January 27, 2017. Nearing the End, Still More Wind.

January 27, 2017.  Nearing the End, Still More Wind.  This entry will likely finish the Farkley blog, January, 2017.  I have taken pictures of everything within thirty miles.  A blog without pictures is no blog at all.  

We still plan to depart for home Sunday morning.  Originally, the plan was to take 3-4 days to make the thousand-mile drive.  But, I have been looking at the weather back home.  Tuesday night temperatures are predicted to be in the mid-twenties.  We don't want to leave Harvey out in the cold without heat.  Now, we expect to make the drive in two days.  Monday night temps should be around the freezing mark.  We'll drain the fluids and Harvey should be fine.  He'll be back in the caves before it gets too cold. 

We have met a number of people here.  One of the nice things about hanging out with old people is that they are friendly. Everyone speaks, nods and smiles.  The speed limit in the park is 5 MPH.  Almost every driver "throws off" when passing by.  For those of you deprived of country living, throwing off is simply raising the index finger off the steering wheel in a friendly acknowledgement of shared space.  

I stopped while bicycling today to talk to a man from Weston.  I knew he had to be from our area because the tailgate of his truck had stickers representing both major league sports teams from home. There is a lot of that here.  People who know nothing about one another will stop, talk and learn.  All in all, this is not a bad way to be and this is not a bad place to be.  

Today marks the 30th day we have been away. It is time to go home.  There is family to see and work to do. We have missed all those we love and the routine of our normal daily lives.  We have enjoyed this, but it is time to go home and enjoy that.  

We expect to go on the road again in May.  It may be a different kind of trip, we're not sure yet.  Whatever form it may take, Malachi and Annie will report it to you here.  

And, now, a final goodnight.  We'll see you soon.

January 25, 2017. National Seashore on Padre Island.

January 25, 2017.  National Seashore on Padre Island.  The National Seashore begins at the north end of Padre Island and runs 70 miles south to the border with Mexico.  No, we didn't drive the entire seashore.  We did drive to the place where the hard surface gives way to the beach road.  Annie didn't want to go onto the beach road.  She saw danger.  She thought Harvey might get stuck in the sand.  I didn't argue. With age comes wisdom.  

The first picture today is a mobile dog-grooming vehicle.  There are several mobile RV repair services, several RV detailing services and a mobile dog-grooming service on the premises regularly. Many of the residents here have dogs.  Evidently, some enterprising entrepreneur has determined there are enough dogs here to support the purchase of a short bus converted to a doggy barber shop.   

I have twice talked about the flotsam and jetsam on Mustang Island.  There is a visitor's center at the north end of Padre.  One of the displays informs readers about trash on the beaches.  There is also a photo showing the debris left on the beach by Hurricane Ike. Pretty ugly, huh.

Also in the visitor's center, there is a hands-on table which displays materials that washed up on the beach.  Yes, that is a bowling ball and hard hat.  Next to the hat is a large lump of coal.  Bob, the interpreter seen talking to Annie in another photo, says the piece of coal probably began its journey to the beach in an old steam powered ship which wrecked. 

The large skeleton on the table is the remains of a bottle-nosed dolphin.  It was kinda sad to see a fun-loving dolphin on the table. It made me feel better when Annie opined that he likely died of old age.  I bought the theory even though the size of the skeleton was more consistent with a young dolphin.

We had a seafood lunch at Snoopy's Pier.  Snoopy's is next to Doc's, a place we visited a couple of weeks back.  We were actually returning to Doc's when we saw more cars parked in the lot at Snoopy's, usually a sign of good food.  I am glad we diverted.  The food was expertly prepared and served piping hot.  

The plan is to start home on Sunday.  We have allowed three days to make the drive.  That's assuming we don't succumb the the barn-sour horse malady.  We've been stricken by that before.  

That's all for today.  Goodnight.   

January 23, 2017. A Very Windy Day.

January 23, 2017.  A Very Windy Day.  Annie Farkley and I took a walk yesterday.  It was extremely windy.  The wind blew all day at speeds of 25-29 miles per hour.  There were occasional gusts of 35 or higher.  

We got to the beach easily with the wind at our backs (the walk was not so easy coming back).  Once at the beach, we stayed as close as possible to the dunes which shielded us from most of the wind. But, we could see the wind swirling sand across the beach and into the Gulf.  The water actually looked brown instead of its normal emerald.  And, the waves appeared to be going out rather than coming in.

Plastic grocery bags were carried by the wind.  We found an inner-tube flotation device which had been blown to its resting place. The wind blew so much sand that it exposed objects long hidden.  Annie found another rubber toy.  This time it was a crawdad.  She carried it to the same boardwalk railing and left it there for another to find.

I found a Zippo lighter.  In  the 60s and 70s, before the dangers of smoking were generally accepted, almost everyone carried a Zippo. I had several over the years.  However, with the reduction in the number of smokers and the advent of disposable lighters, Zippos fell out of favor.  I picked it up and brought it back to Harvey.  I have no idea what I will do with it.  I guess you can always use another fire maker. 

There were two couples walking on the beach.  Look closely at their picture and you will see the sand swirling around their feet. When we got back to Harvey, we had sand in our shoes, our clothing, our hair, ears and eyes.  And, when we woke up this morning, we had sand in the bed.  

Today was much better.  The wind has relented and the sky was a cloudless blue.  With the temperatures in the low 70s, it was a perfect day to be outside.  And, that's why we came here in January. 

We are still in the same campground.  We talked about going 200 miles south to San Benito, near Brownsville.  We decided to stay where we are.  We like it here so there is no reason to move on.  We will be here until Sunday then we will start making our way home. I expect to take 3-4 days to get back.  Angie, we may stop by the Silos in Waco.  Is there anything we should look for?  We may also stop by Collin Street Bakery in Corsicana, TX.  Fruitcake, anyone   . . . anyone . . . anyone?

Goodnight.

January 22, 2017. Quiz Results - Everyone is a Winner!

January 22, 2017.  Quiz Results - Everyone is a Winner!  All contestants have submitted their answers to the quiz.  All are winners!  Annie and I have very observant, astute and smart grandchildren!  

First, Lauren and Paige caught an error in picture number six.  I cut that design from a picture which was taken the same day of the same boardwalk, but it did not appear in the blog.  The only fair thing to do is to eliminate that picture from the quiz.  With that, here are the answers you gave:

Tourtillotts:

1. Annie walking on the beach in Padre Island
2. Great-tailed Grackle on Padre Island
3. A seagull standing on one leg because it's cold
4. Papa standing next to Annie in front of the RV on the super cold     day pre-walk
5. Seashells on a welcome mat
6, Trick question - - there is no picture of this porch as of January         1st
7. Village of prairie gophers or one very industrious gopher
8. Toy rubber dolphin on the boardwalk railing that Annie found on     the beach
9. Dolphin fin peeking over the railing at Virginia's Seafood                  Restaurant
10. Dead pufferfish that landed on its back

Thurmonds:
1. Annie's hat 
2. Great-tailed Grackle
3. Seagull standing on one leg
4. Papa's hat
5. Seashells on C and O of WELCOME
6. Shadow of rail on boardwalk
7. Prairie dog hills
8. Annie's dolphin
9. Dolphin fin above railing
10. Puffer fish back

Cobbs:
1. Annie's hat walking on the beach
2. Great-tailed grackle on a beach
3. A seagull with no seaside mishap :)  The seagull was tucking his     one leg into his feathers to stay warm.  Levi wants to make sure       I wrote ALL of that! 
4. Closeup of papa's hat when they were cold and standing in front       of Harvey about to go on a walk
5. Two shells on a welcome mat inside the "c" and "o"
6. SKIP --- this one tripped Levi up for a while, too!  He says the         lines were just not the same directions as the picture he found
7. Gopher mounds coincidentally spaced outequally in a line
9. Annie's toy rubber dolphin she found on the beach and left on           the railing of the boardwalk
10. 1 out of 5 or 6 puffer fish they saw on a beach walk with its             spike marks on the beach near him

As the official judge of the contest and worthy dispenser of the prize money, I hereby declare there to be a three-way tie for first place.  Each set of grandchildren will be awarded the first place sum of $30.  Your next job is to not let me forget to present you with your prize money.  I'm getting forgetful, you know.  Annie and I love you all.

For now, goodnight.  

January 20, 2017. Take the Bus and Leave the Driving to Us.

January 20, 2017.  Take the Bus and Leave the Driving to Us.  In case you thought you missed it, there was no blog last night.  Yesterday was a pretty dull day.  We did walk the beach, but most of the scenes I've shown you before.  There are a couple that I have included tonight, just because I thought they were interesting.  

A small bus runs from the campground into the town of Port Aransas.  The round-trip fare is 25 cents.  That's right, I said 25 cents.  In route, the driver tells passengers about the area and gives tips on places for newcomers to visit.  He also gave us recommendations on places to eat.  I asked where we could get some fresh seafood.  He recommended Fins, on the harbor.  

We got off the bus ten minutes from the restaurant and walked.  On the way I spotted a boat named after me.  However, the painter misspelled my last name.  He spelled it "Farley" rather than "Farkley."  It is a common mistake.  However, I see it this time as a failure of the public education system in Texas.    

The food was good at Fins.  We then returned to Harbor Park and walked around there.  The dolphins were again frolicking in the shipping channel.  Do you see the two steel structures across the water?  Those are floating oil derricks.  One is being refitted and will be pulled back out in the Gulf when it is finished.  The other is for sale.  Do you need a floating oil derrick?  If so, I know where you can find one.  It might be a little pricey.  

We retraced our steps and re-boarded the bus.  We were the only passengers on the bus both directions.  Our driver was Al, a retired restaurant manager from Austin who has lived in Port Aransas for three years.  He was an animated and knowledgeable tour director.  You can get a glimpse of him in the reflection in the convex mirror in the final picture.  I tipped him handsomely.  Let's see now, what is 20% of a quarter?  Just kidding.  I gave him some real folding money.  

All in all, a good day.  

Goodnight.       

January 18, 2017. Quiz Time Again!

 January 18, 2017.  Quiz Time Again!  Hurrah!  It is time again for the grandchildren's quiz.  Each of the objects above were cut from a picture which has appeared in the blog since the first of the year.  The object of the contest is for you to locate the picture the objects were taken from and describe the picture.  Sometimes, there will be mention of the picture in the blog and that may help you with the description.  I grade loosely because I am a loving grandfather and I want all of you to win.  Unfortunately, that usually doesn't happen.  But, if all three families get all ten correct, you will all get the first place prize.  Nothing would please me more.  

First place prize is $30, second gets $20 and third gets $15.  In addition to the most money, the first place finishers also get bragging rights as the best followers of the blog.  I know, you'd rather just have money.  

The deadline will be 6:00 PM Sunday, January 22.  If you need an extra hour or so, let me know.  I am also liberal with extending deadlines.  That, too, because I am a loving grandfather.  

Good luck to all.  Goodnight.