Beautiful Ocean Waves

 

So many of the sunrises lately have been either so shrouded in cloud cover that there was very little color at all or so void of cloud cover that there was little variance of color, so I was thrilled to see some colorful rays at dawn!

But as the sun came up, the real show-stopper this morning was display of beautiful ocean waves. Of course, there are almost always beautiful waves here on South Padre Island, but today they just seemed more . . . playful. 

Rolling . . .

Milky . . .

Frothy . . .

Sudsy . . .

Beautiful waves.

Just part of this beautiful morning. Next, a peek at the birds. 

Butterflies and Cotton Blossoms

Lately I have been having to go to Brownsville a few times a week and it has given me the opportunity to add some variety to my morning walks. I have to confess that I have to force myself to go walking much of the time, but when I do, I am always glad I went. 

Today, I went to Resaca de la Palma, hoping to see the beautiful birds, but it was a bit of a disappointment. I found out that the park doesn't feed the birds in the birding area until September, and there wasn't much to be seen. However, the butterfly garden was all a' flutter. Even at that, I didn't stay long because the mosquitoes were atrocious!

Upon leaving, I had to catch a few pictures of the cotton blossoms in the adjacent field. I saw these plants cropping up all over the place, and I had a feeling they must be cotton. Google lens confirmed my suspicions. 

I'm anxious to follow their progress, as I didn't really take notice of the cotton fields last year until they were all done in. 

I remember my mom and dad talking about how they used to pick cotton in the south when they were first married, but I had never seen cotton fields before moving here. 

Island Plant Life

I love looking at the vining plants that cover the dunes. It reminds me of my first summer here last year. After the beaches had been ravaged by the hurricane season (below), I couldn't understand how the it could ever return to normal. but here it is, lovely as before. 

This year, I've been impressed to watch the agave plants growing, with their quick-growing, tree-like projections, reaching for the sky. 

Before yesterday, I had only seen them from a distance, but now I was able to see them close up. Very close up. And they are truly unique. 

A Subtle Sunrise

 

I have not been getting to the beach as early as I would like. I'm sure I've missed a lot of fabulous sunrises. When I do show the extra initiative to make it to the beach while it's still dark, as I did yesterday, it usually turns out that the sunrise is largely hidden by the clouds. 

It's still beautiful. Just a little more subtle. 

This morning, as usual, the sun broke through the thick cloud layer in its usual breathtaking way.

Soon people were enjoying the ocean and another beautiful day. 

Am I Blue? Yes, I'm Blue . . .

 

I really did not feel like going out walking today, but knowing that I always feel better after I do, I did. 

At first, I thought about heading to the beach, but on second thought, I decided I would walk at the Birding Center or the Convention Center, as it had been quite a while for either. 

I decided to check out the Convention Center first. As I was coming down the drive, I saw something curiously walking sideways toward my car. As I slowed down, thinking I could stop and snap a picture or two, it scurried away into the grassy area of the median. 

So I parked the car and footed it back to the median, peering through the grass to see if I could find him. As I looked up, I was startled to find this guy just peering at me from the side of a palm tree! 

This blue crab was a lot bigger than the little old fiddler crabs and hermit crabs that can often be seen here in the shallow waters of the Laguna Madre. 

I hung around long enough to snap a couple dozen pics, and then I went on my way to the trees where I sometimes watch for birds. 

Walking up to that area, I was surprised to see this guy's cousins hanging around in the grassy area near the bay! 

I had bravely ventured into the grass, but as I saw more and more of these little blue headed, green-eyed creatures crawling about, I decided to get back to the pavement. 

Then I walked the boardwalk, seeing a lot of butterflies and dragonflies along my way, but these little blue guys were definitely my catch of the day! Then I made my way to the beach for a little rest. 

Gulls 'a Plenty

 

I have gulls on my rooftop more often than not. If I stopped to take photos of them all, I would be forever taking photos right outside my door. 

I'm not sure what it is that makes me stop and take a picture of one with others all around, but every once in a while, one just strikes me as different, even though they pretty much look the same. 

But there was something about this one that just kind of grabbed me and made a small connection this fine Saturday morning. 

It just adds a little joy to my day. 

And then, today, at the beach, it was this one that caught my attention, 

flying so gracefully across the morning sky. 

Still, I don't know what makes one stand out from another. 

But I know it happens, again and again.