Traveling America By Van: A Week In Willis
by: John Kumiski
Ken and Cindy waved at us from the far end of a long driveway. We opened the gate and drove through, into pastures with goats and grazing horses. The driveway led us to our friends, and we jumped out of the van into laughter and embraces. It had been a long time, and we loved seeing them again!
Cindy rides Buca, dressed for dressage. Photo: John Kumiski.
We'd met Ken over 40 years ago, while we worked in Brazil. We're old friends! Cindy, his bride, rides dressage. They were living on a horse farm in Willis so Cindy could ride, and train, and compete. For a week we'd live in a horse trailer instead of a van, increasing the size of our quarters dramatically, if only temporarily. We'd be guests!
First, it was time to repair the electrical system in the van. Buttons on the solar charge controller had been pressed while putting the bed up and down, and the lithium battery was no longer charging. The controller needed a reset. Ken makes his living by engineering, and resetting the controller was the first order of business. It turned out to be an easy process.
Entrance to the Houston Museum of Natural Science. Photo: John Kumiski
The next day found us at the Houston Museum of Natural Science. The Pompeii exhibit was there, and they have a world-class butterfly exhibit. People use a cliché, "The more things change, the more they stay the same." So many of the household goods used 2000 years ago are the same as those we use today, although the Romans used no plastic. They made and used glass tumblers. The bronze skillet in the display looked nearly identical to the cast-iron skillet in my van. The display's fishhooks were something I would tie on my line and use now. Any modern woman would be thrilled to wear the gold jewelry wealthy Roman women wore, earrings, rings, and necklaces enhanced by emeralds and rubies.
Pompeii was buried by Mount Vesuvius in a matter of hours, preserving all those goods for us to see today.
The butterfly atrium at the Cockrell Butterfly Center was filled with flutterers, raised on farms and imported from all parts of the globe. I spent hours in there, shooting way too many photos. The insects were gorgeous, colorful and precious little sparks of life.
A butterfly rests on a large flower at the Cockrell Butterfly Center. Photo: John Kumiski.
Seeing just those two exhibits took almost all day. We saw almost nothing else of the museum. Perhaps next time!
In Anderson, Texas, at the top of the tallest of seven hills, the Grimes County Courthouse rises, imposing, above the landscape. Al Peeler, who maintains the edifice and who chairs the Grimes County Historical Commission, gave the four of us a personal tour of the facility the following day.
Grimes County Courthouse, Anderson, Texas. Photo: John Kumiski.
This magnificent building was completed in 1894 and completely restored in 2002. Peeler, not a native Texan, is as proud of this building as any Texan could be. His passion as he told us about the history of this court house made that obvious. He told us to make sure to see the bullet hole in the brick, just to the right of the front entrance.
Elsewhere in Anderson you find the Fanthorp Inn and other historic buildings, many of which are currently under renovation. This scenic Texas town is justly proud of its history, and is certainly worth a visit!
More Texas history followed. We visited Washington on the Brazos, where the Republic of Texas Declaration of Independence was written and signed, and where much of the Republic of Texas Constitution was written. Once a thriving town, today little remains except for a Texas Historical Commission property with fascinating displays about Texas history.
Cindy and Susan chat on the porch of Boggess General Store, Anderson, Texas. Photo: John Kumiski
At one time, Washington was the center of the Texas cotton trade. Steamboats would take raw cotton down the Brazos River. From there it would be shipped to New Orleans for processing into cloth. When the railroads were expanding, they offered the leaders of Washington a rail line. The catch was it would cost $11,000. They declined. Nearby towns did not. Within ten years, Washington was out of business, most of the buildings having been moved brick by brick to Navasota and other towns along the rail line.
The home of Andrus Jones, the last president of the Republic of Texas, is also on this property. Men and women in period garb tend the gardens, feed the oxen, swine, and fowl, and answer visitor's questions. Learning about the history of Texas was a delightful way to spend another day.
We've been struck by the colors and profusion of Texas wildflowers. The roadsides are alive with color! Phlox, primrose, bluebells, Indian paintbrush, wild poppies, and more present a colorful mosaic to the traveler's eye.
But time in Willis is winding down. We're preparing for another leg of our journey.
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