Just another fun-filled week in Texas! No snow, lots of sunshine, albeit a bit chilly, and good times! What more could you want?
We woke to 48° at 7:00 a.m. Monday morning, but the sun soon
warmed everything. We enjoyed 70° weather for most of the day. While I stretched
and groaned at yoga and “Sweatin’ to the Oldies,” Dick walked along North
Fulton Beach Road and around the park. He saw squirrels, turtles, egrets (both snowy and great), and herons. Later at 3:00 p.m., Dick played Texas Hold ‘em with
friends at the clubhouse. I baked 2
batches of cookies—chocolate chip, and white chocolate chip with dried
cranberries--for our trip to South Padre Island later in the week.
Tuesday was another sunny and beautiful day, starting out at
54° at 7:30 a.m. We had eye exams that morning at 9:30, so I didn’t get to
Stitch & Bitch with the gals. Our exams lasted almost 2 hours; I have to say
that neither of us had ever had such a thorough eye exam—ever! We highly recommend Dr. Wess here in Rockport! From there,
with highly stylish sun shades, we went to Subway for lunch, then off to do a
bit of laundry. It’s always interesting (and aggravating!) to find that some
people at the laundromat are so unconscious that they let their laundry just sit in the dryers while others are
waiting to use them. Aargh! (Appeared that a local hotel was doing their laundry
there and was ignoring it. Dick was bold and removed dried towels from one of
the dryers so we could use it.)
We returned to the park in time for Wii bowling at 2:00
p.m., even though our eyes were still a bit dilated. Interesting trying to
focus on the lanes and pins…ha! Afterward, I returned home to take care of the
laundry, and Dick walked the park and North Fulton Beach Road. He saw an egret,
heron, a woodpecker, and lots of ducks on his walk. That evening we joined friends Pam and
Gary, Bob and Sharon, Dave and Marihelen, Fran, and Arleen at Panjo’s Pizza for
dinner. Always such fun times with good friends.
Wednesday morning we got up, packed, and headed towards
South Padre Island for a few days, to visit with friends Bob and Nancy (who had
come down from Tacoma). Before we got out of town, however, we stopped in at
the Family Kitchen restaurant for breakfast. Good down home cooking at very
reasonable prices.
200 miles later we checked in to the Ramada Inn and Suites
on South Padre Island. We were pleasantly surprised to find a Jacuzzi tub in
our room, even though we didn’t use it.
We connected with Bob and Nancy that afternoon; Bob was just
returning from a day of deep sea fishing, where he caught his limit of Red
Snapper. We had to wait ‘til Thursday night to eat his catch; dinner that night
was with Bob and Nancy, at Burger-Fi, a local hamburger joint. (Good, but we
think Whataburger is better. Just sayin’…) We presented them with our gift of
homemade cookies—they love ‘em!
For those of you who have never been to South Padre Island, the island is a barrier island just off the coast of Texas in the Gulf of Mexico. The island is named after Padre Jose Nicholas Balli, who brought the first permanent settlers there, establishing a church and attempting to bring Christianity to the native Karankawa Indians. Before this, migratory birds and sea turtles had the island all to themselves. King Carlos III of Spain had originally granted this island to Padre Balli’s grandfather in 1759. The people Padre Balli ministered to affectionately referred to the island as La Isla Del Padre, even though it was officially called Isla de Santiago. The name La Isla Del Padre stuck, and it’s now known as South Padre Island. Padre Balli and his family were driven out by the Mexican-American War, and were unable to return because of the American Civil War. The Queen Isabella Causeway is the only road access to the mainland; it leads 2.5 miles across the waterway Laguna Madre to the city of Port Isabel.
The area that is now Boca Chica State Park, was granted by
the State of Tamaulipas, Mexico on January 24, 1829. The last battle of the Civil War, the Battle
of Palmito Ranch, was fought here. In 1846 General Ulysses S. Grant crossed
here returning from the fighting in Mexico. In 1847, Robert E. Lee crossed the
area several times.
After a quick lunch from Chick-fil-A, and a stop to
introduce Bob and Nancy to H.E.B. grocery store, we returned to their condo to rest and
prepare dinner. Nancy and I walked a short distance to a little shop where we
purchased t-shirts for the guys.
Dinner, thanks to Bob’s success at fishing, was Red Snapper
(prepared by Bob), asparagus, red beans and rice, fresh fruit, green salad, ice
cream and the cookies we brought. Nancy’s sister Sally and her husband Phil
joined us. Yum-Yum! Bob is quite the accomplished cook when it comes to fish.
We waddled the 8 blocks back to our hotel that evening!
Dick and Bob had planned to go bay fishing for Whiting on
Friday morning. They had gotten up early in order to have breakfast at
Whataburger and get to the boat by 8:00 a.m., but the temperatures were too
cold at 55° and the wind too strong to go out. So, Dick returned to the
hotel and we went to Plan B.
Bob and Nancy picked us up at 11:00 a.m. so we could go to
the local Convention Center for Market Days. Vendors and booths were set up
throughout the center, with wares ranging from clothing and jewelry, to
grilling aids, lotions, spices, hats, belts, cruises and…junk. Nancy and I
walked out with a couple of shirts, while Bob purchased a grill mat. Dick didn’t
spend a dime.
After another stop at H.E.B., we returned to their condo for
a quick lunch, and to spend time with their 2 dogs, Violet (a Maltese) and
Bambi (a miniature Italian Greyhound). What cuties! And such fun! Violet is a
little shy, but Bambi—oh, my! She has an attraction to all things electronic:
TVs, iPads, phones, computers, etc. She’d sit and stare at anything on the
screen by the hour if we’d let her. Funny!
That evening Sally and Phil came over for dinner again, but
this time dinner was more Red Snapper, Pacific Ocean Salmon, broccoli, red
potatoes, ice cream and cookies. Again, we waddled the 8 blocks back to our
hotel. We needed that walk after feasting on all that fish! Good stuff!
We had said our goodbyes on Friday evening before we walked
back to our hotel, so Saturday morning we had breakfast in the hotel, packed up
and headed out for the 200 mile trip back to Bay View.
On our way out of town, after crossing the causeway, we stopped to take a few photos of the historic Point Isabel Lighthouse.
The Port Isabel Lighthouse is a dominant feature at the
southern tip of the Texas Gulf Coast. For over 150 years the heavy brick walls
have stood against the elements, and for most of that time its light has shown
the way for hundreds of seafarers. Congress had authorized construction of the
lighthouse in 1851, and 2 years later it was completed and topped by a
stationary white light that could be seen for almost 16 miles.
During the American Civil War, the lighthouse was occupied
by soldiers from both sides as a lookout post. The Civil War brought armed
conflict once again; Confederate forces held this area in the early stages of
the war but gave way in 1963 to Federal troops who had been sent to strengthen
the blockade on Southern shipping. At nearby Palmetto Ranch, Union and Rebel
soldiers clashed on May 13, 1865, more than a month after General Robert E. Lee’s
surrender at Appomattox. This “Battle of Palmito Ranch” has been acknowledged
as the last battle of the war.
The lighthouse has been lit and extinguished numerous times
since 1866. And, for a number of years negotiations took place over ownership
of the site. It was ultimately purchased by a private party. The lighthouse was
permanently abandoned and dark from 1905 until 1950 when it was donated to the
state as an historic site, after which repair work and upgrades were done and
completed in 1970.
Today, the tower with its mercury-vapor light is marked on
sea charts as an aid to navigation. Of the 16 lighthouses constructed along the
Texas coast, Port Isabel Lighthouse is the only one now open to the public.
On the road again…back to Rockport and Bay View. We made a
quick stop along the way at a fruit stand to pick up grapefruit and
oranges. We arrived home by 1:30 p.m.,
unpacked and rested a bit before going to the clubhouse for a little wine
tasting get-together. We brought 14 Hands Merlot; there was a selection of
Cabernet Sauvignon, Chardonnay, Sweet Red, Pinot Grigio, and others to taste,
as well as a selection of appetizers. We brought a cranberry-jalapeno pepper-cream
cheese spread with crackers. It was a hit! There were cheeses, meats, pretzels,
etc., which helped fill the void--enough so that we didn’t eat dinner that
night!
Sunday morning at First Baptist Church of Rockport we were
blessed by the ministry of Dr. Gene Wilkes, Professor of New Testament and
Leadership at B.H. Carroll Theological Institute in Irving, Texas. (This is
where Pastor Scott Jones, senior pastor at the church, is getting his
doctorate.) Dr. Wilkes spoke from Matthew 6:24-34, “Don’t Be Anxious/Worry: why
we’re anxious, the futility of worry, and how to combat worry.” We believe in God, but we don’t trust Him to provide, depending on
ourselves instead. Philippians 4:6 tells us, “Do not be anxious about anything,
but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.”
We returned home for breakfast, then Dick went to work for a
few hours (he has to work when he has access to the computers and systems he
needs, when no one else is around). We met at the clubhouse at 2:00 for the ice
cream social and a few games of Pegs & Jokers. What a hoot!! There were 2
tables of players with 6 at each. Again, we played men against the women, and
the women won 2:1 at ours. (Poor Bob. He couldn’t keep his men in play at all
during the game, ending with his men still in starting position. Waa-waa…ha!)
While playing, Chef Betty brought me my 2 t-shirts with the
new Stitch & Bitch logo on them. So very cool! I partially designed the
logo, had it colorized and digitized, and she embroidered the shirts. Thanks,
Betty! Love ‘em!
Dick walked the park and Fulton Beach Road, while I started
writing the blog. Figured I’d have enough exercise tomorrow to make up for what
I didn’t do today!
Well, that’s it for this week. Hope you enjoyed our
adventures! Until next time,
Luv ‘n’ hugs,
RJ and Gail
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