Port Lavaca with Tom and Shirley

Formosa Wetlands Walkway in Port Lavaca
Wednesday, February 24, up at 7:00 to a sunny but chilly morning with a low of 37 degrees. I put out my St. Pat's decor and put Gertrude in her Irish green, mostly just to keep warm this morning as the living room heats up now that I turned the heater on. We have Crispy Thingies for breakfast except they were not very crispy as we did them in the microwave. There was no way we were turning the heater off to use the toaster oven.

Bob, Shirley and Tom pause on the Formosa Wetlands Walkway

Nan calls before 9:00 to say it's too cold for her to walk. We're trying to get out of here by 10:00 anyway. I find the bikes laying on their side down under as I put the trash out by the curb. Bob and I remove the cover and right them. There seems to be no damage to the bikes; just our freezing fingers.

I finish the dishes and clean myself up. I try to get on-line to get a map to Green Iguana Deli in downtown Port Aransas that Bob saw the other day. But I can't get a connection. All I do is waste my last 20 minutes before we leave and raise my blood pressure:-)

White Ibis in Formosa Wetlands Lavaca Bay

We leave at 9:45, stop for fuel at 35 Bypass and get a San Antonio paper. Then we head north on 35 all the way to Port Lavaca, waving at Tivoli for my friend Holly. We take 87 through downtown Port Lavaca to 238 to Lighthouse Beach Road. A gal is in a little shack collecting a $3.00 day fee. So we go to the parking lot on 238 to call Tom and Shirley. They are in Point Comfort just across the bridge. We tell them to meet us in the YMCA parking lot and we go down 35 a few blocks looking for possible restaurants. Shirley calls just a few minutes later and asks "Where are you?" We hightail it back there in a few minutes. I didn't know they were that close. They were here before checking out Indianola (there's one near them in Iowa too) which is now under water here.

Tom, Reet and Bob huddle on the boardwalk in the cold wind

We have hugs all around and then move our trucks to the front parking lot of the Visitor Center across the street where we collect a bunch of brochures and use the facilities. We decide to eat at Bayside Seafood Restaurant on 35 just across the street. Their slogan is "Best Seafood in Town." And it was pretty good. tom can't find a fish sandwich on the menu (the only one is catfish) so he settles for chicken fried steak that turns out to be huge. Bob has Red Snapper and Shrimp. I have Grilled Seafood (snapper, oysters-yes grilled and heavenly, shrimp and very sweet scallops.) Shirley has some nice looking shrimp. It was all very good. Those guys insist it's their turn to treat for lunch. How nice!

Half Moon Reef Lighthouse, Port Lavaca, TX

After lunch we drive to Lighthouse Beach Road and pay $3.00 for one carload of us. We park and walk out on Formosa Wetlands boardwalk along Lavaca Bay where we spy white ibis, egrets, a blue heron and a 'turtle glove.' The day is pretty in the sun but there is a cold wind. The walkway was a bond and environmental grant project in cooperation with the Formosa Plastics Corp. and Texas parks and Wildlife. At the time of its construction it was the world's longest boardwalk made entirely of recycled plastic. The metal railing on the farthest point of the original jetty is gone; perhaps a surge. There is a nice RV Park along the beach.

We walk back to the truck and drive downtown but there is not much to see. So we head back to the Visitor Center, use the restrooms and then find the Indianola bells. Shirley was looking for them and at last we spotted them around the front side of the Half Moon Reef Lighthouse. Constructed in 1858. This three-story hexagonal cypress lighthouse was originally located in Matogorda Bay, at the southern tip of Half Moon Reef. It sat on a platform supported by piles out in the Bay. Supplies were brought twice yearly to this lighthouse whose beacon extended 12 miles. The beacon served as an aid to ships trading in Port Lavaca and the nearby town of Indianola (14 miles southeast). During the Civil War the light was disabled by Confederate Troops in an attempt to disrupt Federal efforts to captures southern blockade runners. The lighthouse was restored to full operation in 1869 and remained in service until 1943 when it was moved to Point Comfort (7 miles northeast.) It was relocated to this site in Port Lavaca in 1979.

All too soon we said our farewells. We hope to see them as we cruise through Houston in a few weeks. Their son and daughter-in-law are expecting a baby in mid-March. Of course I showed Shirley Ethan's pictures that are on my phone.

Bob and I drive through downtown and browse a few antique and decor stores. I find a $3.00 silver bicycle charm at De Ja Vu on Main. We look at a folding teak table but it's $69.00 and heavy with holes in the top. We also liked a metal palm tree sculpture but pass on it too. It is only about an hour (60 miles) back to Fulton. They drove 45 or 50 miles from Bay City. We stop in Fulton at HEB to get peach pie and red velvet cake for Bob's birthday celebration Friday. We stow the groceries and I make two braunsweiger Balls. We read the paper and enjoy leftovers while watching the Olympics. I try to call Linda but get no answer at home or on her cell. She must be playing 'grandma!' It's 9:25 p.m. and 49 degrees with 55% humidity. The high was 56.