South Padre Island: New Travels. Wonderful Weekend.

I was fortunate enough to have recently spent a weekend in South Padre Island. My first trip to this destination on the Gulf of Mexico was a great experience and leaves me wanting to return.

Just minutes from the border with Mexico, I found miles of clean beaches with beautiful ocean waters in several shades of blue under sunny skies. Do expect slow traffic from Port Isabel onto the island, though the wait is worth it. 

Deck overlooking the ocean

We stayed at the Hilton Garden Inn. It is located on the beach. While not a luxury, five star resort, we enjoyed out short stay. Our room was larger than expected and it was very clean.  The lobby, though a bit small, was clean and comfortable. The pool area is quite large and faces the ocean. Plenty of seating was available.

Comfy

A short walk on the pathway from the pool area leads to the beach. Halfway along this walk is a deck with plenty of seating overlooking the Gulf of Mexico. I spent a bit of time lounging here, soaking up the sun and enjoying the sounds of the waves. There was also a free fireworks show behind the hotel that we watched from this deck. The fireworks show runs through October this year, on Friday and Saturday nights.

Free fireworks show!

The best experience at the Hilton was the staff. One of the most courteous, professional, and friendly hotel staffs I have ever encountered, they made sure all our needs were met. They beach towels provided at the front desk, as we made our way to the beach, were a nice touch. My only complaint is parking. More spaces are needed. We had to circle the lot one night for several minutes before a spot became available. That said, we will return to this hotel on our next trip.

Our stay was short so we did not have time to explore the numerous restaurants on the island. We did dine at Daddy's Cajun Kitchen and Seafood Market one night. Though the seating is a bit crowded the food was good, the portions were generous (my burger was large), and our waitress was a pleasure. On a Saturday night we were seated in less than fifteen minutes. I would eat there again.

Perfect.

I look forward to returning to South Padre Island when we can spend several days relaxing on the beach and exploring the island and its activities even more.

The thoughts and opinions presented here are mine. Pictures are also mine.

More thoughts and ramblings on twitter @MattBellWrites

Weekend At The San Antonio River Walk.

Earlier this month I had an opportunity to spend a weekend in one of my favorite places, San Antonio, Texas, for an event involving a member of our family. I have been visiting the Alamo City since I was a child and never tire of going.

Due to the short notice of the trip we were unable to book a hotel room on the River Walk as we usually do so we stayed about twenty minutes from downtown, at the Hilton Homewood Suites on the north side of town.

Comfortable and clean

As a HHonors member I had a few free nights available. Though the hotel is neither upscale nor resort class as we prefer, it was more than adequate for what we needed. The hotel and room were clean and the hotel was close to shopping and restaurants, though we dined on the River Walk. Free hot breakfast was provided as well. Employee service was okay though the front desk seemed understaffed. That said, the hotel served its purpose for us.

Of course the jewel of the city is the River Walk. The river was dyed green for St. Patrick's Day. The choices of places to eat and shop on the River Walk are numerous and varied. It's hard to make a bad choice.

Green for St. Patrick's Day!

We chose Mexican food at Casa Rio. Our party of eleven was seated in about 45 minutes, which was fine given it is was a tourist location on a Saturday night. The food was not bad and the atmosphere was festive. If you are looking for quick service and a quiet place to eat however, this is not the place for you. Our server was a joy.

We met many wonderful vendors, true small business men and women. Our favorite was the booth with soy air fresheners and candles.

After dinner we took a stroll both on the River Walk and at street level downtown. It is a lively place. and we felt quite safe the entire time. Plenty of taverns, shops, and other establishments to see and check out. Downtown is relatively pedestrian friendly though you should expect to pay for parking in one of the available garages or lots if you're not staying at a downtown hotel.

Horse drawn carriage- Downtown.

Despite several prior trips, I saw so many places I have yet to try on the Riverwalk and cannot wait to return.

On a side note, this was the first time I had been to San Antonio in March. The bright sunshine and cool breeze was wonderful. With daytime temperatures in the 70's and nighttime seeing the 50's it was a pleasant departure from the mid summer heat and humidity I usually encounter.

San Antonio has much to offer in the way of shopping, dining, and history. If you are ever in Central Texas it is well worth the time to give downtown San Antonio a try.

The thoughts and opinions presented here are mine. Pictures are also mine.

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Observations Of An Individual Investor.

After more than three decades of investing I have made a few observations along the way. Beginning with my earliest experience of purchasing stock as a teenager these observations have helped guide me as I sought to achieve financial independence.

Sometimes I had to learn the hard way. Other times I benefited by learning from the successes and mistakes of others.

I have noticed these observations apply not only to my investing thought process but have applications in other areas of my life.
To get started, you have to start! Today is better than tomorrow. Too many tomorrows turn into yesterdays with no action taken.

It’s never too late to start. Ten years from now will you regret not having started ten years ago?

A loss is not reason to quit just as a win is not reason to rest.

Keep a level head and try to stay on an even keel.

Consistency is key. Do something to move forward no matter how small of a move it may be.

Keep the long term goal in mind but enjoy the journey.

The crowd is not always right. Trust your judgment.

In investing, as in life, try not to complicate things. Simple often works best. And if it is working stick with it.

More thoughts and ramblings on twitter @MattBellWrites

Just some thoughts...

Today I am simply reflecting on a few things in life that I try to remind myself of often, some of them daily. It's an eclectic list. Some of the ideas keep me focused. Some are purely for pleasure. A few may not make any sense at all.

- I'm glad I woke up today. It could be worse. 

Slow down. Relax.

- My family is healthy and happy. Everything else is a bonus.

- Opportunity abounds. We just have to take advantage of it.

- When it comes to investing, I always, always, pay myself first.

- I am fortunate I have the freedom to do most of what I want. Collect wine. Invest. Travel. Write.

- The power of compounding interest and dividends can be amazing.

Enjoy simple pleasures

- ITunes University offers a lot of free "education."

- Tomorrow is a clean slate, a fresh start. Make the most of it.

- Don't be in a hurry. Enjoy small pleasures when they come along.

- Most of what is worried about seldom comes to fruition. 

I look forward to each morning. What can I accomplish today? Who can I help, teach, or encourage? How can I make my life, my family's life, someone else's life just a little bit better today?

Take a few minutes each day to ponder......... 

The thoughts and opinions presented here are mine. Nothing here is meant as financial advice or a recommendation to purchase a specific investment. Do your own due diligence. Pictures are mine.

More thoughts and ramblings on twitter @MattBellWrites

I Love Dividends

Having been an investor since I was a teenager I have employed many types of investing. But I always find myself being the most comfortable with dividend growth investing. I love the idea of getting paid by great companies while I own their stock and getting a raise from those companies every year in the form of  dividend growth. 

While investing in dividend growth stocks is no guarantee of financial success I feel comfortable having history is on my side. Research by investment firm Dreyfus indicates dividends have made up over 50% of the total market returns since 1926.

A beautiful vacation view paid for with dividends.

As much as I enjoy following my investments, I find owning and holding dividend stocks of great companies gives me not only peace of mind but time to pursue other interests when I don't feel like watching the stock market or I want to take a week or two off from my investment "homework."

Over the years dividends have helped purchase cars for our family, pay for vacations, or just provide some extra money for whatever we needed. Perhaps even better, it adds to my funds for purchases of new or additional dividend stock. Dividend investments will continue to make up the majority of my investment portfolio.

The opinions presented here are mine and not meant as financial advice or a recommendation to purchase a specific investment. Do your own due diligence. Pictures are mine.

 More thoughts and ramblings on twitter @MattBellWrites

My Initial Review Of The Vivino Wine App

Being a wine fan, I was eager to try an app I had read about recently. The app, Vivino, proclaims that the user can "take a photo of any wine label to tap into the wisdom of more than 8 million wine lovers."  Who am I to turn down the good advice of so many fellow wine lovers? After downloading the free version of Vivino I headed off to my favorite local wine store (as if I needed another excuse to buy more wine) to put the app to the test.

 

I took photos of thirteen labels, including a photo of two labels together just to see what I would get as a result. Vivino identified 12 of the 13 labels, providing information about the wine, user reviews, and an average price for the chosen bottle. In the case of the photo with two labels Vivino provided information for one of the wines, prompting me to take a photo of the other label, upon which I received information as I had with the others.

Just a few from my budding collection

 

The responses were extremely quick. In the one case in which Vivino did not immediately identify the wine, a vintage produced at a small winery in my area, the app allowed me to submit information identifying the wine and the vineyard.

Vivino also provides lists including "Best wines over $20 right now" and "Best wines under $20 right now" as well as "5 wines from the world's smallest wine country."

While I am just getting started with the Vivino app, I am completely satisfied with my experience thus far and look forward to using it on future wine shopping excursions. The free version of the Vivino wine app exceeded my expectations and I have already recommended it to many of my wine loving friends. I'm considering an upgrade to the Pro version as well.

More thoughts and ramblings on twitter @MattBellWrites

The Vision Board: Charting Your Path Through 2015 And Beyond

Several weeks ago many of us set new goals or resolutions. Lose weight. Save money. Be kinder. Travel more. The intent is usually to improve upon something. Sadly, resolutions will often be broken and goals may remain unattained as we progress into 2015.

I have found myself in this quandary as well. This year I am doing something different. I always write my goals down but this time I also established my Vision Board.

I wish I could take credit for this idea but, alas, I borrowed it from a friend. The idea is fairly simple but rather ingenious in my opinion and I don't know why I never thought of it.

My Vision Board is a place where I put reminders for all of my short, medium, and longer term goals AND it is in a place I will set it every day. I hung a large magnetic dry erase board by my desk in my home office and went to work.

I need to lose some weight so I wrote down my goal weight for each month. I wanted to increase my physical silver holdings this year so I put a picture of silver coins on my board. Photos of the books I will read and the places I plan to travel to are found on my board. My garage redo goal is up there, complete with pictures of the garage I want. All this in addition to my usual practice of writing my goals down elsewhere.

2016: Rocky Mountains or Bust!

I also wrote the names and numbers of a few of my most important contacts, people that I can call and rely on to get me going on the occasion I may need a swift kick in the butt. I even have branched out to next year, putting a trout magnet on the board to remind me of the fishing trip I am taking in 2016. And of course a picture of my wife and children to remind me why I do what I do.

Most importantly I see this board every morning before I head to the office. As I begin the day checking email, contacting friends, and reading some news, I look at my Vision Board and review my goals. Three weeks into the year and I find it helps. Perhaps most of all I enjoy charting my progress on the board to remind me of goals I have already accomplished this year.

More thoughts and ramblings on twitter @MattBellWrites