Keeping Entertained On The Beach

Life is a beach, or life is grand on the beach.

I picked up a paint by numbers kit last weekend when we went into town (Corpus Christi). It was time for us to leave the beach for 48 hours. Those are the rules, only 14 days at a time, then you have to leave for 2 days. So, we went into Corpus Christi, camping at the Walmart and restocking. We also took in a movie at the theatre next door. We saw the new Tarantino movie, Django Unchained. Great flick, Tarantino's version of the Spagetti Western. Blood and guts galore, need I say more!

We also took a ride down to the beach at Corpus Christi. They have a boardwalk as well as a huge aircraft carrier docked there as a museum. It is the USS Lexington. We took a walk up the pier to the entrance and just had a look at the outside of the ship. It is huge.

Ward and I hit the local shopping center and the hobby store. I got my paint by numbers kit, and Ward picked up a model car kit, a 1955 Nomad. We also picked up a game book which has instructions for every card game imaginable in it, as well as dominos, billiards, cricket, and pin the tail on the donkey. Neither Ward nor I can remember the rules for several card games we used to play. Altzeimers, I can feel it coming on. I have Ward talked into paying cards and dominos with me, as we lack a pool table and Ward keeps running from me every time I get the tail and pointy nail out, and I get that look in my eye as I peek from behind my blindfold.

I've spent a few days already working on my painting. It actually comes with two paintings, one practice version printed on the inside of the cardboard packaging, and the other on a thicker, more professional stock. It's the practice version I am working on, using the outside of the RV as my easel. I also picked up a book on water color painting, with a few stencil pictures and instructions on how to paint. Soon I will be a regular Rembrandt.

You can only collect so many shells. At some point another hobby had to appear, or the RV would be completely over-run with sand dollar segments, shells, and pink barnacles. Ward continues to converse with visitors to 'our' beach. Did I mention he talked to some folks from St Vital, and another couple from Elmwood? I mean really, who would have thought.

We also took a day trip up Island to Mustang Island and Port Aransas. While driving up the island, we stopped in at a few of the access roads to check on other possible areas where we could camp. Most areas are much more populated than the beach we are at, and most of the accesses have a lot of loose sand where I would not feel comfortable driving on the beach. I think we found an ideal location where we are. It is higher up on the island, a little more secluded, and the sand is not as torn up from vehicles.

At Mustang Island State Park we stopped for a picnic lunch on the beach and of course took advantage of the showers. I've said it before, and I will say it again, I love my State Park Pass.

Then we were off to Port Aransas, or Port A as the locals call it. Neither Ward nor I had any pre-conceptions of the town. But we were told by many that we should check it out, so we did. It is a nice sea side tourist town, filled with many brightly colored condos and large homes between the highway and seashore. Once we got right into town, we found many small shops and restaurants.

We stopped at one restaurant for a snack. It was located right next to a private dock filled with expensive private fishing boats.

We took a walk along the dock behind the restaurant and found a group of pelicans each perched on their own post. They seemed to blend in to the scenery. We almost missed them until one moved.

Today we drove the motorcycle down the beach to the Bob Hall Pier (about 8 miles), then into town to look around at the t-shirt shops and hook up with the all-important internet.
That's it for now. Ward is getting bored waiting for me to finish with my internet thing.

Life On The Beach

It's January. It's January and we are lying on the beach. We have to keep telling ourselves that. We have days when it is 50 degrees on the beach, with a strong wind coming in off the water. Then there are days when the temperature reads 90 degrees in the sun. Some days are clear, where you can see for miles down the beach, others are foggy damp and cool. On the cooler days we mostly have the beach to ourselves, well, us and Bill. He is from Washington State and has an RV a mile down from us. On the warmer days there might be 2-3 cars at a time on the beach, some stay for a couple of minutes, others fish or enjoy the beach for several hours. Then by nightfall the beach is our own again.
Ward continues to be the welcoming committee, approaching everyone on the beach, finding out where they are from, how long they are here, and their life stories. We take long walks on the beach, collecting shells, barnacles and photos.
At this time of year, when the water is cooler, many varieties of jelly fish wash up on shore, including the man-of-war, which has toxins in the tentacles. It is always best to wear footwear on the beach, especially on cooler days.
This is a very low key life we are having now. We park for a week at a time, without going into town. We have no internet, no cell phone service, and only sometimes get TV. Ward and I do try to catch the news each night, especially for weather reports, but are not too concerned if we do not. The rangers stop in to check on us, and chat, providing information on the tides and any bad weather coming our way.
We have managed to keep ourselves entertained with our walks, and talking with folks on the beach. We play cards and dominos. And this last time coming into town I got myself a paint-by-numbers and and Ward picked up a model car to put together.
When weather permits, we have a BBQ dinner on the beach, with tiki lights a-blazing. The tiki lights really only work when the wind is not too strong.
On cooler evenings we watch movies. We found DVD packs that have 25 and 50 movies costing $5-10, such as 'Swingin Seventies' and 'Classic John Wayne'. And we continue to watch our TV collections of Weeds, Deadwood, Breaking Bad and The Wire.
Sorry, no pictures this time, due to technical difficulties.

Free Camping On The Beach, Gotta Love It!

That's it, we're moving to the beach. I think we could do it, we could just live on the beach and become surfing hippies. Ward has changed his name to The Big Kahuna and he keeps calling me Gidget. We bought tiki torches and an umbrella, all we need are the surf boards, dude! Yes, I think we could get used to this.
When Ward and I first pulled into Corpus Christi, we went to the shoreline in town, drove around a bit, and started looking for an RV park. We figured there was no way we would be able to stay at the Walmart here, and would definitely be paying for camping. I was sure we would find RV parks along the shore in town, but alas, none were found. Google was kind enough to give us directions to the Sams Club and Walmart, so we got supplies and I spent a bit of time checking out camping in the area. There were a few RV parks in Corpus Christi, along the shore toward Padre Island, but I also found free camping in at the Padre Island National Seashore. All you had to do was buy a pass for $20, good for a year, and you could camp for free on the beach. Oh, and the Walmarts don't mind RVs staying overnight at all.
Our first night in town was spent at the Walmart. There was a fellow from North Dakota who had been there for a night already and was spending his second night while I decided where to camp.

The next day we headed to Padre Island National Seashore to check out the free camping on the beach. The ranger at the entrance told us we could camp anywhere we liked, and gave us a registration form to fill out. All we had to do was deposit it in one of the camping station deposit boxes to let them know who we were and how long we were staying on the beach.  We were told to stick to the wet sand because is was more hard packed and it was less likely we would get stuck. That was a good tip. The spot we found was on the North Beach inside North Padre Island National Seashore. It was just off the pavement and high enough on the beach that the high tides did not reach us. That is something to get used to when you are from the prairies. When we got to the North Beach we had the beach all to ourselves except for one vehicle from Minnesota. The fellow was tenting and had been there for several days already, but would be leaving soon.
On the beach there were people from Minnesota, Wisconsin, Michigan, Ontario and even Winnipeg. Some visits lasted only minutes, others are becoming daily visits, as we get to know the people coming and going from the beach area.

A few days ago the weather warmed up enough to take the motorcycle off the rack. We went for a drive back into Corpus Christi to get supplies, and did a bit of sight seeing. We stopped at the Bob Hall Pier, just north of the National Seashore. (That was actually where I stayed back in 1984 when I came down to the area, craving a beach in the spring.)

It turns out you could camp free on the beaches all up along the coast between the National Seashore and Port Aransas, about a 25 mile span. But you need another camping permit, which costs another $12. That will come in handy when we decide to head up further north on the seashore.
But for now, we are very happy on the North Shore of the National Seashore, watching the birds, and relaxing with the sound of waves. We have been taking pictures of the different birds we see along the beach.

Some fly away when you get close, but not the herons. They seem quite used to people. In fact, fly right up to the fishermen who come to the shore and cast their lines in. The herons just stand on the beach next to the fishing poles, waiting for dinner.

We named this heron 'Scruffy'.

The gulls are the most popular, and congregate in groups on the sand, and along the wood posts in the ground set up as a barrier for vehicles going south along the beach.

I tried doing laundry by hand on the beach, then hanging it to dry. Nothing actually dries out here, something about the humidity, so I guess we will be going to the laundromat with those wet clothes.
When we first got to the beach the temperatures were in the mid 50s during the day, with 30 MPH winds. Yikes, it was cold. Both Ward and I got our winter snowmobile suits out and put them on. It seemed a bit silly slipping into them and walking on the beach, but they stop the wind and help a lot with the humidity.

We found we were both quite comfortable walking out on the beach with our winter 'bags' on.

Others on the beach were also in their winter gear, keeping warm in the cold damp air.
In the mornings I would slip into my big brown bag and take my coffee outside to sit beside the RV, watching the ocean waves. Does it get any better than that? I don't think so.
It's been raining a bit since coming into the area, and last night there was a severe storm warning, with Thunderstorms and strong winds being predicted. Being from the Prairies we decided not to take any chances by staying on the beach. Besides, we were sure the Rangers would advise us to leave anyway. We made the decision to come into town and spend the night at Walmart. It turns out several other RVers made that same decision. There were several RVs in the parking lot for the night. We needed to get more drinking water, and could use some other supplies as well, so the trip to town worked out best all round.
The sun will be coming out this afternoon, with a high of 70 degrees, and the next few days are expected to go to mid 70s and as high as 80 degrees.  Maybe we'll venture into the water on the hotter days. Then cooler temperatures will return again for a few days. We go exploring on the warmer sunny days, and enjoy the beach rain or shine, hot or cool. And evening temperatures never go lower than 45 degrees, so there is no need for turning the furnace on.
Tonight The Big Kahuna will set up our new tiki torches, dig a pit in the sand for the tin foil charcoal briquette BBQ system, and we will enjoy an evening of BBQ'ed steak and potatoes, followed by s'mores by Gidget. Can't you just hear the waves.
Hang loose dudes and dudettes!

A Quick Stop At Luckenbach

With the weather turning cold these past few days, Ward and I made the decision to leave the area and head South to warmer climates. We left Fredericksburg around 4pm after a quick stop at the Walmart to get our New Years Eve supper supplies. The plan was to stop off quickly at Luckenback and get a photo in front of the Post Office, then head toward San Antonio and on to Corpus Christi. We were not sure how far we would get before sundown, but the motorcycle was put back on the rack, so we could drive through the night if that is what we decided to do.

Luckenback, Texas was not very far from Fredericksburg, just around the corner really. We left town on Hwy 290 and soon turned onto County Road 1376, following signs for the Luckenbach Dance Hall. Then down this tiny narrow country road called Luckenback Town Loop.

The road barely handled two vehicles passing on it.

We pulled into the parking area, which was a huge field with rows of fences marking parking areas.

There was an RV and a trailer already parked in the lot, so we pulled in between them and got out for our quick picture. Two young women came over, asking where we were from. They said we were just in time for the Sunday night picking circle, which was at the back of the post office in the bar. And they asked if we were camping. We were told it was $15, and we could pay at the post office. So, off we went, to find out what was really happening at Luckenbach.

There was a crowd in front of the post office, with people taking each others pictures in front of the sign. We pitched in and took several peoples pictures, then it was our turn. Another tourist was kind enough to take our photo.

We went into the post office to look around. It was a store full of tourist items, and had a nice warm wood stove going to warm the place. In the back was a door that led to the bar.

Inside the bar, we were greeted by a fellow who really looked like Jeff Bridges.

He said he got that a lot, his name was Rick by the way. He said he was an 8th generation Texan, going back to the beginning of the 1800. Now that's a Texan. He told us most of the people in the picking circle had CDs out, and there really are no picking circles happening anywhere except this one. Sunday nights was the best time to come, because the better artists are here at that time. They start at 5pm, and go until 9pm (they actually kept going until about 10:30pm).

Some of the artists stayed for the entire time, others played for a bit and left to give room for others to play.

The two women we spoke with in the parking lot were also sitting in at the picking circle, playing fiddle and guitar. Even one fellow behind the bar joined in, playing the harp.

Later in the evening, they played a song for us Canadians, it was 'Summer Time and the Living is Easy'.

The entire night was amazing. I don't know who anyone was, but there was so much talent in that room, it just blew me away.

One woman had a great growly blues voice, a young man plucked a violin with his fingers, then switched to spanish music on a guitar.

Another musician played slide with a beer bottle. It was amazing, amazing, amazing.

And we really only coame to get our picture taken at the sign in front of the post office. We came because of that song, you know the one, We're going to Luckenback Texas, to see Waylon and Willie and the Boys.

Who knew! And how did we manage to make it at exactly the right time for them to start the picking circle right then. It was the best kitchen party ever!

We signed the guestbook.

Then the next day, Ward and I took a walk over the bridge to see the 500 year old oak trees that Rick had told us about. He said when it is warmer outside the picking circle is out under the large oak trees or in other areas set up outside, and there are more artists as well.

That's my New Years story, and I'm stickin' to it.

Tourist Town Central

Finally, we made it to Fredericksburg. We have been within 100 miles of the town for the past month. Everyone we talked to said this was the place to go. They said we would love it there. It is a very popular tourist destination for locals and visitors alike. And the German influence may get us that Rye bread we have been so wanting.

We were pleased on all counts with this town. They definitely know they are a tourist town. The main drag along the highway is the 'historic district', home to restaurants, bakeries, candy and fudge stores, granite and iron shops, boot and hat stores, gift shops, wine stores, antique malls, patio stores and museums. There was also a park across from the Court House with German heritage items as well as a skating rink.

For $10 a piece and the cost of skate rentals we could have skated on ice. Maybe next time.

There was a statue commemorating the earliest treaty signed in the area with the Commanche and German Settlers back in 1847.

One could spend days taking in all the sights and sounds of Fredericksburg. We had been told by folks in the town as well as others prior to coming here that the spring time is really the best time to see Fredericksburg. That is when the wildflowers are blooming. Apparently the area around Fredericksburg is famous for it's wildflowers, and the bluebells which bloom in May.

Our first purchase in town was at the Walmart. I found the rye bread I was looking for. Each day we were in town another loaf was aquired. It was sooo goood, and definitely hit the spot.

We went antiquing for a friend, finding a good selection of items requested. For a tourist town, the antique malls were very reasonably priced. That was nice to see.

A pair of boot jacks

an old spur

some hand forged branding irons

In the granite and iron store, there were stacks of granite slabs (obtained from the local area) that one could have made into tables of any size. The tables averaged about $3000, but one could purchase a cutting board or lazy susan for $100-200 depending on the colors in the granite. I was so tempted to get a cutting board, but Ward said we didn't the extra weight in the RV. He is so practical like that, hmm.

Our last stop was at a funky patio store we saw on the way into town. It was filled with bright colored metal figures, ceramic pots, metal art, and so much more.

They even had a singer / guitar player on a small stage outside amongst the patio art, entertaining customers.

The weather in this area had turned quite cold since Christmas day, and the forecast was predicting rain and 50 degree temperatures for days to come. With that in mind I checked temperatures for various areas of southern Texas and we made the decision to leave the area for a month or so, and head to Corpus Christi. The plan is to come back to Austin / Fredericksburg around the end of February when the weather is to be a bit nicer. We also made the difficult decision to put the bike back on the rack before leaving town. It hasn't seen that rack since Van Horn, Texas in mid October.

Next stop Luckenbach, for a quick picture at the post office. Then we head on down the road.

A Trip To Mecca

Today Ward and I thought we would go into the historic district of Fredericksburg for a few hours, and check out the town. The plan was to wander around town until one o'clock or so, when temperatures warmed a bit, then we would head up to Enchanted Rock. It's a State Park about 20 miles north of Fredericksburg. Story has it the Native folk of the area considered it a sacred place, but nowadays people simply go there to climb to the top.

I checked the weather conditions for the area and today seemed to be the best day for our pilgrimage. Temperatures were going up to 65 degrees, which would be the best we would get for several days. The only issue was the north wind blowing at about 15 MPH, yikes.

After a morning of wandering through shops downtown, and a nice bowl of soup at a local cafe / bakery, we headed out. The wind turned out to be quite a challenge, but we made it to the Enchanted Rock State Park. There was a line of cars waiting to get to the entrance and make payment. We didn't mind because we were out of the wind and the line moved fairly quickly.

Once we parked the bike Ward and I both looked at each other, then the rock, and back at each other, saying it likely was not the smartest thing we have done by walking around town all morning before coming out to the Enchanted Rock for a trek to the summit. We agreed that we would not take the trek too seriously and just go part way up the 450 foot climb. Looking up the rock, you could see a long line of hikers making their way up. It looked like pilgrims on their way to Mecca, with those at the summit becoming tiny specs in the distance.

I was surprised at how many people were at the rock, climbing to the top. Some folks had walking sticks, others had dogs with them. There were a lot of kids hiking up the rock with their parents. Some smaller children road in packs on their parents backs. Then there were the ones that were jogging up the rock.

Ward and I just took our time, slowly walking along the trail and clambering up the rock face. We actually made it quite far up the rock, which surprised both of us. Ward is in this picture, making his way up the rocky steps.

We each went as far as we thought prudent. Yes, I left Ward in the dust, or on a nice rock in the sun and went a bit further up the rock.

Ward was right beside me in this picture, sitting on his rock. I got to the top of this section of the rock, up a fairly steep incline before I made the decison to stop.

I would like to say that I made it almost to the top, but I believe there was still quite a hike ahead of me if I was to continue. You can see the summit in the distance in this last picture. It was not in the cards for me to try making it the full distance. Well, not if I was going to make it back down again.

You can see the 'start' marked in the photo in the top right corner. Ward made it quite a ways up, his mark is to the left in the photo. I got  to the top of one section of the rock, up a steep incline and marked my spot in the photo in the bottom center.

The view from where I made it was quite nice. I stopped several times during my accent to take photos.

During the trek down the rock Ward and I were both glad we each turned around when we did. We could feel it in our legs as we came to the end of the path and back to the motorcycle.

Here is another view of how far we made it up the rock.

Next time maybe we should bring water, oh, and not go hiking all morning through shops downtown.

That's about it for now folks. 

Itchy Feet Are Here Again

It was nice while it lasted, electricity I mean. We stopped in Menard for a couple of weeks, paying for camping at the local RV spot, Stockpen Crossing. We have not paid for a camping spot since early July in Fargo, North Dakota. Back then, we just wanted to turn on the air conditioner and cool off. But this time I felt like stopping and putting down roots.

Ward and I had been talking with real estate agents in the areas around Brady, Mason, Menard, Junction and Eldorado. The plan was to find a small acreage or a lot in one of the smaller towns where we could stop, maybe spend a few months, or something. I was not sure if we were after a place to live, or just somewhere where we could stop and relax for a while. A lot of people who go down south for the winter actually go to a specific RV park, and spent 6 months in the same place, year after year. We have been travelling, continually moving, and it was starting to get a little old. So, we stopped, plugged into the Matrix, and got ourselves a steady supply of electricity and water.

While in Menard, we made side trips to small towns checking on property, and looked at a few likely prospects inside the town of Menard as well. I kind of like Menard. And I like a few of the properties we looked at. The price was right, and by-laws would accommodate our needs (being able to park an RV on a city lot, and the ability to have a Llama or goat in our yard if we so chose). Oh, ya!! Menard has so very few by-laws that even the mayor has goats, 20 of them if what we were told was correct. One realtor referred to Menard as "anything goes Menard" because of their laxed laws. Also, the folks in the sleepy little town of Menard are very friendly.

Having said all that, you would think I would be sending out my new mailing address and setting up a patio and BBQ pit next to the RV. You would think invitations would be sent to one and all to come on down and join us. So close, so close. But I just could not commit. When push came to shove, I just was not sure I wanted to take the plunge. Was it the lack of internet service? I don't know. That's available at the library in town, and at the McDonalds in Brady. Was it the inability to get cell phone service? No, one could generally get service at the top of the hill, well usually, kind of. Was it because the radio station reception was sporatic and we have not been able to get any TV stations with our cheap old Radio Shack TV antenna? Or is it that we like just plain travelling, and we got itchy feet again? Maybe we're not ready to make the big decision on where our hats will hang.

We had a good stay in Menard. I did some baking in the toaster oven I packed. We plugged in the coffee maker and toaster. I baked some very delicious German dark rye bread that took care of a rye bread craving I have been having. And we had ourselves a wonderful couple of weeks fishing on the San Saba River. Word is, there are catfish in the river, and they like chicken livers, but the guy at the hardware store said it was too cold for them to be biting. Personally, I didn't care if I caught a fish or not, it was just nice sitting on the bank of the river, fishing, and reading a good book. Our evenings were spent reading or watching movies, never worrying about using too much electricity. Then we spent a quiet Christmas day in the RV, cooking chicken breasts, home made stuffing, and roast potatoes in our handy dandy electric frying pan.

I guess we took a vacation from our vacation. Well, we pulled up the stakes this morning and headed south. We made it to Fredericksburg, finally. And I must say, these people know they are a tourist town. Tonight we are staying at Walmart, but tomorrow we'll be checking out the town.

We are on the road again, taking in the sights and sound of South Texas Hill Country.