September 24th 2016

My new camera arrived in the mail yesterday and we were celebrating the end of the week so decided to head off to Padre Island for some fun in the sun and water and to play with the new toy.  We want to get to know the camera and it's capabilities well so that we will be ready to  record our Central America adventures as soon as we set out next year.

We left San Antonio at about 9 and arrived on Padre Island at Windward Drive about 11:30 - Windward Drive has a free parking lot between hotels, right on the beach.  There is quite a lot of activity on the beach here with large groups of people gathering with their vehicles on the beach itself.  There are often school groups etc. as well as just large groups of friends and it is a popular fishing spot as well as a favorite kite surfing beach - there are often lessons being offered as well.

Of course I was straight into the water, swimming and playing in the waves but it felt as though something was stinging or biting me.  It felt as though there were a lot of grains of sand stinging me but it was nothing like a jellyfish (there are lots of those here) sting, just like grains of sand crawling over my arms and legs.  I stopped swimming and kept look, fascinated, was it the wind flinging grains of sand that felt as though they were stinging?  Finally I saw what looked like transparent grains of sand crawling around on my fingers and arms (and likely everywhere else) so I reluctantly got out of the water.  A lady came over to me and asked if I had been bitten, explaining that her son had complained of being bitten all over by tiny transparent things - she explained that they were sea lice and that yes, they do wash off.  Of course I headed straight for the beach shower and showered thoroughly until I felt that all those little mites had been washed off - that was the end of my swimming for the day.

We walked the beach up to the pier at the channel and spent time just watching the sea among all the fishermen.   What luck we had to see a school of dolphins, a turtle and many pelicans feeding a short distance from us - what a pity that we didn't actually take the camera on that walk.

Later we went back to the pier with the camera and the dolphins and pelicans had moved further offshore but the kite surfers were out in full force and we got several good shots.  We talked to one kite surfer and asked him about how direction is controlled and he even offered me the chance to take his kite out for a try - such friendly people!  

We finished this awesome day with a sun-downer at the the Boat House a couple of blocks from where we were staying at the Hawthorne Inn - what a fantastic day especially since the weather forecast has lots of rain for this weekend!

This trip has reminded us that, much as love the beach, we would not be happy living in such a salty humid atmosphere - we have already showered twice since arriving on Padre Island.