walters family blog

Well, its just Walters' family stuff. That's about it, for that's its sole purpose.

Name:
Location: Bellville, Texas, United States

Husband, dad, grandfather, brother, entrepreneur, artist, writer, publisher, ad guy, teacher, musician, and dreaming of being a farmer.

Saturday, December 31, 2011

Shrimp & Grits, again...

If you are ever in Charleston, eat at Eli's on Meeting Street!  You have to try the Shrimp & Grits doused in their rich roux... My goodness! You just can't imagine how tasty this dish is. We found Eli's to be very excellent food and service.







Friday, December 30, 2011

Trip to the South after Christmas

Mikki and I were both pretty much exhausted this year by Christmas... so much so that I felt we needed to get away and rest before we tackle 2012. So, we chose the path of least resistance... and that was to fly from one place to another, no connections and no driving... short and simple. So we chose Charleston, South Carolina. The South is very relaxing if you ignore the visitors:-)
What a magnificent area this is. We have slept, read, drawn and driven, looked, photographed... and yes, eaten. A lot. Good grief, what food these folks fix. If you like grits, shrimp, biscuits, butter, collards, pork chops, chicken, crab cakes...then you'll love Charleston. And, if you don't like grits, they'll dress em' up and make them taste like cheese and you'll love them. Here are a few pictures of the trip...
A downtown window at night
The most beautiful camellia blooms I've ever seen. They were laying in a bowl at a pharmacy in downtown Charleston. Amazing combination of color.
A camellia bloom at Middleton Plantation
Camellia blooming
Color against the gray was too much to pass up... this is a pink magnolia loaded with blooms and it's first one to start opening. Can't image how beautiful it'll be in a couple weeks.
Poured glass... Mik walking by coincidentally. 
Peacock at Middleton Plantation
Hen resting on her roost
Not sure of the bird, but loved the pose
Some kind of egrets, but loved the shot. I think Mikki took this one.
Love this anvil in the blacksmith's shop at Middleton Plantation
The horse stalls at Middleton Plantation
Tea growing at the Charleston Tea Plantation. The only American grown tea and a wonderful manufacturing facility we toured. 
The pond at Middleton Plantation
St John Baptist Church on Johns Island. A wonderful cemetery that dates back before the Civil War. There were numerous gravestones dating to the early 1700's. A couple of the men in the cemetery were fighters in the Revolutionary War and the Civil War. Amazing to read the tombstones. So many babies lost to disease. We have no idea how good we have it.
Mama goat watching me at Middleton Plantation
The Angel Oak. 17,000 sq ft of ground cover! An amazing specimen of Live Oak just out of Charleston. It is hard to believe until you stand next to it. It's the largest oak East of the Mississippi, which indicates that there is one larger West I suppose. 
Me standing next to a limb. It's alive:-) 
A drawing of a cotton pod and a boll from the Middleton Plantation. I was blown away by this tall cotton they grew there. I had to draw it. They say this is as close to Sea Island Cotton as we can grow here.

Christmas

We had a wonderful time this year with our kids and the grand children at the farm for Christmas. We had our tree, and then Mik did a wonderful farm breakfast. Doesn't get much better than that!  



Mikki had two of Bandaddy's (who'd be 100 this year) Jellybean Jars, so we got them loaded and gave them to Amber and Molly for Christmas. Many good years of life still in them. 


Annie, Brody, Jack and Caroline in their Christmas jammies from MikMik, opening gifts


The tree at the farm


Gizmo, staring me down, wanting something for Christmas, or Jarvis


The kids following MikMik to their newly established playroom... let the chaos begin! 


Caroline dressed up for her first ever pig hunt


Man, Annie loves dolls... MikMik is so happy. Annie will be:-)


Andrew, Andy and Miranda at Christmas


Brody and Caroline turn 6

Brody and Caroline turn 6! Congratulations! 

Just doesn't seem right that they can be six, but then again, it seems they have been around about 10 years:-) Can't imagine a world without these kids in it. They are learning so quickly. Seems one day they couldn't spell and the next day they were reading. Amazing. 

Annie turns 1

Annie Jane turned one on Thanksgiving Day... but we celebrated a bit off date so she would have a birthday without turkey and dressing:-) 



Annie Jane at 1


Molly, Annie & Jonathan


Annie & big brother Jack


Cousin Brody enjoying the chocolate cupcake


Grey listening in on a conversation. Maybe not.


Don't jump! Oh wait, it's Grey. Get down Grey. Now! I'm not going to tell you again tonight! Okay, don't make me come up there. Jonathan go get Grey. Where is Jonathan? Dad, would you tell Grey to get down? :-) 

Sue turns 70!

Sue turned 70 this year and we celebrated at Thanksgiving with her. Her kids gave her an iPad, and John and Charles soon had it equipped and had her up to speed. How can she be 70? Is that right? That means I'm almost 58... Oh yeah, that's right.



Hope you have your best year ever Susie...(aka: Big Sis!)! 
We love you! 

Molly's kids

Our three grandkids from Molly & Jonathan are growing fast. What amazing little minds all three are going to have if they keep on the current course. The wise one, the witty-busy one, and the wee-spoiled one:-) 


Jack at 4 - the wise older brother. Man, is he ever inquisitive and quick.


Grey at 3 - Wow! What a wild man. He is into everything way ahead of everyone else. He'll climb anything, usually with the aid of only a pull-up. We have a photo of him at the livestock show this year in cowboy boots a pull up and an cowboy hat. 


Annie at 1... a clone of Molly as a baby. I don't remember Molly screaming that loud for food, but maybe she did. Maybe Jonathan screamed for food? 


Fall color in Texas & other farmy things


This season's Fall colors in Texas were especially beautiful. Not sure if the drought had anything to do with the intensity of the color, but it was unusually bright this year for some reason. Beautiful!


A water oak at the farm


Sweet Gum's and Oaks on Hostetter


These trees were on the highway between Madisonville and Tyler Texas. Amazing to see this red color in Texas. I u-turned and went back for this picture. Just couldn't believe how beautiful it was.


The cypress tress at Go Away Farm turning before dropping their needles


Well, the pigs have officially made it to Go Away Farm! I counted 27 there a couple weeks ago... all young pigs about 50-70lbs. We had a pig hunt Christmas but it was just too dark. We'll get the little rascals when the moon returns in early January.


Trees reflecting in the small pond at the farm


A beautiful foggy Fall morning at Go Away Farm


The windmill out the gate right before first freeze... 

A Thanksgiving first at Go Away

This Thanksgiving, we gathered at Go Away Farm as usual, but this year we had a first-time guest.. Eli Walters' was born early in the year and this was his first ever trip to Go Away Farm, but surely not his last! What a chunk he is. And, he looks like Larry so much that I can't even believe it. Same eyes exactly. 

We also gathered our last vegetables right before Thanksgiving from our garden, and there are a couple photos of those here. 



Eli and Aunt Caryn


Scott, Eli and cousin Casey


Peppers, onions and mustard greens


Onions hung to dry in the prep kitchen