Summer and I left Dallas under the cloak of darkness.
I love the way that sentence sounds!
She actually got up at 3:00 and I at 4:00 Friday morning.
By the time we were making our way through downtown Dallas, it was 5:30!
We were laughing and talking and having fun when she confessed she had been worried about staying awake until she remembered who she was traveling with! I felt like I was Diane Keaton in one of her mother/daughter movies as I was fumbling around looking for my nail file and she showed me how to turn on the car's interior light. We entertained each other all the way!
We stopped at Woody's Smokehouse in Centerville for a potty break and they had this vintage GAS sign and a scenic area set up.
This eagle was another beautiful piece they have as a tribute to those who have given their lives in service to our country.
We drove on to Huntsville where we met up with Deanna from Creekside Cottage.
Cafe Texan is one of the best places to have breakfast in Huntsville and that's where we met.
We had the best visit!!
Talk was fast and furious across the table and we laughed so hard I was crying!
We could have stayed for hours and had to make ourselves get up and leave....and when we did the waitresses said they didn't know what all we were laughing about but that it had made them all smile.
Deanna gave me a beautiful knitted cowl and I will be wearing it at my Christmas Tea next week.
From Huntsville, we continued our drive south to The Woodlands.
We came to see our cousin, Shanna.
She had been visiting her sister in Spring for Thanksgiving and had gone for a walk the day before and fell - hard. She was taken by ambulance to the hospital with a broken femur bone.
Summer gives the best hugs in all the world and Shanna got a big one from her and one from me.
Houston traffic is awful and Friday was no exception.
It took awhile but we made it to Galveston!!
We were there to meet up with Jutta - my friend from Finland.
The view from Jutta's balcony.
She was waiting for us with a bottle of sparkling wine.........
and a tray of fresh sushi!
I had never tried sushi before but it was really good!
We visited and snacked and made some loose plans for the evening together.
First stop was Murdochs Shell Shop.
Jutta and I .....she is taller and I am shorter!
My friend is a very private person and does not wish to have her photographs published -
but she gave me permission for this one.....just so you know she is real and not a figment of my imagination.
Galveston is beautiful and you can see the Pleasure Pier lit up in the distance.
We had a good time!
When we left it was dark and you could really see the lights!
This is the second time Jutta and I have met up in Galveston.
The first was back in 2015.
Bennos is our choice for our first meal together.
I always get the shrimp pasta salad and white wine.
This is the only place that serves their wines in beer steins and I love that!
We ordered a new item on the menu - fresh fried Cajun pork skins!
So GOOD!! We couldn't eat them all and they don't keep well but they were delicious!!
We decided to drive around a little bit before going back to Casa del Mar for the night,
Galveston was ablaze with activity and Christmas lights as Dickens on the Strand was just getting underway.
Mansions were all lit up and hosting a Parade of Homes Tour.
We were just driving around and happened to stop right by this mansion where they had entertainment going on in the courtyard,
We had the most comfortable seats right there in the car and a great view from the windows.
The homes were all beautiful!
You can see the people milling around on the home tour. It would have been fun to go inside but it had been a long day and we were tired.
We drove by the Mosquito Cafe on our way back to the hotel and Summer wheeled that car into a parking place so fast! She and I had been here in the spring of 2012 together and had talked about coming back.
Jutta and I got a table while Summer went up and ordered desserts all around and a bottle of wine.
It was the perfect ending to a wonderful day!
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This morning we woke up to clouds and then sun and then clouds again.
The early morning fog had burned off according to Jutta who was the only one up and out early.
She and I had coffee together and then we decided to go for a walk on the beach.
I could spend hours watching the water. Jutta says it's as mesmerizing as the flames in a fireplace.
We walked a long ways and then sat on the stone steps and talked awhile before walking back.
Summer didn't feel well today so she had to stay in and rest.
We needed a few things so I took Jutta to Target!
This was her first time ever to shop there!!
We were footloose and fancy free so we just drove around Galveston a bit before coming back to the hotel.
We happened to spy this cute shop - Tarnished Treasures and decided to stop in.
Turns out they were having an open house with refreshments.
Delicious treats and I found a few 'tarnished treasures.'
The last time Jutta was here we went to Goodwill so that's where we went this afternoon.
Look!
I found a Christmas Tree!
Just what I need. I have a tree in every room - except the sewing room and the gazebo.
Not sure which of those two will get this one!
We spent a couple of hours resting and lounging around the hotel rooms.
Jutta was in her element - reading on the balcony while basking in the warmth of the sun.
It's dark in Finland at this time of the year and that's why she comes to the US every November.
Tonight Jutta and I walked over to Tortuga for dinner.
We ate there last time and it was every bit as good tonight as it was then.
Fancy drinks for both of us!
We took some dinner back for Summer.
Jutta has not slept well since she arrived n Texas due to jet lag so she was early to bed tonight as was Summer. I stayed up to color my hair and catch up on my journal entries.
Now it's time to rinse my hair and get myself into bed.
I love this picture!
Sabrina, Sunshine and Rayne on their flight back to Puerto Rico.
Sunshine has her own seat!
Summer will fly out from Houston on Tuesday to rejoin them.
But first we have Sunday in Galveston!!
We have the sliding doors open to the music of the traffic and the waves.
This will make for good sleeping tonight......
