Cypress, TX & Sulphur, LA 1/31-2/2/2015

Saturday Jan. 31 we didn't get on the road till dinner time.  Gene and Yvonne went for bicycle rides in the morning and I did laundry.

We went out to eat with  Gene and Yvonne to a Polish restaurant.  Phil and I shared the Polish sampler.  Lots of good food.

On the road again Sunday Feb. 1

To Mass at Christ the Redeemer Church.  The parish is very large.  At Mass Phil counted 24 Communion ministers.  We have 8 at home.

 After Mass

 The dome.

 

We Joined Gene, Yvonne, Nicole and Lander (Nicole's boy friend) at IHOP.  Then Gene, Phil and I saw the movie "American Sniper."  It was very good.  Gene and Phil went to a friend's Super Bowl Party.  Yvonne and I stayed home.  I watched the second half of the game.  We feel sad for our Seattle family.  They are just crushed like we were 2 weeks ago when the Packers lost.  Tait has been in AZ covering the Seahawks for NBC.  He's a videographer for KING TV.  

On the road again Monday Feb. 2.  We had to stop at the grocery store and restock out refrigerator, freezer and cupboards.   They were getting bare.

Gene said to stop at Buc-ee's for fuel and see what it's like.  Diesel was $2.02/gallon.  That's the best we have ever seen it.  Unfortunately we only needed 10 gallons.  There were 96 pumps.  Things are big in Texas.  Here are some interesting things for sale.  They have a huge store.

We visited the Brimstone Museum in Sulphur, LA.

 The town of Sulphur is named for the sulfur mines, which were excavated in the area in the 1900s. In this area, the German immigrant Herman Frasch invented the "Frasch method" of mining sulfur, pumping hot steam into the ground, liquidizing the mineral, and pumping the liquid to the surface. This greatly facilitated sulfur mining.

 A well could produce 12 tons a day of sulphur.  This block is 52 feet high and weighs a million tons.

 Shipped to refinery.

When the sulfur mining ended the area started produce oil.  Sasol Chemical Company.

The area was expanded with the addition of the Cities Service (Citgo) oil refiner.

We found the local library and I worked on the blog and Phil did some genealogy.  We stayed at the local Walmart.