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!

 

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. 

Off to the Dunes

Today I went driving north of the city of South Padre Island, as I often do, especially when I'm feeling a little down, and every time I tell myself I should stop to take pictures. Well, today I actually did it. I actually went driving here for the specific purpose of taking some pictures of the dunes, especially the really sandy ones. 

Another thing that happens to me when I go out here - It puts me in mind of "Sarah Plain and Tall," and how she missed the sea and missed having a dune to play on, as she had done as a child. When Caleb says woefully that they do not have a dune, his dad pipes in and says, "Yes, we do." And they head to the barn where he proclaims the giant haystack their dune, and they begin to jump and play, sliding down their "dune."  

Every time I drive down here, I start thinking "We have a dune." 

Well, today I went home and watched "Sarah Plain and Tall." After being here six months, I can understand why she would miss the sea so much, although, personally, I am so glad to be in a warm-weather beach climate like that of South Padre Island. 

My Favorite Walk - Heading to the Jetties

My favorite and most frequent walk along the beach is the one that starts at beach access #1 and ends up down at the Jetties. Not that there's anything particularly special about access #1, but it's the closest to the Jetties, so I start there. 

I love the look of the Jetties. I love seeing the boats and ships from a distance as I start my walk, and often seeing them cruising through by the time I get there. I love seeing the fishermen and women lined up on the barrier and the wildlife that tends to hang out around there. I can usually get a better glance at the pelicans from here, which I truly enjoy. 

I have been curious as to how long my walks along the beach really are, since I pretty much just go from one beach access to a certain point and back. My health has improved significantly since coming here five months ago. A few years ago I was barely able to walk a few blocks without needing to use a walker. Then a year ago, I moved to Spokane and improved a great deal, so that I was able to walk blocks - and eventually a mile or more, on more than one occasion - without a walker. 

My walks along the beach have steadily increased, day by day, and I have been wondering just how far I can walk these days. Going from beach access #1 to the Jetties is pushing my limits a bit. I can walk it with no problem, but once I stop, get home, and plop down, it starts catching up with me very quickly. I definitely can't walk that two days in a row. 

I don't use one of those step-counter apps, since I generally walk with my phone in airplane mode, but with the help of Google Maps, I was able to calculate my walk at just about two miles each way. A four-mile walk, done on a fairly regular basis, is quite an accomplishment for me. But I would say that most days I walk about two miles total. And I'm still very happy with that, considering where I was a few years ago. 

Today there were three egrets  - one gray-brown one, wading in the waters, and two snowy egrets making their way to the barrier. One was larger, one smaller, so possibly some mother-child bonding going on here. Very nice to observe them for a while against such a beautiful backdrop.