Padre Island and Mustang Island

You got to love the weather we are having here in Corpus Christi, especially when so much of the rest of the country is in a deep freeze with blizzards blowing and winds howling! We have had several sunny days in the 70s and 80s and loved exploring the nearby islands.

First we visited Padre Island and the Padre Island National Seashore. Here we met a super nice ranger who talked to the boys for a long time, giving them a lesson in all the different things they can find at the beach. Not only did the younger ones do the junior ranger program, but our family also did some beach clean-up and they got a patch for that too. It was a little cooler that

day and we did not do much in the water, but we did search for shells and other wildlife. We saw lots of birds (the area is a cross section for a ton of migrating species). My favorites are the flocks of brown pelicans that fly overhead, but the little guys love to chase the pipers and plovers who are incessantly combing the beach for clams.

Saturday was an amazing day in the mid 80s and not only did we go to the beach at Mustang Island State Park, but we did a fair bit of swimming and wading. They have a large jetty there and we explored the tide pools there where Blake found a sea star. There was a nice gentle breeze so we also got out our kite. We thought we were so crazy driving our mini-van out on the beach. Regular adventurers! Anyway not only have we been enjoying the warm weather, we also have enjoyed the nearly empty beaches! There have been people there, but you don't feel like you are tripping over everyone else like you do when you go during the warmer months!

Today we are celebrating our 2nd birthday in the RV - mine! Turning 41 today my big wish is to watch the Bears and go to Joe's Crab Shack! My best gift this year was a walking stick my family made for me. Patsy found a stick in a pile at Red Rock Canyon and the boys whittled it, sanded it and signed it and mom put varnish on and oversaw the whole procedure.

Loving the good life!