Time in Texas with the Scots

My sister in law, Gillian called to say that she had a bit of time in which to bring her son Laurie from Edinburgh to the US for a little visit. They were planning a trip to Disney World and would we like to join them? Would we? Oh YES! A vacation sounded perfect and believe it or not, I have not made the requisite pilgrimage to see the Mouse with the kids yet.

I'm sure you can see where this is going. We were not able to see the Mouse. The school schedules in the UK are very different from those in the US. Then there is the problem of the ever ongoing work that the boat needs in order for us to leave this year. If we went now, Kitty would be too young to get any enjoyment out of it and I don't plan on seeing the Mouse more than once. Etc, etc for very many good reasons we decided to wait for the Mouse but Gillian and Laurie would join us in Texas after a week in Florida. Even without the Magic of Disney, we had a great time.

We had almost a week together. Gillian and I took the kids to Galveston while Mark slaved away on the chainplates and portlights. Sadly, the Elissa was in dry dock having some electrolysis issues resolved but we did see a presentation on the Great Storm. We had lunch at Gaido's, a restaurant which has been in operation for 99 years. I think that the first customer is probably tucked back somewhere still waiting for his entree. It was completely underwhelming but Gillian did try fried oysters for the first time. Next time I'll take her to Joe Lee's instead. It was too windy and cold for the beach so we happily spent the rest of the afternoon on the Strand. Maura and I took the Scots to the best place in all of Galveston- La King's Confectionary. La King's is an old fashioned sweet shop complete with a real, honest to goodness soda fountain. I was able to introduce Laurie to the wonder that is a Dr. Pepper float and the kids were gobsmacked by the selection of sweets on display.

The next day was a day for sailing. We all went out for a sail on Galveston Bay. Laurie had never been sailing before and as we were coming in just ahead of the fog, he commented that one day he wanted to have his own boat. Another converted! We had a nice, easy sail under jib alone and the big kids were able to daydream while lying under the boom.

All this staycationing was lovely, but the next day was a work day. We all really gave Ceol Mor a solid scrubbing. The new marina is closer to the bay which is good. It is also closer to the heavily traveled Kemah bridge which is not so good for keeping a tidy hull. The kids worked hard to get the boat shining once again. Laurie commented that he still wanted a boat, but he'd also like a big family with lots of kids to wash his boat. The boy is a quick study. The kids were rewarded for their efforts by an evening of fun on the Boardwalk riding every ride they could. The adults were rewarded by happy hour at the Aquarium.

The next few days were a blur of boat projects, a trip to Nasa, more boat work and then a day of utter rest. Our farewell dinner was of course held at a Tex Mex restaurant where I challenged Laurie to a jalapeno eating competition. I won, but he did manage to eat one and act cool by not immediately reaching for water.

 We were sad to say farewell to Gillian and Laurie, but we look forward to seeing them again next year, with Gillian's husband Robert  for some more sailing this time in the Bahamas.