Any updates on the bridge situation?

We heard that call on the VHF radio today.  No response.  "The bridge" here can mean two possibilities: the swingbridge that gets us onto our island, or the 2 1/2 mile long Queen Isabella Memorial Causeway that goes across the Laguna Madre to South Padre Island.  We were in a spot that we could see the causeway... no traffic on it.  That's not good.

A quick search on the phone turned up "the situation": someone called in a threat to the bridge.  There seems to be some discrepancy as to whether the call to the SPI Police Department was a threat or notifying them that someone saw something wrong with the causeway.  It was first reported as a bomb threat, then backed off from that.  Regardless, traffic from both directions was blocked.

The empty causeway is very strange to see...

(That is an image capture from one of the causeway webcams.)

The bridge was closed for about three hours while TXDOT examined the bridge from above and the Coast Guard checked it from the water.  Nothing was found, and it was opened for traffic again about 2:30.  Hopefully, the authorities will find who made the call and find out what that was all about.

As mentioned, we were out on the water; an absolutely gorgeous day to be on the boat.  Temps in the upper 70s, clear blue skies, sunshine, low humidity, and a light breeze.  Some bird watching on the way out our canals...

The view once out of the canals...

I brought two cameras today, so we'd each have one if we saw dolphins or other interesting stuff.  Joan said, "I don't need a camera, I'm just going to sit back and enjoy the views today."  Then, I pointed out the first dolphin...

For the record, there may be some "wandering" with this post, because: between the two cameras, we took about 220 shots!  On with the dolphin viewing...

Look who grabbed a camera and went to the front of the boat...

About that time, we heard two horn blasts.  A pause, then 5 blasts (that means: impending emergency situation).  Then, 5 more blasts!!  It was like watching a slow motion train wreck...

This is at a water intersection.  The oblivious driver of the shrimpboat was actually turning towards the tug pushing two barges!  The tug was in a position where he had very limited room to maneuver, and the shrimper seemed to be unmanned, since they made no effort to give the tug the necessary maneuvering space.  Finally, after the third group of 5 blasts, there was a puff of black smoke from the shrimper and it turned away!  A LOT closer than it appears in the image above... I only grabbed the camera when it was clear that they wouldn't collide.  It is not unusual for a shrimper coming down the ship channel to have an unmanned helm.  Not smart OR safe.  Over the years, we have had to dodge them several times.  Sadly, the shrimp boat operators aren't required to have a captain's license (I have no idea how that can be), and generally aren't listening to the VHF radio.

By this time, we had a decent view of the causeway...

Yep, pretty creepy with no traffic on it.

We turned east in the ship channel, and the dolphins followed us...

Yeah, she's taking photos.

All kinds of fun behavior today.  Here's a tail slap...

Some porpoising...

This dolphin has a dorsal fin that appears to be torn and folded over...

Yes, they can still swim and maneuver.  Dolphins all around us...

Tail and fin!

This one was showing us his catch...

And when I say "close," as this one ducked under the pontoon by me, I got sprayed with dolphin spit...

Yes, I had to clean the camera lens and my sunglasses!

We came by this bait shrimper at work...

Joan thought it looked like a painting; this guy thought it looked like lunch...

He swooped close by us on his way to that small shrimper.

Some dolphin, um... afternoon delight...

Although the temp was comfortably cool, the sun was intense (if you weren't under the bimini)...

Making our way back home, we had two dolphins run with us...

We turned into our canal; another Great Blue Heron...

Another pontoon heading out as we were heading in...

Nice day on the water.  Joan packed us a lunch.  Beautiful weather.  Lots to view.  And, the bridge opened back up to traffic (nothing found).  One of the weather weasels said, "This will be one of the few low humidity days in May - hope you were able to get out and enjoy it."

Happy Cinco de Mayo!

Playtime...

Yeah, I know: boats, dolphins, balmy breezes, blah, blah... give us the stuff we really come here to see... Izzy!

As best we can figure, she was born around this time, 9 years ago.  She has been a part of our family for about 8 1/2 years.  According to most cat-age charts, she is quickly approaching her "senior years."  That can't be - she is still "the baby kitty."

We can see that she has matured.  Oh, she still looks like a little kitty in the face, but nap time has become a favored activity.  Today, I got out her favorite rope to get her to play... pretty sure I got more exercise than Izzy.  I drag it around on the floor and flip it by her - she has great dexterity and fast reflexes...

Off the back of the couch and down to the floor...

I raced down the hall to the bedroom... she usually chases the rope.  Not this time.  "You bring it to me!"

"OK, I'm done."

After a grooming break, she hopped up on her tower to keep an eye on those big birds out there...

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.

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

* 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.