch at this little place, fries, a piece of cake and Tea. and boy did it rain while I was on the porch.

Funny how most of the Horses pull up to watch me pass and many will run to the fence and run alongside to the end of their pastures. Like they are joining me or racing.

I wonder if I look like I might be a horse to them and their just going to run with me.

Stopped here for some water, rest and visit with Norm. He came here 12 years ago to help the his friends wife when his friend was dying. Stayed on in town. Norm's came from Tennesse.

Ya know there are lots all of us go through some sort of suffering either mental and or physical. There are persons who have and help others and their are those who are being helped – in both cases it is the Love that comes from the giving and the receiving that is what counts. There is a difference when is pushing and taking,  though, then people can pervert what the good.

Norm is a giver and receiver type of person. I would like to be also.

Here is the road side picnic area just when you need it. A couple real good thunderstorms came thur during the night. This set up worked out well. Another 45+ mile day.

This wet, humid weather get a little old, pretty quick, I do have to say my skin is not as dry and wrinkled as it was, now its just wet wrinkly, like I have been swimming too long.

Stopped by for Daily Mass at St. John Vianny near Mary's house - what a great Homely about the Gospel of Mark Bible reading today.

Every once in while I am struck with the richness and fullness of the Faith that the 1st century Christians had as the revelation of God continued from the chosen people of Abraham through the Israelites and then then Jews and has been preserved and passed on in the Catholic church.

It has been raining in this part of Texas and so I need to be looking where I pull out and camp out. A very good 45+ mile day although the campsite wasn't that great.

I went a mile off the highway to high ground looking for this only wet not flooded spot at the top of a hill. The Google image shows a forest that was last year.\

It burned down – at least they are salvaging some of the lumber out of it and  new growth will start.

Anna my beautiful Niece at Mary's house - what a good time visiting and seeing everyone doing well.

Daniel and Mary as I am heading out in the Morning.

Thanks Mary, Daniel and Anna for a great visit and for doing so well.

Well I am all better and the day is too. Sunny and a slight tail wind to head up to houston.

Lots of great smooth shoulder out of Clute, Tx and into Houston Hwy 6. This turned out to be best Mileage at 60 miles and to Mary's house by 5pm.

What a rest day, 2 domino’s pizzas, good road, sun and wind at your back can do. A new personal best on the mileage for this trip as well. I think getting to see Mary and the nieces and nephews is the other driver.

All I could pickup for my Valentines was this picture.

What a great day.

Going to make this a rest and heal day.
Darn there is a good southwind too.
Getting to Mary’s house will just have to wait another day.

Sunday Morn I am the last tent camper to packit up and head out. Cold and windy

Really not feeling too spiffy this morning. Didn’t get out of the tent till 10am.

the best part of the tent camp area are the heated bathrooms. They might not have showers, and they do have an electric out let right by the toilet so you can charge your cell phone,

A few people came over from the beach side to use these heated bathrooms about a mile and half away.

Not feeling any better, but no sense in hanging out in the bathroom all day. A really stiff wind will be at my back down the coast.

Crossing the San Luis Pass Bridge again - begining to feel a little better - glad the wind is pushing

The surf is up from yesterday

Going over the Intercoastal waterway Bridge - The cold and clouds are building

Last look at the Gulf - The wind is behind me into Clut, Tx and Motel 6 in another hour. Feeling much better now.

The wind shifted just before I got to the bridge – to push me over and into town.  I am feeling a lot better.

Saturday Morning

Great Morning by the San Luis Pass bridge – as you can see not much traffic on the sand – look carefully on the bridge for the speedy rider.

30 years ago there was nothing on this end of Galveston Is. Now it is beach houses and Condos all but a few miles to the State Park.

There were not many sections with out condos, beach homes and resorts. All of them look in great condition, new paint and stuff. Wait a minute I know of a least 3 hurricanes to hit this area in the last 40 years and IKE wasn’t that long ago, and Galveston still holds the record for largest loss of life in the US from catastrophe for the Hurricane in 1900. Yes History does repeat it self.  The difference now is that most of the people think they are in control of the weather either for bad or good. How’s that working out.

Yippe the warm showers of the state park

The state park of course looks nothing like when we camped here back in the early 80’s. The shower was really nice. This side of campground was full up with RVs, they do have a tent site on the bay side.

View of the Gulf from the showers - the sun warms up, out of the wind.

A very pleasant day. The church of Our Lady of the Sea was only 2 miles back with a Saturday Vigil Mass at 7:00pm.  A Subway was a block away. Spent the afternoon at the subway labeling these pictures – as you know I was way behind in my updates.

At the Church the priest read the Letter from the Galveston Bishop regarding the Health Care mandate that has the US Government restricting religious freedoms that were one of main stays of founding of this country. By attacking the biggest kid on the block, all the other kids will knuckle under.

In 1938 German, all the Bishops were given a letter from the Pope to be read at all the masses – the letter condemned then current German government actions, and requested all people take actions to change the direction.

Of course many will say this not about religious freedom, it is about health care for women. They dismiss  the health care for the unborn children and grandchildren  in the womb.

History does repeat itself and with our God given Freedom of Will – He will let us get what we want – usually it doesn’t seem as nice  when we are in the middle of it.

Mean while the lesson from this sea shore God has before us is – After all the storms some of it is still here and is beautiful and is changed.

I