Take a walk on the wild side: Day 6

We woke up happy, well-rested, and ready for more of the push button pancakes for breakfast this morning.

These goofballs were ready for another fun filled day!

We took off this morning and drove through the historic market in San Antonio before heading off to Houston. We took our time getting to Galveston as we couldn’t get into our condo until 3 and with the storm, we were in no hurry to say goodbye to what little sunshine there might be left.

Historic Market Square

We stopped off in Houston at Discovery Green Park and played on the playground, walked the park and got a feel for downtown Houston.

The park even had it's own selfie station! :)

Since this park is right downtown, we took the girls on a little walk through all of the skyscrapers and ate downtown with all the “business people.” We couldn’t get over how friendly everyone was. Southern charm definitely trumped Midwest manners in this case.

3 girls, which apparently have 0 upper body strength! :)

It was fun to see the streetcars running and watch the girls dream about what life would be like if we lived in a big city. After a quick lunch, we headed over to Hermann Park to explore a little more in Houston. This park was incredible!

Riding the train to see the park and decide which parts we wanted to check out. It was so HUGE!

With over 350 acres to explore, we decided to hop on the little train and let it show us around the park first. With playgrounds, fountains, lots of green space (even a hill designed specifically to roll down), an amphitheater, and the Houston Zoo; there are ample activities to keep you busy here. After our train ride, we decided the Japanese Tea Gardens looked the most intriguing so we checked them out.

"Mom, what does this say? It's written in Spanish." - Ummm...yikes.

This beautiful oasis in the middle of the park was so peaceful and serene. We loved walking the stone paths, over tiny bridges to discover what the next turn had in store for us. From the turtles and Koi ponds to the tea house and dragonflies, it was breathtaking around every bend.

There were little geckos poking their heads out of the reeds that captured the girl's attention if you look closely.

We decided the storm must be getting close as the skies started looking a bit dark so we headed back to get on the road to Galveston before the worst of it was scheduled to hit, but not before checking out even more fountains. The splash zones around Houston are everywhere! You can tell Texas heat must get pretty intense as it seems everywhere you go there is a fountain to cool down in.

Once again, promising to stay dry...yeah right!

All the signs on the highway said they were doing voluntary evacuations and to be sure to get gas and supplies before getting onto the island. We stopped off to load up on a few things and headed over the bridge. It was obvious they had already received substantial rainfall and the winds were picking up. Everything was red flagged and news crews were out at the beaches covering Tropical Storm Cindy. We checked into our condo just as the rain started and followed all the directions to prepare our condo for the storm.

Loving the bunk beds!

Making herself right at home!

Our bucket list for the next few days!

Though she cleaned up in Farkle, she wasn't a fan of Tropical Storm Cindy raining on her parade.

Our view from the balcony.

We sat inside playing games for an hour and the rain let up, so…we headed to the beach. We’re not totally stupid, we didn’t go in the water, but we did have fun searching for shells and watching the tide come in.

Shelling.

Tide started rolling in, waves were getting high and mama closed down the fun.

It wasn’t long and it was obvious the tide was coming in fast so we headed back to swim in the pool. There was no threat of lightening, so if we’re going to get wet anyway, we thought we might as well swim! With a heated pool (so warm) all to ourselves we swam until it was dark just in case this storm has big ideas and we’re unable to swim tomorrow.