A Change of Scenery --- Port Aransas, TX

Tequila in a Stand Down with a Sand Crab

Roger here...  We seldom post travel blogs in the winter while staying at our home at Retama Village in extreme south Texas.  However, as I sat in our back yard  enjoying the garden and the shade, I felt a compulsion to share our week at Port Aransas, TX from the previous week.  It has been a while since we have enjoyed extended time on the beach.

The four-hour drive to the Corpus Christi area was uneventful.  For those of you who do not travel in motor homes...  uneventful is a good thing.

RV Site from the Front

Our digs for the week were courtesy of our Retama neighbors, Don and Sue.  They generously offered us the use of their RV lot at the Gulf Waters Resort, a resort located directly on the beach. 

The huge RV site was nothing short of spectacular.

The Very Tropical Palapa

This palapa over the bar and eating area was one of the extensive improvements that they have made to their lot.

The Back Area of the Site.  Bandido likes it.

This was such a restful and beautiful place.  The weather (in the 70s and 80s) was perfect for reading and napping under the palm trees.

Roger in the Shade on the Phone.  Pets Lounging in the Sun.

Landscaping along the Back

We had no real agenda here other than relaxing.  The site was so nice that it was difficult to leave it.  However, the beach beckoned.

It actually beckoned 2 to 3 times a day.  A short trek on a boardwalk over the dunes led to.....

... a pristine, wide, uncrowded beach on the Gulf of Mexico.  We took the dogs on long walks along the beach every day.  Bandido chased his ball in the surf.  Tequila chased Bandido.  Dianne and I chased the dogs.

We encountered the usual seaside sights as we padded through the sand...  pelicans, fishermen, gulls, sandpipers, etc.  We also found this huge log covered with shells. This piece of driftwood must have been in the sea for some time to be this covered with life.  Here is a closer look.

Our walks were always followed by more reading... 

... and some times a frosty drink under the palapa.  Such stress.


We chose a non-windy day to spend some extended time in the sand.  A two-wheeled dolly worked well for rolling our umbrella, mats, beach chairs and various items to the soft sand.

Time to Set Things Up

This picture gives a nice perspective of the length of the beach (actually no end in sight), the dunes, and the relative isolation.

Nice Shade under the Umbrella

The view and sounds from under the umbrella were so relaxing.

The dogs had a great time, as well.  The opening picture of this post shows Tequila in a Mexican standoff with a sand crab.  (No crabs were harmed during our adventure :-).  The picture below is a good picture of Tequila --- continually watching for those pesky, sideways-walking crabs.

I think I see one over there!  They remind me of lizards!

Our only concern during the day was whether this motorized hang-glider would crash into us as it passed over.

Back at the campsite,   my well-practiced skills of shoveling snow served me well while I shoveled tropical leaves.  This is fake news.  I really did not do any work,  other than...

... grilling food on our grill.















We only left the Gulf Waters Resort for a short time.  We were in the mood for some seafood.  We had a tasty meal of fried shrimp at Fins Icehouse and Grill.  The view from our table on the deck was perfect for our laid-back week on the Gulf.

The "Snow Moon" dominated the night sky on our last evening at Port Aransas.  

 Here is an early shot of the moon in a lavender sky. A short time after taking this picture, we walked to the boardwalk to take this picture of the moonlight on the sea.

Before retiring for the evening, we took these shots of the palm trees on our RV site for the week.  What a great time we had.  Thanks again, Don and Sue.