Wheeee! We just got back tonight at 7:45 pm. It was truly a five hour drive there and the same back but we were making some really good time as i think it's supposed to take about an hour or so longer. Grampa Marty says he's made it in three hours once but he never dipped below 90mph or so to do it.
It was a lovely trip, really. We got up early and took Roni to school on Thursday and then left immediately after. We got all the way to Racetrack, the gas station, before the pre-trip arguing began. i felt that we should pick one small bag of hard candy and one small bag of salty crunchies and get drinks there, at the gas station where you can get PLASTIC cups, control your ice input, have more variety, and pay LESS, and he thought he'd get a drink from Jack-n-the-B-Jeezus-Fish. As we were having this heated discussion, he waved his hand and knocked the drink he'd just fixed himself off the counter, making a mess. i only giggled a little. Really. Just a snicker, really, behind my hand even. i was proud.
We left there with a full tank and ran through Jack's getting anything BUT breakfast food and got underway. The first half of the trip was made with Chris Rock cracking us crackers up, i read a good deal of the second half. When we got to our first stop, the cemetery where Angel's Gramma was buried, we drove on in and stomped about in the area he thought she was in without much luck in finding her, but with amazing success in getting wet and squishy sandals and Mud-of-the-Dead all over our feet and legs. We drove to the office and asked directions to the final resting place of Gramma Lupe. Some big, soft, 'Southern Lawyer' looking guy came out complete with a handkerchief to wipe is forehead with even though it was very cool out with a strong wind. He led us out to the exact spot and i stood there for a minute with Angel and then found a seat on the wall for a few more. We left after 10 minutes and then rolled on down to Texas City and straight to Grampa Marty's.
We pulled all out stuff out of the car and settled into the room, watched TV with him for a little bit. The two of us left to go out for dinner to this little Mexican place Grampa Marty told us about but i had to buy shoes first as mine were still squishy and cold with the Mud-of-the-Dead all over them. i got two as there was a sale! After dinner, we picked up some candy for him to give out. After we dropped that off, we went down to the dike, stopped at the beachy area about halfway down to walk hand-in-hand on the beach at dusk and then drove to the end of it. We stood there, looking off the pier, watching the wave crash. It was really quite beautiful. Then, we went back and curled up to watch Survivor with Grampa and then off to bed for us.
The next morning, we got up, showered, dressed, and asked Grampa to drive us to the best place for breakfast. This turned out to be Kelley's Country Cooking. Angel ordered the country fried steak and i figured, what the hell, so will i. Ok, this thing comes out and looks like a JOKE! Imagine a turkey platter at Thanksgiving. The platter the steak alone was on was about one inch smaller! then there was a plat only one inch smaller that THAT with the eggs and hash browns, and yet another plate the size of a sandwich plate with a biscuit the size of a small CHILD on it! i LOOKED at it and was FULL! i managed to eat half the steak, all the eggs and a little of the hash browns before admitting defeat. i still have the biscuit and i was thinking of just setting it by my computer to stare in amazement at it upon occasion. Maybe i'll have it tomorrow.
After breakfast we went back to the house and packed up our stuff. Then, we drove over to Galveston Island to see the OTHER grandfather Angel never met. Apparently, he died when the parental generation was all still kids. After finding his grave (much easier and not as squishy) and paying respects, we drove along the retaining wall to watch the ocean waves crash on the beach. It was really cool but then i spotted a pier shop that had touristy crap and promptly demanded we pull over immediately so i could shop. i picked out some nice stuff and we drove on. Angel found a nice beach to run barefoot on and i did. i splashed in the waves, picked some shells out of the surf and ran barefoot in and out of the water giggling like a little girl. It was so very awesome to be there. The water wasn't cold, it was perfect, and the sand was cool; the wind was strong and kept blowing the light and dry powdery stuff across the beach like a creeping mist but it was really lovely to look at.
When Angel called me back from my playing, we went back to the house to change and eat the rest of breakfast for lunch, said out goodbyes, and hit the road. It was an uneventful drive back, but sweet anyways. i trimmed my fingernails in the car promting some discussion on acceptable treatment of HIS vehicle to which i responded that if he could smear Mud-of-the-Dead all over the back seat, we might as well add some nail parings for some real VooDoo Soup makings. Goes well with the swamp gas his seat was emitting . . .
i love my Angel . . . speaking of Angel, he's curled up in bed right now waiting for me to come warm him.
Night, sweetie!
confessed on Friday, Nov. 01, 2002