Section a for web

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Inside the Moon

Art Center Scholarships A2

Schlitterbahn A6

Fishing A7

The

Issue 582

Island Moon

The voice of The Island since 1996

June 11, 2015

Around The Island By Dale Rankin

By Dale Rankin

We had the first Big Weekend of the tourist season last week as school is now out, the rain, at least for now is mostly not falling on the Coastal Plain, and the summer is upon us. Over the years we here at the Island Moon Tourism Research Department have developed a near fool-proof method of judging how many people are on the local beaches on a given weekend. We checked the ice supply at the Stripes stores and last weekend they were smooth out; and friends when it is summer and there is no ice on The Island, well that’s not a world any of us wants to live in.

Since May 19 the Texas General Land Office and U.S. Coast Guard have picked up a total of 10,120 gallons, (240.95 barrels) of oil that has washed up on area beaches. On Monday alone 990 gallons, (23.57 barrels) was picked up on the beach in Port Aransas.

Free

Weekly

FREE

The oil in some cases has been in slicks three feet in diameter and three to four inches thick. The Texas General Land Office which is collecting samples for testing said Wednesday that their tests show the tar balls are from two different sources and are crude oil but the source has not yet been identified, however, It is unlikely the source is from Texas waters. Possible sources include offshore rigs, a pipeline, a ship or from natural seepage. Testing continues. A GLO spokesman said the Coast Guard is funding the recovery until the responsible party can be located and held accountable.

Beach Garbage Collection Under Scrutiny 4th of July Fireworks and Watercraft Parade Three Weeks Away One potential difference, the permitting was still underway at press time, is that the spoil island across the canal from the end of Whitecap may be burned in the days prior to the show to prevent a repeat of last year when the fireworks set it ablaze.

Wettest month on record Dr. Chuntao Liu, Assistant Professor of Atmospheric Science, over at Texas A&M-Corpus Christi put out a forecast for the remainder of the summer and it says that models suggest that this will be one of the strongest El Nino weather patterns (and even possibly stronger than the 1997-1998 El Nino, and under that scenario Texas is likely to see cooler temperatures and more precipitation throughout the summer; cooler and wetter being, of course, relative terms. In May 2015, Corpus Christi received a whopping 14.32 inches of rain – a new record far beyond the previous May record of 10.44 inches set in 1941, and May 2015 now exceeds Corpus Christi's total rainfall for the entire drought year of 2011, which was only 12.06 inches. Corpus Christi was one of several cities across the state, including Austin, Brownsville, Dallas-Fort Worth, and Houston that broke previous rain records. May 2015 is now also the “wettest single month on record” in Texas and Oklahoma

Live Music A18

240 Barrels of Oil Picked Up on Area Beaches

editor@islandmoon.com

The last three bags of ice on The Island were frozen into one big lump at the bottom of the Reddy Ice freezer at the Big Stripes on Whitecap; three giant bags that had frozen together into one thirty-pound bag of cooling relief that couldn’t be sold. Two guys in Bubba Trucks from somewhere north of Swinney Switch offered to separate them with an ax which they had brought along to use on driftwood for their beach fire. They were about to go awhackin’ away at it when a Stripes employee politely but firmly, and we might add wisely, told them chopping up the ice box with an ax wasn’t in the company handbook and by early afternoon a giant truck with pallets of ice arrived from OTB and the Great Ice Shortage of 2015 was a thing of the past. But let us tell you friends, it was touch and go there for a while. When Bubba comes down from north of Swinney Switch armed with an ax and can’t find any ice nothing good is going to come from that. Nothing.

Airtales A9

Island Blast By Dale Rankin As Island beaches get busier there is a growing disparity between the beaches cleaned by the City of Corpus Christi and those cleaned by Nueces County. This was the scene at Newport Pass last Monday as the city beaches were trash-free while county crews were still playing catch up.

Believe it or not July 4th is only three weeks away and that means the Island Blast Fireworks Show will take to the skies at the end of Whitecap. According to the event’s founder and manager Jerry Watkins the show will go off at 9:15 p.m. on Saturday, July 4. “It will be essentially the same show as the last two years,” Watkins said.

“The Flour Bluff Fire Department is working to get the permits to do a controlled burn there in the week prior to the fireworks show,” Watkins said. “It looks like it’s going to happen we’re just not sure until we have the permits in hand.” He said the Padre Isles Property Owners Association helped to raise about half the $15,000 cost of the show by contacting members asking for donations. Tax deductible donations can still be made payable to the Island Blast.

“100 percent of the money goes to pay for the fireworks,” Watkins said. “There is no overhead or any kind of management fees.” The show is done by a private company and includes firework tubes up to five-inch wide and lasts for about twenty five minutes. Watkins and his wife Sharon hit on the idea of an Island fireworks show after attending others around the state and now, in its third year, the show has become a fixture on the Island calendar. The show grew out of the 4th of July Watercraft parade which is held in the afternoon. We will have more on the parade and how to participate in it in the next issue.

A little Island history

Tis the Season for Detection of Metal

By Dale Rankin

So long Bruce

We want to bid a fond farewell to our old friend and former Moon columnist Bruce Loeffler who passed away recently. Bruce was one of Mike’s original Moon writers under the title of Thoughts While Sunburning. Bruce had a lot of time to think, being a rather fair-skinned fellow from Minnesota who could get

This is not to disparage the county as by Tuesday afternoon the county beach was clean, it is to make the point that while the city gets a nice slice of the Hotel Occupancy Tax to clean beaches the county does not. We are told that Precinct 4 City Councilwoman Colleen McIntyre and Precinct 4 Nueces County Commissioner Brent Chesney are working on an interlocal agreement that would turn garbage collection, but not beach maintenance, on both city and county beaches over to the city.

Around continued on A3

Garbage continued on A4

There is an argument to be made that the tourist season on The Island doesn’t really kick in until the school year ends. As the tourists begin to arrive there is the annual question of where is the best place for “treasure hunters,” that is people with metal detectors, to look for fabled coins of the Spanish Realm. The chances of find a doubloon hereabouts is about as likely as sighting a white whale. But nevertheless there are those among us who like to try anyway. So for those “glass half full” folks here is tale of Spanish Treasure that is sure to your earphones pinging. The most important thing to remember is that metal detectors are not allowed on Padre Island National Seashore, and they mean it.

Mexican Gold 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 food 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

History continued on A5


A2

June 11, 2015

Island Moon

Port A Art Center Scholarships

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June 11, 2015

Island Moon

Letters to the Editor

Moon Monkeys Mike Ellis, Founder

Traffic Light

Distribution Pete Alsop Island Delivery Coldwell Banker Advertising Jan Park Rankin Classifieds Arlene Ritley Production Manager Jeff Craft Contributing Writers Joey Farah Andy Purvis Devorah Fox

John Tucker

Mary Craft

Island

Maybeth Christiansen Jay Gardner Chad Peters Todd Hunter Dotson Lewis Ronnie Narmour 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 14646 Compass, Suite 3 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

All Stripes Stores

A Mano

CVS

Coffee Waves

Whataburger

Moby Dicks

Doc’s Restaurant

Spanky’sLiquor

Snoopy’s Pier

IGA Grocery Store

Isle Mail N More

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

Island Italian

Holiday Inn Jesse’s Liquor Scuttlebutt’s Restaurant Subway

Chamber of Commerce

Island Tire

Duckworth Antiques

And all Moon retail advertisers

Back Porch

WB Liquor

Woody’s Sports Center Shorty’s Place

Flour Bluff

Giggity’s

H.E.B.

Stripes @ Cotter & Station Gratitude Gift Shop Keepers Pier House Port A Glass Studio The Gaff

Dale, I have missed a couple of issues of your paper, so maybe this has been covered by others. The news about the new traffic light being approved seems to be strange. When there is a big surge to get to beaches (and Schlitterbahn soon) in the bend, traffic backs up at the present Commodores light for quite a long distance. With a new light at Aquarius, It may back up to near the JFK Bridge. Many people driving to the beach from town go at least 55 mph up the bridge and may suddenly see the backed up traffic and have to brake extra hard (maybe skidding) to avoid rear ending someone while going down. Sooner or later, there may be a car/truck/bus in the drink. Survival is unlikely. The purpose of this is to allow the construction of a store, no? There should be a better way to allow cars to enter and exit the store with some new turn-around lanes and widening. If the light must go in, there should be a way to make it a flashing yellow when traffic is starting to back up at the Commodores light. (That would require someone to make that decision, and who would do that for free before it is too late?) Think it through. Do not just say “yes” because of economic pressure.

Liquid Town Whataburger on Waldron Ethyl Everly Senior Center Fire Station Police Station Stripes on Flour Bluff & SPID

Editor’s note: The concerns you raise John, are the same ones raised by many Islanders during these discussions, but were overridden by Islanders who live on the north end of The Island and use that intersection to access SPID with the help of District 4 City Councilwoman Colleen McIntyre. The one thing everyone seems to agree on is that SPID traffic needs to slow down; the question is how to do it, and if a light is needed where to locate it. Backers of the current location cite a 2004 study which called for a light at that location. At that time former Islander Clyde Smith attempted to put a grocery store at the same location where current owners plan to put retail development (a 105-room Hampton Inn and five commercial sites). He, like the current developer, offered to pay for the light, but he was denied permission by the city to place the light, for reasons that were never completely clear. The difference this time was that McIntyre got behind the plan early on, and Mayor Nelda Martinez attended the Island Strategic Action Committee meeting last week when it was discussed. Most Islanders learned of the plan for the light when a City Traffic Engineer casually mentioned it during a meeting of the ISAC late last year. The committee at that time approved the light placement but asked for more study, even as Ms. McIntyre was quoted in these pages as saying no additional study was needed.

norm around the city, but they mainly focused on whether there was sufficient traffic entering SPID from Aquarius to justify a light; the finding was in the affirmative. There were two primary concerns raised; one, the light, when red to allow for a single car to turn left across the traffic lanes entering the JFK Causeway, would back up the already snarled traffic coming from Port Aransas and The Island through the SPID/Commodores intersection (which is likely to be even more congested when the Schlitterbahn park opens) meaning that several hundred cars would be delayed for the convenience of one driver and five businesses. This was addressed by the developer’s engineers by saying the light would flash yellow at peak hours. The second concern was one that you raise; what happens when traffic backs up to the top of the JFK Bridge and cars blindly top the bridge to find cars stopped in their lane on a portion of the bridge where there is no shoulder. This was addressed by the developer’s commitment to spend a total of $600,000 to reconfigure the intersection and place a warning sign on the bridge to warn drivers that the light is ahead and about to turn yellow. This solution depends on each and every driver reading the sign; if traffic backs up to the top of the bridge, which it already does from time to time, whether it is because of the light or just heavy traffic, all it takes is for one driver to ignore the sign and a high-impact rear-end collision will occur. What we saw with the light was participatory democracy in action. Citizens had ample opportunity to turn out and make their case for or against the light and some did; mostly those in favor of the light and they were heard. For reasons unknown when the meeting to discuss the issue was posted in these pages prior to the meeting, with only one exception, the people who were against the light stayed home and were not heard from. The ISAC committee heard from the public, mostly the pro-light side, and from city and private engineers and made a decision. One thing that experience has taught us is that traffic engineering is often counter intuitive. What common sense might seem to dictate in design may turn out to work completely backwards in practice, and that may be the case here. The good news John is that we don’t have to rely on speculation for an answer; barring divine intervention the light will be in place within the next eight months and we will find out what the effect is. If it works great let’s congratulate its backers, if not, they will be accountable.

Some additional models were run by the traffic engineers hired by the developer, which is the

Roll Up Your Windows and Hold Your Nose! It's time for the city to do something about the sewage lift station at Whitecap and Cruiser. The odor being emitted from that place is getting way out of hand. The last two times I have driven past it I have coughed from the vapors. I feel sorry for the residents that live around it as they have to put up with it round the clock. If it were privately owned the city would have it shut down. Darryl Harris Island Editor’s note: You are correct Darryl, if the Stink Factory was privately owned the owner would have been paying fines for years, unless/ until the city forced it to shut down. But that isn’t the worst of it. The story of the Stink Factory is a sordid and sad tale of bureaucratic finger pointing and blame shifting that stinks about as bad as the Stink Factory its own self. More than four years ago developer Alex Harris, who owns the condos and office space just downwind from the Stink Factory and who is on the Island Strategic Action Committee, told the city staff about the problem and asked them to go over there and sniff around. They did and reported that there was no problem. Everything smelled sweet at grandma’s perfume. When the complaints from the public continued, and we were among the complainers since until last week our office was immediately downwind of the Stink Factory, the city staff responded by telling Alex the smell was coming from his property. In spite of the fact that you could walk across Whitecap, upwind of Alex’s property, and still smell the stink Alex had his lines checked and there was no problem. At each and every ISAC meeting for three years Alex brought up the subject and the response varied from “there is no smell” to “it’s your fault” to just “shut the *(*(*( up!” in effect the response was “believe us, not your lying nose.” But to his credit Alex persisted and finally the city did smoke tests to see if there was a leak in the line. There wasn’t. But over the course of several years of sitting through ISAC meetings taking notes and listening to the city staff dodge and weave the truth emerged; and it stinks. It came to a head a few years ago when a leak in the sewer line just west of the Stink Factory caused a giant sinkhole that swallowed up the entire intersection of Gypsy and Whitecap. The city sent in a private contractor who goes around the city repairing old sewer lines. The head of the crew, who had no idea the city was in full denial of the stench from the Stink Factory, let the truth slip out. Over the years discerning noses have noticed a correlation between big tourist weekends and odiferous emissions from the Stink Factory and it turns out that is not by accident but by design. The Stink Factory is on the main line and the station is the fulcrum of the entire sewer system on The Island as the flow from all over The Island makes its way toward the plant at the end of Whitecap. It puts four pounds of pressure in the line to get the contents of the line up over the bridge at the Cruiser canal. When the system gets overloaded, which happens after busy tourist weekends when the hotels and condos on the east side of SPID are full, the pump can’t keep up with the flow and things back up. When that happens, and there is no delicate way to put this, the gas that is the natural byproduct, has to

go somewhere lest it forms pressure in the lines and…well, let’s not think about that. Suffice to say that the way the system is designed the stinky gas goes out the exhaust stack and into the neighborhood to spread its joy with the prevailing southeasterly wind. So what’s the solution? The City Council is currently in the process of reducing the number of sewer plants in the city from five to two and the Whitecap plant will be mothballed. When that is done the Island’s leavings will be pumped OTB to a plant in Flour Bluff. Presumably then the Stink Factory will be mothballed as well and the stink will be omitted somewhere else in the system. One way the city plans to pay for this rejiggering of the citywide system is by selling off the land at the end of Whitecap where the plant is currently located (a fight for another day). But that change in the system is likely three to five years away and in the meantime the Stink Factory will remain in full bloom; a monument to malfeasance and a daily reminder of the heights to which bureaucratic finger pointing and head in the sand (no pun intended) management can rise. Think of it this way Darryl, what you have there on Whitecap is not merely a Stink Factory, heck, anybody can make one of those; no, what you have there is a monument to remind us all of what can happen when bureaucratic inertia collides with the Island’s large intestine. Think of it as a daily reminder that they don’t name buildings after politicians who fix sewer plants but maybe they should. Here’s guessing that if we start a contest to name the Stink Factory after our favorite office holder we might get some action. The best thing that could happen is that the prevailing southeasterly winds shift a little southward this summer and blows the stink over to Dasmarinas where the City Manager lives. If it doesn’t get fixed then we’ll shift to guerilla tactics and put up a big sign; Ron Olson Stink Factory. Has a nice ring doesn’t it? Kind rolls right off the tongue. In the meantime when you drive down Whitecap roll up your windows and hold your nose

Crisis Intervention In the past few weeks, we have experienced the loss of many dear community members. Accidents, floods, and assaults have left many families grieving, and in need emotional support.

Did Ya Hear?

A3

by Mary Craft mkay512@aol.com or @padreeyelander on twitter

New Advertisers Pink Beach Boutique has recently opened in the Padre Island Mail Plus strip mall between the lights. They have women’s sizes XS-3X, children’s clothing, swimwear, accessories, kitchen items, gifts and more. Get 10% off entire purchase until 7/31. Raggdoll Boutique has locations at 124 E Ave G in Port Aransas and now on North Padre next to Lycos Nails. They have women’s clothing, purses, boots, accessories and more. Check out their website and Facebook page for a sneak peek. Worldwinds Windsurfing at Bird Island Basin in PINS is having a weekday special Tuesdays – Thursdays. Book one windsurfing lesson get second lesson at half price and rent a kayak or SUP and get second rental at half price.

Business Briefs Cancun Restaurant on North Padre has signature summer drink 32 ounce pitchers for only $10.99. The Stress Reliever has vodka, light rum peach liquor orange and cranberry juice and the Green Hawaiian has light rum, melon liquor and pineapple juice. They have five others just as refreshing. They have daily lunch and dinner specials that will become your new favorite. Check out why they are one of the rare five star restaurants on yelp. Fusion Coffee Shop in Flour Bluff serves gourmet coffee, pastries, salads and soups in a nice modern setting. They have live music on weekends. They are located at 2146 Waldron road near Glenoak Drive. Junior Ranger Day Celebration at PINS Saturday, June 13th 10 am to 2 pm the public is invited to join the fun day at the beach with sand castle building, kite building, live reptiles, marine touch tank and other activities. This will be an enjoyable day to visit and earn a Junior Ranger badge and patch. Oso Bay Wetlands Preserve will host a Guided Bird Hike on Friday, June 12th 8:30 – 9:30am. Hikers will meet at the trail head of the entrance at the corner of Wooldridge Road and Oso Parkway. Hikers will be led by park staff for half a mile, highlighting the local birds, plants, reptiles and other critters. This program is free of charge and open to individuals and families. Join us and learn about this amazing nature preserve. Registration will be held at the preserve before the hike. Binoculars and field guides will be provided on a first-come first-serve basis. For more information, call 826-3947. The Parrotheads of Port A will be meeting on Thursday, June 11th at the Island Hotel on Hwy 361. The Aransas Pass Shrimporee will be celebrated this weekend June 12 – 14 with live music all three days and featured singer Kevin Fowler on Friday. Tickets are $7 for adults and $3 for children 7 – 12. The Padre Island Business Association is having their monthly mixer at the Boathouse Bar & Grill on Tuesday, June 16th 5:30 – 7:30 pm. UT Marine Science Institute in Port A has a summer program for 3rd and 4th graders for $30/week. They offer fun ways to learn about marine biology. Go to https://utmsi.utexas. edu/visit/summer-science/port-aransas-texas for more info. There are 47 townhomes being built at 1801 11th Street in Port A where Grace Community Church was. The Moon office is now located at 14646 Compass Suite 3 in the Compass Plaza building.

Around continued from A1 sunburned walking from his house to his car. Not long after I began writing for The Moon in 2000 Editor Mike got a rather angry letter to the effect that he needed to fire those two idiots Rankin and Loeffler, they don’t know what they are doing. Mike printed the letter with a note which explained “they are the only two writers we have with journalism degrees.” The next week the guy wrote back, “That’s the trouble right there. There are nothing but liberals and idiots coming out of journalism schools and I suspect they might be both! The most common question asked by journalism graduates is ‘would you like fries with that sir’.” Mike printed that one too and Bruce cut it out and carried it around in his wallet for months showing it to everyone he met whether they wanted to see it or not. The Wednesday night Island poker game has an empty seat. So long Bruce, they can always use more writers in heaven. Stay cool out there and say hello if you see us Around The Island.

We would like to invite you and your family to stop by the Half Price Bookstore this coming Saturday, June 13, from 3-7 p.m. and meet with Dr. Emilia O´Neill, to talk about the symptoms of distress, and some useful strategies you can use to deal with the stress caused by these and other stressful and traumatic events. She will also be signing copies of her book. Join us and also learn about our wellness workshops! Dr. Emilia O´Neill is a psychologist, and a licensed professional counselor. She specializes in trauma, post-traumatic stress disorder, and stress management. She is the co-author of the book “How Much of Yourself Do You Own. Building Emotional Resources”, where you can find many practical tools to deal with loss and grief.

Sharon caught this red snapper offshore on Tuesday.


A4

June 11, 2015

Island Moon

Garbage continued from A1 This comes on the heels of House Bill 1915 just passed by the legislature which allows the city to collect an additional two cents on each dollar of the HOT and will give the City of Corpus Christi an additional $2 million per year for maintenance on local beaches; the City of Port Aransas will get an additional $1 million. However, the bill contains language that allows the money to be used for “erosion control devices” of which we have none on the Island which are publicly owned (the seawall being privately owned) and given the politics of our city most of the additional money, if not all, is likely to be spent downtown. Under the tenets of the bill the new money could be used to add a much-needed French drain in front of the seawall to protect it in high-water events but, again, history suggests that we will see little of the money because, since it can be spent downtown that’s where it will go. An investigation into the operations of the city’s Parks & Recreation Department which began last year came to a close last week with the indictments of former Beach Operations and Aquatics Superintendent Derek Herzog who was seven years in the job, and his assistant Mike Smith who was employed for 12 years as the Beach Operations Supervisor. Both stand accused by a grand jury of using cityissued credit cards to purchase merchandise that was later utilized for their own personal use. Investigators believe the two created a temporary "ghost" employee who was paid for work that was never performed. It is only an indictment and not a conviction but for the last several months the investigation has left the department without a permanent chief and city staffers told the Island Strategic Action Committee last week the field has been narrowed to one candidate but as of last week no hire had been made. To ensure that similar incidents cannot happen again, the City has changed how employees use City-issued credit cards and temporary employment companies. The changes include enhanced administrative controls, reduced spending limits, reduced number of purchasing cards citywide and an improved policy to prevent theft and improve oversight. Corpus Christi City Manager Ron Olson announced Friday that an internal investigation resulted in the indictment of two former employees on theft charges Thursday. Olson said the actions came after a tip revealed wrongdoing in the beach operations division of the Parks & Recreation Department. An investigation was conducted and led to the termination of two employees.

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editor@islandmoon.com

Ten Texas Middle School Students Win Statewide Contest to Write Catchiest New Slogans for Iconic Don’t Mess with Texas Trashcans

Scientists Can’t Get There but Honey Badger Can

Don’t mess with Texas® Middle School Can Slogan Contest enlists students’ help to bring litter prevention message to a new generation More than 400 middle school students from across the state showed off their creative side by entering the Don’t mess with Texas® Middle School Can Slogan Contest. Organized by the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) and Keep Texas Beautiful, middle school students were asked to write their own inventive slogan to be featured on a Don’t mess with Texas® trashcan. Ten entries were selected to have their slogan decaled on a specially made trashcan that will be awarded to the winning schools for display and use Winning slogans include: • Wrangle in your trash cowboy!, Ella Weathers of Trinity Middle School, Trinity • I’m all about that waste, Nathalie Quintanilla of Devers Middle School in Devers. • WILDCATS I’M OPEN, Maddie Strickling of Whitney Middle School in Whitney. • Give your trash a home, Zackary Huntley of Nottingham Middle School in Dayton. • Hey good looking, got any trash?, Ivelissa Gonzalez of Buffalo Jr. High in Buffalo. • Dunk don’t dump, Mario Mairena of Raul Yzaguirre School for Success in Houston. • #trashme, Lexi Rogers of Neches Elementary in Neches. • SERIOUSLY? I ‘M RIGHT HERE, Kathleen Espinoza of Flores Middle School in Uvalde. • KEEP CALM AND TRASH ON, Brandon Ramirez of Flatonia ISD in Flatonia. • TRASHKETBALL Bet you’ll miss, Lone Oak Middle School 8th Grade Art II Class of Lone Oak Middle School in Lone Oak.

By Sally Palmer Satellite imagery has revealed that large blooms of phytoplankton (single-celled plants) form in the vast Pacific Ocean covering thousands of square miles and lasting for many weeks. Until now, the remote location in the open ocean has made it very difficult to identify what types of plants are creating this massive mat of plant-life and what conditions lead up to these blooms. Scientists Dr. Tracy Villareal from The University of Texas Marine Science Institute and Dr. Cara Wilson from the Southwest Fisheries Science Center of National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA/SWFSC) will be sending out the Honey Badger to figure it out. Their mission named MAGI uses a stateof-the-art Wave Glider®, nicknamed Honey Badger, from Liquid Robotics. The MAGI six month mission kicks off this week to begin sampling where these blooms develop in the Pacific Ocean near a remote region in the horse latitudes at 30°N. The goal of the mission is to identify the species that make up the blooms and then figure out how and when they start to form large balls, or aggregates. Are they an important part of the food chain? What happens to them? Scientists hope to find out. The Honey Badger Wave Glider will need to be tenacious. Even though these blooms are large, they are quite fickle in their formation and the extreme expanse of the ocean will make it a challenge for the scientists to direct the Honey Badger with the aid of satellite telemetry to the right part of the ocean, at the right time. If they can time it just right, the Honey Badger shouldn’t disappoint. The Honey Badger Wave Glider is a unique piece of equipment,

developed by Liquid Robotics Inc., as the first unmanned autonomous marine robot to use only the ocean's endless supply of wave energy for propulsion. It has been customized with a multitude of sensors for this mission. Sensors include a high resolution camera; fluorometer to record presence of chlorophyll and other pigments; weather stations; wave detection equipment; tracking device; sensors to listen for acoustic tags of large marine predators; digital holographic particle imaging system; and last but not least an instrument to record temperature and salinity. All this instrumentation is on an autonomous vehicle, saving the expense and long lead-time required for research vessel operations. It’s a bargain, but even so it’s not an easy task. This is all possible because Liquid Robotics invited scientists, students and educators to compete in the PacX Challenge competition, which recognized the most innovative application of the PacX ocean data. Dr. Villareal was the Liquid Robotics PacX Challenge grand prize winner with his collaborator Dr. Cara Wilson of NOAA/SWFSC. The PacX Challenge prize consisted of a $50,000 research grant (courtesy of BP, the exclusive oil and gas industry supporter of the PacX Challenge) and six months of Wave Glider time. A National Science Foundation award supported the reconfiguration of the Wave Glider and purchase of additional sensing equipment, all of which was implemented by the Geophysical Exploration Research Group at Texas A&M. Data integration and website development was performed by Bob Simons and Lynn Dewitt at NOAA/SWFSC. This is truly a collaborative effort.

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June 11, 2015

A5

Island Moon

History continued from A1 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.

Nuevo Santander Of the twenty ships only three would reach 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 and we call the 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.

Salvage Expedition 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.

Fairway Homesiteslimited Time Offer At Palmilla Beach

Have Lunch, Help a Hero On June 13th, Indian Motorcycle of Corpus Christi will host their first annual Great American Cookout to benefit the U.S.O. Volunteers will sell freshly grilled sausages and hot dogs from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Texas Beach Resort Introduces Reduced Summer Prices

“We’re so excited about this event,” said Matt Werkhoven, General Manager at Indian Motorcycle of Corpus Christi. “Indian Motorcycle has over 100 years invested in supporting all branches of the U.S. military, and we’re very glad they’re continuing the tradition. This year alone, Indian Motorcycle will donate over $100,000 dollars to the charity. It’s great to be able to add to that total!”

Palmilla Beach Resort & Golf Club in Port Aransas this week announced the release of three new fairway homesites inside the community. For a limited time, the master-planned community is offering up to $25,000 off these new homesites situated on the Arnold Palmer golf course.

Indian Motorcycle boasts a powerful military tradition, providing over 120,000 bikes to the armed forces during WWI and WWII. The company sincerely appreciates the value of the U.S.O in providing comfort and support to our troops at home and abroad.

Each fairway homesite includes panoramic views of the 17th hole fairway surrounded by natural landscapes and wildlife.

People who are unable to attend the event can show their support of the U.S.O. by donating at: https://www.crowdrise.com/ greatamericancookout

Buyers of these zero-lot-line homesites gain full access to the amenities available inside the Palmilla Beach community and each homesite is within walking distance to the pool and amenities center, and includes direct beach access and the convenience of planned bayfront boat slips. Additionally, the fairway homesites are within close proximity to the on-property Black Marlin Bar & Grill featuring coastal cuisine, live music and island views from the third-story elevated bar.

Indian Motorcycle of Corpus Christi opened on May 9th, 2015. It is under the same ownership as Corpus Christi Cycle Plaza, locally owned since 1986. Indian Motorcycle of Corpus Christi is located at 2937 S.P.I.D. Their business hours are Tuesday through Saturday 9 a.m. – 6 p.m.

“These fairway homesites are priced to sell and sit ideally within the heart of the Port Aransas community,” said Bart Koontz, developer of Palmilla Beach. “With unmatched views of the golf course and easy access to the beach and amenities, I’m positive these homesites will go quickly.”

“Have lunch and help a hero,” continued Werkhoven. “It is impossible to overstate just how much good the U.S.O. does for our troops. We hope everyone can stop by Saturday to show their support.”

The limited time offer on these fairway homesites ends August 1. The first homesite will sell for $175,000, the second for $185,000 and the third for $195,000. To take advantage of this exclusive offer, call 877-215-2855. Palmilla Beach Resort and Golf Club is owned by San Antoniobased developer Koontz-McCombs and covers 222 acres.

A small, one-ounce gold crucifix of pure gold estimated in 1967 to be worth $100,000, one 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 sixfoot falconettes, several silver discs with the larges weighing 29 pounds, anchors and chains, a large but undisclosed number of Spanish coins. 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.

Guided Bird Hike Honoring National Trails Day

Flour Bluff / Padre Island 4-H Club Comes Through Like True Texans

At the Oso Bay Wetlands Preserve — Friday, June 12th In honor of National Trails Day, the Oso Bay Wetlands Preserve will host a Guided Bird Hike on Friday, June 12, 2015 from 8:30am to 9:30am. Hikers will meet at the trail head of our entrance at the corner of Wooldridge Road and Oso Parkway. Hikers will be led by park staff for half a mile, highlighting the local birds, plants, reptiles, and other critters. This program is FREE of charge and open to individuals and families. Join us and learn about this amazing nature preserve.

The kids enjoyed the Island Police Bash last weekend where some got behind the wheel of a fire truck. Photo by Natalie Werkhoven.

By Taylor Zamora, Reporter, FB/PI 4-H Club When the recent flooding in Wimberley, destroyed lives, property, and roadways the kids in the Flour Bluff/Padre Island 4-H Club went to work. The 26-foot rise in the Blanco River there in less than one hour was a devastating blow to the small town which is located in one of the most scenic areas of the Texas Hill Country.

Schlitterfun

REGISTRATION will be held at the preserve on June 12, 2015 before the hike. Binoculars and field guides will be provided on a first-come first-serve basis. All children attending the program must be accompanied by an adult. For more information, call 826-3947.

The Flour Bluff community showed a tremendous outpouring of support by donating cleaning items, toiletries, water, and other items. But it was not only adults who showed up to help. Many children from the local schools and the Flour Bluff/Padre Island 4-H Club showed up with donations and helped load all of the items.

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This has been a real eye opener for the kids because it hit so close to home. The amount of damage done is unbelievable, but it has taught the kids that you are never too little to help and that every little bit helps. Sometimes the needs of others must come before your own needs.

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The town of Wimberley is still in need of volunteers to help clean up their town. If you can’t volunteer, you may want to give a donation. They are still in need of more cleaning supplies, toiletries, clothing, and basic tools (work gloves, shovels, rakes, etc.). This is what being a Texan is all about. We may not always know one another, but when there is a need you can count on your fellow Texans to show up. Together we can help get Wimberley back on their feet. Members of the Flour Bluff / Padre Island 4-H Club lent a helping hand by donating and loading supplies heading for Wimberley.

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A6

Stuff I Heard on the Island

Island Moon

by Dale Rankin The Chinese Proverb – may you live in interesting times has always seemed to me a blessing and a curse at the same time. The actual saying in Chinese is more to the point – It is better to live like a dog in an era of peace than a man in times of war. My roundabout point here is that these are interesting times on our little sandbar these days; whether you are a man or a dog. The most commonly asked question as I move around our little sandbar is “When is Schlitterbahn going to open?” Here’s what I have seen and heard.

Dichotomy A tour of the Schlitterbahn site in the early summer of 2015 can best be described as a dichotomy of construction and recreation. Kids toss balls in the pools while in the background hardhatted workers flash welding torches, swing water hoses and hammers, and trucks dump sand and building materials. In the back of the park workers construct cabanas where in a few weeks kids will be crunching on ice cream cones. Most Wednesdays for the past year and a half my routine takes me to the site to take photos of the latest work. In the beginning it was simply earth movers scraping up sand and frontend loaders digging canals that soon filled with ground water. As things came up out of the ground I watched as the main building kept getting bigger and bigger, and not only because construction was going on, the square feet in the building went from 26,000 to now 160,000 while construction was underway. It is no secret on our Island that the park’s opening is well behind schedule to the barely concealed delight of the naysayers and to the anticipation of those who want a place to take their kids. There has been no shortage of deadlines set and passed and opinions as to why. When you build anything on the scale of a park like this, the numbers are not public but my best guess is the cost will top $80 million if it hasn’t already, if you don’t anticipate problem-causing delays your planning process is probably out in the weeds.

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Dog Days of Summer 2015 But as we bear down on the Dog Days of Summer 2015 the deadlines for getting the various rides online are getting shorter and more reachable than in the past. A tour of the location this week finds the Master Blaster, the tubular pretzel near the main building visible from SPID, under inspection with, according to Park General Manager Ross Rutherford, has a 50-50 chance of opening over the weekend. Testing has begun on the Boogie Bahn, the standing wave machine for surfing, with water running through the pumps several times this week. It too, Rutherford says, is 50-50 for a weekend open. We’ll see how things go, but even if this weekend doesn’t happen things are getting close. The pumps which power the Boogie Bahn are the same which push water through the river system and are the beating heart of the park. Getting them up and going will be a literal watershed. (Sorry couldn’t resist that).

River System I walked a portion of the 6000-plus foot river system and the structure is in place and testing of Weir Dams is ongoing in part, but not all, of the structure. The concrete is still unpainted but, from what I could see, the sanding of the rough concrete is complete. Again, testing and certification are necessary. As of this writing Rutherford says the hard deadline for the opening of the rides, and as we know things can change, is June 15 for the rides – excluding the Shoot the Chute at the south end of the park- and June 20 for the river system.

Main Building Part-owner Jeff Henry told us two weeks ago that the goal is to have the second floor of the main building, with 22 hotel rooms and the Local’s Bar for members, open this summer. The upper floors aren’t expected to follow suit until after this season. When it is done a concert hall, meeting hall which can hold upwards of 2000 people will be located on the west end of the building where on Wednesday workmen were busy building new stairs from the ground level. Things are moving. Our phones began ringing last Thursday after it was reported in the local media that the river system would be open last weekend. It was a miscommunication; what opened was the same portion of the waterway that was open last year; which as of this writing on Wednesday is all that is open right now.

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So you now know as much as I do. Certainly work will continue for the foreseeable future even after most of the rides open; there is still a building at the south end of the park which has a long way to go and landscaping is still in the early stages.

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It’s no secret there have been squabbles among the partners, with one exiting during construction. There has been trouble with getting concrete due to the amount of construction in the Coastal Bend – it’s a good time to be a concrete contractor hereabouts - there was a tight labor market due to the demand for hands in the Eagle Ford. There was an unusually cold winter followed by an unusually wet spring. The list goes on.

But the worksite is becoming a park. The dichotomy is still there, but its days are numbered.

©2015 Clockwork, IP LLC

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June 11, 2015


June 11, 2015

A7

Island Moon

Backwater Adventures Footprints in the Sand

On the Rocks By Jay Gardner & Aaron Baxter

By Joey Farah Farah’s Fishing Adventures My friend and I idled the boat up to the shoreline and slipped into the shallows and climbed up a white sand dune. Along the beach we saw a few tracks of coyote and raccoons along the water, and could see thousands of tiny fish along the beach. As we walked through the sand we passed a few deer tracks, they led strait for the shade of some small trees along the edge of the dunes. We sat under the trees for a moment out of the sun and looked across the bay. Time sort of stopped for a moment, funny how many folks just let it all fly bye. We walked through the dunes to the most beautiful fresh water lagoon you have ever seen. The water was as clean as mountain air and the cool winds funneled through the pass and cooled us in the mid-day sun. We walked along the beach and waded the lake and explored our new little paradise. The only tracks were that of a deer and her yearling, running and playing in circles all around their little piece of heaven. From the moment we walked away and looked back one more time the secret lagoon has been on my mind. A week later I shared my boat with a family with two small girls. After a good two hours of catching trout I asked them if they were ready to head to the SECRET LAGOON. We pulled up and I let them out as I slowly walked ahead, I almost felt guilty for bringing anyone else to this magical place. There had only been two sets of tracks other than the two

the back of Baffin and the water is clear and you can see the rocks better than you have for the last 5yrs. To entertain guests, take older, younger, or inexperienced anglers out for a slam dunk action packed fillets in the skillet trip, now is the best time.

Flounder Pounding The flounder seem to be everywhere the last two weeks. From the Land Cut to Packery, “flatties” are being caught by anglers by accident and on purpose. Anywhere there is some current exchange the flounder are using this to attack all the small minnows that are clinging to any structure they can find. Docks, piers, grasslines, bends in the channel, sea walls, and the jetty rocks. The best bait is mud minnows or small perch and finger mullet. With lures anything white and with a curly tail works well. The sides of the Intracoastal Canal north of the JFK are a good place to start, past the high lines. Look for the small cuts along the edge of the channel that move water in and out of the adjacent flats. The flounder are also benefiting from recent changes in the TP&W limits. With good water quality and all the bait we have out there right now a quick little run to any local fishing spot can put a few of these flat fish on the table.

Fun for Father’s Day!

The Secret Lagoon deer that lived there. I walked ahead to the last dune before the lake, down at my feet I saw the tracks of the two deer once again. Some old and some new and there along the way the two sets of tracks from our first magical visit, none other. I shared this wonderful place with those two girls and their parents, we swam, played, rolled in the sand, and swam some more. As we left I glanced back and over my shoulder and now in the same spot, there was a path. In life we have a chance to make a path, it all starts off with just the first set of tracks. Where we lay these tracks means so much, those closest to us will follow. After the sand is swept away from our footprints in the sand, our children and their grandchildren will continue to walk the same path we explore now. Take the time to enjoy life here on our Island and in our most beautiful Mother Lagoon. Get out on the water with your family and make some great summer memories, the fishing is unbelievable and remember, if you are breathing, THESE ARE THE BEST DAYS OF OUR LIVES.

Next week is Father’s Day and I just want to wish my Dad a great one. The footprints he set in the sand many years ago where big ones. I have walked in circles over the years but somehow kept finding myself looking at his trail. He gave me everything I needed, including the freedom to figure things out on my own. I hope you take the time next week and give thanks to our fathers. Give him some time to get off his feet, and relax, OR MAYBE TAKE HIM FISHING! For some of us finding something that dad already doesn’t have can be a big challenge. I walked through WIND AND WAVE SURF SHOP the other day and everything from new shorts, fishing and beach hats, awesome footwear, GADGETS GADGETS, surfboards, surf lesions, and kayaks and paddle boards. They will have a free kayak and paddle board demo day the Saturday before father’s day right along the Causeway as you get on the Island by the big Marlin Statue. Go check them out it is a great relaxing exercise and can be the best way to slip along the shallows sight casting for redfish.

Oh geez it’s been crazy around the Island lately, with our typical summer-time hijinks in full force. Christian picked up a parachute the other day, and he’s been dialing in on how to get it all set up. It has attracted a fair amount of attention, and we helped host a group the other day, a new social club of sorts. Can’t remember their name offhand, but seemed like a fine bunch of folks (nice meeting you Emma), and we’ll see you again this weekend I’m sure. Well, unless the surf goes to the dunes and we have to call Sunday Funday off. In any event, the surf forecast looks like it will be up, and I promise the surfers will be out in force. I might even get my hide out there on the old longboard if it’s not too crazy. Y’all please be extra careful, as with increased surf comes increased rip currents. Even the best swimmers can’t beat them.

Another thing washing up is the man o’ wars and of course the ever-popular sea nettle jellyfish. I was standing there in ankle deep water the other day staring off into the distance at the gulf, and one washed right over my foot. The kids at the next camp over thought that was really funny, me suddenly bouncing around on one foot trying to shake that thing off and stop it from stinging. They laughed and pointed, and pointed and laughed. I should have put it down the leader-of-the-packs’ shorts and see if he thought it was still funny. Just kidding about that last part, but make sure that you have some meat tenderizer in your first aid kit when you head down to the sand to do some recreating. A 99 cent investment will be greatly appreciated next time someone is feeling the sting. We all need to get a little more serious regarding this storm coming in. While this likely isn’t going to level the coast, it will bring high tides, likely some wind and rain. Let’s please use this as the seasonal warm up and take some mental notes while around your house at some point. If something bigger suddenly came in the Gulf, would you be ready? Take a look around the yard and anything that is less than 25 lbs suddenly becomes a flying projectile. Let’s try to keep the clutter down. Also, do you have your window covers ready so that you can keep the neighbors projectiles from flying through your windows? Have all your

Kemp’s Ridley Turtle

So far this year, 130 nests have been confirmed on the Texas coast including (north to south in state): 3 Bolivar Peninsula 1 Galveston Island 0 Brazoria County, N. of Surfside 1 Surfside Beach 0 Quintana Beach 2 Bryan Beach 0 Brazoria County, N. of Sargent Beach 0 Sargent Beach 3 Matagorda Peninsula 0 Matagorda Island 0 San Jose Island 2 Mustang Island 89 North Padre Island, including 85 at Padre Island National Seashore 29 South Padre Island 0 Boca Chica Beach

Green Sea Turtle

GET OUT AND GET WET, SUMMER FISHING IS ON FIRE! FOR ANY HELP PLANNING AN ADVENTURE GIVE ME A CALL!

So far this year, 1 nest has been confirmed on the Texas coast including (north to south in state): 1 North Padre Island, including 1 at Padre Island National Seashore

Loggerhead Turtle So far this year, 2 nests have been confirmed on the Texas coast including (north to south in state):

Local Island Surf stars Ian, Joey, Bradly, and Andrew with their limits of snapper this week with captain Joey Farah

1 North Padre Island, including 1 at Padre Island National Seashore 1 South Padre Island

Moon Phases

Tides of the Week

Mr Dunn with a big stringer he and his family caught this week on live croaker and soft plastics.

Tides for Corpus Christi (Bob Hall Pier) June 11-17, 2015

Summer flounder run is hot! Live minnows in the land cut!

I want to shout out a belated happy birthday to fellow Moon writer and compadre Joey Farah; hope you had a good one buddy! And don’t listen to those rumors about Dad selling the bar! LOL! I’ll see you out On the Rocks!

The sargassum is starting to slowly show up, and we’ll see what this little system does that is supposed to come in this weekend (or doesn’t, I suppose). Latest reports from offshore earlier in the week were that the blue water was slowly creeping in due to the rips that are edging this way. The rips are what entrain the sargassum, and it’s a weird day when the rips get closer to shore and they don’t bring sargassum with them. Some of the later reports I saw on the boards was that there were some nice mahi caught, which is a sign of the brown stuff offshore. Who knows, maybe the rips will help stop the tar washing up on the beach. That would be nice!

Live Bait Bonanza! The summer months are the time for great live bait fishing for trout with live croaker. Every trip we have caught our limits of trout in just a few hours. The five fish limit combined with good water now and all the rains have exploded the bay system to boil with life. The live croakers are available at all the marinas now but are not as easy to keep alive as live shrimp. A good live well and aeration system is necessary. Ask the professionals about how you can best keep them alive in your boat or vehicle. Marker 37 has sand pool filters that they purify the water with and keep the salinity and temperatures closely monitored. Using their water in a good container with air is the best way to go. Fishing techniques vary from shrimp and other baits. Fishermen must allow the trout to attack then move off to swallow the bait. If you set the hook on the first sign of a bite the trout will not eat the bait. The best places to catch trout right now is deep drop-offs. The water is getting hotter and at sunrise baitfish and predators will move to deeper water that will stay cool. Look for changes in bottom from sand to grass and fish along these transitions. Anchor or wade in a stationary position, casting the baits out making a small school of them present in the location. The trout will hear them crash down in the water as well as the fluttering movement and their croaking. You may catch reds and trout with them but the amount of other food sources out there right now is amazing and many other fish species are concentrating on shrimp and crabs, and small minnows. The rocks in Baffin are hot with fish on most every cast. Head to

homeowners paperwork in order and ready to travel? Insurance documents, titles to vehicles and boats, birth certificates, etc? What will happen to everything in the fridge and freezer when the power goes out for a few days? I’ve actually been shopping for a small generator to answer that question if it happens. I would hate to lose the store of fish I’ve stacked up because the power gets knocked out. Make yourself a plan, get your paperwork together, and inspect your supplies to ensure they are up to snuff. Lets’ not get caught with our shorts down folks, and this is a team sport due to flying debris. If you do nothing else, please at least police your yard.

FLOUNDER EVERYWHERE! From the Land Cut to Packery!

Day

High /Low

Tide Time

Height in Feet

Sunrise Moon Time Sunset

Moon Visible

Th F Sa Su M Tu W

11 11 11 12 12 12 12 13 13 14 14 15 15 16 16 17 17

Low High Low High Low High Low High Low High Low High Low High Low High Low

5:20 AM 10:33 AM 6:09 PM 1:44 AM 7:19 AM 10:47 AM 6:48 PM 3:10 AM 7:31 PM 4:14 AM 8:14 PM 5:09 AM 8:57 PM 5:56 AM 9:39 PM 6:38 AM 10:20 PM

0.8 1.2 0.1 1.3 1.0 1.2 -0.1 1.5 -0.4 1.7 -0.5 1.8 -0.6 1.8 -0.5 1.7 -0.5

6:33 AM Rise 2:48 AM 8:24 PM Set 3:37 PM

36

6:33 AM Rise 3:31 AM 8:25 PM Set 4:38 PM

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A8

June 11, 2015

Island Moon

SPORTS Sports Talk

The 5 All-Time Greatest Scorers in NBA Postseason History

By Dotson Lewis

Special to the Island Moon Dotson’s Note: I am facing another dilemma this week: is the following a sports talk story, or should it be, if worth the space at all, a Senior Moments article? You may have been better served if I had written a much more sports related sports story, that of her father Bill Jenner, who ran the 100 meters in the 1945 US Army Olympics. Please excuse the use of she, him/ her and hers, I just couldn’t in good conscience write “her” and “she” when referring to Bruce (Caitlyn) Jenner. My thanks to writer, Emine Saner of The Guardian, for many of the facts contained in this article. Bruce (Caitlyn) Jenner: from Olympic Hero and Reality TV Star to Transgender Heroine

was out to fulfil the American dream – fame and fortune.” Although they were not particularly close off the track, Wanamaker had no hint about how Jenner felt. “You couldn’t detect anything. He was about as manly as they got. Macho.” At Jenner’s first Olympics in 1972, she came 10th. Shortly afterwards, Jenner married her college girlfriend Chrystie Scott and they moved to California where Jenner could continue her training. Scott was a flight attendant, while Jenner sold insurance and worked for a while as an estate agent. The couple also had a public profile and in a 1982 newspaper article looking back at Jenner’s life they were described as “beloved, much as Prince Charles and Lady Di.” For four years, Jenner trained hard. She was determined to win. “If I go out second,” she was reported as saying before the 1976 games, “I go out a loser.” Jenner broke the world record, took a victory lap to a stadium-wide, standing ovation and became a star. Advertising campaigns and endorsements followed. Jenner sold everything from cameras to orange juice and appeared on the boxes of Wheaties cereal. Public appearances, sport broadcasting and motivational speaking filled the gap where sports once was. Jenner also had a short-lived acting career and auditioned for the part of Superman.

Vanity Fair Cover Shoot of Bruce/Caitlyn Jenner Gold medal decathlon winner Bruce Jenner has raced to public notoriety once again as a Vanity Fair transgender cover star with 1 million Twitter followers. An unknown 65-year-old woman this week became one of the most famous overnight. Caitlyn Jenner was introduced to the world via an Annie Leibovitz shoot for Vanity Fair and a Twitter account that amassed 1 million followers in four hours – faster than the account launched by the US president, Barack Obama. It was an extraordinary reaction, a defining moment in a life that has already had more than its fair share of defining moments. Caitlyn is formerly Bruce Jenner, the Olympic hero who found fame, again, as the patriarch of the most successful reality TV family, the Kardashians. “If I was lying on my deathbed and I had kept this secret and never did anything about it,” she said, in an interview with Vanity Fair about her transition, “I would be lying there saying, ‘You just blew your entire life.’” In April, in a television interview with Diane Sawyer for ABC, Jenner publicly said for the first time that he identified as a woman. “[Bruce has] lived a lie his whole life about who he is. And I can’t do that any longer.” This revelation followed months of tabloid speculation about Jenner’s changing appearance. According to the Vanity Fair profile, Jenner underwent facial feminization surgery in March and had started wearing her hair long and her nails painted. In December 2013, the website TMZ reported that Jenner had had a consultation for a tracheal shave to reduce her Adam’s apple. (Jenner told Vanity Fair that she had pleaded with TMZ not to publish the story and had considered suicide because of it.)

Caitlyn Jenner-In “I Am Cait” These rumors weren’t the first. In the 1980s, Jenner attempted transitioning but did not complete it because of her family’s reaction and societal attitudes. Thirty years later, however, the clamor of the internet meant the signs of Jenner’s transition were becoming harder to ignore. For many, Jenner is the put-upon father in the reality show Keeping up with the Kardashians, but senior Moon Monkeys will remember Jenner as the all-American hero who won the gold medal for decathlon at the Montreal Olympics in 1976. This event saw he/her being called “the greatest athlete in the world.” Then, as now, Jenner’s looks were routinely commented on. In a 1976 interview in the wake of his Olympic success, Jenner’s agent George Wallach described Jenner as having “the face of Robert Redford and the body of Tarzan.” Jenner grew up in the suburbs of New York City, then Connecticut, the second of four children with her father, Bill, a tree surgeon, and her mother, Esther, a stay-at-home mother and secretary. Jenner was a shy, insecure child who struggled at school because of severe dyslexia, which was not a widely understood condition then. “Sports,” Jenner wrote in the motivational self-help book, Finding the Champion Within, “was my only redemption.” A football scholarship at Graceland College in Iowa followed, but a knee injury soon ended Jenner’s playing career. Recovering from surgery, and determined to continue in sport, Jenner found the different disciplines of the decathlon – which includes sprinting, hurdles, high jump and pole vault – rewarding. In Jenner’s first decathlon event in 1970, she came in sixth. A year later, she won. In those days, Jenner’s track rival was Rick Wanamaker, now a real estate agent in Iowa. Wanamaker remembers Jenner, who he first met at track meetings in the late 60’s, as “a regular kind of guy, real serious about sport, real competitive … He was very ambitious. He

A Sport Illustrated article in 1980, “Hey Mister Fantasy Man,” focused on Jenner as the all-American action hero, with his sports cars, women and ludicrous good looks. “I’ve made a lot of money and I’ve learned a lot,” said Jenner. “I’ve worked hard and now I’m playing hard. Look at all these toys. It is kind of a fantasy life, isn’t it? I’ll always have that tremendous feeling of accomplishment, the satisfaction of walking away from that arena and saying, ‘Hey, I did it.’ And now come the good times.”

Jenner’s first marriage to Scott ended in 1981, and she soon married Linda Thompson (best known at the time for being one of Elvis Presley’s girlfriends) after meeting her at the Playboy mansion. In the mid-80s, according to a piece Thompson wrote for The Huffington Post, earlier this year, Jenner told her that she identified as a woman. It came as a shock: “The Bruce I knew back then was unstudied, affable and seemingly very comfortable in his own skin. So it seemed.” Thompson wrote that they went to therapy together to try to save their marriage, though they separated six months later. Jenner was already considering gender confirmation surgery and they talked about what they would tell their two sons. By then, Jenner had started taking hormones and was undergoing hair removal on her face, although she stopped transitioning in the late 1980s because, as the Vanity Fair profile puts it, “the context of the times made Jenner scared.”

Cheaters Prosper By Andy Purvis Special to the Island Moon There was a time long, long ago when virtually everything we now enjoy about sports was illegal or considered cheating. The forward pass was cheating in football. In baseball it was considered cheating if you tried to strike out a batter or if you threw an overhand fastball or unleashed a curveball during the game. Heck, even the slam dunk in basketball and using a curved stick in hockey was called cheating. You see, cheaters and cheating have always been light-years ahead in sports, and the status quo eventually gives up and gives in and changes the rules.

great, Gordy Howe (87), and now former NFL quarterback, John Brodie (79), have had stem cell treatment in Mexico that virtually reversed the effects of a stroke. Neither athlete could walk or talk or take care of themselves. Stem Cell treatment has made a huge difference in their life and, more importantly, their longevity. Will stem cell be the next big hurdle for

The new normal The rules always get changed to protect the guilty. That’s why it’s only a matter of time before PED’s (performance enhancing drugs), HGH (human growth hormone), medical marijuana, doctoring a baseball and or some other form of an advantage will be legalized. So, let’s think about this. You know, it’s their bodies that they put at risk when they digest illegal drugs or take injections. It’s been proven that lots of scoring has become the American way by sports spectators. That’s why I think hockey and soccer have lagged somewhat behind the other three sports. Have you ever wondered just how many home runs can be hit in a season or how far a baseball can travel? We hear nightly that Giancarlo Stanton of the Miami Marlins or Nelson Cruz of the Seattle Mariners, or someone else, has hit a 460’ shot in some park. Are they using? I don’t know, but what if they were? If all the athletes had the choice to use enhancers, would they? I believe most would say “yes.” Remember, more runs or more points equals more wins, and winning equates to more money, and that’s why they play the game. I’ve always believed that the real advantage of taking banned substances was more mental than physical. Sure, these drugs can make you feel better, give you energy to workout at a higher level and allow you to recover from bumps and bruises more quickly. Therefore, the athletes do spend more time playing, but I also believe that these drugs do not make you hit a slider more often or farther. They do not make you shoot free throws better, or catch a pass over the middle at a greater rate.

Stem cell treatment So, be aware. The horizon contains a treatment that really does revitalize the human body. You will begin to hear more and more about stem cell research. In 2012, 42-year old Bartolo Colon of the New York Mets was suspended 50 games by MLB for use of the banned substance testosterone. After that, Colon chose to have stem cell treatment and now continues to pitch like he’s 29. We have recently read that NHL

Waiting for spring training professional sports if this treatment becomes as common-place as “Tommy John” surgery? This stem cell treatment is currently not available in the U.S., but that will not stop the athletes desire to be just that much better than the next guy. Why? Because there’s money to be made in what a sorry state our sports world has come. The fact is, and I repeat, the rules always get changed to protect the guilty. 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.

By 1990, Jenner wrote in her book, Finding the Champion Within, that she had turned 40 and was living “in a one-bedroom bungalow where the dirty dishes filled the sink and a dried-out Christmas tree from the holidays four months ago sat in a clump beside the door.” He/ She had, Jenner wrote, “lost all direction in life, I thought I was really unattractive, so unattractive that I spent thousands of dollars I didn’t have on a nose job.” She had debts of half a million dollars and just a couple of hundred in the bank, surviving on a few personal appearances. Her gold medal lay forgotten in a sock drawer. It was meeting Kris Kardashian, she wrote, that turned her life around. They met on a blind date and got married seven months later (they divorced last year). In her book, Jenner describes Kardashian as her “soulmate” and “mentor.” “It was like the angels arrived, the skies parted and the seas split, allowing me to run through.”

Robin and Elisa enjoying the show at the Black Marlin

Kardashian, masterminded several business projects for herself and Jenner, including marketing fitness equipment and running an airplane supplies company. These were successful, but not as successful as the reality show she would go on to help create, founded partly on the fame of her socialite daughter Kim’s leaked sex tape. Keeping up with the Kardashians started in 2007 and became a phenomenon. The Kardashian Empire, controlled by Kris, has made the family millions of dollars and turned each member into a celebrity. But Jenner’s coming-out has eclipsed anything her publicity-savvy family members could possibly conceive of. She has become a hugely powerful cultural figure almost overnight and could become an important voice in the transgender rights movement. It has taken Bruce/Caitlyn Jenner 65 years to become the person she always knew she was. She says: “I’m so happy after such a long struggle to be living my true self,” Jenner tweeted on Monday. “It takes courage to share your story,” Obama tweeted in response. Dotson’s Other Note: I saw him/her in Corpus Christi a few years ago at the “Best of the Best,” where he made a paid personal appearance. Even then, his appearance had radically changed since the times I saw him competing in the seventies. Do you think it was worth your time reading this article? Your suggestions, comments, questions and concerns regarding “Moon Sports Talk” are appreciated. Call the Benchwarmers 361-560-5397 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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June 11, 2015

A9

Island Moon

Airtales By Major Jason Towns, USAF (Retired) There are plenty of fishing columnists writing for this little rag and I certainly don’t want to delve into their realm of tales, but last week this birdman tried out his sea legs for the first time in several years and has no regrets! I was invited to go offshore by my friend and occasional employer John Durham of the Bluff for the first day of red snapper season aboard his seagoing catamaran AquaBums.

Sea Monsters

A display in the CAF Third Coast Squadron Museum in Aransas Pass

Our jumpers pulled off the starting act without a hitch as the first four airplanes of the show waited at the end of the runway. The Stearman and I were last in the train following a vintage SNJ “Texan” and two Stinson monoplanes. We simply departed and flew several low passes in loose formation for the crowd in a racetrack pattern around the field; nothing spectacular but still a heckuva lot of fun. After we landed multiple other acts took to the sky and provided a great “mini-airshow” including some stomach turning aerobatic performances and high-speed flyovers by the P139 AirCobra and a fleet of Japanese Zero replicas from Houston. All this was preceded with brief speeches

The Third Coast Squadron- Keep em Flying!

On to aviation topics. The week ended Sure enough, the next fishing hole was full of with an invitation to assist/ participate in more giant snapper—of which our limit was the Grand Opening of the Maxine Flournoy already aboard—and amberjack— which were out of season. Both of these were taking enormous physical effort to haul up from the deep blue for this out-of-shape middle-aged dude. But the younger bucks in our party were enjoying it so I grabbed a comfortable seat in the shade to watch and relax until time to go home. Then it happened: one of our college boys had a whopper of something on the line. The boat had to be maneuvered away from the nearby oil platform to keep this thing from pulling it into the pilings as the fight went on and the veins popped from the young man’s neck. Fifteen minutes later Jared yelled “CUBERA!!”-which meant absolutely nothing to me—as he leapt onto the fantail with gaff in hand and heaved the biggest View from the Stearman of other Aransas Pass fish with the biggest other-thanairshow birds

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by U.S. Congressman Blake Farenthold, San Patricio County Commissioner Jim Price and even Maxine Flournoy herself. Ms. Flournoy, whose name the squadron has born since its inception, is now 94 years young and still resides in Alice. She was a renowned Women’s Air Service Pilot (WASP) during WWII and is a recipient of the Congressional Gold Medal. She and only 1077 other women were accepted as WASPs and were responsible for the training of hundreds of male pilots in early fighters as well as for the delivery of the planes to the two major combat theatres. The Squadron Museum at the McCampbell Porter airport in Aransas Pass is now open to the public daily and anyone venturing OTF should pay a visit sometime. The displays offer great history lessons and the staff are always eager to answer questions. Rides in the Stearman are available by appointment both at the museum and on occasions when we bring her over to Port A. Say hello when you see us above the Island-- but if you don’t see us, it may be because we’re offshore!

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Forty five minutes from the jetties we were hauling in red snapper at the rate of one per minute. John himself was baiting my hook for me. (Something I’m entirely capable of doing. But ‘tis another example of the man’s never ending supply of hospitality for everyone he knows.) Captain Jared Camehl was taking many of what I considered totally acceptable and delicious snapper and throwing them back. As the minutes ticked by and even bigger ones kept coming up the lines I realized why: these guys were planning to go home with nuttn’ but scarlet behemoths! Our two-snapperper-person limit was reached in about half an hour and I assumed we were gonna be headed back to Port A in time for brunch. “Negative, fly boy” was John’s reply as Jared fired up the boat and we cruised eastward for another hour. “Here comes the boring part”, I thought….

The “Fun-is-my-Department” side of John noticed my idleness. “Put on the fighting belt” he prodded. I complied and dropped a line baited with a fifteen-inch slab of snapper. A strike happened quickly and everyone seemed certain I was reeling in—or attempting to reel in-- the biggest amberjack of the day. “Wonderful”, I thought as my shoulders burned and this beast continually slammed my hips into the rail. “This is a lot of damn work for a #*#*#ing fish I can’t keep.” But not one to ever give up on anything, I even allowed other males to grab and grope me as necessary to keep this “amberjack” from pulling me overboard. When it broke the surface I stopped my mental cursing as even I recognized the species: grouper. Seventynine pounds of grouper. Always in season and always delicious. John gave me that “Uh huh, see what I mean?!?” look as I caught my breath. Brag-planning kept my mind from getting bored on the long ride back, the beer never went flat because the ride was so smooth, lunch and dinner this past week have been splendid and I will forevermore accept offshore fishing invites with zero hesitation!

WASP Pilot Maxine Flournoy as she appeared in 1942

HEB

Flour Bluff

Lag una Sho res

Offshore fishing has never been my bag. My previous experience had mostly been that of long, boring boat rides followed by hours in the hot sun catching fish I couldn’t keep because they were out of season, too small, too big, or simply had no culinary desirability. This waste of time is followed by another long, boring ride back accompanied by semi cold beer that’s flat after three sips because of the bouncing of the boat. However, I did recall that snapper fishing is different: it’s not that far to where they hang out, catching is easy, and they’re yummy in any recipe. Plus I knew John probably hires boat Captains the same way he hires airplane Captains—only the best need apply!

Commemorative Air Force Third Coast Squadron & Museum in Aransas Pass on Saturday. I was asked to provide skydivers to parachute in the Texas and United States flags for the National Anthem and to pilot the Stearman N2S biplane for a subsequent World War II “Trainer Parade”. Unable to fly two airplanes and a parachute all at the same time, I assembled a separate team and leadership to provide the former.

Flo ur B luff Dr.

Last Tuesday's catch from the AquaBums

shark teeth I’d ever seen over the railing. The accompanying excitement of our elder hosts verified to the rest this was something special. Apparently the Cubera Snapper is a very rare breed and this 65-pounder was the first either of these life-long fishermen had ever caught. Things had gotten interesting, but the chances of another one being down there were obviously slim so I grabbed a still-cold beer and returned to my seat.

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