South Padre Island

I recently took a trip to South Padre Island. For those of you not in the know, South Padre is a tiny island at the very tip of southern Texas, in the Gulf of Mexico. It’s narrow but long, tropical and balmy, a popular destination for family vacations throughout much of the year and for college students during Spring Break.

Gulf of Mexico

I took a handful of pictures on the trip, although not enough to bother posting them for friends to see on FB. So I thought I’d post a few of them here.

Laguna Madre Bay

I had intended to take more but I found that South Padre isn’t exactly picturesque. That isn’t to say that I didn’t have a good time, because I did. I just don’t think it’s especially pretty there. The island is highly developed, full of hotels and condos and restaurants and tacky souvenir shops. It’s also full of people. Perhaps I was spoiled by Maui; I was expecting less concrete, more jungle.

Laguna Madre Bay, looking back at the island

At any rate, the trip was fun, very laid back and relaxing. I went to the beach every day for long walks in the surf. It might have been romantic if I hadn’t been alone, haha. Fortunately, I found it conducive to overcoming writer’s block. I had a lot of great ideas walking along the South Padre beaches. I have to wonder if I might have taken better advantage of Maui when I lived there, if I’d only known that the beach had magical writer-enhancing properties.

Texas sunflowers

So I hope you enjoy these pics. And if you get the chance, take a nice long walk today. You might just come up with the next great American novel while you’re at it.

First Observations

I have to admit, moving to Hawaii hasn't been easy for me.  I think I'm a Portlander at heart, and leaving the city that I have loved so well for 10 years was hard.  Ultimately, I think that it was a good move.  It's only been two months, and we're both already doing much better both financially and professionally.

But Hawaii will never be Portland, and that is something that will take some getting used to.  By far, all of my favorite Hawaii moments to date have come from something out in nature.  This is an amusing irony.  As one of my friends put it (although she tried to take it back), it's "a shame" that moving to such an outdoorsy place was "wasted" on someone like me.

So I'm not known for my love of the outdoors.  But I'm digging them here.  Here are a few of my favorite places thus far:

1.  Iao Valley.  Cute parks, a river, a little waterfall, swimming pools, a fabulous view of the landscape below.  Absolutely stunning.  I love this place.

2.  Our favorite beach.  I have seen so many amazing things at this place.  Three weeks ago I watched tiny sand crabs get buried in their holes by waves, climb back out, and continue their searches for food.  Last week we found a blue lobster shell and a large light bulb with barnacles growing on it.  Today I saw a school of tiny fish jump from wave to wave, and we watched a sea turtle search the reef.  I am in love with this place as well.

3.  Mt. Haleakala.  Watching the sun set at 10,000 feet was an incredible feeling.

4.  Paia.  Adorable little town.  Cute shops and the loveliest little beaches I think I've ever seen.  We would like to live here.

The jury's still out as far as I'm concerned.  But this is where we are now, and I feel dedicated to learning to at least like it here.  I like to find these little things to love.  If I find enough, I think that a love for the whole island will begin to grow.