Good Bye Rockport

A few of the "Happy Hour" gang gathered to see us off.

A fish fry with all the trimmings.
The fisherman are also the cooks.
Mike and Loretta, a couple in the park who made us feel really welcome.

Nanc kayaking on Little Bay.

A friend waiting for Jim to catch a fish.

Watersedge RV Park from the fishing pier.

Sunrise across Aransas Bay.

We are wrapping up our stay at Watersedge RV Park in Rockport and next week we will be heading a couple hundred miles south to Port Isabel. We have had a great time here and the longer we stayed the more we liked about the area. We have complained some about the consistency of the weather but, overall, it has been fine. Economically, it is much less expensive than Florida and it is not nearly as crowded. There is a lot to do in the area including biking, fishing, birding, kayaking, visiting the areas historical sites, museums and cultural events. We were disappointed in the local restaurants, finding them to be just so so. We tried at least a half dozen and really weren't very impressed. We thought the seafood would be better. We have made many new friends who made us feel welcome from the moment we pulled in. We have enjoyed the happy hours, fish fries, covered dish dinners, and holiday celebrations. This is the longest we have stayed in one place since we have been on the road and it has been a good place to pass the winter months.

One new adventure we had was renting kayaks so we could get out on the water and explore. Captain Tom from the birding tour delivered a trailer full of kayaks to Little Bay, just a short distance from the RV park. We had the afternoon to try as many as we liked. We started out in a tandem so Nanc could get her sea legs and be comfortable on the water. We each then used four other models to get a feel for different designs. Even though it was a little windy, we paddled around the bay to view the birds and along the canals looking at the beautiful homes. One thing we discovered is you do get a little damp in a kayak and, in Nanc's case, very wet if your sandals stick in the mud as you are sitting down in the kayak and you fall in the water. All in all we really enjoyed kayaking and are seriously considering purchasing two at some time in the future.

We enjoyed the last couple days spending time with our RV friends. On Saturday we met Gary and Deb Pearce and went to dinner at Pepito's in Aransas Pass. After dinner they invited us to their place for an evening of talk about our travels. It was great seeing them and their super friendly dog, Ellie. On Sunday afternoon we attended a concert at the Rockport Center for the Arts with Allan, Sharon, Mark and Renita. The performance included Carpe Diem String Quartet along with pianists, Michelle Schumann and eight year old, Antony Sutanto. We really enjoyed the concert and look forward to returning to Rockport in the future to take advantage of more of what the arts center has to offer. After the concert we went to the China A restaurant for dinner. We want to thank Sharon, Alan, Mark and Renita for treating us to a great meal which they gave as a going away gift. We also want to thank them for good conversation and the chance to get to know them better. It is really nice making new friends, getting tips and suggestions about all the places they have visited and where they plan to go in the future. It is wonderful being able to stay in touch via the Internet and, hopefully, meeting up again somewhere down the road.