Galveston, Part 2

By Saturday, only day two of our long-awaited trip, weather reports suggested that Gustav was aiming straight at Galveston. The local stations warned that we should be prepared and that Galveston Island would be first to evacuate. It was guessed that mandatory evacuations would begin Monday morning. We had no desire to sit in bumper-to-bumper traffic so we met with the resort managers. I asked if I could be moved to another condo somewhere else, and finish out my trip. They graciously complied. I was told I could leave Sunday morning and stay at Canyon Lake outside of New Braunfuls. That was a relief, but I hated cutting an extra day off my trip with Donna and Shelley who couldn't stay the whole week with Patty and me.

We had to spend part of Saturday night loading the cars. Oh, but we managed a lot of girl time! How fun to share a condo with such marvelous women. The only bad part of the trip - besides the threat of Gustav - was the swarms of mosquitoes that tried to attach themselves to every bare inch of skin. Such are the joys of being at the beach.

Finally, jammies and relaxation. Patty and Shelley settled in for the night.
My beautiful sister, Donna, with her winning smile. Her and Shelley's bedroom had a small kitchen in it. Two coffee pots are a bonus!
It didn't take me long to slip into pajamas and join the fun. Allison, Cheryl, and Deborah, you missed one great weekend!
Shelley in a second pair of PJs by Donna, the practical, girl weekend kind.
Everyone says Donna and Shelley favor. I think so, too, and it's a big compliment for both of them. Both are beautiful ladies, inside and out.

Alas, morning arrived early, 5:00 AM and I am not a morning person. But we were up for good reason. Traffic was predicted to get bad with evacuees from Louisiana so we wanted to get on the road. Gustav had turned and the threat wasn't as great, but our plans had been made and we knew a storm could turn again and head for the Galveston shores. We followed each other off the island and met in Houston for breakfast. Then it was time to say good-bye to two people who had made the weekend so much fun.

Thank you, Donna and Shelley, for sharing this time with us. We have got to do this again soon! You two are a blast and I love you both!

Now, a confession: Galveston and I don't mix. We were there in September, 2001, in another condo with Robin's sister and her husband. We were there when we got the news of the terrorist attacks on 9/11. A couple of years later, Cheryl and I got a condo there in February. The shuttle blew up as it entered our atmosphere and we saw a school yard cordoned off with wreckage of the shuttle as we traveled to Galveston.

Robin and I were just outside of Galveston almost two years ago when I was rushed to a hospital for emergency surgery. And on this trip, Gustav almost made an appearance and my ulcer did a number on me and I threw up in Donna and Shelley's bathroom since we were all on their bed talking. The pain stayed with me for three days, off and on, until we arrived in Canyon Lake and I ate a piece of bread to soak up the acid. So, maybe my days in Galveston should be history. Nothing good comes from it.

Oh, I forgot to mention that Robin and my first date was also in Galveston, on a Labor Day weekend like the one past, just 13 years ago. Yep, Galveston and I don't mix. (Just kidding, Baby, not that you read my blog unless the subject matter is sleeping nekked.)