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Inside the Moon

Island Frogmen A4

Turtle Report A6

Fishing A7

Sports A8

The

Issue 578

Island Moon

The voice of The Island since 1996

May 14, 2015

Around The Island

By Dale Rankin editor@islandmoon.com

Seashore Students A15

The Great Flood A16

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Island power hangs by a thread. Story on A9.

Photo by Miles Merwin & Joey Farah

Schlitterbahn Officials: Most Major Rides Expected Open

by End of May

Island Underwater!

Does anyone know where to get any gopher wood? And how many inches in an Egyptian royal cubit? And does anyone know a guy named Noah?

Because the way things are going on our little sandbar it isn’t going to be long before we need an ark.

As of this writing we are under a Tornado Watch after yet another night of heavy rain and a report of a small tornado on Mustang Island.

The storm Tuesday night dropped 7.1 inches of rain into the gauges at the Naval Air Station reminding us that El Nino will have his way.

The average annual rainfall hereabouts is 35 inches, to get 20% of that in one day is something that usually only happens around here when we have a hurricane. According to the Weather Wonks El Nino is still it his early stages and will remain in the Pacific through most of the summer meaning, according to their predictions, a slightly cooler and wetter summer than is normal, and a relatively docile hurricane season.

Take off your shoes and roll up your pants everybody. It’s going to be an interesting summer.

It came out of the sky David and Beth Zilar were minding their own business, watching television in their home on Dasmarinas Sunday night when it happened; a thunk against their house.

“It’s a break-in!” they thought. The police were called. There were a tense few moments until Dave discovered the thunksource. In the backyard he found this prone drone which had fallen from the sky in an act of nature over technology as gravity won the day. The first question that pops to mind is whether the same salvage law that says an object dropped by a tuber in the Guadalupe belongs to the dropper until it hits the bottom, at which point it becomes salvage.

We know this because a scuba diving friend of ours used to sit on the bottom at Huaco Falls and collect wrist watches, sunglasses, rings, and wallets that tubers lost as they hit the falls. He carried a shotgun, as none of the droppers were the least bit happy to see him emerge with their possessions.

At what point does a thunking drone become the property of the owner of terra firma where it alights?

Deep questions these. We’re happy to report the drone in question was returned to the owner who came knocking looking for his missing flying machine.

Busy Island Weekend The Island Moon Artwalk is this Saturday, May 16th, from 10 a.m. – 2 p.m. at the Veranda Restaurant at Schlitterbahn. Meanwhile an army of runners will descend on The Island as the Beach to Bay run takes to Island streets. The net effect on Island traffic is that going OTB will be slow until late morning and then things will get back to normal. It is a great event which begins on the beach near Bob Hall and literally runs all the way downtown. We’ll see you out there.

In the meantime, say hello if you see us Around The Island.

This stairway (above) will take parks visitors to a platform at the top of this pole (right) as part of a ride on the park’s northern end.

Canals behind Island houses are no big deal, but recent rains, more than 7 inches recorded in Flour Bluff in one night, have turned converted Island streets into canals in front of Island houses this week. The rainy season is expected to continue through the summer as El Nino dominates weather pattern throughout the summer season.

With less than three weeks before the kickoff of the summer tourist season officials at the Schlitterbahn waterpark said Wednesday they expect the major rides at the park, including the Master Blaster, Boogie Bahn surfrider, and 8000-foot long Transportainment River which moves visitors from ride to ride, to all be complete and open by the end of May.

the three Archimedes Pumps which collectively power the water for all of the park’s water rides.

The last of the “rough pour” concrete work, the foundation of the rides, is set for this week and once complete finishing work on the rides will begin, they said. All of the five water pumps in the park are now installed as are

The last of the major rides, the Chute to Shoot which rises above the terrain at the south end of the park, will not be open until later in the summer, they said, when an official Grand Opening will be held.

For more flooding pictures see Page A16.

Through the Eye of the Storm Aboard VIKING

By Richard L. Watson and Betsy A. Churgai Editor's note: this is the first in a four part series by Dr. Richard Watson about sailing his boat through Tropical Storm Dottie.

Simpson’s Death Draws Attention to Need for Highway Improvements

The Patriot Riders of South Texas Motorcycle Club placed a memorial at the site on State Highway 361 where Corpus Christi Police Chief Floyd Simpson was killed in a motorcycle accident on Sunday, May 2.

Simpson’s death has focused attention on the need for improvements to the road system between the JFK Causeway on Padre Island and the ferry landings in Port Aransas which is dissected by the city limits of Port Aransas and Corpus Christi.

Photo by Ronnie Narmour.

On the Port Aransas end, the Port Aransas City Council is set to discuss plans for improvements to the road

The Viking at sea

Highway continued on A5

A little Island history

Let it be! Let it be!

Piggy Perch can be the Answer!

Editor’s note: Bobbie Kimbrell is a retired commercial fisherman who moved to Flour Bluff in 1943.

By Bobbie Kimbrell Once upon a time piggy perch were the favorite bait for catching speckled trout. Partially because the piggies have soft fins and make the grunting noise very similar to the noise a young pig makes.

The piggies also have a more distinct color than pin perch which makes for a camouflage color when feeding in the grassy bottom and more attractive when pinned to a hook in the open water.

If there is any trout nearly about one pop of the popping cork is about all you need to lure the trout into the piggy. The best way to catch piggies is with a clover leaf parch trap made of hardware cloth or plastic. Bait the trap with one or two partially crushed up blue crabs and make the opening of the trap smaller so the larger pin perch cannot get into the trap and eat up

Piggy Perch all of the bait. Bait the trap in two or three feet of water about daylight and wait about an hour before you run it. if no blue crabs are available for bait the next best bait is a double handful of drum guts and gills or the filleted backbone of drum. In my early days of commercial fishing we caught pond perch with a small, six-foot pole and line, baiting the perch hook with a tiny piece of peeled shrimp or small pieces of fish guts. We baited the trotlines with the pin perch to

catch trout and an occasional redfish. If we happened to catch a piggy, we had a rod and reel at the ready and you usually caught a trout for every piggy you pinned on. While catching the pin perch, if the water was clear sometimes you would see a small trout about one foot long run into the school of pin perch that fought over the baited hook.

If so we kept the rod and reel baited with a piece of peeled

History continued on A5

1976 The August weather couldn't have been nicer the day we set sail: enough wind to gently fill the sails of our 46' sloop rigged sailboat, VIKING. The blue, blue sky and white, puffy balls of cottony clouds were a perfect sendoff. Our adventure, the return leg of an offshore cruise from Ocean City, N.J. to St. Petersburg, Fl. seemed to be getting off to a fantastic start.

If only we had known what was in store!

Spirits were high, as the getting underway chores were cheerfully accomplished.

We waved to the small boat sailors we passed enroute to the Atlantic.

They looked at us a trifle wistfully --there is always something mystical about going down to sea in wooden ships. Our crew, with the exception of myself as captain, was unseasoned, but it was the time ineach of our lives for an honest-to-goodness-adventure -- the kind that one always daydreams about, but usually ends up reading in a book. After all, it takes courage to embark on a voyage of this magnitude - to forsake friends and family for the unknown. Others aboard recalled the traffic jams, and over-priced crowded shopping centers, and thought, “Surely life is more than this.”

So we returned to primitive conditions: kerosene lanterns, no running water and no air conditioning.

To us, however, the trade was well worth it. We opted to sail offshore: taking the safe inland waterway was not feasible, as VIKING is powered only by sail. Without an engine, it would have been impossible to negotiate the many bridges and narrow waterways.

As it was hurricane season, the crew regularly monitored the hourly marine weather broadcasts in order to learn the position of any tropical storms or hurricanes so that we could either run to a harbor for shelter or

Watson continued on A4

A2

May 14, 2015

Island Moon

Business of the Week

Electric Bikes –the Best of Both Worlds

By Dale Rankin I had a friend in Port Aransas several years ago who rigged his bicycle up with a sail.

“Tacking is tricky,” he said, “But downwind is a literally a breeze.” Everything went pretty well until one day in a thirty mile-an hour breeze his sail caught wind and off he went down the beach, up over the dune line, and straight into a garbage can deposited there by the wind.

“There’s got to be a better way,” he said. “I’m getting an electric bicycle.”

We explored the possibilities and found them to be complicated and somewhat expensive pieces of machinery. But that was more than ten years ago and times have changed.

I recently got back into the market found my way to Mike Barnes’ Green Volt Conversions electric and bicycle and skateboard shop on Kostoryz and discovered that electric bikes are not what they used to be.

“Not only are they fun they can go 30 miles on 50 cents worth of electricity,” Barnes said. “You can peddle or let the motor take over.”

Island on the Move!

In spite of the recent rains crews have stayed busy at several construction sites around The Island.

Over on Leeward crews are working on the Village by the beach condos where the units are already sold out.

There are all sorts of electric bikes out there, some are complete bikes, some are conversions, and other manufacturers sell motors contained inside the axle of the front wheel. Barnes sells the Prodeco model which comes fully assembled and ready to ride from the plant in Florida. One of his most popular models goes twenty miles at 20 mph on its lithium batteries.

He also sells motorized skate boards which come with remote controlled throttle and brakes.

“Electric vehicles are a way to get around on The Island without working up a sweat,” Barnes said. “Or if you want exercise you can peddle. It’s not cheating; it’s the best of both worlds.”

Just down the block, also on Ambrosia, Ambrosia Cove townhomes are underway.

Work is also continuing on Compass Street across the street from Schlitterbahn, on townhomes.

On Ambrosia Brite Star is building ten standalone cottage units in the Anegada village, brightly colored two bedroom two-bath units.

And as experience has taught me, it beats the heck out of a sail.

Look them up greenvoltev.com

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May 14, 2015

Island Moon

Did Ya Hear?

Letters to the Editor

Moon Monkeys Mike Ellis, Founder

by Mary Craft mkay512@aol.com or @padreeyelander on twitter

Late Engineer Dear friend, My name is Mr. Herve Amegnran, an audit officer in OraBank LOME TOGO.

Distribution Pete Alsop Island Delivery Coldwell Banker Advertising Jan Park Rankin Classifieds Arlene Ritley Production Manager Jeff Craft Contributing Writers Joey Farah

I am writing for the following opportunity in my office that will be of immense benefit to both of us. In my department we discovered an abandoned sum of 6.5 Million Euros in an account that belongs to one of our foreign customers Late Engineer. Alexander Andrew Tachibana, in your country who unfortunately lost his life on a TAM airlines commercial jet crashed in Sao Paulo, Tuesday, July 17, 2007 and burst into flames after skidding off a runway and barreling across a busy highway.

All 176 people on board were feared dead in what would be Brazil’s deadliest air disaster, I have contacted you to assist in repatriating the fund valued at 6.5 million Euros left behind by my client before it gets confiscated

Devorah Fox Mary Craft Maybeth Christiansen Jay Gardner Chad Peters Todd Hunter Dotson Lewis Ronnie Narmour Brent Rourk Dr. Donna Shaver Photographers Miles Merwin Jeff Dolan Mary Craft Ronnie Narmour Office Security/Spillage Control (Emeritus)

Since I have been unsuccessfully in locating the relatives for over 1 and half years now, I seek your consent to present you as the next of kin to the deceased since you a foreigner, so that the proceeds of this account can be paid to you. We shall then discuss the sharing ratio and modalities for transfer. Contact through my private email address: (howstupidareyou@ gmail.com) my telephone +222222222, Best regards.

Mr.Herve Amegnran

Dear Mr. Amegnran, I have heard of Structural Engineers, Hydraulic Engineers, and Safety Engineers, but this is the first time I have heard of a Late Engineer. I guess building “Lates” has become more complicated these days and has become a field of its own. I am particularly distressed to hear that poor Mr. Tachibana burst into flames after skidding off the runway and barreling across a busy highway. Even in the high state of intoxication Mr. Tachibana must have been in to skid right off the runway like that and go barreling into traffic it is still quite unusual that he would burst into flames.

Spontaneous combustion is a sad fact of life Mr. Amegnran, it’s good that we talk about it. By the way, is he the Mr. Tachibana who owns the chain of Mexican restaurants by the same name?

Andy Purvis

or declared unserviceable by the OraBank LOME TOGO where this huge amount were deposited. Ora Bank LOME TOGO has issued me a notice to provide the next of kin or have his account confiscated within the next twenty one official working days.

I do, however, find it puzzling that eight years after the plane crash 176 people are still “feared” dead. Is it possible they too, like poor old Mr. Tachibana, burst into flames and that is why they are missing? This is most puzzling. If they have not turned up in lo these eight years Mr. Amegnran we must sadly accept that they are probably more than “feared” and are quite likely actually dead – and possibly the victims of what

would go down in history as the worst case of mass spontaneous combustion in recent history since Poland coincidently caught fire at exactly the same time the Nazi Army moved but did not, according to Mr. Hitler, fire any artillery or drop any bombs. Sometimes these things happen Mr. Amegnran, ours is but to persevere.

Go right ahead and present me as next of kin Mr. Amegnran since, as a foreigner I’m certain no one will ever find out I am not Mr. Tachibana’s next of kin, even after you write me a check for 6.5 million euros and then, and only then, can we discuss sharing ratio and modalities for transfer. You are a very trusting man Mr. Amegnran, a virtual breath of fresh air even for an honest man such as yourself who merely wants to give 6.5 million euros to a total stranger over the internets.

Please send the money asap sir, and I will gladly give you 1 million euros back; the likelihood of which is greater than the odds of poor old Mr. Tachibana skidding across the runway, barreling across a busy highway and bursting into flames.

Your friend, Riley P. Dog

Songwriters Showcase

Riley P. Dog Publisher Dale Rankin About the Island Moon

Greetings One & All! 1- 4:00 Simon Jay

Facebook: The Island Moon Newspaper

Yeah, it's about that time of year for the Songwriter's Showcase! Yep, the 32nd Annual, and we've added about 6 new songwriters to the list! Thanks to Ronnie Narmour, for bringing some "new blood" to the already awesome list of singer/songwriters! Longtime buddy and bandmate, "Preecher" Williams will be back at his job as Stage Wrangler, and playing some drums! This year there's a couple of other changes aside from having several more talented performers. 1st, there is No Admission fee, and 2nd, the event will begin earlier, at 4 O'Clock. It will still be held here in Port Aransas, at Roberts Point Park, right near the Ferry Boat Landing.

This year's event is dedicated to the late Dan Winship. You're encouraged to bring lawn chairs, blankets, snacks, and ice chests with your favorite frosty beverages!

Where to Find The Island Moon

The Showcase is the last event of the 2 day weekend, starting with the 10th Annual ARTFEST, 10-5, on Saturday, May 16th, and 10-4, on Sunday. FMI, contact artcenter@ centurytel.net, or www.portaransasartcenter. org.

14- 8:20 Billy Snipes

The Island Moon is published every Thursday, Dale Rankin, Editor / Publisher.

Total circulation is 10,000 copies. Distribution includes delivery to 4,000 Island homes, free distribution of 3,000 copies in over 50 Padre Island businesses and condos, as well as 600 copies distributed in Flour Bluff, 1,400 copies on Mustang Island and Port Aransas businesses.

News articles, photos, display ads, classified ads, payments, etc. may be left at the Moon Office.

The Island Moon Newspaper 15201 S. Padre Island Drive, Suite 250 Corpus Christi, TX 78418 361-949-7700 editor@islandmoon.com

Port Aransas Lisabella’s Restaurant Pioneer RV Park

Sandpiper Condos WB Liquors Port A Arts

North Padre

Stripes @ Beach Access Rd. 1A

All Stripes Stores

A Mano

CVS

Coffee Waves

Whataburger

Moby Dicks

Doc’s Restaurant

Spanky’sLiquor

Snoopy’s Pier

IGA Grocery Store

Isle Mail N More

Carter Pharmacy

Brooklyn Pie Co.

San Juan’s Taqueria

Ace Hardware

Wash Board Laundry Mat

Texas Star (Shell)

Port A Parks and Rec

Island Italian

Holiday Inn Jesse’s Liquor

Public Library

Scuttlebutt’s Restaurant

Chamber of Commerce

Island Tire

Duckworth Antiques

And all Moon retail advertisers

Back Porch

WB Liquor

Woody’s Sports Center

Subway

Shorty’s Place

Flour Bluff

Giggity’s

H.E.B.

Stripes @ Cotter & Station Gratitude Gift Shop Keepers Pier House Port A Glass Studio The Gaff

Liquid Town Whataburger on Waldron Ethyl Everly Senior Center Fire Station Police Station Stripes on Flour Bluff & SPID

So, here's the list of performers, in the order they are scheduled to perform. There will be an auction, starting by 6:30, so this is all subject to change. But the times are approximate.

2- 4:20 James Derkits 3- 4:40 Mark Wilks 4- 5:00 Perry Wing & Tim Miler 5- 5:20 Dan Brodhag 6- 5:40 Carol Elliott 7- 6:00 Todd Dorn 8- 6:20 Ty Dietz & Tony Saracene 9- 6:40 L. Leon Sands 10- 7:00 Ruben Limas 11- 7:20 Garrett Wieland & David King 12- 7:40 Guy Le Roux 13- 8:00 Marc Borde 15- 8:40 Hamp Brockman & Janet Drew 16- 9:00 Tyler McCumber 17- 9:20 Woodie Lawson & The Bad Buoys Woodie Lawson

They receive what they think is a godsend from a property tax lender — a letter with a promise: “We will quickly get your taxes paid so you’ll no longer incur the large penalties, interest and attorney collection fees charged by your county.

It’s simple. We pay the taxes. You pay us back over time.”

Unfortunately, for many families across the state, the process is anything but simple. One such victim is Pastor Josue Lopez of Pharr.

Desperate to pay his delinquent taxes, he obtained a $19,000 loan from a property tax lender. The interest rate: 18 percent. At the end of the 10-year note, Lopez will owe a total of $45,000. Of that amount, $25,000 is interest.

Lopez told state lawmakers he was shocked to learn he would be paying that much and had no idea what he’d gotten himself into.

Lopez is not alone. In testimony before the House Business and Industry Committee last year, Texas Consumer Credit Commissioner Leslie Pettijohn reported the number of property tax loans steadily increased from 12,078 in 2008 to 15,738 in 2013.

There were $201 million in property tax loans written in Texas in 2013, up from $119 million in 2008. More than 8,100 loans totaling nearly $81.5 million were at least 90 days delinquent.

The reason for the almost 70 percent increase in property tax loans written is a no-brainer.

The property tax lien lenders have nothing to lose—and quite a lot to gain. The property tax lender has lien priority, so if the property goes into foreclosure, the property tax lender is paid first, regardless of whether there is an existing mortgage on the house.

Pastor Lopez told his story at a February press conference held by Rep. Rene Oliveira (D-Brownsville) when he introduced HB 1936, which would require property owners to notify their mortgage lender 10 days before entering into a property tax loan. The bill has now

New Advertisers Green Volt Ev has electric bikes with a 25 mile range at 20/30 mph at a cost of 50 cents for a two hour charge. They have electric skateboards with an 18 mile range and a wireless remote. Call 903-8825 or visit them at 5902 Kostoryz Suite 5 or go to their website for more info.

Douglas Ocker, PLLC will be offering a free Elder Law Series workshop at the Schlitterbahn conference room on Thursday, May 21st at 4 pm. The topic for this first workshop is Legal Planning for Alzheimer’s and Disability. To register call 866-5482 or email Kelly@OckerLaw.com.

Gourmet Food To Go is looking to hire front of the huse and back of the house staff with food service experience. Stop by 315 W. Cotter or call Holly at 332-8929.

American Bank gets to know you and your needs before finding customized financial solutions. They have an innovative line-up of business and personal banking services with a “yes, we can” approach. They offer competitive rates for lot purchases, construction, refinance or remodel.

Business Briefs The 10th Annual ArtFest in Port A will be held this weekend on Saturday and Sunday at Robert’s Point Park. There will be oil paintings, acrylic, watercolor, pottery, photography, jewelry, sculptures and more.

There will be food and beverages available and local musicians will be there for your listening pleasure as you stroll the artist booths.

The Aransas Queen Casino Ship has morning and evening cruises available.

Tickets are available online for $27. The ship is located on Hwy 35 between Port A and Aransas Pass.

Schlitterbahn Country Club is offering a free 9 hole round of golf to the military, police, firefighters and EMTs during American Heroes Week Monday, May 25th – Sunday, May 31st.

Boathouse Bar & Grill now has Welcome Wednesdays with $2.50 well drinks and pints until 11 pm. The restaurant downstairs has brunch every Sunday.

The Nueces County Appraisal District staff will be at the Port Aransas Middle School this Saturday, May 16th 8:30 am – 3:30 pm. Property owners who have issues with their appraisals can discuss it with them at this time.

The 36th Annual Songwriter’s Showcase in Port A will be held Sunday, May 17th 4 pm til “darkthirty”. There will be about ten musical acts. Don’t forget to bring a cooler and a chair to this free event.

The Island’s Edge Salon will be having a a class on doTERRA Essential Oils on Friday, May 15th at 7 pm. Learn how these oils can help with muscle & joint pain, stress & anxiety, allergies and more. The salon is located at 15033 SPID. The We Love Our Beach Party will be held Sunday May 17th 5pm – 8 pm at Horace Caldwell Pier in Port A. There will be volleyball, a bonfire, hot dogs and more.

One Hour Air Conditioning & Heating has a $35 coupon in their ad this issue. It is a good time to have you’re a/c checked and serviced before the sweltering summer hits.

The Isle of Avalon Day Spa that was near Scuttlebutt’s is now at 14225 SPID near Subway. Call 944-8094 for more info

Beach Party!

New Lending Bill in Austin Imagine, it’s tax time and a family is faced with losing their home because they can’t pay their property taxes.

A3

Sunday ‘s We Love Our Beach Party still on.

SUNDAY, MAY 17, 5 – 8 PM

passed the House and was referred to the Senate Business & Commerce Committee last week.

HORACE CALDWELL PIER, (NORTH SIDE)

The bill would go a long way toward curbing the abuses of the property tax lending industry by requiring homeowners to notify their mortgage lender 10 days before entering into a property tax loan. This “cooling off” period helps the property owner in a couple of ways:

VOLLEYBALL, BONFIRE, HOT DOGS, & MORE!

• First, it gives property owners time to fully consider their options. Entities, such as county tax assessors and banks, can offer to lend the money needed to pay the delinquent taxes at much lower interest rates and minus the exorbitant fees. Currently, lenders do not have the ability to pay off a property tax lender until the property tax note is delinquent for 120 days or the borrower is 90 days delinquent on the underlying mortgage loan.

• Second, the notice alerts lenders to possible violations of the mortgage agreement.

Property owners may not realize they are breaching their agreements with their lenders when they take out property tax loans using the financed property as collateral.

The bill doesn’t prevent property owners from getting the needed funds from the property tax lenders—even at the higher interest rates and tacked on fees—if they still want to move forward. What it does do, however, is give property owners the opportunity to investigate better and less costly alternatives.

The concept is similar to that of home equity loans, which in Texas require a 12-day coolingoff period after an application is made. During that time, the borrower can research other alternatives and either move forward with the loan or pull out.

Does HB 1936 go far enough to curb the abuses of these predatory lenders? Probably not, but it at least gives property owners an opportunity to look at options. For Pastor Lopez, that cooling off period could have steered him away from a product he calls "deceptive and predatory."

Eric Sandberg, President & CEO, Texas Bankers Association

BYOB, BYOChair, BYO side dishes if desired.

Bring a friend or two.

In case of rain :-( we will reschedule.

For more info, call or text Julie at 361-947-4343.

Taxes Editor’s note: The Nueces Appraisal District brought their portable office to The Island on Saturday to hear property value appeals. Here are some comments from our Facebook page theislandmoonnewspaper.

Saturday at 3:36pm I had a good outcome at the Tax Appraisal today, every thing I brought to them to look at, they took and after the computers came back up I got about a 10% reduction in total value. everyone was very helpful, no complaints from me!!!!!

Raymond Lieke I, too, had a very good experience. So nice of them to come to the island!

Marsha Brancel My husband was there at 8:30 and they said they would call when the computers came up.

They never did.

Trina Wilkinson Johnson

Send letters and photos to editor@islandmoon.com Or visit us on Facebook

A4

May 14, 2015

Island Moon

News from your POA

Watson continued from A1 take early evasive action at sea so as not to intersect a storm's path.

After passing offshore of Chesapeake Bay, three fearsome capes that had wrecked many stout vessels must be rounded. The chart is covered with symbols marking the position of their wrecks.

The Graveyard of the Atlantic

By Maybeth Christensen The rain has certainly caused more than a few problems and lots of slow down on construction projects. Weeds love the rain and all of the mowing companies are trying desperately to get the vacant lots mowed, but when the lots are this wet, the tractors get stuck or the weeds just bend so they are not cut. Rest assured, when we have more than 1 rainless day, the mowers will be back out.

Garden delays The rain has also caused problems for the construction of the final 20 garden beds. We only have 3 more beds to fill, but the dirt is so muddy, it can’t be moved. All of the plots have been assigned and we now have 10 people on the waiting list. There is a turnover on the plots, so if you want to garden, please call the office to get your name on the list. The next planting season starts in late August.

Jacked up on Jackfish

Betsy and Richard on the Viking The first is Hatteras, nicknamed “the graveyard of the Atlantic.”

Shivers ran-up and down our spines as the chart showed Cape Lookout, Cape Fear and Frying Pan Shoals must be dealt with, should we be lucky enough to successfully round Hatteras.

Prudence required staying at least 50 miles offshore of these capes, as shoals extend many miles seaward and we didn't want to be washed ashore and wrecked during foul weather.

Encountering a severe storm would render retreat to harbors in that area hazardous at best. Hurricanes send out vanguards of huge waves far in advance of their arrival which break, creating surf that would make entering those shallow and unprotected harbors impossible. Another reason for our great offshore distance was the everpresent Gulf Stream. It is a powerfu1 ocean current flowing north through the Florida Straits, sweeping up the Atlantic Coast just offshore of the three fearsome capes. As our maximum speed is about 9 mph, any current that would detract from our progress should be avoided: hence we found ourselves about 100 miles from shore beyond the Gulf Stream’s influence.

The rain washed out part of the Jackfish ramp entrance. We are working on getting bids to get it repaired, but in the meantime, it is closed. Not only are there deep holes, but the gravel has created an “island” in front of the ramp in the canal. I know this is a hardship for the residents on the north end, but unfortunately, we can’t get it fixed when the rain continues.

Encantada culverts When we cleaned the culverts under Encantada, the contractor found a break in one of the culverts. Work started this week to repair the break, but again – RAIN has halted that project.

We certainly have seen “lakes” where most of us have never seen them before. Even Billish Parks has a couple of new ponds and we haven’t started the construction, yet!

One of the visitors to the office said he was going to take a picture of the sun the next time he sees it!

Diver Dave and the Dive Guys went under at Encantada this week to check out the culverts under the roadway that were recently cleaned out to allow for water flow. The inspection is a precursor to repairing the cracked pipes.

A crack pipe on The Island, who knew?!

The Ladies of PIE

Red Hats Go Artsy!

As we were about to round Hatteras, Hurricane Belle was approaching the southern tip of Florida. We beat a hasty retreat to Chesapeake Bay. In two days we sailed nearly 200 miles to a harbor of refuge on the Potomac River and had just dropped anchor when Hurricane Belle shrieked by the mouth of the Chesapeake, only eight hours behind us. We heaved a sigh of relief, having come so close to disaster, yet escaping unscathed..

After a few days of rest we set sail again, thinking that we had had our “big hurricane adventure" and that we could continue, on our peaceful trip.

After clearing the Chesapeake, we put far out to sea again to sail south offshore of the Gulf Stream, certain that we could either avoid any new storms or have a few days warning to find a safe harbor.

Heading out to sea Weighing heavily in that decision was the fact that tropical storms and hurricanes usually form in the Caribbean Sea many hundreds of miles away from our route. If one was to cross our route, we could have adequate warning of its approach. These storms typically move at 15 to 25mph. Even under optimal conditions, we cannot outrun a storm, unless we have a big head start.

On the afternoon of the 19th of August, 1976 VIKING was sailing gloriously. Our bellies full and spirits soaring from a fish recently speared from the bow, we surged through the deep blue waters. The gentle rocking of the boat was a comforting cradle. We were at one with the sea. The wind freshened, making us giddily in love with life itself. Spray and spume were flying through the air, occasionally drenching the helmsman. "Just wait,” Bill said, “you’ll get yours." But it was jovial laughter that accompanied the threat, not anger. “Aw, shut up and 'steer the boat," cried Buddy, who was busily engrossed in a novel. “Y’all be nice up there or nobody gets to eat," came Betsy's voice from the galley, from which the aroma of good seafaring chow was emanating. Amid the joking, laughter, and light banter arose a growing concern over the increasing wind and great swells from the east. At first, nobody said anything. In an engineless sailboat, going full speed is better than getting your brains baked in a flat calm. Besides, we were exuberant over the prospect of having a chance to sail as much as 200 miles in a single day. Then Buddy commented on what was all on our minds. “Sure wish I had a surfboard out here. Could go a long way on those waves.”

PIE had their annual fashion show on May 8. The models wore clothing from Cato's.

VOTED BEST Veterinarian 2006-2014 Dr. Christi Kresser

His arm mimicked a surfboard, scudding about.

Next week: Sailing into the storm…\

On May 7th, the island's Red Hat Chapter of the Corpus Christi Red Hat Society enjoyed a scrumptious lunch at the Citrus Bistro at the Art Center of Corpus Christi. After lunch, they visited the dislay of the robes from the 2015 Los Donas de la Corte. Pictured left to right last row: Roseanne Milroy, Joani Sarkiss, Debbie Adams, Katie Clark, Bebe Gale, Carolyn Loe, Clara Mosley, Dianne Hanelt (Hostess), Lynn Shaw (guest), and Mary Leja (Queen). Middle row: Kathie Hodges (guest), Lauret Bridgford, Jaki Boyd (Vice Queen & Hostess), Judy Johnson, Pearl Benoit and Joan Clay (Hostess). Front row: Arleen Ward, Judy Marsyla, Kay Reynolds (guest), Karen Sharp and Pat McKeone.

RAY HERRERA DIRECTOR

Thank You For Supporting CHRISTI KRESSER & Voting Us #1 in the Corpus Christi & Coastal Bend Area VETERINARIAN

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May 14, 2015

Padre Island Yacht Club Honors Mothers Fine Feast for PIYC Moms

Island Moon

Volunteers Needed for Oyster Reef Restoration

Buying and Selling Gold and Silver

The Department of Life Sciences at Texas A&M UniversityCorpus Christi and the Harte Research Institute for Gulf of Mexico Studies are looking for volunteers to help restore an oyster reef habitat on Saturday, May 16, from 8:30 to 11:30 a.m. at Goose Island State Park, 202 Palmetto St. in Rockport, Texas.

It is estimated that 85 percent of oyster reefs have disappeared, according to The Nature Conservancy.

By David Haynes Commodities are an investment not everybody understands.

Precious Metals are a part of commodities. 20 dollar gold pieces were legal tender during the early 1900’s up until 1933. Silver dollars were the currency until 1964. These coins represented an ounce of Gold or Silver. What would have cost 20 dollars in the 1930’s would cost $1200.00 today. For example, in the 1960’s an ounce of silver was just a dollar and today it has increased to nearly $17. I started buying gold in 1972 when it was $35 an ounce. It has gone up and changes values as the economy changes.

For instance, when there is a world crisis gold and silver go up.

Stocks go down. However, there are many types of investment but Gold interested me many years ago and I have spent over 40 years watching it and trying to get an understanding and its importance. Because of its importance, developing technology is now dependant on Gold using it in computers, electronics and even cell phones. This new development puts such a high demand on Gold that it continues to increase in price. Just 3 years ago gold was $1800.00 an ounce and silver was running about 30 dollars an ounce.

Volunteers will bag up reclaimed oyster shells and carry those bags to the water to build an educational oyster reef. This innovative project recycles oyster shells back into the Gulf of Mexico waters and creates a habitat where young oysters can attach and grow, ensuring an abundance of the mollusks for future commercial harvests.

“Oysters are important to our estuaries for a variety of reasons,” said Dr. Jennifer Pollack, Assistant Professor of Marine Biology.

“They provide homes for a lot of crabs, fish, and shrimp as well as provide a food source for important sportfish.”

By Brent Rourk With the enticing scents of fresh cooked ham, eggs, and hollandaise sauce luring them, Padre Island Yacht Club moms streamed into the Padre Island Yacht Club (PIYC) last Sunday from 11 to 1:30 to dine on a sumptuous Mother’s Day brunch prepared by Yacht Club dads for moms.

Overlooking the Padre Isles canals, the 9th annual PIYC Mother’s Day brunch spanned three shifts of meals that included eggs benedict, roasted asparagus smothered in a sumptuous hollandaise sauce, fresh fruit salad, and a couple of hi-octane and savory beverages.

Enjoying a fabulous breakfast, a favorite beverage, and fine company, moms marveled at the view and enjoyed spending time with other moms (as well as their brunch escorts). PIYC Commodore David Zylar, who was one of the ‘wait’ staff for the event, was very pleased as he noted, “It was a wonderful Mother’s Day gift for the ladies of the yacht club. The guys were pleased to do it.”

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The program is co-coordinated by Pollack of the University’s Life Sciences Department and Gail Sutton, Assistant Director of the Harte Research Institute. Pollack, along with Sutton and Dr. Paul Montagna, developed the first oyster shell recycling program for the Texas Coastal Bend in November 2009.

The steering wheel of commodities is part world news, politics, and supply. Same as oil and orange juice. Consumers must learn how to buy and sell their commodity to get their monies worth. I encourage everyone to learn about commodities. They are a part of personal financial portfolios. I have spent years in the dental and jewelry business. Have had dealing with refiners of precious metals for many years. Some have hidden fees or gratuities. If you tip a waiter it should be given not taken. Keep it simple, just know and be informed.

Participants should wear closed-toed shoes such as old tennis shoes, clothes that can get wet and dirty, sunscreen, and a hat.

Work gloves and shovels will be provided.

Volunteers will receive a free T-shirt for signing up. Drinks and snacks will be provided. To RSVP, call the Harte Research Institute at 361.825.2020. For more information, go to http:// www.oysterrecycling.org/.

David Haynes is owner and operator of Island Jewelers for over a year now. The business is located in the Loma Alta Shopping Center. David works with pure Gold and Silver to develop his product. He has been doing this work for over 40 years. His degree in Dental Science provided him with the knowledge of dealing with gold as a commodity and turning into a product.

Highway continued from A1 inside their city limits at their next scheduled meeting at Port Aransas City Hall on Thursday, May 21.

On the Padre end Greg Smith, Chairman of the Island Strategic Action Committee, an advisory committee to the Corpus Christi City Council on Island issues, told the city council on Tuesday the ISAC approved the installation on a new traffic light at the SPID/Aquarius intersection only on the condition that a complete traffic count of vehicles at the location is conducted, and that a traffic study is done to determine how the light would impact traffic flow on SPID, and on to Port Aransas. City staff told the ISAC at its last meeting that plans are moving forward to install the light in spite of delays to the city’s traffic study, using only information supplied by the developer who owns the adjacent property and is requesting the light.

Smith said the issue will be on the agenda for discussion and action at the next ISAC meeting at 5:30 p.m., Tuesday June 2, at Comfort Suites on Windward Drive. The public is invited to attend and speak on the subject.

Capable and efficient kitchen staff at PIYC

RESIDENTIAL PROPERTY TAX SERVICE

Host David Gillette (also the club’s Cruise Director) organized an attractive and fun event, from the theme, the menu, the shopping, and the staff. Gillette assembled a team of 10 to prepare and to serve meals. The men served double duty and cleaned the club spotless after the brunch.

Robert E. (Bob) Maupin

One of the moms shared that it ought to be that way every day.

Another mom, Beth Zylar, thoroughly enjoyed the luncheon and commented, “I felt totally pampered from the moment I walked in the door, and it was a great luncheon for me. Everything was truly delicious.”

History continued from A1 shrimp about one-half inch long and would cast it at the trout as you saw it coming. The trout would hit the shrimp as soon as they saw it. We used no lead or cork, just the weight of the hook and bait to cast it.

If the water was murky and we caught no piggies, we would fillet the first big pin perch we caught, ab out five or six inches long and put one fillet on the hook and cast it out and let it lay on the bottom until something hit it. If we caught a trout it was usually a two or three pounder. If we caught a big piggy, about four or five inches long, we would cast it out under a popping cork and if a trout pulled the cork under we would wait at least two or three seconds before setting the hook giving the trout enough time to swallow the hook, otherwise you might jerk the piggy out of the trout’s mouth.

“Plugging Shorty,” a man who made fishing lures out of wood, made a lure that was very similar to a piggy perch and it worked pretty good at catching trout. You just cast it out and brought it back in slow like if you were using a gold or silver spoon. Shorty fished a lot with his lures, never using live bait and caught a lot of trout and sold them at the fish market. In the spring months with school of small trout kicking up shrimp from the bottom made sea gulls work over the fish picking up shrimp. Shorty would run into the school and catch a couple of trout before they scattered from the noise of outboard. At times you could get upwind of the birds, drift into them, and sometimes catch dozens of trout before they scattered. The best bait was live shrimp and a popping cork.

If you didn’t buy the live shrimp at a bait stand you could pushnet some up in the shallow grassy bottom or at night use a 20-foot minnow seine close to the shoreline.

949-0794 www.theislandsedgehairsalon.com

Serving the property owners of Upper Padre Island concerning the value of their residential property, exemptions and personal property renditions.

My certification as a Property Tax Consultant along with six years as a member of the Nueces County Appraisal review Board and thirtyfive years on the island have well prepared me to argue appraisals and help with renditions and exemptions.

Ph (361) 946-2092 Email: remaupin@sbcglobal.net

The Island's

Edge Salon

The Miller Brothers were commercial rod and reel fishermen, never using a trotline to catch fish. At certain times of the year they would anchor their small skiff on the west bank of the Intracoastal Canal and catch their bait with a hand held line with a perch hook on it to catch small pin perch, small drum three or four inches long and croakers and an occasional piggy perch.

They were very secretive toward others about their bait and could only be observed with binoculars to know what they were doing.

They put the bait in a bait box and usually started fishing right where they caught the bait. Most of the fish they caught were of the larger size, two to five pounds each. At times in the summer months when the water was clear they could wade the King Ranch shoreline using mirror lures to catch the larger trout that would be seen working in the shallow water.

Croakers are just as good a bait as piggies in that they make a croaking noise rather than a grunting sound but didn’t come into popular use until quite a few years ago. They came into use possibly because of a shortage of live shrimp at certain times of the year.

Croakers are plentiful and are caught with a shrimp net. One time when the sale of shrimp was slow a certain bait stand operator put cotton seed cake in his shrimp boxes to feed the shrimp so they wouldn’t eat each other up the cake caused the shrimp to turn a neon yellow color and proved better for catching fish but that fad never continued.

If the water is murky buy some croakers or catch some piggies and store them in a holding tank for future use. A small saltwater aquarium works well for storing piggies. A trout can hear a piggy from far off but can’t see it until they get real close. If you want to fill your creel use the bait that can be herd, the grunters, the croakers and the drummers. As far as I know there might be some groaners that will catch fish.

In the early fall of the year as flounder migrate out Packery Channel into the Gulf, use a tiny pin perch about two or three inches long. Throw it out into the channel and drag it back up the bank real slow. It will put meat on the table.

Let it be! Let it be! Piggy perch can be the answer, Let it be!

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May 14, 2015

Island Moon

Stuff I Heard on the Island

by Dale Rankin It was a trip I have made over a hundred times in the last 38 years but this one was going to be different.

Since my parents moved from Portland to Seminole, Oklahoma in 1977 I have been making the trek up IH 35 many times each year.

and red, with some yellow and ominous purple mixed in.

Stormchasers

For the next six hours we sat in front of the set at home and watched as the Stormtrackers from the CBS station in Oklahoma City chased weather from the Texas Panhandle to the Kansas line. Stormtracking in I know every stop along the way Oklahoma is serious business. and where all the speed traps The station has half a dozen are. The only thing certain over crews equipped with dash the years was that there was no cameras, live audio feeds, and way I would make it through Fort Worth without stopping at Welcome to The Island GPS locators to show their positions on the radar screen Booger Red’s in the Stockyards; Mom! behind the weatherman which Booger Red’s has a gravitational also shows where the storms are. As the storm pull not to be denied. lines on the screen reached a point where a But this trip there would be no Booger Red’s; stormtracker sat the weatherman would pull up this time my 85 year-old mother is along and the live video feed from the dashcam and talk we are on a mission. Like many Boomers of a to the driver on the scene. It makes for dramatic Certain Age there comes a time when mom has television and lets viewers know right to the to be close to the kid and the house in Seminole minute when a storm is about to turn their house has to be cleaned out. Mom has been living on into a pile of rubble. On this day we watched as The Island for going on two years now and the a line of tornados passed ten miles north of us house is just collecting dust. and other about fifteen miles south. The house stands for another day.

Epic Tornado Season

The problem of course, is that last weekend the North Texas and the entire state of Oklahoma was in the throes of the most intense tornado and thunderstorm season anyone can remember.

Even by Oklahoma standards this one is a booger.

We stocked up on Bill Miller turkey sandwiches in San Antonio and didn’t stop until we ran low on gas in Waco. The weather was fine. Then we hit Fort Worth. As we headed north mom started fidgeting in her seat but didn’t say anything until finally she blurted, “There are two tornado clouds right over there and they are headed this way.” If there is only one thing that lifelong Oklahomans know about it is tornado clouds.

She was right.

The bad weather, both here and points north, these days is coming out of the southwest and heading northeast. These tornado clouds were due west so I stepped on it to outrun them which we did. We read the next day two tornados touched down near where we saw them and caused one death. The day before a storm had taken out twenty houses in Norman, barely forty miles from my mother’s house.

When we got to Seminole the tornado sirens had just gone off, well, about half of them went off and the other half failed, and people were tense. We went to a diner downtown in the early afternoon and noticed that everyone in the place was staring at the sole television set. It was an image of the local radar that looked like it belonged in the Christmas season; all green

The storm systems that are making their way across the Midwest this year are more insidious than usual because they produce tornados that are wrapped in rain; you can’t see them coming.

You are hit with a driving rain and suddenly a tornado appears. There is no warning and no escape. Over the years I have listened to Midwesterners who had no idea what they are talking about tell me they would rather deal with tornadoes than hurricanes. Poppycock! I can see a hurricane coming and get out of the way and the threat lasts for two days every few years. Tornados in the Midwest are a daily occurrence for weeks and totally random. The only way to avoid them is to leave the Midwest for a month.

Pounded hard in parts down south Oklahoma weathermen have to be quick on their feet as they are on the air for five to six hours at a time. When they have to go to the bathroom they throw it to the anchor desk and, as it turns out, Oklahoma anchors don’t have to be so quick on their feet. When the weatherman comes back the anchor lady says to him, “Well, Bill, I understand some parts are getting pounded hard down south.”

“Are they allowed to say that on television,” my mom asks.

“Ouch, man, I don’t know ma, it does sound kind of painful.”

The little yappy dog is a nervous wreck. We had arrived in a driving rainstorm that started in Fort Worth and never stopped all the way to Central Oklahoma and half an hour after we got there we couldn’t find the dog. We finally located her wandering around in the rain outside, completely discombobulated and soaked to the dog bones. But after three straight days and nights of rain, thunder, and tornado dodging the dog was numb and stopped hiding in the bathtub. Dogs are adaptable creatures.

On Sunday we crossed the Red River, which is out of its banks for a quarter of a mile on both directions, and were driving thirty miles per hour down IH35 in a rain so hard I could barely see the taillights in front of me. The weather alert on the radio says there are a line of tornados about to cross IH35 between Mile Markers 360 and 364. I look over at the sign and we are at Mile Marker 366 headed south, right into the storm. Baseball sized hail, 60 mph winds, tornados wrapped in rain that touched down half an hour later.

“Why does anyone live here?” I ask mom.

“I don’t know. I don’t have to worry about it anymore, I’m an Islander now.”

Welcome to the Island mom.

Kemps Ridley Sea Turtle Nesting Continues

By Donna J. Shaver, Ph.D. Division of Sea Turtle Science and Recovery National Park Service Padre Island National Seashore e-mail: Donna_Shaver@nps.gov The 2015 Kemp’s ridley sea turtle nesting season is underway in Texas. Through May 12, 51 Kemp’s ridley nests have recorded on the Texas coast so far this year. This includes 32 on North Padre Island, of which 31 were found at Padre Island National Seashore. Most of the 51 were found by turtle patrollers, but a few were found by other people working or recreating on the beach. We thank all the patrollers that are working so hard to find and protect nesting, and other individuals that have spotted and immediately reported nesting.

We hope to find many more nests during the coming weeks. The peak of the Kemp’s ridley nesting season is from mid-May through midJune, and nesting can continue through midJuly. Beach-to-Bay day has been a popular day for nesting the last few years, but the complexities of vehicle gridlock makes it challenging to deal with. I wish that the turtles would take that morning off from nesting, but they will nest when they decide to.

For more than three decades, the National Park Service has worked with other agencies in the U.S. and Mexico to help recover the Kemp’s ridley population and form a secondary nesting colony of this native species at the National Seashore. Padre Island National Seashore is the most important Kemp’s ridley nesting beach in the U.S. for this endangered species, with more Kemp’s ridley nests documented at the National Seashore than at any other location in the U.S.

You can help Turtle patrollers are searching Gulf beaches in the state daily to find nesting Kemp’s ridley turtles and their eggs so that we can document and protect them. However, this is a very large area to cover and each year several nests are located by beachgoers and other people that work on the beach, especially in developed areas of the Texas coast. You can help by watching for nesting while you are on the beach and immediately reporting it to a passing turtle patroller or to me by calling 361-949-8173, ext.

226. Also, if you see a nester, please do not rush up her or you could frighten her and cause her to go back into the water without nesting.

If you drive on the beach during the nesting season, please watch carefully for nesting and drive slowly. Nesting Kemp’s ridleys can be difficult to see and often cross the beach roadway to nest in the embryonic dunes, or nest in the beach roadway where the sand is soft. It takes about 45 minutes for them to crawl up the beach, dig their nest chamber, lay their eggs, cover the nest, and return to the surf. During about 15 of these 45 minutes, while they deposit eggs into the nest chamber, they are nearly motionless and in a trance-like state.

You can learn more about what to do if you see a nesting turtle by visiting the Padre Island National Seashore website at www.nps.gov/ pais. The website also contains information on nest totals in Texas and our hatchling releases.

We also post updates about nesting and hatchling releases on our Facebook page titled Padre Island NS Division of Sea Turtle Science & Recovery.

Egg Protection Nesting sea turtles do not return to care for check on or care for their eggs. We and our colleagues in Texas remove the eggs from all sea turtle nests found so that we can protect them from threats on the beach, to maximize hatching success and survival as the hatchlings scurry down the beach and enter the surf. Eggs from most nests found at the National Seashore and northward on the Texas coast are brought to our incubation facility in the Turtle Laboratory at the National Seashore for protected care.

Eggs from some of the nests found at the southern end of the park are brought to a protective screen enclosure called a corral located near our Turtle Patrol Base Camp. Eggs from South Padre Island and Boca Chica Beach are transferred to a corral on South Padre Island. Eggs are closely cared for in the Incubation Facility and corrals. After the hatchlings have fully emerged from their eggshells and are ready for release, we count them, take them to the beachfront, and protect them as they crawl down the sand and swim from shore.

Hatchling Release Padre Island National Seashore invites the public to attend about 15-25 releases of our hatchlings that emerge from eggs cared for in our incubation facility, free-of-charge. These events have become very popular, drawing thousands of people each year. Eggs in the facility must incubate for about 48-53 days before the hatchlings are ready for release. The first eggs found this year will begin hatching in mid-June and hatchling releases will extend through sometime in August.

You can learn more about when our hatchling releases will be held by checking our website, Facebook page, and Hatchling Hotline. As eggs are placed into our incubation facility, the projected hatchling release dates for the hatchlings that will emerge from them are listed on our website at www.nps.gov/pais. When the eggs begin to hatch we are able to more closely pinpoint when the release will occur. We then place the latest information about the releases on our recorded Hatchling Hotline (tel. 361949-7163) and our Facebook page titled Padre Island NS Division of Sea Turtle Science & Recovery.

Satellite Tracking We plan to again affix satellite transmitters to 10 of the first Kemp’s ridley turtles found nesting at the northern end of North Padre Island this year. After the nesting females are done laying eggs and covering the nest, they are transported to our Turtle Laboratory for attachment of the transmitter. We have deployed most of the 10 for this year, and we hope to put out the last few in the next week or two. Kemp’s ridleys nest an average of 2.5-3.0 times per nesting season. We want to put the transmitters on the turtles towards the beginning of the nesting season so that we can use tracking information to help predict where and when the turtles might nest again this spring and summer, to aid with detection and protection. Since Kemp’s ridley turtles often nest in simultaneous emergences called arribadas, this information can also help indicate when other turtles might nest. You can view where the tracks of these turtles on www. seaturtle.org; go to the satellite tracking link and look for the Padre Island National Seashore Kemp’s Ridley Tracking Program 2015.

May 14, 2015

A7

Island Moon

Backwater Adventures High Time for High Tide

On the Rocks

By Jay Gardner & Aaron Baxter

By Joey Farah

As we head towards June and our dismal 9 day Federal season for the endangered red snapper, there has been a lot more chatter on the boards, testimony from Austin to D.C. by Congressmen and Senators, and talk at the local bait camps. Again this year, the Gulf Council and NOAA have failed the private recreational fishermen.

Farah’s Fishing Adventures The waters have come up with both the influx of spring bull tides and the massive run-off from all the rain. The waters in Baffin Bay and the Laguna Madre’ are so incredibly salty that the fresh water does not move fish out of the area but it does relocate them away from tributaries and back reaches of the bay. At the same time high tides will scatter baitfish and move gamefish to hunt food along shorelines, drastic changes in elevation, and humps and rock piles out in open water. In the lower reaches of our area the large rock piles in Baffin Bay have been very productive bringing trout, reds, along with drum and sheep head. Live shrimp and popping corks are still the best way to fill the box now that we are on a five fish trout limit. Anglers using the live croaker have been having easy limits of trout in all places of Baffin Bay and the Lagoon.

Most marinas are stocked now and on track with consistent flags flying showing the wealth of bait. With the ease at which these baits die, many precautions should be taken before you spend up to 11$ a dozen for your bait. Good water is the number one priority. At Marker 37 Marina all the water is filtered through sand pool filters that eliminate much of the salinity, algae, parasites, and ammonia that can kill your bait. The water is clear and checked daily for just the right combinations of these factors. Use the water from the marina and put it in a good sizeable container, with aeration or oxygen.

Ask the management at Marker 37 for any questions that you have about preparing your boat or mobile bait carriers for these awesome summertime baits, they have all the components to set up a quality bait system.

Pearl with a nice drum we landed in the land cut on live shrimp.

The winds howled as they ran through the lines of the fishing poles and sounded like crying ghosts calling us into the waves. We ran south into dirty water against a hard southeast wind.

The boat finally set down along the backside of Yarborough Pass, in a special place I call Dolphin Cove. As we idled up into the shallows I told stories of the many camping trips back in high school to this spot and the many times we spent fishing and roaming the flats that surround the little cove. I mentioned that just like old sea fables of beaches in the vast ocean where whales go to die, this spot was a place where dolphins came to die. In the last 30yrs I’ve seen a dozen or so sick and dead dolphins here, most of the time their families hang out for a few days close bye. When I asked an old friend that was a biologist for the state about it he told me that he too had seen it. He told me that it was the ancient pass to the Gulf and that they could sense that it was the way out to the sea. From that point on I always had a unique passion for the dolphins in Baffin Bay. They are creatures of the open ocean, trapped

Cat with her first fish ever, came from New York City and got hooked along the south shoreline of Baffin Bay with live shrimp in the shallow and dirty Lagoon. The one thing they do miss most is the waves. Every time I see a pod moving together, I slow the boat and give them a big wake. They will surf the swells and play as they look at you and swim upside down. This is a connection with nature that few seldom see, especially in the wild.

We spread out and began to search the area with our lures in vain with only a small bite or two. In the distance I saw a fin break the surface of the waves far out away from the grass line we walked. It came closer and before long a pack of 20-plus animals rolled out of range and played. We started to catch fish and I yelled to my crew to back up that the dolphins would push the trout towards the shallows. We were all catching fish most every cast as I walked way back into the skinniest of water hoping that a wise old sow trout would make her way up to a depth where she would be safe from the hunting dolphins in the cove. As I turned to take a step a long black shape appeared in the sand pocket to my right. The fish hovered and then turned to face sideways to me. A frugal cast was all she needed to convince her to move ahead. As she circled me I could clearly see the big black spots on her back as well as the look in her eye.

It was too late she had me nailed. Her sides were long and tall and she moved like a snake with her long black body moving like quiet submarine. As she moved out of range I looked ahead and made a long cast to the farthest sand pocket I could see. The lure hit the water and as it swam across the open sand I felt the sharp bump through my fishing pole. A silver steak bolted out and came to the surface in a white frothy explosion of fight and panic. The plastic bait hung out of her mouth and flopped back and forth with every head shake. She bolted and ran back and forth until she came to hand. I held the fish up to the morning light and her blue back sparked as her black eyes stared me down.

I couldn’t think of keeping her, taking her from this mystical place that she called home. The dolphins rolled back and forth out deep, as I released her from my fingers she swam away towards the shelter of the skinny water behind us. The fishing is getting better with improved water quality, when the winds calm down the best fishing will be upon us. June is the best month of the year for live bait fishing for trout, call me and plan your adventure now. We keep fishing when we limit out on trout, hunting for redfish and drum for the rest of your trip. We even pull over for some shore lunch of fresh fried trout. Get Wet!

Where Guys Go For Haircuts

Doug filled his stringer easily with trout on live croaker in Baffin Bay this week.

Plentiful at the marinas now live croaker will pick up the trout catching in our area.

Barber Joe Harry J. writes: “Went to Barber Joe website. His schedule of openings is published there. Reserved an open slot…Barber Joe saved notes from my last haircut on his MacBook so I didn't have to tell him what to do again. Took NO calls during my cut. Paid with plasGc run through a Square. I love this barber shop!” INSIDE Padre Island Mail Plus at 15037 Park Rd 22, 8-­‐5, Tue-­‐Sat. Make appts online or call 361-­‐500-­‐8955.

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The folks over at Harte Research Institute have come up with a way to help. Bad data is one of the reasons we’re in the jam we’re in. The new Isnapper app is something that I believe is the way of the future, and will get us a lot better data. Here’s some of the details on the project, from the HRI Website found at http://sportfishcenter.org/ participate/citizen-science/ iSnapper

time, validated, and usable data for fisheries managers – something needed by everyone to improve access to the Red Snapper fishery.

I downloaded the Isnapper application, and it’s super-simple to work. The most complicated piece of information you need to sign in is your TX number from your boat (which is optional if you don’t have one). Other than that, it’s a cinch to do and help out with data collection. And you turn in data for the whole boat; only one person needs to do it. Join in the fun and get the app. Lets give the Gulf Council some information.

Wow, the storms have been something else lately! This past week we got 9” inches of rain in two days, which is a third of our yearly rainfall.

But, as everyone says, too bad it wasn’t in the watershed; the lake levels are still dismal.

At least the laguna is getting one heck of a flushing. The Anecdotal and stock rains reminded all of us about assessment reports both a few things though. For indicate higher abundances Carsen with a red snapper one, that hurricane season of snapper, but these starts in a couple weeks. The reports continue to be met with reductions in season length. This unique widespread flooding that occurred with these enigma has led to heated conflicts regarding rains is a great “practice run” if we actually do allocation among user groups in the fishery. get a system. Oso Creek flooded to the point Much of the concern could be allayed with where they closed a couple bridges. The city and better data. A major challenge to improving county are actually working on alleviating those season length and alleviate some of this issues as time goes on (the new bridge over the controversy is the need for collection of Oso by the dump is part of that). However, with timely catch data from the recreational fishing storm drains that are overwhelmed, there’s not sector. With more accurate data, the buffers much you can do if you’re parked in the street incorporated in the catch projections to reduce and it rains at night and your car gets flooded the risk of overfishing could be reduced or out. We all need to take a minute and think perhaps eliminated, providing a greater amount about things like that, as Zep did the other night of fish to be harvested and days in the season. when Rachels vehicle was almost floating and The iSnapper mobile application is a unique he had to go move it. Also, there were issues opportunity to provide better data that will with power going out, and for a while. Make work in combination with current MRIP survey sure you have flashlights with good batteries, protocols to provide a supplementary means and have them handy (on the nightstand is a of rapid in-season (and out of season) catch good one). If we get a decent storm, the power information that would otherwise be impossible. will likely be off for a few days. Have a plan The field of electronically collected and self- on what to do. Which reminds me that I was reported data certainly faces challenges; going to go buy a generator, just for fun. Y’all however, this app has the ability to overcome get ready for the big one, and I’ll see you On the many of these obstacles while generating real- Rocks after it subsides.

Moon Phases

Tides of the Week Tides for Corpus Christi (Bob Hall Pier) May 14-20, 2015

Day

High /Low

Tide Time

Height in Feet

Sunrise Moon Time Sunset

Moon Visible

Th

F

Sa

Su

M

Tu

W

14 14 14 14 15 15 15 15 16 16 16 16 17 17 18 18 19 19 20 20

High Low High Low High Low High Low High Low High Low High Low High Low High Low High Low

12:41 AM 6:59 AM 12:14 PM 7:13 PM 2:12 AM 8:30 AM 12:31 PM 7:48 PM 3:29 AM 9:57 AM 12:45 PM 8:27 PM 4:36 AM 9:08 PM 5:36 AM 9:51 PM 6:33 AM 10:33 PM 7:25 AM 11:17 PM

1.4 0.9 1.3 0.4 1.6 1.0 1.3 0.1 1.8 1.2 1.3 -0.1 1.9 -0.2 2.0 -0.3 2.0 -0.3 1.9 -0.2

6:41 AM Rise 4:07 AM 8:10 PM Set 4:44 PM

23

6:40 AM Rise 4:50 AM 8:11 PM Set 5:47 PM

14

6:39 AM Rise 5:35 AM 8:11 PM Set 6:51 PM

7

6:39 AM Rise 6:22 AM 8:12 PM Set 7:54 PM 6:38 AM Rise 7:12 AM 8:12 PM Set 8:55 PM 6:38 AM Rise 8:04 AM 8:13 PM Set 9:53 PM 6:37 AM Rise 8:58 AM 8:13 PM Set 10:46 PM

2 0 0 3

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May 14, 2015

Island Moon

SPORTS Sports Talk

Why a Good A-Rod Is Bad for the Yankees

By Dotson Lewis

Line of Mendoza

By Andy Purvis Special to the Island Moon

Special to the Island Moon Dotson’s Note: My thanks to Jason Alsher, sportswriter for “The Cheat Sheet,” a sports website, for contributing to this article. After reviewing all of the sports happenings this week it was apparent to me that the majority of serious conversation was about A-Rod and/or Deflategate, so here goes.

acknowledge him, every time he goes deep there is value there. And that hurts the organization.

A-Rod & Tom Brady-Ongoing Stories

Deflategate-How will this affect Brady's legacy? That may be an even bigger issue for sports fans.

Last Thursday night, Alex Rodriguez homered for the 661st time in his career. With this long ball, he passed the great Willie Mays, and now sits alone in fourth place on Major League Baseball’s all-time home run list. In that moment, the crowd at Yankee Stadium was so excited that, for the first time in recent memory, A-Rod acknowledged this affection with a curtain call. Even he was surprised by the reaction.

“It’s been a long time,” said Rodriguez. “I actually thought the days of curtain calls for me were long gone. A year ago today, I never thought I would ever get a curtain call or be hitting in the middle of the lineup for the New York Yankees.

Rodriguez may continue to play well. His production may continue to help the team win.

Many are of the opinion that unfortunately, with A-Rod’s involvement, even when the Yankees win, they ultimately lose.

How many games Brady misses may be largely beside the point. Athletes miss games all the time, especially in the rough-and-tumble NFL. Given the league's long grind and his team's impressive track record, with playoff appearances in 12 of the last 14 seasons, including six Super Bowl appearances and four wins, you can't count out Brady and the Patriots even if he has a relatively brief suspension.

Every now and then you will hear me or my radio partner, Dennis Quinn, mention the Mendoza Line when talking baseball.

Some of you younger guys may not know the origin, what it means, or why this expression is used. It is interesting how this moniker has crept into baseball lingo in the past 40 years.

“Hitting below the Mendoza Line” has been used to define the poorest hitters in the game of baseball. It is thought that no matter how good a player was defensively, he needed to hit above a .200 average to justify holding a position on the team. So, having a batting average below .200 is considered hitting below the Mendoza Line. It was named after a real player, Mario Mendoza.

The Mendoza Line Mario Mendoza played from 1974-1982 with three different teams. He spent his first five years with the Pittsburgh Pirates and then two years each with the Seattle Mariners and Texas Rangers. His last game occurred on May 22, 1982. Mendoza’s best year at the plate occurred in 1980, while with Seattle, where he hit .245 for the season. To his credit, he finished his nine-year career with a .215 average. “It did bother me in the beginning, to be honest with you,” said Mario. “It made me mad.” Mendoza, now 65 years old, has been inducted into the Mexican Baseball Hall of Fame. “It doesn’t bother me anymore,” said Mendoza. “In fact, I wish I could still play the game.”

“I’ve said all along: The league, the Yankees, the fans, nobody owes me anything. I’m just so grateful to be playing baseball.”

On this night in May, his fellow teammates had to be grateful that he was on the diamond as well. After all, it was his home run that proved to be the deciding factor in the team’s victory over the Baltimore Orioles. Rodriguez has also managed to be a vital part of the New York Yankees’ resurgence this season, the team is currently 18-11 and three games up in the AL East.

A-Rod has come back from his year-long suspension and been everything the Yankees didn’t expect him to be. He’s been humble, appreciative, and productive. His attitude and performance have paid dividends for his team in this 2015 MLB season. But for all the good his rejuvenated play does in the short term, the fact remains; it is still bad news for the New York Yankees.

It’s sad that sometimes when a tainted athlete starts to perform at a high level, fans seem quick to forget that that same athlete disgraced the sport. Alex Rodriguez falls into that category.

With every run that crosses the plate, with every ball that flies over the fence, we’re reminded less and less than this is the same individual who received the longest drug-related suspension, and longest non-lifetime suspension, in the history of Major League Baseball. For the New York faithful, this is all about the present.

The Yankees are winning. The Yankees may make it back to the postseason. Go Bronx Bombers! Unfortunately, this is a myopic way of looking at things. What about the position this puts the Yankees organization in as a whole?

With the fans seemingly supporting Rodriguez, this could make things increasingly complicated with regard to his milestone bonuses.

This is something that the New York Yankees don’t need, especially since they plan to ignore Rodriguez’s achievements.

A-Rod was supposed to receive a $6 million bonus after tying Mays with his 660th home run. However, the day after Rodriguez accomplished, general manager Brian Cashman was quick to reiterate the Yankees’ position.

“I just don’t think it’s been reportedly properly,” said Cashman. “We’re going to follow the contract, as we follow all contracts, so there is no dispute from our perspective. We’re going to honor out responsibilities of the contract.

“It’s not: you do this, you get that. It’s completely different. I’ll let the other people above me handle it the rest of the way, we have the right but not the obligation, in quotes, it’s as simple as that. If we choose to pursue something we’ll choose to pursue it. If we choose not to, it’s our right not to and that means in both cases we’re honoring the contract.”

Here’s the thing, this dispute will most likely go to an arbitrator. The Yankees will claim the home runs don’t matter because Rodriguez has tarnished reputation and disgraced the sport of baseball. A-Rod can’t argue with the accusation — his affiliation with Biogenesis and subsequent suspension are proof of this — but he can argue that the home runs have merit.

As long as the fans continue to cheer for him; continue to support him; continue to

Tom Brady What the Deflategate story likely will do is cause those who already have strong opinions to feel even firmer in their beliefs.

With his NFL success and supermodel wife Gisele Bundchen, not everyone has looked on Tom Brady favorably, even before Deflategate.

A newspaper game

New England fans attribute some people's disdain for Brady and his longtime coach Belichick to jealousy, citing the pair's shared success. (Notably, the Wells report found Belichick, punished years earlier for what's known as Spygate, knew nothing about the deflated footballs.) In the quarterback's case, you can't discount how people feel about him being an Uggs-wearing model that is married to Brazilian model Gisele Bundchen and has three adorable children.

Mario Mendoza was born in Chihuahua, Mexico, on December 26, 1950. One of the few players to wear glasses, Mario worked hard to become a fine shortstop and/or a third baseman. Standing 5’ 11” inches tall and weighing 170 pounds, his work in the field with a glove was magnificent, but not so much at home plate. There he struggled to hit safely against professional pitching on a regular basis.

Mendoza was signed in 1970 as an amateur free agent by the Pittsburgh Pirates and made his debut on April 26, 1974. He was given the #11 to wear.

Bob Kraft - Patriots Owner

When I grew up in the fifties, baseball was a newspaper game. There were no ESPN or FOX Sports. Unless you lived in a city with a professional baseball team, you were lucky to see a live game on television on Saturdays. You read the newspaper every day to find out how your team did the night before. Every Sunday, the country’s largest newspapers listed the batting average of every player, from the highest to the lowest. Fans would always look for the names of players near the top and for players hitting .200 or below. The best hitters were always mentioned in the daily box scores. Pete Rose once said, “I like seeing my name every day in the newspaper, not just on Sundays.”

Mendoza hit .221 his first year with the Pirates, but then receded to .180, .185 and .198 in his next three seasons. “It began as a clubhouse joke,” said Mario. It was during this time that his teammates, especially Tom Paciorek and Bruce Bochte, began to make fun of his hitting.

They began to refer to anyone who hit .200 or

No, Brady isn't the underdog he was when he was drafted in the sixth round out of Michigan in 2000. Instead, in amassing 53,258 career passing yards and 392 touchdowns, he's among the NFL's all-time best quarterbacks.

But, even if Brady wins a fifth Super Bowl, he may already have lost in the eyes of some NFL fans. Not everyone thinks so, especially around Boston. But some sports pundits clearly do.

Former Denver Broncos standout and now ESPN personality Mark Schlereth tweeted that he thinks the advantage from deflating footballs "was more psychological for Brady than anything else. Still constitutes circumventing the rules or cheating." But he doesn't think it rises to the level of what the Atlanta Falcons recently admitted to doing, pumping crowd noise into the Georgia Dome.

below as hitting below the Mendoza Line. Once while playing against the Kansas City Royals, future Hall-of-Fame hitter, George Brett, got off to a slow start at the beginning of the season and Paciorek kidded George by saying, “If you’re not careful, George, you will be hitting below the Mendoza Line. Brett shared this info with Chris Berman of ESPN, while being interviewed. Brett who hit .390 that year said, “The first thing I look for in the Sunday paper is who is below the Mendoza Line.” Berman asked George to explain and then picked up on the expression and decided to use this analogy in his broadcasts. It became an everyday expression and is still used by broadcasters today.

Interestingly, the expression has spread into other areas of our life. Businesses that are suffering are said to be performing below the Mendoza Line. The performance of stocks or mutual funds can be described with the expression. Bad grades for students or quotas for salespeople may reach an unacceptable number, and that is how they are described.

A list of players, who have, in the past, finished below the Mendoza Line during an individual season, is littered with some very good hitters, such as: Reggie Jackson, Jermaine Dye, Mark McGwire, Andrew Jones and Brian Giles. The game today has changed in philosophy. As long as players hit 20 or more home runs in a season, the number of strikeouts is no longer taboo. There was a time when players were embarrassed if they struck out more than fifty times a season. So, batting averages decrease as scoring productivity rises with the number of home runs. Babe Ruth once said, “I swing big with everything I got. I hit big or I miss big. I like to live as big as I can.” Ruth could boast all he wanted, as he batted .342 during his 22-year career, well above the Mendoza Line.

Andy Purvis is a local author and radio personality. His newest book “Greatness Continued” in now available to order online at bn.com, Amazon, Google Books, Bookamillion, etc. You may also purchase all three of his latest books at the local Barnes & Noble Book store in Moore Plaza. All three books are also available in e-book format, Kindle, Nook, Apple I Pad and Kobo. Please visit www.purvisbooks. com for more info and leave a message in the guest section. You may also contact him at purvis.andy@mygrande.net and don’t forget to listen to Dennis & Andy’s Q & A Session each Thursday night from 6-8 PM on ESPN 1440 KEYS.

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Dotson’s Other Note: Do you think A-Rod cheated, if so did he receive the punishment he deserved and should he be paid the $6 million, that he was promised if, and when (which he did) tie (or was it break?) Willie Mays’ home run record? Do you believe Tom Brady cheated? If so, what do you believe his punishment should be? Your suggestions, comments, questions and concerns regarding “Moon Sports Talk” are appreciated. Call the Benchwarmers 361-5605397 weekdays, Mondays thru Fridays, 3-6 p.m. or contact me. Phone: 361-949-7681 Cell: 530-748-8475 Email: dlewis1@stx.rr.com

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May 14, 2015

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Island Moon

Downed Power Lines Halt Intracoastal Barge Traffic Photos by Miles Merwin and Joey Farah Barge traffic in the Intracoastal Canal through Corpus Christi Bay has been halted since Tuesday due to this damaged power poll in the Laguna Madre which brings power to The Island. On Wednesday several barges were waiting to transit the bay but were blocked by the damaged pole and low-hanging lines.

As you can see from these photos the downed line is putting pressure on the remaining tower which is bending under the stress.

Barge waiting to cross the bay.

Remember Last Week? When it was Sunny?

Photos by Miles Merwin and Jon Steele

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Island Moon

May 14, 2015