Sunrise...sunset in Corpus Christi

I've not been overwhelmed by the beauty of Corpus Christi...except in the sunrises and sunsets. Those have been quite lovely. My sister and I have both been disappointed in the weather and the surroundings otherwise. I don't know what we expected, but I think we at least expected sun, warmth, and birds. Except at the extremes of the day, we had no sun, it was warm only compared to what we left, and the only birds we saw were gulls and grackles or magpies (or something loud).

People I've mentioned this to are surprised that we aren't more enamored of the area. Our aunt and uncle come here often to go birding. One of our superintendents and her husband used to come here birding. A friend we met at the conference came here for vacation. Actually chose to come here! We don't get it. Perhaps we have too much New England in us.

I flew from Houston to Corpus Christi with the Mid-America Union Director of Education, a friend of several years. He lives in Nebraska and was commenting on the landscape we were flying into. He said it was quite similar to what he's used to...flat, flat, flat. I asked if he gets claustrophobic whenever he goes to a place like New England. He said not really, but when he goes home he realizes how open the space is where he lives, and it feels strangle freeing to be able to see for miles. I'm reminded how Pa in the Little House books needed to have space to breathe, how he needed to leave the Wisconsin woods for the wide open plains of Kansas and Missouri...

The meetings have been good. Today I learned some amazing things about the changing demographics of our country. It was most amazing to see things I'd thought laid out for me in graphs and charts and numbers regarding the impact of immigrants and generational shifts. Things I know in my gut, but now have research...facts...to back me up. All very interesting.

My sister and I spent yesterday evening and this afternoon exploring the area. We didn't find much, but did make our way to Padre Island yesterday and the USS Lexington today. We had more fun than we initially thought we would. We also went out to lunch today with a friend at the Olive Garden where they gave all the ladies carnations for Valentine's Day.

Meanwhile, snow in Massachusetts. And no school. wouldn't you know it.