We awoke this morning to overcast skies, moderate temperatures, and the threat of rain. Today, for me, was a reading day as Kay took the other "girls" shopping in corpus Christie. I was elated about not going, and spending some quiet time in the RV.

Several days ago Jeannie commented as to how she liked Cajun food and I volunteered to cook Shrimp Creole for her and Bruce. Because this is our next-to-last evening in this part of South Texas, we had them over tonight for our first "dinner party" at the motorhome. After dicing onion, green pepper, celery, and garlic, I began sautéing the vegetables in the electric skillet outside. After adding the other ingredients, the Creole sauce was slowly cooked, and then the drizzle began. I moved the skillet under one of the slides and continued the slow cooking, but the drizzle continued at an increasing rate. Kay returned from her shopping trip and we moved our food preparation inside to the too small countertop.

Bruce and Jeannie arrived, in the rain. We talked and laughed a bunch, then had dinner. After dinner we talked some more, Bruce told a couple of funny stories, and Jeannie sang us a new Scottish ditty. It amazes us how they remember these things. In the course of conversation they mentioned the need to visit some other RVers, also Don and Kay, down here from Missouri. Kay and I looked at each other and I asked if they were from near the Kansas City area.  Bruce responded that they were, and we mentioned their last name, the type of 5th wheel trailer they had, and low and behold it was the same couple who were part of our caravan to Alaska in 2009—what a small world!  We plan to surprise them tomorrow.

After we said our good nights, Kay and I cleaned the kitchen and washed dishes, and then Kay read the rest of the evening.

Having missed two Sundays in a row, we definitely needed to attend church today. We chose an old, small United Methodist Church in Ingleside, Texas, just south of Aransas Pass. We were greeted in the parking lot by a friendly couple, then at the door by others. As we entered the church, we were greeted by pastor Kelli, a young woman in her mid-20s. (OH WOW!  my computer just crashed, out of the blue; hope it can be restored.  Okay, we’re back now, no harm?)

It’s amazing how different churches have different cultures.  The Community Protestant Church in West Yellowstone, Montana, that we attended this summer was much like a small version of our church at home, though of a different denomination.  The church today had a "blended" service of just over 100 people—guess that means a blend of contemporary with traditional—and a very young pastor just out of seminary last June.  Some parts of the service could’ve been from a small Pentecostal church back home as almost the entire congregation raised their hands in praise during singing.  At other times, the service was more formal, though it seemed the formality was a little uncomfortable for most of the old-time locals.  Their music was okay, but made us appreciate the music at FUMC and at TLBC in Mountain Home. Sometimes, we take for granted the musical talent in the Mountain Home area!  Anyway, the pastor preached on "Intentional Faith Development", a topic near and dear to me, and ways to keep ourselves accountable (something I needed)!  After services, the church was having a “fish fry” fund raiser, with fried flounder caught in the area.  Regrettably, fried fish is an exception to the diet, and since we had dinner plans for later in the day, we passed it up.

The afternoon went by quickly. We met our friend, Jack, and his friend, Marilyn, for dinner and drove to Port Aransas. “Uncle” Jack was our neighbor briefly at RedRock RV Park in Henry’s Lake, Idaho, this past summer. We really enjoyed his company, and grew to like him after he brought us cherry cream cheese pie—he was our new best friend!  It was at that time that he told us about the Rockport/Aransas Pass area and his plans for wintering there.  With this information and after learning that several of our fellow Arkansas Travelers would be here, we opted to come by for a few days prior to arriving in the Rio Grande Valley; by the time we made reservations for Rockport, a lot of the really good RV parks were full, but Redfish Bay RV Park in Aransas Pass is great. Anyway, we had intended to eat at Moby Dick’s, but they closed just a couple of hours before we arrived (you think they knew we were coming?). We then cruised the island and settled on one of only a few restaurants that were open, and were surprisingly delighted with the food, though the prices, atmosphere, and wait staff lacked a lot to be desired. However, I had grilled red snapper and it was the best fish I have had in the area.

Back at the motorhome, we ended the evening with Kay watching television while I read.

We have had such a hectic schedule the last couple of weeks that today, and in fact the whole weekend, is going to be a “slow-down” time for us.

Just like every other morning, we began the day drinking coffee in bed, reading e-mail, and keeping up with local, state, and national news via online newspapers. Traveling with the Internet allows us to keep in touch as we read the Baxter Bulletin, the Arkansas-Democrat Gazette, and USA Today—all online.

Kay went to a crafts fair in Rockport on her way to grocery shopping while I remained at the motorhome to catch up on the travel blog and bring some order to new photographs.

We met fellow Arkansas Travelers Bruce, Jeannie, Jim, Ginny, Mark, and Joana for dinner on Mustang Island, across the Bay. It was sort of our last “formal” get together before our really last get together before Kay and I leave. Once again, I had grilled tilapia as did Kay. We talked, laughed, ate, and talked and laughed some more; we all had a very good time, and it’s nice being in South Texas among friends.

The aircraft carrier, USS Lexington, is retired near Corpus Christi, about 20 miles from Redfish Bay RV Resort, which presented a great opportunity for a tour. This decorated ship served our country for almost 50 years, beginning in the Pacific during World War II, and concluding its service in the Persian Gulf. It was one of the primary targets of the Japanese on December 7, 1941, but had just departed Pearl Harbor two days prior to the surprise Japanese attack. It saw tremendous action in the Pacific—almost all the famous battles—including the ferocious battle at Okinawa, Japan, where my father was seriously wounded.

Jim and Ginny accompanied us on the self-guided tour, which began at 9:30 AM and ended some six hours later. We began on the hangar deck with a brief orientation, then climbed to the flight deck, aka flattop, where various attack, fighter, and trainer aircraft were showcased.  It’s amazing how large aircraft carriers appear, but how small the “runway” really is when you’re there.  Imagine trying to land on one at night in rolling seas!  We returned to the hangar deck for two IMAX movies, one of which was about the development and production of the Boeing 787, and the other was of an international air war training exercise in Nevada, featuring various fighters, refuelers, and other US Air Force aircraft—it should be shown in the classroom as a “must see” to help build patriotism among out young citizens! We concluded the day with the Foc’sle tour and tours of the lower decks. These tours were of the officers’ and junior officers’ quarters, a Pearl Harbor exhibit, anchor equipment, ready rooms and combat information center, the captain’s cabin, engine room, sick bay, dental clinic, crew’s galley, mine exhibit, and Chapel. 

This was an exhausting tour, involving a lot of walking and climbing—almost too much for these old legs. We retired for the evening to watch our favorite Friday night programs on the Discovery channel.

We began the day not wanting to do anything on our “want to do” list. We became restless by midmorning, and opted to drive to Rockport to the aquarium and for bird watching. Enroute, we saw the sign for Aransas National Wildlife Refuge (NWR), and one of us, probably Kay, suggested we drive there to check it out. Aransas NWR is among our nations oldest wildlife refuges, and provides wintering habitat for the whooping crane, as well as other birds, reptiles, and other animals and plants.

The refuge was about an hour north of Aransas Pass, near Tivoli, Texas. Volunteers, RVers who work for their RV site, were manning the headquarters and were quite friendly and helpful in assisting us with planning a driving tour to include photo-taking opportunities.
Our first stop was just across the road from the refuge headquarters, and featured a slough containing alligators. At the fence separating us from the slough, we looked hard but did not see any alligators; however, at the end of the fence, a 6-foot alligator was sunning him/herself.  We took several photos, daring not to get too close; one must let a sleeping alligator lie.
Our next stop was close to the water, and we saw whooping cranes off in the distance. A more detailed look revealed whooping cranes near the shoreline, but too far for a good photograph. Further along the refuge road, a 0.7 mile trail circled through large trees, not too far from the shoreline. Among those trees was one about 400 years old, covered in vines. We were somewhat surprised to discover mosquitoes in the area!
Departing the shoreline road, we drove and interior road through the refuge’s grasslands. Along the road we saw a family of whooping cranes. Note the banding on one of the cranes legs. Further along the road two deer were lying the burned over grassland.
Another interesting site was the myriad of gopher holes. We have seen these through much of South Texas but didn’t know what they were, assuming they were ant hills. Needing to get back to redfish Bay RV resort in time to prepare food for a potluck, we finished the to the refuge, drove back towards the RV resort, stopping at HE be for you groceries. The potluck was not well attended, but we did meet some “neighbors” and talked about flyfishing in Arkansas and Colorado.

An hour or two of television finished the evening.

Today is Wednesday, January 25. Sometimes, actually, oftentimes on these trips, Kay and I keep such a hectic schedule—just go, go, go—that we have to slow down, take a deep breath, and reevaluate our travel plans and objectives before we start off anew. Today is one of those days. We have decided to take it easy, catch up with household chores such as clothes washing and drying, and take on other house keeping duties.

Completing our chores didn’t take long—now what?  We have some social obligations to fulfill with several RVing friends down here in the Rockport and Aransas Pass area.  We were just getting ready to call Jim and Ginny for dinner, but just before we phoned them, they beat us to the punch and called inviting us to dinner in Port Aransas.  Port Aransas is on the barrier island, just across the bay, and involves a fun ferry ride.  They picked us up at 4:30 PM, drove to Port Aransas, to Moby Dick’s restaurant. On Wednesday evenings, Moby Dick’s features all-you-can-eat boiled shrimp, complete with potatoes, corn on the cob, and cornbread muffin, perfect for Weight Watchers (yeah, right). Kay, Jim, and Ginny ordered the shrimp, while I ordered grilled tilapia with grilled vegetables and green beans. Oh, the sacrifices one has to make!  This learning to eat healthy is difficult.  Regardless, the food was very, very good, and the prices were reasonable. Moby Dick’s was packed with Winter Texans, and featured the Medicare Band. We had seen them advertised on the sign and speculated that all the members were over 65.  We were right, but the band was good and reminded us of our days in the Rio Grande Valley in 2008 and 2009.  As we left the restaurant, a sliver of the moon shown above the lighthouse, making for a perfect evening.  The ride back, even on the ferry, was anticlimactic.

We awoke and soon heard the splat of rain drops hitting the roof. It sure looked like a Walmart kind of day.  Otherwise, it was a great day for drinking coffee, and staying in bed or working on this journal.

After a late breakfast we drove to Walmart in Rockport, Texas, to shop for items on our “wish” list. Walmart stores in the various locales of the country give one an insight into the cultures of those particular areas. Kay and I both remarked on this facet of our society. For example, the Walmart in Rockport had less electronics and household goods than did our store in Mountain home. Also, the sporting goods department favored salt water fishing, as it should, whereas the Mountain Home store is strong on freshwater fishing and on hunting. The automotive department was also different, and the store in whole had a different feel. I digress. We found most things on our shopping list, and while in the store received a call from Bruce asking about our desire to attend a science lecture in Rockport in the afternoon. We returned to Redfish Bay RV Park, had lunch of leftovers made into fajitas (we seem to do this often), and waited for Bruce and Jeannie to pick us up.

The lecture we attended at the University of Texas Marine Science Institute was quite interesting, and based on a 6-foot diameter globe of the earth. While the globe was stationary, four projectors at 90° angles gave the indication that it was rotating about an axis. The lecture talked about the eight planets in our solar system (Pluto was dropped as a planet in 1996, so we now have only eight instead of the nine most of us were taught in school). The lecturer was good, having been an educator for 42 years.

Afterwards, Bruce drove us around the coast in Rockport, Fulton, and Lamar, and we found the area to be very interesting. Many of the houses resemble those we saw in Hawaii in 2010, and are very much like those on the southern Atlantic and Gulf coasts—of course, this is the Gulf coast as well. One of the inland properties still had a windmill blade in a tree as a result of a storm many years ago. 
We drove through a state park in Lamar just north of Fulton, Texas, where we saw the largest Live Oak tree in Texas; it is over 1000 years old.

Bruce completed the circuitous route, taking us by several RV parks for future reference, and made the mistake of going by a movie theater where Kay and Jeannie saw the billboard of showings and decided to make tonight a movie night, $4 and free popcorn if you bring your own bowl. Both Bruce and I checked our calendars and were already committed, thus could not make the movies. Jeannie then showed Kay the shop where she gets pedicures—cheaper than home, but—this afternoon trip is really going to cost us!

Back at the motorhome I ate a couple of sandwiches while Kay dug a big bowl from the pantry for free popcorn at the movie. I had forgotten that the State of the Union speech was tonight, so Kay probably got the better end of the deal.  She came in about 10 PM and said the theater was packed, and several people were envious of her big popcorn bowl!

NOTE: As most of you know, my brother lost his courageous battle against gastric cancer in late November. He so enjoyed reading tour travel journal, and wanted to join us in our travels when he recovered. I think about him constantly, and miss him so much.  It has been a difficult trip in this regard.

The weather forecast for this part of coastal Texas calls for nice weather today and tomorrow with rain on Wednesday, and cooler weather the next few days.

Using our list of things we want to do in this area, and given the weather forecast, we decided on a day trip to Padre Island National Seashore.  We called fellow RVers, Bruce and Jeannie, to see if they wanted to accompany us. We picked them up at Ransom Road RV Park at about 10:30 AM and departed for Port  Aransas and Padre Island. We enjoyed riding the ferry once again across Redfish Bay, and drove to the beach at Port Aransas. From there we drove south, via Mustang Island, to Padre Island. It is the largest undeveloped barrier island in the world. As we drove through the entrance station, we were amazed at the number of cameras; apparently, our federal agencies are serious about protecting the border and the influx of drugs, weapons, and illegal aliens. Padre Island was more undeveloped than we expected, but quite delightful with all the open space.  We saw hundreds of ducks in a small pond near the road, and Bruce spotted several sandhill cranes "grazing" on the seagrass. We stopped at the small visitor center, took some pictures of the beach area, and departed.

From there we drove north to Corpus Christi, stopping at Best Buy for Jeannie to buy a WebCam. She communicates with her daughter via Skype; technology is becoming an everyday facet our lives, and many RVers are keeping up-to-date with these new forms of communication and data processing. After leaving Corpus Christi we drove to Bruce and Jeannie’s, and admired their cabinet renovations recently done to accommodate new televisions. The work was done at an RV dealership in Harrison, Arkansas, and appeared to have come from the factory as the job was done so well.

Kay and I returned to Redfish Bay RV Park, had dinner, read, and watched television—pretty much a typical evening. (I finished the sixth book so far on this trip; don’t know why I don’t read as much at home.)

Today marks our second Sunday on the road. We intended to attend the local Methodist Church this morning, but I received a call from my sister, Carma, indicating that she, her husband Gerald, cousin Linn, and her husband Tom were driving down from south of Houston for a visit. They urged us to go on to church, but we insisted they leave early, knowing that we could watch our church, First United Methodist Church in Mountain Home, online. We were only partially successful in watching the service, given the lag in receiving the satellite feed, and then, about two thirds of the way through the service, the feed went completely blank. We will have to ask the church to send us a DVD of this and the previous week’s sermons.

Carma, Gerald, Linn, and Tom arrived about 10:30 AM, toured the RV, and we had a great visit, including talking about their spring fishing plans on Beaver Lake. Kay and I were unfamiliar with restaurants in the area, but had eaten at Blackbeard’s Too and thought their food was very good, so we recommended it for lunch. We drove the short distance to Ingleside, Texas, and had a great meal. Kay had the blackened catfish and shrimp combo, and I had the grilled tilapia. The food was excellent, and not terribly expensive. We said our farewells in the restaurant parking lot, and our family visitors departed for Bay City, Texas.  Kay and I returned to the RV for rest, relaxation, and football. (We didn’t need the rest and relaxation, but it sounded good.)
During the course of the evening, Kay and I made notes on things we wanted to do in the Aransas Pass, Texas, area before we depart on February 1, and also made a list of things we wanted to buy at Sam’s Club/Walmart.
Tomorrow, we’ll begin checking off items on the lists.

We’ve been here at Redfish Bay RV Resort a couple of days now, and it’s beginning to feel more comfortable.

We cleaned the motorhome this morning, had lunch of leftovers made into fajitas, and discussed our options for the afternoon.

Aransas Pass is just north of Corpus Christi, across Redfish Bay.  Port of Aransas, Texas, and Mustang Island are just east and open to the Gulf of Mexico. Further south, below Corpus Christi, is Padre Island National Seashore.  We wanted to see the beach area at Port of Aransas, and perhaps do a little birding (that’s the right lingo, isn’t it, for looking at birds). We left Aransas Pass, took a bridge across the big part of Redfish Bay, and immediately came to a ferry landing. We were surprised to see several slots for ferries, and queued up for the next crossing to Port of Aransas. It was a short, free ferry, and we were immediately in Port Aransas. Port Aransas is a typical coastal resort town similar to what one would find on the Mississippi, Alabama, or Florida Gulf coast. We drove a short distance east and came to sand beaches and breaking waves from the Gulf of Mexico. There were many cars parked on the beach, fishing in the surf and just walking in the wet sand. We saw a pelican standing on the pier next to a jetty, and stopped to take several photographs. It had no fear of us. We then drove along the beach, parked and walked in the wet sand, enjoying the sights and the sounds of breaking waves.

Because the Gulf of Mexico is so close, we opted to continue our drive south, making the loop around Corpus Christi and back to Redfish Bay RV Resort. Along the way we stopped at Mustang Bay State Park. The park is relatively undeveloped with a small RV campground, some paved parking areas, and restroom facilities. The beach was not crowded, but was beautiful with gulls, and breaking waves for as far as the eye could see.

We completed the loop, making a short trip of it—only about three hours.

After dinner (smoked sausage, cabbage, broccoli rice) we read and watched television. Though we are not taking advantage of satellite TV via the tailgater, we did record a couple of our favorite Friday evening shows: Gold Rush Alaska and Flying Wild Alaska. We will watch these on a rainy day when outside activities are limited.