SPI’s ‘tourist seasons’ brings Island balance

When I moved to the island I knew that there were seasons. Not standard winter, fall, spring weather changes but, a variety of tourist seasons. Each season has it’s own mood, attitude, activities and occasional inconvenience.

But, that is why the island is interesting. We don’t have the urban entertainments that I thought I would miss. There will never be a movie theater showing 12 different movies and charging me $8.50 a ticket. No drive-through Starbucks, 24 hour restaurants, or bookstores big enough to get lost in. There are no restaurants you have never tried, and very few locals you have never met. Those of us who live here generally have a “wave hello” familiarity with each other and often know way too much about one another’s business. It’s like attending a very small high school.

The history of the place and why we don’t tell anyone

I have been coming to this island since I was a girl. My first visits were at an age when I would have been entranced by the idea of shipwrecks, excited by talk of pirates and fascinated by marooned families. Turns out, it was all in the history of the island and Port Isabel. But, I never knew about that. There were civil wars and stories of warrior Indian tribes long gone. The history here reads like the stuff of a 10 year old’s adventure book.  But, I never heard it then. Most visitors don’t.

The culture of the Island

I was asked recently to define and describe island culture. I found it one of the more difficult writing challenges to cross my path. It wasn’t that the island is short of culture but, that the islands culture is varied and eclectic. Most of us don’t come from the same geographic or ethnic background so the usual traditions and customs of a place don’t hold true here. Instead the culture developed from the types of personalities that arrived here.

I have heard a theory that certain curious types of people naturally gravitate to the end of the earth. They find themselves on the edge of the continent in places like Key West. Those types of people are generally described as eccentric, free spirit or just a little kooky.

Certainly South Padre qualifies as one of the ends of the earth. Indeed the theory could be proven by a quick survey of locals.

SPI remains a pirate’s island

A new season is beginning on South Padre Island. Winter Texans are emerging from their cocoon of winter coats and becoming the bronzed hooligans that their months spent near the sea awaken. Soon the Spring Breakers will turn up in all their colored enthusiasm and feel free to run amok for a few weeks. Later, summer families will giggle and do incredibly goofy holiday activities. They will make grandma ride the rented scooter, bury each other in sand sculptures and take odd photos in front of the shark at the Jaws store.

What is it exactly that causes guests to this place to behave so differently from their normal lives? Is it simply the freeing of their toes from uncomfortable shoes and socks? Is it the salt air that has a euphoric effect? Perhaps it is the time spent in a location where nobody knows your name. Regardless, South Padre Island seems to have some of these effects on local residents too.

Opinions are like...

There are many things said about opinions: You can’t be all things to all people. You can’t please everyone all the time. You can fool some of the people some of the time.

And my personal motto, “Your opinion of me is none of my business.”

All of these adages remind us of one basic concept—that everything is a matter of opinion and opinions are so varied and different that there is nothing that is perfect for everyone. This is why we Americans are such connoisseurs of choice. We have so many choices that it becomes overwhelming. A simple purchase of a can of soup can now take 20 minutes of debate, and chicken noodle has now been refined to chicken rice, hearth chicken vegetable with pasta, chicken wedding soup, etc. Then it has been further customized to add taste, remove calories, eliminate sodium and ease preparation. I find myself mystified by choice with every grocery store visit.

At least it’s not snowing on South Padre

Most South Padre Island natives were delighted with the 100-year meteorological anomaly that brought us snow three years ago on Christmas.

I had seen snow. Repeatedly. For years. In fact, it is why I moved 1,000 miles south. Clearly, it wasn’t far enough. That or the snowfall here was proof that some higher power has a sense of irony.

If small children in the Valley are wishing for a white Christmas miracle again, then please forgive me because I like things just the way they are. I am dreaming of a sunny, sandy, South Padre Island Christmas.

Orange brightens tropical style

I have never considered South Padre Island to be the cutting edge of fashion or trend, but when it comes to coastal style, maybe we are. We are decidedly beachy and tropical in all that we see and do.

It is one of our many charms.

Lately, I have been considering our beach style as it relates to color. It seems that a trend has been appearing everywhere on the Island. The outside world also seems to reflect this trend but doesn’t seem to be quite as bold in how it’s applied.

Good neighbors make sense

I was born and raised near Minneapolis/St. Paul. These two urban locations are generally referred to as the Twin Cities and often merged into one entity. However, most folks who haven’t lived in the area wouldn’t realize that these communities don’t like each other particularly well. To prove this, they have made life difficult by refusing to consult each other or compromise on things like street names. Thus, Grand Avenue Minneapolis and Grand Avenue St. Paul will continue to cause confusion and hopelessly lost visitors for years to come.
It seems foolish.

But it isn’t very different anywhere else. Every neighboring community with credible football teams become raving lunatics when their heavily padded 17-year-olds collide. It’s more of a continuing rivalry that rarely results in bad policy.

But it still makes you shake your head.

Everything is connected on SPI

For years, I attempted to keep saltwater aquariums. I had many successes—and many failures. Eventually, I felt it was just foolishness to kill precious sea creatures for my own interests. I realized that for every over balance in the ecology, nature provides a natural counterbalance.

For instance, a certain kind of algae called bubble algae often grows in new tank setups. It will take over and become disruptive unless you import a tiny emerald crab that will eat a bubble algae population to annihilation. Also, there are fish that clean parasites off other fish and starfish that live only off the poo of other fish. It seems that nature has answers to every problem.

Enjoy the beach’s wonders

The sea can offer up some amazing things. There is always a sense of wonder when an object turns up on the beach. Its origins are unknown, the possibilities endless and the softened edges and surfaces crusted with barnacles fascinating. It seems that when the sea gets ahold of a manmade article, it gradually reclaims the item—almost like an oyster coating a grain of sand, slowly turning the irritant to pearl.

Some of us are frequent beachcombers. Occasionally, the offerings are interesting. Drivers to the north beach tend to pick up the most remarkable findings, and I have heard stories of sticks of bamboo, glass fishing floats, teak carvings and household appliances.