G A L V E S T O N !

Scott had a conference in Galveston last week, and Ian and I were invited to tag along. It was my first time on the island, and what a fun trip it was! There was plenty to do and see, however I would describe Galveston as a dying city: it seems it never totally recovered from the 1906 storm which killed 6,000, and the resulting up-tick in investments in rival city Houston. During our three day stay, Scott had meetings until 5 p.m., so I was lucky to have the company of a few other Exxon wives. We did quite a bit of eating, exploring and walking together.

I LOVED the historic hotel we stayed at. What this picture doesn't show is the pink and purple monstrosity that stands several stories tall and arches over the road at the far end of the hotel. Mardi Gras could be the only excuse for it. It clashed horribly with the lovely Tremont Hotel which was built in the 1800's and had cool birdcage elevators and neat architecture. It was fancy, yet friendly and I loved our overstuffed, oversized bed. Ian's sleeping arrangements were not quite as posh, but at least the closet was quiet and dark, just how he likes it.

One afternoon we took a free ferry ride to Bolivar Island, about a 20 minute ride off the coast of Galveston. We weren't sure what Bolivar offered, but made plans to find some ice cream and other entertainment. Our first clue should have been that there weren't any other joy-riders on the ferry. Our second clue should have been the curious looks the ferry crew gave us as we waltzed off the ferry towards... absolutely nothing. One lonely "store" was about 200 yards away, and we thought we spotted an ice cream sign on it. We strolled in that direction only to discover upon closer inspection that this "store" offered ice, beer and "Mullets: $5.00 for a dozen". Whatever that means. And they were CLOSED. About that time we heard the ferry blow it's horn to signal departure. Fearing we would be marooned on this desolate island, we rushed back to the ferry to board it literally seconds before it pulled away from the shore.

We attended several museums and ate at some delicious restaurants. I even found an old peanut- butter -factory-gone-condominiums.
And here we are outside the oil museum. I wanted to be a good wife and learn something about what Scott does to bring home the bacon. It was a great museum complete with videos and lots of equipment. It was really interesting. No Really.

Inside the oil museum I tried on some gear and checked out a display on finding a place in the oil process that fit my personality. Turns out I have potential in the industry.

New Crib!

Last night was Ian's first night in his new digs. I was sure he would appreciate the incredible comfort that a real mattress offers and would silently drift off into the deepest, most satisfying (and longest) night sleep ever. Instead, Scott tells me he shook the railing for 20 minutes and pushed all his binkies out through the slats. And he woke up a good hour before he normally does this morning. Apparently extreme comfort takes some getting used to.

When I was finally ready to order the crib online, I was overjoyed to see that it was 15% off. Then I was depressed to realize the crib had sold out earlier that day. Thankfully, one crib was available in one store, and it happened to be only 10 minutes away. And they put it on hold for me. Whew!


Here are some shots of Scott setting up the crib. For whatever reason, I feel like these events must be documented.

Voting

Today we early voted. It was an interesting experience to use the electronic ballots. Even after a brief orientation on how to do it, I wasn't entirely confident that I could properly cast my ballot. But turns out it isn't so difficult.

It was interesting to have several candidates for local offices meet us in the parking lot and attempt to sway our vote. They were all pleasant, but it made me a little uncomfortable. Especially when the guy who took our photo asked us who we had voted for.

I was disappointed that the Texas primary and caucus were so late in the race. (yes, they do both. Texas must always be unique.) And therefore it was too late for my vote to do my candidate of choice any good. Still, it felt good to do our civic duty.

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Hope to see you again soon.

Scott, Les & Ian