In 2007 we used the excuse of visiting John's sister to again attend the special tuba Christmas program. If anything, knowing what to expect made the program even better than last year. In addition to the concert itself, we liked the decorations including this scene of the gnomes baking for Christmas.
After the concert we took a leisurely stroll along the waterfront. Paul claimed the brown pelican would always dive upside down so with some patience and a telephoto lens we clearly documented his story. It seems reasonable that this allows the pelican to watch it's prey until it actually hits the water.
Other waterfront features include the large oil refinery on the south part of the bay and the USS Lexington on the east side. Sally and Paul had a membership to the site but we never seemed to find the time to go there. Our general policy is if you absolutely must visit then we run the other way.
Sally and Paul were having some plumbing problems so we needed alternate lodging for our visit. Still in camping mode we stopped at the Corpus Christi Lake State Park on our way down from San Antonio but we really did not like the facilities and the park was about 35 miles from Sally. With the operating cost on the truck about $25 per round trip in addition to the camping fees we found a reasonably priced motel for a few days before heading to Austin and New Years Eve.
The state park did have critters like this Texas Rock Gopher making holes in the campground. The walking stick is one of the nice bugs we like. I cannot imagine how this frog managed to get onto the top hinge of the gate but he seemed very content to just sit in the sunshine
In 2006 the primary purpose for visiting Corpus Christi was John's sister Sally shown here with husband Paul and the very young Labrador puppy Lisa. Like all young Labradors, Lisa is a handful and expected to be a puppy for a good long time
One Christmas treat was a Filipino Party hosted by Sally's friends Emily and Dante. Looking closely you can see Sally and Lori hiding in the background. Their traditions are similar to ours but also quite different from those we have followed. One of the best parts was the traditional Filipino foods we had never the opportunity to try before.
Another special treat was the annual Tuba Christmas Concert. Since 1974 close to 100 tuba, sousaphone, euphonium and baritone horn players under the direction of David Irving from Del Mar College gather to play most of the traditional favorites. This is really an outstanding performance and a continuing tradition.