G&T's Excellent Adventure

SUN., MAR 30 thru THUR., MAY 9th, 2024

We had a lovely Easter with Cheryl & Joe… a combined effort for dinner and afterwards playing games. Then a few days after Easter, Gary and I traveled to Corpus Christi to visit our wonderful Aunt Elizabeth. She never ceases to amaze! We are so blessed to have her in our family.

A few days after returning to Galveston, it was time for me to experience a new kind of adventure that I could have done without. I had 4 impacted wisdom teeth removed. Hubby was a great nurse. I looked like a puffy-cheeked chipmunk for several days and my neck became various shades of purple. One set of stitches inside my mouth dissolved after about 10 days and the other had to stay in place for 3 weeks. That sucked! But other than that, it went more smoothly than I could have hoped except for waking up from anesthesia in the middle of the procedure and realizing they weren’t done yet. That was freaky! They put me under again quickly, but that was bizarre. 

On Monday, April 8th (2024), we were treated to a view of the eclipse here in Galveston. The clouds cleared just in time. So cool! Definitely worth all the hype! Joe and I bought special glasses. Eventually Cheryl and Gary tried them out as well. 

Gary’s 66th birthday was on April 10th, (2024). He celebrated with a final trip to the dentist’s office to have 3 new crowns fitted. The timing wasn’t ideal. We officially celebrated his birthday a few days later with Cheryl and Joe. Joe made Gary one of his signature cards. We played card games, had an adult beverage or two, enjoyed a delicious dinner prepared by Cheryl and I, and topped it off with a peach cobbler cheesecake made by a local baker. A very special afternoon and evening with two of our favorite people! 

During our time here we also enjoyed more time at the Lazy River, playing bingo at the campground, and more walks on the beach. The definition of a perfect Sunday? A 3-mile beach walk followed by an afternoon at the campground’s Lazy River floating in tubes. Sooo relaxing.

On Friday, April 12th, (2024) the pod toured the historic League-Kempner House in Galveston. This once abandoned Victorian mansion is undergoing a massive restoration. Interesting to visit this work-in-progress. The house is now set-up as a non-profit for future generations to enjoy once the restoration is complete. The grounds, which have already been restored, are beautiful. There is a greenhouse from the 1940s. The remaining glass panels have all been removed and put in storage. Located on Broadway Ave., this home is among several other historic mansions open to the public. 

The new owners had to deal with a ton of termite damage. It took them over a year to rid the place of all the termite nests in the walls. The termites did not go after the hard wood. Thus some of the built-ins were able to remain intact. The original fireplaces are in amazingly good shape.

We also stopped by to see the Lucas Apartments, recently restored by the same woman who is doing the League-Kempner House. In 1887, Thomas Lucas, a bricklayer from Nottingham, England, designed and constructed a row of six attached houses on the corner of Broadway. Sadly, these houses – known as  Lucas Row – were destroyed in the Great Storm of 1900. After the storm, Lucas picked up the bricks from the rubble. Not to be deterred, between 1901 and 1906, Lucas built the East Building of what is now known as the Lucas Apartments, recognized as the first brick apartment building in Texas. Amazing the history we come across in our travels. 

The apartments are currently rented so we could just gawk at the outside. It seemed rather fitting that we should visit since Gary & I lived for 35 years in Nottingham, NH.

Thanks to Cheryl & Joe for introducing us to these two gems!

With time drawing short for our days in Galveston, it was time to catch up with various friends!

We had another fun weekend with the Tise family on Friday & Saturday April 19th & 20th, (2024). This time celebrating Celia’s birthday… and Gary’s. We did it all… fancy drinks at the Founder’s Bar at Grand Galvez, the Adventure Ride at the Rainforest Cafe, and pizza at Mario’s. Thank you to Olivia, Cesare & Celia for a very fun Friday night. Saturday we relaxed in the Lazy River at the campground, ate, drank and were treated to a recap of Celia’s amazing trip to Japan. We told her we wanted lots of details and she delivered! A terrific weekend with this amazing family!

Just a word about the Grand Galvez (formerly known as Hotel Galvez). It was built in 1911 and is the only historic beachfront hotel on the Texas Gulf Coast. She’s known as the “Queen of the Gulf”. The exterior of the hotel was originally pink because its stucco was created by mixing ground pink granite into it. The new owners restored the historic pink color during a 2023 renovation, following a discovery of the original color on a preserved section of the exterior. Gary & I have fond memories of staying here with my parents about 20 years ago. Back then the surrounding neighborhood was sketchy and the interior smelled musty. Now, it’s this diamond on the gulf! 

On Monday, April 22nd, (2024), Carey, our favorite island resident and long-time family friend, came to play with us! Too chilly for the Lazy River for a few of us, but we made the best of it with cornhole and game playing! A fun time as always! 

The following day the pod had dinner with our favorite doctor on the planet… Dr Xie! We love her to pieces and she takes good care of us. 

Then the weekend of April 27 & 28th, (2024) Gary & I drove up to San Marcos to see our dear friends, Meigs and Paul. We were neighbors for over 30 years in Nottingham. Love those two. Fun to catch up with them both! 

Our last weekend in Galveston, May 4th & 5th, (2024), we toured 11 historic homes with the Hannafords that were open to the public as part of a fundraiser for the Galveston Historical Foundation. So cool to see how these homeowners refurbished and decorated these gems! We can’t get over how many historic homes are in Galveston… street after street! There are 74 individual properties listed on the National Register of Historic Places in Galveston County and 2 of 10 districts in the county that are National Historic Landmarks. Lots of history in this beachside town. 

Not surprising, the tour did not allow photos of the interiors as these are people’s homes. Since it was a rainy weekend, some homeowners required us to wear booties (provided by the historical society) to protect their 100+ year old floors. Who can blame them???

As always, we’ve enjoyed our time here in Galveston. We enjoy being so close to the Gulf, smelling the salt air, seeing pelicans flying in formation and watching the shore birds. We enjoyed tubing in the campground’s Lazy River, seeing gorgeous sunsets from our dining room window, visiting with family and friends while here and doing a little sightseeing. 

The pod enjoyed a final dinner at Mama Teresa’s (how fitting!) before we hit the road the following day for new adventures in new places.