Spring Break Pics

We are on Mustang Island, which is the north end of the Padre Islands. College, high school, and just general 20 something kids flock to the beach up and down these islands. It's a nice wide and flat beach with super soft sand.

From the access road that we are at south for several miles there are people. And they aren't all 20 year olds. You see families mixed in with the partiers, and even 70 year olds right in the mix of the kids. Some are just watching, some partaking in the party.

Here is just a mix of pictures we took the last couple of days to give you just a taste of what we are seeing. They aren't bad, just tons of people drinking tons of beer (and whatever else they are doing). I'm sure the real crazy stuff happens in the evening and after dark, but I'm not going to venture that way after dark, so sorry, no pics of that!

A little beach volleyball (some better than others!)

There are police absolutely everywhere along the beach and in town. We can hear the sirens go by nightly. A lot of them have a camera guy with them. I'm not sure if it's a documentary or training film or what.

And even though there are porta-potties everywhere, they still go over the dunes to do their thing.

Cowboy boots and swimsuits seem to be the thing (again, some look better than others!)

And there are trucks everywhere. Not just trucks, but BIG jacked-up trucks. Again, some better looking than others. Al says I should jack my Titan up. What do you think?

 

And of course, you have to have a Thing or a Jeep for that authentic beach vehicle.

This is a parachute. It had poles on the water side for the entrance, and was buried or anchored on the back side and the breeze kept it open.

Some more random pics.

More later. From the looks of things, I think this weekend is going to be a bit nuts, so there will probably be plenty of opportunity for some good ones.

How to Fish Part III

I did Part I & II last year, so I might as well keep it up, right?

Al's major purpose in coming down here is to fish. And to fish some more, and preferably fish some more.  I usually work until noon or 1:00 during the week, so the morning is his fishing time.

This year, however, the weather was quite cold in January & February, so the water is colder than normal and the fish really aren't biting yet. (Or so they say, maybe it's just an excuse?).

Needless to say, he hasn't had a lot of luck yet in actually catching anything.  On Friday afternoon I did go with him to the beach so he could so some surf fishing. It was a gorgeous sunny day, so I took my book and just enjoyed the warmth.

When you surf fish, especially here where the water is so shallow so far out, you can get to the fish better if you have a pair of waders as the water is cold if you are in it for any length of time(although I did see a lady in a swimming suit out in the surf fishing so they aren't necessary. I didn't see if she caught anything, and she was too far away to get a pic, but it was a sight). I just asked Al why he needs them and why they are so tight, because most of the ones you see are tight. He said it was so that there is less drag in the water, and they will keep you warm & dry when the water is cold. So there you go, everything (ok, maybe not everything) you need to know about waders.  We saw an older gentleman in a pair that had boots that looked like canvas All Star tennis shoes.

So you wiggle your way into them. And if you aren't flexible (like Al) you have your wife help with the suspenders because you can't put your arm back over your shoulder to grab the end.

Then you grab your pole (with the shrimp skewered on the hooks and wiggling).

And you go out in the surf.

And you stand there. With your hand on your hip to counter-balance the weight of the pole, and then when your arm gets tired, you reel the line in and cast again.

The surf was pretty tame this day, and he still got wet.

He caught several Whiting, which is a fish that looks like a silver trout. We had them for dinner Saturday and they were pretty good, they taste like Tilapia, not fishy at all. I didn't get any pictures of them for some reason. I guess I was engrossed in my book or watching the spring break kids or just watching the water.

He did catch a Sheep Head earlier in the week so I can actually prove that he did catch something!

 

It's supposed to rain tomorrow, so probably no fishing then either. With all the people here for spring break this week it's pretty crowded so probably not much at all this week. He still has a couple more weeks, plenty of time for more fishing.

The Ship Channel....

It has been nice & sunny the last few days (and I'm feeling slightly better), so Tuesday afternoon we went to the ship channel.  Al wanted to fish some more, and I just wanted to sit in the sun and relax. It's nice to just take a chair, a cooler and a book and just sit.

We are on Mustang Island just north of Corpus Christi. There is a ship channel that goes from the Gulf of Mexico to Corpus Christi. Several times every day big ships come in and out going to where-ever they are going. Some carry freight, some pick up the oil from the oil rigs. It's amazing how big these ships are, especially when they come through the channel. It looks like there isn't much room on either side. I tried to look up how wide this channel is, and the only thing I could find was the distance between the two jetty's on either side which is 1,100 feet. So I guess it is wider than it looks.

As we were sitting (and Al was losing tackle to the rocks), we saw a ship coming in.

Then we looked the other way and another ship was coming out.

They just kept coming at each other like you just knew they were going to crash. Okay, obviously, they weren't but it was weird!

I looked up the width of one of the ships and it was 137 feet, and I suppose the other was around the same size, so there was at least 800 feet left over, plenty for another couple ships! It was very strange to say the least.

I always have my big camera with me because the dolphins love to jump in the wake in front of the big ships and I'm determined to get a good picture of them doing just that. And this time I actually got a couple good ones. If you click on them, they should get bigger.

 

I thought it was a nice, relaxing day. I think Mom and Buttons thought so, too.

Al thought is was a terrible afternoon.

No fish caught. I guess it's all in your perspective, right? 78 and sunny and no fish, or 45 and muddy and dreary in Iowa. Which would you prefer right now Al? Thought so.....

The Neti Pot....

3 1/2 weeks ago we babysat our grand daughter Ava while she had an ear infection and cold.

3 weeks ago today Al and I both woke up with that cold. Jack was in town, and since he only comes back a few times a year, we pack a lot of work into that one week, so I was very busy. I never take sick days but I could have really used one that week, I felt terrible.

2 weeks ago today we started cleaning and packing the camper. Still have the cold, and now a cough. I haven't had a cough like this since I quit smoking 8 years ago!

1 week ago yesterday we made it to the coast. By this time I don't feel well at all. Still have the cold, the cough, the everything. I make an appointment to see a local Dr. He gives me antibiotics because the cold has now turned into a nice big sinus infection and obviously isn't going to go away nicely. Dr. recommends a Neti Pot as well.  Sure, I know what that is I say, knowing all the time that the meds will make it better and I won't have to worry about knowing what it is anyway.  (I do go on the internet to see what the heck he was talking about, so next time at least I can say I DO know).

Saturday I still don't feel much better. The headache just keeps coming back, and the sinuses won't drain. While we are getting groceries I decide to jump in and at least buy it. It's only $10.00, could it hurt?

Sunday I get up and there's really no difference, so I decide that I will try the recommended device.  It is just a small teapot looking piece of plastic, a small spoon and packets of saline mix.

You mix the saline packet in the teapot with lukewarm water, bend your head over, pour it in one nostril and it magically comes out the other after going through your sinuses.  Really!

The first experience was not pleasant at all, I didn't do it for long, it just felt too weird. You have to hold your head just right or it runs down your throat. And to top it off, about an hour after that my headache was back so bad I seriously contemplated going to the ER. I think I usually have a pretty high pain threshold, but this is just wearing me down. I decide I'm going to go back to the Dr. Monday, can't go on like this.

Monday I get right up and feel great! I'm excited and ready to get my work done so I can go do something. Decide I might as well try the contraption again. It can't hurt, right? It's still not pleasant, but I made it through the whole thing.  A couple hours later, headache is back, but not as bad. At least it's manageable. Decide that maybe I don't need to go back to the Dr.

This morning I'm up and not feeling terrible again, so decide one more time. It's still not pleasant, but could it be working? Or maybe I'm just finally starting to get better.  We will see, but it's a good sign I hope!

This post is under "useless knowledge" but at least if someone asks you what a Neti Pot is, now you will know, so maybe it's not so useless!

Oysterfest

We are right on the Texas Gulf Coast in Port Aransas, Texas, a cute little town on one of the barrier islands, 100 feet from the water.

Needless to say, you can get all the fresh fish and shrimp you want at very reasonable prices (or free if Al had a good day!).

Last night we went to Fulton, TX, just over the bay and down the road a bit for the local fire department's Oysterfest.  They have a carnival, craft/business booths, food booths and music, pretty much your local festival.  We walked around, drank a beer and listened to the band playing. It was great people watching, although I think tomorrow would be much better for that.  They have contests tomorrow like how many raw oysters you can eat......thanks, I think I will pass.

I do not normally partake in raw oysters (only once or twice in my life and they have to be covered in horseradish), but Al loves them. And these are about as fresh as you can get. They had a stand with around 8 guys standing behind it shucking the oysters and putting them on the plates for the brave ones. For $2.00 this is what you get:

No thanks, Al, you can have them all! No really. Not interested.

Lets go to Luckenbach, Texas....

We left last Friday and thankfully the trip down was completely uneventful, which was wonderful! Except for this lingering cold/sinus infection, everything went great.  We had warm weather and great roads.

Our reservations weren't until the 1st, so we stopped to see Roger and Sandy in Fredericksburg, TX on Saturday and Sunday.  Fredericksburg is a cute little town in the Texas Hill Country, settled by German immigrants in the 1850's. The town itself reminds me of the Amana Colonies in Iowa with lots of cute shops and restaurants. It looked very German with fretwork on the houses and German restaurants, but also quite Texas with the Texas star next to the fretwork. It's a strange mix, very unexpected but quaint. We didn't spend too much time as I could have shopping, which is probably a good thing.

On Sunday we took a road trip around to catch the "sites" around Fredericksburg. One such site was Luckenbach (you know the song "Let's go to Luckenback, Texas, Willy and Waylon and the boys....)  When we actually got there it was NOT what I expected. It was just a few buildings including a store and a dancehall/bar. They have bands pretty much every weekend, and Roger said that by 4:00 in the afternoon everyday, the parking lots are full.

The store has been there since 1849 and was full of stuff. You could buy a leather bottle coozie or a nice piece of silver jewelry. There was a small bar in the back complete with a cat and locals. We overheard one man say that he was headed out to look for rocks to make arrowheads so that he could sell them. The walls were covered with stickers and pictures and graffiti, inside and out.

Even the tables outside were covered with it, some more artistic than others.

 

They had a dancehall and outdoor bar area.

Not what I expected, but now I can say I've been there, right?

More later.....