Wednesday, 15 Feb 2012 - SPI

How pretty am I?

How pretty am I NOW?

'Beep Beep'

The sun came out and it was a beautiful day on South Padre Island. The locals are still hoping for more rain to ease the drought but we Winter Texans have had enough. Hope we win...at least in the short term.

Yesterday I drove over to the Atacosta NWR. I'm starting to think it's a bit creepy that there are so few birds around. However the girls in the centre told me that there have been a few hawks flying around and when that happens, the birds either take off or hunker down in the bushes and play 'I can't see you therefore you can't see me'. There's a nice 19-miles loops to drive around the reserve but again, didn't see much other than a couple of vultures giving a osprey a hard time so that it would ditch the fish it had caught. However the highlight for me was seeing my first Roadrunner...Geococcyx californianus (honestly) for the other geeks. He/She was quite big and beautiful. Didn't see any coyotes although there are a few around there I'm told. The Green Jays are about the same size..and noisy...as our Blue Jays but so colourful when they fly. They are only found in Texas.

With all the wind and moisture, my hair was starting to be a real problem. It doesn't take more than an inch or two of extra length to make it unmanageable. I decided that I'd try and find someplace to get a trim. I went into one nice shop but I needed a flow chart to figure out when the hairdresser was available. "My name is LaVinia...I own the shop. Betty does pedicures on Thurs, Fri, and Sat mornings. Jean does hair Mon, Wed, every second Fri and any afternoon if you call her 10 days ahead." That's too much decision making for me...I want to get in...get cute...and get out.

There was a place called Just Cuts near the Walmart and so I went in there. As I've said before, we are so close to Mexico that we might as well be in Mexico. The greater percentage of the labour force is Mexican, as were the 'hairdressers'. At Just Cuts, it's walk in, name on list, don't leave or name is deleted, next hairdresser available is yours. Fortunately, the end result was fine but getting there would have made Danny shiver in his designer duds (but when was the last time any of us had a hair cut for $10.95?). At that price, there is no shampooing of hair...just a spray bottle to wet it down. There's no blow drying...step outside and let the wind do it. However, a home shampoo and blow dry made it all pretty for another few weeks.

It was nice and warm so I headed down to the beach with my Kobo and Wayne showed up a bit later, having just come from the gym on his bike. The wind could...could be a deterrent for most of us but he did 27 kms yesterday so is either getting used to it or considers it just another mountain he has to climb. I suspect the latter. We sat out for a couple of hours until it got a bit cloudy and by then, it was time for our 4pm glass of wine.

We went to Louie's Backyard for their seafood buffet which includes King Crab Legs, prime rib, and scallops. They did not make any money on us...or rather Wayne, as crab is an acceptable substitute for lobster for him and he had his fill. It was delicious and thanks to the couple beside us who gave us a coupon for a free dessert, we came home with a giant piece of 6-layer cake.

That was our day...hope yours was as good. Until next time, love and hugs to all. xx