We have really enjoyed our time here in Rockport and at Majestic Oaks RV Resort.  The folks here have been soo friendly and we've met several folks from WI.  They have alot of get togethers and activities and we have played cards several times, won a few games of bingo and played CLR dice.  Then there are the food events...biscuits and gravy with eggs on a Saturday morning, Mexican Monday dinner, ice cream socials, happy hours and many more.  

We also attended a Wisconsin Winter Texans get together at a local restaurant.  We thought maybe there would be a handful of people but there were around 200!!  Admittedly, we brought the age of the group down a bit, but enjoyed meeting fellow cheeseheads!  There was a great buffet lunch, door prizes which included fresh WI cheese curds and a 50/50 raffle.  It was pretty fun to pull into the parking lot and see a sea of WI license plates!

We were lucky enough to get free tickets again from Vet Tix for a comedy show in Corpus Christi that turned out to be pretty funny!  We can't say enough great things about Vet Tix and if you are or have served, you need to check them out!  

We have spent time driving the different shorelines and one day we drove down to the Padre Island National Seashore.  The road literally ends in the park.  This is the largest undeveloped barrier island in the world with over 70 miles of seashore on the coast, dunes and prairies.  

​We took a walk on the beach, careful to side step the man-o-war.   We then went over and checked out the Bird Island Basin campground within the park.  It's primitive camping in a parking lot basically, but what makes this so cool is that it is right on the bay where windsurfers are always out catching the breeze and boy is it breezy!

We found a couple of other nice little waterfront parks in Rockport.  There doesn't seem to be a lack of waterfront parks on the bay or gulf.  Some even have beautiful sculptures.

And lots of waterfowl, migratory and locals...

We also spent a day in Corpus Christi at the USS Lexington Museum.  This is a naval aircraft carrier that has a long, storied military history.  The self-guided tour through the ship is very well done and we really enjoyed the IMAX show recounting RIMPAC, the world's largest international maritime warfare exercise.  The deck of the Lexington even had several prior naval aircrafts, with one being actively restored. Rather than tell you about our day, here are some of the pictures

Well that pretty much wraps up our month in Rockport and also our last month on the coast.  We move inland to Fredricksburg for the month of March.

We left Crystal Beach at the end of Jan and made our way further south on the TX coast to Rockport.  We are staying at Majestic Oaks, a beautiful RV resort that has successfully made it's way back after Hurricane Harvey.  This area is the start of the "Winter Texan" area on the coast and we have alot of folks here from MN, WI, SD, Canada, etc.  There are even folks from northern TX that come here to spend the winter on the coast.  The park has a wonderful saltwater pool and hot tub, pickleball courts, sauna, workout room, laundry and a really nice gathering room including pool table and two huge tv's.  The folks are super nice and welcoming.  We have already had a great night of hand and foot and are looking forward to more.

The hot tub has become a welcome relief from the aches and pains.  Once getting here, I started to have really bad back and hip pain that made it hard to even stand and have spent time in the hot tub.  This is one of the challenges of Full Time Rv'ing in that when something comes up, you need to seek out a new provider.  Even when it comes to haircuts, you need to put your faith in new hands not to give you a buzz cut!  We have been pretty fortunate so far and here in Rockport is no different.  I found an excellent chiropractor and massage therapist that have gotten me back in order, pun intended!  :-)  

I have also started a part-time, seasonal, virtual position helping a tax firm with taxes.  I have always liked, I know, crazy right, doing ours and families taxes, and this has been a perfect fit for me.  I work with some great folks and have flexibility in when I work, which has been a godsend with the back issues!

As much as my bum back would allow, we have done some exploring of the area.  We have been out to drive the beach in Port Aransas and enjoy some great philly sandwiches at Coach's Island Grill in Port Aransas.  The best food is always at the little hole in the wall places where the locals eat!

We have also really enjoyed learning about the area and the effects Hurricane Harvey in 2017 has had on the area.  Rockport was ground zero where the eye came onshore with 150 mph winds sustained.  You can still see areas that have not been rebuilt, others that are still being rehabed and others that are better than ever.  Some RV parks like ours are bigger and better than ever.

We have met several folks from WI and are looking forward to a WI meet up at one of the local restaurants.  I suspect the conversations will include Packers, Brewers, Bucks, Badgers, some cheese curds, beer and brats thrown in for good measure!  

We also have some more games and get togethers this month and perhaps some pickleball if the back holds.  We also want to get over to Corpus Christi to tour the USS Lexington and see the sites.

Ooopppsss....
We forgot to mention a tour we took in Galveston, once we got back from the cruise.  Galveston had museum day where all of the museums had a special deal.  The Ocean Star Offshore Oil Rig Museum had a buy one, get one deal and that was even off the military rate so we got a great deal for $8.  Since the oil industry plays a big part in the TX economic and job fields, we decided this would be a good addition to our knowledge base.  

The museum was three stories, inside and outside.  It was really informative and interactive and had a nice short film on the history of oil rigs.  There were numerous displays that depicted the different types of oil rigs, the process of drilling for oil offshore and the life onboard an oil rig.  Going outside, you were able to see the actual parts to an oil rig from two different levels.  It really was interesting and afterwards, we just happened to see the movie, Deepwater Horizon and so much more of the movie made sense!  The museum paid tribute to Deepwater Horizon and crew as that was their rig. 

Until next time...