Bolivar Peninsula & A Ferry Ride

We've had an awesome week, what with selling our house in Fort Worth {now we can buy the bigger boat} and me getting a job.....two things we've been waiting on for awhile now!!! So, we decided to take a celebratory mini mini road trip and go discover a new area!!! {I feel like the double mini clarifies that it wasn't really a true road trip even though we did drive to our destination} 

We drove down to Galveston, rode the ferry over to Bolivar Peninsula and walked Crystal Beach! By the way, this is the best beach for finding shells and bonus, you can even drive on the beach....so take a jeep or a truck!! I really don't understand why it's called crystal beach though, I didn't find any crystal, but I did find lots of shells....it should be Sandy's Seashell Beach! 

I can't believe in all twelve of our married years together & coming down to Galveston, this was the first time we have ever taken the ferry over to the peninsula....we even honeymooned in Galveston and had never been on it...cRaZy! Hubs hadn't been on the ferry since he was a kid. I may have been on it as a kid too, but I don't remember, I was a kid!! :)

Here's some pics of us boarding the ferry & going over towards Bolivar Peninsula...

7 mph....really? Why didn't they just say five? Oofta May!!

You can either drive on or walk on, but unless your goal is to only take the ferry back & forth, you're going to need a car  to get to the beach! 

One of the first things we came across was this cool looking lighthouse! Hard to believe I got such a great shot while we were driving down the road....going much faster than seven miles per hour, I might add! I love how it is framed between the houses!! So pretty :)

This was our setup! Our beautiful, seafoam Yeti stocked with ice cold drinks. A waterproof bluetooth speaker playing beachy music, baby powder to help get the sand off our feet & our cozy beach chairs!! 

And, this as our view....

I absolutely loved our little getaway!!!

I'm always telling hubs he needs to make friends & be sociable & he did good, however it backfired a wee bit with the 2nd couple. The first guy offered him yet another job....that man, I can't take him anywhere without him getting job offers. The second & very sketchy couple offered us drugs. We should've quit while we were ahead!  I then decided we might need to stick with making friends with this adorable little guy instead!!

All in all, this is the place to go if you're planning a trip to Galveston! I know this is probably going to sound weird, because it's not white sandy beaches and by no means, is the water any more blue here than on Galveston, but this is the best beach around!!! Softer sand, far less seaweed and shells....can't beat that!!

Oh, and did I mention, the ferry is free and runs 24 hours/day!

You never know what you'll see at the beach, but we thought this was pretty cool!!!

 

My cup runneth over....& boat shopping!!!

This week I went and spent time with 2 of my nieces!!! It was three days chocked full of fun times with two, super, sweet girlies!!! We went to the play place, played in the puddles, had a wagon ride to the lake, played in the sand {hence the picture above} saw family & friends and took a train ride through the park!!! So much fun.....I am going to miss these lil' misses when I leave!!! Love them so so much!!!! 

When the wife is away, the hubs buys a boat....well, not yet, but he's thinking about it! Today, I was talking to Joe on the phone and he asked, "remember when I bought our Catalina and you didn't know anything about it?" I said yes & asked if it was going to happen again and then there was a long pause......I then asked, if it has already happened? So far, he hasn't made any purchases!!! But, he's been looking and has us scheduled to see some boats as soon as I get back in town!!! It appears we have next boat fever and I bet it won't be long before we trade up to bigger & better!!!

I head back tomorrow and pick up 2 of my nephews on the way!!! They will be staying with us for the next few days!!! We are so blessed to have so many kiddos in our life....I like to think of us as a cool aunt & uncle, of course, I'm sure, it helps that we live on a boat!!! 

Now, if only the rest of our nieces & nephews can come stay with us...hint, hint!!! ; )

The no-sew, redneck, fender covers!

Last week we had the boat washed and waxed! She's so purdy now!!!

You can just see the water dancing in the reflection on the boat!!! 

We have been putting it off for awhile now, but as you can see that fender {plastic cylinder used to protect the boat from any impact} hanging off the side of the boat, should have a cover over it so it doesn't scuff up the boat. 

Joe went to 'pay-more' {a local marine store here that I've dubbed pay-more, because well, you usually pay more for it here} and they were $33 for each cover. We have 6 fenders, so that would cost us $198 + tax.....Um, I don't think so!!! It's not like they're made of cashmere or silk, it's just cloth!!!

Ergo, the no-sew, redneck fender covers were made! Now, I can't take credit for this fender cover style because many a sailors before us have done just the same. However, the no-sew, redneck part might be mine to claim {doubt it}! 

I honestly was going to sew them, but laziness overcame me and I didn't want to go get the sewing machine out of storage and do all the set up because our boat doesn't really have the room for all of that, so.....

As my Pawpaw would've said, "I went down to the Walmarts" and got 3 pairs of ladies lounge pants. I bought 3XL so they  would be a nice, snug fit. Oh, and they were on clearance for $7/pair, so I only spent $21.....that's $12 less than what the other place charges for ONE cover!!

These are what the fenders look like uncovered....they didn't look good!

Starting at the bottom of the fender, you take the bottom of a pant leg and pull it over the fender like so....

Once you get it to the top of the fender, cut a small section out of the hem, but be careful not to cut into the bottom seam. 

Now, feed the para cord {we had some left over from another project} all the way through the existing hem....

Tie it off tight and tuck the ends under the cover....

Cinch up the material at the bottom, cut it and tie the excess into a double knot like so....

And, here's what it looks like all covered...

 And, hanging off the sides of the boat....

We decided we were only going to use 4 of the fenders so we wound up only using two of the pairs of pants. So all in all, we spent $15 {$14 + tax} for 4 covers versus $135 over at the other place. Sure, we had to do a little work to get them that cheap, but it was well worth the $120 savings to me....and, I really don't think they look all that redneck after all!!! 

Living in the now!

I hope I'm not the only one who gets caught up thinking {or worrying} about the future, so much so that I forget to live in the now. Anyone else?? Most times I'm thinking, I can't wait until we are actually out cruising around, going to new places, exploring different beaches, towns, etc... When in reality, just living on a boat {even at a marina}, is something most people will never do. In fact, with the exception of the friends I've met since moving down here, hubs and I are the only people I know who have ever lived on a boat. How cool are we?!? 

This is our view from the bed in the vberth! It's the first thing I see in the morning and the last thing I see at night! Usually, I can see a star and sometimes the moon!! {try as I might, I couldn't get a decent nighttime photo, but it's just like this morning view, below, only slightly darker} you get the idea!!! ;)

It's like sleeping outside, only from the comfort of your own bed....the best of both worlds I tell ya!!!

This week I have been actively reminding myself to live in the now! Appreciate the life we have now.....

And oh, what a life we live!!!!

This awesome view, might be simple to some, but it's exactly what helps put everything into perspective, for me. Of all the views I've ever woke up to, this beats the dusty, ceiling fan, every time!!!! :)

The color of the sea

And what goes better with the sea....besides boats, fish, & myself? Yeti coolers!!!! And let me just say, this seafoam color makes my heart swoon!!!

I only wish this photo did it true justice.... What this picture doesn't show is, this beauty in its truest form, sitting in the cockpit of a sailboat that can take you to tropical beaches that have this gorgeous seafoam color!!!! Ahhh!!!! One of these days, one of these days...... :)

 I've gotta give props to my brother  {who probably isn't going to even read this} & his wife, for our wonderful "bouse warming gift"!!! I love it!!! :) <3 <3 <3

>>boat + house = bouse<<

>>boat + home = bome<<

You get the idea...Only my brother can come up with a new term that sounds surprisingly normal-ish!! 

Never did I think I could love a cooler....maybe it's the thought of knowing you can add rock salt to the ice and you're only minutes away from drinking a slushy goodness or the fact that it's grizzly proof {hopefully, there's no ocean-going bears to prove this} maybe it's a combination of all of the above, but one thing's for certain, I sure like my seafoam Yeti cooler!!!! =} You know it must be true, because you just read an entire blog post about none other than, an ice chest!! And no, I am not being paid for this fine review....but, if there are any Yeti {or any other product} officials reading this that would like me to promote your biz or product on our blog, please send me an email at: livingirie30@gmail.com

Peace out & go buy a Yeti!!! :)