Our Mini Texas Coast Trip Invaded By Forum Members

[SunKneeMarie]

We decided to take a mini trip to Port Aransas again this year, down on the Texas coast. We’ve gone most years for the last 12 years, missing here and there if we had too much going on in any particular summer. I posted about our trip last year, as it was the first time Riley G had ever seen a beach.

This year my sister and her husband came, along with her daughter and a friend. Then at the last minute, we decided we had room for my brother’s two kids, even though he and his wife couldn’t go. So lots o’ cousins on this trip. Ryan packed up his Nintendo, knowing that after all the swimming the younger cousins would join him in our room to veg out on the floor with the video games. He was right.

What I realized as we set out on this trip is how much the forum members actually play into my “real” life…even though I have met very few forum folk. Oh sure, you might think, “Well, she’s traveling in Texas, of course she’ll see things related to the gazillion Texas forum members.”

Well not as much as I had thought.

For example, 45 minutes into our trip, we passed the place on I-30 where those gas cylinders had exploded, burning down the building and halting traffic in that area last week. Who on the forum posted about this? Andiline from Germany. So there I am, looking at the charred remains of this particular property, and thinking of Andiline from Germany.

And when my son asked why Aunt Julie was catching up to us so quickly I said it was because she was in Ft Worth so she didn’t have as far south to go as we did, I thought “Oh yeah, Attaboy is from Ft Worth and he’ll be in Playa next week, too.”

And of course driving through all of the wildflowers, I thought of Ms Rubio and Banzoomba and their recent Texas trip report. The sign for Luling made me think of Sctx and the BBQ that he picks up from there and mentions often on the forum. Passing through that same area I thought that Tommygurl should have already relocated somewhere around here for the summer, but it hadn’t worked out. Then there was this really pretty rock formation between San Antonio and Corpus Christi and I thought Ginger would probably have taken a really cool picture of it somehow. And when the radio program mentioned James Marshall Hendrix and his guitar on the radio, I thought of Ryberg’s thread about guitar solos. Even though I don’t know nuttin’ about guitar solos. Then of course as we passed through Corpus Christi and saw the McKinzie Rd exit, I naturally thought of… Loree. No, not really, I thought of McKinzie and wondered what the heck he had been up to as he hasn’t posted on the forum in dogs’ years.

So you see, I am truly spending far too much time on the forum. You guys totally invaded my family vacation. And it kept happening throughout the trip.

But for now I’ll post some beach pictures.

The four cousins dig their annual hole to China:


Riley G and cousin Jason:


Snack break:


Swarmed by the seagulls taking food to the trashcan:




View from our room:


The next day we souvenir shopped and more forum members invaded my vacation brain.....

[monte]

I love it Char, so true about the inavasion of the FORUM PEEPS This is great, you are one of the most creative people I know.btw I love the pics............daddy and his kids playing in the sand

[cuffedlinks]

Cool.
Think most of us have been there too...

Great idea for a TR theme, Char.

[monte]

have you been sipping on a refreshing adult beverage??????its not too often that I see you make a typing error

Originally Posted by cuffedlinks

Cool.
Think most oif us have been there too...

Great idea for a TR theme, Char.

[roni]

Originally Posted by monte

have you been sipping on a refreshing adult beverage??????its not too often that I see you make a typing error

Mebbe Ruth was distracting him......

[SunKneeMarie]

First thing the second day we went down to the beach. As we walked across the resort, I saw the big grills and thought of Roni and his meat... grilling, that is. We got to the beach and set up the shade thingie... but Miss G was having NONE of that beach. Whereas the night before she was running around and laughing at the waves and poking at seaweed and splashing like a porpoise, this day she kept bee-lining for the stairs back to the boardwalk. I'd chase her, bring her back to the water and she would scream like I was dipping her feet in acid. Kinda embarrassing there on the beach with the crowds staring. That made me think of the thread about kids on flights and I knew if Electra was there, he'd be happy if we'd gotten thrown off the beach.

Mike finally let her walk the length of the boardwalk and it turned out she remembered that that's where the giant swimming pool was. We'd gone in the pool for about 30 minutes the night before, after the beach, and she wanted to go back in there. Forget that stinkin' ocean.

So we gave up on the beach for then and went back in for lunch. Here are Mike and Riley in the pool. I shot this pic with my zoom from the 3rd floor about 5 rooms away:




After that, two of the kids napped, so Mike watched the kids while they napped and I went to join everyone else at the pool. One of my BIL's friends was there and his wife was talking about Xel-Ha as they'd gone to Cozumel the previous week.

That night we went to Snoopys and Scoopys for dinner and dessert. Scoopys is an ice cream place. And I can't see anyone eat an ice cream cone without thinking of Traci and the webcam that Mikey set up one time in Playa.

Although my sister and bil do lend a new twist to ice cream romance:


We stopped to do souvenir shopping on the way home and a big display of Mardi Gras beads made me think of Tappy and JoanieBlon. And a big display of Kitty Kat t-shirts brought Nerak to mind. Kitty shirts for the ocean? I thought cats hated the water; what's that all about?

We posed for pics outside by this very cool sculpture/display.

Here are some visitors who apparently can't read the signs: edit: just realized it's blurry--the one sign says "read sign" and the other sign says "Please do NOT GO behind ropes"


And here are a couple shots of my sister, my two nieces and me:





That night as Ryan was brushing his teeth, he remarked that the water tasted weird. I agreed... and wondered if it was Hard or Soft water. I thought about running the boiling water test that BonnyW has suggested.....

[monte]

this is cracking me up I love it. Riley is looking like a little girl, growing up

[monte]

hhhmm well, why didn't I think about that??? of course, she was

Originally Posted by roni

Mebbe Ruth was distracting him......

[Andiline]

Char, I am still sad that we didn't meet when I was in Dallas... Thanks for thinking of me. You are not the only one though whose life is invaded by peeps. When we were in Vienna last saturday there were lots of shotglasses at a souvenir shop and my friend Kerstin (who is not even a member of this board) said to me 'Didn't you have that friend who collects shotglasses? You need to buy one?' and she was referring to Nerak.... Kerstin's husband has shopped for Bumper twice so far... so peeps are invading the lifes of persons who are not even members of the board as well...

And thanks for the pics. I always enjoy trip reports! And Miss Riley G. is still such a cutie....

[redhairgirl1]

Love it!! You are soo funny!!

[MWC]

Great trip report!
We keep wanting to explore that area -- perhaps as a propsective retirement area -- but Florida is so much closer for us.
Thanks for giving us food for thought!

[sctx]

Originally Posted by SunKneeMarie

The sign for Luling made me think of Sctx and the BBQ that he picks up from there and mentions often on the forum. .

and if you woulda taken the next exit, Cheatham Street, you woulda been right there at the infamous Herbert's Taco Hut, recently given a rave review by banzoomba

[SunKneeMarie]

Originally Posted by sctx

and if you woulda taken the next exit, Cheatham Street, you woulda been right there at the infamous Herbert's Taco Hut, recently given a rave review by banzoomba

great.... more to think about next time i'm down that way...

[jamesblonde]

You are too funny! What a great report.

[TAPPY]

I like that Mardi Gras beads make you think of me !!

Great report Char- such cute family pic's !!!