I loaded MBW and the HA into the car Thursday morning and headed south to Corpus Christi on a gloriously bright morning. Similarly bright mornings and days have persisted, though the mornings can be a trifle chilly. I may be adjusting to Texas; a year ago I wouldn’t have considered these temperatures worth the trouble of anything more than short sleeves.
We stopped about an hour out of Corpus Christi for lunch. Finally, FINALLY, I took the opportunity to stop at an out of the way Texas barbecue joint. I enjoyed it. MBW was in gastronomic heaven. The HA was less than thrilled. I suppose we need to make sure the next one serves mac and cheese as a side.
We took up residence in a beach view condo in the North Beach area of Corpus Christi. It is a few minutes from a couple of tourist attractions. The first we visited that first afternoon: the USS Lexington. How long, I wonder, did it take a seaman to learn his way about inside that labyrinth? Quite a bit of history in that floating museum. I pondered that over a flight at Rebel Toad Brewing.
Friday we spent the bulk of the day at the Texas State Aquarium. The HA is an aficionado of fish zoos. The dolphin show was fun. More interesting was going below and watching the trainers work the big gray squeaky toys through their paces. This is the first aquarium I’ve been to that served beer. I took advantage of that amenity and chilled out watching the sharks circle.
Saturday we visited the Corpus Christi Museum of Science and History. Again the HA had a good time. As these things go, the Corpus Christi version is a modest example. But the 16th Century shipwrecks and the Western collections are standouts. We followed that visit with a late lunch at Railroad Seafood Station & Brewing Co. We enjoyed the food. I enjoyed half the taster. The floral take on a Mexican style cerveza was novel and pretty good. The pomegranate sour wasn’t bad. The IPAs? Well, Rome wasn’t built in a day. (And what was I thinking, agreeing to try a Peanut Butter IPA? One can push this willingness to try new things too far.) We ended the day on the beach. Not too shabby.
We’ve got a couple more full days. I believe fireworks are on the agenda tonight out on Padre Island. We can send the year out with a bang. And a linger scent of brimstone. I’m not sure what to make of that. Oh well. Happy New Year to you all. I’ll be editing, as I’ve been doing each day during this trip.
Here’s a suggestion for your resolutions: Read more books by Ken Lizzi. It’s a resolution that’s good for both of us.