Dolphins

There are dolphins everywhere around in the water (of course in the water, where else would they be?). I keep taking pictures hoping to get THE ONE to no avail. But the other evening Al and I went driving around and just happened to come upon this ship coming out of the ship channel.

I thought this picture was neat because you could see the people fishing in front, so you can see how big these things are. So we sat and watched for a while because the dolphins sometimes like to jump in front of the ships in the water. Sure enough, I get a few of them doing just that.

I don’t know why they do this, but more often than not when a large ship (or sometimes smaller ones, too) comes through the channel you can see them in front of the ship. They always just look like they are having a great time, just jumping around. Click on the pictures and you can see them better. 

On this picture you ca see the trash left behind by the spring breakers. The only way to get over to that side of the channel is by a boat that goes over once an hour until 5:00 pm. There are not showers or toilets over there, it’s just roughing it. But they forgot about the part of “bring in, take out”.

 

Al went fishing yesterday afternoon and caught 7 hammerhead sharks. He said they were all about 14” long, but he didn’t have his camera with him. Do you think we should believe him? Right.

Around Port Aransas

Here are just some pictures taken over the last few days. It’s too windy today to do much. It’s still hot and muggy, but too windy. I guess it is better than the 14” or so of snow that everyone has in Wyoming right now. Al is headed out in a little while to try his hand at fishing again. He went to the south jetty yesterday and it was so windy and the waves were crashing that the waves swept two guys over the edge. They lost all their gear, but were alright.

He did catch three mackerel.

 

This whole island is a migration/winter area for birds that come up to Iowa and Wyoming during the summer. On Sunday we went to one of the birding areas. This was a neat bird. He just kept sneaking up on the fish almost motionless, but moving all the same.

 

This is the main way to get here, on the ferry. You can drive to Corpus Christi on the highway, but it’s (usually) quicker to go across on the ferry. Although last week mom and I went over and it took us almost an hour to get back across because there were so many cars in line.  They have up to 5 that run back and forth 24/7

This sign is on a new building that is almost the first thing you see when you get to town. I haven’t seen many people in there, I suppose they are worried they will get arrested because there were so many cops in town last week.

Everywhere you look there are seagulls. Some of them are laughing gulls, which sound just like someone hysterically laughing. When you start feeding them, it gets a little crazy. I was thinking on the tent photo ‘I wonder how much bird poop is landing on the tent! That’s going to be fun to clean up’

There are port-a-potties everywhere. But at least they try to make them look nice on the outside.

The wind was great yesterday for a kite-surfer. I don’t want to surf, but this might be actually fun. It looks like a lot of work. I couldn’t get the kite in the picture, but it’s up there. It just looks like a large scallop that catches the air.  She just went up and down the beach, turning whenever she wanted to.

Last week they were selling this lovely parachute ride (for $195 each person!) They landed just over the dunes from the trailer.

And one more from spring break. I was in the backseat, and of course got the side of the car in it, but this pretty much sums up most of the spring break week! ‘cho jur teets!’ (you have to click on this one to see it!)

Sunrise

I took a walk yesterday morning and this time took my camera. There were lots of people up already but still lots of shells to look at. It was a nice morning.

  

 

How to Fish. Part II

This is the south jetty that runs along the ship channel. It is I don’t know how long (read: very very long), and made of granite chunks and concrete. There was a stamp on part of the concrete that said 1940, so it’s been there a while. Al had had good luck there in the morning, so I went with him in the evening.

First you walk, and walk, and take pictures, and walk and take pictures…..you get the idea.

Al was impatient, but I had to take pictures! And I had on flip flops and there were huge spaces between the granite chunks, and the waves were hitting the side, so the granite and concrete were wet. Most of you know my experience with flip flops and wet surfaces don’t mix. So I was being careful (and slow, I guess).

When you finally get there (we only went about half way out) you bait up your hook (again with the live (almost dead) shrimp) and you stand. You stand because you can’t carry a chair along and try to walk on the granite chunks or you (me) will fall.  Or you sit on the jagged edge of the granite chunks.

And you are finally rewarded with this:

Another sheepshead, so we had plenty for dinner. It was a pretty nice one, but not quite as nice as this:

If you look on top of the cooler you can see a 39” drum of some kind that a kid caught at the end of the jetty.  To be fair to Al about the size of HIS fish, sheepshead don’t get that big.

But at least after walking that far and sitting on the granite chunks until my butt hurt, I could watch the sunset over the water.  And take more pictures. It was a nice evening.

How to fish. Part I

One of the reasons that Al wanted to come down here so bad is the fishing. Everybody fishes. Everywhere.

The first thing you do is go get your “live” shrimp. Evidently these aren’t big enough to eat? I don’t know, I’m craving skewered shrimp on the grill tonight I think…

Then you hook ‘em up. Al, is that a hook in your mouth? Didn’t we have this problem with a nail a few years ago? Don’t be putting that stuff in your mouth, it just might go down, remember?

And then you try to cast it out so that the seagulls don’t get them.

And then you stand. And sit.

And then sit some more.

And then you finally get what you were trying for. This is a sheepshead. It was pretty good to eat. They said it was supposed to be one of the best tasting fish, but it wasn’t anything too special, but it was good.

Lesson two later today…..

Spring Break is here

It was so cold and rainy all weekend that the kids weren’t really out and the ones that were, were pretty tame for the most part. A 65 year old man was struck by lightening and killed a mile or so down the beach on Sunday (I’m not sure what he was still doing on the beach with lightening around, but whatever). Another kid rolled his jeep on the beach and broke a passenger’s leg. Lots of police/highway patrolmen/sheriff’s, etc around everywhere you look. We have seen a few kids stopped here and there. Al saw someone get stopped for DUI taking Roxie for a walk the other night.  Parts of the beach have mostly families with kids running everywhere, and the other parts are all 15 to 30 (with some older ones mixed in). We saw the little ones using boogie boards to sled down the dunes today. And of course the older kids can’t use the port-a-potty’s, they just go up on the dunes. You see them all along coming down zipping up their pants! Here are a few pics we took the last couple days. Some of them you will have to click on to make a little larger so you can see them.

This group had a guitar and bongo drums and dreadlocks. Al saw the police talking to them one time. What do you think they were doing that they shouldn’t be? They were pretty quiet and behaved, though.

  And I learned that you have to bring your own furniture in order to enjoy spring break.

 

And everyone has a flag on their truck. Some more interesting than others……

 

(I wasn’t sure if I could post nipples (even if their fake) or not, so I covered them!) I’m not sure what this guy was doing. He couldn’t really figure it out and couldn’t stand real straight. And they weren’t all young and skinny. (not that I’m making fun of anybody….I wouldn’t be out their either)  The lady in the blue was just dancing around having a great time and as I turned around she mooned us.

  The people just sit along and watch everybody drive or walk by. There were people everywhere, even right along where the tires of the truck went. And the kids are doing donuts everywhere. They were either pretty trusting of everyone driving along, or just stupid.

    

  

And the birds just kept looking for food.  And the oil rigs out in the gulf pumping your gas out of the ocean floor just like they always do.

OH! and I found my car:

Good night…..More tomorrow of Al finally catching fish we could eat! We will be having fish for dinner tomorrow night. Can’t wait.