Summer 2014

Wow, it has been a busy Summer for me!  Four weeks of visits from grandchildren, 5 trips to San Antonio, Corpus Christi, and/or Austin to pick up and deliver kids, and all of the activities involved in the grandkids' visits.  I didn't have the time or energy to write a single post!

Let's update on our eating out...I tried to limit eating out because of the crowds and the expense.  However, it is just about impossible not to.  My oldest granddaughter doesn't like shrimp.  Yes, it's true.  Neither does her Dad.  I'm not SURE we are related!  The youngest, though, makes up for it by her constant craving for shrimp.

I don't have many pictures of food.  However, I'll share what few I do have - mostly taken with cell phones (which are not awesome phones with great cameras).

Clayton's:  We ate burgers, boiled shrimp, chicken strips, and nachos before the fireworks.  Quite pricey for bar food but you can't beat the view, the nice staff, the great music, and the outstanding beach-front fireworks.  Worth the price for our visiting grandkids.

Wanna Wanna:  We ate here 3 or 4 times during their visits.  It has the value of being close to our usual beach access point where we set up camp for the days on the beach.  They have bathrooms.  They have decently priced, generous portioned, meals in the shade.  The girls could split an order, I could grab a corn dog (which are surprisingly good) and I could get a shady break without breaking the bank!

My son enjoying a Fried Fish Basket at Wanna Wanna

The girls enjoying a Chicken Stip Baske

A cold drink at Wanna Wanna helps keep it cool on a hot Summer's day!

Schlitterbahn:  We went to Schlitterbahn Beach so many times I can't count.  We always took an ice chest (we have a backpack ice chest) filled with juice boxes and water bottles alomg with a bag of mostly healthy snacks...we finished with Dippin' Dots too many times to count, and once we ate lunch there (surprisingly good and not too pricey - burger and chicken strips for the girls, a chicken sandwich for me).  No pictures of food at Schlitterbahn but I must have taken a huge number of them playing and doing the Boogie Bahn.  Did you know, in the Summer, there are lessons available during the week, before the park opens, for the Boogie Bahn?  Lola and Audrey took one together, then Audrey took two more lessons by herself.  Only $15 per person per lesson... and money well spent for a small group lesson (4 at the most when we were there).  I think they liked going to Schlitterbahn more than the beach!

U-Mix:  Frozen Yogurt and toppings.  A child's land of delight.  I didn't have my camera, this was the end of a "quiet" day...shopping for souvenirs, a trip to Paragraph's for books and a new movie (it was supposed to be one for each of them, but somehow it ended up being three for each)...I can hardly say no when they give me the puppy dog eyes.  I'm a sucker.  Anyway, at the end of that excursion, they continued to deplete my coffers by our trip to U-Mix.  The staff there are extremely customer oriented and gave us samples (especially the one who didn't think she liked froyo) and was patient while they loaded their bowls with mixtures of frozen yogurt and a large variety of toppings.  Since they weigh your treat...I think I should have been a better supervisor of the toppings they were loading on their treat!  Again, crummy cell phone photos and my oldest grandchild's penchant for sticking out her tongue in every single picture she possibly can.  However, you get the idea.  Kids, and adults alike, love U-Mix.  A great addition to the island.

She tried to eat it all...but she just couldn't do it.  She loved it, but it was just too much!

She did finish hers...less toppings and a more realistic serving.
What is WITH the tongue???

We also ate at Daddy's (kid's meals were a hit with spaghetti and chicken strips) and I loved my usual order of red beans and rice and sausage with corn muffins.  Delish!  John had Grilled Shrimp kabobs. Very good food.  A few meals at Dirty Al's Pelican Station and at Dirty Al's in Brownsville, as well as Pirate's Landing.  Shrimp, Shrimp, and more Shrimp!

Lola and William had a really nice grilled flounder dish at Dirty Al's Pelican Station.  John had the Red Snapper Rockefeller - amazing and should be tried if you have the opportunity.  Audrey had shrimp cocktail and I got her to try some of my fried shrimp.  She was so surprised at how delicious it was, that's all she had whenever we would go out thereafter!  She had only had fried shrimp at a little place in Austin and she said it was awful.  I felt certain she would like the best shrimp ever IMHO...at Dirty Al's.  She did!  She also liked our family favorite of Shrimp Po'boys at Pirate's Landing...the bread is awesome and makes it extra special.

Sunrise on South Padre before a sea turtle release

We were fortunate to be able to see a sea turtle hatchling release one July morning, courtesy of the wonderful folks at Sea Turtle, Inc.  As a reward for the girls (and for me) cooperating on that very early morning adventure, we made one of our 3 stops at Captain Donuts.  For some reason my kolache photos didn't make it...but I had a few from after the turtle morning so here they are.  Yummy!

Island Coconut Coffee...yum!

The fun we had all Summer was outstanding.  Before kid visits John and I had a chance to try out Harpoon's Surf Bar.  My photos were not awesome...but the food was outstanding.  We had a rib-eye sandwich with onion rings.  The bread was awesome and everything between it, too.  Will return again very soon.

Thanks for stopping by and sharing my Summer's re-cap...it's been full of fun and good food!

Bon Appetit, Y'all!!!