Did You Know What We Did On Our Beach Holiday?

Did you know what we did on our beach holiday?

I promised the kids we would do nothing, no museums, no tours, no planned outings. Just sit on the beach and relax! First thing, the kids wanted to eat at the "original" Whataburger.



My husband and I skipped the fast food and went to eat at Pier 99 once the kids were done.

We spent two days at Whitecap beach. My cousin had recommended this beach on Padre Island. We preferred it to Corpus Christi Bay. Very clean, nice sand (not many shells though), great waves and not too crowded. You do have to have a parking permit to park on the beach, but it's good for the rest of the year.









On our last morning, the kids were able to jet ski (you can only do this on the bay, not the National Seashore.)


It was their first time and they really enjoyed it!





I even saw dolphins a couple of times (enlarge the picture and look very close on the right for the fin!)

Did You Know About the Windmill Farm in Corpus Christi?

Did you know about the windmill farm in Corpus Christi?




I had no idea there was a windmill farm in Corpus until we saw it while driving out of town the other day. I tried to get some photos. They are not very good, but you can get an idea.

I looked up some information about it and found there was and perhaps still is a big debate going on about it. There are to be 240 windmills put into acreage in the area. Here are some of the issues being debated over:

Wind Energy in Kenedy County

What it is: Wind farms generate electricity by using wind to turn giant blades that rotate on turbines, an alternative to power created by utilities using coal, natural gas and other sources. The following projects will place roughly 240 turbines on thousands of acres of Kenedy County property.

- A $400 million Peñascal Wind Farm on property owned by the John G. Kenedy Jr. Charitable Trust

- A $800 million Gulf Wind project by Australia-based Babcock & Brown Ltd. on property owned by the John G. and Marie Stella Kenedy Memorial Foundation.

Environmental Issues

- The Coastal Habitat Alliance contends the projects and infrastructure to support them will destroy critical wildlife habitat.

- Wind farm developers are working with scientists to study the environmental impact of the farms. Data so far contradicts the alliance’s statements, developers say.

- The alliance says the turbines are a threat to birds that migrate through the region.

- Developers cite studies that show a majority of bird migration occurs above the wind turbines which tower more than 3,000 feet into the air, and that the rotors are large enough to allow incoming birds to avoid them.

- The alliance says the roads and impermeable surfaces at the facilities will thwart the flow of groundwater and fresh water inflows that feed the Laguna Madre.

- Developers said they have scientists and data including hydrology analysis and storm water planning to negate that claim. They say the project layouts also identified and avoided wetlands.

Source: Coastal Habitat Alliance attorney Jim Blackburn and Babcock & Brown

-taken from Caller.com/news, March 2008

Did You Know We Found a Condo for this Week?

Did you know we found a condo for this week?

We actually stayed for three nights in a condo on Corpus Christi beach. It was a small but cozy place, just right for our family. There were bunk beds built into the entry way in which the kids slept, a small bedroom with a queen sized bed for us, one bath, a kitchen area and den area with a tv. There was also a balcony with a great view. We were on the top level with no one on the left side of us. It turned out to be a nice place to stay. The beach area was ok, but we preferred driving about 20 more minutes to Padre Island for a cleaner more enjoyable beach. Here is the view from our condo.

Did You Know We are Off for a Last Summer Fling?

Did you know we are off for a last summer fling?

We are actually taking off for a couple of days to spend at Corpus Christi beach. We will stay in a condo on the beach (ok, my husband says it's not on the beach as it's really on the bay, but it is called the beach and it's on sand with water coming up, so I say it's a beach!) Anyway, we just want to hang out on the beach doing nothing. I am not sure we will even visit any of the sights and must-sees in Corpus. We just want to relax and do nothing! The kids do want to jet ski, so we'll look for that. Otherwise, a last minute get away to relax!