Went curling today - the most frustrating game of my life.  100% negative ice.  Always throw one handle going each direction... the opposite to normal and it would still fall off 4 to 7 feet.  No boards between any of the sheets nor lines so you just had to judge if you are on the other guys sheet.  5 sheets across the arena.  They melt the hacks into the ice by sitting rocks on top of them for a few minutes until they melt the ice and sink in.  When we pull them out at the end for people to skate there then we put holes in the ice.  There are rings melted in the ice where they sat on the same spot for too long.  There are raised ruts from the zamboni that you have to navigate around... you aim your stone at the rut and do a bank shot to get it to come back to where you want it to go... if you don't hit it right it comes off too soon or too late or if you have too much weight you can make it over the ridge and then it goes off to nowhere land on the other side.  Oh yeah Weight.  Those who know me on the ice know I usually have no problem throwing take out..... Draw weight today was 2.1 tee to hog.  Full take out would be a hogged stone... started doing some of my really fast ones and they would still fall 4 to 6 feet... The one guy that I was with threw really hard and could get it to only fall a foot or two... one went straight through and the skips missed it and it went off the boards at the end.  I am amazed it didn't go through the boards....  I stopped trying to run after them to sweep since there is no way any sweeping at his speed would help.   They were telling me with the negative ice that they deal with sweeping makes it curl more ... doesn't keep it straight... so much to get used to.  Not sure if they will ask me back since I did so bad but oh well ... I can now say I have played on Arena ice.... It did get a little faster by the 8th end and the one guy said he could tell I was more in my element when it was faster ice(still very slow ice for Canada 2.3 then for draw weight) and my delivery was a lot different when I wasn't trying to throw it so hard.   For score boards they hang them on the glass at one of the ends.  We played three on three on my sheet which was nice since I got to practice more... we lost in the last end but oh well they would have only had two players without me.

Wonder if the hockey players mind the curling rings

Hockey on the ice before we went out

I was facing the ice taking the pictures of the hockey players playing before curling started then you turn around and they have a nice fire place for people to go to to get warm while they watch

This weird plant was in the parking lot.  All four from the same main trunk of some kind of palm with funny white flowers growing out of the top of the green leaves.  Pretty cool looking whatever it is

Went to Six Flags Fiesta Texas today.  It was the annual family picnic for Whataburger.  You could bring 3 people with you... free entrance to the park.  We had a picnic there from 10 to 12 before the park opened.  There was brisket and sausages and salads and drinks.  Free midway games for the kids to win lots of prizes.  Face painting, baloons and caracatures all for free.  We each got 5 tickets for door prizes.  You could put the tickets in which ever prize you wanted to win.  Flight for two anywhere in the US... tickets to the Spurs game, day at the spa etc.  DJ was playing the whole two hours too.   Once we were in the main part of the park we could take our free ticket from Whataburger and upgrade it to a season pass for the rest of this year and all of next year... so I did that.  This place is less than 10 minutes from our Apt.  It is two exits past Blanco off the 1604 so easy to get to.  Sea world is near there too but I haven't found it yet... soon.   Tomorrow morning I go to Austin to Curl on Arena ice.  Should be fun.  I am just sparing up there for something to do before Jim gets down here in 5 weeks.

Being there first thing got us parking close to the entrance.... not so great a thing when you go to leave.  It to forever to get out of the parking lot but then just a hop skip and a jump and I was home

These are the 4 arcade games they had set up for the kids to play to win their  little stuffed animals and balls etc

Those booths above are to the right of this picture.  In the far end was the rows of food to pick up buffet style with the picnic tables under awnings on the left.  The face painters and caracature guys and balloon guys were over there on the left too.

I turned totally to left here to see back end tables and rest of tables st ahead from left of middle picture.  Lots of room.  This was just for the people at head office . .. not the restaurant staff.  There are over 300 in head office so with all of their families there were still a lot of people.  It was weird walking around the park after and actually recognizing a lot of people.

Always wanted to get this done but was too cheap to pay but when it was free... why not.  So what do you think... she did get the pointy nose thing

Home tonight

No more sleeps - home tonight YEAH

Jim sent me a picture of his new truck so I would recognize him when he comes to get me at the airport Friday night.  Big box on it so we will be able to pack lots to come down in it.  I love the colour.  See I am still not american in that I know how to spell colour... I do say y'all though sometimes... it just comes out...

Port Aransas

Went to Port Aransas on Saturday.  This is on Mustang Island.  Apparently a lot of Canadians settle there for the winter.  They don't call them Snowbirds here... they are Winter Texans!!  There were a lot of RV parks, Condo's hotels and resorts here.  The town stretches from the channel side to the Gulf of Mexico side.  This is basically just south of Corpus Christi but a little north.  Padre Island North where I went last weekend is south of Corpus Christi but a little south... Corpus is kinda in the middle.  Once you go over to the islands you can drive from Padre to Mustang which I showed last weekend.  Just to complicate it all there is a South Padre Island which is in the most southern tip of Texas - almost to Mexico.  You cannot drive on Padre Island from the North to the South.  You have to go back on the mainland to drive down to the South.  The city South Padre Island  is pretty well all resorts etc. but is a couple more hour drive so not really a day trip for me but definitely could be a weekend trip.  You drive to Brownsville and then drive across to the island.
Back to Port Aransas.  I found this beach a lot busier than North Padre Island and a lot more hotels that you can see from the beach.  I like not seeing them better.  There were 3 weddings being set up that I saw on my part that I saw.  There was a lot of seaweed on the beach here that I didn't notice much of last week.  Not sure if there is more there this week or not since I didn't go there this time.  I went over on the bridge and drove up from the south to Port Aransas.  I took the ferry back over to the mainland on my way home so travelled back to Corpus on the mainland side.  The ferry was cool since there were tons of dolphins in the channel jumping everywhere.  I just kept clicking the camera but hard to see them in the distance since they are not out of the water long.  You can at least see the white spots where they are or were...  I tried to get a picture of the power wind mills that  they have all along the coast.  They start from the Sun corp refinery... so I am wondering if they are using wind power to refine oil...kinda cool.   I also have a picture of my new beach chair that I sat in for a few hours.  I love watching the water, birds and people in it.  I also read a book.  It was getting warm so I put it near the water so that some waves came close enough to wet my feet to cool me off. 15 to 20 minutes later you have to back it up cause the waves are wetting the chair - combination of the chair sinking in the sand and the tide coming in... kept backing it up and at one point I backed up the car just in case.   It was pouring rain in San Antonio when I left as well as on the bridge going over to the islands.  I have a picture showing the black sky to the north towards mainland but the island was beautiful weather up until close to 5 p.m.    I packed up and went one direction to try to get off of the beach... another thing about this beach... very few places to get on and off... I was quickly running out of beach and still could not find an out... the beach was getting narrower due to the tide coming in.  There were others still there so I figured I was ok but my car is not 4 wheel drive like their  trucks and I was not looking forward to driving in the water.  I finally turned around and asked some people where the next exit was and which way to go to get off the beach the quickest.  The told me to turn around and I was almost there to marker 99.  I was at 88.  Not sure how far between the markers but not very far so I was fine.  At the harbour where you take the ferry back to mainland there were houses on stilts.  The bottom of the house is above the roof of the SUV parked in front.  Must be for flooding I guess.

Me just as I arrived

Beach as far as you can see

Lots of seaweed and hotel

New Chair with Towel Margaret gave to me

New Chair See leg at top - when you recline it all of the way down to lay down then you put that leg down to support it .  It is a low beach chair so your legs just go straight out on the sand.

All day we could see and hear the storm but the beach was beautiful.

Houses on stilts at the harbour

Harbour that you can see while waiting for ferry

Dolphins

More dolphins

Windmills

Went for a Nordic Walk tonight in McAllister Park.  It is Huge.  I just did the short little trail since it was getting late and I didn't want to get lost in the dark.  Definitely will go back to do some of the longer trails though.  It was getting dusk so maybe that is why but there were an awful lot of deer. They are right beside the trail.  I was looking at two and heard a noise behind me and there were eight more there.  One field I saw over 10 altogether.  Very nice to see. Some had antlers but couldn't get pictures of them... they run away when you bring out the camera/phone.

very close to these two

this guy stared me down

This is the field with over 10 in it.  Really camoflaged

Sorry for making this 3 posts but I did not want to lose the pictures as I was loading them.  I can see why the Canadians have started to come to this area to winter instead of Florida.  In my opinion the beaches are better ... not lined with hotels etc.  Have kept the nature end of things.  Down further it is a national park for camping and more beaches but I didn't pay to go there.. just went as far as the gait but it is pretty wilderness before you get to the gait.  After coming back from the surfing beach I went to Whataburger for supper -$3.37 for a hamburger, fries and drink.... I am still in pain from the burger but can't beat the price.  Nice to have the discount.... anyway there was a free local newspaper in the Whataburger and on the back there was real estate adds... crazy prices here.  4 bedroom 2 baths granite counters 2157 sq ft for 269,900.  Condos for 99,000 that allow short term rentals.  New house on water front 425,000.  Normal little house 1830 sq ft for $154,900.  One of the town homes stipulated minimum 7 day rentals.... so looks like a lot are being purchased for investments and rented out when they are not in them... something to think about.
The beach reminded me  a lot of cuba... just a lot longer and driving on it was like Daytona beach.  One guy got stuck.. at the far end where it is not maintained they recommend four wheel drives.  Alot of people are going up and down in golf carts which you can rent at the holiday inn.  You can rent the horses for a ride too.  I think I am going to be spending a lot of time down there... good therapy to walk in the sand and very interesting day people watching.

So this one is Mustang Island... make sure you read the Padre Island first and then this one will make sense.

I walked out on this fishing pier cause it was free

This is from the end of pier looking to beach

You can see a second pier on the right... it is at the end of Padre Island and this one is on Mustang Island.  From where the car was parked on Padre this is a few miles to the left.  Past the Padre rock pier there were lots of surfers on surf boards as well as a few surf sailing

This is from the beach looking out to the rock fishing pier

This is me back home... red as a beet.  I survived almost 2 months of over 100 temperature... roller blading, hiking, shopping, swimming, laying by the pool, driving with the roof down and not even a tan... one day on the beach when it was only 85 and I get burnt

 Padre Island and Mustang Island... kinda missed Corpus Christi tour - to be continued another day
This post is all Padre Island... will put Mustang on the next one.

Went to Corpus Christi today but when got there saw the sign to Padre Island so never did get down town Corpus.  Spent most of the day on the North Padre Island and then went over to Mustang Island to finish off a beautiful day.  Just under 3 hour drive.  Could be shorter if I drove the speed limit - 75 scary but nice ride with the roof down

looking down left of car

looking to right of car

  

Used to seeing Catamarans in Cuba but usually owned by the hotels.  These guys bring them down on a boat trailer and manually lift them off onto the sand and drag them to the water.  The manual to the water is normal but never thought of having to lift them off of a boat trailer and lift them back on.  I thought my kayak was heavy by times...

Very patriotic fisherman.. the bottom flag has the four forces... marines air force etc and says some gave a lot and a lot gave their all.  See the 5 holders for the fishing poles.

This guy had about 10 holders for his poles across just behind the window in the cab.

Horses on the beach just like Cuba

Big bird acted like pelican dive bombing for fish

girl kayaking with a dog.  Third wave wiped them out

Dog trying to get into kayak

I think those are oil rigs out there but not sure

just past the pier you could see from the car.  Goes for miles more

picnic area by fishing pier

getting closer to the pier

Restaurant and Bar at pier

Seadoo - had to wait for waves each wave he could push it out a little further until finally it floated and he could go.  The water is very very shallow for a long way out but there are undertows out further so you have to be careful.

picnic tables and change room at pier

view of pier from the restaurant... sorry Kelly's but this restaurant has you beat.

Very windy as my hair explains.  This was at the beginning of the day..  Compare the colour to the end of the day down further.

Finished off here and went to Mustang Island... 5 minutes away.