Our tax dollars at work...

What a gorgeous morning!  The weasels are calling for a change by this afternoon, so when Joan said, "Do you want to go out first thing, and we'll clean up and do breakfast when we get back?"

Well, yeah!

I got the boat ready, Joan sliced some fruit for morning snacks...

We shoved off a bit after 8:00.  The sun has already been up for an hour.  This guy was waiting at the end of our canal...

No plan or destination, we just wanted to be out to enjoy the morning.  This blew by us at over 50mph...

Customs and Border Protection, a fast boat.  By the time I got the camera turned on and focused, it was already by us.  Surprisingly little wake for as fast as it was going.  Hard to see in this photo, but there are 4 outboards on the back of that boat... yep, built for speed.

Looking to the east, the light is still low in the sky...

The sun is under the bimini at this hour...

She's a happy girl: has her coffee, barefoot, and enjoying the warmth; and, the sparkly water...

Heading east in the ship channel, we didn't hear this until it was past us.  Again...

Ahead: South Padre...

Going the other direction - a US Coast Guard small boat...

I think I saw a fin ahead, in the distance...

Yep.  Same area where we saw them feeding yesterday.  Clouds at the eastern horizon made for some contrasty light.  These guys were fishing from shore...

And getting some dolphin watching...

Dolphins by the ranger markers...

Dolphins by the green buoy...

Yep.  Dolphins...

This is a Texas Game Warden boat...

And, dolphins.  And, dolphin tails...

Yes, the water looks different depending on which way you are facing, into or with the light.  We couldn't tell what government entity this boat is from...

Ah, another Texas Game Warden boat...

It was pretty much the government boats and us out there this morning.  I'm guessing they used more fuel just starting up than we used in the last 3 days.*  ;-)  We came across a couple small fishing boats, and then this fishing/excursion boat...

Fish Tales (the boat above) alternates between fishing trips and dolphin watch trips.  For the record, ours are all dolphin watch trips; well, maybe some just-being-out-there trips; but, no fishing.  ;-)

We thought we were done dolphin watching, but Joan saw these guys by the commercial docks...

A squadron (pod, scoop - all words that describe a group of pelicans) of pelicans...

What?  Oh, I guess we're not done dolphin watching...

This is how dolphins wave good-bye...

And, this...

Heading back towards our canal, we crossed paths with this University of Texas Rio Grande Valley research boat...

They had a group of kids onboard (all in life jackets) - must be a field trip.

This Great Blue Heron gave us a profile on the way back in our canal...

We got home around 11:00.  Joan let Izzy out on the deck to keep an eye on me while I put the boat away.  Then, served breakfast out on the deck, after I got the cover on the boat.

If the weasels are right, we'll get some precip this afternoon, tonight, and tomorrow.  We could use the moisture.

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* For those who like to keep track of such things, the boat trips we did in the last three days amounted to about 7 1/2 hours; used a total of 4 gallons of gas.

Island Circle Tour...

Step right up - get yer tickets!  Tickets here for the tour around Long Island.  A limited number of seats currently available.

An absolutely beautiful day!  I know - one in a row!  It was 73º when I got up and the wind was... light.  Really.  Less than 40mph!  Yeah, I'm kidding - it was about 10mph out of the east.  Crisp air and sunshine.  Time to get out on the boat!

Heading out of our canal, take a right, and head towards the Laguna Madre, in the ICW...

Heading towards the swing-bridge...

Looking back once we were through...

Looking ahead, towards the Queen Isabela Causeway and South Padre Island...

We ran southeast in the Laguna, passing one of our "regular" restaurants, Pier 19...

Just south of there is SeaRanch Marina...

Wet slip rates start at $65 per night.  Some stack storage is available.  The launch for the stacked boats...

On the way out of the marina...

Just south of SeaRanch is the Coast Guard Station South Padre Island...

Quick access to the Gulf and the Brownsville Ship Channel, from the Laguna Madre.

We saw a couple dolphin watch boats in the distance...

Heading towards the jetties area, this Coast Guard small boat was on the way in...

Fortunately, they gave us a wide pass - that wake coming from them is at least 4'.

At the very southern tip of South Padre Island is Isla Blanca, a county park.  A small boat and kayak ramp here, including a recent sandy beach for kayaks...

We had a big breakfast before we left the house, but Joan brought snacks...

Out into the jetties area...

People fishing from the jetty...

Knowing that there were some dolphins that needed to be watched, we turned back in.  Our first view of them...

That pontoon is one of them run by George and Scarlet (the dolphin whisperer) Colley; George is driving this one.  We exchanged pleasantries, and watched the dolphins working the tidal rip line...

Joan took photos while I positioned the boat...

From there, it was west in the Brownsville Ship Channel, which would take us around the south side of our island.  This guy was heading out as we were heading in...

Look close at the stern on that Coast Guard boat - there is a RIB docked in there.

With the easterly breeze and us heading west, I bumped up the speed a bit so we'd have some breeze to keep us cool...

Around the west side of Long Island, then into the first canal.  And, we were home.

Joan wanted to powerwash the dock and railings, so I took the boat up the canal a short distance so it wouldn't get grubby from the over-spray.  She did use the powerwasher on the transducer on the boat before I pulled away; it's the only part of the boat under the water than isn't bottom painted.

When I brought the boat back to the dock, the breeze had come up a bit, making for more effort to "stick the landing."  Joan tied off the front while I got the stern.

With everything put away, it was time for "lupper": that meal between lunch and supper.  Burger Fi was having their "National Loyalty Day" (triple reward points today only).  Good burgers and "Cry and Fry" (an order of onion rings and fries) to go with the burgers.

When we got home, there was another step in our "techie journey" - an Amazon Fire Stick.  Joan hooked it up to the TV and said, "Alexa, what is the weather today?"