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Ed Yourdon posted a photo:
sunrise on the third morning of my visit to South Padre Island
***********************
South Padre Island is a remote corner of the United States that most Americans have never heard of ... unless, of course, you're from south Texas. It's a barrier island on the Gulf Coast, way south of Corpus Christi, not too far from Brownsville, and only five or ten miles from the Mexican border. But it's also about 800 miles from the west coast of Florida, on the other side of the Gulf of Mexico.
I have no idea when, why, or how the island (or its main town) was settled, though I've learned that it's named after a Catholic priest and settler, José Nicolás Ballí (Padre Ballí). At this point, it's a relatively small settlement of 2,816 people (as of the 2010 census), and it's located on the far side of a mile-wide bay, across from Port Isabel, which has a larger population of about 5,000 people.
College kids from the south Texas area flock here during spring break, an international fishing tournament brings in another bunch of people in the summer, and the South Padre International Music festival debuted in November 2007, with 10,000 attendees and 64 bands rocking to country, reggae, Latin rock, ska, and jazz music. Or so I'm told. I don't know any of this from first-hand experience, because I was here for a week at the end of January. If you want to know more than this about South Padre Island, I refer you to this this Wikipedia article.
The weather here in late January is a heck of a lot better than in my hometown of New York City, but it's still leaves a lot to be desired; it's cloudy, foggy, and/or misty, and the overall weather is raw, windy, and humid. Of course, there's no guarantee these days that January weather will be any better in Florida or any of the other winter havens ... and after four days of gloom, I actually did enjoy a couple of days of nice, sunny (but cool) weather before I finally packed my bags and headed back to civilization.
I had some serious work to do while I was here, and when it came to photography, all I was hoping for was an hour of interesting scenery at sunrise and sunset. For the first few days, I had mostly fog and clouds at dawn -- but I've included some of those photos. And in the sunset hours, I was frustrated by the fact that my my beachfront hotel faced east -- and thus had nothing to do with whatever sunset was taking place in the west. But I got lots of photos of seagulls and sandpipers, as well as a few photos of resolute visitors who were doing brisk power-walks up and down the beach at every conceivable hour of the day.
Toward the end of the week, the weather cleared and I decided to take a "dolphin-viewing" cruise out into the bay. I did see a couple of dolphins, if the cruise-boat's captain was to be believed, but they weren't worth photographing. However, I did get a few interesting shots of the shoreline and some other interesting odds and ends, which I've included in the collection of photos here.
No doubt there will be a few curious souls wondering why on earth I decided to come spend a week here in this remote corner of southern Texas. I could tell you, but then I'd have to kill you. Just joking, heh heh. Actually, it doesn't really matter. The photos are all you need to know...
sunrise on the third morning of my visit to South Padre Island***********************
South Padre Island is a remote corner of the United States that most Americans have never heard of ... unless, of course, you're from south Texas. It's a barrier island on the Gulf Coast, way south of Corpus Christi, not too far from Brownsville, and only five or ten miles from the Mexican border. But it's also about 800 miles from the west coast of Florida, on the other side of the Gulf of Mexico.
I have no idea when, why, or how the island (or its main town) was settled, though I've learned that it's named after a Catholic priest and settler, José Nicolás Ballí (Padre Ballí). At this point, it's a relatively small settlement of 2,816 people (as of the 2010 census), and it's located on the far side of a mile-wide bay, across from Port Isabel, which has a larger population of about 5,000 people.
College kids from the south Texas area flock here during spring break, an international fishing tournament brings in another bunch of people in the summer, and the South Padre International Music festival debuted in November 2007, with 10,000 attendees and 64 bands rocking to country, reggae, Latin rock, ska, and jazz music. Or so I'm told. I don't know any of this from first-hand experience, because I was here for a week at the end of January. If you want to know more than this about South Padre Island, I refer you to this this Wikipedia article.
The weather here in late January is a heck of a lot better than in my hometown of New York City, but it's still leaves a lot to be desired; it's cloudy, foggy, and/or misty, and the overall weather is raw, windy, and humid. Of course, there's no guarantee these days that January weather will be any better in Florida or any of the other winter havens ... and after four days of gloom, I actually did enjoy a couple of days of nice, sunny (but cool) weather before I finally packed my bags and headed back to civilization.
I had some serious work to do while I was here, and when it came to photography, all I was hoping for was an hour of interesting scenery at sunrise and sunset. For the first few days, I had mostly fog and clouds at dawn -- but I've included some of those photos. And in the sunset hours, I was frustrated by the fact that my my beachfront hotel faced east -- and thus had nothing to do with whatever sunset was taking place in the west. But I got lots of photos of seagulls and sandpipers, as well as a few photos of resolute visitors who were doing brisk power-walks up and down the beach at every conceivable hour of the day.
Toward the end of the week, the weather cleared and I decided to take a "dolphin-viewing" cruise out into the bay. I did see a couple of dolphins, if the cruise-boat's captain was to be believed, but they weren't worth photographing. However, I did get a few interesting shots of the shoreline and some other interesting odds and ends, which I've included in the collection of photos here.
No doubt there will be a few curious souls wondering why on earth I decided to come spend a week here in this remote corner of southern Texas. I could tell you, but then I'd have to kill you. Just joking, heh heh. Actually, it doesn't really matter. The photos are all you need to know...
Ed Yourdon posted a photo:
Looking north on the beach at the end of the day, roughly half an hour before the sun sets in the west (off the left side of the photo)...
***********************
South Padre Island is a remote corner of the United States that most Americans have never heard of ... unless, of course, you're from south Texas. It's a barrier island on the Gulf Coast, way south of Corpus Christi, not too far from Brownsville, and only five or ten miles from the Mexican border. But it's also about 800 miles from the west coast of Florida, on the other side of the Gulf of Mexico.
I have no idea when, why, or how the island (or its main town) was settled, though I've learned that it's named after a Catholic priest and settler, José Nicolás Ballí (Padre Ballí). At this point, it's a relatively small settlement of 2,816 people (as of the 2010 census), and it's located on the far side of a mile-wide bay, across from Port Isabel, which has a larger population of about 5,000 people.
College kids from the south Texas area flock here during spring break, an international fishing tournament brings in another bunch of people in the summer, and the South Padre International Music festival debuted in November 2007, with 10,000 attendees and 64 bands rocking to country, reggae, Latin rock, ska, and jazz music. Or so I'm told. I don't know any of this from first-hand experience, because I was here for a week at the end of January. If you want to know more than this about South Padre Island, I refer you to this this Wikipedia article.
The weather here in late January is a heck of a lot better than in my hometown of New York City, but it's still leaves a lot to be desired; it's cloudy, foggy, and/or misty, and the overall weather is raw, windy, and humid. Of course, there's no guarantee these days that January weather will be any better in Florida or any of the other winter havens ... and after four days of gloom, I actually did enjoy a couple of days of nice, sunny (but cool) weather before I finally packed my bags and headed back to civilization.
I had some serious work to do while I was here, and when it came to photography, all I was hoping for was an hour of interesting scenery at sunrise and sunset. For the first few days, I had mostly fog and clouds at dawn -- but I've included some of those photos. And in the sunset hours, I was frustrated by the fact that my my beachfront hotel faced east -- and thus had nothing to do with whatever sunset was taking place in the west. But I got lots of photos of seagulls and sandpipers, as well as a few photos of resolute visitors who were doing brisk power-walks up and down the beach at every conceivable hour of the day.
Toward the end of the week, the weather cleared and I decided to take a "dolphin-viewing" cruise out into the bay. I did see a couple of dolphins, if the cruise-boat's captain was to be believed, but they weren't worth photographing. However, I did get a few interesting shots of the shoreline and some other interesting odds and ends, which I've included in the collection of photos here.
No doubt there will be a few curious souls wondering why on earth I decided to come spend a week here in this remote corner of southern Texas. I could tell you, but then I'd have to kill you. Just joking, heh heh. Actually, it doesn't really matter. The photos are all you need to know...
Looking north on the beach at the end of the day, roughly half an hour before the sun sets in the west (off the left side of the photo)...***********************
South Padre Island is a remote corner of the United States that most Americans have never heard of ... unless, of course, you're from south Texas. It's a barrier island on the Gulf Coast, way south of Corpus Christi, not too far from Brownsville, and only five or ten miles from the Mexican border. But it's also about 800 miles from the west coast of Florida, on the other side of the Gulf of Mexico.
I have no idea when, why, or how the island (or its main town) was settled, though I've learned that it's named after a Catholic priest and settler, José Nicolás Ballí (Padre Ballí). At this point, it's a relatively small settlement of 2,816 people (as of the 2010 census), and it's located on the far side of a mile-wide bay, across from Port Isabel, which has a larger population of about 5,000 people.
College kids from the south Texas area flock here during spring break, an international fishing tournament brings in another bunch of people in the summer, and the South Padre International Music festival debuted in November 2007, with 10,000 attendees and 64 bands rocking to country, reggae, Latin rock, ska, and jazz music. Or so I'm told. I don't know any of this from first-hand experience, because I was here for a week at the end of January. If you want to know more than this about South Padre Island, I refer you to this this Wikipedia article.
The weather here in late January is a heck of a lot better than in my hometown of New York City, but it's still leaves a lot to be desired; it's cloudy, foggy, and/or misty, and the overall weather is raw, windy, and humid. Of course, there's no guarantee these days that January weather will be any better in Florida or any of the other winter havens ... and after four days of gloom, I actually did enjoy a couple of days of nice, sunny (but cool) weather before I finally packed my bags and headed back to civilization.
I had some serious work to do while I was here, and when it came to photography, all I was hoping for was an hour of interesting scenery at sunrise and sunset. For the first few days, I had mostly fog and clouds at dawn -- but I've included some of those photos. And in the sunset hours, I was frustrated by the fact that my my beachfront hotel faced east -- and thus had nothing to do with whatever sunset was taking place in the west. But I got lots of photos of seagulls and sandpipers, as well as a few photos of resolute visitors who were doing brisk power-walks up and down the beach at every conceivable hour of the day.
Toward the end of the week, the weather cleared and I decided to take a "dolphin-viewing" cruise out into the bay. I did see a couple of dolphins, if the cruise-boat's captain was to be believed, but they weren't worth photographing. However, I did get a few interesting shots of the shoreline and some other interesting odds and ends, which I've included in the collection of photos here.
No doubt there will be a few curious souls wondering why on earth I decided to come spend a week here in this remote corner of southern Texas. I could tell you, but then I'd have to kill you. Just joking, heh heh. Actually, it doesn't really matter. The photos are all you need to know...
Ed Yourdon posted a photo:
This was a five-image HDR composition, created with my little Nikon P7100 point-and-shoot camera, mounted on a tripod and triggered with a wireless remote shutter release.
The most amazing part of this photo is that the seagull stood relatively motionless through all five consecutive shots...
***********************
South Padre Island is a remote corner of the United States that most Americans have never heard of ... unless, of course, you're from south Texas. It's a barrier island on the Gulf Coast, way south of Corpus Christi, not too far from Brownsville, and only five or ten miles from the Mexican border. But it's also about 800 miles from the west coast of Florida, on the other side of the Gulf of Mexico.
I have no idea when, why, or how the island (or its main town) was settled, though I've learned that it's named after a Catholic priest and settler, José Nicolás Ballí (Padre Ballí). At this point, it's a relatively small settlement of 2,816 people (as of the 2010 census), and it's located on the far side of a mile-wide bay, across from Port Isabel, which has a larger population of about 5,000 people.
College kids from the south Texas area flock here during spring break, an international fishing tournament brings in another bunch of people in the summer, and the South Padre International Music festival debuted in November 2007, with 10,000 attendees and 64 bands rocking to country, reggae, Latin rock, ska, and jazz music. Or so I'm told. I don't know any of this from first-hand experience, because I was here for a week at the end of January. If you want to know more than this about South Padre Island, I refer you to this this Wikipedia article.
The weather here in late January is a heck of a lot better than in my hometown of New York City, but it's still leaves a lot to be desired; it's cloudy, foggy, and/or misty, and the overall weather is raw, windy, and humid. Of course, there's no guarantee these days that January weather will be any better in Florida or any of the other winter havens ... and after four days of gloom, I actually did enjoy a couple of days of nice, sunny (but cool) weather before I finally packed my bags and headed back to civilization.
I had some serious work to do while I was here, and when it came to photography, all I was hoping for was an hour of interesting scenery at sunrise and sunset. For the first few days, I had mostly fog and clouds at dawn -- but I've included some of those photos. And in the sunset hours, I was frustrated by the fact that my my beachfront hotel faced east -- and thus had nothing to do with whatever sunset was taking place in the west. But I got lots of photos of seagulls and sandpipers, as well as a few photos of resolute visitors who were doing brisk power-walks up and down the beach at every conceivable hour of the day.
Toward the end of the week, the weather cleared and I decided to take a "dolphin-viewing" cruise out into the bay. I did see a couple of dolphins, if the cruise-boat's captain was to be believed, but they weren't worth photographing. However, I did get a few interesting shots of the shoreline and some other interesting odds and ends, which I've included in the collection of photos here.
No doubt there will be a few curious souls wondering why on earth I decided to come spend a week here in this remote corner of southern Texas. I could tell you, but then I'd have to kill you. Just joking, heh heh. Actually, it doesn't really matter. The photos are all you need to know...
This was a five-image HDR composition, created with my little Nikon P7100 point-and-shoot camera, mounted on a tripod and triggered with a wireless remote shutter release. The most amazing part of this photo is that the seagull stood relatively motionless through all five consecutive shots...
***********************
South Padre Island is a remote corner of the United States that most Americans have never heard of ... unless, of course, you're from south Texas. It's a barrier island on the Gulf Coast, way south of Corpus Christi, not too far from Brownsville, and only five or ten miles from the Mexican border. But it's also about 800 miles from the west coast of Florida, on the other side of the Gulf of Mexico.
I have no idea when, why, or how the island (or its main town) was settled, though I've learned that it's named after a Catholic priest and settler, José Nicolás Ballí (Padre Ballí). At this point, it's a relatively small settlement of 2,816 people (as of the 2010 census), and it's located on the far side of a mile-wide bay, across from Port Isabel, which has a larger population of about 5,000 people.
College kids from the south Texas area flock here during spring break, an international fishing tournament brings in another bunch of people in the summer, and the South Padre International Music festival debuted in November 2007, with 10,000 attendees and 64 bands rocking to country, reggae, Latin rock, ska, and jazz music. Or so I'm told. I don't know any of this from first-hand experience, because I was here for a week at the end of January. If you want to know more than this about South Padre Island, I refer you to this this Wikipedia article.
The weather here in late January is a heck of a lot better than in my hometown of New York City, but it's still leaves a lot to be desired; it's cloudy, foggy, and/or misty, and the overall weather is raw, windy, and humid. Of course, there's no guarantee these days that January weather will be any better in Florida or any of the other winter havens ... and after four days of gloom, I actually did enjoy a couple of days of nice, sunny (but cool) weather before I finally packed my bags and headed back to civilization.
I had some serious work to do while I was here, and when it came to photography, all I was hoping for was an hour of interesting scenery at sunrise and sunset. For the first few days, I had mostly fog and clouds at dawn -- but I've included some of those photos. And in the sunset hours, I was frustrated by the fact that my my beachfront hotel faced east -- and thus had nothing to do with whatever sunset was taking place in the west. But I got lots of photos of seagulls and sandpipers, as well as a few photos of resolute visitors who were doing brisk power-walks up and down the beach at every conceivable hour of the day.
Toward the end of the week, the weather cleared and I decided to take a "dolphin-viewing" cruise out into the bay. I did see a couple of dolphins, if the cruise-boat's captain was to be believed, but they weren't worth photographing. However, I did get a few interesting shots of the shoreline and some other interesting odds and ends, which I've included in the collection of photos here.
No doubt there will be a few curious souls wondering why on earth I decided to come spend a week here in this remote corner of southern Texas. I could tell you, but then I'd have to kill you. Just joking, heh heh. Actually, it doesn't really matter. The photos are all you need to know...
Ed Yourdon posted a photo:
A view from the beach, looking north to spot all of the people out walking on the beach roughly 15 minutes after sunrise...
***********************
South Padre Island is a remote corner of the United States that most Americans have never heard of ... unless, of course, you're from south Texas. It's a barrier island on the Gulf Coast, way south of Corpus Christi, not too far from Brownsville, and only five or ten miles from the Mexican border. But it's also about 800 miles from the west coast of Florida, on the other side of the Gulf of Mexico.
I have no idea when, why, or how the island (or its main town) was settled, though I've learned that it's named after a Catholic priest and settler, José Nicolás Ballí (Padre Ballí). At this point, it's a relatively small settlement of 2,816 people (as of the 2010 census), and it's located on the far side of a mile-wide bay, across from Port Isabel, which has a larger population of about 5,000 people.
College kids from the south Texas area flock here during spring break, an international fishing tournament brings in another bunch of people in the summer, and the South Padre International Music festival debuted in November 2007, with 10,000 attendees and 64 bands rocking to country, reggae, Latin rock, ska, and jazz music. Or so I'm told. I don't know any of this from first-hand experience, because I was here for a week at the end of January. If you want to know more than this about South Padre Island, I refer you to this this Wikipedia article.
The weather here in late January is a heck of a lot better than in my hometown of New York City, but it's still leaves a lot to be desired; it's cloudy, foggy, and/or misty, and the overall weather is raw, windy, and humid. Of course, there's no guarantee these days that January weather will be any better in Florida or any of the other winter havens ... and after four days of gloom, I actually did enjoy a couple of days of nice, sunny (but cool) weather before I finally packed my bags and headed back to civilization.
I had some serious work to do while I was here, and when it came to photography, all I was hoping for was an hour of interesting scenery at sunrise and sunset. For the first few days, I had mostly fog and clouds at dawn -- but I've included some of those photos. And in the sunset hours, I was frustrated by the fact that my my beachfront hotel faced east -- and thus had nothing to do with whatever sunset was taking place in the west. But I got lots of photos of seagulls and sandpipers, as well as a few photos of resolute visitors who were doing brisk power-walks up and down the beach at every conceivable hour of the day.
Toward the end of the week, the weather cleared and I decided to take a "dolphin-viewing" cruise out into the bay. I did see a couple of dolphins, if the cruise-boat's captain was to be believed, but they weren't worth photographing. However, I did get a few interesting shots of the shoreline and some other interesting odds and ends, which I've included in the collection of photos here.
No doubt there will be a few curious souls wondering why on earth I decided to come spend a week here in this remote corner of southern Texas. I could tell you, but then I'd have to kill you. Just joking, heh heh. Actually, it doesn't really matter. The photos are all you need to know...
A view from the beach, looking north to spot all of the people out walking on the beach roughly 15 minutes after sunrise...***********************
South Padre Island is a remote corner of the United States that most Americans have never heard of ... unless, of course, you're from south Texas. It's a barrier island on the Gulf Coast, way south of Corpus Christi, not too far from Brownsville, and only five or ten miles from the Mexican border. But it's also about 800 miles from the west coast of Florida, on the other side of the Gulf of Mexico.
I have no idea when, why, or how the island (or its main town) was settled, though I've learned that it's named after a Catholic priest and settler, José Nicolás Ballí (Padre Ballí). At this point, it's a relatively small settlement of 2,816 people (as of the 2010 census), and it's located on the far side of a mile-wide bay, across from Port Isabel, which has a larger population of about 5,000 people.
College kids from the south Texas area flock here during spring break, an international fishing tournament brings in another bunch of people in the summer, and the South Padre International Music festival debuted in November 2007, with 10,000 attendees and 64 bands rocking to country, reggae, Latin rock, ska, and jazz music. Or so I'm told. I don't know any of this from first-hand experience, because I was here for a week at the end of January. If you want to know more than this about South Padre Island, I refer you to this this Wikipedia article.
The weather here in late January is a heck of a lot better than in my hometown of New York City, but it's still leaves a lot to be desired; it's cloudy, foggy, and/or misty, and the overall weather is raw, windy, and humid. Of course, there's no guarantee these days that January weather will be any better in Florida or any of the other winter havens ... and after four days of gloom, I actually did enjoy a couple of days of nice, sunny (but cool) weather before I finally packed my bags and headed back to civilization.
I had some serious work to do while I was here, and when it came to photography, all I was hoping for was an hour of interesting scenery at sunrise and sunset. For the first few days, I had mostly fog and clouds at dawn -- but I've included some of those photos. And in the sunset hours, I was frustrated by the fact that my my beachfront hotel faced east -- and thus had nothing to do with whatever sunset was taking place in the west. But I got lots of photos of seagulls and sandpipers, as well as a few photos of resolute visitors who were doing brisk power-walks up and down the beach at every conceivable hour of the day.
Toward the end of the week, the weather cleared and I decided to take a "dolphin-viewing" cruise out into the bay. I did see a couple of dolphins, if the cruise-boat's captain was to be believed, but they weren't worth photographing. However, I did get a few interesting shots of the shoreline and some other interesting odds and ends, which I've included in the collection of photos here.
No doubt there will be a few curious souls wondering why on earth I decided to come spend a week here in this remote corner of southern Texas. I could tell you, but then I'd have to kill you. Just joking, heh heh. Actually, it doesn't really matter. The photos are all you need to know...
Ed Yourdon posted a photo:
Yet another seagull...
***********************
South Padre Island is a remote corner of the United States that most Americans have never heard of ... unless, of course, you're from south Texas. It's a barrier island on the Gulf Coast, way south of Corpus Christi, not too far from Brownsville, and only five or ten miles from the Mexican border. But it's also about 800 miles from the west coast of Florida, on the other side of the Gulf of Mexico.
I have no idea when, why, or how the island (or its main town) was settled, though I've learned that it's named after a Catholic priest and settler, José Nicolás Ballí (Padre Ballí). At this point, it's a relatively small settlement of 2,816 people (as of the 2010 census), and it's located on the far side of a mile-wide bay, across from Port Isabel, which has a larger population of about 5,000 people.
College kids from the south Texas area flock here during spring break, an international fishing tournament brings in another bunch of people in the summer, and the South Padre International Music festival debuted in November 2007, with 10,000 attendees and 64 bands rocking to country, reggae, Latin rock, ska, and jazz music. Or so I'm told. I don't know any of this from first-hand experience, because I was here for a week at the end of January. If you want to know more than this about South Padre Island, I refer you to this this Wikipedia article.
The weather here in late January is a heck of a lot better than in my hometown of New York City, but it's still leaves a lot to be desired; it's cloudy, foggy, and/or misty, and the overall weather is raw, windy, and humid. Of course, there's no guarantee these days that January weather will be any better in Florida or any of the other winter havens ... and after four days of gloom, I actually did enjoy a couple of days of nice, sunny (but cool) weather before I finally packed my bags and headed back to civilization.
I had some serious work to do while I was here, and when it came to photography, all I was hoping for was an hour of interesting scenery at sunrise and sunset. For the first few days, I had mostly fog and clouds at dawn -- but I've included some of those photos. And in the sunset hours, I was frustrated by the fact that my my beachfront hotel faced east -- and thus had nothing to do with whatever sunset was taking place in the west. But I got lots of photos of seagulls and sandpipers, as well as a few photos of resolute visitors who were doing brisk power-walks up and down the beach at every conceivable hour of the day.
Toward the end of the week, the weather cleared and I decided to take a "dolphin-viewing" cruise out into the bay. I did see a couple of dolphins, if the cruise-boat's captain was to be believed, but they weren't worth photographing. However, I did get a few interesting shots of the shoreline and some other interesting odds and ends, which I've included in the collection of photos here.
No doubt there will be a few curious souls wondering why on earth I decided to come spend a week here in this remote corner of southern Texas. I could tell you, but then I'd have to kill you. Just joking, heh heh. Actually, it doesn't really matter. The photos are all you need to know...
Yet another seagull...***********************
South Padre Island is a remote corner of the United States that most Americans have never heard of ... unless, of course, you're from south Texas. It's a barrier island on the Gulf Coast, way south of Corpus Christi, not too far from Brownsville, and only five or ten miles from the Mexican border. But it's also about 800 miles from the west coast of Florida, on the other side of the Gulf of Mexico.
I have no idea when, why, or how the island (or its main town) was settled, though I've learned that it's named after a Catholic priest and settler, José Nicolás Ballí (Padre Ballí). At this point, it's a relatively small settlement of 2,816 people (as of the 2010 census), and it's located on the far side of a mile-wide bay, across from Port Isabel, which has a larger population of about 5,000 people.
College kids from the south Texas area flock here during spring break, an international fishing tournament brings in another bunch of people in the summer, and the South Padre International Music festival debuted in November 2007, with 10,000 attendees and 64 bands rocking to country, reggae, Latin rock, ska, and jazz music. Or so I'm told. I don't know any of this from first-hand experience, because I was here for a week at the end of January. If you want to know more than this about South Padre Island, I refer you to this this Wikipedia article.
The weather here in late January is a heck of a lot better than in my hometown of New York City, but it's still leaves a lot to be desired; it's cloudy, foggy, and/or misty, and the overall weather is raw, windy, and humid. Of course, there's no guarantee these days that January weather will be any better in Florida or any of the other winter havens ... and after four days of gloom, I actually did enjoy a couple of days of nice, sunny (but cool) weather before I finally packed my bags and headed back to civilization.
I had some serious work to do while I was here, and when it came to photography, all I was hoping for was an hour of interesting scenery at sunrise and sunset. For the first few days, I had mostly fog and clouds at dawn -- but I've included some of those photos. And in the sunset hours, I was frustrated by the fact that my my beachfront hotel faced east -- and thus had nothing to do with whatever sunset was taking place in the west. But I got lots of photos of seagulls and sandpipers, as well as a few photos of resolute visitors who were doing brisk power-walks up and down the beach at every conceivable hour of the day.
Toward the end of the week, the weather cleared and I decided to take a "dolphin-viewing" cruise out into the bay. I did see a couple of dolphins, if the cruise-boat's captain was to be believed, but they weren't worth photographing. However, I did get a few interesting shots of the shoreline and some other interesting odds and ends, which I've included in the collection of photos here.
No doubt there will be a few curious souls wondering why on earth I decided to come spend a week here in this remote corner of southern Texas. I could tell you, but then I'd have to kill you. Just joking, heh heh. Actually, it doesn't really matter. The photos are all you need to know...
Ed Yourdon posted a photo:
15 minutes before sunset, on the second day of my visit to South Padre Island. One lonely guy out by the edge of the water.
The beach chairs were jumbled up on the beach all week long, but I never did see anyone occupying them. I think they might have been left over from the previous season...
***********************
South Padre Island is a remote corner of the United States that most Americans have never heard of ... unless, of course, you're from south Texas. It's a barrier island on the Gulf Coast, way south of Corpus Christi, not too far from Brownsville, and only five or ten miles from the Mexican border. But it's also about 800 miles from the west coast of Florida, on the other side of the Gulf of Mexico.
I have no idea when, why, or how the island (or its main town) was settled, though I've learned that it's named after a Catholic priest and settler, José Nicolás Ballí (Padre Ballí). At this point, it's a relatively small settlement of 2,816 people (as of the 2010 census), and it's located on the far side of a mile-wide bay, across from Port Isabel, which has a larger population of about 5,000 people.
College kids from the south Texas area flock here during spring break, an international fishing tournament brings in another bunch of people in the summer, and the South Padre International Music festival debuted in November 2007, with 10,000 attendees and 64 bands rocking to country, reggae, Latin rock, ska, and jazz music. Or so I'm told. I don't know any of this from first-hand experience, because I was here for a week at the end of January. If you want to know more than this about South Padre Island, I refer you to this this Wikipedia article.
The weather here in late January is a heck of a lot better than in my hometown of New York City, but it's still leaves a lot to be desired; it's cloudy, foggy, and/or misty, and the overall weather is raw, windy, and humid. Of course, there's no guarantee these days that January weather will be any better in Florida or any of the other winter havens ... and after four days of gloom, I actually did enjoy a couple of days of nice, sunny (but cool) weather before I finally packed my bags and headed back to civilization.
I had some serious work to do while I was here, and when it came to photography, all I was hoping for was an hour of interesting scenery at sunrise and sunset. For the first few days, I had mostly fog and clouds at dawn -- but I've included some of those photos. And in the sunset hours, I was frustrated by the fact that my my beachfront hotel faced east -- and thus had nothing to do with whatever sunset was taking place in the west. But I got lots of photos of seagulls and sandpipers, as well as a few photos of resolute visitors who were doing brisk power-walks up and down the beach at every conceivable hour of the day.
Toward the end of the week, the weather cleared and I decided to take a "dolphin-viewing" cruise out into the bay. I did see a couple of dolphins, if the cruise-boat's captain was to be believed, but they weren't worth photographing. However, I did get a few interesting shots of the shoreline and some other interesting odds and ends, which I've included in the collection of photos here.
No doubt there will be a few curious souls wondering why on earth I decided to come spend a week here in this remote corner of southern Texas. I could tell you, but then I'd have to kill you. Just joking, heh heh. Actually, it doesn't really matter. The photos are all you need to know...
15 minutes before sunset, on the second day of my visit to South Padre Island. One lonely guy out by the edge of the water.The beach chairs were jumbled up on the beach all week long, but I never did see anyone occupying them. I think they might have been left over from the previous season...
***********************
South Padre Island is a remote corner of the United States that most Americans have never heard of ... unless, of course, you're from south Texas. It's a barrier island on the Gulf Coast, way south of Corpus Christi, not too far from Brownsville, and only five or ten miles from the Mexican border. But it's also about 800 miles from the west coast of Florida, on the other side of the Gulf of Mexico.
I have no idea when, why, or how the island (or its main town) was settled, though I've learned that it's named after a Catholic priest and settler, José Nicolás Ballí (Padre Ballí). At this point, it's a relatively small settlement of 2,816 people (as of the 2010 census), and it's located on the far side of a mile-wide bay, across from Port Isabel, which has a larger population of about 5,000 people.
College kids from the south Texas area flock here during spring break, an international fishing tournament brings in another bunch of people in the summer, and the South Padre International Music festival debuted in November 2007, with 10,000 attendees and 64 bands rocking to country, reggae, Latin rock, ska, and jazz music. Or so I'm told. I don't know any of this from first-hand experience, because I was here for a week at the end of January. If you want to know more than this about South Padre Island, I refer you to this this Wikipedia article.
The weather here in late January is a heck of a lot better than in my hometown of New York City, but it's still leaves a lot to be desired; it's cloudy, foggy, and/or misty, and the overall weather is raw, windy, and humid. Of course, there's no guarantee these days that January weather will be any better in Florida or any of the other winter havens ... and after four days of gloom, I actually did enjoy a couple of days of nice, sunny (but cool) weather before I finally packed my bags and headed back to civilization.
I had some serious work to do while I was here, and when it came to photography, all I was hoping for was an hour of interesting scenery at sunrise and sunset. For the first few days, I had mostly fog and clouds at dawn -- but I've included some of those photos. And in the sunset hours, I was frustrated by the fact that my my beachfront hotel faced east -- and thus had nothing to do with whatever sunset was taking place in the west. But I got lots of photos of seagulls and sandpipers, as well as a few photos of resolute visitors who were doing brisk power-walks up and down the beach at every conceivable hour of the day.
Toward the end of the week, the weather cleared and I decided to take a "dolphin-viewing" cruise out into the bay. I did see a couple of dolphins, if the cruise-boat's captain was to be believed, but they weren't worth photographing. However, I did get a few interesting shots of the shoreline and some other interesting odds and ends, which I've included in the collection of photos here.
No doubt there will be a few curious souls wondering why on earth I decided to come spend a week here in this remote corner of southern Texas. I could tell you, but then I'd have to kill you. Just joking, heh heh. Actually, it doesn't really matter. The photos are all you need to know...
Ed Yourdon posted a photo:
Moments after sunrise, on the third morning of my visit to South Padre Island. The view is looking east, towards the sun … which has not quite managed to peek above the line of clouds on the horizon...
Note: I chose this photo, among the five that I uploaded to Twitter on the evening of Feb 4, 2012, as my "photo of the day." The framing and composition look almost staged, but that was far from true. I was looking in another direction, heard the sound of the seagulls in flight, and wheeled around and raised my camera quickly to get a couple of shots. This one had to be cropped and tweaked quite a bit, but I think the result was fairly dramatic...
***********************
South Padre Island is a remote corner of the United States that most Americans have never heard of ... unless, of course, you're from south Texas. It's a barrier island on the Gulf Coast, way south of Corpus Christi, not too far from Brownsville, and only five or ten miles from the Mexican border. But it's also about 800 miles from the west coast of Florida, on the other side of the Gulf of Mexico.
I have no idea when, why, or how the island (or its main town) was settled, though I've learned that it's named after a Catholic priest and settler, José Nicolás Ballí (Padre Ballí). At this point, it's a relatively small settlement of 2,816 people (as of the 2010 census), and it's located on the far side of a mile-wide bay, across from Port Isabel, which has a larger population of about 5,000 people.
College kids from the south Texas area flock here during spring break, an international fishing tournament brings in another bunch of people in the summer, and the South Padre International Music festival debuted in November 2007, with 10,000 attendees and 64 bands rocking to country, reggae, Latin rock, ska, and jazz music. Or so I'm told. I don't know any of this from first-hand experience, because I was here for a week at the end of January. If you want to know more than this about South Padre Island, I refer you to this this Wikipedia article.
The weather here in late January is a heck of a lot better than in my hometown of New York City, but it's still leaves a lot to be desired; it's cloudy, foggy, and/or misty, and the overall weather is raw, windy, and humid. Of course, there's no guarantee these days that January weather will be any better in Florida or any of the other winter havens ... and after four days of gloom, I actually did enjoy a couple of days of nice, sunny (but cool) weather before I finally packed my bags and headed back to civilization.
I had some serious work to do while I was here, and when it came to photography, all I was hoping for was an hour of interesting scenery at sunrise and sunset. For the first few days, I had mostly fog and clouds at dawn -- but I've included some of those photos. And in the sunset hours, I was frustrated by the fact that my my beachfront hotel faced east -- and thus had nothing to do with whatever sunset was taking place in the west. But I got lots of photos of seagulls and sandpipers, as well as a few photos of resolute visitors who were doing brisk power-walks up and down the beach at every conceivable hour of the day.
Toward the end of the week, the weather cleared and I decided to take a "dolphin-viewing" cruise out into the bay. I did see a couple of dolphins, if the cruise-boat's captain was to be believed, but they weren't worth photographing. However, I did get a few interesting shots of the shoreline and some other interesting odds and ends, which I've included in the collection of photos here.
No doubt there will be a few curious souls wondering why on earth I decided to come spend a week here in this remote corner of southern Texas. I could tell you, but then I'd have to kill you. Just joking, heh heh. Actually, it doesn't really matter. The photos are all you need to know...
Moments after sunrise, on the third morning of my visit to South Padre Island. The view is looking east, towards the sun … which has not quite managed to peek above the line of clouds on the horizon...Note: I chose this photo, among the five that I uploaded to Twitter on the evening of Feb 4, 2012, as my "photo of the day." The framing and composition look almost staged, but that was far from true. I was looking in another direction, heard the sound of the seagulls in flight, and wheeled around and raised my camera quickly to get a couple of shots. This one had to be cropped and tweaked quite a bit, but I think the result was fairly dramatic...
***********************
South Padre Island is a remote corner of the United States that most Americans have never heard of ... unless, of course, you're from south Texas. It's a barrier island on the Gulf Coast, way south of Corpus Christi, not too far from Brownsville, and only five or ten miles from the Mexican border. But it's also about 800 miles from the west coast of Florida, on the other side of the Gulf of Mexico.
I have no idea when, why, or how the island (or its main town) was settled, though I've learned that it's named after a Catholic priest and settler, José Nicolás Ballí (Padre Ballí). At this point, it's a relatively small settlement of 2,816 people (as of the 2010 census), and it's located on the far side of a mile-wide bay, across from Port Isabel, which has a larger population of about 5,000 people.
College kids from the south Texas area flock here during spring break, an international fishing tournament brings in another bunch of people in the summer, and the South Padre International Music festival debuted in November 2007, with 10,000 attendees and 64 bands rocking to country, reggae, Latin rock, ska, and jazz music. Or so I'm told. I don't know any of this from first-hand experience, because I was here for a week at the end of January. If you want to know more than this about South Padre Island, I refer you to this this Wikipedia article.
The weather here in late January is a heck of a lot better than in my hometown of New York City, but it's still leaves a lot to be desired; it's cloudy, foggy, and/or misty, and the overall weather is raw, windy, and humid. Of course, there's no guarantee these days that January weather will be any better in Florida or any of the other winter havens ... and after four days of gloom, I actually did enjoy a couple of days of nice, sunny (but cool) weather before I finally packed my bags and headed back to civilization.
I had some serious work to do while I was here, and when it came to photography, all I was hoping for was an hour of interesting scenery at sunrise and sunset. For the first few days, I had mostly fog and clouds at dawn -- but I've included some of those photos. And in the sunset hours, I was frustrated by the fact that my my beachfront hotel faced east -- and thus had nothing to do with whatever sunset was taking place in the west. But I got lots of photos of seagulls and sandpipers, as well as a few photos of resolute visitors who were doing brisk power-walks up and down the beach at every conceivable hour of the day.
Toward the end of the week, the weather cleared and I decided to take a "dolphin-viewing" cruise out into the bay. I did see a couple of dolphins, if the cruise-boat's captain was to be believed, but they weren't worth photographing. However, I did get a few interesting shots of the shoreline and some other interesting odds and ends, which I've included in the collection of photos here.
No doubt there will be a few curious souls wondering why on earth I decided to come spend a week here in this remote corner of southern Texas. I could tell you, but then I'd have to kill you. Just joking, heh heh. Actually, it doesn't really matter. The photos are all you need to know...
Ed Yourdon posted a photo:
Fifteen minutes before dawn, on the 3rd day of my visit to S. Padre Island. The view is looking south ...
***********************
South Padre Island is a remote corner of the United States that most Americans have never heard of ... unless, of course, you're from south Texas. It's a barrier island on the Gulf Coast, way south of Corpus Christi, not too far from Brownsville, and only five or ten miles from the Mexican border. But it's also about 800 miles from the west coast of Florida, on the other side of the Gulf of Mexico.
I have no idea when, why, or how the island (or its main town) was settled, though I've learned that it's named after a Catholic priest and settler, José Nicolás Ballí (Padre Ballí). At this point, it's a relatively small settlement of 2,816 people (as of the 2010 census), and it's located on the far side of a mile-wide bay, across from Port Isabel, which has a larger population of about 5,000 people.
College kids from the south Texas area flock here during spring break, an international fishing tournament brings in another bunch of people in the summer, and the South Padre International Music festival debuted in November 2007, with 10,000 attendees and 64 bands rocking to country, reggae, Latin rock, ska, and jazz music. Or so I'm told. I don't know any of this from first-hand experience, because I was here for a week at the end of January. If you want to know more than this about South Padre Island, I refer you to this this Wikipedia article.
The weather here in late January is a heck of a lot better than in my hometown of New York City, but it's still leaves a lot to be desired; it's cloudy, foggy, and/or misty, and the overall weather is raw, windy, and humid. Of course, there's no guarantee these days that January weather will be any better in Florida or any of the other winter havens ... and after four days of gloom, I actually did enjoy a couple of days of nice, sunny (but cool) weather before I finally packed my bags and headed back to civilization.
I had some serious work to do while I was here, and when it came to photography, all I was hoping for was an hour of interesting scenery at sunrise and sunset. For the first few days, I had mostly fog and clouds at dawn -- but I've included some of those photos. And in the sunset hours, I was frustrated by the fact that my my beachfront hotel faced east -- and thus had nothing to do with whatever sunset was taking place in the west. But I got lots of photos of seagulls and sandpipers, as well as a few photos of resolute visitors who were doing brisk power-walks up and down the beach at every conceivable hour of the day.
Toward the end of the week, the weather cleared and I decided to take a "dolphin-viewing" cruise out into the bay. I did see a couple of dolphins, if the cruise-boat's captain was to be believed, but they weren't worth photographing. However, I did get a few interesting shots of the shoreline and some other interesting odds and ends, which I've included in the collection of photos here.
No doubt there will be a few curious souls wondering why on earth I decided to come spend a week here in this remote corner of southern Texas. I could tell you, but then I'd have to kill you. Just joking, heh heh. Actually, it doesn't really matter. The photos are all you need to know...
Fifteen minutes before dawn, on the 3rd day of my visit to S. Padre Island. The view is looking south ...***********************
South Padre Island is a remote corner of the United States that most Americans have never heard of ... unless, of course, you're from south Texas. It's a barrier island on the Gulf Coast, way south of Corpus Christi, not too far from Brownsville, and only five or ten miles from the Mexican border. But it's also about 800 miles from the west coast of Florida, on the other side of the Gulf of Mexico.
I have no idea when, why, or how the island (or its main town) was settled, though I've learned that it's named after a Catholic priest and settler, José Nicolás Ballí (Padre Ballí). At this point, it's a relatively small settlement of 2,816 people (as of the 2010 census), and it's located on the far side of a mile-wide bay, across from Port Isabel, which has a larger population of about 5,000 people.
College kids from the south Texas area flock here during spring break, an international fishing tournament brings in another bunch of people in the summer, and the South Padre International Music festival debuted in November 2007, with 10,000 attendees and 64 bands rocking to country, reggae, Latin rock, ska, and jazz music. Or so I'm told. I don't know any of this from first-hand experience, because I was here for a week at the end of January. If you want to know more than this about South Padre Island, I refer you to this this Wikipedia article.
The weather here in late January is a heck of a lot better than in my hometown of New York City, but it's still leaves a lot to be desired; it's cloudy, foggy, and/or misty, and the overall weather is raw, windy, and humid. Of course, there's no guarantee these days that January weather will be any better in Florida or any of the other winter havens ... and after four days of gloom, I actually did enjoy a couple of days of nice, sunny (but cool) weather before I finally packed my bags and headed back to civilization.
I had some serious work to do while I was here, and when it came to photography, all I was hoping for was an hour of interesting scenery at sunrise and sunset. For the first few days, I had mostly fog and clouds at dawn -- but I've included some of those photos. And in the sunset hours, I was frustrated by the fact that my my beachfront hotel faced east -- and thus had nothing to do with whatever sunset was taking place in the west. But I got lots of photos of seagulls and sandpipers, as well as a few photos of resolute visitors who were doing brisk power-walks up and down the beach at every conceivable hour of the day.
Toward the end of the week, the weather cleared and I decided to take a "dolphin-viewing" cruise out into the bay. I did see a couple of dolphins, if the cruise-boat's captain was to be believed, but they weren't worth photographing. However, I did get a few interesting shots of the shoreline and some other interesting odds and ends, which I've included in the collection of photos here.
No doubt there will be a few curious souls wondering why on earth I decided to come spend a week here in this remote corner of southern Texas. I could tell you, but then I'd have to kill you. Just joking, heh heh. Actually, it doesn't really matter. The photos are all you need to know...
Ed Yourdon posted a photo:
Dawn on the 3rd morning of my visit. The view here is looking south, with the southern tip of South Padre Island more-or-less visible in the far distance.
The tire tracks were from a utility/garbage truck that had driven along the sand a little while earlier; they would stop periodically and peer into the white garbage cans lined up along the high-tide line, to see if anyone had left any trash for them...
***********************
South Padre Island is a remote corner of the United States that most Americans have never heard of ... unless, of course, you're from south Texas. It's a barrier island on the Gulf Coast, way south of Corpus Christi, not too far from Brownsville, and only five or ten miles from the Mexican border. But it's also about 800 miles from the west coast of Florida, on the other side of the Gulf of Mexico.
I have no idea when, why, or how the island (or its main town) was settled, though I've learned that it's named after a Catholic priest and settler, José Nicolás Ballí (Padre Ballí). At this point, it's a relatively small settlement of 2,816 people (as of the 2010 census), and it's located on the far side of a mile-wide bay, across from Port Isabel, which has a larger population of about 5,000 people.
College kids from the south Texas area flock here during spring break, an international fishing tournament brings in another bunch of people in the summer, and the South Padre International Music festival debuted in November 2007, with 10,000 attendees and 64 bands rocking to country, reggae, Latin rock, ska, and jazz music. Or so I'm told. I don't know any of this from first-hand experience, because I was here for a week at the end of January. If you want to know more than this about South Padre Island, I refer you to this this Wikipedia article.
The weather here in late January is a heck of a lot better than in my hometown of New York City, but it's still leaves a lot to be desired; it's cloudy, foggy, and/or misty, and the overall weather is raw, windy, and humid. Of course, there's no guarantee these days that January weather will be any better in Florida or any of the other winter havens ... and after four days of gloom, I actually did enjoy a couple of days of nice, sunny (but cool) weather before I finally packed my bags and headed back to civilization.
I had some serious work to do while I was here, and when it came to photography, all I was hoping for was an hour of interesting scenery at sunrise and sunset. For the first few days, I had mostly fog and clouds at dawn -- but I've included some of those photos. And in the sunset hours, I was frustrated by the fact that my my beachfront hotel faced east -- and thus had nothing to do with whatever sunset was taking place in the west. But I got lots of photos of seagulls and sandpipers, as well as a few photos of resolute visitors who were doing brisk power-walks up and down the beach at every conceivable hour of the day.
Toward the end of the week, the weather cleared and I decided to take a "dolphin-viewing" cruise out into the bay. I did see a couple of dolphins, if the cruise-boat's captain was to be believed, but they weren't worth photographing. However, I did get a few interesting shots of the shoreline and some other interesting odds and ends, which I've included in the collection of photos here.
No doubt there will be a few curious souls wondering why on earth I decided to come spend a week here in this remote corner of southern Texas. I could tell you, but then I'd have to kill you. Just joking, heh heh. Actually, it doesn't really matter. The photos are all you need to know...
Dawn on the 3rd morning of my visit. The view here is looking south, with the southern tip of South Padre Island more-or-less visible in the far distance.The tire tracks were from a utility/garbage truck that had driven along the sand a little while earlier; they would stop periodically and peer into the white garbage cans lined up along the high-tide line, to see if anyone had left any trash for them...
***********************
South Padre Island is a remote corner of the United States that most Americans have never heard of ... unless, of course, you're from south Texas. It's a barrier island on the Gulf Coast, way south of Corpus Christi, not too far from Brownsville, and only five or ten miles from the Mexican border. But it's also about 800 miles from the west coast of Florida, on the other side of the Gulf of Mexico.
I have no idea when, why, or how the island (or its main town) was settled, though I've learned that it's named after a Catholic priest and settler, José Nicolás Ballí (Padre Ballí). At this point, it's a relatively small settlement of 2,816 people (as of the 2010 census), and it's located on the far side of a mile-wide bay, across from Port Isabel, which has a larger population of about 5,000 people.
College kids from the south Texas area flock here during spring break, an international fishing tournament brings in another bunch of people in the summer, and the South Padre International Music festival debuted in November 2007, with 10,000 attendees and 64 bands rocking to country, reggae, Latin rock, ska, and jazz music. Or so I'm told. I don't know any of this from first-hand experience, because I was here for a week at the end of January. If you want to know more than this about South Padre Island, I refer you to this this Wikipedia article.
The weather here in late January is a heck of a lot better than in my hometown of New York City, but it's still leaves a lot to be desired; it's cloudy, foggy, and/or misty, and the overall weather is raw, windy, and humid. Of course, there's no guarantee these days that January weather will be any better in Florida or any of the other winter havens ... and after four days of gloom, I actually did enjoy a couple of days of nice, sunny (but cool) weather before I finally packed my bags and headed back to civilization.
I had some serious work to do while I was here, and when it came to photography, all I was hoping for was an hour of interesting scenery at sunrise and sunset. For the first few days, I had mostly fog and clouds at dawn -- but I've included some of those photos. And in the sunset hours, I was frustrated by the fact that my my beachfront hotel faced east -- and thus had nothing to do with whatever sunset was taking place in the west. But I got lots of photos of seagulls and sandpipers, as well as a few photos of resolute visitors who were doing brisk power-walks up and down the beach at every conceivable hour of the day.
Toward the end of the week, the weather cleared and I decided to take a "dolphin-viewing" cruise out into the bay. I did see a couple of dolphins, if the cruise-boat's captain was to be believed, but they weren't worth photographing. However, I did get a few interesting shots of the shoreline and some other interesting odds and ends, which I've included in the collection of photos here.
No doubt there will be a few curious souls wondering why on earth I decided to come spend a week here in this remote corner of southern Texas. I could tell you, but then I'd have to kill you. Just joking, heh heh. Actually, it doesn't really matter. The photos are all you need to know...
Ed Yourdon posted a photo:
This was taken about 10 minutes after "official" sunrise, looking towards the east. The sun is about to peek above the line of clouds...
***********************
South Padre Island is a remote corner of the United States that most Americans have never heard of ... unless, of course, you're from south Texas. It's a barrier island on the Gulf Coast, way south of Corpus Christi, not too far from Brownsville, and only five or ten miles from the Mexican border. But it's also about 800 miles from the west coast of Florida, on the other side of the Gulf of Mexico.
I have no idea when, why, or how the island (or its main town) was settled, though I've learned that it's named after a Catholic priest and settler, José Nicolás Ballí (Padre Ballí). At this point, it's a relatively small settlement of 2,816 people (as of the 2010 census), and it's located on the far side of a mile-wide bay, across from Port Isabel, which has a larger population of about 5,000 people.
College kids from the south Texas area flock here during spring break, an international fishing tournament brings in another bunch of people in the summer, and the South Padre International Music festival debuted in November 2007, with 10,000 attendees and 64 bands rocking to country, reggae, Latin rock, ska, and jazz music. Or so I'm told. I don't know any of this from first-hand experience, because I was here for a week at the end of January. If you want to know more than this about South Padre Island, I refer you to this this Wikipedia article.
The weather here in late January is a heck of a lot better than in my hometown of New York City, but it's still leaves a lot to be desired; it's cloudy, foggy, and/or misty, and the overall weather is raw, windy, and humid. Of course, there's no guarantee these days that January weather will be any better in Florida or any of the other winter havens ... and after four days of gloom, I actually did enjoy a couple of days of nice, sunny (but cool) weather before I finally packed my bags and headed back to civilization.
I had some serious work to do while I was here, and when it came to photography, all I was hoping for was an hour of interesting scenery at sunrise and sunset. For the first few days, I had mostly fog and clouds at dawn -- but I've included some of those photos. And in the sunset hours, I was frustrated by the fact that my my beachfront hotel faced east -- and thus had nothing to do with whatever sunset was taking place in the west. But I got lots of photos of seagulls and sandpipers, as well as a few photos of resolute visitors who were doing brisk power-walks up and down the beach at every conceivable hour of the day.
Toward the end of the week, the weather cleared and I decided to take a "dolphin-viewing" cruise out into the bay. I did see a couple of dolphins, if the cruise-boat's captain was to be believed, but they weren't worth photographing. However, I did get a few interesting shots of the shoreline and some other interesting odds and ends, which I've included in the collection of photos here.
No doubt there will be a few curious souls wondering why on earth I decided to come spend a week here in this remote corner of southern Texas. I could tell you, but then I'd have to kill you. Just joking, heh heh. Actually, it doesn't really matter. The photos are all you need to know...
This was taken about 10 minutes after "official" sunrise, looking towards the east. The sun is about to peek above the line of clouds...***********************
South Padre Island is a remote corner of the United States that most Americans have never heard of ... unless, of course, you're from south Texas. It's a barrier island on the Gulf Coast, way south of Corpus Christi, not too far from Brownsville, and only five or ten miles from the Mexican border. But it's also about 800 miles from the west coast of Florida, on the other side of the Gulf of Mexico.
I have no idea when, why, or how the island (or its main town) was settled, though I've learned that it's named after a Catholic priest and settler, José Nicolás Ballí (Padre Ballí). At this point, it's a relatively small settlement of 2,816 people (as of the 2010 census), and it's located on the far side of a mile-wide bay, across from Port Isabel, which has a larger population of about 5,000 people.
College kids from the south Texas area flock here during spring break, an international fishing tournament brings in another bunch of people in the summer, and the South Padre International Music festival debuted in November 2007, with 10,000 attendees and 64 bands rocking to country, reggae, Latin rock, ska, and jazz music. Or so I'm told. I don't know any of this from first-hand experience, because I was here for a week at the end of January. If you want to know more than this about South Padre Island, I refer you to this this Wikipedia article.
The weather here in late January is a heck of a lot better than in my hometown of New York City, but it's still leaves a lot to be desired; it's cloudy, foggy, and/or misty, and the overall weather is raw, windy, and humid. Of course, there's no guarantee these days that January weather will be any better in Florida or any of the other winter havens ... and after four days of gloom, I actually did enjoy a couple of days of nice, sunny (but cool) weather before I finally packed my bags and headed back to civilization.
I had some serious work to do while I was here, and when it came to photography, all I was hoping for was an hour of interesting scenery at sunrise and sunset. For the first few days, I had mostly fog and clouds at dawn -- but I've included some of those photos. And in the sunset hours, I was frustrated by the fact that my my beachfront hotel faced east -- and thus had nothing to do with whatever sunset was taking place in the west. But I got lots of photos of seagulls and sandpipers, as well as a few photos of resolute visitors who were doing brisk power-walks up and down the beach at every conceivable hour of the day.
Toward the end of the week, the weather cleared and I decided to take a "dolphin-viewing" cruise out into the bay. I did see a couple of dolphins, if the cruise-boat's captain was to be believed, but they weren't worth photographing. However, I did get a few interesting shots of the shoreline and some other interesting odds and ends, which I've included in the collection of photos here.
No doubt there will be a few curious souls wondering why on earth I decided to come spend a week here in this remote corner of southern Texas. I could tell you, but then I'd have to kill you. Just joking, heh heh. Actually, it doesn't really matter. The photos are all you need to know...
