A GREAT CONCERT! A GREAT ENTERTAINER!

Upon walking onto the grounds of the Livestock Rodeo Arena in Mercedes, TX the first thing we saw was this Longhorned steer.
He didn't look too happy, to me. He was meant to be an attraction, for picture taking.  They have a saddle on him and he's probably accustomed to it.
Guess we are in Southern Texas!

Our reason for going to Mercedes was to attend a concert, by Blake Shelton, country singer.  If you don't know country music you really should listen to a few of his songs. For instance:
The Baby - Austin - Old Red - Some Beach - Hey Romeo

Blake Shelton's songs were funny, romantic and touching.  He talked to the crowd about how nervous he was coming down to South Texas, so he picked a song that everyone could relate to. Then he sat down and sang the song from creditreport.com! 
It was very funny--if you've seen the commercials with the guy in the pirate hat--you know what I'm talking about.  The crowd broke up, screaming, laughing and enjoying the spoof. 
We found it extremely interesting and eye-opening to watch the crowd.  The average age at the concert would've been approximately 20 something. 
Down here the majority of music is country.  The young people were  decked out in cowboy hats, boots, jeans, decorative and name belts.  It was quite cool that night but "looking good" was more important than a warm jacket.  One thing everyone had in common was a personal light ~ in their hand ~ camera phones!  Might be better than the Bic lighters of days gone by!
Look at the second picture of the concert - the crowd had more cell phones than AT&T! 
         
      ~ A GREAT CONCERT ~ A GREAT SINGER ~ A GREAT NIGHT IN TEXAS ~

OUR NON-FISHING FISHING TRIP

Good Morning World! 

Six o'clock a.m. ~ we are off to go fishing on the bay, in Port Isabel, TX.  Following the fishing boat, being towed by friends.  Yes, it is still dark outside!  Light comes fast, sun is coming up and I'm anxious to see what we will catch.  Crossing the bridge, from Brownsville into Port Isabel, I comment to Joe, "Gosh, look at the white caps on the inlet. If that's the case, wouldn't you think the bay is really rough?"  It's very early in the morning and not being a fisherman, the only thing Joe is concerned about is his 40oz. of coffee! 

We continue following our friends to the bait shop where a purchase of live shrimp is made.  Squirmy little guys. I watch the guy scoop them into a plastic bag, now feeling a tiny bit sorry for them.  After they take up residence in the bait box we take off for the dock.  Yup, the waves are larger; the wind is wild!  So much for our fishing trip.  We'll try again next Friday.  Hopefully the wind is calm, but this is South Texas, so I won't count on that happening!

Oh ~ the shrimp ~ they ended up in the freezer waiting for their debut, in the bay, next week.

Back to Brownsville, to IHOP for breakfast, and home to relax in the pool. 

Ahhhh--retirement!

WATER VESSELS IN THE GULF OF MEXICO ~ SOUTH PADRE ISLAND, TEXAS

The Coast Guard, boasting four Mercury  motors! Undoubtedly, they can outrun any other boat in the water.  They were probably watching me, as I was watching them.
Or not!

The kite sailer is ready to go--these are fun to watch. They maneuver their kites through the water and make it look effortless, which I'm sure it's not!

Most interesting to watch was this man, in the little wooden boat. He filled the boat with supplies, including many gallons of water.  He paddled out to the large boat on the right. Hoisted himself onto the boat, unloading his supplies from the tiny boat and waved his life jacket at the lady nearby me on shore.

We started talking and she told me he was her son. He was going to his boat for a vacation. He built both boats, in her driveway.  Ingenuity lives on...

Sailboats ~ kayaks ~ barges ~ and the tiniest boat I have ever seen.  The guy in the little orange boat was very brave and must be experienced, as the waves were rough that day. Oh, also very strong!

Parasailers have been sparse this winter. The weather just has not been cooperative. Springbreakers have been arriving this week, the weather is starting to be amazing!  I'm sure the parasailers will be more abundant around the Island for the next few weeks. 
As I see other water vessels I intend to post them. Like a journal of the various types I've seen off South Padre Island.


I don't collect "stuff", our living spaces are too small. 
Pictures ~ hmmm, don't need to dust them either!

"MAKING" SAND FOR THE BEACH

Pipes to help replace sand on the beach at 

South Padre Island, TX.

The sand on the beach, at South Padre Island, erodes and needs to be replaced.
Nature is involved, but not directly.
Pipes have been laid on the beach, up and down, for as far as you can see. The pictures show the pipes and they are not small! 
Where does the sand come from? 
The bottom of the Gulf of Mexico--Brownsville Ship Channel precisely. The dredging will take about two weeks.  
(That's where nature comes in/the ocean floor.)
Why is this being done?
To replace the sand, that eroded into the water.
This will make the beach wider, abundant with sand, prettier, ready for spring breakers/which bring money, money, money, onto the Island.
Is this good for the environment?
The dredging, to renourish the beach is questionable. I have been reading about it and this site     (http://www.erosion.com/dredging.asp)  explains what happens to the ocean floor, the coral, the transmission of sun into the water, plus much more and claims this is a self-defeating remedy.
When I drove over the bridge the other day, on my way to Dolphin's Cove, I noticed the water was not sparkling as usual. It was brown. Due to the dredging?
I would assume this has all been researched and is being done with care.  At least I hope so! 
I guess it will be pretty for the spring breakers coming down for fun and frolic on the beaches of South Padre Island.

THE SHRINERS ~ AT THE INTERNATIONAL PARADE

 FLAG BEARING SHRINERS

People at the International Parade started clapping and screaming. I looked down the street and the SHRINERS were coming.  There was a barrage of Shriners! The next 25 minutes, more or less, was extremely entertaining.  The Shriners brought a range of vehicles and happy, smiling men ready to drive the various  wheeled contraptions down Elizabeth Street.


As the human/machine-powered vehicles did tricks down the street, people were clapping, screaming, smiling, taking pictures and also contributing to the Shriners that were collecting, for the children, along the route.
Amazingly enough the Shriner that passed in front of us was one of the guys we met at IHOP!  We shared a few words, startled to see each other ~ he continued to collect for the children, I continued to take pictures.

I figure I will see him someplace else in the city someday.  He reads my blog and said he started his own after he read mine!  

The display of driving the various vehicles was loved by spectators!  These guys really have their driving and stunts  choreographed! 

The Shriners certainly know how to entertain a crowd at a parade!  Thanks guys, it was great.

AN INTERNATIONAL PARADE

CHARRO DAYS

Charro Days~a "two-nation fiesta" held over 70 years in Brownsville, Texas.  This border town and it's sister city Matamoras, MX celebrate together for days. It all started to boost the spirit of the communities during the Great Depression. 
The international parade was held today. It was 3 hours of music, various kinds of bands, gymnasts, colorful floats, dignitaries, dancing horses, marching bands, food stands, laughter, dancers, people walking on stilts, judges, police on bikes, clapping and that feeling of inner happiness you get when the world is "right."

The sheriffs on bikes were patrolling the streets continually during the parade. The Chief of Police was on a segway, and there were police cars scattered throughout the parade.

The crowd was immense!
We have been to many parades, but this one was immeasurable! We walked the entire route, before it started~just because. 

We stopped now and then to talk to people and get their view of the festivities. Found out that the city council building is 80 years old and still in good shape and standing majestic in the center of town.

The parade is called an International Parade ~ after the 3 hours of celebration in Brownsville the parade continued over the border and joined their parade.
We talked about going over to Matamoras, to enjoy the parade on the other side of the border, but came to our senses and decided not to. Recently there has been unimaginable violence in Mexico. The border towns involved in much of it. Talking to, Head of Security, of the City buildings, we knew we made the right choice. He was telling us that many of the bands and other entries were not going over to Matamoras, due to the violence associated with the border towns.
So sad for the two towns~~the point of the parade being a union of culture, history and togetherness. 
What needs to be done to stop the violence?

                  CLEAN UP ~~ AFTER SUCH AN EVENT

The Lions set out chairs and charged $3.00 to sit on one. We didn't know this until some people left and gave us their tickets to sit on their chairs. I continued to stand to get pictures! 
The system after the crowd dispersed was amazing. The chairs were folded down, the truck came by to pick them up, the police led the street cleaners -12 of them down the street, utilities took down the wiring for the speaker system and the street cleaners and washers came through a second time. 

The "behind the scenes" workers had downtown clean in no time!