Wanna guess what the theme is?

C’mon, guess!

The Boy Who Lived cannot be found here, but there are elements that would make him feel right at home. This quaint coffee shop in a strip center near downtown Corpus Christi should not be missed, especially if you are a fan of the Wizarding World.

My daughter had to run some errands in Corpus, so I decided to tag along. After, we had just enough time to stop by her brother’s house so I could hug his neck and scoop up my Daughter-in-Love. We’re all sure we can pass as Wizards, so we zoomed in the non-flying car to have a couple of drinks.

We all got something different, so we could each try the other’s and get a good taste of all of it, 1 hot and 2 iced, then I went back for an iced and we bought another to take my son. As we waited (not long at all), we perused the shop, pointing at all the memorabilia on the walls, shelves… they even have the themed chess game in the front room. They were all really good! When I can remember the names/flavors, I’ll come back and update this post with it.

After finishing our drinks, we zoomed back out in the non-flying car, making the Unbreakable Vow that we shall return!

So, if you’re in Corpus Christi, be sure and drop by The Coffee Mugg at 1112 Morgan Avenue, Corpus Christi, TX 78404. As of this writing, they have just extended their hours to Mon-Thurs 6:30am – 3:00pm, Fri – Sun 8am – 7pm. Just don’t bring cash from the Muggle world – only cards are accepted here.

We began our trip like many of ours… with me driving and her navigating. Once we got downtown, we had some unexpected issues crop up. We wanted to take the light rail to downtown, but it was raining and we weren’t sure where the station was – only that it wasn’t far. We couldn’t figure out where to park, so we ultimately decided to park at McKinney Plaza, where access to the tunnels are a short elevator ride away. Parking is expensive, but it usually is these days, isn’t it? So off into the tunnels we went. Neither of us have been since the early to mid 90s, so it was a new experience for all of us.

We traversed a few branches of the tunnel, then came above ground again in Houston Center to lunch at Otto’s.

Much has changed. I remember in the 90s, there were shoe shine stations, dry cleaners, a bar or two, more restaurants. I remember having training downtown after I graduated high school, and my dad took me to lunch one day. There were two guys sitting at the bar, having some drinks, when I asked my Dad, “They’re allowed to drink at lunch?” Like I thought drinking was just a dinner or late night endeavor. He chuckled, and said, “yes, Kim, they’re adults.”

And back in 2024, after we had our fill of being 20 feet below the roads and buildings, we headed back topside, and made the quick drive to Hermann Park, where we caught a ride on the train just before the rain hit. The train ride was really pretty neat, and showed me a side of Houston I haven’t seen, despite being born and raised near here. The coolest part was Destination Mound Town, which is an art exhibit within the tunnel. I could try to describe it to you, but everything I said would be lacking, so I’ll post a link to my video of it below, and then post a couple of links explaining it.

My video on Instagram

This is the best website I’ve seen with photos of the tunnel and the brief description of the installation: https://www.piperfaustpublicart.com/destination-mound-town

This one is my favorite narrative: https://secrethouston.com/destination-mound-town/

Have you been? What do you think of the underground tunnels? What about the train and the train tunnel? Let me know below! And stay tuned for more Part Time Gypsy Souls adventures!! <3

When we knew we needed to stay close to Minden, as that’s where our potential client introductory meeting was, we looked for things to do, and found that Bonnie & Clyde’s shootout and death took place nearby. So, after our visit to the potential client, we took off for the museum in Gibsland, LA. When we pulled into town, we were a little surprised at how small the town was. In retrospect, I don’t know why. Bonnie & Clyde wreaked havoc in towns both big and small.

The Bonnie & Clyde Ambush Museum is located in the building that Ma Canfield’s Cafe was in. The morning of May 23, 1934, Bonnie Parker and Clyde Barrow stopped at the diner. Clyde went in, ordered a fried bologna sandwich for himself, and a BLT for Bonnie (who waited in the car) “to go”. They got back on the road, and made it 7-1/2 miles before they were finally ambushed.

The museum has a replicated car “the death car”, mannequins inside and all. It has a scene that is the two of them lying side by side in a medical facility, with all of their injuries from the hail of bullets documented. There are letters upon letters, including letters to each other, letters from Clyde to home, even a letter from his mother to a law enforcement officer requesting the return of the guns he had carried in those last days. The space is small, and it feels as if every surface is covered with memorabilia. I found this odd juxtaposition between criminals who had kidnapped and murdered people, stolen cars and money… and this twisted love story of two people wanting to sail off into the sunset – in a hail of bullets. In life, they got the ending they wanted. In death, not so much. Bonnie’s mother refused her daughter’s dying wish to be buried next to Clyde Barrow (Clyde’s family was also against it). Bonnie is buried in Crown Hill Memorial in Northwest Dallas, although she was moved there later. Originally she was buried in Fish Trap Cemetery in West Dallas. Clyde is buried in Western Heights Cemetery in West Dallas, with his brother, “Buck”.

Their families have spoken many times about moving Bonnie again, to be buried with Clyde. As of this writing, it hadn’t happened yet, but we’ll see what the future holds.

After our visit to the museum, we followed the directions to the death site.

The story of Bonnie and Clyde has been told many times, in many ways. A google search will lead you to plenty of sites where you can read the different interpretations of their lives. I may come back and add to this post some, but for now, that was our visit to the Ambush Museum and their Death Site.

Melissa and I were on a typical monthly trip to Mansfield, LA in August 2023. We were driving along, and I heard… “Was that a… TRAIN?” I’m sure you can imagine the incredulity in her voice.

Me: “Was what a train?”

Melissa: “There was a train… right beside the road, just back there. (Hesitant) Do you think we could…”

Me: (already in the left turn lane to make the U-turn at the light)

And just like that, we found the full-size Engine No. 13 in the small town of Diboll, TX, in a parking lot behind a building labeled “The History Center”. Well, if you know us at all, you know we couldn’t resist THAT!!

The History Center is amazing. I can’t find the words. It’s a small building, packed with exactly what the name implies. A full, vibrant, and rich history of East Texas. From their website (the link is in the name):

The His­to­ry Cen­ter col­lects, pre­serves, and makes avail­able the his­to­ry of our region and its peo­ple for the edu­ca­tion­al use and ben­e­fit of present and future gen­er­a­tions. Geo­graph­i­cal­ly, this area includes but is not lim­it­ed to Angeli­na and the imme­di­ate sur­round­ing East Texas coun­ties. This region­al des­ig­na­tion includes an inter­est in the nat­ur­al and social his­to­ry of the area, the East Texas lum­ber indus­try, and the records of region­al fam­i­lies, orga­ni­za­tions, busi­ness­es, and governments.

The His­to­ry Cen­ter is free to the pub­lic and invites researchers and as well as the gen­er­al­ly curi­ous to enjoy our edu­ca­tion­al offer­ings both onsite and online. In con­nec­tion with our research col­lec­tions, we offer indoor and out­door inter­pre­tive exhibits and we invite school and oth­er groups to con­tact us for guid­ed tour information.

Seriously, my photos don’t do it justice. And check out their online collections, and the Oral History tab!! Seriously, click on a name, and you can read a brief bio, then listen to an interview about the history that they’re discussing. And if you can’t listen, transcripts are available at the click of a button as well.

So, back to our day… once we completed our walkthrough of the interior, it was time to brave the great outdoors. Seriously, it was August in northern East Texas. It was HOT – like solid triple digits hot. And there we found our Engine No. 13. The engine is parked under a carport, and it is open to walk through.

Once in the engine, you KNOW I had to pull the horn!! I couldn’t help myself!! It’s here on my Facebook page, because I don’t seem to be able to load the video here.

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We’ll see if that works. (Shrug)

Next, there was a train car. The type you would work, relax, and sleep in as the train moves along. That’s way too many photos to upload here, so here are just a couple of them. But there were seating areas, sleeping bunks, a full sized desk, and wash area!

Then behind that was another smaller car, a maintenance rail car, maybe? You could sit in it as well, and check out all the levers and handles.

So then OF COURSE, we had to stop at the gift shop and purchase a few things. My boys may be nearly grown, but I had to get them some train whistles, and for the hubby, a diecast rail car that’s also a pencil sharpener! We dropped a few dollars in the donations box on the way out, and then we were back on the road again… a little more knowledgeable about history, and we got to pull a train horn!

Have you ever run across something like this in your travels? Have you been to the website yet? Seriously, you NEED to check it out!!

Stay tuned for more Part Time Gypsy Souls adventures!