Sandcastles on South Padre

-

I was recently in South Padre Island in Texas working on a story for Christian Living in the Mature Years Magazine. The little wasn’t with me on the trip, but I sure wish she had been. One of the activities we participated in while there was a sandcastle building class with Sand Castle Lessons.


Image by reuben east from Pixabay

Over the course of an hour, we learned how to build a proper sandcastle (it takes a lot more water than I expected), decorate the castle, and build onto the structure. We learned different methods of building, including soft packing, hand stacking, and the drip technique.The little would have loved it. I loved it!

We learned that the sand on South Padre Island is perfectly suited for building sand structures, which explains why it’s known as the “Sandcastle Capital of the World.” The mineral makeup of the sand helps make the castles strong.

If you find yourself on South Padre, with or without the kiddos, be sure to checkout Sand Castle Lessons for an afternoon of childlike fun! (And be sure to keep an eye on Christian Living in the Mature Years for more travel tips in our Winter 2020 article about SPI.)

 


Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Finding South Dakota

-
Image
As I mentioned in the last post,  Christian Living in the Mature Years Magazine,  the inspiration for this blog, will no longer be published.  Today you can read the Winter 2021 travel story, which features a road trip through South Dakota. I hope you enjoy it. We entered South Dakota in a cloud. We drove across the plains where snow blanketed the fields. The sky was bright white, and a curtain of fog hung around us. It was the perfect introduction to the winter wonderland vacation we had planned.   Falling for Sioux Falls As the fog cleared at dusk, we began our adventure in Sioux Falls, the largest city in South Dakota. We arrived just after the holidays, and the city was still festooned with brilliant light displays. We drove through downtown, near Washington Pavilion where skaters glided across a seasonal ice rink and the giant Christmas tree held court over the square. Then we drove to Falls Park (home of city’s namesake waterfalls). The entire park was lit up with twinkling
Read more

What's Blooming in Virginia's Blue Ridge?

-
Image
If you've been reading the blog for a bit, you know that I was the travel writer for Christian Living in the Mature Years Magazine,  which was actually the inspiration for this blog. Unfortunately, due to budget cuts, the Summer 2021 issue will be the final printed issue of the magazine. You can pick up your final copy here . Since stories are written a year out from publication, the articles in the Fall 2021 and Winter 2021-22 issues were already created. Most of the stories can be found for free in upcoming blog posts at www.adultbiblestudies.com . The travel articles, however, didn't quite fit the format of that blog, so they will be featured here! Today you can read the Fall 2021 travel story, which features a road trip through Virginia's Blue Ridge region. I hope you enjoy it. Thousands of yellow-faced sunflowers danced as the breeze blew through their ranks. I squished through the muddy field, broad smile on my face, and posed for the perfect selfie. I had come to the
Read more

Making the Most of a Short SF Visit

-
Image
This past weekend, the little and I traveled to my favorite city in the world: San Francisco. I'm a little biased because I used to live there, but the city is an amazing place to be with kids. Still wary of Covid since the little can't be vaccinated, we spent most of our time outdoors. We wandered Chinatown and Fisherman's Wharf, which were far less crowded than I've ever seen them. We found playgrounds tucked in quiet neighborhoods and had picnics with some of San Francisco's amazing food. We spent a lot of time in Golden Gate Park since the weather was so cooperative. In order to maximize our time, I purchased us both CityPASSes . The passes included entrance into the California Academy of Sciences (my favorite place in the park), a Blue and Gold Fleet bay cruise, and entrance into one other attraction from a list. We chose to visit the San Francisco Zoo, but I know the little would have loved any of the other options: Aquarium of the Bay, the Walt Disney Family
Read more