Spring Break on SPI - 16 Mar 2012

Banner flying along the beach...some are very entertaining!

LOL - not very comfortable bed but at least he didn't try to drive home.

I'm halfway across the bridge in grid-lock traffic.

Man, where do these kids find the energy? I know all of us 'oldsters' have some history but except for a few of us, partying was pretty tame by comparison. I suspect some of it had to do with our parents....I was engaged to be married and my father locked me out because I wasn't home from my office party by 1 am. In my case however, my parent's concern for my welfare and safety was pretty much justified! Most of the gray hair they had was put there by me and reinforced by Scott and Corky.

The first blast of kids left yesterday (Thursday), which seems to be the rental time - Sat to Thurs. The weekend gang moved in within minutes of the places being cleaned so last night was their initiation to Spring Break. The girls downstairs looked pretty haggard as they packed up their cars and trucks--a few of them had staggard home from neighbouring places only a few hours before so I'm betting it was a long, quiet trip home for them. The new kids next to us are so nice..as most of them are. They came over to introduce themselves (they are from Ft Worth/Dallas) and said they were filling 2 units but if they got too noisy or out of control, to please let them know.  Then it was "Would you like a drink?" I woke up once through the night for a second and heard someone on the street but as usual, slept through any and all excitement. Our only concern was that they would decide to party around the pool which is right under our bedroom but there's too much else going on and none of them have made that area the party palace.

The local Baptist church has set up a huge tent in the parking lot and serves free breakfast every morning to the kids. They are full every day and I'm guessing it's probably the only solid food these guys get in a day. The teenagers from the church have also given up their spring break to drive vans and deliver kids to parties and home again, any time of day & night, also for free. I think the church brought in extra vans from surrounding churches as they have 20-30 on the road all the time.

Police presence is everywhere, including helicopters that go up and down the beach keeping an eye on both the water and the beach. They have lots of undercover cops wandering the streets and attending the big sponsored parties. In the morning, when I drive by the police station, I see the kids coming and going, either bailing friends out or paying code violation tickets. I had to laugh yesterday at the beach as one of the many  planes going by dragging banners read, "JAIL SUCKS - 956-383-4832 - JANET SMITH ATTORNEY".

Thankfully the beach is 2 minutes away as we are virtual prisioners on the island. I went to the wildlife preserve on the mainland yesterday and didn't start back until after noon. What would have been a 15-minute drive took me 2 hrs and most of that was spent sitting on the bridge crawling a foot at a time. I knew I was cutting the time fine but wanted to stop at Joe's and pick up some of the best crab cakes in the world for supper. I think (now) that they were worth the time spent in traffic. I expect the weekend will be nuts as every local who couldn't get here through the week will come for at least a day on the weekend. There are still a few universities that start spring break next week but the majority, and the largest, are done this week.

Now that Gail and Graham (G2) have left, Wayne and I are both trying to concentrate of losing some of the weight we gained while they were here. We had some fabulous meals but I think half of my recurring back problems are from the extra 15 lbs hanging on the front of my body and the rest from sitting on my rear end too much. In fairness to G2, I probably gained 7 of those pounds on the way down...I went into eating mode the minute we left Ottawa and hadn't stopped. However, Wayne is back biking and gyming and I'm no longer eating mondo-breakfasts and everything else I see.

We are heading to Westleco (2 hrs west of us) to visit with friends. Dianne and I worked for the same group...she in Winnipeg and me in Ottawa...but over 10 yrs we became good friends and often tacked a week onto business trips to travel together. It's funny how we can't get together in Canada but usually spend some time together in the winter while in Texas.

That's the day (so far) on South Padre Island. It's time for a cup of coffee on the front veranda and watch some of the kids stagger back to their cars and head to their own condos/hotels for some sleep before starting over again. Until next time, hugs and kisses to all. xx