Summer Vacation 2025: Texas, Part One

"The stars at night are big and bright. Deep in the heart of Texas!"

My mom has lived in Texas for 45 years, give or take, so saying Texas is my second home would be an understatement. Regardless, I don't get there as often as I would like. Since 2025 was my off-year vacation year (I travel abroad every other year), and since the kids and I hadn't seen my grandma in a while, I decided we should spend a week in the Lone Star State.

After a long weekend in Colorado, I had nearly a week at home before we flew down. I spent it getting things done around the house, getting together with some friends I don't see often enough, and relaxing. My daughter and I flew down on June 21st, while my son opted to drive down, leaving the day before so he could stop halfway for the night.

My mom has an expansive and cozy back porch. We like to sit out here in the morning when it's (slightly) cooler, and the sun is on the other side of the house.

My main objective in getting down to Texas was to visit my grandma. She was 93 here and passed away just a few months later in September. I'm glad I got to spend time with her. I still miss her a lot.

My mom will not pass up an opportunity for us all to spend some time down in Port Aransas, right on the Gulf of Mexico. Port Aransas sits on Mustang Island, which is connected to Padre Island. 

We drove (and by we, I mean me) the three hours from Austin to the dock where the ferries to Port Aransas sit. My kids kept seeing dolphins in the water, which they were very excited about, but I didn't manage to catch any photos of them.

Ahh, the good old Islander. It's the tourist trap of all tourist traps, but a great place to get souvenirs and a few necessities like sunscreen.

We were all hungry, so we made a pit stop at Whataburger. I absolutely love Whataburger and never turn down a chance to eat there when I'm in the South.

My mom always books the same condo, and I absolutely love the expansive decks each unit has.

My kids wasted no time in heading down to the coast.

This was my view the next morning with a cup of coffee. Just stunning.

My mom, I, and my mom's boyfriend joined the kids down at the beach on this morning. It's good to go early because the heat will only get worse as the day wears on.

Managed to get a photo of the kids in the water.

I had to snap a few photos in the Gulf before safely returning my camera to a dry spot on the beach.

I think this is a hermit crab, but don't quote me on that.

My daughter spilled chip crumbs on the deck, so it wasn't long before the gulls were circling to get some tasty morsels.

This was a good shot of these opportunistic birds.

We packed up and headed off the next morning. We made a couple of fun stops on the way back to Mom's house, but that deserves a whole post of its own. I'm glad I'm finally getting these out, seeing as it's almost been a year since this trip! Oh well, better late than never, right?

Until next time, friends.