MAGNOLIA BEACH, TEXAS

Left Galveston around 11:00 this morning and arrived at Magnolia Beach around 3:00 this afternoon.  Galveston and the Jamaica Island area have some of the most beautiful houses I've ever seen.  I enjoyed my drive through the area.

Hit some pretty bad weather about 30 miles before reaching my destination.  It was raining so hard I could barely see the lines on the road... I just kept following the vehicle in front of me hoping the rain would ease up. 

Pulling into Magnolia Beach

I thought I might like to park next to one of the shelters but it is too far away from the water for me. 

Not many folks here today.

That's where I parked last year, right next to the pier, when I met Chris. 

This is a good spot.

It rained really hard after I took this shot.

Once settled in at the beach I fixed a sandwich and devoured it I was so hungry.  Then I opened some windows to enjoy the cool breeze.  The rain picked up again and it was so nice and relaxing to hear the drops on the roof and I was so tired that I fell asleep.  Had my head against the open window by the sofa and felt the soft splash of raindrops on my face.  The cats peeked their heads out of the open window, too but didn't like getting wet.  I woke up 2 hours later.

Hoping tomorrow is sunny and cold.  I love the beach when it's cold.

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GALVESTON ISLAND STATE PARK - DAY 2 - CATS IN REBELLION

Last night I got to watch TV for a change.  There were many channels coming in and I didn't even have my antennae up.  Slept great!  Woke up around 8:00 ready to hit the beach after breakfast.

Got up to make coffee and noticed something dark on Xi Shi's side of the sofa.  Well... a little pile of poop was left by someone who is obviously not happy.  Cleaned it up and went to see if the litter box was dirty.  Stood up on the passenger seat to look into the box up on the bunk bed and felt my foot was wet.  Climbed down and noticed that someone had peed on Xi Shi's bed which sits on the passenger seat.  So it would appear that the cats are in rebellion.

I have slip covers on the seats so that helped protect the seat itself but the urine soaked through Xi Shi's bed and the seat cover.  I was furious.

Took the doggie bed and placed it in the sink and tried to soak it in soapy water.  Not easy to do as it soaks up about a gallon of water.  Placed it outside in the sun to dry.  It's now almost 10 hours later and it's still not dry and still has a faint odor.  I'll have to store it in the basement till we get back home.

I placed doggie pads on both seats as well as the sofa just in case the cats tried to do the same thing again.  I am trying to figure out which one did the deed and why.  I can only come up with one answer.  It has never happened before so it must be the new kitten.  Not sure why except jealousy of the dog.  Maybe it's because I close the bedroom door at night... no cats allowed.  But that can't be it because I close my bedroom door at home also and this has never happened.  Tonight I'll leave it open and we'll see.

Xi Shi and I did our usual morning walk on the beach.  I think she's peed on every bush on the beach and has really left her mark. 

On our long walk down the beach, look what we saw.

Let's just say we didn't walk over but ran over the dunes to get back to our camper.

Before leaving the beach, I placed a Peace Rock in one of the biggest bushes on the beach.  We're leaving in the morning. 

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GALVESTON ISLAND STATE PARK

Left Holly Beach this morning around 10:00 and rode around the tiny community to admire the beach houses.  Lots of them look new and some were still being built.  I hear they got lots of damage from Katrina.  I just love the pretty colors they have chosen for their houses.

My favorite is the pink and turquoise.

Yellow, orange, and green... so cute. 

I thought I might stay here a few days but I'd much rather the beach.  This park is right behind where I was staying.

Bucaneer Blvd... love it.

As I rode further up the highway I noticed several more tiny communities with beach access and free camping.  I found a place I might stop when I return home.  It is very close to one of the houses so I would feel a little more comfortable being next to residents.

Driving into Galveston was awesome.  The Gulf comes right up to the highway.  There are many beach access areas and you can pull right up on the shoulder of the highway next to the beach.

The townhouses reminded me of home. 

I especially like the blue one ;-)

So pretty.

We arrived in Galveston around 3:00 and checked in to the State Park.  There is no water view to speak of as there is a levee between the park and the Gulf.  My site is #18 next to the walk-over to the beach.

Poor little Xi Shi Quan.  She tried walking in the grass and couldn't so she just laid herself down and wouldn't come to me when I called.  I checked her paws and sure enough... there were spurs.  Yes... I'm back in Texas.  This happened to her last winter when we were here and I had to put shoes on her feet.

I made sure she walked on the pavement till we got to the beach so she could potty.  I brought her shoes with us but don't think it necessary here at the beach as long as she stays off the grass.

Crossing over to the beach.

The beach is clean.

Someone had a lot of fun building these sand structures.

Going....

Going....

Gone!!

I hated to see her go in because I gave her a bath just a few days ago and she smelled so good.  Now she'll smell like a wet dog cause I'm not bathing her again.  Rinsed her off outside and dried her off with a towel once we were back in the camper.  She's a happy little Shih Tzu and sleeping right beside me on the sofa as I write this.  She wasn't interested in going into the water at Holly Beach.  Maybe because it was colder than it is today.  I walked the beach here without a coat this afternoon.  It was really warm.

It was a long day of driving but without incident.  It took me 5 hours to get to Holly Beach and 5 hours to get to Galveston.  Five hours is really more than I care to do in a day.

I like boondocking, especially on the beach.  However, it's nice to be back on electric and water.  I'll stay here a couple of days before moving on further down the coast.

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Great Button (framed personalised button pictures).

I love to support crafty people especially when it's people I know, so let me introduce my brother in law's brother Michael who runs Great Button; a company who specialise in personalised artwork using vintage and new buttons to create one off masterpieces just for you.

Michael takes commissions and would happily discuss any ideas you had in mind for your picture. He can also use buttons in a specific colour to suit your requirements.

The Great Button Facebook page is a great way to stay up to date on Michael's latest creations and ideas. The most recent photo of the deer head was made for my sister and her husband and has pride of place in their home. I'm ever so slightly jealous of this one!

I'm dying to get my hands on a Great Button picture as one would fit nicely onto our ever-growing picture wall in our study. I think I'd go for the Great Britain or perhaps a "V" and a "J" but then again I like the Queen's head too! Oh but surely a Pug in button form would be adorable! Decisions decisions... :)

P.S. The code Greatbutton10 will give you 10% off on Etsy for a limited time only.

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HOLLY BEACH - DAY 2 - SUNNY AND NICE

Slept well last night with the windows open so I could hear the waves rolling in.  Xi Shi woke me up around 1:00 this morning barking and looking out the back window.  I couldn't see anything and thought it was probably some small animal.

This morning when I stepped outside I noticed animal footprints right under the bedroom window.  Must have been a dog... but a very large dog as the prints were a big as my foot.

It was just beautiful out this morning.  The sky was clear and the air was crisp and we enjoyed our morning walk.

Xi Shi had to stop and smell every pile of seaweed... then she peed on it.

The Gulf was calm today.

I put out a chair so I could get some sun on my awful white legs but look who took my seat.

I had a neighbor to my left all day today.  There were also people fishing to my right.

We walked to the brush and placed a Peace Rock as we are leaving in the morning.

Nice sunset.

It was a very relaxing day.  Did a little reading but the lure of the waves kept me from concentrating so I just gave in and took many long walks.  The sun warmed up the RV so nicely and made me very sleepy so I took a short nap this afternoon.

I'd like to stay longer but I'll stop back by on my way home.

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