Wandering ...again

As our (almost) daily case of cabin fever set in, we decided to head out to South Padre Island. This sandy (duh) island about 40 miles southeast of us is about to become a temporary home to many a college kid seeking the sun, fun, and mostly the chance to try out all the sins adults take for granted. The island is quite isolated and is reached by causeway from the west.
As they say 'timing is everything' so the island was pretty quite now as college spring break won't officially kicked off for several weeks. Not that fighting our way through throngs of barely clad coeds or trying to remain upright during the midnight conga line on the beach would have been bad....just a little awkward... maybe. Thankfully the scent of Ben-Gay permeated the sea breeze and bald and grey made up the 'in' crowd this time of year. Not having to weave around muscle cars, unicycles, and skateboards but only an occasional aluminum walker and a 1998 Buick LeSabre, made getting around much easier. Hotels, condos,bars, hotels, condos, and bars made up most of what's there. Sure there was the Golden Arches, a marina, and lots of beach but where the hell was Home Depot, Walgreens, and a good vitamin shop I ask?

Speaking of sand and wind... there were several folks out practicing for the upcoming kite flying championship. After watching these guys for a few minutes I think this sport is a little dangerous. As the wind quickly shifts direction...the kite flyer has his hands full just keeping these little nylon cloth birds aloft and at worse, getting out of the way of one that decides, like a boomerang, to quickly return to the guy holding the string. The upcoming contest should have hundreds of flyers and would be something worthwhile to see.

Leaving the island, we wander back through the city of Harlingen. An ever-growing winter playground for northern escapees, this sprawling community is joining others like it along the Rio Grand Valley into forming an almost continuous city ranging the Brownsville to Mission. My guess is that more and more boomers will discover this relatively inexpensive retreat and it will, for good or bad, lose it's charm and become more of a reflection of Florida.



We thought we'd check out the airport in Harlingen as it's probably the best one to fly into for the area. Modern and convenient to the major highways it was serviced by Southwest Airlines.


Near the airport, there was a duplicate statue of the Marine Corp memorial in Washington DC. It was on the grounds of a military prep school and was part of the cadets responsibility to maintain it along with a Corp museum. I don't know why someone decided to build this memorial here in the tropics of Texas, but the impact of this art is dramatic and everlasting. See it once, see it a hundred times, it commands respect and gratitude for what it represents.

We also managed to locate the local dog racing track in Harlingen. It happened to be 'Winter Texans Appreciation Day' so we got in free; this should have been a clue that this was going to be the one only thing that was free this day. We purchased a program and a tip sheet and headed off to find a seat. We opted for the reserved section, complete with tv monitor and began the secretive process of picking a winner. Since neither of has been to a track lately, reading the racing form has always been a challenge with all the unique 'track' language used to explain the dog's past racing history. From all this data: weight, starting position, class, pedigree, racing times, does it eat Kibbles and Bits, or Iams...the information is overwhelming. Making ones decision based on name, color, or whether or not he stopped to relieve himself is far more precise... maybe. I am beginning to think our current political campaigns are maybe best judged this way as well.

The weather has turned sour again with cold (41) and rain for the past two days and will remain this way for a day or so longer. This will allow me time do work on some photos I'm going to display here in the park and give Sharon some time to do some sewing. We're promised the 70's and 80's this weekend so we're planning our outdoor activites now. The bird sanctuary and butterfly farm are currently on the agenda.