Picture postcard moments.
Chuck and I just returned from a three day trip to Galveston.
Now if you are looking for a glorious beach experience then this probably isn’t the place for you. However, if you just want to get away for a few days it can be a fun trip.
Both Chuck and I agree that sometimes those short getaways are the most enjoyable. They don’t require too much upfront planning, and you only need to be away from your furry companions for a short time.
It had been close to fifteen years since I had been to Galveston, but my last time there had been one of the more memorable times in my life. I had traveled down with my co-workers to write aBlue Ribbon proposal for our school. It was there listening to the crash of the waves that I was reminded how much I loved writing.
I tucked that dream away until after retirement, but am so happy that I began writing my blog four years ago. It had been years since Chuck had visited Galveston so we decided to give it a go.
We dropped Cooper off that morning at his beloved pet sitter Glenda, and hit the road. On the way there we stopped by Woody’s Smokehouse in Centerville, for some beef jerky. We actually ended up getting some buffalo jerky called Texas Fire, and Chuck voted it possible the best jerky ever.
As luck would have it we got caught in a rainstorm around the time we entered Houston. We made our way down to the island and checked in a little early to our hotel. A few hours later when the rain had slowed we made our way out to check out the surroundings.
I had remembered eating at Shrimp and Stuff the last time I was there, and with the help of GPS we located it pretty easily. We were happy to find that we had timed our arrival perfectly, and were happily munching on fried shrimp a few minutes later without battling the dinner crowd. We could tell that this was a local favorite, and along with some good tasting seafood, we munched on some tasty spicy hush puppies.
As we made our way back to the hotel we couldn’t help but stop to ogle a beautiful piece of architecture, which ended up being Bishop’s Palace, and the next day we returned, and enjoyed the tour, learning more about Galveston’s early history. Did you know that Galveston was once the largest city in Texas?
As my daughter, Brittany likes to say, “It’s not a Hughes vacation if it doesn’t include a little bit of history.” Okay to be perfectly honest-a lot of history.
Along with Bishop’s Palace we visited The Strand, a shopping and dining area, in downtown Galveston. I was excited to find a 4 Ocean bracelet that I had had my eye on for a while. I chose the green sea turtle bracelet, and left also with some bamboo straws, and the cutest Mud Pie pirate tooth fairy pillow for some little boys I know.
After leaving The Strand we googled where to get a cheeseburger, and The Mosquito Cafe came up as a choice. Intrigued by the name we made our way there, and were not disappointed. After a delicious blue cheese burger we made our way across the street to Patty Cakes for a yummy cupcake and pastry.
By now the sun had finally broken through, so we made our way to the beach to do the required barefoot walk along the shore. This is about as much beach time as we like, and we were happy to do so without paying for parking.
Dinner was exceptional at the renowned Gaido’s and between grilled shrimp, and the pecan crunch a la mode we were glad we had made it a part of our trip. The funniest thing happened when I looked over and commented that a man sitting a few tables over looked just like our pastor. Remarkably, it was him, and his family. We teased him that the church had sent us there to keep an eye on him!
The next morning we checked out and headed toward the Battleship Texas, and the San Jacinto Monument. I was pretty impressed with my ladder climbing skills as I made my way up and down the decks of the battleship. We picnicked on site, and then hit the road.
Several hours later we had picked up Cooper, and were relaxing in our own living room. Short and sweet, but still lots of fun.
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