My Van Life: Day 55
Wednesday, October 13, 2021
Port Lavaca, TX
Have you ever had that feeling when you take a shower and then begin profusely sweating immediately after and end up feeling like your shower was a total waste??? Well, I would never say my shower last night was a waste because it certainly was not however...It's not the most pleasant thing to have this life-changing shower and wake up the next morning feeling like you sweated all the clean shower goodness away throughout the night. I wake up just about every morning here face plastered with sweat and my hair all over the place. How my hair sticks up like that after a night’s sleep here I really have no idea. Underneath all the sweat my face looks tan at least and thankfully I think my skin is starting to clear up after some random skin issues and flare ups I’ve been having this week. All I can chalk it up to is the change in climate and of course the dramatic shift going from living in a house for a month to, well, living in a van. It's an adjustment in many ways, one of which certainly effects the beauty regime and my skin as a result.
It was a particularly busy work day so unfortunately I didn’t really have time for my traditional morning routine which is never the way I want to get the day started but even so I did have plenty of time to open the slider and back door and enjoy the morning breeze and sunrise over the water. There’s a family in a renovated school bus next to us in this row of RVs and when we open the back door in the morning the sun is just barely peaking out above their bus. It’s such a beautiful sight to see first thing in the morning, peaking through sweaty hair tendrils matted to my forehead. Imagine falling asleep on the beach and waking up at sunrise. I bet you just saw the most spectacular scene flash through your mind's eye didn’t you? That’s been every morning waking up here and thus I’ve been waking up with the most serene, peaceful energy. That is of course once the doors have been opened and the sweat from my face chills with the sudden onslaught of the ocean breeze. Then we’re on the right side of the bed.
But in all seriousness this has been a beautiful stay and one I would highly recommend. Even with the weather having been in the upper 80s and humid the whole time, it hasn’t ever been unbearable. No, no, no, we've experienced unbearable one too many times on this trip to be able to tell the difference. Because we’re along the water the wind is STRONG so if you’re able to leave the doors open it creates this dreamy beachside weather sensation. Much better than the rest of hot and humid Texas more inland.
Once the work day was over we got an early beach walk in. During our walk we were talking about how incredible this place has been and how fortunate we feel not only to have stayed here but to be in this moment. Like how many people can roll out of bed and walk along the beach first thing in the morning?! Or finish their work day and do the same?! And not any old beach, a beach made entirely of seashells! I know I won’t shut up about these seashells but I’m still just in awe. An entire beach made of the most perfect seashells, all different shapes and sizes! I’ve got a mason jar full of all the beautiful and peculiar ones I've been collecting. I need to think of an art project or some way to display them and honor this moment in time. Encapsulate this memory and eternally honor the beauty of this place in some small way.
In other news, our van charge has been concerning us all day. Pretty much since we’ve been at Port Lavaca it’s been sunny and cloudy on and off but the sun’s never really been powerful enough to charge the van. Definitely concerning. We have quite a few devices between us (laptops, iPhones, etc.) which doesn’t help the situation but how frustrating it’s been to feel like we haven’t made any progress even with the sun (a strong sun at that!) coming out sporadically. Truthfully we have no idea what it means to lose all our charge, to go down to 0, so we’re a bit nervous about that and are already thinking through what the plan might be for tomorrow should it actually come down to that. It looks like nothing but clouds here for the rest of the week so we may have to make moves and depart Port Lavaca sooner than we anticipated…