By: Michela May Photo By: Rachel Benavides
It is official the first day of summer! I know many of youbrmay not believe that since the heat is already encroached on a lot of our plansbrlately. I feel the same way, and have already had several sunburns saying thatbrsummer is already here. But truly, today is the first day of summer!
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Lately, I’ve been finding the beach more and more enticing.brThey’re quiet and an escape from the confines of the apartment and office. Asbrmuch as I enjoy keeping up my living area plants and writing during the weekend,brsometimes it’s a great option to get out and not have to concentrate on choresbrand tasks for the upcoming week.
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I plan far in advance with where to go and make surebreverything is taken care of before I do. Most of my planning consists of whatbrto pack, where I’m going, and the food selection to prepare. This weekendbrincludes making a blueberry lemon cream pie. It’s a great refreshing dessert tobrtreat yourself with after sitting in the sun for so long.
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These long beach weekends always recharge me. There’sbrsomething about sitting out in the sun and not doing much, other than maybebrenjoying a book or watching nature move around you, that makes me feel all thebrmore ready for next week.
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Here are some of my favorite beaches to visit during thebrsummer months, or any month that is.
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Padre Island National Seashore is one of the most pristinebrand gorgeous beaches that the Texas coastline has to offer. You can find milesbrof beautifully preserved beaches with white sand, encased between the warm seabrwater and high dunes. The waves here are different from the Port Aransasbrbeaches. They are not as rough and moved the sand in a mesmerizing twist overbrthe beach, leaving behind small patterns and lines. The sand is soft and fine, alwaysbrsoaking up the sun and radiating heat.
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I even managed to dig up a young ghost crab. It was anbraccident—thinking it was a clam hiding under the sand while building a smallbrsandcastle. There were thousands of them already on the beach, digging underbrthe top layer of sand every time the waves shifted it, making air bubbles risebrto the surface as they buried themselves. It was just as startling a discoverybrto me as it was for the crab. He was no bigger than my fingernail and lookedbrabsolutely appalled that I had uprooted him from his hideout. I was in shockbrstaring at him for a minute before he scampered away, but he was beautiful. Itbrreally shows what kind of wildlife you can find there simply by going about yourbrday.
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Malaquite Beach is much of the same way, with the exceptionbrthat it is even quieter. Here, if anyone is going have a large and loud beachbrparty, they will probably rethink the location. This beach has no on-sandbrparking which helps maintain the natural beauty of the coastline. I love thatbrabout this beach specifically. There is less noise and traffic, and the peoplebrhere are simply enjoying their time out on the sand. It is also just as fullbrwith small marine creatures as Padre. Barely a few miles apart, they share thebrsame stretch of beach, but here the sand is not packed in by vehicles, makingbrit one of the more sought after locations. This stop is an absolute dream andbryou can wade out seemingly forever.
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Mustang beach has been one of my most visited spots, evenbrsince I was a child. With a large, flat coastline, this beach is perfect forbranybody. It is close to Port Aransas and gets tons of traffic, but still hasbrplenty of space for anyone to set up their spot and be secluded from others.brThis place has larger waves and higher wind speeds, which is perfect for any kitebrsurfers and kite fliers alike that wish to take part in the windy terrain. Ourbrparakeet kite did not manage to last in the wind too long without risk ofbrbreaking the cross spar, but during most weekends this beach is quite andbrsports some of the most interesting and colorful kites. Not to mention, therebrare plenty places to grab a bite to eat after an excursion. I typically enjoy abrplate from La Playa every time I drive through Port Aransas. The atmosphere ofbrthe restaurant really plays into the relaxed beach lifestyle, all whilebrproviding traditional Mexican dishes.
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For something a little closer to home, North beach is one ofbrthe livelier places to explore in Corpus Christi. Close to the Lexington andbrthe Texas State Aquarium, there are plenty of people mingling and enjoyingbrtheir weekend out on the beach. This is essentially a place just far enoughbraway from home I could even stop by during the weekday if I wanted. Living in abrplace only minutes away from smaller beaches has its perks, but I typicallybrlove the drive and planning for the trips. It gives my mind something else tobrdo other than mentally planning out stories for next week and following up withbreverything that comes with graduation.
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One last beach that I enjoy is in Rockport. I oddly love thebrsand here. It has a course texture and moves differently with the waves whenbrcompare to all the other beaches previously mentioned. The water also does notbrget deep like some of the other beaches. There is a wide distance of shelf herebrso anyone can wade out pretty far before water hits waist deep. Most visits Ibrmanage to find plenty of sand dollar shells, too!
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There are plenty more beaches that span the Coast Bendbrregion, but these have always been my go-to spots for long beach outings. Allbrthese places provide something unique to the Coast Bend, from the wildlife tobrthe sand we build castles with. Just make sure to take care of yourself and havebra fun summer!
