Shoreline Drive in Corpus Christi is one of my favorite drives in the Lone Star State. There is just something about looking out at the vast expanse of Corpus Christi Bay that I find soothing. During the years I lived in the Sparkling City by the Sea, I often ventured to Shoreline Drive to eat my lunch. I always enjoyed watching ships come into the port, recreational boats skipping across the waves, and birds dancing on the warm breezes.

Whenever I visit Corpus Christi, I especially like driving over the Harbor Bridge at night because it affords a cool view of the lights reflecting off the water. At Christmas, this entry point is especially beautiful because of the colored lights on the bridge and the buildings. Definitely worth seeing this iconic bridge at night.

On a recent visit, I took a stroll along the waterfront. My earliest memories of Shoreline Drive are of coming here on vacation with my family when I was just a few years old. My Mom and Dad took my sister and me to the t-heads where we met and talked with shrimpers. And then they took us out on a boat excursion where we held up crackers for the seagulls to eat. Dad captured these special moments on his 8mm camera.

I thought a lot about those happy days as I walked slowly beside the shrimp boats. I stopped and had a nice chat with one shrimper — a colorful character with a weathered face, bushy mustache, raspy voice, and one arm. Shrimping is hard work and I wondered how the one-armed man was able to manage the equipment on his boat. Somehow he did.

While chatting with the shrimper, a couple visiting from China stopped to buy some shrimp from him and joined in the conversation. We all had an enjoyable visit. I believe that it’s definitely worth slowing down and taking the initiative to meet people, even if we only have a few minutes to spend with them. You never know how investing a few minutes in someone else might be just the thing they needed or you needed to brighten your day.

I enjoyed my nostalgic stroll down Shoreline Drive. And I’m grateful that my Mom and Dad modeled for me the importance of slowing down and meeting others in those early years when we stopped to meet and talk with shrimpers on our visit to Corpus Christi. People, after all, are what make the places we visit interesting and meaningful.

If you have not yet visited Corpus Christi, I encourage you to plan a visit. Shoreline Drive is very visitor friendly. There are safe places to park your car and to take a stroll along the bayfront. And, of course, there are some really good places to eat along Shoreline Drive. I’ll post soon about biking along the bayfront.