We took
advantage of a very special treat last night.
The Galveston Baptist Association treated the local pastors and their
wives to a free dinner cruise aboard the Colonel Paddlewheel Boat that operates
out of Moody Gardens. It’s one of those
quaint tourist attractions that we just have never tried before. The boat leaves the Moody Gardens dock and
makes a circle around Offats Bayou. Or
in our case I think it made two or three circles. We were on board for around three hours.
The ride
itself was fine, as boat rides go. It
was big enough that you really couldn’t even tell you were moving unless you
looked out the window (unlike the ferry ride to Bolivar). Of course for some folks, that was not the
best option. Chris had a little bit of
trouble, and at least one of the other wives spent most of the journey with her
head down, staring at the table. The
sensation of movement from the lights on shore made her dizzy and a bit
seasick. Chris didn’t get sick,
though. Just dizzy a time or two. She’s a trooper. And speaking of lights, that was absolutely
the way to see the Christmas Festival of Lights over at Moody Gardens. Ordinarily you have to walk a little over a
mile through their midst (and that is still an impressive way to do it). But to be able to sit in comfort, or walk
around on deck hand in hand with the one you love, and have the boat take you
by the lights with their reflections bouncing off the water, was really a
memorable experience. Honestly, though,
without the lights, once around the bayou would be plenty, just to say you have
done it.
The dinner
was catered by Joe’s Barbeque out of Alvin.
The brisket didn’t have a whole lot of flavor, but the smoked turkey was
some of the best I have ever eaten. And
it came with sides of beans and potato salad and coleslaw and a slab of cake
for dessert, so there was plenty of food.
The first two entertainers the organizers contacted couldn’t come, so we
were regaled by the third stringer (his words, not mine). He was a local worship pastor. He sang really well, and his backups (an
uncle on piano and his son on bass) complemented him really well. Most of his fare was Christmas song oriented,
as expected, but one of my favorite segments came when he sang as an Elvis
impersonator (He did Elvis way better than he did Burl Ives. Oh, and the fake hair and sideburns made it
work). As goofy as that one was, though,
it wasn’t my favorite. No, no. That came when he donned a sock puppet. Yep.
Sock puppet with a hole in its face.
And that hole was the source of a few “holey” jokes and puns. The puppet didn’t stick around long, and I for
one hated to see him go. Maybe I can get
him to come preach at Seaside sometime …
1 Peter
1:3-5 says, “Praise be to the God and
Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth
into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, and
into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade — kept in heaven for
you, who through faith are shielded by God's power until the coming of the
salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time.”
Father,
thank you for the simple beauty of a light’s reflection on the water. Amen.
