Post from the Coast

John's cedar allergies finally convinced us to get out of Central Texas for a few weeks until the pollen count goes down. On Thursday, January 27, we traveled south some 200 miles to Rockport/Fulton (or, if you're in Fulton, Fulton/Rockport), Texas. We, along with at least half the populations of Minnesota, Michigan, Illinois, Pennsylvania, and a number of other northern states, are on the Texas coast between Corpus Christi and Port Lavaca. We plan to be here until the end of February, or possibly into March, depending on the weather and how the stars line up.

We're camped east of Fulton in Bay View RV Resort. The park is only a couple of miles from the Copano Bay Causeway, where this photo was taken.  We're about 3-4 miles from the downtown areas of Fulton and Rockport, so shopping is convenient, as are several good restaurants. Bay View is an older RV park, with spacious sites and an abundance of large live oak trees. The people here are very friendly, and most are "Snowbirds" and will spend several months on the coast.

There are lots of activities at the clubhouse and water aerobics at one of the two pools. (However, it's a little chilly for me to venture into the water, even to work up a sweat!) There are several ponds on the permises, and one called "The Swamp" that is located behind our site. There are no mosquitoes this time of year, so we just enjoy the chorus of frogs and the lovely reflections.  (It's too cold and windy for photos today, but I'll post some as soon as the weather improves.)

We spent some time over the weekend getting settled, hooking up the satellite dish, etc. Then, on Monday of last week did some exploring and took the dogs to the beach at Port Aransas. (The "beach" at Fulton/Rockport is mostly shells.)  When we left camp, we had bright sunshine.  However, by the time we arrived at the ferry dock, Mustang Island was covered by a dense fog bank.  The dogs didn't care, though.  The beach was a big hit, but they didn't exactly know how to handle the water.  It kept advancing and receding, unlike the stock tank at the farm. It also didn't taste good, as Nickie and Dakota can attest.

We didn't stay long in Rockport, though.  Reacting to weather reports that predicted temperatures below freezing for several consecutive days, last Tuesday we left the RV at Bay View and raced back home. It was a good thing we did. Evening readings in Austin fell into the 'teens, and temperatures didn't rise above freezing for three days. We burned a lot of firewood, but had no damage or serious problems. We did get a bit of snow, which is always a treat since it's rare for Austin. Lucky Dog was happy to stay inside with me, but the 22 degree temperatures didn't faze Nickie and Dakota. They had a great romp in the white stuff.

We drove back to Rockport on January 4, and had several pleasant, sunny days before another cold front arrived this morning. The temperature dropped from an overnight low of 60 degrees to a windy 35 at noon. We're staying inside for a while!