day trip

I've mentioned that my niece and great-niece are visiting my sister. Yesterday the four of us went to Galveston to spend the day. I knew the three of them had the trip planned but at 7 PM Friday night my sister called and asked if I wanted to come with and yes, yes I would. OK, she says, be ready to leave by 8 AM. 8 AM, ugh. I'm usually barely out of bed by then. But I packed my bag and got up at 6 so I would have time for coffee and breakfast and visits to the bathroom.

a mural on the side of a building

It's a two hour drive to Galveston Island from here. It was completely overcast and rained on us off and on with Charlotte, my great-niece, checking her weather app about every 15 minutes. She's been living in Denver and having grown up in Arizona and New Mexico she was sick of the cold, snow, rain, and overcast in the mountains and wanted to lay out in the sun for a couple of hours. It stopped raining right about the time we got there and we walked up and down The Strand, Galveston's tourist trap historic district, 

with all the shops and bars and restaurants. One shop, half their merchandise was Christmas ornaments or Christmas related. These caught my eye because of course everyone wants avocado toast, bacon, and ranch dressing hanging on their tree.

After our stroll on the Strand we had lunch at Fisherman's Wharf

my niece/namesake and me

and by the time we finished, it had cleared up outside and the sun was shining so we headed to the state park on the west end. We went there rather than any of the stretch of beach from downtown because it has bathrooms, changing rooms, and outdoor showers available.

Galveston Island is a barrier island with 3 more sand bars marching out from the shore that the waves break over and stirring up the silt so that the water here at this part of the Gulf is almost always brown. Rarely though it will be still enough where it looks clear and blue, maybe a handful of times all those years we had a beach house. But today, past the last sandbar you could see a strip of intense aqua before the horizon. I took this picture on zoom so you could see the strip of aqua better but you might be able to see it in any of the photos of the water.

We set up the big umbrella and the chairs and Charlotte spread out her towel and we breathed in that wonderful salt air and the soothing sound of the surf washed over us as we heaved big sighs.

Then Charlotte, who is my grandgirl Robin's age and who was a gymnast in school had her mom take a video of her doing an amazing perfect cartwheel and then a back flip for her to post on SnapChat or TikTok, not sure. I told her I couldn't do that but I could do a headstand so they made me get out there and do a headstand on the beach. Charlotte took a video.

Charlotte and Denise went in the water a few times while Pam and I basically just waded up to our calves and walked down the beach. Here's some of the things I saw.

Porpita porpita blue button jelly (not really a jelly but a different marine animal, the center is about the size of a penny.

Heavy duty rope floated in from a ship or tanker (aqua seems to be the color of the day).

Sargassum seaweed floats in this time of year.

Gazing back towards the way I had come.

We stayed for a couple of hours and then headed home.