Something we missed….

Linda had heard from one of the winter Texans that we needed to go to The Gaff, a local bar in Port Aransas, to see the belt sander races. They are held on Saturday afternoons, on every other weekend (the off weekend they are held in Rockport). They start around 3:00 but we were in the middle of breaking down our job and didn't get to go. Next year, we'll make sure to plan for it as it looks like fun. The Gaff is one of those "hole in the wall" type of bars, down near the beach. Here's some footage of a race held there I found on You Tube.
Hope your day is off to a zippy start !

Final Thoughts & Sites on Port Aransas

We went to the University of Texas Marine Institute the other day. It looks like it’s in a building that used to be a school building. It’s free to the public and there are some interesting exhibits. This one was really interesting. It’s sand samples from around the world. Each of the little white things you see in the picture is a label on the region where the sand came from. There was another case in addition to this one. Who would have thought that there were so many different types of sand. No two looked alike.
The wind has been crazy strong here lately. I had hoped to get up on the roof today to install the last fan cover and wash the salt residue off the rig, in preparation for us leaving tomorrow but with 25 m.p.h. winds….no way. The water from the hose would have come back, on the wind, to give me a bath. Miguel, the mobile RV detailer, was going to give our undercarriage a salt neutralizing treatment today but we had to reschedule it for tomorrow morning. It’s supposed to be calmer tomorrow. Look at the blowing sand in these pics ! Brave souls sitting on the beach. I was freezing walking around on the beach…don’t know how they could stand it. That sand plow we watched the other day will have his work cut out for him because there were big sand drifts forming off on the side of the road.



We went out to eat at one of our advertisers’ restaurant the other night and was really thrilled to see them put their takeout food in compostable containers. Having been in the food business for 30+ years, I like to see new types of packaging. The larger takeout container wasn’t as rigid as a foam 3 section container but would work to get your food home in. I could see where it would compost right up…..I was able to squash it right up once it  was empty. Typically packaging costs are impacted by sharp increases in petroleum costs due to it being part of the manufacturing of containers. These containers are not oil based, which is really cool. Years ago these types of containers were really pricey to use in huge quantities like we used to use at the college. Hope the cost of them have come down to make them more affordable for wide scale use.

Leaving in the morning for Schertz, Texas. Our friends Bobbie and Jim will be working a gate guarding position within a couple hours of us. We’re hoping to stop and see them on our way to the park tomorrow. Love to intercept our friends on the road ! Took our final drive on the beach tonight….will miss having the beach close by. Will leave you with a picture of one of my favorite things to watch in the area….pelican. This guy was catching fish off the pier the other day and he was so much fun to watch. See the bulge in his gullet…that was lunch.

Port Aransas

We’re finishing up in Port Aransas and will be leaving on Sunday. One of the upcoming events, here in Port Aransas, is Sandfest. It’s happening April 20 – 22 this year and usually attracts around 100,000 people. It’s a qualifying contest for the World championships. Last year 24 master sculptors attended and the event has become the largest master sand sculpting competition in the U.S.In addition to the master sculptors, there are over 200 amateur sculptors that also attend. Here are some pictures from the Sandfest website. I would think it tough to sculpt in this sand since it’s so fluffy but apparently it makes for a great medium. If you want to see some amazing work, go to the link above and see some more of the photos. This event is completely free to the public and certainly would be an awesome thing to witness. Might be something to put on a future “to do” list.
One of the restaurants downtown, has a sand sculpture outside that is pretty neat. It’s to promote a nearby development. What an amazing amount of detail in this piece !





As I’ve mentioned in a previous post, the birds that winter here are pretty spectacular. We saw this  one at a nearby RV park and the blue color was so pretty. Last weekend we took the bike out on Saturday but Sunday was so windy and chilly that we took the car out. Went to the channel to see if the dolphins were playing. Sometimes, while we’re crossing on the ferry, we can see them jumping alongside the boat. We thought we’d take time to sit and watch for them but there was no sign. They must have taken the day off. We did sit, in the park near the channel (in our new camping chairs), and watch the ferries cross. Each captain seems to have their own little routine on how they cross and line up with the opposing dock. It was fun to watch. Here they are lined up at the dock waiting for some passengers.
We took our usual drive on the beach to get back to the park at day’s end. The wind is really whipping today (17 – 27 m.p.h.) and look how strong the surf is. We can’t drive up the beach without Boomer getting a little run in. Look at this happy guy ! While we were driving up the beach, we saw a grader plowing sand on the beach. We’ve seen this a couple times, since we’ve been here. Not sure if it’s a regular thing….to move sand back that’s gotten pushed up onto shore or just a prep thing prior to the season kicking off. Love our daily drive and gonna miss that when we pull out next week.

Fluff

Something I keep forgetting to mention, when I talk about us frolicking on the beach, is how different the sand is here. It’s not gritty like sand typically is. It’s like talcum powder….so soft and it gets into everything. We’ve tried to end each selling day by driving onto the beach and driving up the beach to the campground. We stop and let Boomer run on the beach. Boomer acts a little like he did back home in the snow but doesn’t go so far as to roll in the sand (thank goodness). He does love to run across the little dunes though and loves the wind and watching the birds and other dogs on the beach.
The other aspect of the sand, for folks who live next to the beach, is the drifting of the sand into residents’ driveways. I know shoveling snow, back east, is a huge bummer but shoveling sand (so you can get into your driveway off the beach) would be just as bad. Boardwalks have huge sand drifts over them, which would need wading through, to be able to get into your property. I think there’s been two days of no wind since we’ve been here….it never stops.
Today we took the bike out. Did a little business in the morning and then went to a couple birding centers in town. There are so many neat birds here although the drought has had a severe impact on the wetland areas around here. We went to the top of an observation platform and could see all of the dried up areas surrounding this one small area of shallow water. A lady, on the platform, said the only reason there’s water in this one area is that the sewer treatment facility, next door, recycles its water and releases it into the wetland area. So sad to see that these birds are in danger due to lack of water in their winter home.






There were lots of different types of ducks, brown pelicans and other birds that I have no idea what they were. We saw signs telling us to beware of alligators but didn’t see any. Did see some interesting flowers, at the entry to the birding center. This one was called something like  a Mexican Bishop Hat. The spiral design is really neat…..just hanging from the bush , it has a flat appearance to it until you look at it from the end.
We bought a Whataburger combo and went to the dock area to eat it. We’ve never had a Whataburger….they are not in our neck of the woods..back home. Gotta say, they are pretty awesome ! Vicki, your talk of Whatabugers has made believers out of us. We love the wheat buns that you can get them on. Left the dock and drove down Padre Island way. Had a great time walking on the beach and enjoying the warm temps (was around 76 today). It was a wonderful day, driving around the area. Not sure what tomorrow holds in store for us.

Alaskan String Band

There was a performance tonight, here in the park, by the Alaskan String Band, from Juneau, Alaska.

What a talented family ! Here is a video of them from four years ago. The youngest, Abigail is now 14. They travel and tour, in the warmer areas of the country, during the winter months. The women were dress in traditional KUSPUK attire, that had been hand-made by the mother and daughters. Learning how to make these traditional dresses is something that’s passed down from mother to daughter, over the generations. They were beautiful with beads and rickrack stitched on for decoration. Each of them played so many instrument. I saw mandolins, banjo, violin, guitar, bass and snare drum being played at one point or another. They played bluegrass, gospel, swing and some things that were a combination of styles. They all sang too. If you recall me mentioning, in a previous post, the mother (Melissa) and one of the daughters (Laura) were in the hot tub last week when Linda and I went over. We got to spend a little bit of time talking to them. They recognized us tonight, when we sat down, and waved to us. The young man, who played bass, had a whole basket full of hats and he put on a different one for each song. It was really cute ! He’s quite the showman too and a real charmer with the young ladies, I’m sure.Such a fun night….so glad we went over to listen to them ! If you ever hear of them coming to a place near you, be sure to go see them. They’re great !

New Chairs

Linda and I have had the same camping chairs since before we went on the road and besides being big and bulky, they were getting a little beat up. On a recent visit to Camping World, a chair there caught my eye that was folded up really compact but I was on a mission for something else so didn’t take the time to open it up and check it out. I found the chair on Amazon but since they were almost $50 each, I put it on our wish list. After discussing it with Linda, we decided to buy two of them and try them out. When we went back to them, on the Amazon site, they had gone done $10 each so yippee, it was meant to be. On top of that, we had built up a bunch of cash back on our Discover card so the whole purchase was done using our cash back proceeds.
They are called an X-Press Lounger Director’s Chair and are made by GCI Outdoor.The carrying handle is part of the back rest. They are super compact….17.5” x 2.5” x 16.5”. They are really comfy and we think we’re going to store them in the car since they are super small. That way we’ll have them if we get to an event where we want to sit a spell. There are pockets on each side of the chair, for a cell phone or book or a bottle/can. Seems like some good thought went into the design of the chair. I was a little concerned that some of the people who had purchased them had problems with the chairs and needed to get a replacement. That’s why we got them from Amazon…we knew how good they are about replacing them if there is a problem. There is also a lifetime warranty on the chairs from the manufacturer. We’re happy with them…they take up less space and are comfy.

This Really Sucks….

This morning Linda, Boomer and I walked down to the beach. There is a nice boardwalk at our end of the park that crosses the dunes onto the beach. Folks were out walking, jogging, fishing, and just hanging out. We stopped to talk to three guys who were fishing. They were catching whiting, which from the looks of their bucket, were biting really good today. We asked what they use for bait and they said “ghost shrimp”. They use home-made “suckers”, made out of PVC pipe, to get them out of the sand. You look for a mound of sand, where there are air bubbles coming out and you put the tip of the sucker over the spot and start sucking. The plunger pulls the sand up inside and then you dump the sand out on the beach to see if the shrimp is in there. You usually have to do this 2-3 times because these little buggers dig like crazy to get deeper in the sand. The tide was pretty high so he wasn’t sure he’d be able to find one for us but he finally did. They don’t really look like shrimp but are probably distant cousins to the ones we like to eat. They are very delicate so it’s hard to keep them on the hook when you cast out into the surf. They wiggle for a long time so that, and their smell, attract the fish. Here are some pictures of a ghost shrimp.
 
Those flat things on their bellies act like paddles and help them to dig down into the sand really fast. This is a really small one. They can be as big as six inches or so, he said. Those they break into pieces to bait their hooks with. The guy we were talking with is from Ohio. He’s been coming down for the last eight years and he enjoys the relaxation of fishing in the surf and listening to the waves. I can’t blame him at all. We’re really enjoying it !
I also saw this thing on the shore. It looks just like a red onion so not sure if there is something that grows in the ocean that looks like it or if someone threw one on the beach, thinking someone like me would come along and wonder about it. If they did, it worked. Hope you learned something new today and were amazed by something simple or complex. Ain’t life grand ?

CC & Beyond

We left the house this morning around 10:30, intent on going on a nice ride. We backed the bike out of the garage and discovered the front tire pressure was low. This has been a thing that’s been occurring lately and upon closer observation, Linda discovered that there was a crack in the valve stem. We added some air to the tire but decided that we really didn’t feel safe going on a really long ride until we got it fixed. This was AFTER we had to jump the battery to get the bike started. We’ve been putting off having to get a new battery cause, well you know….ya just get sick of shelling out money to fix things ! I’ve resigned myself to the fact that ever since I bought that 1972 Chevy Vega, when I was 16, that I work to pay for vehicles. I guess the alternative is that I’d need to take a bus or some sort of mass transit to wherever I need to go and that just wasn’t possible when you grew up in the country. So quit whining, Linda, and go get it fixed.
We went to a couple of garages in Port Aransas and they either didn’t do tire repairs on motorcycles or were closed. A guy, at the one garage we stopped at, told us to go to Corpus Christi so off we went, hoping the finger nail polish I applied to the crack would buy us some time. We found a Yamaha dealer in CC and after a donation of $213, we rode away with a new valve stem and a new battery. I could stop worrying about breaking down out in the middle of nowhere.
We headed out for our ride and had a wonderful afternoon, driving along the coast. We stopped outside of Portland, near a fishing pier and walked along the water. There was a bird sitting in the water and he could barely move. I wasn’t sure what was wrong with him but after looking around him, I saw a jellyfish right next to him so we’re wondering if he got stung trying to eat the jellyfish. I thought he might drown cause his head would fall down in the water and he wasn’t moving his legs at all. I reached down to pick him up and he mustered up enough strength to reach around as if to peck me. I put my gloves on and reached down and gently closed his beak, then put my hands around his body and picked him up and placed him on a rock. We’re hoping that if he did have a neuro-toxin in his system, that it would wear off in time. We left him there…hoping for the best.


All of the “stuff” that was part of the jetty appeared to be construction waste….slabs of concrete and such. With shells and seaweed all over the surface of these chunks, it was actually really neat looking. Looked a bit artsy in its’ new form.
Temps today were in the low 60’s and the air was a little cool but it was so great to get out on the bike. It’s been far too long since we’ve had Vanessa out on the road. Hoping tomorrow is a repeat of today (except for the donation part of it). Hope you enjoy whatever you do this weekend…..live life !

The Beach

Finished up a busy day with a meeting with one of the campground owners. Since his park is on the beach, we drove down to the beach to check it out. We’ve never been to a beach before that you could drive on…it was pretty neat. Sunny day today, with temps close to 60 and just a slight breeze (an oddity for here). We parked on the beach and took Boomer for a walk. He had a ball, running around. You could tell that he was really happy, he was running as best he could out to the end of his leash and around in figure eights. As we drove down the beach, there were a number of campers set up. Wow, talk about the ultimate boondocking location. The sound of the surf would lull you to sleep and you’d get to see the sunset over the water. Apparently they know how far high tide comes in, so they aren’t set up in harm’s way.

I had a meeting today with one of the advertiser’s who is an RV detailer and we were discussing the salt spray’s affect on the rigs. He said he’s heard, from the RV’ers that it’s the worst here of any place in the US. He’s developed a special spray-on protectant that the full time residents, in this park, have him put on about every six months. It clings to the frame and is a rust inhibitor. He has a salt neutralizer that he said he can put on our undercarriage, for $25, before we leave to combat the affect of the salt spray while we’ve been here. We’re going to run our car through local car washes every week to keep up with keeping the spray off since it’s already got a lot of rust underneath. We don’t need an accelerator on that process!










This is the beach access for the park where we are staying. One of the neat things about Port Aransas is that golf carts are licensed and can be driven on the road, down to a road called “beach access road 1….the entry point to drive onto the beach. This road is where one of the RV parks, we are working, is located. RV’ers here can park their car throughout their stay and drive a golf cart to town to shop or dine and use it on the beach. The park where we are staying cannot have rental golf carts in the park. They can own a golf cart but cannot rent one. Carts cannot be driven on the road here, since it sits further down the coast from town. As you can see in this picture, they have driven their carts from the park onto the beach but I’m wondering if they can just drive down the beach to the access road and then go into town (as long as their cart is licensed). There were golf carts all over the beach and I can only imagine how crazy the beach is in the summer when it’s crowded. You’d need a traffic cop directing cart and car traffic on the beach to keep people safe.


Supposed to be a nice weekend. We’re anxious to get the trike out and go riding. Hope everyone has an awesome weekend doing what you love to do !