Nice Beach Combing Island Weather
Greetings from the island everyone on this nice early Fall morning! As I sit here at my little kitchen table, drinking my first cup of hot black Maxwell House coffee, (having just fed Corky, Jetty, and the chickens/ducks/guineas), I look outside at the darkness and can feel the salty barrier island air starting to get a little cooler now each morning. There are no trees on the island that change their leaves into Fall color; palms and salt cedars (Tamarisk), simply don’t do that, but I can imagine that across the country this beautiful transition is slowly beginning to happen.
Spring is my favorite season of the year on the island, always having just finished the cold blustery months and looking forward to starting my tomato seeds for gardening, but Fall is also a very nice time of year for me out here. I think mainly because the older I become, not that I’m old by any stretch, those hot summer months without air conditioning are brutal, and the forthcoming cooler days are a very welcomed sight. Also, I know that when October arrives, the dreaded hurricane season is nearing the end and I can breathe a much needed sigh of relief.
Fall also provides great beach combing weather, being able to search for washed in treasures of sea beans, shells and whatever else may have decided to come ashore on the sandy beach from the Gulf of Mexico and beyond. I always take Corky with me on beach rides, and let him run and get his exercise by chasing the little sea birds along the edge of the surf. I have to first make sure that there are not any cows roaming the beach, otherwise he loves to chase them, and becomes oblivious to my commands when he is in cow-chasing mode.
Other than the common Cockle seashells, which are very nice large shells that can easily be painted or decorated, there have not been a large variety washing in the past several months. I love finding the scotch bonnets, sharks eye snails, lightning whelks (state seashell of Texas), and other beautiful and unique seashells. But you never know what Mother Nature is gonna provide, so that could change at any given time, and it always does. But it doesn’t really matter, just being able to be on the beach and enjoy the tranquility of it is reward enough.
Well, that’s it from the island for now, everyone take care and have a wonderful day, and don’t forget to have a big bag of treats ready for the little goblins on Halloween.
Clint Bennetsen is a retired police detective who has lived full time on the off-grid Matagorda Peninsula barrier island, off the coast of Port O’Connor, Tx., for nearly 17 years. Clint shares his Island Life experiences and adventures monthly in the Dolphin Talk newspaper. If you have any comments or questions, you can contact Clint at ccbennetsen@yahoo.com or at dolphin1@tisd.net.
