The Island Moon Published by Island Moon Publishing, LLC 15201 S. Padre Island Drive Ste. 250 Corpus Christi, TX. 78418 editor@islandmoon.com (361) 949-7700
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Island Moon The Island Newspaper
Island Area News ● Events ● Entertainment
January 12, 2012
Photo by By Miles Merwin
The Island where we avoid cliches like the plague
Around The Island
By Dale Rankin editor@islandmoon.com
We are still getting used to this new schedule here at the Word Factory as this is now just our second issue since we became a weekly paper. We get asked a lot if it is more work and the fact is we’re not sure yet. Ask us in a month or two. The paper is hitting the stands each Thursday now and every other week will be thrown to each of the homes on The Island. The issue you now hold in your hands was picked up from a local business since this issue was not delivered. It’s a work in progress but it was time for The Island to have a weekly paper so here we go.
Inside the Moon... Trash Heap of the WEAK page A 3 Thank You To Captain Billy Sandifer Page A 4 Winter Windsurfing Page A 5 Local Music Scene Page A 7
Lawyers guns and money Last time we mentioned that we are looking to put together some bus trips to Progresso, Mexico for fun, shopping, food, and medicine. We were a little surprised at the reaction from readers. We had calls from a bus load of prospective travelers and are keeping a list. But before we take a group down there we’re going to go have a look for ourselves and make sure it’s as safe as advertised. We’re headed down that way this weekend to have a look/ see before we organize a tour. What we have heard is that the Mexican Navy – actually Marines – are in charge in Progresso at the request of the merchants and peace and quiet is the order of the day. We’ll let you know next issue and if we don’t come back by next week please send lawyers, guns, and money. In the meantime if you are interested in being on our watch list call and leave us Around Continued on A6
Next Publication Date: 1/19/2012 Facebook: The Island Moon Newspaper
Updates on Island Projects
Work Begins on Aquarius Extension Dredging of Packery Channel Continues The completion of Aquarius
Street from Commodores on the north to Dasmarinas on the south was first planned in 1973. Work on the project began last week. Crews are on site installing underground utilities in preparation for the 60-foot wide roadbed and complete with median and landscaping. The $1.2 million project was approved by voters in a 2008 bond election and according to the city’s engineering department completion is expected by the end of this summer.
Packery Dredging Dredging continues along Packery Channel with crews now leveling the bottom of the channel on the landward side of the Highway 361 Bridge. City Engineers told the Island Strategic Action Committee in the January meeting that initial soundings of the channel by work crews identified 35,000 to 45,000 cubic yards of sand that needs to be removed from the channel on that side of Highway 361. That means a total of more than 400,000 cubic yards of sand may be removed from the channel during the project and moved by slurry pipeline for renourishment of Michael J. Ellis Beach on the south end of the seawall. However, city officials say the soundings taken of the channel so far indicate there may not be as much excess sand in the channel as originally thought. The dredge project is due to be finished by February 21 and is being paid for with money from the Island Tax Increment Financing Zone which is funded by a value-added tax on new construction within the zone which covers much of the commercially zoned area Aquarius Continued on A 10
Scientific Study Area
A Fight is Brewing Over How Best to Use and Preserve the Laguna Madre Editor’s note: In the past two issues we have been discussing the move by Texas Parks and Wildlife to turn the area of the Laguna Madre surrounding the JFK Causeway into a State Scientific Study Area. The boundaries would include the entire area between the inland side of the The Island to the Flour Bluff shoreline from Pita Island and New Humble Channel in the south to the Naval Air Station on the north. North of the JFK it would stretch across the Laguna from the Air Station to Dead Man’s Hole, then south to Packery Channel, which means it would cover virtually the entire Laguna Madre from the entrance to Nueces Bay south to Kleberg County.
Year 15, Issue 405
There is currently one other such area in the midcoast at Redfish Bay near Rockport. The TPW’s stated reason for establishing the scientific area is to allow state Game Wardens and other officials to write tickets of $500 for any boater who is leaving trails in the seagrass beds with their boat propeller. However, opponents of the move say there is language imbedded in the rules for the Scientific Area which allow for a zone to be added later – a zone inside the zone called a Low Impact Fishing Area – where traffic by motor boats is effectively and specifically banned. Their fear is that the scientific zone is the first step down a slippery slope at the bottom of which motors would be banned from large parts, if not all of the Laguna Madre included in the scientific area. The process for establishing the scientific area is as follows: first a series of scoping meetings to decide what language is to be included in the item put before the Texas Parks and Wildlife Commission in its March meeting. Those meetings are now complete and the language is being finalized. If that item is approved by the commission then another set of public hearings will be scheduled to work out specific details of the new law that would then be put into effect. In the last issue we ran a response from the local head of the Wade, Paddle and Pole club which backs the establishment of the Scientific Area in which they specifically said they are not asking for a motor ban at this time – the term for the no-motor areas is a Low Impact Fishing Area (LIFA). They further say they have no plans to ask for a LIFA; the local fishing groups, CCA, SEA, and the Recreational Fishing Alliance, simply don’t believe them. They cite as evidence what they say are previous unsuccessful attempts by the WPP group to Fight Continued on A 6
A little Island history
Loot from a Spanish Galleon is Still Out There in the Sand By Dale Rankin The year was 1853 and the Spaniards had mining gold in Mexico down. Chest after chest filled with gold coins were loaded from the white stone docks at Veracruz into the galleons waiting at the moorings. Gold and silver bars by the hundreds were piled high under the guard of Spanish soldiers. Then it was provisions by the ton to feed a thousand passengers along with crews and soldiers who would be returning home on the ships. Crates of live chickens, rows of overturned turtles with legs akimbo, jugs of wine and boxes of vegetables were on board for the 100 day journey on the floating treasure houses. Each of the treasure ships sailed like an overloaded houseboat carrying enough treasure to send a Dutch or English seadog into permanent retirement. There was little worry of highjacking as it was past the prime years of pirating on the Spanish Main. The return voyage home was a joyous one filled with days of merrymaking before setting sail. The fleet stood out from Veracruz bound for Havana in the summer of that year with twenty ships in the convoy each glittering with fresh paint and presenting a majestic picture as they made their way across the Bay of Campeche and into Havana Harbor where they met with more galleons arriving from Cartigeana. After a few days of celebration the fleet once again set sail for Bermuda with twenty ships with no idea what lay in store for them.
Spain then only after months of uncertainty and fear. A fourth would make its way back to Veracruz with the sad news that the fleet had been caught in a hurricane in the Old Bahama Channel and blown back into the Gulf of Mexico. The ships ended up on a barren stretch of uncharted beach which they called Nuevo Santander that we call Padre Island.
Their treasure was scattered along with the passengers. Three hundred survivors made it to the beach alive and began the long, sad journey down the shifting sands south toward Tampico several hundred miles to the south. Only one of them, Padre Fray Juan Ferrer survived the trip. The rest either starved or fell victim to Karankawa Indians.
In 1554 the Spanish sent a salvage expedition which located the wrecks and did recover some of the treasure, however, for reasons lost to history, no maps were made of the wreck sites and they whereabouts went unknown until 1967 when a group of treasure hunters under the name of Platora Ltd. found one of the sites and began excavating a site just off the breakers six miles north of the Mansfield Cut. Uncertainties in Texas’ antiquities law allowed Platora to work the site for more than a month before the state was able to step in and demand an accounting of the treasure. What was removed before that is unknown but what is known is the list items confiscated by the state. A small, one-ounce gold crucifix of pure gold estimated in 1967 to be worth $100,000, one
Of the twenty ships only three would reach
History Continued on A 6
The Island by the numbers Number of Hotel Rooms and Revenue
Tourism is the driving force for the Coastal Bend’s economy. Here are the numbers for hotel rooms in the area and the revenue they generate. Downtown 1940 rooms generate $28.8 million in annual revenue Port Aransas 3286 rooms generate $52 million in annual revenue. South Padre 3490 rooms generate $71 million in annual revenue. North Padre/Upper Padre Island 1084 rooms generate $16 million in annual revenue.
A 2 By Dale Rankin
Island Moon
Stuff I heard on the Island
It’s one thing to pass the New Year milestone and say you’re going to quit some things; you know, Twinkie sandwiches, using the squirt gun to teach the dog to count, live bait because it’s really just not fair…stuff like that. But smoking is not one of those things to quit lightly. Smokers are different.
“That’s you and you don’t even know it,” I told them. They grumbled and called me names in their gravelly voices but they knew I was right. So they made a pact.
On the hottest day of a Texas August a group of usually right thinking people will go stand out in the steaming parking lot and watch the pavement melt while they suck cancer causing agents into their vital organs. They know it makes no sense but they just keep doing it anyway. Year after year they grow more and more distant from the reality that they are smoking thirty cigarettes every day of their lives until it becomes perfectly reasonable to pay $6 a pack for the privilege. These are not rational people these are nic addicts.
Various options for quitting were discussed. Mariner Dave was a two-pack a day man and he quit Cold Turkey. Not the approach for the faint of heart. Then there’s the gum, which one of our friends was on for five years before she went back to smoking. There’s always the patch but no one is really sure what’s in those things and besides they don’t address the oral fixation (see Dr. Freud Chapter 6 Under “Id”).
Nicotine slaves are all the same At a petting party or a poker game Everything got to stop while they smoke that cigarette Wheezing Nation I know it’s tough to quit. When I was busting bolts in the oil field we were nuts for the Copenhagen and we’d dip that snuff all day long. It would sit there in our lower lip and make our hands shake like a little nicotine engine driving its way through the highways and byways of our nervous systems. It took me three times to quit that stuff. I’d get the shakes and the bends and nightmares and backslide and then quit again; so I get it. It ain’t easy. But if me and a certain character met The guy that invented the cigarette I’d murder that son-of-a-gun in the first degree Year of Bad Eyebrows So as the year turned everybody decided to quit together separately. Sort of like graduate school except they actually quit. They all simultaneously decided to quit but weren’t sure they could do it and then found fellow travelers who had reached the same crossroads and found collective resolve. I egged them on by having them sit in a restaurant while I picked the smokers out of the crowd. You could tell them by the leathery skin on their faces that had lost its fight with gravity about two decades ahead of Mother Nature’s schedule.
January 12, 2012
Like all good contracts it was written on a cocktail napkin (those guys have been printing our Moon business cards for years) and was sealed with a clean cut outcome; the first quitter to light up had to shave their eyebrows. The Brown Badge of Courage or something like that.
There was the heart attack option: Like the creaky old City Editor with the face like an old catcher’s mitt told me on my first newspaper job, “Welcome to the newspaper business son, where you can smoke at your desk while you wait for your second heart attack so you can retire with a thousand dollars in the bank.” A thousand dollars in the bank seemed like a pipe dream in those days. And there was the tale of the editor who had his first heart attack and came back to work with the proclamation, “That heart attack was a booger man, I need a cigarette.” The heart attack option was decided to be the last resort for quitting, for now the idea was dead on arrival. It seemed extreme and besides, as every smoker knows, heart attacks and lung cancer are things that happen to other smokers not to them.
crowd labors on. This is fine at government jobs where everybody hides for long “breaks” but at a real job I have seen it become a real bone of contention. The electronic cigarette continued this hallowed tradition but without the lung tar, which of course the smokers would prefer but are trying to live without. So how’s it going? So far nobody has actually quit. In a sort of Honor Among Thieves way they each blame it on the fact that they have yet to go OTB to buy the electronic cigarette. They all get a timeout until the first one buys the gadget. One of them even stole the cigarette that has been stuck in the mouth of my Moon Monkey hat on my desk that has been there for two years. Like many “quitters” what they really meant was they were going to quit buying cigarettes not smoking them. Now, going on two weeks into the New Year you can still find them out there in the howling January wind bragging about how this is only the third cigarette they’ve had today, in spite of the fact that they have made six trips to the smoking area. I’ve learned that counting cigarettes to smokers is like counting years in dogs – only in reverse. By smokers math a pack
of cigarettes only contains about eight sticks.
They say they are all still going to quit and I preserved what is now known as the Eyebrow Contract because I know if they had a chance to abdicate it they would. The frequently asked question is how will we know that each of the quitters is still Master of Their Domain? After all it’s an honor system among addicts, enough said on that.
Well, the answer is simple: When one of them backslides the others can smell them a mile away. When that happens we’ll say, “Welcome to the other team hackers. We’ve been living with that stench for years. You are one of us now, and old Yellow Teeth over there looks pretty dang funny without any eyebrows doesn’t he?” Smoke, smoke, smoke that cigarette Puff, puff, puff and if you smoke yourself to death Tell St. Peter at the Pearly Gate That you hate to make him wait But you just got to have another cigarette
It ain’t because I don’t smoke myself And I don’t reckon that it’ll harm your health Smoked all my life and I ain’t dead yet On behalf of all Islanders I hope that approach works for hurricanes too. Vapor locked and loaded The decision was made that the electronic cigarette was the cure. You inhale water vapor with some nicotine mixed in then, so the theory goes, you reduce the amount of nicotine until you quit for good. Along the way you still get the sensation of sucking something besides oxygen into to your lungs, which is something that appeals to the smoking crowd (once again see Dr. Freud). I’ve always contended a big part of quitting was the numerous smoke breaks and office gossip sessions that smokers get while the non-smoking
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A 4
Ken and Sue Parsons recently returned from an Eastern Mediterranean Cruise where the Moon accompanied them to the city of Paphos on the Island of Cyprus and visited the birth site of Aphrodite, the Greek goddess of love and beauty. Greek mythology tells of the Goddess emerging from a sea shell in the waters near the rock denoted by the white arrow.
Island Moon
The Moon Travels
Island resident Constance Luedicke continues to travel the world with the Moon, this time visiting Nicaragua. In the background is the Catedral de San Francisco in Granada.
January 12, 2012
Rachel, Walter and Nichole Park took the Moon for a ride on the L train to Manhattan during a recent trip to New York City.
Barefoot
Mardi Gras Fred and Lyn Eldar took the Moon with them to Barcelona’s Sagrada Familia Gaudi Cathedral
2012
Laissez Les Bons Tems Rouler (Let The Good Times Roll)
Family Parade
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January 12, 2012
Island Moon
Letters to the Editor
News From Your
Trash
A3
By Maybeth Christensen
Hello Dale, this is Javier, with Padre Landscapes. I don’t know why, but it seems we are having a rash of people not respecting their neighbors or their property.
Well, as I told you a couple of weeks back, we went and picked up some trash around the Island, a whole trailer load of big bulky items. Here is a few pictures if you are interested in checking them out. The guy in shorts is my associate, Chris Hopwood, the kid is my son Brenden and I am the guy with jeans.
The problems include: • Dumping palm fronds and clippings on vacant lots – which happen to be owned by an individual other than themselves.
We will keep on cleaning this Island Dale, there is a whole bunch of trash still out there!
• My personal dislike – allowing your pet to defecate on someone’s property and leaving it!
Have a excellent New Year 2012!
• Not paying attention to your barking dog or leaving it outside all night to continue barking
Javier Garcia.
• Leaving the lights on your dock on all night which by the way shine into your neighbor’s house. • Duck hunters who cut the breast meat out of the duck and throw the carcass into the water (which just happens to flow into our canals). • Fisherfolks who continue to throw the cleaning remains in the canals • Deer hunters who throw the cleaning remains into the canal
Catamaran Cruise – 4 cruises with 20 people each held by Parks & Recreation aboard the Isla with Capt. Tom Doran, 1-5-12 & 1-6-12
• Parking so that you block your neighbor’s driveway • Parking the wrong way on a street – very dangerous especially at night • Parking on the street without thinking about the traffic which will have to pass • Parking on vacant lots – again, which you do not own
• Cleaning up your yard and making the necessary repairs to fences, docks and the house
I’m sure each of you has a special item you could add to that list. Your POA can not take care of all of these problems. We need everyone to work together, cooperate and pay attention.
We are a small community, our houses are very close together. Be aware of what you are doing and what affect your action may have on someone else. Let’s resolve to be better neighbors and citizens in 2012!
Noon Year’s Eve, countdown to New Year’s at noon 12-31-11, annual party by Parks & Recreation
Editor’s note: All we can say Javier is way to go! If we had any Island awards to give out you would get a big one. Thanks for your help.
Rabbits and Goats and Chickens – OH MY! By Jack Weaver, Club Reporter Have you heard about the Flour Bluff / Padre Island 4-H club? The FB/PI 4-H Club is an organization that teaches kids how to raise animals and make shop projects and miscellaneous homemaking items. These projects are auctioned off at the end of the Nueces County Junior Livestock Show and the student can put the money they earn towards their college education. There are so many different types of animals such as pigs, goats, steer, heifer, rabbits and chickens at the show and you are invited to come and see what it takes to raise an animal project. The FB / PI 4-H Club also does a community service project each month, like coat and food drives for Timmons, contributing to the Therapeutic Horse Riding Program and collecting undergarments for foster kids. The Nueces County Junior Livestock Show and
Who Are the Moon Monkeys
Mike Ellis, Founder Distribution Pete Alsop Island Delivery Coldwell Banker Advertising Jan Park Rankin Office Lisa Towns Classifieds Arlene Ritley Design/Layout Jeff Craft
Auction is held at the Richard M Borchard Regional Fairgrounds and is the week of January 16th, the Auction is on January 21st. Hope to see you there!
FB/PI 4-H Club Officers – (pictured left to right, back row) Kali Christiansen, Katie Johnstone, Austin Valls, Jared Brandt, Chelsea McGrath , (front) Rachel Johnstone, Jack Weaver, Sarah Gilliam, Avery Valls, not pictured, Logan Osterloh.
Two Candidates for Mayor
District 4 Council Member Chris Adler has scheduled a press conference for January 25 to announce she will run for the mayor’s seat. At-Large Council Member Nelda Martinez previously announced she will also seek the seat during the city elections in November.
Jay Gardner Todd Hunter Mike (Murph) Murphy Ronnie Narmour Dr. Donna Shaver Photographers
Riley P. Dog Editor/Publisher/Spillage Control Supervisor Dale Rankin About the Island Moon The Island Moon is published every Wednesday, Dale Rankin, Editor. 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 15201 S P I D. Suite 250. For more information call 361-949-7700 or contact the Moon at 15201 S Padre Island Dr., Suite 250, Corpus Christi, TX 78418 or by e-mail to editor@islandmoon.com.
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January 12, 2012
Island Moon
A5
What I Thought Was Going To Be A Relaxing Trip To Belize
The Local Police Station Was Not On My Itinerary By Mary Craft During my most recent trip to Belize my Island friends were concerned about me of which I was unaware. There were phone calls and emails received from Belizeans saying they had found my pocketbook on the beach with credit cards
wraps itself around another devouring it and a poisonous tree which gives a rash if touched. When we came upon the “peppermint” termite nest David stuck his hand inside and offered up what he called good protein for us to sample. Five of the six in our group ate some and told me they tasted minty. Guess you figured out I was not one of them.
Inside the caves At the dock we jumped butt first into the tubes and were hooked together. As we entered the blackness of the cave the sunlit forest viewed from within seemed all the brighter and lusher. The stalactites were breathtaking and some shimmered as if covered with glitter. Some of the ceilings are quite high almost like floating through an auditorium so you do not feel claustrophobic. At one point there was a waterfall where we drank the water that flowed. After exiting the cave we leisurely floated down the river through the tall lush jungle on either side for about an hour. Some chose to take a dip.
strewn. I normally let my office staff know where I am staying when I vacation but this time I did not do so. In fact, not only did no one know the hotel, they did not even know what tourist island. So those two days no one heard from me they suspected the worst. I had the pleasure, or should I say displeasure, of being mugged on San Pedro island. This is a rare occurrence there although unfortunately a common one in Belize City on the mainland. San Pedro is a small beautiful island surrounded by light turquoise blue waters that are a popular destination for snorkelers and scuba divers. The second largest barrier reef in the world is adjacent to it and the Great Blue Hole there was declared by Jacques Cousteau as on one of the top ten dive sites.
Why I chose Belize My reasons for going was not for either of these activities. My brief snorkeling experience in Costa Rica I remember hoping I would not see anything. My son and I share December birthdays and of course it is the Christmas month but instead of gifts we take a trip. My boathouse friends Delbert and Norm had spent a substantial length of time there so I had heard many pleasant stories. Also on the plus side was that it is about two hours from Houston and is the only Central American country that speaks English. It was a British colony until 1982. We landed at the international airport on the
On our return we flew back from the small commuter airport. No identification required
Tube through caves
Someone found my wallet the next day and phoned both my optometric office and the Moon office from the business cards found inside. I did not see the email from the retriever until the second day because I tend to not go online while on vacation and my phone was off.
Meet with the “Good Samaritan”
and no security. You simply tell them your name and board. It was much quicker than the 90 minute water taxi.
The town of San Pedro
The up side On the up side the hotel comped us our five nights plus room charges which came to $1400. The locals we met were very upset with the incident since they make their living from tourists and said they will find out who did it. I recommend travel to San Pedro or the other more laid-back island Caye Caulker for a great relaxing time. My experience was an isolated one and there can always be a jerk even in paradise.You are certain to enjoy your stay and as they say there Belieze It!
I arranged to meet the woman at the hotel at 6 pm with cash reward in hand. Earlier that day I made a police report since it was suggested by the hotel. When I arrived at the station there was a note on the counter they passed to me that had the name Phil and a phone number. I was told to call him that he said he knew who had my wallet. I explained I had already been contacted by the party and the police stated I should be sure to make the exchange in a public place. The woman showed up with her uncle who did the talking. He started by stating she
San Pedro is a small town where you can walk to everything. In fact, I walked to my hotel from the landing strip. The island is made up of a Caribbean beachfront with its hotels, bars and restaurants that open up street side to Front Street. The spots on this street and Middle Street are the ones most frequented by tourists either by foot or golf cart. If you really want to experience the native’s life go to Back Street and step back in time to grocery stores, hardware stores, drug stores, diners, etc. There are no sidewalks on any of the streets and the uneven cobblestone roads are flip flop friendly but leave your heels at home. The people are friendly and many say hello as you pass. The ethnic background of most is Spanish because of migration from neighboring countries and blacks who the British brought over as slaves from West Africa.
mainland and took a 12 passenger 12 minute flight to San Pedro. The “puddle jumpers” offer a low flying smooth scenic trip. I was nervous about my first flight on a small plane and actually found it not scary but enjoyable.
was grabbed by someone from behind who was hiding in one of the room alcoves. He knocked me down and I ended up with bruises on my hip and elbow. I screamed that my purse was stolen and my escort ran after him and recovered my purse that was dropped but my wallet was taken. Guess he wasn’t a techie because he left my ipad inside.
made a lot of phone calls and that cost money. I interrupted him when I realized I was being extorted. I asked him, not delicately, how much he wanted for my wallet. In the meantime my son demanded he give me the wallet to which he replied he did not have it that he was going to take me to Phil (a white man, probably ex-pat) to get it. I told him he could keep my friggin’ wallet and left for dinner. Later I discovered the police arrived and got the wallet from Phil. At this point there was no cash and I had closed the charge card accounts. I tried twice to get my wallet at the station but the officer who did the report was the only one with the key to where it was and he was not in. The station was like Mayberry only dingier. Reports were written in a hard cover ledger and there were corded phones and no computers and the shirts worn by the officers were frayed.
Although they were taught English in school as soon as they hit the playground they talked in the native Creole which they spell Kriol because in that “language” the spelling is phonetic. A native explained to me that it is what some describe as “bad English”. I got to know many locals and when they talked amongst themselves I did not understand anything said. I could pick out some words but that was it. Some examples of “Bileez” phrases are:
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Da how yu di du? - How are you? Ah mi gat wahn gut gut tayme - I’ve had a wonderful time.
The adventure I booked for our trip was one that you cannot experience anywhere else in the world. Cave tubing was given five stars by every reviewer on Trip Advisor which is my source for where to go and what to do. We had a great guide, David, who is part-owner of Caving Tubing R Us. When I made the reservation he suggested going on a day there were no cruise ships. He picked us up at the water taxi port on the mainland and we drove about an hour stopping to pick up meat pies from street vendors on the way. He entertained us with educational and colloquial banter. We stopped at a fruit winery and sampled wines from the Californian who owned it. Some of the wine samples were raspberry, pineapple and cashew which they say is a fruit.
Back to the scene of the crime
When we arrived at the rain forest near the caves we were given tubes and helmets with lights and took the 45 minute hike to where we would start the float. We had to cross the crystal clear refreshing spring fed water three times. We learned much about the trees we passed along the way. There was a parasite tree that
Now back to the mugging described as such by the local police. I was escorted home along the beach after dancing at a couple of beach bars by one of my dance partners. He walked me to the steps leading from the beach to the hotel pool area surrounded by the rooms. I walked about 15 steps along the pool when my purse
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A 6
Island Moon
History Cont. from A1
Fight Continued from A1
gold bar weighing 7 ounces, three astrlabs which are extremely rare navigational instruments (forerunners of the sextant), several crossbows, two small swivel guns/cannons, several other cannons including two six-foot falconettes, several silver discs with the larges weighing 29 pounds, anchors and chains, a large but undisclosed number of Spanish coins.
establish motor-free zones in this area and the Scientific Study Area is simply a way for them to do that.
The remainder of the treasure is still there. Louis Rewalt who lived near the site for many years reported regularly finding gold coins and other items. So for modern day treasure hunters equipped with metal detectors there is your target rich environment; happy hunting.
Around The Island Continued From A1 a phone number and/or e-mail address at 361 949-7700 or editor@islandmoon.com. Wish us luck.
Winter Texans You will notice that we have expanded our news for Winter Texans in this issue. Not only are we including schedules of events but we have also added a new Winter Texan Correspondent Frost Bite Betty. Betty is a gregarious soul who likes to get out and circulate. Send her your pictures/ stories/tall tales and anything else you’d like to see in print to frostbitebetty@gmail.com. It promises to be the best Winter Texan season ever.
Moon Word of the Week Gardyloo – gar-dee-LOO - an exclamation. A cry uttered just prior to throwing household slops or the consents of one’s chamber pot out the window warning those who might be standing below. You might not hear it very often on The Island…but if you do you’ll be glad it was the Moon Word of the Week! Say hello if you see us Around The Island.
Scuttlebutt’s Kitchen Manager Rick demonstrates to Christian how to shuck an oyster. Photo by Mary Craft.
The fishing groups are pushing for legislative action that would allow state officers to write tickets for seagrass destruction all along the Texas coast thus negating the need for the scientific study area altogether. They say that if the goal is indeed simply seagrass protection then that can be accomplished without introducing the language that could lead to LIFAs later on. Our goal here is to provide a forum for both sides to state their case is what is certainly a crucial decision for our area. What follows is a letter from Jim Smarr who represents the Recreational Fishing Alliance. The opinions expressed are his. By Jim Smarr, Recreational Fishing Alliance The Designation of the JFK Causeway area as a State Scientific Area, is not being done for scientific reasons, but simply for the benefit of elitists wanting “No Motor Zones”. For the last ten years, a movement to restrict motorized traffic in our bay systems has been the dream of the former TPWD Director of Coastal Fisheries, Dr. Larry McKinney, and a single wade fisherman. The wade fisherman, a well connected, former CCA Chapter President from Corpus Christi, and another a man, who was simply a fisherman starting his outboard motor, to set up a new drift fishing pattern in Nine Mile Hole, became involved in a disagreement. Although both methods of fishing are legal, the wade fisherman had powerful friends, capable of stopping motorized traffic, to insure he maintained his style of , without others in his private fishing hole. Ten plus years ago Dr. McKinney started to talk about the importance of sea grass in our coastal ecosystem. A Sea Grass Task Force was formed, with key, handpicked participants. The task force was told over the course of many meetings, that sea grass in Texas was being badly damaged by prop scars, and that sea grass, once damaged by prop scars, would need seven years to recover. Florida studies were widely cited. Unfortunately for Dr. McKinney, the substrate in Florida is vastly different from Texas, a fact which he failed to share with the task force. This total disregard for facts was glaring to many. An expert from Florida, Jim Anderson, from Sea Grass Recovery, a company whose entire energy has been directed towards repairing
prop scars, who at the time had been contracted by Texas Parks and Wildlife, and had advised them of his findings, confided in me that sea grass recovery in Texas could be between one, and three years at most, due to our nutrient rich substrate. A serious move was made to push hard for a State Scientific Research Area (SSRA) by Coastal Fisheries Division of Texas Parks and Wildlife. Due to the results of the first Sea Grass Task Force “Study”, two such areas were established, one at Nine Mile Hole and another in Red Fish Bay. A “No Motor Zone” provision was enacted for the Nine Mile Hole, but was ultimately the downfall of the “Nine Mile Hole SSRA”. A lawsuit was filed by The Recreational Fishing Alliance. The “Nine Mile Hole SSRA” eventually expired under the “Sunset” provision in Texas law. The Red Fish Bay SSRA was left in place, but without a “No Motor” provision. Due to the hard work of many concerned individuals, the Texas Parks and Wildlife Commissioners realized that the data being given them about sea grass damage recovery time frame was simply not true. Dr. McKinney attempted to implement the “No Motor Zone” for Redfish Bay SSRA but TPWD Commissioners told him that until a user group comes forward in support of the idea, that the issue will not be considered. This did not slow down Dr. McKinney and his friends who wanted to carve out a private fishing area with “No Motor Zones”. Soon, a new specific user group called “Texas Wade Paddle and Pole” appeared. The group worked closely with Dr. McKinney to push the “No Motor Zones” but hit serious resistance at all levels. The ring leaders of Wade Paddle and Pole were not about to throw in the towel when Dr. McKinney left TPWD and took a new position at the Harte Institute. They all asked for a Coastal Meeting on issues concerning fishermen. The handpicked attendees were drilled to come to the conclusion for the need for more drastic restrictions, even though they lacked any hard scientific evidence to support their agenda. The meeting was held, but when the attendees, surprisingly and strongly voted down the “ No Motor Zones” and additional SSRA’s, Dr. McKinney’s response was that he himself had “mishandled the meeting during the final assessment, as the breakout groups came together for a general consensus”. Thus, the items voted down in the general session, were added in once again, this time for an online internet response. Under the old adage “if you can’t win, try, try again”, and with the credibility of the Harte Institute behind them, Dr. McKinney and his WPP friends thought maybe they could still pull the wool over the eyes of the TPWD Commissioners.
January 12, 2012
They decided to go before the TPWD Commission again, and they figured a new phrase had to be dreamed up. With a little help from environmentalists in Austin, the new phrase and campaign was launched. The new buzz word for “No Motor Zones” was reborn as “Limited Impact Fishing Areas” ( LIFAs). This new term was used to testify before the TPWD Commission immediately. A photograph was also submitted, showing a staged air boat encounter with a kayaker, in the Light House Lakes area, to promote their agenda.
The moral of the story is that a simple fight between a wade fisherman and a fellow boater in Nine Mile Hole, has spawned years of efforts to lock motorized traffic out of some of our most productive flats. Sea grass protection has been used as the excuse to grant a wish list for a very small user group, focused on a private area, with “No Motor Zones”, much like high fence deer hunting, but on public land.
No concern has been given to the 900,000 saltwater anglers who are good stewards of our bays and estuaries. There has been no concern for the elderly and infirm being locked out of the fisheries due to the Wade, Paddle and Pole provisions. There has been no consideration given to how such a small group as WPP, led by or manipulated by key misinformation, could have drastic impacts on the way we are allowed to access our bay systems throughout the entire Texas coast.
We at RFA recognize the importance of protecting and maintaining our seagrass in a healthy condition, and we will fight to protect it from genuine threats of damage. We also recognize the potential misuse of seagrass issues, such as SSRA and LIFA, by those who would seek to cite false seagrass protection issues as a means to deny angler boat access to various areas of our bays and estuaries. There is more and healthier sea grass along the Texas coast now, than ever before.
The position of the Recreational Fishing Alliance is: If TPWD is serious about protecting sea grass, then let us work together with the Texas Legislature, and submit a bill that would protect sea grass statewide, with a reasonable fine for “Wanton Destruction of Sea Grass”.
TPWD can conduct scientific research without a Scientific Research Area designation. We feel TPWD Coastal Fisheries is using the designation to achieve further restrictions such as “No-Motor-Zones, now disguised as the new, more politically correct “Low Impact Fishing Areas” pushed for by a very small user group. There is no valid, scientific reason for Scientific Research Area designations. In an effort to solve the sea grass issue once and for all, we would like to see all Scientific Research Area designations removed with a State Wide Protection Provision for “Wanton Destruction of Sea Grass”. To implement ten plus SSRA’s to appease a small user group wanting “No Motor Zones” to implement “Low Impact Fishing Areas” is not acceptable to the Recreational Anglers of Texas.
Please contact TPWD and fill out the simple public comment survey online to register your thoughts in their survey. The silent majority of our 900,000 Texas saltwater anglers need to voice our opinions on this issue, since the powerful elite minority is certainly being heard by the Commission. Please also email the Director of Coastal Fisheries, Robin Riechers, a response to SSA’s and No Motor Zones disguised as the new environmental left’s softer, gentler, term “Limited Impact Fishing Area”. The statement by TPWD that no LIFAs (No Motor Zones) cannot be implemented without a State Scientific Research Area or State Park designation is very important.
We’re celebrating our 1st Anniversary! Please join us on Tuesday, January 17th from 5:30 - 7:30 p.m. at Aunt Sissy’s Kitchen for our 1st Anniversary Celebration Food, Drinks, Music and a Guaranteed Good Time! See you there!
949-4848
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January 12, 2012
Island Moon
Frost Bite Betty has hit The Island!
Your Source For All Things Winter Texan
Editor’s note: We’ve been threatening for years to get a Moon writer specializing in Moon Matters for Winter Texans and this is it. Our friend Frost Bite Betty has decided she will do the honors but she doesn’t want her last name used because her husband is nervous about the added attention it might bring (he doesn’t even want us to use his name). So here’s the deal; Betty will be out there in circulation looking for fun things she can do to write about. If you run into someone you think is her don’t let on…she’s been known to carry seltzer water and isn’t afraid to use it.
seriously anyway. Every time they won a race they liked to jump up and down and scream, “In your face losers! Eat my dust!” It seemed a little much. But the second and fourth Saturday’s of each month at 3:00pm, that’s where you’ll find us; at The Gaff in Port Aransas watching the belt sanders run.
Live Music for Winter Texans The Medicare Band is back in business every
frostbitebetty@gmail.com We just arrived back on The Island after an unusually warm Christmas back home. The drive down was uneventful and it’s been good to see our friends who have all been coming down for several years. We like to tell our kids we have a Northern family JELM Activity Center from the Outside and a Texan family. Christmas is for 129 South Alister Street in Port A our Northern family and New Year’s is for our Texan family. We’re also very proud of our “We’re not from Texas but we got here Wednesday from 6-9 at Moby Dick’s in Port as quick as we could” bumper sticker. So, this Aransas. Year after year those guys just keep is the first installment of my new Winter Texan going like the Energizer Bunny. Then on Thursday nights it’s Winter Texan night at Round Up. I hope you like it! Bernie’s Beach House with the PA Rockers, Winter Texan Street Team who are all Winter Texans themselves. Then on We are in the process of assembling a street Sunday night it’s the South Texas Grass Roots team of Winter Texan correspondents to keep at Island Italian on Padre and the country band, me apprised of all activities they find fun and Tumble Dry Low at Bernie’s. And over at the interesting around our islands. We’ve enlisted Tarpon Ice House, one of the all time Winter a few folks already. If you are a Winter Texan Texan favorites, Carol Elliott, will play a couple in Port A or Padre Island; are slightly busy- of Happy Hours on the 13th and 27th. The body by nature; and would like to help us put a Ice House also has the rootsy Free Beer Band Winter Texan Round-up together; please email every Thursday at 7:00pm and a great open frostbitebetty@gmail.com. We’re looking mic on Sundays. Also, the JELM Center at the for reports on various activities around town Presbyterian Church in Port A has an open mic every Tuesday and Friday which is called Golden Oldies. There is plenty of good live music to get out and see during the Winter Texan season.
Health Fair A Health Fair will be held on Saturday, January 21st, from 9 til noon at the Port A Community Center (408 Alister Street). This event is sponsored by Keep Port A Beautiful and Port A Parks and Rec. Bring your old mercury thermometers and get a free digital thermometer. Also the Jammin’ Open Mic Every Sunday at the Tarpon Ice House in Port event will offer free blood pressure check, massages, Aransas articulotherapy, magnets and other medical alternatives. Participants are (birding, poker night, plays, music, dances, art shows, bridge night, domino night, bingo, encouraged to donate and receive old medical good buffets, restaurants with specials, bars equipment. with cheap beer, exercise classes, organized Cribbage, Poker and Pool Tournaments RV Park activities, volunteer work, lectures, The V.F.W. has a number of activities for church activities, city activities, arts and crafts, etc., etc.) which appeal to our snowy northern Winter Texans going on including Taco Night friends. The more photos the better! We want to every Thursday and their Ladies Auxiliary know who you are, where you came from and Dinner every Saturday with live music. The how you occupy your time on the island. And, “V” also has a Texas Holdem Tourney every we want to know who drove the farthest this Tuesday and Friday at 7:00 and Sunday at 4:00pm. Bernie’s has a Holdem tournament week to get here. every night at 7:00 and 9:00pm. They also have Belt Sander Races at the Gaff an 8-Ball Tournament every Wednesday at 6:30 Last year our friends raced their belt sander at which is run by Michigan native Don Patterson. the Gaff and we’re looking forward to the first The Gaff has a Cribbage Tournament every races this weekend but our friends managed to Monday night at 7:00pm. forget their belt sander so they won’t be racing Adult Jewelry Classes but that’s okay. They tended to take it a little too Port A Glass Studio (402 Beach St.) is offering
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January Calendar for JELM Activity Center Thursday, Jan. 12
8am Body Toning 9:15am Beginning Line Dance 10:30am Advanced Line Dance 12noon Bridge 1pm Needleworks 6pm Pinochle
JELM Activities We’ve only recently discovered the JELM organization at the Presbyterian Church in Port Aransas and they have lots of things to do. Here’s what we know about. For more information call Pat Reilly at 361 749-5321 or if you have that e-mail thingy you can find them at jelm@portabc.com. The cost of registration is $5 per couple and $3 for individuals.
By Frost Bite Betty
Winter Texan Dinner Special Mon - Thurs 4:00 - 6:30
Adult Jewelry Classes by appointment. For $55 participants can make 4 - 6 glass pendants during the two hour class and then return the next day to finish after firing them. Call Sherri Hargrove at 361-749-6358 and stop by to see all of the beautiful glass artwork Also, her husband Jeremy and his mom Betsy do some beautiful onsite wood carvings and printing press art.
Goldwing Express to perform at the JELM Carl Erwin, of Golden Oldies, is bringing in a terrific group of entertainers for a one night performance at the Pollock Center. They are called the Goldwing Express and will appear for one performance only on Wednesday, February 1st at 6 pm. Tickets are on sale at the JELM office or Golden Oldies and are $8 each. Seating will be first come-first serve. The Goldwing Express is a touring group that Carl saw in Branson. They have graciously squeezed the JELM into their busy schedule. The group consists of a father and three son act. The sons are adopted Native Americans and they mix their bluegrass and gospel with a lot of humor aimed at their adoptive father. If you would like further information about them, they have a terrific web site with a full schedule. Remember, the JELM office is open at the church from 9 am to 3 pm Monday through Friday.
Stained Glass Class at the JELM
Friday, Jan. 13 8am Aerobics 9am Cribbage 9:15am Yoga 10:30am Beginner’s Tai Chi 1pm Fundamentals of Drawing 6pm Golden Oldies Saturday, Jan. 14 Trip to Goliad Market Days, Mission & Presidio Vans leave JELM at 8am $25 Monday, Jan. 16 8am Aerobics 9:15am Beginner’s Line Dance 10:30am Advanced Line Dance 12noon Bridge 1pm Relief Carving 1pm Prayer Shawl Ministry 1pm Needleworks 4:15pm Couple’s Line Dance 6pm Ballroom Dance Tuesday, Jan. 17 8am Body Toning
The JELM has also announced the formation of a Stained Glass Class taught by Marilee Ahern from South Carolina. The materials fee for the class is $80 and you have to sign-up early, as she is only taking six students. You will pick out your window design from a materials catalog and are guaranteed a beautiful finished window with approximately 12” x 14” dimensions. The sign-up sheet is in the JELM now. The dates for these sessions are: Thursday afternoons at
9:15am Beginner’s Tai Chi
1 pm starting on January 19, continuing on the 26, February 2 and 9.
5:15pm Advanced Yoga
10am Free blood pressure check 10:30am Advanced Tai Chi 10:30am Weight Loss 12noon Brown Bag Lunch Alzheimers w/ Bill Frost 1pm Watercolors 6pm Golden Oldies
Illinois/Iowa Events The Illinois State Dinner will be at the Butter Churn Restaurant in Aransas Pass on Monday, January 23rd at 3 pm. Price is $8.11 (tax included). This also includes coffee, tea or lemonade. This price does not include the tip. The Illinois State Coffee is Wednesday, February 15 from 1 pm to 3 pm in the Pollock Center. Participants are asked to bring a snack or finger food to share with the crowd. The Iowa State Coffee is scheduled for Friday, February 3 at 1 pm in the Pollock Center. Pat Byers is the chairperson and direct all of your questions to her at 319-427-0895. Participants are also asked to bring snacks and finger foods to share with the crowd. The Nebraska State Coffee is Thursday, February 2 at 1 pm in the Pollock Center. Contact person is Pat Stopak who can be reached at 749-5754. Participants are asked to bring snacks and finger foods as well.
Winter Dance at the JELM Tickets are on sale for our Winter Dance, which will be held on Wednesday, January 25 from 6 to 9 pm. They are $5 each. Coffee and soft drinks are provided and entertainment is provided by “The Texas Stars Band”. Carl Erwin is the leader of this band, you might know him from our Golden Oldies. Dance tunes are played, appealing to all types of dance; line dancing, polka, chacha and waltzes. We ask attendees to bring snacks or finger food to share with the crowd. We set up a buffet line at the break for all to share. Raffle tickets are sold for a fund raiser and a door prize is given. Prizes are supplied by our local business community. The JELM has a dance each month in January, February and March.
Wood carving class at the JELM Check the JELM office for a date for a second Wood Carving Class. Charlie Arnold has agreed to do a second class because of the popularity of his subject matter has created quite a stir. His first class has filled and more people expressed a desire to take his class. He only takes ten students so they have scheduled a second class because there has been a desire for more students.
Arts and Crafts at the JELM Also, check the schedule for Arts and Crafts schedules. They will be offering an arts and crafts schedule in February. These dates have not been set as of yet – so remember to keep checking.
Listen and Learn at the JELM The speaker for the 3L’s: Listening, Learning and Leisure on Tuesday, January 17 at noon is Bill Frost, from the San Antonio Alzheimer’s Association. You are asked to carry in a sack lunch and eat while Bill gives his presentation. A musical overture will be played by Marion Fersing on the piano, while we are setting up and getting ready for the speaker. Bill’s wife, Nancy, also has a lot of information to impart. There is a great need for more information on this topic.
Pinochle at the JELM The Pinochle people have asked for a 6:30 pm start up time instead of 6 pm. They all like to go to Kody’s for the Prime Rib Special and needed more time! I have to laugh at these changes and the reasons for them. This is life at the JELM! Ballroom dance has been canceled. We are looking for another volunteer instructor for this very popular class. Monday night is open for dance. So that’s all for this time. Look for Frost Bite Betty around our islands and be sure to send me photos and updates and to run. I”ll be back in two weeks for another installment of Winter Texan Round-Up. If we missed something, be sure to let us know and we’ll get it in next time.
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Wednesday, Jan. 18 8am Welder Wildlife Trip 8am Aerobics 10am Yoga 10am Conversational French 11am Meditation 11am Beginner’s Spanish 12noon Mah Jongg Lessons Thursday, Jan. 19 8am Body Toning 9:15am Beginner’s Line Dance 10am American Sewing Guild meeting 10:30am Advanced Line Dance 12noon Bridge 1pm ASG Sewing Time & Needlework 4:30pm S. Texas Opry Trip 6pm Pinochle Friday, Jan. 20 8am Aerobics 9am Cribbage 9:15am Yoga 10:30am Beginner’s Tai Chi 11:30 Advanced Tai Chi 1pm Fundamentals of Drawing 6pm Golden Oldies Monday, Jan. 23 8am Shopping in San Antonio trip $40 8am Aerobics 9:15am Beginners Line Dance 10:30am Advanced Line Dance 12noon Bridge 1pm Relief Carving 1pm Prayer Shawl 1pm Needleworks 4:15pm Couple’s Line Dance 6pm Ballroom Dance Tuesday, Jan. 24 8am Body Toning 9:15am Beginners Tai Chi 10am Blood Pressure Check 10:30am Weight Loss 12noon Brown Bag Lunch “Preserving your precious memories” 5:15pm Advanced Yoga 6pm Golden Oldies Wednesday, Jan. 25 8am Aerobics 10am Yoga 10am Conversational French 11am Conversational Spanish 11am Meditation 12noon Mah Jongg Lessons
6pm Winter Dance w/ The Texas Stars Band $5 Thursday, Jan. 26 8am Body Toning 9:15am Beginners Line Dance 10:30am Advanced Line Dance 12noon Winery Trip to Refugio $25 12noon Bridge 1pm Needleworks 6pm Pinochle
Island Moon
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January 12, 2012
Art Center for the Islands January classes & workshops 323 N. Alister port aransas tx - gallery hours 11-5 mon-sat 12-4 sun 361-749-7334 Www.Portaransasartcenter.Org artcenter@ centurytel.Net
Weekly classes First tuesday-portrait drawing-pat donohue 9:30am-12:30pm
Elsie hots celebrated her 92nd birthday with her daughters at jb’s german rest. Jan 3. Elsie came over to america in 1924 when she was 4 yrs old thru ellis island. She resides in corpus christi Moving here from illinois 4 yrs ago. She enjoyed talking german with bridgett.
Loading up toilet paper at the Tarpon Ice House to donate to the Food Pantry
Tuesdays~ drop in and draw class~pat donohue ~ 9:30am—12:30pm –cost:$15.00 Nonmembers $13.50 Members come, learn to draw or improve your skills. Join us any tuesday and have a great time! Supply list is available at front desk. No class 1/31 Thursdays~ soft pastels ~ donna garven ~ 9:30 am -12:30 pm-cost: $15.00 Nonmembers $13.50 Members.Get your set of soft pastels,(michaels or hobby lobby has them at 14.95 ,You can buy the right paper from the instructor so you are ready to participate in this fun class!
Turtle release on Padre Island National Seashore
2012 New Year’s Day Meander walk/run, annual ‘healthy’ way to start New Year by Parks & Recreation
Kayakers in the canal
Port A Winter Texan Stuff Gaff -Belt Sander Races on the second and fourth Saturday of the month at 3:00 pm.
-Texas Holdem Tournament Tuesday and Friday at 7:00, Sunday at 4:00
Tarpon Ice House
-The Gaff is hosting Monday night cribbage tournaments starting Jan. 9. Registration starts at 6:30, play begins at 7:00. There is a $5 entry fee which will be paid out in cash prizes. Participants are encouraged to bring a board and cards if possible.
-Carol Ellitott (5-7) Friday, Jan. 13 and Friday, Jan. 27
Moby Dicks
Kody’s
-Medicare Band every Wednesday night 6-9 with $1 Domestic Draft Beer, $1 Margaritas and $2 Domestic Longnecks
-“All You Can Eat Fried Shrimp” Every Wednesday from 5:00pm- 1:00am $9.99
-Wednesdays “All You Can Eat Boiled Shrimp” for $12.99
Bernies -$1 Draft Beer Daily from 11:00am to 5:00pm -Happy Hour Daily 11:00am- 6:30pm with $2 Well Drinks and $2 Domestic Bottle Beer -Poker Tournament (Texas Holdem) Free pays off $2 per person (7:00pm & 9:30 pm) -8 Ball Pool Tournament host by Don Patterson (originally from Michigan). $5 entry/ 100% pay out (6:30 Sign Up) -PA Rockers (Oldies Rock) every Wednesday night 7:00 pm (No Cover Charge) -Tumble Dry Low (C&W Covers) every Sunday night 7:00 pm (No Cover Charge)
Hooks Bar-B-Q -Winter Menu with reduced prices
VFW
-Free Beer Band with Steve Goldstein Every Thursday 7:00pm -Open Electric Jam Every Sunday 5:00pm
-Prime Rib with Twice Baked Potato Every Thursday
Parks and Rec -Thurs, Jan. 12th: H.E.L.P. Series (health, ecology, lifestyle, preparation) workshops, classes, tours, presentations. AgriLife lab tour in Port Aransas. Must pre-register at pamg@ cityofportaransas.org or 749-4158. -Sat. Jan. 14: 8:00am Yoga on the Beach with Nancy Myers. Free beginning yoga class. Bring mat or towel suitable for beach. Horace Caldwell Pier. -Mon. Jan. 16th: H.E.L.P. Series. At the Girl Scout Hut, 739 W. Ave. A, 9:30am. Victoria Goitia-Kemp, interior design. Basic Principles and Elements of Good Design. Free. -Tues. Jan. 17th: H.E.L.P. Series. At the Girl Scout Hut, 739 W. Ave. A, 9:30am, Victoria Goitia-Kemp, interior design. Trends, Keep it Simple, Colors, Styles. Free. -Tues. Jan. 17th: At the Girl Scout Hut, 739 W. Ave. A, 2:00pm, Sand Mosaics. Free.
-Taco Night every Thursday. 5:00 $6.50 -Ladies Auxiliary Dinner, every Saturday, 5:00 $8, different dish every week. Bands: Jan. 14 Tequila Sunrise -$1 Draft Beer everyday from noon- 4:00
Cost:$15.00 Non-members $13.50 Members come, learn to draw portraits or improve your skills and have a great time! Bring your drawing supplies.
-Wed. Jan. 18th: Brown Bag Lunch Lecture Series. Noon & 7:00pm at the Community Center. Bill and Nancy Frost will speak on their journey with Alzheimer’s Disease. Latest facts on AD. Free.
Thursdays~ oil painting ~ donna garven ~ 9:30 am -12:30 pm cost: $15.00 Supply list available. She will teach the basics of oil painting and the use of color. Subjects will be varied each week. Come join her and she will introduce you to the fun of oil painting and how to use soft pastels. The basics in oil, brush techniques, color washes, blending /mixing paint and use of a palette knife Fridays ~ beginner/intermediate watercolor judith deshong hall 10 am-1 pm $ 25 if you just drop in or $80 for 4.Supply list will be available at front desk.Come learn to paint or improve your skills with this very talented instructor. Bring your paints, brushes,pallet,paper towels etc.
Workshops / pottery / painting & jewelry Bill hildebrand-hand built pottery workshopjanuary 23-thru feb. 27 Mondays -6:30-8:30pm Cost:$150 includes all supplies, clay, glazes and all tools will be provided for your use. Preregister & pre-pay by january 16th come learn how to make pottery of your own, in this fun and informational class. Debbie cannatella 3 day mixed-watermedia collage workshop Jan. 30, 31 & Feb. 1st days: monday, tuesday & wednesday Time: 9:30am –4pm $275 for all 3 days min. 6 Max. 16 Pre-pay byjanuary 23rd Supply list will be available(many can be attained from instructor) debbie says-hand made marbled kosi paper, thai lace paper, metallic powders, and japanese rice parchments will introduce you to a new way to explore nonobjective collage painting with water media. Collage supplies are provided. Bring your own paints,brushes,water container,pallet,paper towels etc. Jewelry workshops- sue mcclurg –mondays 9:30-12:30 pre-pay by friday before 1/9 Beading a dichroic glass cabachon $15 instruction+$20 supplies 1/16Wire wrap beach glass $15 +$10 1/23Traditional wire wrap$15 + $15 Gay greer -bead weaving workshops wednesdays time:12-4pm pre-pay week ahead 1/11Tube bracelet with crystals $25 instruction + $25 supplies 1/18 Hop scotch using tila beads $25 +$25 1/25 Caterpillar bracelet $25 + $25
Follow the Moon on Facebook for Event Updates Port Aransas & Mustang Island Chamber of Commerce 2012 Calendar of Events January 30, 2012
April 20-22, 2012
‘Port A’ Merchant’s Dine Around
Texas Sand Fest
Enjoy samplings of island cuisine at a variety of local restaurants and enjoy tasty tidbits of desserts and beverage samples at Port Aransas shops. www.portaransas.org
Largest Master Sand Sculpting Competition in the U.S. This family event offers attendees a weekend of fun on the beach while viewing these magnificent works of sand art. Unique “island-style” jewelry, art, crafts, food and music will be available.
February 23-26, 2012
Whooping Crane Festival – Annual
www.texassandfest.com
Annual festival celebrating the endangered Whooping Cranes that winter in our area. Birding tours by boat and bus, renowned speakers, exhibits, nature related trade show, arts & crafts, photography workshops and more. For information, contact the Port Aransas Chamber of Commerce at 800-45-COAST or www.portaransas.org
April 28, 2012
Adopt-A-Beach Cleanup
Statewide event held twice a year, in the spring and fall. Participants gather and document debris from area beaches. Call 800-45-COAST for more information or visit our website at www.portaransas.org
March 2012
April 14 -22, 2012
Spring Break
Great Texas Birding Classic
The 3rd full week of March is the busiest during the month.
The Great Texas Birding Classic (GTBC) sponsored by the Gulf Coast Bird Observatory and Texas Parks & Wildlife Department. Event is held each year in April to coincide with the spring bird migration in Texas. For more information call 800-45-COAST or visit our website at www.portaransas.org
April through October, 2012
Sunset Sounds Musical performances by local artists held the second Friday of each month at 7:00 p.m. Free and open to the public at Robert’s Point Park. For more information, call the Port Aransas Parks & Recreation Department, 361-749-4158.
High Quality Work at Competitive Pricing!
Season’s Greetings & Happy Holidays 27 Years Experience ● Commercial & Residential Member On The Island
On Padre Island Duane Ebert 361-658-2459 | 361-949-0661 decksanddocksnorthpadre.com Member Padre Island Business Association
Padre Island Business Assoc.
Home Remodeling and More...
Duane Ebert Cell: (361) 658-2459 Bus: (361) 949-0661 28 Years Experience l Commercial & Residential
NFL Sunday Ticket, Big 10 Network on 6 Big Screens
Isle Mail N More MA
3-7pm
DA BLU TIL
E
Happy Hour Monday - Friday Live Music, Never a Cover Book your holiday party, birthday or special event now!
In Ace Hardware Strip Center 1023 Hwy 361, Ste A pORT aRANSAS tx
361-749-joes
COFFEE BAR
Isle Mail N More All your Packaging needs FedEx, UPS, USPS Christmas Gifts (361) 949-9325 14493 S.P.I.D, Ste A Corpus Christi TX 78418
Matilda Blue Cafe Australian Teas, Christmas Gifts, Design your own Gourmet Sandwiches Fresh Croissants Scones Cookies (Can be made to order) Fresh Farm Eggs Located inside Mail N More Open M-F 8-4, Sat 9-12
(703) 786-7255 Come in and enjoy a tea or breakfast lunch or coffee break. Dine-in or takeaway, and you can always call ahead.
January 12, 2012
The Travelling Moon Gets Around
Island Moon
A9
A 10
Island Moon
January 12, 2012