After a refreshing night's sleep, and waking up to no alarm clock, I left my spouse sleeping and I headed to the beach, Surfside Village. I was hoping to find some interesting seashells then do some treasure hunting with my trusty Tesoro. Unfortunately, I did not get up until 7:30 AM. If you are familiar with the seashell hunting along the beaches of Surfside, you know that not hitting the beach until 7:30 AM is like getting to the doughnut shop at 11:05. You see, at around 6:00 AM a squadron of little old ladies hits the beach, and there go all the "choice" shells. So while I enjoyed a full eight hours of sleep, I am afraid I let the blue-haired league get all the shells. Disappointing, but there was still some metal detecting to do. So I fired up the Tesoro and hit the beach once again.
Metal detecting on the beach can be tricky because the salty sand can confuse some metal detectors, and some metal detectorists as well. Soon I was hitting targets all over the place. Within ten minutes I had found over one hundred Dos Equis and Natural Light bottle caps and pull tabs. Oh yeah, and twenty seven cents. Nearly two hours later I had increased my collection of bottle caps by a couple of pounds, and my cash haul by...umm...two cents. I came to the conclusion that the salt may have confused the metal detector, or the sun may have confused the metal detectorists. By the time I had spent five minutes trying to locate the last penny of my treasure trove, I was pretty sure it was time to put away the detector. It was so disappointing not to find Lafitte's treasure. So much so that I spent the next hour talking to a couple friendly seagulls about my metal detecting techniques. Finding that the gulls could offer no constructive tips, I left the beach to its inhabitants and returned to Angleton.
Next stop, a quick visit to some other relatives in Angleton, then lunch at Fillips in the metropolis of Danbury (again, a GPS locate challenge!). I decided to eat healthy today, so instead of ordering the chicken fried steak "dinner," I ordered a chicken fried steak "sandwich." I believe I saved well over 20 calories by this change in my eating habit, and probably curved a lot of cholesterol consumption as well. I hope my nurse practitioner back in Midland is very encouraged with my healthy dietary decisions. I think one should make mature, healthy decisions with his diet even when he is on vacation.
After lunch, we made a trip to Froberg's Farm in Alvin. This is a large strawberry and other stuff farm wherein persons are allowed to pick strawberries and, the owners hope, to buy other offerings in the fresh veggie store. I always enjoy the picking because the entire field smells like a giant strawberry sundae. I love to pick a strawberry here and there and place it directly from the plant to my mouth. While, for sanitary reasons, I cannot recommend this practice, I have to say that eating a fresh strawberry that has been heated to a temperature of 75 degrees by the sun is one of those rare pleasures. Also, it is not really ethical to eat very many strawberries since Froberg's sells them by weight. But just one, so tasty I could not resist.
By the time I had picked a couple of pounds of strawberries, it was (fortunately for my back) time to leave for another errand. An hour later we arrived to my brother-in-law's residence and began the process of watching while my lovely bride began the process of MAKING the strawberry jam and also preparing fresh strawberries for use as a prime ingredient for strawberry shortcake. Again, my health provider will appreciate the fact that I stopped at only two helpings of strawberry shortcake. Like I said, those healthy eating choices are so very important.
I realize that my vacation is not a trip to the French Riviera, but the mental rest provided by generally doing nothing is worth its weight in gold. And it is so good to see the relatives that are separated by half the state of Texas. Just a little while ago I was able to reconnect with one of my cousins I have not seen in probably two decades or more. We will be meeting for dinner on Wednesday, and I am eagerly awaiting the date. Unfortunately for my wallet, there is a nice outdoor mall close to the appointed meeting place, and my lovely bride is very familiar with it. Goodbye $$$$$$$$$.
Tomorrow, a trip to the beach again, this time to let the little grandnephewson frolic in the surf. And visits with more relatives. While vacationing is a time for fun and friends, we are all still in remembrance of our neighbors in Boston, Mass., and in West, TX. May God continue to help and comfort those in need, those hurting, and those who are missing their loved ones tonight.
Metal detecting on the beach can be tricky because the salty sand can confuse some metal detectors, and some metal detectorists as well. Soon I was hitting targets all over the place. Within ten minutes I had found over one hundred Dos Equis and Natural Light bottle caps and pull tabs. Oh yeah, and twenty seven cents. Nearly two hours later I had increased my collection of bottle caps by a couple of pounds, and my cash haul by...umm...two cents. I came to the conclusion that the salt may have confused the metal detector, or the sun may have confused the metal detectorists. By the time I had spent five minutes trying to locate the last penny of my treasure trove, I was pretty sure it was time to put away the detector. It was so disappointing not to find Lafitte's treasure. So much so that I spent the next hour talking to a couple friendly seagulls about my metal detecting techniques. Finding that the gulls could offer no constructive tips, I left the beach to its inhabitants and returned to Angleton.
Next stop, a quick visit to some other relatives in Angleton, then lunch at Fillips in the metropolis of Danbury (again, a GPS locate challenge!). I decided to eat healthy today, so instead of ordering the chicken fried steak "dinner," I ordered a chicken fried steak "sandwich." I believe I saved well over 20 calories by this change in my eating habit, and probably curved a lot of cholesterol consumption as well. I hope my nurse practitioner back in Midland is very encouraged with my healthy dietary decisions. I think one should make mature, healthy decisions with his diet even when he is on vacation.
After lunch, we made a trip to Froberg's Farm in Alvin. This is a large strawberry and other stuff farm wherein persons are allowed to pick strawberries and, the owners hope, to buy other offerings in the fresh veggie store. I always enjoy the picking because the entire field smells like a giant strawberry sundae. I love to pick a strawberry here and there and place it directly from the plant to my mouth. While, for sanitary reasons, I cannot recommend this practice, I have to say that eating a fresh strawberry that has been heated to a temperature of 75 degrees by the sun is one of those rare pleasures. Also, it is not really ethical to eat very many strawberries since Froberg's sells them by weight. But just one, so tasty I could not resist.
By the time I had picked a couple of pounds of strawberries, it was (fortunately for my back) time to leave for another errand. An hour later we arrived to my brother-in-law's residence and began the process of watching while my lovely bride began the process of MAKING the strawberry jam and also preparing fresh strawberries for use as a prime ingredient for strawberry shortcake. Again, my health provider will appreciate the fact that I stopped at only two helpings of strawberry shortcake. Like I said, those healthy eating choices are so very important.
I realize that my vacation is not a trip to the French Riviera, but the mental rest provided by generally doing nothing is worth its weight in gold. And it is so good to see the relatives that are separated by half the state of Texas. Just a little while ago I was able to reconnect with one of my cousins I have not seen in probably two decades or more. We will be meeting for dinner on Wednesday, and I am eagerly awaiting the date. Unfortunately for my wallet, there is a nice outdoor mall close to the appointed meeting place, and my lovely bride is very familiar with it. Goodbye $$$$$$$$$.
Tomorrow, a trip to the beach again, this time to let the little grandnephewson frolic in the surf. And visits with more relatives. While vacationing is a time for fun and friends, we are all still in remembrance of our neighbors in Boston, Mass., and in West, TX. May God continue to help and comfort those in need, those hurting, and those who are missing their loved ones tonight.
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