Back in our SPI happy place!

vraiblonde

Board Mommy
PREMO Member
Patron
85*, breezy, we had fresh fish at Pier 19 for dinner.

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Bann

Doris Day meets Lady Gaga
PREMO Member
:yay:

So, earlier this year when you were leaving SPI, the China Flu was getting in full swing. (You and Monello had some crud when I got there, remember? I think you even told me at the time "We haz the COVID" and that was WAAAY before it was a big thing. )

Anyhoo, maybe this will be a good omen that the pandemic will END now that you're back at SPI! :getdown:
 

Monello

Smarter than the average bear
PREMO Member
16 fish in the boat today. I was in the zone. Got a bit of sunburn. But it's all good. I was about 150 feet from the boat ramp in the campground. Got a mixed bag of catfish, sand trout, speckled trout, some sort of pin fish and a great white shark.
 

vraiblonde

Board Mommy
PREMO Member
Patron
Yesterday and today the weather took a dramatic turn and the wind went CRAZY.

It's weird here because the weather can turn on a dime - crazy windy and raining in the morning, then all of a sudden the sun comes out and the wind dies and it turns into a perfect day (and vice versa). There's no use checking a forecast because it's only 50-50: it may or may not.

Temps were in the mid-50s this morning and I walked the dog in shorts and a light pullover. One of the tent guys was out in a full blown parka and balaclava. :lol:

And there are a bunch of tenters and car-campers here. Last week there was a family with three kids and two dogs tent camping along the laguna. They had this enormous vehicle to hold them all plus their bikes, feeding supplies, and other gear, and were sleeping in this huge tent. That doesn't sound like fun to me but they seemed to be enjoying themselves.

This sort of thing makes me think of the homeless people tenting under the overpasses. They do it out of necessity, and here are Americans who clearly have some wherewithal doing it for fun.

:crazy:
 

Monello

Smarter than the average bear
PREMO Member
Weather has been cold, windy and rainy lately. Weather wise I could not have asked for a better November. December needs to get it's act together. We didn't get our usual weekenders yesterday. Smart people would check the weather forecast before driving all the way down here. The campground isn't even half full. Thanksgiving week it was all hustle and bustle. At least we are saving money by not going out to eat and twerking when Throw Dat Ass In A Circle is played by the DJ.
 

Monello

Smarter than the average bear
PREMO Member
Today I went out into the Gulf on a charter. I found a guide that runs splits. I was 1 more person to fill out the boat. If I go by myself I'd have to pay the entire fare. So this way I got to pay half.

Red snapper was our target species. The guide used dead finger mullet for bait. Our first stop produced a lot of bites but not many keepers. I was satisfied with the amount of fish we were catching. The guide wanted keepers, so off we went. Our next stop had 6 boats already anchored up. We bagged that spot then ran out until we were 18 miles from where we began.

I got a wicked windburn from the wind, sun and running around the Gulf. Even now sitting typing, I get the sensation of being on the boat. On the ride back into the boat ramp, we passed the breakers leading into the Laguna Madre. The rocks on the point were mobbed with all the people waiting for the SpaceX launch.

At the end of the day we had 25 keepers. It was a mix of triggerfish, grouper, bluefish, red snapper and trout. I took my fish and ran over to the fish cleaning station over near the campground. There was a gaggle of people also awaiting the rocket launch. We could see the rocket on the launch pad over in Boca Chica. I got busy and did my thing.

Just before I was done filleting my fish, the rocket came to life. At first it was just a plume of smoke at the base. Finally it achieved liftoff. I thought it would go a lot faster. It seemed to climb like it was heavily weighed down. I watched it for a good bit. Then I got back to business.

Next time I looked up, the rocket was descending back to the launch pad. I didn't realize that was going to happen. I figured the rocket would burn out and come back to earth. It was landing like it was in slow motion. It got to the point to where it started. Then it crumpled then burst into flames. It created an enormous orange ball of fire. And then just like that the fire went out and was replaced with white smoke.

I tried to take a picture with my phone. My phone ran out of battery while I was out fishing. I guess it was trying to find a signal and consumed the battery. I'm sure I can find all sorts of photos to the crash online.

Years ago I saw a smoke plume from the shuttle when it took off from Florida. Today was the closest I will probably ever be for something of this magnitude. I have to say it was awesome.

2020-12-09-14_52_17-SpaceX-Launches.jpg
 

TPD

the poor dad
Today I went out into the Gulf on a charter. I found a guide that runs splits. I was 1 more person to fill out the boat. If I go by myself I'd have to pay the entire fare. So this way I got to pay half.

Red snapper was our target species. The guide used dead finger mullet for bait. Our first stop produced a lot of bites but not many keepers. I was satisfied with the amount of fish we were catching. The guide wanted keepers, so off we went. Our next stop had 6 boats already anchored up. We bagged that spot then ran out until we were 18 miles from where we began.

I got a wicked windburn from the wind, sun and running around the Gulf. Even now sitting typing, I get the sensation of being on the boat. On the ride back into the boat ramp, we passed the breakers leading into the Laguna Madre. The rocks on the point were mobbed with all the people waiting for the SpaceX launch.

At the end of the day we had 25 keepers. It was a mix of triggerfish, grouper, bluefish, red snapper and trout. I took my fish and ran over to the fish cleaning station over near the campground. There was a gaggle of people also awaiting the rocket launch. We could see the rocket on the launch pad over in Boca Chica. I got busy and did my thing.

Just before I was done filleting my fish, the rocket came to life. At first it was just a plume of smoke at the base. Finally it achieved liftoff. I thought it would go a lot faster. It seemed to climb like it was heavily weighed down. I watched it for a good bit. Then I got back to business.

Next time I looked up, the rocket was descending back to the launch pad. I didn't realize that was going to happen. I figured the rocket would burn out and come back to earth. It was landing like it was in slow motion. It got to the point to where it started. Then it crumpled then burst into flames. It created an enormous orange ball of fire. And then just like that the fire went out and was replaced with white smoke.

I tried to take a picture with my phone. My phone ran out of battery while I was out fishing. I guess it was trying to find a signal and consumed the battery. I'm sure I can find all sorts of photos to the crash online.

Years ago I saw a smoke plume from the shuttle when it took off from Florida. Today was the closest I will probably ever be for something of this magnitude. I have to say it was awesome.

2020-12-09-14_52_17-SpaceX-Launches.jpg
That right there is what life is all about - doing something you love while watching history in the making on the sidelines!
 

vraiblonde

Board Mommy
PREMO Member
Patron
Honestly, I think being an activities director for a major RV park is my calling. We had the best event tonight - I scored Mark Allan Atwood on the deck with a spiked eggnog social FTW. This means nothing to most of you but it was pretty awesome on a local level.

My dream is to be the concierge for the Grand Canyon Railway. I want to be the person who makes sure everyone is having fun and knows how to get from A to B. Julie from the Love Boat, only at the RV park. In a magnificent location.

Monello is retired and he likes it that way, but I thrive on waking up in the morning with a list of To Dos in my head.
 

Bann

Doris Day meets Lady Gaga
PREMO Member
@vraiblonde - is that *my deck over by the "condo/apartment" I stayed in?! :biggrin:

I had coffee out there a couple of mornings when I visited in February. Lovely view!
 
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vraiblonde

Board Mommy
PREMO Member
Patron
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It's actually chilly and windy here today. And by "chilly" I mean mid-50s. I'm still in shorts, just wearing a sweatshirt instead of a tank.

Last night that wind came on and MAN! Rocked the trailer all night, and not in the good way. This morning when I walked the dog there was palm tree debris all over the place - looked like a bomb went off. But it's sunny and people are out walking around enjoying the day. Tomorrow we have the big feast for 80 people so my Christmas morning will be spend setting up for that.

Merry Christmas from South Padre Island!
 

vraiblonde

Board Mommy
PREMO Member
Patron
Tonight we had our KOA employee Christmas party....aboard a catamaran dinner cruise. 😍 Cruised around the laguna eating grilled shrimp and fajitas, enjoying the beautiful sunset and then the lights on the island.

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They have some swanky homes on the water that look like private clubs or something. What's funny is they don't look like much from the road, all the glory is shown off for people who ride by on boats.
 

vraiblonde

Board Mommy
PREMO Member
Patron
I had the most fun today! Since we can't have ice cream socials with fixin's bar, Monello came up with the brilliant idea of an ice cream truck. I put the event together, complete with obnoxious music, and the park manager dragged me all over the park handing out ice cream treats. ❤

It was a huge hit. Gave out probably 100-120 treats and people were really excited to have the ding ding man coming around.

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