It's like Iron Mountain Road...

... but, without the curves.

Umm... wouldn't that just be a road?  ;-)

We took the scoots out and over the causeway to have breakfast...

At Pier 19...

Breakfast was great; before heading out for some more riding, I grabbed the current "scooter tag"...

The tag was: your scooter by something seasonal in your area.  The "seasonal" happening currently is what I call "mellow time" - the summer visitors are gone, the winter visitors aren't here, yet.  This shot is in an RV park near Pier 19, and not an RV to be seen in these "patio" sites.  It will be packed when January rolls around.

Up South Padre Island...

At the convention center and a photo op at the Wyland Whaling Wall...

We saw something new there: three (really) large beach chairs...

And just behind the chairs, a wall painting of a hibiscus...

Back across the causeway, where you can see the lighthouse in Port Isabel...

Then, it was on to "that road that is like Iron Mountain Road, but without the curves."  Yes, I knew what she meant: when we are in the Black Hills, Iron Mountain Road is a "regular" for us.  Down here, it is nice to have some new, smooth road, even though curves aren't a thing here.

We pulled over and swapped scoots for a while - I wanted to try out her scoot since Joan lowered the windshield.  Here she is on my Vespa...

We had the exact opposite reactions regarding each other's scoots: the Xmax feels big to me, the Vespa feels small to her.  I like the riding position better on my Vespa, Joan definitely prefers the riding position of the Xmax.  She thought my windshield was too high, I felt hers was too low.  Nice that we both like what we have.

We swapped back; off the highway and down some back roads...

We stopped to fuel up on the way home... Joan always got better fuel mileage with her PCX compared to mine.  Yes, I chalked that up to our weight difference.  Her Xmax is heavier and has more horsepower than my Vespa - I have expected my mileage to be better than hers.  Today's result: I got 83 miles per gallon, she got 86.  No, it's not a contest.  But, if it was, she is winning.  ;-)

Good riding.  A fine breakfast.  Lovely weather.  Not a bad way to spend a Monday.

Sometimes I think...

... that's a little man in a cat suit...

That's my furry boy!

It's a baby!

No, we are not having another little bundle of joy.  Joan says I can do that with my next wife.  I don't remember asking.

This baby is of the cetacean type.  "What's a cetacean?" you ask.  A marine mammal of the order Cetacea ; a whale, dolphin, or porpoise.

Heading out to do some dolphin watching today...

Coming up on the turning basin, we could see a bunch of birds on the water - usually a sign that there is something to eat under the water.  Which means dolphins will be looking for chow there, as well...

This one kept an eye on us as it swam nearby...

Right up by the boat...

We moved down the PI Channel...

Looking to the south, another group...

Look behind that largest dorsal fin - yep, it's a baby!  Tiny, maybe two feet long, and cute as can be.  We tried for quite a while to get a shot of its face, but it was shy.

Moving west in the ship channel, this one came alongside...

And, baby dorsal fin...

Up ahead, some ruckus in the water...

Some dolphin belly...

We stayed for a while to watch...

Looking down the ship channel, towards the port...

A dolphin porpoising...

Waving good-bye...

Heading for home, we noticed new signs on the island by the "Y" (where the Brownsville Ship Channel and the Port Isabel Channel intersect)...

Hopefully, people will respect this sanctuary.

A beautiful day out on the water: sunny, mid-70s, almost no breeze.  Nice!

So that happened...

The first person to contact me about the beach cruiser bicycle we have for sale bought it.  I have actually met the lady before, when I first started going outside for physical therapy: she had a hip done by the same doctor, six months before me.  She stopped back then to tell me how it didn't turn out like she had hoped... just what a guy wants to hear while gimping along.  ;-)

She responded to my ad for the bike yesterday, but this morning was as soon as she could come by.  She looked at it and said, "It's perfect - just what I want.  The one I have now is rusting away."  Life on the salty coast.

I told her to take it for a ride, and I would make any seat or handlebar adjustments for her.  While she took off, her husband asked me, "What's under the cover?  Is that a Harley?"

"Not quite - it's a little Honda scooter.  I'm going to have that for sale after I change the oil and take a few photos.  You interested?"

He said, "No, but I have a friend who is looking for another scooter.  Can I tell him about this one?"

"Absolutely."

I didn't think anything would come of it.

About a half hour later, the doorbell rang.  The guy at the door introduced himself and asked, "I hear you have a scooter for sale; a Honda.  Can I take a look at it?"

"You sure can."  Joan grabbed the key while I took him to where the scoot was sitting, under cover.  I started it for him, he looked it over, and asked what I wanted.  I told him the price I would be asking, after I get the oil changed and get it shined up.  He made me a low-ball bid.  We discussed things a bit, he came up on his price (not quite to my counter-offer), and said, "I'll give you $50 less, and I'll do the oil change."

I don't have to run an ad... no crazy-ass tire kickers, and I don't have to do any other work to the scoot.  "Deal."

He told me he couldn't pick it up for a couple weeks, but paid me for it on the spot (thank you PayPal).  I told him I would keep it insured and under the cover until he comes back for it.  No, he isn't a scammer - he lives about a block from us.  In my walking, I have gone by his place and saw that he has a Yamaha Zuma that he rides.  (This PCX will smoke that Zuma.)  He has a son who wants a scooter, and always wants to ride his Zuma.  Problem solved.  And, an easy sale for me.

Know anyone who wants to buy a Hobie kayak?  ;-)

For Sail...

If you said, "Did you mean: For Sale?", no bonus points.  We have a sail for sale.  It comes with a Hobie kayak.

Now that my hip has pretty well healed, Joan asked if I planned to do anything with the kayaks.  Anything?  That is wife talk for: you need to do something with the kayaks.  We haven't used them in a couple years, and she is getting tired of moving them in and out of our enclosed storage (under the house).

She got the Hobie kayak out, and I went over it with lube, checking all the parts.  Everything works.  The only thing it needs is one strap for a pedal; she ordered one for each pedal.  It is a sweet set-up: we bought the dolly to move it around, and a sail kit for it.

Here's a look...

The above photo taken when we were last in the Tetons.

I had a bit of sticker shock when I looked up what this goes for new... $2549 for the kayak alone.  By the time you put the sail kit and the dolly with it, you are closing in on $3000.  All this could be yours for the low, low price of $1,200.

But, wait, the "rummage sale" isn't over, yet.  Her beach cruiser...

I am throwing in this custom seat cover...

Someone might tell you, "That looks like a Walmart bag!"  They would be right.  I know this bike is put together right, 'cause I did it myself.  We bought the e-bikes shortly after Joan got this bike, so it has somewhere between 5 and 10 miles on it.  It's a Huffy.  No, that's not something the kids do with vape, the brand is Huffy.  $60 and it's yours.  If you don't want the custom seat cover, I will let it go for $60.

And, ramping up for this last item: a ramp...

I bought this to put the PCX scooters in the back of Big Red (the truck we had at the time).  We did that.  Once.  The fit was so tight with the scooters in the truck bed that I didn't want to do it again.  But, if you need to roll something into the back of a pickup, this will do the job.  As you can see, it folds in half for easy storage.  Plus, it weighs a bunch, so it is a good workout moving it around.  Yours for only $51.73... but, I would let it go for $50, if you carry it out.

Stay tuned... there may be more.