Fall around the corner?

It is a cool morning, and the crickets and frogs are noisy; the air is cool and there is thunder nearby.  A line of storms to the south has brought the welcoming scent of rain!

A few days ago we got the first real rain here since April, and the 100+ temps seem to have broken.   74 degrees this morning with a slight breeze isn't bad at all!

From our backyard the rising sun over the low clouds made it look like the sun had decided to rise in the south for a change.  Pretty cool!

Next week rain is predicted all week long.  Let it come!

Sailing

So I did something new today.

For years we have wanted to go to the British Virgin Islands, but time, money and knowledge have not been there.

(Still not there...)

But today we took Brandon's new sailing dinghy out to Navarro Mills lake.  

The lake was low and the wind just over 5 knots, but we had a good time for the hour or so we stayed out.  

Maybe this is the first step to knowledge acquisition that will eventually get us to the islands!

Rain at Last!

It wasn't a long rain, but it was rain.  About 30 minutes worth and a total of about 1/2 inch.  

It came with a wind that blew some collected boxes around that were waiting for trash collection, but at this time nothing to complain about.  It had not rain any appreciable amount since April.  

The tanks remain low and undoubtably it will take more to start the grass to growing out of dormancy.  But NOAA is predicting a wetter than normal two weeks.  The Dome of Doom, high pressure ridge that prevented rain and turned us into a 3 digit degree pressure cooker has broken.

This morning the moisture generated a fog and cool temps.  For the first time I have been hearing happy crickets in the years making their sounds.  Hopefully this is the first of more precip to come!

Summertime Blues.

With our summer vacation done we have settled into the last few weeks before the new school year begins.  And it is hot!

Our county is now under extreme drought conditions and fire warnings are high today.  It has been necessary to water trees.  There has been no appreciable rainfall since April.

Fortunately our stock tanks are , at this point, holding up.  

Pray for rain, y'all!

#Summer2022 - Beach time, seashells, and fine food

Today is our last day in Galveston, and our last day of this summer's RV vacation.  We got up, had a quick breakfast and took a long walk to the back of the Jamaica Beach resort.  I used one of the kayaks and paddled to the back part of the bay.  It connects through; I am anxious to try it with one of the Sea Eagles.

Then to the beach.  Sadie and Stephanie did the beachcomber thing and came back with a bucket of shells. Some were quite unique. And we had the beach practically to ourselves.

Then Lazy River time, followed by supper at Miller's Seawall Restaurant.  No pics because we were too busy eating.  The Shrimp and Grits were awesome, the crab balls better than Benno's, and the pecan brownie ganache was to die for!

Until next time, Texas Coast!  We leave for home tomorrow but we will return!

#Summer2022 - Benno's and The Strand

For 17 years or so I have had fond memories of a little seafood stand in Galveston called Benno's on the Beach.  The original stand is gone, but Benno's is still here... That is where we had lunch!

The temps and humidity are high down here, so before setting out for town we took advantage of some of the amenities at Jamaica Beach - namely Mini-Golf.

After a quick shower, we went to do the tourist thing. Murdock's, then Benno's, and then the Strand.

The Strand is the street Galveston is best known for along with the Seawall.  Think Bourbon Street in New Orleans or Duval Street in Key West (without the questionable morals, in most cases).  A bit of shopping and a visit to famous LaKing's Candy Shop for malts.

Back to camp, an hour in the lazy river, and pork chops for supper.  A fine day all around!

#Summer2022 - Fresh Fish

Island time...

This day was our first full day at Jamaica Beach, and we got off to a slow start.  Breakfast was chorizo quesadillas and eventually we journeyed downtown.

After driving the seawall we sought out Katie's Seafood Market and bought Gulf shrimp and a red fish, filleted by the market workers.  So quess what we had for lunch.

So good!

After that, another few hours on the lazy river and fajitas for supper.

We needed a few things at Walmart, and that was crazy.  While gone, Stephanie explored the bay area of the park with Fergus.  She took some really nice pictures.