Tuesday morning was our coldest, 29° with 30 mph north winds with strong gusts out of the north, high of 43°!🥶 Weds. high of 55°.

 

Sunday was a perfect day. At 7 a.m. 66°, sunny, 70's for a high, light wind and lots of people at the beach swimming, surfing, jogging, biking and like me, playing in the sand.

Monday, not so much! Rained during the night, woke up to 46°, with a high of 49°, winds straight out of the north, 26 mph sustained, very gusty and rain possible all day. Tonight will be the worst. Not complaining but not the norm, and people that live down here, they may be struggling and complaining! NOTHING like what other areas of the country are experiencing. We are prepared and have heat, electricity (for now anyway), water, and each other. 

We have two weeks left. After the cold spell, rain is possible almost everyday so Sunday was my day to return my 3 weeks worth of seashells back to the sea. The sand was pretty flat nearly up to the dunes so I went ahead and worked closer to the beach,  knowing they would be taken out to sea Monday night regardless. 

Collecting shells is my favorite part, or so I thought. I could walk forever in search of shells, just ordinary, even broken ones. Certainly not the rare ones those predawn shell hunters with their flashlights are combing the beaches for. Hmmm, 35' home, near max load, no house, can't take them with me! I met a few ladies from various resorts that contributed towards my stash. Anita was out there looking every day!

As I walk I try to decide what I can create and I begin to look for shells to complete those designs. "Seascape" became my theme, a turtle because South Padre is known for its turtles and its rescue efforts. Also, what was supposed to be a shark for my granddaughter Alexa, "who is just a girl who loves sharks". It ended up looking more like a dolphin though!

I started at 8:30 and finished at 1:30. High tide at 7:30 p.m. Turns out the best part wasn't the collecting but the happiness it brought to others. So many stopped by, smiled, took pictures, and thanked me for sharing and for my "artistry," which made me laugh. I did have fun. Pat came down and  supervised, offered creative advice, and most importantly, brought me food.  We met people from all over, including several from Iowa where we had some "weather" discussions.

With the cold spell the island is on alert for cold-stunned turtles on the beach. There could be hundreds or thousands that wash ashore. Rescue groups, such as Sea Turtle, Inc. located here on the Island, will take them, provide triage as needed, and release them when the temperatures rise. The entire community helps with the efforts. I hear the release is something to see. 

My design did have shark teeth. 

They just kept adding more kites and staking them. 

What is the connection? Is there maybe a "Daisy" on board? Will I be able to find out?

A couple of times, as we headed to Port Isabel, the light in the historic lighthouse (not a working lighthouse) was on but not rotating. 

This was just on the edge of the beach and it was a continual bubbling???

Where are the Piepers now? South Padre Island, TX