Susan and I were on the Texas coast this past week. We had a great time visiting with family and eating the best in Texas coastal seafood. While we stayed in Port Aransas, we did venture to Rockport and Corpus Christi. On our way to and from Rockport, we rode the ferry boats between Port Aransas and Aransas Pass.
In years past, we have taken this ferry (there are several boats) and exited our car in order to see and photograph the intercoastal waterway. We often saw barges being pushed by towboats, and other times pods of dolphins riding the ferry’s bow wave. Always, there was the scent of the ocean spray in our nostrils. We are hill country people, and the sights, sounds and smells of the coast are a special treat for us.
On this occasion, I turned off my car engine, engaged the brake, and emerged from my car only to be briskly admonished to return to my car. Holy crap! It seems that there is now a new normal that insists that motorists on the ferry must remain in their autos until the ferry trip is complete. Who knew?
I am afraid that I have been alive too long. So much so that things I thought were inconsequential no longer make sense. Alas!