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Island Moon
The Island Newspaper since 1996 Island Area News ● Events ● Entertainment
December 6, 2012
Photo by Miles Merwin
The Island where the wise men don’t attend the La Posada by camel, they drive boats.
Next Publication Date: 12/13/2012
Its La Posada Weekend!
Around The Island
By Dale Rankin editor@islandmoon.com
The Moon Environmental Assessment and Weather Speculation Department can’t say whether Global Warming is real or not; but we can say that when it comes to November 2012 Island Warming is alive and well.
38th Annual La Posada Lighted Boat Parade Schedule
It is so warm in early December that the flat fish (flounder for you OTBers) still think it is the spawning season and are still running the Packery. How warm is it you ask? It’s so warm that last week we saw an early Winter Texan with a lobster tan.
(Suitable for taping to your refrigerator door)
If the forecast holds we should have the best weather for both the Friday and Saturday night La Posada Lighted Boat Parades that we’ve had in several years. The La Posada season has kicked off with a bang so far with Santa putting in three Island appearances for breakfast on Saturday, ice cream on Wednesday, and cookies on Thursday. On Tuesday night the second annual La Posada Kickoff Party played to a packed house at Scuttlebutt’s. For those of you reading this on Thursday don’t forget that if you want to enter the La Posada Lighted Boat Parade on either Friday or Saturday you must attend the organizational meeting tonight (Thursday). See the full schedule of events on this page.
Sea Wall driving As crews have begun the dredging process along the Michael J. Ellis Seawall and have begun placing dredge sand from Packery Channel on the south end of the beach there we have had several questions from readers about whether is it legal to drive south to north on the beach. The answer is no…but; it is technically legal under city ordinance to drive north to south but not the other way around. This becomes a problem for drivers who head south on the beach only find their exit from the beach blocked at the south end by the dredging project. We have never heard of anyone actually getting a ticket for driving south to north but them’s the rules. The driving rules were never updated after the beach was widened enough for driving by beach re-nourishment when Packery Channel was dredged and the sand placed on the beach because at the time a plan was in place to stop driving on that section of beach altogether. That plan called for the land to build the current Windward Parking Lot to be bought by landowners along the seawall for $400,000 and dedicated to the city with the understanding that once the parking lot opened vehicles would be removed from the beach. That never happened. Then two years ago a plan to limit driving on the beach at the seawall to two lanes was scrapped after city crews said it would take a full time crew and front end loader to keep the lanes open and free of drift sand.
Good news for golfers We are happy to report that, barring unexpected changes, it looks like golfers will be able to play through during the construction of the Schlitterbahn Waterpark and Resort. Up to this point it has been uncertain if any/all of the course would remain open during construction which is due to get underway early next year, but with the current plans we can say that some holes will remain open and available for use. So there you go.
IslandFest
Breakfast with Santa The good little boys and girls who forgot to pick up their pictures with Santa can come by the Moon office to pick them up
La Posada Kick-off Party Huge Success By Brent Rourk
What a rip-roaring time at Scuttlebutts Tuesday afternoon and evening as music, great food, raffles of gifts from countless businesses, and the Toys for Tots collection all converged to create an exciting kick-off party for La Posada 2012. Beginning at 3:00 P.M. people began to stream in with new toys and smiles and the exhausted doors closed at 11:00 P.M. The rain finally crept in around 8:00 P.M. making the large restaurant even more cozy and intimate. In the meantime, local crowds and out of state visitors alike enjoyed the music both outside in the palapa and inside the packed restaurant, many of them enjoying the Tuesday special prime rib and the deep-discounted fine wines. There was also a spirit inside Scuttlebutts that typified the generous nature of Christmas. The La Posada Boat Parade and Toys for Tots make for a dynamite Christmas combination that undeniably create joy in our lives; joy from enjoying a wonderful parade (and additionally this super kick-off party), joy from combining our efforts as an island to create the festive parades and parties for an entire weekend, and from the joy of being able to collect toys and give them to children not as fortunate as others. It is refreshing to see so many volunteers, businesses, and organizations join their time, money, and love to create this series of events for such a wonderful cause. The list of contributing businesses is lengthy and we certainly tip our hat in gratitude to them. There are also many volunteers and organizations that worked hard to make the kick-off party the success it
Update on Island projects
Duck Hunting, Water Exchange Bridge, Island Municipal Management District By Dale Rankin
So that’s what we know. Keep your gratitude high and your expectations low, and in the meantime say hello if you see us Around The Island.
100% Of Island Children Report They Have Been Good By Brent Rourk Santa Claus came to North Padre Island for a quick visit on Saturday morning to the St. Andrews by the Sea Catholic Church much to the delight of about two hundred Island children and parents. Mr. and Mrs. Claus happily chatted with children, listening to Christmas wishes and toy requests. The occasion was the annual Breakfast with Santa sponsored by the North Padre Island Kiwanis Club. Santa looked marvelous as always. His prominent cherub cheeks glowed and his flowing white beard gently touched his chest, taking the viewer’s eye from his slightly rounded tummy, deep red pants and charcoal black boots. Families brought toys that will be donated to both CASA and Toys for Tots. Members of the Kiwanis Club cooked a delicious breakfast for everybody and the Seashore Middle Academy Builders’ Club students sold baked goods (donated by many island residents), served refreshments and cleaned tables. In addition to six large bags of toys collected at the door, the Kiwanis Club raised over $550.00 from a bake sale, photography donations, and nut sales. Of course, all of those proceeds will be used to help children in our area. Santa continued on A8
Packery Channel Dredging. Crews are onsite working on a $1.7 million dredging in Packery Channel that will move 200,000 cubic yards of sand from the bottom of the channel near its mouth to the beach at the south end of the Michael J. Ellis Seawall. The sand was left behind by Hurricane Ike in 2008 and the current dredging project was cut short by the Projects continued on A4
Santa has left the building after Breakfast with Santa last week but some good little girls and boys who had their picture made with him forgot to take them home. So if you are missing your photo of Santa stop by the Island Moon office, we have the leftovers.
Thursday Dec 6 Mandatory Captain’s Meeting. 7 p.m. at the Padre Island Yacht Club, 13403 Whitecap Blvd. Parade positions, call signs, parade route, communications and safety procedures will be covered. Official entries for the parade(s) will not be accepted after this meeting. For questions on the parade contact Jim at 361 774-0177 or trawlergenenesis@ yahoo.com.
Friday December 7 La Posada Lighted Boat Parade on the north end of The Island. Starts at 7 p.m. Boats begin staging at 6:30 p.m. at the staging area at the end of Cabana North at Commodores Cove.
Saturday December 8 The night The Island Parties! La Posada Lighted Boat Parade on the south end of The Island starts at 6 p.m. Boats stage at Caravel boat ramp beginning at 5:30 p.m. Parade starts at 6 p.m. The Padre Island Yacht Club will open to the public at 5:00 p.m. for parade viewing. Bring a toy, cookies, coffee and punch, no pets or alcohol.
Sunday, December 9 Toys will be handed over to the Marines beginning at 9 a.m. at the Padre Island Yacht Club followed by a pot luck brunch.
A little Island history
Spanish Shipwreck Survivors Leave South Texas in Autumn 1534 By Dale Rankin If the Indians of the Southern Texas Plains had developed a calendar it likely would not have centered around the movement of the sun or the moon, more likely it would have began and ended in September when the most important time of their annual cycle rolled around; the season when the tunas – the fruit that grows on the ubiquitous Prickly Pear Cactus – turns from green to a bright red before it takes on a dark maroon color at the end of its season. It was during this time – in September at the end of the summer season – that the scattered bands of the various regional tribes descended on the area just south of the Nueces River to feast on the tunas. For many it was the only time of the year their bellies were full.
Moon Market
The market will pick up early next year with the exact schedule depending on weather.
Santa Sighted on the Island!
La Posada continued on A4
The first organizational meeting for the IslandFest was held last week and we have good progress to report. A decision was made to target October for the event and plans are moving forward. The next meeting will be in January and we will keep you up to date. We are looking for Island service clubs who would like to participate to raise funds for their organization. Contact the organizers at padreislandfest@gmail.com.
The last Island Moon Market of the season will be held on Saturday December 15, from 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM on the Michael J. Ellis Seawall at the Windward Park Lot, 15202 Windward Drive. Come by and do some Christmas shopping.
Year 15, Issue 452
It was also the time in 1534 when the four men who had been shipwrecked along the Gulf Coast and made their way to the Texas plains decided to flee their Karankawa captors. Álvar Núñez Cabeza de Vaca, Andrés Dorantes de Carranza, Alonso del Castillo Maldonado, and an black Moroccan Berber slave named Esteban (later called Estevanico) spent the winter of 1534 among the Avavares tribe who lived in South Texas. But in late August as the tunas began to ripen they set out west in hopes of finding their way back to the Spanish settlements of Mexico.
Cabeza de Vaca as depicted by Hollywood Unwitting shamans As they headed west toward the Rio Grande they cut a trail through thick brush and encountered a fierce rainstorm the first night. The following morning they broke free of the heavy brush and immediately saw several wigwams and women and children who ran off, terrified to summon help from a group of Indians Cabeza de Vaca in reality gathering food nearby. History continued on A4
Island Moon
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Saturday Parade Route
Skip The Plastic recognizes
Ice Rays’ Ryan Chiasson as ‘Bag Hero’
December 6, 2012
The Moon Travels
Viewing Area at Gypsy Boat Ramp
The moon travels to Amergris caye Belize with the Gibbs family.
Viewing Area at Copa de Bara
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A ing
Saturday Marshalling Area
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The Bag Hero Program is a campaign to educate and encourage the use of reusable bags in the Coastal Bend. We recognize exceptional community members who set a positive example by bringing reusable bags when shopping for groceries or other goods.
iew at V
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December’s Bag Hero is Ryan Chiasson, Defenseman for the Corpus Christi Ice Rays. Originally from Ontario, Canada, Ryan enjoys Corpus Christi’s warm weather. When not playing or practicing, he likes to fish and relax at our local beaches.
Viewing Area at Marrianna’s Way
Yacht Club- Bring a Toy to get in
Friday Parade Route
Each month, Bag Heroes are profiled while shopping at stores that make reusable bags available to customers, and asked why reusable bags are important. A quick word about the store showcased this month: Target gives a 5-cent discount to their customers for every reusable bag they use and gives away free reusable bags on Earth Day.
Public Viewing area Jackfish Boatramp
For more information visit http://skiptheplastic. org or call 361-765-4445.
The Padre Island Yacht Club Extends an invitation to the Residents of Padre Island
Surfrider Christmas Party
to view the LaPosada Lighted Boat Parade from The Padre Island Yacht Club located at the end of Whitecap
Island Residents Bill & Jude Riordan recently took the Moon traveling to Somersville, near Bar Harbor, Maine. If you have never been to Maine in the autumn, especially Bar Harbor you should put it on your bucket list.
The Coastal Bend Chapter of the Surfrider Foundation will have their Christmas Party on Friday, December 7, at Mike and Julie Doyle’s Custom Surfboard shop starting at 6:30 p.m.
Saturday, December 8, 2012 Doors will open at 5:00pm. Bring A Lawn Chair. Cookies and Punch will be served. Admission: 1 new unwrapped toy for TOYS for TOTS.
It will include a fish fry and raffle. The event is a fundraiser for the many surf camps sponsored by the Surfriders throughout the year.
U.S. Marines will be collecting toys at our Gate. Absolutely No Pets or Alcohol allowed on grounds.
Merry Christmas from the Padre Island Yacht Club!
The surf shop is located next to Scuttlebutt’s.
Friday Marshalling Area
Mystery Person of the Week
Thank You for making our Toys for Tots event a huge success. We will be closed on Monday, December 10th for our employee appreciation party.
Last week’s mystery person was Island restauranteur Tony Tagliaferro. Tony’s father “Tag” opened the Island Italian Restaurant in the 1980s so Tony spent a lot of time there and now his “bella” daughter Mazzy is doing the same.
Hans, Monika, Ralf and Bavaria Heckenbach took our Island Moon to Curacao in the Caribbeans on their Thanksgiving Trip. Bavaria is holding the Moon up on a Scuba Trip. This trip was amazing we swam with turtles, stingrays, sharks and of course dolphins. The island is wonderful and the water and beaches just gorgeous.
Island Community Garden Doubling is Size – Again
The Island Community Garden is growing more than vegetables these days, it’s also growing new garden plots – twenty of them.
At 9 a.m. on Saturday, December 8, the garden is doubling in size from twenty individual garden spots to forty. The project at Doudin Park on Cobo de Bara Circle, started just over a year ago with ten spots but demand for more soon led to its doubling in the number of garden plots, and now, on Saturday it will double again. Anyone who would like to have a growing spot there can contact the POA, the twenty new spots are already spoken for and there is a waiting list for another ten to be added in the future; but if the past trend continues another forty spots may be next.
DON’T BE A GRINCH! PETS NEED GROOMING TOO!
25% OFF Dec
MUST PRESENT COUPON AT DROP-OFF
JOIN US ON TUESDAY 11TH DECEMBER 5PM TO 9PM FOR THE CELEBRATION JOHNNY’S BIRTHDAY THERE WILL BE 1/2 Price Wine by the Glass and $3 you-call-it cocktails 1/2Price on Select Appetizers
December 6, 2012 By Mary Craft Send your business news to: mkay512@aol.com
Did Ya Hear?
New Advertisers New Strides Physical Therapy on the Island is offering 30% off a single pilates or a massage session. They have two locations 14802 Nemo Court on the Island and 3747 South Alameda. Offer expires January 31st. Gift certificates are available. Call 949-9898 to schedule. Keystone Granite will be opening a showroom on the Island in about two weeks. They will the most sought after and hard-to-find granite from around the world, as well as, builder grade outside. There will also be quartz and recycled glass countertops. Tim Freeman has more than 35 years experience and is currently supervising work on four homes on Captain’s Row. You can view the Cabana Homes house on weekends when realtors are present. The showroom will be located in the Tradewinds Business Center at 15715 SPID. Call Tim at 946-6011 for more info.
Business Briefs
The Barrel next to Black Sheep Bistro will have Sushi Chef Will serving daily starting January 2nd. Will was the head chef at The Sushi Bar on the Island that moved to the south side. He will be serving all your favorite sushi he did before.
Island Moon
Skywatch
Bella Luna Pizzeria on NAS Drive got a perfect score on KZTV Kitchen Kops. Owner Salvatore Colicci brings you New York style cuisine created by an original New Yorker himself. Menu includes eggplant parmigiana, veal scaloppini, spinach ricotta stuffed pizza and much more. Free delivery within 5 miles and $5 for delivery to the Island. Dragonfly Restaurant has a party room next door that you can reserve for your next party or business meeting. There is room for 40 – 50 people and there is a drop-down screen for presentations. The best part is that the food is provided by the restaurant. Call Rick or Sabrina at 949-2224. Aunt Sissy’s Kitchen’s catering service has taken off so well she can no longer do take-out orders. They will still cater private parties. Call Joan at 949-4848. Costa Sur Cevicheria & Café is no longer inside Mail n More so there will no longer be food, coffee and gelato served there. The Café will be re-opening next door to the Office Lounge inside the north end of the former Executive Fitness Center.
My Coastal Home has opened its newest location on the Island in the Pelican strip mall. They also have locations in Rockport and Port A and carry furniture and accessories suitable for our island living style. Stop by and say hello to Denise Ebert.
The Fire Truck Christmas Float will be on the Island Sunday, December 9th at 6 pm. The route is: Starting point 15820 SPID to Sea pines- EL Socorro loop-Palmira- Encantada- GypsyWhitecap- Dasmarinas- Aquarius -WhitecapTesoro- Cabo De Bara- Tesoro- WhitecapPR22- Commodore- Swordfish- Cabana EastCommodores- PR22 Jackfish- AquariusAmbrosia.
Toys for Tots are being picked up by Marines at decks along the parade route both Friday and Saturday. Be sure to bring unwrapped toys for older children because they are not literally for tots.
Johnny D is having a birthday party Tuesday, December 11th and everyone is invited. The restaurant will be serving half price glasses of wine, $3 you-call-it cocktails and half price select appetizers.
Legislative Update
Todd Hunter, District 32
Pre-Filing of Bills is Underway for the January Session of the Texas Legislature On November 12, 2012, pre-filing began in earnest at the Texas State Capitol for the 83rd Legislative Session. Due to the shortness of the legislative session (140 days beginning on the second Tuesday of January and ending around June 1st of every odd-numbered year) many bills are pre-filed before the legislative session even begins. On the first Monday in the week following the November general elections current members and those just elected but not yet seated may begin pre-filing bills. In the first three weeks of the 2012 pre-filing period, more than 359 bills were filed with the Chief Clerk of the House and the Secretary of the Senate’s respective offices. In an upcoming series of articles I intend to present a cross section of the bills which to date have been filed. The first bill pre-filed in the Texas House of Representatives for the 83rd Legislative Session was House Bill (HB) 21. HB 21 outlines the establishment of a central database listing individuals of whom on three or more occasions have been convicted of family related violence. The database would have information regarding convictions of family violence and other such information about the individual’s which is open to the public. Several of the other bills pre-filed in the Texas House are: • HB 27 relating to the creation of an offense for certain prohibited uses of a wireless communication device while operating a motor vehicle. • HB 29 seeks to require that general academic teaching institutions offer a fixed tuition rate plan to undergraduate students. • HB 37 relates to the criminal penalty for and certain civil consequences of damaging property with graffiti.. • HB 47 is related to a handgun proficiency course that is taken to obtain or renew a concealed handgun license. • HB 48 relates to the procedure under which a person may renew a license to carry a concealed handgun.
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In the Texas Senate the first bill filed is Senate Bill (SB) 11, which addresses the administration and operation of the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) program. SB 11 would require that those individuals of whom apply for TANF funds, to submit to a controlled substance use screening assessment in order to be eligible for those benefits. A number of the other bills prefiled in the Senate are: • SB 46 seeks to establish an exemption for books purchased, used, or consumed by university and college students from the sales and use tax for a limited period. • SB 52 relates to exclusions for disabled peace officers from payment of tuition and fees at public institutions of higher education. • SB 72 would establish a prohibition of the use of credit scoring in underwriting and rating certain personal lines of insurance coverage.
A Daily Astrological Timing Guide for All Signs Research & Analysis by Islander W. Lance Ferguson Available online at www.skywatchastrology. com Thursday, December 6. Slow down, slow down. We have a rare occurrence in the Skywatch this morning. Caution lights are up. The Moon will trine eager Mars at 9:31 am and simultaneously square the Sun at the exact same moment! Accidents, arguments and fights on the school playground are all more likely with this pair. This could be a breakthrough moment as well—it will certainly raise everyone’s energy level. Green lights come back on by 10 am and the rest of today’s Skywatch is calm and pleasant. The kiss of the day shows up at 3:54 pm when the Moon sextiles sweet Venus. Clear skies follow into the late hours. As times change. Friday, December 7. Stick to routine this morning. The Moon is Void of Course from 4:35 am early Friday morning until she enters Libra at 12:35 pm. Green lights come on at this moment for the rest of the day and night as the Skywatch clears. A touch of resistance is in the air Friday night as the Moon in Libra opposes unpredictable Uranus at 8:43 pm and asks: Is this fair? THE WEEKEND: Get an early start on Saturday. An inspiring Moon Jupiter trine at 7 am sets up a lovely morning for work or play. Green lights are on but remember to slow down when the Moon squares impatient Mars at 5:34 pm Saturday afternoon encouraging headaches and arguments. The moment passes quickly and a reasonable Sun Moon sextile follows at 6:37 pm. Luna turns Void of Course a minute later until tomorrow afternoon, but who cares? Libra loves to mingle and this is a good night to be in circulation or on the phone. Pull back and take it easy on Sunday. The Moon is still Void of Course until she enters Scorpio at 3:51 pm Sunday afternoon. Green lights kick on immediately for the rest of the day and night. A lovely trine from the Moon to psychic and compassionate Neptune at 4:50 pm suggests an excellent hour to follow your intuition and to reach out to those you love. Quiet hours follow. As times change. Monday, December 10. Saddle up. The Skywatch is good for work or play Monday morning. The Moon in Scorpio sextiles/ harmonizes with the sign’s ruler Pluto at 5:55 am and then sails out into quiet seas for the rest of the daylight hours. Another minor kiss shows up tonight as the Moon sextiles Mars at 9:51 pm giving us all a little energy boost—nobody will be ready for bedtime at this hour. Scorpio energy is useful in cleaning out areas of chaos and confusion and for research and focusing intently on a subject or plan. This is the day to concentrate your will on something you want—the Force, ruled by Scorpio, is with you today. As times change.
Tuesday, December 11. Foggy. Caution lights. Trickster Mercury squares confusing Neptune at 6:58 am Tuesday morning. Strange sleep and dreams are likely to precede this twice-a-year event which usually garbles communications and makes you forget to grab your lunchbox. Meanwhile, the Moon meets sweet Venus in the heavens at 7:08 am but Luna then turns Void of Course until she enters Sagittarius at 4:22 pm. Stick to routine when the Moon is V/C. One more foggy moment follows as the Moon squares spacey Neptune at 5:22 pm, and that should be the last of it as a clearing trend begins a few minutes later. Matters may come into perspective as the Moon finally meets logical Mercury in the heavens at 6:21 pm. Another positive marker, Moon trine friendly Uranus, sends you a goodnight kiss at 11:40 pm. As times change. Wednesday, December 12. What’s the plan, Stan? The Moon in philosophical Sagittarius lines up opposite ruler Jupiter at 8:12 am this morning asking that question. Clear astrological skies follow for the rest of the day and night, and until the Sun and Moon meet in the heavens at 2:42 am early Thursday morning. This New Moon sets off an excellent two-week period of time up ahead to set off on a new adventure and to plant seeds. If your birthday is this week (Dec 9–15), you have planets in six different signs in your new Solar Return, Sag. Many interests, needs, wants and challenges are ahead—this will be a busy year. Plus, your ruler Jupiter is in Gemini, the sign of the Twins, in your new SR suggesting two ideas, two plans working at the same time. And while you can handle a lot, be careful as too many projects can dilute your power—stick to priority this year, Sag. You’ve also got a realistic Saturn Pluto sextile in your new SR. People in power, the rich and famous will be more likely to approve of your plans and thinking in the months ahead if you give it your best. Your future? In 2015–16 Uranus will trine your Sun and you’ll have the chance to change the course of your destiny for the better and to get rewarded for your work and thinking. The more you prepare, the better the outcome. As times change. Thursday, December 13. Stick to routine. Caution lights. A New Moon in optimistic Sagittarius became exact at 2:42 am early this morning. New Moons set up good two week periods of time to plant seeds and initiate new projects. Just don’t be rushing in too quickly as the Moon turns Void of Course a minute later and stays V/C until she enters practical Capricorn at 3:43 pm Thursday afternoon. Green lights come on for the rest of the day and night once the Moon changes signs. Something surprising could bubble up Thursday night as the Moon squares unpredictable Uranus at 11 pm. Stay up later and Mercury trines truthful Uranus at 5:25 am early Friday morning. As times change.
• SB 93 seeks to provide for the continuation of the Human Trafficking Prevention Task Force. • SB 101 is related to a constitutional limit on the rate of growth of appropriations and the use of surplus state revenues. The pre-filed bills for the 83rd (R) legislative session are available for the public to view at www.capitol.state.tx.us. I would like to take this opportunity to let everyone know that my Capitol Office room location has changed. My new office location is GW. 18. I welcome everyone to come by and see the new space and visit with my staff if you are in Austin. Please feel free to call if you need any assistance in locating the new office. If you have questions or comments regarding any of the pre-filed bills 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, 512463-0672; District Office, 361-949-4603).
Terry Ross Shae keeps abreast of Island news, with the The Island Moon Newspaper.
We’re all for recycling but this is taking things a bit far.
Adam Conde and April Moss at Surfside Sandwich Shoppe celebrated their birthdays
Ahoy PAAC Fans! Tommy was adopted!
Louise, who was named after her grandmother, honing her bike riding skills. Photo by Mary Craft
W illiam a. T hau iii, P.C. “F ormer U.S. N avy L awyer ”
l Divorce and Separation l Child Custody and Support l Adoption/Guardianship l Paternity Cases l Wills and Probate
l Auto Accidents l Personal Injury l DWI 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
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Member Padre Island Business Association
Member Padre Island Rotary Club
All your Packaging needs FedEx, UPS, USPS P.O. Boxes Local Artistry Gelato & Coffees Cards & Gifts (361) 949-9325 14493 S.P.I.D, Ste A Corpus Christi TX 78418
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History continued from A1
Island Moon
They Indians led thevm to a camp with about fifty wigwams and fed them green prickly pears and baked cactus pads. The Spaniards later wrote that these Indians, of unknown identity, like their plains dwelling brethren before them, inexplicably asked the Spaniards to heal them. The common theme among the Indians the wanderers encountered all along their journey through Texas was that they were always asked to heal the sick. Whether word of their former work as shamans had preceded them of whether the Indians just intuitively imparted to them otherworldly powers has been lost to history. What is known from their later writings is that it was this work as shamans that allowed them to survive among the tribes of the plans.
Two women appeared out of the plains and beseeched them to come with them to a tribe further west where their healing powers were needed.
Men didn’t ask for directions Inexplicably the four men set out immediately without the guidance of the women and were soon lost until the two women, along with two from the tribe of their previous hosts, arrived to scold them for their temerity. The next day they walked thirty miles east and saw a river, “as wide as the Guadalquivir at Seville. In spite of the disagreement among scholars about the route taken by the survivors between present day Corpus Christi and Culiacin in Mexico there is universal agreement that this river was the Rio Grande. What there is almost no agreement on is exactly where on the Rio Grande they crossed it.
Estavanico in a contemporaty drawing. and deer meet. Then like rock stars at the next dawn they moved to the next village where the ceremony was repeated. As they moved about they began to notice a puzzling pattern. They picked up groupies who would accompany them to the next camp and on their arrival the groupies would take whatever items they wished from the new camp then return home. When the travelers complained of this to their entourage they were told that the victims didn’t mind as they were glad to have the “gods” in their midst and would in fact recoup their losses when they accompanied the travelers to their next destination. Historians are equally puzzled as to why this happened but Rock Star Syndrome is as good an explanation as any.
Social chaos
Unbeknownst to them the travelers had walked in social chaos. Less than two hundred miles south Spanish raids had forced the Indians north, slave raids along the coast had forced the coastal tribes inland and western diseases were beginning to ravage the indigenous population. Until the 1960s the number of Indians estimated to live in what is now the United States and Canada before the European arrival was about 1 million. Subsequent study discovered that the count was based on the observations of the first arriving Europeans; however the first wave of diseases had already decimated the population before their arrival. Best current estimates are that smallpox, cholera, typhoid, and measles killed more Indians in the first few decades after Columbus’s arrival than were born in the next Cabeza de Vaca as a four hundred years.
So somewhere between present day Laredo and the mouth of the Rio Grande they waded across the river; the first Europeans known to do so and live to tell the tale. Once the party of the four men arrived in modern day Mexico, where they were now known among the Indians as shamans, they saw a cluster of one hundred tepees amidst the wide expanse of arid semibarren plain. A shout rose up from the Indian camp that startled the travelers but celebrity. The four travelers came across a the Indians approached with tribe severely afflicted by blindness, gifts rather than hostility. They carried rattles filled with tiny pebbles many not blind had cataracts; a tough affliction made from gourds brought downriver on the for hunter/gatherers. flood tides, but to the people of the plains they “There,” Oviedo wrote,” with evident ironic fell like treasures from heaven like rain sent by incredulity, the survivors “cured all those who a benevolent deity; much the way the Spaniards were blind or had cataracts and cured many looked a gold. other illnesses. Or, at least, if the Christians did not heal all of them, the Indians thought that Rock Stars they were able to do so.” The four travelers had These strange gourds delivered by nature’s walked into a changing world in the south plains flowing water in the hands of these strange - ironic beneficiaries of pathogens brought by Europeans and carried far from the creek beds their Spanish brethren. which brought them became the shamanistic A fateful decision symbols that would come to define the strangers’ trek through a strange land. Their newly found adoration led the four As the groups came together on the shores shipwreck survivors to make a fateful decision. of the river both were confused and scared Had they turned south they would have quickly in the presence of the other. The four visitors found fellow Spaniards at Panuco and their were thrust upon the shoulders of the crowd. journey in the wilderness ended. But instead The women who had accompanied them were they decided not to return to the coast where thanked for bringing them with gifts of bows they had been badly treated by the coastal and arrows and soon departed. As the next dawn tribes, but rather turn north with the great 3000broke the Indians began to bring in their sick to foot escarpment of the eastern Sierra Madre blocking their path westward. be cured and their children to be blessed. So in the fall of 1535 the shipwrecked travelers who had already been seven years roaming the Gulf Coast, mostly in South Texas, now headed north into a land unknown even to their Indian hosts who followed them as devoted braves and women water carriers for two hours. They met two scouts they had sent ahead who said they had traveled a great distance before turning back, finding no one and nothing ahead (it later turned out they were lying). Their entourage turned back as the four survivors hoisted the supplies on their own backs and set off into the unknown, roughly paralleling the course of the Rio Grande. Next Issue: The first surgeon in Texas.
siete-ciudades.
Serving: Padre Island, Flour Bluff, Port Aransas, Mustang Island and Rockport. 9 9 9 9 9 9
La Posada continued from A1
onset of the turtle nesting season last spring. The dredging is expected to be finished in late January.
was. The PIYC, with its fine and experienced network of volunteers, does a fabulous job of organizing the myriad details associated with the kick-off party and the parade. The United States Marines deserve more than one salute for pooling their efforts to advertise and collect toys. Last year North Padre Island contributed over 3,700 toys during the kick-off and La Posada, and the hope is to top that number this year. The Island Foundation Schools sold sharplooking Christmas tree ornaments, this year designed by SMA’s own Matthew Pate (please purchase a few to enhance your tree and support our local schools). The Kiwanis Club collected many bags of toys last Saturday and donated to Toys for Tots and to CASA. The Scuttlebutt ownership and staff worked like clockwork to provide amazing service (always with a smile too). Thanks too to The Padre Island Moon Newspaper for keeping us informed about La Posada. There are many other groups and individuals who made the kick-off party the place to be Tuesday evening. To all of those who participated in and enjoyed the kick-off party – a huge THANKS.
The bids were opened in November and for now the project is stalled. Estimates, and funding, for the project were $821,597 for an asphalt surface and $1.3 million for a concrete surface, however, the bids came in at $1.3 for the asphalt surface and $1.6 million for a concrete surface. The city is now in search of $250,000 and/or $577,000 to finish the project.
The Europeans were now living as Indians and time and distance was measured by food and water sources, the type of people they encountered, and the number of days it took to get from one to the other.
The four men were taken to a nearby camp where the rock star treatment continued; they were mobbed and given prickly pear tunas
Projects continued from A1
Improvements to parking lot on the east side of the JFK Causeway. This project calls for the paving of parking lot between the JFK Causeway and Packery Channel, at Clem’s and Billing’s bait stands and fishing pier. It is to include more than one hundred parking places which can accommodate vehicles with trailers.
The Europeans stayed with the group of Indians, likely somewhere south of the present day town of Freer, for two weeks until word of their healing powers spread to a tribe further west who arrived to fetch them to their camp where venison was plentiful.
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December 6, 2012
Park Road 22 (SPID) Water Exchange Bridge. Texas Department of Transportation is expected to hand down a final ruling on the environmental permitting for the bridge by March. Once that is done final permitting will be done on the canals connecting it to Lake Padre (Padre Sound) on the east and the existing Island canal system on the west. City funding for the $8.1 million project is in place. Traffic control on Aquarius Extension. A request was made by a resident on the recently completed Aquarius Extension for traffic control which could include: additional lighting, more enforcement during peak traffic hours, stop signs, speed bumps. The request was made to the Island Strategic Action Committee at its December meeting on Tuesday. The matter has been referred to the City Traffic Engineering office for further study. Amendment to city Duck Hunting ordinance. The City Attorney announced a the ISAC meeting Tuesday that the City Council will take up a discussion in its December 11 meeting a request to change the city’s ordinance regarding firing of guns within 1000 feet of Island homes. According to the City Attorney the current city ordinance is unenforceable due to a conflict with state law. The plan calls for the council to discuss the issue at its December 11 meeting with a final vote to come at its January 8 meeting. Establishment of a Municipal Management District on The Island. The Island Property Owners Association is asking the city to establish an MMD on The Island to allow the POA to apply for grants to repair the Island’s canal system in case of major damage from a storm. The move would require action by the Texas Legislature which convenes for its biannual session in January. The current plan does not allow for the POA to raise money to repair the canals through a tax but does allow it to request federal assistance. The ISAC members at their Tuesday meeting ask the POA to research two questions: 1) Is there a way to make any money paid by property owners for canal repair tax deductible? 2) Is city staff certain that tax or grant money raised through public means can be used to repair bulkheads which are privately owned? The matter will be discussed in ISAC meeting in January. Current plans call for the matter to be put before the City Council in next Tuesday’s meeting (December 11); if so a copy of the entire proposed state bill will be available for public viewing on the city’s website this Friday. We will have a more complete story on this issue in the next issue. Improvement to parking area on the west side of the JFK Causeway. This $1.3 million project will repave and expand the parking area around Doc’s Restaurant, Snoopy’s Pier, and Market 37. It was approved by voters in the November bond election. A consultant contract for the project is to be presented to the City Council for approval on January 15.
The La Posada boat parades are this Friday and Saturday. Enjoy the parades and parties, enjoy the spirit of Christmas; that spirit of giving time, love, energy, and a few dollars to light up our island and light up the eyes of a child whose Christmas will be brighter because of you. Please continue to donate toys to Toys for Tots this weekend. Special vessels will be picking up toys during the parade or you can drop them off at a number of local businesses. Be safe and continue to work together to make this island the special place it is.
December 6, 2012
Moon Monkeys
Island Moon
Letters to the Editor Aquarius
Mike Ellis, Founder
In response to the articles concerning the conundrum at the (Whitecap) wastewater treatment plant November 21st at 9:15 p.m., I feel they were understatements.
We absolutely love your paper. My wife Gina and I have been reading it for years, even back when Mike was living his dream with it. We’ve been on the Island for nearly a decade, since returning to Corpus after doing my morning show in Los Angeles for 14 years.
Distribution Pete Alsop
No less than twenty residents, who live at the end of Whitecap, witnessed firsthand, a very large strange explosion that knocked the power down in all homes for only one minute and brought bewildered observers out to the street in awe. Witnesses from Bob Hall Pier and El Constante – 3 miles away – thought Corpus Christi had blown up. Several boaters on the Laguna reported seeing the enormous blast. The fire department made the scene as a result of our 911 calls but did not get out of the truck.
We own our home on (The Island) and have witnessed the transformation of it going from a quiet jogging, walking, bike riding and dog exercising lane to a very busy virtual freeway. The speed limit of 30 mph is poorly posted on each end, and very few folks seem to care anyways. It took the death of a wonderful woman for things to change on Whitecap. God help us all if a similar down payment is required to get the city to fix this monster they’ve created.
Island Delivery Coldwell Banker Advertising Jan Park Rankin Raeanne Reed Office Lisa Towns Classifieds
I personally was outside – close to this event. I have seen transformers blow, lightening hit the ground, fireworks and fall stars but I have never seen an explosion of this magnitude. It consumed, in an opaque bluish light, the entire western sky above the treatment plant and pulsated twice with an odd four syllable noise.
May I suggest more speed limit signs, better and frequent enforcement and as a last reseort, speed bumps. With no sidewalks and the ever present foot traffic previously mentioned, someone is going to die.
Arlene Ritley Design/Layout Jeff Craft Contributing Writers Devorah Fox
Thanks again for the best publication in South Texas!
Mary Craft
Mark Wintrow
Maybeth Christiansen
Morning Host
Joey Farah
Jay Gardner
We had all pondered over this for a week – no reporting in local news- and then came the Moon article where Foster Crowell admits to “subtle” noise and odor problems but states “no evidence of any explosion at the plant can be found.” I find this quite disconcerting. Did UFOs visit The Island or is there a cover up at the treatment plant?
Krys - K99
Todd Hunter
Repeal Day!
Danniece Bobeché Ronnie Narmour
Kathy King
Wednesday was Repeal Day! Today is the anniversary of the day that the United States repealed the 18th Amendment, restoring the right to purchase and consume alcohol.
Daphne Fine Dr. Donna Shaver Photographers
Island Editor’s note: We reported in the last issue that several people had contacted us concerning the explosion – as well as a hissing sound and foul odor – emitting from the Whitecap Wastewater Treatment plant on November 21. The following response is what we ran in the last issue. We will resubmit a request through the Island Strategic Action Committee and see if we can get a more complete explanation. The best we can tell there were no workers at the plant at the time of the explosion and the next morning, according to Mr. Crowell’s letter, workers found no evidence of an explosion. We’ll keep checking.
Miles Merwin Jeff Dolan Mary Craft 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
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In the meantime, TCEQ – Texas Commission for Environmental Quality – tests the outflow from the plant into the Island canal system each month. In the past these levels – according to the TCEQ testing have exceed the state maximum limits by as much as 600%. We requested the test results for September and October – November was not available at press time – and below is the response and actual test results. We are admittedly having some trouble deciphering the nomenclature in the TCEQ response but the best we can tell the plant is not in violation of state rules unless its discharge exceeds state limits by 40% or more for “conventional pollutants” or 20% for “toxic pollutants” for at least two out of four months
The 18th Amendment, which was ratified on January 16, 1919, prohibited the manufacture, sale, and transportation of liquor throughout the United States. Prohibition led to widespread disrespect for the law. New York City alone had about 30,000 speakeasies by 1927! Eventually, many influential and respected citizens including John D. Rockefeller Jr. came forward and organized a counter movement. The 21st Amendment ending Prohibition was ratified on December 5, 1933. Repeal Day is a celebration of the balance of power in the United States and of the individual freedom that allows each American citizen to choose whether or not to drink alcohol. Another reason to party. Thanks, Adela Nash
Wine
of a six month period. That doesn’t sound particularly comforting to anyone catching fish near the treatment plant’s outflow. Here’s the language, judge for yourself.
Response from the City of Corpus Christi about the events on the night of November 21:
Following is response to concerns at the Whitecap Wastewater Treatment Plant. The plant was reviewed on the morning of November 27 by the Plant and Facilities Superintendents and the Assistant Director.
1. There are several possible noise sources at the plant. The plant process airline outside the blower building has a leaking air gasket. Also, an air-release valve was making some noise during operation. Both these items will be repaired by the end of the week to minimize the concern.
2. Odor sources have been surveyed. On the morning of November 22 (Thursday), plant operators arriving for the morning shift noted the plant aerobic blowers had been off overnight. Because of this, odors may have occurred upon re-starting the blowers/motors/ pumps and the biological operation re-initiated. Also, all other plant processes will be reviewed and modified so as to minimize all odors.
3. The plant has been completely reviewed for sources of any explosions. This includes all major power sources, pumps and motors. No evidence of any explosion at the plant can be found. Our crews are continuing electrical checks to assure no problems in any of the plant process and automated alarm systems . AEP was also contacted and no call outs for the island were reported. Foster Crowell, Director Wastewater Department City of Corpus Christi
Response from TCEQ on September and October testing at the plant:
A review of the September and October DMRs demonstrate that the facility met its permit limits for those months and does not currently meet any formal enforcement criteria.
In general, enforcement referral criteria for self-reported effluent violations is met when there is an exceedance of a daily average or daily maximum permit limit by 40% or more for conventional pollutants and 20% or more for toxic pollutants during any two or more months in a six month period. A copy of the conventional and toxic pollutant list is (below). Andrea Morrow TCEQ 11/29/12 That’s what we know at this point.
Red Lights Howdy, I was interested to read about how you ran afoul of the red light cameras. I had a similar experience to yours a couple months back. When I went back and timed the light at the intersection where I was cited, I determined that the light’s gold interval was too short for someone located where I was when the light turned gold and going the speed limit to either make it through the intersection before the light turned red, or stop before entering the intersection. I used the motion formulas described in the attached document to support my argument. I had my calculations checked by a physicist friend of mine and she confirmed that I’ve used them properly.
WHITECAP LIQUOR Liquor
Water Treatment Plant Article from Issue 451
Dale,
Dale and/or Jan:
A5
Beer
14414 Whitecap Blvd. Corpus Christi, TX On North Padre Island..... near the Beach
361 949-9289 whitecapliquor@yahoo.com
When I presented this information to the http://www.whitecap.vpweb.com official downtown, he replied that, while he agreed that my argument made sense, he would still fine me $75. He reasoned that I ought to have anticipated that the light might change and slowed to well below the speed limit ( I was only traveling 1 mph below the speed limit) so I’d be able to stop in time. I contend that the gold interval ought to be long enough for anyone Aunt Sissy’s Kitchen has traveling the speed limit to either stop before temporarily suspendedAlta their Plaza Located in the Loma entering the intersection or make it through Weeknight Take Away Service the intersection before the light turns red. The 14254 SPID, Suite 109 due to Holiday Catering and official wasn’t persuaded by my contention, as he observed that lots of people make it through 949-4848 Corporate Catering Contracts that the intersection without running the light. will begin in the first of the year. While it’s true that a small percentage of drivers Joan is available for private parties traveling through the intersection are caught in so please call her at 949-4848 with the dilemma-zone when the light turns gold, any questions. the light’s gold interval should be long enough
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that no one traveling the speed limit should be caught in such a dilemma. Adding a few seconds to the gold interval would correct this problem. I’ve read that in jurisdictions where this solution has been applied, the number of violations dropped to such a degree that the resulting fines no longer supported the red light camera program, and the program was consequently discontinued. I paid the $75 fine, and have been intending to take the matter up with the city’s traffic engineers. Meantime, I thought this information might be of some use to you. I hope it helps. Please holler if you have questions or I can help. Thanks for your service, Timothy R. Anderson Field Coordinator Partners for Fish & Wildlife and Coastal Programs U. S. Fish & Wildlife Service Editor’s note: Thanks for writing Timothy. We have had several responses from those who have fallen victim to the red light cameras and the “appeal process.” The timing of the lights and how the cameras are maintained are two of the items which we intend to ask if/when we are able to talk to the engineers and red light operators at our hearing. The fellow who turned down you appeal is, under the current system, judge jury, and money collector unless the case is appealed to the municipal court… which is our next stop.
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A 6
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The More Things Change
I think it would be fair to say that I’m a regular at Jay’s Seafood and Spaghetti Works. I eat there so often I have the schedule of daily lunch specials memorized. (If it’s Friday it must be chicken fried steak.) I eat there so often they know that the daily special is what I usually order. I eat there so often they know I’m not an iced-tea drinker and so when I enter the dining room, they put on a pot of coffee. (Just for me, makes me feel so special!) I eat there so often, I’m on a first-name basis with the staff. And I eat there so often, they know that I never finish my entire lunch, but take half of it home. (Yes, the portions are that generous!) They bring me a box without my having to ask.
By 1986 the waterslide was in need of repair. The choice was to fix it or take it down. Meanwhile the domed building next door had grown into a restaurant and was doing very well. Jay and Stephanie decided not to rebuild the waterslide but to go with the restaurant. As if delicious food served in generous portions by friendly people who aim to please isn’t enough, there’s also Stephanie’s Stuff. About 18 years ago, the Kenigsbergs wanted to do something to entertain people waiting in line to be seated. Stephanie opened the adjoining boutique filled with fashionable clothes, jewelry, shoes, accessories and more, enticing enough to warrant a visit of its own. It’s said that the more things change, the more they stay the same. But changes are in store even for Seafood and Spaghetti Works. The restaurant will be moving. Not far, just a few paces south. The Kenigsbergs have plans for a
But you don’t have to be a regular to merit such personalized service. A dining companion of mine had mentioned that next time he would order what I had had (the shrimp enchilada lunch special). Two weeks later when we returned for lunch, his server Joyce remembered him and told him that even though the dish wasn’t on the menu, they had some available. I often overhear other diners asking to substitute the vegetable of the day for French fries or making some other special request, and it’s never a problem.
The Kenigsbergs launched the Texas Twister waterslide at the corner of Cut Off Road and Alister Street. Next to it they built a domed building, a game room concession stand/ souvenir store/Tee shirt shop housed in a catchy, fun building for the kids. They anticipated a busy summer season and lots of tourists. What they didn’t anticipate was the Ixtoc oil spill in the Gulf that wiped out the tourist season. Needing to redeem the business season somehow, Jay and Stephanie converted the concession stand into a restaurant. There were few in Port Aransas at the time. Meri’s Malibu, Pelican’s Landing and the Island Café were about the only other eateries. Those have since moved to new locations or undergone ownership changes, making Jay’s Seafood and Spaghetti Works the oldest Port Aransas restaurant run by the same people in its original location.
Stuff I Heard on the Island
Last time I wrote a story about my friend Short and Wide Jerry who worked the local television dodge with me for several years in San Antonio and West Palm Beach. Local television news is not kind on the middle-aged and Jerry and I left it behind a decade ago before either of us stayed too long at the fair. Jerry did freelance for a while for the networks, but that too is a game for the young crowd. It’s exciting to show up at the airport in Washington with nothing but a toothbrush and jump from hot spot to hot spot for eight months without ever coming home…when you’re in your twenties and thirties; but by the time you hit forty it starts to get real old and the gild wears off the lily.
A boomtown rat Jerry wrote a book about the oil field in the boom days around his hometown of Borger in the Texas Panhandle and longed for the time when he too could take part in an oil boom. Be careful what you ask for buckaroo. After the story ran in the last issue Jerry called and informed me that he is now, at 63 years-old, working on a fracking crew in the Eagle Ford Shale. “I’m still short,” he said, “but I’m not nearly as wide as I used to be. I’m getting skinny as a boomtown rat.” Sometimes he drives a truck – starting salary for an Eagle Ford truck driver is around $90,000 – and sometimes he mans a shovel.
“We try always to say ‘yes’,” says co-owner Stephanie Kenigsberg. “That’s why we still hand-write the order tickets.” Making out the order tickets manually enables them to make substitutions easily. Started in 1978, Seafood and Spaghetti Works wasn’t about seafood or spaghetti. Originally from Chicago, Jay Kenisberg had lived in Cape Girardeau, Missouri, for about ten years and vacationed often in Branson where there were many waterslide amusement parks. Jay was looking for a different business to get into and those waterslides looked like successful enterprises. Deciding that they would like to run one, Jay and Stephanie investigated San Antonio, Dallas, Houston and even Corpus Christi as location. Someone suggested Port Aransas to them. At the time there wasn’t much to Port A but tourism was increasing. “The place could only grow,” says Jay.
“I don’t have to worry about overnight Nielsen Ratings,” he said. “And I don’t have to listen to the weatherman complain how the anchor is walking on his air time or why he can’t work with his nitwit producer, or can’t come in because his dog is sick. Out here it’s pretty simple show up or you’re fired. There’s no whining We’re just freakin’ frackin’.”
palapa style building with outdoor seating that offers a view of the wetland park on Highway 361 south of Avenue G. The new restaurant will have an octagonal shape reminiscent of the existing building. The current building is slated to close April 2013 and reopen a month later. Jay says that the sale of the property on which the restaurant stands was“a soul-tester”; the Kenigsbergs had to decide whether to go into some other line of work. They found that their current business is “in the blood.”Apparently it was in the blood of all five of their children who “grew up” in Seafood and Spaghetti Works. Each one of them has at one time or another worked in the restaurant or the boutique. For more information about Seafood and Spaghetti Works, visit the Web site at www. seafoodandspaghettiworks.com. You’ll also find them on Facebook. Call 361-749-5666 or just stop in at 710 Alister St. The restaurant is open every day for lunch from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. and for dinner from 5 p.m. until 9 p.m. (later in the summer). To contact Stephanie’s Stuff, call 361-749-4422 or send an email to stephkenigsberg@gmail.com. I’ll see you there.
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It started me thinking about all the people around our state whose lives have been changed one hundred years since the last Texas oil boom by that little stretch of production just 50 miles wide and 100 feet thick that’s the remnant of an ancient primordial swamp so I started doing some research.
Black gold in the flatlands The Eagle Ford Shale was deposited millions of years ago in the Cretaceous Period when much of Texas was a shallow sea, it runs about 400 miles across the state from just north of Laredo to East Texas. The formation generally produces more oil on its northern arc; more natural gas, or so-called “dry gas” on its southern arc; and more natural gas liquids such as propane and butane in-between. Wells generally bring up a bit of everything but the five counties with the most drilling rigs are hot spots for a reason; with Gonzales and DeWitt counties the hotspots for oil. A few issues ago we quoted a report done by the University of Texas at San Antonio that found that Nueces County will see the most new jobs from the Eagle Ford; currently 3880 and 18,700 by 2021. That is in spite of the fact that none of the Eagle Ford is actually in Nueces County. Only 10% of the current jobs require a bachelor’s degree and over time moderate to short-term on-the-job training will still account for almost half of the workforce; jobs requiring a bachelors degree will rise to 15% of the workforce. Eagle Ford wells cost $7 million to $10 million to drill but 50% of the average production of each well is oil and the payback on drilling is within half a year, making the Eagle Ford, for the moment at least, the most profitable field in the world.
Information boom In previous oil booms in Texas information on who is drilling where and for what was closely guarded, not so in the Internet age. These days the life span of a secret in the Eagle Ford is about 90 days; by that time either through Ask about our VIP Membership Cards New Slimming Body Wraps
December 6, 2012
by Dale Rankin
by Devorah Fox Merriam-Webster includes as one definition of “regular”the following: one who is usually present or participating; especially a longstanding regular customer.
quarterly reports or gossip the information is all out there for the curious to see. Activity in the formation is centered in five counties which are seeing more than 60% of the drilling - 141 of the play’s 227 drilling rigs. La Salle, Karnes, McMullen, Gonzales and DeWitt, according to the Baker Hughes Rig Count are at the heart of the boom. La Salle County has the most active drilling rigs — 36 as of November. — and they are concentrated on the northwest swath of the county. Neighboring McMullen County had 31 drilling rigs, all in its northern half. In DeWitt County state severance taxes raised more than $71 million in six months this year and produced about $1 billion in oil and gas revenue Rigs are also clustering along the GonzalesKarnes county line, and lining up across all of DeWitt County, except for the southeastern quadrant. Farther west, neighboring La Salle and McMullen counties have earned a reputation for being what’s colloquially called “more oily,” producing more crude oil or natural gas liquids than the currently uneconomic dry gas.
Oil is king With the price of crude oil hovering between $85 and $100 a barrel and natural gas prices that in 2008 rose above $12 now below $4 per million British thermal units the Eagle Ford is a liquids play as companies have shirted drilling to areas of the Eagle Ford that produce a greater percentage of crude oil or natural gas liquids. More than 70 percent of the rigs working in the Eagle Ford are drilling primarily for oil, while 23 percent are focused on gas, according to Baker Hughes. But when gas prices rise Karnes County is expected to be the hub of drilling activity as that is where the known dry gas reserves are found. Cuero has become the dividing line between traditional rural farms and a beehive of oil field activity with the land west of there producing wet liquids and natural gas to the east. A well in Gonzales County recently reached a production level of 6,275 barrels per day, and of that, 4,646 barrels were oil and natural gas liquids That kind of money adds up in a hurry and sooner or later a good bit of it finds its way to the coast which explains why a beachside condo in an upscale development in Port Aransas that sold for under $400,000 a few years ago recently sold for $740,000 cash. It’s also why boat dealers are smiling these days. Part of the attraction of drilling in the Eagle Ford is its proximity to the Port of Corpus Christi and the refineries there. Moving oil by rail from the Bakken field in North Dakota can add $10 to $12 to the production cost per barrel while South Texas rail lines that used to move grain and chickenfeed now also move fracking sand. Pipelines and tank farms to move production also provide jobs.
Nueces County will see the most new jobs from the Eagle Ford We have learned a few things since the days of the oil boom of the last century. In those days traditional towns sprung up many of which have now turned into ghost towns as the production played out. This time around they’re being replaced by man camps, often communities of RV’s, which can be moved when the drilling cycle is done. One thing that I’ve always believed in is that an incoming tide raises all boats and this time the tide is a wave of oil. When you take a dry land farmer who has lived and died by rain cycles his whole life and all of a sudden start giving him checks with more zeros than he’s ever seen his priorities go pretty much like this: New tractor, new truck, add on to the house, house on The Island, boat. It’s already turned my friend Short and Wide Jerry into just Short Jerry and before it’s done I think it has the chance to turn our Island into Fat City. Sort of like getting casino gambling but without the traffic. It’s hard to see how that could be bad.
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December 6, 2012
Island Moon
Police Blotter
Real Estate Fraud and Credit Card Abuse on East Street at Midnight Local Real Estate Scammer Pleads Guilty in $7 Million Fraud
based in Ohio. Once investor funds were on deposit with Equity Trust, the Defendant prepared and presented a “Promissory Note/Direction of Investment” which contained information as to the amount of funds to be invested in a particular piece of real property, the nature of the investment, the borrower, the percentage of the note the participant was purchasing, the terms of the participation, the monthly payments, and a description of the property. Once received, Equity Trust would release the specified funds to the Defendant or his businesses. The Defendant encouraged the use of Equity Trust Company in order to lend an air of legitimacy to his scheme. Holiday Crime Prevention The holidays are a time when thieves and burglars are on the prowl. Here are some tips from the Corpus Christi Police Department to keep your property safe during the holidays. • Avoid displaying gifts were they can be seen from a window or doorway. • Arrange to have packages delivered to a neighbor if you’re not home to receive them.
Robert Roland Langguth’s mugshot from a 2007 arrest for DUI in Florida Robert Roland Langguth, who operated a wide-ranging real estate-based fraud in Central Texas, pleaded guilty to one count of wire fraud and one count of money laundering in a scam that cost investors at least $7 million. Langguth, 71 years old and living in Corpus Christi, entered his plea November 20 in U.S. District Court in Austin and agreed to a fouryear federal sentence. He admitted using a series of companies to sell fictitious interests in short-term loans that were supposedly used to finance real estate projects. Langguth actually used investors’ money to expand his Ponzi scheme and to pay personal expenses. Langguth, who operated a hubcap business in the 1990s, was not registered to sell securities. Langguth is scheduled to be sentenced on February 21 before U.S. District Judge Lee Yeakel. The State Securities Board, IRS, and FBI investigated the case, which is being prosecuted by the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Austin. According to filings in the case the charges against Langguth include: In the course of his scheme, the Defendant used multiple business entities and bank accounts, to include, but not be limited to: a. “Capital Finance” is a business name utilized by Langguth in the scheme. b. “Paris Properties” is a business name utilized by Langguth in the scheme. Langguth filed an assumed name certificate for Paris Properties in 1997 which disclosed that it was an assumed name for Paris RE, Inc. c. “Paris RE, Inc.” is a business name utilized by Langguth in the scheme. In 1998, Langguth changed the name of his corporation Hubcap & Wheel Master, Inc. to “Paris RE, Inc.” and later claimed that Capital Finance was an assumed name of Paris RE, Inc. However, Langguth did not file a required assumed name certificate with the Texas Secretary of State. Further, Paris RE, Inc. was not maintained by Langguth as a true corporate entity. The Scheme From in or about November of 2005 and continuing until in or about December of 2009, Defendant Robert Roland Langguth devised and intended to devise a scheme and artifice to defraud and obtain money and property by means of false and fraudulent pretenses, representations, and promises. The scheme and artifice to defraud and obtain money and property by means of false and fraudulent pretences, representations and promises, so devised and so intended, was, in substance, as described in the following paragraphs. It was part of the scheme that Langguth fraudulently obtained money and assets from investors by selling fictitious loan participations in real estate “bridge loans.” A “bridge loan” is a short term loan, typically less than 24 months in length, which is obtained by a borrower who uses the proceeds to buy and improve real estate. The borrower’s goal is to either sell the real estate within the term of the “bridge loan,” or, alternatively, to obtain long term financing. If long term financing is obtained, it is then used to pay off the “bridge loan.” The term “participation” refers to a share, or a percentage of ownership, of a loan. Bridge loans are typically secured by a lien on the real property which permits the lender to foreclose on the property and sell it if the borrower fails to pay the loan back. Langguth fraudulently represented to investors that they were buying a participation in a loan, evidenced by a note, secured, in most cases by a first lien on real property. In exchange for their investment, Langguth promised investors that he would pass through their share of the monthly interest payments made by borrowers on the bridge loan. Langguth also promised that when the borrower paid off the bridge loan, the balance of the investment would be returned to the investor. It was part of the scheme that the Defendant required each investor to sign a “Loan Participation Agreement” to evidence their investment. In sum, the agreement identified a “Lender”, the “Borrower”, the amount of the investment/participation, the rate of return, and the term of the “Note”, as well as, a representation that the Note was secured by a lien on specified real property. The “Indebtedness,” represented the proceeds of the bridge loan which Borrower would use to acquire and rehabilitate real property for later sale. It was also part of the scheme that the Defendant encouraged investors to establish self directed Individual Retirement Accounts (IRAs) at Equity Trust Company, a firm
• Packages left on front porches or doorsteps are “easy picking” for thieves. It also draws unwanted attention to your home. • Consider simple outside decorations. Large lawn pieces are sometimes stolen from your front yard. • Be sure not to obscure the view from your windows or front door peep hole. You need a clear view of your property. • When leaving town, have a trusted friend or neighbor take care of your home. • Notify the Police Department immediately if you see anything suspicious. Be a good witness by providing accurate and timely information on suspicious persons and vehicles. When safe to do so copy the vehicle license plate number, vehicle make and color, and suspect description.
Two Men Hospitalized in Afternoon Accident November 29 5:31pm Major accident Naval Air Station and Skipper Lane Two drivers involved in a drunken driving accident were taken to Bay Area for medical treatment. The men sustained non-life threatening injuries when their vehicles collided. Further investigation revealed the 43-yearold driver of a blue Ford F250 was traveling southbound on N.A.S. when a black Ford F150 made an illegal u-turn in front of him. The 53-year-old driver of the at fault vehicle appeared to be intoxicated and a mandatory blood draw was taken. He was not arrested, due to his injuries.
Island Police Calls 13500 block SPID 8:49 a.m. Nov. 30 Car accident 14300 block SPID 1:54 a.m. Nov. 12 Public intoxication 14400 block Compass 1 p.m. Nov. 29 Theft over $500 15000 block Leeward 7 p.m. Nov. 28 Credit card abuse 15400 block Seamount Cay 5 p.m. Nov. 30 Burglary of vehicle 13600 block Port Royal 9:34 a.m. Nov. 29 Credit card abuse
Flour Bluff Police Calls 900 block Behmann 5:05 p.m. Nov. 28 Burglary of habitation 1000 block Flour Bluff Dr. 5:56 p.m. Nov. 29 Public intoxication 9300 block SPID 6 p.m. Nov. 30 Interfere with child custody 900 block Redmond 3:03 p.m. Nov. 27 Credit Card abuse 1200 block Central 1:30 p.m. Dec. 2 Burglary of vehicle 1000 block Behmann 4:41 p.m. Dec. 2 Public intoxication 9600 block SPID 1:19 a.m. Dec. 2 Public intoxication 700 block Waldron 10:39 p.m. Dec. 1 Assault 1100 block Waldron 3:20 p.m. Dec. 2 Theft over $500 1000 block Lakeside 11:40 p.m. Dec. 1 Assault 1700 block Waldron 5 p.m. Dec. 3 Building Fire 1700 block Waldron 6 p.m. Nov. 28 Burglar of vehicle 1900 block Waldron 11:30 p.m. Nov. 28 Burglary of vehicle 2000 block Waldron Midnight Nov. 27 Harassment 2200 block Waldron 12:08 a.m. Dec. 3 Gasoline theft 2200 block Baffin Bay 9:15 p.m. Nov. 27 Burglary of vehicle 3000 block Laguna Shores 8:29 p.m. Dec. 3 Gasoline theft 400 block Polaris 11:32 p.m. Nov. 27 Credit Card abuse 900 block Utica 7 p.m. Nov. 28 Deadly conduct 700 block Alhambra 6 p.m. Nov. 28 Theft from vehicle over $50 3000 block Caprice 5 p.m. Dec. 1 Assault 500 block Skipper 1:45 p.m. Dec. 1 Reckless damage or destruction 300 Easy Street Midnight Nov. 28 Credit Card Abuse
A7
Real Estate Roundup
Contracts By Mary Lou White One of the skills needed in Real Estate is understanding which forms to use in the many possible variations, to each transaction. I just looked at the four page list of “forms” we can use to create a transaction and the fourteen page list of forms and their description reference. Due to the nature of our business and the fact that we often work with Buyers after business hours and on week-ends, Offers are often prepared outside of “normal” working hours. Even with the use of a computer, it can take quite a bit of time to locate all the information, from various sources, needed to fill in all the blanks, on the many forms, which are combined to present an Offer from the Buyer, to the Seller. We are constantly reminded, in training courses, not to add clauses in these “promulgated” documents. They are prepared by the Texas Real Estate Broker-Lawyer Commission. Their mandate is to draft and revise Texas Real Estate Contract Forms. There are thirteen members on this Commission. Six members are appointed by the Texas Real Estate Commission, six members are appointed by the President of the State Bar of Texas and one “public” member is appointed by the Governor. Until I came to Texas, I had never heard the word “promulgated”. According to the dictionary, it means: to formally make public. (ie: publicise or publish) As licensed Real Estate Agents and Brokers, we are constantly warned about “practicing law without a license”. It is akin to walking through a swamp after dark. Not easy. This concept was reinforced just a few days ago. When you open your current Texas Realtor magazine and see a specific article about “Backup Contracts” and then have two transactions in less than a month, that involve a “Contingency Contract”, you know the marketplace is being forced to deal with this scenario.
Contingency Contract The most common form of this term involves adding the “Addendum For Sale Of Other Property By Buyer”, to the Offer and having that Offer negotiated into an Escrowed Contract. The brokerage industry first saw this addendum as a means of protecting the Buyer. The Buyer is not obligated to purchase the property unless the Buyer sells his other property, first. Now, it is realized that this addendum is actually beneficial to both parties. The Seller benefits by being able to accept a “Back-Up Contract” and forces the Buyer to make a decision, that allows the Seller to move forward to a closing that ultimately concludes the sale of the property. In the Addendum For Sale of Other Property(TAR 1908), it states that the Buyer has until a certain agreed date (no later than the Closing Date) to receive the proceeds from the sale of a currently owned property at a specific address. If that date passes, without a notice from the Buyer to the Seller about the status of the contingency, the Contract will automatically terminate and the Buyer will be refunded their Earnest Money. In the meantime, the Seller can accept “Back-Up Offers” from other interested Buyers. The Seller can negotiate those offers and reach an agreement. The Back-Up Offers then become an “effective” contract and they must be Escrowed with a Title Company, along with Earnest Money and Option checks. Once that happens, the Seller must notify the first Buyer that a Back-Up Contract has been escrowed and they have (agreed upon) number of days to waive (remove) the Contingency. If the First Buyer does nothing, within that time period, the Contract automatically terminates and the Earnest Money is returned. The Buyer can agree to Terminate the Contract and by signing the Release of Earnest Money form, along with the Seller, the Earnest Money will be returned by the Title Company. OR…The Buyer can agree to waive the Contingency, with a written notice to the Seller and an additional (agreed upon) amount of Earnest Money to be deposited with the Title Company. There is no language in the Addendum that requires the Buyer to provide any kind of evidence to the Seller to waive his contingency. The only requirement is that the Buyer notify the Seller in writing, within the stated time limit, and deposit the additional earnest money with the Title Company. BUT, Buyers should carefully weigh the risks of waiving this contingency, when the Buyer does not have the ability to close the transaction without the money derived from the sale of his other property. The Buyer could be at risk of defaulting on his contractual obligations. Even the clause of being denied financing, will not save him from legal liability, if the reason for loan denial was the inability to receive funds from his other property. Default by the Buyer could cause loss of Earnest Money, legal action by the Seller for Specific Performance or other remedies at law, or both. The amount of Earnest Money involved may not be very substantial, but the losing party in a lawsuit, could end up losing far more. Possible losses could be the earnest money, three times the amount of the earnest money in damages, reasonable attorney fees and all costs of the lawsuit. There is one possible loop hole here for the Buyer. He could waive the Contingency
and continue on with the Contract, IF the Buyer still has time on his Option period that would allow the unrestricted right to Terminate The Contract, without penalty, up to a future date. At best, that would probably only offer a few more days to decide or wait for a pending closing, on his other property. It is imperative that the Buyer understands the consequences of waiving his Contingency.
Back-Up Contract
This is a normal contract between a Buyer and Seller that includes the Addendum For “Back-Up” Contract. It is escrowed at the Title Company and includes the Earnest Money check to the Title Company and usually the Option check, that the Seller receives and deposits in his own account. It is imperative that the Buyer understands he can receive a refund of his Earnest Money , but the Option Fee will be retained by the Seller, if he terminates. However, if the contract proceeds all the way to closing, he will probably receive credit for that fee, on the Closing Statement, according the terms of the Contract. Once the Contract is Escrowed, no other performance is required until the back-up contract becomes the primary contract. The back-up addendum contains the date, which informs the Seller, that the Buyer is willing to wait for the previous primary contract to terminate. When that date arrives, if the first contract is still in force, the backup contract will terminate and the Buyer will be refunded the earnest money. However, if the First Contract terminates, before that date, the Seller must notify the Back-Up Buyer and their Contract becomes the Primary Contract, with an Amended Effective Date (date of the written notice). This is the important thing for Back-Up Buyers to understand. They have the unrestricted right to terminate, while waiting for the first contract to terminate, and during the period from the Amended Effective Date until their (agreed upon) option period ends.
The Human SNAFU Factor
As with all things, humans can manage to muck it up. A HUGE problem, is when listing agents do not change the “status” of their listings, in the MLS system, to reflect the true nature of the situation. I assume they do this on purpose, in hopes that other agents will continue to show and make offers, on their listings. In truth, it is a terrible imposition on the time and efforts of agents and customers, who are looking for property to purchase. Just this week, I was not told we were making an offer on a property, with an escrowed contract in place, until well into the negotiation phase. The Seller may not accept a second offer unless the back-up addendum is part of the second offer. How frustrating is that? FYI, be aware that it will be virtually impossible to close, if the title company does not have signed and properly executed documents showing the Termination of Contract and Release of Earnest Money on the first contract before your “Back-Up Contract” became the Primary Contract in first position. An unco-operative Buyer or Seller, on the first contract, can delay your closing indefinitely. There are five places on Texas Forms, where the date mentioned must be observed, without exception. 1. the paragraph that allows for an option period (if desired) in your Contract Form, 2. the Third Party Financing Addendum, 3. the Addendum For Sale of Other Property By Buyer, 4. the Addendum For Back-Up Contract and 5. the Short Sale Addendum. If your real estate agent is not paying attention to these dates, then you need to be. There could be legal consequences, if these dates are not observed and the time for performance, or adjustment by Amendment, are allowed to pass without action. Being informed is a good thing.
Island Real Estate Ticker 3
Multi Family Units For Sale From $330,000 to $2,500,000
9
Commercial Properties For Sale From $150.000 to $4.557,465
150
Lots and Land For Sale
57
Parcels on a Canal or Water From $98,900 to $1,850,250
93
Parcels not on the Water From $17,500 to $780,000
219
Island Residences For Sale
108
Attached Homes For Sale From $59,000 to $529,000
62
Detached Homes on the Water From $229,900 to $2,200,000
49
Detached Homes not on the Water From $149,900 to $315,000
18
Padre Island Residences Closed in November 2012
3
Padre Island Lots Closed in November 2012
1
Multi Family Building Closed in November 2012
A 8
Santa continued from A1
land Moon
Who is this Santa?
Toy requests this year
Clearly, the star of the show was Santa, who looked very healthy and happy in spite of the incalculable amount of work that he and his elves are doing during this time of the year. We were extremely fortunate that Santa took time off from his staggering schedule to pay us a visit. It remains unknown how Santa arrived. In an instant he appeared and just as quickly he disappeared. Was it a sleigh? Airplane? Helicopter? We will continue to investigate to see if there were any witnesses. One star-struck child thought it was a sleigh, however, she did not actually see it, nor produce a cell phone photograph. Anyway, can you even imagine a group of angry, flying reindeer with stickerburrs in their hooves and legs?
So what kinds of toys are our island children hoping for this year? That is generally considered confidential information, however, two local elves, Ashley and Hannah, asked excited children that very question during the breakfast. The results might surprise you. The iconic iPad seems to be the favorite so obviously, Santa’s technology factory will be busy again this Christmas season. It is truly mind-boggling how semi-frozen elf fingers can fidget with microscopic computer parts on Santa’s assembly lines. Ford would be proud! Other ‘toy’ requests included Lego sets, helicopter, Pillow Pet, dog, Baby Butterscotch, Moon Boots, Amazon Gift Card, Dora House,
Why did Santa visit the island? He was quick to respond offering, “The Island is a wonderful place, and with a long night in the freezing cold delivering toys, I needed a little sunshine and warmth to get ready!” People frequently wonder if Santa will get to all of the children. He responded warmly and confidently claiming, “Absolutely! Haven’t missed a year yet, and won’t miss this one!”
December 6, 2012
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Santa is perceived as very cheerful and kind. Santa shared, “I try awfully hard to be cheerful all of the time, which is pretty easy since I have the best job in the world! Who wouldn’t be cheerful when surrounded by such fun things and great people?” Certainly, even Santa has to rest from the business of toy design, fabrication, and delivery, not to mention speaking engagements and preChristmas visits. So where does he rest? Where does Santa go to unwind? When? Santa confided that he gets a little rest in the summer time, “I rest up...and take a vacation to Cancun!” Mr. and Mrs. Claus do not have any of their own children, but Santa smiled and said, “Mrs. Claus and I haven’t been blessed with children of our own, but we have the elves, and we have the great joy of delivering toys and goodies to the children of the world!” Bottom line – Santa is a busy, compassionate, generous and energetic man who has made it his mission to spread joy throughout the world. He definitely demonstrated those behaviors repeatedly last Saturday at the breakfast.
friends, Jasmine Doll, scooter, iPhone, Jetpack, dirt bike, bicycle, drawing set, Barbie Dolls, video camera, and a host of other prized toys. Some of the children pasted pictures of the toys that they want this year and gave the requests to Santa. Most of the children appeared to walk away from their visit with Santa with a sense of renewed optimism about their Christmas morning gift prospects. Only a few children clammed-up or showed resistance to getting near Santa. No worries. They have not yet discovered that indeed Santa is a magnetic, jolly, gentle, and caring soul with no known criminal record or driving infractions.
How does he do it? Children were heard asking, “How does Santa get to all of the houses in the world?” Simple. It is the magic of Santa and Christmas, not to mention a top-secret sleigh and eight amazing and tireless reindeer (the same eight reindeer reported in the 1823 poem “A Visit From St. Nicholas” by Clement C. Moore). It is rumored that Santa’s speedy, special sleigh was manufactured in the same factory as the famous Magic Carpet. The reindeer are obviously a special and unique breed that defies even the most ingenious cloning attempts.
Pesky photographers
Good or bad? In shocking news all of the Island children reported that they had been good for the entire year, clearly paving the way for a Christmas morning filled with toys instead of the proverbial lump of coal. A few children paused before sharing whether they had been good or bad. Perhaps they were quickly reviewing the year in their minds, searching for memories of any possible egregious behavior. Nah! They simply could not recall any behavior remotely bordering on ‘bad’. More Christmas magic. Ages of the children ranged from a few months to… let’s say well past AARP qualifying age. Islander Grady Hunter was observed near Mr. and Mrs. Claus. His toy request, as well as his age, remains a secret, and I was unable to pry it from the lips of Mrs. Claus.
The photographer and his helpers took many photographs and printed them for the guests. Children patiently waited for their turn with Santa and managed a huge smile or ‘clenched teeth display’ when their photograph was taken. Most youngsters thought that the chat with Santa was far more important than the photograph. Can’t blame them. As they left the festivities parents proudly viewed complimentary photographs of their precious children sitting with Santa. Tradition continues. All seemed well with the world for a short time on Saturday morning during Breakfast With Santa. The breakfast was great, bags of new toys were collected, Santa is real, volunteers gave their time and heart, money was raised for local children and projects, cherished photographs with Santa will adorn family photo albums, parents’ faces were painted with love, and the gift of giving filled the air. Thank you to everybody who made the breakfast possible, especially Santa.
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December 6, 2012
Island Moon
2nd Annual La Posada Kick-Off Party @ Scuttlebutts
A9
Port Aransas Lighted Boat Parade
Padre Island Baptist Church Market
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A 10
December 6, 2012
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New Construction on the Island. 4/3/with study. Over 2300 sq.ft., stained cabinetry, granite countertops throughout. $239,900. Call Beth for plans 779-4943.
Enjoy the Good Life. This two bedroom, 2.5 bath at El Constante comes fully furnished. Awesome views of the Gulf of Mexico. Call Terry 549-7703.
13541 Ducat fabulous waterfront home on 75’x120’ lot. 3-4 bedrooms, 3 full baths, Trex decks. Too many extras to list $600,000. Call Cindy Molnar 549-5557.
REDUCED! 15401 Cruiser 2 bedrooms, 2 baths, 2 car garage $179,000. 1305 sq.ft. Very nice inside and out. Located on a canal. Call Charlie 361-443-2499.
15905 Punta Bonaire $620,100. 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.
3442 Paradise Dr. 4/3.5/3 $324,900. 1.7 acres of land with lots of mature trees, water well, 2 living and 2 dining. Call Charlie Knoll 443-2499.
New construction by Seaquist Homes. 4-2-2 on Punta Espada. Open floor plan, split bedrooms, landscaped front yard, builder’s warranty. Call Cheryl 563-0444.
2201 Oak Crest $139,900. 2 bedrooms, 2 baths plus an 2 additional rooms. Pool on the grounds. Call Charlie 361-4432499.
13969 Mainsail 3 bedroom, 2.5 bath upscale Energy Star compliant home with inground pool, hot tub, outdoor kitchen and much more. $279,900. Call Cindy 549-5557.
Sale Pending!
Beautifully Updated 3-2-2 w/ multi purpose room. Split bedrooms. Gas stove. Tile & bamboo floors. Plantation shutters. Large backyard. Cheryl 5630444.
Prestigious Beachfront Aransas Princess. Fully furnished 2/2. Underground parking, 2 pools, hot tub, tennis, much more. $335,000. Call Charlene 361244-2344.
This two story home sits on over 1 acre of land. Water well with sprinkler system. Four bedrooms with four baths. 3 car garage. Two living & 2 eating areas. Call Terry Cox 549-7703. $388,500.
Lovely Flour Bluff 1-story home on 1.3 acre corner. Spacious 4/3/2 w/2 living & 2 dining. Circular drive & water well for yard. Call Pam Morgan 2158116. $343,700.
13853 Topsail $284,000 3 bedrooms, 2 baths, 2 car garage, 1756 sq.ft on a nice canal. Tile roof, rock front and back yard. Well maintained. Charlie 4432499.
Mediterranean Bea uty — Waterfront, new construction by Seaquist. 3-2.5-2. Huge game room. Master down. High impact windows. Still time to choose colors. Cheryl.
25,570 sq.ft. feet int. lot in Coquina Bay. Two story with 4 bdrms-2207 sq. feet- $209,000. Call Dorothy @ 563-8486.
Reduced Price 15713 Cuttysark 3/2.5/1 lovely Island home. Large yard with room for a pool. Call Laura Wallace (361) 815-2116.
Investment opportunity! 4/2.5/2 waterfront with extra parking. Vaulted ceilings, fireplace and wet bar. $259,900. 13541 Royal Fifth. Call Shonna 510-3445.
722 St. Lucy $154,900 3/2.5/1. 1624 sq.ft of living area. 2 living areas. All bedrooms up. Nice landscaping. Above ground pool. Charlie 361-443-2499.
Sale Pending!
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
New Construction by TwoSaam. 14126 Coquina Bay. 3/2/2 plus den/office. Granite countertops & tile floors throughout. $219,900. Charlie 443-2499.
13917 Primavera bring your decorating ideas, paint & flooring samples. This 4 bedroom, 2.5 bath home is waiting for the right person. $149,900. Cindy 549-5557.
Nautilus Galleria-one bedroom across the street from beach. Furnished. Secure entrance. Pool & hot tub. On site laundry facilities. Call Cheryl 563-0444.
3266 Roscher—zoned for horses, near 5 acres. 2 story home 3-2.52. Backs up to the Oso Bay, private beach, fishing pier, pool. Cheryl or Mary Lou.
Looking for Long Term Rental Property? Below are some of our available rentals:
Beach Club #394 Efficiency—1 $750
Portono #705 2/2 $1800 furnished
Leeward Isles #5204 2/2 $1200
15542 Cu�ysark 3/2/2 $1700
15838 Punta Espada 3/2.5/2 $2200
3834 Priscilla 4/3/2 $2500
Lakeshore Villas #24 2/2 $1150
Seascape Villa #A‐5 1/1 $900
13765 Eaglesnest 3/2/2 $2300 pool
Waterfront Lots for Sale!!
Sale Pending!
Bounty $109,900 Palo Seco $154,900 San Felipe $200,000 Mystic Harbor one bedroom corner unit on water. Canal access. Tropical pool. Hot tub. Security entrance. Sold furnished. Call Cheryl 563-0444.
3918 Gulfton 3/2/2 $124,900. 1369 sq.ft. well maintained house with a nice location. New countertops & backsplash. Call Charlie 443-2499 or Jeremy 960-7873.
Cuttysark $189,000 For More Info Call: Terry Cox 549-7703
121 Gulfstream $209,900 Beautiful 1st floor unit, ss appliances/granite countertop. Updated furnishings. Easy pool/beach access. Call Shonna 510-3445.
6th floor side/front unit-long veranda-great gulf viewimmaculate-newer appointments. Call Dorothy Ernst at 563-8486.
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