Our last full day on Padre Island..in winter coats.

First of all, I have to comment on the Header photo.  I took that  photo with my cell phone Sunday on our beach walk.  I have never seen so many star fish in one area..It looked like Grauman’s Chinese Theater for Pete’s sake!  It IS amazing, no?

Soooo,  today is our very last day to be here at Mustang Island State Park.  In one way, I wish we had booked for longer.  We certainly have had some interesting weather here.  I had one day of sitting outside in the sunshine reading my book..but I am NOT complaining.  Most of the nation has been in the bottom of the freezer so I won’t crab about being near the top of the freezer.  We have had some great times walking on the beach…and I snagged some awesome sea creatures..

I only know the Sand Dollars and Star Fish for sure…I do believe that shiny stuff in the middle pic is Abalone.  I also know the big knarly thing is some barnacles…I know this because Barnacle Bill/Dennis the Sailor told me.  I swear this guy has a mind for useless information…but he can’t remember what we had last night for dinner..sheesh.

This photo was taken last Thursday.  Winter coats but the sun was shining and the wind wasn’t hawking…

I wish it were warmer here today.  This is the worst day so far..In fact there are freezing rain warnings again for Corpus Christi tonight.  Walking this morning was a challenge at best.  We both bundled up like Nanook of the North and headed toward the beach..Walking with the fierce wind was fine, but the thought of going back that same way facing “Old Man Winter” was NOT a thought I cherished..

 

 

Here we have MacGyver heading onto the beach through some soft sand.  I was following behind like a little deer.  Hey, if anyone else wants to be the leader in these conditions, have at it! I was hoping Dennis would act as a wind break, but he is built like a stick man and the wind whipped right through him and hit me square on…

 

It didn’t take only about one minute of trying to walk out there and he had enough.  Keep in mind that MacGyver wears RGP (hard) contact lenses and getting a grain of sand or twenty under those puppies is akin to childbirth (well, almost).  Not one to give up easily, my man, but I was relieved when he said, and I quote, “This is NOT going to work.  Let’s get back to the road!” So much for our last walk on Padre Island beach for this trip…

 

What looks like drifting snow is drifting sand..Now I know how those sand dunes got so high…Holy Tearducts, Batman, let’s blow this litter box!!

Here are a few more photos of our time here on the island…

Left, sunset through the window (and my cute little candle chandelier).  On the right is one of two homes used by the Park Rangers here.  Notice the  hurricane shutters..and like most, it’s up on stilts.

Here we have your run of the mill, nasty, slippery, almost invisible in the sand jelly fish. There were LOTS of those suckers out on the beach.  Actually, MacGyver almost did a header into the sand when he didn’t see one and slipped on it…PULLLLEASE wash your shoes off before you come into our Hiker, Den! YUCK!

Tomorrow is “ride the ferry” time.  I am secretly praying for the winds to die down and the sun to come out.  Being on a ferry in these winds is not my idea of a good way to lower my blood pressure. We will be at Goose Island State Park for 2 weeks.  This visit, we opted to be in among the Live Oak trees again…We were there last in 2012.  I will never forget it…The site we had wasn’t level so Dennis backed up onto some blocks on the door side..Enter El Clutso (me).  Forgetting we were “up in the air” after dinner one night, I stepped out with a dishpan full of water, stepped down and fell into the sandy dirt…thought I broke my feet…Take a look..

 

Right foot…(I had no ankle on this foot…)…………………Left foot….For those of you about to comment on my blue toenail polish I need to remind you how fashion conscious I am..I HAD to have BLUE toenails to match the rest of my feet!! Ah, yes, fond memories of Goose Island…Let’s see what kind of situation trouble I can get myself into this time!