So, Wes and I were sitting around, watching TV on Friday, wondering how we were NOT going to be bored on Saturday.  We knew we wanted to watch the Ravens football playoff game on Sunday (go Ravens!!!) but had no plans for Saturday.  Then we saw on TV that Galveston’s Grand Opera house was reopening and they were having an open house.

Apparently, they had been undergoing extensive remodeling when Hurricane Ike hit and did even more damage.  We had never been to an opera house (didn’t even know Galveston had one) and we had received gift certificates to Joe’s Crab Shack for Christmas (thanks John and Pat) so we decided to take a drive down to Galveston for the day.

We arrived in Galveston around lunch time.  To get to Joe’s, we had to drive a short distance on Seawall Blvd, which, as it’s name implies, runs beside the beach along the Gulf of Mexico.  We caught a glimpse of something big washed up on the shore and decided to go back after lunch to see what it was.

The weather was beautiful!  We sat out on Joe’s patio enjoying the sunshine and surf (love the smell of the beach, don’t you???), getting sunburned while we got a full belly.  The beach is across the street behind Jake and I in the picture, but it’s hard to see with the glare of the sun…  (Oh, sorry to those of you in snowy climates … ) I had a cobb salad, Jake had a fish sandwich and Wes and Cam shared crabs.   For dessert, we had a Sea Turtle sundae and OMG, it was so good.  The best dessert I’ve had in years.

Anyway, after lunch we drove back down the beach to see what that big dead thing was.  Wes and I said it was a dolphin, but Camden and Jake predicted it would be a shark.  Turns out it was a dolphin.  There was only one and no one appeared to have called authorities.  It had no signs of why it died.  Lots of people were looking at it…  We also saw a big dead fish further down the beach.  (Last summer, we found a dead shark on the beach when we stayed at the time share in San Leon.)

We walked down one of the jetty’s on the beach.  They are comprised of huge squares of granite stacked next to each other.

By then, it was 1:30 PM and the opera house was only supposed to be open until 2 PM, so we had to skidaddle.  We weren’t sure where it was, but we found it.  It’s really pretty on the inside.  Everything is new and shiny.  They had cake and lemonade.  We got to go in the balconies and those cool seats they have on the sides (why can’t I remember what they are called???) You know, where the rich people usually sit???

Anywho … after that we went home.

Someone asked me how Galveston looks these days.  Actually, Galveston looks pretty damned good!  All the boats and debris that were piled along the freeway are gone.  All the piles of trash, debris and old furniture that were piled along every street are gone.  Most stores are back open again.  People seem to be getting their homes back in order.  The beaches, while they are not as big as they used to be due to massive erosion from Ike, are clear and clean and pretty again.