February 15 - “Nope, nope, yep, nope.”

Not much sleep. Very noisy. Banging and clanging. Doors slamming. Voices from outside. Let’s get back on the road so I can get some sleep. But not you, Chris. You’re driving.

I did try to redeem something out of that rough night. I broke out the Valentine’s Day gift I have been hiding from Chris. She gave me a gift before we left home (not one, but two very cool jigsaw puzzles). I decided to wait until the actual Big Day. Oh. You want to know what it was? OK. A large bag of M&M’s and a charm for her bracelet - a cute little sloth. What will they think of next? Aaand she surprised me with another gift, too. Swiss cake rolls. One of my favorites, to be sure. 

On our way further south (it was still cold), we stumbled across the entrance to none other than the King Ranch (For some reason I had a strange craving for a casserole). Actually, it’s hard to believe we “stumbled across “ the ranch. It covers something like 825,000 acres. 

We didn’t take the full tour of the ranch. One version lasted a day and a half. “Rustic” facilities available.  Nope. Instead we went into beautiful old downtown Kingsville. There we experienced the King Ranch Saddle Company (world-famous home of the $600 purses). Nope. 

From there we finally made it to the Palo Alto Battlefield National Park, a fulfillment of Chris’ lifelong dream. She now has stamps from every National Park in Texas. P.S. I drove. Chris needed a Valentine’s Day break. 

Ever southward, we finally arrived at the Port Isabel lighthouse in, well, Port Isabel. Yep. We climbed to the top of yet another full-sized lighthouse. And yep. It was cold up there. But great views. 

For supper we intended to try out a place that Josh and his family went to when they were here. Seafood place called Grouchy Gringo’s. A problem arose, however. Taped on the door was a notice. Seems they were busy preparing for a special Valentine Day menu. Doors would open at 4, but there was only one option on the menu.  Very ritzy listings. And one price fits all - $49 each plus tax and tip. Nope. How about lunch today? Now there’s an idea …

‭‭Proverbs‬ ‭17‬:‭17‬ says, A friend loves at all times, and a brother is born for a difficult time.

Father, we are loving our together trip time. I love that Valentine you gave me. Amen.