A Morning Walk Closer to Home

This morning I decided to walk over to Bejarano-McFarland Park in Port Isabel. It's about a half mile from where I live, so it makes a nice little walk. I knew that the sunrise today was not going to be spectacular because of the thick cloud cover all along the island, but it's always nice to see the bay. I frequently see wildlife here, and probably would have seen some today had I waited a little longer, but the mosquitoes were pretty active so I didn't stay.

The bay looked very classy and it was hard to tell where the water stopped and the sky began. If not for that little strip of undeveloped beach (my favorite place) that you can see on the right it would have been nearly impossible. I could hear a lot of insect noises and fish jumping. This is a really nice spot for meditation and reflection.

After a short visit I headed back, just as the morning bustle was beginning. As school buses head out and people are rushing off to start their busy day, I make my way back home. Will I make it over to the island today? That remains to be seen. I have a lot to do today.

Beach Day

When the hourly weather forecast shows sun icons all day long, I know it's time to head for the beach. Specifically, the north end of the beach, where people are few and far between. Maybe a little car camping is in order, if the overnight tides are right. 

After enjoying the clear water for a while and getting my daily quota of sunshine (maybe a little too much?) I can roll the windows down and go right on enjoying the clean salt air and beautiful view. 

After a beautiful day, I went on home. One day soon, I will camp overnight. I promise.

Last Day of Darla's Visit

 

We finally got to hit the beach in the morning, after another coffee stop. We went up to the north beach, where we had it almost all to ourselves. Sorry, no pictures . We were too busy playing in the water and soaking up the sun. We enjoyed lunch on the pavilion before going to catch some more music at Tequila Sunset. This time it was my good friends from SouthernBlend. Darla really liked their oldies music, and you will too. 

We split the evening up so we could fit in one more music show. I can't believe I didn't get a photo, but we went to see Nathan Hubble, which is always a great time. Darla was impressed by his talent. Well, I think most young women are impressed by Nathan, but that's to be expected. Wink, wink, nudge, nudge, say no more. 

I wish I could have taken Darla to see all my favorites, but many normally would have played on those first two rainy days. Anyway, we headed back to get some sleep, so Darla could make her early morning flight.  

So, that was then end of a visit that went by much too quickly and was very much appreciated. I miss my girl, but it was so wonderful to see her. Next time, we won't invite the rain. 

More on Darla's Visit

 

The sun came out Wednesday, so after Darla made friends with the neighbor's dog, we headed out for some touristy-type stuff. 

Like the sandcastle exhibit.

And Sea Turtle, Inc!

Then to Tequila Sunset . . .

To hear the incomparable J. Michael Laferty. Mikey is a favorite on the island. Download some of his free music at https://jmlaferty.com/ and you will understand why. As wonderful as his cover songs are, his original music is even better!

Next, we headed over to Isla Blanco Park to watch the sunset go down over the bay, past the jetties. It did not disappoint! 

To escape the swarm of mosquitoes caused by all the rain from tropical storm Francine, we walked over to the jetties  . . . 

. . . where Darla made friends with a young pelican . . .

She followed him for a short distance . . . now, where did I put that video? 

Last day coming up . . .

Darla Comes to Visit!

There's no better gift for a mom than a visit from her kids! And my daughter Darla came all the way from another continent to see me, so that was pretty special. Of course, I was hoping that we would have the most perfect weather for her visit, but tropical storm Francine had other ideas. Thankfully, we did not take a direct hit, but rainfall kept us indoors for the first few days. Of course, we fell back on movies, as we often do, but we also spent a little time with some watercolor painting. 

The rain let up a little, so we ventured out for lunch. I wanted Darla to have the spinach salad with strawberry vinaigrette and the butter pecan cheesecake at Divot's. She approved most heartily. 

 Then . . . I admit it . . . we watched the six-hour Pride and Prejudice for the umpteenth time. 

And made our own salmon salad. Yum. 

Will Day 3 allow us to go to the island? We'll see. 

 

SouthernBlend at Louie's Backyard, SPI, South Padre Island

 

After seeing J. Michael Laferty at Tequila Sunset and seeing the band, SouthernBlend, come in to set up, I searched for SouthernBlend on Facebook and went to see them the next night at Skully's, where I connected with some dedicated SouthernBlend followers who invited me to come see them a few nights later at Louie's Backyard. It was really nice to sit and watch the sunset with such amazing live music. 

I also learned about a wonderful resource - the ultimate guide to finding music anywere on SPI - https://spimusicguide.com/  On any given day, you can click here to find out who's playing where on a given day, and usually the next day as well. Also found on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/groups/780389062094747

J. Michael Laferty at Tequila Sunset

Several times, I have walked by the musical hotspots, like Tequila Sunset, that line the Laguna Madre Bay without ever checking them out. Today, I heard the music playing and decided to wander in and check things out. 

J. Michael Lafferty was playing and singing some really good country music, so I stayed to listen until his gig was over. He played so much good ol' stuff - - even providing some stories and backgrounds of some of the music, like the story of how Kris Kristofferson was discovered by Johnny Cash. 

He also sang several of his original songs that were just as good as those old classics. And he makes his original music available for free! https://jmlaferty.com/

I tried out the mango ceviche, which was really good!

At the end of the gig, an SPI band called Southern Blend was coming in to set up. They play a "blend" of classic oldies, country classics, and a little modern. I can't wait to check them out as well. 

I will definitely be going back to Tequila Sunset.