What I Did on My Surprise Vacation

Last week on my surprise mini-break, Live-In Handyman treated me to a couple of days in Port Aransas. Or as it's affectionately known to most Texans - Port A.

Port A is located on the northern tip of Mustang Island, a barrier island in the Texas Coastal Bend, just north of Padre Island and Corpus Christi. Interested in the pronunciation? Aransas rhymes with Kansas. Not Arkansas.

We followed storms to the coast.

Even the seagulls were too wet to fly :)

So we stayed indoors and enjoyed an awesome pizza here. And maybe a beer. Just sayin'.

The next morning dawned bright and sunny.

Port A was preparing for SandFest, and we got up-close and personal.

Coming back through the dunes, we saw many of these.

And then we spent some time on the deck.

But the trip wasn't complete until we found ... Tiki Huts!

Happy Monday!

Comments

Anonymous said…
That must have made you feel right at home.
Joanne said…
Beautiful. I can smell the sea air and feel those breezes from here! What a perfect getaway.
Ciara said…
Sounds like a great mini-break. I've always been in awe over those sand sculptures.
Slamdunk said…
We used to enjoy dolphin viewing there. My father lives on North Padre Island.
Luanne G. Smith said…
I knew those live-in handy men were good for more than just fixing a leaky sink. What a fun surprise getaway. I'd love to look at those sand sculptures, while sipping a drink under a tiki hut. :)
That looks so tranquil! It's got to be refreshing rain or no.
Thanks for sharing with us.
I like your help with pronunciation.
At our house we joke about Arkansas sounding like R-Can-Sass.
:)
Heather
Talli Roland said…
Fabulous! I wanted to explore more of Texas when I was there, but the only island I ever got to was Galveston.
Linda Kage said…
Cool! I'm so jealous. Sounds like a lovely time.
Carol Kilgore said…
Delores - Of course :)

Joanne - It was WONDERFUL!

Ciara - So have I.

Slamdunk - One of the boats goes out for dolphin viewing every evening. But the ferry is free, and dolphins are plentiful :)

L.G. - Live-In Handyman is handy at lots of things :)

Heather - Totally relaxing. Love your Arkansas pronunciation, LOL!

Talli - You'll just have to visit again...not in summer.
Carol Kilgore said…
Linda K - Ooops, we crossed. Fabulous time :)
Elspeth Futcher said…
How lovely! Thanks for sharing the pictures.
Johanna Garth said…
That looks like so much fun!
LR said…
Just looking at those photos was like a little getaway. :)
M Pax said…
Looks like a wonderful weekend. Cool on the tiki huts.
Anonymous said…
Oh wow! Double wow! Amazing! Tell me more about those sand scultpures i've always wanted to know how to do them. My dad used to do ice scultping in Canada.
Tracy Jo said…
What a great trip! My parents go there almost every year in their RV and love it. Tiki Huts, Beer, Pizza, Beach, Sun and Sand...can't go wrong.
:-)
Linda G. said…
Looks positively lovely! I do miss the Texas coast.
Julie Flanders said…
Yay for the tiki huts! Looks like a beautiful place, glad you had a nice time. :)
What a fabulous place to go , the pics looked awesome.


Yvonne.
It wouldn't be complete without Tiki Huts!
I bet SandFest was cool.
J.L. Campbell said…
Looks and sounds like you had a relaxing time. My handyman should be so proactive. :)
Anonymous said…
Great pictures, Carol. Thanks for sharing them. It makes me want to have a getaway soon.
Carol Kilgore said…
Elspeth - Love sharing :)

Johanna - It was fun!

LR - Cool :)

M Pax - Great time!

Madeleine - Nothing is used except sand and water. They are allowed to spray on sealant when the sculpture is finished. They were all sculpting from plans, and they had all kinds of tools from levels and trowels to shovels and spreaders to spatulas and knives.
Anonymous said…
Lovely! Gorgeous views. Even with a little rain. :)
Carol Kilgore said…
Tracy Jo - Small world! There are a LOT of RV parks down there.

Linda G - Come back and visit :)

Julie - It's very much 'Texas' :)

Yvonne - Thanks. Port A is a fun spot on the map.

Alex - I didn't see a sand tiki hut, though :)
Carol Kilgore said…
J.L. - Give him a chance :)

Medeia - I know that feeling. I want another one :)

Michelle - I thought so, too :)
Jennifer Shirk said…
WOW!! Looks so pretty. Glad you had a nice time!
Unknown said…
Wow, what a cool vacation. I'm glad you had fun and I'm glad you found sun and tiki huts.
Janet, said…
How appropriate! I bet you had a great time.
Carol Kilgore said…
Jennifer - It's a very laid back town, so very relaxing.

Clarissa - It was just too short :)

Janet - You'd win that bet!
Sounds like you had a wonderful getaway, and how fun that you found tiki huts! Julie
Rula Sinara said…
Sigh. That looked so nice and relaxing. Glad you had a break!
Carol Kilgore said…
Julie - We did :)

Rula - Me, too! It wasn't long enough, though.
Arlee Bird said…
Sounds like a great getaway. I need one too.


Lee
Places I Remember
Wrote By Rote
An A to Z Co-host blog
Beautiful, amazing photos. Thanks for sharing!

Riya
Carol Kilgore said…
Arlee - Port A is fantastic! And we had a wonderful few days :)

Romance Reader - You're most welcome. Thanks for commenting and following :)
These shots are so great! I had a little chuckle at the tiki huts :)
Carol Kilgore said…
Laughter is good :)

I'm moving up. The very first tiki hut here on the blog was an umbrella in my backyard!
G. J. Jolly said…
Sorry I took so long to get over here to read about your adventure last week.

I have been through most of the US, including Texas, but I have yet to see the coast of Texas. It looks so beautiful. I must talk my husband into a vacation there.
Carol Kilgore said…
Glynis - The Texas Coast is very laid back and welcoming.

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