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April 11, 2013

The Island Where things are starting to happen

Around The Island

By Dale Rankin editor@islandmoon.com

The 2nd Annual Island Showcase was well attended last weekend and drew Islanders and OTBers alike. Congratulations to Mary Lou White and the people who helped her put it together. It has become a great addition to the Island calendar.

There are a couple of things trending on The Island of late; first, seaweed. The cursed Sargassum weed is starting to make its appearance in moderate amounts. It’s still not like recent summers where we’ve had mats of the stuff piling up on the beach but it’s starting to show up.

Secondly, more and more locals are heading down to the Kleberg County beach. A cruise down there on any given day will likely find as many locals there as on the SoPac beach just south of the channel. Not sure why. Part of it may be the narrowness of the beach between Zahn Road and Access Road 3 on the north side of the channel (NoPac). There just isn’t much wide beach up there.

Another reason may be that people started heading to Kleberg to avoid Spring Breakers and will eventually move back north. But for now the Kleberg Beach seems to be a popular destination.

Naked men nervous

Photo by Dale Rankin

Next Publication Date: 4/18/2013

Island Moon ArtWalk Set for April 20-21

So if you drive down that way keep an eye out for Naked Men and keep your bird watching chart handy…and your Buck Knife.

Earnie’s Flats mudbog The Mudbog in Earnie’s Flats over by the base of the JFK continues to trap four-wheelers like so many musca domesticas in a Venus Flytrap.

We’ve all seen them out there stuck in the muck and wondered why they drove out there in the first place. We stopped and asked one and the answer was a blank look that could best be described as “are you stoopid?” The answer of course is because it’s there. But drivers beware, the high tide flooded the Mudbog this week and it’s going to be tough sledding out there for a while.

How about this…we’re betting there isn’t a single four-wheeler on The Island that can drive through that thing without getting stuck. Any takers?

No texting while reading this sign

First Schlitterbahn Ride Under Construction

The event is free both to vendors and the public. Vendors wishing to participate need not register, only to show up on the days of the show. Setup will begin at 7 a.m. and the market will open to the public at 9 a.m.

Several local musicians will be on hand for live music throughout both days. For any questions e-mail us at editor@islandmoon.com or call 949-7700.

Trash Heap of the Week

Work on the CC Christi has begun at the Schlitterbahn headquarters in New Braunfels.

The “ship” will be part of the kids’ area of the Schlitterbahn Beach Country Resort. Permitting on the park and the surrounding area continues

and work on this and other attractions has begun.

Crews are scheduled to re-start ground work at the site in late June. The park is scheduled to open in spring 2014.

Kemp’s Ridley Nesting Will Begin Soon

By Donna J. Shaver, Ph.D. Chief, Division of Sea Turtle Science and Recovery National Park Service Padre Island National Seashore donna_shaver@nps.gov

Dude we got enough old tires! Seems some knucklehead – probably very tired – decided it would be just fine to dump this pile of old tires in the parking lot of the boat ramps along Packery Channel. If we needed more old tires Trash continued on A6

PIBA Mixer Set for Tuesday, April 16 The Padre Island Business Association Mixer for April will be on Tuesday, April 16 at Funtrackers in Flour Bluff and will be in conjunction with the Flour Bluff Business Association and Corpus Christi Hispanic Chamber of Commerce.

It kicks off at 5:30 p.m. To donate a door prize call 949-9498.

13th Annual SEA Banquet Set for May 23rd The 13th Annual Saltwater Fisheries Enhancement Association Annual Fundraising Banquet is on for Thursday, May 23 at the American Bank Center. The event is the biggest fundraiser for SEA which raises money for conservation and development of natural resources around the Coastal Bend. All of the money raised stays in the area.

It’s an anomaly, wrapped in an enigma, and dipped in TxDot. If anyone can figure out how this adds to the greater good let us know. In the meantime say hello if you see us Around The Island.

Year 16, Issue 469

The first Island Moon Newspaper ArtWalk and Beach Market will hit the ground running on Saturday-Sunday, April 20-21 at the Michael J. Ellis Seawall. KIII Television and The Shark 106.5 radio have joined as sponsors guaranteeing plenty of exposure for the event across the city.

at American Bank Center

So we got this flashing sign there by the JFK that says “You talk You Text You Crash.” We almost missed it because we were texting but then saw it at the last minute and while reading it almost crashed into the car in front of us. If the goal is to get drivers to keep their eyes on the road then we got to wonder why we got us a sign by the road that says Look Up Here While You Drive By! Don’t Text! It’s not aimed at passengers because nobody cares if they text, so it’s designed to get the driver’s attention. What gives?

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KIII Television and The Shark 106.5 Radio Join as Sponsors

One consequence of having more people on the Kleberg Beach is that it is pushing the Naked Men who hang out there further south toward the sticks. They can’t go past the sticks or they will be in PINS and the Rangers will roust them, and now they have been moving south to avoid the civilian population. On a drive down there on Sunday we spotted five of the jaybirds – one couple believed to be a man and a woman (it was hard to tell), and three solo Naked Men lurking behind open car doors trying to act like they had pants on.

We Moon Monkeys think Naked Men on Kleberg should be on the list of birds seen by watchers – you know, like, “saw two hummingbirds, one great horned owl, and three Naked Men of Kleberg, after which we went looking for our Buck Knife to poke out our one good eye.”

We are anxiously awaiting arrival of the first Kemp’s ridley found nesting in Texas this year. Our first nest should be found any day, and might even be found before this article goes to press. Our “turtle patrols” are underway, but this is only one way that nesting sea turtles and their nests are found in Texas. They are also found because of reports from other people working or recreating on our beaches. Thus, we need your help to protect these beautiful sea turtles and their nests here.

Turtle patrols underway Each year, Padre Island National Seashore conducts a program to find, document, and protect nesting Kemp’s ridley turtles and their eggs on North Padre Island. Nesting sea turtles do not check on or care for their eggs. Eggs from all nests found on the Texas coast are removed from the beach for protected incubation, to maximize their hatching success and ensure that the hatchlings safely enter the water.

Alamo Under Siege

By Dale Rankin After years of living and fighting Indians in open country the 146 men in the Alamo now found themselves penned inside a building constructed, according to the shield over the door, in 1758 not as a fort but as mission. The Alamo was for the Flying Company of San Jose y Santiago de Alamo de Parras.

$125 Individual ticket. $1000 for a table of 8, $1750 to sponsor a table. Boat raffle tickets $10.00 EACH or 6 FOR $50.00. Individual tickets are $125 EACH; which includes Annual SEA Membership, Social at 5:30 with Open Bar and Dinner to follow, Silent and Live Auction Raffle Items.

Reserved tables are $1000 for eight and includes same as above.

Bowie Illness

Sponsorship tables are $1750 and include a table of eight, a Full Page AD in Banquet Program, a 3’X5’ Banner displayed at Banquet, a Sponsor Table Sign .

For more information contact them at 711 N Carancahua St Corpus Christi, TX 78401-0599 or call at 361-886-1100.

Turtles continued on A2

A little Island history

It was a thick-walled church fronted by a thin-walled compound with a large gap near the entrance to the church between the wall of the church and the wall of outer compound.

This gap was filled by driving pointed stakes into the ground to form a wall with a ditch in front, both of which were placed there only a few months ago by some of the same Mexican troops which now found themselves on the outside looking in. The Texans placed cannons on the outer walls and on the roof of the chapel but both William Travis and Jim Bowie knew that to defend the Alamo they would need upwards of 500 men.

The event runs from 5:30-11 p.m. and tables and sponsorships are still available. The costs are as follows:

Efforts have already begun for the 2013 nesting season. Training has been completed and more 100 volunteers are helping with the project this year. Staff members and volunteers are patrolling North Padre Island during daytime hours each day from April through mid-July, the Kemp’s ridley nesting season that we have documented in Texas. Patrollers watch for the tracks that nesting Kemp’s ridley turtles leave in the sand as they crawl up the beach, bury their eggs in the sand, and return to the sea. About

Bowie and Travis placed themselves atop the walls to watch the Mexican movements as the men huddled in the rooms placed around the perimeter of the wall and some raised earthen parapets outside the doors to prevent Mexican cannon balls from rolling in as the barrage from the Mexican guns continued.

Outside the walls General Santa Anna and his engineers began digging their guns in around the Veramendi House where Bowie had lived until on the day before.

On their second day inside the walls Bowie began to show signs of illness which included a temperature as high as 104 degrees and nausea. Before he left the Alamo with a leg injured from a fall from a horse the doctor had diagnosed it as typhoid caused by drinking bad water. Travis now held the entire command and from the walls watched with the men as Santa Anna rode almost into musket range as he arranged another battery of guns about 350 yards away – near the spot where Dick’s Last Resort now stands on the Riverwalk. Throughout the next day as a cold north wind pounded the temperatures ever lower the Mexican cannon fire continued.

I am Besieged Travis composed another letter asking for help: “I am besieged by a thousand or more of the Mexicans under Santa Anna – I have sustained a continual Bombardment & cannonade for 24 hours & have not lost a man. The enemy has demanded a surrender at discretions, otherwise the garrison are to be put to the sword, if the fort is taken – I have History continued on A7

A 2

How Does Your Garden Grow?

Island Moon

Even better if you watch GinosGardens on You Tube

By Mary Craft Gene Neider has been an Island landscaper for more than ten years but what many do not know is that he is a passionate gardener who produces videos on You Tube. Gene shares his gardening expertise on GinosGardens videos that he shoots at his large garden lot in town. To make his spices, fruits and vegetables flourish he just adds water and bunny poop.

Turtles continued from A1

half the time, the nesting females are still on the beach when we arrive at a nest site, but the rest of the time the turtle has already re-entered the sea by the time that we arrive. When the nesters are present, we document and protect them until they safely re-enter the water.

Watch for nesting

If you share his enthusiasm you too can be part of his videos. You can reach him at GinosGardens@ hotmail.com or watch him at http://www.youtube. com/user/GinosGardens where he has more than 100 videos. And as Gino would say “Ciao Baby.”

11,

2013

and hotels on North Padre Island are displaying.

What to do if you see a nesting Kemp’s ridley or tracks While you are on the beach, please watch for nesting and immediately report observations to a passing turtle patroller, law enforcement officer, or me at (361) 949-8173, ext. 226. It is essential that you report the nesting turtle or her tracks as soon as you see them, so that biologists can try to get to the site to document and protect the nesting turtle before she re-enters the Gulf.

We also want to examine the tracks before they disappear. We use the tracks to help us locate the nest.

He successfully grows a very wide variety and what is even more impressive is the size of the produce he can grow in South Texas. Walking through his garden you will see acorn squash, asparagus, purple beans, brussel sprouts, beets, strawberries, fennel, cauliflower, eggplants, cabbage and much more.

You can pick up gardening hints from his videos such as stringing fish line above the plants to protect them from birds. Hints especially for these parts is growing sunflowers in the back to provide shade and using plastic to protect from the wind.

April

Other people that work or recreate on the beach are sometimes the first on the scene of nesting and report it to us. We greatly appreciate this help since it is challenging for patrollers to find nesting Kemp’s ridleys due the large area that we patrol and nesting habits of this species.

These two-foot-long olive green colored turtles nest mostly during daylight hours. Their color blends with the sand and beach vegetation.

Nesters are only on the beach for about 45 minutes, from the time that they crawl out of the water, crawl up the beach, nest, and return to the Gulf of Mexico. Kemp’s ridley is the smallest and lightest sea turtle species and they leave only a faint track in the sand. They often nest on windy and stormy days, which cause their tracks to disappear quickly. Also, Kemp’s ridleys often nest in synchronous emergences called arribadas, so while patrollers are busy at one or more nesting sites, they can miss others.

As during the last few years, our “nesting Kemp’s ridley alert” flag will be flown on flagpoles at the Padre Island National Seashore Entrance Station and Malaquite Pavilion each day that Kemp’s ridley nests are found on the Texas coast. The flag is rectangular, with a bright yellow background and black silhouette of a sea turtle. Smaller versions of this flag will also be flown on most of the turtle patrol vehicles on those days. These flags are intended to alert the public that the chances of finding additional nesting are elevated that day because of the tendency of Kemp’s ridleys to nest in arribadas.

Signs and posters are again being used to alert beachgoers to watch for and immediately report nesting. Aluminum signs measuring 2 feet x 2 feet are located at most of the beach access points on Mustang and North Padre Island. The sign has a photograph of a nesting Kemp’s ridley turtle and the telephone number 1-866-TURTLE-5. This toll-free number is a recorded message that directs callers to the appropriate contact for their geographical area. For example, people wanting to report observations on North Padre Island are instructed to call me at (361)949-8173, ext.

226. My telephone number is also listed on the nesting posters that many stores, restaurants,

If you find a nester, please do not rush up to her while she is crawling up the beach or you may frighten her back into the water. Things that you should also do to help include: 1. Protect the nesting turtle and nest from passing traffic and other people 2. Allow her to nest undisturbed 3. Photograph or video her from above after she has finished digging and started to lay her eggs, or when she is returning to the water 4. Examine her to see if she has a metal tag on a front flipper, record the tag number, but do not remove the tag 5. Mark where she nested (do not pierce sand) 6. Allow her to re-enter the water, and 7. Remain at the site until a biologist arrives,

if possible.

If the nester is already gone and you find her tracks, please mark where they terminate towards the water and where they intersect on the beach. Walk to the side of the tracks so that you do not erase them and do not poke anything into the sand or you could pierce eggs. If possible, stay at the site until a biologist arrives.

Drive carefully If you drive your vehicle on the beach during the nesting season, you can help protect nesting Kemp’s ridleys and their nests by being watchful and driving slowly. Kemp’s ridleys nest anywhere from the high tide lines into the dunes, but often nest in vehicle ruts. They cannot move quickly to avoid an approaching vehicle. They are slow when crawling on the beach, and are nearly motionless and enter a trance-like state when depositing their eggs into the nest chamber. Nesting Kemp’s ridleys blend in with their surroundings on the beach and often become partially covered with sand during nesting.

If you find sea turtle tracks, approach carefully in case the nester is still on the beach. If you must drive past a track site, drive low on the beach on the hard packed sand if possible. This will reduce your chances of running over a nest and the amount of the tracks that obliterate by driving over them. Following these guidelines will help ensure the survival of these endangered sea turtles and their eggs here.

Tea Time for Red Hats!

On April 4th, the Island Red Hats ( PIPPs Chapter) held a luncheon at the Blue Willow Tea Room in Portland, Tx. Games and giggles was the order of the day! Pictured left to right: Sofia Solis, Pearl Benoit, Clara Mosley, Bebe Gale (Vice Queen), Katie Clark, Jaki Boyd, Clara Clark (guest -Portland Red Hats), Nancy Horsley, Roseanne Milrory (hidden), Mary Leja (Queen), Tricia Jones and Pat McKeone (won red hat from Melva Jackson of the Willow Tree Tea Room staff).

25.00 Off Mfg. Rebate

35

The new pavilion at the County Park is available for events.

April 11, 2013

by Dale Rankin

Island Moon

Stuff I Heard on the Island I had the privilege of traveling fortyfive miles down the ditch this week with Joey Farah and the outdoor writer from the San Antonio ExpressNews who I’ve known for more than thirty years.

where the trees tower above the cabins while other islands show only the low-lying grass and shrubbery seen on spoil islands.

Ralph is writing a story for the paper and Joey has grown up fishing and traveling the area from the JFK south to the Mansfield Channel, me, well, I was the designated civilian who is supposed to catch fish so he can get his picture taken for the story. You see the way it works is that everybody expects the fishing guide and the outdoor writer to catch fish; the idea is that if this landlubbing schmuck can catch a fish well then, anybody can. And that is pretty much true.

At a couple of places there are passes cut through the spoil islands on the east side of The Ditch where communities of cabins have sprung up. We passed through one of these to get a picture of the fuselage – actually the tail – of a World War II vintage airplane which crashed into the water during a bombing run when The Island was a bombing range.

The story goes that the cattle that used to graze on The Island when it was a ranch would move away from the bombing targets as the planes approached then return to feast on the grass roots exposed by the 10-gauge shotgun shells in the bombs that churned up the sod.

Unique Texas trek If you can hold a rod and crank the handle then Joey will make sure there’s a fish on the end of the line.

I caught a few and of course the Big One got away, but the great catch of the day for me was just to get to spend a day on the water with someone who can tell me what I’m looking at as I travel along the Laguna.

If you have never been south to the Mansfield Channel either by way of four-wheeler along the beach or by way of boat down the Laguna you are missing what I can only describe as two unique Texas experiences. I ask you; where else in the United States can you drive down seventy miles of undeveloped beach and waterway? As soon as you leave the Doc’s/Snoopy’s/ Marker 37 area you start seeing the cabins that are located on land owned by the Texas General Land Office.

Some are on spoil islands, some are floating, and some seem to hang on to the edge of civilization by the skin of their collective teeth and for the next forty five miles all are ubiquitous.

The best way to describe them is with pictures so we include several here.

Spanish dagger It had been a few years since I have gone all the way to the Land Cut and on the way down the first thing that struck me was how wide the Laguna Madre is at some points. As we traveled down The Ditch (Intracoastal Waterway for you OTBers) at several points the back of PINS is not visible on the horizon. The Laguna opens up and the spoil islands begin on the east side of The Ditch as cabins start appearing and the land along the western shore is the King Ranch.

Further down, Kenedy Ranch begins and so do the giant wind turbans located there. What is astounding is the shear number of them; they stretch for miles along the shore silently spinning turning the breeze into power.

Also along the Kenedy Ranch shore there is a naturally occurring island where there are Spanish Dagger and what pass for hills in South Texas covered by indigenous plants not seen on spoil islands.

According to Joey these are home to wildcats nilgi and are also used to graze cattle in the winter months when their native vegetation stays green. There are also some Islands

Member Padre Island Business Association

Member Padre Island Rotary Club

When The Island was bombed

The pirate and Wayward Women Then on the east side of the channel Joey pointed out the spot where the Right Reverend Lester Roloff at one time operated his Home for Wayward Women. I am planning an Island History story on the reverend in the near future so I won’t go into details but it is a place I have heard of since they used to announce the weekly Wayward Women runaways each Sunday on KZTV but I had never seen before.

We passed some low hills on the north side of Baffin Bay which Joey pointed out as the entrance to the pass where the pirate Jean Lafitte used to hide his ships and bury his loot. I’ll make the trip back to Baffin one of these days for another story.

We fished in the Land Cut which is a man-made channel only a few hundred feet wide where the southeasterly breeze pushes up fresh Gulf water from the Mansfield Channel and the fish who are current runners pass through as they feed and make their way north. As a result of the large number of fish passing through a spot for a cabin on the banks of the cut is a much sought after thing. Since this isn’t a fishing column I won’t go into detail I’ll just say that after Joey taught me to use a rod and reel – I haven’t been fishing in a while okay – I caught a couple of nice drum and a speck and had a great day on the water.

On the east side of the cut is Dead Man’s Hole, so named Joey says, not because a man was found dead there, but because after the Land Cut was dredged it reduced the water flow there and fish trapped there would go blind due to the high salinity content.

Fisherpersons would harvest them with dip nets. . The area’s isolation while so near a city is an unusual thing in this day and time; and at night the lack of light pollution will give you a view of the heavens you usually must drive hundreds of miles to find.

If you have a chance to make the trek down either side of The Island go; it’s a unique wild piece of turf that you won’t see anywhere else in the continental United States

A3

A 4

Island Moon

End of an Era:

Susan Powell Retires from the Back Porch

April 11, 2013

My Very Scary African Safari Encounter

A ride in a “canoe” with a lake full of hippopotami

By Mary Craft

Susan Powell threw a heck of a retirement party for herself last Thursday at her bar the Back Porch. Her partner Glenn Martin and his son Matt have now taken over operations. We’ll miss you Susan! Enjoy!

I recently went on an eight day safari to Kenya with my brother Steve and son Alex. We had a personal guide so although we had an itinerary we were able to stray from it. One of the days we made a detour was when our knowledgeable and ever smiling guide suggested a boat tour on Lake Naivasha in the Great Rift Valley.

feet swoop down for a fish. We saw a group of hippos off in the distance with just their eyes showing above the water. Then we came to another group of five hippos basking in the sun onshore and we were getting closer and closer.

The driver had stepped on the fuel line and cut off the engine and we were drifting toward

The first to head into the lake The drive there was a steady climb up and we had many opportunities to stop and take in the breathtaking views, as well as pictures with “you are at the equator” signs.

The boat tour is popular as a birding destination but even more so for viewing its large population

these very territorial animals. I said distraughtly “Don’t wake them up please”. The boat hit an embankment near them and two went into the water where they can stay up to six minutes.

Now even more distraughtly I say “Back up!

Let’s go, they are the number one killer of man”! Alex grabbed the long pole and pushed us away from shore while the driver used the

Our guide taught us much about the region and the animals.

Our clumsy captain... What’s lurking beneath the lily pads?

of hippos. I expected a landing site with a good size boat full of tourists with binoculars but I was way off. We turned off a village road down a narrow tall hedge lined bumpy dirt road that at the end opened up to a forested area and no lake in sight. There were a few local men standing amongst several vehicles and what looked like a canoe on foliage in the background. I said “OK, this is scary. We are going to be on a lake for an hour to see hippos and this is the boat?!” The boat was so small I thought the men were going to carry it over to wherever the lake was so I was confused when I saw my brother ahead of me stepping onto the boat. I yelled “Where’s the water”? His response was “Right here”!

engine cover to paddle. (Seriously, no oar?!)

He was able to start the engine while the hippos were still underwater and we rode off with hearts pounding.

What lake?

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The murky water was thickly covered with lily pads. There was nothing official about this operation on a public lake and we saw no other boats until we got further out into the lake.

The Great Rift Valley

The three of us sat in a row on the boat with the driver manning the outboard engine at the rear. It is a very large lake surrounded by forest with giraffes, zebras, antelope, buffalos and monkeys. The giraffes were originally brought here in 1985 to film “Out of Africa” and remained to breed here. The “Born Free” couple lived on the shore of this lake and it was where the wife was killed and later her husband by poachers.

Old nightmares become new ones If I knew then what I know now I would have never gone on board. At the time, to keep me calm, Steve told me they need to walk on the bottom which I bought. They are actually fast and excellent swimmers due to their webbed feet. Their jaws open wide enough to hold a 4 year old child. Some of the people killed had their heads bitten off by those large strong jaws. Even other animals are fearful of them.

If a rhino is challenged by a hippo it will back off. What is really crazy about all this is it made me remember how as a child growing up in Chicago I had nightmares about hippos. Now I know why.

Close encounter of the hippo kind It was a relaxing serene trip and we even saw an African Fish Eagle with a wing span of six

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Mary Craft with her son Alex at the Equator

Look of relief after our escape

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April 11, 2013

Island Moon

A5

News From Your

By Maybeth Christensen There will be a public forum regarding the proposed Island Dog Park on Thursday, April 25 at 6 PM at the Seashore Learning Center Gym located on Encantada. Michael Morris, Director of Corpus Christi Parks and Recreation will lead the meeting. Come, learn and ask questions.

The BACK PORCH oPEN 7 dAYS + nOON-2AM Live Music

The April 12 Cruise Control PORCH April 13 BACK Moon Light Social April 19 Bar Della Mae April 20 Capt. Legendary

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April 26

Houston Marchman

April 27

BACK PORCH

$2 WackyBar Wednesdays!

ON THE WATERFRONT

132 W. Cotter St.

PortA

A group of volunteers have been working on the design and best practices for a dog park.

They are now at the point of location and fund raising. Due to our climate – salty and very dry – those conditions were taken into account in the design as well as types of materials which should be used. It will be a beautiful park when it is completed. For more information, visit the website at padreislanddogpark.com

Billish stickerburrs Residents have also been talking about doing something more with Billish. The recent Easter Egg Hunt was a huge success, but the kids certainly found almost as many stickerburs as they did eggs. If you live by Billish or on the Island and have an interest in volunteering, please call me at the POA office 949-7025 or email me at maybeth@pipoa.net. The City has no money to improve our parks, so it is up to our residents if they want to see things change.

Billish was improved about 10 years ago

Snoopy’s Scoopy’s

(361) 949-8815 (361) 949-7810

13313 S. Padre Island Drive Corpus Christi, TX 78418

As of January 1, 2013, we require contractors building new homes to have an onsite dumpster.

The dumpster is paid for by the contractor and it is there to dispose of the construction materials from their building project. Unfortunately, some folks think they are public dumpsters and place all kinds of materials in them. Actually, this practice is illegal dumping. If you see someone doing this, please get the license plate number and give us a call. We will contact the offender.

The contractors were not happy when we instituted this policy because they told us folks would be dumping in them. We keep working on keeping the construction sites clean of debris so that the neighbors do not have to pick up the flying debris. The misuse by some costs the contractors more money. We have the Litter Critter every month so keep your items until the last Saturday of the month and bring them to the POA office rather than dumping illegally.

Did Ya’ Hear?

New Advertisers Express Cab is based in Flour Bluff and hopes our readers store their number 960-9222 in their cell phone. Call 960-XCAB and leave the driving to them.

GinosGardens has fun and educational gardening in South Texas videos on YouTube.

Nege Neider has been a landscaper on the Island for more than ten years.

Two 1995 Yamaha Jet Skis for sale with dual trailer on the Island for $5000. Call 713-2031552 for more info.

The Island Community Garden at Douden Park started with 20 lots and last weekend dedicated their 60th plot. They already have 13 requests for plots and they hope to eventually have 80. The project is sponsored by the Island Beautification Trust headed by John White.

AlsoScoopy’s Veranda With Sweet Treats, Soups, Salads & Sandwiches

Offending dumpsters

By Mary Craft Send your business news to mkay512@aol.com

Business Briefs

Under the Bridge Serving South Texas Seafood for Over 30 Years Open Daily 11:00 - 10:00

by volunteers, but many of the things in the park have deteriorated over the years (see the paragraph about salt and lack of water). Billish is considered a community park and it would be great to see what type of improvements we might be able to make so that it is truly a park which children and adults want to visit.

WB Liquors is a family owned business with a chain of stores in Texas that they started in the 60s. They recently opened a store in Tower Center in Port A and are now getting ready to open their newest on the Island next to Sweet Swirl Yogurt.

Estate Sale at 15230 Main Royal this Saturday, April 13th at 8 am. There will be furniture, appliances and much more.

The Island Moon Newspaper Art Walk and Beach Market has just secured KIII Channel 3 News as a sponsor for the 2013 season. The first free market will be held on April 20th and April 21st. Channel 3 news will be doing spots and PSA for all events. Email us at editor@ islandmoon.com if you will be participating.

The PINS Vistor Center web-cam can be viewed at www.nps.gov/pais/index.htm.

The Rental Management Company is offering a professional Property Tax Protest Service to help you get your taxes lowered.

Contact the office at 949-9050 for more details or visit www.rentalmgmt.com/property_tax.

A 6

Moon Monkeys Mike Ellis, Founder

Island Moon

Letters to the Editor Showcase Vendors, I was very glad to see 5 PM on Sunday. I want to thank all of you who worked so hard to make our Vendor Show on and the Island Showcase on Padre Island a success! I was pleased with the way the show looked and also with the reception from the community. Any suggestions or comments will be welcome and appreciated. The help from Garrett Dorsey, Laura Wallace, Debbie Riley, Rachell Reed, Charlene Beaver and Karen Flanagan was invaluable towards setting up, taking down and planning this event.

Distribution Pete Alsop Island Delivery

The weather was our friend and I think we met our goal of promoting our Island Lifestyle......

Coldwell Banker Advertising

Regards,

Jan Park Rankin

Mary Lou White Coldwell Banker Island Realtors

Office

Westside

Lisa Towns

Loved your description of the Westside of San Antonio back in the day as a “violent Disneyland”. Whenever anyone asked me how a boy from northeast Ohio came to live in S.A. my standard reply was that when I came back from the ‘Nam in ‘71 the Army sent me to Ft. Sam to finish out my hitch. So I was used to a hot, tropical climate, locals running around speaking a funny language and on Guadalupe St. back in those times you could hear small arms fire on a regular basis so I thought-hellthis place reminds me of Saigon-I belong here!

Classifieds Arlene Ritley Design/Layout Jeff Craft Contributing Writers Joey Farah Devorah Fox Mary Craft Maybeth Christiansen Jay Gardner

I would add another joint to your “Westside Axis of Evil”. It was the Cool Arrow, which is a play on a Tejano vulgarism. Ever hear of it?

Todd Hunter Danniece Bobeché Ronnie Narmour

Where you in town for the sensational siege/ saga/slaughter of the desperado Fred Gomez Carrasco? That would make a good tale to retell.

Brent Rourk Dr. Donna Shaver Photographers

By the way, pendejo, Spanish for mayor is ‘alcalde. Just kidding…

Miles Merwin Jeff Dolan

Robert Danesi

Mary Craft

Editor’s note: Don’t think I ever made the Cool Arrow Robert and I was not in town for the Fred Gomez Carrasco sage – a story for a future edition – and what a story it was; a Westside heroin dealer trying to break out of state prison surrounded by hostages and mattresses only to be taken down by fire hoses.

Office Security/Spillage Control Riley P. Dog Editor/Publisher/Spillage Control Supervisor 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.

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 Facebook: The Island Moon Newspaper

Where to Find The Island Moon Port Aransas Lisabella’s Restaurant Pioneer RV Park Stripes @ Beach Access Rd. 1A

Port A Glass Studio The Gaff Wild Horse Saloon Tarpon Ice House

North Padre

Miss K’s Catering & Bistro

All Stripes Stores

Amano

Whataburger

Felder Gallery

Doc’s Restaurant

Island Woman Boutique

Snoopy’s Pier

Coast Club Coffee Waves Moby Dicks

CVS

Isle Mail N More Island Italian Ace Hardware Holiday Inn

Party Supply Liquor Store

Texas Star (Shell)

IGA Grocery Store

Jesse’s Liquor

Port A Business Center

Padre Isles Country Club

Carter Pharmacy

Scuttlebutt’s Restaurant

San Juan’s Taqueria

Subway

Wash Board Laundry Mat

Island Tire

Port A Parks and Rec

And all Moon retail advertisers

Public Library

Flour Bluff H.E.B.

Chamber of Commerce Duckworth Antiques Back Porch Woody’s Sports Center

Texas Future Texas Future announces the release of a statewide survey conducted among registered voters highlighting the opposition to additional debt-financing while preferring a conservative, pay-as-you-go, set of solutions to meet Texas’ looming transportation budget shortfall.

Findings show that Texas voters support a plan that calls for equitable increases in dedicated transportation user fees rather than continuing to fund of our state roads and highways with more debt and the development of additional toll roads.

This N=800 statewide study was fielded among registered voters from April 7-9, 2013 by national survey research firm Wilson Perkins Allen Opinion Research. The margin of error is + 3.5%.

David Polyansky, on behalf of Texas Future, noted “our representatives in Austin have presented a host of solutions to solve the transportation budget shortfall. At this stage, there are two primary pathways to choose from: (i) paying a little more now in terms of minor user fees paid by all who use our roads - allowing Texas to fund transportation on a “pay-as-yougo” basis or (ii) continuing to pass a constantly growing invoice onto future generations of Texans by financing the transportation budget shortfall with new debt.

Key highlights from the survey include the following: * When asked if voters support or oppose the state adding to the public debt by issuing bonds to pay for the transportation shortfall, a plurality (45%) oppose this, this is underscored by twenty-nine percent (29%) who oppose adding to the public debt strongly.

Among conservative Republicans, fully fiftysix percent (56%) oppose adding to the public debt by paying for our roads with more bonds, while just thirty-one percent (31%) approve. * Voters are staunchly opposed to using any new transportation revenues for new toll roads.

Fifty-eight percent (58%) of registered voters oppose using additional transportation funding to developing new toll roads, while just thirtyfour percent (34%) support this. o A solid majority of conservative Republicans (61%) oppose the use of new transportation revenue for toll roads, driven by forty percent (40%) who strongly oppose this. * Texas voters are solidly in support of new user fees (74%) if the new revenue cannot be diverted for other purposes and will be used for building and sustaining our current roads only

Liquid Town Whataburger on Waldron

Shorty’s Place

Ethyl Everly Senior Center

The Flat’s Lounge

Fire Station

Giggity’s

Police Station

Stripes @ Cotter & Station

Stripes on Flour Bluff & SPID

Gratitude Gift Shop

Floyd’s

Keepers Pier House

Sorry about the Spanish typo – it’s our first typo in a second language so we’re still learning.

Custom Built Furniture, Remodeling, Cabinets, Doors, Custom Pull-Out Shelves, Dry-Wall, Tile, Quality Carpentry, Exterior Mold Removal, Power Washing, Faucets-Disposals

Wetlands Howdy, Dale, your “Around the Island” in this weeks Moon says the dredging and piling of sand is to create new wetlands for ADC and the Schlitterbahn Beach Country resort. But it doesn’t tell us what, if anything, is going to be built on and around theses new wetlands.

Have you gone out there, up on top of the new sand berms? It looks like they’re building new lakes surrounded by the new berms as a site for waterfront homes or condos or retail/ commercial development.

So what can you tell us about all of that? We were all told that the property west of the old Aquarius was set aside for wetlands preservation under an agreement with the Corps of Engineers which allowed ADC to develop some wetlands elsewhere. So what about that agreement, and what does the Corps of Engineers know, and say, about what is now going on? Are buildings going to be built around these new wetlands or not? And if so, what and where and how many?

Please enlighten us with more information.

Bob Nash Editor’s note: At the April Island Strategic Action Committee meeting developer Paul Schexnailder told the group that once the water is drained from the location, which will happen over time, the area will be kept as wetlands where no building will be done.

Trash Dale: Sometime within the last week someone dumped two sofas on the side of Park Road 22, a relatively short distance past the city limits.

They were dumped on the right side of the road as you are heading towards the park. They are in terrible shape, so no one is going to take them to use them in their house or yard.

So, they continue to sit there, along with the freezer which is a few miles further south. Can you or someone else from the Moon write an article about this in the Moon? It is terrible that someone is doing this. This is in Kleberg County and thus not within an area where any agency is likely to pick them up as part of their duties. Maybe when the mowers come they will haul them away, but I am not sure. It was bad enough when people dumped the tree clippings on Park Road 22, but this is terrible. What might newcomers to our area think about our community when they see this trash?

Sadly, this is not an isolated incident. Over the years I have also seen large items dumped on the beach. Additionally, I have heard that large items have also been dumped on the back side of North Padre. Clearly, a lot of education is needed to inform people that this behavior is unacceptable. Maybe the dumpers are not Moon readers, but maybe they are. They should be ashamed of themselves. I do not have time to write the article since I am working on my turtle article, but hope that you can find someone to prepare an article soon. The problem seems to be getting worse, not better.

April 11, 2013

More than 10,000 Texans to Join Forces on April 20 for Nation’s Biggest Coastal Cleanup The annual Adopt-A-Beach Spring Cleanup is Saturday, April 20. The cleanup will take place at seven sites in and around The Island.

Texas — home to the nation’s first allvolunteer beach cleanup in 1986 — boasts one of the biggest all-volunteer beach cleanups in the world. And on April 20, more than 10,000 Texans are expected to participate in the AdoptA-Beach Spring Cleanup at 28 sites along the Texas Coast.

Volunteers may register on-line for the Spring Cleanup at www.TexasAdoptABeach.org or at 27 of the 28 check-in sites (advanced registration required for St. Jo Island) beginning at 8:30 a.m. Saturday, April 20. Each volunteer will be given data cards, gloves, pencils and trash bags. All volunteers are advised to wear closed-toe shoes, bring sunscreen and plenty of drinking water. The Texas General Land Office Adopt-A-Beach Cleanups are held rain or shine!

Texans who are not able to attend the cleanup can help keep their beaches clean by making a tax-deductible donation online at www.

TexasAdoptABeach.org.

To learn how you can participate, or for additional information on the AdoptA-Beach program, please visit www.

TexasAdoptABeach.org or contact the GLO at 1-877-TX COAST. Those interested may also become a fan of the program at www.facebook. com/texasadoptabeach where event details and results will also be posted.

Local locations are:

North Padre Island Check-in: Padre Balli Park Office, 15820 Park Road 22 Contact: Jim Needham—Surfrider Foundation, 361-825-2708, james.needham@ texasadoptabeach.org; Todd Dwyer, 361853-9877, todd.dwyer@texasadoptabeach. org; Gladys Choyke, 361-816-1243, gladys. choyke@texasadoptabeach.org

Port Aransas Check-in: Avenue G at the beach Contact: Deno Fabrie, 361-749-0256, deno. fabrie@texasadoptabeach.org Mustang Island State Park, Check-in: 17047 State Highway 361 Contact: Mike Mullenweg, 361-749-5246, mike.mullenweg@texasadoptabeach.org

Padre Island National Seashore Check-in: Malaquite Visitor Center, 20420 Park Road 22

Thank you,

Contact: William “Buzz” Botts, 361-9498068, buzz.botts@texasadoptabeach.org

Donna

“Tammy the Turtle” Program at Harte Library Janet F. Harte Public Library hosts free program on Saturday, April 27 at 2:00 p.m.

Corpus Christi, TX—Join us as a Padre Island National Seashore ranger or volunteer reads the story Tammy the Turtle and explains the life cycle of the sea turtle. We will also be able to touch a big turtle shell and other interesting objects from the ocean. Free and open to all, but geared to preschoolers and older children. The library is located at 2629 Waldron Rd. in Flour Bluff. For more information call 937-6569.

WHITECAP LIQUOR Liquor

Wine

Beer

14414 Whitecap Blvd.

Corpus Christi, TX On North Padre Island..... near the Beach

361 949-9289 whitecapliquor@yahoo.com http://www.whitecap.vpweb.com

Baffin Bay, Rivera Check-in: Kaufer-Hubert Park, FM 628 Contact: Susan Ivy, 361-595-8591, susan.ivy@ texasadoptabeach.org

Aransas Pass/Redfish Bay Check-in: Lighthouse Lakes Park, 4 miles east of Aransas Pass on Highway 361 Contact: Richard Gonzales, 361-779-7351, richard.gonzales@texasadoptabeach.org

St. Jo Island/Port Aransas Check-in: 8:00 a.m. – Fisherman’s Wharf, 900 Tarpon Street Contact: Deno Fabrie, 361-749-0256, deno. fabrie@texasadoptabeach.org *Limited access – reservations required

Trash continued from A1 we could just retrieve some of the ones that have been dumped into the water at the boat ramps over the years.

This needs to be nipped in the bud. If anyone can tell us who dumped these we’ll pay you $50 and publish the name of the person who dumped them in the Island Moon. The same goes for the old refrigerator someone decided to dump along Park Road 22 on the way to PINS. There is no excuse for this type of stuff and if we can find out who is doing it we will do our best to embarrass them as much as we can.

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April 11, 2013

History continued from A1 answered the demand with a cannon shot, & our flag still waves proudly from the walls – I shall never surrender or retreat. Then I call on you in the name of Liberty, of patriotism & everything dear to the American character, to come to our aid, with all dispatch – The enemy is receiving reinforcements daily & will no doubt increase to three or four thousand in four or five days. If this call is neglected I am determined to sustain myself as long as possible & die like a soldier who never forgets what is due to his own honor & that of his country – Victory or Death”

Island Moon

Then about 3 a.m. 32 men from Gonzales led by “El Colorado” John Smith; these were the man now referred to in Texas history as the Immortal 32. But this was to be the only reinforcements to come and since 1836 the debate has raged as to why more Texans did not come to the Alamo. The answer – in short – was Sam Houston. Houston had arrived in

James Mazoch

By Mary Lou White marylou.white@coldwellbanker.com 361-960-9460 I grew up where the adage, “the early bird gets the worm…”, meant something. Usually, hard work and success are synonymous. It has been the one formula that has worked consistently throughout my life. However, there is a limit to what one person can accomplish.

The limiting resources being time and physical energy. When I pull into the driveway at work and it is still dark outside, you tend to notice that there is already one truck parked next door and the lights are burning brightly in the office.

This pattern is repeated on a daily basis, where the sign above reads: Mazoch Homes.

What is transpiring in these early morning hours, when the phones are not ringing and peace and solitude allow quiet time to think and dream? Design work is the answer. Before you can build it, you must be able to imagine the concept and then translate those thoughts into components that are drawn, by hand, into elaborate pages and sketches of plans that allow others to grasp your vision. Clients cannot participate until they can see the ideas on paper.

As humans, we are primarily “visual” beings. A concept we can visualize is the quickest means to a resolution.

The Alamo compound as it appeared in February -March 1836

In the foreground the long west wall faces San Antonio. In the center of the north wall (at left) stands the north battery, where Travis fell. The south wall is to the right, with the main gate in its center. the rooms immediately east of the gateway were hospital quarters, and the best evidence places Bowie in the room next to the gate when he was killed. Crocket may have died anywhere in the compound, or even outside it with one of the break-outs. The most persistent tradition, based solely on the unreliable statements of Susanna Dickenson, has him dying somewhere in the small enclosure in front of the church in the center rear.

La Villita Mexican cavalry crossed the San Antonio River and took cover in the jacales – mud huts – that made up the small community of La Villita where the Texan guns penned them down until they evacuated with eight dead. Davy Crockett sent a detachment of his men into La Villita to torch the houses to prevent their giving cover to the Mexicans. But trying to prevent the Mexicans from surrounding the Alamo was futile. As the second evening of the siege rolled around the Mexicans has extended their lines completely around the Alamo and had also probed near enough to the fort on several occasions to know that the Texans had cannons trained in all directions. There would be no skirmishing; both sides knew that sooner or later the siege would end with an all out assault.

For two more days both sides weathered the cold and wind of the northern which left morning frost in the compound. The Mexican cannonade continued throughout each day with the Texan guns occasionally answering. In a twist of irony the Texans’ guns were Mexican guns that had been left behind by the Mexicans during the previous battle so the Texans were able to retrieve solid shot fired over their walls by the Mexicans and load it into their own guns for a return trip. In the days before airplanes the Texans were literally being supplied by air.

Crockett

Washington on the Brazos for the convention and when he read Travis’ plea said, a fraud has been practiced upon the people by the officers of the frontier, for party purposes; that there was not an enemy on our borders.” Houston thought he was involved in a power struggle between himself, Travis, and others over control of the army. Houston’s thinking was clouded by the enormous amounts of eggnog he was drinking as he slept away the daytime and drank away the nights. He went so far as to actually say that Travis’ reports of being besieged were “a d--- lie, and that all those reports from Travis & Fannin were lies, for there were no Mexican forces there and that he believed that it was only electioneering schemed up by Travis & Fannin to sustain their popularity.”

Houston sent word for Travis to abandon the Alamo and unite with the main Texan army.

In the Alamo work continued daily to reinforce the walls and in broad daylight on March 3 James Butler Bonham, for whom the street just north of the Alamo is now named, rode into the Alamo with a letter from Three-Legged Willie Williamson promising 60 more volunteers and stating that Fannin with 300 men and four cannons was on his way from Goliad, and another 300 men coming from San Felipe; if Santa Anna did not overrun them in the next three or four days they would have 850 men and at least twenty-serviceable cannons.

On the wall Crockett was busy. He had already fired on Mexican artillery set up in the bend of the San Antonio River which came nearest the fort – inside what is now the lobby of the Hyatt Regency – and killed the first soldado of the fight with a shot of two hundred yards from his long rifle. He had had also sent Santa Anna himself scurrying for cover when the general went out to inspect the site.

Bonham also brought word of Houston’s admonition to evacuate the Alamo but Bonham also wrote it off to politicking. The Alamo and its men had become a political football.

Couriers still found their way through the Mexican lines but his pleas for help fell on deaf ears. “The vile rabble here cannot be moved,” a man in Washington on the Brazos complained.

1836 was a leap year and February 29 not much of a celebration for the Texans who watched as more Mexican troops dug in on the east side of the fort. A message came through from Santa Anna that any Tejanos inside the fort could come out and they had three days to decide. That night, as a terrible thunderstorm brought rain and hail, a group of Tejanos left the Alamo with Bowie and Travis’s permission. They had not signed up as solders and merely sought refuge

The blood red Mexican flag of Deguallo still flew over San Fernando Cathedral and from the walls the Alamo defenders could see the Mexicans making ladders to scale the walls.

Travis responded with a letter for the outside world. In it he said what he had not told the men – that he did not believe Fannin or anyone else was coming as he had not heard from him directly despite several tries.

He concluded his letter by calling for the convention at Washington on the Brazos to declare for full Texas independence, “We will then and the world will understand what we are fighting for. If independence is not declared I will lay down my arms and so will the men under my command.”

Next time: The Mexicans are coming!

Peewee's Animal Shelter

Peewee’s Animal Shelter is located at 1307 Saratoga and has been in operations since May, 1997. Peewee’s presently houses over 300 animals, including dogs, puppies, cats, kittens as well as, pigs, goats, rabbits and other barn animals. Peewee’s relies on donations only for its operation.

Shelter operations are accomplished strictly by donations. Peewee’s does not get any government, city or federal funding. Peewee’s helps those animals no one else will - the sick and the stray. The volunteers at Peewee’s work tirelessly to rehabilitate poor orphaned pets in the hopes that they will find new, loving homes. The dogs and cats are spayed/neutered, given regular heartworm preventative, and are on flea & tick prevention and medications as needed. Peewee’s does not discriminate due to age or health conditions of the pet. Please visit Peewee’s Pet Adoption World & Sanctuary at 1307 Saratoga Road. You can call them at 361-888-4141 but they do not have staff to answer phones so please leave a message.

A7

Real Estate Roundup

in the Alamo. By the midnight the temperature was only one degree above freezing.

Immortal 32

Once the endless list of design ideas is agreed upon, then those detailed drawings can be passed on to the craftsmen, who will create the home everyone is “dreaming” about. Again, sketches that show the finished “vision” help the tradesmen stay on the path to correct framing and detailing, of the home being built. Mistakes can be very costly in time, money and materials.

Therefore, the extra effort involved in those sketches, actually proves to be cost effective during the construction phase. The elaborate “design” work that goes into a Mazoch Home is the key ingredient that brings clients through the door and makes his homes stand out by comparison.

Strategy For Success The pathway to success is rarely a straight shot. We wander along making decisions at every intersection and often wondering what is around the next curve in the road. Did we make a wrong turn somewhere? James grew up in Corpus Christi, except for a brief three year period in San Diego, California. His father worked at NAS and his uncle built homes in Ingleside. As teenagers, James and his brother helped out on those construction sites. After high school, this “Art Major” went to Del Mar and then to the University of Texas in Austin.

With one quick grab, James was able to produce a frayed ledger that listed his first private design job. Completed in 1976, he charged $29.64 for those plans that encompassed 494 square feet.

His second commission brought in $231.00 for 2,683 square feet. With a huge smile, James told me he was confident, at that time, that he was on the right track to financial success.

Convenient and secure, timely pickup and delivery!

COWs of Corpus Christi • 361.937.3930

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Those early design jobs, led James into the actual construction phase of the business. If you can keep control from beginning to end, it ensures that your “concept” will reach completion in it’s entirety. However, success can be overwhelming and to grow requires help that you can rely on. This is the point where “family business” becomes a reality. James, the “designer”, relies on his brother to help in the construction business and compliments his wife, on her ability to handle the “paperwork” details of running a “full throttle” organization.

Their son has graduated from Texas A & M Kingsville, with an Engineering Degree and is currently in a “pre-licensing” apprenticeship with Urban Engineering. According to James, that future may or may not be in the home building family tradition.

Padre Island Connection The Mazoch family, which descends from Czech heritage, moved to Padre Island in 1983. According to James, there were so few structures, at that time, you could easily see boat traffic on the Intracoastal Waterway, while driving down Park Road 22/SPID. Those 30 years have made a huge difference and it is only fair to say that the Mazoch Family has contributed greatly to the quality and quantity of that growth. From contributing every year to the Christmas spirit, with their elaborate Christmas Decorations, to creating a reputation for quality work that is highly sought after, James Mazoch has stayed on the path to success from the beginning. Even when the 1980’s took out many builders, skilled construction workers and his $40,000 CAD design system was destroyed in a fire (which he never replaced); James has stayed true to his calling and allowed his talent to point the way. Retirement? Not any time soon, there is simply too much to do and those quiet early morning hours are waiting to be filled with creativity. Being informed is a good thing.

Island Real Estate Ticker 2 Multi Family Units For Sale From $315,000 to $2,500,000

11

Commercial Properties For Sale From $60,000 to $4,557,465

138

Padre Island Lots For Sale

49

Parcels on a Canal or Water From $127,000 to $749,000

89

Parcels not on the Water From $27,000 to $930,000

205

Padre Island Residences For Sale

95

Attached Homes For Sale From $59,900 to $529,000

68 Detached Homes on the Water From $219,900 to $2,200,000

42

Detached Homes not on the Water From $145,900 to $398,000

• Moving • storage • Remodeling • Free up space • home staging

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Island Moon

A 8

By Riley P. Dog

I go into a lot of places in Port Aransas where there are many other good dogs who don’t make no trouble and sometimes get treats and bark at the people who need barking at. There is even a dog there who owns his own place.

His name is Salty. I go there sometimes. I also go to the Back Porch where they are nice to me and my humans order food from next door and sometimes I get some.

But not lately because I’m on a diet.

Most of the dogs, like my friend Mayday, are good dogs who behave themselves better than some of the humans there. One time a little girl jumped on my back and grabbed me by the ears and tried to ride me like a horse. I didn’t bite her or grab her by the ears. I asked her for a treat

and she gave me one. It doesn’t seem fair that we Good Dogs have to sit in the car while Bad Humans can go in wherever they want. Is there a law? I get to go in the Ace Hardware after my human breaks stuff and they don’t care.

One time I snuck into the Stripes and the nice ladies gave me a treat before they made me leave, but now I can’t go back in and it wouldn’t matter anyway because did I mention I’m on a diet?

Riley note: I think they should switch the food in the dog food bags to cat food and the food in the cat food bags to dog food. The cats wouldn’t know…stupid cats.

DAILY ACTIVITIES

I go back to Dr. Christi for my weigh in next week and I hope I lost some weight so I can get a treat. In the meantime I’m out for cat food.

“Well, yes, I am,” she replied proudly. “I’ll be 97 next month, and I am now old enough that I don’t even need a driver’s license anymore.

He said with excitement, “you appear quite elderly to be driving.”

“The last time I went to my doctor, he examined me and asked if I had a driver’s license. I told him yes and handed it to him. He took scissors out of the drawer, cut the license into pieces, and threw them in the waste basket, saying, ‘You won’t need this anymore,’ so I thanked him and left!”

LORDY!! LORDY!!! LORD SAVE US!!!

Take a 4 hour class Driver Safety class and qualify for an Automobile Insurance discount which is good for three years. These classes are taught by highly qualified volunteer instructors and are open to all licensed drivers.

Dear Riley,

Helene

For Persons Age 50 and Over

SENIOR DRIVER

($1.50 SUGGESTED MEAL DONATION)

Riley note: I am 11 in Human Years and more than that in Dog Years. I’m an Australian Blue Healer but lately I am also a Hungry Dog because my humans want me to lose weight.

You deserve more hot dogs and cat food. You should have to diet when you already lost 4 pounds. My dog is like you also, he eats cat food instead of dog food.

How does this grab you?

RELOCATION SITES Ethel Eyerly Senior Center Activities

He rushed to help an elderly lady driver out of the car and sat her down on a lawn chair.

Katy Geurin

Dear Riley,

Dotson’s Note: Thank you very much for the positive response to my article last week in the Moon. “SENIORS’ MOMENTS--WHO TELLS SENIORS WHEN TO TURN IN THEIR CAR KEYS?”

sites for the activities that were being held at the Ethel Eyerly Senior Center. We will keep you posted as to new changes. Call 361-937-3218 for update information.

NUTRITIOUS MEALS SERVED

I really like your stories and you do need to lay off the cat food. I was wondering how old you are and what kind of dog you are?

Riley note: Thank you Jaylin. I bet you are funny sometimes too. It’s okay to be funny. I know I shouldn’t eat cat food but I like cat food.

Do you have any cat food?

By Dotson Lewis dlewis1@stx.rr.com

“Do not regret growing older. It is a privilege denied to many. “

My neighbor was working in his yard when he was startled by a late model car that came crashing through his hedge and ended up in his front lawn.

Dear Riley,

Jaylin

April 11, 2013

Sometimes I get to go OTB where they have a big store where all the dog food comes from.

I always knew there was a place like that. But anyway our island doesn’t have a dog park and we don’t have anyplace where Good Dogs Are Always Welcome and can go inside. We have a beach and that’s good but my humans say if I didn’t have to stay in the car I could go with them more in the hot time.

Letters to Riley

You are a really funny dog. You need to lay off the catfood because it is not healthy. I love reading your articles.

Senior Moments

No Dogs Allowed!

Me and my fellow quadrupeds have some complaints with you humans, and since I’m the only canine correspondent around here I’m gonna be the one to tell you about it. How come it is that we dogs don’t have any places on the island where we can go in? It’s not fair.

The cost of the class is $12 for AARP members and $14 for those who are not AARP members.

Dear Riley P. Dog, My name is Caitlyn. I am a 3rd grader in Mrs. Fordyce’s class. I really enjoy reading your articles, my favorite one is Brigette. She is my teacher and I really love being in her class. You should meet her in person, she is very sweet and a great teacher. What kind of dog are you?

Why do you eat cat food anyway? Lay off the cat food and eat dog food instead. Are cats your only friend? Tell your owner to give you a treat every once in a while. I would love to meet you one day and I would love to have you as a pet.

Love, Caitlyn R. Riley note: Thank you Caitlyn. I never made it to 3rd grade. I like cat food and I’m going to tell my humans you said I could have a treat. I want to meet Mrs. Brigette. Do you think she has a hotdog? Maybe I can come to your class and meet you.

Andy Stansel, Manager

For information on local classes please call 1-888-227-7669 or Email Dotson: dlewis1@ stx.rr.com

IT’S NOT TOO LATE TO SIGN UP FOR A COMPUTER CLASS THIS SPRING The Del Mar Senior Computer Program is offering the following classes during April and May. You can sign up for a class by calling 361698-1328. If you have any questions about the program, please call Dotson Lewis at 361-9497681.

The tuition for one 20 hour class is a whopping four bucks.

You are eligible to take any or all of these classes if you have been around 50 or more years. The state of the art class rooms are located on the South Campus of Del Mar College, 3209 South Staples. That is just across Staples from Ray High School.

Here is the April & May 2013 class schedule.

Please register soon to insure a seat in the classroom.

•

Windows 7 Basics

Instructor: Dotson Lewis • Introduction to the Internet (Emailing & Surfing the Net) May 13 - May 27, 2013

Prime Rib Wednesdays Twice-Baked Potato & Salad Open 11 am - 2 am $15.95 Kitchen Closes @ 1 am

Monday-Wednesday-Friday; 8:30-11: 30 am Instructor: Dotson Lewis We could also use your help as a volunteer instructor (all of our instructors are volunteers).

Dotson’s note: Shown below are the relocation

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Waldron Baptist Church, 2042 Waldron Rd. (Flour Bluff) MONDAY-WEDNESDAY-FRIDAY Silver Haired Fitness-10-11 a.m.

Caribbean Baptist Church-3125 Waldron Rd (Flour Bluff) MONDAY Computer Interest Group 12:30-2:00 p.m.

Garden Senior Center, 5325 Greely (Near Cullen Middle School) Chair Volleyball –12:30 p.m.

Waldron Baptist Church 2042 Waldron Rd. (Flour Bluff) TUESDAY Table Games-12-1:30 p.m.

Waldron Baptist Church 2042 Waldron Rd. (Flour Bluff) Zumba Gold (Co-Ed.) 10:30 a.m. ($20.00/mo, or $3.00/session) St. Paul the Apostle Church 2233 Waldron Rd. (Flour Bluff) Table Tennis– 12:00 p.m.

Garden Senior Center, 5325 Greely Road Dr. (Near Cullen Middle School) WEDNESDAY Art Class 1-3 p.m. (TBA) AARP #4181 @ 1 p.m.

2nd Wednesday @ St. Paul the Apostle Church, 2233 Waldron Rd. (Flour Bluff) Next Meeting Wednesday, April 10th THURSDAY Wii Bowling-12:30 pm -1:30 pm Waldron Baptist Church 2042 Waldron Rd. (Flour Bluff) Table Games- 12-4 pm Garden Senior Center, 5325 Greely Road Dr. (Near Cullen Middle School) FRIDAY Bingo-12:30-1:30 p.m.

Monday-Wednesday-Friday; 8:30-11:30 am:

Libations Amusements 18 Holes of Minature Golf

AT 11:30 p.m.

Table Tennis– 12:00 p.m.

April 22 - May 6, 2013

Great Seafood and Burgers

For Persons Age 60 and Over

Garden Senior Center, 5325 Greely Road Dr. (Near Cullen Middle School)

Education Foundation Sets New Record with Grant Awards The Port Aransas Education Foundation (PAEF), a non-profit 501-3C organization located in Port Aransas, announces that it will hold Awards Assembly open to the public on Friday, April 12th at 2:15 p.m. at the Port Aransas High School Gymnasium. The purpose of the awards will be to announce this year’s 2013 Grant Award Recipients. PAEF was founded in August 2006 to raise funds used to create exceptional and enriching educational experiences for the students in the Port Aransas Independent School District (PAISD). Each year, we raise funds through various events and donations and then award funds to PAISD staff members via a grant process. This year we received over $167,000 in grant requests from PAISD and we will be awarding a record total for our organization. Since our inception we have given more than $395,000 to Port Aransas I.S.D. for various programs, items, and instructional learning for staff and students.

Contact Wendy Moore, President, at 361-7497450 for more information

GIFTS CERTIFICATES AVALIABLE

Michelle Matthews

Hair Cuts & Color, Waxing, Hair Extensions, Special Occasion Hair, Airbrush Make Up, Feather Extensions Are you tired of wearing mascara? Do you suffer from black circles of smudged mascara? Do you want to have long beautiful lashes 24/7, even when you swim? Do you want longer fuller eyelashes? If you answered YES to any of these questions, we have the answer..........

XTREME™ EYELASH EXTENSIONS Michelle is a Master Hair Stylist having learned from the best and having trained top stylists herself.

She is an expert Colorist and Make Up Artist, and was the former Stylist and Make Up Artist for Miss Oklahoma.

Hours Tuesday‐Friday 10am‐6pm

Saturday 9am‐2pm

Walk‐Ins Welcome * Late Appointments Available

14813 S.P.I.D. Corpus Christi, TX 78418 (Next Door to Island Wash) Salon: 361‐949‐4890 www.michellessalon.com

Accounting Services Monthly bookkeeping Financial statements preparation Payroll check and tax deposit calculations EFTPS payroll tax payments Payroll quarterly reports preparation and electronic filing Federal business and individual tax prep and electronic filing, including Corporations, Partnerships, LLC’s and LLP’s State margin (franchise) and sales tax prep and electronic filing Business and individual bill pay

The WRIGHT WAY Accounting Services Mindy Wright, BBA (361) 937-5072 Office & Fax WrightWayAcct@stx.rr.com

April 11, 2013

Island Moon

The Travelling Moon

A9

A group from the Culinary Arts and Hospitality Institute in Dallas came to visit Port A and Kody’s.

Islanders Shane and Judy Johnson took the Island Moon along with them to the Soggy Dollar bar in the British Virgin Islands. Thanks for taking us along!

Pikes Peak

TAX PROTEST SERVICE Moon,

Would you like your property taxes lowered?

Hello, my son wanted to take this picture so that he can show his friends at school. His name is Ezekiel Tomas Ortiz and he is 9 years old. He is currently in Mrs. Blackstone’s 3rd grade class in Port Aransas. He is not fond of the island getting crowded over spring break so his mother and I took him to Pike’s Peak in Colorado Springs, Colorado.

The Rental Management Company is very excited to offer to you our professional Property Tax Protest service.

Dave Sullivan shows the winner for the Deep Sea Round-up’s poster this year.

Joe Ortiz

Please contact our office at 361/949‐9050 for details or visit www.rentalmgmt.com/property_tax

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Mary Melick Real Estate

Mary Ann McShane, Realtor, GRI, SRES e-mail: malm335@sbcglobal.net Corpus Christi Realty Group Considering a move to the Island?

Let me help you find your piece of Paradise - waterfront or interior homes, condos, townhouses, lots

27 Years Experience ● Commercial & Residential Member On The Island

Selling a home?

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On Padre Island Duane Ebert 361-658-2459 | 361-949-0661 decksanddocksnorthpadre.com Member Padre Island Business Association

Padre Island Business Assoc.

Considering selling your Island Property?

Call me for a free consultation to obtain the current market value along with tips to make your property the one buyers will put on their “must see” list

Island Office (361) 215-8629

Remodeling and More...

Cell: (361) 658-2459 Bus: (361) 949-0661

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Custom menus for Private parties HAPPY HOUR BEGINNING AT 4:30PM Indoor and outdoor dining available for 15 or more CUSTOM MENUS FOR PRIVATE PARTIES (Weather permitting)

INDOOR AND OUTDOOR DINING AVAILABLE FOR 15 OR MORE

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A 10

April 11, 2013

COLDWELL BANKER ISLAND, REALTORS 14945 S. Padre Island Dr., Corpus Chris�, TX 78418

(361) 949‐7077 or (800) 580‐7077 www.cbir.com

ISLAND, REALTORS

Just listed waterfront with 3 bedrooms, 3.5 baths. Master up with great view of canal. Boat dock with boat lift. Priced at $349,900. Call Terry Cox.

15713 Cuttysark 3/2.5/1 lovely Island home. New roof 2010, new exterior paint 2012. Large yard with room for a pool. Call Laura Wallace (361) 815-2116.

15901 Cuttysark beautifully updated 3/2/2 with covered patio, boat lift, circular driveway and fabulous view of “lake-like” canal. $349,900. Call Cindy 549-5557.

13918 El Soccorro Loop 4 bedroom, 4 bath home with oversized 2 car garage, inground pool, hot tub and boat lift. $675,000. Cindy Molnar 549-5557.

15905 Punta Bonaire $570,000. 3 bedrooms, 3 full baths, concrete saltwater pool, boat lift, too many extras to list.

Call Charlie Knoll 443-2499.

Beautiful Golf Course Home!

4/2.5/2, two living, covered patio, crown molding, granite countertops!

14006 Rudder Ct. $315,000. Call Shonna today 510-3445 to see.

Padre Island Waterfront. Three bedrooms w/two baths. Loft area on 2nd floor. Deck w/plenty of room for a dock/boatlift. Priced at $274,900. Terry Cox. 13570 Camino De Plata.

13821 Hawksnest Bay new construction by Seaquist Homes. 3-2-2 w/multipurpose room.

Covered patio. Rocked front + landscaped.

Lots of tile. Cheryl 563-0444.

WOW! Beautiful home, attention to design & detail. 4/3.5/2, Spanish courtyard, pool, covered boat lift. Gas cooktop. 14837 Aquarius. Call Pam Morgan 361215-8116.

14225 Avenida De San Nico The Island’s best kept secret.

Unique home on 27,887 sq.ft lot bordering the Wildlife Refuge. $398,000. Call Cindy Molnar 549-5557.

One of a kind waterfront. 3-33 + mother-in-law apartment.

Lot & a half. Master down. 2830 sq.ft. Boatlift. Steam bath & workout area. Cheryl 563-0444.

New Construction 13917 Suntan. 3/2 plus study-2,421 sf.

Open, split plan. Granite throughout, crown molding, arches, covered patio. Call Pam Morgan 215 -8116.

13826 Flintlock. 3/2/2 with open floor plan, granite counters, beautiful sports pool with lots of cool decking, screened in porch and lush landscaping.

Call Charlie Knoll 443-2499. $230,000

Great get-a-way. Two bedroom unit completely furnished at Surfside Condos. Great to use or to rent.

Awesome pool, close to beach. Priced at $134,900. Call Terry Cox at 549-7703.

Santa Fe custom canal house on Cayo Cantiles with salt water pool, spa + outdoor fireplace. Casual one story living at its best. Call Dorothy 563-8486.

Walk to the beach from this up scale, fully furnished, 2/2, Aransas Princess 5th floor unit. 2 pools, hot tub, tennis. $335,000. Charlene 361-2442344.

25,570 sq.ft. feet int. lot in Coquina Bay. Two story with 4 bdrms-2207 sq. feet- $209,000.

Call Dorothy @ 563-8486.

Over 2400 sq.ft. w/4 bdrms, 3 baths, study. Custom cabinetry, granite, French door to patio. New construction on Coquina Bay! $245,000. Beth 779-4943.

722 St. Lucy $149,400. 3/2.5/1, 1624 sq.ft. of living area. Two living areas, all bedrooms up, nice landscaping, above ground pool.

Charlie Knoll 443-2499.

Tropical Waterfront Dream.

Stunning views on lake like canal.

Immaculate 1-story, 2090 sf, 3/2 open plan. Courtyard entrance, pool, lift. Call Pam Morgan 2158116.

16109 Broomsedge. 3 bedrooms, 2 baths, 2 car garage. 1600 sq.ft. of living area. Tile and granite throughout.

Open floor plan. $189,900. Charlie Knoll 443-2499.

New Construction –13913 Suntan. 4/2.5/2, split plan, 2351 sf, granite counters throughout, crown molding. $235,000.

Call Pam Morgan 215-8116.

Mediterranean Beauty—3-2.5-2 East facing patio & deck on large water. Master down. Free flowing floorplan. Courtyard entrance.

Call Cheryl 361-563-0444.

Waterfront 4-3.5-2 on a cul-desac. Great view. Fireplace, wet bar, 2 living, office, sideyard. Lots of decking. Moor a sailboat + a boat lift. Cheryl 563-0444.

121 Gulfstream $209,900 Beautiful 1st floor unit, ss appliances/granite countertop. Updated furnishings. Easy pool/beach access. Call Shonna 510-3445.

Extraordinary canal location/ view-highly customized-s/s kitchen with granite and much moresurprises abound-call Dorothy 563-8486.

14945 S. Padre Island Dr. Corpus Chris�, TX 78418 (361) 949‐2131 (877) 269‐2131

www.rentpadreisland.com Superior Service, Outstanding Reputa�on since 1999 Looking for Professional Long Term Property Management Services?

Our services include:  Tenant Qualifying  Collec�ons of Rents  Coordina�ng Repairs & Maintenance  Professional Itemized Monthly Statements  Marke�ng/Adver�sing

Looking for Long Term Rental Property?

Below are some of our available rentals:

15010 Leeward #204 1/1 $950

13533 Camino De Plata 4/2.5/2 $2400

15838 Punta Espada 3/2/2 $2400

Beach Club #214 1/1 $850

Palm Bay #701 1/1 $1000

13958 Fortuna Bay #D 1/1 $700

15125 Crossjack-New construction 3-2.5-2. Split floor plan. Lots of tile. Granite countertops. Covered patio. Fireplace. Gas cooktop. Call Cheryl 563-0444.

Four sided brick w/formal dining!

3/2/2 w/extra parking and large backyard!

13914 Skysail. $185K. Call Shonna 510-3445 to see today.

Pride of Ownership in great family home on 1 acre. Updated features & barn for horse. 4/2.5/3 at 3849 Walking Oaks. $349,000. Pam Morgan.

www.coldwellbanker.com