Houton Trip - Part II

One of the stops that I wanted to make in Houston was the cemetery in Pasadena where my grandfather and brother are buried.  I like the idea of paying my respects and putting flowers there - especially since I'm not close enough to make it a tradition of sorts.

Lynne Raymond Barber - my grandfather

Matthew Garron Barber - my brother

As you can see, there are some settling issues for Matthew's headstone.  The cemetery has since addressed them.  I was disappointed that the boys couldn't see it better, especially Garron.  We initially picked Garron's name b/c of my brother - but also loved the idea that he could share both of his grandfather's names, "Gar"y and "Ron"ald.  We also chose Mathias' name in part b/c of it being a form of Matthew.

This is the section of the cemetery that the graves are located in.  They are right under the branches of a beautiful tree, which I think is very neat.  Trees are so comforting that way;)

We're not sure how long this statue has been broken, but hopefully it can be fixed as well.  I'm pretty sure the weather was a factor, unlike the cases in our church where vandalism against statues of the Christus has been in play.  Either way it's pretty sad - but symbolic in a way.  The Lord wears His hands out in serving us, doesn't he?

An interesting note about cemeteries in Texas:  I don't think I've ever seen more flowers bejeweling graves anywhere else.  This particular cemetery is quite large, and wherever you turn your head, it feels like there are a thousand different bouquets in every direction.  It's extremely colorful and cheery.  If there were a way to get rid of the fire ants, you could almost sit and ponder for a while if you so desired:)

After our Pasadena trip, we jetted over to Deer Park where my mom grew up.  My siblings and I spent a lot of time with our grandparents there.  I'm not sure why Deer Park claims to be the "Birthplace of Texas" - but I'm sure Deer Parkians know why and I'm kind of afraid to ask.  Texans tend to take that sort of thing pretty seriously:)

This is the corner that my mom's house was on.

This tree helped to make some of the best pecan pies in the history of the world!!  My grandparents no longer live at this house, so Leann and I picked some pecans off to take to my Mamoo.  We thought she might like to have some from her old tree, but she quickly informed us that they aren't ready to be picked until November or so.  Uuuuuhhh....ok!  Can you tell who takes their pecan pie making seriously?