Of ships, memories and adventures

http://www.tamug.edu/news/txclip.htm

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,312072,00.html

The Texas Clipper has finally gone down. The Texas Clipper was a 473 foot and 10.5 inches (depending on the temperature) ship that was used by Texas A&M University (at Galveston) to train cadets. It is now an artificial reef off the Texas coast. If you look at the picture of the ship going down, the part 'sticking up' was known to the students and cadets as "Steel Beach." My husband used to sling a hammock up there during the summer training cruises. I used to stand there and think while looking out over the harbor. In the after bar area, I would stay up late and study for my Marine Botany exams. The best volleyball games of my life were played in her #3 hold. Even though she was a ship, she was an important part of the campus. She was just as comfortable feeling and familiar as any dormitory. Many students, many memories, many adventures. She will be missed. But, for a school campus where all the degrees begin with 'marine,' becoming an artificial reef is a fitting end for the Clipper.

http://www.tpwd.state.tx.us/landwater/water/habitats/artificial_reef/texas_clipper.phtml

More adventures to come; tomorrow we fly to India for just a couple of days. Wow, a wedding in India. We are so very excited we get to be there when our friend gets married AND see a 'new' country. The Clipper was just the beginning of the adventures. I didn't get to join the husband on the Clipper voyages, but man, I'm sure traveling now. Peace, ya'll.