From Awkward to Super Heron!

This young heron was hanging around a fisherman, waiting for throw-backs. 

 

He was not a total moocher, though. He was still willing to work for his food, if need be, 

which evidently gave him a feeling of confidence and determination!

He seemed to go from awkward to SuperHeron!

Another Day, Another Egret

 I seem to be seeing egrets everywhere. Here, a white morph reddish egret is sun-gazing.

 And I'm egret-gazing. Who wouldn't?

A Rainy Night and Restful Day

Yesterday I went to Laguna Vista to check out the apartment situation and since rain was in the forecast, I inquired to see if I could just stay here at the park for the night. It was so nice, even with the rain. Woke up this morning and took a walk around the park. 

What an impressive park! I used to come here sometimes, but I don't know if they had all this cool outdoor exercise equipment back then. What a great idea! I think all city parks should be like this. After my walk and mini-workout, I settled into the car and made a little progress on the book I have been reading. It was hard to put it down, but I finally did, so I could head over to the beach when the sun came out. 

I headed over to the beach and, boy, was it nice! I just got my Cameron County park pass so I could go drive on the beach for the first time. Quite an adventure for me. 

I parked my car on the beach, and just relaxed in my car for a while, chipping away some more on my book. 

So beautiful and relaxing! 

Though there was a rain cloud forming and moving this way, I thought I could take a walk before it got close. 

Nope!

Getting caught in the rain was an adventure . . . At least, it helps to look at it that way!

 

Car Camping Continues

I had my car all set up for car camping for the two weeks I spent coming down here. That really came in handy when I got down here to find there was a glitch in getting my apartment. So the car camping continues. It's so wonderful to see palm trees from my window!

With no apartment ready and no county park pass yet, I have been spending a lot of time hanging out at the city parks when I leave the beach. I'm planning to get a county park pass so I can actually camp out on the beach. But for now, it's city parks and the Walmart and HEB parking lots. So thankful that they accommodate car campers. 

I'm enjoying this simple life. 

Heralding a Golden Morning

 

It's always exciting to see a white egret, but what a joy to see it heralding the sunrise against a golden backdrop!

Such a beautiful morning!

A Demure Look from a Sea Gull

 

This sea gulls gives me a demure, coy look as I aim my camera - What is she thinking? Is she hoping for a tasty treat? Sorry, I don't feed the sea gulls! I try to eat natural as much as possible and so should they. Nice try, though. 

 

These hyperactive little sanderlings never beg for food. They just scamper around, busily checking out whatever has washed up on the beach. 

I'm sure their natural diet keeps them healthy and happy. 

Afternoon Sun

It's almost like a totally different beach in the afternoon sun. 

It feels so good to be back. I love the salt water, the salt air . . . the salt life. 

I didn't make it to the beach yesterday, but I did go for a walk at the SPI Convention Center, where I saw this gorgeous black-necked stilt standing gracefully in the reflection of the greenery surrounding the water. It's a keeper. 

Back on South Padre Island!

I'm living back in the Lower Rio Grande Valley after having spent a year in South Dakota. The scenery was beautiful and the wildlife was abundant, and I especially loved being around my daughter for a year, but my health was deteriorating again in the cold, dry northern climate. So when I heard of an apartment opening up for me where I was before, I got rid of most of my belongings once again and started to prepare for the move. I had already begun to prepare my vehicle for living on the road during my travel time, as illness and finances make hotels off limits for me. I truly enjoyed the trip down, taking my time to visit family and enjoy some sights along the way. I allowed about two weeks for the trip down instead of the usual two-day trip. It was so enjoyable! I hope to journal the trip itself at some point, but for the purpose of revamping this blog, I will just pick up from the time I got to the BEACH!

I've missed these amazing sunrises! 
(I only had my cell phone camera at first, but you can't go wrong here.)

Right off, I saw a seagull catching his breakfast. 

He'll take it to go.