How Compromise Works....

It all started with -

He:  "It's not THAT much further...I've never seen the Gulf of Mexico....It's an ISLAND and islands are a good thing...I want to put my toes in the ocean again...there might be some great photography!"  

She:  "But it's in the WRONG direction....It's time to be going north and west...not south...I've never seen the Gulf of Mexico...It's an ISLAND, and that's a good thing...and ohhhh, the birds!  Birds I've never seen!"

My 3 boys at the seashore....a National Seashore!

And that's how it happens...we leave San Antonio and head south to Padre Island and a National Seashore adventure.  We don't have much time to fit in this little extension of our travels.  We head for Mustang Island State Park and arrive by 2:00 p.m.  That leaves the whole afternoon for Jeeping on the beach and breathing the sea air...salt...oh, and fine, fine sand!

Bridge to Padre Island

Strange indeed to drive across a bridge and arrive at your island destinaton.  But wait, we are really one island to the north on Mustang Island for our camp.

Campsites behind the dunes and in two rows.  

Ruby the Rubicon tries her tires on sand.

It doesn't take long to get to the beach and start checking out the surf, sea, sunshine and seabirds!

Our greeters: Laughing Gulls

What a noise (laugh?) these birds create.  Between the Long Tailed Grackle and the Gulls there is a constant background bird concert!

Long tailed Grackle---"Cackle"

Later in the afternoon we discover you can drive the entire length of Mustang Island in about 20 minutes, and board a FREE ferry which crosses Aransas Pass (where ocean ships pass into Corpus Cristi) and then continue on to Port Aransas.  Hum.  Ride a ferry?  But wait!  It's FREE, you drive right up, there are six boats waiting, you drive right on and in five minutes you drive right off.  How can a person from Friday Harbor and a veteran of Washington State Ferries, pass this up?

Cute!...and free...and no lines...and...

Searching for "our" lane....

The next day is our chance to explore Padre Island and go to the National Seashore.  Again, cars are permitted on the beach and after the first several miles, it's 4X4 only.  Yay for Ruby!  We're off!

The Spark Plug, Steve and Skipper...and the Sea

Royal Terns

Small, small Sanderling

Sandwich Terns....see the yellow tip on the bill?

Great Blue Heron...being big and blue..

Least Tern

Tri-color Heron....I think

So many new birds for me!  And some birds I've seen before...but this time, noticed new things.  Take a look at this Great Heron...very white, except look at that green on the lores near the yellow bill!  Wow!  Very elegant and fancy!

Great Heron

All too soon our time on these two Gulf islands comes to a close.  It is hot, but not too hot. 80 degrees is lovely with a breeze...but humid, yes.  It is sunny!  It is creeping closer and closer to the time to head north.  But first...we have a date in Austin with nephew Rob and wife Lynn!

Time, time, time....to GO!