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Archive for ‘Observations’

Texas Man (and Woman)

Obviously, a quick internet search will prove that Florida clearly has earned its infamy as the home state of some of the most ridiculous and inept criminals (go ahead, search for Florida Man, I’ll wait). Texas, however, doesn’t like to be outdone in any category. So, I’m submitting, for your reading pleasure, this caper taken from the recent Texas Parks and Wildlife Game Warden Field Notes:

“Wardens observed an individual fishing on Richland Chambers Reservoir after dark with no lights on his boat and made contact. The subject was found to have several water safety, fishing, and narcotics violations, including no lights and no boat registration, no fishing license, using game fish for bait, leaving game fish to die, undersized crappie, and possession of methamphetamine, heroin, and marijuana. The subject was arrested and taken to the Navarro County Jail. A few days later, one of the wardens got a call from the Navarro County Sheriff’s Office informing them the subject’s wife was just arrested for trying to bond her husband out using $900 in counterfeit bills!”

An idiot two-fer!

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Copano Bay, Fulton, Texas April 2019

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Sand Turtle

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Beach Art, Found on Rockport Beach, Texas May 2019

While it is officially sea turtle nesting season on Mustang and Padre Islands this is the closest I will get to one here on my local beach. In a bit of good news, there have been 32 nests of the rarest sea turtle species, the Kemp’s Ridley, spotted at Padre Island National Seashore thus far this year.

In an effort to assist the recovery of this endangered species, all the eggs are collected by PINS staff and incubated indoors, safe from beach activities (as beach driving is allowed in Texas). Around 45 days later, the hatchlings are released. After reaching sexual maturity (roughly 10-15 years) females return to their home beach to nest. She deposits 100 eggs into the sand and can nest multiple times in a season. PINS invites the public to some of the releases, I hope to attend one next month.

 

 

 

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Comes in Waves

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My daily beach walks are never just a casual stroll through the sand. I detest litter and have been picking it up since childhood. Chalk it up to my peculiar temperament, but I can’t relax in a messy home and it is next to impossible for me to unwind in a trashy outdoor space. Since the beaches here receive unceasing deposits of flotsam, I carry a bag with me on my rambles.

I can rely on there being a myriad of plastic pieces and shreds of plastic bags as well as a staggering amount of cigarette butts. Every. Single. Day. Sometimes I’m surprised by a cool, random object (like money). The prevalence of three specific items ebbs and flows: hair ties, acrylic nails, and band aids. I don’t understand it, but every so often there is an upswing of one of those items. Today happened to be band aid day; I collected a whopping 23 of them. They come in waves (literally, and umm, literally).
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Moonfire

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Moonfire, Mustang Island, Texas April 2019 (note moon and moonwake to the right)

A few weeks back I had the distinct pleasure of attending Moonfire. It was the first one since I moved down here (it was cancelled in February due to bad weather and March was skipped because it conflicted with Spring Break). My friend Deno (who is the unofficial Port Aransas mascot), is the host of this long-running-full-moon-bonfire-beach party. We were fortunate to have Dan Sullivan playing for us (one half of the talented band, The Detentions). What a fantastic way to spend an evening! As Dan said, beach life doesn’t suck.

Dan, playing a snippet of Coast, one of my favorite song by The Detentions!

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