Last weekend Byron and I were able to get away to Port Aransas, TX. I must say...my expectations for the Texas beaches were limited at best...since I"ve heard countless stories about how 'unpretty' they are. And with the oil fiasco on top of it all- I wasn't expecting much. I was pleasantly surprised however upon arrival. Granted the sand dunes aren't as large, and the waves weren't as 'crisp'....but overall- it was beautiful! Nothing will ever compare to Topsail... But Port A...you're holding your own!
The McCauley's let us use their beach condo for the weekend so we were right on the beach. We brought two other couples from church with us: Beth and Dustin, and Courtney and Patrick. I drove a sleeping- post call worn out Byron to the beach. He only woke up once to tell me to pay attention to the road. How sweet he is to be so concerned for me (uh hum....dripping with sarcasm:) The rest of the crew arrived later that night after the work day ended.
The next day the boys tried their hand at surfing while us girls just sat in the sun (Or under the umbrella) and soaked it all in. I LOVE the beach. I lOVE waking up there- cooking breakfast- moving at a little slower pace than normal and just soaking up the sun. Yes- it was hot- but there's always a steady breeze at the beach to make it bearable.
We ventured out on the town in search of some fresh seafood for dinner. We decided on Virginia's since we'd received many recommendations for the place. Um....sub par. Seriously. I know I'm a seafood snob (hello...Maryland roots)- but the others agreed with me. It just wasn't worth the $. O well. I mean seriously- who serves steamed shrimp... cold? I sent mine back. And when I asked for warm steamed shrimp... our waitress said "I don't think we can do that." Umm....for the 25$ you're charging me? I don't think so. The chef steamed them once- I think they can do it again. Needless to say- the chef obliged and I didn't need to storm out. I'm not a difficult customer...I promise. I've done my time waitressing to those not so pleasant customers who think they are the ONLY ones on the planet. I try to be understanding when the restaurant is abuzz with action. But for the money we were spending there, and considering it was 5 PM...PRE restaraunt rush hour...- I expect a little bit of service. This lady was just NOT cutting it. They did have good dessert though. Key lime pie. Extra sour. Yum.
We hit the ice cream shop afterwards (what is vacation for after all?!?!? gorging yourself with treats you don't normally allow right?) and then headed home. Beth, Court and I watched Juno while reading cosmo, eating more icecream and cookies while Byron took the boys on a fishing adventure on the jetty. Byron could stay out there all night- but most people (myself included) don't usually last longer than two hours. They caught a few small ones but nothing worth keeping.
Everyone crashed HARD that night. We were all a little crispy (except for Beth who sat in the shade to protect herself all day) despite numerous applications of 30+ sunblock. This is also one of my favorite things about the beach. I love getting some sun- grabbing a fresh shower and then taking a long nap /getting a good night sleep. It just feels great.
Sunday we all woke up around 9 (which is really late for most of us) and set out in search of a breakfast place. The service at the Islander was superb and the bill was much gentler than the night before:) After stuffing ourselves (yet again) we hit the beach for a few more hours before packing up and heading home. Byron was eying all the new fishing spots he wanted to try on our drive home.
We are headed back to Port A for round two next weekend with Johnny and Genevieve Collins. We are really looking forward to it! Two mini vacations in one month...I LOVE neurology. Maybe a career change is in Byron's future?! just kidding. sort of.
