Just checking to see if your collective pacemakers are working. Yes, it is an actual post. Merry Christmas! We had such a lovely time with our friends in Texas. All four of the kids made fast friends with all four of theirs. Sissy hung with the boys and Ellen and Mia had a wonderful time playing. They have such a quaint little town and the downtown looks to be on the cusp of revitalization or death. But the parks are nice, the houses are beautiful and so full of character and the laundrymat is CHEAP. Since we’ve been travelling and coming back to the US via Fort Davis, Texas, I have always held the notion that living in a small town of about 2000 would be heavenly. I think I based this on Fort Davis itself. Being with our firends, however, allowed me to realize that the closeness of a small town can be stifling and somewhat boring. I keep coming back to Minneapolis. I can’t believe how much I loved that city - especially since it is pretty much covered by ice and COLD 11 months of the year. Well, I exaggerate. A smidge.
So we left as a front was coming in; literally, as the front moved over, halving the humidity and temperature. Jody met us at the park to say goodbye and mentioned that as she was driving there, passing through the front caused all her windows to fog up. I’m embarrased to say that I thought she was just not used to “weather”, being a sunny Texas girl. So, off we headed to the coast. The route we took, zigzagging all over creation, as Texas likes to offer “alternate” routes to the highway (i.e. 77ALT) that go NOWHERE near the non-alternate route (i.e. 77 goes south, Alt77 goes WEST) and had the fortune to zigzag through the front 3 or 4 times. Each time we went from cold (under the front) to warm (outside the front) the OUTSIDE of all our windows and mirrors fogged and the inside would waver with fog. It was the oddest weather experience we have had. We stocked up in Victoria at the HEB Plus (what a marvel of a store that is!) and marveled at the architecture of Victoria. We made it to Goose Island without incident and decided to pay an extra $2 to camp on the beach. It is a lovely place here and until about 5am this morning, I was loving it dearly. Apparently, at 5am, the duck hunters put out in air boats which rival a helicopter hovering directly over the trailer for noise.
Jamie and Jesse spent yesterday in bed with the stomach bug while the girls and I headed to Port Aransas for errands and to check out the beach. Port “A” is directly on the Gulf and muc hwindier, with blowing sand. The girls were not impressed. So here we will sit and pass the Christmas. UPS is supposed to be delivering to the campground today (apparently they don’t deliver to “General Delivery”; we’ll see how well they do with “Bayfront Site #3, Goose Island State Park”.
I put Christmas lights up inside and outside the trailer yesterday and the kids have nixed the idea of driftwood and shell Xmas tree. They want a real one (nope!) or a fake one. I’m hoping to find a thriftstore in Corpus Christi on Saturday as I don’t want to waste the beautiful sun we are getting today.
Jamie is better, Jesse is better, the sun is out, the airboats and thankfully quiet, the house is asleep, the sun is out (did I mention the sun?), the birds are hopping on the roof (???) and the vistas from the laptop are stunning here on the calm bay.
5 responses so far ↓
1 jody2ms // Dec 22, 2006 at 9:50 am
“the closeness of a small town can be stifling and somewhat boring.”
Bingo. It is a nice, quiet town and a wonderful place to raise kids. But, the closeness of it sometimes drives me up the wall and back down again. I long for a bit (alot) of anonymity and some adventure.
LOL about the front. When it hit and fogged up the outside of my windows (I was thinking it was the inside that was fogged), I couldn’t see anything and hit the defroster, which fogged up the inside etc. All this while driving 70mph. Weird front.
The boys are addicted to Runescape. Will need sharp prods to get them outside today…..beautiful sun here as well!!
2 MB // Dec 22, 2006 at 11:37 pm
Well, it’s about time! Thought those Texas longhorns had had you all for brunch!
Sorry to hear about the bug - we all ended up with a tummy bug last Christmas - this year, it’s some kind of lower respiratory thing. Funny, since we haven’t been sick (any of us) in many, many months.
All of our X-mas packages go to the camp store, where the staff has enjoyed hiding them from the kids. We’ve been adopted. The staff even brought in a Charlie Brown Christmas tree for the kids, since we weren’t thinking of having one this year. The children’s big present is a trip to Disneyland in January, so we’re concocting a treasure hunt, to make up for the many fewer under-the-tree presents. The kids will find only pirate costumes on Christmas morning, along with treasure maps, and they’ll have to work through the maps to find smaller gifts, and then, a buried treasure chest with a copy of Birnbaum’s Disneyland 2007 inside. Arg, arg, arg. Now I just have to figure out where to stash all the presents and draw up the maps. Ho, ho, ho, and a bottle of…, er, merlot?
Hope you all have a happy holiday. And, yes, we will, some how, some way, eventually cross paths. It’s destiny.
3 MB // Dec 22, 2006 at 11:43 pm
BTW, if you loved Minneapolis, I do think you’d fall head over hells for Iowa City. Smaller, but just as hip and very, um, crunchy. And just a bit warmer too (though, not like, well, Xel Ha.)
4 Dr Paul // Dec 23, 2006 at 8:51 pm
I kinda like Ames, Iowa. While I was a prof at Auburn Univ I went to Ames for a conference and then to a party thrown by UI students and I can’t remember anything after that…must been 72-73.
love, dad
5 DeeDee Ramsey // Dec 23, 2006 at 11:12 pm
Well, good old goose island. Can’t say I blame the girls with not being impressed with the island. Looks cold there. Mexico is calling. Hope that Jessie and Jamie are better and over being sick. See you in the sunshine. (not really, it rained here today in Celistino Gasa Mexico)
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