2/28/16 Be Patient!

Please!
Be patient!

I got pictures from my phone to email.  Now...I can't remember how to get pictures from email to the photo file.  My computer guru, Jeff, will help me figure out tomorrow how to do that....AGAIN!!!

It was a great afternoon.
Hint.... OLE!

2/27/16 We're Ba-a-ack!

Friday was the last full day in our week's "vacation"!

In the morning we went to a huge vendor-filled market held in the convention center on SPI.  It was much more than a craft fair, not a farmer's market.  There were many tables of hand-crafter jewelry, goats' milk soap and lotion, sunglasses, bamboo sheets, shoes, tools, funky-designed chip clips, handmade leather belts/wallets, etc.

Glen and I drove the truck on the beach for a few miles while Jeff and Marcella enjoyed the sunshine on the beach.


This morning the truck was loaded, the keys returned, and we were on the road by 7:50.

We stopped at "Texas Gold", the shrimp market we visited Thursday. We brought enough shrimp for a shrimp boil here at home.

There was also a stop at the vegetable/fruit market in Donna, TX.  We brought home cucumbers, lemons, radishes, avocados, carrots.  Sounds like a good salad, doesn't it.

Gary and Evelyn were here at home when we arrived.  They left Missouri Thursday morning, stopped in Dallas for a visit at the site of the JFK shooting, and arrived here about 10 p.m.

We spent the afternoon catching up on their days in Missouri, and they on our week at South Padre Island.

There are big plans for tomorrow afternoon.  Stay tuned.

2/25/16 Out and About (Inverness Condos, South Padre Island, TX)

Sunrise on the Gulf! The oil drill platforms are about 10-12 miles from the shore!

SEA TURTLE INC

 This Atlantic green sea turtle has only one flipper after being caught in a net.

This  sea turtle is looking for lettuce that has been stuffed in the pipe in the water.

Gulf of Mexico at north end of the paved road, South Padre Island

We walked the beach here, even got our feet wet!

Laguana Atascosa National Wildlife Refuge

 Long billed thrasher

 Altimira Oriole

 Plain Chachalaca

Catbird

Note the baby alligator sunning on the momma's back!

One more day to explore!

2/24/16 FRIENDS DON'T LET FRIENDS EAT IMPORTED SHRIMP

We are now beievers!  In Wild-caught shrimp, that is!

We learned a great deal this afternoon at a tour at Brownsville, TX at Texas Gulf Trawling, LLC.

Texas Gulf Trawling operates a fleet of 15 shrimp boats.  In the early 2000's there were 25 boats but a combo of high fuel and low shrimp prices forced the sale of ten boats.

The emphasis of the tour is to know about and buy "Wild Caught" shrimp; of course, from the USA.  All packages of shrimp-only must be labeled with Country of Origin.  "Farm Raised" shrimp is other countries have little enforced standards/regulations and antibiotics are used.

The vice president of Texas Gulf Trawling says to even ask the waiter at your favorite restaurant who won't know, then the manager who might know, or the chef who should know where the shrimp comes from that is being used.  Questions are the best way to educate the consumer and the provider.

During the shrimping season a crew of 3 (and up to 6) are out for 30-50 days.  Shrimping is done at night.  The "heading" (or de-heading" is done by hand, on board the ship.  During high season up to 3000 pounds are caught per night.

BTW: all shrimp are instantly frozen on board the shrimp trawler.  There's no such thing as "fresh" shrimp.  Freezing the shrimp keeps it hydrated and guarantees freshness.

 We were able to tour this trawler.

 The "header" manually removing the heads from the shrimp from a seated position --on the floor on the very short stool.

 The best ever peel n eat shrimp were served after the tour.

In the small world category, we were able to meet with Jeff's aunt and uncle for lunch at Joe's Oyster Shack in Port Isable.  The aunt and uncle live in the Kansas City area and are in the area for a few days.

2/23/16 Part 2--Four Hour Cruise--more pictures

 One of the ships being dismantled.

 You can see where this ship is being worked on.  It generally takes three months to dismantle and scrap.

 A new deep water rig being built.

 I think this is the USS Saratoga. The company that was scrapping it went out of business a year ago and has been sitting in that condition since then.

 We watched a tug move this ship from the dock to the main channel.  It sped out the channel and eventually passed us.

You can see this is the USS Ranger being dismantled and scrapped.  This is the carrier used in "Top Gun"!

More fun scheduled tomorrow!

2/23/16 Four Hour Cruise

We Went to the Sea Turtle Sanctuary yesterday but...it was closed on Monday.  A visit is on the to-do list for the rest of the week.

Today we went on a four-hour cruise on the "Danny B". Part of the time the boat is a tour boat, the other time it is a fishing boat.

We left from South Padre Island, cruised through the coastal waterway to the port of Brownsville.  We were able to see industry, including shrimp boats, deep water oil rigs, ex-naval and international ships.

Some of the deep water oil rigs were being built, some were out of commision.

The ex-naval air-craft carriers were being scrapped.

This is Monday night's moon rise!  The sun's reflection beautified the scene.

 This is the Port Isabel Lighthouse.

 A group of shrimping boats in harbor.  The boat captain said several years ago there were 1200 shrimping boats; today there is 200. A combo of high fuel costs and low shrimp prices caused shrimpers to find other employment.

 A new deep-water oil rig that has never been put into commission as it was not built to specifications and leans to one side so will never be used.

 The Border Patrol on duty.

 A shrimping boat on the move.

 The same boat with the net booms extended.

 At the Port of Brownsville.

I am having difficulty downloading more pictures.  This computer is showing its age!  I am about ready for a new one.

2-22-16 Birds of South Padre Island

We spent a couple of hours at the Birding Center here on South Padre Island.  There is a boardwalk that goes through the area overlooking salt and fresh water area.(Remember--you can click on each picture to enlarge).


)

American Alligator

Pretty in Pink--Roseate Spoonbills

Common Moorhen

Solitary Sandpiper

Coot--look at those feet

Great Blue Heron

Brown Pelicans

White Ibis

Reddish Egret

Red Eared Slider soaking up the sun

Green heron

Sand Scupture at the Visitor's Center

We are in for the day.  We only have the energy for so much fun!

February 22, 2016 South Padre Island (Inverness Condos, South Padre Island, TX)

We are in a condo on South Padre Island, thanks to Evelyn and Gary renting through their time share.

The sixth floor gives a great view of the Gulf of Mexico.

The weather is in the mid 70's with mostly sunshine.

We enjoyed the farmer's market yesterday.  There were lots of different varieties of vegetables and fruits.  We brought home "raspberry chipotle" and "mango haberno" jellies.
Both flavors were delicious with cream cheese and crackers.

We also bought a container of "Mexican shrimp cocktail".  This was okay for a few bites then that was enough.

We drove the north to the end of the island!  No development the last three or four miles.  The sand/beach is constantly changing due to the winds.

We are getting ready to go to the Sea Turtle Sanctuary.

 Moon rise over the Gulf of Mexico last evening

 Sand castles on display at the Island Information Center.

As far north on the island as the road goes!

Last Friday Jeff went fishing with Fred on Falcon Lake.  The result: 26 crappie--all about 12-14 inches long.

Fred and Jeff at cleaning station.