Saol Gáire Grá: South Padre Island

Sunday, October 31, 2010

South Padre Island

I'm officially in McAllen starting my new assignment at a local hospital. Everyone is extremely nice and my transition has been great. I am as close to Mexico as one can get without being over the border. It's a tropical paradise with temperatures in the 80s to 90s.

Forget Oak Street with our Oak trees - Hello Palmer Drive with Palm Trees!
My view from my front door - I live on a golf course with Palm tree lined drive.

Cool sign heading over the bridge to South Padre Island

Gulf of Mexico

Sand Dunes taking over the road

So I visited Sea Turtle Inc. which is a non-profit organization that rehabilitates sea turtles of many kinds back to health. The main type of this area is the Kemps Ridley but they also help save the Hawksbill, Atlantic Green, and Loggerhead. Some have lost fins due to predator attacks while others had issues from birth that no longer allow them to be released into the wild. I am going to volunteer for them while I'm here over the winter (so I'll have a good excuse to be a beach bum on the weekends).

This little buddy has a pocket of air inside the back part of his shell so he is constantly swimming with his butt in the air. He also has the herpes virus so he has a fibropapilloma near his right eye. He is unreleasable.

Sebastian the Loggerhead Turtle

Jellyfish in the Japanese Man of War family - Not a good one to meet while swimming.

I went on a sunset horseride on the beach (yes, it was me and 2 couples) and randomly met a guy that played rugby in the same area as Maggie. He was our trail guide. He knew Maggie's coach from PSU and Keystone Rugby Club. It's such a small world. He's from West Chester area in Philly.