Birthday Bash Sunday

A good friend of ours here at Sandollar Resort, Bill G., is having his big birthday bash this weekend. His daughter and son-in-law who live in the Houston area orchestrate the event and, based on what we saw last year, the theme appears to be "shock and awe".

The first indication of the theme was the arrival of a very-stretched Hummer Limo which provided enough room for Bill and a bunch off his friends from the park to be transported over to the Boiling Pot restaurant for lunch. A stretched Hummer is not a usual site here along the Coastal Bend and "shock and awe" was the look on the faces of anyone we encountered along the way.

The Boiling Pot restaurant provides a little "shock and awe" of it's own, especially if you've not been there before like Dar and me. A local institution and survivor in the Rockport restaurant scene for many years, it's basically a tin shack with enough roof to keep patrons dry during heavy rains. A special ambiance is created by crayon drawings made by waiting patrons, and graffiti and scratchings on the corrugated tin walls.

The signature dish is a boiled dinner of various shellfish, corn, potatoes, sausage, and cajun seasonings. The whole works is dumped right on your paper-lined table and eating is a simple mater of reaching into the pile of steaming food, pulling out something, and then figuring out how to eat what you've retrieved. A small wooden hammer is provided for cracking shells. No other utensils are needed or provided. It's a very social dining experience... and a lot of fun.

The weather Sunday was probably the best day we've had since we arrived here in early December. Full sun, warm temps, little breeze... it was perfect for an outdoor gathering back at Sandollar after lunch.

The next stop was drinks and snacks at the Lighthouse Inn, the nicest hotel in the area. Almost everyone from our corner of the RV Park showed up for the revelry, which added some life and excitement (dare I suggest "shock and awe") to the normally staid and dignified surroundings. Loud laughter and merrymaking rewarded anyone within earshot.

Today is Monday, and the bash continues a bit later this morning as a group of us will pile back into the Limo for a tour of the area and a lunch stop at a great Mexican restaurant over on the island in Port Aransas.

Thom