Galveston, OHHH, Galveston. I still hear your seawinds blowing…
Full disclosure. The last time we were here I made the same reference on my old blog. If you hear the song in your head, you’re as old as me. If you don’t, well, it’s a catchy tune.
Our dear friends, Brent and Jill, decided to join us for a few days (yay!). They rented an RV to see if this RVing (it’s a word, ask anyone with a rolling home) thing is for them. We arrived in Galveston ahead of our friends, so the least we could do is have dinner ready for them. Sure, dinner was ready, but the chilled wine was far better for our reunion. My gosh how we enjoy spending time together! Since they moved from Southern California to Texas, we all agreed that somehow we manage to see one another more frequently than we used to when they were only a couple hours up the road from us. At least it seems that way. From the moment Steve and I are together with Brent and Jill there’s a smile plastered on our faces, and no matter what we’re doing, a great time will be had.
This time we stayed at Galveston Island RV Resort, a brand new place about 30 minutes outside of downtown. The office staff were really friendly at check in, the sites are super roomy and spaced out nicely, and the place was booked solid with families on spring break. There’s a large pool and spa, a clubhouse, and if the weather permitted, I would imagine other activities would have been planned. There’s future expansion in progress, and it looks like this resort is sparing no expense. Beach access is just across the street, and we imagined we’d be taking our Jeep out to play in the sand, but Mother Nature had other plans for us.
Someone gave some thought to how fancy these signs should be
Since the rain continued to fall, after dinner we stayed inside our RV, and we introduced them to the game Mexican Train. It’s a great way to pass the time while chit-chatting over wine, since it’s a game that’s not all that complicated, in case anyone is, ahem, shall we say, in a wee bit of a fog? We play the game slightly different than most. Instead of using the plastic colored trains that come with the dominoes, we use Monopoly game pieces, and each player has to make accompanying sounds when their “train” is open for other players, as well as when they remove their token, “closing” their train. Boys are usually better at making sounds. I think it’s in their DNA. However, on this night, Jill ruled supreme with her, “clickety clack” and “gallop, gallop”. Yeahhhh, you’d have to be there…
The following morning, coffee in hand, we planned out our day. Everyone was kind enough to agree to go to The Sunflower Bakery and Cafe, so I could see if the smoked chicken hash was as good as I remembered. It was. Steve surprised me by ordering a crab and brie omelette, since I know the only warm crab he’ll eat is king crab legs, dipped in drawn butter. He was counting on the fresh blue crab to be sweet and tasty, and he wasn’t disappointed.
Smoked chicken hash with poached eggs and spicy hollandaise. Glad we’ll be hoofing it around town today!
Fresh Texas blue crab omelette with a parmesan sauce.
Fueled up for the day, we’re off to explore Galveston. First stop: The Strand District.
Side note: The four of us sailed out of Galveston on a Caribbean cruise March, 2015. We didn’t explore Galveston then, and what a different perspective we had today! We were so focused on boarding the ship, we didn’t realize just how close we were to all the interesting things to see and do. And, Steve and I had been to Galveston before. Cruising really does put one in a different mind set.
Okay, back to The Strand. Something looked a little different to Steve and I. I later realized it was the missing horse and buggies, musicians, and street performers. Dang rain. I also remembered more boutique-type shops, with locally made treasures. What we found today were mostly tourist-trap gift shops, with Bob Marley providing the soundtrack. Why the Jamaican flavor? Guess a couple cruise ships at port will do that to a town.
We did find a few interesting shops to explore, and admired the pre-1900 architecture of the buildings that survived The Great Storm of 1900. The four of us can’t have a bad time in one another’s company. We really don’t take life too seriously when together on vacation.
Photo op!
Silly boys…
The guy on the bench doesn’t look nearly as amused as Jill. He does, however, look like he had breakfast at Sunshine.
Love these two. See the medallion above their heads? That’s a water line marker for The Great Storm of 1900.
The buildings on this side of town stood somewhat of a chance. Over 8,000 perished that tragic day.
Following The Great Storm, the entire town was raised, and a seawall installed. We like this new plan!
Brent admiring the window displays of antique office equipment, and business supplies.
Then…
And now. Still a bank.
Then…
And this is what’s left of the same building
As if The Great Storm of 1900 weren’t enough, Hurricane Ike did its damage, too.
We worked up a thirst and headed over to Pier 21, stopping in at Fisherman’s Wharf for cold draft beers and iced teas. The restaurant is decorated with beachy decor, but my favorite thing in the place was the creative kitchen down vents:
Giant octopus keeps the kitchen staff cool 🐙
Next stop: One of the palatial old mansions that survived The Great Storm.