Adventure Location: MISP, TX.
Adventure Date: 10/31/18
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Sierra did an excellent job of getting us on down the beach without any special excitement like getting stuck or flooded with sea water. The parking spot that Sierra chose was well up from the tide line so as the tide came in the parking spot would not flood.
It was also at the foot of the jetties and the OFM wasted not time in getting onto the jetty to prove he is still the fool of old. But it only took a small slip to remind him that even if he is morbidly fat he would not bounce right back up from a fall. So he quickly switched into OLD FAT MAN with bad joints mode of moving around on the slippery rocks. Here is a picture of the wet rocks he was playing FOOL upon.
If you go out to the end of most jetties on the Gulf Coast the waves can be spectacular and dangerous as they break onto the rocks. Even thought the waves were running small at 3 feet, they could easily wash your rock and barnacle shredded body out to sea for special adventures with the sharks.
We meandered around on the two jetties and the little sand beach between them without finding much of special interest. We guessed that the super high tides of the last few days must have taken the “good stuff” home with them when they left the area.
We forced the OFM to get off the jetty and meander the main beach a bit. At least on the main beach we found a few things of interest. Shells were in short supply but we did see a few areas of crushed shells, broken sand dollars and other things. Here is the picture.
The part that really caught the Teams fascination was these critter holes.
We have no idea what made them but there was lots of the holes along the high water line of the beach. If anyone knows, please let us all know what lives down there.
After some good meandering on the beach the OFM was starting to hurt a bit from the jetty silliness so we headed back to Sierra. We took the long way back to the Castle so we traveled a loop on this adventure. The total miles was right at 150. This is Texas so the distances seem to always be at least triple digits. But some days like today the trying to have tooooo much fun can also triple up.
Adventure Location: Rockport, TX.
Adventure Date: 10/30/18
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Rummaging around on the beach sounded good this morning so off we went. A fresh full tank of gasoline was first on the agenda, then on to the ferry. The marsh flats we passed through seemed to be getting pretty close to back to normal after all the rain floods. Then the proclaimed 15 minute wait at the ferry came and went as we sat enjoying the sun and screeching seagulls for 25 minutes.
Our target for today was Mustang Island State Park beach to the north. It has been the location of many a wonderful beach combing in the past. The park is in serious disarray from Hurricane Harvey. They seem to have dismantled all the infrastructure and are doing a total revamp of the facilities. We guess they are at least a year from completion.
However the beaches are open for playing and we did some major playing. The roads are still a little rough as this picture of the entry to north beach shows.
Once you hit the beach a left turn is required and here is the playground in front of you.
The beach runs down to Fish Pass Jetties. Fish Pass filled in many years ago but the jetties make great fish attractors. They are also a great place to lose some skin when you fall. Here is a picture of the dunes behind the beach. They are fun to run around in and check for hidden treasures.
When we arrived at the Fish Pass jetties, Sierra got parked. Then the OFM climbed up on a dune to get a picture of Port Aransas on the other side of the pass.
The beach was somewhat barren but the OFM still found lots of ways to entertain himself. To our surprise he came away with all the same skin he arrived with. Tomorrow we will go into details because he is very sleepy from all the exercise he got trying to have tooooo much fun.
Adventure Location: Rockport, TX.
Adventure Date: 10/29/18
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Most of the day was spent fishing. Until noon 30 and it was catching time. a 26 inch Spanish Mackerel managed to get hooked on the OFM’s spoon and could not get away. After about ten minutes of good effort the fish was landed. Of course no camera was available to get a picture of the fish. The Spanish Mackerel has a formidable set of teeth. reaching into its mouth to unhook it is not recommended. See the picture below for the explanation.
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| Spanish Mackerel Teeth |
Late in the evening the OFM went back to catch more fish. However there was no fish to catch it seemed. So he caught a picture of one of the flowers at the Harbor District Office. It was very pretty.
Probably the biggest event of the day was getting to eat supper with the Rockport Police Chief and his brother. The OFM Teams are really moving up in the local social groups. He is a nice fellow and we had some great conversation. We are looking forward to the next time.
Catching the Spanish Mackerel was a great way of trying to have tooooo much fun.
Adventure Location: Rockport, TX.
Adventure Date: 10/28/18
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We had the AC on for most of the day. It was in the mid 80s and the OFM was sweating. Fishing was accomplished but catching was not. The few folks we talked to had not even had a bite most of the day.
Late evening the OFM Fishing Team was at the harbor bulkhead not catching fish when the OFM turned to the Team and asked “Do you get the feeling we are being watched?”.
We all looked around very carefully and could not find a watcher. The OFM said “It is really odd that there are no seagulls even in the area.” And we agreed. So he went back to not catching and we relaxed.
In a few minutes the OFM turned to us and said “I KNOW we are being watched.” So the Teams started a serious search. After a few minutes the watcher was found.
The only bird in the area was watching in hopes of a morsel coming its way. It must be new to the area because the local birds know better than to wait for the OFM to catch a fish for them to eat.
Once the watcher was located and identified we all relaxed as the OFM kept on not catching fish. Finally he gave up and took us home for supper. It was a beautiful day for trying to have tooooo much fun.
Adventure Location: Rockport, TX.
Adventure Date: 10/27/18
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It was cool enough to run a heater this morning and hot enough to run the AC this afternoon. It seems mosquitoes have made a come back starting today. We do get too many mosquitoes for the Teams liking.
An early morning walk was taken in hopes of getting some pictures for the blog. We were successful. It was a very calm morning and many folks were out and about at the beach. Some were walking the beach sand. That gives them a lot of extra effort to help stay fit.
Others choose a different way of enjoying the morning. Not much walking is involved but it probably gives one a great feeling of soaring with the birds.
When the Teams headed out onto the pier to check out on the fish catching we did not expect to find spiders fishing.
That spider web went from the pier hand rail down into the water. Several of the webs along the pier did the same fishing. We cannot imagine what kind of fish spiders fish for. Any suggestions?
There was lots of spider strands stringing out from vertical things. Those webs kept on getting tangled on the OFM and he was not fond of it.
The best part of the morning was the three different couples that recognized the OFM from this blog. That gave us some more great conversations with wonderful readers. And that is a great way of trying to have tooooo much fun.
Adventure Location: Rockport, TX.
Adventure Date: 10/26/18
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Not a lot happening. Undersize fish are being caught. Old and new acquaintances are being visited. The Castle’s license sticker came in the mail today. That means we can roll at the drop of a trailer coupler. The OFM’s new Medicare card also arrived and the OFM has already had his preventative shots for the winter so we can roll without fear of flu or pneumonia. The campground is going up 10% on the camping rate and has cut out the cable TV. The OFM is actively trying to decide on a course of action for the near future. And Christmas shopping is needed to become a high priority item.
So you can see that not a lot of fun items for the blog are happening but the Teams are very busy. We are hoping that the slowly receding super tides will let us get out to do some beach combing in the first of next week. Maybe by then we will have something exciting to report for trying to have tooooo much fun.
Adventure Location: Rockport, TX.
Adventure Date: 10/24/18
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It is with great pleasure that the OFM Teams announce the worlds greatest construction team. They are located in north Alabama near Huntsville. The company is G and P Construction. Gavin and Piper are the main owners and employees. There are no peers to their abilities. Here is two examples of the stupendous jobs that they are capable of erecting.
They seem to have solved the age old question of how to have tooooo much fun.
Adventure Location: Rockport, TX.
Adventure Date: 10/23/18
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The OFM was doing better after the fitful nights sleep. So we started the day off gently. Things were happening but we took it easy and rolled around the area just watching the high winds and rain fall. Then about 1000 the OFM just had to take a nap. And a solid two hours of sleep it was.
But an empty stomach was calling so we went off to lunchland for a belly filling. A little shopping at Walmart went well. Then back at the Castle the bed talked the OFM into another nap. This nap went extremely well for 2 1/2 hours. When the OFM woke up he was doing about 97%. The fishing pier called and away we went. He caught one undersize speckled trout and visited with a nice fellow from Michigan.
Supper time came around and it was stoup time, pork chop stoup that is.
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| Pork Chop Stoup |
And wow was it excellent. Here it is 2000 in the evening and the OFM is doing great. Two long naps and a big bowl of stoup certainly was a nice cure for what ailed him.
Now tomorrow we can work harder at trying to have tooooo much fun.
Adventure Location: Rockport, TX.
Adventure Date: 10/22/18
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Upon awakening today we knew it would be a minor day. The OFM had a scratchy throat and a mild fever to go with his mucus filled eyes. “OK “ he warned the illness “you want a piece of me, we go to battle right now.” And the day was also dreary and with a little chill in the air. The Teams voted on a serious meandering as maximum activity. The OFM said no. That would be too much. So we got going with the goal of minor meandering as our ultimate objective. We succeeded.
Easy fishing ended when the OFM lost the second new lure on yet another bottom dwelling murky water mud monster. So we meandered and found a little pile of shells left over from the waves of a day or so ago.
Some seemed occupied and some available for occupancy. But none of the critters were in a hurry to be moving about. So we moved on to chase other pictures. None came. Insignificant energy was flowing into the OFM from the battle. We eventually headed back to the Castle for more rest after a slow day of almost trying to have tooooo much fun.
Adventure Location: Rockport, TX.
Adventure Date: 10/21/18
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Huge attitudes are abundant in Chihuahua dogs and some fish as you will see. The day was very cool in the morning so other chores were attacked. The last campground to check was checked and deemed OK. So that chore is over. Then a few other things were done and right after lunch the Teams hit the wooden Beach pier.
Not much was happening. But the OFM got in a lot of casting practice. Then just before leaving with no action, something hit the 1/4 oz gold spoon. It turned out to be a small croaker. Croaker are great eating when they are large enough to have some serious meat on them. This foolish fish was only about seven inches long. They are pretty fish in our opinion.
It swims with its relatives again. Notice it is not much bigger than the lure.
We started on back on the pier with the OFM casting now and them. Suddenly we had another fish on and this one was putting on a spectacular show of activity. However it was incredibly small. That lure is about 3 inches long.
These pinfish make good bait for larger fish but we just wanted to leave. It went back into the water also.
The fishing was fun since we caught two fish and got to spend time visiting with two other fishermen on the pier.
After this we stopped at a friend’s place and had another good visit. The net result was a good day of trying to have tooooo much fun.
Adventure Location: Rockport, TX.
Adventure Date: 10/20/18
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The rain that was not supposed to happen, happened after the OFM Fishing Team was WAY out on the pier this morning. We made it back to Sierra with only minimal dampness. The rest of the day was spent in worthless piddling.
However a valuable bit of prose about RVing was written by Mr. Boondork in his blog today. Click on his site here.
Fox Tales
He is leaving the Denver Colorado area tomorrow and starting his yearly winter travels. He is a really nice fellow who is a lot younger than the OFM with a sometimes unique outlook on things and the best way of trying to have tooooo much fun.
Adventure Location: Rockport, TX.
Adventure Date: 10/19/18
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The OFM rolled out of the bed from a restless sleep and looked out the door of the Castle to check the weather. He thought we had been washed over to the harbor.
There was about three inches of water around the picnic table and getting to Sierra required wading. Good grief what a mess AGAIN. But there was very little rain the rest of the morning and laundry was accomplished.
Then in the afternoon the OFM went fishing under bright sunny skies. There was a man at the far end of the pier. We wanted to fish the beach guts so we were about a hundred feet onto the pier having a good time.
The man at the end caught a stingray and was having trouble handling it when the first few huge rain drops hit the Teams. A glance back behind the Teams was a genuine NUTS trouble. The OFM reeled in as fast as he could. The sting ray guy was still having a fight. We hit the pier deck moving as fast as the OFM could move. The rain was heavy and COLD. The OFM got about 70% soaked before we got into Sierra. BRRRRR.
As we were pulling away the sting ray man was nearly back to shore. We have no idea what happened with the stingray. Here is the unfortunate man.
As we rolled out of the Beach Park we grabbed this picture of the vendors trying to set up in their assigned area. That does not look like a pleasant experience.
Back at the Castle, the OFM set the truck seat back and took a long nap in Sierra lulled by the continuous “music” of the cold rain pounding on Sierra’s cab roof. He awakened a good while later to a much lighter rainfall and we splashed quickly into the Castle. Here is the picture we got of the door mat floating in the yard.
We are here to guarantee you that playing in the cold rain is not a good way of trying to have tooooo much fun.
Adventure Location: Utah
Adventure Date: 10/18/18
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If you would like to see some of the most wonderful country in the western USA, go on over to
Jim and Gale's site.
This is part of the country the Teams ran around in when the OFM could still hike and bike all over the place. Jim and Gayle are bringing us back to some wonderful memories of times trying to have tooooo much fun.
Adventure Location: Rockport, TX.
Adventure Date: 10/16/18
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The warm bay water interacted with the cold wet north wind to gives us some serious fog banks. This is a view from Rockport Beach out to a oil platform in the bay a couple of miles out. Notice the fog bank right on the water. It was neat to look at the different “scenes” it created as the light varied during the time.
The OFM decided it was time to bring the de-humidifier into the game. It was retrieved from the closet and put in place. The cord was plugged in the the dehumidifier went right to work.
The OFM went down to the bay to fish a little. He caught a small lady fish. The wind and temps were too much this morning so he headed back to the Castle. When he stepped into the Castle, his feet splashed a little. What now? The knuckle head had forgotten to put the drain plug in place so the water removed from the air had been deposited on the floor and floor mats. It was a small mess and everything is in order with the floor mats drying.
Late morning found the OFM busy putting together a big pot of pork chop stoop. He changed the recipe a little this time and WOW it is good. Enough was made that he had a bowl for supper tonight and these containers had a meal size amount each. They are cooling while waiting to be put into the Castle’s freezer for future feasts.
Now for the important news. The OFM has been piddling around trying figure what the Teams will be doing for winter fun and where the fun will be. He finally went over to the owners house and talked with them. No longer considered a possibility is to stay at Anglers this winter. They are totally booked solid from Jan 1 through March.
Well that helps because the OFM now does not need to consider staying here on the coast during the first months of the year. So now we know we will be meandering around Texas from no later than January 1 until sometime in March staying in the warmer weather. This means we will have a lot of chances for using the free and really cheap camping available in Texas. Some of the known places we have never been before and that thought gives the OFM tingles up his spine.
The thought just popped up....What happens after mid March? That might turn out pretty exciting also. Hmmmmm.
Seems like 2019 will start out an excellent year for trying to have tooooo much fun doesn’t it.
Adventure Location: Rockport, TX.
Adventure Date: 10/15/18
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The cold front was due in Rockport at 0900 this morning. The OFM wanted to get in a bit of fishing before the front hit so we left the Castle about 0815 for the Beach fishing pier.
On the way to the pier we saw a shrimp boat on the way back to the harbor.
Apparently it was a very successful morning of dragging a shrimp trawl. All those birds indicate a lot of catch is being culled and that usually means shrimp on board.
After grabbing that picture Sierra got us down to the pier and parked. A bit of rod rigging and away we went with the OFM in his standard fishing clothing, shorts and a tee shirt. We made it about twenty feet out onto the pier when one of the Team mentioned the black cloud to our south.
YIKES. The OFM made a cast and just as the lure hit the water, the wind shifted to northerly, the temperature dropped about 20 degrees from the 83 it had been and a lite freezing cold rain began. That OFM can move fast when he needs to. He got the lure reeled in and the Fishing Team back to Sierra in about 2 seconds. Thirty seconds later we were all safe in Sierra and the outside temperature was showing 58 on Sierra’s dash.
We took a bit of a ride to check out the park and saw these seagulls hunkered down weathering the first few blasts of the cold air arriving.
They did not seem to be having tooooo much fun.
Location: Rockport, Texas
With Seafair clogging all the area up with EXCESSIVE tourists and the tides flooding parts of the area, the Teams have been doing a little clothing shopping and other minor maintenance things. No adventures or other special good times has happened. So we are calling it long term relaxing and resting up for when we can get back to trying to have tooooo much fun,
Adventure Location: Rockport, TX.
Adventure Date: 10/12/18
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We managed to get fully set up today. We MAY be here until after Christmas, so a full setup is proper. Jacks are down and all utilities hooked up. Mail that did not get here before we went west, arrived today. Basically everything is ready to go.
We took bit of a ride down to Light House Lakes today to see some of the flooding due to all the rains in central Texas. The shrimp boat channel is somewhat out of its banks but the weather made it all look inviting anyway.
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| Light House Lakes Park |
After the mail was processed and things put in order the OFM took the trash over to the waste bin. Next to the waste bin is a brilliantly blooming shrub. It took a couple of tries but we did get a decent picture of a bloom.
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| Trash Bin Blooms |
A few old friends were visited and a generally easy day was taken. An easy day now and then is a great way of trying to have tooooo much fun.
Adventure Location: Rockport, TX.
Adventure Date: 10/11/18
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We made our way back into Rockport Texas today. Our site was waiting quietly for us. The Castle pulled us into the site and we were all set up by noon. Then it was off to get some lunch.
It turns out this weekend is something called Seafair or close to that. The main square of land at the harbor is closed off with fencing. Then you are supposed to by a ticket to let you in so you can wander around all the sales booths and let vendors try to sell you their stuff. The OFM has never understood the sense of paying someone to let them try to sell you overpriced stuff. As far as he is concerned the vendors should pay the Teams to put up with their sales pitches.
When some folks have asked if we are going to Seafair, the OFM asks how much are they paying the Teams to attend. We get all sorts of strange looks and sometimes nasty comments. To the OFM that would be like paying Walmart, Sears etc to let us come in to shop for products. NOPE NOT EVEN CLOSE TO HAPPENING.
We know of much better ways for trying to have tooooo much fun.
Adventure Location: GOVERNOR’S LANDING, Amistad NRA
Adventure Date: 10/09/18
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It was a great boondocking night and the OFM slept very well. So well that he blasted wide awake at 0920 this morning. Consultations with the weather guessers gave us the decision to go ahead and leave for Rockport. So things were put in order and away we went for the long tow.
We had a few pictures left to talk about so tonight we are taking care of reporting those small adventures.
Their is a wide trail that goes to the water under the highway 90 bridge over Amistad. The OFM started down it just doing a great job of meandering when along comes Mom and two kids having fun. They hurried down to the water to get in some play time.
The OFM noticed the black stain where the full lake water line would be. It is a good ways up there isn’t it.
Along the trail was hordes of flutterbys. We do not know if it is a butterfly or a moth but it is pretty coloring.
At another spot the OFM noticed that a tall grass stem had caught on a spider web. The wind was blowing pretty good but that spider web strand was standing up to the wind just fine. That was a very interesting picture to get while the wind was blowing strongly.
And last but far from least is this nice close up of a patch of thorns swaying in the breeze.
Those are on a blackbrush plant and they are every bit as mean as they look. The Teams know first hand that playing in the blackbrush is not a good way of trying to have tooooo much fun.
