Day 56, The Museum of Funeral History

There is a tropical storm out in the Gulf.   Mama has been trying not to worry about it too much. The new computer models show that Tropical Storm Debby is not going to hit Houston. We are very happy about that.  We hope it doesn't change.  If we lived here in a house, we would probably stay put if Debby headed our way.  However, we do not want to face 60-70+ mph winds in Goldie.   Dad would probably stay at work and we would be left here with Mama.  Dad said it would be a very long night with those winds, so the plan was for us to stay someplace close to his work.  His hotel does not allow dogs. 

I am off my drugs. I did take some yesterday because Mama thought I was getting worse. She went to Petsmart to buy me boots, but they were way too big. We found that if I am walked slowly, I don't hop. Dad said it is back to walking me like they did when I was in rehab and I have been doing much, much better.  I just prefer to hop because I go faster.  Mama will call my doctor tomorrow and let him know what is up with me now.

The folks did the tourist stuff this weekend, but stayed close to home to check on us since it was so hot. Mama is going to take over from here to tell you about what they did.

I have been wanting to visit The Museum of Funeral History for a while now, but Jeff wasn't so sure about it.
The reviews have all been good and since we wanted to stay close to home, we decided to give it a try.  Their motto is: "Any Day Above Ground Is A Good One."

There are several exhibits.  One is Funerals of  the Famous which displays artifacts and information on a variety of political and celebrity figures.  The Presidential Funeral Exhibit displays the original "Eternal Flame" that burned at John F. Kennedy's grave until 1998. There is a replica of President Lincoln's coffin.  There is a an exhibit called Celebrating the Lives and Deaths of the Popes Exhibit which was interesting.  Visitors are able to experience the many stages of preparation for the final services and burial of a Pope.  I never knew there were so many stages to it.  One of the Pope mobiles are on display.

The museum showcases a large collection of hearses.  The oldest is an 1832 horse drawn hearse.

The only thing in the museum that bothered me were the coffins for children.  My Dad's sister and brother both died when they were under the age of 2 in 1918 and 1920 and the coffins on display were from that time period.

There was also an exhibit that talked about embalming.  I did not know that they embalmed soldiers during the Civil War.  President Lincoln wanted as many as possible to make it back home for a proper burial.  The technique that was learned for the soldiers was used on him to get him home from Washington DC to Springfield, IL.

Horse-drawn hearse

Money casket - has over $600 in unused money encased.  It used to have $1,000 but someone broke into it.

Basket used in the civil war for soldiers

Beautiful hearse with wood on the sides.

Ghana Coffins - very unusual

More Ghana Coffins

All the jewelry seen is made by human hair. It didn't even look like hair to me.

Pope Mobile

Hearse sled

Hearse Bus - The casket was put near the front and the pallbearers and family members sat in the back.  

After we left the museum, we ate lunch at China Bear. It is a Chinese Buffet.  The food was okay. There was a nice variety including sushi, and some American foods as well.  The food was well labeled which I appreciated since there was a lot of seafood items and I am allergic to those. It was $10.99 for lunch.  They had a large gift shop that included plants, clothing, jewelry and carved wood.  I almost bought a bamboo plant, but decided it might be too much trouble in the RV.  I am pretty content with not having a lot of extras while living on the road.

Outside China Bear

Koi in pond at the entrance

Lotus outside of China Bear

More Lotus

Last night we ate at BJ's Brewhouse.   It is a restaurant that had mixed reviews. Most of the reviews complained about the service. Our waitress was very nice.  Jeff said the hostess wasn't very nice and the lady who brought our food was impatient with me.  She wanted me to cut open my steak to see if it was okay.  I guess I didn't do it fast enough for her because she told me to do it twice.  I didn't really notice she was impatient, but Jeff did.  I ordered a Ribeye with horseradish mashed potatoes and a salad. Jeff had New Orleans Jambalaya - menu description says: "Our distinctive jambalaya combines blackened chicken, shrimp and chicken-andouille sausage, sautéed with bell peppers, onions and tomatoes in a spicy sauce. Served over a rice pilaf and topped with green onions."   He liked it.  My steak was good, but not as good as the one at Saltgrass.  I really want to go back there before we leave Houston.

Tomorrow, I will tell you about Goodson's Cafe - home to the best chicken fried steak in Texas.

Salad

Ribeye and horseradish mashed potatoes

It's me Joey back at the keyboard and I have to say that my taste of the Ribeye was very good, but if Mama wants to go back to Saltgrass for another one of those, I am fine with that too.  I love the doggy bags that She brings home to us.

Joey,
The Greyhound Who Loves Doggy Bags