The
Issue 571
Island Moon
The voice of The Island since 1996
March 26, 2015
Around The Island By Dale Rankin
editor@islandmoon.com We woke up Sunday morning to cries of “there’s a giant ball of fire in the sky!” it seemed that right on cue as the Spring Break Exodus headed off The Island the sun came busting through. In this case, what happened on The Island didn’t wait for Sunday, it left on Saturday. When Sunday broke bright and clear the locals grabbed their sunglasses and headed for the outdoor watering holes at Mikel May’s and the Back Porch. The day after Spring Break marks the beginning of the Sweet Spot of the Island calendar as the Old Farmer’s Almanac calls for temps in the 70s and only slight rain through the months of April and May. Spring has begun and the beaches are in good shape and not crowded, the fish are biting, Island dogs are happy to be able to hit the beach, water temps are rising, and life is good on our little sandbar.
High water
Texas-sized beach cleanup Saturday, April 18
Fourth Fireworks The mosquito attack will be followed by the Mother of all Deck Parties as fundraising for the Third Annual 4th of July Island Blast! fireworks show is in full swing. Organizer Jerry Watkins says thanks to help from the Padre Isles Property Owners Association more than half the $15,000 needed for the show has been raised. Anyone wanting to contribute can mail a check made out to Island Blast to 13517 King Phillip Court on The Island. In the past three years since Jerry and Sharon hatched the idea the fireworks show at the end of Whitecap has become a big part of the Island calendar and this year looks to be another great event, minus the fire on the spoil island as that was (hopefully) a onetime only event.
Pelican’s Landing A hapless pelican flew into a highline early Sunday morning and knocked out power to the area around Fortuna Bay to the end of Whitecap. The outage lasted until almost dawn but many of the people slept right through and woke up to find their electric alarm clocks flashing. We have had fewer outages this year than in most since the frequent rains have knocked the salt deposits off the lines which are the usual cause of the trouble as they weigh down the lines which then swing in the breeze and cause shorts.
No softball It is said you can tell Island kids because they are the ones that take their shoes off to play in the street and put them on to play in the parks. That is especially evident this time of year when the thoughts of Island kids turn to baseball, softball and soccer and their parent's thoughts turn to the fact that for the kids to play in leagues they must go OTB. This is a perennial complaint from parents, especially those who cannot register their kids in the leagues that play in Flour Bluff due to their being full and must make the long trek to the fields on the Southside of town half an hour away. The lack of softball, baseball, and soccer fields on The Island is particularly galling given the vast space that sits empty in Island parks which goes unused except for
Around continued on A3
Weekly
FREE
Photo by Leslie Willey Jr.
Inside 361
Island Saw 45% Growth from 2000 to 2012
Volunteers needed for Adopt-A-Beach Spring Cleanup Volunteers are needed for the nation’s biggest all-volunteer coastal cleanup Saturday, April 18. The 2015 Texas General Land Office Adopt-A-Beach Spring Cleanup takes place at 30 of Texas’ most popular tourist beaches. Volunteers can sign up online at www.texasadoptabeach. org to take part in a fun-filled day at the beach that makes a difference. “The Adopt-A-Beach Spring Cleanup is a great day at the beach for a great cause," said Texas Land Commissioner George P. Bush. "Come out for sun and sand and help keep Texas beaches clean at any of our 30 clean-up sites along the coast. The Adopt-A-Beach clean-up starts at 8:30 a.m. on Saturday, April 18." Each volunteer will be given data cards, gloves, pencils and trash bags. All volunteers are advised to wear closed-toe shoes, bring sunscreen and plenty of drinking water. The Texas General Land Office Adopt-A-Beach Cleanups are held rain or shine!
It is a good time to be an Island bird as the recent rains have left our ditches and fields with standing water all the way south to the National Seashore. But what’s good for the birds may not be so good for the humans because it won’t be long before we’re all doing the Skeeter Dance as all that standing water is sure to produce the Mother of All Mosquito crops. Stock up on dryer sheets and mosquito spray, it looks to be a buzzing time in the next few weeks.
Free
Texans who are not able to attend the cleanup can help keep their beaches clean by making a taxdeductible donation online at www. TexasAdoptABeach.org. There are several different Adopt-A-Beach
Growth continued on A5
Median household income 2012 - Source: U.S. Census Bureau By Jim Lee Director South Texas Economic Development Center
Texas A&M University Corpus Christi Strong growth in the Corpus Christi’s Southside is well known. Less well known is development within the
area code 361, except perhaps for the Schlitterbahn Water Park under construction on the Island. This area, which lies east of Oso Bay, includes the City of Flour Bluff, North Padre Island, Mustang Island and Port Aransas. Because of differences in their socioeconomic makeup, these communities have experienced very different development trends in the last decade.
SMA Celebrates Greek Week
Food, Fashion, and History at Seashore
Table 1 shows some data for the five census tracts within the 361 area, along with county level data. Until recently, Nueces County and the Coastal Bend as a whole have seen little overall population growth at less than one percent annually. Yet the growth experience has been highly uneven. A recent Caller Times article reported that the so-called
Growth continued on A5
Inside the Moon
By Brent Rourk Greek attired middle school students paraded through the Seashore Middle School gymnasium, proudly strutting their finest and latest in Greek clothing, hoping to be named winners in one of a few categories in the Greek Week Toga Fashion Show. The full gym was treated to stunning and at times creative fashion as well as more modern renditions of Greek Togas, as evidenced by the ‘camo-clad’ Greek boys. In the Most Authentic division of the Toga Fashion show, Tatiana and Nikolai Ortiz were anointed winners to thunderous applause, capping another successful Greek Week. For years students at SMA have been spending a week studying Greek literature and mythology, food, dress, and more while involving virtually all of the student body and staff. This year’s festivities included a buffet of Greek foods, fabulous projects on Greek history and mythology, the fashion show, and the traditional ‘Pi’ throwing where students get to throw a whipped cream pie in the face of a teacher in fun celebration of the Greek’s discovery of Pi. SMA staffer Shannon Trial discussed the history of Greek Week at SMA, “The first year at SMA, the faculty wanted to begin a tradition that involved learning, literature,
Greek Week at Seashore A2
A group of SMA students eagerly participate in the Toga Fashion Show. photo by Brent Rourk and fun. It became a cross-curricular festival, with activities varying from year to year.” Trial commented more about the different activities, “We've included the Olympics during Olympic years,
Greek food, projects by the art classes, and performances by the drama students. Every year it's a bit different with a couple of mainstays-
Seashore continued on A2
A little Island history
The Best Skiffs for Fishing the Laguna Madre
Bobby Kimbrell moved to Flour Bluff in 1944, where he still lives, and worked there as a commercial fisherman for more than fifty years. By Bobbie Kimbrell In the early days of commercial fishing in the Laguna Madre starting about 1940, most of the skiffs were about 12 to 16 feet long and on the narrow side, about three to four feet wide and were made of wood planking. The sides were usually made of two 1”x12” cedar and the bottom was made of 1”x8” fir or pine. Nearly all of the skiffs were propelled by a combination of oars, a push pole and a removable mast and sail that was mounted near the bow. A boat builder by name of Kipler started making the first wider skiffs, about
five feet wide and 16-feet long which made it easier to stand up in the bow and run the trotline without being off balance. Most of the Kipler skiffs had a tunnel stern and a small air-cooled engine because outboard motors had not come into practical or popular use yet. About the year 1946 boat builders started using plywood for the sides of the skiff and fir planking for the bottom and then soon after that time they started using ½ inch plywood for the bottom because outboard motors were coming into use and the faster speed would cause the plant bottom to start leaking or sometimes break.
Vannoy Skiffs Sidney Vannoy started making the first 16-foot skiffs for sale. Prior to that time all skiffs were homemade
Meet the chefs A6
Farah's Fishing Adventures A7
Amarillo Slim A8
with an occasional builder offering one for sale. The first Vannoy skiffs had plywood sides and fir bottom with oak splash rails and rub rails. The oak rub rails around the top of
History continued on A6
Live Music A16
A2
March 26, 2015
Island Moon
Seashore continued from A1 -mythology in language arts and a toga day the Friday before Spring Break.” Toga Day includes a Toga Fashion Show where many of the students eagerly dress up in authentic, fashionable, or creative togas and then parade in front of the student body. A panel of judges determines winners in several categories. Again this year students enthusiastically transformed themselves into admirable, ancient Greeks worthy of a leisurely stroll (back in time) around the Acropolis. Trial detailed Greek Week’s popularity, “Students begin asking the first week of school, "When's Greek Week?" They simply love it, and of course they're drawn to mythology because myths are our first gripping stories, the tales passed down by the European cultures who melded together to form America.”
Drivers have already made a road around the bollards at the pedestrian beach at the seawall.
As Greek Week ended following the Toga Fashion Show, students walked through halls filled with Greek Week projects on their way out the doors to enjoy Spring Break. Meanwhile, exhausted staffers wiped whip cream from their hair, eyes, and face, happy to participate in Greek Week and equally glad there is only one ‘Pi’ day each year at SMA.
SMA staffer Michele Ortega was 'Pi'd' during Greek week by Vishal Patel in honor of Pi Day photo by Cale Ortega
So long Spring Break 2015.We hardly knew you.
Sharkey's is being dismantled...
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Three fashionable, toga-clad SMA students pose during the Toga Fashion Show photo by Brent Rourk
Nikolai and Tatiana Ortiz pose as Apollo and Eris during the Toga Fashion Show claiming 1st place in the Most Authentic category photo by Brent Rourk
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March 26, 2015
Island Moon
Mike Ellis, Founder
POA Dear Letter to the Editor, Property Owners & POA Board Please review the internet link below of "Mustang Island Beach II" - Engineering Inspection Report on Canals conditions. http:// mustangbeach2.org/files/Download/MBII%20 Bulkhead%20Report.pdf This is what we need to do to for our island property owners here on North Padre Island. We need to know what the current condition of our retaining walls/caps/canals are, so we can proceed with a plan to fix and maintain them properly. This report will give us a projected total cost of repairs needed, an estimated life expectancy, a current recommended material list, a building standard a thus will educate property owners and our association.
Distribution Pete Alsop Island Delivery Coldwell Banker Advertising Jan Park Rankin Classifieds Arlene Ritley Design/Layout Jeff Craft Contributing Writers Joey Farah Andy Purvis Devorah Fox Mary Craft Maybeth Christiansen Jay Gardner Chad Peters Todd Hunter Dotson Lewis
Many home owners, including myself have reported sinking and/or shifting at the behind retaining wall (bulkheads) areas over the years. Our retaining walls are old and in desperate need of what I believe is a total replacement in many areas. Some home owners are experiencing: house shifting, joists in attics are popping, sheet rock separations (inside their homes), wash outs/sink holes behind the retaining walls, separation's in seams where each retaining wall connect in the water. This is likely due to the condition of these retaining walls, wakes and age.
However, until we have an official report done, we do not know. If you see anything like this listed above report it to your POA and/or call a qualified foundation repair contractor to verify/ write a report. We need to handle this with our "highest priority." I have a house on the water and have been waiting for 15 years to get my cap repaired. I have brought it up to every board that has every served out here since I bought my property in 2001. I get the same reply, "It's on the list." Thank God, this is my cap and not the retaining wall. My point is, we need to hire a qualified engineering company to evaluate our retaining walls ASAP. We need repairs to be done professionally and with the proper materials to insure a long-time solution to these problems. Our current contractor is doing great, but we need other contractors hired to assist in reducing the length of time homeowners need to wait. Please encourage our POA to continue doing repairs, but also get us the professional assistance we need with this project. This will also avoid potential lawsuits between homeowners and our POA. Concerned Island Property Owner, Sami Wilson
Brent Rourk Dr. Donna Shaver Photographers Miles Merwin Jeff Dolan Mary Craft Ronnie Narmour Office Security/Spillage Control (Emeritus)
Riley P. Dog Publisher Dale Rankin About the Island Moon
The Island Moon is published every Thursday, Dale Rankin, Editor / Publisher. Total circulation is 10,000 copies. Distribution includes delivery to 4,000 Island homes, free distribution of 3,000 copies in over 50 Padre Island businesses and condos, as well as 600 copies distributed in Flour Bluff, 1,400 copies on Mustang Island and Port Aransas businesses. News articles, photos, display ads, classified ads, payments, etc. may be left at the Moon Office.
The Island Moon Newspaper 15201 S. Padre Island Drive, Suite 250 Corpus Christi, TX 78418 361-949-7700 editor@islandmoon.com Facebook: The Island Moon Newspaper
Where to Find The Island Moon Port Aransas Lisabella’s Restaurant Pioneer RV Park
Sandpiper Condos WB Liquors Port A Arts
North Padre
Stripes @ Beach Access Rd. 1A
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A Mano
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Doc’s Restaurant
Spanky’sLiquor
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IGA Grocery Store
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Carter Pharmacy
Brooklyn Pie Co.
San Juan’s Taqueria
Ace Hardware
Wash Board Laundry Mat
Texas Star (Shell)
Port A Parks and Rec Public Library
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Holiday Inn Jesse’s Liquor Scuttlebutt’s Restaurant Subway
Chamber of Commerce
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Back Porch
WB Liquor
Woody’s Sports Center Shorty’s Place
Flour Bluff
Giggity’s
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Whataburger on Waldron Ethyl Everly Senior Center Fire Station Police Station Stripes on Flour Bluff & SPID
I took a trip out to Cedar Bayou yesterday to check things out and spent a good bit of time just walking along the Bayou and Vinson Slough. Overall in my opinion, Cedar Bayou and Vinson Slough are in better shape than they were the last time I was out there. I feel like the tides are pretty close to the same levels as well. There was good flow in both the Bayou and Vinson Slough. The following are additional observations I want to report:
primary narrow guts from Cedar into Vinson ranging in depth from knee to waist deep yesterday. Water was flowing across more, ranging from ankle to calf deep. There was a considerable amount of outgoing current in the main gut, and I walked it all the way until it emptied into the wide part of Vinson headed to the back lakes. Again, I witnessed lots of flow and I feel it is in better shape than last time I was out.
• The point in the Bayou from where it necks down (area where excavation began through solid dunes) to Vinson Slough seems to be stable in depth since the original silting closer to Vinson Slough. I feel this has been stable for some time.
• Even though lower tides had reduced channel widths of both Cedar Bayou and Vinson Slough over the winter, flows remained strong and wind generated from cold fronts helped maintain flushing out to the gulf. We are anticipating the typical higher spring tides will increase the differential water elevation between the gulf and Mesquite Bay which will also increase flow potential through Cedar Bayou and Vinson Slough.
• The Bayou has obviously moved way south as per Aaron’s last report. (Aaron G. Horine, P.E. is the senior engineer at Coast & Harbor Engineering, which performed the feasibility studies and engineering work on the project.) On this trip, I could see bank “cutting” on the large spit at the mouth on the Matagorda Island side. As if the Bayou was taking some of the spit back out. • Where the main channel (the deep section) necks down and hits the surf is probably 60 to 80 feet wide maybe a little more. I walked the edge and it would immediately go to stomach to chest deep and the current was ripping, so I did not attempt to walk across. There was very significant flow. I tried crossing at several spots and it would be stomach to chest deep back up towards the mouth of Vinson. I never did walk all the way across, but friends with me did just to the surf side of the mouth of Vinson and it was roughly chest deep. • Vinson has considerable amounts of sand as we have seen, but I felt it was in better shape than last time I was at the site. There are two
Bulkhead repair and replacement fund Soon after I moved to the Island in the early 80’s our home owners’ association lost the insurance on our bulkhead system. Insurance which would have paid to rebuilt the bulkheads in the event of damage or even complete destruction in a major storm was no longer available. The company was Lloyds of London and our last hope as no other could be found. It was a major concern on the Island. The home owners then decided that every extra dollar of our association dues should be saved and invested toward a position of selfinsuring our bulkhead system. The waterways these bulkheads provide are the reason many of us moved to the Island in the first place and certainly critical to the value of our homes and property. In a recent visit to our owners’ association I learned that we are still without insurance on the bulkhead system and that we do have a fund. However, there is no official estimate of what major damage or destruction costs would be and it was obvious in the conservation that there is nowhere near enough money in our fund to handle major reparation. It was the majority opinion back then and at least my opinion now that the bulkhead replacement fund should be our top priority after the upkeep of our infrastructure and operation of the association. Our way of life here depends on it.
by Mary Craft mkay512@aol.com or @padreeyelander on twitter
New Advertisers Estate Sale at 13561 Peseta Court has great décor and household items and will be held March 27th and 28th at 8 am. For more details and pictures go to anotherestatesale. com. Palmilla Beach Resort in Port A now has an open house every Friday and Saturday so you can experience their amenities and tour available homes. It is a beachfront community with planned marina access. Luxury homes, homesites and condos are now available for sale inside this master planned community. Huge Plant Sale March 27th and 28th mornings at 15442 B Cruiser. More than 100 plants to choose from. Moving sale – everything must go. Aqua Pressure Cleaning is available for parking lots, roofs, patios, mildew removal, stucco walls and more. For free estimate and demo call 225-2367 or visit aquapclean.com.
Business Briefs
March 23, 2015, Cedar Bayou, Aransas County
Ronnie Narmour
Did Ya Hear?
Letters to the Editor
Moon Monkeys
• If we get some good spring rains, that flow potential and flushing will also see an increase as Cedar Bayou and Vinson Slough are part of a system that sees a portion of the drainage from the San Antonio, Guadalupe, and Aransas Rivers. Even as I go out to the Bayou on the very low tides, I still see water in the back lakes that I honestly don’t remember seeing in years past on these types of tides. Bottom line, I feel like it is doing its job and it is changing all the time. I was good with what I saw, and I really feel we will see the benefits this spring. Aransas County Judge, C.H. “Burt” Mills released this latest update today on Cedar Bayou. John D. Blaha Assistant Director for CCA-Texas.
Around continued from A1 growing world class crops of ubiquitous sand burrs. So far we have let the sticker burrs win. Maybe by next spring planned improvements to Island parks will provide the kids with a place to play and possibly even the reforming of the Island Little League. We can always dream; if we only had a field to dream in.
Drivers beware The sewer pump station on Whitecap is in full bloom and spreading its joy to drivers with the help of the prevailing southeast breeze. It’s going to be an odiferous summer that will test olfactory patience. Roll up your windows and hold your nose everybody. Say hello is you see us Around The Island.
Where Guys Go For Haircuts
Schlitterbahn named a new General Manager this week. Ross Rutherford, who previously worked for the park in 2013, took over the post last week. He comes to the position after many years in the hospitality industry; his previous position was with the Marina Holiday Inn downtown. He has also worked for OMNI Hotels, and at Opryland in Nashville. Congratulations to the newest members of the Island Strategic Action Committee: Brud Jones, Libby Edwards, David Perry, and Carter Tate. The ISAC is an advisory committee to the Corpus Christi City Council for Island matters. The next ISAC meeting is at 5:30 p.m. at Comfort Suites on Windward Drive. “Dunk Your Junk Day” in Port A will be held on Saturday, March 28, 2015. It will take place from 9 am-noon at the Collection Station located off Cut-Off Rd at the end of Ross Ave. All Port Aransas residents should bring a driver’s license or utility bill. The Billish Park Fundraiser will be a Pub Crawl on Saturday, March 28th to benefit a new play structure. It is $40/person and includes free food, lots of door prizes, free transportation (for first 200 people) and tons of games. Guests will travel by party bus. To register contact Jennifer Seymour at 816547-1444 or email at SeymourStyle@gmail. com. You can also sign up directly at https:// squareup.com/market/IslandPlayground. The 10thAnnual ArtFest in Port Aransas will be held on May 16th and 17th at Robert’s Point Park. Artists interested need to sign up by April 1st. The fee for a 10X10 booth space is $150 and you can get an application by sending an email to artcenter@centurytel. net or go to www.portaransasartcenter.org. Arrrr you ready for Port A's biggest Pirate Attack Adventure? It's a shrimp trawl. It's a dolphin watch! It's unbridled fun fending off the Pirates of the Lydia Ann and their vessel, the Black Booty in an epic squirt gun fight on the high seas. Fun for all, young and old. Prepare to GET WET!!! Sign up to board the Mustang at Woody's Sports Center, 136 W. Cotter, Port Aransas (361) 749-6969. Meet the Chefs Food & Wine Extravaganza will be held at the Port Aransas Civic Center on Monday, March 30th at 6PM. The participating are: The Black Marlin, The Phoenix, Venetian Hot Plate, La Baritaria, Stingrays and Lisabella’s. Tickets are $45. The Litter Critter will be out at the end of Whitecap Blvd. this Saturday, March 28th from 7am to 4pm. The Moon Facebook page has passed the 7000 likes mark. Catch up on what’s happening on the Island with daily updates.
Cleanup continued from A1 sponsorship levels ranging from $25 to $25,000, allowing both individuals and corporations to contribute to this major cleanup effort. Shell Oil Company is the lead statewide sponsor for the 29th Texas General Land Office Adopt-A-Beach Spring Cleanup. Other sponsors include the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's Marine Debris Program, Schlumberger, Casa Del Mar Properties , Trusted Senior Specialists and Keep Texas Beautiful.
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A4
March 26, 2015
Island Moon
Red Hat Gals Have A Girls Day Out!
Beach Life
Members of the Padre Island Ukulele Club were rock stars when Budweiser Beer sponsored them for a Spring Break concert in South Padre. Way to go you guys!
On March 19th, the PIPPs Chapter of the Corpus Christi Red Hat Society lunched at the Olive Garden Restaurant.There were door prizes, games, good food and service and lots of laughter. After lunch, some gals went to the movie " The Second Marigold Hotel". Pictured left to right back row: Rosanne Milroy, Karen Sharp, Clara Mosley, Sofia Solis, Katie Clark, Dianne Hanelt, Pearl Benoit & Bebe Gale. Middle row: Lauret Bridgford, Evelyn (guest), ( Karen Sharp's guest), Debbie Adams, Melly Dinkle, Nancy Horsley, Judy Johnson, Alida Jordan (Hostess) & Pat McKeone. Front row: Judy Marsyla, Jaki Boyd (Vice Queen), Trude Ferguson (Hostess) & Margaret (guest).
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Big Whites - Leslie Willey Jr
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March 26, 2015
Stuff I Heard on the Island
A5
Island Moon
News from your POA By Maybeth Christensen
by Dale Rankin In recent columns I have been writing about some of the stories and characters I encountered simply by answering phone calls in newsrooms around the country for the last thirty five years. In 1988 I answered a phone call in the newsroom at KENS television in San Antonio from a viewer in Del Rio who put me onto the story of XERF radio in Cuidad Acuna and its legendary disc jockey Paul Kallinger. The only thing I knew about XERF was from the ZZ Top song Heard It On the X and that Wolfman Jack had been a disc jockey there. That changed when a few days later I walked into the office of Kallinger Furniture Store on the main street in Del Rio and met Paul Kallinger who had been the overnight disc jockey on the station until it closed in a hail of Federale bullets. On the walls of his office were photos of him with a Who’s Who of Country Music from the 50s and 60s. “They all came here to the Borderland because we had the audience,” he said.
Wolfman Jack outside XERF to razor blades. Kallinger’s most famous, and successful product was autographed pictures of Jesus which he sold for $2.98; and miracle of miracles – he never ran out! Kallinger did the 2 a.m. to 6 a.m. show and eventually moved to 10 p.m. to 2 a.m. playing hillbilly music and bringing in guests from Nashville and the Louisiana Hayride including Eddie Arnold, the Carter Family, Porter Waggoner, Tex Ritter, Ernest Tubb and Johnny Cash; and when the singers weren’t singing the preachers were preaching. He was a hit. In 1951 Kallinger asked his listeners to call in at his expense and got phone calls from 43 states and Canada, Greenland, England, Germany, South America, Japan and Australia. In 1954 Billboard Magazine rated him the third most popular country music disk jockey in the country. Eventually, Wolfman Jack showed up and his Rock and Roll show on the station was the first in the country to play “Race Records” which were the original recordings by the black artists that were then being covered by Pat Boone and other tamer artists. The listening public couldn’t get enough and Rock and Roll as we know it was born.
Sorry Elvis we don’t do no Rock and Roll
Kallinger with Elvis and Johnny Horton. Barbed wire fences in Kansas Originally, licensed in Mexico as XERA, the station was located seventeen miles inside Mexico and licensed to 1 million watts of power; compared to the 50,000 watt stations that are now considered blowtorches. While it never broadcast above 500,000 watts its high-gain antenna was enough to blast a signal north through Canada and all the way to the North Pole. The KGB spy school in Russia used it for English practice. It was said the farmers in the Midwest could pick it up on barbed wire fences.
When I met him, Kallinger was a chainsmoking man of late middle age with a huge laugh and a trunk full of stories he was dying to tell. He told of the phone call in 1955 from Colonel Tom Parker pitching Elvis Presley as a guest. When Kallinger told him, “I’m sorry Mr. Colonel sir, we don’t do no Rock and Roll,” he put Elvis on the phone. He said he was making the switch from county ballads to Rock and Roll and had heard fellow Sun Records artist Johnny Cash appear on the show the night before and wanted to come on. “I’m sorry Mr. Presley, we don’t do no Rock and Roll,” he said and Elvis replied, ‘Thank you anyway, Mr. Kallinger.’
“That’s just stupid,” the girlfriend said. “I like it. You should release it,” Kallinger told him. He’ll Have to Go stayed at Number 1 on the country charts for fourteen weeks and was eventually recorded by Presley. ‘He sent me a Christmas card every year,” Kallinger said, and pointed to a stack of cards underneath a photo of himself and Reeves in the XERF studio.
Good Neighbor Along the Way
bought a yacht, the John R. Brinkley III, that needed a crew of 22 and cost $1000 a day when he used it. Brinkley made $12 million in five years during The Depression! The good doctor put in his goat glands and dragged Del Rio through The Depression but when Adolph Hitler came to prominence in Germany Brinkley jumped on the Nazi bandwagon. It was said he met with Hitler himself. The US government had put up with goat glands, but when Brinkley interfered with FDR’s effort to swing public opinion to the allies that was going too far. The Brinkley Act was passed, and is still on the books today, banning any cross-border transmitter links, even including phone lines. In 1941 Mexico signed a radio treaty with the United States dividing up the spectrum between the two countries and a year later XERA shut its doors for good and Brinkley died the same year.
Reborn as XERF Then in 1947 it was reborn as XERF and in 1948 Kallinger showed up at the station as a pitch man. He had a deep, booming voice and XERF became the groundbreaker for the Shopping Channel and other so-called P.I. (Personal Inquiry) stations which didn’t charge for advertising but split the mail order money with suppliers of everything from rat poison
He became known coast to coast as Paul Kallinger Your Good Neighbor Along the Way after his nightly promos: "From coast to coast, border to border, wherever you are, whatever you might be doing, when you think of real fine entertainment think of X E R F in Ciudad Acuña, Coahuila, Mexico, alongside the beautiful, silvery Rio Grande River where the sunshine spends the winter. This is Paul Kallinger, your good neighbor along the way, from Del Rio, Texas." Kallinger stayed with XERF for the remainder of his radio career which ended in 1964 after a shootout at the station that killed two people. “I looked out the window of the studio as the sun was coming up,” he said, “and I saw clouds of dust as the Federales came driving in over the hills from every direction. I passed them as I drove out and that was that.” After the shootout Wolfman Jack left for a station in Tijuana that was the station featured by George Lucas in American Graffiti. We drove out to the old transmitter and studio site on the Mexican side. The antenna was still there; so massive it was mounted parallel to the ground rather than upright and even then was cranking out enough power that the hair on your arms stood out as you approached it. Over the years when stories would take me to Del Rio I would stop in Kallinger Furniture and we would usually head over to Acuna for some cultural exchange; I took him for his first helicopter ride. Kallinger was a bottomless pit of great stories which I hope someone recorded or wrote down. He stayed on in Del Rio until his death in 2001. So here’s to Paul Kallinger, my Good Neighbor Along the Way; another great story and friend that started with answering a phone call in a newsroom.
We have also noticed some folks can’t seem to understand that brush setout is not a continual thing. Brush setout is only allowed during the designated dates. The next setout time is MAY 27 thru MAY 31 with pickup on JUNE 1. If you setout now, expect a fine from the City. Dumping the brush on a vacant lot is also not the answer. The Litter Critter is an alternative.
Dale also wrote an article saying the ”Board still wants to build a $2.3 million community center.” To try to set the record straight – that proposal, plan or whatever you might want to call it is off the table and no longer the proposal. IF the residents decide to amend Article 9 of the Articles of Incorporation, and IF the residents want to build a community center, the design process would start from scratch. The design would be put out for bids and at that time, we would know what the cost would be. It might be $750,000 or it could be $1 million. But, again, the original number and design is no longer an option.
The Critter will be at the wastewater treatment plant at the west end of Whitecap this Saturday, March 28, from 7 AM to 4 PM. You can bring your brush, trash, etc. to the Critter for easy disposal.
Some residents are interested in setting up a neighborhood watch program. The City of Corpus Christi calls it neighbors on watch. If you would like to start one in your neighborhood, give the office a call or email us and we will put together a meeting of interested residents in the near future.
Another issue which comes up quite often is garbage cans. The covenants in all of the subdivisions state, garbage cans are to be placed at the curb the night before the City pickup and returned to an area BEHIND the fence or in the garage at the end of trash pickup day. They
If you are not receiving our email blasts, email the office at padreisles@pipoa.net and ask to be added to our list.
Growth continued from A1 Deep Southside has seen the most increase in household incomes and population within Corpus Christi.
361 area, the median household income level today varies widely between about $35,500 for eastern Flour Bluff to over $87,000 for the Island. Growth in household incomes during the last decade also varied to a great extent, from 5 percent for Port Aransas to 45 percent for the Island. Chat 1, which shows the distribution of median household incomes, is very telling about the extent of economic disparity within Corpus Christi.
Population Closely following the Southside is the Island. According to the Census, the combined area of North Padre Island and Mustang Island saw nearly 45 percent growth in population between 2000 and 2012. No more than 300 people live on Mustang Island, so North Padre Island has contributed most of that growth.
The income data become much less impressive when those numbers are adjusted for the rising cost of living. When the 2000 income levels were converted to 2012 dollars, then only residents on the Island in fact earned more on net. Second
Population growth has varied to a great extent within different areas of Flour Bluff. The population in the military base, located in the northern part of the city, has reduced by one-third since 2000 largely because of consolidations TABLE 1: 2012 Census Data for Area Code 361 Population Area Census Level Change Tract from 2000
Households Household Income Education Units Change Owner Median Change Change House‐ Population Population holds 25+ with 25+ with from from Occupied Income from Bachelor's Master's 2000 >$150,000 2000 2000 degree or degree or (current (2012 more more dollars) dollars) 122,305 11% 59% $46,499 29% ‐6% 6% 20.0% 8% 273 ‐42% 0% $43,942 30% ‐6% 4% 22.2% 8% 3,815 13% 46% $35,645 9% ‐21% 3% 18.4% 6% 3,943 17% 74% $56,514 23% ‐10% 7% 20.9% 7%
Nueces County 340,568 9% CCAD/NAS‐CC 29.00 1,387 ‐33% Eastern Flour Bluff 30.00 9,599 8% Southern Flour Bluff 31.00 11,820 26% North Padre/Mustang Island 62.00 9,263 44% 3,989 Port Aransas 51.02 3,198 ‐2% 1,528 Sources: U.S. Census Bureau, and author's calculations.
For many years Mexico had complained that stations from the American side were gumming their airwaves but their complaints fell on deaf American ears. Enter a fellow named Dr. The hotel where Dr. Brinkley set up his operating room John Romulus Brinkley who, still stands in Del Rio today. armed with two medical degrees from schools of nebulous credentials, took over the station and began “But a few years later I made an exception,” promoting the surgical implant of goat glands Kallinger said. in humans to cure impotency. He set up a new Early one morning he was coming back across prostate clinic in the town's hotel; he built a huge estate with a three-story living room nearly an the border with country crooner Jim Reeves and acre in size with an enormous chandelier and his girlfriend in the backseat. Reeves said he a mechanical pipe organ that played itself. He had heard a new song that he wouldn’t release because his girlfriend hated it. He sang the opening, “Put your sweet lips a little closer to the phone.”
Kallinger
are not to be left at the curb or in front of the house. If you have neighbors who are not in town, why not be a helping neighbor and move the cans off the street and put them behind the fence?
We had a record number of attendees at the March 14 annual meeting and appreciate having so many folks being involved. Dale had some questions and answers from that meeting in the last MOON, but for a full list and expansion of the answers, visit our website: padreislespoa.net.
35% 4%
in CCAD and NAS-CC particularly during the 2005 round of BRAC. Port Aransas, a city with a high concentration of Winter Texans and retirees, also saw a 2 percent reduction in population perhaps due to the economic woe of the 2007-2009 Great Recession.
Households Like Corpus Christi’s Southside, North Padre Island has seen much construction of new homes over the last decade, especially during the housing booms in mid-2000s and in the last two years. The Island has 35 percent more home units today than in 2000. While the percentage of owner occupied units is higher for the Island and other census tracts in the 361 area than county average, most of those numbers are lower relative to the 2000 census data. On the Island, owner occupied units made up 72 percent of all homes in 2000, compared to about 65 percent today. The number of home units for rent or lease on the Island began to soar following the end of the last construction boom in 2008.
65% $87,177 55% $40,586
45% 5%
9% ‐24%
21% 11%
51.0% 31.9%
20% 14%
only to the Deep Southside district, more than one in five Island households is earning an annual income in excess of $150,000.
Educational Attainment
What explains the observation of “the rich get richer and the poor get poorer”? While economists have offered alternative explanations for this socioeconomic issue, the key to this phenomenon is educational attainment. For the Nueces County as a whole, about one in five of local residents 25 years and older has a Bachelor’s degree or higher. On the Island, more than half of its adult residents hold a college degree, and 20 percent of them have a graduate degree. Most of those well-educated Island residents are skilled professionals who have reaped the most economic gains during the “lost decade” of the 2000s.
Jim Lee is Director of South Texas Economic Development Center at Texas A&M UniversityCorpus Christi.
Incomes
Pet Adoptions at Ace
The last decade has seen vast disparities in the growth of incomes and wealth across American families. This nationwide phenomenon is reflected by the median household income numbers in Table 1. The income levels among households in Nueces County grew nearly 30 percent between 2000 and 2012. Within the
Weekly pet adoptions are being held at ACE Hardware on the Island Saturdays from 11-3. The events are held by Mission Pawsible Animal Assistance. Stop by and say hello and if you can’t adopt an animal they would gladly take a donation for care of the animals in foster homes.
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A6
March 26, 2015
Island Moon
DEE-SCOVERIES
Great Grazing
NAS Air Show Features Blue Angels
Padre Island Real Estate Activity March 1-March 15 By Cindy Molnar Coldwell Banker
Have you ever been to one of those progressive dinners? You know, the kind where you move from one location to the next to sample different dishes? "Meet the Chefs Food & Wine Extravaganza" is a little like that except you don’t have to travel very far. It takes place March 30th and features six of the top area chefs from their respective restaurants all gathered in one place, the Port Aransas Civic Center, 701 Avenue A. The chefs will serve heavy hors d'oeuvres and appropriate wines they have personally selected to go with their culinary delights, all to help the Kiwanis afford educational and beneficial programs to the children locally and around the Coastal Bend.
Padre Island Real Estate Activity Waterfront Homes Sold 13845 Topsail 13805 Gunwale Average Sales Price $488,750 65 Waterfront homes listed from$252,500 -$1,500,000
Interior Lot Homes Sold
The Navy's Blue Angels will headline the NAS Corpus Christi's "Wings Over South Texas" 2015 air show, Saturday and Sunday, April 18-19.
15410 Finistere
The participating restaurants are:
14258 Natal Plum
Lisabella's Bistro, Chef Kris Amundsen
16133 Pionciana
La Barataria Restaurant, Chef Lezlie Keebler
13946 Ketch
The Black Marlin Restaurant, Chef Kaharim Becerra
Average Sales Price $198,875
The Phoenix Restaurant, Chef Tiana Worsham
50 Interior Homes Listed from $169,900-$465,000
The Venetian Hot Plate, Chef Mark Pulich Stingrays Taphouse & Grill, Chef Gordon Johns
On both days, NAS Corpus Christi's Main Gate (Flour Bluff Gate) will open at 8 a.m. The show will begin at 10 a.m. with the U.S. Army's Parachute Team, the Golden Knights, jumping onto the Seawall with the National Ensign. The "Wings Over South Texas" air show air show wraps up with the U.S. Navy's Demonstration Team, the Blue Angels. Their show ends at 4 p.m. and will be followed by a free concert.
Waterfront Condominiums/Townhomes Sold
Military and civilian acts are filling out the card to include: the U.S. Air Force's F-22 Raptor; Rob Holland in his MXS-RH; Randy Ball in his MiG-17F; Paul Fiala in his Great Lakes Biplane, and more.
15225 Leeward Dr. #2-b 14810 Windward #118 Average Sales Price $227,450
The air show is planning a full day of flying acts, static displays and others activities that will thrill and excite visitors young and old, including a KidsZone.
99 Listed From $51,000-$529,000
Interior Condominium/Townhomes
The air show is free. Parking is free. Tailgating and parties are not allowed in the parking area. No open fires or grills. Everyone entering the air show must pass through walk-through metal detectors and scanner checkpoints at the pedestrian gate.
39 Listed From $80,000-$290,000
Waterfront Lot 5 Lots Listed From $129,900-$1,200,000
Visitors may bring child and infant care items, portable lawn chairs, cameras, sunscreen, small handbags and diaper bags.
Interior Lots Sold Lot 1 Laffite
Prohibited items include: contraband - illegal substances and weapons such as firearms, knives, pepper spray, stun guns, etc., coolers, cooking grills, pop-up tents, large sun umbrellas, backpacks, large carry-all bags, animals/pets unless they are service animals, bicycles, skateboards, roller blades, kites, balloons, radio-controlled devices and fireworks.
Lot 49 Tamarisk Lot 5 Ketch Average Sales Price $37,633 It all begins at 6:00 p.m. and goes until 8:30 p.m. The cost is $45.00 per person and all proceeds go to the Port Aransas Kiwanis Club to benefit community youth. Kiwanis International was founded in 1915 in Detroit, Michigan, and became an international organization with the creation of the Kiwanis Club of Hamilton, Ontario, the following year. At first members focused on business networking but a few years later the organization changed its focus to service. The organization expanded worldwide and there are Kiwanians in 11 European nations.
The Port Aransas club was chartered in 1996. Meet the Chefs will be limited to 200 guests. Tickets may be purchased at either the American Bank or the Value Bank, both on Alister Street in Port Aransas or by contacting M. R. Yogi Barrett, the Event Director, by email at yogiwine@msn.com, or by phone at 410-971-9804. You may also contact the club President, Heath Lauseng at heath@moneyandthelaw.com or call 361-749-1858. Checks may be mailed to P.O. Box 968, Port Aransas, TX 78373 for "Will Call" purchases. For more information about the club, visit the Web site at http:// www.portaransaskiwanis.org, send an email to portakiwanis@ gmail.com or write to Port Aransas Kiwanis Club, P. O. Box 968, Port Aransas, Texas, 78373. I’ll see you there. — http:// devorahfox.com
96 Lots Listed From $37,000-$160,000
More information about the air show can be found on facebook Wings Over South Texas or www.wingsoversouthtexas.com. Questions can also be directed to nascc-pao@navy.mil.
Commerical Lots 14 Lots Listed From $113,900-$4,557,465
History continued from A1 the sides prevented a gill net or trotline from snagging as it ran across the bow. The Vannoy skiff was a close copy of the Kipler skiff and similar to other skiffs that other commercial fishermen made including Sidney’s uncle, Fred Corkill. The Vannoy skiff was designed to be propelled by an outboard motor. After the outboards came out with more horse power, a plywood bottom was the norm. About that time the Farley brothers started building a similar skiff for sale in Port Aransas. In later years that skiff was built in the Port Aransas School shop as a school project. Sidney Vannoy’s grandson is still building the Vannoy skiffs today. Sidney built quite a few different types of boats throughout his career. He made a few V-bowed skiffs, but they weren’t very good for commercial because the bow would dig in as you coasted of pulled down the trotline, especially in calm water. He also built a larger diesel powered party type boat for use of the biology class at Flour Bluff School for field trips. He built a few outboard/inboard propelled boats for the use of going to and from the fishing grounds down the Lagoon. As for boats, you name it, he built it. The most used Vannoy skiff throughout his decades of boat building was the 16-footer. It had a fish box in the middle that would hold about 400 pounds of drum or that much ice. The early models were powered with a 30 to 75 horsepower Evinrude or Johnson outboard motor, (the most dependable of that era in that seaweed did not bog them down or cause overheating). Sidney would even cut out the pieces needed to build the boat and let you assemble it if you so desired. One man in particular built a skiff identical to the Vannoy skiff but unique in the outside appearance, with different colored resins and inlaid-looking fixtures, different grains of wood, stainless hardware that gave it a regal, (Cadillac), look and was touted for sport fishing use. Some of the fishermen who fished mostly in the deeper, rougher waters of Baffin Bay built homemade larger skiffs, 17 or 18 footers, with al higher-sided bow. They use a trolling motor to offset the strength needed to engage in trotline fishing.
and cost $165. I used it one year at Port Isabell in the early 1950s when it was legal to use gill nets in the winter months. There were so many blue crabs that literally ate up the nets I moved back to Flour Bluff after the season was over and then coming in one night I hit a submerged piling leftover from dredging operations. It knocked one of the planks loose and the skiff sank just as I nosed it around by the docks. My last Vannoy skiff had just been re-glassed by Stoner and was the best one I ever had. It cost $1200 and I used it for about seven or eight years until I retired.
Sidney Vannoy was not only a boat builder but was a school teacher at Flour Bluff Schools, teaching woodworking in shop. He was a T-Patcher and retired from the Texas National Guard and also preached the gospel, and still does.
Stoner and Majek
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Robert Stoner and Johnny Majek started making skiffs about the time fiberglass and resin was used to coat the plywood. Their first skiffs were a copy of the Vannoy skiffs and then later when skiffs were made all out of fiberglass they used a Vannoy skiff for the mold with different adaptations to improve their craftsmanship. The early Stoner and Majek boats could be used for commercial or sport fishing. Majek now has a shallow, or maybe it’s called a semi-V shaped, bow which is very popular which makes for a smoother ride in rough water. The Majek and Stoner skiffs are made for sport fishing and are about the best suited for all of the Laguna Madre and inland coastal waters of Texas.
A Vannoy skiff sold for about $2000 in the year 2000. I helped my brother build a 45-foot and 50-foot diesel powered shrimp boat in Aransas Pass. The 50-footer had living quarters forward under the top deck. After that I built a 14-foot skiff, but it turned out to be a flop because it was too small to fish all of the Lagoon. Part of the secret to commercial fishing is to be able to trust the skiff in all kinds of weather.
Sometimes we went fishing known that a hard, cold northern might hit us before we got back in. that, in a nutshell is my experience with skiffs, with the exception of the one time I ran a Game Warden out of the Lagoon by being about one-half mile ahead of him as he chased me, chunking the nets in the Intracoastal to get rid of the evidence!
I used a 16-foot Vannoy skiff throughout most of my commercial fishing career. The first one had plywood sides and a fir bottom
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March 26, 2015
A7
Island Moon
Backwater Adventures On the Rocks
By Joey Farah Farah’s Fishing Adventures
Two Pockets of Plastic
The roar of outboards rang out in the fog as boat after boat raced past us in the morning circus. Multiple times boats filled full of monkeys hanging off of the side screamed, idled, and barreled down on us as we attempted to wade the King Ranch Shoreline. I finally pulled everyone in and left for anywhere but there. We settled in on a small sunken island of spoil along the Intracoastal canal. I decided that I would just stuff a few handful of lures in my pockets and jump out of the boat. That was all I needed and as the first cast fell off of the edge of the grass beds I felt the tap of a nice speck eat the plastic shad. That morning proved to be a welcome change of venue by force! The next few days were spent in the boat drifting with customers and I found myself never really opening up the tackle box, but just working with the same two handfuls of baits in my pockets. For most of us a quick trip out on a fish hunt doesn’t include a lot of time at hand. This is the perfect time of year for some quick and very productive jump and run fishing. I had such success because I had selected a wellrounded assortment of baits that would allow me to cover most all fishing situations. Let’s fill your pockets with just enough of the good stuff so that your mind, hear, and spirit can let go on your next fishing trip. Hopefully your daydreaming will be interrupted by the thump of a speckled trout eating your bait.
Monster redfish from Baffin Bay
I always believe that success in fishing comes from confidence in the lures you are throwing. This comes of course from catching fish, but first bring your eyes, hands, and mind together by watching your lures and learning how to make them look like real water creatures. Use
a few things in mind. Colors should be natural bait colors, bright, and darks. The actions should be small paddle tailed baits, big paddletailes, strait tailed jerk baits/or eels, suspending baits, and shrimp imitations. I also like to add some variations of rigging them with light to heavy jig heads, and the addition of a cork of some sort at times. The quality of the plastics is important in just carrying two handful of baits, this comes out as soon as the fish start grabbing them. If the plastic is too soft they will tear and rip and one will need two pockets, one full of trashed baits and the other for replacements. This can get expensive. I like to keep my choices with jig heads in them so that I can cut and retie my line instead of pulling the plastic jigs off and discarding a bait because of a change in color or something. I like Some great spring break smiles. 1/16th, 1/8th, and ½ ounce jig heads. The heaviest is best for the last 20 feet of your cast to watch the bait as deeper water drift fishing or beginners so that it swims and what the rod strokes make it do. they can learn to find and feel the bait. Casting You will see that big rod movements move the long distances with small plastics can make the bait in large jumps, most bait fish only move difference in how much time your bait is in the short distances with their bursts of movemnts. water as well and how many fish it passes bye. Too much movement of your rod may be The lighter heads allow the bait to stay in the bringing your bait past more fish than in front strike zone or in front of a fish for longer. One of them. I try to stress to my guests that you must choose what is right for the angler and each should move the lure with the tip of the rod, not situation, but that is the fun of it. So, keeping it the reel. Large paddle tailed baits I rig with a simple will include a few DOA 4” shrimp, some light jig head and float them up to the surface then slowly drift them down towards the bottom. Most of the strikes will be when the bait falls. The strait tailed eel imitations should be hopped close to the bottom, as a sand eel swims along testing the bottom with its nose searching for a soft spot to burry up in the bottom. The tail pointing up is a flag to predatory fish and as soon as it pops up out of the grass the fish will attack the eel as it swims. My smaller paddle tailed baits will be worked with a faster retrieve and double pumps of the rod stroke. This simulates a small frantic baitfish that is caught out of cover, or away Spring Break with Joey Farah IV offshore on one of the TXPW reefs! from a school. Fish staged up in ambush will attack, or come out of hiding and pursue the bait and make a strike as the bait slows or drops. The natural and bright colored 3” CAL shad tails, 1 shrimp lures I use I strive to really slow my or 2 larger DOA AIRHEAD soft plastics with presentation down to the crawl of a real shrimp. light jig heads, and a few 5”jerk baits, maybe Casting the DOA shrimp into scattered sand if your wading a DOA SHALLOW WATER pockets any fish in the area will hear it hit the BAIT BUSTER for hunting big fish up shallow. water. Their eyes turn towards the sound, as A few grub tails in Glow, and a couple of the the bait falls into the open sand, gliding down 3 sizes of jig heads. With two pockets of lures towards the bottom it’s very helpless. The slight you are ready to jump out or take a walk. The pulse of the rod tip will jump the shrimp just as area we live in is special, the amount of public a nervous shrimp would. As it hits the bottom fishing areas is really unlimited. One can get in and rests upon the sea floor, a pause then a a car and fish fifty fishing spots on the Island. pop, a slow glide back up to the surface and it Without the hassle of buckets and tackle boxes floats back down, TAG! Everything eats shrimp. you can jump out and fish for a few minutes and Mimic natural bait movements in your angling, be back to the house before anyone misses you. this comes from keeping your eyes and ears The Marker 37 Jackpot fishing tournament open along with all your scenes. was awesome
with 61 people entering. The prize money was more than anyone expected. There will be another one in April and the big fish contest is still going on. Next week we will have a chance to have some fun and try out some of the great fishing machines from Wind and Wave at Two pockets of plastic is all you need for a limit of trout a FREE KYAYK DEMO DAY. Wind and wave Keeping the tackle stores in business does not will have dozens of the best kayaks for anyone keep fish on the line, but selecting a “tackle to come out and take a spin on. They range system” does help an angler’s hands on the right from the simplest to the most complex fishing tools. I CHOOSE the DOA LURE company machines. Just perfect for grabbing two pockets because they have a bait for every situation. This of lures and escaping off for an hour or so. They comes straight from the man whose passion for will be just next to the big marlin statue as you fishing started the company, Mark Nichols. I come onto the Island next Saturday the 4th, the keep lures of varied size, color, action, and the day before Easter. Get out and enjoy the sun, jig heads to match the presentation at the time. it’s a blessing. Keep those lines tight and your To do this easily try to select your lures with hooks sharp!
By Jay Gardner Despite the looming rain in the forecast, we dumped the boat in the water and headed south towards Baffin Bay last Friday. The impetus was the CCA retreat where we recap the previous season, and unwind together in a non-stressful environment. So Paz, Barrett, myself and Augs jumped on the skiff and began the journey. The ride down was easy and dry as the water and sky were perfect. We enjoyed it to the fullest, as we knew it wouldn’t last the weekend. As everyone knows, driving south is fun and full of excitement; but no one likes driving north after the fun is done and it’s raining.
progressively warmer and windier periods in between. The eternal question is, are we going to get a “3 months at 30 mph” winds for spring, or will it be something different? So far, a lot of plants and creatures are enjoying our winter and spring rains. The clover is doing really well in the yard this season, and of course doing a great job of fixing nitrogen. Unfortunately, that typically means another bumper crop of sticker burrs when it dries out a little. I can’t wait for the onslaught.
Speaking of onslaught, there will be a small fallout this Thursday, Friday, and Saturday. The birds are starting their migration in earnest, and I can hear them moving through the skies, mostly in the evening. The winds are supposed to shift with this little front we’re getting, and it will get some of them out of the air and down on our turf. Now is the time to get those hummingbird feeder up (LIKE RIGHT NOW! Put down the paper and go DO IT!) for the first big push out here on the Island. Roadkill Willie has had a couple checking The crew headed south out his lemon tree blooms over the past Friday night involved the usual great food, week or so in town, so there’s a few around comradery, and general buffoonery. And even already. Don’t forget the oranges in case a few a few minutes of fishing, LOL. The trout were orioles come through early. under the lights, but were running below legal I’m sure you’ve noticed all the fisher-peoples for average size. We bent the barbs down on the at the local piers lately; the oversized “drumflies and gave the kids some lessons on how to run” is in full swing, but will be winding down properly cast the fly rod, strip, and set the hook over the next few weeks (see Joey’s article for without wrapping the fly line around your neck the in depth scoop). Thankfully the surf has and feet and going face-first into the Laguna. started to warm up and reports from down If you’ve ever fly-fished off a small pier with south are beginning to look better and better. 10 people on it and boats tied up right behind Stories of Spanish mackerel and jack fish at the you, then you know what I’m talking about. jetties (NOT yellowfin tuna! LOL) along with It was a blast though. Of course the rains set a handful of pompano up and down the beach in on Saturday and no one really did much of have me wondering where and what shape my anything (which is what the entire weekend was surf fishing gear is. Which rod did I need to reREALLY about). Despite the weather and slow spool? And wasn’t I was going to buy another fishing, it sure was nice being south. Looking 12’ surf rod? Better get on that stuff, because forward to more days in those pursuits for sure. the season is right around the corner. Time to What’s NOT going to be a blast, though, is this go through those bags of lures that were raided next cool front that we’re getting tonight that is by thieves last season (I swear it wasn’t me! supposedly going to bring us some rain as well. Honest!). And of course time to knock out At least we’re in the “back-and-forth” portion some of those projects in the yard, because of spring (better than north winds and 44 before you know it, it will be time to head out degrees!), where we will get weekly fronts that On the Rocks. Drop me a line at jaygardner@ should bring rain and cooler temperatures, with scientist.com
Moon Phases
Tides of the Week Tides for Corpus Christi (Bob Hall Pier) March 26- April 1, 2015
Day
High /Low
Tide Time
Height in Feet
Sunrise Moon Time Sunset
Th
26
Low
2:11 AM
0.0
7:26 AM Set 1:24 AM
26
High
11:33 AM
1.6
7:43 PM Rise 12:29 PM
F
27
Low
3:21 AM
0.1
7:25 AM Set 2:15 AM
27
High
12:49 PM
1.6
7:44 PM Rise 1:21 PM
Sa
28
Low
4:35 AM
0.1
7:24 AM Set 3:02 AM
28
High
1:38 PM
1.5
7:44 PM Rise 2:13 PM
Su
29
Low
5:46 AM
0.2
7:23 AM Set 3:45 AM
29
High
2:08 PM
1.4
7:45 PM Rise 3:05 PM
29
Low
8:06 PM
1.0
29
High
10:44 PM
1.1
M
30
Low
6:48 AM
0.3
7:22 AM Set 4:25 AM
30
High
2:25 PM
1.4
7:45 PM Rise 3:57 PM
30
Low
8:21 PM
1.0
Tu
31
High
12:15 AM
1.2
7:20 AM Set 5:02 AM
31
Low
7:44 AM
0.4
7:46 PM Rise 4:48 PM
31
High
2:35 PM
1.3
31
Low
8:40 PM
0.9
W
1
High
1:27 AM
1.2
7:19 AM Set 5:37 AM
1
Low
8:33 AM
0.5
7:46 PM Rise 5:38 PM
1
High
2:44 PM
1.3
1
Low
8:59 PM
0.8
Moon Visible
35 45 55 64
73
81
88
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A8
March 26, 2015
Island Moon
SPORTS Amarillo Slim
Sports Talk
We are reseeding the Sweet 16, would you care join us?
By Andy Purvis Special to the Island Moon “When a man with money meets a man with experience, the man with experience leaves with the money and the man with the money leaves with experience,”
By Dotson Lewis Special to the Island Moon
Dotson’s note: Now that the Sweet 16 is set, we have decided to re-rank the field. With the help of two of my friends who were at one time “heavy hitting, well respected sports writers,” we reviewed how each team looked in this year’s two NCAA tournament games and reviewed their overall season’s “body of work.”
1. Kentucky (Midwest). The Wildcats' only concern, really, is scoring from the guards. We've yet to see Devin Booker, Andrew Harrison and Tyler Ulis have huge moments, though Kentucky hasn't needed it yet. The time has come, though, because West Virginia runs a unique press and trap, and all three will be tested. In the interim, just give us more Willie Cauley-Stein.
2. Duke (South). Duke kicked Robert Morris to the side, then made a really good San Diego State defense look pedestrian. Jahlil Okafor and Justise Winslow came up large on a big stage in a standalone national game on CBS. The Blue Devils have road wins over Wisconsin and Virginia. The defense and Okafor's free throws are question marks. But if Duke plays two more games like it did Sunday, it's going to Indianapolis.
3. Arizona (West). Playing as well as anyone, Kentucky included. Won by a hundred over Texas Southern, then ushered Ohio State out of the building Saturday. T.J. McConnell is having a great run to end his college career, though talented Stanley Johnson has yet to make a real impact. Rondae Hollis-Jefferson can guard anyone, and Brandon Ashley's also on this team. They are loaded. We would be more than fine with UK-Wisconsin, but think UK-Arizona is the one we would rather see played on a playground.
4. Wisconsin (West). The Badgers cruised past Coastal Carolina and then got a scare from Oregon and Joe Young, who closed out his career with 30 points. It is our opinion, that they need Traevon Jackson, to win a national title. His availability and potential impact remains uncertain. But you can't drop Bo Ryan and the player of the year, Frank Kaminsky, lower than fourth.
5. Gonzaga (South). Did you see Gonzaga do what it wanted against Iowa and North Dakota State before that? Their bigs’ are moving the ball by passing it so well. With Domantas Sabonis throwing down left-handed jams, Kevin Pangos lighting it up from deep and Kyle Wiltjer raining it in, no question, Gonzaga is a title contender.
6. North Carolina (West). Has underachieved all season, but we like UNC's chances against Wisconsin on Thursday. Marcus Paige is fun to watch when things work his way. J.P. Tokoto is a top-five dunker. Kennedy Meeks and Brice Johnson haven't played to potential, but Roy Williams may just have something new to throw at the Badgers. The Tar Heels just got past a tough Harvard team and then played its style and won smoothly over Arkansas.
7. Notre Dame (Midwest). This is Mike Brey's best offensive team. Jerian Grant is a first-team All-American. The Irish move the ball well and are so good on offense. We are ignoring their defensive liabilities -- even though it's an unavoidable problem. ND got a scare from Northeastern and then edged Butler in overtime.
8. Oklahoma (East). We recognize the Sooners as a quality team with maybe the country's most
overlooked coach. Only Eddie Sutton and OU's Lon Kruger have taken four programs to the Sweet 16. It's an odd stat, but a good one. This is one of the country's five best defensive teams. Buddy Hield – with a great block late in the Dayton game -- leads the charge. 9. Wichita State (Midwest). The Shockers' win over Kansas was a great boost for the program. Wichita State got a good test from Indiana, and then played even better against KU. Ron Baker, Fred VanVleet and Tekele Cotton are a superb trio. Wichita State is a notch below last season's club, but don't think this group can't make a second Final Four in three years. Everything's a long shot in Kentucky's region, but Gregg Marshall is now unquestionably an elite coach. 10. Utah (South). The field's most overlooked team. Perhaps we are underrating them at No. 10. When you've got the best overall point guard in the country in Delon Wright, you've got a chance. Can Duke stop this team, or is Utah able to stop Duke? This is an under rated Sweet 16 game. 11. Michigan State (East). The Spartans got a good test from Georgia, and then played their best game against Virginia. MSU's a hard 6-seed, not the hard 7 it received in the bracket. It's not a well-rounded team, but has Tom Izzo and offensive reliability in Travis Triceo. It is totally possible for this team to get out of the East. 12. Louisville (East). Cardinals fans aren't going to like this ranking, but we don't trust the offense enough to put the Cardinals any higher. Louisville barely beat UC Irvine, and then got an ideal matchup in slow moving Northern Iowa. Montrezl Harrell and Terry Rozier went wild Sunday. Beating NC State is expected, but can defense alone be enough? 13. West Virginia (Midwest). The Mountaineers are like a pack of monsters if you aren't ready for them. They are tough on offensive rebounds and turning teams over better than anyone in the country. Maryland was forced into 23 turnovers. Buffalo was forced into 17. But this team doesn't shoot well and frequently affords shows porous lanes on defense out of its press. 14. NC State (East). When you beat a No. 1 seed, we have to put you 14 at worst, no matter the seed. The Wolfpack have wins over two No. 1 seeds; they beat Duke back in January. Mark Gottfried's team always is capable of letting bad luck affect good fortune, but in pulling out a double-digit comeback win over LSU and then pounding Villanova out of its game, the Pack's back in the second weekend for the second time under Gottfried. B.J. Anya, Trevor Lacey, Cat Barber and Malik-Abdul Abu. We believe they can beat Louisville. 15. Xavier (West). Xavier's is a solid club. The X men got by Ole Miss with no problem, and held off Georgia State. Its five Sweet 16’s in eight years for the Muskies. How can you not like Matt Stainbrook's game? But this is a fair listing given Xavier's resume and teams it beat to reach this far. 16. UCLA (South). The Bruins have made the most of opportunity. A controversial goal tending call at the end of the SMU game, then beating No. 14 UAB in the Round of 32. The Bruins are in a second straight Sweet 16, but aren't the caliber of most of the remaining field. It would be a shock if they beat Gonzaga on Friday. Dotson’s other note: How would you rank these 16 remaining teams? How about doing your ranking and set up your bracket? We will compare notes again at the beginning of the rounds of the Elite Eight, the Final Four and the Championship game. May the best guesser win! If you see us around the Island, we’ll compare brackets. Dale Rankin & I are discussing having a few watch parties during the Sweet Sixteen, Elite Eight & Final Four games. If you would like to join us, Email or call Dale or me. We have had a number of takers, so we are working on it and will keep you posted. Your suggestions, comments and/or questions/ concerns regarding “Moon Sports Talk” are appreciated. Call the Benchwarmers 361-5605397 weekdays, Mondays thru Fridays, 3-6 p.m. or contact me. Phone: 361-949-7681 Cell: 530-748-8475 Email: dlewis1@stx.rr.com
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and rode a camel through the Casino El Mamouria in Marrakech, Morocco. Like I told you, he would bet on anything.
He appeared on the Tonight Show eleven times. He also starred on 60 Minutes, Good Morning America, A.M. Los Angeles, Georgia Today, What’s My Line, To Tell the Truth, The Tomorrow Show and I’ve Got a Secret. His secret was that he once lost $190,000 playing poker in a single night.
“If you can’t spot the sucker within the first half hour at the table, then you are the sucker.” To most folks he looked like just another old Texas cowboy in a pair of snakeskin boots and a Stetson, but he called himself the “World’s Greatest Gambler.” If you were walking with him down the street and you decided to cross, he would bet how many steps it would take you to get to the other side. He would bet on anything. He lived in a world where bluffing was acceptable, exaggerating was expected, and dealing from the bottom of the deck could cost you your life. He had been called a hustler, a charmer, a con man, a folk hero, and a Texas treasure. He could talk a hungry squirrel out of his acorns and always ordered his coffee in a dirty cup. He had won and lost more money than Chrysler, spent more time on TV than Al Capone; he’s been quoted more times than Abe Lincoln, and has told more stories than Andy Rooney. Were all his stories true--who cares? He never forgot he was a promoter, a salesman, and a jokester. His tales were designed to entertain you; that was all that mattered. He had been an illegal bookmaker, a pool hustler, and a card shark. He single-handedly brought poker out of the back streets to the flat green tables of Las Vegas. He became nothing short of the face of poker. “I was just trying to make a buck,” he once said.
Not much to look at A tall, lanky character; he was not much to look at. Some said he was so skinny he had to run around in the shower to get wet. He once stated he hated to take a bath in the tub for fear of going down the drain. He had been beaten, robbed, and left for dead on several occasions. He wrote several books and e-books on poker, including No Limit Texas Hold’em and proposition bets. In May of 2003, he published his autobiography entitled, Amarillo Slim in a World of Fat People. One look at you and he could read your entire hand. Amarillo Slim was all in from the day he was born.
Slim was arrested in 2003, and charged with indecency with a 12-year-old girl who turned out to be his granddaughter. He pled guilty to a misdemeanor, paid the fine, and moved on. Slim said he pled guilty to save his family from the embarrassment of a trial. He later claimed he was innocent and had signed affidavits to prove it. Was he bluffing? Who knows? His plea also cost him a movie deal. Actor Nicholas Cage had met with Slim about a movie to be made about Amarillo Slim’s life with Cage playing his part. With the bad press associated with the charge, the movie deal dissolved.
Slim has been inducted into five different Halls of Fame, according to the Guinness Book of Records. They are: Poker, Gambling, Seniors, Legends of Texas and Legends of Nevada. Slim once said, “I never go looking for a sucker. I look for a Champion and make a sucker out of him.”
The word “tell,” used in poker, describes the signs a poker player uses when evaluating his hand. Any change in a player’s behavior may give a clue to how that player assesses his hand, especially if that tell is unconscious and reliable. An example of a player’s tells, could be his leaning forward or backward after looking at his cards. Fidgeting, doing chip tricks, breathing patterns, tone of voice, facial expressions or sweating, could also be signatures of how a player views his cards. There are also nonphysical tells in poker. Speed of play, betting patterns, and the quantity of chips played could be dead give-a-ways. Being overly friendly, talkative or not making direct eye contact can be signs of bluffing. The underlying rule too many tells is: Weak means strong, strong means weak. Players holding weak hands try to attempt to convince others they have a strong hand; whereas players holding a strong hand try to disguise their hand as being weak. Remember, an unskilled player may misread a weak hand as a strong hand and thus make the wrong decision. Slim was a master at reading his opponents tells and therefore knew what cards they were holding in their hands. I found a list of Slim’s “Ten Keys to Success.” They are as follows: Play the player, not your cards. Choose the right opponents.
Thomas Austin “Amarillo Slim” Preston, Jr., was born in Jackson, Arkansas, on December 31, 1938. As a teenager, Preston moved with his family from Jackson to Amarillo, Texas. There he met “Minnesota Fats,” and shooting pool became Slim’s first love. Slim learned from Fats the importance of conversation to get inside your opponent’s head. “Poker is a game of people. It’s not the hand I hold, it’s the people that I play with,” said Slim. He later met Doyle Brunson and “Sailor” Roberts. These three toured the country poker circuit in search of private games; they became known as “Rounders.” He claimed to have won $587,000 playing poker. He realized that he could get rich without having a job. As Archie Bunker would say, “Those were the days.”
Never play with money you can’t afford to lose. Don’t play many hands, but when you do be prepared to move all in. The minute you sit down, you’re working. Look for tells of your opponent before you look at your own hand. Diversify your play so others can’t pick up your tells. Play slowly in a fast game and fast in a slow game. Be able to quit when losing and continue when winning. Conduct yourself so you’re always invited back.
$300,000 playing dominoes with Willie His most famous quotation went like this: “If you can’t spot the sucker within the first half hour at the table, then you are the sucker.” Slim won a total of five World Series of Poker (WSOP) bracelets, including the main event in 1972. He was inducted into the Poker Hall of Fame in 1992. Between poker tournaments, Slim kept himself in the spotlight with outrageous proposition bets. He won $300,000 from Willie Nelson playing Dominoes in Las Vegas; Slim beat tennis legend Bobby Riggs in Ping-Pong using a frying pan; he beat Minnesota Fats in a game of one-pocket pool with a broom stick; and he beat Evel Knievel in a round of golf using a hammer to hit his ball instead of a club. He played poker with Richard Nixon, Mickey Rooney, Lyndon Johnson, and drug lord Pablo Escobar, took the New York Jets, Joe Namath, and the points in Super Bowl III against the Baltimore Colts, and smiled all the way to the bank. He won $31,000 from Jimmy “The Greek” Snyder by rafting down “The River of No Return” (Salmon River in Idaho) in winter, and placed a substantial bet that George W. Bush would be elected President of the United States in the year 2000. He even once wagered a cat could pick up a Coke bottle and won. He shot free-throws with a football
Amarillo Slim drew to an “inside straight” and came up empty on Sunday, April 29, 2012. Colon cancer always has “four of a kind.” He was 83 years old and has lost his last bet against death. I will leave you with a quotation the same way Amarillo Slim would have. “When a man with money meets a man with experience, the man with experience leaves with the money and the man with the money leaves with experience,” (Anonymous). Personally, I think Slim got away with both.
Andy Purvis is a local author and radio personality. His newest book “Greatness Continued” in now available to order online at bn.com, Amazon, Google Books, Bookamillion, etc. You may also purchase all three of his latest books at the local Barnes & Noble Book store in Moore Plaza. All three books are also available in e-book format, Kindle, Nook, Apple I Pad and Kobo. Please visit www.purvisbooks. com for more info and leave a message in the guest section. You may also contact him at purvis.andy@mygrande.net and don’t forget to listen to Dennis & Andy’s Q & A Session each Thursday night from 6-8 PM on ESPN 1440 KEYS.
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Island Moon
Airtales By Jason Towns It’s been a busy couple of weeks above the Island with little rest for weary birdmen. We’ve done some oil- rig chasing, fog watching, fog dodging, spring break skydiving and barnstorming. Spring Break has been a bust for two years in a row now thanks to the weather and the steadily deteriorating “crowd-quality” but we try to be optimistic for the future.
BigFoot Sighting
Chevron's Bigfoot Deepwater platform is nudged away from the Island by Crowley Maritime's "Ocean Class" tugboats, center-right and bottom. The last of Chevron’s massive deepwater processing platforms was finally finished and departed the Keiwit docks in Ingleside last week. Once again, Crowley Maritime hired local photographer Tim Burdick to get aerial shots of their Ocean Class tugboats nudging the $5.1 billion dollar structure out to sea. Because of tides and weather this was the first night passage scheduled for one of these behemoths but nonetheless one of the fastest we’ve seen thus far, making the trip from dock to jetties in only five of the wee-est hours. Olympus, Delta House and Jack St. Malo preceded Bigfoot over the past couple of years and were all major sights to see, but the skill of every crew involved has obviously improved and streamlined with each embarkation.
Airways pilot but gave up both twenty years ago to simply live the dream of a classic barnstormer. Just as it was done in the early days of flight, he advertises not through anchormen or billboards but rather by flying low over his destination town with the word “RIDES” painted under the wings. The townspeople naturally make their way to the airport to see the unusual aircraft and Biplane Mike is in business. Carpentiero’s D-25 New Standard is one of only 45 built by the company beginning in 1928 to carry mail for the U.S. Postal Service. The huge cargo compartment—by 20s standards anyway—was discovered to have ample room for up to four passengers or for loads of fertilizer, so joyriding and cropdusting became additional chores for the series. The former proves to still be desirable even in the jet-age and Mike makes his living providing it, wintering in Southern California, heading to Texas and Florida in spring, and swinging through the Midwest for half the summer before returning to the northwest in time for Fall. He will be in Port Aransas through this weekend, so if you’d like a trip both back in time and around the Island in an open cockpit biplane give him a call at: 760641-7335. (Even if you’re not interested in a ride, visit the airport to check out Mike himself as he remains true to the era with his roaring twenties wardrobe and handlebar mustache!)
Can’t See a Darn Thing Skydiving during Spring Break has been a challenge with the constant ebb and flow of our sea fog. We’ve spent hours and hours at the airport watching the Island Princess condominium disappear and reappear until “the big break” happens at some point in the afternoon. We never know how long it will last so it’s time to fly, fly, fly when the sun breaks through. We always do so with some trepidation because in these temperatures and humidity levels the fog can return with an almost instant onset, making landing an airplane tricky and a parachute almost impossible.
Aerial photography doesn’t really lend itself to night shots so Tim and I waited until sunrise to chase down Bigfoot and get the photos. By that time she was already well offshore so capturing good Port A background shots wasn’t going to happen. We were the first aircraft on scene but weren’t alone for long. As usual every corporation involved had hired their own photographers and aircraft to document the event and by our third orbit I felt like I was playing the role of AFAC in Afghanistan again, keeping everyone coordinated and-- most importantly—separated. Keiwit Mike Carpentiero with the New Standard biplane, had sent another Cessna from giving rides from the Port Aransas airport all week. Ingleside with professional photographer Bob Redding, Chevron’s own As most other business owners have likely corporate helicopter was circling and then noticed, the college crowds in Port Aransas someone sent a Bell Jet Ranger to join the proper are dwindling with each passing year. fray. A low-altitude local flight doesn’t require Instead a giant human and vehicular “mosh pit” contact with the radar control in Corpus but I forms on the beach a mile or two south of 1A quickly realized it might be a good idea; they and judging from the evening traffic heading gladly provided me with vector and altitude into Corpus Christi must be made up almost information on the other “targets” around me entirely of coastal locals. Unfortunately money including the ones I was unaware in the glare isn’t being spent in local hotels or restaurants of the morning sun. Once we managed to get but at least the Island remains mostly peaceful everyone except the Bell on the same radio for another few weeks before the summer frequency the situation wasn’t quite so nerve- onslaught of visitors of all ages. Perhaps racking and we safely got the job done; we just we will attract Spring Breakers and profits en had to keep our “eye on the Bell.” masse again someday but these past couple of
Nostalgic Rides Mike Carptentiero returned to Port Aransas this year with his 1929 New Standard biplane offering aerial tours to Spring Breakers. Mike flies the vintage bird all the way from Oregon at a whopping top-speed of 70 mph and a maximum altitude of only three thousand feet. He is a former Marine Corps aviator and US
years have seen a downward trend—and it’s not just the weather to blame. As both businessman and resident, I see benefits to both scenarios and am content either way. Yell hello when you see us over the Island!
A visiting 1928 New Standard biplane over Port A as seen from the locally-based 1943 Stearman biplane.
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Island Moon
March 26, 2015