I B MAGEE BEACH PARK - DAY 10 - FOG BOUND

I've never seen fog last as long as it did today.  It never cleared up.  By late afternoon it had gotten worse.  Walked the dog only twice on the beach.  It's not very pleasant here today.

Got really bored and didn't feel like reading.  Had not felt like doing any painting since I left home but today was the day for it.  I brought along only my paint pens and some tablets of drawing paper and canvas paper.  I never tried painting on any of these materials and found out that it's not easy and does not come out as nice as I would want.

Also picked up a few shells and thought about painting them.  Just for something to do.

Before...

After

This is the painting I did on the canvas sheet of paper.  I wanted to throw it in the trash but I'll just do it over again on cardboard canvas when I get home.  I named her Monica because she reminds me of my niece who died a few years ago in a car accident. 

I tried to paint on this drawing paper but it just won't do so I'll not try to finish it.

My week here at the RV park is up on Wednesday and I'll be leaving Port Aransas.

I B MAGEE BEACH PARK - DAY 9 - SHOPPING

Checked my control panel last night and noticed that my tanks were marking full.  So first thing this morning after breakfast I went to the dump station and emptied my tanks.  

Had to unhook my water hose but left it on the ground at my site and hoped that no one would take it.  Unhooked the electric cord and stored it.    

After leaving the campground, I rode along the beach road and decided to go into town.  Stopped at a store I had noticed before and did a little shopping.  Well, actually, I did a lot of shopping.  It felt good.

I love this store.

This blue windchime was the first thing I saw and as I always say, one can not have enough wind chimes.  I have 4 in the RV.

Bought 2 wooden plaques.  This wooden fish is similar to the ones I make.  I like the way it looks over the sink.

This wooden mermaid is very similar to the ones I make.  I think I will hang her in the bathroom.  

Not sure where this mermaid will go.

Bought a blue and white starfish magnet for the stove hood.

Got some really pretty T-shirts on sale.

And couldn't pass up these tropical cups.

After shopping for fun stuff I had to shop for some grocery items that I ran out of.  So I used my GPS to locate the nearest store which was an IGA store right around the corner. 

Left there and went to my favorite spot on the beach to spend the afternoon.  Did a little reading, took a little nap, and walked the dog a few times.

Crew boats and sailboats... working and playing...

The new kitty was fascinated with the raindrops falling on the window this morning.

I expected a lot of rain but it only drizzled today.  Rain is expected for the weekend.

Had a great day.

I B MAGEE BEACH PARK - DAY 8 - LAUNDRY DAY

The temp today along the beach was in the 60s but behind the dunes where I am was really warm.  I had to use the A/C.  What a difference those high dunes make.

You can see the beach through the pillars under the office from my site.  It's not that far but the Gulf breezes don't reach me.  So I guess I'm ready for the next cold front.

We have a boardwalk and pretty yellow flowers.  I try to keep Xi Shi on that boardwalk and on the sand because there are sand burrs everywhere in the grass.  Poor little thing had some on her upper lip today as well as on her feet.

She found a bone on the beach and started walking back towards the camper proudly holding it in her mouth.  By all means she was gonna keep that bone.  She walked halfway home with it in her mouth.  I eventually took it away from her.

While I did laundry I took a few photos from the second story balcony.  This is the view to my right.  I try to imagine how this would look in the middle of summer with all of the families having fun.

This is the view to my left. 

That's the part of the beach where I usually park... right there in the middle.  You can see the jetties in the background.

It was strange having to use a laundry at a campground.  I usually just bag the things needing to be washed and wait till I get home.  I've never stayed gone longer than a month so it was doable. 

I had to wash some large items like sheets and blankets that had been used by some little 4 legged critters (who shall remain nameless) for a bathroom.  I had not been inside a laundromat much less used one in over 27 years. 

I started a new book today.  A Biogrophy of Clark Gable.  Pretty good so far.

Having flounder filets tonight with squash and a salad.  Movie choice is "Everest."

I B MAGEE BEACH PARK - DAY 7 - MOVING DAY

Last night the temps went lower than I wanted to experience so I checked in to the RV Park behind the dunes.  I still had 2 nights paid for beach parking but was hoping I could get a refund of some kind.

The office worker was very accomodating and told me to just go ahead and park in any spot I wanted for the night and then come back into the office in the morning to make payment arrangements.

I parked in the same spot I parked in last year, Number 1.  I did not back in but pulled in forward so I could have a better view of the beach.  Hooked up and enjoyed the electric and water.

It felt good to have the electric fireplace to warm the coach. 

I had been using my generator a few hours at night to use the computer and to use the furnace.  In the 6 days that I stayed on the beach I burned about $40 worth of fuel using the generator.  That's about $7 a day plus the $10 I was paying to park on the beach.  That's way too much use of the generator.

I paid $150.00 for a week in the RV Park.  That's about $21 a day - only $4 more to have electric and water.  So I decided I could have the best of both worlds and stay on the beach during the day (for free) and the RV Park at night... which is what I did today. 

These Pelicans amaze me.  They let you walk right up to them.

Fishing boat coming into the channel.

Chris and I went into town today.  I needed to get Propane for the first time since I purchased the RV.  I still had 1/4 of a tank but wanted to fill up as I will be using it a lot more later on in my travels.  I also filled up my gas tank.

We stopped to have lunch and then returned to the beach.  I parked near the waves and finished reading a book I started when I got to Texas.  It's title is "Wild" and is the story of an eleven-hundred-mile solo hike that broke down a young woman reeling from catastrophe—and built her back up again.  Good book.

Left the beach around 4:00 and returned to my campsite in the RV Park.  Had a nice long shower and about to watch a movie... "Escape From Alaska". 

Had a pretty good day.

I B MAGEE BEACH PARK - DAY 6 - BEACH TREASURE

Got a little windy again last night but I didn't feel the need to move near the dunes.  Woke at around 8:00 and had coffee.  Started the generator up and turned on the furnace as the temp inside the coach was around 45 degrees.  Had breakfast and then walked the dog.  Bundled up real good and put Xi Shi into her blue sweater and we did a little beach combing.

After she did her business I put her back in the camper and continued walking the shoreline for anything of interest that the Gulf might have washed up on shore.

I gasped when I saw this.

I've never been able to find a sand dollar in perfect condition.  This one was so tiny (smaller than a quarter) and perfect and had only recently been deposited by the waves and had not been walked on or driven on.  It looked so fragile I was afraid to pick it up.  I put it into a tissue I had in my pocket and hoped it wouldn't break.  Later when I returned to the camper and opened the tissue it was broken.  How in the world did it survive that wave action and then break in a soft tissue in my coat pocket?  Bummer.

I continued my walk further up the beach towards the bay area and off to my right the waves were coming closer to my feet so I quickly moved over and that's when I saw it.

WOW!  What a find.  A Starfish.  I quickly took photos of it and picked it up and placed it inside a scott towel I happened to have in my pocket.  It was too big to put in my pocket so I carried it in my left hand as I continued to walk further up the beach.

While walking and looking down and finding a few really colorful shells I felt something strange on my fingers in the hand that was holding the Starfish.  I looked but saw nothing but the paper towel blowing in the wind.  A little while later I felt it again.  This time I knew it wasn't the paper towel making the sensation on my fingers but the Starfish.  A little later I felt it again only stronger.  I knew then that the little sea creature had not yet completely lost all life.  I turned around to return to the camper and wondered if I should place it back in the water.  It had washed up and was going to die, I knew that.  But if I put it back in the water would it bring it back to life.  I felt pretty bad for the little thing.  It had already started to stiffen.  By the time I got back to my camper there had been no further vibrations on my fingers.  I believe it died in my hand. 

My find for the day included 2 Pen Shells, 5 colorful shells, one Sand Dollar, and a Starfish.  I also picked up a little toy T-Rex. 

You can see how the Sand Dollar has broken up.

 About 1,800 living species of starfish occur in all the world's oceans, including the Atlantic, Pacific, Indian, Arctic and Southern Ocean regions. Starfish occur across a broad depth range from the intertidal to abyssal depths of greater than 6,000 m (20,000 ft).

Pen Shells

It's still pretty cold here at the beach.  I had to turn the generator on this afternoon to use the furnace and warm up the camper.  It's 50 degrees outside right now and tomorrow should be about 10 degrees warmer and sunny.  Sounds great.

I B MAGEE BEACH PARK - DAY 5 - IT'S DOGGIE SWEATER TIME

What a night we had last night.  The cold front came in and the wind was about 30mph and shook the camper enough to wake me up around 5:00am.  I looked out the window and Chris was gone and so was everybody else.  I got up and moved my camper to the dunes where the wind wasn't as bad.  I tried to go back to sleep but couldn't.  It wasn't till around noon that it slacked off a bit.  I kept wondering if I should leave the park.  Lots of the other campers near the bay had left also.

I later found out that Chris left at 4:00am and went into town and stayed in a parking lot to get out of the strong wind gusts.  It was pretty bad. 

Later this afternoon the sun came out and it was nice... cold, windy, but nice.  Chris returned to the beach and we visited and walked our dogs before the sun went down.  It was definitely doggie sweater time.  I was bundled up pretty good so I wasn't too cold.  The dogs seemed to love it.   Xi Shi would put her face into the wind and just take it in.  It was so cute to watch.

Edna got to wear her new sweater I gave to her.  It fits her perfectly.  Isn't she cute? 

Little Edna with her hooded sweater on.  So stylish.

Chris and Edna in my camper.

They are finally starting to play together.  At first Xi was jealous of her.  I think it's because I hold Edna and play with her.  Xi doesn't like that.  But I do think she likes Edna.

Chris is bundled up too.  It is some cold ya'll.

Playing chase.

Time for a kiss.

Chris found this butterfly on the ground and it appeared to be injured.  I took it and was going to bring it home with me but instead just found a place to put it down where the wind would not disturb it.  It's little legs clung to my glove.  There was a huge firepit hole in the ground and I placed it there.  It tried to fly but couldn't.  How sad.

Time to get back to our homes as the sun was setting and the temp was dropping.

Tomorrow will be sunny and nice.  That's good.



I B MAGEE BEACH PARK - DAY 4 - CHORE DAY

This is what happens when I vacuum.  They all run up on the bunk bed.  This is the only time they gather together.  Notice how they still keep a distance from the new kitty on the left.  Poor little thing.

Packed up the outdoor gear and rode to the dump station.  Went to the office and asked if there was a place for me to get fresh water.  Was told to use the faucet at the dump station.  I explained how that faucet is used to rinse sewer hoses and not clean.  Is this news to a campground worker?

The worker told me I could go into the campground and use one of the water faucets there.  I did.

Rode back to the beach and looked for another spot to park.  I was thinking I'd better park away from the shore as a cold front is coming through tonight and winds will be 25mph.  So, I went to the rock jetties and parked next to Chris who had already moved there herself.  This is a nice area near the sea wall and bay.  However, it was crowded and I didn't like being that close to other campers.  Also, I would be using my generator in the evenings and did not want to disturb anyone.    So I moved near the shore again but stayed near the jetties.

A lot of those cars are folks fishing for the day.

That's Chris and her Toyota near the bay.  

Taking a walk.

Later on, Chris moved near where I was parked.

That tanker is huge.  The little Airstream makes it look gigantic.

All chores done.  Now I'm set for another few days.