A February Day at the Beach

I decided to spend yesterday down at the beach in the Corpus Christi area. It was an overcast day which was fine with me, the temperature was in the high 70s to low 80s, and it wasn't crowded at all (which is the best part!). The water was a bit too calm for my liking (I'm a northeast Atlantic Ocean girl who likes big crashing waves!), but it felt nice and cool on my feet as I walked along the sand. There were actually some people swimming, so you can tell that the water wasn't very cold.


I started the day at a favorite quilt shop Golden Needles & Quilts in Rockport that carries some nice sea-themed fabrics, and of course I had to buy some to add to my stash. I bought the panels and then three coordinating fabrics. I really am planning on doing a summer quilt using these fabrics (really, I am!!). Aren't the little sea gull buttons cute??












I also saw these two fat quarters that I had to buy since they were so pretty. I'm not sure what I'll use them for, but I liked the colors.















I drove along the water by Rockport and Fulton in search of birds. This is a large migratory area and I can never resist taking pictures of the various birds you find there.









I found lots of whooping cranes (perfect, since they're having a whooping crane festival down there!).














I also saw this pretty statue and thought I'd take a picture.












Next I headed for the beach, changed into shorts, and walked for awhile along their paved "boardwalk" area and then along the water's edge. After the walk I changed back into my skirt and drove along Ocean Drive to look at all the beautiful homes and their landscaping.






It was rather hazy but I took a picture as I drove along, looking back towards the city.












I made a stop by the marina where there are a few restaurants, and I spotted these gulls who were nice enough to pose for me :)












I talked to them through the window as I was taking their pictures and they were listening intently.









I also thought I'd take a picture of the replica of the Nina which is docked here. The replicas of the Pinta and Santa Maria are at the museum. The ships were built by Spain as full size replicas and sailed here in 1992 in honor of the 500th anniversary of Columbus's voyage. You can learn more about them here.










As I was parked along the road to take the pictures of the ship, I noticed on the other side there were some brown pelicans sitting on some of the posts by the sailboats.
















Naturally, I had to take pictures of them, too.















I decided to head back home around 3:30 since I had a 2-1/2 hour drive. I thought it was very appropriate when I saw this cloud up in the sky... which looked a lot like a large gull flying :) (OK, it was easier to see when I was driving than it is here in the picture, but you get the idea.)