If the events of Day 2 and those of Day 3 (which I am about to relate) are indicators, my lovely bride and I are indeed on tap for a calm, quiet, and stress-free vacation. That is okay with me, especially when I remember back to the ghost of vacation past, in which we faced the possibility of the car floating away with the high tide.
The day started at a decent hour this morning, decent being defined as no one awakened anyone else prior to 0900. My lovely bride and I, my sister and her son, and our beloved aunt and uncle, caravanned to a local breakfast eatery prior to services at First Baptist. We met my brother-in-law and his family at the church, and settled in for a very inspirational service. I have to confess that I did not sit quietly through services; instead, my recently acquired niece and I shared a few laughs, causing my lovely bride to chastise me for "being out of control." But really Miss Emily and I did not bother anyone. And we paid attention for the "good parts" of the service.
After services, our family group, now ten in number, dined at a local Mexican-food restaurant. The staff were most cordial and happy to have us. We shared a great lunch, and I have to say, all of us, again with the exception of myself and Miss Emily, were well-behaved and did not draw undue attention to our large gathering. My lovely bride DID mention, however, that I was "out of control" and needed to settle down. This situation proved to be the only real excitement of the day.
Later on, I took my nephew to the beach at Surfside. He went up and down the beach happily gathering seashells. I just took in the air, the salt, the sea. Then I felt my sea-faring personality come to the surface, and for a little while, I was a true beach dweller, sharing the shore with the gulls and the surf. I know I would feel at home at the beach just as much as I do on my little piece of Central Texas. I cannot explain my deep attachment with the sea, but maybe you share this same feeling whenever you visit the seashore. Scientists say that all life began in the sea. Maybe they are right. If so, that could explain why many a landlubber like myself feels such a kinship with the ocean even if we only touch the sand and the surf once or twice a year. The good thing is that the seashore welcomes everyone and feels a kinship with anyone who shares the spirit of the sea. At least this is what I have come to believe.
My nephew and I pulled ourselves away from the shore a couple of hours later. During that time my lovely bride had "messaged me" that we needed to take the truck through a car wash before returning to my uncle's place. Apparently many others believed their cars needed washing as well, because we had to abandon our original plan, to use the Buc-ee's car wash. There were at least thirty cars ahead of us; therefore, I opted to find another, less popular car wash, but one which would remove just as much salt from the paint.
My nephew and I were soon back at our uncle's house, and dinner was on the table. Later, as I contemplated the events of the day, I concluded that "event" is a relative word, in the sense that an event does not have to be "significant" or "traumatic" to be an event. Today, for instance, was full of good and fun events which were not significant in any way, but which made memories for me and my loved ones. Just simple days and simple times. I hope for many, many more simple but happy times like this quiet and easy time spent with my loved ones. I wish the same for all of you.
May God bless you all, and may God bless America
The day started at a decent hour this morning, decent being defined as no one awakened anyone else prior to 0900. My lovely bride and I, my sister and her son, and our beloved aunt and uncle, caravanned to a local breakfast eatery prior to services at First Baptist. We met my brother-in-law and his family at the church, and settled in for a very inspirational service. I have to confess that I did not sit quietly through services; instead, my recently acquired niece and I shared a few laughs, causing my lovely bride to chastise me for "being out of control." But really Miss Emily and I did not bother anyone. And we paid attention for the "good parts" of the service.
After services, our family group, now ten in number, dined at a local Mexican-food restaurant. The staff were most cordial and happy to have us. We shared a great lunch, and I have to say, all of us, again with the exception of myself and Miss Emily, were well-behaved and did not draw undue attention to our large gathering. My lovely bride DID mention, however, that I was "out of control" and needed to settle down. This situation proved to be the only real excitement of the day.
Later on, I took my nephew to the beach at Surfside. He went up and down the beach happily gathering seashells. I just took in the air, the salt, the sea. Then I felt my sea-faring personality come to the surface, and for a little while, I was a true beach dweller, sharing the shore with the gulls and the surf. I know I would feel at home at the beach just as much as I do on my little piece of Central Texas. I cannot explain my deep attachment with the sea, but maybe you share this same feeling whenever you visit the seashore. Scientists say that all life began in the sea. Maybe they are right. If so, that could explain why many a landlubber like myself feels such a kinship with the ocean even if we only touch the sand and the surf once or twice a year. The good thing is that the seashore welcomes everyone and feels a kinship with anyone who shares the spirit of the sea. At least this is what I have come to believe.
My nephew and I pulled ourselves away from the shore a couple of hours later. During that time my lovely bride had "messaged me" that we needed to take the truck through a car wash before returning to my uncle's place. Apparently many others believed their cars needed washing as well, because we had to abandon our original plan, to use the Buc-ee's car wash. There were at least thirty cars ahead of us; therefore, I opted to find another, less popular car wash, but one which would remove just as much salt from the paint.
My nephew and I were soon back at our uncle's house, and dinner was on the table. Later, as I contemplated the events of the day, I concluded that "event" is a relative word, in the sense that an event does not have to be "significant" or "traumatic" to be an event. Today, for instance, was full of good and fun events which were not significant in any way, but which made memories for me and my loved ones. Just simple days and simple times. I hope for many, many more simple but happy times like this quiet and easy time spent with my loved ones. I wish the same for all of you.
May God bless you all, and may God bless America
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