Epilogue, Pacific Northwest 2011 - Friday, September 23, 2011

I should take a class in Living in Port Isabel, so that I would know how.  Maybe it will all come back to me.   What I do remember is that we walk Jake at 7 AM.  Now that the days are getting shorter, it is not quite daylight this morning when we look out the window, but we see the sun beginning to show its face.   We take a few minutes to check Facebook.

At the beginning of our walk we see Lorraine enjoying the morning by washing her car.

Susan's bougainvilleas.

A new restaurant that we should visit.

We can tell the time by where we meet Speck on North Shore Drive every morning.  Whereas, we make a loop around town with Jake, Speck walks six times up and down only North Shore to equal his two miles.


We always look forward every day to meeting him and visiting in the middle of the street, and finding out all the news since we last saw him.


He and Jake look forward to the encounter also, as Jake gets his 'get petted' fix, and Speck gets his 'get to pet Jake' fix.

Later in the day Herb takes Willie's Tug out into the Laguna Madre to get his cruising fix. 

Find Willie's Tug

What I will miss:

Living on a boat

Open doors and windows, and no bugs

Watching out for ferries while cruising

Very good friends

Wall to wall Ranger Tugs

Shore to shore Ranger Tugs

Saying "eh?"

Babes the Bubba Cat

Kids on the dock

Anacortes

Exploring new waters

Learning how to anchor out

Learning to catch a mooring buoy

Handling the lines

Asking Herb if he plans to hit that boat head on, and hearing him say

 the boat is still thirty minutes away

Fresh dungeness crab

Lincoln

Frequent walks to West Marine

Canada

No TV

Islands with no services

Costco

Marine forecasts

Dale and Will of Cap Sante Boat Haven

The San Juan Islands

Willie of Willie's Tug,

     and of Walldog, Willie and Jake

Day 135 - Port Isabel TX - Thursday, September 22, 2011

Signs of our being close to home ............or closer than we have been in four months.

The wildflowers are still in bloom near the sand dunes.

Now I am really getting excited as we near Harlingen in Cameron County.  We are led in by rows of Washingtonia palm trees.

We encounter construction on the highway, which is designated to become Interstate 69 Corridor.  Palm trees have been trimmed and relocated with the tops still tied.

Now I am really excited, as I see the sign for South Padre Island and a billboard for Louie's Backyard, a popular restaurant on the island.  And then Port Isabel!!!

Early peeks at the island as we travel down Texas Park Road 100.

Just before we make the turn toward our home, we see the Lighthouse.  Ahhh...

At home we look out a window to see the Laguna Madre and some happy boaters enjoying the water.

The best thing about being home is seeing our good friends, who have prepared a 'welcome home' dinner for us.  We have a great time swapping stories.

Then apple pie for dessert

Willie off Willie's Tug,

   and of Walldog, Willie and Jake

Day 134 - Corpus Christi TX - Wednesday, September 21, 2011

We see the beginning of a sunrise this morning, but would have enjoyed a little rain.  The ground is so dry it is cracked and has sink holes.

As we continue to make our way south in Texas, we think of a future trip we may take to visit County Courthouses.  Lots of interesting architecture and history.

Oh, how exciting!  Mason.  We enter Mason County.

And then into the town of Mason.  We think of our good friend whose home town is Mason!  

Driving farther on, we see a stream, but not deep enough to float Willie's Tug.  Earlier today where we stopped for fuel, a customer asked us if we thought we could find water 'around here' to put the boat in.  We said, "No."

We are encouraged to see that this is not just another dry bed.

Near Welfare, Texas, we see burned over areas on the hills.

If it is San Antonio, then it is only one more day until we are home.

But for tonight, it is Corpus Christi.

Willie of Willie's Tug,
   and of Walldog, Willie and Jake

Day 133 - Aspermont TX - Tuesday, September 20, 2011

New Mexico gives us art as we travel through the state.

We're getting close to home.  And the burn ban.

Well, maybe not that close......

As we near Amarillo, we look into the pasture on our right to see the Cadillac Ranch graveyard.  Imagine that!

And farther -- much farther -- down the road we stop for fuel and I see more evidence that I am in a desert area of Texas.  Cactus and a watering tub for the animals.

We are ready to stop for the night as we get to Aspermont, Texas, and begin to look for an RV Park.  We are in luck!  We drive in the gate, but see no office.  However, there is a sign with a phone number to call.  This gets results and a very nice lady comes over to tell us that we can have our choice of any of the 30 or so sites in the park now under construction/remodeling.  She even loans us an adapter for the electric hookup.  All this for $15.  

What a bargain.

The wildlife viewing is a bonus.

We sleep in the Willie's Tug again tonight.

Willie of Willie's Tug,

   and of Walldog, Willie and Jake