Little pre-weekend getaway to the beach

Oh, how I have needed a weekend getaway. Even when I'm not working weekends, I'm not relaxing. It's hard for me to relax at home. There is always something I haven't done that needs to be done. Even if I'm not doing it, I'm thinking about doing something. My job had a 4 day weekend for Independence Day and instead of doing Friday-Monday, we were given Thursday-Sunday. It worked out pretty great so we could go for the weekdays and avoid the holiday crowds. Two days is about all I can handle without wigging out about all I should be doing. So, Thursday morning, we packed up the girls for a road trip. They like riding in the car as long as it isn't to the vet or the groomer. Good little passengers on their fluffy fleecy bed in the back.

We arrived and checked into La Quinta in Corpus Christi. La Quinta is pretty nice as they are dog friendly. The hotel was clean and we quickly settled in and changed and hopped back into the car for a trip to Mustang Island State Beach. It was pretty nice to just drive up and park and settle in for the afternoon. We had snacks for us and the girls and plenty of water. The girls took a little time figuring things out. It's been a long time since they've been to the beach and last time we were at the ocean, Bunny could see. The girls got their feet wet and eventually stopped freaking out whenever the waves approached them. After a few hours basking, the sun started to drift down and we headed back to town.

Alley says "Thanks for bringing me to the beach"

Alley enjoyed watching the birds and really wanted to chase them.

I just like standing and staring into the great nothingness of the ocean.

Now ... the Gulf Coast isn't the most vegan-friendly place, but we used our Happy Cow app and found a Thai restaurant near the hotel that makes everything to order and the curry is made with vegetable base and can be done without fish sauce. And, don't be fooled by the hole in the wall. It was amazing. The inside wasn't any more impressive than the outside, but the food was amazing. But, be careful, "mild" was hot hot hot for my taste buds. Tons of flavor, but ooohhh, I drank a looooottttt of water. It's also really hard to find Tom Yum that is made with vegetable broth instead of chicken broth. I was soooooo happy.

Next morning, we slept late. Woke up when we woke up. No alarm. No schedule. Breakfast at the hotel was great. They had the usual hot fare with waffles and eggs and sausage or something like that. I stuck with my usual ... and favorite ... hot, lumpy oatmeal with brown sugar and raisins and maple syrup. We loaded up again and headed to the National Seashore. Yes, a nice military perk is free entry into national parks.

Ready to go on another adventure

Once again, we were able to park at the beach and set up "camp" right next to the car. No lugging a bunch of stuff. We spent hours in the hot hot sun. I love baking, but don't like frying, so sunscreen was generous. I wore an INKnBURN top and just chilled. We walked up and down the beach and then sat and relaxed and walked some more and relaxed some more. Bunny remembered how much she loved the ocean and she really tried to bite the waves as they came in. But, no matter how many times she attacked, they kept coming back. Eventually, she said "uncle" and was ready to rest. Alley regained her courage and tried to swim out jumping over the waves. She was really swimming for awhile without feet on solid ground. But, then a big wave came and tumbled her a bit and she said "enough" and headed back.  As the sun moved across the sky, we kept moving to make sure we were in the shade.

At one point, the Musician pointed out this guy on the beach. Beautiful, huh? And, I felt bad for him (it?). He was moving, but couldn't go anywhere. So, I tried to get him back in the water before he dried out. I found some flotsam and tried to scoop him up and out to the water. Those tentacles are super duper long and the waves kept bringing him back to shore. I was a little scared to go too deep because I wanted to avoid those long tentacles. The Musician saved the day and took him out deeper water and we watched him ride some waves. I had a few tingly spots on a foot and hand and think maybe I was whipped by one of those tentacles. Just a little. Sadly, as we left late in the day, I encountered him again on the sand. Most of his color was gone and he was dry and not moving. I said a little funeral prayer for him. 

As I was saving Man O'War, Bunny decided she no longer wanted to sunbathe in the sand and she stole my chair. She is such a little princess!! So, what do I do? I let her keep her perch, of course. She didn't leave it for the rest of the afternoon. I was in the sand with Alley. Yeah, who's spoiled? 

Eventually, the day had to come to an end. We went hunting for snow cones and then back to the hotel for a quick shower. Then back to Bangkok Star for some carry-out...a little milder this time. It really was good enough to eat several days in a row if we stayed longer. Exhaustion set in and then sleep. Once again, we woke up when we woke up. Breakfast made me sad because no oatmeal. If I were a carnivore, I would have enjoyed the biscuits and gravy ... my favorite breakfast meal of the past. We were moving slow and I found a few spots that got missed when I put on repeat layers of sunscreen. Other areas, I decided not to show in pictures. 

We moved slowly and leisurely and slowly checked out. The girls sacked out in the car on the way home and so did I. Then a quiet night at home as everyone else enjoyed the fireworks.

So, how did I feel about a lazy weekend? I totally needed it. I need to learn how to relax again.

Beaches? Both were great. Neither were crowded on a weekday and they were clean

La Quinta? Friendly. Clean. Good breakfast. I would go back

Bangkok Star? Awesome flavor. Vegan friendly. Definitely go back.