I’m writing from Galveston Island, Texas…

…Byron surprised me with a trip to the island to stay at The Tremont House - where we spent our honeymoon over 18 years ago.

Since the hotel is listed in the historic registry, it hasn’t changed much at all since we were here last. Last night we ate Mediterranean food (ending with baklava and Turkish coffee: divine!), then went on a horse-drawn carriage ride through town with a narrative of all the interesting facts about this area.

Over 6,000 people died in the “1900 storm”, so any buildings that survived are protected and many have been restored to their original state (with the addition of electricity)…

I love old buildings and cities…of course, in America “old” and historical are relative terms compared to other parts of the world. But, I’ll take what I can get.

Since I was a little girl, I’ve always loved old things: old books, antique furniture, vintage clothing - I love the smell of a really old bookstore or antique shop. I always think about the stories that unfolded in places like that…people’s lives. It fascinates me…

As we went around last night looking at the quaint little Victorian houses, I could feel the “wheels” turning in Byron’s mind - he knows I love that kind of stuff - so he finally asked the guide, “How much do these houses sell for?”…

It was sweet of him to ask - the answer woke us up from our dreaming, though.

This morning we had breakfast and then walked down to a little coffee shop around the corner - then, I had to buy some seashells to commemorate the trip…kind of odd for someone from Florida, but seashells are very Victorian, so that fit with the whole theme…

We’ll take the ferry back across to the mainland. I’ll take a zillion pictures, of course.

It has been a lovely surprise.

I hope you all have a lovely holiday week filled with many opportunities for remembrance…and lots of beauty.

Peace.