It's been a long while since I've been to the sparkling city by the sea. Growing up, my family would come here during the summer to stay at my aunt and uncle's home, play at the beach, and enjoy the absolute freshest seafood imaginable.
I can still remember seeing the bay bridge rise in the distance and knowing the interminable long drive from Dallas was almost over, and the ocean was just on the other side of that big steel monster.
Over the years, I came back many times. At first, it was my father, mother, sister and me, fishing with my uncle, catching crabs on the JFK causeway, buying shrimp right off the boats on the T-head at Peoples Street and playing in the ocean at the Padre Island National Seashore.
Of course, it wasn't all sun and fun, but we still had a good time. My Aunt was a school teacher, and my uncle was a principal, so they knew how to keep little kids occupied. There was always something fun to do at their house. I remember spending hot afternoons curled up with one of the dozens of Dr. Seuss books in the den, and roaming around the neighborhood. And if that ol' devil sunburn took hold? No problemo, just go out in the backyard and pinch off a leaf of the giant aloe vera plant.
And those crabs? One time, we went out to the causeway with a homemade crab rig (basically pipe bent in a "U" with string tied to make a grid). We drug it through the water, and when the crabs grabbed the string, we pulled them off and dropped them in an old burlap bag. Of course we caught a couple with our toes, as well. We also tried our hand at gigging flounders, but weren't quite as successful. Those buggers are hard to see, and boy are they fast!
When the bag was full, we headed back to the house, where my aunt had a big pot of boiling water on stove waiting for us. We dumped in the crabs, along with some of those T-Head shrimp while my uncle and dad prepped the table with old newspaper, hot sauce and plenty of napkins. In a few minutes, we dumped the pot out on the table and stuffed out faces with fresh crab and shrimp.
Over the years, we came back several times. I later honeymooned with my first wife here, staying at one of the hotels on Padre Island. And I came back on my own a few times, staying with my cousin, who by then was also a teacher here and had two sons of her own. I remember playing football on the beach with them which, considering the oldest went on to play college ball, might not have been the greatest idea, but it was fun.
At one point, I planned to move here. At the time, I was single, had no debt, and figured I could get a job with one of the new buildings going up along Shoreline Blvd. Unfortunately, due to poor decision making on my part, that was not to be. The story there is for another time, though.
Kathy and I came here a couple of times. She was always a beach girl anyway, so she really liked it here. We visited the museums, went to the beach, and of course had our
fill of seafood. One place we liked was Snoopy's. A very kitschy place under the causeway, Snoopy's is a great place to kick back and have some shrimp or fish on the water. It's still there today, and still popular. On a summer day, families can entertain the kids with the antics of the gulls and pelicans and watch for fish jumping.
Today, Corpus looks the same in many ways, but is very different in others. It is and has always been a major seaport. In fact, Corpus Christi is the fifth largest seaport in the U.S.
Because of the natural shelter provided by Padre Island, the largest barrier island in the country, and the bay itself, huge ships regularly come and go. And they're making it even better.
The port and the bay are getting some major upgrades. Money has been approved to dredge the bay deep enough to handle the largest tankers, and my beloved bay bridge is being replaced by the new Harbor Bridge, which will be the longest cable stay bridge in the U.S. and the tallest in South Texas.
As with many coastal towns, tourism is extremely important to Corpus Christi. When I was young, the beach was the big draw, and it still is today. But even then, there were other things bringing the touristas to town. The one I remember best is Buccaneer days. In early May each year, the city is overrun with pirates, celebrating the areas time as a favorite hideout in the days of high seas hijinks. Parades, a carnival, even a rodeo make it a lively time.
History plays an important role here. The bay is home to the USS Lexington, a WWII aircraft carrier. Yep, you guys knew I'd get the Blue Ghost in here. The "Lex" is a Essex class carrier, and is home to a museum, a great collection of aircraft, several exhibits and even a 3D movie theater. A single admission lets you into everything. You can roam the ship, which is well staged with information, dioramas, exhibits and signage that lets you really get a feel for how the ship worked. There's even some working (although non-firing) guns that kids can play on. Some even have sound effects! You can even watch one of several well made movies on the attack on Pearl harbor - complete with physical effects, the engine room, dramatizations of testimony from lost crew members, even running commentary on different sections of the ship such are the galley, dental office and machine shop.
If you want to take a break, there is a snack shop (the mess deck - get it?) on the hangar deck, and plenty of cool photo opportunities. Take a pic in the cockpit of a fighter plane or on a deck gun. You can even ride in a flight simulator.
Next door to the Lexington is the Texas State Aquarium. Opened in 1990 and dedicated to preserving and showcasing the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean Sea, the aquarium has over 13,000 animals and 1.5 million gallons of water in tanks, and pools. My favorites are the sharks, the sea turtles and the flamingos.
The aquarium has a dolphin show, a shark exhibit mimicking the base of an oil platform, and a wonderful jungle exhibit with free flying birds and a touch pool. There's also a 4D movie theater. There's also a splash park and a bird fly in show. They even have a bald eagle who came to them for rehabilitation for a broken wing. He can't fly, so now just hangs around looking cool.
Oh, and when you go, look for the sloths. They roam free and you'll never know when one might pop up!
The tickets are a little steep, but the aquarium gets no state funding, and a big part of the proceeds go towards conservation efforts and research.
And of course, I can't forget the beach! The Padre Island National Seashore, the largest undeveloped barrier island in the world, is a great place to camp, hangout, windsurf, or just play in the sand. I decided to drive up the beach from the visitor's center to Bob Hall Pier. Yeah, I know, not the smartest thing in a front wheel drive SUV, but hey, it worked.
The beach is even better than I remember. Lot's of cool light brown sand, mild waves, even though the wind was high, people enjoying the day and, even better - no oil balls! I still have a couple of old beach blankets with oil stains from yesteryear. The efforts to clean up the beach have really worked.
Another cool thing about the park is the turtle nestings. The Kemp's Ridley Sea Turtle was once on the verge of extinction, but with the help of conservationists like those on Padre Island, they are staging a comeback.
The turtles make a nest by digging in the sand, then lay their eggs and cover them up. The mother turtle then returns to the sea, never to see her offspring. When the hatchlings are ready, there is a "frenzy" where they all scramble to the water and begin their life. This is probably the most dangerous time, as the slow moving hatchlings are prime targets for birds and other predators.
The conservationists help the process by moving the nest to areas where they are protected, then guarding them until the hatchlings are ready for release. The public is sometimes invited to witness the release. Unfortunately, there wasn't one scheduled when I was here, but if you're interested, check the PINS website at https://www.nps.gov/pais/learn/nature/current-nesting-season.htm .
That's it for this week. I'm still waiting to hear when my rig is ready. Dang Dynamax keeps teasing me with pictures of it!
Next week, it's off to Austin. Gotta have me some 6th street and some Capital action. Gonna get weird and maybe a little batty.
Later, folks.
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