Saturday:
TOURING BEAUMONT:

Plan A:  We keyed in The Art Museum of Southeast Texas   www.amset.org  on the Garmin and headed out for our day of touring around Beaumont....only to encounter detour sign after detour sign...we couldn't seem to get near the art museum.   After inquiring with someone official looking standing at a detour blockaide, we were told they had pretty much closed the city for The Gusher Marathon  www.thegushermarathon.com  ...(whatever that is) so we postponed our visit to the art museum until later on.

Plan B:  Beaumont Botanical Gardens  www.beaumontbotanicalgardens.com  
On the outskirts of the blocked off town, it was a good second choice.  After driving by it, we finally realized it was so small we missed it.  We found it to be a little gem of a place...small but charming.  Unless we had struck up a conversation with some local Texans at the garden, we would have probably missed the five acre outdoor garden to the back.  They also gave us an interesting bit of information...this was a rebuild of the original botanical garden...which was destroyed by hurricanes Ike and Rita.  Wow...so much rebuilding going on down here.  Stan just mentioned that this area had severe drought last year, too.  What fortitude these people must have!!

Plan C:  Being the afternoon, we figured we could probably get to the art museum and indeed we did.  Stan headed over to Texas Energy Museum www.texasenergymuseum.org  next door, while I went over to the art museum, only to find his choice was closed for the day...you guessed it....The Gusher Marathon struck again...many places were closed all day for that event.  He turned up at 'my art museum' and struck up a conversation with the senior gentleman manning the front desk.  He picked the guy's brain about local info and talked politics (they both being Republicans)...solved the worlds problems and he was ready to go by the time I had seen the exhibits.   It was not a particularly significant museum, but interesting nontheless.  There was one night scene done in oils that caught my eye.  It took my attention for quite a while.  I would like to attempt another night scene some day so I study them wherever I find originals.

Plan D:  The McFaddin-Ward House  www.mcfaddin-ward.org  was our last stop of the day.  We arrived a bit early for the tour, were the only two people in sight (The Gusher Marathon) but two very helpful southern senior ladies conversed and fussed over us until time for the tour...when we were joined by a few other tourists looking for something to do.  The McFaddin-Ward House's distinction was that it was the home of a very wealthy and prominant family built around the turn of the century. 

Inspite of all the confusion, we still had fun...Beaumont turned out to be a nice place to spend a day!!

See photos below