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Texas Coast: Day 2

Sep 6th, 2009
by Jim Reverend.
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Celeste watching Poi

Celeste watching Poi

(Since I’m now a day behind, I’d better include dates to keep things clear. This is Texas Coast Day 2, Friday, September 4th.)

We started our day with an awesome breakfast. Then did some grocery shopping, visited some people including three adorable toddlers, and then came home for a nap.

After nap, we headed out to the beach for a late afternoon / early evening swim. Celeste loved it. She didn’t open her eyes underwater, was not afraid of the waves, and had a blast looking for seashells, watching the birds, and playing in the sand. When it got dark enough, Bonnie spun Poi on the beach and Celeste watched in awe. It was a LOT darker out than this photo makes it look. Bonnie loaned me her Canon G9 which I had on a tripod and took a 1 second exposure to capture this.

I got bit up pretty bad by mosquitoes in the last 15 minutes before we left. 20 bites or so in all. I’m usually almost immune to them. Celeste, who was in my arms, didn’t get any bites at all. So I guess I was just in the wrong place at the wrong time. Instead of going with the flow, I was starting to get stressed out about sand and baths and dinners and drives and all of those other things. I tend to be a beacon of peace and anti-stress… until I’m not. It’s like a lightswitch. At any rate, in the middle of all that stress Celeste, who probably sensed it, bit me. And then shortly there after the mosquito attack happened. So, with all of that together, I was in full blown panic mode, which is not good.

Aside from not quite being curvy enough, Justin was a good surrogate wife for the evening, though. He calmed me down, made some jokes, and had fun with Celeste until I got back to my usual self. We sat down for a good dinner, Celeste discovered a love for Ranch dressing, and then we headed home.

A good day, all in all, despite my panic attack.

Texas Coast, Day IV

Jul 15th, 2009
by Jim Reverend.
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Sunrise on Aransas Pass

sunrise over aransas pass

Sunrise on Aransas Pass

I woke up before the sun and headed down toward Port Aransas to find a good spot to catch the sunrise. I guess I didn’t look very closely at the map before I plotted my course, because I didn’t realize there was a ferry between where I was and Port Aransas. Opting not to spend the time and money on the ferry, I found a decent spot on the pass just before the ferry and set up.

Later that day as we were well on our way to Galveston I would realize that, having avoided that ferry trip meant that I didn’t see Port Aransas at all. Looks like I’ll have to come back. Which is okay by me.

The Big Tree

Just North of Rockport, Texas lives an oak tree estimated to be over 1,000 years old. It’s quite beautiful and absolutely amazing to look at and consider all of the winters and summers and storms the tree has seen. The parks system has built metal crutches to hold up some of its limbs, planted grass below it’s spanning branches, built a chain link fence around it, and posted bad poems on large signs near by to commemorate it. Clearly, they are trying to protect the tree and help it to live another 1,000 years. But in reality they are only isolating it and shutting it off from the environment it’s known for 1,000 years.

Sometimes we don’t realize that by trying to prevent change in something, we end up changing it the most. That which lives, let it live.

Galveston

salt water reeds

salt water grass

I didn’t realize Galveston is as large as it is, so that was my first surprise. My second surprise was how unpopulated it was. Of course, it was the middle of a week, on a very hot day, and the region is still recovering from a bad hurricane. So, that makes sense.

None the less, I had a good time photographing the old buildings, eating good food on the bay, and walking along the seawall.

Bolivar

The Bolivar Peninsula, or what little of it I’ve seen so far, is quaint. It reminds me a bit of Manitoulin Island in that it seems to have it’s own vibe and it’s own way of life separate from the communities that surround it. Last night, well after midnight, I stood on the beach and felt the wind blow through my hair and listened to the waves crash into the shore. In that moment, I feel infinite. I felt not like Daniel, not like Human, not like Earthling, but like one single organ in the larger being that is Universe.

Texas Coast, Day II and Day III

Jul 14th, 2009
by Jim Reverend.
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Day II

Harbor Bridge

Harbor Bridge

I woke up early, showered, then went out to meet a friend I haven’t seen on a few years for a cup of coffee. Then I had a little time at the hotel followed by a late breakfast at Kerbie Lane which was quite good.

Then we left Austin headed for Rockport. We made a few stops on the way, then checked into the hotel and bummed around for a bit before going to the boiling pot for dinner. After dinner we drove to the harbor bridge for some photographs and were lucky to see the Barnum and Bailey train full of animals on the tracks.

It’s strange, and sort of sad, to see the animals outside of their element. When they are in the circus and you’re watching the act, it’s a performance. It’s not reality and it’s not meant to be seen that way. But seeing train car after train car filled with elephants, their trunks moving up and down in front of the steel caged windows made me consider their life outside of performance. I can’t say they aren’t happy. It’s obvious their life is different than it would be roaming free. But that doesn’t mean their unhappy. It’s just strange to think in those terms.

After photos, we called it a night.

Day III

my pounding chest

my pounding chest

The day began just a little too late to catch the sunrise. But Justin and I went out for some early morning photos anyway. I forgot how bad the humid air here can be on a cold camera lens and I ended up being unable to get any photographs that morning as I waited for all of the lens elements to defog. Lesson learned: leave the camera in the car overnight.

Justin and I had a damn good breakfast on the harbor and picked up something for Bonnie on the way back. Then we bummed around the hotel some more and eventually ended up heading for Mustang Island. We stopped and had some good sushi in Corpus Christi and also picked up a hat so the sun wouldn’t get to us. I had brought one but couldn’t find it and thought I had forgotten it and then later found it. Ha.

I had a fantastic time on Mustang Island. So beautiful. For me, being surrounded in nature or surrounded in love are the two ways one can be physically the closest to God. Really, I’d argue that those are one and the same.

It’s so amazing to stand on the soft, sandy ocean bottom as wave after wave crashes into your chest. Fall back and kick your feet until your back hits the ground and just wait for another wave to pass. Jump through waves as they pass by you. Let waves carry you forward toward shore, then feel the return sweep you off your feet. These waves, these tides, are the pulse of the earth. Wading in them — feeling them push against you again and again — your pulses almost synchronize. There’s nothing quite like it to show you just how small yet important you are.

Despite travelling with friends, I was alone in that moment. I found myself wishing for close companionship. Someone who would feel how heavy the world is with me — side by side — and then playfully remind me of how light it is as well. Maybe a smile, a competitive splash, a kick in the legs, a long kiss, or a playful flash. Something to say “in this world, we are small. Yet in it all, this world, too, is small. And in that, we are all important. ”

Yeah. You can say all of that without speaking.

We stopped at a Mediterranean place for dinner which was quite good. Then we headed to take night photos of Fulton Mansion and then back to the hotel for much needed rest. I should have showered before bed. But, instead, I left the sweet, sticky, salt on my skin over night, so I would be reminded again in the morning.