The Waterproof Camera Shots From Our Trip To South Padre Island

When Laura and I visited South Padre Island in September it gave us the opportunity to finally use a waterproof camera we were gifted at our wedding for our eventual honeymoon to Greece. Well, the camera was sitting in America during our wonderful weeks in Greece so we were happy to get the chance to finally use the camera.

The beaches of South Padre Island give you a sand bars that go on for miles. You can have water up to your chest and then a few feet further out it will be back down to your waist. This let me get some photos that look like I'm in the middle of the Gulf of Mexico but in reality I'm not that far out at all.

I'm sure a few people wondered what I was doing taking photographs of waves.

The sun came out for a few of my photos.

A pelican flying by. 

I did some snorkeling while we were there but the beach was entirely sand so there weren't too many interesting rocks to find. I'm not proud to say over the course of the weekend I ended up losing two snorkels and a set of goggles into the Gulf having the waves knocking them off my head. The water was very sandy and not too clear so once they were out of your grasp they were gone even though they could be floating just a few feet from you. 

This shot catches Laura in a shadow and is my favorite photo from the group.  

These last two demonstrate what happens when the lighting changes and you are shooting on film. These photos were taken about 15 seconds apart with the only difference being the sun came out for a few moments in the second shot.

Marvel With A Mango: The Mr. Taco Experience

While we were in Texas we wanted to get some authentic Mexican food and Brownsville offered many options. Nearly all of the reviews we read recommended you bring your translation dictionary if you don't speak Spanish but Laura prides herself on knowing "some" Spanish off we went.

We ended up at Mr. Taco and had a very helpful older lady helping us and with her limited English and our limited Spanish we successfully navigated ordering.

We started with a bean soup...it reminded me a little bit of ordering in Eastern Europe when the waitress offers you soup you just say "yes" and just go with it.  It was excellent with bits of pork floating around in there too. 

How about a side plate of fried onions as a garnish? Why not!

Mr. Taco's tacos are a little like White Castle in that ordering four, or five, or six, is completely reasonable. They are a perfect little handful with nearly as much cheese as meat. It was great food and at a dirt cheap price. 

Marvel With A Mango: Visiting The Famous King's Inn

On our way to the southern tip of Texas last weekend we passed through the section of Texas Highway 77 that connect Kingsville to Raymondville. This area of the state is famous for cutting through the King Ranch which means you have signs stating "Next Service Station 60 Miles." There are no gas stations along that route so be sure to fill up beforehand!

However, there is a road that leads to a restaurant along this path and it happens to be one of the most famous restaurants in Texas, The King's Inn.

The restaurant is located on Baffin Bay of the Gulf of Mexico and in the distance there you can see Padre Island, the more northern of its famous sister island South Padre Island.  

We stopped by based on the recommendations of my friend Craig P. If Craig P. says it's good, it's good.

Being on the ocean you can rightfully assume that seafood is their main focus. The King's Inn doesn't have a menu, I imagine because their stock of fish changes daily as well as the prices. While this is handy for them it puts the customer at a disadvantage of having to ask the price of things before ordering. 

We decided on shrimp and scallops. I can without a doubt say they were the most delicious fried shrimp I've ever had. They were fried perfectly and just look at their size. 

The scallops were also huge and tasty...but what could compare to the fried shrimp?

We also go some onion rings which were actually a pile of fried cut onion strands that had a distinct state fair feel. Also excellent. 

The visit to the King's Inn gave us a nice break from the road and if you ever have to make the same drive in South Texas I would recommend you stop by...just don't be afraid to ask the waiter how much things cost before ordering.