Higher-than-normal wind and an increasingly high tide forced us to leave Mustang Island State Park a day early, but what an adventure we had camping on the beach! Bill and I set up camp Thursday afternoon, with Matt, Misty, and Quen arriving late that night --- so much fun setting up a tent in the windy dark by starlight and car headlights!
The moon was just a tiny crescent slip but stars seemed enormously bright --- so bright that the wave tops actually glowed in the dark reflecting their light! Winds continued through the night, growing stronger through Friday when Kristen and Mikala arrived.
By Saturday afternoon, the wind had partially collapsed two tents. But the weatherbug app said wind advisories would not be in affect until 9:00 that night? We were getting sand-blasted and the stronger-than-normal tides were rising. Normally there is a wide room for driving down the beach between the shore and the tent sites; this had already been covered by algae washed up during the night (the so-called red tide) and the tide water was quickly approaching the center tents' edges. So we decided to break camp early and head home a day early.
Loved camping on the beach in spite of the wind, even when our air mattress failed to hold air, my sunblock proved to be past its shelf-life, the dump cake burned beyond recognition in the fire pit, and family dogs Bradley & Scout both proved to be afraid of the water. Love the family time!
Next family camping trip, Lake Somerville . . . without the sand in our teeth.
I love your sketches! Some of our very best memories are of family gatherings that didn't go according to plan. We still laugh and tell stories about those times. Your failing air mattress, out of date sunscreen, being sandblasted and especially the dump cake burned beyond recognition could easily have been one of our stories. It's good that you broke camp early and went home before things got worse!
ReplyDeleteLOL -- and sharing laughter as these stories are remembered through the years is priceless! Especially as the stories get embellished as they often do.
ReplyDeleteI'm glad you pulled it off, and great story and sketch! You stated earlier you went out to buy a tent. Has camping been in your family or is this a new experience?
ReplyDeleteNew experience for Bill & me -- my last camping trip was in Colorado 50 years ago. Our daughter and granddaughter regularly camp with Girl Scouts, and our son Matt & family have camped out a lot.
ReplyDeleteWe always meant to but never made the time when kids were still kids.