When at 6:00 p.m. the temperature in Houston registers a toasty 122 degrees, the smartest thing to do is head for the coast.
Since the last weekend in June marked a birthday for me (June 28), I did the smart thing and jumped in the air-conditioned car and travelled 2.5 hours south with my friend/neighbor,
Tyra to her Mother's house in picturesque, but tiny village, of
Seadrift, Texas (population
approximately 1,000). Lea (aka Mom) has a cute little home right on San Antonio Bay. The view below is from her back yard looking out to the bay. The view alone made us FEEL cooler!
AHHHHHH!
Seadrift, TX is known for it's murals. I think they have almost 25 scattered throughout the town and for such a small town....that's a lot of cool art.
Traveling down the main street, the huge
bougainvillea is stunning and colorful.
First shopping stop is at this cute and
beachy store named Morning Glory. Morning GLORY got it's name because the building was formerly a church. Since
Tyra grew up in
Seadrift, it's literally a place where EVERYONE knows your name. This store is owned by a former classmate (Janey) and she couldn't have made us feel more welcome.
Isn't this tricycle just the cutest thing?
The store owners love children but they had this cute little sign. Kinda makes a mother think twice before letting her kids run wild...
lol!
Continuing my love of signs, I honed in on this funny version of Shabby Chic. And since the shop is part
beachy.....there were lots of fun painted fish too.
Wouldn't it be nice to kick back on the porch with a custom painted folding chair? Click on picture for more detail.
This was one of my favorite rooms. I always love, love, love (do I sound like Teresa from Housewives of New Jersey ?) garden art and french inspired garden folly.
Another view of the garden room with lots and lots of pretties to look at.
A old
armoire painted in funky beach colors would sure be fun in a
kitchy beach house, don't you think?
As we made our purchases and headed out the door, we just knew we would be back. The bargains were too good, the staff
uber friendly and this place just SPOKE to us. They even let me go in their work area in the back and I was in heaven....surrounded by paint and glue and things that just cried to be embellished and repurposed. I took a picture for myself but promised them I wouldn't share the place where "all the magic and
transformation happens"!
Below is Janey and
Tyra holding my favorite purchase of the day....you guessed it...another SIGN! Help me out all you French speakers....it says...."Life is Beautiful", doesn't it? No matter....I love it!
And as previously mentioned, we celebrated my birthday while in
Seadrift! My sweet friend had this cute place setting at the kitchen table when I woke up. It was a perfect start to another day of shopping and you'll see THAT shopping day on my next post.
This one was right on the bay and had inhabitants that clearly love the place and take really good care of it. 
This was another grand historical home in Rockport and clearly has been well taken care of. When we return I want to see if we can take a tour.
Below is the view that this historic homes looks out on. The Gulf of Mexico, palm trees and shrimp boats. What a view!
As we drive on the main road to Rockport we can practically sniff out the fun beach shops, this is our roadside view.
At the recommendation of a local, we ended up going to a new Cafe and Art Gallery. We were told they have some of the best Chicken Salad and we weren't steered wrong. This was a mural that was on one wall of the gallery. We asked about the painting and the owner laughed and said..."Everyone thinks it's a drawing of the shops just down the block....but it's wallpaper". We had to get up VERY close to confirm that. However, it looks VERY similar to the surrounding stores.
Our first stop was a cute little shop that had old and new items. And of course, most of it was ocean themed. 
The next stop was a fun and funky place that we were quickly drawn too. It reminded us of a lot of the cool vendors at Warrenton. We asked them if they had ever been to Warrenton and they said of course....and they were pleased to report that they will be having a booth in the fall! Ya'll go seek them out....they are called the Rowdy Maui and do the coolest painted cowboy boots. 
We loved all their colorful signs. This is my friend, Tyra, holding up one of our favorites. ;)
You can see they have an eclectic fashion sense and it's a hoot. They will paint cowboy boots that you bring in the store OR you can buy the already painted boots they have in stock. 
The whole store was a feast for the eyes with their bright colors, clever signs and funky clothes, jewelry and artwork.
Now, jump back into the air conditioned car with us to head up the road...because remember, the temps over the weekend were hovering at 102 and we were hot and in search of a SNOW CONE! Those things are so refreshing and can cool you down immediately. Wouldn't this hammock be the perfect place to have enjoyed that icy treat?
Inside THIS store we found lots of Shabby Chic items. I've always loved turquoise and I love the way they are combining shades of turquoise with a pop of red. Hmmmm....do I smell PAINT in my future? Well, I believe I do!!
I have almost that exact dressing table (below). They painted theirs white but mine (I inherited from my Grandmother) is in very good shape in a mahogany finish so for once in my life, I believe I'll leave it unpainted.....but I do LIKE the look of the white dresser, don't you?
So thanks for coming along with us on our beachy, shopping adventure. There are SO many places to discover in that part of South Texas, I just know we'll be back to visit soon. Perhaps in the late fall when the temperature finally starts getting a bit more bearable.
