Palm Street Pier is offering up some fairly unique live music these days. Check out the Three-Piano Band on the waterfront Fridays and Sundays - early evening. Lots of boogie-woogie and standards we all know and love...

Highly recommended by your humble webwiz!

Sea Turtle Release To Celebrate “World Ocean Day,” June 8th

Residents and visitors of South Padre Island will have the opportunity to learn about World Ocean Day, by joining in the release of "Slash," a rehabilitated, young Green sea turtle that had been injured by a fishing hook. Slash was taken to the Gladys Porter Zoo for treatment by Dr. Jenifer Chatfield, D.V.M., and the Animal Health staff and spent time at the Herpetarium at the zoo before coming to Sea Turtle, Inc. for final rehabilitation, evaluation and release.

The release of “Slash” will take place June 8, during the Sea Ranch Dolphin Watch and Sunset Cruise, leaving from Sea Ranch Marina at 7:30 p.m. Reservations are required and can be made by calling 761-4243.

Many many thanks to Karen and Danielle and Nancy and all the swell folks at Kelly's Irish Pub for helping me find new homes for 47 copies of my new sandcastle book last Friday.

Don't despair if you missed what will hopefully prove to be your first but not your last chance to pick up lots of autographed copies before the Christmas rush ....

But in the meantime, please be sure to swing over to Kelly's sometime soon and tell the bartender over a beer how much you appreciate the Pub's support of local artists -- thanks.

(photo by Fred)

Amazin' Walter may be playing in the sand in Belgium this month, but his daughter Christy - of Ringling Brothers Barnum & Bailey clown fame - is carrying on her dad's work in his absence. Christy makes all kinds of silly things out of balloons, and she gives sandcastle lessons, too! You can catch Christy on Blackbeards' big deck every evening and on the web any old time at christyclown.com.

Sand sculpture created by your humble webwiz at last weekend's contest in Hampton Beach, NH.

As usual, it didn't win a thing. I was immensely satisfied with it, nonetheless.

We always enjoy hearing from our friend Don Miguel over on the bay:

A neighbor and his wife were over and we were - once again - discussing how much we love living here on the Island (although we have been repeating this same mantra to ourselves for many years now) and then we saw this sailboat....

Gary P Nunn has a terrific CD (which I hope you also know & enjoy) with a song cut which continues as one of my favorites..... Entitled: My Kind of Day On Padre. My hope was that this picture might capture that same spirit of Island wonderment....and pleasure ...just as his song does..We feel indeed most fortunate to live here...truly experiencing and enjoying all of which he sings about!

Happy Fourth of July,
don Miguel

Wags took me on a quick walk to the beach this evening where I clicked this shot. Wind or vandals? I don't know - I have been out of town (though there is evidence that it did indeed rain recently.)

Everyone who cares about South Padre Island is currently very much focused on Hurricane Emily. We have read that many hotels are reporting massive cancellations for the upcoming week, so if she makes landfall in northern Mexico, this could be a lovely quiet week with big surf, big wind and some badly-needed rain. City officials will be deciding if we evacuate by 11 AM on Monday.

For the latest storm-related news, head over to the SPI Emergency Management site. I will also (of course) be posting regular updates on my weblog.