Sightseeing Wednesday

Even the turtles (this one is stuffed) celebrate Mardi Gras!

Wednesday is our "down day" as he doesn't golf and I don't have line dance...oh what a wild schedule we two oldsters have!  So, we tend to get out and about on Wednesdays.

Today we revisited South Padre Island, an area we both enjoy for it's sun and sand and good food.  We started at the Sea Turtle Sanctuary and learned so much from the wonderfully informative presentation given by the man in this photo.  The dog is a red healer that he found in the woods as a puppy and rescued him.  Since that time he has been trained in search and rescue and has found two little girls (alive, thank goodness) and one body.  Then he was trained to find sea turtle nests.  He has been credited for finding many nests, which is vital to protect the eggs from poachers and other wildlife.  

Vacationers who find them on the beach are encouraged to call 911 who then calls them.  Those finding the turtle are invited in to view the triage for their rescue and have the honor of naming them, which leads to some pretty cool names.  I particularly liked this one as the turtle does seem to resemble Rodney a bit.  Sorry Rodney, you get no respect!

Up close and personal with one

They rescue many sea turtles that wash up on shore and 85% of them are rehabilitated and sent back into the wild.  Only those not able to return are released to zoos and other places where they can live out their lives in comfort and provide an educational opportunity for many.  I wish the photos were better, but they were under tarps as the weather isn't warm enough for them, so due to lack of light and shooting through water the photos are pretty bad.


There's many interesting photos and videos as well as a live turtle cam at www.seaturtleinc.org.


Then we went back to Pier 19 to have lunch and I got to enjoy my last meal of shrimp habenero.  Colleen...I must learn how to make mango sauce/salsa.  It's wonderful in this dish!


On the way home I had Left Brain take me to the mall for one last round with my favorite Chinese therapist.  I treated myself to 30 minutes this time instead of my usual 10 or 15.  He speaks no English, I speak no Chinese, but he understands Visa and I know a good therapist when I find one.


So, tonight I fixed penne pasta with yellow squash, zucchini, onions  diced tomatoes with chilies and turkey sausage crumbles (Jimmy Dean - they are spicy and great) for supper.  Bit by bit we're using up the last of our food supplies and will run the pantry bare before leaving.  I love this because it guarantees we'll be eating out over the weekend.


We want to start out a little earlier than planned so we can camp a couple of more nights on the way up to savor every last possible night in our little canned ham.


Long Live the Queen of the Sea Turtles