Tuesday- First Day of Vacation

Watching Angelina run into the jellyfish infested ocean, seeing the seagulls poop on Marcela’s head and taking tequila shots in the early afternoon were three of my most memorable events of our first hour of our trip to the coast. It was a beautiful sunny day with a strong southern breeze. Watching Tim and his daughter rest and go to sleep on the couch made me remember the days he fell asleep on my lap.

Wednesday

Angelina had a good nights sleep and woke up ready to get into the pool. She put on her water wings and sat in her water boat writing her own blog. Shopping for gifts, shopping for some food items and restocking the tequila and beer were all completed this morning. We had tacos for lunch and spent the rest of the afternoon in the pool. Angelina is on her way to be the next Ester Williams. Later we ate tons of shrimp and had a vicious poker party. Marcela now knows that 3 of a kind beats 2 pair.

Thursday

The night was too short but again Angelina had a good rest. She was first up on Thursday morning. After a quick breakfast, we went to catch some crabs in the bay. The ferry ride from Port A to Aransas Pass was fun and exciting for Angelina. She learned the new word “Boat” and enjoyed the short trip across the water. The huge blue crabs were just waiting for us to arrive. As soon as we tossed in the turkey necks, the crabs grabbed hold. We caught a bucket full. It was impossible to eat all of the cooked crabs so we put about 20 claws into the fridge for a future treat. After a satisfying and delicious lunch a good nap and a little rest were definitely required. A little later, I watched as Angelina and her grandma were having a wonderful swim training session in the resort’s pool. By next year Angelina will be a strong swimmer. Tim and Marcela’s pasta dinner hit the spot. We were then ready to play another great game of poker.

Friday

Angelina had another good restful night and woke up smiling and ready for a fun day at the beach. By this time all the jelly fish had moved away from our area. They may have been allergic to Angelina. The sand castle building contest was relaxing but also difficult. The surf was up and did cause some havoc to Tim’s and Bobs designs. Angelina did a little body surfing on the ocean waves. She didn’t mind getting a few mouthfuls of salt water. Next we went back to the pools for fun and to get most of the salt and sand out of our swimsuits. Grilled shrimp and hot dogs were on the lunch schedule. After lunch, nap time. Bob and Ernest grilled fantastic fajitas and sausage. The resort was starting to fill up with the weekend crowd and we were ready to relax up in our room. The fajitas were great except for the fact that there were no tomatoes. (I had used them for breakfast pica de gillo). I took a good long nap while everyone else played the game of “are you smarter than a 5th grader?”.

Saturday

Angelina’s fourth night was again quiet and restful. She woke up with a big grin. She is leaving with her parents so they can get back to work and see their pets. Bob and Ernest will be going also so I helped them pack. Tim’s family got out before 9am. Marcela had to work Saturday night. The pet seagull was a big surprise. I guess birds just like me. Maybe they were just afraid of Angelina. The bird tried to get into our car but we left him at the resort. Linda and Kim arrived around 4pm, just in time to open a new bottle of tequila and play a little poker. We met a lot of last year’s tenants while walking on the beach. Fortunately or unfortunately they recognized me. We all stayed in the hot tub till about 11pm.

Sunday

I had another good night until the seagulls started squawking. I eventually loaded everything back into the car. I can’t believe it all fit back inside the van. At about 11am we headed home. It was an easy trip with one stop for a burger, one stop to refill the fridge and one stop for some beer. The animals and garden all survived our absence. Fifi and Plinko acted as if we had been gone for a year. This was a fun trip to the Texas coast for me. I think by next year Angelina may be ready for the water at playa del Carmen. Thank you family and thank you Angelina.

Love, GP