SPI: Family Spring Break'ers

Where's a great place to head for Spring Break in Texas? South Padre Island, of course! 

But not quite for the same reasons that some [college-aged] kids head that way. It is an entertaining place for family fun too. Bring on all the greatness that comes with the sound of the waves! While the weather was nice, the temperatures were not quite inviting enough to get too far in the water. So, Jeff, Naomi and Danielle spent their time in ankle-deep water. No sharks at that depth!

I spent my time in the wind where the sand meets the sea. (Sounding poetic makes my aversion to cold-water seem a little nicer.) 

Danielle did have a vision for her beach time. She packed her latest book and her treasured volleyball and made good use of the time! Oh, and she posed for esthetic pictures. 

With all that sand, there's bound to be some sandcastles. Yes, South Padre Island has a semi-permanent Sandcastle Village. People's creativity is amazing and their skills are impressive. Apparently, there is a bit of magic too with tools that compact the sand and a slight mix of glue -- makes a world of difference and some incredible art!

We used our skills for pickelball -- a recently added family fun activity for us. This was such a lovely place to enjoy the outdoors. Just remember the sunscreen next time -- Naomi and Danielle got sunburns on the backs of their legs. Ouch.

When surrounded by water on an island, there are a few things you definitely need to do -- like head out on a boat for another view. Normally, that would mean a ferry ride, but this time our boat ride had a mission: a dolphin watching cruise. We lucked out with a mostly-shady spot at the front of the boat for prime viewing. I kept my expectations low, just in case, but the dolphins did not disappoint! The ride first included an "eco-tour", where nets were lowered to see what creatures we could catch and learn about (blowfish, shrimp and tiny squid). 

After that, we rode around to different areas where we encountered several small pods of dolphins that were quite active.  No tricks on command, but a few definitely seemed like they were "playing" and having fun! And they just naturally look like they are always smiling.

Thankfully, no sharks were spotted! In fact, the only sharks we encountered were quite harmless.

Another requirement when at the edge of land, is to seek out a lighthouse. Port Isabel Lighthouse provided spectacular views of the bay and a great photo backdrop! (I appreciate Jeff having an eye for interesting pictures.)

Jeff puts in extra effort to find interesting places for us to eat while on vacation, including this trip at Pirate's Landing. The vibe was good, the decorations were a perfect island setting and the buttered biscuits were a-mazing!

At restaurants, we typically politely wave off the wandering performers that appear at our table. However this time, I'm glad we did not -- this sleight-of-hand magician (Krooked Hands) was incredible. We focused with every bit of attention, but could not figure out how he did his tricks! A fork, bills, cards, pen and a billiard ball. (At the end, he did reveal that he had a tiny assistant! HA!)  

The final mandatory near-the-ocean activity: find a pier to stroll along! This one was pretty lively-- while walking out we saw a guy catch and carefully release a stingray, and when walking back we saw the same guy catch and release a good-sized crab. There was also a couple of chatty fishermen from Kansa at the end of the pier, who were eager to make conversation and share their fishing stories!

The family connection and memory-making continues!!