March 24 - Fredericksburg (War of the Pacific Musuem)

I asked about the ambulances and helicopter while at the office this morning. It was the husband of a couple in their 80’s who have been at the park all winter. He had a severe stroke. Apparently the wife doesn’t drive and when asked if there was anyone who could be called she said no, that it’s just the two of them. A local hospice like volunteer organization arranged to get her to the hospital. Sad situation.

The antique car rally was in downtown Fredericksburg today so I saw many of the cars again. They did not park together, instead were spread all over town.

Admiral Nimtz was born here which is why the Museum of the Pacific War ended up in the middle of Texas. Starting with the invasion of China by Japan, through every major military action of the Pacific, to the end of WWII they explain with large story boards, videos and interactive exhibits what went into the strategic decisions and outcome. At each exhibit there is typically a display of pertinent military artifacts. On the grounds there are many military relics, mainly large weapons. There is also a tribute to the presidents of the US who served in WWII. The ten consecutive presidents following the war had served. In a separate are a couple blocks away there is a recreation of a combat zone where recreations of battles are performed a few times a year.

After grabbing a bite to eat I took Sunny on a walk along a nature trail in the park. It crossed a stream then went alongside the reservoir upstream of a small dam. The banks were steep from the path to the water. At one point where the vegetation was not very thick Sunny decided she was going to the water. I called her back before she got in and she started to come but then started sliding backwards down the hill towards the water. I could see the slope didn’t get any flatter beneath the water and was trying to help her up by pulling on the leash. Her collar was dangerously close to sliding off and she wasn’t moving up or down. The water was probably 6 feet lower than the path so quickly but carefully got down to a point I could grab Sunny’s nape and pulled gave her a hand getting back up to the path. Crisis averted except she still wanted to swim. We headed back to the stream crossing and found a deep hole for her to play in for a while.
It’s great seeing clear water again! I noticed it a few days ago, in Austin I think, for the first time. No black water, no muddy water, just crystal clear spring water or runoff from rocky uplands which are slow to erode.

A storm was rolling in so we headed back. The clouds were wild but it was only a squall line so before the storm reached us we could already see the sun on the back side of the storm. Pretty cool. Winds came up and it rained hard for just long enough to make a bunch of mud!