August 2025 has been a busy, but fun and memorable, month. For the first time in a couple of years, Kay and I got to go somewhere – twice! Although I took only 3 days off work for each trip, first to Boston and then to Surfside Beach – our go-to spot on the Texas Gulf Coast for years – we made the most of both much-needed getaways.
We planned our Boston adventure around seeing my Astros play the Red Sox at Fenway Park, the oldest stadium in the majors (opened in 1912). We arrived late afternoon July 30, found our Airbnb apartment in the northern suburb of Malden, then spent 3-plus days walking over 50,000 steps, riding subways and buses, and seeing as much of the area’s vast history as we could. That included the many stops on the Freedom Trail including the Paul Revere House, Granary Burying Ground and Old North Church; the JFK Library and Museum; the USS Constitution (“Old Ironsides”) and Charlestown Navy Yard; Boston Common/Public Garden; Bunker Hill/Breed’s Hill; and much more.
Of course, we got our fill of lobster rolls and crab rolls, neither of which I’d ever experienced. I had no idea what I’ve been missing for 64 years. I also waited through a long but fast-moving line at Mike’s Pastry (after passing on a similarly lengthy line at the same North End location the previous day) so we could try the highly recommended cannolis. I bought – and ate – way too much. But definitely worth the wait.
Fenway Park was glorious. We’d planned to attend two Astros-Red Sox games but only made it to one because of a ticket snafu. Unfortunately, the Astros lost all three games that weekend to the surging Sox, including 2-1 in 10 innings at our Friday night game. Before the game, we met up with a friend (and fellow Astros fan) of mine from junior high and high school in Conroe, Texas. David Crouchet and his wife, Gina, who live in the Austin area, also planned their Boston trip around catching the Astros at Fenway.
But I now have a new favorite MLB ballpark – Fenway, its fans, the atmosphere, ambiance, traditions and excitement are incredible. That includes everyone singing Neil Diamond’s “Sweet Caroline” in the 8th inning. Of course, we joined in. What a fun night, even though our team lost.
On our last full day in Boston, we took public transportation up to Cambridge and walked around the lush, beautiful, historic Harvard campus. Then we had the great pleasure of meeting for lunch nearby with Christy Brownlee, who lives in western Massachusetts with her family and is the lead science writer for our team at UT Southwestern Medical Center. Christy’s been writing for UTSW for a while but has never been able to visit Texas, so it was great to finally meet her in person after only seeing her in virtual meetings.
On Sunday, August 17, Kay and I drove to Houston with our 24-year-old Phoebe, who hung out at an arcade while we went to the Astros-Orioles game. After an ugly 12-0 Astros loss, we headed to Surfside, south of Galveston.
The beach was beautiful as always. Kay grew up in the Rio Grande Valley, a short drive from South Padre Island, where she spent many happy times in her youth. A beach bum at heart, she’s always at home when we stay at the Ocean Village Hotel right on the beach at Surfside.
The surf was uncharacteristically calm with waves only at the shore, and the ocean breezes weren’t blowing like they usually do, which made our beach strolls hotter than usual. But hey, we were at the beach, so what’s to complain about?
Finally but definitely not least significant, we closed our trip by diverting our drive back to Arlington the following Wednesday to make a stop in tiny Winnie, Texas, east of Houston along Interstate 10 and about 25 miles southwest of Beaumont. There, we thoroughly enjoyed more than three hours visiting with Mark Stevens, a dear friend I’ve known since ninth grade, and his wife, Carole. All of us went to Texas A&M, where Mark met and fell for Carole. They’ve been married since 1982 and have three remarkable grown children.
Although we’ve stayed in close touch for many years, including through his informative holiday letters and our many texts, this was the first time I’d seen Mark and Carole since late 1991. That was well before he and I succumbed to the heredity that made our hair turn from brown to gray. Seeing Mark, whose kindness, compassion, matchless humor and artistic talent (as a painter) are only a few of his gifts, and getting to hug him hello after so long and goodbye when we left made me immensely happy. Our next visit will not wait 34 years.
What a wonderful month! 
Now, here’s a slide show of more photos than you probably want to see from our Boston and beach trips … but I think (OK, hope) you’ll enjoy at least some of them! 
A Life of Words 