QUINTANA BEACH COUNTY PARK - QUINTANA, TEXAS

Left Indianola Beach around 10:00 this morning and arrived at Bryan Beach around 1:00 this afternoon.  Couldn't get on the beach as the sand was soft and I knew I'd get stuck so drove on to Quintana Beach. 

I was pleasantly surprised at the sight of this campground.  Once in the office to check in I was even more surprised.  The office is in an old house fully furnished.  I opened the door and went in but felt like I was intruding on someone's privacy.  I called out "hello" and heard a voice respond coming from the next room.  I followed the voice and met a very nice worker who checked me in.  It was $24 dollars for the night.  There is so much to see in this house that I will have to go back tomorrow to look at all of the displays.

Got set up at my site and had a bite to eat then walked Xi Shi on the beach.  Found some interesting shells that I had never seen before.  Filled a small bag with shells and then came back to the coach to shower.  My site has sewer so it was nice to let the water run while showering. 

This campground has lots of amenities.  For starters, it has a vollyball court, horseshoe court, kid's playground, bath house, screened in room for guests, cabins with a view of the Gulf, primitive camping, lighted fishing pier, and laundry room. 

The Office

Nice landscaping.

Plenty of picnic tables.

Cabins are up on a hill with views of the Gulf.

The beach.

Everything is handicap accessable.

My site #10.

Placed a Peace Rock.

We're leaving in the morning.

INDIANOLA PARK - MAGNOLIA BEACH, TEXAS

Left Port Aransas around noon today and arrived at Indianola Park around 2:00 this afternoon.  This is a great stop off point for me on my way back to Louisiana.  I parked in a different location than before.  There are very few campers here today - only a handfull.

This is right when you enter the park.

The tide is out and the water is extremely low in the inlets.

The bay is calm and smooth as glass today.  Won't hear any waves lapping on shore tonight to lull me to sleep.

Having home made vegetable soup tonight... brought from home.

The entertainment for the evening will be DVDs of Frazier.

I B MAGEE BEACH PARK - DAY 15 - COLD AND WINDY

The cold front came in during the night and the camper rocked and the wind howled so loud that there was no way to get any sleep.  The wind was gusting about 35 to 40 mph here at the beach.  I was parked next to the dunes but when the wind changed and came in from the north it hit me right on.  It sounded like a train going around and under my camper.  My neighbors were in their tent which this morning had come apart.  There is another tenter further from me who lives in his tent and it stayed up.

Today was a little better but not by much.  I bundled up and took Xi for a walk twice.  The sand was blowing so hard that I was afraid it would scratch her eyeballs.  So if she needs to go again she'll just have to go on the puppy pad.

This about sums it up.

Finished reading the biography of Clark Gable and started on the autobiograpy of Katharine Hepburn.  

Getting ready to boil some shrimp that I brought from home.  The movie tonight is "Clue."

Tomorrow we head out towards home.

  

CORPUS CHRISTI, TEXAS - BACK TO THE SCENE OF A CRIME

Packed up the coach and headed out of the park around 10:00 this morning.  Emptied my tanks, filled up the fuel tank and headed for Corpus Christi.

In 1934 my father's brother was shot at his home on 1124 Chapaaral Street in Corpus Christi, Texas.  He later died at a local hospital from a gunshot would to the forehead.  My grandmother and my father were in the home when they heard the shot.  My dad was only 16 years old at the time but it affected him for the rest of his life.  He kept a photo of his brother in his home till he died and I now have that photo displayed in my home.  Lowen married his sweetheart only 5 weeks before his death.

Today, I rode to Corpus Christi and my GPS took me to that address on Chapaaral.  There were no houses.  It was not a residential district any longer.  It is in a very nice part of town a block or so from the bay and all the expensive hotels.  I can only imagine what it looked like back in 1934 when my dad lived there with his family.  It was not at all what I expected.

This is where my GPS took me.

I rode by the Yacht Club.

Found a little park near the bay and took a few photos.  It was so windy that I could barely open my door. 

You can see the USS Lexington in the background.

On 15 June 1992, the ship was donated as a museum and now operates as the USS Lexington Museum on the Bay at 27°48'53 N, 97°23'19, 2914 North Shoreline Blvd, Corpus Christi, Texas.   In 2003, Lexington was designated a National Historic Landmark.

The Japanese referred to Lexington as a "ghost" ship for her tendency to reappear after reportedly being sunk. This, coupled with the ship's dark blue camouflage scheme, led the crew to refer to her as "The Blue Ghost".

On the way back to Port Aransas I stopped at a store for a few items and couldn't resist these colorful socks.

My little Xi Shi was sick a few days ago but is feeling better now and back in her co-pilot seat.

I was going to spend a couple of nights back on the beach but with this cold front coming in, the winds are really blowing strong so I came back to my spot at the RV Park at I B Magee and paid for 2 more nights.  Then I'll be leaving Port Aransas.

I B MAGEE BEACH PARK - DAY 13 - OUT TO LUNCH

Went out to lunch today with Chris and Donna.  We met at the Beaches Restaurant in Port Aransas.  Enjoyed our meal and enjoyed the conversation.  I had the pulled pork Bar-B-Que, Chris had the brisket, and Donna had the fried fish.

Chris and I met Donna last year here in Port Aransas.  We were all members of a Women Go Solo Yahoo Group at the time.

I hated to see our time together end.  Hope we can all get together again someday.

Placed a Peace Rock.

We're leaving in the morning.

I B MAGEE BEACH PARK - DAY 12 - THE ART OF DOING NOTHING

Sure, we all know how to do nothing. We all know how to lay around and waste time. But many of us are too busy to do it much, and when we do it, our minds are often on other things. We cannot relax and enjoy the nothingness.  Doing nothing can be a waste of time, or it can be an art form.

I'm new at this art form but hope with more practice I will be a master at doing nothing.

... and I'm just playing in the sand.

~

I B MAGEE BEACH PARK - DAY 11 - PONDERING

While walking on the beach today, I thought back to the times I enjoyed the beach when I was a kid.  In fact, it is one of the few memories I have from my childhood. 

We lived only about 30 minutes from the beach so it was an inexpensive day trip for our family.  My mom hated the sand.  She didn't like it getting in her shoes.  She was not a beach person.  My dad liked the beach. 

The drive to and from was also a time I enjoyed because we were all together and talked to each other.  It was intimate.  It was different than what life at home was like.

What is your happiest childhood memory? 

What makes it so special?