Beachy

So, my coastal weekend house is finished, complete with fern, seashells and the wind blowing in my girls hair. She is sitting on the deck outside the bedroom door, looking into space. Is she contemplating the furture, reliving the past or just enjoying the moment,  the sea breeze the smells associated with the coast, the taste of her favorite red wine still fresh on her tongue. My family and I have been escaping to the coast since my oldest daughter, now 43, was in the 7th grade. Twice or more a year we would load the car and make the 4 hour (5 if you count bathroom stops) to Crystal Beach, Texas. As our girls were growing up, boyfriends, then husbands and soon grandchildren were with us. Mike and I would always go and pave the way a few days early. Three days alone. Long Island iced tea, red wine, fresh seafood, ocean fishing, sunning and reading...for THREE WHOLE DAYS.  Then the kids, their families and friends arrived on Friday night and 4 days and nights we did anything we wanted to do...I miss those days. The Friday night everyone arrived we stayed up until sunrise. We sat on the deck, listened to the surf crash, watched the lights in the distance on the shrimping boats and the offshore rigs. We solved many of the worlds problems on that deck.  Crystal Beach was destroyed when Hurricane Ike then Gus hit shore. Only a few housed were left standing, Gilchrist, was completely destroyed. The shore line was altered and will not be rebuilt. The resilient natives of Crystal Beach are slowly rebuilding and I cannot wait to go again. Our 3 level pink (yes pink) house was washed into the Gulf but I still have a million memories and sooooooooo many pictures.  Have a wonderful weekend.