Libby_or_Bust

Rey, Rosalva and I finally made it to South Padre Island a few days before I left. We´d had quite a few false starts in going because it had been so windy, but two Fridays ago we drove the 26 miles and spent the afternoon on the island. That will probably be the first and last time I ever go there, which is not to say I had a bad time — quite the contrary — but that an afternoon in the low season is all you need. We parked at a public access and took a little walk down the beach. I love the ocean. It was Torch Lake cold though, so all I did was say hello with my toes. Rey and Rosalva set up a game on the sand in view of the car and after I was done looking at shells (that is, done for the moment. Looking at shells and other miscellaneous sea debris could pass a lifetime) I joined them. The game is tossing pennies (we had to switch to quarters after a while because the wind handicap was too strong) from one line in the sand to another line in the sand about 8 feet away. We played for at least two hours, and though you would think it might get boring, just tossing change around the beach, it was engrossing for the whole time. Little did I know what a great trash talker Rey is! It was hilarious. All in Spanish of course, but before a toss he´d say things like, “If you beat this throw, then you´re good at this game´´ and if he won he´d be like, “I beat you!´´ But it was all in good fun because if he lost he wouldn´t be mad or anything, just laugh and congratulate me or Rosalva or say he couldn´t believe we´d beaten him.

The sun began to set and the wind picked up, so I left the game to get a few souvenirs from the sea. It was getting dark and I´d worn my perscription sunglasses, so it was getting really dark for me, though I was still able to find some neat shells. One thing in particular caught my eye, a bumpy, odd-colored shell with a jagged edge. As I bent down to pick it up for a closer look, I realized it was a half-eaten pickle. Dill. Haha, just kidding, it tasted like saltwater. I mean, I _bet_ it tasted like saltwater…

We left the beach to the setting sun. After eating a big, American meal (hamburgers, of course) at Blackbeard´s and stopping at a cavernous souvenir shop on the way out (One tequila, two tequila, three tequila, do people seriously buy this sh*t?), we headed home.

The next day we were all sore from bending over to pick up our change in the beach game, but we all agreed it had been a great afternoon.