LAID BACK IN GALVESTON, TEXAS.

We drove up the coast headed for Galveston. We stopped at a BUC EES, I think that is how you spell it. I saw a  huge billboard advertising genuine Czech Kolaches. Well, as y’all know by now, I’m a foodie. If I haven’t tasted it I gotta try it. They had sausage and jalapena, sausage, sausage and cheese and ham and cheese. Well, guess what a kolache is just a Czech name for a sandwich. These were not even good sandwiches. White, pasty bread, the sausage itself was good, but the cheese was Velveeta or its cousin. People must love them, but I’ve never been a sandwich person and these were  mundane. (They are eaten heated.)


We drove past miles of beautiful beach. Jim commented how nice it is that Texas has many beach exits for people to enter the beach. They didn’t allow private builders to gobble it all up and prevent the public from enjoying the beach like in Florida and many places in California. But it is January and people were swimming out there? I guess I have to try it, because the weather is warm enough.


We waited downtown for about three hours to get permission to park in a very crowded American Legion. We waited happily catching up on our reading, but the trees wanted to scrape the top, the place was busy and narrow. In the end, we moved 15 miles to the mainland  and found this friendly VFW, post 8248.


We had a couple of drinks and had fun visiting with Kathleen and Denise.  Denise told me about a new food to try. The Spanish call it barcoda. I won’t tell you what it is until we find and taste it. Hey, gotta keep up my reputation for trying new foods. Denise is the Commander of an American Legion Post and a member of this VFW. Fun gals. Kathleen is hoping to hit the road some day.

Since this is a short blog, I thought I’d tell you about a Port Aransas wedding. Weddings can be very personal. I once saw a wedding invitation posted on a light pole in downtown Murphys. I’m paraphrasing a bit, but it read, Sandy Bristow has finally gotten Ricky Sanders out of the bars and off the streets of Murphys. Come join us for the event at Murphys Park, etc. etc. with a picture of Sanders  with a lasso around his  neck and his new bride in a cowboy hat and boots. (Not correct names.)

I read about the Port Aransas wedding in the Coastal Bend’s Community Magazine. Because it was Halloween, it was a two day wedding. The setting was a Port Aransas Beach Lodge described as  laid-back and casual, nestled in the sand dunes with a commanding, panoramic view of the Gulf with awesome sunrises.  The day before the wedding,  gaiety started as the sun began to set. Guests donned their Halloween costumes and went off in rented beach carts for a fab dinner at LaPlaya. Afterwards, in full costume, they set off for the Salty Dog where they drank and danced . The next day, they hired a boat and went on a two-hour cruise. Entertaining land locked guests with the beauty of sky, sea and sun with dolphins playfully posing and following the boat enraptured them.  Back at the lodge, the guests enjoyed a scavenger hunt, a white elephant party and a final ceremony at sunset on the wharf. The dinner was a crab boil with champagne.
Sound like fun?  Wow!

WHEN IT RAINS IT PUDDLES, BUT A GREAT BEACH

A storm kicked up rather suddenly and sheets of rain drenched everything, tents, bicycle seats, people's bags, towels, chairs, tables... Even under a canopy it hit the camp stove and everything we'd quickly moved under to stay dry. Twenty minutes later it stopped and the kids played in a huge puddle. Earlier, someone was camped in this spot.  Lucky for them, it was their day to go home.

The driest place to be was the motor home. Four kids and Jim and I managed a card game called BS on the bed, while others spread out on the table and played Quiddler or sat and read in the front seats. Wendy's brother Mike arrived after the first drenching with two more little girl cousins. It rained off and on most of the day and we enjoyed a "full house" for much of the day.
When the weather cleared, I biked to the beach late in the day. The kids did too. The little girl below, (not one of our group) engaged in a common practice around the beach, dragging a raw chicken leg for crabs. The crabs hang on and get plopped in a bucket. Its catch and release and great fun.

The problem is, some families use fishing line and it ends up on the beach. I questioned them about making sure they don't leave fishing line on the beach and pointed out the dangers to the birds. Don't know if they objected to my intrusiveness or not.

This young man used a string, rather than fishing line. I spotted two gulls in trouble. One with its legs tangled together in a piece of fishing line, limiting its motion, ability to fly and groom itself. Couldn't catch it though. Another trying to swallow a piece of chicken on a string with the string hanging out of its mouth. I was able to step on the long string because it had another piece of chicken on the opposing end, and pull it out and rescue this bird.

Rocky Neck State Park beach is a wonderfully friendly, spacious, and enjoyable place. A full boardwalk with shade, plenty of life guards, a designated swimming area, good signage, a breakwater, fishing spots, huge picnic area for groups and many spots for individuals, fencing to protect the dunes...lovely place for all.

This sand castle was about 4 feet tall.

For someone like myself, who likes to rock climb and take pictures, it was a perfect spot.

TSUNAMI WARNINGS, SEASIDE, LEWIS AND CLARK

(The first photo shows the Lewis and Clark company salt burner)

Touristy beach towns have satisfying similarities, in some ways. Besides the smell of the seaweed, and salt ocean, walking the short streets brought layers of odors. Salt water taffy, mingled with caramel corn. Then a hint of hot sweet coffee and the powerful odor of burgers and french fries. At one point it was batter fried fish of some sort next to burned cotton candy and maple syrup. A waft of chocolate and peanuts. An ice cream store on every street corner. Yum!
Thai, Greek, Italian, Mexican food...the smells were tumbling out of the store fronts between windows of gifts featuring kitschy souvenirs, quality paintings, glass works, incredibly talented hand crafts, jewelry and the inevitable T-Shirt, baggy shorts, and flip flop boutiques. Throw in a skate board, boogie board, tattoo and swim wear shop and you have it all. Summer heaven for kids. Not many have tsunami warnings.
Weather was coolish, and the tourists aren't yet swarming, but, those that were about town were enjoying it as much as I enjoyed people watching.

We stopped to see the End of the Trail. This beach is the western terminus of the Lewis and Clark expedition. They spent time making salt and their salt burner still stands preserved. A statue marks the site. Brass medallions decorated a bridge over an un-named river pouring into the ocean, commemorated their feats, as well.
The town itself has those quaint salt box houses dripping with giant blooming rhododendrons everywhere. one had lobster shutters. Another we saw had buoys hanging from the garage eaves. Its a fun place to visit cold or hot.

Not every beach town has a carousel. They are becoming scarce, but, here sits a beauty with wonderfully imaginative animals to ride. Around town, inside a building, no less, was bumper cars, a tilt-a-whirl and kiddie rides plus several arcades with flash-ball and other wonderfully absorbing games designed to separate every healthy teenager from his change.
A 1/2 dozen places rented bicycles, and quadcycles built for four. Some bicycles built for two, adjacent style, hold baskets for a couple of kids. A smiley faced electric vehicle screams RENT ME!!


For more pictures of Seaside and Lewis and Clark stuff, click on the web link below for a quick slideshow.

http://picasaweb.google.com/1579penn/SeasideOR#