37 Port Isabel

     Mr Google said it was around 180 miles to Port Isabel  we were again on a highway designed for speed and not scenery.  Highway 77 took us by some farm land that was actually tillable.  We hadn't seen much of that in Texas, mostly barren pastures with rocks of all sizes.  I had hoped to see some of the rice farmers we had heard about in Lago Vista.  Because of the drought the water controllers are threatening to cut off the water for them to grow their rice.  We were on our way to an appointment.  Last summer when we were letting our friends know of our travel plans, one of my former classmates ( you must think I was in a large class, not so 39 wonderful souls.)  invited us to Port Isabel.  They had been going down there for a month in the winter.  We had the information and were determined to join up with them. 
     On the way we drove through San Benito the birthplace of Freddy Fender.  I mentioned it to a lady later in the week when she said she was from there, she didn't seem impressed. We seen several of these truck/car caravans, we were told they are being transported to Mexico.   Our GPS brought us to the Southwind Inn, looking for a place to stop we drove past the front parking area and around to the rear in a vacant lot next to the motel,  immediately people on a upper deck started talking to us, from Canada and the upper midwest, they all knew Lonnie and Jane,  many of them do this get together every year.

Banana tree behind SouthWind, reminded me of
little shop of horror's.  

We were getting to know this friendly bunch when a man came around the corner and said dinner was ready, (who was that?  The friendly deck  group didn’t seem to know.) I left Ruthie visiting with the welcoming committee and walked around to see if we could get a room.   It is the off season here so Ron and Cecilia soon had us all fixed up with a reasonable room.  We pulled up in front of our room, this was going to be nice, a small kitchenette in one corner with a folding table,  we were set.  We were covering the trike and Mr "dinner is ready" came again and said come join us for dinner, it’s all ready out back, (who is this man) I know, but this is how we meet people.  We followed him to the rear of the motel.  He had the grill going beef, chicken ,  fish, (he says he likes to be prepared you never know who is going to drop by) Ruthie checked our cooler to see what we could contribute to the get-together.  Cheese and crackers, wasn't much but Manny and his wife didn't seem to mind.  They lived inland from here in Mission TX and just came here for a little getaway.  We dined and visited with them until Lonnie and Jane came home.   It was great to see them again.  We visited until late, cleaned up and went to bed, quite a first evening in Port Isabel.
  

    The Southwind is directly across from an interesting cemetery.  In this area they make an art out of decorating the graves of their loved ones,  It seemed that a few of them made their living by shrimping and had shrimp boats etched on their markers.  Lonnie and Jane are quite the tour guides,  we usually walked to a local restaurant for breakfast then maybe out on the fishing pier to see how Joe the pie man was doing.  Joe and Carol are from a small town near us in Minnesota,  they have a apple orchard and reportedly make awesome apple pies.

  One afternoon they drove us down the beach on South Padre Island.  Very relaxing, I climbed a near by sand dune with a chair, relaxed and watched Ruthie, Jane and Lonnie strolling the beach searching for shells and hermit crabs.  Sometimes Ruthie and Jane would outpace us and go looking at the shops, they get along very well.  I like to think of Jane as Ruthie on steroids.  Lonnie and I just hung back and stayed our of their way.  We purchased a couple of souvenirs and they are hauling them home for us.

     We were very much at home here, unique shops and restaurants within walking distance.  In the afternoon sometimes we took a trike ride.  Old and new friends.  What's next?