Surfside Texas

Apparently, I miscalculated somehow. My thinking was that I would stay in the hill country through the fall colors and then move south to the gulf coast where it would be warmer. But while the thermometer says it is 10-20 degrees warmer here in Surfside(at least for the night time lows), the humidity and wind more than make up the difference. And the uninsulated tile and hardwood floors and porous windows on the house I rented don’t help. So, if you are coming to visit, don’t forget your warm fuzzy slippers and a jacket. Ok, I know an artic front blew in a couple of days before I left Bandera and has hung around and I’ve been under the weather for the couple of days I’ve been here. Is it just cold or did I have a fever? I suspect it may have been a little of each.

Anyway, I’m feeling better now. Surfside is very quiet, with most of the houses being rental houses and almost all of them empty. I did get dressed up warm enough this morning to take a nice walk on the beach and take these pictures looking east and west down the beach in front of my house.

The positive side to the weather is that the beaches are nearly deserted. In an hour of walking I saw only one other person, who quickly walked out to the beach and turned around immediately and went back inside. Seemed very strange until I reached the area and realized they had thrown out some bread and the gulls and other birds were quickly gathering. Seems the birds greatly outnumber the people on the beach at this time of year. Although, on the first night I was here there was a group of about 10-12 people who had built a big bonfire on the beach and were standing around soaking up the warm. It looked like a lot of fun, but I was unsuccessful in taking a decent picture of it.

Above are pictures from my front porch. I’m the last house on the east end of Surfside, and these pictures are of the beach, dunes and vegetation looking east. Unfortunately, I am immediately behind another house which obscures the direct view of the beach so I’ll have to settle for the oblique views.

Finally the crossover to the beach in front of my house. Accesses to the beach, for both people and cars, are everywhere here, but I thought this one made a nice picture.