Galveston, Texas- Part 1

We have been in sunny Galveston, Texas for the last 24 hours. Many people say Galveston water is dirty and why would anyone want to vacation here. We, however, love Galveston. It is more than a beach city. It has character, history and is a very easy place to have a family getaway. It is true that the water is a little grungy and you have to worry about what you can't see because, well, you can't see anything at all in the gulf.

I have taken many pictures already of the boardwalk on Kemah and was ready to share, but then I discovered that my USB cable was left at home. Go figure. So, pictures will come later.
But I can report some highlights.

1. We spent most of this morning on the beach doing beachy things. Immediately, my boys made friends with the other children in our beach area. This has happened every year and is one of the things I like most about this area. People talk, share and swap Galveston/fishing stories. Isaac found a little girl friend (age 9) that he walked up and down the beach with for a long time with her. I found out later that they were swapping Pokemon strategies. :-) Whew!

2. Later in the day we went to Kemah and rode lots of carnival type rides. Isaac loved the bouncer that jolts your stomach to your adam's apple. Aaron was partial to the crazy submarine ride that went in circles and up and down. Nathan enjoyed the Kemah Boardwalk Tower that hoisted us way up in the air to see the whole town and most of the bay. I, on the other hand, was partial to watching from the ground. My stomach is not what it used to be. Ahh... age sneaks up on the best of us.

3. The highlight of my day was touching the stingrays in Stingray reef. Nathan fed them, I touched them and the boys ran around screeching that I would probably die because the Crocodile Hunter fell to one of these strange creatures. Nothing I said changed their minds, so I just ignored their pleas to please leave the attraction and go elsewhere. I loved touching the stingray "wings" and heads. They are incredibly smooth to the touch with just a little bit of slime. It was exciting to be so close to a creature so foreign to me. It reminded me of the vastness of God's creation.

4. Nathan caught a "really large" ( Of course this depends on how you see the word "large", but he is sitting right here calling the fish large as we speak, so it was LARGE!) catfish in the gulf and then we both used the sein net to drag up little fish. One of these little fish looked like it had already been attacked by some ocean creature when we got hold of it, so Nathan threw it back. As he pitched it behind him in the air a sea gull saw what was happening and swooped in and grabbed this poor little fish the moment it touched the water. Talk about a fish having a really bad day! So far, we have caught no shrimp or crabs. We are hoping for better luck tomorrow.

All in all, the last 24 hours have been fun, adventuresome and somewhat relaxing. The adventures will continue and so will the posts. So to all, Buenas Noches and Adios Amigos!