Sand Castles and Red Tide

Building sand castles--a fun activity when going to the beach. Our first trip over to South Padre Island was to attend Castle Days. Not to build sand castles, but to view them.

Builders from all over the world came to the Island, to "play in the sand."
Their imaginations were in top shape and their creations were magical!

The downside of the weekend and the following two weeks was that the Red Tide was in. Red tide can cause
burning eyes and skin irritation. Many fish also wash up onto the beach and it gets very smelly. In Texas, red tides are caused by high concentrations of a microscopic alga called Karenia brevis.The water may become discolored, causing it to appear red, light
green, dark green or brown.
Symptoms common when breathing red tide toxins include coughing, sneezing, and teary eyes. Many people were wearing masks to help filter and lessen the effects. Interestingly enough, it affected Joe more than myself. He covered his nose and mouth with a napkin while we walked the beach to view the "castles."  We didn't stick around, as coughing while trying to enjoy something is not pleasant. Amazingly, as soon as we were away from the beach, the symptoms dissipated. No more coughing and Joe's eyes were fine.

Look at these "sand castles"~~~these professional builders are good!
Puss 'N Boots was my favorite.  The shark attack was Joe's favorite. Men!