A Sunday Adventure: Galveston

With a three-day weekend ahead of us, we decided to spend Sunday down in Galveston. We hadn't been since last June, and January is always a nice, quiet time for a visit to the island. We left home shortly after 9am and arrived at Moody Gardens just after opening.  

The boys get in free to one attraction with their good grades, so we chose to visit the newly renovated aquarium.  The aquarium doesn't disappoint. We saw penguins, sea lions, sharks, and fish galore.  The penguins are a highlight and we were there in time for the 11am feeding.

Yep, Henry is taller than a penguin!  

We took advantage of all the touch ponds.  We even got to touch the moon jellies, which are much firmer than I would have expected.  Touching the bat rays is always fun too.

The aquarium was fun, but next time, we'll go back to the Rainforest Pyramid, as it's been years since we've been there. 

After visiting the aquarium, we headed to our new favorite restaurant, the Mosquito Cafe. The food is so good there!  Then we hit our favorite local shops -- Galveston Coffee Roasters, Galveston Bookshop, and LaKing's Confectionery.  We came home with pounds of coffee, four new books and a couple of bags of taffy.

We were there in time for the 1pm taffy pull.

Galveston is one of our favorite spots for a quick getaway and we can't wait to get back!

A Saturday Adventure: Anahuac National Wildlife Refuge

One of our goals over winter break was to get outside and do some hiking. Between all our Christmas activities and wet weather, we only had a few opportunities. Yesterday was a gorgeous day (sunny with a high in the upper 60s), so we knew we needed to get outside and enjoy some time in nature.  We debated our choices -- a state park we've visited before or a national wildlife refuge that was new-to-us but with limited services because of the government shutdown. In the end, I really wanted to see birds, so we headed east to Anahuac National Wildlife Refuge.  

The visitor centers and restrooms were all closed, but the gates to the refuge were open and the trails were available.  We started at the main refuge entrance and walked the Willows Trail, which was a raised boardwalk along a freshwater marsh.  

We startled a great blue heron, but this great egret hung around, hunting for lunch. 

Next, we drove the Shoveler Pond Auto Loop. We saw tons of ducks, one small alligator and this muskrat.  

We walked the long boardwalk out to the observation deck. 

The birds were incredible!

Ibis

Great Blue Heron

After a picnic lunch, we drove seven miles to the Skillern Tract. As we were driving down FM 1985, we came across a wake of vultures (a wake is the term used for vultures that are feeding) eating a wild boar carcass. As the birds flew up, we noticed that one of the birds was not like the others. With a white head and white tail feathers, we knew we had spotted a bald eagle. What an amazing sight it was!

Our last stop of the day was the Rookery Trail, which was lovely and quiet.  

There's more to see and do at Anahuac and other nearby national wildlife refuges, and we hope to return to explore these beautiful national treasures again soon.  

Lately: A December Recap

December was a packed month! Here's a peek at some of our non-holiday activities:

Soccer is Will's chosen winter sport. He is pretty good at it!

West U Elementary's book fair was at the very beginning of December. I got to be a guest reader one night while Gene and the boys shopped.

Henry's middle school application process is nearly over -- just a few final requirements! Gene snapped this photo after Henry's Kinkaid interview.   

Henry got some new bedding, courtesy of Gramma and Grampa. This crazy quilt was pieced together by my great-grandma and sewn by my grandmother. Henry's old quilt was completely worn out and he really loves his new quilt!

The boys played lots and lots of D&D, both at home and with the cousins. 

We hardly ever go out for dinner, but we were exhausted one night and went to Pizza Motus, West U's new pizza spot. 

Normally we eat at home because Gene and I both enjoy cooking. Gene has spent much of winter break making dinners. We haven't had codfish cakes in ages, and they were a delicious treat. We had a few leftovers, which the gobbled up as an after-walking-the-dog-snack.  

We can hardly believe it's 2019 already and school and work start back up in two days!

Elephant Encounter at the Houston Zoo

Our big Christmas gift this year was an experience -- we went to the Houston Zoo for a behind-the-scenes elephant encounter. It was an incredible experience!

First up, we learned a little about the elephants and toured the elephant barns. We met Max, the dog who lives at the elephant barn.  

Then we headed out to touch and feed the elephants.  

This is baby Tilly, who was born on Father's Day 2018.

Her mom is Tess.

And this is the matriarch, Methai.

This is Joy.  The baby elephants are wary of barn dog Max and Joy sidestepped out of his way as soon as she saw him.

We got to feed and touch Tess,

but first she showed off her training. 

Touching Tess

And feeding her!

What an amazing experience with these beautiful, intelligent animals. 

The zoo was packed, so we didn't stay to explore, but we did stop at some of the zoo lights displays on the way out.   

The Houston Zoo is one of our favorite places in town and we're happy to be able to their efforts here and with animals in the wild.