After I wrote that Alice’s Restaurant post, a lot happened. We didn’t get fined for staying on the beach an extra day, but the opposite happened: we kinda wished the cops had stopped by our trailer, and we wished that twice. Thanksgiving Night 7 pm: Tracy was watching football and I happened to look out […]
Month: November 2024
Wherein We Act Out Alice’s Restaurant Massacree
You know the story: Arlo and friends clean up after a Thanksgiving feast at Alice’s church-turned-house and end up getting arrested for throwing their trash off a cliff, which plays a role years later in a pretty ironic situation when Arlo’s being drafted for the Vietnam War. He says to the draft sargeant, “You mean […]
On the Beach, the Crowded, Chilly, Still-It’s-a-Beach Beach
We finally made it to camp right on the beach! Man, have we spoiled ourselves with previous years doing this, though, because this beach location kinda sucks. Okay, it doesn’t truly suck. No beach does, right? And here all the elements are in place: the trailer is parked on the sand with not a thing […]
Crowded Beach Spots vs. Empty Campground
I’m lying on my folding sofa with my iPad on my lap, looking out over water, and there’s a bit of wind, so the water’s choppy and hitting the bulkhead in a splishy-sounding, fast rhythm. In the distance, the sun is rising over the water, and I am all alone out here. So right now, […]
Get Your Banjo Wall Calendar Here
Due to popular demand (I can’t believe I’m saying that), I’ve created a Banjo-themed wall calendar for you Banjo fans (or general GDTR readers) to purchase. Each month features a photo of Banjo in a somewhat seasonally appropriate location, which I’ve identified in a text box below it. Here’s a sample month. Fair warning: As […]
Neither Fire Ants nor Boy Scouts Stays These Campers from Enjoying the Beach
Another week at another beach state park on the Gulf Coast of Texas. Not just another ho hum, though. Galveston Ferry To start the week off, we drove south from Sea Rim State Park and took the ferry to Galveston Island, which we did last year, but it still was exciting. As we loaded onto […]
Where Salt Marsh Meets the Sea
We’re spending the rest of November traveling down the Texas coast, camping at one beach spot for a few days, then moving on. A sampling, a taste of each one. We’ve done this before, so we’re staying at a few favorites, but we’re also adding new spots, like here, our starting point at the top […]
On the Border of Isengard
We’re at Sea Rim State Park, which is an astoundingly beautiful coastal area, along the Great Texas Coastal Birding Trail and near the McFaddin National Wildlife Refuge. Tracy’s gone birding gleefully every morning, and I’ve been biking and walking the beach. More on the goodness here in my next post. In the meantime … Port […]
Blogging in Dark Times, Redux
I don’t know how to write here after that election. I tried, but I just deleted it all. So, I’m reposting something I wrote two years ago, because you know how history repeats itself. March 10, 2022 As I write this, I’m thinking about the war in Ukraine. Almost two years ago, I wrote about […]
In Anticipation of the Day After
It’s election night as a type, and I’m thinking about anything else, frankly. I just realized, for example, that on Friday, my weekly email goes out, and the only post I have up is that silly one with links to myself in “the news.” I don’t think I’ve ever been at a loss for blog […]
