Yesterday was one of those just-right days on the water. While perhaps not "grand", it was just a great day. We headed north in the ICW, with a plan to poke around in the Arroyo Colorado... we haven't been through that area since the hurricane.
It was 72º at 8:30 am when we shoved off; a hazy day with low, thin clouds, very little breeze, and the humidity percentage near the temp.... ahhhh, you can breathe in that sea air. We could just barely make out the buildings on South Padre Island, 2 1/2 miles away.
We ran north at about 15 knots. The water was smooth, Wild Blue was like a magic carpet. Yes, there were dolphins, pelicans, ducks, herons. All the senses were getting a workout. There are some fishing cabins along the ICW... some were gone, some seemed to escape undamaged; none were occupied today.
Very little traffic until we got to the intersection of the ICW and the Arroyo, where several small boats provided fishing platforms. We ran west in the river, dodged around a dredging operation in the middle of the river, and made our way to the Arroyo City area, where the river is lined with houses and cabins. You could see the effect of the hurricane - new wood where docks had been replaced, some docks that were in need of repair. It looks like most of the homes made it through... most. One two story home was now 1 1/2 stories, and another with a "For Sale" sign that was minus a roof... guess that is advertised as a "fixer-upper"?
We turned back down-river, putting along at 6 knots. Joan made lunch while we were underway. Ever notice that food tastes better when prepared on the boat? Chugging along back in the ICW, we saw a couple boats about a mile off the waterway, back in the shallows. One was a sailboat, looked to be 25-27'; sitting in a foot of water. The rig looked good from this distance, but I'm not sure how anyone will get that boat out of there.
The white pelicans have migrated south; we saw hundreds of them on the small spoils islands along the way. The white stands out; that and their size - they are much larger than our "sleek" brown pelicans, the locals. The white ones don't dive for their food like the brown pelicans... and we saw lots of diving action today. My favorite thing with the brown pelicans is watching them skim along the water in ground effect... they make it look effortless.
We knew there was a cold front coming our direction; the sky turned from hazy to gray as we looked over our shoulder to the north. Today is t-shirt and shorts, tomorrow will be long pants.
We spent the afternoon watching the birds, listening to Radio Margaritaville, and feeling the steady pull of the Honda. The ICW here is easy - there's a marker every couple hundred yards. You have to follow the markers, though; even though it's water as far as you can see, there are short legged birds
standing in the water just outside the marked channel.
Our timing was just right for the 3:00 opening of the swingbridge... another indicator of a just-right day. A dramatic sky to end the day...
Best wishes,
Jim B.
Merry Christmas. Should be beautiful and white, (and Cold --Oh I know, you didn't even want to know that)--maybe we will get all our winter here in one weekend :xnaughty 
hoto 
