Photo Adventure: Port Aransas

This weekend in celebration of all things summer and warm weather my family headed down to the beach. Port Aransas, to be exact, which is actually an island. Who knew Texas had a bunch of islands off it's coast? I sure didn't. The land around the coast of the Gulf is so different the the coastal areas of California that I'm familiar with. The land is all really flat and marshy, and people just wade in and fish as it's very shallow. It's just so different from the CA coast. The beach itself is quite short. The sand was equally as fine, and devoid of as much pollution as the California beaches. The waves are gentle and shallow, but still lap the shore gently to generate the calming beach sound. The main difference is that the water isn't freezing butt cold. In fact, it was a balmy 86 degrees on Saturday Afternoon. It was a quite magical experience. Also, I found myself in the jaws of a shark. It was quite casual.

The drive was about 4 hours long, and the cloud formations we saw were just stunning. I am telling you, the sky in Texas is just bigger. I don't know why or how, but it is so glorious. 

Then I had a strong urge to make a GIF, and it's all retro and fun. Look at the sky folks, LOOK!

I love going to the beach because you never know exactly what you'll see or find. It's like an Easter egg hunt on expert mode. I was prepared and took a mason jar with me to contain any shells or seaglass I discovered. 

I found lots of fun little things. The majority of the shells of the beach are fragmented, and it's fun to imagine what the segment belonged to or where it's been or what purpose it served. 

The whole beach was just teeming with families and colors and voices and music and life and it was beautiful. I love to see families enjoying nature together. 

I couldn't help but to make a GIF. And a seagull flies by, so that's a bonus. 

Speaking of seagulls, a whole gang of them tried to attack me over half a discarded barbecue chip. HALF a chip. HALF. A whole groups of 'em. I vaguely saw my life flash before my eyes. 

I scoured the beach for a good while and I found all of these little goodies which will be making a crafty appearance soon.

After a few hours my family meandered back to our hotel and got cleaned up, grabbed a bite to eat, and then made it back in time to see the sun set. It was truly stunning. 

This morning we strolled around the main drag of town and popped into a few shops. Each of them was brightly decorated and had unique outdoor decor. 

 I don't know if y'all know this, but I love candy stores. Not for the candy, but because of the easily photographable colors and textures.

This little weekend getaway was so fun. The beach was warm and inviting. The topography of the area was so beautifully different. Even the drive was enjoyable. It was so good to admire the scenery and be alone with my thoughts whilst listening to Chicago on CD. This weekend has been so jovial. I keep thinking about going back to school on Monday, But that's not happening. Hello Summer!

P.S.
If you need some help packing up for the beach my friend Jessica made a wonderful video to help you out, It's a wonderful use of 7 and a half minutes. Really. Go watch it.