February 16 - “Grouchmobile”

Well, I suppose our vacation’s zenith has arrived. After breakfast yesterday we dared to … take a walk on the beach. Gee. What an experience. Always great to try new things and all. 

Speaking of walking … our first stop was at the South Padre Island Birding and Nature Center. I know. That’s a mouthful. But talk about a hike. First it was up three flights of stairs to the bird-watching platform. Kinda like a lighthouse, only easier. Then there was the three quarter mile nature hike. That’s where the creators of the center showed their genius. Along with the birds there were … alligators. All shapes and sizes. Even one massive dude named Big Papi. Well, actually it was Big Padre, but what’s the difference? For an extra fee you could even hold a gator and a python. I was just impressed that they crafted an experience that included Dads and the boys. 

Then came lunch. Yep. Grouchy Gringo. The atmosphere was awesome. Funny stuff all over the walls. The waitress was really nice, too. Problem was, she was it. Well, and the one cook. Another negative - they only served brunch, so no seafood. Not even any French fries, AnnaGrace. We’ll have to go in the evening if we’re ever back down there. 

From there we got into the Grouchmobile and headed generally north-ish. Chris drove, so it fell to me to negotiate - er, I guess that should read navigate - someplace for us to go next. Hmm. That meant I had to seek out whimsy and weird and, well, any must-see’s between Linn and Alice and George West. Those are actual town names. Not a lot to do or see in any of them. I finally just usurped the map book and began planning a random route on my own. Next stop? Beeville. Maybe we’ll find some good honey …

Wait! Before we got very far outside of beautiful downtown Encino, what should we encounter but … Border Patrol. Complete with drug sniffing dogs and everything.  We must have looked trustworthy, though. The guy just glanced at the mess in the back seat, asked if it was just the two of us, and sent us on our merry way. 

Wait! We did make a stop in Premont. Very important town. They had a Dairy Queen. Bathroom break and blizzards. 

And then … Beeville for the night. 

Zephaniah‬ ‭3‬:‭17‬ says, Yahweh your God is among you, a warrior who saves. He will rejoice over you with gladness. He will bring you quietness with His love. He will delight in you with shouts of joy.

Father, thank you for being among us. We have really felt your protection on this trip. Amen. 

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. 

February 14 - “Elvis on the ceiling”

We were up and at ‘em this fine day-before-Valentine’s-Day. By the way, Happy Actual Valentine’s Day to all. But we loaded up yesterday and finally got back on the road again. No, really on the road this time. Road Trip!

For this one we headed south. Hey, after freezing through Cailyn’s soccer game on Wednesday night (which they won, 3-0, on a great defensive game by the Vaughan kid), we were hoping for some warmer weather a little closer to the equator. Besides, there is one more National Park in Texas we have not yet visited. Palo Alto Battlefield. 

So … we hit the road around 9:15. We decided to make it more interesting, so we headed roughly west toward the SanLuis Bridge and the Blue Water Highway. That gave way to some other roads. No idea which ones - trials and travails of dependence on modern technology. We just followed the app. After a quick stop in Lake Jackson for some breakfast for lunch, we continued on to what became our first actual destination. Port Lavaca’s Half Moon Reef Lighthouse. Tiny little thing. Nowhere near the water any more, either. But hey. History and all. Also, the community center next door had some really nice bathrooms. 

We thought about seeking out the Indianola historical marker. But said technology insisted that it was “permanently closed.”  I know it’s closed. It doesn’t exist anymore. It was wiped out by a hurricane. Hence, “historical marker.” Oh well. Pass on the marker. 

Next stop was a true find. The Big Tree. Yep. After following a winding road back toward the Gulf, and after driving right past it, because we were looking on the opposite side of the road, we finally stumbled upon what was touted as one of the oldest trees in the state of Texas. Maybe 1100 years old. Karankawa Indians supposedly had some human delicacy featured feasts under its branches. And more than one capital punishment by hanging was carried out there. Not sure how they determined all that. But we took a selfie anyway. Woohoo. 

The next adventure was one that wasn’t too new to us. We got to ride a ferry. Similar to the one in Galveston, this one was kind of like its baby brother. It was smaller, and it didn’t have a place to exit your vehicle and watch for dolphins. Guess why? The whole ride just lasted about five minutes. Woohoo. 

Our next attempt at adventure was to view a physically inaccessible lighthouse. Sadly, our attempt simply failed miserably. Best we could do, even with binoculars and a camera zoom lens, was a pirate ship. I think it was on a raiding party at a local restaurant. We didn’t stay to watch the carnage. 

Next we drove over a few blocks to check out Chapel on the Dunes. I was curious if it was anything like Seaside. Nope. It was a tiny little thing up on top of a hill in the middle of a neighborhood. Quite cute, actually. Probably could seat about 12 or 14 people. Oh, and the walks and ceiling were painted like one of those churches in the Hill Country. The doors were locked, so we could only look in through the windows, but I am almost certain there was a painting of Elvis among those on the ceiling. Strange. 

Well, that proved to be enough adventure for one day. We made our way to the hotel, checked in, left again to grab some supper, then settled in for the night. Phew. Long day. 

‭‭Hebrews‬ ‭4‬:‭10‬ ‭says, For the person who has entered His rest has rested from his own works, just as God did from His.

Father, thank you for a great day of adventure. Looking forward to some more today. Amen. 

February 13 - “Triple D”

Well, I endured the Triple D yesterday. Dreaded Deadly Dentist. The hygienist was very kind this time. She didn’t even ask me if I flossed. I actually did floss this at-home dental exercise era, by the way. Several times a week. 

She did six different x-rays. The kind where you have to bite down on the little cardboard thing that grows exponentially once inside your mouth. Always uncomfortable. But her scraping and poking didn’t really hurt much. That’s a definite positive. She didn’t talk much, but I attributed that to her rock-hard focus. 

When she completed her task, the actual dentist came in and did her exam. She noted the crack in one tooth. Said there were three options. First was the “not-so-conservative” approach. Her words, not mine. That would entail putting a full cap on the tooth, but it would never match the rest of the teeth. Second option … she could mix up some filling material and rub that all over the tooth to fill in the crack. Oh, and she could make it match the rest of my mouth. Finally, she said we could just wait and see if it holds. I came up with a fourth. Shoot some superglue on that offensive site and call it a day. She nixed that idea in a hurry. 

Ah, the fun exploits of a Triple D Day. But in the long run I had an exciting report for Chris when I got home: “Look, Ma. No cavities!”

Luke‬ ‭6‬:‭28‬ ‭says, Bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you.

Father, thank you my dentist. I don’t get very excited about what she does, but bless her for her heart to help people. Amen. 

February 12 - “That always-dreaded confrontation”

We had a visitor early yesterday. It was none other than … our roofer. The contractor sent him over to see why we have that leak in the deck roof. Sounds like a simple fix, but when have roof fixes ever been simple?

After he left we braved the diminishing fog and went for a walk. Two miles right off the bat, too. It has been a while, thanks to the wintry weather. Speaking of which, it got cold again. The rains came down and so did the temperatures. Not the greatest weather for a high school soccer game (Cailyn had one scheduled for last night). Eventually, the powers that be agreed with us. Game postponed. 

I’m heading out this morning for that always-dreaded confrontation between … my teeth and the dentist. It’s supposed to be just the regular cleaning and checkup. But I’m fairly certain that, like Firestone, they are bound to find something else wrong. Here goes nothing …

‭‭John‬ ‭5‬:‭24‬ ‭says, I assure you: Anyone who hears My word and believes Him who sent Me has eternal life and will not come under judgment but has passed from death to life.

Father, please be with me at the appointment this morning. And please join us on our little trip to the Southern regions of our fair state. Amen. 

February 11 - “Downright cold up there”

I braved the cool weather (that eventually resulted in some rain, so rainy, cold weather). My goal was to get a title to the car Sam had, so we can get it sold. I went downtown to the tax office, and after a consultation with a supervisor and a quick trip back to the house to get a mileage reading, I think we got the process going. I followed instructions exactly as the supervisor laid them out. 

We received new license plates, because the old ones have a handicapped designation on them. We also were warned not to sell the car with those plates on. Otherwise, the new owner could stick you for traffic tickets! I don’t think I’m even going to put the new ones on. In four to seven weeks we should get the new title. 

Next executor task was the one where I contact a title company to see what in the world I’m supposed to do to get the property transferred over to the heirs. I had a great introduction to the title agent, by the way, from Cheryl Bell. Always good to have a referral from somebody you trust. 

Our contractor came by to see about the next thing on our outside list - repairing the leaky roof under the deck. Hmm. Sounds funny to say a roof is under anything. But the deck is built on top of a covered patio area. He’s supposed to get with his roofing guy to see what they can do. By the way, we both hastily agreed that … it was downright cold up there!

‭‭Isaiah‬ ‭26‬:‭3‬ says, You will keep the mind that is dependent on You in perfect peace, for it is trusting in You.

Father, thank you for the progress on the estate stuff so far. Slow but sure. Amen. 

February 10 - “Red Day”

We had another great crowd at church Sunday. By great I mean both ways. Pretty full seats and some really great people. One RV’ing couple told us they joined Facebook for the first time just so they could keep tuning in to Seaside’s service when they got “back home.” Not sure where “back home” was, but that’s was a pretty cool endorsement of what God is doing. 

And there were more than a few red shirts in evidence. Didn’t realize we had so many Chiefs fans. Of course, it is also American Heart Association’s focus on heart disease, so red is also the color of the month. 

But back to the Chiefs. We did have our annual Super Bowl Commercials Party. But I have to say, for the first time in a long time we had some pretty strong feelings as to the game’s outcome. Eagles fans came out of the woodwork. In fact, I don’t know who eventually got MVP (I assume it was The Eagles quarterback), but among us, we had some strong votes for Jalix Hunt, the HCU grad. He gave the Chiefs’ offensive line fits. Even had a couple of sacks. Go Huskies!  

We added a new game this year. Still did trivia for the rabid actual football fans. And of course we still did the old standard Commercials Bingo. Thanks to our sponsors for the prizes. Oh, and I think Angel Soft’s endearing appeal for everyone to go take a potty break was hilarious. Even had a countdown clock to the end of their commercial. Kudos, toilet paper geniuses. 

Romans‬ ‭12‬:‭21‬ says, Do not be conquered by evil, but conquer evil with good.

Father, thanks for the fun group we had last night. They make it easy to love ‘em. Amen.