South Padre Trip

In the middle of Dad being in the hospital, we went to the beach. It wasn't an all of the sudden pick up and go thing-- we had planned this little vaycay for at least a month. Arthur is a beach person and has to go during the summer. So we went with our friends Justin and Michele and met up with Dorothy and Aaron and their friends Dave and Carlo-- who graciously hosted us.

And you know what? It was the perfect thing. There was nothing I could do for my dad or my family because we were 8 hours away at the beach. It made me realize that there is so much out of my control and that I need to chill. And take time for me.




Michele being a goof on the ride down.

We stayed at Carlo's house. Now, when friends invite you to a beach house, in my mind, a sandy shack appears, and I expect to rough it for the weekend. Not this time. I was floored by the beauty and decor of Carlo's beach house-- which has now set the standard for all beach houses in my mind. A few of my favorites:




Really cool mirror in the master bath.




Kitchen that I would take in any house.




Great mix of traditional, modern and beachy things-- it felt like we were staying in a great house that happened to be at the beach.










It was SO relaxing. I only really hit the beach for one day and even though I shade bathed (there is such a thing, and yes there is photographic evidence) for a good chunk of that time, I still got burned. So I also did a lot of reading, sleeping and general vegetation...



The burnt and fried crowd takes refuge.






We had a great time out at dinner one night...















And goofing around on the pier afterwards. The second night we cooked in, after a trip to walmart. And hey:



Wal-mart does get trashier when it's pink.

Overall it was a great trip and a great way to finish out the summer. Thanks Dorothy, Aaron and Carlo!