Tex Goes to Crocodile Encounter

On February 11, 2017 Tex went with Mr. and Mrs. Normann-Petersen to visit Houston’s only reptile zoo, the Crocodile Encounter.  Tex, Mr. and Mrs. Normann-Petersen had adventure learning about alligators, crocodiles, and capybara, and celebrating their nephew, Connor’s Birthday.  Tex and Mrs. Normann-Petersen answered together the following questions:

1.  Where is Tex?  Tex is on an adventure with Mr. and Mrs. Normann-Petersen learning about alligators, crocodiles, and capybaras at the Crocodile Encounter. 

2. What is the geography like there? Crocodile Encounter is located in Angleton, TX which is a city and the county seat of Brazoria County.  Brazoria County lies in the southeastern part of Texas near the Gulf of Mexico and is within the Woodlands, Houston, and Sugar Land metropolitan area.  Angleton is located at the intersection of State Highway 288, State Highway 25, and the Union Pacific Railroad.

3. What are typical foods that are eaten there?   What type of foods do you and family and friends like to eat?  Our tour guide told us that visitors should not eat food during the tour of Crocodile Encounter because you will be too busy learning about the reptiles.  But the tour guide did share with Tex and the other visitors that after they were finished then could enjoy cake with the Birthday Boy!  Alligators and crocodiles are carnivores and they typically will eat fish, insects, snails, crustaceans, worms, alligator gar, turtles, and various mammals, particularly nutria and muskrat, as well as birds, buffalo, wild boar, deer, and other reptiles.  The pigs are omnivores like people, but the  pigs eat bugs, vegetables, and fruit.  The tortoises eat a wide variety of plants including vegetables, flowers, berries, and grasses.

When Tex asked the tour guide what did the alligators and crocodiles eat at the Crocodile Encounter.  The tour guide said that they eat mainly raw chicken parts.

4. What types of jobs are there?  At the Crocodile Encounter the types of jobs are the owner, the tour guides, and the zoo-keepers who take care of the animals and reptiles that live there.

5. What are the popular sports or games played there?  What popular sports or games interest you, your family, and your friends?  The people that work at Crocodile Encounter and the visitors who come to learn about the reptiles enjoy participating in all types of sports from swimming to basketball, soccer, and football.  They also enjoy rooting the hometown favorites: the Houston Astros, and the Sugar Land Skeeters, the Houston Rockets, the Houston Texans, and the Houston Dynamo.

6. Where are you going next Tex? Give us a hint and see if we can figure it before you get there! Tex’s clue is at the end of this post.

7. Tex, can you include any pictures of yourself and surrounding area and/or landmarks?  Please see the pictures below of Tex at the Crocodile Encounter.

Here is Tex at the start of the tour at Crocodile Encounter.

  

Here is Tex with the tortoises.

 Here is Tex with the Farm Pigs and the Potbelly Pigs.  Tex liked the Potbelly Pigs the best!

After Tex watched the pigs he got see some elliptical waterbucks, which are mammals that are related to the deer.

Finally after the tortoises, the pigs, and the elliptical waterbucks, Tex and the other guests on the tour got to meet the Alligators and Crocodiles.  Here are a few pictures.  The first four pictures are of Sultan, an alligator.  The last pictures of a Nile Crocodile. 

 The Nile Crocodile

After the tour everyone enjoyed cake and wished Connor a Happy Birthday and took pictures with each other.  Here is Connor and Riley with Mr. and Mrs. Normann-Petersen and Tex. 

 For more information on the Crocodile Encounter please contact the staff at the information below:

Crocodile Encounter

23231 CR 48

Angleton, TX  77515

281-595-2232

crocodileencounter@gmail.com

http://www.thecrocodileexperience.com/

Tex's clue for the next stop: Tex attends a competition benefitting Catholic Education!  Can you guess where Tex went on this next visit?  Please email Mrs. Normann-Petersen if you think you have a guess! cnormannpetersen@stmorenews.com

Tex Goes to the Dentist and to the Veterinarian

On February 2, 2017 Tex went to get his annual exam at the Dentist and at the Veterinarian.  Tex and Mrs. Normann-Petersen answered together the following questions:

1.    Where is Tex?  Tex is having his annual exams at Dentist Carmen Kamas and Veterinarian Zachary Clark’s office. 

2. What is the geography like there? Fort Bend County lies in the southeastern part of Texas near the Gulf of Mexico.  There are 17 cities that lie in Fort Bend County.

3. What are typical foods that are eaten there?   What type of foods do you and family and friends like to eat?  Dr. Kamas told us that no food is eaten at the dentist office because patients are getting their annual teeth exams or getting their teeth repaired.  But Dr. Kamas did share with Tex that her favorite food is any type of cupcakes.   Dr. Kamas reminded us that you should always brush your teeth twice a day.

When Tex asked Dr. Clark what his favorite food was, Dr. Clark replied with “unfortunately for Tex it is steaks!”  Mrs.  Normann-Petersen then wanted to know what kind of food longhorns eat.  Dr. Clark said that Longhorns and cows eat mainly grain, grass, and hay.

4. What types of jobs are there?  At the Dentist office there is the receptionist, dental hygienist who is similar to the assistant, and then of course the dentist.  The Veterinarian office has many of the same jobs as the Dentist office.  There is a receptionist, veterinarian technician who is an assistant to the Veterinarian and then of course the Veterinarian.

5. What are the popular sports or games played there?  What popular sports or games interest you, your family, and your friends?  Dentist Kamas enjoys many sports, but hiking mountains is her favorite.  Though Dr. Clark enjoys many sports, his favorite is Aggie Football!!!

6. Where are you going next Tex? Give us a hint and see if we can figure it before you get there! Tex’s clue is at the end of this post.

7. Tex, can you include any pictures of yourself and surrounding area and/or landmarks?  Please see the pictures below of Tex at Dentist Kamas Office and Dr. Clark’s Office.

Here is Tex having his teeth examined by Dentist Kamas.  Tex’s teeth are in good shape and Dentist Kamas found no cavities.  Dentist Kamas informed us that Longhorns do not brush their teeth or floss teeth, but people need to floss once a day and brush their teeth at least twice a day.

              

           

              

Here is Tex waiting for Dr. Clark, the veterinarian, to do his annual checkup.

Dr. Clark listened to Tex’s heart rate.  Dr. Clark said Tex’s heart sounded good and his annual exam went well.  Tex is healthy!

After Dr. Clark Tex’s annual exam Tex needed to be weighed.  He weighed a total of 2 ½ oz.

For more information on good dental hygiene please visit the American Dental Association please visit the website below:

www.ada.org

To contact Dr. Carmen Kamas’ office to schedule an appointment please see the information below:

1123 Lehall Street

Houston, TX  77030

713-790-1314

For more information on keeping your pet healthy please visit the American Veterinary Medical Association please visit the website below:

www.avma.org

To schedule an appointment with Dr. Clark at Stafford Oaks Veterinary Clinic please see his contact information and visit his website below:

927 Dulles Avenue

Stafford, TX  77477

281-499-3538

www.staffordoaksvet.com

Tex's clue for the next stop: Tex is at Houston’s only reptile zoo where he is on an adventure looking to learn about alligators, crocodiles, and capybara. Can you guess where Tex went on this next visit?  Please email Mrs. Normann-Petersen if you think you have a guess! cnormannpetersen@stmorenews.com

Tex Goes to the Library

Tex Goes to the Library with Mrs. Normann-Petersen

Tex went with Mrs.  Normann-Petersen to the library in Sugar Land, TX to pick out books for her class.  Tex and Mrs. Normann-Petersen answered together the following questions:

1.   Where is Tex?  Tex is visiting the First Colony Branch Library located at   2121 Austin Parkway, Sugar Land, TX  77479. 

 2.  What is the geography like there? Fort Bend County lies in the southeastern part of Texas near the Gulf of Mexico.  There are 17 cities that lie in Fort Bend County.


3.  What are typical foods that are eaten there?   What type of foods do you and family and friends like to eat?  No food or drinks are allowed in the library.  We do not want to damage the books.


4.  What types of jobs are there?  Not everyone who works at the library is a Librarian.  Several people are needed to help shelf the books, help you find your books and help with story time.  There are also people to answer phones and help pay the bills.  Some jobs at the library include: Librarian Assistants, Librarians, Library Managers and Library Directors. There are also volunteers that help with various jobs at the library.
 
5.  What are the popular sports or games played there?  What popular sports or games interest you, your family, and your friends? While at the library you can play a variety of computer games, build with legos on the lego table, work with puzzles, play with the Library’s puppets and put on a puppet show.
 

 6.  Where are you going next Tex? Give us a hint and see if we can figure it before you get there! Tex’s clue is at the end of this post.
 

7.  Tex, can you include any pictures of yourself and surrounding area and/or  landmarks?  Please see the pictures below of Tex at Fort Bend County’s First Colony Branch Library.

Here is Tex helping Mrs. Normann-Petersen return the books she had borrowed.  

Here is Tex getting ready to go into the Library.

Tex enjoyed picking out many books for her students.

After picking out some books with Mrs. Normann-Petersen he got to play with the legos, the puppets, the barn animals, help work on a puzzle, and finally play a game on the computer…his favorite!

Before leaving the library Mrs. Normann-Petersen showed Tex where the high school and college students sit to do their homework and/or study for a test.

For more information on the Houston Public Library system please visit the website below:

http://www.houstonlibrary.org/home

For more information on the Fort Bend County Library system please visit the website below:

http://www.fortbend.lib.tx.us/

Tex's clue for the next stop: Tex is having a toothache and needs it fixed?  He goes to see a special doctor to get his teeth checked.  Can you guess where Tex went on this next visit?  Please email Mrs. Normann-Petersen if you think you have a guess! cnormannpetersen@stmorenews.com

Tex, the Longhorn, spent the weekend of November 11, 2016 soaking in Texas History in San Antonio, Texas.  Tex answered the following questions:

1.    Where is Tex?  On Friday, November 11 Tex left Houston, Texas USA by truck and traveled to San Antonio, Texas.  He visited the San Jose Mission on Sunday, November 13, 2016.

2. What is the geography like there? San Antonio, the seventh most populous city in the United States of America and the second most populous city in the state of Texas, is located in the Hill Country.  It is situated in south central Texas between the Edwards Plateau to the northwest and the Gulf Coastal Plains to the southeast.  The terrain has oak trees, mesquite trees and cacti.

3. What are typical foods that are eaten there?   What type of foods do you and family and friends like to eat?  Residents and visitors of San Antonio enjoy eating many different types of food.  When Mr. and Mrs. Normann-Petersen visit San Antonio they like to eat at The Alamo Café, Mi Tierra Restaurant and Bakery, Bohanans Steakhouse, and Landry’s Seafood on the river walk.

4. What types of jobs are there? The most common jobs in San Antonio are nurses, teachers, ranchers, farmers, and tourism.

5. What are the popular sports or games played there?  What popular sports or games interest you, your family, and your friends? Many people enjoy watching the San Antonio Spurs, the basketball team, as well as University of Texas at San Antonio’s Football team, the Roadrunners!

6. Where are you going next Tex? Give us a hint and see if we can figure it before you get there! Tex’s clue is at the end of this post.

7. Tex, can you include any pictures of yourself and surrounding area and/or landmarks?  Please see the pictures below of Tex’s trip to San Antonio, Texas to visit the Alamo.

Here are a Tex and Mrs. Normann-Petersen in front of the San Jose Mission and a picture of the inside of the mission.  The San Jose was founded in 1720 by Father Antonio Margil de Jesus, an important Franciscan missionary in early Texas.  The San Jose Mission is known as the “Queen of Missions” because of it is the biggest of the missions in San Antonio and the elaborate sculptures that adorns it. 

Here is Tex reading about the Church and the Mission.

The San Jose Mission housed and taught the Indians, the Coahuiltecans (kwa-weel-tay-kans) about Catholic religion and eventually converted them to the Catholic religion.  During the Alamo Battle the San Jose Mission also housed Spanish Soldiers.  The San Jose Mission’s grounds are beautiful to take a walk in or sit and prayer in the beautiful garden.  Here are a few pictures of the grounds, the gardens, the water well, and Mrs. Normann-Petersen’s favorite the Rose Window located. 

Here is Tex getting his picture taken in front of the San Jose Sign. 

For more information on San Antonio, Texas, the Alamo, University of Texas at San Antonio, Mi Tierra Café, Alamo Café, Landry’s, and Bohanans please visit the websites below.

http://www.sanantonio.gov/

http://visitsanantonio.com/

http://www.nps.gov/saan/planyourvisit/index.htm

http://www.nps.gov/saan/planyourvisit/sanjose.htm

http://www.goutsa.com/SportSelect.dbml?SPID=34919

http://www.mitierracafe.com/

http://www.bohanans.com/

http://www.thesanantonioriverwalk.com/directory/landrys-seafood

http://www.alamocafe.com/

Interactive Map of the Alamo

 http://www.thealamo.org/plan-a-visit/interactive-map/index.html

Tex's clue for his next stop:  Tex visits January's community helper. If you think you know the answer to Tex’s clue please email Mrs. Normann-Petersen at:    cnormannpetersen@stmorenews.com

Tex’s Christmas Adventures with Ms. McDonald

During Christmas vacation Ms. McDonald agreed to take Tex, the Longhorn to her home to celebrate Christmas with her and her family.  Ms. McDonald is the third grade teacher at St. Thomas More Parish School and answered the following questions for Tex:

1.  Where is Tex?  (name of city, state, country)

Celebrating Christmas with  Ms. McDonald in  Mobile, AL; Wichita, Kansas; and then home to Houston, TX.

2.  What is the geography like there? (mountains, plains, coastal, lakes, etc.)

Mobile is overall flat however in certain areas there are a few hills. There is water surrounding much of the Mobile area due to it’s proximity to Mobile Bay and the Gulf of Mexico.

Wichita, Kansas – Very flat land with a lot of open space. It is quite snowy this time of year (as you can see from the picture in the plane).

3.  What are typical foods that are eaten there?   What type of foods do you and family and friends like to eat?

Mobile contains a variety of food however primarily what it known for is its seafood and what some people call “Soul food” or “Country cooking” these are foods such as turnip greens, friend chicken, biscuits, mashed potatoes, etc. Although that is what Mobile is known for we didn’t have too much while I was there. For Christmas, we had green bean casserole, turkey, mac-n-cheese, and apple pie for dessert. All homemade! The McDonald family really enjoys a restaurant named Bangkok Thai, Ms. McDonald always tries to make a pit-stop there while she is home.

 Kansas – In Kansas they eat pretty much what Texas serves …just not as tasty…while I was there we had some delicious Italian food and Ms. McDonald enjoyed their chicken tortilla soup. 

4. What types of jobs are there? (agricultural, manufacturing, commercial, etc)

Mobile – Mobile contains jobs in all areas however what is unique about this area are the ports. Mobile is a hub for shipping. They have had ships from all over the world. Places like China, Egypt, Columbia, England, and the Dominican Republic have shipped items to Mobile for export. They are also known for their building of ships. Ms. McDonald’s friend is actually helping build a ship that the US Navy will use! It’s in the final stages of completion. He actually took it out a few weeks ago with some navy personnel to make sure everything worked correctly.

Wichita, Kansas  is proud to be known as the “Flight Capitol of the World” it earned this name because it is the location which produces the most airplanes. Pretty cool!

5.  What are the popular sports or games played there?  What popular sports or games interest you, your family, and your friends.

Mobile – all sports are a big deal but college football takes the cake. Throughout the entire year people are seen sporting their favorite teams’ flags and attire. The two biggest teams in the area are Auburn and Alabama. Ms. McDonald personally loves going to baseball games with her family, the local minor league team are the Mobile Baybears. They have had players who are now playing for the New York Yankees and the 2013 World Series (and Ms. McDonald’s favorite) Boston Red Sox! The Baybears play at the Hank Aaron Stadium, named after the famous baseball player, Hank Aaron. He is known for his breaking of Babe Ruth’s homerun record of 714 homeruns. Ms. McDonald also worked three summers at this stadium while in college.

Kansas- Ms. McDonald isn’t really sure what is the most popular sport/game officially in Kansas but what is for sure is her friend is all about college basketball. She knows everything there is to know about her KU (Kansas University) team. 

6. Where are you going next Tex? Give us a hint and see if we can figure it before you get there! Tex's clue for the next stop: Tex helps Mrs. Normann-Petersen’s class make sure they look nice for a special event with a photographer.  Can you guess where Tex went on this next visit?  Please email Mrs. Normann-Petersen if you think you have a guess! cnormannpetersen@stmorenews.com

7.        Tex, can you include any pictures of yourself and surrounding area and/or landmarks? Please ask Mrs. Normann-Petersen to send the file to you, so you can see Tex’s adventures with Ms. McDonald.  

For more information on Mobile, Al please click on the links below:

http://www.cityofmobile.org/

http://www.mobile.org/

For more information on Wichita, KS please click on the links below:

http://www.wichita.gov/Pages/default.aspx

http://wichitachamber.org/