Back from vacation

Didja miss me? I got back in with the family from our vacation on South Padre Island the other night, and it's taking quite a long time to decompress. It was our first real vacation in more than three years or so, and now we need another vacation in order to recover.

The air conditioner in the minivan started acting up south of Kingsville on the trip down (it's about a five hour drive, and Kingsville is roughly three hours into it) and died completely on the way home. And the engine started overheating. The problem turned out to be a $10 thermostat, which has since been replaced, and everything is back in working order. But that was one miserable return trip home in the South Texas heat and humidity, I can assure you.

The actual vacation part was much more enjoyable, and I'll tell more about it. For now, though, here are a couple of shots from our visit to the Port Isabel lighthouse. That's Calista and Keela at the front entrance (Calista the one who was insistent on making the lighthouse one of our sights to see):



And here's yours truly climbing up through the spiral innards of said tower. You would think a pretty white lighthouse like this one would be cool and comfortable inside. You'd be mistaken. It had a great view of the Laguna Madre and Padre Island, though.



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