Texas, Port Aransas December 1 to 31, 2014

Pioneer RV Resort in Port Aransas, TX offered a special where after paying for the month of November you get the month of December free.  This is the second Blog for our stay here and covers the month of December.  During that time Kay took a trip to Denver to help take care of her Dad with a bonus of getting to spend Christmas with the Grand kids.

Port Aransas, Texas

My friend Dad loves to fish.  Mark and I were lucky enough to get invited along.   
Here's Dan's truck and boat.  

Captain Dan, on our way out of the harbor at Port Aransas, TX

A view looking back at the harbor.

The Molly Anna shrimp boat.

One of the many tanker ships that came through the channel.

One of the many sheepshead fish we caught fishing with Dan and Mark in Dan's boat.

Mark holding one of the fish we got.  He is standing in the fish cleaning building at the campground.

Our catch for the day.  We are only allowed to have 5 of the sheepshead fish.  They also have to be at least 15 inches long to keep.

Dan getting ready to clean the fish.  This cleaning station at the campground was very nice.

One of the Red fish we got.  This one was 39 inches long.

I have no idea what kind of fish this is.

Gulf Toadfish or some people call it a Dog fish.

Crested Caracara Falcon

Turkey Vulture

Blue Heron on the sand dune near the campground.

Birds on the beach.

The waves at sunset.  Every evening was different and I thought the colors this day were spectacular.

Max and Zoe enjoying the beach.

Sunset at the beach.

Attendant feeding the birds on the ferry to Aransas Pass.  This ferry system is so efficient at getting lots of cars, trucks and RV's back and forth from Port Aransas to Aransas Pass.

Port Aransas light house.

That was one large hamburger that Mark ordered.

Maxwell watching the dogs on my computer screen.

My shaggy dogs, in need of a good hair cut.

They look much better after a bath and hair cut.

Textron AirLand Scorpion

The Textron AirLand Scorpion is a proposed American light attack and Intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance jet aircraft. The aircraft is being developed by Textron AirLand, LLC, a joint venture between Textron and AirLand Enterprises, LLC. 

Kay got to go out to Centennial Airport to see this one of a kind fighter jet.  That's Laury and her Grandson Kerrick having a look at the cockpit.

Kay's Dad having a look inside a very luxurious Gulf Stream.

Kay's two Great Nephews, Kerrick and Noah having a good time playing a video game.

While Kay was in Denver area the temperatures dropped well below zero for a few days and they got plenty of snow too.  This is a shot out of the sliding glass doors in Mike and Laury's kitchen.  Looking towards Pike's Peak.

Grandma got to help with cookie decorating at the Dow's.  This is Gabby with one of her favorite cookies.

Youngest Granddaughter Riley with her cookie.

Riley and Gabby setting out milk and cookies for Santa.

Santa brought Riley an electric keyboard for Christmas.  She just loves it.  Can't wait for her first concert.

The girls looking for the pickle ornament.

Gabby with her new stuffed mouse.  That girl sure does like her stuffed animals.

Sweet Riley with her pink and white Panda.

Tons of presents to open.  Paul is video taping the whole thing.

A mermaid Barbie for Riley.

Awww, sisterly love on Christmas morning.

Kerrick loves his Lego's and boy is he good at putting things together.

Nephew James and Jen's new puppy.  It was such a cuddly puppy

Back in Texas, I'm learning to cook for myself.

Out for pizza with Mark and Mary.

Texas, Port Aransas November 7 - 30, 2014

Pioneer Beach Resort and Campground, Port Aransas, Texas is located on Mustang Island on the Gulf of Mexico.  We will be here for two months, so I am making two blogs for our time here.  One for the month of November and one for December.  Our friends Mark and Mary Nichols are here with us.  From the RV park we can walk on a boardwalk over the dunes and we are at the Gulf.  Sure like being this close to the water.

Port Aransas, Texas

This is our friend Dan, we met him here at the campground.  Dan is from San Antonio and has been coming to Pioneer RV park for many years.  Here he is using a sling net trying to get mullets to use for bait.  I bought a net and Dan taught me how to use it. 

Mark and Dan dumping the mullet into the bucket.

Our first day of fishing here in Texas, all three of us got our limit in sea trout.  There are 15 fish on this stringer, that is why it looks like it is so hard to hold up.

This fish is called a Spanish Mackerel,  it is also good to eat.

Fish on the grill.  They were soooooo good to eat.

Kay did such a good job in cooking the trout.

On Veterans Day, the Texas Roadhouse gave a free meal to all who had served in the military.  Mark, Mary, Kay and I went to eat.  This military band was playing outside when we finished eating.

This is the flag of the Air Force,  so they had all the Air Force vets come and stand by it as the band played the Air Force theme song.

This picture was taken at Keesler Air Force Base, Mississippi.  Oct 21, 1959

Mark got this 39 inch Red Fish.  We took the fish into a restaurant in Port Aransas,  for $8 a lb they prepare it for you.  They did a great job and it was very good to eat.  

This is the view from the ferry at the pier we fish from in Port Aransas.  Here is where Mark got his big Red fish.

My good friend Maxwell.

There are a lot of these grackles here in the campground.  They are a strange bird.

We also have a lot of these jack rabbits in the campground.

Kay whipping up on me again playing Farkel.

View looking back at the campground from the top of the dunes.

This is the other end of the boardwalk at the beach.  Kay and the dogs love walking down to the Gulf shore.

This is the Gulf at low tide.

Zoe wants to make friends with this Blue Heron.

They sure are a stately bird.

One of the many freighter that travel up the inner water ways.  We took this picture from the ferry.

Sunset at the ferry dock.

One of the many ferries that take us across to Aransas Pass.  It only takes about 8 min. to get across.

Sunset taken from the ferry as we crossed back to Port Aransas.

Kay and I and the dogs drove down to the National Seashore National Park, on North Padre Island.  We drove down the beach for about 3 miles, to get away from any people.  Here we turned the dogs loose so they could run free.

Zoe on an all out run down the beach.

View looking south down the beach.

Bird and Beach

This guy is called a ghost crab.  He was about 4 inches across.  The strange thing about this one, was when I got my foot too close to him he would charge it.  Now that is a very aggressive little fellow.

Looking at the Gulf of Mexico from the visitors center at the Seashore National Park on North Padre Island.

We saw this hawk on our way home from the park.

Kay let me stop and fish for a bit in the channel, where I got this little Flounder.  Had to throw it back in, because they have to be 14 inches or longer to keep.  They tell me they are very good to eat.

Thanksgiving dinner at the campground.  The tables were decorated so nice.

Mary - Kay - Marty volunteered to do the dinner serving.

There were a lot of people here for the Thanksgiving dinner.

Kay wanted to get some shrimp for supper, so we stopped at this place.  The food was very good, but a bit pricey.

This was the view from our table.

As we were eating we watched the Pirate Ship come back into port.  It is a tour ship that takes people out into the Gulf .

Mark sitting on my ladder surf fishing.  I only had one chair in the truck so he got the ladder.

Mark made me sit on the ladder also so he could take a picture of me.  As a wave would come in , the sand would wash out from under the legs of the ladder and it would tip over.