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March 7, 2013

Soon to be The only Island in Texas where a Kittywake can draw a crowd

Around The Island

By Dale Rankin editor@islandmoon.com Spring Break 2013 officially kicks off this Friday and that means our Island will be swarming with beach partiers and plenty of police officers to keep them in line and that’s a good thing.

The PD this year will use the building at Tortuga Dunes as their headquarters and during peak afternoon traffic hours an officer will man the street lights at SPID and Commodores to keep things moving. The lights have already been reset in anticipation of the traffic flow which means some long waits at the Commodores light if you are northbound on SPID. This will be the first Spring Break with the Aquarius Extension open and it will get a lot of use.

After 1 p.m. the PD will route traffic onto the beach at the third access road and Zahn Road will be one way from the beach to SH 361. The city crews have the beach ready and judging by the hotel reservations this looks to be a very busy couple of weeks. Next weekend will be the busiest as it is in the middle of the two week Spring Break season and everyone will be out of school.

Officers will remain on the beach until 4 a.m. this year to head off trouble and will also be equipped with cameras to help back up tickets for littering. City crews have purchased 17,000 trash bags to hand out to help keeping beach litter to a minimum. There will also be about 15 people on the beach selling parking stickers.

So this is a good week for the Kleberg beach or the Ski Basin depending on weather.

Rites of Spring Break In Spain they have the annual Running of the Bulls. Here on The Island we have the annual Running of the Speed Trap. By the time you read this the first Spring Break Whitecap Speed Trap will probably have commenced. Each Thursday before Spring Break extra officers are assigned to The Island for crowd control.

The officers arrive on Thursday but the Spring Breakers don’t arrive until Friday.

So on a Thursday couple of the officers, usually motorcycle guys, set up with a radar gun at Whitecap and Gypsy. This is not to complain because we all know we got plenty of speeders around there that need to slow down. It’s just an admonition to remember as you (speed) drive down Whitecap to look out.

New reef The effort by the local SEA group to build a reef about ten miles out of Packery Channel is moving forward quickly. They now have about 7 million pounds of concrete assembled down at the ship channel which will be taken out to a 160 acre site in about 70 feet of water and dropped to the bottom. Texas Parks and Wildlife also has some pyramid shaped “fish houses” which will also be used.

This will be a great spot for fishing and diving and should be in place within the next few months.

So Spring is about to be Broken but hey, it’s only for a couple of weeks and then we have our Island back with the anticipation of a beautiful April…and that’s not so bad.

Say hello if you see us Around The Island.

Photo by Colin Davi

Next Publication Date: 3/14/2013 Facebook: The Island Moon Newspaper

Year 16, Issue 464

Spring Break is Upon Us

Details of Schlitterbahn Design Coming Into Focus

By Dale Rankin Developer Paul Schexnailder on Tuesday gave the Island Strategic Action Committee an update on the plans for the park. Here’s a synopsis: The next phase of the project will be to install electrical connections and rework the existing pump station. Once that is complete nine holes of the golf course will be closed and the sprinkler systems removed for reuse along with a “harvesting” of the greens. Eventually, plans call for another three holes to be added.

Then digging will begin on the 3500-foot IslandWalk canal so that the fill dirt can be used to landscape the grounds for the park. Park developers have purchased three large rides which are expected to begin arriving at the site within the next month. The main construction crews are currently finishing up a job in South Padre and are expected to arrive on the local site by the first of August which will give them eight months to complete work on the park before the 2014 summer season.

The beaches are clear and ready as the Island prepares for Spring Break

Tired of Dodging Your Personal Pothole?

Islander Has a Solution

Schexnailder also described the new layout of the country club building. The entrance to the waterpark will be near the east side of the existing building where a new structure will be built that will include amenities for staff services. A new kitchen will also be added along with a 5000 square-foot palapa which will run around the outside of the building.

Plans include a new pro-shop for club members, as well as a members-only open air dining room where the current pro-shop is located. The existing main dining room of the club will be turned into a merchandize shop for Schlitterbahn products.

The swimming pool will be redone to include a swim-up bar, two of the existing tennis courts will be upgraded, and an eighteen-hole PuttPutt golf course with real grass will be built.

Once the improvements are in place, Schexnailder said, a package will be offered to members which will include, among other things, access to the open air dining room, early and late access to the waterpark, a lighted putting green and driving range, as well as a golf package.

Traffic plans Schexnailder also said a traffic engineering firm is working on a plan for traffic control around the park and along SPID between Commodores and Whitecap. While nothing has been decided, what is under consideration is a type of traffic loop which would allow cars to access developments on both sides of SPID without hampering the traffic flow on the main road. The loop would cross SPID at two points, one near the current location of Nemo Court, and another south of the planned Water Exchange Bridge.

However, he said, much of the traffic flow across/under SPID is expected to be pedestrian and golf cart traffic which will be able to pass under SPID on each side of the canal which will connect the waterpark on the west side of the road to a marina and other developments on the east side. The bridge is currently awaiting permitting through the Texas Department of Transportation.

Canal Dredging Underway

By Dale Rankin Potholes are kind of like the weather, everyone complains about them but nobody does anything about them…at least until now.

Islander David Devlin, owner of Padre Island Mail Plus has decided to stop hoping that Island potholes get magically repaired and has instead adopted guerilla tactics; he’s selling pothole repair material that Islanders can apply themselves on their own property.

It’s called Aquaphalt and using it is about the same as filling a hole with dirt, the difference being that instead of dirt the hole is filled with a gravely slurry of black stuff that looks kind of like wet tar; except that it isn’t.

“It is a completely organic compound,” Devlin says, “with no VOC’s (Volatile, Organic Compounds).”

It is made of vegetable oil, a proprietary plant, and 1% asphalt. The mix is poured directly from the container into the pothole then tap water is added. The mix is then smoothed out with a rake or shovel, then tamped down – with whatever is handy. Once the hole is filled water is poured over the mix which then expands to fit the confines of the pothole. Within fifteen minutes the new patch can be driven over without damage and the repair is done.

Apollo Environmental, the company that did the recent dredging on Packery Channel used Aquaphalt to repair damage at the City’s Packery Channel boat ramp. It can be used by anyone who has concrete or asphalt.

So there you go, if you are tired of dodging the rim buster on your street get out your shovel and water bucket and get – er done.

A little Island history

A Fight to the Death in the Texas Hill Country Editor’s note: In the years leading up to his death in the Alamo 177 years ago last week Jim Bowie spent many years in Texas seeking his fortune. One of his endeavors was to locate the lost silver mines near San Saba, but instead he found a fight with the Indians.

By Dale Rankin Jim Bowie may have been most famous for the knife made and given to him by his brother but his passion during his life was for two things – money and land; and getting as much as he could get his hands on either in any way he could.

Dredging is underway in the north end of the Island canal system. There were some initial problems with damage to underwater lights but that has been corrected. If you see the dredge coming it might be a good idea to remove your light just in case. The work is expected to continue for a few weeks.

The fill from the dredging is being pumped to a prepared site just west of the Aquarius Extension. The dredging will be the main north channel from the Laguna Madre down to about where the canal bends, the Suntan canal, and the canal from Suntan over to Primavera.

The presence of silver in the area around the San Saba settlement in present day Llano County was first discovered by the Indians who told the Spaniards of its presence when the Spaniards went to the area in 1753 seeking a site for an Apache mission. In February 1756 an expedition led by Bernardo de Miranda y Flores left San Antonio with twenty-three soldiers and citizens. Miranda reported that the ore veins he found were so abundant that he guaranteed “a mine to each of the inhabitants of the province of Texas.”

He returned to San Antonio and sent a threepound ore sample to the viceroy in Mexico

City for assay – who told him to go back and get forty wagon loads and bring them back – which never happened.

Into Indian country The mines were in hostile Indian country and for years maps showing the location of the mines floated around San Antonio like so many sheets in the wind but no one mounted a serious effort to find them until Bowie set out from San Antonio on November 2, 1821. With a group of about a dozen men including his brother Rezin they were bound for San Saba under the guidance of a friend of Bowie’s from Louisiana by the name of History continued on A3

Island Moon

A 2

Seashore News

Moon Monkeys

March

7,

2013

Above: Seashore Middle Academy’s Science Bowl team recently took 2nd place at UT-Pan Am. Team members include: James Kernan, Jared Haney, Jesse Huang, C.J. Evaristo, and Kenny Ho. Congratulations!

Seashore Learning Center students recognized Texas Independence Day at the school’s annual Lone Star Stampede.

The Stampede included two-stepping, barbecue, roping, and more during a day of Texas-style fun.

Don’t you think Moon Monkeys could do this?!

Lillian Sorrell

I do!

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Moon Mystery Person of the Week Our mystery person from last week was Romeo Gallindo, manager off the Black Sheep Bistro on North Padre Island. You can often find Romeo cooking up something delicious behind the tapas bar.

The Travelling Moon

Brad, Bumpy, Curtis, and Scott took along a Moon to read while riding the lifts in Keystone, CO while skiing.

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This photo of Cindy Nelms was taken on a recent cruise to the Western Caribbean. It was taken in Falmouth, Jamaica at the Great Hope Plantation, which at 600’ above sea level, is the highest point in Jamaica. It was once a 2,000 acre sugar cane plantation. The Island Moon also visited Cozumel and Georgetown, Grand Cayman.

March 7, 2013

Island Moon

History continued from A1

A lone Tawakoni The next morning they saw a lone Tawakoni Indian following their tracks and behind him over one hundred mounted Indians. One of Bowie’s party yelled, “Indians!” and the braves began stripping for battle while one Caddo rode forward brandishing a scalp.

An attempt at a parlay by the Texians was answered with, “How de do? and a volley of a dozen shots. Eight of the Tawakoni charged with tomahawks but retreated with four dead.

Then a party of sixty Indians charged but the Indians own beliefs worked against them.

Their leader was a chief wearing buffalo horns marking him as the chief and his paint and attire were believed to make him impervious to the Texian bullets.

“Who is loaded?” Bowie yelled.

“I am,” came the reply from Ciaphas Ham whose shot broke the chief’s leg and killed his horse. The chief hobbled around on one leg holding his rawhide shield before him as four of the Texians finished him off. Members of the war party rushed to carry him away but each was shot down in turn.

For fifteen minutes the skirmish raged as the Indians retreated to a nearby hill where they fired arrows and the occasional musket into the grove. Their snipers advanced up a creek bed and their shots hit one Texian in the chest and nicked another. A new chief appeared to test his medicine against the rifles only to be shot down

by Bowie and once again more Indians fell trying to retrieve his body. Two more Texians were hit by rifle fire and the Indians now completely surrounded the grove where the ten surviving Texians hid.

With white smoke from their rifles exposing their positions with each shot the Texians fired then rolled to avoid return fire and in this manner held out until 11 a.m. the next day.

Valorous men who bared their breasts For the next ten hours the Indians tried to burn them out by setting the brush afire. They set up a breastwork of saddles and rocks and listened as the Indians mourned their dead through the night and they heard a single shot as the Indians, as was their custom, put a mortally wounded man out of his misery.

Just before daylight they heard a commotion in

Stuff I Heard on the Island

It all started a few months ago when I was driving the beater truck down Ocean Drive to pick up newspapers. It was a beautiful day and I was tooling along admiring the view across the bay and wondering what the poor folks were doing when suddenly the light turned yellow and then red in about the time it takes to swat an Island mosquito. A flash went off and a week later I got a ticket in the mail for running a red light. They wanted $75 – I said we’ll see.

The Alamo Plaza the Indian camp and prepared for a final attack only to watch the Indians retreat in the face of mounting causalities. A count of the bloody spots on the ground indicated about forty dead and thirty wounded – likely an exaggeration in true Texian style. Their own losses were one dead and two wounded, although not a single Texian was without a wound. They stayed in their forted position for eight days, occasionally firing their rifles in hopes of attracting the attention of friendly Comanches.

After eight days they set out for San Antonio.

For one man’s broken leg they prepared a poultice out of tree bark, charcoal, and ground meal which they wrapped in a buffalo skin around his leg. They crossed the Pedernales sixty miles from San Antonio where they saw smoke from Tawakoni fires and left the trace that provided the most direct route to San Antonio, covering the remaining distance through the rough country.

When they arrived in San Antonio they learned that the Comanche who had warned them on the trail had preceded them to San Antonio where he had reported their near certain death.

Ham wrote his own account of the event in the flowery language of the age: “It stands almost alone upon the scenic walls of Fame’s grand temple. The valorous men who bared their breasts to the assaults of a savage enemy, in overwhelming numbers, who fought without fear and without hope, and rolled back the tide of barbaric aggression, should be remembered and honored as long as civilization endures, and gratitude has a place in the human heart.”

But more than anything it made Jim Bowie a legend. In the ethos of the time to facedown overwhelming odds had a mythical quality and it made Jim Bowie a leader of men in the eyes of the Tejanos and Texians alike. It was leadership that would have its place in the siege of the Alamo and in Texas history.

To that end he found himself in Saltillo, Mexico, the capital of the Mexican state of Coahuila de Tejas holed up in a house with his father in law Juan Martin de Veramendi.

What followed was a textbook lesson in why cities should never outsource basic city services to a for-profit company. Soon enough I found out the company which operates our city’s red light cameras, Australian Based Redflex Traffic Systems Inc., has no interest in public safety; their interest - and by association our city’s interest - sole interest is not in the public’s safety but the public’s money.

Blood money Increased safety is the reason given for adopting this Blood Money program but according to a report given to the city council after the first year the cameras were installed at the first six intersection in our city the accident rate was up at each by about 50%; and the accidents were high impact rear enders and T-bone hits as cars tried to get through the intersections before they had their picture taken.

Reports from Corpus Christi police to the Texas Department of Transportation show wrecks have been on the rise at several intersections where the cameras have been installed. At Ayers Street, where the most wrecks have been reported at a red-light camera intersection, total wrecks rose from eight in 2009, to 16 in 2010, and 35 in 2011. Nearly a third of those in 2011 were reported as red-light-camera related.

So citing safety concerns as the reason for the cameras doesn’t pass the Stink Test. If public safety was the goal the cameras would have been removed by now, instead the city council last March renewed the Redflex contract for five years. Revenue streams are addicting no matter how bad they smell.

City $300,000... Scofflaws $2 million There are currently 13 red light cameras in use at 12 intersections scattered throughout Corpus Christi. After operating costs, revenue collected is split evenly between the city and the state.

The city receives more than $300,000 annually from the cameras. In a report last August, outstanding balances for vehicles registered in Nueces County for red light camera violations totaled $2 million – that means the vast majority of people who get tickets from the cameras simply ignore them. Word spread quickly that there were no consequences if you ignored the ticket completely; it does not go on your driving record and does not affect your insurance if you pay the fine and that is what Redflex and our city are counting on to coerce people into just paying the fine.

The threat is that if you fail to pay the city will attach a hickey to your car title that means you have to pay the fine before you can get your new license plate along with an additional $100 fine. Of that $100 fee the county receives $7.50, RedFlex receives $10 and the city gets the balance of $82.50. Are you starting to get the picture here? Once a governmental entity gets its nose under the edge of the revenue tent it immediately starts looking for ways to add to the sum. That doesn’t pass the stink test either but the hits just keep on coming.

Street tax on locals The dirty little secret is that in order for the city to put a hold on vehicle registration for out of towners the city must have an interlocal agreement with each county in the state – all 254 of them, as well as each state across the country. And since, as best I can find out, the only county they have such an agreement with is Nueces – which gets a cut of the money - see how this works. If a driver from Lubbock or San Antonio or Minnesota runs a red light here and gets a Redflex ticket they can simply ignore it; it’s only the locals who have to pay up.

By law, half of the funds the city collects from red light cameras are required to go to the state to fund trauma centers, however, the Dallas Morning News reported last year that though given to the state, the funds have not been reaching trauma centers because the Legislature has been drawing the earmarked funds and others from the state’s general fund to balance the budget, which is allowable under state law.

How it really works Once you get a ticket in the mail if you wish to contest it you have to provide a notarized statement - $10 – to say who was actually driving the car. Then you get a date and you go down to this dingy little office on Leopard Street where they sit you in a chair and show you a video of your alleged offense. The hearing goes like this: “Is that your car?” “Yes.” “Hearing over, pay the lady.”

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A3

by Dale Rankin

Caiaphas Ham who had been living among the Indians for several months.

The group moved northwest over the De la Bandera trail and crossed the Llano River at the base of the San Saba Hills. There they met two Comanches, one of whom they knew, who had a Mexican captive who translated for them.

They said they were part of another group driving stolen horses to San Antonio for sale. The next morning the Mexican captive returned to warn them that the Comanches had run across a party of 124 Tawakoni, Waco, and Caddo Indians who intended to attack Bowie’s party and steal their horses and equipment. The Comanche chief Isayune advised them to push toward a nearby brush covered hill where they could make a stand. Bowie didn’t listen and instead made for the abandoned fort at San Saba which he could not find. They ended up in a cluster of live oaks where they dug in after clearing the brush from the ground around them to deny cover to the Indians.

2013 assessments due by March 31st Late fees applied on April 1st

My response was, “Where did you get that video? Did the city make it?”

The answer was he got it from Redflex.

“So the chain of custody runs through a nongovernmental agency who has a profit motive in my conviction.”

“What?” the fellow said.

“You have no chain of custody, you don’t even know where that video came from.”

“Are you a lawyer?”

“What difference does it make? I want a trial.”

I was sent to the Municipal Court where I had to pay a $50 bond in order to get a trial date in the next thirty days. That was almost three months ago and when I tried to call the courts I found out for all I can tell there are no actual living people down there, because you can’t get one on the phone. The phone system is designed so that eventually you utter words not heard in the Bible and hang up.

Finally, I left a message, “I can’t seem to get anybody to talk to me about this case so I’ll make another one. I’m going back down to Ocean Drive and run a red light. I’ll be back.”

A couple of things you should know Redflex’ largest customer in the U.S. is the city of Chicago. A series of stories in the Chicago Tribune late last year revealed that Redflex Traffic Systems Inc. paid $2.03 million to a consultant on its Chicago contract with some of the money intended for the city official who was heading up the bidding for the city. According to findings from a Redflex internal investigation – the second after the first one found no problems –“the then-president and then-executive vice president of the Phoenix-based (Redflex) subsidiary ‘had knowledge that would have made any reasonable person highly suspicious that this was a bribery scheme, and they acted improperly in allowing this arrangement to occur.”

The president, chief financial officer and the top lawyer for the U.S. subsidiary of Redflex resigned amid the escalating scandal which caused the sale of Redflex stock to be suspended for a time. So what we know is that this company, by its own admission, is willing to bribe city officials to get a contract, and that the contract in our city has resulted in an increase in accidents at camera intersections yet it got a five year renewal.

That doesn’t pass the stink test either.

Second, court rulings in cases in several states have consistently ruled that those accused of running a red light by virtue of evidence from a camera have the right to question their accuser – Redflex. That means that if everyone who gets one of these tickets demands a hearing that Redflex will have to send someone to testify.

They won’t like that very much.

The Baltimore Sun revealed in November that misfiring speed cameras had been allowed to issue tickets to non-speeding and even motionless vehicles.

“If the goal of employing red-light camera systems is to improve driver safety, the data suggest that the program has failed,” New Jersey state Sen. Michael Doherty wrote in the Trenton Times in December.

New Jersey’s experience shows that revenues fall off sharply once drivers become aware of the cameras—but accidents don’t. Serious T-bones at intersections occur not because a driver willfully ignores a red light but because he’s not paying attention—which cameras don’t help. Meanwhile, numerous studies, including an in-depth federal report, confirm that red-light cameras are associated with an increase in rearend collisions as drivers slam on the brakes.

What research across the country clearly shows is that the best way to decrease crashes at problem intersections is a longer yellow. In Tampa, hundreds appear to have received tickets because a busy yellow was set at three seconds when the state minimum is 4.5. In Georgia, after a new state law adding a second to the yellow, several towns canceled their camera programs as no longer profitable.

So if safety is the goal, there is the solution.

If you are going through one of these intersections where there is a camera you might want to hesitate just a fraction before you take off when the light turns green because statistically speaking there’s a good chance someone will be barreling through – and it might be me.

The first rule of civil disobedience is that the best way to get rid of a bad law is to force it to be enforced so let’s start with that – if you get one of these tickets demand a hearing. Then we have a city ballot coming up in November.

If local voters can be trusted to make decisions on whether to issue $50 million in street bonds, then they should also be qualified to decide whether they want cameras watching them on the intersections they paid for.

I say put this matter to the voters.

Island Moon

A 4

Hot Dogs and Flying Cats

By Riley P. Dog,

My name is Riley P. Dog and I eat catfood. I sneak around when no one is watching and I eat the whole bowl and then I blame it on the cat. Dr. Kresser says my body fat is 54% and I should weigh 54 pounds instead of 92 so they put me on a new diet.

So far all I know is that I like the new dog food but I haven’t been getting any hot dogs from the nice ladies at Stripes. I miss those hot dogs.

The good news is that the Back Porch opens in Port Aransas this week so I can work the tourist crowd for French fries. Those guys are suckers for a sad face. But I’m an old guy now so I have to sneak around to get my treats because my humans are trying to starve me.

Flying cat I live with two fifteen year old albino cats who aren’t very good at much except supplying me with catfood. One of the cats likes to climb out the second story balcony and jump from the roof to the lower deck like a flying Wallenda cat. She gives off a couple of meows and she takes off.

Last night I was outside with one of my humans

when the cat got ready to launch but got a big surprise. A giant bird came swooping down out of the sky and grabbed her in his talons and tried to carry her away. I could hear him coming but he was fast. My human yelled and the cat is pretty fat so the bird couldn’t hold on and the cat fell to the ground and ran under the deck and wouldn’t come out.

This was my chance so I ran upstairs and headed for the cat food. The cat ended up with some claw marks on her back and a great story to tell at the cat reunion but I was cut off before I could get to the cat food. My humans got mad at that bird who I guess was just hungry. From what I can tell humans prefer that birds carry off animals that they don’t know – you know like pocket gophers and such. One of my humans got out the shotgun when I had to go outside but the other human told him, “If a bird comes along that can carry off Riley. P. Dog you’re not going to bring him down with any shotgun, you’re going to need a bazooka.”

I think I’m safe from birds, my humans found out later it was a great horned owl. But tell all your cat and dog friends, especially the small ones, to watch out for giant birds, and wish me luck on my new diet.

Anybody got a hot dog?

Rep. Farenthold Introduces Pace Act to Protect America’s Federal Workforce Protecting America’s Civilian Employees (PACE ) Act aims to keep our nation’s federal workforce from furloughs or reductions in force due to sequestration WASHINGTON—Congressman Blake Farenthold (R-TX27), Chairman of the House Oversight Subcommittee on the Federal Workforce, introduced the Protecting America’s Civilian Employees (PACE) Act to keep America’s federal employees from facing furloughs due to sequestration cuts.

The PACE Act requires the Office of Management and Budget to submit a report to Congress indicating how to most efficiently transfer funds within agencies and departments for fiscal year 2013 to avoid all furloughs or reductions in America’s federal workforce.

“Our federal workforce needs to be operating at 100%. They should not be punished because the President, Harry Reid and the Senate Democrats failed to do their jobs and replace the sequester.

“My bill will require the Office of Management and Budget to submit a plan to Congress that implements the President’s cuts without harming our civilian employee’s ability to keep pace with their demands and provide for their families.

“In the district I represent, the civilian employees of Corpus Christi Army Depot (CCAD) and Naval Air Station Corpus Christi (NASCC) could be furloughed for up to 22 days. Our local airport towers in Corpus Christi and Victoria might also face extreme cuts.

“Those reductions in force are unacceptable.

CCAD saves taxpayers millions, NASCC is a primary training site for naval pilots, and our airport tower operators are essential for safe travel and NASCC’s training mission.

March 7, 2013

Water Conditions in Baffin Bay Under Study

Ailing fish and high salinity areas of concern It started last fall when an estimated one-third to half of the commercially harvested black drum from Baffin Bay were about 15 percent below weight.

Rather than firm pink flesh, the fillets of skinny fish looked washed out and bland, especially in large fish. Biologists determined the emaciated drum were starving but so far there is no definitive answer as to why.

Then in late October, fish houses stopped accepting Baffin Bay drum and commercial fisherman had removed their trotlines from the bay northward to the Pure Oil Channel in the Upper Laguna Madre. Recreational fishermen began reporting emaciated fish to biologists with the Texas Parks & Wildlife Department and the Harte Research Institute for Gulf of Mexico Studies.

Soon afterward concerned anglers and biologists formed a group called Friends of Baffin Bay. According to a press release from the group this week their goal is to identify the issues in Baffin Bay, characterize the problems, and develop solutions. Kleberg County, CBBEP and Coastal Conservation Association Texas are funding the initiative, and they are seeking additional funding.

The release says fisherman have long suspected deteriorating bay conditions in what is considered one of Texas’ premier fishing destinations. A 2010 fish kill and a persistent brown tide bloom elevated their concerns.

The Friends of Baffin Bay group has grown into a wide reaching consortium headed by the Coastal Bend Bays & Estuaries Program and involving the parks and wildlife department,

Harte Research Institute, the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service and the Center for Coastal Studies at Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi. Meetings have included the Conrad Blucher Institute, Padre Island National Seashore, Texas Commission on Environmental Quality and bordering landowners such as the King Ranch.

One area of study is the apparent loss of a small surf clam, which is a main part of the drum’s diet. Surf clams thrive in water with a salinity range of 30-40 parts per thousand. Seawater is about 35 ppt, but Baffin Bay can reach more than 50 ppt during a dry summer.

Another concern is agriculture or other runoff, which can produce high levels of nutrients which can be deadly to wildlife by depleting oxygen levels. Water testing is underway and the Kleberg County Commissioners Court has agreed to pay $11,500 toward the water sampling and testing program overseen by Texas A&M-Corpus Christi.

Find more about the group and summaries from its meetings at www.cbbep.org.

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Or you can purchase them at The Island Moon Markets held the fourth Saturday of every month. Shirts come in grey or white short sleeve T-Shirts sizes L. XL and XXL. Tank Tops come in Aqua and White in sizes Med and Large.

“The bottom line is the government does not spend money wisely. We should be able to achieve the needed savings and keep our dedicated federal workforce going strong, without devastating furloughs and that’s what my bill intends to do.”

Flour Bluff NJROTC has won the State Championship for the 19th consecutive year!

Only

To order by mail please send your checks made payable to J. Park to The Island Moon, 14493 S.P.I.D., PMB 220, C.C., Tx 78418.

14.95

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While Supplies Last

The competition was tough, the weather was cold, but the NJROTC kids from Flour Bluff persevered and proved that they deserved to be the Navy State Champions for the 19th consecutive year.

The championship is contested as a compilation of several very different individual events. It is the overall result, i.e., the total combination of the the individual scores for each event that determines the State Championship. The trophy events are Academics, Personnel Inspection, Physical Fitness Drill (comprised of Armed Regulation Drill, Unarmed Regulation Drill, Armed Exhibition Drill, Unarmed Exhibition Drill, and Color Guard), and of course the Overall State Championship Trophy.

Our kids did a phenomenal job! It was a clean sweep of every competitive event in the competition, and this was against the best 18 NJROTC teams from throughout the State of Texas. Nationals is next, and it may be hard for

The results for the Flour Bluff team were as follows: Academics 1st Place Personnel Inspection 1st Place Physical Fitness 1st Place Armed Regulation Drill 1st Place Unarmed Regulation Drill

Armed Exhibition Drill 1st Place Unarmed Exhibition Drill 1st Place Color Guard 1st Place Overall Drill 1st Place

2013 Texas State Champion 1st 1st Place Place others to believe, but I know that there is still a lot of work to do. We will be even better when we get there.

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

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AlsoScoopy’s Veranda With Sweet Treats, Soups, Salads & Sandwiches (361) 949-8815 (361) 949-7810

13313 S. Padre Island Drive Corpus Christi, TX 78418

March 7, 2013

Moon Monkeys

Island Moon

Letters to the Editor

Mike Ellis, Founder

Padre Island Showcase and Home Tour April 6 & 7

Moon, Although not unexpected in the face of ongoing drought conditions, Ducks Unlimited is once again disappointed in the decision to restrict the water supply to rice growers for the coming growing season. Waterfowl, wading birds and other wetland wildlife will face yet another year of reduced habitat availability in the critical wintering area of the Texas MidCoast. Severe drought continues to plague the region, including the Highland Lakes watershed that supplies irrigation water for agriculture on the Texas Mid-Coast.

Pete Alsop Island Delivery Coldwell Banker Advertising Jan Park Rankin Office

According to a Texas AgriLife economic impact analysis, on average, rice contributes $374.3 million and more than 3,300 jobs annually in Colorado, Wharton and Matagorda counties alone. Those numbers do not include rice farming’s substantial contribution to the revenue and jobs generated from waterfowl hunting and other outdoor recreation. Those same rice-producing lands provide important waterfowl habitat that is the basis for the region’s waterfowl hunting heritage. The loss of that rice acreage will not only be a substantial economic blow to the many farmers, communities and service industries related to rice agriculture; it will double current waterfowl habitat shortfalls along the Gulf Coast.

Lisa Towns Classifieds Arlene Ritley Design/Layout Jeff Craft Contributing Writers Joey Farah Devorah Fox Mary Craft Maybeth Christiansen Jay Gardner Todd Hunter Danniece Bobeché Ronnie Narmour Brent Rourk Dr. Donna Shaver Photographers 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

Where to Find The Island Moon Port Aransas All Stripes Stores (Except the one next to the VFW where they throw them away) Sandpiper Condos Port Royal Condos

Gratitude Boutique The Gaff Bar Port A Glass Studio The Wild Horse Bar & Grill The Tarpon Ice House

North Padre

Lisabellas Restaurant

All Stripes Stores

Pioneer RV Park

CVS

Snappy’s Convenient Store

Whataburger Doc’s Restaurant

Kody’s Restaurant

Snoopy’s Pier

Beach Lodge

Isle Mail N More

Amano’s

Island Italian

Miss K’s Catering & Bistro

Ace Hardware

Felder Gallery Island Woman Boutique Neptune’s Retreat Stripes (361 & IA) Moby Dick’s Restaurant IGA Food Store Carter Pharmacy San Juan’s Restaurant Wash Board Washateria Port A Parks and Rec Port Chamber of Commerce Duckworth’s Antiques Woody’s Sports Center

The effort would require the outright purchase of approximately 58,000 acres that are farmed for rice each year. With land costs of approximately $3,000-4,000 per acre, such a buyout would require between $174 and $232 million. Rice is grown on a three-year rotation in Texas, meaning the buyout of all 150,000 acres managed for rice would cost between $450 million and $600 million.

For every 10,000 acres of flooded ricelands lost, the region loses the ability to support 120,000 waterfowl. While the current impact of the LCRA decision cuts off water to more than 50,000 acres of ricelands used by waterfowl, setting aside 10,000 acres of idle land as CTWC recommends will not provide anywhere near the same habitat values for waterfowl and other wildlife.

With projections predicting a doubling of the population in the state over the next 50 years, water availability will become an increasingly difficult issue. Ducks Unlimited is committed to ensuring wildlife habitat needs are fully communicated so that decision makers can make the most informed water allocation choices.

Ducks Unlimited

Bingo at the Beach

361-960-9460 Last year, Dale Rankin asked me to organize a Tour of Homes, on the Island. We looked at similar events in the area. Port Aransas has a yearly Home Tour that showcases homes that are owned and occupied by local residents. It is organized by a local club and the ticket funds are kept in that organization. The Homebuilders Association does an annual city wide tour of newly constructed homes built for the tour and yet to be occupied. We needed something similar, yet unique, that would promote our Island Lifestyle.

By joining forces with Island Realtors, we were able to create a tour of homes For Sale, that exemplify our home choices. From top to bottom, all price ranges and locations are represented. While making plans and working on logistics, we wanted to include Island businesses in our week-end Showcase. The Vendor Show seemed like the perfect way to promote those who live and work on The Island.

It quickly became apparent that the facility needed to fulfill this dream was virtually nonexistent except for the Gym that belongs to Seashore Learning Center on Encantada. With help and support from many different people, we were able to secure this location and proceed with our plans.

The final phase of our goal was to provide “discount coupons” from Island businesses.

Each home that was visited on the Tour, gave out a coupon for use at an Island establishment.

I would be less than truthful, if I said it all took

The dates are April 6 & 7, Saturday and Sunday, from 1-5PM. We will again have Island Homes open for viewing, with special signs and a map.

The SLC Gym on Encantada will be the site of the Vendor’s Show. Each 10X10 booth will be priced at $100.00 and we are committed to a large advertising budget and signage for the event. Lessons learned in the school of hard knocks, last year. All proceeds, after expenses, will be used by Island Beautification Trust to provide upgrades to the Island, that we can all enjoy and benefit from. As a special part of our Tour, the Community Gardens in Douden Park will be open for viewing by all visitors. This is a major project for the Island Beautification Trust and they are providing garden plots for a growing list of Island residents. This endeavor has two goals. One to introduce and promote our Island to those who do not currently live here.

And Two, to allow those who do live here, to find Vendor’s who can meet all their remodeling and repair needs, while making residents aware of the services and goods that are located close to home, without driving OTB. If you want your home on the Tour, please contact your real estate agent and have them sign up. We have 30 Vendor Booths to fill and we are taking in funds to meet all our advertising deadlines. If you see Dale, out and about, take a minute to say “Thank You” for all the effort he makes to bring “unique” events and ideas to our Island….for free. Hope to hear from you soon……..Being informed is a good thing!

Whither the Travis Letter?

By Jerry Patterson, Texas Land Commissioner On March 8, 2013, the William B. Travis “Victory or Death” Letter will return to Austin.

In its 13-day stay at the Alamo, this faded 177-year-old letter touched the lives of tens of thousands of Texans — and non-Texans — from around the world. Old and young waited up to five hours in the morning chill and blazing afternoon sun. There were few complaints.

Rather, the opportunity to see such a patriotic letter in such a historic location — the place where it was created — moved many to tears.

Children, lulled to sleep by a long wait, were often awoken just to see the letter, so that they would remember it later in life when they might understand its importance.

Yet, as it is placed on the big blue truck and once again flanked by state troopers on its trip to Austin, the Travis Letter returns to an uncertain future.

Over the last few weeks, opinions about its fate were as numerous as those who waited in line. Some said it should stay at the Alamo permanently, while others believed seeing the letter once in a lifetime is good enough.

The answer to this issue rests with legislators, who ultimately have the power to decide the letter’s fate.

Final Night March 7

The larger issue is the long-term effect of this event on the Alamo and Texas history.

Thursday, March 7 marks the final night of the Kiwanis Club of Padre Island’s Bingo at the Beach nights at the Holiday Inn at 15202 Windward Drive.

For the first time in a long while, Texans saw

William B. Travis Seguin, Father Olivares, Edward Everett or Clara Driscoll might be utterly unknown to Texans but are just as crucial to the Alamo story.

If there is to be any aftereffect of the Travis Letter event — and I think there are many — one has to be a new appreciation for the history that the Alamo represents.

It must again be seen as the crossroads of Texas history. Not just the location of a single battle in 1836, but as the very cornerstone of Texas.

As one of the first Spanish missions, San Antonio de Valero set the stage for all that was to eventually become Texas.

The Aloha Wa Restaurant will have a special Bingo Menu. Admission is $5 and there will be refreshments. The event runs from 7-10 p.m.

We’ll see you there!

As the ongoing World Heritage Nomination process proves, the Alamo has a regional, national and, yes, international importance.

Bridge Walk and Fitness Sunday

Yet how many wandering through Alamo Plaza today know that they are standing where the foundations of Texas were laid?

Therefore, as the Travis Letter returns to the State Archives to be placed in a folder in a darkened, undisclosed location, we are left to consider its impact.

By Shannette Hoelscher Join us the first Sunday of each month for Bridge Walk and Fitness Sunday! The event is free and open to the Public. It begins at Heritage Park at 7:30 a.m. and ends at 12:00 p.m. It includes Yoga, Fitness Classes, Wellness Demonstrations, Family Fun and Art In The Park!

For other wellness activities or for more information, go to www.bridgewalkcc.com.

the Alamo in a new light. The Alamo was seen not only as a tourist destination and photo backdrop, but as a place where history actually happened. A place where men like Travis lived and died like heroes.

While well known, Travis was but one player on the Alamo stage. Other names like Juan

For now, the letter accomplished the very same goal that Travis intended in 1836. It inspired everyone who read it. It reminded us all that freedom is not free and that when it comes to defending liberty, some times the only choice is Victory or Death.

God Bless Texas.

Texas Star (Shell) Jesse’s Liquor Padre Isles Country Club Scuttlebutt’s Restaurant Subway

GIFTS CERTIFICATES AVALIABLE

Island Tire And all Moon retail advertisers

Flour Bluff H.E.B. Liquid Town Whataburger on Waldron

Michelle Matthews

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Ethyl Everly Senior Center Fire Station Police Station

Back Porch Bar

Stripes on Flour Bluff & SPID

Stripes (Cotter & Station)

Recent research already indicates that lack of adequate habitat along the Gulf Coast is impacting the health of some species.

Approximately 60 percent of the estimated 1.96-million-bird midwinter waterfowl population for the Texas Mid-Coast is expected to rely on ricelands (active and idle flooded rice fields) to meet their food needs. In addition, the Gulf Coast Joint Venture identifies specific population objectives for more than 12 million shorebirds and wading birds that are highly dependent on water in ricelands for nesting, migration and wintering habitat.

By Mary Lou White marylou.white@coldwellbanker.com

place without a hitch. But, overall it seemed to go very well and we survived the first “Padre Island Annual Showcase” with good reviews from the people who participated and gave up their week-end to promote Our Island. Now, we are planning Year Two.

Holiday Inn

Port A Outfitters The Flats Lounge

A5

Real Estate Roundup

Ducks

Distribution

Floyd’s

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Saturday 9am‐2pm

Walk‐Ins Welcome * Late Appointments Available

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

A 6

Did Ya’ Hear?

Island Moon

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

New Advertisers Island Computer Connections offers new computer setup, upgrades, maintenance and software troubleshooting. Islander Chad Feerick can help you build a website, help you connect with social networks and offer you personal computer education training. Call Chad at 2909410 or email chad.feerick@gmail.com.

Del Mar College seeks a Director of Institutional Research with a Master’s degree in Computer Science, Statistic, Mathematic or similar field. Mail resume to the college at 101 Baldwin Blvd 78404. See ad on A15 for more details.

Business Briefs Dragonfly Restaurant is featuring Irish dishes all week starting Tuesday, March 12th. Green wings, corned beef and cabbage, Irish lasagna and chicken boxty in beer sauce. Enjoy a mug of green draft beer with your meal. Even the French are Irish on St. Patrick’s Day! Gratitude in Port A is celebrating “Ten Years of Gratitude”. They will be open Sundays again starting March 10th and will offer a free koozie that day as well as 10% off. Port A’s “Most Eclectic Shop” is at 316 North Station Street.

Fins Grill & Icehouse on the waterfront in Port A is now hiring cooks, dish washers, hostess and bussers. Apply in person at 420 West Cotter Avenue.

Johnny D’s Restaurant has green beer flowing starting Sunday, March 10 and Irish specialties starting the 14th. They serve Sunday Brunch 11

am – 2 pm with the Island’s only Bloody Mary Bar made with vegetables locally grown. For groups of 15 or more call 949-2500 to reserve outdoor or indoor dining.

The Annual Brandeis Used Book Sale is at Sunrise Mall in the corridor adjacent to Sears through Monday, March 11th. Thousands of books, CDs, DVDs, audio books and more Island Italian Restaurant is host to the unofficial “Minnesota Night” every Sunday with entertainment by the South Texas Grass Roots band. Last Sunday the band asked the audience how many were from Minnesota and about 75% raised their hand. Entertainment starts at 6:30 pm.

Island Woman Boutique has a new slimming line of clothing. Owner Carolyn Andrews says “Our clothing and accessories have zero calories”. Her line includes flax linen, Maria de Guadalajara cotton gauze, LA Blend sweaters and more. The boutique is located at 1726 Hwy 361.

March 23

The best shindig goin’, ‘Whoop It Up’, was a sure fire hit agin last Sunday at Whisky River on Staples Horse Trail, though the evenin’ was spiced with several arrests and jailings.

While that was lightin’ up the evenin’, a posse of outlaws played musical bar stools or (with bellies full of fantastic BBQ from master mess hand ‘Unwild’ Bill Schroeder) tried roping whatever was in sight. Other more lawfulminded frontier folks line-danced until their

BBQ Time real rowdy she didn’t have to toss ‘em out near the hitchin’ posts. Instead, she kicked back and enjoyed the evenin’. Except for some auction excitement, all of them cowpokes and cowgirls acted like angels. Sheriff Beeler mentioned that, “SMA will use their share of the proceeds from the shindig to get a classroom set of iPads

The Colorful Jail spurs fell off.

The sizzlin’ and well-attended Island foundation Schools fundraiser fetched well over $30,000 as town folk and ranchers alike hungry for some big ole prizes, donated by dang near every generous business around, gathered around the silent auction tables. There was more commotion at those auction tables than a fox in a henhouse. The same folks later went hog wild on the live auction prizes. Had to restrain some of the locals from gambling off the ranch for some of the prizes. Can you image winnin’ a Bed & Breakfast in Fredericksburg (with certificates for vittles and duds), a huntin’

The Island Beautification Trust and Padre Island Yacht Club Join Forces to Sponsor Annual Spoil Island Cleanup On March 23rd starting at 9:00am Island residents are encouraged to help clean up the Spoil Islands & canals. Owners of small boats and other volunteers are needed – please plan to muster at 8:30am at the PIYC courtesy dock or at the Cobo De Bara or Cartagena boat ramps to collect gloves, trash bags and other supplies. Boaters and volunteers will navigate through the Spoil Islands and canals collecting trash and debris.

After filling trash bags, boaters will take them to dumpsters located at PIYC or Cobo De Bara or Cartagena boat ramps and repeat until around noon.

Fine quilt at a silent auction table

in the fun and support cleaning up our Island.

To participate just show up at one of the three dumpster sites to pickup gloves, trash bags. For any questions e-mail Vic at vicschreck@yahoo. com or call him at 214-668-6263.

March 7, 2013

By Brent Rourk

Scuttlebutt’s is looking for a maintenance man that they need immediately. Call 949-6769 or stop by the restaurant.

Aquarius Street Lighting contract has been approved by the City Council and AEP will start installing street lights shortly.

‘Whoop It Up’ A Jailbird Hit

The Annual POA Meeting will be held Saturday, March 9th 10 am at the Seashore Learning Center gym on Encantada.

Refreshments will be served.

Surfside Sandwich Shoppe is now open Sundays. The hours are 10:30 am – 8:00 pm seven days a week.

[some new-fangled contraption that kids in the school use these days].”

Barbara, Bob, and Colleen trip at Townsend Ranch, a week at a condo in Gulfshores, Alabamie, a big ole beach bonfire hootenanny, and a huntin’ n fishin’ jamboree in Baffin Bay? Caused all kinda mule kickin’.

Was some mighty happy winnin’ ranchers and slickers. Course, we all know that behind every successful rancher is a wife who works in town.

Now when these shindigs are so big and work like the best wagon team on the trail, ya gotta know that there was a mess of deputies who was fussin’ and workin’ hard fer darn near a moon to make it happen. Course, a big thank you to Whiskey River for lettin’ the Island Foundation have the shindig. Then more thanks to all of them generous business type folks who donated some great prizes. Too many to list here. Live auction donors – we love ya! Y’all give more

The Beautification Trust will provide lunch… hamburgers, chips, soft drinks & PIYC will provide dessert around noon on the bottom deck of PIYC. Also, prizes and give a ways will be awarded during dessert, so come join

In the Libations Line

Serving: Padre Island, Flour Bluff, Port Aransas, Mustang Island and Rockport.

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Landscape Design h Decks and Docks First Time Cleanups h Shade Structures/ Pergola Demolitions & Scraping h Outdoor Kitchens We install: Plants, Palms, Rock, h Boat Lifts Sod, Pavers and Outdoor Decor. h Fences & Gates Yard Maintenance h General D&D Repair Concrete Drives/Patio & Retaining Walls

We’re your full service outdoor solution! Give us a call today.

Tim Arlitt - Decks & Docks Specialist 361.229.2530 Sami Wilson - Landscape Designer 361.949.2691

Now ‘bout those arrests. Reckon they weren’t real arrests but some type of game to raise money and spirits. Apparently, one of the sheriffs or the mayor or somebody arrested ‘bout whoever they wanted for $20.00. Well, heck it seems like big crowd wanted a lotta people arrested. Among those jailed were the Sheriffs of SMA (Barbara Beeler) and SLC (Maria Thompson), Island Foundation Schools Mayor Lisa Scheerer, island territory weekly writer and editor Dale Rankin, and a host of others. Those suspected outlaws stayed in jail too, that is until they raised $30.00 to git out.

Geesh, a few of the shindiggers said that they shoulda left ‘em in longer and raised the bail to a few thousand. Maybe coulda lowered the national debt too. Mayor Scheerer went plum crazy over the event. She admitted, “The most fun part was the jail.” [Gotta keep an eye on a mayor who says stuff like that]. She also shared, “A lot of people were signing up for the silent auctions. We are blessed that a lot of people donated really good items.” She was real ‘preciative.

IslandLandscapingDecksAndDocks.com Quality & Insured.

Mr. Dorsey at the ‘Vittle Line’ Theresa Dorsey co-won the Musical Bar Stools. Now how in fair daisies do ya cowin a musical bar stool contest? The Ropin’ competition was purdy tough and one of them deputies said that every rope tosser would win a prize. The line dancin’ was a might popular too.

Lotta folks kickin’ up the floor in their Sunday best seemed to have a heckuva time. Yee-haw!

Everybody was whoopin’ it up. The hog callin’ contest went unnoticed and the bull ridin’ event was called off ‘cause of fear. The bull went back to the pasture. Didn’t see any spittoons so the chewin’ and spittin’ sharpshooter championship will have to wait another year. Dang!

14701 SPID Corpus Christi TX 78418 361-949-2224

Lottery Tickets support than a well-broken-in saddle. Hey, a big thanks to the staffs at the Island Foundation Schools. Them educatin’ folks supported the shindig and came ready to kick up their heels.

Then there was a group of island slickers who was fussin’ a whole bunch over this. Agin, there are too many to list, but there was a few who need to be mentioned for their work. Ya gotta know that for a whole moon they put their work, families, ranch chores, hog callin’, milkin’, and quilt makin’ to the side a bit while they worked on the shindig. They were Becky Bice, Roberta Soward, Jennifer Cain, Lisa Scheerer, Kim Evaristo, and Joanne Soward. There was a mess more of ya too. You know who ya are and a big thank you to all of ya. Best shindig of the year!

Shoo wee!

The mayor, sheriffs, and deputies all hope to see y’all back at ‘Whoop It Up’ next year.

Practice the ropin’, spittin’, line dance, and jailbreakin’. And bring yer posse too.

To make sure ya get back next year, I’m passin’ on some advice that pioneer and great-grandma Opal shared - may your belly never grumble, may your heart never ache, may your horse never stumble, may your cinch never break.

Remember cowboys: If yer not makin’ dust, then yer eattin’ it. Never approach a bull from the front, a horse from the rear or a fool from any direction. Finally, always drink upstream from the herd. See y’all next year.

About the vittles: Folks was runnin’ out the door to get in line at the BBQ feed trenches. Tasty beef, salads, bread, beans, and all the fixins fed the whole town. Calmed everybody right down fer a bit. Ole Schroeder could make a mangy possum taste like a feast fit fer a city slicker.

Sheriff Beeler seemed to have a good time and because nobody got

Sample gift basket

March 7, 2013

March 22-24

Island Moon

A7

Aloha Wa Luau

Corpus Christi 2013 Festival of the Arts Women’s History and Youth Arts Month, an additional film component of the 2013 Festival of the Arts has been created. Two award winning full length independent films as an Evening Indie Film programming series will be presented this year.

All films will be presented in the ART MUSEUM of South Texas.

Over 12,000 art enthusiasts are expected for the annual 2013 Festival of the Arts hosted on the Corpus Christi Bayfront. New this year, the Festival events and activities will be featured on the beautiful Corpus Christi Bay at “Destination Bayfront Park”, the Art Museum of South Texas and Corpus Christi Creative Connections Gallery in Heritage Park. Established to increase public awareness in the diversity of artistic expression, support artists in their expressive pursuits within the multidisciplinary arts of

In recognition of Women’s History Month and in support of the Coastal Bend’s Women’s History Month efforts, the documentary, MissRepresentation, by Jennifer Siebel Newsom, which premiered at the 2011 Sundance Film Festival, and aired on OWN: Oprah Winfrey Network will be presented immediately following the Festival of the Arts opening ceremony and artists reception at the ART MUSEUM of South Texas on Friday March 22 at 7:15pm .

Check the Festival website mid-March for ongoing updates to events, performances and schedules @ www.ccfestivalarts.org Agenda: 2013 Festival of the Arts

Luau at Aloha Wa at the Holiday Inn played to a packed house last Saturday.

Wednesday-Thursday March 20 – 21 Educational Street Painting workshops with International artist – ESC Region 2 & Kinney Street Educational Public Art Tours with Docents – TBD

Friday music, dance, cinema, theater, visual art and to provide educational workshops, the Festival of the Arts has something for everyone.

Internationally recognized Italian Street Painting Artists will reinforce the event’s trademark by creating a beautiful 20ft x 20ft work of art. A strong catalyst for fine art sales, the Festival is free to the public featuring an array of live music/dance entertainment, Best of the Best regional independent film screenings and special evening film series of full length Indie Films, educational and art workshops, and the art-full KidZone, the signature creative art activity area for those under 13 years of age.

March 22 11a – 3p Gallery Exhibit “25 WORKS, 25 YEARS IN GLASS 1989-2013” Jayne Duryea A unique traveling exhibition of 25 works of glass art at Creative Connections Gallery/ Heritage Park 5:30p – 7p Opening Ceremony/Artists Reception ~ Live Music at ART MUSEUM of South Texas 7:15p – 9p Evening Screening of Indie Film MissRepresentation at ART MUSEUM of South Texas

Saturday

The Festival of the Arts promotes the many artistic and cultural talents of the South Texas region and features an open invitation to all artists to participate in the annual event, which creates a vastly diverse artistic and cultural experience for its patrons. On average, 39 art and cultural groups and 250 individual artists participate in the Festival each year and the event continues to expand.

Carolyn Andrews Owner

Flax linen Maria de Guadalajara cotton gauze LA Blend sweaters and tees Coobie bras Corkys leather sandals Unique Jewelry and More

361.749.7570

1726 State Highway 361, Suite G in Port Aransas, Texas 78373

The Festival of the Arts’ Public Art Tour was created in 2008 for patrons of the annual event.

The Public Art Tour is free and disembarks from the Festival location on the Corpus Christi Bayfront. The docent guided tour ride is approximately 50 minutes in length and is an artistic, educational, historical and culturally entertaining view of Corpus Christi, appropriate for the entire family. Participants travel along the Corpus Christi Bayfront, within S.E.A. District, downtown and uptown areas of the city.

Vending artists are representative of Nueces and San Patricio counties, as well as other Texas and national cities. Performance dance artists from both counties are also strongly represented by profit and nonprofit dance studio companies and organizations of various genres such as ballet, Innish, folklorico, salsa, Spanish, modern, jazz, Middle eastern, clogging, tap, lyrical, interpretive, multi-ethnic, ballroom and social dancing. Musical performances of voice and instrumentation are inclusive of all types and involve regional musicians and groups, adults, students from the regions college and universities, and both local public and private elementary and secondary school youth in addition to music groups from San Antonio, Houston, Austin and Dallas/Fort Worth.

The South Texas Filmmakers Showcase, created for the Festival of the Arts by the Corpus Christi Film Alliance, will feature the Best of the Best Independent Films created by regional film makers. In recognition of both

March 23 10a – 7p Festival activities begin on Corpus Christi Bayfront

Restaurant

Scheduled Public Art Tours (TBD), Italian Street Painting, Art-full KidZone

& Wine Bar

Continuous scheduled Live Music/Dance performances, Art and Food Vendors 11a – 3p Gallery Exhibit “25 WORKS, 25 YEARS IN GLASS 1989-2013” - Jayne Duryea A unique traveling exhibition of 25 works of glass art at Creative Connections Gallery/ Heritage Park 10a – 5p South Texas Filmmakers Showcase of Short Films at ART MUSEUM of South Texas 5p – 10p Evening Screening of Indie Film WHEN I RISE at ART MUSEUM of South TX Q & A post screening with Executive Producer Dr. Don Carleton, UT Dolph Briscoe Center

Sunday March 24 10a – 6p Festival re-opens on Corpus Christi Bayfront Scheduled Public Art Tours (TBD), Italian Street Painting, Art-full KidZone Continuous scheduled Live Music/Dance performances, Art and Food Vendors 1p – 4p Gallery Exhibit “25 WORKS, 25 YEARS IN GLASS 1989-2013” by Jayne Duryea A unique traveling exhibition of 25 works of glass art at Creative Connections Gallery 1pm

Fine Dining on the island

Johnny Ds •

CELEBRATES ST. PATRICKS DAY Green beer starts flowing March 10 th . We will start serving Irish inspired specialties Thursday March 14th such as...

Corned Beef and Cabbage with all the fixings and Shepherd’s Pie

Served 11:00am-2:00pm The Island’s only bloody Mary bar $3.00

DID YOU RESOVE TO GO ON A DIET THIS YEAR? GOOD NEWS, OUR CLOTHING AND ACCESSORIES HAVE ZERO CALORIES!

www.islanwomanboutique.com

Educational workshops will take place on Wednesday and Thursday of festival week with the international guest artists.

Sunday Brunch Menu

“Dress in Island Woman Style”

Dinner

served nightly Tuesday thru Saturday 4:30pm-9:30pm

Happy hour

beginning at 4:30pm

Custom menus for Private parties Indoor and outdoor dining available for 15 or more (weather permitting) Call for reservations at 361-949-2500 Located 15605 SPID on the Island

-SUNDAY BUBBLY BUBBLY ALL HALF PRICE!

Including: Mimosas, Champagne Cocktails and House Specialty Champagne Martinis

-SUNDAY BRUNCH11:00 - 3:00 PM -MONDAYALL WINES 1/2 PRICE by the glass or by the bottle -THURSDAYMARTINI MADNESS! $6 executive martinis

$6

Wine Flights Every Day

361-749-2212

3500 Island Moorings Parkway at The Island Moorings Yacht Club & Marina in Port Aransas

www.labaratariarestaurantwinebar.com

HOURS

Monday, Thursday, Friday 4 pm - 10 pm Saturday Noon - 10 pm Sunday 11 am - 10 pm Closed Tuesday & Wednesday

A 8

Island Moon

A Daily Astrological Timing Guide for All Signs

Friday, March 8. Keep your eye on the big picture. Mercury is still Retrograde. But the rest of Friday’s Skywatch is excellent for work or play. The Saturn Pluto sextile turns exact at 2:03 am early this morning suggesting a good day to handle important chores and business. The coast is clear as the Moon sextiles/harmonizes with friendly Uranus at 9:29 am and then trines/kisses lucky Jupiter at 11:34 am. Pull back as the Moon squares grumpy Saturn at 4:08 pm and then turns Void of Course until tomorrow evening. Keep it simple Friday night and stay out of leaky boats.

THE WEEKEND: Caution lights twice. The Moon is Void of Course from yesterday until she enters dreamy Pisces just after midnight Saturday evening. Our intuition and judgment can be cloudy and confused during the V/C cycle, and especially with Mercury Retrograde who lines up in a square to bombastic Jupiter in the heavens at 9:38 pm Saturday night. Mixups, bullshit, arguments, problems with the law and unusual weather (Mercury rules the winds) are more likely on Saturday. Stick to routine and pay extra attention to the kids and critters as small problems can turn into bigger ones.

And don’t believe all you hear Saturday night.

Sunday’s Skywatch is spacey. The Moon enters dreamy Pisces early Sunday morning and meets idealistic Neptune at 7:20 am. Luna travels on to meet Mercury Rx at 3:33 pm and then square overconfident Jupiter at 4:39 pm Sunday afternoon. Green lights come on past this moment as Luna heads out into calm waters. Evening hours are good for work or play as the Moon trines reliable Saturn at 8:46 pm, and then sextiles healing Pluto at 9 pm. This is a good moment to lay your cards on the table. As times change.

Monday, March 11. A New Moon in Pisces is the headliner in Monday’s Skywatch. Green lights are up as we get a nice kiss from the Moon meeting sweet Venus in the heavens at 6:33 am. Clear skies follow as the Moon swims out to meet the Sun at 2:51 pm creating the exact moment of the new lunation. New Moons bring good times to plant seeds and Pisces is the spiritual sign we connect with our creative and imaginative talents. Don’t rush

into anything, however. As the Moon turns Void of Course a minute later until tomorrow morning. Let things cook when the Moon is V/C. Mercury Retrograde asks you to look back at what you’ve done and review your choices this week—small changes can make a big difference for the better in the weeks ahead. Mercury will resume direct motion on Sunday and you’ll be wiser to start new plans and projects after that date. As times change.

Tuesday, March 12. Buckle up. Flamethrower Mars enters his home sign of Aries at 1:26 am early Tuesday morning for a six- week visit.

The Moon enters impulsive Aries at 6:17 am and they meet in the heavens at 6:35 am.

Bam! Accidents and lousy traffic are likely this morning with Mercury Retrograde adding to the dangers from impulsive actions and speech today. Slow down, slow down. But that’s the last exact quack in the Skywatch today and green lights come on for work or play a few minutes past the square. The Moon meets experimental Uranus in the heavens at 8:06 pm and then sextiles agreeable Jupiter at 10:52 pm. Both markers suggest a good evening for a new class or social plans. As times change.

Wednesday, March 13. Stick to routine. The Moon squares demanding Pluto at 3:01 am early this morning and then turns Void of Course until tomorrow afternoon! Caution lights are up which means hold off on making important purchases and decisions—all more subject to not fulfilling their purpose when selected during this part of the lunar cycle.

Mercury Retrograde adds more fog to the day’s Skywatch. Keep it simple and call it early Wednesday night.

If your birthday is this week (Mar 10– 16), you have three or four planets in Pisces joining your Sun in your new Solar Return.

That’s a big group and it suggests a very good year for you to do some meaningful work and get recognition for your time and talents, Pisces. You do have Mercury Retrograde in this chart of your new year, but it won’t be a problem if you do your research carefully and pay close attention to the details before you apply for a new job or seek out advancement in your current position. Yes, this is the year to take a step of growth that will bring you more security and financial safety in the years ahead. This is also a good year for a spiritual retreat and travel to distant shores, Pisces. Give yourself the chance to explore and experience new places and ideas in 2013—you’ll find something of great value. As times change.

Thursday, March 14. Same song, second verse. Stick to routine Thursday morning.

Caution lights are up. The Moon finally ends a very long Void of Course cycle when she enters easygoing Taurus at 2:08 pm this afternoon.

Green lights come on at this moment as the Skywatch clears. Luna makes a quiet kiss to dreamy Neptune at 9:08 pm suggesting a sweet bedtime story, or a nightcap. Note that the times given here are Central Daylight Time. Be sure to add an hour if you live on the east coast. Subtract an hour if you live in Mountain Time. And subtract two hours from the times given to get your local time on the west coast and PDT.

• Instructor: Dotson Lewis • Introduction to the Internet (Emailing & Surfing the Net)

By Dotson Lewis dlewis1@stx.rr.com

• May 13 - May 27, 2013

Are You A Computer Geek Or A Novice?

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

Regardless of your computer skills, you will fit right into the Del Mar College Senior Education Computer Program. If you are being dragged, kicking and screaming, into the computer age and are embarrassed that your grandchildren can work the darn things, and you can’t, we have classes for you.

• Instructor: Dotson Lewis

If you are a computer geek, we have classes for you. We could also use your help as a volunteer instructor (all of our instructors are volunteers).

The Del Mar Senior Computer Program is offering the following classes during March, April and May. You can sign up for a class by calling 361-698-1328. If you have any questions about the program, please call Dotson Lewis at 361-949-7681.

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

Island Fishing Workshop Take advantage of this fisherman’s knowledge for free.

Come and go pier to pier and to the beach at this hands-on workshop today, Thursday, March 7. It will start at 11 am and run until 1 pm.

Wonder what bait, which line, what pier…you can get these fishing clues?

City of Port Aransas Parks and Recreation Department Grounds Supervisor Mike McClure lead the lessons on Port Aransas fishing spots.

The free tutorial will be hands-on and will be a spot-to-spot. Meet at the Civic center parking lot, 710 W. Ave A. For more information, call the Parks and Rec office, 749-4158.

Winter Walking Tour Don’t miss the last nature walk in the Winter Series tomorrow, Friday, March 8, 9:32am.

This joint venture with Docent Judy Perkins of the Mission-Aransas Reserve and the blessing of the City of Port Aransas Parks and Recreation Department, has been held the second Friday, December through March.

Meet at pavilion in Port Aransas Nature Preserve for the 2-mile guided tour of local flora and fauna. It is free and open to all.

Yoga on the beach Getting into better weather will make it more enjoyable to stretch in a natural setting at Yoga on the Beach.

This month’s class will be on Saturday, March 9, 8am, courtesy of the Parks and Recreation Department. Meet at Horace Caldwell Pier at end of Beach Street. Bring mat or towel suitable for use on beach. Be on time, as instructor Nancy Myers will take class to inside location if weather is bad.

Pedaling in the Preserve Hop on your bike and scoot over to the Port Aransas Nature Preserve for Pedaling in the Preserve. Held twice a month, the second and fourth Monday, this month’s scheduled rides will be March 11 and 25. We start at 10am, from the pavilion. All ages welcome to join the free leisurely ride through the Preserve.

We’re Having Fun We are at the end of our We’re Having Fun (WHF) Activities Series Be sure to attend the last of this winter on Tuesday, March 12, in the Girl Scout hut, 739 W. Ave. A, at 2pm. All activities are FREE with supplies provided unless otherwise stated. Open to everyone.

For the finale, we will make shell wind chimes and mobiles. All supplies are provided and the activity is FREE.

Spring Break Pool Hours The Community Pool will be open until 5 p.m.

Tuesday through Saturday, March 12-16 for Spring Break. Also, beginning Friday, March 15, cost for water exercises classes and deep water aerobics classes will be raised to $2 per class. Normal pool hours include Lap Swim Shared: Tuesday through Thursday…8 am to 2 pm; Friday…8 am-5 pm; Saturday…Noon to 5 pm.

Open Swim is Tuesday through Thursday …

1-2 pm; Friday and Saturday …1-5 pm Water Exercise is Tuesday at noon, Wednesday – Friday at 8:30 am, 9:30 am and Noon, $2 per class.

Deep Water Aerobics Classes are held Wednesday - Friday each week at 1 pm, $2 per class Private, Semi-Private and Adult Swim Lessons are available on request at pool office.

Chill Out Time Parents, take a break from your kids during Spring Break by dropping them off for Chill Out Time, Wednesday & Thursday, March 1314.

The activity for kids to play games and make crafts will be 2-4 pm, in the Girl Scout hut in the Parks and Recreation building, 739 W. Ave. A. Cost is $2 kid, and is for ages 5 and up.

Mariculture Lab tour Haven’t made it on any of the lab tours yet?

No problem, another one is scheduled at 2 pm, on Wednesday, March 13. The tour will be of the Texas A&M AgriLife Mariculture Lab, a working lab that researches, develops and commercializes shrimp food.

It also does sea urchin farming for Texas and the US; develops sea urchin feed and production technology for biomedical and ecotoxicological research; develops starfish feed and production for regeneration and stem cell production; and evaluates fishery processing, biofuel/biodiesel, and grain crops as nutritional replacements in shrimp feeds.

The tour is FREE, but space is limited, and preregistration is required. Contact Pam Greene at 749-4158 or pamg@cityofportaransas.org to reserve space. Meet at 1:50 pm at Civic Center parking lot, 710 W. Ave A, for the 2 pm tour.

Dotson’s Note: Shown below are the relocation sites for the activities that were being held at the Ethel Eyerly Senior Center. We will keep you posted as to new changes. Call 361-937-3218 for update information.

Ethel Eyerly Relocation Sites Ethel Eyerly Senior Center Activities For Persons Age 50 and Over DAILY ACTIVITIES NUTRITIOUS MEALS SERVED For Persons Age 60 and Over AT 11:30 p.m. ($1.50 SUGGESTED MEAL DONATION) Waldron Baptist Church, 2042 Waldron Rd. (Flour Bluff) MONDAY-WEDNESDAY-FRIDAY Silver Haired Fitness-10-11 a.m.

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

Mayor Nelda Martinez & Carmelita Hinojosa Congratulations Carmelita!

Pictured above Carmelita Hinojosa receives a Beginning Computers Class Certificate of Completion from Nelda Martinez, Mayor of Corpus Christi.

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

Here is the March, April & May 2013 class schedule. Please register soon to insure a seat in the classroom.

Introduction to the Internet (Includes Cell Phones & Tablets) • March 5, 6, 7, 19, 20, 21, & 26.

Chair Volleyball –12:30 p.m.

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

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

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

• Instructor: Jack Young • Beginning Computers (For Beginners-“Starting with Start”)

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

Art Class 1-3 p.m. (TBA)

• 8:30am - 11:30 am.

Computer

• April 1-15, 2013 • Instructor: Dotson Lewis • Monday-Wednesday-Friday; 8:30-11:30 am; • Windows 7 Basics • April 6 - May 18, 2013

2nd and 4th Wednesday THURSDAY Wii Bowling-12:30 pm -1:30 pm Waldron Baptist Church 2042 Waldron Rd. (Flour Bluff) Table Games- 12-4 pm Garden Senior Center, 5325 Greely Road Dr. (Near Cullen Middle School)

• Saturdays; 8:30-11:30 am

FRIDAY

• Instructor: Dotson Lewis

Table Tennis– 12:00 p.m.

• Windows 7 Basics

Bingo-12:30-1:30 p.m.

• April 22 - May 6, 2013

Port A Happenings…

March 7, 2013

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

Research & Analysis

by Islander W. Lance Ferguson

Thursday, March 7. Get an early start.

Retrograde Mercury lines up in harmony with Saturn and Pluto early this morning—not exciting aspects but helpful in getting your day off to a good start. Green lights are up as the Moon sails out into calm seas and a powerful Saturn Pluto sextile lines up in the heavens on Thursday. This aspect first showed up last Dec and will hang out in the Skywatch for most of the year. Disciplined action is the idea here and Saturn always works for the long-range benefits. A sextile brings the time to follow an opportunity for progress. Put another way: this is a very good week, month and year to be paying dues and building something strong and powerful for future satisfactions/benefits. Get the important stuff done by 3:14 pm Thursday afternoon when the Moon sextiles eager Mars.

Luna turns Void of Course a minute later until she enters Aquarius at 9:02 pm. No one will be ready for bedtime at this hour as a new burst of energy fills the heavens as the Moon moves on, and times change.

Senior Moments

Skywatch

Available online at www.skywatchastrology.com

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

Presented by: Fulton Volunteer Fire Department

34th Annual Fulton Oysterfest

Don’t miss the Fulton Volunteer Fire Department’s celebration of one of America’s favorite seafood delicacies; it’s the 34th Annual Oysterfest on the waterfront in Fulton, Texas March 7-10.

Shuck and slurp your way to cash prizes If you love to eat oysters, you’ll find them prepared in many delicious ways. If you really love to eat oysters, you might consider entering the oyster eating contest. There’s one for men and one for women, with a top prize of $200 for the winner of each contest.

Men’s contest begins on Saturday, March 9, 4p.m. and women’s contest is on Sunday, March 10, at 2p.m. If you think you can get these tasty morsels out of their shells in the blink of an eye, enter the oyster shucking contest at 3 p.m. on Sunday, March 10 with a chance to take home the top prize of $700.

One of the most unique contests at Oysterfest is the decorated oyster which will be judged at 7:45 p.m. Friday, March 8. Your imagination is the only limit to bejewel your oyster for a chance at the coveted trophy.

The festival opens Thursday, March 7 with $1 gate entry and FREE for active military (Thursday only) into the grounds where you can enjoy Arts and Crafts vendors and musical entertainment from 5 p.m. to10 p.m. The carnival will also be open all 4 days. A free trolley pickup will be available on 9th and Chaparral streets. Trolleys will run the streets of Fulton. Live music will include Charlie Mykals and Sour Mash as well as the Shaman Dura Dancers. Fri, Sat and Sun admission is $3 per person (12 yrs and over).

Friday, March 8, Oysterfest is open from 5 p.m. to 11 p.m.; the Arts & Crafts area closes at 10 p.m. James Edwards performs from 5 p.m.-7:45p.m.The Shaman Dura Dancers will entertain at 8:15 with Riptide closing out the night, performing from 9 p.m.-to-11 p.m.

On Saturday, March 3 the Oysterfest parade

begins at 11 a.m. at the intersection of S. Fulton Beach Road and Traylor Blvd. It will proceed North down Fulton Beach Road and concludes at the festival grounds on the waterfront. Grounds are open 10 a.m. to 12 a.m. Entertainment throughout the day will include TK and Bandana Rose, Backwoods, Shireen & Mystic Dancers and Drummers, Jason Allen, Darren and Gene Brown, and headline performance

by Leona Williams from 10 p.m. to midnight.

There will be excellent Arts & Crafts from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m.

The grounds and Arts & Crafts are open from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Sunday, March 4. From 10:30 a.m. to11:30 a.m. Song of Glory will provide the entertainment. Other entertainment will include Purple Sage, Shireen & Mystic Eastern Dancers and Drummers, and Whiskey Bent. To conclude the event The Sons of Texas will perform from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m.

This popular four day event attracts more than 36,000 and began as a labor of love by the Fulton Volunteer Fire Department. Funds are used to purchase life-saving and firefighting equipment. This year’s proceeds will aid in the fund to construct a new fire station.

Oysterfest proceeds are still a major source of funds for fire protection equipment in the community.

For more information on the Fulton Oysterfest visit www.fultonoysterfest.org call 361-4639955. or email fultonoysterfest@gmail.com

March 7, 2013

Island Moon

Bird Rescue, (Not)

New Bob Hall Pier Restaurant Coming

Happy Birthday Mike!

This guy was on The Island last weekend and looked like he was injured so Tony Amos came out to take him in for rehab. But when Tony tried to get close the bird, an Anhinga, took off in a hurry. Sorry for the trouble Tony.

Mikel McGrath, owner of Funtrackers in Flour Bluff and Merida ‘May’ Nardone, Owner of the Farmer’s Insurance agency on Padre Island and President of the Padre Island Business Association, have been awarded the contract to operate the restaurant at Bob Hall Pier.

The Nueces County Coastal Park Board, which awarded the contract, is going to renovate the building by moving the kitchen from the seaward to the beach side of the structure in order to open up the view for diners.

They are going to call it MikelMay’s Beachside Bar & Grill and they plan to be open by Memorial Day weekend. They plan a seafood menu, full bar, live music and a Sunday Champagne Brunch!

Moon founder Mike Ellis’ birthday was this week, he would have been 61. We miss you Mike.

 



planned for one of the most beautiful spots on The Island.

A9



 

      

MikelMays will offer a full service restaurant and full bar seven days a week from 7 a.m. until 10:30 p.m. They will also cater to the fishing crowd offering sandwiches, breakfast tacos, burgers and canned drinks. A planned rental shop will offer umbrellas, chairs boogie boards and surf board rentals. Renovations to the restaurant, formerly Barnacle Bill’s, are underway and should be completed in just over 60 days. We’ll keep you posted as we learn more about what the new proprietor’s have

             

The restaurant at Bob Hall Pier as it is now, before renovations begin



Junk Dunkers…

   

Mike Secich Chairman KPAB The Spring KPAB “Dunk Your Junk Day” was held Saturday at the City of Port Aransas, Citizens Collection Station. 50 Pick-ups, cars, and flat bed trailers came to unload their unwanted treasures.

The old stuff filled two 30 cubic yard roll-offs and partially filled another 30 cubic yarder. This amounted to about 8,700 lbs of unusable mattresses, appliances, couches, chairs, lawn mowers, TV’s, etc. taken off homeowners hands.

Thanks to Dave Srader, Chairman of the event and those who volunteered: Deno Fabrie, Kevin Fry, Jack Dreessen, John Freeman, Conner Hyatt, Julie Schnee, Jason Morris, Jenna Ward, and Ty Morris

Thank You for 10 years of

GRATITUDE!!!

Open Sundays Again

Starting March 10th, 2013 Stop in from 12-4 Sunday for a Free Gratitude Koozie and 10% OFF!!!!

“Island’s Most Eclectic Shoppe” 316 N. Station St. Port Aransas TX 361-749-0302 portagratitude.com

Island Creations Remodeling

Total Renovation & Remodels, Outdoor Kitchens & Spas, Additions, Kitchen & Bathroom Upgrades, Sunporches, Replacement of Windows and Doors, Roofing, Painting & Stucco

Landscaping

Design work, Yard Maintenance, Decks, Pergolas, Installation of Rock, Grass, Plants, Trees, Walkways, Paths, Tree Trimming, Container Planting, Vacant Lot Mowing & Shade Covers. All Kinds of Fencing, Pressure Washing & Deck Staining & Sealing

Insured Member, Padre Island Business Association Member, Builders Association, Corpus Christi

Concrete

Driveways, Patios, Sidewalks, Patio Overlays, Decorative Stamping & Staining, Decks, Bulkheads, Grouted Stone Walls & Patios, Decorative Stone Paver Driveways & Patios

960-0327

Owned & Operated by Island Residents David & Katherine Pierce References Available Upon Request Commercial & Residential

Doing Everything a Home or Business Needs

Storage iS our buSineSS!

The New Wave In The Island’s Shipping & Mailing

We will proudly meet your mailing needs!

Shipping & Mailing

Stop in to check out our: ‐Faxing

‐Laminating ‐Copies

‐Private Mail Boxes ‐Flight Training Guides ‐Island Artists’ Work ‐Premium Cigars ‐Circle E Candles SEASIDE SUDZ– handcrafted soaps are back on the Island

Open Monday to Friday 9:00‐6:00 Saturday 9:00‐12:00 15037 South Padre Island Drive Call Our Store: (361)949‐7471

Get the attention you deserve.

C

a

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Clear your Clutter... while you go fishing!

Selling a home?

Want results?

SOLD

Flo ur B luff Dr.

HEB

Flour Bluff

Lag una Sho res

no lonG lease aGreement! climate control on site manaGer open 7 Days electronic Gate access viDeo surveillance HouseHolD & commercial movinG supplies available

Wa ldro nR oad

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Climate Controlled Storage Starting at $39.00 oFFice Hours:

(361) 937-8673

m-F 8:30-6:00

sat 8:30-5:30

10514 S.P.i.d.

15334 Bonasse Ct

Call 361-949-7281

Mary Melick Real Estate

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

Let me help you find your piece of Paradise - waterfront or interior homes, condos, townhouses, lots Considering selling your Island Property?

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

Island Office (361) 215-8629

Island Moon

A 10

March 7, 2013

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

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

ISLAND, REALTORS

13541 Ducat fabulous waterfront home on 75’x120’ lot. 3-4 bedrooms, 3 full baths, Trex decks.

Too many extras to list $549,900.

Call Cindy Molnar 549-5557.

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

15905 Punta Bonaire $595,000. 3 bedrooms, 3 full baths, concrete saltwater pool, boat lift, too many extras to list.

Call Charlie Knoll 443-2499.

Immaculate home, sensational courtyard, open floor plan, granite countered kitchen, southeast exposure on a wide canal in Ports O’ Call. Dorothy 563-8486.

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

Open Sunday March 3rd 2‐5

Open Sunday March 3rd 2‐5

Beautiful Golf Course Home!

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

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

Padre Island Waterfront. Three bedrooms w/two baths. Loft area on 2nd floor. Deck w/plenty of room for a dock/boatlift. Priced at $289,000. Terry Cox. 13570 Camino De Plata.

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

Covered patio. Rocked front + landscaped.

Lots of tile. Cheryl 563-0444.

13721 Cayo Cantiles 3/2/2,1926 sq.ft of living area, nice deck area w/great views. Located on a wide canal w/quick ICW access. Call Terry or Charlie. $295,000.

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

Unique home on 27,887 sq.ft lot bordering the Wildlife Refuge. $425,000. Call Cindy Molnar 549-5557.

New Construction 13917 Suntan. 3/2 plus study-2,351 sf.

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

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. $379,900.

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

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

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

Sale Pending!

Open Sunday March 3rd 2‐5

Beautifully Updated 3-2-2 w/ multi purpose room. Split bedrooms. Gas stove. Tile & bamboo floors. Plantation shutters.

Large backyard. Cheryl 5630444.

Sale Pending!

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.

13838 Eaglesnest Bay. Preconstruction 2450 sq.ft. 4/3. Granite countertops. Custom stained cabinetry. Call Beth for view of floor plan 779-4943. $245,000.

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

13817 Doubloon impeccable waterfront with separate quarters for guest or family. 4 bedrooms, 4 baths, 2 living and 2 kitchens. $439,900. Call Cindy 549-5557.

3408 Bali Tropic Isles waterfront home 4 bedrooms, 2 living areas, 70x191 lot, pool, covered boat lift and patio.

Updates throughout $264,900. Cindy 549-5557.

Sale Pending!

14126 Coquina Bay. 3 bedrooms, 2 baths + den/office, 2 car garage.

1859 sq.ft. of living area. Tile and granite throughout. Open floor plan. $208,208. Charlie Knoll 443-2499.

Hurry to pick your colors. New construction-13913 Suntan. 4/2.5, split plan.

Granite counters throughout, crown mold ing. $239,000. Call Pam Morgan 215 -8116.

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

Call Cheryl 361-563-0444.

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.

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

Build Your Dream Home just a short walk to the beach! Great lot location on Sea Air in La Concha Estates. Recently reduced to $64,500. Call Shonna 510-3445.

Looking for Long Term Rental Property?

Below are some of our available rentals:

14130 Atascadera 3/2/2 $1600

15102 Leeward #602 3/2.5/1 $1500

Beach Club #222 1/1 $950 furnished

15838 Punta Espada 3/2/2 $2400

7925 Wolf 3/2/2 $1000

Anchor Resort #196 1/1 $875

9537 Quetzal 3/2/2 $1000

Seascape Villa #B‐5 1/1 $1000 all bills paid

13953 Fortuna Bay #1 2/2 $1250

Waterfront Lots for Sale!!

Bounty $109,900 Palo Seco $154,900 San Felipe $200,000 15125 Crossjack-New construction 3-2.5-2. Split floor plan. Lots of tile. Granite countertops. Covered patio. Fireplace. Gas cooktop. Call Cheryl 563-0444.

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 Charlie Knoll 443-2499

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