§ Part II

...continued from previous post:

After watching the deer for a while, and once it left the area, I checked out the 2nd gazebo seeing nothing that swims or moves, so I returned to Packery Channel Park and left in the car to drive to the waterway to walk toward the Gulf and the beach. The morning was perfect. The temperature was mild, the winds were calm, the fish were jumping, and the quiet made for a pleasant walk. The sand dunes had a golden glow, the sky was clear and blue.  The sea oats were swaying in the gentle breeze and the wildflowers had early morning dew kissing the petals...

The hour was early. And like me, the day-break risers, fishermen were out in droves!! Some along the jetty, some taking their boats out to sea. A gentleman on one side of the jetty was netting live bait while on the other side a gentleman had just reeled in a catfish only to throw it back in the water ...

Getting to the end of the jetty that juts out into the Gulf, I stopped and enjoyed the salt air, the cool drift of air from the water's surface, and watched everything surrounding me. With the loose sand, a car was abandoned after getting stuck. I see this so often it has become a bit comical. Logic would tell me to not even try to drive through this soft sand...the weight of the vehicle will sink!! Looks like the front end was partially torn off in the attempt to pull it out. My goodness...another car, ruined from idiocy!! A dolphin at the channel breaking point came up for air but once to not be seen again.  I spotted a few sea turtles, many gulls, terns. sandpipers, and brown pelicans.  They were all busy hunting for breakfast. The surf, tho very low, was breaking against the jetty's boulders...the sun was getting higher in the sky.

It was time to turn back to where I parked and get home to begin decorating the Christmas tree while the New Orleans Saints played their scheduled game. Besides, a cup of egg nog was waiting for me at home!!!

§ Sunday Morning Breakdown...

Finally, back to the islands and Port A on Sunday!! I most often went there at least once a week, but  a lot of times more than one time!!  It's been since May 28th since I've driven to the  town of Port Aransas....when the supertanker, ANNE, arrived with all the fanfare. Why such a long time since visiting? Well, the weather, the heat, a holiday [the 4th] and most of all road construction that hindered safe driving. The island highway is just two lanes and for the most part 60MPH speed limit. Under normal conditions it felt quite safe driving, but there HAVE BEEN several fatal accidents in the past few years and the state and county decided there needed to be some changes done. Widening the highway was their priority. So, for the last year or so road construction was imminent along the most 'crucial' sections, but the project has been going on for the last three years....Then, just recently, barricades and highway pylons made the road a lot narrower and the speed limit was cut down to 40-50 miles an hour, but here in Texas, speed limits and warnings are just guidelines...in other words, no-one pays heed. I really didn't enjoy driving there at all while the highway was torn up and road equipment and semi trucks loaded with road base and then hot asphalt on the cars' undercarriage was a forever happening!!. Lately, like the last couple of months, the highway was uneven, barricaded, and speeders. That kept me away for the most part. I figured that perhaps they're close to completing it by now, so I took a chance. NICE! About 90% done. They've widened it in critical areas, they've added a center lane near residential areas for those making turns into their neighborhood streets so they're not impeding in traffic, they've added passing lanes in areas that need it so the heavy traffic can get around those that drive too slow! It's gonna help with accidents, I think, with such heavy traffic going to the islands' beach access roads and into town. Port Aransas is growing leaps and bounds, the traffic will NEVER get lighter.  In my experiences driving in this area of the county, the only time you're not in heavy traffic is on Sunday around 5 a.m.  After 8 a.m. it's often bumper to bumper....during holidays and during college Spring Break,  it's stop and go with advancing along the road at a turtle's pace...on an OPEN highway.

I arrived and hit my two favorite birding hotspots. Nothing much that early. A Least Bittern and American Coots along with the resident alligator [photo] at my first stop. The second area down the road...nothing but grackles and butterflies. So, off to Charlie's Pasture to walk the boardwalk. Golly, was it dry! Hardly any water along the salt flats. After walking there, the sun was beginning to beat down on my shoulders, but I wanted to drive to ARK [a rehabilitation facility for wounded animals]. And from there, along the backside of the institute, I can walk a partial area along the jetty. For a while I sat on the huge boulders and just watched the boaters, the fishermen, and scanned the horizon, enjoying the sea breeze and slow motion of the sparkling water. Eventually, I walked a bit more and then left for home with a pitstop at the grocery store for...........more cat food! lol

Now that my narration is over, I'll share a bit with my Sunday Photo Album:


Fishermen along the NORTH Jetty and I think this is a pink trumpet shrub [not sure]


Brown Pelicans at the end of the South Jetty


Part of the Marine Science Research Pier and Passion Vine blossom


Injured Barred Owl at ARK and monarch butterly


Boaters on the Channel and Anchored tanker [waiting for pilot to board probably]



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From NBC "UNITED STATES - It turns out that more people are walking at all hours of the day. A new study shows more Americans are getting out and walking. The data shows a steady increase in walking over the past decade for both transportation and leisure. Experts say walking is an easy way for people to get exercise."