Docked - and: summertime...

Docked.  Not our boat.  Well, it is at our dock behind the house, but I am talking about the SpaceX Dragon rocket and crew capsule: we watched them dock at the International Space Station this morning on NASA TV.  Quite an achievement, ushering in an era of private enterprise space travel.

After that, Joan went to work on her quilting project in process; the hours of cutting and assembling are done, and now on to even more hours of sewing and quilting.  But, it keeps her off the streets and out of the bars.  ;-)

Not much for me to do on this drizzly day except make some music.  I set up the MV88+ mic and went to work.  One take for the singing and playing, then about 4 times that to get titles on and sent to YouTube...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9SxFzuR9hV0&feature=youtu.be

The song is a cover of Van Morrison's Brown Eyed Girl, but I've been singing it as Blue Eyed Girl for my Honey for decades, because of those pretty blue eyes.  Hope you enjoy it.

Things that go boom...

There was a test firing at the SpaceX facility near us - things didn't go as planned...

-------------

Holding My Breath...

We were glued to the TV on Wednesday, in anticipation of the SpaceX launch.  Scrubbed because of weather.  We were back to the tube again this afternoon.  An hour before launch, all systems go.  Some concerns again about weather, but 30 minutes before launch, they were good to go.  Right on schedule... liftoff!

It was exciting to see the United States back in the space business, and the launch went off without a hitch...

In the first three minutes, I found myself holding my breath, with each significant change of status.  The booster rocket landed on a platform in the Atlantic, just like planned.  The two astronauts are in orbit, heading to the International Space Station.

I remember when I was a kid, watching the first manned space flights, seeing John Glenn as the first US astronaut to orbit the earth, and watching the Apollo 11 mission put the first men on the moon.

Then, it seemed like manned space flight became commonplace, until the explosion and destruction of the Space Shuttle Challenger, taking the lives of all seven crew members.  These are times that those of us of a certain age remember where we were and what we were doing when it happened.

Today, we were in our living room.  Rufus was on my lap... well, kinda on my side since I was also using my laptop.  It has been 11 years since a manned space launch from American soil.  They will be about 19 hours enroute to the ISS and will be on the Space Station for an anticipated 110 days.

Godspeed.

I couldn't take it any longer...

Breaking point?  Cabin fever?  Nah - we've been staying pretty close to home intentionally, while much of the Rio Grande Valley heads for the beach at South Padre Island.  The only time we've gotten off the island in the last few days was yesterday's boat outing.  But today, I was feeling "the call"... it is a drizzly day.  Not pounding rain; more of what I'd call "nuisance rain"... enough to get the windshield wet, but even on the slowest intermittent setting, not much call for the wipers.  Would it be enough to keep some people at home?  So we wouldn't have to deal with the inbound beach traffic on the way home, if we did get out?

I haven't had this pleasure since before we left Arizona... I was needing a Chick-fil-A sandwich.  The closest one is about a quarter of a tank round trip to Brownsville.  It didn't take too much convincing to get Joan in on this.  Off we go!

As we got close (well, about 5 miles away), Joan ordered with her Chick-fil-A app.  We would pull into a "Deliver to Your Car" and avoid the long drive-thru line.  That was the premise.  In actuality, there were a bunch of those "to your car" sites.  It took a while before anyone came to our car, and then it was to tell us they were out of parfaits... I think that is Joan's favorite part of lunch here.  So, they had to do a refund... apparently, the app can't do that.

It took a while, but our food finally came...

It has been over two months.  The only time I've gone that long without a Chick-fil-A sandwich has been while we've been in the Black Hills the last two summers, because (gasp) there isn't a single Chick-fil-A in western South Dakota.

It was like the good ol' days: we ate while driving.  The sandwich was as good as I remembered, and then all too soon... it was gone.  When we got back to our home town, the traffic wasn't bad, and I stopped to gas up the car.  Yep, about a quarter of a tank for that sandwich.  ;-)

Back home, I took Rufus out for some grass time in the wet grass... doesn't bother him a bit.  Plus, I think he appreciated the outside air temp that was about 10º lower than yesterday.

With that done, it was time for Joan to go back to work on another quilting project, while I recorded the next  "stayin' at home" video...

Hope it's a good start to your weekend!

Peaceful start to the day...

We decided a boat outing this morning would be a good way to start our day.  I got the boat ready, Joan made a mug of coffee for her (ice water for me), and we shoved off.

A great blue heron at the edge of the canal on the way out...

A beautiful morning - the temperature was 81º, partly cloudy, not too humid, and light wind.  No particular plan, other than going into South Bay.  Along the way, the bait shrimpers were all at work...

Yes, that is a dolphin right behind that boat.  ^^  And scads of birds...

Turning into the Brownsville Ship Channel, there was a Coast Guard cutter coming in...

We enjoyed our unhurried trek east in the ship channel...

At the opening to South Bay, we turned south.  This bay is shallow, but broad.  There are no navigation markers once you are out of the ship channel.  Well, these pvc pipes pass for a nav-aid...

At the southern end of the bay is the SpaceX facility...

It was a delight just slowly motoring along.  A look at the GPS here...

If it needs explanation: we are in 3.4' of water, going 2.4 knots, and the water temperature is 81.7º.  The depth go as low as 1.9' before I turned us around.  The photo above was after that turn-around, while heading NNW (335º).

Joan lamented that she didn't bring a book - "This is so relaxing."

Back to the ship channel, and a passing Gulf shrimper...

A passing dolphin and a pelican on a daymark...

Just before turning into the Port Isabel Channel, we came across George and Scarlet (Dolphin Whisper) Colley.  It was nice to see them out on their newest boat with just the two of them onboard; they have operated dolphin watch trips here for many years.

We headed for home.  If we needed stress free - this was it.  No dolphin extravaganza.  No having to dodge fishing boats.  We spent some time watching one of the bait shrimpers do their work.  Just a lovely morning.

Back at home, I cleaned up the boat, then the three of us sat out on the deck for a while.  I didn't take a photo of Rufus this morning, but here's one from the last bit of sunlight coming in yesterday...

Always nice to finish up with with some Rufus content.  :-)

---------------

Afternoon update:

I still participate on the NuWa Owners Forum.  They have a "clean joke" thread.  One of the things posted on that thread today was:

"How come we choose from just two people for President and fifty for Miss America?"


My response:

Regarding #12: Not to be political, but I think this would be a great way to pick a President.  Let them parade around in formal attire, a swimsuit, and show off a talent.  Then, after narrowing them down to the "Top 10," ask each a politically charged question.  Since this is arguably more important than Miss America, instead of a panel of judges, have America vote via internet.  Award a 3rd, 2nd, and 1st runner-up, with the understanding that if the winner is unable to complete their duties, or judged to be inept by the public at some point in the future, we start working our way through the also-rans.  The winner gets to carry the Presidential Seal while taking their walk on the runway and waving to the crowd.  Regis Philbin can sing, "There he is, Mister or Ms President..."  After the walk, the other candidates get to hug the winner while confetti rains down... and the credits roll.

No down side that I can see.  The whole election process is done in 3 hours (instead of the years of each election cycle).  Procter & Gamble, Ford Motor Company, and El Pollo Loco can sponsor it - we wouldn't have to slog through months of political ads.  Based on the fact that more people vote for a contestant on The Voice than in our general election, voter turnout should be good.

BoD...

Not talking about my physique - I went to the monthly Board of Directors meeting this morning.

There was a presentation by a CPA from the accounting firm that did our yearly audit.  A lot of talking to say that we are at about the same financial position as last year.

Then, owners were allowed to voice concerns or ask questions.  There was a brief discussion about the shit show that renters turn our island into during the summer.  And, how difficult to enforce the rules, then make any fines stick.  It's a bit like the parent that continually says, "Stop doing that!" but does nothing to the misbehaving kid.  The kid learns that there is no consequence.

When it came time for the board person responsible for security to give a report, he asked that it be tabled until next month.  Two more months of that and summer is over... then the issue goes away.  Yes, life in our little village is like politics everywhere.

Remember me telling about the lightning strike that sent Rufus straight up?  Lightning hit our security gate and fried the computers that run our security gates.  That leaves no one to be able to do a security patrol of the village, if one security person has to constantly be at the gate.  The folks in control of that are "looking into" adding more security.  In the meantime, the resort manager asked that people refrain from calling security unless it is "an actual emergency."

Most of the board members who are committee chairpersons had "no report" for their various responsibilities.  It reminds me of a long ago comedy bit by Freddie Prinze: "Not my job!"

The meeting was held in our Event Center, with chairs set up for owners with 6' spacing...

Not much accomplished.

Launched...

Nothing to do with SpaceX.

Thunderstorms rolled through in the middle of the night.  The local weather weasels were predicting it, with the possibility of flooding and hail.  Flooding is less of a concern on our island, since the water has a place to run off.  Inland from us, the terrain is flat - it makes for a widespread potential for flooding, especially in the rural areas.

For us last night, it was pounding rain, lightning and thunder.  Rufus doesn't get too wound up about the noises.  He sleeps at the bottom of our bed most of the time, and he didn't stir much.  I got up once to check outside when the pounding rain made me think it was hailing.  It wasn't.

I checked the boat first thing this morning, got Rufus fed, and went on with the rest of my morning routine.  It seemed like the storm had passed.

I was wrong.

Around 8:00, Rufus was on my lap when a flash of lightning hit close by, followed instantaneously by a huge crack of thunder!  He went straight up.  Then, all 16 pounds of him came straight down.  On me.  Followed by a forward leap off my lap.  That is the first I've seen the big furry boy riled by weather noises.  Yeah, that crack of thunder got my attention, too.

Joan made a run to the store this morning.  Well, to two stores, since she couldn't get everything she needed at HEB.  A stop at Wally World first... Mother Nature rained down upon her on her way back to the car. 

You can't trust Mother Nature.

There's a bathroom on the right...

If you said, "One of the most quoted incorrect lyrics of the CCR song Bad Moon On the Rise, 1969," you get 25 bonus points.

Feeling a bit of cabin fever this afternoon, I decided to go looking for the current scooter tag: your scooter with an interesting restroom door.

I guess folks around here are just happy to have indoor plumbing... cuz they aren’t bothering to decorate the doors. I probably could have found something indoors but felt it would be hard to socially distance in a jail cell. Just kidding, of course - pretty sure I was the only one in a 20 mile radius trying to keep space between me and anyone else.


No, I never found an interesting bathroom door.  I did get a hot, windy ride in, though.

How's that social distancing working for you?

I mentioned on one of the forums I visit that we'd be "cocooning" for the most part this holiday weekend.  And, at the same time, the resort where we live is being ever more populated with summer renters.  The place across the canal from us had even more people yesterday and last night.  They weren't nearly as loud, and were overshadowed by the volume from a place further down the canal.  With the doors shut and the a/c on, we didn't hear them.

How about the beach?  You couldn't pay me to go there on a holiday weekend, especially with the current situation.  Social distancing?  Someone on Facebook posted this screenshot from a beach cam yesterday...

I expect that it will quiet down a bit by Tuesday, but that is an unknown - there are still a lot of people not back to work, no school, and the draw of the beach.

When I went for a bike ride this morning, it is apparent by the number of parked vehicles that more people are here right now.  I saw quite a few "new faces" out walking, jogging, dog-walking.  One thing I didn't see much of: trash.  That's a positive.

Refreshing start...

... to the day and the weekend.

We decided an early boat outing was in order.  I took the cover off and got the boat ready to go; Joan had a fresh mug of coffee for her and an ice water for me.  Time to shove off.

It was quiet as we motored out our canal.  A look at the morning sun at the end of our canal...

That was looking east.  Turning northwest and out that canal...

Warm and humid, but the breeze felt good.  We turned west into the turning basin - a few vessels to check out...

Just south of that, we spent a half hour watching some dolphins feeding...

It was apparent they were feeding, so we gave them plenty of room.

See the eyeball in the above photo - they were watching us, too.

Moving on, and some bird watching...

Then, heading east in the ship channel...

We made our way past South Bay and into the jetties area south of South Padre Island.  They have added fencing around the new Event Center there...

There were people on both sides of the Brazos-Santiago Channel (between South Padre Island and Boca Chica Beach); mostly fishing, but once again not as crowded as I expected.  It is early, though.

Looking east into the Gulf...

I decided to take us up the bay side of South Padre Island, for an "island circle tour" of Long Island.  While there were more small fishing boats than we've seen in any previous outing since we've been home, it was far fewer than I expected.  The head boats (taking passengers out to fish in the bay) were all out...

That's the Queen Isabela Memorial Causeway behind those boats - surprisingly light traffic moving on the causeway at this time...

Turning northwest, with Port Isabel ahead...

The swing bridge onto our island was just coming back in as we turned that direction.  We waited for traffic to clear once it was closed, and called the bridge tender to get an opening.  He was uncharacteristically chatty today.  Getting our turn through...

This small island, an unofficial sanctuary for pelicans with broken wings, was nearly submerged with the high tide...

Then, time to head for home.  A lovely way to start this weekend.  Joan let Rufus out on the deck while I cleaned the boat.  He makes me chuckle as he follows along with me as I go from the hose bib to the boat, him on the deck, me below on the dock.  When I was done, I joined them on the deck.

I don't recall if I have mentioned this before, but Rufus is such a good boy...

:-)

----------

Afternoon update: traffic is now backed up all through and more than a mile out of town.

A "Two-Fer"...

Another "stayin' at home" video for the holiday weekend.  Two songs this time: James Taylor's You've Got A Friend, and the Beatles' Ticket To Ride.

This one is done once again with the MV88+ mic into the iPhone 11 Pro.  Easy to record and set up.  The Emerald X10 guitar, acoustically.

Joan is into another sewing project, this time for Rufus.  He generally doesn't read here, so it won't spoil the surprise.  ;-)

Summer changes...

The weather?  Well, it's hot and humid, but that is relative.  It is forecast to get to 86º here today, but that is 8 to 10º cooler than in the Valley (for reference: everything west of us is "the Valley").  That is the reason so many Valley people come to the coast: well, mostly for the beach.

I get that we are all individuals, but there is a pattern with many of the renters who come to this island.  In the winter time, it is mostly couples from up north who are looking to get away from the cold.  They stay for several months and generally bring a sense of community with their stay here.  They participate in local activities, help with beach clean-up, and are back home by the time the sun goes down.

In the summer months, it is generally people from the Valley who look for short-term rentals and bring a sense of "summer vacation" with them.  The pools are packed, looking much like the "caddies in the pool scene from Caddyshack."  Loud music blasting.  People fishing from docks all over... probably for the novelty of being able to toss a line in from right out the back door.  They come in large groups - there are at least 10 people in one side of the duplex across the canal from us.  A two bedroom duplex.  Three crew-cab pickups, an SUV, and a 4 door sedan.  At a unit that has parking for two vehicles.  Odds are pretty good there are more than 10, but I haven't been looking that close.

The pattern is often the same, with the blasting music and 20 fishing rods with a line in the water.  That generally quiets down after a few days and all the people they snuck in have gone home.  Litter in the water and along the streets.  Ten year olds driving golf carts.  Speed limits and stop signs generally ignored.

I know what you're thinking: "Jim, you sound like one of those old 'get off my lawn ya damn kids' kinda guys."  Maybe.  I just lament for the lack of regard for others.  As I ride my bike around the island, I see vehicles and boat trailers parked off the driveways and into the grass (a no-no because of the sprinklers and yard maintenance); vehicles sticking out into the street because they don't fit into the limited parking on each site.

The resort management puts out info about the things you aren't supposed to do, but doesn't do much to back it up.  Each site is privately owned and many people who do rent out properties do so privately, not through the rental office here.

I thought about this because a guy on one of the scooter forums asked what kind of riding people will be doing this holiday weekend... for us, it is more about cocooning.  The media is predicting over 50,000 people will be coming to South Padre Island in the next 4 days.  Bars are allowed to open today, with a 25% capacity.  That is going to be hard to enforce, and there are already posts on Facebook about "Don't report over-capacity at local bars and restaurants - those people are just trying to make a living."

We don't want to get caught up in the crowds and traffic.  I would consider taking the boat out, but it is supposed to be windy and a chance of thunderstorms the next 4 days (currently wind out of the south at 20 gusting to 32).  Getting out of town on the scoots would be relatively easy until Monday, but I'm expecting long traffic delays trying to get back into town.  A good portion of Port Isabel is essentially an island, meaning no "back roads" to get around the traffic until you are more than half way through town.

The traffic gets snarled up because there are two 4-lane highways that come together just outside of town... and only our 30mph main road through town to feed that traffic to the causeway to South Padre Island.  Stoplights that aren't timed for traffic.  Drivers who don't plan ahead and wind up blocking intersections because they couldn't clear the intersection on the green light.

The crowds will be...
The Day-Trippers: those that come to the beach for the day and go back to the Valley after supper.
The Weekenders: those that rent a motel or condo for the weekend, and pack as many people in there as possible, regardless of the registered sleeping capacity.
The Party People: those that come here to drink, dance, and scream a lot.  Some of them fit into the two categories above, especially if they aren't the ones who are paying for the motel or condo (including the damage deposit).  If they can't find a place to couple-up, they will get back in their vehicles and head west... you don't want to be on the roads for this.

Why do you put up with it?  Thanks for asking.  Most of the year, it is quiet and peaceful, especially on our little island.  We don't get anywhere near the crowds that pour onto South Padre Island.  It is small town living, with resort amenities.  While it is hot and humid during the summer, it is quite pleasant the rest of the year.  It is cooler on the water.  We have a dock on a protected canal right out our back door.  The character of the resort does change seasonally... spring and fall are our favorite times: the weather is generally lovely and there are way fewer people around.

We're OK with socially distancing.  ;-)

Tech stuff...

I was thinking about taking the boat out today, but Mother Nature blessed us with a thunderstorm this morning.  By the time it was done, so was my desire to wrestle with the cover.  ;-)

This afternoon, I was looking at posts on the scooter forum and decided to go out and try to get the current Scooter "Tag": your scoot with a "waxing salon".  Anything to do with wax (such as a candle shop) was offered as an alternative.  Joan suggested the Mobile RV Wax place not far off our island.

I took her scoot and got the tag...

Then used that same image for the next tag: your scoot with a mobile business.  How's that for efficiency?  ;-)

I stopped to check mail and then back home.  It is quite humid out there after the rain (that's not always the case).  Being the good guy that I am, I decided to reset the clock on her bike before I put it away.

My Vespa is classy, but quite simple.  Oh, it has handy stuff like a clock and an outside air temp readout besides the usual gauges, but Joan's Xmax has an extensive trip computer with all kinds of info.  To reset the clock on my Vespa, you press the button that reads "Clock" and adjust the hours and minutes with the same button.  To reset the clock on the Xmax, I had to get out the owner's manual... push and hold this lever while turning on the main switch; hold it for 8 seconds, push it the other direction to adjust the hours, then push and hold it for 3 seconds, then... it's a process.  I can see why Joan hasn't done it since we got back from Arizona.  But, it all works just like the manual says.  I checked other info as long as I was into the "Info Mode."  That is a slick bike.  I really like the "keyless" operation... just have the key fob in your pocket (or somewhere near) and you can operate all the stuff.  It was quite handy when stopping to take a photo.

Where the Vespa is classy and simple, the Xmax is sleek and modern.  Both are fun.  Clear examples of the difference between Italian and Japanese engineering.

Sedentary Man...

If you said, "Neil Diamond, 1966, from the album Feel of Neil Diamond," you lose 500 bonus points.  That was Solitary Man, not Sedentary.

I got out on my bike this morning, went out to check lines on the boat a couple times, and the rest of the day has been spent in air conditioned comfort.  It is hot, humid, and windy out there today.  There is agricultural burning in Mexico again, and that strong south wind is making for smoke in the air.  It looks like haze, but you can smell it.

I have taken Rufus out for some face-in-the-grass time.  When we went out mid-afternoon, he heard the pounding music of the neighbors (renters) across the canal, felt the hot/humid wind, and said, "Yeah, let's go back inside."  That's a first.

The timing was good, though: he got a thorough brushing and a pedicure...

He looks a bit scowl-y, but that blue thing above his head is his brush... and he loves being brushed.  Not a big fan of getting claws clipped, but he sat pretty good for most of it.

Because... all together now... he's a good boy.  :-)

I spent the afternoon...

... in my music room.

I experimented with different guitars, an amp in the background for ambient room sound, mic distance, and different setting on the mic.  That's the mic that connects to the iPhone for the video, not the usual mic I use for vocals.  For these tests, I settled on no amplification, guitar or vocal - just a guy and a guitar, simple video recording.  I did add an accent light, since the only other light in that room is an overhead fixture on the ceiling fan.

I recorded a dozen different songs, with the door open so Rufus could come and go, and Joan could listen from the living room and kitchen.

I recorded a dozen songs, maybe more.  No, I won't post them all, but here's a few...

Sitting relatively close to the iPhone and mic, I plugged the headphones into the back of the mic so I could hear what the iPhone was hearing.  I'm kinda liking that Princess Leia look.  ;-)

SpaceX

From the boat or when on the causeway, we can see that there is more structure at the SpaceX facility.  We though this might be a good morning to go check it out on the scoots: the temp was in the upper 70s, almost no wind, reasonable humidity... we left the house before 8:00...

Reasonably light traffic through town, and then a left turn onto Hwy 48 that takes you to Brownsville...

The photo above shows water in the low area just off the roadway.  And below, the Port of Brownsville...

It is an active port: they build and refurbish oil platforms there.  With oil being depressed, the port is also an active ship wrecking facility; three companies dismantle ships for the scrap metal.  And the usual import/export of oil, steel, grain, gravel, etc.

Just past the port, we turn south.

South to Boca Chica Road, then turning east for the 18 mile run out to SpaceX.  Into the sun...

The eastbound view of the Border Patrol Inspectation Station...

The road has recently been chip-sealed; not perfect, but an improvement over the last time we were on it (last year).  In the distance, we start to see some of the structures at the SpaceX facility...

There is a lot of nothing out here; the terrain is flat - that is the waters of South Bay that you can see in the far left of the photo above.  Getting closer...

I was surprised by the number of cars in the parking lot and alongside the road as we approached the facility...

This is way more than what you'd expect from the usual construction workers - there must be something going on here today.  Pretty much every place you could park a car was occupied...

We rode past the main facility, heading for Boca Chica Beach and the SpaceX testing facility.  Until...

The road was blocked.  Local and State Police at the barricades.  As I pulled up to the barricade, one of the officers asked me, "How did you get in here?"

"We're just out for a ride - wanted to see what the new construction was here."

He said, "This entire road is closed, all the way from Brownsville.  Did you drive around the unit on the road?"

I said, "There was a police vehicle right where the road construction signs were, but there was no one in the vehicle and it was parked in the center turn lane.  There were no 'Road Closed' signs anywhere along the way, just construction signs."

"There was no one in the vehicle?" he asked.  I'm guessing someone is going to be in trouble.

"No.  It wasn't parked like they were trying to stop traffic.  We don't want to cause any issues for anyone - we'll just turn around and head back home," I said.

"Where's home?"

"Port Isabel.  We're just out for a pleasant ride before it gets too hot.  Is there a launch today?"

"Just part of routine testing.  Ride safe, sir."

It wasn't an unpleasant exchange, once he could see we're just a couple retired folks out for a ride.  I didn't see anything in the local media about any activity at SpaceX today.  We turned around, riding past the facility again...

Plenty of standing water from Saturday's storm.  Here's a "drive by" video from NASA taken after the storm...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rlQStZ7LfG8

Heading west once again, there are a couple curves...

 

 Not anything we'd consider sporting, though.  Easier on the eyes going west at this time of day.  We passed this just north of the road...

It's a small aerostat, being launched by Border Patrol.  Then, our turn through the Inspection Station...

They waved us through without stopping.  We are close to the Mexican border here.  How close?  That's a portion of "the wall" at the center of the image...

And then, we were back in Brownsville again.  We turned north to get back to the highway; shared the road with this "Oversize Load" before our turn on the entrance ramp...

Plenty of truck traffic around the Port area.  We turned east on Hwy 48, once again looking into the sun...

Back into Port Isabel, someone with the power pole construction project finally got smart: they made two lanes heading towards the island, one lane heading away...

We pretty much had our own unoccupied lane this early in the day.  The traffic heading inland from the island was backing up, though - because of the stop lights in town and narrowing down to one lane that direction.  Joan asked, "How tough could it be to move a few cones and make it two lanes for whichever direction needs it at the time?"  Monday morning - yeah, people heading off the island after the weekend.

Highway 100 is 4 lane all through town; traffic normally flows reasonably.  During summer weekends, they generally have the traffic light flashing yellow to keep traffic flowing off the island on the weekends.  I guess the traffic control people don't think that's necessary, yet.  There's a very pretty large median between the east and west bound lanes, with tropical greenery...

Off the main drag and back to our island.  While I put bikes away, Joan let Rufus have some "face in the grass" time...

A good morning for all of us.

After changing clothes and having breakfast, Joan headed off to the store.  She was back way sooner than expected: "Traffic is a mess on the main road, coming off the island.  I just went to the Post Office and scrapped going to the store - it can wait a day or two."

Glad we got out early... except for "busting through a road block" (not), traffic was uneventful for our early outing.

A look at the route...

The reason for that out and about routing is the Brownsville Ship Channel, which runs diagonally from top right to lower left in that image above.

-------------

Joan finished another quilt project, a "kitty" wall-hanging for Steph...

The wall-hanging is a rectangle, the skewing effect is from my phone, not the quilt.