Texas 2013

This year the first class was taught in San Antonio. How can you go to San Antonio without visiting The Alamo? Class did let out a little late so the Alamo was closed when I got there but I still got some good shots from the perimeter. First there are some nice skyline shots I took for outside the train station waiting on my ride of Houston.

Yeah I waited awhile on that ride but it was worth it to get this shot!

Next are a couple shots from a rest stop on the way to San Antonio

Next up....The Alamo

Here's a few random shots of the Clear Lake area in Houston as I did a little urban hiking everyday

Hopefully there will be a chance to teach in Galveston next year

New Orleans 2013

On the way to Texas to teach police I always try to stop in New Orleans for a night. My second trip to New Orleans last year I met some people at Cooter Brown's that I'd become friends with and will be staying with them. Cooter Brown's is also the place where I got that Bayou Philly sandwich that I took the picture of earlier. They helped me pick it out. This trip was made more difficult because all the hotels were taken due to the fact that I was arriving in New Orleans the same night the Super Bowl was being held there at the Superdome.(The Baltimore Ravens vs San Francisco 49ers). Luckily Marek and Becky let me stay with them so I didn't have to worry about lodging.

         View of Birmingham from the train as I was boarding around lunch. The Amtrak Station isn't in a good neighborhood there.

            A train station we stopped at along the way

 Random pic from the train

 The Superdome is right behind the train station in New Orleans. I took this picture from the window before getting off the train.

 This was a great crawfish boil I got to attend at Mapleleaf's. Becky knew I wanted crawfish last time and didn't get any so she called Marek and I from work to let us know and the place was within walking distance so we headed off down the road around 11:30pm. Had the crawfish, garlic, sausage, boudan. It was a hell of a spread.

After this it was on to Texas the next morning but it wouldn't be my last trip to New Orleans this year.

In April I had to teach a class in Humble, TX so it was back to the ghetto in Birmingham to catch the train.

 Random shot from the train leaving Birmingham

Due to all the flooding alot of the graves in this part of Louisiana are above ground there are some huge graveyards here as well as being very old.

The rail was so low to the water in this area it felt like we were on a boat.

 The below photos are a series of pics I took at the Amtrak station in New Orleans where the top of the walls contain some interesting artwork that wraps around the entire station I took a pic of all the panels:

Last but not least Becky is a great painter in her own right. Below is a pic on the left side of the bed where I slept.

I love the New Orleans culture