Road Trip to Rockport and Port Aransas

Today's blog will be mostly in the form of photos. It was pretty cold this morning with the wind but the temperature was about 48F (9C) when I got up. Today's plan was to go to Rockport and get our reservation made at Goose Island State Park for when we leave here. We've signed up for two weeks beginning January 28th and we're promised a site by the water but not guaranteed that we will back on the water. We may be across the road.

This sandhill crane photo was taken on our way going north on the road toward Port Lavaca.

Here we are on our way to Goose Island State Park through Lamar, TX.

This is the sign for Stinky Beach at Goose Island State Park.

And this is Stinky Beach

On to Rockport, we stopped at Big D RV Resort and had a look around. I knocked on Deb's door but their truck was gone. I couldn't remember which site Donna is in unfortunately. As it was lunch time Gordon got his lunch at Taco Bell and then stopped at McDonald's so I could get a salad. We then went down by the picnic tables near the harbour but ate lunch in the truck as it was still pretty cold and windy even though the thermometer in the truck was reading 61F (16C).

This photo was taken across the road from the Harbour which is across from the Chamber of Commerce. We had stopped there to see what was happening as there's a lot of new building going up around Rockport and they've done quite a cleanup around the Harbour.

This photo was taken as we were crossing Redfish Bay on the ferry. This barge was being pushed toward the Corpus Christi Harbour.


A white pelcian posed for me as we reached the ferry terminal at Port Aransas.

Our first stop was the Leonabelle Turnbull Birding Center. This is a great blue heron. He was really close and stood there so long without moving we started to think he was a decoy!


There was also a tri colour heron that wasn't at all skittish.


And a reddish egret was sitting on the pier when we went to leave. Unfortunately it's blurry!

From there we went to Mustang Island State Park. There is also lots of building around Port Aransas and a lot of beach houses that have been built on the way to the state park. They wereb't there two years ago!

This photo shows the 'host' rvers spots in relation to the Gulf. You can see it's quite a ways away.

And the beautiful waves!

Here's the beach. Mustang Island SP has a glorious beach!

My footprints in the sand. Unfortunately it was too cold for bare feet so you'll have to make do with sneaker prints.

Some boondockers on the beach in Port Aransas.

This dolphin was going along for the ride on the breaking waves in front of this ship.

We also drove by the Horace Caldwell Pier in Port Aransas and stopped at another fishing pier that always has pelicans around that are very nearly tame. They're waiting for fish from the fishermen.

And here we are on our way north toward home. We got home about 6:15 p.m. or so, tired but it was a really fun day!

We left Ellie and Jim at home today to get things done and from her blog it looks as if they got a lot accomplished.

Stuff

I was listening to the radio on a Victoria, TX radio station before I got up this morning and it said the temperature in Victoria was 27F (-3C). Brrrrrrrr! I was happy to see that it was 40F (4C) here. It's often warmer here on the coast than inland only 1/2 hour away, thank goodness! It did quickly warm up and was bright and sunny with no wind.

The plan today was to go into Port Lavaca for some groceries and Ellie decided to accompany me. We got that done and were home around 12:30 p.m. Ellie and Jim were going to Victoria this afternoon and I had some things to get done around the RV.

This afternoon after a nice shower, I sat outside and read for a while. It was nice in the sun. Our high today was around 62F (17C). I also watched the pelicans diving for fish. They are so funny. All you hear is a 'plop' now and then as they hit the water. They aren't the least bit dainty about it!

Late this afternoon I came in and made stew in the Dutch oven. It's not for tonight, it's always better made a day ahead. It just seemed like the right kind of weather for stew although this afternoon here was really nice, the nights are colder than they have been.

Photos today were taken around the RV park.

Finally Meeting Karon & Exercise

It was much colder this morning at 44F (7C) but at least the sun was out. It was windy but not as windy as it has been. I got up a bit later and didn't start out on my walk till about 8:15 a.m. I did the long loop again.

Ellie came over while I was having breakfast to let Gordon know that Jim was heading in to Walmart and had seen a large flock of sandhills on the way in so Gordon went off to find them. When they heard the truck though, they took flight! So he got a few flying photos.

A little while later Ellie came over again to tell me that Karon (Discovery Travelers) had gone to Rockport to pick up her mother-in-law and was heading north. She was going to meet her at TX35 and guide her back into our little warren. She said she hoped she could find it so I said I'd go along with her. I got Miss Pinky out of the truck to take along. We were traveling on TX316 when Ellie's cell phone rang. Karon was already on 316 so we just pulled over and waited for her and led her back to the RV park. It was so great to finally meet Karon. Two years ago when we were in Rockport, Karon sent us an email wanting to get together but we had left that day and when I picked up the email we were already in Beaumont, TX. So finally we got to meet! They only stayed a few minutes as they had a long drive ahead of them to get to where Karon's RV is parked.

Karon and her mother-in-law

After lunch I walked down to the pier and took some photos and then went next door and asked Ellie to come out and play so we went for a walk around the long loop again. I needed that to help me stay out of the cookies. I've been having a real sweets craving lately.

This is either a long or short-billed dowitcher, apparently they're hard to tell apart .

Willet
When the north wind blows it blows water from our little harbour out into the lake

When I got back it was back on the couch for me with my book, a chocolate bran muffin that Ellie had given me (Weight Watchers 1 point) and a nap!

I think we might have reached a high of 55F (13C) today.

Warm Saturday Then North Winds Blew In & Challenges

It was cloudy, a bit foggy over the water and 68F (19C) at 8 a.m. I saw Ellie leave on her walk as I was getting ready. I had decided before I got up that I was going to attempt the "long loop" this morning. I hadn't tried it yet being somewhat lazy. It's about double the loop I usually do. As I was heading north I saw Ellie quite a ways ahead of me, obviously with doing the long loop in mind as well. With her at a fast paced walk and me walking and running I did catch up with her but it took a while!

I got back, did my stretches, had breakfast and all of a sudden the wind came up from the north and it cooled down about 10 degrees.

Ellie had said when we got back from out walk that she was going to download the geocaches to her GPS. She came over later this morning and told me the geocache I looked for the other day is virtual and I could have looked forever and never found it. Ok then! There's another one nearby but apparently it needs maintenance. We decided to wait for nicer weather to go geocaching.

Early afternoon Gordon decided he wanted to go on a birding tour around the area so I went next door to see if Jim and Ellie wanted to come along. When I went over I noticed that Pyro had switched allegiance and was now snoozing in their recliners. The life of a cat!

Ibis and reddish egret

Ibis out food shopping

A pair of hooded mergansers

They got ready to come and we headed out. Because it was so windy we didn't see that many birds but there were a few around so photos were taken by everyone. We weren't gone long. I sat on the couch and read and did some computer stuff this afternoon.

I prepared some baked chicken and fried potatoes with salad for dinner.

The temperature leveled out this afternoon at around 54F (12C) so it wasn't too bad, just windy.

Pantry & Refrigerator Challenge

Fab Grandma has put out a challenge. She showed her refrigerator/freezer and pantry online and she's challenging others to do the same so here's mine!

After White Chili & Sightseeing

I woke up in the night last night with a bad bout of acid reflux. No more White Chili for me, should have gone for the Moose Nose Stew! I still felt yucky when I got up, kind of like I had a hangover (but since I didn't have any alcohol last night, that would be a stretech) but went out for my walk and met Ellie and the puppies when I was out. After breakfast I hit the mylanta and got ready to take Jim and Ellie around the area.

We spent about 2 hours out and about in the general area of the campground, Matagorda Bay, Indianola, Indianola Beach, Magnolia Beach and Indianola Cemetery. We didn't see a lot of birds probably due to the wind as it picked up today but at the Cemetery we did see a small flock of roseates and three sandhill cranes so I was glad we were able to show them something interesting.

Great egret in the marsh grass

Little blue heron hiding from the wind

Roseate spoonbills near the cemetery

Sandhill cranes near the cemetery

Shrimp boat in Matagorda Bay



This afternoon Ellie and Jim were going in to Port Lavaca to get some groceries so we stayed home. I read a bit and then had a long nap. Wish I could say I felt better!

We had temperatures around 79F (21C) today. Looks like that will be the last of the warm temperatures for the foreseeable future. Highs for the next couple of weeks look like 50s and 60s (10-18C). Bummer!

Gordon posted today, to read it, click here.

We Have Neighbours!

Neighbours


Jim and Ellie in front of the Castle

Today was just the most beautiful sunny day with a breeze and 75F (24C). I started out the morning as usual. After breakfast I made White Chili for dinner and put it in the crockpot, then it was vacuuming and dusting, doing dishes and a shower. Ellie had said they would probably arrive between 2 and 3 p.m. I was just going out after lunch to sit in my chair and read and wait for them when a white car pulled behind our truck and then I saw the Castle. It was 12:55 p.m. so they made really good time.

Here's the Castle

And their new spot - how did he do that?

Pyro snoozing in my lawnchair


They got set up, I went for a little walk with Ellie and the dogs and then Jim came with us while I showed them around the park. We chatted for a while, then Ellie went home to get some things done and I looked through my RV-Dreams cookbook that Ellie brought for me.

Around 5 p.m. I went over and got Ellie & Jim and we had our White Chili for dinner with a salad and white chocolate pudding for dessert. That was my first attempt at White Chili and according to Jim it turned out well.

And that's the end of another beautiful day here on the Texas Gulf Coast!

The Story of Moose Nose Soup

Last night on the rv-dreams chat, I had asked for a recipe to feed Ellie & Jim who are arriving tomorrow. JB, another Canadian from Alberta, suggested Moose Nose Stew and so on the conversation went about not being able to buy moose nose down here and so on. Anyway, I thought it was a joke and was going along with it until I googled it today. Apparently it's a Cree dish. The recipe is below and there's also a recipe for Jellied Moose Nose, just in case anyone's interested. LOL

Don't worry Ellie and Jim, I'm not making it!

Moose Nose Soup

1 Moose Nose
Several Potatoes
Salt & Pepper
1 large Onion
Several Carrots
Garlic Salt & Celery Salt

Shoot a Moose. Skin it and save the nose. Discard the rest. Build a fire. In a large kettle, melt enough snow to give 6 to 8 quarts of water. Place the nose in the kettle with all other ingredients. Simmer for 2 or 3 hours or until tender. Serve hot. The number of servings depends on how long since your last meal!

Jellied Moose Nose

It seems the moose has a big nose which can be served up as an epicurean delight. Here’s a recipe from just game recipes.com.

1 Upper jawbone of a moose
1 Onion; sliced
1 Garlic clove
1 tbsp Mixed pickling spice
1 tsp Salt
1/2 tsp Pepper
1/4 cup Vinegar

Cut the upper jaw bone of the moose just below the eyes. Place in a large kettle of scalding water and boil for 45 minutes. Remove and chill in cold water. Pull out all the hairs - these will have been loosened by the boiling and should come out easily ( like plucking a duck). Wash thoroughly until no hairs remain.Place the nose in a kettle and cover with fresh water.Add onion, garlic, spices and vinegar. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer until the meat is tender. Let cool overnight in the liquid.When cool, take the meat out of the broth, and remove and discard the bones and the cartilage. You will have two kinds of meat, white meat from the bulb of the nose, and thin strips of dark meat from along the bones and jowls.Slice the meat thinly and alternate layers of white and dark meat in a loaf pan.

Reheat the broth to boiling, then pour the broth over the meat in the loaf pan. Let cool until jelly has set. Slice and serve cold.

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On to my day

Today was bright and sunny. It was 43F (6C) when I got up just before 8 a.m. I got my exercise in and breakfast and then got my shopping list ready to go in to town. I left about 10:30 a.m. On my way in to town there was a family of sandhill cranes in the ditch beside the road. I saw them just as I was going past and I knew if I stopped, they'd be gone but they were really close and I could have gotten a fine photo of them, I'm sure.

I got my photocopying done to send my dentist bill in to my insurance in Ontario, looked around the dollar stores and Bealls but didn't see anything I liked better than my money. I got what I needed at HEB and then went to Walmart where I picked up the rest. It's really touch and go as to who has the better prices here in Port Lavaca. HEB has better prices on a lot of things than
Walmart does.

I was home around 2:30 p.m. and took this photo of the egret, ibis and roseate that were sitting just as I turned at the bridge to come back to the park.

We reached 70F (21C). The wind came up this afternoon but it wasn't bad and the whole day was sunny.

After unloading groceries and putting them away, I sat outside for a few minutes but the wind was cooler than I thought so came inside and retired to the couch. I finished my book and had a brief nap.

Laundry and A Birding Drive

This morning started off dull, drab and dreary with sprinkles of rain but that didn't stop me from my walk. It wasn't raining very hard. After breakfast, I changed the bed and got the laundry ready and then headed to the laundry room. Around 11 a.m. the sun came out and that warmed things up a bit so I opened the door to the laundry room. Mistake! I was folding clothes when all of a sudden I heard a 'Meow' and Pyro plopped himself on my clean sheets. I carefully removed him outside and back he came so this time I put him out and closed the door. His feet were all sandy, yuk, Pyro!

I finished the laundry somewhere around 1 p.m., and had some lunch. The sun kept going in and out of the clouds.

Yesterday I felt like I was getting a cold so I went to bed around 7:30 last night and slept pretty much for 12 hours. I felt better today but had a slight headache probably from taking cold medication.

It warmed up enough this afternoon and the sun stayed out long enough that I could sit out in my lawnchair and read for a while. Sure is nice to see the sun!

Around 4 p.m. we set out for a drive around the area. Here are some photos I took.


Man made sand dunes


Belted Kingfisher
Mockingbird

Osprey

White Morph Reddish Egret

View from the overlook across from Matagorda Bay

Our high today was only 63F (17C) but once the sun came out it was a lovely day.

I'm a Blonde Again and Dentist

Quite a difference today. It was only 46F (8C) and cloudy when I got up at about 7:45 a.m. It remained cloudy throughout the day and didn't gain much in temperature.

After my usual morning, I decided to colour my hair so I'm now sort of blonde again. I think it's ash blonde. Other than that I spent the morning on the internet and reading.

I had made an appointment to get my teeth cleaned when I was in town last week and today was the day. We went in early as I had a return to do at Walmart and you never know how long that will take. Today I walked right in, no waiting. I did however have to wait at the dentist. Apparently they were trying to contact my insurance company in Canada even though I had marked on the form that I would pay and submit myself. The girl didn't read it. Duh! Why did I fill out the form? Oh well, they did a good job and my periodontist will be happy that I got my teeth cleaned and it's not often a place like that goes out of their way to accommodate a patient.

Shrimp boat in Port Lavaca

Marina in Port Lavaca



These snow geese were all aflurry when we stopped to take photos



Our high today only reached 48F (9C). Sure hope it warms up tomorrow!