A beach weekend was a perfect way to end a rainy October

This time I’ll try not to piss off the Galveston Chamber of Commerce. I usually do, even though I love going to Galveston.

Galveston, the closest beach to Dallas, is about a five-hour drive including traffic delays through Houston and a few construction bottlenecks. The directions are simple. Take I-45 from downtown Dallas; 289 miles later, the interstate becomes Broadway, a palm tree-lined street that dead ends at Seawall Boulevard. To get there quicker, fly to Hobby Airport and rent a car to zip down to the island in less than an hour.

A group of friends and I rented a beach house for a wonderful weekend on the island.

The three-story, four-bedroom house that slept 10 rented for about $1,700 for the weekend. For two nights, that works out to about $85 per person per night, and it is available through Sand and Sea Properties at SandNSea.com. Many of the houses they have available are even pet friendly.

We were less than a block from the beach, with wonderful ocean views from the deck off my bedroom. The property was beyond the sea wall, so it was away from the traffic and the crowds and was perfect for a relaxing weekend on the beach.

Sunsets were gorgeous and I promised everyone I stayed with that I wouldn’t mention that if they turned the island so that it faced west instead of south, the sun would set over the water rather than behind a highway. For that view, I mentioned, you have to go to Florida, but I promised everyone I wouldn’t say that, because the Galveston Chamber of Commerce gets a little touchy whenever I write about the island. But the sun did rise over the water. I got a glimpse on Sunday morning. It was magnificent — and then I went back to bed.

Each year, a group of friends of mine from Austin, Houston and Dallas meet on the island, and we have one tradition we’ve kept over the years — Sunday brunch at Mosquito Cafe, located at 628 14th Street, a few blocks behind Sacred Heart Catholic Church and the Bishop’s Palace, both on Broadway.

On Sunday morning, there’s always a line at Mosquito Cafe, but it moves fast. Order at the counter and then they seat you. Meals come out quickly. They have vegan and gluten-free versions of many of their menu items, and the brunch service includes a variety of breakfast dishes as well as a full menu of lunch items. Desserts and pastry are from Patty Cakes Bakery across the street. We tried the brownies, lemon cake and chocolate cake and finished them before the main courses arrived — the perfect way to enjoy a meal.

I don’t know if it’s gay-owned, but Mosquito Cafe is definitely gay-operated, and is also recommended by Out Traveler. More information at MosquitoCafe.com.

Usually, our group has Saturday night dinner at Gaido’s Seafood Restaurant that’s been operating along the beach since 1911. This year, we ate at Mario’s Seawall Italian at Seawall Boulevard at Via Smecca. It’s easy to find. Just look for the Leaning Tower of Pisa over the front door. While Gaido’s has the island’s best seafood, which I missed having on this trip, Mario’s has Galveston’s best Italian.

Both Mosquito Cafe and Mario’s easily accommodated our larger group.

Although I was in Galveston the last weekend in October — the coolest and rainiest October we’ve had in North Texas in years — the Gulf water was still warm enough to go in, and despite the recent storms, the water was clear. (Note to Chamber: I don’t blame you for storms that churn up the water. I’m complimenting the clear, clear water that looked a beautiful shade of blue from our balcony).

Evenings got a little chilly, but not so cool that we couldn’t go out for a walk. We decided not to walk out on the beach at night. A sign attached to the walkway over the dunes warns: “Beware of rattlesnakes & other wildlife that live in the dunes.” OK, now before the Chamber comes after me for that one, we didn’t see or hear any rattlesnakes. In fact the only wildlife I saw from the walkway were beautiful butterflies feeding on the wildflowers.

— David Taffet