More of Galveston, TX

March 1 thru 31, 2021

Andy & Linda were here for one more week before they headed back to Belton, TX which is their home base. They are full time RVers as well. It runs in the family! We had a fun day on Wed., March 3rd, and did some RV shopping with A&L who are thinking of making a change to a 5th wheel from their travel trailer. Always fun to wander in and out of swanky new RVs when we don’t have to worry about paying for them. lol. A fun day together and they treated us to lunch at Jason’s Deli (my choice). I love Jason’s! A wonderful chain down here with a funky menu and awesome food! 

Gary & I also spent this week finalizing our travel plans for next Feb. thru March, which weren’t yet booked. We’ll be staying in Galveston again for March & April. It’s a nice area and this, for now, is where we have all our doctors so we can get our annual check-ups taken care of. 

I was still contacting a few of Mom (and Dad’s) friends about Mom’s passing, and had some wonderful conversations over the phone and via email with these great people. A wonderful chance to re-connect. 

We did an early birthday celebration for Linda on Thursday, March 4th, and had dinner at Riondo’s. A wonderful Italian restaurant on the Strand in Galveston. We had a fabulous time and a great dinner. It’s a treat for us to be able to spend birthdays with family members since we can’t do that all the time. 

Gary & I had our bikes recently serviced here in Galveston. Gary’s in particular was out of alignment. I think his bike got hit one-too-many times by low tree branches since the bikes sit on top of our truck when we’re driving to a bike trail and his bike is taller than mine. One of Gary’s projects is to build something so that the bikes can ride in the back of the pick-up when we’re not towing. Thus hopefully avoiding the whole low-tree-branches-hitting-the-bikes-scenario. Friday, March 5th, we did a 6 mile bike ride along the seawall in the morning with Linda. Way fun. Our family friend Carey who lives in Galveston with her husband Denis stopped by in the afternoon, and we all got to visit with her. Such a treat to see her! Later in the afternoon we hung out over at A&L’s and they made poppers. We’ve gotten to love these things! Jalapeno peppers stuffed with cheese and wrapped in bacon and cooked on the grill. Yum. Also on Friday Gary & I signed up to get on the waitlist for a Covid vaccine here in Galveston. Really hoping to be fully vaccinated before we head to NH in early May. 

Saturday, March 6th, we played our last games of cornhole with A&L. For dinner Gary made chicken parmesan in celebration of Linda’s birthday, and we had birthday cake for dessert. Linda’s birthday is officially March 7th but that’s when A&L are leaving. 

Sunday, March 7th, we said goodbye to A&L. It was so special having them here this month. So nice to be with family with our mom passing so recently. We always have a good time with them, as we do with all our family… on both sides. Such a gift! 

After we said goodbye to A&L we ended up heading over to East Beach for a walk. Then organized Mom’s tax records to pass off to my nephew Blake who is an accountant, and who happily agreed to take care of Mom’s taxes. We’re blessed to have these talented next generation(s) in our family. 

That night we received a text message from the City of Galveston that we could sign up for our first Covid vaccine. Woot. Woot. We did that right away and were fortunate to get an appointment in a few days! So happy about this! 

Monday, March 8th, Gary & I had eye exams scheduled. A good report from the doc except that we both have very early stages of cataracts. Not a surprise. We’ll hope surgeries won’t be needed for quite some time. Gary ended up getting a pair of prescription glasses rather than just his readers. He’s hoping to avoid the glasses-on-off scenario all day long and just leave them on all the time. He decided on Progressive lenses. We’ll see how this goes. They are on order and he picked out a funky frame. They look great on him and have this magnetic sunglass feature as well. Very swanky. We’ll pick them up in a few weeks. The optometrist’s office is located in a historic neighborhood and there are some gorgeous murals on the buildings across the street. Plus the interior of the optometrist’s building has a cool art deco vibe with cement floors and great artwork. A reason alone to come here. lol. 

While walking the campground in the evening we saw a really long shooting star. Way cool! 

Tuesday, March 9th, we had our vaccine appointment in League City, located about 40 minutes from Galveston. We were to show up at a mass vaccination site in a city park between 8 and 9 in the morning. It went smoothly and we were in and out in quick order. Never left the truck. We’re scheduled to go back in a month for our 2nd round of the Moderna vaccine. No side effects from the first shot anyway. Excited to have this one done. 

After our early morning vaccine appointments we took a drive over to Galveston State Park in the afternoon and walked some trails we hadn’t done previously. 

We started watching a couple of new shows on Netflix in the evenings. One is “Blown Away”, a reality show about different glass blowers. They are given a creative assignment each week. The resulting glass sculpture is judged and someone is booted out each week. Fun to see everyone’s different creative approach. The other show is “Bridgerton” also on Netflix. Think trashy Victorian romantic novel come to television. Totally addictive! Even Gary likes it. 

I recently finished a historical fiction book entitled “The Secrets We Kept” inspired by the true story of the CIA plot to infiltrate the hearts and minds of Soviet Russia, not with propaganda, but with the release of the novel Dr. Zhivago. The story is about women secretaries turned spies smuggling the Dr. Zhivago book out of Soviet Russia. Very interesting. 

Thursday, March 11th, we had our annual physicals with a new doctor here in Galveston along with bloodwork. A painless experience! 

The rest of the week was a mix of sitting outside and enjoying the beautiful weather, playing cornhole when it wasn’t too windy (which wasn’t often!), grocery shopping, laundry, some additional travel planning, and cleaning our tiny home before friends arrive tomorrow!

Monday, March 15th, we had friends arriving for the month, Stacie & Johnny and Bev & Monty. Each in their own “tiny homes” and staying at our campground (Stella Mare) in Galveston. We met S&J about three years ago at a campground in Tennessee and became fast friends. They live on the coast in North Carolina. B&M we met a year ago last December in New Orleans through S&J. B&M are full time RVers… like us. The six of us travel well together! We were supposed to be parked all near one another. But, best laid plans… Bev & Monty ended up on the other side of the campground soooo it just means we’ll be getting in more steps to go back & forth to our homes. On the plus side, B&M’s motorhome backs up to where the horses graze. So we can feed the horses carrots whenever we’re visiting B&M. Gary and I had dinner going in the crockpot so we hosted dinner the first night. Great fun to catch up with these wonderful people! It had been Bev & Monty’s anniversary a few days before so we had a mini anniversary celebration for them. Such a gift when friends become family. 

Tuesday, March 16th was Stacie’s birthday. We had a lovely day all hanging out together. Great conversations! Then the six of us with Niky (S&J’s American Eskimo) headed off later in the afternoon for a lun-din (lunch/dinner) as Stacie calls it. The birthday girl got to select the restaurant. We ended up on the patio at Russo’s near East Beach. Great dinner and the tiramisu was to die for! Afterwards we walked a few miles along East Beach. 

The next few days we were all getting caught up on some odds and ends but got together at our respective houses for rotating dinners. We each took a turn cooking. Way fun! Also J&S were able to schedule their first vaccine in Galveston so they got that taken care of as well. 

Friday, March 19th, Stacie & Johnny and Gary & I headed to the Strand in downtown Galveston to wander around for the day. Bev & Monty were off getting their first vaccines so couldn’t join us. The Strand is a very cool historic area with shops and restaurants that runs parallel to Galveston Bay. We visited some of the shops and had lunch on the patio at Brewchachos. A fun day! 

Saturday, March 20th, the girls did a Target and Walmart run while Johnny & Gary worked on a few modifications to S&J’s new 5th wheel. S&J had just picked up their new 5th wheel less than a month before arriving here. Gary was helping S&J with some storage solutions. Monty was off taking some photos. He is known as a street photographer, and is very good at it! He has a following… check out boosepics.com. Tonight was dinner at Bev & Monty’s. We do not go hungry that’s for sure! We’ve gotten into a routine of feeding the horses after dinner then going for a walk around the campground. It’s a way to work off some calories. 

Sunday, March 21st, we all headed to Galveston State Park and walked on some of the trails. After that we headed to Kelly Hamby Nature Trail. A short trail over a boardwalk thru the dunes to the gulf. From there you can walk along the beach, where we ogled a gorgeous new home that had been built. We ended up stopping for a lun-din at the Tipsy Turtle restaurant located on the beach. It was a pretty day to be outdoors. When we came back we hung outside for awhile and then came in and S&J taught us a new card game called “Golf”. Fun! 

Monday, March 22nd, we left Galveston and drove 225 miles to Corpus Christi to visit my beloved Aunt Elizabeth (my Dad’s sister), Uncle Nick, cousin Dale and his lovely wife Delilah. We left our tiny home behind since we were going to be staying at D&D’s house. On the way into Corpus we stopped at my Aunt & Uncle’s house for a visit. Such a treat to see them again and have a chance to catch up! My Aunt had some old family photos to give to me. I had a needlepoint pillow to give to her that I made for my mom several years ago and that I brought back from NH last month. We visited for a few hours and then continued on to D&D’s house which is less than a mile up the road. It’s been so wonderful to re-connect with D&D since we hit the road at the end of 2019. We love spending time with them! Dale made steak and veggie kebobs on the grill for dinner, and Gary & I had our first taste of venison sausage. A friend had given it to them. It was excellent! D&D also introduced me to a new drink called Paloma. It’s the drink of choice in Mexico. It’s made with a grapefruit soda i.e. Squirt or Fresca, tequila, and lime juice. Voila! That’s it. Very refreshing. My Aunt had made her famous pumpkin roll for me to bring back to D&D’s for dessert. Delicious! Gary & I chatted for hours with D&D then called it a night. 

Tuesday, March 23rd, Delilah made Kodiak Cake’s (healthier form of pancakes) for breakfast with fresh fruit. They introduced us to these last year. They are delish. We brought lunch over to Aunt Elizabeth & Uncle Nick’s and spent the afternoon chatting. Aunt Elizabeth tells the best stories about when she and dad were young, living on a ranch, and all the mischief they got into. I have to write these down so they become family lore. Once again, Aunt Elizabeth made another dessert for today’s meal… marble cake, and as if that wasn’t enough, she made apple dumplings as well. Yum! So much fun to spend time together. When we finally took our leave later in the afternoon, Delilah and I set out for a 2 mile walk around their community thru an area that at one time was a golf course but now has gone to a more natural state. Fun to make our way through the maze of trails… some of which were dead ends.  We finally got back just as it was getting dark. We ended up having pizza for dinner. The boys ran out and picked it up. 

Wednesday, March 24th, we had a leisurely morning with D&D then headed to Sugar Bakers, a local restaurant for lunch. Delicious food. Thank you D&D! Then the four of us visited the Corpus Christi Art Museum down by the bay. Nice museum! Very enjoyable. It was a foggy day, and the views were ghostly. We drove along Ocean Drive and saw some beautiful homes. Delilah and I headed over to Aunt Elizabeth & Uncle Nick’s for one last afternoon visit. Hard to say goodbye to these two family elders, but we’ll see them again next year. Gary & I head back to Galveston tomorrow. While Delilah and I were visiting, the boys (meaning Dale) were hard at work making dinner… soup from the leftovers of the kebobs and venison sausage and crusty bread to go with it. Delish! Gary & I are going to have to go on diets after these last few days! 

Thursday, March 25th, D&D loaded us up in the morning with the desserts that we hadn’t finished so we were bringing back Pumpkin Roll and Marble Cake to Stacie & Johnny and Bev and Monty for tonight’s dinner. The other thing we took advantage of while at D&D’s was their good WiFi. We started the process of backing up all the photos from our laptop to the Cloud. We started with over 35,000 photos. We got through a few thousand. Ok then. This is going to take awhile. Gary wants to continue this when we get back to Galveston using the campground’s WiFi to continue the upload to the cloud. We’ll see how long that takes! 

We said our goodbyes to D&D after breakfast. It was a pretty ride back to Galveston on country roads. We arrived just as S&J and B&M were getting back from their day’s outing visiting a historic graveyard in Galveston. They hadn’t had lunch and we hadn’t either so we joined them for an early (as usual delicious) dinner over at B&M’s. We provided dessert. It was a beautiful sunny day so we sat outside over at their place after dinner, chatted, fed the horses, and went for our usual evening campground walk. A friend from NH had arrived in the campground that day with her husband. We saw Debbie sitting outside as we did our walkabout. So fun to bump into Debbie and finally meet her husband Dennis! They are newly retired and enjoying their first winter trip in their new (to them) motorhome! Good for them! We were all treated to a beautiful sunset that evening. 

Friday, March 26th, we did a bike ride along the seawall with S&J and B&M. Winds were over 15mph. Gary and I got a work out! Coming back was a breeze (pun intended!). The others are in better shape than we are! We let them go on ahead. They did about 11 miles. We did 6+. That’s ok. It’s not a competition. I’d rather live and not be gasping for air. lol. Our turn to cook this evening. We cooked a roast chicken with mashed potatoes and salad. We all did the usual after dinner walk about the campground. We’re getting known for this!  Dale had told Gary & I about a movie called “Mustang Island”. We ended up watching it this evening. Mustang Island is located near Corpus Christi. You’d think the movie was filmed there. Actually… it was filmed in Galveston and Austin. So there were sightings from Galveston that we recognized. I enjoyed the movie more than Gary. Quirky characters and a quirky story. I like quirky. 

The six of us (S&J, B&M and Gary & I) spent Saturday, March 27th, walking the “East End (Galveston) Historical District Tree Sculpture Tour”. After Hurricane Ike in 2008, thousands of trees were upended. Private homeowners, wanting to salvage a piece of these beautiful old trees, had area artists sculpt beautiful whimsical creations. Between the tree sculptures and restored historic homes with beautiful doorways, intricate detail, and amazing stained glass it was a memorable 3 mile afternoon walk with friends! There is still more to see but we ran out of steam. Will continue another day. Stacie’s turn to cook. Delicious as always! 

Sunday, the 28th, was a rainy day. Gary made pancakes and bacon for breakfast. We did laundry and I worked on the next blog post. Debbie and Dennis visited in the afternoon. While they have been camping forever, they are new to this type of camping… being on the road for an extended period and the resulting logistics associated with this kind of travel. The route planning and finding appropriate campgrounds can be a challenge. They were asking questions on how we do it, and we were trying to be helpful. Not sure we were! lol. 

Monday, the 29th, we picked up Gary’s new glasses. I love them! He looks like a rock star! In the afternoon we were visited by our friend Carey who lives on the western end of Galveston Island and her sister, Trisha, who was visiting from San Antonio. Trisha and I re-connected in October when Gary & I were in Kerrville, TX. Prior to that I hadn’t seen her in 60 years! I was 2 when I last saw her. Our families have some history. Great to catch up with these two lovely ladies. It was a short visit, as Trisha was headed off to get her first vaccine in Galveston since she had been unsuccessful in getting one in San Antonio. 

Monday night Gary and I started watching “Lincoln” on CNN. It’s a docu-drama of about six episodes. Really well done! We both learned some things about Lincoln we hadn’t known before. If you’re into history, I think you’d enjoy it. 

Tuesday, the 30th, we visited with Debbie and Dennis. Then headed over to East End Lagoon Nature Preserve with Stacie & Johnny. It’s a new (short) nature trail. Only a 1/2 mile trail but interesting. Learned that this area is one of the busiest shipping lanes in the world. Ships access the Port of Galveston and the Port of Houston from here, and the Houston Port is the busiest in the U.S. in terms of foreign tonnage. The jetty across from the nature preserve was a nice spot with a fair number of birds. Will definitely go back again. On the way back we stopped at “Beachtown,” a residential community that could work well for bike riding. Dinner was at S&J’s tonight. Fabulous as always, and we did our usual walk around the campground. 

Wednesday, the 31st, we had a fun little experience with our truck alarm going off three times in the afternoon at the campground. That made us very popular with the neighbors. Not sure what the deal is with this. Will have to monitor the situation. Gary ended up turning the truck on and off and that seemed to take care of it, at least for now. Gary and I did a 2 mile (foggy) walk on Sunny Beach, which is across from the campground. Debbie and I sat at the pool for a short while, but then the weather turned and the wind picked up. We were headed over to Bev & Monty’s for dinner tonight. The wind was so strong (37+ mph gusts) that S&J came by and picked us up so that we could drive over. While they were watching, Gary was exiting our RV holding a glass (or more precisely a Yeti cup) of wine, and a gust of wind came along and he ended up getting a face full of wine closing the RV door. The whole thing was pretty funny… at least to us. Hee hee.  As usual a delicious dinner at B&M’s. 

Hard to believe March has come to an end!