TWO NIGHTS IN CORPUS CHRISTI, TX WITH C.J.

Corpus Christi is the Home of the Original Whataburger...a 2 story hamburger joint...I don't think this is the original first one....but it looks cool! The corporate office opened there in 1950 and there are 700 of them across America today. They moved the office to San Antonio in 2009.

We saw this kayaker both mornings and he was paddling far, far, far and then out of sight...and he crossed the barge lane. What a fool.

Our corner room at the Omni was on the 14th floor, with a small balcony...so we had excellent views with floor to ceiling windows. This is the USS Lexington. It's a museum on the bay with a flight simulator, theater, cafe and you can rent it for private parties...get more info online...take an online tour! We did not go there. The Texas State Aquarium is the white building on the far left. We didn't go there either. We just ate and shopped and talked alot and drove around the town. We visited a chocolatier and ate candy they make there everyday.

A nice cockeyed view of the street along Shoreline Blvd. Corpus Christi bay is BIG! It was fun to watch how the sunlight played & sparkled across the water and watch the designs in the water that boats leave behind.

The marina right down to the right of our hotel. They have ferries that run every hour over to the area of the Arts Complex, Aquarium and USS Lexington...for only $3. round trip.

This is one of the ferries....A/C and everything.

We watched barges going under this bridge out into the bay...big ones were pushed by tug boats. We also saw shrimp boats. We wished we had brought our binoculars. The building in the foreground is the new courthouse.

We got up at 6:30 a.m. today to watch the sunrise. Our hotel view was an always changing array of interesting things to see. It was fun to check out the seagulls, pelicans catching their dinner and big gray/blue herons. We went and walked along the sea for awhile around dusk last night. I had not seen the Texas coast in over 20 years and the water is still an ugly color and Corpus is industrial...but we didn't care. I could live there. After spending 4 years in Pecos...I could live anywhere.

In the background you can see the plants where they process corn products etc. The building w/ the columns is the old courthouse and it's BEAUTIFUL and falling down and creepy at night...save it...somebody save it!! It was built in 1914 and closed in 1977. The jail was up under the roof...I think those small windowed top 2 floors that you can see on the side of the main building. Many folks refugeed there during big, bad hurricane type storms that almost leveled the city over the years. It has a chain link fence around it now and there is a historical marker in front.
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Other observations: All during the drive down there I saw lots and lots and lots of cotton. Cotton growing, cotton drying on the plants, plants that had already been picked and HUGE pressed bales of picked cotton. They use well water to irrigate and I was SO proud of all those farmers for producing a good crop despite our terrible Texas Drought!
I saw many roadrunners. They were a-runnin' across the road....naturally.
I saw that I had just missed the Cowboy Homecoming Festival as I drove thru Pleasanton, Texas. Seems like it's a reunion with live music for 3 nights in a row. 
I saw this little dumpy bar off of the hiway near Pleasanton and it was Sunday afternoon and there were 4 or 5 cars parked out front...and to the side was a horse wearing saddle and bridle...tied up to a tree. Someone actually rode their horse to the bar! The old west still lives in the year 2011.
I always write down funny or interesting things that I see so I can look them up online when I get home. This trip I wrote: Big Foot Wallace Museum & Polk Stump Hollow. By the way- there are no squirrels in West Squirrel Creek...no water either....and there were no turkeys or water in Turkey Creek.
One thing I've noticed (on signs) is that depending on what part of Texas you are driving around in...a creek is also called a slough or branch or draw or gully.
That's all...thanks for reading my blog!