Travel with Grandkids

I was recently in South Padre Island in Texas working on a story for  Christian Living in the Mature Years Magazine . The little wasn’t with me on the trip, but I sure wish she had been. One of the activities we participated in while there was a sandcastle building class with  Sand Castle Lessons . Image by  reuben east  from  Pixabay Over the course of an hour, we learned how to build a proper sandcastle (it takes a lot more water than I expected), decorate the castle, and build onto the structure. We learned different methods of building, including soft packing, hand stacking, and the drip technique.The little would have loved it. I loved it! We learned that the sand on South Padre Island is perfectly suited for building sand structures, which explains why it’s known as the “Sandcastle Capital of the World.” The mineral makeup of the sand helps make the castles strong. If you find yourself on South Padre, with or without the kiddos, be sure to checkout  Sand Castle Lessons  f

We recently took a trip with the little to visit family in Seattle. They took us sightseeing to Seattle Center in downtown Seattle. It is home to a number of must-see sights in the city: The Space Needle, Chihuly Gardens, the Museum of Pop Culture, and a giant playground: Artists at Play. Since we wanted to hit all of the sites above, we nabbed a couple  Seattle CityPASSes  (which included tickets to each minus the playground, which is free). We arrived early on a weekday, and the place was still packed. I recommend visiting the Space Needle first, since it had the longest wait. The Space Needle was so much fun for the little. She loved the view and couldn’t get enough of the spinning level, which has a glass floor and slowly does a complete 360° rotation. We spent a lot of time in the gift shop, then headed out to the playground. After grabbing a hot dog for lunch, we went to the Chihuly Gardens for some otherworldly art. The little was confused, delighted, and in awe of the s