We Wind the SPI Show Down

Casa de Colores

Never could find where Sadie lives!

Some unique tropical vegetation

During the last three weeks of our stay in SPI, we found our activities largely limited by the weather. Fronts would move through the area bringing cloudiness and the threat of rain, only to be followed unseasonably warm and humid days. None of these conditions motivated us to want to venture out and leave the comfort of our condo. But the one thing that we found most limiting of all was the incessant blowing of strong winds. Why they bothered to develop condos and resorts on the barrier island is a mystery to us, since the land could be more suitably used for wind farms! And when the wind wasn't blowing, advection fog would roll in from the warm gulf waters and envelope the entire island. We were amused by the beach goers that put up umbrellas in heavy fog or windy conditions who likely thought paradise couldn't get much better. We figured these folks didn't know what a good beach day was. We are sure that things get better with warmer weather, and we did constantly remind ourselves that it was always considerably warmer than on the Tickfaw River or Okaloosa Island.

The SPI Birding Center

Redheads and Roseated Spoonbills

Looking for something to eat

Regardless of the weather, we did our usual island-roaming exercise each day, constantly scouting for things to do or events to attend. One day we found ourselves at the South Padre Island Birding Center. This center is dedicated to preserving habitat for local and migrating birds and also serves as an educational resource for anyone interested in birds. The center has a long, elevated walkway that courses over a saltwater marsh ending at the Laguna Madre Bay. During our hour-long birdwatching walk, we saw a number of different bird and duck species, but due to our spur-of-the-moment decision to visit the center, we arrived without our camera and telephoto lenses and had to rely on our phone cameras for pictures. After our walking tour, we viewed a movie about SPI and then toured the center's museum before heading home. Next to the Sea Turtle Rescue Center, the Birding Center was a favorite wildlife exhibit.

Just when Capt. Larry thought that there was nothing else to do except wait to go home, Jane decides it's time to do some more shopping. We had heard about a large mall in Brownsville that we couldn't find the last time we were there. When we finally did find it, we were surprised at how large it was. Jane was in heaven and found some shops that had items with her name on it. Capt. Larry found a kitchen store that had some bannetons that he'd been looking for for his sourdough bread. On the way back to the condo, we decided to try the "Old Port Isabel Road" as an alternative to the way we came, but ended up getting lost and adding another 10-12 miles to our return trip.

No deer here

We spent one Sunday afternoon trying to drive to the Port Mansfield area after hearing that there was a very large whitetail deer population there with lots of good viewing opportunities. We probably didn't listen to the details when the directions were given, because we ended up on some really terrible, washed-out roads that we couldn't possibly imagine were the way that people went. Thinking that the deer were located in a preserve, we finally made our way to the Laguna Atascosa National Wildlife Refuge. Talk about a remote location! We stopped at the visitor's center and read some signs that gave information about the refuge only to find that the refuge's biggest attraction was the wild ocelots. The place we were looking for was "swarming" with deer and in the 20 or so minutes we spent driving into and out of the park, we never saw one deer. The refuge is known for it's diverse habitat and number of bird species that can be found there. We found out later that the deer were actually in Port Mansfield.

Jane likes the pine trees

We had one more Winter Texan potluck at the complex and we served up a non-spicy jambalaya for the northerners. It was a hit with the 50% that tried it, and probably still too spicy for the other half. We're not sure what the potluck organizers are going to do next year, because that want us to return and cook it as the main dish. Capt. Larry gave them the recipe and told them to serve it up during Lent, so those that don't eat it have something they can sacrifice while they starve. We understand that this is the group that has insisted on pulled-pork for 9 years running. We met Ernst and Hildegarde Brombacher from Minnesota who were staying in the condo next to use. We really enjoyed visiting with them during our happy hours together and went out to dinner with them once. They were a lot of fun.

So, after two months on SPI, we head back to Louisiana tomorrow. We will be happy to get back home for however long that will be.

A cherry vintage Porsche

Go Fly a Kite!

Kite Festival crowd

The backdune flats

We recovered from the chili cook off and went to the SPI Annual Kite Festival the following day. This was the 13th year for this event which draws professional and amateur kiters from all over. And, it's big, drawing up to 5,000 people over a two-day period. The festival is held on a backdune flat that is ideal for kite flying, provided the wind can reach 5 knots or more and allow the kites to sail after being knocked down or disturbed by the beach's foredune. Any wind lighter than this will not clear the foredune and allow for easy kite flying, especially for the larger kites.

A professional team- 6 members

Waiting for the wind to pick up

Some larger kites

This delta has a 66' wingspan

Kites fill the sky

We had seen the kites flying en force the day before when we were out walking, so we were excited to go to the festival. We arrived around 1100, parked the car, and hauled our chairs to the area where the competition kiting was being performed. Sure enough, none of the larger kites were in the air, because the wind was less than 5 knots, but Capt. Larry remembered from his windsurfing days that the wind along the beach was often lightest in late morning. He predicted that the wind would build into the early afternoon. The kite competition was interesting with teams and individuals performing stunts with their kites to music. The announcer was very informative and provided the crowd with information about the kiters and what was involved in performing some of the stunts. We heard about the different kinds of kites- deltas, quads, reds, diamonds, sleds, roks, etc., and watched what each type can do. There were kiters from Canada, Mexico, and all over the U.S., and there were professional kiters (not sure what's involved to earn that title) as well as some very good amateurs. We thoroughly enjoyed the performances. We particularly enjoyed the team performances where up to six team members fly individual kites in unison. What some of these individuals could do with a kite was simply amazing.

The Octopus kit gets airborne

Some circular kites

Pufferfish inflatables

Around noon the wind began to pick up substantially. Some of the larger kites were finally able to be sailed. We watched the competition for another hour or so, then figured we had seen enough. We didn't want to be over exposed to the sun, and many of the performances were starting to like they were repeating themselves. We walked through the concessions area and saw a large area with some inflatables that weren't going to be airborne. On a sad note, we learned that this was going to be the last year for this event. It was hosted by a local kite shop on SPI, and we figured that it was becoming too much to put on. Seems like some of the SPI businesses and sponsors would try and find a way to keep it going. We'll see, if we come back in the future.

Kites everywhere

A kite for our Dog Lady!

Our First Texan Chili Cook Off

Louie's- site of the chili cook off

The day after our trip to Mexico, we decided to go to a chili cook off and mercado that was being held at the same beach bar that held the garage sale earlier. SPICE (South Padre Island Chili Expo) was to benefit the Run for the Cure chapter and the local animal rescue center (not sure what these have in common). We arrived just after the serving began and weren't expecting this to be a very big event, judging by the 3 or 4 vendors that were at the mercado (street market). Turns out that this was the first year for the mercado, and it was added at the last minute, so participation was sparse. But we were blown away when we walked inside and saw the chili competitors. There were 30 teams and almost every team made at least two kinds, and most 3 or 4 kinds of chili. There was green chili, bean chili, white chili, vegetarian chili, and, of course, red chili. Each patron was given a bag with eating utensils, a napkin, and 5 Popsicle sticks that were used to vote for the "People's Choice Award." The competitors served up one-third to one-half cup (or more) samples for tasting, and coded samples were also given to a panel of judges.

The winner and the runners up

Dennis Casway

Musical entertainment was provided by Dennis Casway formerly of the 60's group The Castaways who biggest hit was Liar, Liar. We were just getting ready to start sampling the chili offerings, when a women's hula hoop contest started. We watched for a couple of minutes when Jane shouted, "I can do better than that," and off she went to the stage. She got hula hoop and started grinding away. The stage was crowded and all of the women kept bumping into each other, but it was obvious that Jane was hooping a whole lot more that most of them. She only performed for about 2 minutes and the contest ended. The judges awarded Jane first place for which she got a stuffed monkey. Capt. Larry was impressed and is trying to get her booked on America's Got Talent.

Helping eradicate breast cancer

Good chili starts with good meat

Hey! I know how to use that thing in the middle

A pretty chili baby

The Cheeseheads in the background

With Jane's appetite worked up, we started sampling the chilies. So many chilies, so little time...... Since every team had more than one chili offering, we were going to have to pace ourselves. We've never been big fans of anything but red chili and we like it a little on the spicy side. We hated to throw food away, but most of the green, white, and bean chilies only required a spoonful and we knew they wouldn't be earning our Popsicle sticks. And what's with bean chili? Capt. Larry said that he could bring a pot of his Louisiana white beans and call it sausage bean chili and probably win a lot more votes than these chilies were getting. To Capt. Larry's palate, over one-half of the chilies he sampled needed salt in the worst way. And when one competitor told him that her white chili wasn't spicy, he looked at her and said, "What's the point?" Then we realized who the crowd was. It was people from up north, Minnesotans, Wisconsinites, Ohioans, Iowans, etc. and most of these folks are meat and potatoes with no desire to speed up their intestinal tracts. While some of the chilies were very good and properly seasoned, Jane determined that none of them were as good as what her captain makes. Awww shucks! We voted our sticks, got a beer, and sat down and listened to the music until the awards were announced.

This is what they cook for

For the awards ceremony the teams were announced and some of the team names were cute. There were the Mean Bean Team, Spicy Senoritas (all ladies, naturally), Chili Chili Bang Bang, Fire Breathing Rubber Duckies (really?), Cheesehead Amigos (obviously from Wisconsin), and Friends of Animal Rescue (guess where the meat comes from!). The judges' panel awarded two teams 5 podium finishes for 5 different chilies, so we figured that they were pretty good. As for the People's Choice, the award went to a team from a local restaurant (probably Sysco generic chili) for the second straight year. We listened to a little more music then walked back to the condo stuffed with chili. We knew we would be paying for the experience in a couple of hours, so we didn't venture off too far.

We have a new pet

This is what it's all about!

Almost Free in Mexico! We Go Across the Border

Our third weekend in SPI found us going to one of Jane's favorite places- a flea market. The market was located in Donna, TX, and it was huge, covering about 5 acres. While there was the usual assortment of merchandise, the sheer size and number of vendors allowed one to browse everything from the sublime to the eclectic, from bins of sheer junk to racks of fine lace and embroidered clothing. Jane was in heaven and Capt. Larry was constantly reminded that he was "no fun to shop with!" While Capt. Larry has honed his shopping skills to where he can glance inside a vendor's tent and immediately know whether to enter, Jane's shopping ability is less refined, requiring her to actually enter each tent and view every item at an agonizingly slow pace. After about two hours of waiting for Jane to emerge from each tent and wondering if she would see her shadow, Capt. Larry starts to head for the exit when she announces that there are "just a couple" of places that she wants to revisit. So back we go. By now the experience is getting uncomfortable, because the wind has picked up and is blowing dust from the parking lot all over the place. Apparently, this was to much even for a diehard shopper, and after revisiting the third tent, she says its time to go. On the way out we stop at one produce stand and make a purchase, only to visit another stand and purchase more when we find the prices are halved, because it's time for the vendor to go home. In spite of his complaining, Capt. Larry was the one with the most purchases- a new denim jacket and two new belts. Jane was happy too, so everybody's happy.

Progreso bridge- American side

Who says you can never shop enough? While we thought we did well at the flea market, our neighbor Winter Texans said we had to go over to Mexico to get the "real deals." Jane found this deal talk arousing and Capt. Larry viewed it as more exotic than another winter day in SPI, so we decided to make the trip. There are two international bridges in the SPI area where one can cross the border. The nearest one is in Brownsville which crosses at Matamoros, and the other is in Progreso crossing into Nuevo Progreso. However, visitors really only have the Progreso option, because Matamoros is considered less safe and the town is located a lot further away from the bridge which makes walking over less convenient. When you step off the bridge at Progreso,  you are in the shopping district of Nuevo Progreso. Driving over is an option, but parking is limited in the shopping district requiring parking away from watchful eyes and there is a $25 charge on the Mexican side to bring you car back over (like a bridge use tax). So just about everyone parks in parking lots next to the bridge and walks over.

Rio Grande River at the border

Welcome to Mexico!

We arrived at the International Bridge and paid our $2 to park in the lot all day. When we had made our way to the bridge, we found that the automobile plaza with checkpoints that controls the flow of cars between the two countries had a long line of cars waiting to return to the U.S. Another reason not to drive over as many of the cars are thoroughly searched before being allowed to re-enter. Each pedestrian has to pay 25 cents to leave the country. Capt. Larry inserted his quarter in the turnstile and tried to pass through but the turnstile didn't rotate. He stepped out of the turnstile and attempted to turn it with his hand. It turned, but he wasn't able to get back into the turnstile to pass through. A lady on the other side suggested he crawl under the turnstile, but the clearance was small and he didn't think he could bend his knees that much. After he and Jane were both fishing for another quarter, the lady on the other side came up and handed us two quarters. This time we got it right and we able to pass through. We thanked the lady and later realized that we actually made 25 cents on the transaction. We figure she felt it was worth the laugh.

The shopping district

As soon as you cross the bridge you are immersed in a sea of street merchants, store doormen, cute kids selling candy, nail salons, pharmacies, dental and doctor's offices, crowded sidewalks and signs so numerous they become an indecipherable blur. According to Jane, "there's nothing that we have to have." But Capt. Larry knew better. We made our way through a maze of jewelry, leather, glass art, wood carving, and pirated movie displays and, after walking one block, we darted into a pharmacy. The array of medications, both prescription and over-the-counter that were available for purchase by the tourists really amazed Capt. Larry. Knowing that we would be doing some extensive traveling later in the year, he decided to stock for the trips. Although the brand names were unfamiliar, the Spanish generic names could be deciphered and we quickly loaded up with four different antibiotics and several tubes of a prescription wrinkle cream for Jane. The total came to just over $50, and Capt. Larry noted that the pharmacist's cost for one of the antibiotics alone would be more than that in the states.

When in Rome....

It was lunchtime so we went down the street a couple of more blocks to Garcia's, a restaurant that was recommended to us by one of our neighbors. While we were eating, our neighbors who recommended the restaurant to us came over to our table. Seems they had the same idea we did. So we ran into someone in Mexico that we knew! We had a wonderful meal which included two drinks, soup and salad, two entrees, and dessert for $24. The food was great and the great looking receptionist strutting around with her 5" hooker heels added to Capt. Larry's dining pleasure.

A grand old hotel

Winter Texans waiting for customs

The automobile plaza- U.S. side

We left the restaurant and Jane started to get serious about shopping. She bought some clothing items and jewelry, while Capt. Larry found some Mexican rum and crackers that Jane thought were so good in the restaurant. We wandered down the street until the shopping district ended. The boundary is distinct and you knew when to turn around and not proceed any further. We crossed the street looked at the shops on the other side, but the offerings were the same. Of course, the last store before the bridge was a liquor store and a big one. We went inside and Capt. Larry found some Appleton rum that was about one-half the price across the border. However, when he went to check out, the bottles rang up at a higher price. He questioned the price and noted that the tag on the shelf indicated a lower price. The cashier went to the shelf and tore off the tag and said that they were out of that rum and what was there is the higher priced bottle. Well, Capt. Larry figured that if that were so, why not restock the item rather than remove the tag. He said, "No thanks," and walked out of the store. The cashier looked dumbfounded that he wouldn't buy and she would have to unpackage the bottles and return them to the shelf. Oh, well! We walked back across the bridge only to find a 30-yard line of people waiting to pass through customs. But then, old people will wait in line for anything. The line did move rather quickly and we cleared customs in 15 minutes. We found the car and headed back to SPI, happy at the things we purchased, but thinking we may want to return again.

Back in the U.S.

Walking and Sightseeing the South Padre Island Area

A sandcastle at the Visitor's Center

Decorative garage doors!

Check out the 2" x 6" homemade scaffolding!

Oh Baby! It hurts! Might be too much jewelry

South Padre Island in the wintertime is a great place for us to do our daily exercise. The weather is warm and sunny most days, and there is a cool breeze usually blowing off the gulf which keeps it from getting too hot. And, there are well marked bicycle and walking lanes, as well as many sidewalks on most of the streets. The automobile traffic is relatively light during the weekdays, so we found ourselves exploring and running errands on foot. Twenty minutes to the post office, pharmacy, and cinema, and ten minutes to the grocery with variable times to the many restaurants and other landmarks. On a typical day we do calisthenics for about an hour and then go walking for 60-90 minutes. This generally brings us up to lunchtime, and while it may not sound very exciting, we enjoy getting out and seeing the sights on the island. We have enjoyed going to the movies at least once a week, and have sampled the fare at a couple of the restaurants. However, we've limited our restaurant outings because they really cripple our efforts to stay on our diets! We'll give them a shot after we've met a couple of our goals. While we've done well with our exercise and diets, we had a temporary setback with Jane's hands. Around Thanksgiving she developed "trigger finger" in thumb on one hand and the finger of another. With her fingers in an extended and lock position, she is limited in doing certain functions. Capt. Larry has been pressed in to service to button blouses, putting on and tying her shoes, and has taken over most kitchen activities that involve utilization of her fingers. We have tried 4 different families of NSAID's and immobilized the digits with splints. But these are stopgap measures and she will probably only benefit from corticosteroid injections or surgery which we won't get until we get back home.

Merry Christmas, a resident Atlantic Green

An informational display

Checking out the turtles

Gerry has an appetite!

A sea turtle nest

One of the attractions on the island is Sea Turtle, Inc. This is a sea turtle rescue facility that was started Ila Loetscher, "The Turtle Lady of South Padre Island" in 1977. Ila began her work rescuing turtles that washed up on the island shores and started a rescue hospital that was funded solely by private donations. She made appearances on the national talk shows and National Geographic Magazine, and became renowned around the world for her work. The center works to rehabilitate injured turtles for return to the wild, educate the public about endangered turtles and their marine environment, and assist in conservation programs that help sea turtle populations recover. They rehabilitate 40-100 turtles a year and draw over 80,000 visitors a year. We were impressed with their work during our visit. There are 12-15 tanks containing turtles that have suffered from predator (i.e. sharks) attacks, infections, cold stunning, bowl obstructions from balloons and plastic bags, parasites, boat strikes, and trauma from fishing equipment (e.g. nets, hooks, line, etc.). While the goal is to return the turtles to the wild, some have injuries severe enough that requires them to be resident turtles. On our visit we saw about 20 turtles, including Atlantic greens, Kemp-Ridleys, Loggerheads, a Hawksbill, but no Leatherbacks (too big!). All of the turtles were in various stages of rehabilitation and the facility had a wall of all of the turtles they have released over the past 20 years. It was really a cool place to visit (Jane liked the turtle clothing and animals in the gift shop!), and if you are ever in the area, drop by. You won't likely be disappointed. If you would like to learn more, follow this link Sea Turtle, Inc. 

Should have brought the Range Rover

Is that Lawrence of Arabia?

After we left the turtle hospital we decided to drive north to see how far we could get on Padre Island. Turns out it wasn't far. We drove about 5-6 miles north and noticed that the sand was starting to drift into our lane (windward side). Another mile or so and the road was drifted down to one lane, and about one-half mile after that we spotted a sign that said "Road Ends Ahead." No crap! We'd be doing a Sahara Desert cross country if the sand got any deeper. Since we were down to a narrow one lane, we were lucky to find a spot about a lane and a half wide in which we could turn around. We headed back and got out the road map, and sure enough, the map showed that the road ended and there was no way to go further north on Padre Island. So SPI is separate from Padre Island and not connected. Amazing how we would have known this if we were on Bavarian Cream. When we navigated her, we actually consulted the charts first!

Every Thursday new tourist newspapers come out that tell everyone what events are happening throughout the Rio Grande Valley. Winter Texans snatch these up so quickly that by Friday afternoon none can be found. Most of the events this time of year are aimed at the winter visitors. Jane found a "garage sale" that was being held by a SPI beach bar and grill, Louie's Backyard. Capt. Larry was along for the ride. We arrived and found two long lines. Winter Texans will wait in line for anything, but Capt. Larry told Jane to go to the front of the line to make sure we were in the right one. Turns out we were in the food line for $1 hot dogs served on flour tortillas. Winter Texans will wait for anything! We jumped over to the other line to get the merchandise. When we got there the pickings seemed slim. The items were all promotional and likely donated by the booze distributors throughout the year. Louie's then takes all of this and sells it for next to nothing to the winter visitors. Who couldn't be happy with a $1 tee shirts and hot dog? Anyway, Jane got 2 pairs of Malibu Rum flip flops at 50 cents per, and a handful of tee shirts that the guy threw into a bag because he was tired of counting, and said, "ten bucks." They had a guy singing karaoke who sounded pretty good, so we decided to have a beer and relax for a while. Jane started counting her shirts and was delighted to have purchased $14 worth for a Hamilton. We left during a rendition of "Mack the Knife" and returned to the condo to get ready to see the movie Argo, which we thoroughly enjoyed at the SPI Cinema.