A Little Art, A Little Maritime History, and Life is a Beach

And then there were three. We skipped several places that were listed on our GTG agenda because we did something else or the ladies didn't seem interested but we decided to check them out today. First on the list was the Rockport Art Center.

We quickly found out that it wasn't some hoity toity art gallery but rather a place where local artist works were displayed along with some other unique artist collections. The Art Center is housed in an old house.

They also have free workshops at various times and many Winter Texans participate. The staff is very friendly.

We started with some of the beautiful sculptures outside.

Sorry, I couldn't resist. Three birds were posed on the lip of this tower.

The pictures on display were varied and interesting but I didn't take any pictures. There were many different styles and techniques displayed. We also saw some unique jewelry, specially designed cards, and other pieces of art.

We were planning on visiting the free Aquarium but it is only open on Saturday and Sunday. Check it out if you are in town on a weekend. It is free as was the Art Center.

Next we headed over to the Texas Maritime Museum. There was a charge for this but it was very interesting.

They started with information about early explorers.

There were pieces of early equipment on display.

John Harrison invented the chronometer above.

Early block and tackle.

All kinds of equipment used by early explorers.

Beautiful model ships.

Upstairs we found fishing equipment. Reels....

Lures......

Fancy fish hooks......

Of course, sailors had to know how to do many different kinds of knots,

Various types of boat motors.

Here you could easily imagine yourself steering a big ship.

This board presents all kinds of knotwork. Some of it is beautiful.....an art.

The next area covered lighthouses in Texas. Someone had done beautiful paintings of them.

The third story was actually a room with a balcony all around the outside of it where you could go out and see the view. It was windy but too neat to miss.

Back down on the ground, we went to see the outdoor displays.

This is a life saving bell.

Looking down inside, you could see that a lot of people could sit around the seat inside. Of course, that didn't leave much privacy for use of the toilet but you wouldn't be out in this for fun.

This one is shaped more like a boat but you would be closed in pretty tight here too.

This describes the flat looking sloop you saw earlier.

We weren't done quite yet as we decided to go out on Rockport Beach. It costs $5 per car or $20 for a year's pass.  It is a special beach....a certified blue wave beach.

A little stage for shows.

In addition to the nice beach areas with lots of facilities, this is also a sanctuary for migratory birds.

This tree looks down but not out.

Most of the migratory bird area is on the bay side which is more sheltered.

Looking across to the fancy homes on the other side.

There were lots of birds nesting in the wildflower areas.

Out last stop of the day was for dinner. We decided to try the 5 star rated Steerburgers but after driving all the way out there, it turned out to be a house and there were only two trucks there so we passed on that. Next, we decided to try J.J.'s Little Bay Café but it closed.....only open for breakfast and lunch. We were on our way to K-Bob's when we decided to have Chinese for a big change. It was in a strip mall and didn't look too fancy outside but they had a great buffet that even had crab legs. Plus they did Mongolian while you watched. Turned out to be a great dinner.