Friday, August 17, 2007

Our Beach Vacation

You may remember a few weeks ago we took our first vacation in several years. We arrived in Galveston late on a Sunday afternoon. We went to the beach as fast as we could. We were pleased to see a clean beach with few people.



We spent all the next day at the beach. I can’t tell you how great it was to be out of the rain we had been dealing with at home. Here, no clouds, nothing but sunshine.



As we are not ones to just sit on a beach towel all day, Chase and I spent all our time riding the waves on boogie boards. We must have ridden in a hundred times, and each ride was a thrill. We waded out…


…. waited for a good wave….


….then rode it in….


… and waited to do it all over again. I am always happy at the beach. I’m sure my face never looks like this in my office.



Taking a break.



The seawall.


We went downtown each night for dinner and strolling, sightseeing, and shopping. Sunday night in Galveston is not the same as it is in Austin. Most places were closed and we only managed salads and so-so veggie burgers for dinner. We noticed a Mediterranean restaurant and checked it out for the next night. It turned out to be great. I wish this picture had turned out better, because Chase’s Falafel Salad was excellent. It was a nice tossed salad with halved falafel patties drizzled with hummus surrounding it, and spicy salsa mounded in the middle. I gotta make my own version of this.



I was having serious broccoli cravings, but made do with this yummy fried cauliflower and tahini sauce.


We also got a veggie kabob platter.




The next night we scored at a Chinese buffet – plenty of steamed broccoli and other veggies, steamed rice, salads, fruits, and even veggie sushi.

One evening downtown we happened upon this giant chess match.



We spent one afternoon at Moody Gardens in the Tropical Rain Forest Pyramid. The grounds are beautiful. Here we are at the entrance.




Here’s Liz looking lovely in a tropical setting.



Many of the birds and small animals are free roaming inside the pyramid. Crystal, I waited and waited for two sloths to come down from the tree tops so I could a get a picture for you, but you know how slow they are! I did get a shot of a shy lemur. I love his big round eyes on his little round head.



Two turtles on a log.


A pair of parrots, one waving to Chase!



We were fortunate to enjoy a full moon while in Galveston, so walks on the beach at night were amazing – a time of reflection, meditation, soothing, and appreciation.







16 comments:

Anonymous said...

oh you are making me crave a vacation in the sun, big time!
I love these pics. :D

Amey said...

Oh, what a lovely post... I love all your pictures. Hoorah for your wonderful vacation - thanks for sharing it with us!

Anonymous said...

Your vacation sounds like it was just what you needed. I love the photos of you in the waves. I hope your memories stay with you and you are able to call upon them for strength when you're feeling down in the workplace.

Moody Gardens looks like a lovely place to spend the afternoon. Teehee! I couldn't help but laugh when I read about the sloths. I can't believe you remembered that.

Rose said...

How fun! I've never been to Galveston before so thanks for including pictures

bazu said...

That sounds super fun! I'm glad you guys had a good time, good food, and time for relaxation/recharging. I especially loved the boogie boarding shots- cool!

Anonymous said...

looks like a great vacations, great photos!

Carrie™ said...

Sounds like you had a much needed vacation. Looks like you had lots of fun! What a beautiful place. I work with a guy from Galveston. He moved to Canada years ago (to marry his wife) but he takes trips back to visit family and have some R&R. He's been back to Texas twice this year. After seeing your pics, I don't blame him!

LizNoVeggieGirl said...

wow, the beach is so picturesque; and those blue parrots are absolutely stunning! looks like your much-needed vacation was a success - it's nice to take trips reserved for relaxation and fun. I hope you get the chance to do it again soon :0)

MeloMeals said...

Wow! that last pic is amazing... looks and sounds like a wonderful time.

I'm like you. I have to be playing in the water when I goto the beach... I feel very blessed to live 5 miles from the coast... of course, the water here is cold, and I mean COLD most of the time, but I still go in...

Judy said...

Wow, sounds like you had a fantastic vacation. What a great beach.

Vegan_Noodle said...

Looks like yall had a great time in Galveston, glad the weather was nice! I love that chess set on the strand. And your pic with the moon was gorgeous!! Do you remember the name of the mediterranean restaurant? I always have a hard time down there trying to find food, it's definitely no Austin (or even houston for that matter) when it comes to vegan cuisine...

Jacqueline Meldrum said...

Sounds like you had a great time and that last shoot is so evocative!

urban vegan said...

Thanks for taking us along. It sure looks like you enjoy your life. My favorite is the shot of you on the boogie board--you look so happy and healthy.

aTxVegn said...

Thanks, everyone, it was a fun getaway.

Noodle, the restaurant was The Meditteranean Chef. Mod Cafe is no longer vegetarian and we couldn't find anything to eat there.

Eduardo Waghorn said...

Thank you for sharing your life with us...
Looking some pics I felt hungry just now:)
Warm greetings from Chile.
Keep blogging!!!

vko said...

What a lovely vacation! You guys all look so relaxed- what fun!