Our last full week at Bay View brought warm
temps every day, including high humidity: temps were in the upper 70s through
the nights, and in the mid- to upper 80s during the day. It made for sluggish
days, for sure.
Monday morning Dick started preparing
for our departure by washing the camper roof, slide toppers and awning. He
figured spreading the work over multiple days would be better than trying to
cram everything into one or two days. That afternoon he played Texas Hold ‘em
for one of the last times this year. He’s still not raking in the money, but he
is enjoying his play time!
Work beckoned Dick on Tuesday morning,
so he spent a few hours in the office attempting to tie up loose ends so he
could leave with a clean slate. That afternoon friends Ron and Kathryn, Dick
and I went into Corpus Christi. Dick had a doctor appointment (we’re getting
our medical stuff established here in Texas), and while he was being poked and
prodded Ron, Kathryn and I went to the Texas Surf Museum down on Water Street.
This was an interesting nugget. Here we
thought surfing was California, Florida, Hawaii…well, you get the picture.
Turns out the Gulf Coast of Texas is also a surfer’s paradise! Apparently Texas
is home to thousands of surfers who are dedicated to their sport as any in
other parts of the world. The Texas Surf Museum shares the history of Texas
surfing—and there’s lots of it!
The museum in Corpus Christi opened in
2005, and offers a unique look at the surfing world. (Kathryn had surfed the
Gulf in Corpus Christi when she was younger, so this was especially fun for her
to see.)
New exhibits are selected and unveiled
the first weekend in June every year by the committee of the Texas Surf Museum.
The current exhibit is “Fifty Years of Stoke—Surfing the Coastal Bend,” and
shows hundreds of photos of local surfers, surfing spots, surf shops, newspaper
clippings of surfing contests, hurricane surf coverage, and the destruction
those hurricanes caused. Dozens of surfboards, surf films, and surfing
memorabilia line the walls and ceilings of the museum, including vintage
surfboards and those not so vintage. Posters from by-gone eras of surfing and
beach party movies are prominent throughout.
In June 2014, the Texas Surf Museum
transitioned from a privately-owned museum into a 50(c)(3) organization,
allowing the museum to be an active part of the community. (FYI, the "woody" below is actually concrete -- not the real thing.)
Adjacent
to the surf museum is the South Texas Music Walk of Fame. Founded in 2004, it’s
a tribute to the diversity and abundance of music from artists who call South
Texas their home. Every year, on the 1st Friday in June, an
additional 6 stars are added in a ribbon cutting ceremony, which kicks off the
annual WaterStreet Market Music & Art Fest.
Handcrafted
by local artists, each star is a work of art: Texas flags fly on music notes in
each point and the name of the Texas music legend fills the center. Nominations
for stars are accepted throughout the year at nearby Surf Club Records, and
they must be either from South Texas (and live anywhere), or from anywhere and
live in the area from San Antonio to the southern tip of the state. It’s led
completely by volunteers. Of the 62
stars currently on the Walk, these are the ones we recognized: Christopher
Cross, Freddy Fender, Bill Haley, Kris Kristofferson, Selena, and George
Strait. Pretty cool!
After picking up Dick from his appointment, we headed to On the Border, a
local Mexican restaurant, for an early dinner. Yum-yum! We noshed on chips and
salsa (of course), and a variety of enchiladas and tacos.
Our week’s activities weren’t over yet. On Wednesday we went to the beach on Mustang Island with Ron and Kathryn. But first, we had breakfast at the Bakery Café in Aransas Pass. Oh, my! They’re known for their good down home cooking and plentiful portions. Bacon, eggs, hash browns, omelets, and sausage were our fare for the morning, along with plenty of hot coffee. Yum-yum!
Setting out for the beach, we needed to take the Texas DOT
ferry from Aransas Pass to Port Aransas. The wait time was less than 15
minutes, so we arrived in plenty of time to enjoy the sun and beach. The day was beautiful, we lots of sunshine and
a breeze from the Gulf, making it most enjoyable. Ron and Kathryn brought
kites, so we flew them for a while, as well as just relaxing. If you can
believe it, this was my first time ever
flying a kite! It was sorta fun!
This was also the week for the annual 2016 Texas Sandfest in
Port Aransas. Although not many sculptors had arrived to start their works of
art, there were 3 that had been started: the welcome sand sculpture and the
sculpture of all the sponsors. Even these were pretty cool!
The Texas Sandfest is now the largest sand sculpting contest
in the world. It’s estimated that over 100,000 people will wander through the
beach for this 3-day event, from all over the world! Oh, and the sculptors come
from all over the world, too. The event is judged on each artist’s skilled
detail work, creativity and most importantly, originality. This year there were
19 professional competitors, with only 2 being local sculptors. It’s a pretty
prestigious event, as it’s by invitation only. (There are areas for the novice
to express themselves, too, and for the kids to enjoy themselves building their
own versions of sand castles.)
We left the beach around 2:00, but had to stop for ice cream in Port
Aransas on the way to the ferry. This was the perfect way to end that part of
the day!
On our way from Aransas Pass to Rockport we decided to stop at Shempy’s
for a bite to eat. Burgers were the palette pleasers of the day, with onion
rings and fries. Their burgers are some of the best in the area, and worth a
stop. (They also have wonderful
lobster bisque, if you’re in the mood for something warm and soothing!)
That evening, after showers and a bit of relaxing at home, Dick went off
to play yet another round of Texas Hold ‘em. Still not winning, but practice
makes perfect, right?
Happy birthday to Dick! Thursday was his day of honor, so we celebrated
that evening with 14 friends at Charlotte Plummer’s. (Earlier in the day Dick
worked for a while, we had breakfast from Whataburger while we did laundry, so
the day wasn’t just celebratory!) We dined on all manner of seafood, cooked in
all manner of ways, and certainly enjoyed our time with friends. Ron and
Kathryn provided a luscious deep, dark chocolate cake with chocolate icing for
dessert (thanks to H.E.B., a Texas-based grocery store). A good time was had by
all.
Dinner was at 5:30, so we were back at
the park in plenty of time to play Pegs & Jokers with Bill and Carole, and
Ron and Kathryn. Sadly, the women are having a struggle with the “jokers” (men)
and we lost all 3 games.
Friday we said farewell to Jerry and
Bonnie, as they left heading to Sandpoint, Idaho for the summer. They’re
transitioning to full-time Texas residents, living in their motorhome at Bay
View, so this will be their last summer in Idaho, except for visits there with
family.
Kathryn and I went for pedicures Friday
morning, which is always such a treat. Although I had my pedicure, Kathryn’s
chair was so uncomfortable that she decided to not have one, and sat patiently
while I had mine. After a stop for a few grocery items we headed back to the
park for the day.
Dick worked for a while Saturday morning before we joined Ron and Kathryn
for a trip across Copano Bay Bridge to Holiday Beach, for breakfast at
Caroline’s. (She used to have Caroline’s Turtle Bay Café here in Rockport, but
moved to Holiday Beach earlier this year.) She’s only open for breakfast and
lunch, Thursday through Sunday. The restaurant is larger than the one in
Rockport, and every table was full while we were there. Service was a bit slow,
but we weren’t in any hurry, so that was fine. (The wait staff could certainly
use some training, as they were a bit discombobulated, but the food was good,
and we were not disappointed with the fare. I had to have my favorite of hers,
corned beef hash with rye toast, while others had ham and eggs, French toast
and eggs, and pancakes. (The pancakes almost overhang the plates!) Yum! We
didn’t need anything more to eat ‘til dinner, for sure!
Returning home, Dick washed part of the camper and did preliminary
preparation for packing up. That evening was a farewell potluck at friends
Pat’s and Prescott’s to wish all those of us leaving a safe journey. Fresh
fruit, shrimp with cocktail sauce, chicken wings, salads, pulled pork
sandwiches, calico beans...the list goes on and on… There was food in
abundance! Such a good time with good friends. Wish more of our friends, who
had already left, could’ve been there, too.
Our initial plan was to leave Sunday, May 1. This got put on hold ‘til Dick’s
work in the office was completed, so our day of departure is set for Tuesday
May 3. Sunday was spent washing the rest of the camper outside and cleaning
inside. That afternoon we spent playing Pegs & Jokers with Bill and Carole,
and Ron and Kathryn for the last time this season. Again, the women struggled
but managed to come up with 1 win, to the guys’ 2. It’s all in the cards…
That’s it for this edition of “Cummings and goings…” Our next blog will be
written from somewhere down the road. Please pray with us for safety as we
travel, as well as for others on the road. With the storms and flooding in the
south, this is particularly key. Thanks.
Hugs to y’all!
RJ and Gail
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