As for me, I am tormented with an everlasting itch for things remote. I love to sail forbidden seas, and land on barbarous coasts.
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One of the things we felt we must do on this trip was whale-watching. Jen has a very precarious relationship with water in general, and the ocean in particular, but she was still eager to take a short trip.
July 11th is of course our anniversary, and the reason for the trip, so it only seemed appropriate to schedule this outing for the day.
The hotel exterior from the lounge window. The gardens in this place are just gorgeous, especially to us Central Texans.
It took me till today to realize this sculpture was of porpoises. This is the front courtyard of the hotel; the garden we had dinner in is just across.
My love was starting to feel a bit anxious before our voyage. She doesn't swim well and is afraid of large bodies of water. "And yet she persisted", as Mitch McConnell said of Elizabeth Warren. My wife is pretty damn special.
Not the Minnow, but it'll do.
I was unprepared for how beautiful the water would be. I've seen oceans, including the North Atlantic, many times before, from the shore, but had only ever been out on the open water in the Gulf Coast. This was a very different experience, with the water a deep, crystalline blue that was spectacular. As clouds skated by overhead, the wave peaks glittered like jewels as rays of light pierced the clouds.
Halfway Point Lighthouse, the last spur of rock before reaching the open ocean. There were dozens of harbor seals basking in the sun on the surrounding rocks.
The astute Reader might notice a distinct lack of whales in these photographs. This is because we saw only a single Minke, which did not hang around the boat long enough to oblige us with a photo-op. The same is true of the porpoises, seals, birds, and other life. I think this is where a phone camera that is not hanging around the neck ready to go is a huge detriment. Wildlife photography wants better tools.
The restaurant that Jen and I dined in celebration of our 27th anniversary.
The day we married, we had in celebration a medium pepperoni pizza from Pizza Hut, because we were broke college kids. We talked about having a pizza to commemorate this, and ended up at very upscale Italian restaurant which did not in fact serve that dish. They did however have a fantastic Focaccia which we had as an appetizer. The food was very, very good.
