{"id":11186,"date":"2026-09-02T13:34:57","date_gmt":"2026-09-02T17:34:57","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/shearwater-sailing.com\/?page_id=11186"},"modified":"2026-09-13T06:45:36","modified_gmt":"2026-09-13T10:45:36","slug":"2026-august-september-visit-the-romans-in-sunset-beach-tx","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/shearwater-sailing.com\/index.php\/2026-august-september-visit-the-romans-in-sunset-beach-tx\/","title":{"rendered":"2026 August \u2013 September Visit the Family in Sunset Beach, Austin and Buchanan Lake, TX"},"content":{"rendered":"

I always enjoy an RV trip. The Trip to Austin has special meaning because many of my family live there. The time with my grandkids is high on my list of special times. The driving is relaxed and the camping is wonderful. Beachside, quiet, hassel free, and level.<\/p>\n

The usual drive on I-10 has several favorite Interstate detours.\u00a0 The trip West had two of them. The Dauphin Island Campground<\/a> is on the west end of the Mobile Bay Ferry. It is a quiet, inexpensive, public campground with large shaded campsites. The campsites are just a short trail to a lovely beach. Flat, clean, and quiet, this beach has an excellent view of the bay and very little wave action.<\/p>\n

https:\/\/shearwater-sailing.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/Stu-on-Dolphin-Island-singing.mp4<\/a><\/video><\/div>\n

Fortunately, there was no one to hear me sing.<\/p>\n

I continued west from Alabama toward Bolivar Island. The island is known for quality beach camping with several beachfront campgrounds convenient to the West End Ferry. Unfortunately, the combination of storms and inflation drove the campgrounds to crowding and high prices.<\/p>\n

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The remains of Bolivar State Park<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

For many years there was a park where people stopped for the night to wait for the morning ferry. This was my planned stop. Unfortunately much of the park washed away and the rest was closed. So, I continued to the ferry and crossed to Galveston.<\/p>\n

The Bolivar to Galveston Ferry connects the closed park on Bolivar to the newly clean and quiet Stewart Beach on Galveston Island, The ride is about 1\/2 hour of terrific cruising, with lots of very large ships, many fishing boats, and water all around.<\/p>\n

https:\/\/shearwater-sailing.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/Bolivar-to-Galveston-park-and-ferry.mp4<\/a><\/video><\/div>\n

Stewart Beach was, for years, the target of the party and drug crowd. I arrived to find an empty beach with about 5 other cars, a $15 entry fee, and direct access to the best of Galveston beaches.<\/p>\n

Sunset, a good night sleep, and a long morning walk was followed by a water aerobics exercise in Galveston Bay.<\/p>\n

https:\/\/shearwater-sailing.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/Stu-exercising-in-Galveston-Bay-8-26-1.mp4<\/a><\/video><\/div>\n

 <\/p>\n

Exercising on Stewart Beach was invigorating.\u00a0 The parking area is very large, the police patrol was friendly, and the beach was easy to walk.<\/p>\n

After exercising and breakfast, I continued to Austin and “camped” in Miguel’s driveway. Visited with the grandkids and performed on\"\"<\/a>e of the major Grandfather duties – spoiling the kids. The next day, I relocated to Rebecca and Miguel’s lake house on Lake LBJ. Since Rebecca now has an electric car, Miguel has installed a level 2 charger – the same plug and cord as my RV. I had ample power at both houses.<\/p>\n

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Electric folding bike with wide tires.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Miguel and Rebecca had a folding electric bike they no longer used. They gave the bike to me and now i will be able to ride on the beaches after my morning walks. It is sitting happily on the bike rack waiting to be tested on Galveston Beach. The bike complements my present\u00a0 electric road bike.<\/p>\n

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Stu and Rebecca<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"\"<\/a>
Miguel at Waketown<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

I continued out to the lake house in Sunrise. This is a small, friendly town. Mostly retired people who bought when it was first developed. The family went on a relaxing boat trip to Waketown, one of many waterfront places that grew up on the lake. We had kind of a linner – late lunch and a snack for the Grandkids.<\/p>\n

After the Waketown voyage, the family departed for home and school the next day.\u00a0 Joshua and I met for a Stromboli and Calzone and a long talk about Joshua’s upcoming retirement and his plans to bicycle. I feel like I just retired (26 years ago) and it is truly amazing to see the next generation of retirement.<\/p>\n

While at the lake house, I was fortunate to have the support and encouragement of two amateur civil engineers who liked to play in the sand; Dylan shoveled sand into a substantial pile and both kids molded a roller-coaster-like track we could use to roll golf balls.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

This is the 4th generation of family golf ball rolls. My Father started with\u00a0 a single scratched ball on Brigantine beach in the 1950s and we have been building them since. The kids had fun with both the buiilding and the rolling – and we asked a neighboring boater to take the photos.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Just for the record, in 1969 Alice and I had jobs in Ft. Walton Beach at Eglin Air Force Base. Her brother, Burt Filemyr and I built the ultimate golf ball roll over a 2-day period just above high tide. It supported 4 simultaneous golf balls and each ball took about 35 seconds to travel the route. The roll had two paths and each ball randomly selected the path for the trip down. Thanks to Shirley for finding and keeping the image belowl<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
1981 Golf Ball Roll on Ft. Walton Beach<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"\"<\/a>
17 mile bike ride to post office<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The kids returned to school and I went off on a 17-mile\u00a0 mid-day (98\u00b0 temp) to Kingsland, Florida to return a package to the post office. A diversion to Dairy Queen sustained me in the heat. The roads are quite good, with wide shoulders and polite drivers. But it was hot!!! It took me two days of extra water to recover.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
Stu exercising at Sunrise Beach Civic Center<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

In the meantime, Rebecca found me an excellent weight training class at the Sunrise Beach Civic Center. The classes are regularly $5 for an hour class; however after a day on the phone, I found that insurance pays for the fee. It was an excellent group of people, led by Meredith Gabbitas, who is very supportive. For some reason, United Health Care no longer offers Silver Sneakers and now use Renew Active.\u00a0 I feel like a magazine subscription, but it is still exercise.<\/p>\n

Miguel collects and restores antique cars. Mostly they live in his Austin garage on a specially built car elevator. This week he drove to meet me at the lake house in his 1988 Porsche 911 Turbo Look. The 1988 Porsche 911 “Turbo Look” is a factory option package, designated by code M491. Only 37 were imported into the United States and it is fair to say that Miguel’s unmodified white convertible is the best of the remaining samples.\u00a0 At it is the best I will ever see.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
Miguel’s Porsche at Wake Town<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Miguel is very quiet about his car. His calm was penetrated for a few seconds when a Waketown employee came up and asked if the car was a “Turbo Look, acknowledging both the beauty and the new appearance of a truly beautiful car.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
Sierra boosted at cheerleading<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

There were many high points of the visit. One of the highest was when Sierra was boosted into the air at a football event when she was part of a cheerleading team. I am sure the smiling cheerleader’s help the team compete as there were nearly as many parents watching the cheerleaders as were watching the team.<\/p>\n

There is a significant practice for cheerleading. Even in primary school, Texas makes nearly as big a deal about cheerleading as the game itself. In later grades there is competitive cheerleading with events progressing to the state level.<\/p>\n

https:\/\/shearwater-sailing.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/Sierra-Cheerleading-6-2026.mp4<\/a><\/video><\/div>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

I have been exercising and dieting for several months with surprising results. Just as the adds promise, I have more energy, a better outlook on life, and I can now dance (fast dances) for three entire sets without being winded or tired. This latest exercise, a bridge to lift my trunk off a swim mat, is intended to stregthen my back and trunk muscles and is supposed to eliminate the remains of my belly.\u00a0 We’ll see, I have dropped from a tight 36 husky waistline to a 33 slim that takes a belt to keep my pants in place. As I travel, I find and visit local rec. centers that have classes.<\/p>\n

On Labor Day, Stephanie and Joshua prepared a feast centered on Thor’s Hammer,<\/a> a mythical cut of beef with a storied past. Anyone who possesses the hammer is said to have the Power of Thor. Dylan possesses that power! Joshua brought out the full flavor by smoking it for many hours before pulling it off the bone and serving it with beautifully smoked potatoes and fresh salad.<\/p>\n

Truly a meal for the Gods.<\/p>\n

Finally, it is time to say goodby for now to the wonderful Austin family. Looking forward to another visit at Thanksgiving!<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
Time to say Goodby for now.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

I always enjoy an RV trip. The Trip to Austin has special meaning because many of my family live there. The time with my grandkids is high on my list of special times. The driving is relaxed and the camping is wonderful. Beachside, quiet, hassel free, and level. The usual drive on I-10 has several … Continue reading 2026 August \u2013 September Visit the Family in Sunset Beach, Austin and Buchanan Lake, TX<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":68,"featured_media":11192,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-11186","page","type-page","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/shearwater-sailing.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/11186","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/shearwater-sailing.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/shearwater-sailing.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/shearwater-sailing.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/68"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/shearwater-sailing.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=11186"}],"version-history":[{"count":36,"href":"https:\/\/shearwater-sailing.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/11186\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":11296,"href":"https:\/\/shearwater-sailing.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/11186\/revisions\/11296"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/shearwater-sailing.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/11192"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/shearwater-sailing.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=11186"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}