Vacation Update: Part 2

Sorry it has taken me almost a week to complete my vacation blog. It's been a rough week at work...

Ok, when I left visiting my family in Port Neches, I headed to Galveston to meet my parents and sister's family.

I always enjoy driving this route - it's a coastal highway that goes through numerous beach towns. The highway ends at the Bolivar Peninsula, which is at the mouth of Galveston Bay. From there, you drive onto a Ferry. It's about a 20-minute ride across the bay, but it's always fun and brings up old memories when I was a kid.

Normally I stay in the same condo with my parents (above). The Galvestonian is a great place to vacation, and it's totally geared towards families. It's 12 stories tall, has a large pool and jacuzzi, and sits on a great beach. In fact, the beach is private, so it's legal to drink.

However, this vacation I decided to stay at the Tremont Hotel. It's a Wyndham hotel located in the heart of the Strand. It's very old, and is one of the few buildings still standing after the 1900 Hurricane. I would highly recommend staying at this hotel if you're in need of a quiet place.

The first night, my parents and I feasted on fresh red snapper stuffed with crabmeat, shrimp, and oysters. My mom picked it up from the pier when they arrived. That's something I really like about Galveston - you can buy fresh fish right off the boats!

The next day, July 4th, Rachel/Steve/Carson/Tanner arrived. We spent the morning on the beach, and in the pool... up until a big storm blew ashore in the middle of the day. It was a very fast moving storm - high winds, a lot of rain... but it was over with around 3:00 PM. My mom made another fantastic meal that night, then I retired back to the Tremont.

Saturday was a perfect beach day! I spent a majority of the day on the beach with the family. Want to know what a day is like? You go down with a ton of stuff (chairs, towels, toys, etc.). The kids dig in the sand, then beg to be taken out to the deep (chest deep is "deep" to them...). I also bring down a big sein net, so of course they love that! Later, they tire out and I just sit in my chair next to Joel reading my book for the rest of the day. Awesome...

That night, my parents and I went to The Waterman restaurant on Pirates Cove. It was excellent - we sat on the deck and ate our meals looking out over an incredible sunset across the bay. After dinner, they both wanted to show me the historic Balinese Room. A lot of celebrities have been there, and it used to be an illegal casino. We went inside for a drink.

After I dropped them off, I headed back to the Tremont. The next day, I headed back home. I had such a great vacation. I got to see family, spent time on the beach, and ate some great meals.

Unfortunately, the relaxation was taken away the moment I came back to work... sigh.