A quiet weekend at the bay...

Last Friday we eased on down to Matagorda Bay for a relaxing weekend and to celebrate my wife's birthday!

Got up early and headed to El Campo to visit my uncles, then drifted down to Hotel Blessing for lunch!

http://texashuntingforum.com/forum/ubbthreads.php/topics/5816023/Hotel_Blessing....#Post5816023

After a wonderful lunch we drove a short distance to our destination for the weekend....The historic Luther Hotel in Palacios! No computers, internet...hardly even used our phones....simply unplugged for the weekend.

There is a secluded little beach near there that I have been going to for almost twenty years to pick up sea glass and shells....after checking into the hotel we headed over there to see what we could find.....

We caught it at low tide and after the tropical storm last week we were having a field day finding glass and shells!

So, I'm walking the beach looking for glass when spot this little guy not ten feet from the surf.....first one I've seen there in all these years!



I "almost" never go anywhere with my snake hook and bags in the car....guess what...all at home! When I saw it I called my wife and son over to were I was standing and without pointing it out told them "not to move, that there was a rattlesnake within a ten foot radius of them, find it", and I walked off a few yards...it took them over a minute to spot it...

Then my wife asks, "Can we catch it?" I replied, "don't have any of my snake stuff"...she says, "Go to the car and find something...."

I ended up using 2 dip nets, a shell bag, and soft sided cooler to safely catch it...later when we went to town I bought a small tote to get him home safely!



We had a great afternoon on the beach! Usually we are luck to get a handful to a double-handful of sea glass...this trip we almost filled a gal Ziploc bag!



100% of this glass we collected off a beach over the past few years...this was by far our best outing! We added almost 3" in the jar this trip! And all the shells! The sea glass jar is 9" tall and 12" wide...and now getting heavy! The shell jar is 8" wide and 13" tall!

Saturday morning we got up early and hit the East pier to do a little fishing...the water was still too fresh from all the recent rains so after two hours without even a bump we packed up to head for salter water....



We went to Indianola...I've spent countless hours around Matagorda bay but had never made it to Indianola...




Then farther south....



My wife caught her first red...then a couple more...they were too small to keep but had a great time regardless...




And finally this monster!

Finally Sunday we headed back towards El Campo in an attempt to let my wife catch an alligator on her birthday...it had been spotted in a pond both of the two previous days but it was nowhere to be found when we got there....

Had a good visit with my uncle Billy then headed home....




Made a stop in Conroe for her a little B-Day Mex food!



And a special b-day sopapilla...our waiter put the cream and cherry on her nose!

That's how it's done...except for that snake part...but that's how it's done.

Outstanding!

Looks like an awesome time. Go big or go home. But I have enough snakes no thanks lol. Happy Birthday Ms Snakewrangler

Very nice Sir

Good times

Greats pics and Birthday weekend. Thanks for sharing.

You're doing it right.

Great pics and story, looks like ya'll a good time, thanks for sharing.

Looks like an excellent trip. Happy birthday to your wife.

Looks like a great trip.

Looks like you made a great trip. had a great time with a very great lady!!!

Happy birthday to her.

Nice time!

Excellent Snake!

BTW, what do you do with the glass? just collect for the jar, or a project?

So far just a collection in a jar but have seriously been contemplating a "stained-glass" type window made from it...but I have never done anything like that so I'm still in the "study" mode....I think it would look really kool tho!

Any other suggestions on how it could be used are always welcome....

Great pics.

I have seen tables, both card and coffee tables done with similar class picked up from old forts, or settler "trash", those look pretty need with the history.

My grandfather did stained glass as a hobby, I think trying work the small pieces would be tough. Wonder if you could use a lexan or other hardening clearish resin, to make a thick window pane? Add some stuff found on the beach, like star fish, the glass, few specks of sand and a rattlesnake or 2

Start an earring bidnus by polishing the glass, call it whatever your wifes name is..

I ran your idea by her...she said she likes them in the jar so I guess there they will stay!
S What mama wants, mama gets!

Man that looks y'all had a great time, neat pictures thanks for sharing

Thanks everyone...it was nice to unplug and decompress...already need to go again...

Great pictures. Looks like yall had a great vacation And Happy Birthday to your wife

Great pics! Billy Hodges is a nice guy! Its great what they do for the wounded warriors!

Yes Sir...we have been down there the last three years for the Sargent Fishing event...lots of good people making a big difference for our wounded heroes...and not for the photo op either...great down to earth folks!

Nothing better than the beach, or maybe a trout stream in the Rockies. Great pics SW