As Hurricane Ike roared up onto the Texas coast, I watched in fear and sympathy, having just been camping on the coast myself this summer. My family spent a part of this past camping trip being on the Texas coast at the end of June after having visited Austin and San Antonio. We went to Padre Island with my sister Hazel, her husband Aren and their daughter Sage, who was then sixteen months old. After that part of the trip, my parents, my sister Emma and me went on to Galveston by ourselves because Hazel, Aren, and Sage had to go home. As I worry about all of those who are currently flooded, especially in Galveston, I wanted to share happier times on the beach, before the area was hit by Ike, Dolly, or any other such storms.
Here is our campsite on Padre Island. The ocean was just beyond the grassy dunes, but we just saw glimpses of it from where we camped. Mommy was standing on the dunes on the other side of the road to take the picture. I am right in front of the camper. The pelican flying by in the picture was one of many who loved being on the beach. They hung around our campsite sometimes. There were no electrical hookups on the beach, so we were largely free of other RVs. We didn't mind making do with lanterns and flashlights. During the evenings and nights, the wind became very strong, but I still loved seeing the clear view of the stars at night and taking walks along the beach. Having felt the intensity of the wind blowing on normal evenings, I imagine what the wind must have been like when Padre Island was feeling the effects of Dolly and Ike.
I enjoyed time with family on the beach. The waves were nice and peaceful at that time, and the beach had just a small amount of people on it, being quite isolated and having not many campsites by it. Hazel and Emma dug a hole for Sage, so she could splash around in her own pool of water.
Being with Sage was fun as she played in her hole. Here she is enjoying water being poured down. This was her first time on the beach, so this whole experience was quite new to her. I loved spending time with her, often standing by as she played, and remembering what it was like to play in such pools of water. We both enjoyed wading out into the ocean waves, with Sage holding the hand of her mom.
Here is our campsite on Padre Island. The ocean was just beyond the grassy dunes, but we just saw glimpses of it from where we camped. Mommy was standing on the dunes on the other side of the road to take the picture. I am right in front of the camper. The pelican flying by in the picture was one of many who loved being on the beach. They hung around our campsite sometimes. There were no electrical hookups on the beach, so we were largely free of other RVs. We didn't mind making do with lanterns and flashlights. During the evenings and nights, the wind became very strong, but I still loved seeing the clear view of the stars at night and taking walks along the beach. Having felt the intensity of the wind blowing on normal evenings, I imagine what the wind must have been like when Padre Island was feeling the effects of Dolly and Ike.
I enjoyed time with family on the beach. The waves were nice and peaceful at that time, and the beach had just a small amount of people on it, being quite isolated and having not many campsites by it. Hazel and Emma dug a hole for Sage, so she could splash around in her own pool of water.
Being with Sage was fun as she played in her hole. Here she is enjoying water being poured down. This was her first time on the beach, so this whole experience was quite new to her. I loved spending time with her, often standing by as she played, and remembering what it was like to play in such pools of water. We both enjoyed wading out into the ocean waves, with Sage holding the hand of her mom.
Here Sage and me are seen by ourselves, enjoying a walk along the beach, with the boardwalk behind us and tents of those camping right on the beach. As well as big family pictures, it is nice to see just the two of us, enjoying some quality time together, even with other family nearby. You can see more beach pictures of Sage on Padre Island on her blog link on the side of this page. I love looking at those pictures as well as these, and remembering the beach times together. I also like seeing the other pictures on her blog and being able to get together in person. She continues to grow up!
I really hope Padre Island and Galveston will make it through this latest disaster that Ike produced, plus I support everywhere else that had been affected by Ike. It had been hard seeing pictures of flooding and destruction in Galveston, having just recently been there myself. I also know what New Orleans has gone through, having visited it in the same trip, and later on paying attention to Gustov threatening it. So many people stayed behind in Galveston despite the mandatory evacuation, and I am thankful that they are being rescued among the flood waters. While we were camping in Galveston, Mommy, Daddy, Emma and I took a drive with the ocean on one side and the city buildings on the other, with fancy hotels and restaurants bordering the city. Such an experience makes the destruction from Ike quite personal. We had also enjoyed seeing multicolored houses along the coast on the way into Galveston from the campground, and I have now been imagining the waves crashing into them. At least they were high off the ground. I wonder about the fate of the laundry mat we used near the campground, plus the state park itself. The state park was full of RVs when we were there. I believe the campsites were vacant before Ike arrived. Hurricane Ike is certainly not the ideal kind of weather to camp in!
I really hope Padre Island and Galveston will make it through this latest disaster that Ike produced, plus I support everywhere else that had been affected by Ike. It had been hard seeing pictures of flooding and destruction in Galveston, having just recently been there myself. I also know what New Orleans has gone through, having visited it in the same trip, and later on paying attention to Gustov threatening it. So many people stayed behind in Galveston despite the mandatory evacuation, and I am thankful that they are being rescued among the flood waters. While we were camping in Galveston, Mommy, Daddy, Emma and I took a drive with the ocean on one side and the city buildings on the other, with fancy hotels and restaurants bordering the city. Such an experience makes the destruction from Ike quite personal. We had also enjoyed seeing multicolored houses along the coast on the way into Galveston from the campground, and I have now been imagining the waves crashing into them. At least they were high off the ground. I wonder about the fate of the laundry mat we used near the campground, plus the state park itself. The state park was full of RVs when we were there. I believe the campsites were vacant before Ike arrived. Hurricane Ike is certainly not the ideal kind of weather to camp in!
We will see how Galveston and the other areas recover. My hometown of Berea, Kentucky has now been experiencing some of the winds from Ike, quite apparent when I see the trees moving rather heavily in the wind. I have been thinking of the hurricane as I ate with my family out on our back deck and felt the big wind blowing on ourselves. Most of the remnants of Ike are going north of us however. So far, it seems like the places that my family visits on the coast have not long afterwards been hit by hurricanes or tropical storms. I hope that trend doesn't continue. It makes it appear that my family brings bad luck wherever we travel. At least not all places we visit suffer such storms.
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