On the ephemeral nature of life

So we decided to take another trip down to Port Aransas since the surf was 'epic' as they say. The whole trip was really wonderful, one of those rare times in life when everything seems somewhat magical. On the trip down, we drove through a snowstorm of butterflies. Not just a few times, but almost the *whole* way. As we walked out on the pier that night they landed on our hands and heads, and fluttered softly past as we walked in the misty dusk. We stayed at the Tarpon Inn, an ancient and cool former Civil War barracks, and walked to dinner across the street (grilled scallops and salad with blue cheese and sundried tomatoes, yum). Our room had no TV, and extra soft and fluffy bedding on a 1700's wood bed. It seemed luxurious to just lay there and read the new copy of Dwell. The next morning at 7, we headed to the beach and it was littered with the dying bodies of countless flutterbies. In vain I picked a few off the wet sand to 'set them free' in the wind, until I realized that their time on earth was almost over.

Kyle had a great time in the waves, getting good ride after good ride. I like pier surfing because I can walk out and talk to him as he paddles out, and see exactly what's going on. I got some good shots and video, and had a great time in the cloudy morning.

Luckily our house is nearing completion! Wait, maybe I spoke too soon- we've still got a couple weeks of hard work left. Although we're pretty pleased that the bathroom turned out so well. You probably can't tell from the picture, but the woven vinyl Chilewich flooring looks great with the metal sink stand and tile. We love the tiny tiles above the sink, and it was so easy!! Tino obviously loves it too :). We learned some things about reinstalling toilets, and overall are feeling full of pride in our reno talents. Our neighbor Peter is finishing up the new privacy fence tomorrow, and Nolan and Joanne are helping us install new drywall in the dining area, and a new ipe deck in front of the front door. My p's are coming down again to help with the rest of the exterior work. At this point we're hoping Halloween sees us with a For Sale sign in the yard. Maybe a trick-or-treater will want more than mini Snickers.