Our Week in Matagorda

This was the first year that neither of the kids were home for Christmas, so John and I decided to spend the week at the travel trailer in Matagorda. We did not put up a tree. The only decorations were two poinsettia place mats and a Christmas candle.

Inside the Trailer

The weather was not the best. From Sunday to Christmas Day it went from really cold, to warm, to cold, to warm again. Each front that came through brought rain. Low clouds obscured the sun most of the time. And one day the fog was so thick that John and I walked right past each other on the beach and didn't know it.

Foggy Day at the Beach

John's big Christmas gift this year was a fishing light.

Shining a strong beam of light on the water at night attracts the bait, which in turn, attracts the fish. On the nights it wasn't too cold, I joined John for nighttime fishing on the river. Everything I caught was too small to keep, but John caught one keeper trout.

My big Christmas gift was a deck we built for the trailer. I love the way it turned out! It provided us with a nice clean, dry place to sit and watch the comings and goings on the river.


I passed on the kayak fishing this time since the weather wasn't that good, but John didn't let the cold and wind stop him. He caught two nice redfish, which gave me an opportunity to photograph the pelicans at the fish cleaning table.

Patiently Waiting

Fighting for Fish Scraps

Mine! Mine! All Mine!

We left Matagorda sooner than we planned when we got word that my grandmother passed away in Oklahoma. She was 93 years old and a faithful Christian. Though her passing was sad for us, it was a victory for her. I am confident she is in a better place and I am comforted.

But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. ~ 1Cor. 15:57

One December Weekend

We had the beach to ourselves on Friday, due the weather, I'm sure. Though it was cold and gray, my spirits were lifted just the same as if the sun had been shining. I found some pretty shells including my first unbroken Scotch bonnet and John picked up a few sea beans to add to his growing collection.

Beachcombing

The next day dawned bright and sunny, though cold to start with. John went kayak fishing early, but I decided to stay in until it warmed up a bit. An hour or so later, I layered on the wool and took a walk around the RV park. The light was just right for reflections; I had some fun with the camera.

Colorado River

Chilly Morning Boat Ride

In the Wake

Marina Reflection

By lunch it had warmed up enough that nothing more than a long-sleeve shirt was needed. The fish weren't biting from the river bank, so we went to the beach for more beachcombing. It was so beautiful, we stayed until just before sunset.

Matagorda Beach

Then, back to the travel trailer where John grilled two of the speckled trout he caught the night before for our supper, along with potatoes and roasted corn. For dessert, we toasted marshmallows over the coals, while sitting under the starry sky and planning our return next weekend.

B&B

This weekend we had an opportunity to spend the night at the Stanley-Fisher Bed & Breakfast in Matagorda, Texas. Our stay was wonderful and I highly recommend the Stanley-Fisher should you ever travel this way.


This historic home was built in 1832 which makes it one of the first houses ever built in Texas. It was constructed for Stanley Rhodes Fisher, an early Texas colonist, signer of the Texas Declaration of Independence, and Secretary of the Republic of Texas Navy. It is likely that Stephen F. Austin and Sam Houston were guests here from time to time.


Current owners, Rik and Peggy Stanley, have beautifully restored this home. Upon our arrival they greeted us warmly and took us on a tour, relating to us the history of the house and its previous owners. At the top of the stairs just outside the room we stayed in is a cozy sitting area for reading (or knitting!).


Tastefully displayed throughout the house are bowls and baskets of shells collected from nearby Matagorda Beach. Peggy told us of some of her other beach finds, which included two bottles with messages inside. One was launched from a cruise ship in the Gulf and the other was launched from New York as a science class project.


After a restful night's sleep and a delicious home cooked breakfast, we were ready for a little beachcombing of our own. John began his search back in the dunes for sea beans. I joined him later, but first walked along the surf looking for shells.


My best finds of the day were a perfect sand dollar and my first sea heart.


After lunch at Spoonbills, we put the kayaks in for fishing at McNab Lake. The fish were hard to find, but John managed to catch two undersized trout and one flounder big enough to keep. I didn't even get a bite. Oh well, there's always next time...

Saturday Blessings

This hymn is one of my favorites:

Praise God from whom all blessings flow;
Praise Him, all creatures here below;
Praise Him above, ye heavenly host;
Praise Father, Son, and Holy Ghost!

It reminds me to give God thanks for the blessings of life. As we sang this beautiful song on Sunday, I thought back to the blessings of the day before.

Thank you, God for a loving husband who enjoys spending time with me so much that he taught me to fish so we could spend even more time together.


Thank you, God for the beauty of the early morning.


For the way the light is soft and warm.


For revealing your power and divine nature in what you have made.


Thank you for all blessings, both great and small.


Help me to never take any of them for granted.

Kayak Fishing

I had a chance to take a picture of John modeling his hat.

It's going to be a while before the weather is cold enough for him to wear it for real, but it will come in handy for late night fishing from the pier or early mornings in the kayak this winter. It is yet to be seen whether I will be joining him on his famous extreme weather fishing trips. I'm not sure I'm that obsessed with fishing yet, though I might be. For now I'm happy to keep the wool packed away and enjoy the gorgeous, warm (but not hot) weather we've been blessed with lately.

Saturday we spent most of the day kayak fishing in the marsh.

It can be a bit tricky to manage the boat in the wind and current and fish at the same time, but I'm getting much better at it. Even though the wind was blowing steadily, I was able to maneuver the boat and hold it where I wanted it most of the time. The fish weren't very active, but were biting just enough to keep it interesting. When we broke for lunch at Spoonbills, we didn't have any keepers to brag about...yet.

We returned to the marsh later in the afternoon and paddled down a different channel that brought us to a small lake we had not been to before. I had a good feeling about this place and sure enough, a few casts later I was rewarded with a pretty one.

"Pretty one" is my name for speckled trout. I call it that because it's such an elegant looking fish, so wonderfully designed. Its colors are gorgeous: iridescent green, silver and gold freckled with dark spots. Not only is it pretty, but it's a feisty fish on the hook and exciting to catch.

The day ended with a beautiful sunset and a fish on the stringer. What could be better than that?

How many are your works, O Lord! In wisdom you made them all; the earth is full of your creatures. There is a sea, vast and spacious, teeming with creatures beyond number--living things both large and small. ~ Psalm 104:24-25

This is More Like It

This weekend was much more typical than last. You could say we're back to normal, except I don't know how many people would agree that we were normal to start with.

Our Friday evening date took us to Matagorda for dinner at Spoonbills and a walk on the beach at sunset. Then off to Palacios for fishing from the First Street Pier, which somehow survived the hurricane even though it was under water during the storm except for the benches at the end. Click here to see a picture of the waves crashing the pier during Ike (6th picture down).

Sunset Behind the Dunes

Saturday after lunch we ended up in Matagorda again. In case you're counting, that makes three trips in a week! By the light of day we could see better how the hurricane changed the beach. It looks to me like erosion from the storm surge has moved the water line closer in and taken out about four feet of the dunes.

We fished at Three Mile Lake, which looks a little different too. It's a bit disconcerting to see so much change all at once. Everything was familiar and strange at the same time. The weather even has a different feel to it. Though the temperatures were high, it didn't feel like summer. Fall has arrived.

Fishing Three Mile Lake

Soon it will be cool enough to wear a sweater. Good thing I'm almost finished with my tee. As you can see, it's in pieces right now.

In Pieces

I have to finish knitting the last sleeve, then work the neck and sew it all up. It won't be long!

What About Matagorda?

Thank you for the concern, prayers and thoughts you extended to us during hurricane Ike. We are home now and all is well--no damage to our house and the electricity is working.

After a busy day of putting everything back to normal at home, we decided to take a drive to Matagorda to see how things fared there.

Our first stop was the launch site for McNab Lake. The water was high. You cannot even see the channel anymore.


The picture below shows how it normally looks.



We were happy to see our favorite restaurant, Spoonbills, is in good shape. Wind damage did not appear to be significant in Matagorda. It fared well in that respect, even better than our town.


In place of the usual Spoonbills sign was this one. It sums up how we all feel about Ike.


On the way to the beach we began to see the results of the tidal surge. It was obvious that the water had come up high enough to cover the road. Lots of debris from the river was left behind. The road had been cleared, but the piles remain.


In some places the debris mounds are taller than me.


Our favorite RV park is closed for now, at least until the debris can be removed.


I was expecting to see some of the same on the beach, but it was clear and clean looking.


However, the surge did damage the dunes. Here you can see how the water cut into them.


All in all, Matagorda is in very good shape. At one point, hurricane Ike was projected to hit Matagorda directly. All the horrible pictures of destruction you've been seeing of Galveston could have been Matagorda, only worse because there is no seawall for protection.


Our town would have been heavily impacted as well. We were very fortunate.

Comfort in the Storm

All is well with us. We hooked up the travel trailer and escaped to Comfort, Texas on Thursday. The evacuation process went smoothly--no traffic jams like last time. It seems many people decided to stay and ride out the storm.

Sunset

Last night as the sun was setting, I thought of those that stayed behind and said a prayer for their safety. My sister stayed and so did John's brother and family. They both live on the north side of Houston.

We received good reports from both of them this morning. My sister said the wind howled for hours, but her home is in good shape. John's brother was on the "dirty" side of the storm. We've only been able to text message him. He says they are fine, but have downed trees blocking them in on all streets. Neither of them have electricity. We thank God for keeping them safe.

We've also talked to our neighbors that stayed in Needville. There is only minor damage on our street. Our basketball goal was blown over. We've been wanting to take it down anyway, so I don't consider this a loss. A few small tree limbs are down. And power is out on our street, though many in Needville still have electricity.

Moonrise

Hopefully the power will be restored before long. We plan to go home tomorrow if it is.

Sunny Skies

Checking in quickly to say thanks for all the nice comments on my new scarf and to let you know that all is well here with the weather.

Hurricane Gustav did not effect our area, except to churn up the Gulf and cause higher than normal tides. We tried to drive on Matagorda Beach on Monday. The tide was out (I think), but the water was still high enough that it forced us to drive near the dunes where the sand was too fluffy for our four-wheel drive Jeep. We turned around before we got stuck.

Later in the day, beach access was being denied to all but four-wheel drive vehicles and even then they were discouraging people from attempting it. The water was up higher than it was in the morning. We were told that someone was stuck 13 miles down the beach. I'm not sure if they were trapped by the water or if they were stuck in the sand. Either way, it's a long hike out!

I didn't get any pictures of the beach Monday. All the pictures in this post were taken last Thursday. You can see the water was calm and beautiful then--the prettiest I've ever seen it. Monday it was rougher, but not violent. Surfing conditions were favorable and many surfers were there to take advantage of it.

It's proving to be a very active hurricane season, so we'll continue to keep a watchful eye on the Gulf and be prepared to leave if we need to. This is the way of life when you live near the Gulf of Mexico.

Morning in the Marsh

It was early--very early.


Somehow John convinced me to wake up at 4:00 a.m. on Saturday to go fishing in the marsh. We left the house at 4:30, arrived in Matagorda at 5:30 and launched the kayaks right around 6:00. There was just enough light in the sky for us to see where we were going without the aid of a flashlight.

Paul, John's brother, was with us. He got his boat and gear ready before we did, so we bid him good luck as he paddled off. We told him we'd meet him later at McNab Lake. John and I didn't rush the one mile paddle to the lake, but stopped to fish the oyster reefs along the way and enjoy the sunrise over the marsh.


The marsh is a beautiful and mysterious place in the early morning light. Sitting low in the kayak, all you can see is cord grass, sky and water. We were lucky to be shaded by clouds early on, but later the sun broke through with its full force and the heat began to build.


When we finally arrived at the lake we heard Paul whistling for us and calling for help. At first, we thought he was in trouble, but as we got closer, we saw his rod bent nearly in half and realized the help he needed was in landing a whopper of a fish.


Now this is a fish story that John and Paul tell much better than I ever could, so if you're interested in such things, you can check out their blogs. The landing involved a lengthy kayak tow to the far shore, some quick work with the net and above all, endurance and determination of man over beast. The catch was an alligator gar with an estimated weight over 40 pounds and a length of 43 inches.

We fished until about 11:30 and those leaving with fish for supper were the ones with the most experience. Paul brought home two redfish and John caught a flounder and a redfish. The only thing red in my boat was the sock I brought along to take a picture of. I've delayed starting this second sock for about a month. This week I'll try to complete the pair.


The paddle back to the launch-site was hard work against the current and by this time of day it was extremely hot. I have a tendency to overheat easily and though I'd been careful to stay hydrated, it wasn't enough. As we were loading the kayaks and gear, I realized I'd gotten too hot. John and I had to cut our day in Matagorda short and head home so I could recuperate. It was disappointing to say the least, but we made up for it on Sunday after church with a return trip for lunch at Spoonbills and a drive on the beach...this time in the comfort of an air-conditioned Jeep.