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Fish Stories A4
Geraldine Mock A6
The
Island Moon Weekly
Inside the Palace of a Cocaine Cowboy A7
FREE
March 27, 2014
The Island where flip flops have been temporarily replaced by UGGS.
Around The Island
By Dale Rankin editor@islandmoon.com
Spring Break for college kids has now turned into a Spring Break for locals that will carry us all the way to the fourth weekend in May when the summer season kicks off with Memorial Day. Our Winter Texans are gone with the season. The folks who are still here now are officially Spring Texans and they either stuck it out through the Spring Break Invasion or arrived just after. Some recent arrivals said they decided to head south late in the season after a couple of 26-degrees below zero days up north; and that wasn’t the wind chill. So for all the complaining we’ve done during this Winter of Our Discontent about our “severe cold” here on our little sandbar it pales in comparison to the real winters they have up north. The Spring Texans know this and we welcome them.
Farmer’s Almanac The Old Farmer’s Almanac calls for average April temperatures in South Texas to be 67.5° which is 1.5° above average; with 4 inches of rain, which is 2 inches above average. The Old Farmer says April 1-3 will be sunny and warm; April 4-10 will be see rainy periods; April 1115 will be sunny and warm; April 16-18 will be cool with showers; April 19-25 will see thunderstorms then be sunny and cool; April 2630 will be sunny and hot on The Coast. We will see how accurate the Old Farmer turns out to be but if he’s right then April will be everything it’s cracked up to be. After April the redundant summer South Texas Forecast kicks in until September, which is; hot, wind out of the southeast growing in the afternoon, little or no rain, did we mention hot, and if it rains for more that two hours pack your bags and run because it’s a hurricane.
Island Moon ArtWalk We are getting daily calls asking if we are going to do an Island Moon ArtWalk this season. The short answer is yes; we will have an announcement soon and the ArtWalk will be back. We will let you know when we have details.
Out on the jetties Out on the jetties the Jackfish have started biting and the sheepshead have kept right on biting. Fisherpersons are reporting that in some cases the sheepshead are hitting on lures, which they say is unusual. Beach driving is fair as the traffic stream is keeping at least one driving lane open from the seawall south to PINS. Driving on the beach at the seawall is a problem as the loose sand runs the driving lanes right through the tanning lanes. The subject is to be discussed at the next Island Strategic Action Committee which is Tuesday, April 1, at 5:30 p.m. at Comfort Suites on Windward. The meeting is open to the public. So take heart fellow Islanders, the warm weather is nigh upon us, SandFest is just around the corner and Progresso is still just a short ride away. Say Hello if you see us Around The Island.
The witherill's new book, the full title is “The Blades Carry Me. Inside the Helicopter
Free
Next Publication Date: 4/3/2014
Whoop It Up! Sunday, March 30
Island Foundation Raising Funds for Expansion
Facebook: The Island Moon Newspaper
Year 17, Issue 519
Sprint to the Finish
By Brent Rourk
Island Foundation School’s largest fundraiser, Whoop It Up, will be held at Whiskey River on Sunday, March 30th with doors opening at 6:00 P.M. All islanders are invited to participate in this annual evening extravaganza and are encouraged to bring family members, friends, and neighbors (attendees must be 21 or over). Tickets cost $25.00 in advance and $35.00 at the door, and proceeds benefit the three Seashore Schools (SLC,SMA,SECA). Ticket prices include BBQ dinner, dancing, and the opportunities to bid on both silent and live auction items. This year’s funds are earmarked for construction projects at all three schools: SMA is getting a new cafeteria. SLC is getting a new classroom building. SECA will have a new facility on the SLC campus. This is a multimillion dollar project, so funds raised now mean less debt to carry. Call Kim Evaristo at 361-779-4888 to make a tax deductible donation or contribution. These projects at the three schools are much larger projects than in past years and they should provide needed classroom space and facilities as the three campuses continue to expand. Seashore Middle Academy opened its doors at the old Dairy Queen building located at SLC over 7 years ago with about 40 students. In its present location, SMA has been expanding by about 20 students per year and continues to need more instructional space. Likewise SLC needs the new classroom building. It’s a chance to support your local schools while enjoying a boot-stomping time. Help your local schools fund their construction goals. Donate cash, items and services. Attend this gala event with friends and purchase auction items. Get your tickets today at any of the Seashore Schools or call 361-949-0076.
2014 Coastal Bend Veterans Summit Monday
On Monday, March 31st, Congressman Blake Farenthold is hosting the 2014 Coastal Bend Veterans Summit to connect veterans with representatives from various federal offices. The event is from 1-6:30 p.m. at the USS Lexington, 2914 North Shoreline, and is free for Veterans and Enlisted Personnel and Their Families; Representatives from Department of Veterans Affairs; State of Texas Veterans Service Agencies; County an City Veterans Agencies; Workforce Solutions of the Coastal Bend and Service Academies will be providing information regarding VA Clinic/Health Benefits, educationm employment, Housing and Land, Transportation, Social Services, Business Development, VA Cemeteries and more. For more information contact Christopher Lawrence at 361 884-2222 or e-mail at Christopher.Lawrence@mail.house.gov.
By Dale Rankin With just over sixty days to go before its scheduled opening the 180-plus workers at the new Schlitterbahn waterpark are in a sprint to the finish – or maybe it’s the starting - line. Park
officials say while the entire will not be ready by the planned June 1 opening that was never in the plan but that some, if not most, of the features will be ready for opening day. Schlitterbahn continued on A7
A Little Island History
The Island During the Civil War
Yankees Blockade the City, Raid Flour Bluff, The Affair of Padre Island By Dale Rankin
Islanders Pen Book Reliving a Year Flying Helicopters Into Combat in Vietnam
While Islander Jim Witherill was literally flying for his life in Vietnam in 1967-1968 Martin Luther King and Robert F. Kennedy were assassinated in the United States. While most Americans were mourning the deaths, Witherill was stationed at a base surrounded by concertina wire near Phu Hiep, Vietnam; a dot on the map in the middle of the county’s East Coast. Based there for one year, he flew CH-47 Chinook helicopters all over the mountainous northern sector of Vietnam, including during the Tet Offensive.
Live Music A16
Photo by Miles Merwin
“The Blades Carry Me”
By Brent Roark and Dale Rankin
Seashore Academic Teams A9
War in Vietnam,” is an upclose and personal look at the people who fought the war from just above the treetops, one day at a time, and sometimes hand- tohand on the ground. It is full of the full-throated dialog that made up the daily lives of those whose blades carried them from one fire fight, and one overrun American firebase to the next. The job of the Chinooks, which could carry 10,000 pounds, was to ferry supplies, men, and casualties to and from hotspots on the battlefield. They flew to where the fighting was the hottest because that’s where ammunition and troops Vietnam continued on A14
At the outbreak of the Civil War, Padre Island was the lonely home of a few hardy men who wrung a living from its hard environment. Corpus Christi had grown into the largest trading center south of San Antonio. The town was a wholesale center and distribution point for the Gulf Coast area and northern Mexico. Immigrants heading for California often landed in Corpus, where they outfitted for the overland journey.
Union blockade stops commerce on Texas coast
Aransas Pass lighthouse was in use during the civil war
In the countryside cattle covered the vast expanses of open range and giant ranches, such as the famous Kenedy and King spreads, were supplying beef to the New Orleans market. When Texas joined the Confederacy, the residents of the coast from Corpus Christi south to Port Isabel and Brownsville rallied to the support of the state's leaders. The decisive military events of the Civil War of course took place on battlefields far to the east of Padre Island. Although the Texas gulf coast was not the scene of major military action, its citizens were not spared the presence of the enemy and the roar of gunfire. Union ships, intent on blockading all Confederate
attempts to ship the South's valuable cotton crop to the English mills, patrolled the entire Gulf coast from Key West to the Rio Grande. The effectiveness of the Yankee blockade forced cotton growers from as far away as Louisiana to ship their foreign exchange earning crop across country to Mexican ports south of the Rio Grande. The coastal trade was also disrupted. Schooners out of New Orleans carrying manufactured goods from northern factories or cloth from England no longer regularly visited the gulf ports to pick up cattle, hides, and other agricultural products. Peacetime commerce came to a halt.
History continued on A6
A 2
Island Moon
March
27,
2014
The Travelling Moon Gets Around
Spring Breakers burning pallets really nailed our beach
Mark Pugh and Leslie Rice Hart selling nuts for Kiwanis
The Gibbs family takes the Moon to Sun Valley Idaho.
Four islanders traveled to Washington D.C. for the Corpus Christi Chamber of Commerce CC to DC day. (l-r) William Goldston, Sharon & Albert Kollaja, Rick Sowash.
RAY HERRERA DIRECTOR Public Relations Operations Marketing
KRESSER PadreVet.com CHRISTI VETERINARIAN 361-949-8200 New AHPI Mobile App
Launching March 31, 2014 Earn Loyalty Points & Save Money, Order Food / Prescriptions, Make Appointments Easy, Fast, Convenient Upload app to your Android or Iphone
Sushi Chefs Carlos and Omar serve up selections from their new menu Wednesday - Saturday at the Wine Barrel & Tapas Bar next to Black Sheep Bistro. On Wined Down Wednesday you can enjoy your entree with half price wine bottle. Photo by Mary Craft.
Voted The Best Of The Best Veterinarian 2006 - 2013 DIRECTOR’S MARCH SPECIAL
New Puppy/Kitten Exam 1st Set of Vaccinations (Rabies, Distemper) Parasite Screen & Spay/Neuter Only $99.99
BRING THIS AD IN & RECEIVE $25 Rebate + $20 OFF per Dr. Christi on 1 year supply of Trifexis
The remaining Winter Texans we have decided are now Spring Texans. Our first group to be dubbed this are this group from Wisconsin. Flo and Jack on the left have been coming here for years and invite everyone to visit them at their Shipwreck Bar & Grill on Castle Rock Lake in Mauston. They have convinced their visiting friends Cindy and Bill to spend their winters here. Photo by Mary Craft.
March 27, 2014
Moon Monkeys Mike Ellis, Founder
Island Moon
Letters to the Editor The Ban the Plastic bags controversy While I'm in total agreement that plastic bags and Styrofoam objects are a terrible sight and pose a hazard, so do hundreds of other objects. Shall we ban them all?? I for one reuse my plastic bags. Fishing line kills more birds than plastic bags, should we ban fishing line?? NO, what we need to do is place HEAVY FINES on those who violate the trash law. Plastic bags do not seek out the streets and dunes by themselves. Is it not a fact that the trash containers on the beach are topless and when left overflowing contribute to the trash blowing onto the dunes? If people took care of their trash, like I'm sure you all do, we would not have this problem. My point is that we can't start banning everything, we have to curtail the violators. As you know I ride a bicycle all over Port A. The trash is NOT just plastic bags and Styrofoam objects. When you start banning the banning never stops. I believe this push to ban plastic bags is another example of corporations pushing an agenda. Do we next ban the ice bag??? This is just my opinion.
Distribution Pete Alsop Island Delivery Coldwell Banker Advertising Jan Park Rankin Classifieds Arlene Ritley Design/Layout Jeff Craft Contributing Writers
Stoney McGerald
Joey Farah Andy Purvis Devorah Fox Mary Craft Maybeth Christiansen Jay Gardner Todd Hunter Dotson Lewis Ronnie Narmour Brent Rourk Dr. Donna Shaver Photographers Miles Merwin Jeff Dolan Office Security/Spillage Control
Dale Rankin About the Island Moon
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.
Dave Crago David, Thank you for your comments and for reading the Moon. You are correct, one has to be very careful when going to websites for "free" downloads & help. I should always remind readers of the risks and possible cons online. Thanks again...your concerns and suggestions are always welcome...
Crossword Mix Up
SPID work Beginning Monday, March 24 and continuing throughout the week, there will be a single, left-lane closure on eastbound PR 22 between Jackfish Avenue and SH 361 to allow crews to work on turn-lane improvements. Traffic control will be in place. The left turn lanes will be open for SH 361.
Editor’s note: Thanks Mike, you are correct, we have had some problems. We’re trying to get it fixed and hopefully have done that. Thanks for reading and let us know if we get it wrong again.
Island,
Riley P. Dog
Sincerely yours,
I am an Island resident and really enjoy the Moon Newspaper. I also enjoy doing the Moon Crossword Puzzle. However in the March 20th edition of the Moon I noticed that the Clues to the puzzle and the answers to the puzzle matched but the grid was for a different puzzle. This is not the first time this has happened. Since the Moon changed to a weekly format and the grid patterns changed this has happened a few times. In some cases neither the clues nor the pattern nor the answers match. Just wanted to let you know since it is a little frustrating.
Oleanders Out
Editor/Publisher/Spillage Control Supervisor
Hi Dotson, I read your article in Mar 20 moon. I enjoy all the advice and it is well written. Wanted to give you some feedback though about something I run into often and let you know about it. You referred to “easily repair a slow computer, very simple instructions.” I went to it and tried to follow it. Like so many “come on “ ads on the internet these days , it is nothing but an advertisement. It does do a free download and scan your computer, but if you want it to “fix” the errors it finds, you have to purchase it! I run into this often. “Free download” rarely really means “free program to completion”. Anyway , keep up the column, it’s very informative in most cases.
Hang In There...Regards...Dotson
Mike Kaiser
Mary Craft
Senior Moments
On Monday, March 24, our TxDOT Maintenance forces will begin removal of several rows of oleanders on PR 22, north of SH 361. This removal is necessary for us to be able to extend the left turn lane approaching SH 361 from the north. Thanks, Joseph D. Greive, P.E.
Following a suspension for Spring Break, work is set to resume Monday (March 24) – weather permitting - on the project to resurface Park Road 22 and to improve safety by lengthening turn lanes at the road’s intersection with SH 361 on Padre Island. The work schedule for Monday-Friday (March 24-28) is: 7 a.m. – 4 p.m. There will be a single, left-lane closure on eastbound PR 22 between Jackfish Avenue and SH 361 to allow crews to work on turn-lane improvements. The left turn lanes will be open for SH 361 8:30 a.m. – 5 p.m. There will be left-turn and right-turn lane closures on westbound PR 22 at the SH 361 intersection to allow for pavement repairs. Traffic control at the intersection will be handled by flaggers. Also, there will be a single, left-lane closure on westbound PR 22 between SH 361 and Verdimar Drive to allow crews to work on turnlane improvements. Motorists should expect delays, allow for additional travel time, watch for flaggers, police officers and work crews and proceed with caution through work zones.
Corpus Christi Area Office Texas Department of Transportation
News articles, photos, display ads, classified ads, payments, etc. may be left at the Moon Office.
Corpus Christi, TX 78418 editor@islandmoon.com Facebook: The Island Moon Newspaper
Lisabella’s Restaurant Pioneer RV Park Stripes @ Beach Access Rd. 1A
The Gaff
North Padre
Amano
Whataburger Doc’s Restaurant
Island Woman Boutique
Snoopy’s Pier
Coffee Waves Moby Dicks Spanky’sLiquor IGA Grocery Store Port A Business Center Carter Pharmacy
Isle Mail N More Island Italian Ace Hardware Holiday Inn Texas Star (Shell) Jesse’s Liquor Padre Isles Country Club
San Juan’s Taqueria
Scuttlebutt’s Restaurant
Wash Board Laundry Mat
Subway
Port A Parks and Rec Public Library Chamber of Commerce Duckworth Antiques Back Porch Woody’s Sports Center Shorty’s Place The Flat’s Lounge Giggity’s Stripes @ Cotter & Station
“F ormer U.S. N avy L awyer ”
CVS
Felder Gallery
Work is nearing completion on the new boat ramps and parking lot next to the JFK Causeway. The ramps are open. The $1.2 million project was financed by the City of Corpus Christi and the SEA organization.
W illiam a. T hau iii, P.C.
Tarpon Ice House
All Stripes Stores
Coast Club
Marker 37 Marina by Snoopy's Pier has been newly renovated and is under new management.
Wild Horse Saloon
Miss K’s Catering & Bistro
l Divorce and Separation l Child Custody and Support l Adoption/Guardianship
l Auto Accidents l Personal Injury l DWI
l Paternity Cases l Wills and Probate
l Criminal Justice l Military Law
ConvenienT Flour BluFF loCaTion 9708 S.P.I.D., Suite A-101 s C orPus C hrisTi (361) 937-5513 s T oll F ree 1-877-888-1369 Licensed by the Supreme Court of Texas Former President of the Corpus Christi Family Law Association (1999-2000) Selected as a Texas “Super Lawyer” in November 2003, October 2004 and October 2005 Issues of Texas Monthly
Island Tire And all Moon retail advertisers
Flour Bluff H.E.B. Liquid Town
Gratitude Gift Shop
Police Station
Keepers Pier House
Stripes on Flour Bluff & SPID
Previously, the legal counsel was to not attend these meetings. Circumstances and questions have recently arisen that have made us question that counsel. As a result, we requested further legal review of the issue. Mr Knight has given his opinion that council members may attend, but they must not speak before the board. See the attached document for a full review of the opinion. Also, feel free to discuss the issue further with Mr Knight if you have questions. Ron Olson
Did Ya Hear?
by Mary Craft
mkay512@aol.com
New Advertisers Marker 37 Marina located under the bridge next to Snoopy's is under new management. Manager and co-owner with Bryan Gulley Eddie Aguilar is now overseeing this full service marina. This newly renovated facility has ethanol-free gas, a lighted pier, bait, tackle, beer, snacks and sandwiches. Starting April 1st they will be open 24/7. Aunt Sissy's Kitchen is now offering an expanded food-to-go Dash and Dine menu. Check out her daily lunch menu which includes deli salad, homemade soup, gourmet sandwich and dessert. The dinner menu has dinner salad, entree, soup and dessert. Hours are Monday-Thursday 11 am – 2 pm and 3 pm – 7 pm. Friday is Freezer Special Day that any left behind Dash and Dine dinners. Seashore Charter Schools currently have open enrollment for grades K - 8th grade and is tuition free. They have small class sizes and the middle school has volleyball, basketball, soccer, tennis and fine arts. Registration is open until March 31st and the lottery to determine admission will be April 1st. For K - 4th grade call 949- 1222 and 5th - 8th grade call 654-1134. Space is limited so act now!
Larry Joe Taylor and his full band will be performing at Third Coast Studio in Port A this Saturday, March 29th at 8 pm. Tickets are $30 and you can call 7494294 to make reservations or stop by 502 East Avenue G. The shows are BYOB and complimentary hors d'ouevres are served during intermission. The Blue Angels return for "Wings Over South Texas" this weekend in Kingsville. Gates open at 8 am on Saturday and Sunday and the air show will run 11 am - 5 pm each day. The Midway with food and souvenirs and the KidsZone opens at 9 am. The Boathouse Bar & Grill hosts BuzzTime Team Trivia Night Every Wednesday at 7 pm. Eight teams can enter on the BuzzTime Tablets and more can enter if you play from the App on your mobile device. 1st Prize is a $50 Food Tab, 2nd Prize is$25 and 3rd Prize $10. Call Manager James to reserve your team(max 5 per team) at 361-589-9601. A Mano in Port A has expanded and moved into the building next door. Their unique and colorful items are commissioned directly from the artisans in central and southern Mexico. A fun place to browse jewelry, glassware, clothing, jewelry and art pieces. They have an extensive collection of large pots for outdoors. They are located in the Tower Center on Hwy 361. Rudy's Redfish Tournament will be held at Marker 37 and was created to help the oil spill clean up at Galveston with its proceeds. There will be a captain's meeting Friday, March 28th at 5:30 pm and boats leave at safe light Saturday morning. There will be prize money and auction items. Entry fee is $350 and all are welcome.
The Bloodmobile will be at the Island Presbyterian Church parking lot on Sunday, April 6th 8 am – noon.
Whataburger on Waldron
Fire Station
Editor's note: an ongoing legal question about whether Corpus Christi city council members can attend meetings of the Island Strategic Action Committee has been resolved. Previously council members were prohibited from attending, however under the new ruling which is April 1st at Comfort Suites, council members will be allowed to attend but cannot speak. The following statement was released this week by city manager Ron Olson.
The Public Forum to discuss Billish Park improvements will be held Tuesday, April 8th at 6 pm at the Seashore Learning Center Gym on Encantada. The November 2012 City Bond that passed had $500,000 set aside for the park.
WB Liquor
Ethyl Everly Senior Center
Council Attendance at ISAC Board Meetings Now Allowed
Island Time Sushi and Seafood Grill is in construction and should be completed in about four weeks. Former Black Sheep Bistro/Barrel Manager Romeo is the owner. It is located in the Subway strip mall on Park Road 22.
361-949-7700
Port A Glass Studio
A3
J&J Island Marine located next to Padre Island Burger Company is re-locating and the building is currently for lease.
15201 S. Padre Island Drive, Suite 250
Port Aransas
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Member Padre Island Business Association
Member Padre Island Rotary Club
The Litter Critter will be in the POA parking lot this weekend Saturday and Sunday 9 am – 5 pm. Set out for City collection of palm and brush clippings starts April 12th and pick up is April 21st. The parking lot under the bridge is near completion and both boat ramps are now open. This puts an end to the 1.2 million dollar project that begun in 2000.
A 4
Island Moon
Backwater Adventures
Sponsored by Marker 37 Marina Spirit Fish
On the Rocks By Jay Gardner The birding has been absolutely phenomenal lately with this fallout we’re having. The southeast winds brought many birds over the Gulf in the first wave, and then they were hit by the north wind we had last weekend. Many birds, unfortunately, don’t make it every year. Bobby and Allison were at the beach the other day and saw hooded warblers sitting in the sand literally feet from the water line; they JUST BARELY made it.
March 27, 2014
By Joey Farah in a car wreck. He was making the transition from sailboats to bay skiffs, and found himself a project. The skiff had “Crush” spray painted on it, as it had been totaled. He salvaged it from the dump, completely rebuilt the transom, put some float boxes on it, pieced together a console, and rebuilt her from the ground up. I fished with him a few times on it back then, and really liked it. He remembered that when he was ready to move on to other projects and sold it to my dad and I. My dad used it a few times, but then it started to sit more and more as we used my boat more often, and then switched more to beach and jetty fishing.
Farah’s Fishing Adventures
The big Blazer Bay slid up on the flat with the Air Heads help of the trolling motor and we anchored up This week has been incredible as I have been only a short distance from the stands of grass throwing the new D.O.A. AIRHEAD soft plastic along the little hump. We fanned out to cover the baits. This is a very unique soft plastic that can area, but my eyes stayed be hooked with a jig head or a wide gap worm fixed on the dark shadow hook to make the bait completely weedless. of the grassy hump. The open belly is split and a squirt of scent Every so often I would additive every 20casts or so is definitely putting see some small baitfish some stink in my presentation. The bait, when skirt the edge and jump hooked with a 1/16th ounce jig head suspends Birding has been excellent all over the place nervously away from the in the water column and allows the angler to if you’re paying attention. In my yard it’s been edges of the grassy hide. float and dance the lure just under the waves. a phenomenal fallout, with hooded warblers, As I closed the distance I The large flapping tail is a perfect swimming black and white warblers by the dozen, northern watched this new plastic action, Mark with DOA showed me a trick that parulas, yellow throated warblers, yellow bait I’ve been throwing changes the tail into a curly grub tail. With a vireos, prothonotary warblers, blue winged all week. The large eyes paper hole punch poke a hole in the center of the and yellow rumped warblers, and a bunch of and fluttering tail seemed tail, then cut the lower part of the tail to open it kingbirds. We even had a flight of waxwings to come up just under the up to a curl. This brings a completely different mobbing a pair of sharp-shinned hawks. waves and look at me. action. A quick squirt of insulation foam in the Crazy stuff! There will be another fallout this The way the AIRHEAD open body of the bait will also add buoyancy weekend, so dust those binos off. Also don’t hovered just out of my and allow a weighted jig for long casts, but the forget to fill your hummingbird feeders and get sight and flirted with my bait will float and suspend naturally in the water them out. I had ruby-throats, black chinned, as vision became hypnotic. Then last year I column. Roy’s Bait and Tackle is the best place well as buff-belly and one rufous hummingbird, I skirted the bait to the to grab them right now, let them know I sent all in the space of about 15 minutes the other finally took the top and as it fell, a flash you, the staff there at Roy’s will gladly show day. Fellow Moon Monkey Miles Merwin has plunge and sold of silver came out of the you the right way to HOOK THEM UP!! been snapping some really great shots of the my skiff. It’s taken grassy shadow and trailed a while to get the birds, go check out his page. the lure like a torpedo. Marker 37 Fishing Report trailer rolling, and The fish broke its pursuit What else has been phenomenal was the fishing Bruce found me a The changes at Marker 37 Marina are obvious after a few feet and with down in Baffin this past weekend. The trout are motor the other and I invite anyone to come out in the morning headed this way, as I’m sure Joey and the other day. She still Warmer waters have flounder coming back multiple casts I couldn’t and see us off with a free cup of coffee and an guides will tell you. They are chasing anchovies needs a paint job, into the Laguna Madre. Cody B from Victoria. get her to strike again. I brought the bait back to ear full of fishing stories. The new docks are and shrimp, and now is the time to dust off the some stickers, a FARAH my pocket and quickly great and Eddie has put in benches and tables rods and reels and get out there. They’re still in casting platform traded it for a more all around the new fish cleaning area, so come deeper water but in the next week or two should and a few other natural color pattern. see what is hitting the table. move onto the flats. It will be topwater time details, but that will come soon enough. She’s Live shrimp are readily available and bringing before you know it. been pieced back together with the help of some The Rainbow Trout color sailed back out to the same area. The first few casts I was focused and in some great boxes of fish. Live shrimp in and friends, and I’m actually excited about getting The skiff is about ready for a float test. She determined, then I slipped back into the trance. along the Intracoastal canal as well as all the still needs some paint and a bit of wiring, but back in the bays. Wish us luck. I remembered last month the long grinds out in smaller channels in the Humble and Packery hopefully on Saturday we can get her to the Turtle nesting season is also about to start, the cold. The sun broke from the clouds and a area is filling stringers with all kinds of fish. water and back in it. Back in 2000, my buddy please be careful out there on the beaches. small ray of light hit the grassy knoll ahead of Sheephead, drum, reds, trout, sandies, whiting, Jay Tarkington was cruising around the dump in We don’t want an incident with a turtle being me. I took some steps to put the grass in my and flounder are making regular appearances. Rockport and came across a boat that had been injured or worse while trying to nest. Make reach and sailed the Airhead to swim and hover Drifting with popping corks is on fire in the sure to call the hotline at 361- across the green. As I saw the red eyes of the southern parts of Emmort’s Hole and over 949-8173 if you see one. bait glisten in the light the flash of a big trout the rocks in Baffin. Go in and grab one of the TPWD is going to pass the pearled at the surface. Again she eyed the lure Legions Popping Corks in Marker 37’s tackle trout limit reduction, from as I let it drop down and felt the thump of her shop. The man who makes them came in and 10 fish per angler per day to inhaling it into her big yellow mouth. The rod handed me an old favorite. I used to get these 5 fish. What’s not clear is bent back and her head came to the surface in corks but they were only white and red and whether they will also reduce an eruption of frothy water and head shakes. didn’t have the rattles in them as they do now. the possession limit to 5 as She turned and ran towards Kevin and as she I liked them because they didn’t make the loud well. Right now, you can pulled drag I hooted with a good fist pump. She crash when they hit the water and when popped possess 20 trout if you’re on came to my side and as our eyes met I could they throw water out just like a striking trout. an overnight trip. That would see a crimson red streak sail from her gills. She They come in two different sounds and some be quite a reduction from 20 had taken the bait down and had lodged the great colors. Experiment with different corks to 5, and I don’t think the hook into the soft gills. I removed the hook and when you are out in the flats and you will new Commission would be could see the mark of defeat run down her body. develop favorites, but always find out what the very popular if they went that The stringer came out and I decided to take fish prefer in each situation. route. Time will tell. I’ll see her home and feed her to my family that night. Texas Oil Spill you folks on the laguna in any She would not go home with the bag of fillets but give us strength and unity around the table event. with my family. As she slipped back into the water I noticed her tail was notched and chills ran through my body. A good friend and angler Kevin Sahadie often marks the tails of the large trout he releases in the Lagoon and Baffin. A month ago during one of those cold winter wades I had caught photographed and released a beautiful 27inch trout that had amazing blue tipped fins and had monster girth. The fish that laid before me had a perfect matching tail mark and D.O.A. AIRHEAD Big Baffin girl this week. Thanks the same blue tips. I looked back Kevin great pic at the dark grass and moved to hit the farthest end. A few casts later I again saw a big fish come up and follow the Unfortunately the news broke this last week of bait as it hovered just under the waves. The next a nasty oil spill in Galveston Bay. This was the cast I ran the bait a bit faster and then paused it to float just over the grass. She didn’t follow national news quote from experts on the case, this time but rolled with aggression taking the “CATASTROPHIC”. That scares me to death. bait from the top like a vacuum. This fish stayed We are used to big oil spills in the open waters close to the bottom and I almost thought it was a of the sea, but when it happens in the closed bay red till she shot out of the water and flipped end systems it can be ugly very quickly. All oysters, over end only a few feet from me. She circled crabs, shrimp, and fishing could be closed if it • Open 24 Hours a day (starting April 1st) me in rage with water splashing from her isn’t all ready. A good north wind could carry the • Ethanol-free Gas fighting the bend of my rod. She came up and oil south to us. If it is contained and we don’t’ to hand, looking me right into my eyes. With see its effect directly we will get the overflow • Newly Lighted Pier the spirit fish on stringer I motioned my guest of out of town anglers on our water pressuring • Live & Dead Bait / Offshore Bait to come over and Kevin took some great pics fish stocks. Groups of out of town fishing before she slipped back into the bay. I walked guides that already travel to our waters every • Beer & Tobacco back to the boat and took some pictures of the spring to take their customers to fish here might • Tackle / Snacks / Sandwiches Spirit fish and compared them to the fish from spend the summer fishing with live bait and decimate our fish stocks in order to • ATM keep themselves afloat. The oil has already gone out up to 20miles into the Gulf and God only knows what is going to happen. Rudy’s Redfish Series was scheduled to have its season opener up in Galveston this weekend and had to cancel. They decided to have a benefit redfish tournament here at Marker 37 to help in clean up response. Sponsors along with the ownership of Marker 37 will want to welcome anyone to come out and get into the HAND tournament and have a great time. ICAPThis is a good opportunity to break FR into the competitive redfish scene. DOCK IENDLY The tournament will be filmed S This Spirit Fish came home to my family after we and has its own national television E T A show so exposing yourself to the shared more than one meeting R O CORP “Big Show” will pump you up T N E M A for any tournaments you may wish to get into N R February. Both catches were 27inch fish and TOU RS E this summer, and it is going to benefit the T R the spots looked incredibly matching. I believe A U that the release of mature fish to fight another very important clean-up of our blessed Texas HEADQ day is a good thing. It is not bad for anglers to Gulf Coast. This is going to me a AWSOME keep a bigger fish, but when they are coming EVENT, Tournament director Mr. Austin has to hand with reagular beauty, let some of the a TOURNAMENT SIGN UP, BARBECUE big ones go. We have large amounts of proof DINNER, AND RAFFLE FRIDAY EVENING that fish can and do get caught more than once FROM 5:30pm to 8pm. The sponsors are BOAT in their lives. I have even caught the same fish pitching in everything from WATERLOO LIFT R DAILY twice in one morning. The fish of your dreams RODS, gold and silver jewelry, Smith & E NTAL / WEE S KLY are seasoned, smart, and very sensitive to what Wesson firearms, hunting trips, and much much ! 24 H OUR / MONTH is going on around them. Set your efforts this more. Guest and tournament anglers will be SECU L Y spring in every cast. Throw to specific areas that able to purchase tickets to put in raffle boxes RITY look like a good ambush point for predatory for each item, all to benefit the Galveston Clean fish. Approach your fishing areas with stealth, Up. Please come out and have a great evening, and do not embark on “Quests to find the other kids welcome. For more information contact fishermen”. Use your eyes, ears, and nose to tournament director at (361)510-8708. Have a find areas that you can slip away into your own great week the sun is finally here. Capt. Joey Farah (361)442-8145. hypnotic state and become the bait.
Under the bridge (next to Snoopy’s)
FULL SERVICE MARINA Free Boat Launch with Purchase
Newly Renovated Facility Under New Management
March 27, 2014
Island Moon
Stoopid Cat
Letters to Riley
A5
Stuff I Heard on the Island by Dale Rankin
No Texan under twenty years old has ever seen a Democrat elected to statewide office. Texas has now gone the longest of any state in the country without electing a Democrat. I’m not saying that is a bad thing, just that it seems hard to fathom given the political landscape here just three decades ago when Republicans in Texas were rare as hens teeth.
Two grand and a cloud of dust By Riley P. Dog My cat has been annoying me lately. I mean more than usual. We have a deal, the cat and I. I leave her alone and she leaves me alone. Since the other cat went to Cat Heaven I’ve been cutting her some slack. But now we got a Little Yappy Dog living with us and it has some scrumptious Little Yappy Dogfood which stays in a bowl in her room. When my humans get distracted I slip in there and clean out the bowl. The Little Yappy Dog doesn’t say anything because she knows her bowl, unlike mine, will get filled up as soon as it’s empty so she shares. We get along fine.
But now the Stoopid Cat has discovered the Little Yappy Dogfood and she’s been stealing it too. And when I go in there she starts howling like the Stoopid Cat she is and I get Cat Blocked. This must change. Stoopid Cats! So here’s a helpful suggestion on how to give your cat a bath. If you like it please send me a hotdog at Save The Riley P. Dog Foundation, International Falls, Minnesota. If you don’t like them, then you may have been brainwashed by the Stoopid Cats!
When I was in college I ran a campaign for a Republican candidate for the State House. The fact that a college kid was running his campaign tells you about all you need to know about how much money he had to spend. We came to Corpus Christi and to plead our case to the Associated Republicans of Texas who doled out money with an eyedropper. But we got $2000 to tilt at our windmill and for our trouble got a sound thrashing on Election Day. I attended a Republican rally in San Antonio during the campaign that literally could have been held in a broom closet. Being a Texas Republican was lonely work in those days.
Change comes But things had begun to change in 1978 when, in an astonishing upset, Bill Clements was elected the first Republican governor of Texas in 100 years by 17,000 votes out of nearly 2.4 million cast. Governor Bill found his way into office by spending $8 million of his own money and following a strategy outlined by his advisor Karl Rove. Quoting Napoleon, Rove wrote: "The whole art of war consists in a wellreasoned and extremely circumspect defensive, followed by rapid and audacious attack."
Schlitterbahn continued from A1 What is in the plan is for the two bottom floors of the new headquarters building now rising out of the old Padre Isles Country Club to be open by the June 1 date, along with about half the water rides. The top of the new building went into place last week with the installation of a support beam for a spire that will top the building. Plans call for the top floor to also have an observation deck.
Since the election of conservative Senator John Tower in a special election in 1961, liberal Democrats in Texas had tried to develop a viable two-party system by getting conservative Democrats out of the party leaving party control in liberal hands. An exact reversal of what happened to the Republicans nationwide in 1912 when Teddy Roosevelt took the Progressives out of the Party of Lincoln, leaving behind the Taft Conservatives and shifting the party right. It was an uphill battle in Texas but the strategy ultimately worked over the course of two decades. The lesson for Yellow-Dog Democrats – be careful what you ask for.
Also visible from \SPID for the first time is part of one of the rides, the Shoot the Chute, which will feature cars holding about a dozen people which will rise up the structure now in place before making a 180 turn and splashing into a pool.
Watching history happen I was one week on the job at a newspaper in San Antonio when one day an old-hand political reporter named John Moulder told me, “Watch what I’m about to do Dale, You will never see this again in your lifetime.” John had come down from the Metroplex where he had been a reporter when Dallas and Fort Worth shed the single-party system and became two-party towns. “I’m going to turn this into a two-party town.” And he did. In a one-party courthouse there are certain things that everyone knows but no one talks about publicly - professional courtesy and all. Which judges can be counted on to bury a case in their Will Never Come to Trial closet; who to talk to in order to make a deal with the District Attorney; who to call at the Sheriff’s office to quietly get your no-good cousin out of jail; how much to “contribute” to get the County Judge to
Tides of the Week
Tides for Corpus Christi (Bob Hall Pier) Mar 27-Apr 2 2014
Day
High /Low
Tide Time
Height in Feet
Sunrise Moon Time Sunset
Moon Visible
Th
27
Low
7:07 AM
0.1
7:25 AM Rise 5:00 AM
19
27
High
2:31 PM
1.4
7:44 PM Set 4:48 PM
27
Low
8:14 PM
1.0
F
28
High
12:52 AM
1.4
7:24 AM Rise 5:44 AM
28
Low
8:16 AM
0.2
7:44 PM Set 5:51 PM
28
High
2:48 PM
1.3
28
Low
8:35 PM
0.8
Sa
29
High
2:15 AM
1.5
7:22 AM Rise 6:26 AM
29
Low
9:20 AM
0.4
7:45 PM Set 6:54 PM
29
High
3:03 PM
1.2
29
Low
9:04 PM
0.5
Su
30
High
3:30 AM
1.6
7:21 AM Rise 7:08 AM
30
Low
10:22 AM
0.6
7:45 PM Set 7:56 PM
30
High
3:17 PM
1.2
30
Low
9:38 PM
0.3
M
31
High
4:39 AM
1.7
7:20 AM Rise 7:50 AM
31
Low
11:24 AM
0.9
7:46 PM Set 8:58 PM
31
High
3:30 PM
1.1
31
Low
10:16 PM
0.2
Tu
1
High
5:46 AM
1.7
7:19 AM Rise 8:33 AM
1
Low
12:29 PM
1.0
7:46 PM Set 9:57 PM
1
High
3:41 PM
1.2
1
Low
10:55 PM
0.1
W
2
High
6:51 AM
1.7
7:18 AM Rise 9:18 AM
2
Low
11:37 PM
0.0
7:47 PM Set 10:55 PM
11
5
1
0
1
5
fix the road to your country house; how to get the Tax Assessor to make you the last person in the county to get your tax notice in the mail. All are useful tools in the lawyer/political trade. People who would be called Whistleblowers in a two-party system are known simply as Troublemakers in a single-party environment. But John knew where the bodies were buried at the Bexar County Courthouse and he dug them up one at a time. John’s tool for change was a highly qualified man named Tom Rickhoff, or as he is known today, Judge Tom Rickhoff. Each day John would bring out a new quote from candidate Rickhoff, who was running for District Clerk; normally a very under the radar position politically speaking. But as the custodian of records for the District Courts it was a goldmine of information for anyone who knew where to dig, and John knew where to dig. Each day a story would appear under John’s byline quoting Mr. Rickhoff which would throw another skunk in the room at the courthouse and the other two newspapers in town would dutifully run to Rickhoff to verify the quotes; which, truth be known, Mr. Rickhoff may or may not have actually said before John wrote the story. But Rickhoff was no fool and he followed John’s lead and through this symbiotic relationship became the first Republican ever elected to countywide office in Bexar County. No one else can ever say that. Once the Republicans realized they could actually win the fight was on and Bexar County is now as rock-ribbed Republican as any county in the state and home to the Republican Speaker of the House.
Clean Slate ‘88 The Republicans big break statewide came in 1988 when by chance six seats on the Texas Supreme Court all came open at the same time. Normally only three seats on the nine-seat court came up at once, but by happenstance resignations opened the rest simultaneously and Rove heard opportunity knocking. He ran his "Clean Slate '88" and got five Republicans elected to the court. It was a watershed. By 1998, Republicans held all nine seats on the Court, and the rest as they say is history. Lt. Governor Bob Bullock was the last Democrat elected statewide in Texas in 1994, even before Al Gore invented the Internet. This year is seeing a push by Democrats to change that but I’ll believe it when I see it. What I have found most interesting about hanging around the capitol over the years is how the balance of power has shifted, first from the rural to the urban interests as the state’s economy shifted from a land-based one to a service economy and the population migrated to the cities; followed by tort reform, fueled partly by rulings in civil cases from the Republicans on the Supreme Court which brought a shift in power from the plaintiff’s attorneys on the Democrat side to the insurance and business interests on the Republican; and now a push back from the left seeking to turn Texas into a battleground state in national elections. Whether it succeeds or not it should be a chance to once again see history in the making. But again I’ll believe it when I see it.
Island Moon
A 6
A Civil-War-era Sloop return to normal until the end of the war.
Yankees invade the bay bombard the city The military events of the Union blockade of Aransas Pass took place during 1862 and 1863 and they indirectly touched Padre Island. In July 1862, Yankee ships entered Corpus Christi Bay and captured three prizes, the sloop Bella Italia and the schooners Monte Cristo and Reindeer. Unable to challenge the Union navy, Confederate officers at Corpus decided to block the channel. They sank several boats. However, the Yankees quickly cleared them away. In August 1862, eight northern vessels entered Corpus Christi Bay and bombarded the town. Having little artillery with which to respond, the Confederates were unable to counter effectively. It was only a matter of time until the Union forces captured the town.
The Affair of Padre Island In December 1862, the war came to Padre Island. Early in the month Confederate Capt. John Ireland and seven men crossed Corpus Christi Bay to Corpus Christi Pass in order to check the depth of the bars on both ends of the pass. The depth measured three and a half feet at one bar and five feet at the other, i.e., the pass was too shallow to allow any ships to use it. While checking the depth, Ireland and his men observed a Union bark; Arthur, which apparently was looking for them. Beaching their boat on Mustang Island, Ireland spent an hour watching Arthur's movements. At noon the Confederates returned to their boat, Queen of the Bay, with the intention of returning to Corpus. No sooner had they pushed off from Mustang than they discovered that Arthur had succeeded in putting overboard two launches which were closing fast on the Queen. Quickly realizing that he would not be able to escape the launches, Ireland beached his boat on Padre Island. The Confederates hastily grabbed some baggage and their weapons and took up a position in the sand dunes. When the Union launches closed to within two hundred yards of the beached Queen, the rebels opened fire. The Union force returned the fire, but realizing that they were exposed in their open boats, while the Confederates enjoyed the cover of the dunes,
March 27, 2014
Where Amelia Earhart Tried, Geraldine Mock Succeeded
they turned away and landed on the other side of Corpus Christi Pass on Mustang. In their haste to get out of range of the Confederate sharpshooters, the Yankees failed to secure or anchor their launches. No sooner were they safely under cover than the two boats came loose from the beach and drifted across the pass towards the Confederate position. Seeing his good fortune Captain Ireland waded out to one of the launches and secured it. When he looked into the boat, he discovered why the northerners had been so anxious to find cover. Two men lay at the bottom of the launch, one dead and the other wounded. Meanwhile the other Union launch, which had also broken away from Mustang, was drifting towards the gulf. Jack Sands quickly jumped into the captured Union launch, rowed out into the pass, and pulled it in. With the two Union boats in their hands, the Confederates reboarded the Queen of the Bay, pushed off from Padre, and headed back to Corpus. The 22 stranded Union soldiers watched them sail away and, badly embarrassed, wondered how they would get back to the Arthur. Back in Corpus, Captain Ireland proudly reported that his party had captured two launches with full equipment, one doublebarrel shot gun, three holster pistols, four percussion muskets, four cutlasses, and one bayonet. The affair of Padre Island, as the official records call this minor encounter, was an insignificant rebel victory, but it did much to boost Corpus morale.
Yankees raid Flour Bluff During the two years the Union forces blockaded the passes at each end of Padre, men from the ships often visited the island to patrol it and secure provisions. Militarily their objective was to make sure cotton stored on Flour Bluff did not get through the blockade. In addition Yankee commanders strived to prevent salt gathered along the Laguna Madre from reaching Corpus, where it could eventually reach Confederate forces. Indeed, in September 1862 Texans captured a Yankee party which had landed on Flour Bluff looking for cotton and salt. The Confederates undoubtedly tried to get through the Union blockade by transporting cotton across the Laguna Madre to Padre Island and then loading it on ships standing off shore. Nevertheless, these ventures were infrequent. The difficulty of getting across the very shallow lagoon and The Island, and then loading the cotton on a ship with the Union patrol craft always just over the horizon, made such attempts hazardous and time-consuming. During the Civil War, Padre did not become a secret door through which the South shipped cotton to Europe. In addition to patrolling The Island to disrupt the Laguna Madre salt trade and to stop any blockade running, Union troops also landed to secure fresh provisions. The cattle grazing on both Padre and Mustang provided many a Union mess with roasts and steaks. It is possible that by the end of the war most of the cattle on Padre had been requisitioned by the North. Contact between the northern soldiers and sailors and Padre's residents during the war is largely unknown. There is one report that the Union soldiers often visited the Curry settlement, which was located on the Laguna Madre about twenty miles from Corpus Christi Pass. Although Mrs. Curry's sons and son-inlaw had all joined the Confederate army, she apparently became popular with the men from the North who always stopped by for a slice of her famous cornbread.
By Dotson Lewis, dlewis1@stx.rr.com Special to the Island Moon
Do You Remember? Dotson’s note: I remember listening to radio reports of Amelia Earhart’s flight in June 1937, but I do not recall hearing anything about the first around-the-world flight by a woman in 1964. Do any of you “Moon Monkeys” remember hearing of this historical feat?
The 88-year-old pioneer recounts her solo flight around the world in 1964. Jerrie Mock was 11 when Amelia Earhart launched an around-the-world flight. Every day after school, Mock tuned in to the radio reports of her idol’s progress, then to the news of efforts to find her. In 1964, when Mock was a 38-yearold mother of three, she set out from Columbus, Ohio, in a single-engine Cessna, and 29 days later, became what Earhart had hoped to be: the first woman to fly around the world. At 88, Mock recounted her experience from her home in Quincy, Florida, to journalist Amy Saunders. Saunders: At seven, you got your first airplane ride and declared that you wanted to be a pilot. How did Amelia Earhart influence you?
Saunders: Of all the cities you visited, which was your favorite? Mock: That would just be too difficult because there are so many interesting places. But I had a wonderful time in Casablanca. I had some friends I stayed with...at their home, and that was very, very nice. They took me to a wonderful restaurant. The main dish was a couscous with all kinds of delicious things. In all my meals in all my life, that’s Number 1. Saunders: What were the more exotic places? Mock: In the Azores at that point, you could only place telephone calls to Portugal. It was a very isolated place. I could not call home. But it was wonderful to see a place where Christopher Columbus and his men had been, a church where they had worshipped. It was so oldworld and different, like nothing I had ever seen before. It’s beautiful; they get a fair amount of rain and it’s very green.
Thursday John Eric, Friday Brian Winfrey Friday Ruben Limas
♥ Reservations Recommended ♥
Lunch Specials
Monday
Unlimited Spaghetti Salad
6.50
Tuesday
9 inch Sub for 6 inch Price
6.50
Wednesday Thursday
Pasta Menu Full Order for 1/2 order price Salad with a 6-inch Sandwich & Drink
6.50
Friday
Unlimited Dinner Salad
5.99
Saunders: You were the only woman in your class when you studied aeronautical engineering at Ohio State University. What was the atmosphere for women when you were learning to fly? Mock: The guys would make jokes. I remember sitting on a bench outside and a young woman came to take a lesson. One of the pilots was sitting next to me. He said, “Well, she’s out to get a man.” Saunders: In 1966, you flew from Honolulu to Columbus, setting the record for longest nonstop flight by a woman. What did that mean to you? Mock: There were three Russian women who flew along a river in Siberia and took a distance record away from Amelia Earhart. It was all for Russia; they all got medals from Joseph Stalin. Well, I took the record away from them. And of that, I’m very proud. Saunders: Now that 50 years have passed since the flight, how do you feel about the achievement?
Mock: I didn’t think it was such a great thing; it was just lots of fun. It was a good, practical thing that dozens of women, both in the United States and other countries, could have done before I did. You just use your common sense, know how to Saunders: In 1958, fly the airplane, do you and your husband what you’re supposed earned private pilot to do, know the routes licenses. When did you and all the rules and start seriously thinking regulations. Just about flying around the nobody else had the world? sense—or shall I say, Mock: We went up to the stupidity—to try it northern Canada and Today, Charlie hangs in the National Air [laughs]. There were chartered a plane to women who told me and Space Museum the French island of St. that they flew because Pierre. In the hotel, off of me. I’m glad I did what I did, because I had the dining room, was the radio room. I could a wonderful time. listen to pilots crossing the [Atlantic] ocean. So In 1964, the Cessna 180 N1538C carried I thought, Well, I’ve got to fly the ocean, and then I thought, I might as well go all the way Jerrie Mock around the world and starred in her memoir Three-Eight Charlie, reissued in 2004 around. to commemorate the flight’s 50th anniversary. Today, Three-Eight Charlie hangs in the Dotson’s note: Questions and/or comments are National Air and Space Museum, which has mounted a display of flight memorabilia which welcome. Please snail mail or Email The Island Moon or call Dotson at 361-949-768 or 530Mock donated. 748-8475 or Email: dlewis1@stx.rr.com Saunders: When you began planning, you weren’t aware that you could be the first woman to circle the world. When did you realize it?
Mock: Some air force bases were strictly nonos; certain countries didn’t want me. That took time, cablegrams back and forth. I went to embassies all around Washington, wrote letters, and did a lot of research. That was the hardest part—the flying was easy.
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Mock: I was confident I could make the flight, but if she made it ahead of me, that was nothing I could control. I was not at all sure I was going to come in first.
Mock: When I heard about her, that made it more exciting. I was going to fly around the world, not just fly around Ohio! I also had a geography book about that same time—my goodness, there was a man on a camel and an elephant and all these strange things. When Geraldine Mock and her plane, "Charlie" in 1964 Amelia was flying, I said, “Well, that’s the way to get to see all those things.”
Saunders: A friend in the Air Force helped you chart your route. What did the planning entail?
We now have Gluten Free Pizza!
the flight; how much did her presence influence you?
Geraldine Mock with President Johnson after her historic flight
Mock: I wrote to the National Aeronautic Association to get some information and that’s when I found out. Then I had to be rather secretive about it. There were quite a few women in Ohio who had flown during the war and were more experienced. I had to be real quiet because one of them could have easily gotten a sponsor [Mock’s was The Columbus Dispatch] and done it.
Hours: Mon- Thurs 11 AM - 9:30 PM Fri - Sat 11 AM - 10 PM Sun 5-9:30 PM 15370 SPID (Just south of Whitecap) 949-7737
Senior Moments
History continued from A1 Like their sister Confederate harbors to the east, the Texas ports were soon blockaded by Union men of war. Nature assisted the North. The barrier islands which extend from Galveston to the Rio Grande restrict access to the south Texas ports to the narrow passes which separate the islands. Ships wishing to enter Corpus Christi harbor had first to pass through Aransas Pass between Mustang and St. Joseph's Island. The Union Navy effectively disrupted Corpus shipping by simply blockading the pass. In February 1862, a Confederate engineering officer in charge of coastal defenses visited Mustang Island to inspect the fortifications which had been hastily thrown up there to guard Aransas Pass. He reported that "The line of trade for the present is destroyed." It did not
Saunders: Your flight was safe, except for a couple frightening incidents, like the time when an antenna wire began burning over the Libyan Desert. How dangerous was that moment? Mock: If it had caught fire, well, there would have been a fire by the gasoline tank. That was the scariest part of the trip. But fortunately, I had enough sense to realize what it was, so I turned [the antenna reel switch] off and it cooled down. You study these things; you know if this happens, you do that. Saunders: Another pilot, Joan Merriam Smith, coincidentally set out with the same goal two days before you did. You were the first to finish
Ethel Eyerly Community Center 654 Graham Rd. in Flour Bluff (361) 937-3218
The Ethel Eyerly Community Center in Flour Bluff is open with a full activities schedule which is shown below. Winter Texans are welcome. Meals Served For Persons Age 60 and Over 11:30 A.M. ($1.50 Suggested meal donation)
Monday Silver Haired Fitness 10-11 AM ($8/month-Ladies Only) Computer Interest Group 12:30-2 PM Wii Bowling 12:30 PM Ping Pong (Table Tennis) Class each Monday 5-9 pm For Beginners, Intermediate & Advanced Players $3 per session or $10 per month or $40 a month for a family of four
Tuesday Zumba Gold (Co-Ed) 10:30-11:30 AM ($20/month or $4/session) Table Tennis & Table Games-12 PM
Wednesday Silver Haired Fitness 10-11 AM ($8/month-Ladies Only) AARP Chapter 4181 Meeting @ 1 PM (2nd & 4th Wednesdays)
Thursday Zumba Gold (Co-Ed) 10:30 AM ($20/month, or $4/session) Wii Bowling & Chair Volleyball - 12:304:45 PM Quilting 2nd Thursday of the Month
Friday Silver Haired Fitness 10-11 AM ($8/month – Ladies Only) Table Tennis – 11 AM Bingo -12:30 PM ($.50 Cards)
March 27, 2014
How do I get FIT?
Island Moon
By Chad Peters You’ve heard all the confusion disguised as advice right? “You need to stretch, you don’t need to stretch- you need to eat carbs; carbs are evil and making you fat lift heavy, lift light, run, don’t run and on and on it goes. Fitness, like health, nutrition and investing has more ups and downs than the biggest Schlitterbahn ride.
more calories in and gym time, but definitely not as radical as you average muscle and fitness magazine model. So first, pick a destination of where you want your fitness to get you and what version of “fit” you’re looking for.
I feel in being honest and true, you should have an example to help you – Lets use me. I actually want to be better than average at all things fitness related. I want to be faster than most, but rarely need to win the race, I want to be one of the stronger guys in the gym but So what do you do? You want to get more fit, have no ambition to bench 400. My workouts sexy and live longer and healthier – but with and nutrition allow me to do a cornucopia of all the conflicting advice you’re just not sure different activities; running, lifting, climbing, what to do, so you do nothing. Here’s the quick biking, kids games like crab walks etc. I’ve answer – DO SOMETHING – and start now, written articles about some of my crazier nothing rolls like a wheel, workouts such as the so get your gear out of burpee mile (run a mile park and do something. combining 100 burpees in there somehow), Pay Now the details – the the toll (run or walk but long answer… How do I at every street crossing do get Fit? jumping jacks, pushups, Rule #1, and take a squats etc to “pay the toll” to cross the road, minute to think for a and almost all my gym while, ask yourself, workouts are circuit style “ What is FIT for – minimal rest and go me?” go go. This is a hybrid approach that quickly This is the most lets me get better at a lot important question and of different things – if I the biggest mistake most have a triathlon coming people have – and its this, up I just add workouts not the conflicting advice with more focus on that most often in keeping swimming, biking or you from becoming fit. running. This keeps the Understand that a monotony low and the marathoner and a action high and probably bodybuilder are both “fit” most importantly – keeps – just a totally different it fast , those workouts version of the word. are short and sweet and Laird Hamilton, Usain Island Fitnes trainer Sunny West HARD. That might Bolt, Annie Thorsdatter, not be your style, but its Bernard Lagat and Tony mine, I have an answer Romo all have been considered one of the best for what is fit for me. The point is, you need in their fields and NONE of them look, eat, sleep a goal and keep it fluid, ever changing and or train the same – None of them do an hour adapting and learn what is right for you! of light cardio followed by an hour of weights. Padre Island has great resources available and They specialize! Before you even begin to get the right answer for, “ how do I get there?” you professionals that can help you get to where you need to know where you are going. Have you want to be. To get there the quickest and most ever heard people describe their training as a efficiently have an answer for where you want journey or quest? Of course! Just like a road to be and make it more specific than, “I want get trip across the US, its different turns to visit Mt in shape” – Have a destination, so you or your help can set the proper course! Rushmore than it is to see the Statue of liberty. Do you want to run faster, longer, lift more weights, have more muscle, swim around Bob hall Pier, be able to handle your own yard or simply look better coming out of the shower? Maybe it’s a version of all of these. But understand your choices for workouts, food, drink, time in/out of a gym, effort expelled all are different for any of these answers. Most of what you hear from the media isn’t wrong information, It’s just applied incorrectly, Marathoners do need more carbs, but often forgo protein and weight lifting (mistake). Packing on 20 lbs of muscle definitely will take much
Dr. Chad Peters DC, CSCS is one of the coowners of armadillo sport chiropractic. Dr. Peters grew up in Huron, South Dakota. Dr. Peters is active in triathlon events, running, weightlifting and performance type training. He works out nearly every day and pushes an active lifestyle. His love for sports is what led him down a path in this field, although chiropractic is his profession, one of his main passions in is human performance. This has led him to recently get a CSCS certification from the National Strength Coaches Association. You may contact him at armadillosportchiro@ yahoo.com
By Capt. Sail Offcourse Editor’s note: Last week found Captain Sail Offcourse exploring the haunted pirate cave of Captain Morgan in the Bahamas. This week finds him still in Morgan’s Bluff. Back at the yacht basin in Morgan’s Bluff I moved the sailboat up on the jetties and set tires beside the boat. I had found a flat rock that was just right so I could pull the boat up on it at high tide with the help of my winches to fix the leaking packing gland. The packing gland had broken the shaft tube and I had to epoxy it. The tube had broken just off the reef and I had made it into the yacht basin. With the yacht up high and tied to trees beside the jetty I just had to wait for the tide to fall. So with time to spare I went and hung with the locals playing Dominos.
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island every hour of every day.
$1 million for two days work He had been busted by the FBI, ATF, DEA and the Bahamas Task Force. Court papers show that the first (and modest) load Lehder handled reaped a $1 million profit for two days of work. At the time of his arrest in 1987 the net worth of Lehder, then 37, was estimated at more than $2.5 billion. In 1992, in exchange for Lehder’s agreement to testify against Manuel Noriega, the sentence for life without parole plus 135 years was reduced to
Low tide At low tide I went and removed the coupling off the prop shaft and moved it back. I went outside and got into the water and pulled the prop and shaft out of the hull. Taking a bung and hammer drove the bung in the shaft tube, and could relax as In 1978 Carlos started buying up large pieces of property now water would not get inside. on Norman's Cay, including a home for himself, a hotel The night before was filled with and an airstrip. Carlos and his associates harassed the getting up to check the bilge for island's residents and visitors until they fled, in effect how much water was coming in, taking over the entire island. and I had to pump it about every hour. Ready for the tide to return I set about a total sentence of 55 years. They had taken cleaning the fiberglass where the packing gland sledge hammers to his house and the walls were had been mounted. The shaft tube had broken destroyed in their search for drugs and money. behind the clamp that held the packing gland There was a DC-3 airplane in the bay and was so was not something I could just ignore. With slowly corroding away. The local fish use this West system epoxy and glass mat I repaired the plane as a hideout now. Up on the hill was a broken shaft tube. clubhouse with the water well out front. In the The next morning I reattached the packing back was a radio/radar room and had a large gland, remounted the Perkins M30 diesel. At tower outside. There were tennis courts, guest low tide I removed the bung and inserted the houses, and large fuel tanks for refueling planes, shaft and propeller. When the coupling was and a long building with bunks for workers with attached it all lined up nicely. So my little boat a garage, and shop. was happy again. When the tide returned I used Carlos Toro said Norman's Cay was a a 4x4 to wedge the boat off the rock that the playground. He had a vivid picture of being keel was sitting on. With a big enough leaver I picked up in a Land Rover with the top down could move the world. I checked the shaft and and scantily clad women driving to come and no leaks were found. Starting the motor I put it welcome him from his airplane. And they had a in forward gear and ran it up. The little motor house that was called the "El Volcano" because worked perfect in both forward and reverse. it had that shape. They partied; it was a Sodom Now ready to continue my journey I consulted and Gomorrah. There was tropical weather, the charts and decided to head down the Exumas There were no police. You own it, you made the chain of islands, starting with Allen’s Cay. rules, and it was just fun. Frontline did a report on the “War on Drugs” about this place. Spotted lizards on Allen’s Cay Allen’s Cay is an archipelago of several islands, islets and rocks with a natural harbor in between. It is home to hundreds of Iguanas and Jimmy Buffett even wrote off to see the lizards about this archipelago. There are tour boats the bring tourist from Nassau’s Cruise ships to see the lizards. So everyday there is much coming and going from sun up untill sunset, because of this I did not stay as long as I would have liked. When I was there they were doing a survey of the population and they all had a spot of paint on the lizards. They did that so they would not recount each of the lizards that were already counted. I do not think it hurt the lizards except maybe their pride. I moved out of this tourist attraction to a more secluded anchorage down the Exumas.
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Walking around I wondered how much money was buried here. Carlos had been at the top of the game of money makers in the 1980’s. So here was a modern day pirate that could have buried his fortune anywhere on his property. Next week: On to Captain Kidd’s hangout in Georgetown Great Exuma I sailed.
Pirate Tale of the Week
Blackbeard and the Double Negative
This week’s Pirate Tale of the Week comes to us from The Pirate Primer, a categorical listing of all things pirate, and from the General History of the Pyrates, published in 1724 and the origin of pretty much every Pirate story there is. Pirates were fond of the double negative in their speech and one of the most told pirate double negatives comes to us from the pirate captain Blackbeard.
Blackbeard attached burning fuses to his beard when going into battle.
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With the Bahamian authorities looking the other way and the local inhabitants scared off, the island became a haven of debauchery for Lehder and his associates.
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At Normans Cay I went in at the south end and anchored just off the dock that was Carlos Lehder’s Marina. The son of a German father and a Colombian mother, Carlos Enrique Lehder Rivas began his life of crime as a low-level drug dealer in Michigan. But his notoriety as one of the founders of the Medellin Cartel made him a legendary and feared figure much like Blackbeard – an earlier international rogue who once also had free rein in the Bahamas. Lehder started out as a stolen car dealer, a marijuana dealer, and a smuggler of stolen cars between the US and Canada. While serving a sentence in federal prison in Connecticut, Lehder decided that he would take advantage of the market for cocaine in the United States, upon his release. He enlisted his bunkmate, former marijuana dealer George Jung as a partner. Jung had experience with flying marijuana to the US from Mexico in small aircraft, staying below radar level and landing on dry lake beds. Inspired by the idea, Lehder decided to apply the principle to cocaine transport and formed a partnership with Jung. Lehder bought as much property on the island as he could and then chased off the remaining residents. Armed guards patrolled day and night. Carlos was a Cocaine kingpin and the movie “Blow” was based on that story. Cocaine was flown in from Colombia by jet and then reloaded into the small aircraft that then distributed it to locations in Georgia, Florida, and the Carolinas .He built a 3,300-foot runway protected by radar, bodyguards and Doberman attack dogs for the fleet of aircraft under his command. In the glory days of his operation, 300 kilograms of cocaine would arrive on the
November 1718 By November 1718, the governor of Virginia had had enough (the double-verb also being a pirate favorite). Blackbeard had taken twenty ships in two years, and showed no signs of slowing. Governor Spotswood, for whom a town was later named and where one of the bloodiest battles of the Civil War was fought, turned to the Royal Navy. Five days later, at dawn, off North Carolina’s Okracoke Island, Lieutenant Robert Maynard’s sloop crept toward Blackbeard’s. Having ordered most of his crew into the hold, only Maynard and his helmsman remained on deck. Blackbeard, seeing so few men aboard, urged his men to do what pirates do best: “Let’s jump on board, and cut them to pieces.” Maynard’s men rushed the deck from below, taking Blackbeard’s’ men by surprise. The two leaders squared off. Blackbeard fought hard with pistol and cutlass, even after Maynard shot him. Even after Maynard shot him again. Only after being shot five times and receiving twenty sword wounds, the twentieth lifting his head and beard clean off his body – did the legendary Blackbeard fall. According to pirate lore his headless body swam five times around his ship before sinking. Two hundred and thirty-four years later, the 1952 film “Blackbeard the Pirate” showed Blackbeard seeking medical attention for a gunshot wound one evening. When the ship’s surgeon learns the bullet in his patient’s neck lodged there at daybreak, he asks in wonder: “You carried this all day and stayed on your feet?” The pirate’s answer: “Why not? A bullet don’t weigh nothin’.” A fine use of the pirate’s double negative.
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STATE
Island Moon
As outlined in the previous articles, the Speaker of the House Joe Straus has released a list of interim committee charges for the standing committees of the Texas House of Representatives. These committee charges and the resulting recommendations that will be developed during the interim could form the basis for legislation to be considered during the next legislative session. House committees were each given several issues to study. Committee hearings will be held over the course of the interim period (2014) giving the public an opportunity to testify on a variety of issues. At the end of the interim, each committee will have the opportunity to submit a formal report to the Speaker of the Texas House with their recommendations on possible future legislation to be handled by the next Texas Legislature.
particularly for low-income individuals.
The following is a sampling of charges given to different House committees. If you would like a complete list of the study charges or if you would like more information about issues being studied by any particular committee, please don’t hesitate to call my Capitol office at 512-463-0672 or visit The Texas House of Representatives at http://www.house.state. tx.us/.
• Study current regulatory authority available to municipalities in their extraterritorial jurisdiction. Examine how citizens are involved in the zoning process, and make necessary recommendations to ensure a proper balance between development activities, municipal regulations, and the effect zoning decisions have on Texas citizens.
• Review Texas home equity laws. Study and make recommendations for ensuring Texas consumers have appropriate access to the equity in their homes and adequate protections. • Review the state regulatory and administrative systems related to public school bond issuances. (Joint charge with the House Committee on Public Education)
House Committee on Judiciary and Civil Jurisprudence • Examine the constitutional qualifications and term lengths for appellate court judges, and consider whether changes would benefit the public and the judiciary. • Review the methods used by state agencies and courts to prepare and publish electronic legal materials. Examine the processes used to ensure reliability and permanence of these materials and strategies used to harmonize those processes with national standards, including possible adoption of the Uniform Electronic Legal Materials Act.
March 27, 2014
Inventory is Down, Thinking about Listing Your Home? By Mary Lou White marylou@baxterbrooks.com 361-960-9460
By Todd Hunter, District 32
House Committee on Investments and Financial Services
Island Real Estate
Personal Finances, Wills, Coastal Barrier Systems Under Study by Texas Legislature
• Study the issue of whether Regional Presiding Judges should be appointed by the Chief Justice rather than the Governor.
House Committee on Land and Resource Management • Examine population growth in Texas cities and the impact the growth has had on housing, available land resources, city centers, businesses, and the state's economy. Evaluate Texas's preparedness to respond to future growth and ensure economic stability. (Joint charge with the House Committee on Urban Affairs) • Study the effectiveness of the implementation of HB 3459 (83R) and examine the feasibility and desirability of creating and maintaining a coastal barrier system.
House Committee on Licensing and Administrative Procedures
Here are some examples of charges given to the standing House committees:
• Evaluate and consider cost-saving technologies and programs used by the Department of Licensing and Regulation to increase efficiencies and access to those with licensing occupations. Identify and make recommendations to implement these goals. • Study appropriate methods to expand the right of individuals to challenge occupational licensing rules and regulations, and identify occupational licenses that may not be necessary for public safety or health. If you have questions regarding any of the information mentioned in this article, please do not hesitate to call my Capitol or District Office. As always, my offices are available at any time to assist with questions, concerns or comments (Capitol Office, 512-463-0672; District Office, 361-949-4603). Rep. Hunter represents Nueces County (Part). He can be contacted at todd.hunter@house. state.tx.us or at 512-463-0672.
• Study issues that inhibit the use of wills and access to the probate process in Texas,
I hope we are heading away from the “ Winter Without End”. In the ten years that we have been Island Residents, I have to label this past winter, as the worst one yet! I have electric bills to prove it took more energy to stay warm than it takes to stay cool, in the summer. If you are considering a near future change, here are some tips to consider, if you are contemplating selling your home.
Exterior Curb Appeal Trim all your trees and shrubs, to remove the winter damage and to allow an unobstructed view of your home from the street. Consider mowing (if you have grass) mid-week to prepare for week-end showings. Otherwise, police your yard daily to remove any unsightly debris and sweep the walkway to your front door, along with any porches or patios. It may be true that cleanliness is taken for granted, but it is also true that a bad impression lasts forever. Make sure that the front door is clean and freshly painted, plus the lock works freely. Remember, as agents (often) struggle with the door lock, the prospective buyers are waiting behind them and noticing the details of your home. It helps to remove cobwebs, wash the windows inside and out, clean the exterior light fixtures, place a new doormat and place a pretty pot of colorful flowers, in the entry area. Adding new mulch to the flowerbeds and power washing the driveway and decks can only improve your bottom line. Most of these items do not require a large outlay of cash, but do demand a fair chunk of time. Divide the chores among family members and one week-end should do it. Plan a “reward” at the end, to encourage completion.
Interior Suggestions Once prospective Buyers cross the threshold, they are trying to decide if their family would be happy in this space and if their furniture will fit in these rooms. Critical Factor: SMELL!!! I cannot tell you the number of times clients have left a home within five minutes or less, due to the smell, especially, if the owners smoke or have pets. The topic of possessions is always a touchy one. If you have guns, expensive jewelry or valuable collections, in your home, those need to be removed to a safe and secure location, before you list the property. Also, any special light fixtures or “attached” components that you will not be leaving with the home, when you move, need to be removed before listing and definitely before viewing by the public. If you know you will be moving, without a doubt, then go ahead and box up all the items in your home, except for minimum essentials and send to storage. I actually am not a fan of “minimalism”, but in this instance, it probably is the best route to take, to sell your home. Remember just putting it out of sight, doesn’t work, because future buyers look in closets and
cabinets to determine their own storage needs. I have always believed that we spend most of our time, cleaning the items in our home and not the house itself. Therefore, take the time to clean light fixtures, ceiling fans, baseboards, windowsills, blinds, woodwork, shelving and touch up paint nicks. It goes without saying that kitchens and bathrooms sell homes, so keep these as clean as possible, at all times. I know this seems monumental, but take one room each day and it will be done before you know it.
Padre Island Real Estate Ticker
1
Multi Family Unit For Sale For $329,900
14
Commercial Properties For Sale From $150,000 to $4,557,465
164
Lots and Land For Sale From $34,200 to $1,200,000
45
Lots on a canal or water From $116,900 to $1,200,000
207
Residences For Sale on Padre Island
93
Attached Residences For Sale From $72,000 to $509,000
72
Detached Homes on a canal or water From $266,000 to $2,200,000
42
Detached Homes not on the water From $174,500 to $369,900
386
Total Properties For Sale on Padre Island Listed on the MLS system
Mustang Island Real Estate Ticker
1
Multi Family Unit For Sale For $449,000
12
Commercial Properties For Sale From $310,000 to $3,000,000
173
Lots and Land For Sale From $42,900 to $5,650,000
190
Residences For Sale on Mustang Island
126
Attached Residences For Sale From $82,900 to 1,199,999
64
Detached Homes For Sale From $159,000 to $2,400,000
376
Total Properties For Sale on Mustang Island Listed on the MLS system
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March 27, 2014
Island Moon
Seashore Academic Teams Update
Math and Science Teams Face State’s Top Competition By Brent Rourk SMA teams recently participated in rigorous academic competition in Texas last weekend with a few of the SMA students gaining individual honors. These demanding competitions involve some of the brightest students from Texas middle schools.
Science At the ExonMobile Texas Science and Engineering Fair (EMTSEF) in San Antonio SMA sent a team consisting of Elizabeth Clark, Mathew Daugird, Mia Moore, and Tatiana Ortiz who competed against almost 1100 other students from throughout the state. The competition categories consisted of 17 divisions within Life Sciences and Physical Sciences.
SMA team practicing prior to competition Photo by Shannon Trial Austin, Texas involving 287 of the state’s brightest math students. In Texas, the event is structured into sprint, target, team and countdown rounds. This highly competitive, elite event is part of the National Mathcounts Competition Series program for middle school students who need to be challenged. At the local, state, and national level students can win hundreds of thousands of dollars in scholarships and prizes. Coached by Colleen McIntyre, this was the first SMA team to qualify for the event (previously SMA sent two individuals).
SMA science team at the ExonMobile Texas Science Fair displays their projects Individually, Tatiana Ortiz placed 1st in the Microbiology division and Mia Moore placed 6th in the Animal Science division. Students admitted that the competition was extremely tough. Seashore participant Mia Moore revealed, “It was exciting to see Tatiana receive her 1st place award”.
Math SMA sent a team consisting of C.J. Evaristo, Izabella Hockmuller, Jesse Huang, and Hallie Trial to the state Mathcounts competition in
SMA student Hallie Trial won one of five laptop computers awarded in the essay competition. "I was in disbelief when they called my name," Hallie stated. "It didn't sink in until I opened the rolling backpack on the way home from Austin…It was an honor just to be there. The problems required a high level of thinking and problem solving” All four Seashore entrants were amazed at the high level of competition and the speed at which many students were able to correctly problem solve. To one of the SMA students it appeared that some top math students spend 25 hours a day practicing. Great job by the staff at SMA for guiding local students to such rigorous level state competitions and congratulations to the students who performed so well.
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Island Moon
March 27, 2014