holiday vacancy

Due to a last-minute cancellation, I find myself with a vacant condo for New Years. This is a great opportunity for someone to host a holiday gathering in a fun and spacious party spot, get happy and then crawl into the conveniently adjacent bedroom. Make me an offer -- I am ready to negotiate!

December Deals

I have a big chunk of unoccupied days I would like to fill: Nov. 26 - Dec. 23, specifically.

Stay 2 nights - get the 3rd night FREE
or
Stay 5 nights - get the 6th and 7th nighs FREE!

Just mention "December Deal" in your e-mail.

Well, I made it through my 50th Birthday celebration and lived to tell the tale. Everyone in attendance agreed it was the best Sandbox party ever -- the Bongodogs had folks dancing in the sand! We will definitely be doing more music things back there - starting as early as next weekend when Raina Rose returns to the ‘Box as part of the SPI International Music Festival.

After that we are going to try a “Trunk Sale” artshow featuring South Padre Island artists. There will be music, wine and cheese and lots of unique goodies for your Christmas shopping pleasure -- in the backyard if weather permits and upstairs if it doesn’t. It all happens Nov. 15 starting around 3 PM -- I will be posting more details soon.

I recently got some new insulated curtains hung in the inn by mentioning the fact that I would be willing to do a partial trade to anyone who could help me out with that little project. It was so successful that I am going to try again. This time a solar-powered water heater tops my wishlist - found a good article on how to build one on the cheap here. Does this look like a project you would be willing to help me tackle? If so, I am ready and willing to work a deal -- let’s talk!

September Discounts

Just because school is in session doesn't mean summer is over!
I find myself with a big chunk of vacant nights -- Sept. 17-30 -- and am ready to make a deal. I will be happy to discuss reduced rates, yes but am also willing to barter. I have need of some handyman services -- the right person could pretty much pay for a nice little family vacation in a lovely seaside rental just by helping me install curtain rods, etc.
If this sounds like something you might be interested in, well then let's talk!

Pirate Wedding reception held at the Sandbox Inn

There is a nice Island Breeze write up about April & Daniel's pirate wedding on the beach that also mentions the first-ever wedding reception held at the Sandbox Inn. Hope someone sends me more pictures but here are a few that I shot during the set up....

Achieving Balance

Here it is - barely the middle of July and I have already seen the first “Back to School” email slither into my spambox.This of course sends someone like me into sober reflections of time’s inevitable march forward and how do I go about making these monster mortgage payments without the wall-to-wall bookings that I have enjoyed all summer long?

The good news is that fall bookings are trickling in and I am already getting inquiries about next summer, so it appears that rentals and the associated deposit checks won’t come to a screeching halt after all. But clearly there will be nights - maybe even many nights - when the inn will be guestless. This isn’t all bad: the Saturn street Strummers like using the space for rehearsals and I love reading the paper and watching birds & butterflies from the back deck. And even cheap wine tastes better when sipped at dusk on the sunset deck - just me and Peach soaking it all in.

All the new 4-plexes springing up in my neighborhood are pretty nice I guess but I wouldn’t trade the Sandbox for all of them together because of one thing -- they don'€™t have yards! I really like being part of "€œThe Landed Gentry"€ here on SPI and as old places are torn down and rebuilt, yards like mine are going to get fewer and further between. And that is bad news for the birds and the butterflies.
Anyway. Our favorite landscaping genius - Matt Fockler - is back on the island for a limited engagement and my yard has captured his interest - lucky me! I kept my list of desired uses for this space short and sweet: art and music. I want my yard to be a great place for uke-playing and other jam sessions; house/yard concerts; sandsculpture instruction; reading/contemplation & spirited conversation, rock-stacking, sand-casting and other crafty pursuits. And someday? some sort of tree-house - outfitted with a comfy daybed and accessible from the back deck via boardwalk....
Well thatâ€'s all Matt needed to fire him up and over the past couple of weeks I have seen an amazing transformation back there -- check out this photo of the conversation/firepit that is emerging as if by magic -- and I am really excited to see what other tricks the master has up his sleeve.

Amazin' Walter is willing to give rock-balancing workshops and I hope to be his first student -- but first I need some rocks -- they don’t grow naturally here. So if you want to make a big smile cross my face next time you pay me a visit, bring me a rock! Any size, any shape. I will be ever so grateful...

Holiday Vacancy

The folks who were supposed to stay here the week of July 4th had to cancel. Let me know ASAP if you are interested... -sf