LCEF Leadership Conference

 Things in Texas are well-

 Texas style.

At the Marriott Marquis downtown.
Right across from Minute Maid stadium.
For the Nationals fans-
 we didn't win here- but we did win it all.

I don't know too much about football,

 but this Heisman Trophy winner was humble and

moving. 

The Leadership Conference always

 has great and inspiring speakers.

Kechi, an AGT Golden Buzzer standout

 was super. 

Then as we moved into the lobby,

 we were standing right by Kechi and her mom.

We were able to visit a minute 

and offer a prayer of blessing over them.

 Saturday evening was a fun experience 

to see the Houston Zoo lights.

Good to be together

 and see family and friends.

Serving together in the Kingdom.

Tim Tebow is a great story teller and presenter.

Encouraging to live with a Big God.

Once again - 

a blessing to be present at the 

Lutheran Church Extension Fund- 

Leadership Conference.

Galveston,Texas Takes

 Some great seafood in T

exas on Galveston Island.

Fun antique shops to poke around in too.

The one shop had interesting pieces

 of memorabilia history. 

There was a prostitution license issued to Rosita

 for $2.50 and sign by Marshall Wyatt Earp.

He issued multiple documents in 1876.

There are cool old buildings on 

The Strand in Galveston.

We had fun waving to all the cruisers on this 

Carnival cruise ship headed out on a journey.

 We also got a glimpse of Tall Ship Elissa.

Quite the contrast at almost the same pier

 for sailing on the ocean a century and half apart.

Galveston Historical Foundation brought ELISSA,
 an 1877 square-rigged iron barque, 
from a scrapyard in Piraeus Harbor, Greece 
to Galveston to begin restoration work in 1978.
 By 1982, GHF staff and volunteers completed restoration 
and transformed this rare, historic vessel into a floating museum 
that would actively sail. Today, the 1877 Tall Ship ELISSA 
is one of only three ships of her kind in the world
 to still actively sail and welcomes over 40,000 visitors annually. 

There are many great ocean houses to view
 on this beautiful island.
Even though we were there for a
record setting streak of cold, 
it was a wonderful couple days of respite.

The Bishop's Palace- Galveston, Texas

 The Bishop's Palace-

also known as Gresham's Castle,

is an ornate 19,082 square feet Victorian-style house, 

located on Broadway and 14th Street
in the East End Historic District of Galveston, Texas. 

The Gresham mansion was made all of stone, 

and was sturdy enough to withstand the great hurricane of 1900.

The Greshams welcomed hundreds of survivors 

of the hurricane into their home.

The house was built between 1887 and 1893 

by Galveston architect  Nicholas J. Clayton 

for lawyer and politician  Walter Grisham, his wife Josephine, 

and their nine children. 

In 1923 the Roman Catholic Diocese of Galveston 

purchased the house situated across the street 

from the Sacred Heart Church. 

It served as the residence for Bishop Christopher E. Byrne. 

After the diocesan offices were moved to Houston, 

the diocese opened the mansion to the public in 1963.

The home is estimated to have cost $250,000 at the time,

today its value is estimated at over $5.5 million.

The house is owned by the Galveston Historical Foundation 

and self-guided tours are available daily. 

The house has ornate woodwork and paneling,

beautiful stained glass windows, fireplaces and lighting.

Details and authenticity strike the visitor in this place,

as only the furnishings that can be traced to either the Greshams 

or Bishop Byrnes are currently in the house.

One of the former bedrooms for the Gresham's children

 was converted into a small chapel. 

Stain glass windows and the painted ceiling were added.

Even today a visit here makes it easy 

to see the opulence of a bygone era. 

Challenges today are roof repairs, and the upkeep

to preserve a very grand structure.

And Yes- we were really here.

Here is a bit about the original owner-

Colonel Gresham was a veteran of the Civil War. 

This excerpt was taken from his obituary in the November 7, 1920, 

Galveston Daily News:

"He attended a preparatory school in Carolina County, Virginia, Edge Hill Academy, and from there he attended the University of Virginia, receiving his bachelor of law degree in 1863. Before Colonel Gresham had completed his education, however, the war between the states broke out and he immediately enlisted in the confederate army, serving first with Jackson and later with Ewell. It was while convalescing from a wound that he received leave of absence to complete his university work. He was again in the field at the time of the surrender."

He was admitted to the bar in 1867 and commenced practice in Galveston, Texas. He served as district attorney for the Galveston judicial district in 1872, and Texas House of Representatives- 1886-1891. He was elected to Congress and served 1893-1895 ad then returned to law in Galveston, Texas. He died in Washington, DC in 1920.

Sacred Heart Church- Galveston, Texas

 Sacred Heart Church in

Galveston, Texas

on a beautiful November day.
This is the current structure on the site.

The Sacred Heart Parish was established on June 21, 1884 

when a division was due to the growth of population of Galveston 

and the east end of the city was assigned to the new parish. 

Initially the parish held Mass in the 

St. Mary's University Chapel until 1892.

On January 17, 1892 a new structure was dedicated. 

The new church was the largest in Texas at the time. 

The new church designed by architect Nicholas Clayton 

was very ornate and in a French Romanesque style. 

The life of this beautiful church building 

was short-lived as on September 8, 1900,

 Galveston was hit by a devastating hurricane 

and demolished the building.  

            The parish immediately set upon building a new church building 

and the current building was built. The present church building 

was designed by a Jesuit brother Name Jimenez 

with the corner stone laid on June 21, 1903 

by Bishop Gallagher and the church was consecrated 

on January 17, 1904. 

The church shows both Moorish and Byzantine influences

 and gives a wedding cake effect with fleur de lis 

and pineapple finials, stilted, Gothic 

and ogee arches and vertical and horizontal bands. 

View from the Bishop's House 

across the street- upper floor.
 
The 1915 storm destroyed the dome of the church 
and Nicholas Clayton designed the present onion-shaped
protuberance which graces the building today.  

The church has been restored following 
the damage it incurred during Hurricane Ike.

Texas- Round Top Style

You just might miss Round Top, Texas.

Unless you have read about it in 

Country Living magazine

 or antique destination- top picks.

Our day of exploring 

also had a few surprises.

Quite unexpected-

  the view when we to stepped inside

 the Concert Hall

 for the International Festival Institute

 in Round Top.

 The Festival was established in 1971 by pianist

 James Dick in Round Top, Texas. 

 It provides musical education programs 

throughout summer and hosts

 several concerts every year.

Royer's Cafe- will always have a line.

Quirky decor. 

The shrimp BLT 

and of course the pies- 

with Blue Bell ice cream.

 Junk Gypsy

 has put Round Top on the must-stop list

 for the repurposed mavens of the world.

Maybe a bit more of the 

commercial line of shop-fill 

than the found and remade items these days.

Twice a year- 100,000 folks descend 

on this small town for the Big antique shows.

Hanging our with shopping friends-

 always GOOD!

And you just might have to make a detour 

on your way to or from Round Top

 to stop at the Blue Bell Ice cream plant.

 Can't beat the big scoop

 of your favorite flavor for $1.

Texas- the Witte-Schmid House

The 1860 Witte-Schmid Haus was donated 

to the Texas German Society in 1986 

by Annie Schmid and her son, Sanford Schmid.  

The German fachwerk structure known as "Das Haus" 

was listed on the National Register
 of Historic Places in December, 1997.

  It is located in the Schoenau community 

between Industry and Shelby in Austin County, Texas.

The first owner of the house was Dr. Ernst Witte, 

a lawyer born in Blomberg, Germany, in 1793. 

After a successful career 

in law and politics in his native land,

 he followed his sons to America,

 and with his wife, Lisette,

 bought 1422 acres of land in Texas.

 He turned his attention
to raising cattle and cotton.

Shortly thereafter, the Wittes 

began construction on the house,

 which reproduced many of the details

 of the Wittes' house in Germany. 

The structure is of stone and timber,

 with two levels and a cellar. 

The first level has a sandstone perimeter

 with a stucco finish;

 the upper level is faced with clapboard siding. 

Interior walls are of half-timber,

 or fachwerk construction

 filled-in with adobe bricks.

Dr. Witte died in 1869 and was buried

 in a small cemetery a short distance 

southeast of the house. 

His wife died in 1883 but was buried at Shelby

 because wet weather 

made the road to the 

family cemetery impassable.

The house remained in the family

 until December, 1986,

 when it was given to 

the Society by Annie Schmid

 and her son Sanford Schmid. 

It is an excellent example of 

19th century German-Texan construction

 and is among the oldest surviving

examples of German architecture

 in Austin County.

(Texas German Society Website)

While in Texas, 

we had the chance
 to visit this historic house. 
Artifacts include original items
 from the home 
and some "period pieces" donated.

 A home that included many 

children through the years.

The details show the horsehair

 in the walls upstairs-

 to give strength and stability. 

                                                     A gathering to celebrate

 in the "Family HOME"-

and to give thanks for all the blessings 

that have been given from the land

 to this hard-working- German-Swiss Family. 

Texas Hospitality

 This past week we were 

blessed to travel to Texas.

Some beautiful territory in the countryside

 a couple hours out of Houston.

A wonderful place to gather

 on a warmer day.

 We were treated to some 

very generous hospitality

 by the Harvey family.

 This family has impeccable 

down-home Texas style, with a
generous welcoming heart for those who
come to visit. 

These arrowheads and artifacts 

were all found on the property 

during the construction of the ranch house.

Some of the artifacts 

have been dated to over 2000 years old.

There is no way I can do justice

 to this beautiful ranch in my own photos.

So, I will share what I found

 in the book on the coffee table.
(and no, I didn't get the cover or author)

Time to get to know folks a bit.
Relax and get some work done too.

Home on the range at the close of the day,
and a bit of peace in the quiet.
Respite comes in all sorts of ways.