Through the Wardrobe

A number of years ago (way too many to recall), Taylor and I enjoyed the movie, "The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe", so much so that I even think we watched it at one of her birthday parties, or maybe it was a sleepover. The remake, "Chronicles of Narnia" took awhile to cotton on to as it had more glitz and a new "Lucy". When I saw that there was going to be an exhibition in Sugar Land of Narnia items from the movie, I knew I wanted to go. So that's where Taylor and I ventured today....through the wardrobe.

I was disappointed that photography wasn't allowed in the exhibit, but we did get a photo on the outside. Right beyond the photo, we entered an area that held personal items of C.S. Lewis. He actually started writing books when a very young lad and he and his brother created the world of Boxen, inhabited and run by animals. He and J.R.R. Tolkien were friends from their Oxford days and some of his original works were on display as well. When we finally went through the wardrobe doors where the fur coats were still hanging, we came upon a small area where snow was falling and trees were covered with the white powdery substance. The rest of the exhibit explained how the different elements of the movie were put together - the various global settings, the animatronics, creature prosthetics, every detail down to putting the designs on the armor which probably weren't even noticed in the movie but needed to be there to authenticate the shields. Snippets of the movie showed how each of these elements was used. We went into the exhibit with a vague sense of the movie, but came out realizing we hadn't even scratched the surface. It's what went on behind the scenes that made the movie the epic it is. Here are some photos from the Narnia website of what the exhibition was like.

http://www.narniaexhibition.com/PhotoGallery.aspx make sure to watch the video

Oh, and no, we didn't disregard the "No Photography" warning in taking a photo at the frozen waterfall. In fact, at the end of the tour, I was disappointed as we hadn't seen it. Turns out it was on the main floor of the museum not even in the exhibit.

Brazos Bend State Park

Sneed and I visited the park this morning for a leisurely stroll around the lakes. Saw a few alligators and turtles, and were educated by a volunteer about the best known flannel moth in TX called the 'Puss Moth'. A sting from its larva, or caterpillar stage, is one of the most toxic in North America. This time of the year, the caterpillars inhabit live oak trees and are hardly distinguishable on the bark - great camouflage. Just as we were leaving it started to rain. I drove the Z and it was exhilarating. Drove it down dry and put it away wet. That’s what you do in TX with your cars or your horses…well, maybe not the horses if you want them to be around for awhile. Other than the mosquitoes that were very annoying, we had a nice walk around and about the 40 acre lake.

Kemah Boardwalk

Taylor's mother-in-law, Sally, is visiting from Chicago. She drove down for her daughter's baby shower last Saturday and is staying a few weeks. We decided to visit Kemah and have lunch on the Boardwalk. It was a nice trip down - hardly any traffic. After visiting the few shops that were still around (the others were decimated by last year's Hurricane Ike), we stopped at Joe's Crab Shack for lunch...or should I say lunch #1. Sally was hankering for a bucket of shrimp to share. The shrimp were rather disappointing in size considering we were right in the middle of shrimping territory. Also the shrimp were dredged in Old Bay Seasoning after being boiled. I tried to dip my first shrimp in the cocktail sauce unsuccessfully. It was gelled over and impenetrable having been in the refrigerator probably overnight. Needless to say we were happy we hadn't ordered anything else, so Sally paid the bill. She started laughing when she got her change. The girl brought back the amount of the chit, not the change amount.


We resumed walking and visited the shops directly on the Boardwalk. Decided it was time to ride the carousel. It was a slow day for the amusement park. I went to pay the $3 for the ride and the concession lady said $3.25. I showed her the sign out front that read $3. Her reply "we charge tax". Hmmpf. Then it should say 'plus tax'. Wellllll, that was the biggest ripoff of a carousel ride. It only revolved 3x ...could it have been because I was the only one riding? No music emanated from the center either...it would have been nice to hear instead of the horses and other animals groaning as they went up and down on their poles. Does this carousel afficionado recommend this carousel? Absolutely not!


So, now it's time to try lunch #2. This time we chose the Chart House and sat outside under an umbrella. The table still had the previous patrons' dishes. Despite being assured that a busboy would soon be by, the dishes were finally cleared away by the manager. I enjoyed a bowl of seafood étouffée while Sally relished her shrimp po'boy with string onion rings and fries. It was a fun, sunny day and we made it home 'lickety-split'.

Miracles do happen?

Last night I was about to toss out the coffee grounds when hubby volunteered to put them in the garden. Our hibiscus plants stopped blooming some time ago, so I suggested placing the grounds around the bases of the plants. Lo and behold, this morning each one had a new bloom. Coincidence?...maybe, but believing in miracles nowadays is a cool feeling.