Saturday, May 06, 2006

Saturday at Padre Island

Strictly adhering to a "no alarm" policy, we woke up around 9 and dressed for an afternoon at the beach. After a quick breakfast at Denny's, we headed to Padre Island and the National Coastline. The terrain was mostly marshes, mudlands, and sand dunes, lots different from the ocean you see in the Florida panhandle.

We landed at the Visitors Center near Malaquite Beach (North Padre island) and lay in the sand, watched the waves, and waded in the water. The seagulls were out, flying over the dunes and watching for the unwary picnickers who might give up their food.

It was raining when we first got there. You could see fog in the distance. Then the sun came out and the horizon was in sight. The water was cloudy and warm. The marsh grass on the shore washed into the ocean. High tide was at 1:12pm, so we were there to witness it.

We stopped at a shop and bought souvenirs and then drove back to Corpus Christi. After a short nap, we went over to Landry's for seafood. Landry's had a very international flavor to it, as there were people from other countries there. It was cool to listen to them speak their native language amongst themselves and then address the waiter in English.

After Landry's, we had the distinct pleasure of watching one of the Buc Days parades. Corpus Christi has a spring tradition that originates back in pirate times, me mateys. Capt. Jean Lafitte had his headquarters in Corpus Christi. He was eventually acquitted of his crimes when he helped the city during the Civil War. In early April, a group of Buccaneers visit the Mayor of Corpus Christi's office and declare that Buc Days begin. Bucs take over the city and they have all sorts of Founders Days festivities and carnivals that last through the end of May.

Even though Corpus Christi is a big city, everyone here seems to be nice and friendly. As we continue to explore it, I find things that would make me want to revisit sometime in the future.

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