Coastal Chic Cabin

07/29/2023

Come stay at our beach cabin in Crystal Beach, TX year round! As summer winds down, the beach is less busy & without a doubt, very enjoyable & relaxing!

Visit the link below for more info.

airbnb.com/h/coastal-chic-cabin

06/12/2023

Sand dollars are a very common & fascinating find along the Texas Gulf coast & warmer coastal waters. Almost all sand dollars that have washed ashore have been bleached white from the sun & no longer living. Darker colored sand dollars may still be alive & should be returned to the water.

These intricate creatures display radial symmetry with its distinctive flower-like design & 5 water processing pores. The mouth of the sand dollar is located on the bottom of its body at the center.

They go by many names: eccentric sand dollar, sand cake, sea biscuit, cake urchin, sea cookie & pansy shell, depending where in the world you find them.

Sand dollars are symbols of wealth and fortune, often given as presents to bring good luck and blessings. In some cultural and religious traditions, they are symbols of rebirth, renewal, and resurrection.

There are many legends surrounding the sand dollar, but my favorite has to be that they are the coins of mermaids, who accidentally drop them, and which are then washed ashore.

Find us here:

Airbnb: airbnb.com/h/coastal-chic-cabin

Instagram: instagram.com/coastalchiccabin

01/07/2023

SEA FOG

Sea fog in Crystal Beach, TX is quite common during December & January. So what exactly is it?

Sea fog is a type of advection fog which develops and moves horizontally over surfaces. Basically, fog is cloud-cover trapped right at the surface. It’s condensed water v***r that blankets the area either close to the ground or over bodies of water.

Typically, the northern Gulf of Mexico is coolest from late fall through early winter. When warm, moist air flows over those cooler waters, the air condenses creating this wet drenching fog & makes for a surreal experience!

Find us here:

Airbnb: airbnb.com/h/coastal-chic-cabin

Instagram: instagram.com/coastalchiccabin

08/07/2022

If you enjoy fishing & crabbing, or just watching the cargo ships & birds go by, the North Jetty in Crystal Beach is a great spot to explore! There is bait shop & a decent amount of public parking at the entrance. In the near distance along the shore is Fort Travis Park & further out is the east end of Galveston.

Airbnb: airbnb.com/h/coastal-chic-cabin

05/13/2022

The Laughing Gull.

How fun would it be to hang out with your buddies & their baes all day, feet in the water, laughing the day away & watching the sun rise & sun set? And without any hesitation, repeat this daily for the next 20 years!

Certainly, the most notable feature of the Laughing Gull is its laugh like call, which makes them easy to identify!

Born with excellent vision, better than human vision in fact, they are one of the few birds with eyes that can move in their sockets.

Gulls have great hearing too! They always seem to call out with bursts of laughter, when they hear the crinkle of a potato chip bag, even out of plain sight. Then curiously creep closer & closer in the water's edge from afar, waiting ever so patiently, staring with one well focused eye.

They also do a fantastic job of keeping the tidewater along the Atlantic and Gulf Coasts & anywhere they congregate, clean of any food. Eating trash is not the most glamourous part of their diet, but they are opportunistic carnivores and scavengers that eat fish, crustaceans, insects, bird eggs, young birds & berries.

Regardless of only weighing half a pound when fully grown, the wind has little effect on their ability to glide, dive & float around for food or simply just sit there & stare!

The adult (breeding) Laughing Gull is no short of handsome with its black head, thin white eye crescents & red bill. Juveniles are brownish, winter gulls & non-breeding gulls have variations of gray & white feathers.

Some say these birds have a very complex behavior & are distinct from each other in their temperament.

Whatever their mood, they are entertaining to watch & they always have something to laugh about!

Instagram: instagram.com/coastalchiccabin

04/25/2022

Mr. Squiggles

Mr. Squiggles is his name & flying high is his game. When other kites let us down, he rises to the occasion & removes that ugly frown!

There's no excuse not to have fun, especially when it's blue skies & blazing sun. Everyone can make it look easy, thanks to the gulf winds that are always breezy!

And there's no better place to fly a kite than at the shore, especially in Crystal Beach while listening to the ocean roar!

But don't be sad if you forget yours, cause thankfully in town there is The Kite Shop & now a mobile kite shop onshore!

Instagram: instagram.com/coastalchiccabin

The Kite Shop: The Kite Shop Crystal Beach Texas

04/19/2022

04/13/2022

The Willet

Not every picture is full of blue skies or a rainbow of bold colors & when the cloudy weather scares away the humans, these beach days are for the birds & in this case it's the Willet.

Willets are often seen walking alone enjoying the unpopulated coastline. They are a relatively large & robust sandpiper, easily identifiable by their long bill, short white “eyebrow,” long grey legs & slightly webbed toes. Standing a foot tall & very alert, Willets demonstrate great posture & poise. Along the beach, they walk or briefly run in search of tiny fish, crabs, insects or worms.

When startled, they react with a loud, ringing "we-we-willet" call, often opening their wings & running rather than taking flight. The Willet has a striking black & white pattern on its wings, which is only visible in flight. No other shorebird in Texas is similar in this regard.

The more time I spend in Crystal Beach, whether rain or shine, the more I have become a bird observer of sorts. It's difficult to ignore the vast variety of birds here as each species is very distinct, intriguing & at times entertaining!

Instagram: instagram.com/coastalchiccabin/

02/24/2022

What on Earth is that Moon up to?

Aside from capturing its magical glow this cool February evening along the Gulf shore, the moon's gravitational pull is responsible for the high & low tides of the Earth's water.

Tides and fishing conditions are also related because tides cause the movement of water. When there is an increase in current or water movement, fish are more likely to feed and are easier to catch. The water movement causes crustaceans & baitfish, the primary food sources of saltwater game fish to be more active.

If you enjoy catching fish, resources like the Farmers’ Almanac & the local tide chart, can help you with the best fishing times, even months in advance.

For many animals, particularly birds, the Moon is essential to migration & navigation. Others will time their reproduction to coincide with the specific phases of the lunar cycle.

So not only does our 'Big Cheese in the Sky' make for great late night strolls on Crystal Beach, it has quite the impact here on Earth!

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02/20/2022

Mardi Gras Parade 2022

2/26/2022 • 11 AM - 1:30 PM
Crystal Beach, TX 77650

https://www.bolivarpeninsulatexas.com/Event-2022-2-26-Mardi-Gras-Parade-2022

02/13/2022

Why do the sunsets along the gulf coast in late fall & winter show lots of red & orange colors? From a phenomenon called Rayleigh light scattering.

Remember Mr. Rainbow? ROYGBIV refers to the colors of the rainbow in order. Violet has the shortest wavelength & red has the longest.

When sunlight passes through more atmosphere (at low angles), and it is full of more particles (moisture & dust), these particles scatter the light even more! The shorter wavelengths, like blue, aren't visible because they are broken up. We see the red color because it has the longest wavelength in the spectrum. Even the types of clouds can affect the quality of sunset.

Many times this winter in Crystal Beach, I witnessed red sunsets like I have never seen before, like the sky was on FIRE! This evening there were no clouds, just a clear sightline of Galveston. Truly spectacular!

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02/10/2022

When cruising the beach in a golf cart, the barrels are numbered & this list gives reference to their location (most are along Texas State Highway 87, both Gulf & Bay sides, others are right on the beach). Our cabin off Boyt Rd is located at barrel #30 for reference. Many thanks to Sandlot Beach Rentals for the list! They offer Beach rentals for golf carts, tables, chairs, and more!

sandlotbeachrentals.com



facebook.com/SandlotBeachRentals

02/02/2022

The sunsets in Crystal Beach, Texas this January have proven to be spectacular!
This particular evening, these quick legged sandpipers dashed around the waves in search of supper, as the departing sun flaunted its yellow & orange tones to the east.

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01/29/2022

Looking for current events in CB? Look no further...

Bolivar Peninsula Texas - Tourist and visitor info for the Texas Gulf Coast communities of Crystal Beach, Gilchrist, High Island and Port Bolivar.

01/23/2022