Celebrating Mother's Day ... Without Mom

We've celebrated a lot of Mother's Days at the beach, so it seemed appropriate to gather in Galveston on this Mother's Day weekend - our first without Mom. We played on the beach, ate pulled pork sandwiches and enjoyed the weather - which improved dramatically by mid-morning after the severe storms that rocked us through the night.

Martha, Hope and Mary enjoying the shade of their big "pop-up" tent.



Ray and Memphis walking the beach



Ed waiting and waiting on a "ride-able wave"



Toni & Mary getting some sun



Daniel on the boogie board



He's getting the hang of it, but he wasn't quite "hanging ten"!



Memphis gets his first surfing lesson from Uncle Ed, with help from Daniel & Toni



After learning to jump the waves, Memphis decided to jump Daniel



Hope, napping between whacks from flying volleyballs from the game next to us



Beach umbrellas and football ... a good time was had by all!



As I post these photos, I can't help but think about Mom and how she would have enjoyed receiving the post email with these photos. As we cleaned out her things there were YEARS of emailed photos in her little file box and on the foot stool by her chair. Happy Mother's Day, Mom ... we miss you!

Things That Make You Go ... Hmmm?

Did you all know that Mercedes is now making an electric car?



Look closely at this photo.

As I was walking into the gym, I passed this car in the garage and had to stop and take a photo! Not sure what the cord was to, but with all the focus on electric cars it was a pretty funny sight.

He's Got Game!

You all know how I love iProducts ... same goes for my Elvis. Here's a funny shot of him "gaming" on my iPad!

Longhorns in the City?

On Jerry's birthday, he wanted to go to the driving range at Wildcat Golf Club, so as we're heading around the corner to the course, we see THIS ...



These super cute baby longhorns were brand new!



Hook 'em Horns!



This happy cow was munching and swinging that tail



Not entirely sure how he carries around those horns - they must weigh a TON!



Several beautiful horses were sharing the pasture



... wish I could have ridden them



And, for protection, the herd had these two friendly donkeys



Just look at that cute face!

Howling at the SuperMoon

Q: Does a "super moon" cause people to act crazy?
A: Apparently, because this one had me hanging out a second story window - in PJs - at 10:30pm.

Almost lost Denny out the open window, but caught him with an elbow as his paws slid over the window sill. Captured a beautiful shot of the moon - maxing out the capabilities of my little camera!



There were a number of clouds moving in front of the moon, but it made a pretty image.



Ike wasn't impressed with the "super moon" - he was racking it on the foot of the bed!



A boy needs his rest ...

Our Ike

Our little Ikey has had many ups and downs and lately he's been having a rough time. With his compromised immune system, anything could push him over the edge and we've been fighting a persistent upper respiratory infection for several weeks - an antibiotic shot, followed two weeks later by a Z-pack seems to have knocked it out, but the boy is slowing down.

The decision to stay or go is his - and the Good Lord's - but we are preparing for the worse, while hoping for the best. He has surprised us before and overcome insurmountable odds and his blood work isn't as bad as it's been at times in the past. That said, his appetite is diminished after this last round of bug killing drugs and that's never a good sign.

Here are a few good photos from recent Galveston trips ...



Racking it out



Sunny ears!



Jammin' to some tunes



Sleeping on the balcony love seat



Tired, old cat paws



If this photo of our toothless wonder doesn't make you smile, nothing will.

The Waterman - Another Step in Post-Storm Recovery

Many of you have heard us complain over the last 3.5 years about the condition of the former Waterman Restaurant. No power, sunken boat in the marina, missing dock, rusted out fuel tanks ... I could go on and on. Like Hurricane Ike, that's now a thing of the past.

In early April, we noticed a flurry of activity at the restaurant and workers have been hard at it 7 days a week to repair, replace and renew what was once a favorite dining spot for us. The Waterman opened last night for the first time since September of 2008, when the evacuation order was called.

Unfortunately, we weren't able to go - but we'll be a customer next weekend for sure! These photos were taken during the re-construction phase. Cleaning up the front area ...



All new decking!



We're not sure what their plans are for the "Sandbar" - we've had situations in years past where "over-served" patrons became unwelcome guests in our neighborhood, but we are hoping for the best.



Entrance and side deck under construction



Wider view of the side deck-to-be



If you loved The Waterman and want to keep up with them, like their page on FaceBook - search for The Waterman Restaurant. Jonathan, the returning manager, has been keeping everyone updated on their progress.

It's good to see Galveston take another step forward ... shrimp kisses, here we come!

Doves-to-Be

The first week of May, I noticed my dove back on her nest inside the 2nd floor downspout. when I tried to snap her photo, she flew off and this is what I saw ...



Two days later, as the boys were on "squirrel watch" from the bedroom balcony, I saw this ...



Since then, she's been sitting on these eggs - rain or shine. I'm anxiously awaiting the new dove babies and will share photos if she leaves them long enough for me to get a photo.