And Away It Goes

Well, I went and done it. I'd been playing with the idea of cutting my hair since coming to this warm climate. I like to drive with the windows down and my long hair was always whipping around and getting in my face, even if I remembered to put it up. So I finally did it. Funny that I didn't get around to it until almost time for "winter." It feels good. I have moments of regrets, but overall, I'm pretty comfortable with it. 

Sunset at the Jetties

Well, I have been so pleased to finally have a county park pass and be able to drive right up to my favorite place, Isla Blanco Park and the Jetties.  

Tonight's display was lovely and peaceful, with a boat sailing through the glorious sunset. What  nice way to end a day. 

I have been feeling so downright depressed because of not being able to see any family for so long. Of course, I knew it would be this way, but it's different when the reality hits. I'm glad that my health is much better, but there are times when I wonder if it would be better to just deal with the sickness and have family around. Of course, now that my family is all spread out, I can't be around them all. But I sure do miss them. 

And, even a beautiful sunset can't take that away, although it does provide a distraction for a while. 

Beautiful Waves on the Jetty

 

Tonight at the Jetties, the sunset had a little competition from the magnificent waves. Absolutely glorious crashing against the boulders, with the setting sun in the background.  

I had a nice front row seat on one of the short rock pillars, just close enough to get a little splash now and then. 

A couple of fishermen got a little close for comfort, though. This wave caused them a little unsteadiness, but thankfully they weren't hurt. 

My Cameron County Park Pass

For some time now, I've been wondering if I should spring for a Cameron County park pass. Would I use it enough to make it worthwhile? With the park pass, I could come straight to the Jetties through Isla Blanca Park, rather than my 2-mile hike down the beach from the public accesses. Not that I mind that lovely walk along the beach . . . and back . . . but sometimes I'd rather get right to that southern tip of the beach and spend a little more time watching the pelicans and egrets. 

Not only that, but with a park pass, I can check out the other parks up on the north end of the island. And, one big advantage is that I can always have very nice, clean bathrooms nearby. 

Well, I finally got a 30-day pass to check it out, and it took me about half a second to know it was going to be worthwhile. Very worthwhile. 

I'm so impressed with Isla Blanca Park! I'm sure I will be visiting here a lot. 

A Trip to the Fruit Stand

A while back, on my way to check out Harlingen, I came across a rather sizable covered fruit stand, and it doesn't bother me one little bit to make a special trip out there every so often to stock up on some produce. It's so much better than the grocery stores' produce. I love the baby bananas, and I almost always get a watermelon. This time they had some Texas oranges and Texas ruby red grapefruit. I do love to start the day with fresh citrus juice, whenever I can. I also got some fresh corn, a pineapple, some garlic, and some taco fixin's, including avocados, salsas, and queso fresca (a fresh cheese).

Unfortunately, my fruit stand addiction encourages an invasion of those teeny, tiny, miniscule ants that just love to be around here anyway. Always something. 

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. 

A Little Roadside Shopping

 

On my way home from my walk today, I passed by this little roadside shopping adventure and I just happened to have a little cash on me, so that was a happy little happenstance. 

My plants have been kind of taking off lately - anyway, they're doing better than they were, so I decided to treat myself to a ceramic pot. I'm not yet sure which plant will have the honor of residing in it, but I decided on a medium-sized tan with an orange flower. A little different, since I really don't have any orange about, in or out of the apartment. 

I'm thinking it might make a nice resting spot for my aloe vera plant, which is certainly having a few problems. I've been told the problem is too much water, but I don't think so, as I have laid off watering and it's getting worse, turning more brown. 

I hope I will see this roadside crew again when I have a little more spending money.