Sharon Shares Some Thoughts And Talks About Her New Hobby…

As John mentioned before we wanted to return to SPI for another winter thinking it might be a place we could settle.  I have always loved beach life and figured this was an affordable place to land.  What I surprisingly discovered was that beaching is just not enough. 

Our lives have been so enriched by hiking, disc golf, craft beer, birdwatching and diverse scenery. Sadly this place does not check off enough boxes. That being said it is indeed a wonderful place to visit.  The expansive beach, the birdwatching and the spacious RV site we secured both years we visited have indeed been worthwhile. It is very picturesque and will be a wonderful memory once we leave.

While in South Texas I have very much enjoyed the birdwatching with John. It is wonderful that he can identify what we see in our binoculars and though I have no desire to memorize the different species to become an expert birdwatcher I never cease being amazed by the excitement of seeing these marvelous creatures up close.

Imagine my joy when John gifted me his old camera as I could save the images I once only could see fleetingly into a savable image to enjoy again and again. It has taken quite a lot of practice but the reward has been priceless. 

My eyesight is not very good so even with the binoculars and I do not see what I sometimes capture in a photograph. I can see the same bird again and again because in different lighting or poses I can discover new things about the bird I have never noticed before.  The images in this blog are some of my favorites from this newfound hobby.  I hope you enjoy them as much as I do!

Wish us luck in our search of a place to land. We are both researching in our own ways hoping that when we come together with our results we will be able to dedicate future travel toward exploring the places we might call home....

NOTE: We are currently in South Padre Island TX until March 1st…

Baby it’s Cold Outside…

Picking a winter destination is always a bit of a challenge especially since we don’t like to spend winter in the same location every year. While we recognize the advantages of spending winters in the same place we just prefer to switch it up. The biggest downsides in choosing this are that we don’t have the winter group of friends we see every year and the fact that reservations are harder to secure than consistently staying in the same place each winter.

Normally we switch from east coast back to the west coast with an occasional stop in south Texas for winter. Where we pick has a lot to do with weather and hoping to spend winters in warmer locales. One thing we always check out is the Farmer’s Almanac which seems to have an uncanny knack of predicting winter forecasts.

Using the Almanac we have spent a lot of pleasant winters in various locations. This year’s Almanac said that south Texas was going to be both drier than normal and warmer than normal so that is where we booked our winter stay. Well after having been here nearly a month and a half we can safely say they got it wrong this year on both accounts.

Yes we have had some nice warm days but overall it has been cooler than normal even though we have never dipped below freezing. It has also been much wetter than normal with frequent rainy days many times one after another. With frequent cold fronts passing through, frequent rains and the typical windy days found along the coast we have been home bound more than we like.

Fortunately we have the beach just a few steps from our door and a really nice nature trial nearby as well. So on those times of the day when it isn’t raining and not too windy and cold we can take a few miles stroll along the beach or go birdwatching at the nature trail.

We had originally booked another month in March,but would have had to move sites. After seeing the very tight site and it’s proximity to an RV with lots of children staying the winter (say, right next door) we decided to cancel March and will move inland for month.

Inland winter temperatures are normally colder at night but also warmer during the day, usually some 10 degrees or so on both extremes. Also with March being early spring around here we are looking forward to some warmer days on the horizon. Sharon is also looking forward  to staying at the resort which has a fitness center, pool and pickleball. We are also glad there will be several state parks and nature areas nearby to enjoy so we think the month will pass by quickly.

Photos today were taken at the Laguna Nature Trial on South Padre Island of some of the many birds we have encountered while walking the boardwalk…

NOTE: We are currently in South Padre Island TX until March 1st…