One of my favorite childhood memories was the Bolivar ferry ride heading to the big island, Galveston. All seven of us loaded into the station wagon with several packages of bread for the seagulls, which would devour anything tossed in their direction. After a few tossed crumbs, they would become emboldened and rip that bread right out of your hand. When you finally ran out of bread, it was a race back to the car for shelter from the little dive bombers:) When Matt and Tres were small we continued the tradition, holding them up with their fists filled with bread pieces, as the birds snatched them from their little hands. It brings back a flood of memories as I watch other young families repeating this ritual on the ferry, including my own grandchildren.

Today, as our society becomes more conscientious of our environment, we have learned that white processed bread is not particularly healthy for the birds. In retrospect, it’s difficult to understand why the gulls would choose something so unnatural over the shrimp, fish, and crabs floating nearby just for the taking. Maybe there is a fascination with what the humans eat? At any rate, after some internet research, I found that a far more nutritious, and gastronomically safer, alternative was unflavored original Cheerios. Who would have thought? Apparently even the greckles agree with this new offering, although they take a back seat to the much larger and more aggressive seagulls.

Local fishermen have less interest in filling the bellies of the local birds. They have learned to carefully guard their baggies of shrimp; if they turn their back on their bait, the birds can scoop up that baggie in a heartbeat. They sit along the edge of the seawall waiting patiently for the fisherman to look away for an instant. It’s amazing how noiselessly they can sneak in and abscond with all the bait. I can attest to this, as I have lost many a shrimp this way. I now find myself in retirement looking forward to the end of the day, when as the sunsets and the temperatures cool, I head out to insure my birds have their supper. Yes I am now the retired lady who feeds the birds everyday! Life has come full circle. Bye Bye little greckle who waits at the Diamond Beach gate. See you at sunset tomorrow.

Our very own Diamond Beach stars that give sparkle to our amazing resort on the gulf, had their day in the sun today. They put down their pens, computers, vacuum cleaners, pool skimmers, and phones to enjoy the fruits of their labors. They came with family and friends to share in the joy of their special day. Pete Willcox, of Las Vegas fame, provided entertainment with renditions of Sinatra and Dean Martin. Our Lisa and John Cloonan brought Santa Claus early for the kiddos, so they could get their wishes in before the crowds. Massages from our Oasis Spa were gratis for all the employees, and great news too! Oasis has obtained a professional manicure-pedicure person who will begin within the month. This will be a dream come true for those of us who love to be pampered with a mani-pedi:)

Chef Vish Persaud slaved over the hot grill, as he does every year, to provide the best burgers on the island; and there was an old-fashioned ice cream stand for dessert ( a fav of the kiddos:) All the accoutrement of a Texas-style bar-b-que, and then some, were present. Baked beans extraordinaire, corn pudding, cajun rice, and more, were on the menu. No one left hungry, for sure. Once we had our fill, it was time to pick a rubber ducky for the traditional duck race. Each employee could choose a numbered duck to compete in a race to cross the finish line (the bridge). George Kithas did the honors by ensuring every competing duck entered the river at the same time. James Fuglaar, Marc Steinberg, and yours truly stood under the bridge to capture the winning ducks. It was so popular that we held two heats, with first, second and third prizes.

The moment everyone waited for finally arrived when the prizes were wheeled down for the employees to place their hopeful tickets on. Each employee had 20 tickets to put on the prizes of their choice. Diamond Beach residents had generously provided far more prizes than there were employees. Each and every employee won at least one prize, most were luckier than that. At the end of the day it was hard to tell who enjoyed the gathering more, the employees or the residents. It was so much fun to watch the glowing faces of the staff reaping the reward of their labors. James and Rita Fuglaar outdid themselves again this year. We can’t wait till next year!

A very eventful year has passed since Matt, Ika and Bo first set eyes on Golden, Colorado. They did fall in love at first sight, however there were many hurdles to jump for this dream to come true. Matt had been flying for Southwest less than a year back then, and was based at Houston Hobby. Ika, being from Sweden originally, had tried valiantly to survive the Texas summers; but understandably spent her time indoors during our six-month season of heat. With Bo learning to walk and wanting to spend his time outdoors, Ika and Matt knew Golden was to be a place of joy for their family. The hiking is beyond compare, and cool enough for year-round enjoyment, to say nothing of the skiing and snowboarding during the winter months. They rented the first six months to give themselves an opportunity to find something even remotely affordable in Golden (a herculean task:) Our prayers were answered when Heather and Zeb decided to move to a country place with acreage. Zeb is a master at woodwork and remodeling, so it was a house to fall in love with, and they did. The rest is history.

When Mamou (that would be me:) came to assist in the move, I fell in love too. The gas stove came with a griddle for the family fav breakfast, pancakes. Bo’s room has an amazing bay window where he will perch at his desk (someday) and see mountains to the left of him, and mountains to the right. The dogs got a new fancy crate so they can feel special too. Most importantly, downstairs there is a guest quarters (aka mother-in-law suite:) that brought tears to my eyes. There is a full kitchen/bar, gym, rec room with pool table, theater room complete with fireplace (Matt’s working on that!), Texas-style bedroom, and the bathroom was a work of art thanks to Zeb’s expertise. What’s not to love? (just kidding about the mother-in-law suite, Ika).

I could carry on about the house, but I’ll let Matt and Ika provide the details of the main house as visitors from Texas come to see this amazing city. The last day of Mamou’s visit Ika, Bo and I set out for a short walk to downtown Golden. It reminds me of Galveston in the mountains. The downtown retains the rustic mining-town storefronts and brick streets of a century prior. So many bars (it is a college town:), restaurants, local sporting goods and clothing shops. You could spend an entire day shopping and never see the same store twice. The lucky students accepted to Colorado School of Mines have summer tubing available through the center of town, to say nothing of the winter skiing a short drive out Highway 70.

I would love to think Bo will be one of those students some day. In the meantime, Ika can walk him to school on the crosswalk over the highway from their neighborhood to Bo’s Mitchell Elementary School. At most a five-minute walk. What a lucky Bo! What a lucky family. Mamou is truly blessed.

Night fishing is an entirely different experience than day fishing, anywhere. So much more true at Sunset Marina here in Galveston. Sunset provides a private covered boat dock complete with underwater lighting and spectacular views of Offats Bayou from every vantage point. When darkness envelopes the bayou, the strangest creatures come into the shallows. Dog fish, eels, and golden croakers are just a few of the truly cool inhabitants of the bayou that I have been fortunate enough to ensnare (all were humanely released as being too small:) I have shared this with very few close friends, family, and grandbabies. Just when you’re settling in for a relaxing night of fishing, explosive fireworks over the pyramids of Moody Gardens launch just for your entertainment. As you can see, it rivals the full moon in spectacular water reflections.

Aunt Paige came with her fishing buddy Randy Hayes to teach the grandbabies the art of catching catfish. At first they were so excited to see these wiggly fish flop on the deck, but soon started worrying about saving them so they could grow bigger. No problem for Paige and Randy, as these hardheads were not destined for the dinner table.

Captain Bill dropped by on his golf cart to ensure everyone was having a great time. The complex he built at the edge of Offats is not only his home, but his son’s and grandsons. Each beach house surrounding the boat docks is painted a soft sky blue, and includes a grotto style pool complete with waterfall. Lucky kids and grandkids! To top off each day are amazing sunset views, thus the name. This place will always be my personal favorite fishing spot.

Once a year dog lovers from the island, as well as far off places like Austin and San Anton, converge on the island to show off their pets’ surfing abilities. The proceeds go to Galveston Island Humane Society, an organization that does an undeniably amazing job re-homing orphaned island pets. This was the first year they added a “pet costume” competition, and I predict it will remain for years to come. Most owners dressed like their pets; what family wouldn’t? There was even a costumed (and surf-capable) cat in the running. That cat actually proudly walked “on leash”, prancing before the crowd. There should have been a special award for her:)

The real fun started when the “small dog surfers” began their heat. It was amazing to watch chihuahuas, mini-poodles, tiny terriers, and Heinz-57’s hang 10, with very little assistance from their owners. It appears they were meant for the surf. Little salt-water souls, themselves.

Then came the labradoodles, labs, pitties, and whatever breed you can imagine of the 20 pound and over variety. They were valiant warriors, with toenails dug into their boards. Every one of them did their dead level best to please their owners. They were all winners in my book! It was over all to quickly for this pet-loving salt-water soul. So looking forward to next year:)

When I was a young girl spending July 4th beachfront on Bolivar Peninsula was my favorite holiday of the year, bar none. I can remember saving up my allowance for a month so I could buy a big bag of fireworks to shoot off over the water. Watching the reflection of the bright colors on the waves held a special fascination for me. Even more fascinating was the loud booms and bright colors I could see off in the distance, coming from Galveston Island. My special dream was that someday I would make it to the “big island” on this special day to see up-close-and-personal that magnificent display. Well, my time has come! I’m now all grown up, and then some. Actually older than I want to admit:) The “big island” has become my home, and watching the fireworks over the Seawall is now one of my favorite celebrations of the year.

The crowds are bigger than I ever imagined they would be. You can feel the excitement in the air, as so many families gather to celebrate our great nation’s independence, freedom, and opportunity. The warmth and camaraderie was evident among young and all as they settled into their lawn chairs, hung their legs over the edges of the seawall, or perched around our dolphin statues. Our Galveston Beach Patrol was on hand to insure everyone was a safe distance. As I listened to the crowd excitedly conversing in many different languages, it brought home the fact that this diversity of cultures is what America is all about. The street vendors were selling foil wrapped corn-on-the-cob, magical lighted wands for the kids, and tamales for everyone. It could just have easily been on the streets of Juarez. A middle-eastern couple asked if I knew where the fireworks would be coming from; I gave them my best guess, and they sat to watch the display with me. It was a warm night, in more ways than one as we all came together to enjoy the sights.

A hush came over the crowd as the fireworks began. There were a few quiet “oohs and aahs” as the spectacular visions exploded over the gulf, which mirrored the images in brilliant colors. When the grand finale began, the cheering erupted and continued until the last blast was heard. It was so worth the drive home, traffic and all. Can’t wait till next year!

This Texan can’t get enough of Colorado; there’s always more to see and do. The Swede (aka my daughter-in-law:) has missed the biggest Swedish celebration of the year since moving to the US a decade ago. Just another wonderful surprise from the state of Colorado, Swedish folks playing out their favorite tradition. There were gnomes, flowered wreaths for the hair, accordion players, and best of all the maypole raising. According to the Swede it is actually mostly a celebration of fertility in what passes for summer in Sweden. Legend has it, after the maypole has been raised, the partiers head for the closest lake, strip down, and enjoy a chilly dip in the buff! Colorado cooperated with traditional temps in the 40’s and a bit of rain to make the nordic folks feel at home. It did make us feel grateful for every moment of sunshine.

Matt surprised us with a nice brick mountain weekend cabin, where even dachshunds are allowed. Of course we had to make full use of the amazing mountain trails of the Rockies. The first trail took us to the top of an old rock fort overlooking the city of Estes Park. The vantage point of Fort Collins was obvious, as you peered from the open air window you could easily imagine guarding the area from the British, Indians, Confederate soldiers, and maybe even useful as a great natural deer stand. Moose and elk were everywhere, which this Texan found amazing. The wildlife was the draw that encouraged this old beachcomber to clamber up the ever steeper mountain trails.

The Gem Lake Trail will never be forgotten for several reasons. It was a two-mile hike ascending over 1.000 feet to the top. This may not sound all that impressive if you’re the typical Colorado mountain goat, but it was a heart-stopper for this island-dweller. To make it more challenging, the temps were in the 40’s and the rain turned to hail on the descent. Being from Texas, of course I brought my hiking shorts and t-shirt for warm weather comfort. On the way down my upper legs turned beet red and I pretty much lost the feeling in them until they thawed out in the truck. Worth every minute in retrospect. Number one, I can say I did it:) Number two, my iWatch exercise ring closed twice; and number three I found out that my Swedish daughter-in-law laughs uncontrollably whenever things get a little hairy, just to keep our spirits up. I wouldn’t miss that for the world.

So many families are celebrating their graduates this weekend, and we are no exception. Now kids are graduating from kindergarten, elementary school, middle school, high school, and hopefully college:) The fanfare gets more elaborate as the level rises. Tobyn Polk’s graduation made mine (more years ago than I can count:) look lame in comparison. I graduated with 46 fellow students from Monsignor Kelly High School, a small catholic parochial school. Tobyn graduated with over 500 fellow classmates, so when I found that he had graduated with honors (thus the red gown and black stole), I was more than impressed. That’s a lot of competition. Tobyn was in the ROTC program to boot, so very little time to get into trouble, or study for that matter. His life was not always easy, as he was born very premature at just one pound, as his parents divorced early, and his amazing grandparents took over for many years. Kudos to the Garcias, they should be proud. Gina and Joey have since entered Tobyn and Paisley’s lives, and given them all the parental encouragement they needed. God works in mysterious ways; through it all Tobyn was a serious and responsible young man, who watched over his little sister Paisley from her birth. So much to be proud of in his young life. I know I am, although I can’t claim much responsibility for this awesome young man who has emerged. His sights are set on nursing school at Lamar University, prophetically where this graduation took place. As each graduate walked across the stage to receive their diploma, the chandelier-styled tv screens displayed a closeup of each and every one. Welcome to the 21st century!

There were more than a few memorable moments that day, as cousins Layke and Maycee graduated earlier from second and third grade. Layke won the citizenship award, but more importantly ranked in the high 90th percentile on the math portion of the STARR. He was exhausted and focused on his game to pass the hours. Maycee had a memorable moment when she and mom visited the ladies room. She witnessed a slightly inebriated woman chest bump an officer until he finally cuffed her when she insisted in seeing his boss:) She will get that opportunity at the county jail I believe. Maycee was overcome with fear thinking she might be next. Mom had to do something to dry those tears, so Maycee came back sporting a beautiful (real) orchid lei. I tried crying too, but nobody cared!

Brother Drew, wife Tera, and I met briefly with Tobyn for family photo opp before heading out in search of food. It was ten when the ceremony was over and we hadn’t eaten since lunch. We thought IHOP would be our only option on a Thursday night in Beaumont, but miracle of miracles, Carrabba’s was still open. After an amazing italian feast, the old folks went home to crash, completely wiped out by the emotional event.

I woke the next morning to the aroma of coffee and bacon. There is no better morning smell, and although we had stayed out late for old folks, I couldn’t stay in bed one minute longer. Tera and I went out to survey her backyard kingdom of blooms, blue jays, cardinals, and squirrels. The critters entertained us while Drew served us breakfast. What a wonderful lazy, peaceful morning of reminiscing about all the things we love about living in small town Beaumont. Beautiful old oaks and pine trees leave a fresh scent in the air, and shade our yards. There is little traffic to worry about. Neighbors are close and personal, especially when you need them. Most of all, Beaumont is close to our family, the beach, and the family ranch LaBelle. We are truly blessed.

As most of you know, I’m a parochial-schooled lifetime Irish Catholic. Of course I’ve visited the churches, mosques, and synagogues with many friends over the years. These visits have always been spiritually uplifting and enlightening. I look forward to every opportunity for a new experience.

Today I had the pleasure of witnessing the baptism of Lumi King. She’s the granddaughter of my “down-the-hall” neighbors, Helen and Gayle King, and a one-year old powerhouse. Today she was in peaceful mood, sitting on the lap of her Mom Inna, Dad Dan, and big bro Sisu. Perhaps these names do not have a familiar ring to your Texan ears. That’s because Inna is originally from Finland, and is ensuring that her little ones continue their Finnish culture and traditions. They will have a lot to teach their classmates when they start school:)

After the local, and very excellent I might add, band finished the intro song; the Kings and the godmothers were called up for the baptism. While the youth pastor continued with the service, I couldn’t help but notice the very gentle nature of this baptism. Just a little sprinkle of water on Lumi’s forehead in the shape of a cross. No dunking required, which I applaud. It was a beautiful experience for all of us. The pastor reached out to the young children, who came forward to welcome Lumi to the congregation. Lumi rested her little feet on big bro’s head for comfort, while the congregation answered the call for her.

Moody Methodist has been an important community center of service since I first moved to Galveston. As a Meals on Wheels volunteer, it is where I picked up the meals to deliver for all who were in need. More recently, I came together with local business people in a weekly networking gathering to help get the word out. I know there are exercise classes, bible studies, boy scout meetings, and many other focus groups gathering at this magnificent historical site in the middle of the island. I hope to spend many more years meeting with neighbors to help our community. What a very good Sunday!