Cold, Wet and Windy

It was only 43F (6C) this morning and it was pouring rain and windy. I stayed in bed till nearly 9:00 a.m. hoping that the rain would stop so I could walk, but it didn’t stop so I didn’t go.

This morning we checked out some sites in the wooded area of Goose Island State Park and identified a few sites that would probably work for our internet and TV satellites however you can’t reserve a particular site so we decided to look outside the state park. On our way into town there was a sign for an RV park so we went to have a look at Fulton Oaks RV Park as we had never seen this park before. We decided we liked it, they had one spot left that is on a corner and pretty big and we could rent it for a month so we took it and we will move there on Thursday. We will have to drive to the water but it’s not far and it looks like there is lots of place to walk around the park. The streets around there are dead ends too so that is another walking option.

It didn’t stop raining for very long today but at some points it wasn’t raining very hard. I still didn’t get my walk in though. The high today was 44F (7C) so the furnace is running again.

While we were in town we had lunch, I picked up a sub at Subway and Gordon had a southwest steak bowl and we just ate in the truck by the water then stopped at H.E.B. to pick up a few grocery items on our way back.

I did take a couple of photos at the duck pond at our new park but they weren’t in focus so you don’t get any photos today!

More Cold Weather

Today was another cold day. It was 49F (9C), cloudy and windy when I got up and went for my walk but it only got to 50F (10C) as a high. While I was out, there were a few sprinkles of rain but not enough to get wet. We had one fleeting moment or so of sun.

We didn’t do anything today except sit around the RV, read, computer stuff, puzzles and that sort of thing. We kept the heater running but had to turn the furnace back on.

The park is filling up again. Lots of people left last week when it turned so cold, now they’re returning so we have neighbours on both sides of us again. Still haven’t made a decision as to what we’re doing when we have to move on Thursday.

I took the photo of the sun rays on my morning walk.

Getting Things Done

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After the birding slide show last night I decided to take my binoculars instead of my radio on my morning walk. It was 49F (9C) and cloudy. We had some rain during the night and it looked like we might get more but I was lucky and didn't get wet. I didn’t see a lot of birds, a few cardinals and what I thought was a blue heron but could be a tri coloured heron or a reddish egret. It’s hard to tell since I only saw his body.

Around noon we hitched up to go and dump our tanks. Break down, dump and set up again took about two hours. After we got set up I vacuumed the RV and had a nice hot shower.

In this area if it’s not sand that’s being tracked into the RV it’s crushed oyster shells. At Goose Island State Park there are crushed oyster shells all over the place and the area where we are camped is covered with them so we’re always tracking them in even though I put a brush at the door to brush off the soles of our shoes. It just can’t be helped.

Late this afternoon we took a drive to the Fourth Street Pond as that is supposed to be a good place for birds but we were too early. Apparently flocks of birds come in around 5:00 p.m. but there’s no place to park so we drove around the area and did see a new bird. It looked black with a curved bill like an ibis but we have yet to identify it but from the bird book it looks like an immature white faced ibis.

On our way out of the park there are some houses just outside the gates. As we were driving past I saw a flash of blue and thought they were peacocks so we backed up and indeed they were – a male and a female. I expect they are tame as they didn’t seem to be afraid.

We did get some sun this afternoon and were able to be outside without coats. I think our high was 61F (16C).

Foggy and Warmer

Well, it is getting warmer 49F (9C) but it was pouring rain when I got up this morning so again, no walk.

Just before noon the rain stopped but there was quite a bit of fog so I set off on my walk. There was a snowy egret on the boat dock and I got very close to him to snap a few photos. On to the rec centre and there was a male and female cardinal on the lawn but I couldn’t get very close to them before they took off on me. I had too many clothes on for my walk today. It almost felt warm! I actually turned the electric heater off when I got back as it was 70F (21C) inside. The last 6 days it’s been 65F (18C) at the highest and that’s inside!

Top left: male and female cardinal;
Top right: we think a mockingbird;
Bottom left and right: snowy egret;

This afternoon we went to the office to see if we could stay here longer. We booked an extra day, then the bayfront is booked up for 2 days. After that we could come back. So our options are to move to the wooded area or go out of the park – decisions, decisions!

After that we drove along the St. Charles Bay waterfront which is outside of the park and saw a lot of turkey vultures, coots and some ducks. We drove over to Bahia Vista RV Park but decided the roads were too narrow and too many trees so came back and drove around the wooded area. We could see the satellites from some spots so we’ll have to decide what to do before Thursday. We can always go down the road to Ancient Oaks. He had lots of room and then come back.

Our high today was 58F (14C). At least the temperature is going in the right direction!

There is a bird club here at the park that meets mostly every morning (weather permitting) at 8:00 a.m. at the fishing pier. Tonight the hosts for January gave a bird identification slide show at the rec hall which we attended. For anyone who doesn’t know, my father was a naturalist and birds were one of his hobbies. Unfortunately I don’t take after him but as I’ve grown older, I do enjoy watching the birds and learning what they are. The slide show was very well attended and we had a good time.

Just Veggin' Out

It was 42F, rainy and windy when I got up so no walk. Instead I sat in my recliner and did some internet surfing – not exactly the exercise that I enjoy in the morning but it’s something I do every morning when I return from my walk.

The rest of the day was spent watching TV, having a nap and reading. I didn’t go outside all day. Oh, and I made a Chicken in a Crockpot recipe for dinner that was quite good.

Gordon went into town to take twilight shots but I stayed behind to watch Ghost Whisperer and keep the heater running.

No photos today.

In the Pink!

Wow! A Roseate Spoonbill!!!!!

It was 38F (3C), cloudy and drizzly when I set out this morning but I was determined! As I was crossing the bridge by the boat dock I looked into the marsh at the viewing area and lo and behold – A Roseate Spoonbill! This is the first closeup I’ve seen on our trip although Port Aransas claims to be the Roseate Spoonbill capital. We did see some from afar but nothing that either of our cameras would reach. I called Gordon (lucky I took my phone) and he ran down and got some really good photos. They are a really pretty and interesting looking bird. See his photos at Gordon’s latest photos.

Just before lunch I decided to go into Rockport by myself. I haven’t done it before as I have a fear of crossing bridges and to get to Rockport there is a fairly lengthy causeway and a bridge that separates Aransas Bay from Copano Bay. So I decided to suck it up and go and as usual with phobias, it wasn’t as bad as expected. Traffic was light. I did some shopping and had my Asian salad at McDonald’s for lunch, picked up some groceries and got home around 4:00 p.m.

Did I happen to mention we saw a Roseate Spoonbill today?

Still Cold But Not as Nasty!

I stayed in bed until 9:00 a.m. today as it was warm and cozy. When I got up it was 32F (0C) and cloudy but very little wind so I walked over to the wooded area of the campground. On my way back I saw a roseate spoonbill flying overhead, very evident by its pink wings. Two egrets were also flying over and I saw a couple of herons at the viewing area so hopefully the birds are coming back. We had some snow or sneet (as I like to call it) last night. Not nice! It’s supposed to be at least warm here but is very much below the normal temperature for the area for this time of year.

This afternoon we went into Rockport to do the laundry. It was way past due. The closest laundry is not wonderful. A lot of the washers and dryers were out of order and some of the washers tops were so rusty they came right off the machine but I persevered and got it done. We looked around at a couple of other campgrounds but didn’t see anything that would suit us.

The high today was only 39F (4C) but it’s supposed to get warmer from now on.

Photo today was taken of the water drops on the plants.

Cold - but no freezing rain - YET!

This morning was 34F (1C), cloudy and windy but at least it wasn’t raining so I set out for a walk. I didn’t walk as far as usual as the forecast was for sleet to start around 8:00 a.m. so I was only gone about 20 minutes. I saw some white birds in the distance in the viewing area across from our boat ramp. Gordon came along in the truck and he was able to distinguish that some were egrets and some were white ibis as he had the ‘big tool’ on his camera. Not much was happening. There was one boat out, I can’t imagine how cold it must have been on the water that early in the morning.

Gordon went out and got propane this morning as we had run out on one tank last night and while he was gone I did a vacuum job. Other than that we lazed around today.

We are due to leave Goose Island State Park on January 24^th. Over the next 15 days the weather will be quite cool only reaching the 60s for the highs while it is in the high 70s and low 80s in Florida so do we leave early for Florida where it’s more expensive but definitely warmer or stay here? That we’ll have to decide over the next week. We’ll want to be sure that the route along I-10 through Louisiana will be okay for travel. Right now it is icy!

Our high today was 37F (3C). I don’t like this weather!!!!

Nasty Weather Day!

Fog over Aransas Bay taken from our rear window this morning

We had some wind gusts overnight that buffeted our home about and this morning was nasty – windy, rainy and 40F (4C). I went for a short walk but it wasn’t pleasant at all. Besides the rain there are big mud puddles around and where there’s not puddles, there’s mud. I thought considering most of the area is oyster shells it wouldn’t be that bad, think again!

I forgot to mention we finally got the bugs washed off the front of Big Harv yesterday. We’ve been really lazy. It took all of about 45 minutes to get it done. We didn’t wash the rest of it to get the black streaks off as we knew it would be rainy for the next few days so we’ll get to that another time. It’s just difficult to find an RV park that will allow washing of your RV so I wanted to get it done here before we move elsewhere.

Today was a nasty, cold day. The rain stopped earlier this morning but the wind kept up and our high today was 40F (4C) this morning. By 4:10 p.m. it was down to 35F (2C).

We stayed inside all day and tried to keep warm. I read, napped and made some stew for dinner and tonight watched TV.

Our Last Day Before "The Big Freeze"

Boat Ramp at Goose Island State Park

Monarch Butterfly

View from my lawnchair

It was 56F (13C) this morning but quite foggy as I set out for my walk along the bayfront. Gordon had gone out earlier and I thought he might be at the fishing pier. When I was about half way to the pier it started to mist and as I got close to the pier and saw the truck wasn’t there I turned around and came home as it was a heavier mist by then. Gordon came home about ½ hour later and said he had been over along the highway. There’s an old highway that they use for fishing that runs across Copano Bay and he was taking photos there in the fog.

I sat outside for a while as today is going to be the last warm day for the foreseeable future. As I hadn’t completed my walk this morning due to the rain, I went for another walk this afternoon.

The low for tomorrow night is supposed to be 31F (-0.5C) with a windchill of 16F (-0.9C). Not what we signed on for! They are also forecasting freezing rain for Tuesday! YUK!!!!!

Today we drove into Rockport and drove around looking for birds but I guess they all know that it’s getting cold and they were holed up somewhere and not in their usual spots. The owner of the other Titanium in the park dropped by and introduced himself.

The plan for tonight is to watch Desperate Housewives!

Back to Port Aransas

Here are the photos from yesterday. I think it's a problem with Firefox as I had no problem uploading them in Internet Explorer.

This is a photo of Aransas Bay that I took on my morning walk

This is a Black Skimmer that I photographed at the beach at Port Aransas

This is a flock of Black Skimmers at Port Aransas Beach

This is my favourite Great Blue Heron at Roberts Point Park - see his head feathers blowing int he wind - he looks like Dennis the Menace

Did you know this was National Lurker week? So those of you that have been lurking are supposed to leave comments. So I look forward to about 100 comments today as that seems to be approximately how many people are coming to my site daily. I thought I might get some comments yesterday asking me why I call our beach Stinky Beach but I guess no one is curious!

It was 70F (21C) this morning and partly cloudy as I took my walk along the beach. There wasn’t much going on this morning but the bird club were at the fishing pier with their cameras and binoculars. With my little camera all I could see was the usual little snowy egret and a sandpiper but they seemed to have their eyes and equipment trained far away. I didn’t stick around but continued walking. I saw an Ontario license plate on a little Roadtrek and a Titanium from Minnesota but other than that mostly people from Texas.

We left this morning headed for Port Aransas but on the way checked out some RV Parks. There is one very near here that the price is right but doesn’t have many other redeeming qualities at least for a month’s stay. We saw another one in Rockport that was nice and on the water but had no room until March so we’ll keep looking.

As we were both hungry we stopped at Fins in Port Aransas again. I was thinking I’d have another bowl of seafood gumbo but he only makes it when it’s cold so I wound up with an oyster and shrimp po’ boy which is a hoagie. It was good but I really wanted seafood gumbo! Then we stopped at Marina Beach to pick up the mail that my sister had sent me and hadn’t arrived when we left so now I have some photos of Christmas. Then we did our usual rounds of the south jetty, the beach and Roberts Point Park before heading home.

We had some shower squalls on and off all day but reached a temperature of 75F (24C) when we were coming through Aransas Pass. Just after we got home it started to rain and thunder.

When we got back this afternoon there was a note taped to the door inviting us to a presentation at the rec hall on the Aransas Bay Estuary System. We decided to go just for something different to do. There was quite a turnout but the chairs were uncomfortable and the guy wasn’t a great speaker but it was better than watching a rerun of Law & Order!

Unfortunately blogger won't let me upload photos tonight. I'll try again later!

An Interlude in Rockport

Photos:

• A couple of the Rockport fishing fleet
• A reddish egret (with the reddish neck)
• A great blue heron (on the post) - he's the one that stayed with us at lunch
  
• A long billed curlew (on the sand)

This morning was 65F (18C) and cloudy for my walk along the bayfront down to the fishing pier. It was a nice walk except for walking by Stinky Beach which is the actual name of the beach here. You don’t swim there!

I sat outside to read for a while but it was quite cool in the wind. It was okay when I moved to the other side of the RV but then I got a craving for an Asian salad at McDonalds so we went into Rockport and each got our lunches (Gordon’s from Taco Bell) and we got a picnic table on the water. We were lucky enough to have a Great Blue Heron stay with us while we were eating. While we were there we also looked around the area at some birds and found quite a few so I think we’ll be spending the rest of January and most of February in Rockport.

I noticed the temperature gauge in the truck while we were in Rockport – 75F (24C) and quite humid.

After lunch, I went to the little shopping mall. It’s not much but the Bealle’s store is quite nice. I bought some stuff there when we were here in winter 2005. Apparently we had a little rain shower while I was inside. Then we stopped for groceries at WalMart and I wound up having to stop at HEB as well as WalMart didn’t have turnips and with the cold weather coming this weekend, I want to make more stew!

I sat out and read again when we got home but it was quite cloudy and windy so didn’t stay out long.

Now we're in for a night of TV!

Big Tree

This is the road to Big Tree - pretty live oak trees

This morning was mostly cloudy and 62F (17C) as I set out on my walk. Fortunately I had taken my sunglasses as the sun came out shortly after I set out. I again walked in the ‘Oaks’ part of the campground going farther this time so the walk took 45 minutes and might have been a bit too far as my lower back was complaining. I didn’t see much of interest this morning except the different ways the oak trees grow here, no deer, no herons but I did see a trail that I’d like to take but will have to bring binoculars with me.

Later in the morning we went to see Big Tree. It is more than 35 feet in circumference, 44 feet high and a crown spread of 89 feet and is supposed to be over 1000 years old. My camera couldn’t get the whole tree in a photo so I took a photo of its base as you will see below. Then we drove around some of the side roads in the area to see what we could see returning home for lunch.

I read this afternoon and had a long nap. It was cloudy outside so only sat out for a bit this morning. Just before sunset we went for a walk along the water and over to the boat dock where the pelicans were again gathered looking for handouts.

The Silence is Deafening

I slept a bit later again this morning. I had put the electric blanket back on the bed a couple of nights ago and it was just so warm and cozy that I didn’t want to get up even though I was awake. When I did get up, I realized it wasn’t as cold as I thought – 55F (13C) and partly sunny. I set out for my walk. It’s always interesting coming to a new place and walking around. There are two parts to this campground – the waterfront and the oaks. So I walked toward the oaks and on the way saw a great blue heron sitting in the top of a tree. It was pretty walking in the live oaks area. They are an interesting tree. Their branches are often as big as the original tree trunk and due to their weight often grow along the ground. On my way back, I saw two mule deer standing quite a distance off the road but as a truck went by they scampered away. There were quite a few egrets and some other birds that looked heron related but were too far away and my binoculars were in the truck. When I walk I have my phone, my camera and my radio so I don’t really want to add binoculars to the list but here I might make an exception!

I sat outside and read for about four hours today. The sun was warm but the breeze was cool so I had my afghan with me and that made it cozy. I even ate my lunch out there. I went for another walk this afternoon and found that they have a book exchange at the rec hall. Its only open a couple of days a week but I’ll have to check it out as I just finished another book.

There were guys cleaning their fish at the boat dock and a whole flock of pelicans were waiting for handouts. They really are moochers! Photo below.

This is the view from my lawnchair

This is the waterfront part of the campground

This is the live oak trees part of the campground

These are the mule deer that I saw on my morning walk

This tree reminded me of the divi divi trees that you see in Aruba

The rest of the day passed uneventfully. We got a new neighbour this afternoon and now their hind end faces our living room window but that’s the way it goes!

It really is quiet here at night, quite different from being in town.

Now at Goose Island State Park in Texas

This is me relaxing in our 'back yard'

This is the view from the front of the RV

The following two photos are our site. Behind us is Aransas Bay

We made the short trek from Port Aransas to Goose Island State Park via the ferry which was an interesting experience. There was a large diesel pusher (motorhome) as well so they put us on opposite sides of the wheelhouse for balance and managed to get 4 cars on as well behind us. It was definitely a shorter trip that way – 27.8 miles compared to 80.6 going through Corpus Christi. We got to Goose Island State Park a little before 11:00 a.m. and got booked into our site backing on Aransas Bay as we wanted. We’re lucky we got here when we did as the place is filled up now.

We got set up and then went for a bike ride along the bay and took some photos of the birds. There are the usual pelicans, some egrets, white ibis and sandpipers along with a blue heron or two.

I didn’t get my walk this morning as we wanted to get here early to be able to get a good spot. They won’t reserve a particular spot for you until you arrive but they were able to hold us one backing on the water, just not a particular site.

We’re here for two weeks and from here, who knows!

More Photos

I love palm trees!

Pelican trying to digest his catch

Tonight's sunset

Our Last Day in Port A

It was 48F (9C), sunny and windy for my last morning walk to Roberts Point Park, at least for this trip. There wasn’t much in the way of bird or mammal life around due to the windy conditions.

After breakfast and showers we took a drive toward Padre Island as their was a stand of palm trees that we wanted to photograph as it looked so much like an oasis (however since this isn’t a desert, I guess it’s not). It’s on private property so we had to photograph it from the road. We also went to the Leonabelle Turnbull Birding Center and even it was fairly quiet but had lots of ducks, 1 pelican, 1 great blue heron, some scavengers and quite a few black-necked stilts but no butterflies today. We could see a couple of roseate spoonbills in the distance but they never come close enough to get decent photos.

These are the black-necked stilts

Here's the oasis on Mustang Island

After we returned home, I sat outside in the sun where it was really nice even though it only reached 61F (16C) as the wind had died down from what it was this morning.

We thought about going on the dolphin/lighthouse cruise this evening but decided it was too cool. That will be something to do next time we’re here.

Just before sunset, we took a tour of our favourite places - The pier, the beach, the south jetty, one of the piers in town and Charlie's pasture for sunset photos. At one of the piers a fisherman was feeding fish to the pelicans. They were almost too big to get down but that didn't stop one of them from trying.

Oh and, Happy Birthday Elvis!

Not Much to Report

I slept a little later again this morning. One of those mornings again where I didn’t want to get out of bed. It was 53F (12C) and the skies were cloudy for my walk again to Roberts Point Park. There were a few birds about this morning and the little egret was in a different place. I also photographed a couple of cats that live and work in the boatyard on the fishing boats (see below). There are a few more. I saw about six of them on Christmas Day when no one else was around.

A pelican flew right over my head this morning

A little tern diving for his food

As I was crossing the road, a pickup truck pulled out of one of the deep sea fishing places with a man sitting on the tailgate and three huge fish in the bed of the truck. I’m not sure what they were but the three of them took up the pickup bed area and the tailgate was down. When I reached the Deep Sea Fishing building there was a lady there getting her fish (looked like the same kind) cleaned and cut up. Wish I had had the nerve to ask if I could take a photo of it but I didn’t ask.

While I’m eating breakfast I always take computer time so after that I settled down to read again. I’ve read a lot of books in the last few weeks. Luckily there is a pretty good exchange library here so I’ve taken advantage of it. I’ll miss it when we move to the State Park this week. I tried sitting outside for a while but although the sun had come out it was pretty chilly. This afternoon the temperature did reach 67F (19C) but with the breeze it felt cooler.

My older sister called this morning and we had a chat. They are going to be in Fort Myers for February and March. We’re hoping to find a spot in Fort Myers for the month of March so we can have a visit there.

I made Chicken Cacciatore this afternoon. We haven’t had that for a while and it will last for a couple of days as I made a fair bit.

Looking forward to the new season opener of Desperate Housewives tonight!

Lazy Saturday

Pretty sky and palm trees

Flower peeking through slatted fence

I did a walk around town this morning under cloudy, humid conditions and 65F (18C).

As the day progressed, it got cooler, our high was 67F (19C). We did have a little bit of sun this morning but it was fleeting.

I did a load of laundry this morning, did some reading and this afternoon made a trip to the local grocery.

Other than that, it was pretty boring.

Cancelled Plans and The Moochers!

I walked this morning in 59F (15C) weather with fog and mist to Roberts Point Park. There still weren’t a lot of birds around – saw 3 herons, a few pelicans flying around and a few dolphins doing their little dance in the channel but that was about it.

The sun came out late this morning. Since today was to be a nice day, our plan had been to go to Corpus Christi and take photos at sunset and go out for dinner. We had to dump tanks, shower etc. and by the time all that was done the fog had started to roll in so we decided not to go to Corpus Christi and instead drove to Roberts Point Park, the south jetty and the beach. By the time we got to the park the fog was gone again but we took some photos anyway and came home. Not a very exciting day but I did get to spend some time outside reading.

The temperature reached about 70F (21C) today but we’re supposed to be back into cloud and rain for tomorrow!

Saga of The Moochers

The two moochers wait as the fisherman catches a small fish

The successful moocher tries to swallow the fish

The successful moocher still attempting to swallow his fish

Still trying with the unsuccessful moocher close by

He's having a hard time - the unsuccessful moocher is still hanging around

Finally he swallows the fish - the unsuccessful moocher is not happy