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The Island Newspaper since 1996The Island Newspaper since 1996Island Area News ● Events ● Entertainment

November 15, 2012The Island Where Kemp’s Ridley Turtles go to the Beach Next Publication Date: 11/22/2012 Year 15, Issue 449

Around The IslandBy Dale Rankin editor@islandmoon.com

By Dale Rankin

We’ve had some yo-yo weather this week as a cool front blew through and replaced windy and clear skies with windy and cloudy skies, and some chilly temps. But all in all we have little to complain about weather-wise this November as compared to last year when by this time we were bringing in the Brass Monkeys. We’ll hunker down for a few days and things should be back to normal as we wind our way down to the Holiday Season.

A little sun action

You may not have been able to tell it by looking but we had a solar eclipse overnight on Monday/Tuesday. It was hard to tell because it’s hard to see a solar eclipse at night. You basically had to be on a line between Chile and Australia to see it but you may have seen some signs of it Around The Island and not even known it.

Some readers may have noticed that some pregnant women that day were wearing a safety pin on their garment around their naval. It wasn’t because they were missing a button; it was due to a superstition in the Mexican culture dating all the way back to the Aztecs.

The Aztecs believed that an eclipse was a bite on the face of the Moon and that if an expectant mother watched it the same thing would happen to her baby; the baby would be born with a cleft pallet. The safety pin – or in the alternative a pair of red underwear – would deflect the harm and the newborn would be protected. This belief has made its way down through the ages and lives on the Mexican-American community of South Texas.

As the fellow said when he put on both belt and suspenders, “Hey it couldn’t hurt.”

Craigslist rumble

The Island made the television news on Monday when an Islander ran a note on Craigslist announcing that all kinds of free stuff was available just for the taking. It didn’t take long for the Coconut Telegraph to fire up and pretty soon looters were using that house the way the Indians used the buffalo.

By the time the cops got wind of it and showed up they had hauled off literally everything but the kitchen sink, an old television that could only get Lucy reruns, and a window air conditioning unit which the looters were in the process of prying loose. Someone had even hauled off the refrigerator.

Note to advertisers: the “free” word works.

New council

For those who need a reason to go OTB the new City Council will be sworn in next Tuesday. As the old saying goes, “the swearing in will begin at 12 noon followed by the swearing at, at 12:01.”

La Posada kick-off party

The First Annual La Posada Kickoff Event at Scuttlebutt’s last year was a rousing success and this year’s promises to be even bigger. Sponsored by Scuttlebutt’s and the Padre Island Yacht Club, the event kicks off at 3 p.m. on Tuesday, December 4 at Scuttlebutt’s and features a swing band, ½ price bottles of wine, prime rib, displays of military hardware and some other stuff they haven’t thought of yet.

As usual with La Posada events this one is a Toys For Tots collection and everyone is encouraged to bring a toy to donate, and a portion of the night’s proceeds will be donated to La Posada. The La Posada Watercraft and Lighted Boat Parade this year is on Friday, December 7 and Saturday, December 8.

So the official Island Holiday Season kicks off on Tuesday, December 4. Don’t miss it if you can.

Islandfest

A meeting will be held at Johnny D’s on Thursday, November 29, to gather ideas for putting on an Island festival – it doesn’t have an official name, time of year, or theme – that’s what the meeting is for.

For years we’ve said we need some event to showcase The Island and after a meeting with the Convention Visitors Bureau this week the process is picking up steam.

Everyone is invited and encouraged to attend. It will be completely informal and we hope to see you there.

In the meantime, say hello if you see us Around The Island.

Inside the Moon...

Seashore Students Clean up Signs A2 Belt Sander Races at The Gaff A4 Live Music A16Taste of the Island A9, A11

Island Area News ● Events ● Entertainment

Photo by Dale Rankin

Guatemala on A2

I have wonderful memories of those times. We used to travel down the Island about an hour to his favorite place where we always tied a rope to a post that stuck up out of the

A little Island history

Shipwreck Uncovered by Hurricane Still Lies Buried in the Sand South of Bob

Hall PierEditor’s note: After last week’s story on

Island treasure hunter Eugene (Frenchy) French we received this question from reader Altan Guzeldere.

Hi, Really enjoying the past articles on Louis Rawalt and this weeks on the 1554 shipwrecks. Apparently Frenchy and two other guys discovered a shipwreck roughly three miles south of Bob Hall in 1967 after Hurricane Beulah that they think was another Spanish ship. I have also heard that the state covered the ship back up and littered the area with nails to discourage metal detectors. Three miles south roughly puts it in front of the “bowl”. Do you have any further insight on this mystery shipwreck?

Altan Guzeldere

By Dale Rankin

The story comes to us via a man named Joe Hagan who lived with an aunt and uncle on the Corpus Christi Naval Air Station from 1949-50. Hagan writes, “My uncle Ray Cummins, had a model A Ford with the old rumble seat.

History Continued on A7

Tha Nao Victoria

Update on Island projects

Packery Dredging to Begin,

New Parking Lot Near JFK Causeway

Packery Dredging

Crews and equipment are due to show up in the Packery Channel between the jetties in the next few weeks as work begins to finish the dredging project there cut short by the turtle nesting season last spring.

70,000 cubic yards of sand will be moved, mostly from an area within about 300 feet of the mouth of the channel. According to city staff the sand was deposited there by Hurricane Ike several years ago and once it is removed no additional dredging is anticipated in the foreseeable future.

The dredge sand will be placed on the beach at the south end of the Michael J. Ellis Seawall and areas between the south end of the seawall and the county park. The dredging is part of the spring project and will come at no additional cost to city taxpayers.

Aquarius Extension

Design work continues on street lights along the recently completed Aquarius Extension. The start date on the lights was originally set for mid-October, no update on when it may begin.

Also in the area, the city has constructed temporary barricades to prevent vehicles from entering the private property between the Aquarius Extension and the Laguna Madre. Permanent barricades are being designed and will be installed as soon as they are ready.

The city now has revered a previous position that it would not enforce the city ordinance prohibiting hunting within 1000 feet of homes in that area and says that prohibition will now be enforced during the current duck hunting season.

Park Road (SPID) Water Exchange Bridge

A design contract has been awarded to Urban engineering, the U.S. Coast Guard has informed the city that no permit from them will be required for the bridge. Design on the wastewater lift station that will be required at the bridge site is 60% complete and the city has committed the $8.2 million to pay for the project.

Construction is not expected to begin until 2014.

Projects continued on A8 La Maestrita en Guatemala

By Brent Rourk

Kindly, she occasionally called out to suspected tourists walking by her colorful and full stall. Bolsas hung from its hooks, jewelry filled cases attached to its sides, brilliantly colored material jumped out at tourists, and other colorful cositas (things) filled every possible square inch of the worn but stout stall. The cheerfully burdened stall was strategically situated near a corner along the narrow main street that gently emptied into Lake Atitlan.

What an incredible site the block was, offering its brilliant colors, alluring scents, shopping deals, and old town sounds all under the watchful eye of the volcano, surrounding mountains, sunshine, and pastel brushed Lake Atitlan. Did it not get better than that?

She tried with honed skills extremely rare in a 14 year old to sell her wares to various visitors wandering the tourist friendly ten blocks of Atitlan, Guatemala. Aiding her was an excellent

grasp of English, a widening smile arching up slightly in the middle of her cheeks, and a drive I did not initially understand. In addition to everything else, she had a marvelous ability to assess situations and people, all done quickly, calmly, and compassionately. She seemed from a distance no different than the scores of street vendors who were engaged in selling food, jewelry, clothing, art, and curios to hungry tourists happily looking for an inexpensive souvenir. But she was different.

The locals who passed her stall all said hello to her or stopped briefly to exchange a few kind or humorous words. She seemed to know all the locals, not unusual in a small town, but there was a friendliness and mutual respect that was instantly recognizable.

In spite of all of the conditions, business was slower than she wanted. But if she was disappointed, she did not visibly show it. Only an occasional sale, but not due to her lack of

Texas ShipwrecksTreasure Map and

Shipwreck Locations on Page A 14

We’ve been writing a lot about shipwrecks and lost treasure on The Island. Since the first Spanish ships washed ashore in 1554 there has been everything from Liberty Ships to blockade runners, to a ship which blew up in Nueces Bay with future President U.S. Grant aboard go to watery graves in these parts.

All told there have been just over 2000 known shipwrecks on the Texas Coast and more are being found even today. When Hurricane Ike hit Galveston in 2009 she turned up a Civil War era ship that there was no previous record of. It’s a subject that brings out the little kid in all of us.

So this issue we’re going to feature a list and map of many of the ships which made their last port o call in the briny deep, or shallow, in Texas waters.

Deadline for Thanksgiving Issue

of the MoonThe next issue of the Island Moon will

come out a day early – on Wednesday rather than Thursday – due to the Thanksgiving Day holiday.

Ads and copy will need to be in to us by Tuesday, November 20 by Noon in order to make the Wednesday edition.

E-mail us at editor@islandmoon.com. For questions call 361 949-7700

Flip the Kemp’s Ridley who was found cold stunned in the Netherlands was returned to Padre Island and released last week to the delight of the crowd.

A 2 Island Moon November 15, 2012

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skills I noticed from my position. I had been sitting on the sidewalk with my back solidly resting against the blue-colored exterior wall of a shop directly across the street from her stall. This vantage point enabled me to see all of the way up the sloped street and all the way down to the lake. I had already walked the obligatory path up and down the street, considered purchases more so to chat with locals than to actually buy any of those treasures, and eagerly snapped photos of everything that caught my eye. Before my walk, a small group of us had lunched on local cuisine. Now a welcome bottle of cold water and my ever-present cameras were my friends as I set out to capture some of the color and flavor of this part of the tourist town.

Prior to lunch she had already attempted unsuccessfully to sell me something and she correctly read my position and aura as one who did not want to purchase but instead soak up the culture. She must have decided that a conversation with a tourist was apt to be more interesting than attentively standing by her stall and trying to peddle a trinket or two to thinning numbers of tourists. Or maybe she could do both.

She confidently walked across the street in her faded and worn clothing and sat down near me. I acknowledged her presence with a welcome and warm smile and she promptly asked me where I was from and what I was doing here? She commented on my cameras. She seemed eternally curious. Where was I from? Did I have children? Why was I here? Was I a photographer? What did I think of the town? Why was I just sitting there on the ground against the building? First we spoke in English as she was very fluent. I commended her on her English fluency and asked where she learned it. The conversation continued but not before I asked if we could converse in Spanish so that I could practice. We compromised, so she spoke English and I Spanish. In this way we could each practice our non-mother tongue.

She asked what I did for a living and when I answered that I was an educator, her smile grew even wider and she became animated. She wanted to be a teacher too. I asked her why a teacher, especially when her selling skills were so masterful and astute.

Somewhere in her few years of schooling she had found a teacher who she admired immensely, who she loved. That teacher had made such a difference in her life, instilling confidence, modeling kindness, offering love, and above that teaching her some of the subject skills she would need in her lifetime. The girl’s face filled with appreciation and admiration for the teacher who was not here to listen to what she had helped mold. The teacher, though not there with us, was not absent. I too had a teacher like that. At that moment I briefly remembered Ms. Acton, my third grade teacher. Ms. Acton was an angel and was principally responsible for my desire to become a teacher.

The young girl tirelessly questioned and quizzed me about teaching; levels, methods, and what it was like in the United States. Her interest was genuine. Between my answers to her questions, I likewise questioned her. During our exchanges she would occasionally rise to take care of prospective customers stopping at her stall who had

that ‘potential purchase’ look on their faces. Once she either made the sale or determined that the tourist was not going to buy anything, she politely excused herself and rushed back with a smile to her seat alongside me to continue our conversation.

Though I took dozens of photographs during our conversation, I realized at some point that my habit of incessantly clicking away had become the nuisance to the chat between us. I focused on our conversation completely instead of the camera and its focus, gently setting my camera down.

I asked her what grade she was in and how it came about that she worked the stall. She explained that her family needed money to help take care of a family with four children. It subtly appeared to be a badge of honor. She was the oldest and cheerfully worked to supplement the family income. She was also saving some of the money to go to college.

There was no conspicuous hint of victimization or feeling sorry for herself, nor was there any visible sign of regret, remorse or resentment.

It was clear that her position in the family was more than simply a child. She was a caretaker, sister, daughter, wage earner, and I suspected more, perhaps the chief emotional glue and positive influence. She liked to cook too and I envisioned her going home sometimes and either helping her mom and siblings with the cooking or simply cooking for the family, with that same love, cheerfulness, and confidence that she seemed to approach everything.

Her dreams were clear and unbreakable. They were no longer dreams, but goals with clear plans, timelines, and support. She hoped that she would become a teacher and further hoped that she would be a good one. After all, she knew the difference a good teacher could make in the life of a child. Her enthusiasm was contagious and her ambition admirable. It appeared that there was nothing that could get in her way. It was all so clear and easy to her. Poverty? Caretaking? Working? None of that appeared to be a negative or destroyer of dreams, but simply the path that she would take and use to become the person who she envisioned.

I remember feeling such a soulful connection to her and a tremendous joy that she would be a teacher in her community some day. Her community needed her as did her country. She loved her town and loved her country and saw her place there as a teacher.

A distant wave from our tour guide, who spied my not so inconspicuous body leaning up against the building, meant that it was time to depart this lovely town and head to Atitlan. Truthfully, I did not want to leave the town, nor the conversation, however, the clock, as it typically does on group tours, told me differently. After a very pleasant 45 minute chat with la maestrita (the little teacher) as I came to think about this 14 year old girl, I slowly stood up and thanked her for her time, also wishing her the best in becoming a fine teacher in Atitlan. I extended my hand to thank her and she responded with a big smile, a thank you and a hug.

As we drove off it was obvious that she was already a fine teacher and I had been one of her students that afternoon. The world is a better place with her in it. In the solace of my seat in the van that wound the highways towards Antigua I thought again about my old 3rd grade teacher Ms. Acton and what a positive influence she had become in my life. If only I could thank her.

Some day in Guatemala I have no doubt that several young children will look their maestrita and decide that they too want more than anything else in the world to become a teacher just like her. I know I do.

Guatemala continued from A1

News from the Seashore

Seashore Middle Academy 8th graders remove political signs from the country club on Wednesday after the election. SMA’s academic teams offered their sign-

removal services to each candidate for a donation, and 12 candidates and the PAC took them up on the offer.

Hannah Curry extracts her side of a Lillian Riojas sign from the soil during the students’ morning trip

to collect signs.

Thanks for your support at this year’s Taste of the Island!

November 15, 2012 Island Moon A 3

Moon MonkeysMike Ellis, Founder

Distribution

Pete Alsop

Island Delivery

Coldwell Banker

Advertising

Jan Park Rankin

Raeanne Reed

Office

Lisa Towns

Classifieds

Arlene Ritley

Design/Layout

Jeff Craft

Contributing Writers

Joey Farah

Devorah Fox

Mary Craft

Maybeth Christiansen

Jay Gardner

Todd Hunter

Danniece Bobeché

Ronnie Narmour

Daphne Fine

Dr. Donna Shaver

Photographers

Miles Merwin

Jeff Dolan

Mary Craft

Office Security/Spillage Control

Riley P. Dog

Editor/Publisher/Spillage Control Supervisor

Dale RankinAbout 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

Letters to the Editor

                                   

                                          Michelle Matthews   

 

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GIFTS CERTIFICATES AVALIABLE

Port Aransas

All Stripes Stores

(Except the one next to the VFW where they throw them

away)

Sandpiper Condos

Port Royal Condos

Lisabellas Restaurant

Pioneer RV Park

Snappy’s Convenient Store

Kody’s Restaurant

Beach Lodge

Amano’s

Miss K’s Catering & Bistro

Felder Gallery

Island Woman Boutique

Neptune’s Retreat

Stripes (361 & IA)

Moby Dick’s Restaurant

IGA Food Store

Carter Pharmacy

San Juan’s Restaurant

Wash Board Washateria

Port A Parks and Rec

Port Chamber of Commerce

Duckworth’s Antiques

Woody’s Sports Center

Port A Outfitters

Back Porch Bar

The Flats Lounge

Stripes (Cotter & Station)

Where to Find The Island Moon

Gratitude Boutique

The Gaff Bar

Port A Glass Studio

The Wild Horse Bar & Grill

The Tarpon Ice House

North Padre

All Stripes Stores

CVS

Whataburger

Doc’s Restaurant

Snoopy’s Pier

Isle Mail N More

Island Italian

Ace Hardware

Holiday Inn

Texas Star (Shell)

Jesse’s Liquor

Padre Isles Country Club

Scuttlebutt’s Restaurant

Subway

Island Tire

And all Moon retail advertisers

Flour BluffH.E.B.Liquid Town

Whataburger on Waldron

Ethyl Everly Senior Center

Fire Station

Police Station

Stripes on Flour Bluff & SPID

Floyd’s

Please Don’t Shoot Duckie

We have a fat little drake duck that lives in our canal. We call him “Duckie”. Our neighbor built a ramp for him so he can waddle up and drink fresh water and eat good food, and he cleans it daily.

Whenever anyone on the canal is out on their deck, he swims over, quacking, to greet them. In the Springtime, his harem comes to visit and he disappears for a few weeks, but always returns to his roost.

Now it is hunting season and the guns can be heard popping around near to our canal. For those who would rather kill than make friends with our wild foul, know that some of them are our friends. Besides, ducks that live in brackish water don’t taste very good anyway.

If you love a bird, your heart will fly places it could not otherwise go. Please don’t kill our ducks!!!

Diane Halferty

Island

Bicyling in the Valley of the Shadow

Jan,

To start with, if you become roadkill, I don’t think you would have to be worried about being eaten on the dining room table because there is no longer any Karankawa Indians on The Island anymore, (that we know of). You must be a very brave soul to face the daily obstacles you speak of. It’s as if you are walking through the valley of death and fear no evil. As for the

sunflower weeds and debris, have you ever thought about instead of taking your daily death-defying trek to the beach that instead you would take a chain saw and clear out the weeds and debris and take a weedeater to the grassovergrown bricks? As for the bricks that stick up like landmines you could detonate them with small TNT charges or pry them up with a jackhammer. By voting for Romney you gave up your rights that all women deserve and don’t forget, obstacles are placed there to be overcome, there is no easy path to righteousness and pleasure on the beach.

As a youngster growing up in Polk County we had no beautiful beaches to enjoy, nor brick paths, paved roads and not handicap access to any place. The only place we had to play or walk in was the Polk salad fields. Our mothers would soak rags in kerosene and then tie the rags around our ankles to keep the Polk Salad worms from crawling up our legs and eat our @#$%$% out!

(Former Polk County resident who did not provide a name)

Editorette’s Note, We normally do not publish unsigned letters to the editor but this one was so creative we decided to let it fly. Dear Polk, Thank you for relieving my underlying fear of being eaten by Indians after I become roadkill. I will sleep better tonight knowing that. As for hacking down the weeds myself: There is someone who is paid to do that and if I start doing his/her job then they might get fired and end up on welfare and we wouldn’t want that. I am considering your idea of tiny TNT charges to get rid of the bricks that are sticking up like landmines. That might be fun. As for whom I voted for: you have no idea and let’s just leave it at that. I would like to commend your mother on her creativity; the kerosene soaked rags are a brilliant idea. I hope that you did not get chafed too badly by them. Best Regards,

Jan Rankin

La PosadaHi Dale,

The Padre Island Yacht Club sponsors the Toys for Tots Campaign on North Padre Island by hosting two major events, The Lighted Boat Parade and a Pre-La Posada Party at the Scuttlebutt’s restaurant. The restaurant donates a percentage of the revenue that evening to the Toys for Tots drive. In addition we hold raffles and auctions that evening. In order to receive a raffle ticket you need to bring a Toy for the Marines. A strong contingent of Marines will be there in their dress blues to support the effort.

Fred Edler

Padre Island Yacht Club

SchlitterbahnThere’s a rumor that the waterpark might not

go forward because Schlitterbahn is losing money at it’s Galveston and S. Padre Is. parks, have you heard that?

BN

Editor’s note: I’ll check with the developers but three things jump out at me:

1. The South Padre Park just added a 300 room hotel - can’t imagine why they would do that if the park is losing money.

2. The Galveston park added a hotel a few years ago - if that was losing money can’t imagine whey they build another hotel like it in South Padre.

3. The North Padre Park is going forward.

SandyTake heart Dale, I enjoyed your article on

Sandy. And I’ve been through scores of hurricanes, cyclones, and typhoons.

Richard Beekman

A Case for a Bridge at Encantada Avenue

The culverts (pipes) installed under Encantada road collapsed many years ago preventing any exchange of water in the canal under the road. This has resulted in high levels of organics in the water and lower amounts of oxygen in the water. Low amounts of dissolved oxygen in the water can be detrimental to the fish and is less safe for anyone that swims in the canal. The POA (to their credit) has added air bubblers at the dead end waterside of Encantada that in my opinion helps only a little (unless they use ozone instead of air in the bubbler).

We pay gasoline taxes for the city to maintain our roads. Encantada Avenue over the canal is a city road originally designed for a water flow under the road and is the city’s responsibility to repair it. I can understand it may not have a high priority for repair but it is wrong to ignore the problem.

A better solution than replacing the existing plugged culverts (that would surely plug again in a few years) would be to put in a street level bridge to allow a continuous water exchange direct from the gulf via the new Park RD 22 Bridge to serve the southern part of the Padre Isles canal system. This would significantly improve the water quality and thus the fishing for those people living on Cutty Sark, Palo Seco, Almeria Blvd, San Felipe Dr, Punta Bonaire Dr, Punta Espada Loop, and Eagles Nest Bay Dr. Currently the only water exchange is via the Intracostal Waterway but is deadheaded at Encantada.

With a new street level bridge, people with canoes could paddle a complete circle from Gypsy Boat ramp around Padre Isles, through the proposed Encantada Bridge, and then out to the main canal.

I have talked to our newly elected City Councilperson, Colleen McIntyre and she is receptive to supporting a solution for the plugged culverts over Encantada canal Rd. For more information on this problem, you can talk to the people at Padre Isles Association office.

I encourage you and your readers to support this proposal for better water and better fishing in our canals by contacting the POA and your City Council representative.

John Hemphill

Yeats“And what rough beast, his hour come round at

last, Slouches towards Bethlehem to be born.”

Add that to your quote, Yeats is so right on. My favorite lines…from Shakespeare and Yeats have been in the Island Moon the last two weeks.

I appreciate your taste.

Lance

by Michael Quinn Sullivan

President of Texans for Fiscal Responsibility

On Thursday, Nov. 15, the Legislative Budget Board met to set the spending limit for the 2013 legislative session, affecting the 2014-2015 biennial budget.

Texas’ Legislative Budget Board will meet this week to set the spending limit for the 2013 legislative session. That rate will tell us a lot about how the session will go for Texas’ taxpayers, and for all intents and purposes is the first vote of the legislative session. It should be treated as such by voters.

By law, the Legislative Budget Board is made up of the lieutenant governor, the speaker of the House, and their appointees. The current appointees include, besides David Dewhurst and Joe Straus, Sens. Tommy Williams (R), Robert Duncan (R), Juan Hinojosa (D) and Judith Zaffirini (D), House members Jim Pitts (R), Harvey Hilderbran (R), Dan Branch (R) and Sylvester Turner (D).

For years, the spending limit hasn’t been much of a limit on government growth. The state constitution lets the legislature pick the limit, and they’ve used a non-limit: projected personal income growth. As such, state government has been limited only to the available cash (“spend it all!”) and shady financing (like fund diversions and other gimmicks).

Texans want a stronger limit on government growth, such as the sum of population and inflation. That’s the measure supported in the 90 percent or better range for years by Republican voters on their primary ballot. And it’s the limit 70 percent of Texas voters said they support in a recent poll by Wilson Perkins Associates.

As a reminder, Speaker Straus and his leadership team have refused to allow meaningful hearings -- much less a floor vote -- on legislation improving the spending limit despite having a super-majority in the House. (Of course, Mr. Straus has also said he wants to seek new revenue sources for state government -- something Texans oppose by similarly high numbers.) For taxpayers worried about budget gimmicks (and 80 percent of voters polled want those to end), the biggest gimmick has been the

setting of the spending limit each biennium. It’s done with little fanfare by the LBB and usually set high enough to cover whatever new spending the legislators desire – not what the state’s taxpayers and economy can actually afford.

It should also be noted that the current spending limit only applies to part of, not the entire, budget. That should also be on the agenda for reform by the legislature. Letting large expenses go uncounted in the state budget is like a family planning their finances but ignoring health insurance and the car payment.

When the LBB meets this week, the limit they choose will set the stage for the coming session and they should be encouraged to pick the lowest rate possible.

Population growth in Texas has been at about 1.7 percent per year, while inflation has averaged 2.5 percent during the last decade. With that as a guide, state government spending for the 2014-2015 biennium (the budget adopted in 2013) should be limited to no more than 4.2 percent per year. Any growth rate higher than that is unjustifiable, and lower is better for taxpayers.

Because this vote is so pivotal for the session, it will be included on our 2013 Fiscal Responsibility Index for the LBB members. (Voting for a rate exceeding population plus inflation will be negatively scored, as will be voting for a rate other than the lowest presented.)

Under legislative rule, the chambers take turns starting the budget; it began in the House in 2011 so it starts in the Senate this session.

Lt. Gov. Dewhurst and his Finance Committee chairman, Tommy Williams, have come out strongly in support of the conservative fiscal reforms contained in Gov. Rick Perry’s Texas Budget Compact. Enacting those measures gets a lot easier when we first limit how much Texas government is allowed grow.

Voting for a higher spending rate might appease big spenders looking to expand the size of government, but the reasonable course demanded by voters will be for the LBB -- for Mr. Dewhurst, Mr. Straus and their appointees-- to adopt the tightest of limits.

Setting The Limit

A 4 Island Moon November 15, 2012

Veteran’s Day celebration Observed at Bayview Cemetery

Jo Zell B. Horne

Publicity Chairman

Daughters of the Republic of Texas

Clara Driscoll Chapter

The Nueces County Historical Commission sponsors an event each Veteran’s Day called “ Voices of South Texas, Old Bayview Cemetery Comes Alive” in order to commemorate, remember, and appreciate the American Veterans as well as those men and women who presently are serving our Nation.

This past Saturday, November 10th, beginning at 10:00a.m., gates were opened at Bayview Cemetery in Corpus Christi for those wishing to show their support and appreciation for all American Veterans. Other historical organizations and friends attending include The Boy Scouts of America- Venture Crew # 6 and Troop no. 6 - South Texas Historians, Sons of the Confederate Veterans as well as Daughters of the Republic of Texas, United Daughters of the Confederacy, Daughters of the American Revolution, and Buffalo Soldiers. The Buffalo Soldier organization is located in Fort Concho

in San Angelo, Texas. Bayview cemetery is the oldest federal military cemetery in Texas.

The day was windy but clear with many interested citizens from the surrounding area showing up along with many other diverse groups in attendance including an array of persons appearing in costumes of days gone by, appropriate for the day’s celebration. A small cannon was fired by a group of military men to further enhance the ambiance of the day.

At each grave a different volunteer person reenacted the deceased person’s story. It was as thought that person were alive and well, telling his very own life story once more for anyone who would listen.

A volunteer was present who portrayed Buffalo soldier George Owens who died in 1879 who was a veteran who served with the 9th U. S. Cavalry. He told his enraptured listeners the life story of Owens. Other

men present took on the appearance of other soldiers representing a Confederate soldier, a Spanish American soldier, a World War II surviving soldier, and an American Revolution soldier, among others.

Women volunteers also enacted stories of other women who are buried here. One story was told by DRT member, Bernetta Douglas, who portrayed Frances June McGregor, (1844

– 1908), a woman who lost three children, one dying at 19 years of age. Another of the volunteers present told the story of her own Grandmother! A Republic of Texas soldier served under General Sam Houston as his attorney general. A Civil War soldier buried in Bayview had a volunteer describe his story for all to hear.

The Veterans Band provided uplifting music and barbecue was on hand for those interested in food. Many other stories of individuals were presented making the event very informative for those who love history.

This event is sponsored each year to commemorate Veteran’s Day by the Nueces

County Historical Commission and many who attended last year vowed to return next year as well. The event proved to be a very enjoyable experience for all with many making plans to be present next year.

The Daughters of the Republic of Texas and The Nueces County Historical Commission held

Veteran’s Day at Bayview Cemetery on November 10th.

The author with a Buffalo Soldier at the Bayview Event

Richard Beekman and his wife Donnieta spend a month with the Moon in Italy.

The Travelling Moon

Sunset on the JFK.By Island resident Susan Turner.

Belt Sander Races at The Gaff

November 15, 2012 Island Moon A 5

A Fine life

An Island Thanksgivingby Daphne Fine

My first Thanksgiving on the Island was a little awkward. Not because I was unhappy to be here (I still pinch myself daily to make sure I’m not only dreaming of a home two minutes from sand and surf), but awkward because Thanksgiving didn’t really FEEL like Thanksgiving.

The temperature thing really threw me. It just didn’t feel right to break out pumpkins and leaf-adorned wreaths when it was eighty-five degrees and sunny. My potted orange Mums looked funny up against the backdrop of gray stucco house, rock-filled front yard and palm tree.

We were in transition in many ways, having just moved to Corpus three months before, and I was having trouble feeling settled. I don’t know about you, but weather has always had a tremendous impact on my insides. I find a certain comfort in its familiar patterns.

Before moving to the South Texas tropics, I lived in places that started feeling like “football weather” (which I formerly defined as in the sixties) by at least October. Instead, on the Island, October is primo beach weather.

When the first cold front blew in and temperatures dropped into the mid-sixties, I’ll never forget how Don and I cracked up when we walked into a church gathering at a friend’s home and saw a fire in their fireplace. Those of the thin-blooded clan huddled by the fire in their sweaters while we burned up in our t-shirts and shorts.

To this day, we often laugh remembering that on our way out of town for Thanksgiving Break that year, temperatures dropped suddenly into the fifties while we loaded up the minivan. We were thrilled! Break out the sweatshirts! When we stopped at Starbucks to get some road-fuel, we saw a woman in a mint green parka, complete with fur-lined hood and gloves - headed in for hot chocolate no doubt.

And speaking of clothing, that was an adjustment for me too. Where I come from, Fall fashion comes in when Fall weather comes in - boots, sweaters, turtlenecks, etc. I wondered if my favorite boots would ever again see the light of day. Waiting, waiting...nope, flip-flops again.

After some time, I learned the way of things. Fall fashion on the coast means we change the

color of our t-shirts, sun-dresses and flip-flops to darker hues - a salute to Fall foliage in some other part of the country. And we wear our boots when we feel like it and our feet sweat but we look good.

As for the weather, I am plenty well adjusted to jogging in shorts or laying out on the beach in November. It doesn’t bother me a bit. (I had to dig deep, but I overcame.)

And I have learned that a great Thanksgiving has nothing to do with the weather and is not primarily determined by how I feel. A grateful heart thrives in every environment.

I find that gratitude helps me to be more circumspect about my life and less worried.

The more thankful I am, the more settled I am, regardless of the weather. And the more extreme the weather, the more determined I am to be thankful. Last year I adopted this goal: “Continue earnestly in prayer, being vigilant in it with thanksgiving...” - the Apostle Paul.

In freezing cold or sweltering heat, I find that a vigilant gratitude acts more like a thermostat than a thermometer - at least that’s the case in my home. After all, if mama ain’t thankful...

This year, I have joined with the thousands that are giving thanks daily on Facebook. I love writing them and reading them. I find myself extra-aware of all God has given me each day. Here’s my list for today:

Thank You for this beautiful island that has become home for me and my family.

Thank you Dale and The Island Moon for giving me some white space to fill with my thoughts and stories.

Thank you reader, for taking the time.

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Flour Bluff Independent School District Makes Honor Roll

Flour Bluff Independent School District is one of 539 school districts across 44 of the 50 states in the U.S. and Canada being honored by the College Board with placement on the 3rd Annual AP® District Honor Roll for simultaneously increasing access to Advanced Placement® course work while increasing the percentage of students earning scores of 3 or higher on AP Exams. Achieving both of these goals is the ideal scenario for a district’s AP program because it indicates that the district is successfully identifying motivated, academically prepared students who are likely to benefit most from rigorous AP course work. Since 2010, Flour Bluff Independent School District has increased the number of students participating in AP by 27 % while improving the number/percentage of students earning AP Exam scores of 3 or higher by 2%. More than 90 percent of colleges and universities across the U.S. offer college credit, advanced placement or both for a score of 3 or above on an AP Exam— which can potentially save students and their families thousands of dollars in college tuition.

“Flour Bluff ISD is honored to have achieved this recognition and award from the College Board. In reviewing the list of selected schools and discussing the award with the College Board, we note that the Flour Bluff ISD is the only school south of San Antonio and one of twelve in Texas to be honored. We are so very proud of our students and staff for achieving this award and recognize the support of parents, board members and the community in achieving this type of growth in enrollment and performance,” Dr. Julie Carbajal, Superintendent.

“We applaud the extraordinary efforts of the devoted teachers and administrators in this district, who are fostering rigorous work worth doing. These educators have not only expanded student access to

AP course work, but they have enabled more of their students to achieve on a college level—which is helping to create a strong college-going culture,” said College Board President, David Coleman.

Helping more students learn at a higher level

and earn higher AP scores is an objective of all members of the AP community, from AP teachers to district and school administrators to college professors. Many districts are experimenting with a variety of initiatives and strategies to determine how to expand access and improve student performance simultaneously.

“There has been a great victory among educators who have believed that a more diverse population could indeed succeed in AP courses. In 2012, AP scores were higher than they’d been since 2004, when one million fewer students were being given access. These outcomes are a powerful testament to educators’ belief that many more students were indeed ready and waiting for the sort of rigor that would prepare them for what they would encounter in college,” said Trevor Packer, the College Board’s senior vice president of the Ad¬vanced Placement Program. “While we recognize that there is still much work to be done to prepare students for college, I find myself inspired daily by what they are achieving.”

Inclusion on the 3rd Annual AP District Honor Roll is based on the examination of three years of AP data, from 2010 to 2012, for the following criteria:

Districts must:

• Increase participation/access to AP by at least 4 percent in large districts, at least 6 percent in medium districts and at least 11 percent in small districts;

• Ensure that the percentage of African American, Hispanic/Latino and American Indian/Alaska

Native students taking AP Exams did not decrease by more than 5 percent for large and medium districts or by more than 10 percent for small districts;

• Improve performance levels when comparing the percentage of students in 2012 scoring a 3 or higher to those in 2010, unless the district has already attained a performance level in which more than 70 percent of the AP students are scoring a 3 or higher.

When these outcomes have been achieved among an AP student population made up of 30 percent or more underrepresented minority students (Black/African American, Hispanic/Latino, American Indian/Alaska Native) and/or 30 percent or more low-income students (students who qualify for free or reduced-price lunch), a symbol has been affixed to the district name to highlight this work.

The complete 3rd Annual AP District Honor Roll can be found here.

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A 6 Island Moon November 15, 2012

Stuff I Heard on the Islandby Dale RankinSo about two months

ago I’m driving the old beater pickup that we use to pick up papers from the printer down

off Ocean Drive when I hear an emergency siren. I look in my rearview mirror and see an ambulance coming down my lane a couple of blocks back making good speed.

About that time I’m approaching the intersection at Airline and the light turns yellow. If I stop I’ll be blocking the ambulance. No one is coming from any direction so I slow down and roll through the light to get out of his way. A flash goes off and two weeks later I get a letter in the mail with a photo of me running a red light and informing me I owe $75.

I figure I’ll call them and explain what happened, no big deal right?

Well, it turns out calling these guys are like calling the cable company. You can’t get a human on the phone and you finally end up in a cue that says something like, “If your hair is on fire stay on the line, otherwise press 6, or 4, or any old number you want because you’re going to be on the phone for an hour no matter what.”

Follow the money

The first problem is that the truck is registered in my wife’s name so in order to appeal I have to get a form that came with the letter notarized and send it in. In the meantime I start reading the fine print on the letter. If I pay the $75 it won’t affect my insurance rate; and if I don’t pay no warrant will be issued. So just pay the money and it goes away – justlikethat. I know from listening to city council meetings that if I ignore it and my car is registered in Nueces County I won’t be able to renew my license plate. But my registration is out of county so I can just ignore it and it will go away.

But those of you who know me know that’s not how I roll.

I file an appeal and demand a hearing, and in the meantime I start doing some research and what I find is that when you start pulling this string this ball of twine unravels very quickly. The first thing I realized is that these cameras are not about public safety; they are a road tax put in place by our city council in 2006 with the contract renewed last March. The city makes upwards of $150,000 per year from these things and as of about a year ago there were $1.9 million in fines outstanding from people who simply ignored them.

Public safety?

In the 2005-2006 fiscal year - the last fiscal year before the first cameras were installed- there were 30 T-Bone accidents, 21 sideswipes, 99 rear-enders, and 42 other types of accidents for a total of 192 accidents at the 13 intersections which later got cameras.

According to the police department’s information provided to the City Council in the 2008-2009 fiscal year, the last full year I’ve been able to get figures for after the cameras were installed, there were 30 T-bone accidents, 25 sideswipes, 148 rear-enders and 42 other types of accidents for a total of 245 at the same intersections. The cameras caused more accidents.

The evidence shows that when people approach these intersections where they know there are cameras their likelihood of doing one of two things increases – they slam on the brakes and get hit from behind, or they speed up and hit a car broadside which is the most dangerous type of accident at an intersection.

So it’s fair to say that we have exchanged more dangerous intersections for $150,000 per year in revenue.

According to the same presentation to the council – and these numbers are old - about 40% of the people who get tickets simply ignore them. In order for the city to collect from a driver who lives outside of Nueces County the city must have an interlocal agreement with the county where the driver lives. Think about that; there are 254 counties in Texas. That means the city would have to have 253 contracts in order to collect from out-of-towners who come

down here to run red lights. So the $150,000 the city collects from the 13 cameras around town comes almost exclusively from locals.

Not popular with Plebeians

The cameras are owned and operated by a company called Redflex which is a global company based in Australia but also has cameras in the U.S. and China. According to a story in the Washington Post four U.S. cities have dropped contracts with Redflex – including Houston - citing ineffectiveness in reducing crashes as well as in revenue generation. In each case where voters have had the chance to weigh in on the use of cameras for photo enforcement of traffic laws Redflex has lost. Reflex spent $60,000 in College Station in an election on whether to keep the cameras that were already there in place and lost. In Ohio voters in one town voted 72% against using them.

In another Ohio town the mayor got caught removing anti-camera campaign signs from an intersection and he and the cameras both got the boot from voters. In all there have been a dozen elections on whether to use the cameras; so far Angry Plebeians 12 - Cyborgs 0. There are two ways to get rid of these things; by petition or by five votes on the council. Note to council: These things are not popular with voters.

Note to Plebeians: In most of these cities they started with cameras at red lights and once that didn’t make enough money they started using them for speeding tickets. In fact, Redflex operates not only stationary cameras for speeding but portable ones as well. Cash flows are addicting.

The state wants its cut

And it didn’t take long for the state to come after its share. In 2007 the Texas Legislature passed a bill prohibiting cities from using cameras to hand out speeding tickets and mandating that cities who use them at red lights put up a sign giving drivers notice at least 100 feet from the intersection. But in an act of mythical hypocrisy the same legislature was silent on the use of them by the state and TxDot began looking for a speed camera contractor the very next month to put them on state highways. The state’s broke too.

Then the same legislature that turned up its moral nose at red light and speeding cameras also voted to take half the money cities made from the tickets they issued. The city’s share of the money by law can’t go into the general fund; it must be used for traffic related costs so it is also unclear how much the new tax will actually help offset other taxes.

If you get one…

So I do some research and I find out that there is a U.S. Supreme Court case – Melendez-Diaz vs. Massachusetts – which says that if you get a ticket from a camera you have the right to confront and question your accuser – the person who operates the camera. That’s why we have the 6th Amendment.

There are also issues with the timing of lights and how it interacts with the camera that can warp reality. The ability to edit is the ability to make anyone say or do anything on tape.

So I called all the numbers I had and requested that someone from Redflex show up at my hearing. Not surprisingly they were busy that day and didn’t show – turns out they don’t even have a local office. For the hearing you show up at an office down on Leopard Street where there are about ten people sitting around then you go into this little office where there’s this guy whose job it is to play the video of your transgression – there is a video as well as a photo – and say, “Is that you?” and if the answer is yes then you just had your hearing and you pay the nice lady on the way out.

I told them I don’t believe their evidence is admissible because Redflex didn’t show – I tried to tell them about the Supreme Court case but all they said was I have to pay $50 for an appeal bond and they told me that the people at the municipal court would probably laugh at me because no one had ever appealed one of these things before.

There’s no sound on the tape so there’s no way to hear the ambulance’s siren but it may never get to that. I’m going to the second hearing and point out that I showed up for the first hearing but Redflex didn’t. In a real trial failure of the prosecution to show up is grounds for dismissal. But of course this isn’t a real trial – this is a road tax.

But if we all appeal and make Redflex show up at least it will cost them money and at least that’s something, you get your licks in where you can. It may be true that you can’t fight City Hall but it’s been my experience that the best way to get rid of a bad law is to make government enforce it.

Stay tuned, this should be fun.

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‘Tis the season for donating money

By Jason Alderman

Like many other economic measures, charitable donations in the U.S. have yet to bounce back to pre-recession levels. According to Giving USA’s Annual Report on Philanthropy, charitable contributions totaled $298.4 billion in 2011 – up 4 percent from 2010, but still 11 percent below 2007 levels.

The vast majority of those contributions (73 percent) came from individuals, demonstrating that even during tough economic times, people still find ways to support organizations that help those less fortunate than themselves.

Because half of all donations typically are made between Thanksgiving and New Year’s, this is a good time to highlight precautions you can take to ensure your gift has the biggest possible impact, both on the people you want to help and on your own bottom line; also to remind seniors about a tax policy that has changed since last year:

Contribution eligibility. If you itemize expenses on your 2012 income taxes, any charitable contributions you plan to deduct must be made by year’s end. That means either charging your credit or debit card or postmarking a check by midnight on December 31, 2012.

You must have a receipt to claim deductions for cash or property, no matter how small. A cancelled check or credit card statement is fine for contributions under $250, but amounts over $250 require a written statement from the charity. See IRS Publication 526 for details (www.irs.gov).

Confirm tax-exempt status. For your contribution to be deductible, the organization must be recognized as tax-exempt by the IRS. It’s important to note that in recent years the IRS has revoked the tax-exempt status of scores of nonprofit organizations because they didn’t file annual reports for three consecutive years, as required by law. Use the IRS Exempt Organizations Select Check tool to ensure an organization’s eligibility.

Get bang for your buck. Make sure any non-profit to which you donate is well-run. Ideally the organization applies at least 75 percent of contributions to programs that serve its beneficiaries, versus spending on salaries, advertising, fund-raising and other administrative expenses.

Study the organization’s website, annual report and mission statement, and ask for a copy of its IRS Form 990, which details how contributions are spent. Speak to staff members or volunteers, or volunteer there yourself. Or, if you know someone who has used its services, ask for their impressions of the organization’s efficiency and helpfulness to clients.

No more direct IRA distributions. A major tax break for senior citizens regarding charitable contributions expired at the end of 2011. Formerly, people over age 70 ½ could contribute up to $100,000 from their IRAs directly to charity and have it count toward their annual IRA Required Minimum Distribution. This allowed seniors to avoid having to count the funds as adjusted gross income, thereby reaping a tax advantage even if they didn’t itemize deductions.

One way to significantly honor

our veteransU.S. Sen. John Cornyn

Veterans Day, which we formally marked this week is a time for reflection. It is a time for honoring the men and women who have risked their lives in far-flung corners of the world to defend our freedom.

Unfortunately, the massive backlog of VA disability claims reminds us that far too many veterans are being underserved. This is a national disgrace, and I have expressed my outrage to VA Secretary Eric Shinseki and called on him to resolve the crisis.

Veterans with pending claims deserve more than just rhetoric from VA headquarters in Washington. They deserve swift action. Our veterans fulfilled their solemn duties. It’s about time the VA did the same. The disability-claims backlog in Texas is particularly immense because we’re home to more veterans than any state except California.

As of Oct. 22, there were more than 49,000 claims pending at the Waco VA Regional Office, the highest total nationwide. The vast majority had been pending for more than 125 days. Meanwhile, there were nearly 38,000 disability claims pending at the Houston VA Regional Office, the fourth-highest total nationwide. Once again, most had been pending for more than 125 days.

Consider the story of Brownsville resident Jorge Vallejo, a former Marine who suffers from spinal nerve compression. Despite the severity of his condition, which makes it very difficult for him to work, Vallejo was only receiving 30 percent disability from the VA. In hopes of providing for his wife and children, he tried repeatedly to secure his rightful compensation. When these efforts failed, he turned to my office for help. After much wrangling with the VA, we were able to get Vallejo his full benefits.

Sadly, his ordeal is not an anomaly: Thousands of Texas veterans have experienced similar frustrations. This past summer, the Texas Veterans Commission announced a $1.5 million initiative to help clear out the disability-claims backlog. Thomas Palladino, the executive director, called it “one of the boldest and most meaningful actions to help Texas veterans and their families in the history of the state.”

I look forward to working with Texas and VA officials to make sure this initiative is successful. Our veterans have shown tremendous devotion to America. They deserve the same from their government and should receive their legitimate benefits and medical care in a timely fashion.

Anything less is unacceptable.

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November 15, 2012 Island Moon A 7

sand. The other end was tied to the car and we had a good canvas tarp for a shade. Little did we know that post was a mast from an ancient shipwreck! A few years have past and I heard of someone who was excavating a spot on the Island!”

That someone was in fact our Islander Frenchy and friends. When Hurricane Beulah blew across The Island in 1967, Frenchy, along with fellow travelers Richard Clements and Ed Page discovered the wreck that was connected to the “post” which Cummins used as a tent stake. The wreck was three miles south of Bob Hall Pier.

According to what Page told a reporter later, “The hull construction indicates the ship is a Spanish Nao, approximately seventy-five feet in length with cannon ports, two decks and double planking.”

The Nao

In Spanish the ship type was known as Nao or carrack. To the Portuguese it was a Nau, to the French a caraque or nef.

In any language the ship type was a three- or four-masted sailing ship developed in the 15th century by the Portuguese for use in the Atlantic Ocean but became widely used by all of Europe’s maritime powers. It was distinguished by its high rounded stern with large aftcastle, forecastle and bowsprit at the stem. It was first used by the Portuguese, and later by the Spanish, to explore and map the world. It was usually square-rigged on the foremast and mainmast and lateen-rigged on the mizzenmast. The ships were ocean-going vessels large enough to be stable in heavy seas, and roomy enough to carry provisions for long voyages. They were the ships in which the Portuguese and the Spanish explored the world in the 15th and 16th centuries. The design was the forerunner of the great ships of the age of sail and one of the most influential ship designs in history; the basic design remained unchanged throughout the Age of Sail.

The dig

Over the next couple of days the three men worked at the site and recovered human bones, musket balls, about twenty five pounds of oxidized silver, enough beeswax to fill a five gallon bucket, a Roman coin dating back almost two thousand years and plenty of river rock that undoubtedly was used as ballast and packed around cargo to keep it from shifting during transit. This was two years before the passage of the Texas Antiquities Act and soon offers started coming in from museums around the country to buy the hull of the ship. “The top offer was $20,000” Page told the reporter.

It was Clements who originally discovered the wreck. He said he spotted one of the wooden pegs sticking out of the sand after the storm and tried to yank it up but couldn’t. In curiosity he began digging. When he figured out that he was onto something he pitched a tent over the spot to hide his find and either he or one of the other three treasure hunters remained at the site around the clock, armed with a shotgun to keep

an eye on things. The three men also “posted claims” at five other sites uncovered by the storm but the site south of Bob Hall looked to hold the best prospects. Soon the site attracted hundreds of curious spectators and enevitably some of them began their own digs.

“We just ignore them” Clements said at the time. “We let them dig until they get tired. That’s the way to fix that. Some of them have pretty big mouths too.”

Texas State Archaeologist Curtis Tunnell went to the site during the dig but was unable to determine the age of the vessel though he did feel it was not a Spanish galleon and dated it somewhere in the mid 1800s. Page and French disagreed because the lead sheeting fastened with bronze nails on the ship’s hull indicated to them the ship was not early American or English as it was the custom for shipwrights in both those countries to use copper nails to fasten lead sheeting.

Soon the three men finished their digging and the sand once again claimed its secret and with the passage of the Antiquities Law no further digging has been done at the site.

For this story we contacted the Corpus Christi Museum of Science and History who said they know of the site but have no further information. We also contacted the Texas Historical Commission with similar luck.

The fact is that there are thousands of shipwrecks along the Gulf Coast of Texas but the museums and governmental agencies who know where they are located are less than forthcoming with that information because they don’t want the sites disturbed.

The site in question here is located in Kleberg County where metal detectors are currently permitted, but if the move to expand Padre Island by 3800 acres to the north of the current boundary is successful it will soon be part of the park where metal detectors are forbidden. The fact is that the site has been worked over for decades by people who work the beach with metal detectors and they have been over the area many times without success – whether they knew it was there or not. As far as we know it’s still down there, but digging for it is against the law.

That’s what we know Altan and thanks for writing.

History continued from A1 Sports TalkCoach Darrel K Royal

By Dotson Lewis

dlewis1@stx.rr.com

Dotson’s Note: The day after I finished this article for the “Moon,” I received word that Coach Royal had just passed away (Wednesday morning November 7, 2012) this is my tribute to one of the finest men I have ever met.

I first met Darrell K. Royal during his tenure as Head Coach of the University of Texas (at Austin) Longhorns Football Team. My two most vivid memories of Coach Royal are:

1. Soon after the 1976 season ended, he met with the NCAA Football Rules Committee. At the time he was a representative of the American Football Coaches Association, serving as a voting member of the committee. He questioned the rule permitting a messenger (player in uniform) to run from the team area on the side-line to the offensive team’s huddle, telling the Quarterback the play the coach wanted, and then leaving the huddle and returning to the team area off the field. Coach Royal felt that this was making a travesty of the game. He reported to the committee that it was imperative that the rule be changed. Just before the vote was taken, Coach Royal said to the committee. “If you see fit not to change that rule, next season I will dress four or five Texas Coeds in white jerseys with orange numbers and bright orange ‘hot pants’ and use them as messengers.” The proposed change making the “messenger service” illegal was unanimously passed by the rules committee.

2. Just before the 1978 season began, about 6:30 a.m. on a Monday morning, there was a knock on my office door (in the Southwest Conference Office) in Dallas.

The person knocking was Darrell Royal, Athletic Director of the University of Texas at Austin (recently retired Head Football Coach). I almost jumped to attention when I saw who it was. He said “Dotson, I just took a job with ABC Television to do the color on their televised football games and I would like for you to tell me everything I need to know about football. I don’t want to make a fool of myself like Ara (Parsoghian, former Notre Dame head coach) and Frank (Broyles, former Arkansas head coach) are doing on TV (they were doing the TV color commentary).” I was flattered and almost speechless. It was hard for me to believe that Coach Darrell K. Royal, a football legend, was asking me to help him learn more about football. What a great day! We spent about 10 hours discussing every aspect of the game.

1949 All American at The University Of Oklahoma

At the age of 32, Darrell Royal came to the University of Texas campus with a folksy sense of humor and an innovative style of football that produced almost instant success and the life-long respect and affection of Longhorn fans throughout the world.

In Royal’s second year at Texas, the Longhorns played in their first of what would be 16 bowl games over the next 20 years; three for national championships. In 23 years as head coach, he never had a losing season. The Longhorns finished in the top 10 nationally during 11 of those seasons. In 1962, Royal assumed the dual role of Athletics Director and head football coach at the University of Texas. He retired from coaching in 1976 to concentrate on his duties as Athletic Director.

Royal hired the nation’s first academic counselor. During his coaching years, four out of five men who lettered for Royal went on to earn their degrees.

Darrell Royal’s honors include membership in both the Texas and Oklahoma Sports Halls of Fame and in the Longhorn Hall of Honor. He was twice named Coach of the Year by the American Football Coaches and three times by the Football Writers of America.

Edith Royal, with her husband, speaks of the stress that came with his

dementia diagnosis.

In the first public acknowledgment that legendary former University of Texas football coach Darrell Royal has been living with dementia for several years, his wife, Edith, told members of a state legislative committee of the emotional and physical toll.

“Every day since Darrell’s diagnosis of dementia, I deal with the stress of managing everything without my best friend at my side helping me make decisions,” Edith Royal said while testifying during a hearing of the interim joint House committee studying Alzheimer’s disease.

With Darrell Royal, 87, by her side, and with support from friends including cyclist Lance Armstrong and actor Matthew McConaughey, Edith Royal also announced the creation of the Darrell K Royal Research Fund for Alzheimer’s disease.

Darrell Royal’s comment was brief: “Thank you very much,” he told the committee. “I feel like I’m home.”

The popular coach posted a record of 167-47-5 from 1957 to 1976 at Texas, won three national championships and 11 Southwest Conference titles, and never had a losing season.

State Sen. Eddie Lucio Jr., D-Brownsville, was overcome with emotion at seeing the Royals in the Senate chamber. Calling Royal his personal hero, Lucio said: “Coach came to Texas to teach Texas men how to be men. He did that.”

Edith Royal spoke of the impact of her husband’s disease on her family and praised the support of their Longhorn family.

“It is now members of those teams and our football family that return from all over the country almost daily to shower Darrell with love, engage him in activities, play music, sing for him, take him out for a barbecue sandwich or

a ride in a new pickup truck, and, as importantly, provide some element of relief for me. It is not just the free time for me, but I know that those

moments with his former players and lifelong friends are pure enjoyment for him, even if it is only in that moment,” she said.

She said her husband remembers games, players, even plays from many years ago, but “events of the here and now are much more difficult for him to recall. Occasionally he will come up with one of his humorous sayings or break out in song.”

The Royals live in Querencia Barton Creek, an assisted living facility in West Austin. “We enjoy the companionship and support of other families in a place that offers great care,” said Edith Royal.

She took time to recognize families affected by Alzheimer’s disease who don’t have the support or financial means to ease the burden of costly medicines and care.

“We are fortunate to have a team standing with us and behind us as Darrell and I take this journey together. ... Every day, caregivers are burning out, stressing out, suffering very serious side effects of this challenge, and do not know where to turn,” she said. “Believe me, I know and ache for many of them.”

She said Alzheimer’s disease has affected some of her grandchildren on both sides of the family. One of the Royals’ grandsons, Austin attorney David Kazen, who accompanied his grandparents to the state Capitol, said his other grandmother has Alzheimer’s.

“For me, I’ve had these towering figures in my life who I’ve looked up to, and to see this disease rob them every day of who they are is excruciating. It’s tough on them; it’s tough on us,” Kazen said.

His 7-year-old twin grand-daughters, Alexandra and Isabella, who were born on Darrell Royal’s birthday, visit frequently and play peek-a-boo with their grandfather.

“They have a blast with Daddy D. That’s what they call him, and he loves it, too. At their age they know that he was a coach of the Longhorns, but he’s just Grandpa,” he said.

Kazen said Royal’s way of life inspires all family members.

“To me, he would be one of the greatest humans I’ve ever known even if he didn’t coach a day in his life. He’s just a kind, honest, fun and good-hearted man,” he said.

The Royals, in setting up the private fund, hope that state and private funds will flow to the DKR Fund to advance research of the disease. Donations can be made at www.dkrfund.org. The organization’s large board of advisers includes current Texas coach Mack Brown.

Activities at the Ethel Eyerly

Senior CenterFor Persons Age 50 and Over

654 Graham Road (Flour Bluff) Phone: 361-937-3218

Meals Served Daily

For Persons Age 60 and Over

AT 11:30 p.m.

Monday

Silver Haired Fitness 10-11 p.m.

($7.00/mo – Ladies Only)

Computer Interest Group 12:30 2:00 p.m.

Wii Bowling –12:30 p.m.

Tuesday

Bingo 10:00–11:00 a.am. ($.50 Cards)

Zumba Gold (Co-Ed.) 10:30 a.m.

($20.00/mo, or $3.00/session)

Table Tennis and Table Games – 12:00 p.m.

* 3rd Tuesday of the month - Bunco – 1:00 p.m.

Wednesday

Silver Haired Fitness 10-11 a.m..

($7.00/mo – Ladies Only)

Art Class 1-3 p.m.

AARP #4181 @ 1 p.m.

2nd and 4th Wednesday

Thursday

Zumba Gold (Co-Ed.) 10:30 p.m.

($20.00/mo, or $3.00/session)

Wii Bowling and Chair Volleyball - 12:30 p.m.

* Quilting 2nd Thursday of the Month *

Friday

Silver Haired Fitness 10 – 11 a.m.

($7.00/mo – Ladies Only)

Table Tennis – 11:00 a.m.

Bingo – 12:30 p.m. ($.50 Cards)

The Columbus Ships

Obituary

Lee GuerraI’m Free

Don’t grieve for me, for now I’m free

I’m following the path God has chosen for me.

I took His hand when I heard him call;

I turned my back and left it all.

I could not stay another day,

To laugh, to love, to work or play

Tasks left undone must stay that way;

I’ve now found peace at the end of day.

If my parting has left a void,

Then fill it with remembered joys.

A friendship shared, a laugh, a kiss;

Oh yes, these things, I too will miss.

Be not burdened with times of sorrow

Look for the sunshine of tomorrow.

My life’s been full, I savored much;

Good friends, good times, a loved ones touch.

Perhaps my time seems all to brief;

Don’t lengthen your pain with undue grief

Lift up your heart and peace to thee,

God wanted me now-He set me free

Author: Shannon Lee Moseley

Lee was born in Corpus Christi, Texas and spent his youth in San Isidro. Lee moved to Port Aransas in the summer of 1969. He immediately felt at home on Island Time and lived out the rest of his days next to the Gulf. He loved to surf, fish, hunt and watch football. He was a true outdoorsman. Lee had a great sense of humor, unquestionable loyalty, compassionate nature, and was a great friend to everyone. Lee never did meet a stranger.

Lee was a natural born carpenter. He built beautiful homes, repaired storm damaged homes, and helped build numerous businesses around town.

Lee was preceeded in death by his mother Irene Louise Prats Guerra, his brother Robert Hambrick, and son Duston Guerra-Prats

Lee is survived by his father Leonel Guerra (Teresa), brothers Richard Guerra-Prats (Cindy), David Guerra-Prats, Eddie Guerra-Prats (Terry), daughter Amber O’Brien, and grandson Jacob Herndon.

Lee Guerra Memorial- from left, Jim Beckner, Capt Larry Stimson, Robt

McGowen, Capt Howard Odom, Capt Denny Bomarito, Capt Gary Tinnerman

and Capt Ralph Ray.

Peewee’s Animal Shelter is located at 1307 Saratoga and has been in operations since May, 1997. Peewee’s presently houses  over 300  animals, including dogs, puppies, cats, kittens as well as, pigs, goats, rabbits and other barn animals. Peewee’s relies on donations only for its operation.

Shelter operations are accomplished strictly by donations. Peewee’s does not get any government, city or federal funding. Peewee’s helps those animals no one else will - the sick and the stray. The volunteers at Peewee’s work tirelessly to rehabilitate poor orphaned pets in the hopes that they will find new, loving homes. The dogs and cats are spayed/neutered, given regular heartworm preventative, and are on flea & tick prevention and medications as needed. Peewee’s does not discriminate due to age or health conditions of the pet. Please visit Peewee’s Pet Adoption World & Sanctuary at 1307 Saratoga Road. You can call them at 361-888-4141 but they do not have staff to answer phones so please leave a message.

Peewee's Animal Shelter

A 8 land Moon November 15, 2012

Scoopy’s VerandaSun - Sat 11am - 10pm

Snoopy’s (361) 949-8815Scoopy’s (361) 949-7810

Sun - Sat 11am - 10pm

Daily Lunch Specials Snoopy’s & Scoopy’s

11am - 2pmCarry-out Available!

13313 S. Padre Island Drive Corpus Christi, TX 78418

Parking lot, lighting, and landscaping at Billings and Clem’s

Bids have been opened on work to pave the parking lot adjacent to the east of the JFK Causeway. Work is scheduled to begin in January on the project which will include lighting, landscaping, and more than 100 parking spaces to accommodate vehicles with trailers. Phase I of the project included bulkheading of the area, Phase II will cost about $600,000. The money was raised through grants and private donations.

Street and drainage improvements on west side of JFK Causeway.

City bonds approved by voters in the recent election will provide $1.2 million in funds to improve the street on the west side of the JFK Causeway, leading to Doc’s Restaurant, Snoopy’s Pier, and Marker 37. No design has been finalized and no construction schedule has been set.

New Water Line to The Island

Permitting is underway and the design is 60% complete on a project to build a new 24-inch waterline to The Island. Currently a single 24-inch line which was built in the 1970s is the sole water supply to The Island and the main supply for the City of Port Aransas.

Besides water, the new line will also contain fiber optic cable, and a gas line. Construction is tentatively set for 2014.

Dale Rankin

Projects continued from A1 City of Corpus Christi, Recyclebank Celebrate Corpus Christi Recycles Week

The City of Corpus Christi today announced “Corpus Christi Recycles Week,” a week-long recycling celebration taking place city-wide Nov. 10-17, 2012. The City is kicking off the week hand-in-hand with recycling rewards partner Recyclebank®, the company that rewards people for taking everyday green actions with discounts and deals from local businesses and national brands.

A number of eco-friendly activities are scheduled throughout the week, including a kick-off event at the La Palmera Mall on Saturday, Nov. 10. Curby the Recycling Robot will be on site to educate residents about recycling and the environment. Additional activities include a recycling drive at the Corpus Christi Army Depot, reusable bag giveaways during The Day Without a Bag on Nov. 15, the 5th Annual E-Recycling Event in partnership with Goodwill, and various educational events throughout the city. For more information, including a full list of events, and to learn about how to get involved, visit Clean City’s Facebook page at www.facebook.com/cleancity or call the Clean City Coordinator Angela Gonzalez at (361) 826-3673.

“The City of Corpus Christi prides itself on environmental leadership, and we’re thrilled to celebrate our first Corpus Christi Recycles Week in an effort to inspire and mobilize our residents to examine their daily habits with a green lens,” said Mayor Joe Adame. “In partnership with Recyclebank, we look forward to further growing community engagement around recycling and other green actions as we continue to strive for a more sustainable City.”

Corpus Christi Recycles, the City’s single-stream recycling program featuring Recyclebank rewards that launched in January 2011 in partnership with the Ziploc® brand, continues to grow. With recycling now easier and incentives for those that do so, Corpus residents have recycled more than 48 million pounds since the program’s inception, including more than 28 million pounds in 2012 alone. Residents who are not yet members of the Recyclebank program, which rewards residents for recycling and other everyday green actions, will have the opportunity to sign up for the free program at La Palmera Mall on Saturday, Nov. 10.

“The City of Corpus Christi is a true testament to how a community’s seemingly small lifestyle

changes can collectively have a measurable impact on the environment,” said Gillan Taddune, vice president at Recyclebank. “We’re inspired by the City’s passion for recycling and are thrilled to take part in Corpus Christi Recycles Week to help increase community awareness of the City’s commendable mission.”

Additional Information

Corpus Christi Recycles asks residents to place all their recyclables in their Smart Cart on collection day, at least three feet apart to ensure efficient pickups. To earn Recyclebank rewards, residents need only visit www.Recyclebank.com to sign up for a free account. Each time a neighborhood’s recycling is collected, the total weight of the recycled materials is captured, converted to Recyclebank Points, and then allocated to the participating members. The points can then be redeemed at www.Recyclebank.com for rewards from businesses in more than 10 categories, including food and beverage, health, beauty, home, clothing, accessories and gifts. Residents are also encouraged to drop off clean and dry Ziploc® Brand sandwich, freezer and storage bags at in-store recycling collection bins at participating grocery stores for even more earn opportunities.

Editor’s note: Our friend and fellow Islander Blackie sent us this. Charley Reese’s final column for the Orlando Sentinel... He has been a journalist for 49 years. He is retiring and this is his last column.

By Charlie Reese

Politicians are the only people in the world who create problems and then campaign against them. Have you ever wondered, if both the Democrats and the Republicans are against deficits, WHY do we have deficits?

Have you ever wondered, if all the politicians are against inflation and high taxes, WHY do we have inflation and high taxes? You and I don ‘ t propose a federal budget. The President does. You and I don’ t have the Constitutional authority to vote on appropriations. The House of Representatives does.

You and I don ‘ t write the tax code, Congress does. You and I don ‘ t set fiscal policy, Congress does. You and I don ‘ t control monetary policy, the Federal Reserve Bank does.

One hundred senators, 435 congressmen, one President, and nine Supreme Court justices equates to 545 human beings out of the 300 million are directly, legally, morally, and individually responsible for the domestic problems that plague this country.

I excluded the members of the Federal Reserve Board because that problem was created by the Congress. In 1913, Congress delegated its Constitutional duty to provide a sound currency to a federally chartered, but private, central bank.

I excluded all the special interests and lobbyists for a sound reason. They have no legal authority. They have no ability to coerce a senator, a congressman, or a President to do one cotton-picking thing. I don’t care if they offer a politician $1 million dollars in cash. The politician has the power to accept or reject it. No matter what the lobbyist promises, it is the legislator’ s responsibility to determine how he votes.

Those 545 human beings spend much of their energy convincing you that what they did is not their fault. They cooperate in this common con regardless of party.

What separates a politician from a normal human being is an excessive amount of gall. No normal human being would have the gall of a Speaker, who stood up and criticized the

Charlie Reese’s Final Column545 vs. 300,000,000 People

President for creating deficits. The President can only propose a budget. He cannot force the Congress to accept it.

The Constitution, which is the supreme law of the land, gives sole responsibility to the House of Representatives for originating and approving appropriations and taxes. Who is the speaker of the House now? He is the leader of the majority party. He and fellow House members, not the President, can approve any budget they want. If the President vetoes it, they can pass it over his veto if they agree to.

It seems inconceivable to me that a nation of 300 million cannot replace 545 people who stand convicted -- by present facts -- of incompetence and irresponsibility. I can ‘ t think of a single domestic problem that is not traceable directly to those 545 people. When you fully grasp the plain truth that 545 people exercise the power of the federal government, then it must follow that what exists is what they want to exist.

If the tax code is unfair, it ‘ s because they want it unfair.

If the budget is in the red, it’s because they want it in the red.

If the Army & Marines are in Iraq and Afghanistan it’s because they want them in Iraq and Afghanistan ...

If they do not receive social security but are on an elite retirement plan not available to the people, it ‘ s because they want it that way.

There are no insoluble government problems.

Do not let these 545 people shift the blame to bureaucrats, whom they hire and whose jobs they can abolish; to lobbyists, whose gifts and advice they can reject; to regulators, to whom they give the power to regulate and from whom they can take this power. Above all, do not let them con you into the belief that there exists disembodied mystical forces like “the economy,” “inflation,” or “politics” that prevent them from doing what they take an oath to do.

Those 545 people, and they alone, are responsible.

They, and they alone, have the power.

They, and they alone, should be held accountable by the people who are their bosses.

Provided the voters have the gumption to manage their own employees...

We should vote all of them out of office and clean up their mess!

Endangered Whooping Cranes Call Aransas Bay

HomeExperience rare wildlife and an educational treat

From November to March just under 300 Whooping Cranes call the Aransas National Wildlife Refuge their winter home. This Aransas-Wood Buffalo flock is the world’s only wild migrating flock of Whooping Cranes.

Standing over five feet tall, the stately white Whooping Crane is an endangered species. Theirs is a story of survival – the wild flock numbered only 18 in 1938. The majestic birds mesmerize and capture the hearts of 8,000 people who travel from around the world to see them; these visitors are affectionately called “Whoopers”.

View the birds via land at the Aransas National Wildlife Refuge observation tower. Excursions on boats with enclosed cabins, observation decks, and restrooms provide an up close look at these magnificent birds. Tours are professionally narrated by ornithologists and master naturalists. Binoculars are available for rent or loan. Your best opportunity to view the birds is via water on a boat excursion in Aransas Bay. Scheduled trips start mid November and continue through the end of March

18 Holes of

LibationsAmusements

Minature Golf

361 749- Taco (8226)2034 State Highway 361

One Bite & You’re

Hooked

Great Seafood

and Burgers

Open 11 am - 2 amKitchen Closes @ 1 am

Wednesdays All you can eat Fried Shrimp5pm - 1am $12.99

Located in the Loma Alta Plaza 14254 SPID, Suite 109

949-4848

Offering Gourmet Take-Out Meals

Every Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday Hours: 4:00 – 7:00 p.m.

Visit our website at www.AuntSissysKitchen.com For weekly menus

Full Service Catering Available

For Private Parties

Recipient of the People’s Choice Award

2011 Taste of the Island

Located in the Loma Alta Plaza 14254 SPID, Suite 109

949-4848

Offering Gourmet Take-Out Meals

Every Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday Hours: 4:00 – 7:00 p.m.

Visit our website at www.AuntSissysKitchen.com For weekly menus

Full Service Catering Available

For Private Parties

Recipient of the People’s Choice Award

2011 Taste of the Island

Full Service Catering and

Gourmet Take Out

Joan Sowash

(361) 949-4848AuntSissysKitchen@stx.rr.com

www.AuntSissysKitchen.com

November 15, 2012 Island Moon A 9

2217 State Highway 361, Suite A-1, Port Aransas, Texas 78373

361-332-1021WATERFRONT--Fortuna Bay’s finest! 3/2

penthouse with high ceilings, completely redone in style with stainless, glass tile, granite, quality fixtures throughout, sumptuous baths, attractive furnishings, storage closet, boat dock, community pool/hot tub, tile/carpet. Ready to go, just move in or rent out--vacation rentals okay. Bring your boat. $164,900

Beach House Realty, Gail D. Spinn, Agent

BIG REDUCTION!

Beach House Realty

Mary Ann McShane, Realtor, GRI, SRESe-mail: malm335@sbcglobal.net

Corpus Christi Realty GroupConsidering a move to the Island?

Let me help you find your piece of Paradise - waterfront or interior homes, condos, townhouses, lots

Considering selling your Island Property?

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

Island Office (361) 215-8629

Get the attention you deserve.

Selling a home? Want results?

Call 361-949-7281 Mary Melick Real Estate14318 Caribe $675,000

Option Period

Island CreatIons

Doing Everything a Home or Business Needs

960-0327Owned & Operated by

Island Residents David & Katherine PierceReferences Available Upon Request

Commercial & Residential

Insured Member, Padre Island Business Association

Member, Builders Association, Corpus Christi

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

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

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

The Taste of the Island 2012 - Definitely DeliciousBy Brent Rourk

outside in the refreshing breeze and snuck in repeatedly to taste one or more of the alluring culinary delights.

Taste 2012 was a resounding success in every way. All 500 tickets were sold in advance of the event, held at the Port Royal Ocean Resort on Wednesday, November 7th. The food was scrumptious. Guests appeared a little more ‘dressed up’ this year. The music was provided by red-clad saxophone player Bobby Hesch who parked his music stand next to the silent auction where he gave spectators riffs and glissandos from a wide variety of great tunes. Couples took leisurely strolls through the aisles of silent auction items, stopping to bid on one item or another. There were several tempting gift baskets, photographs, paintings, and a wide variety of other donated gift items (How about that Marlin Painting!).

Inside the main room, two other auctions drew keen interest in addition to the food.

Included in the live auction were a dazzling sculpture by Ken Ullberg, an Ocean kayak, a weekend at a South Padre condo, a Lake Charles Resort package, a Port Royal Ocean Resort package, and a large “Beach Box” assortment of wines and champagnes. In the other auction, guests carefully slipped tickets in the slots of

boxes next to attractive and useful gifts, hoping that their ticket would be drawn.

On the other side of the silent auction a few other food vendors displayed their very tempting fares. HEB again presented a feast, including colorful salads, cakes, sushi, and cooked roasts and hams that attracted countless hungry ‘Tasters’. Their olive and tomato salads are as delicious as they are colorful. Taste-goers also had an opportunity to purchase beverages, including wine

and beer, to complement their tasty meals.

It was virtually impossible to get a consensus on which “taste” was the best. When I posed the question to over two dozen guests, I received over a dozen different answers. The tasty tuna

and fish dishes (and there were several) were preferred by some while the meatballs, pastas, chicken, salads, roasts or beef dishes were the overwhelming favorites for others. There was no shortage of deserts either with tempting fudge, yogurt, sweet rolls, fried breads, cakes, and more all calling out to stuffed guests. I even heard the calls.

People enjoyed the variety of foods as they did the preparation and presentation. Officially, the People’s Choice Award went to Kody’s Restaurant in Port Aransas. Congratulations to Kody’s and all of the local restaurants that participated in this annual event.

Props also go to the Padre Island Business Association (PIBA) for putting this fine event together. The staff tirelessly worked behind the scenes to offer a truly magnificent night out for locals. A tribute to Port Royal for accommodating the Taste of the Island this year. Finally, dozens of businesses and individuals contributed gifts for the three auctions. Their generosity is also what makes it possible for the PIBA to promote Padre Island and its businesses as well as provide PIBA Scholarships at Del Mar College and Texas A&M – Corpus Christi.

We look forward to the Taste of the Island -2013, wherever it might be held. A few words of caution; get your tickets early and be hungry.

Walking into that large room with fifteen food vendors was a heavenly treat. The scents of fabulous foods were overwhelming and visually, the offerings were stunning. There was a constant whirl of activity between the vendors’ booths and the small black tables in the center of the room. Many guests settled On November 9th, the P.I.E. (Padre Island

Enrichment) members held their monthly luncheon at the Island’s Holiday Inn Beach Hotel. The program was playing Social Games in order to get to know one another better. Lots of FUN! Pictured are P.I.E. members who won game prizes.

ALERT! On November 20th from 12 to 6 P.M. at Keller Williams at 15105 S.P.I.D., PIE members will be selling homemade pies, cakes, cookies,breads & more. Perfect for your Holiday Dinner!

On December 14th, PIE’s Christmas program will be Christmas caroling by the Seashoe Learning Center students, giving toys for Toys For Tots to visiting U.S. Marines, bringing children presents for Timon’s Ministries and exchanging wrapped ornaments amongst PIE members. Make reservations by noon on Dec. 12th to PIELuncheon@aol.com. Contact Sheila @ 949-2072 for more information.

P.I.E. Luncheon

More Photos of Taste of the Island on Page A11

A 10 Island Moon November 15, 2012

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

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

ISLAND, REALTORS

13917 Primavera bring your decorating ideas, paint & flooring samples. This 4 bedroom, 2.5 bath home is waiting for the right per-son. $149,900. Cindy 549-5557.

Extraordinary canal location and view– highly customized s/s kitchen with granite counters & much more. Surprises abound. Call Dorothy 563-8486.

New Construction by TwoSaam. 14126 Coquina Bay. 3/2/2 plus den/office. Granite countertops & tile floors throughout. $219,900. Charlie 443-2499.

3918 Gulfton 3/2/2 $124,900. 1369 sq.ft. well maintained house with a nice location. New counter-tops & backsplash. Call Charlie 443-2499 or Jeremy 960-7873.

Mystic Harbor one bedroom corner unit on water. Canal ac-cess. Tropical pool. Hot tub. Security entrance. Sold furnished. Call Cheryl 563-0444.

18000+sq.ft. feet int. lot in Coquina Bay. Two story with 4 bdrms-2207 sq. feet- $209,000. Call Dorothy @ 563-8486.

3266 Roscher—zoned for horses, near 5 acres. 2 story home 3-2.5-2. Backs up to the Oso Bay, pri-vate beach, fishing pier, pool. Cheryl or Mary Lou.

6th floor side/front unit-long ve r anda -g r ea t gu l f v i ew -immaculate-newer appointments. Call Dorothy Ernst at 563-8486.

13545 Catamaran stucco and tile waterfront home offers multi-level deck, boat lift, 2 living areas, 3 bedrooms and 3 full baths. $339,900. Call Cindy 549-5557.

Waterfront Lots for Sale!!

Bounty $109,900

Palo Seco $154,900

San Felipe $200,000

Cuttysark $189,000

For More Info Call: Terry Cox 549-7703

Lovely Flour Bluff 1-story home on 1.3 acre corner. Spa-cious 4/3/2 w/2 living & 2 dining. Circular drive & water well for yard. Call Pam Morgan 215-8116. $343,700.

Beautifully Updated 3-2-2 w/multi purpose room. Split bed-rooms. Gas stove. Tile & bam-boo floors. Plantation shutters. Large backyard. Cheryl 563-0444.

Beautiful waterfront lot on very wide canal w/open views. Short distance to IC Waterway. 15341 Bowsprit Ct. $157,500. Call Ana 361-443-7771.

This two story home sits on over 1 acre of land. Water well with sprinkler system. Four bedrooms with four baths. 3 car garage. Two living & 2 eating areas. Call Terry Cox 549-7703. $388,500.

13853 Topsail $284,000 3 bedrooms, 2 baths, 2 car garage, 1756 sq.ft on a nice canal. Tile roof, rock front and back yard. Well maintained. Charlie 443-2499.

Magnificent updates as well as wonderful waterviews! 4/2.5 salt water pool. Master down. Call Beth for more information! 779-4943. 13757 Eaglesnest. $499,900.

15401 Cruiser 2 bedrooms, 2 baths, 2 car garage $198,000. 1305 sq.ft. Very nice inside and out. Located on a canal. Call Charlie 361-443-2499.

Fortuna Bay Waterfront condo 3-2 w/boatslip. Recently updated. Furnished. Just bring your suitcase & enjoy. HOA pool, cabana & spa. Call Cheryl 361-563-0444.

1 5 9 0 5 P u n t a B o n a i r e $620,100. 3 bedrooms, 3 full baths, concrete saltwater pool, boat lift, too many extras to list. Call Charlie Knoll 443-2499.

Customized house, superb canal location, upscaled kitchen w/granite counters + bamboo flooring, plantation shutters, abundant amenities. Dorothy 563-8486. $445,000.

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

Great interior lot home. Exte-rior freshly painted. 3-2-2. Split bedroom. Open airy floor plan. Covered patio. Grass backyard with sprinkler system. Call Cheryl.

722 St. Lucy $154,900 3/2.5/1. 1624 sq.ft of living area. 2 living areas. All bedrooms up. Nice land-scaping. Above ground pool. Charlie 361-443-2499.

Reduced Price 15713 Cuttysark 3/2.5/1 lovely Island home. Large yard with room for a pool. Call Laura Wallace (361) 815-2116.

Investment opportunity! 4/2.5/2 waterfront with extra parking. Vaulted ceilings, fire-place and wet bar. $267,500. 13541 Royal Fifth. Call Shonna 510-3445.

15422 Escapade 3/2/2 $189,900. 1600 sq.ft of living area. Granite countertops throughout. All tile floors, ss appliances, great location. Charlie 443-2499.

13969 Mainsail 3 bedroom, 2.5 bath upscale Energy Star compli-ant home with inground pool, hot tub, outdoor kitchen and much more. $279,900. Call Cindy 549-5557.

Entire Inventory

SOLD

I Need New Listings to SELL

Call Cindy Molnar

549-5557

New construction by Seaquist Homes. 4-2-2 on Punta Espada. Open floor plan, split bedrooms, landscaped front yard, builder’s warranty. Call Cheryl 563-0444.

Looking for Long Term Rental Property? Below are some of our available rentals:

Looking for Professional Long Term Property Management Services? Our services include: Tenant Qualifying Collec ons of Rents

Coordina ng Repairs & Maintenance Professional Itemized Monthly Statements

Marke ng/Adver sing

13850 Longboat 3/2/2 $1600

13625 Catamaran 3/3/1 $1800

Lakeshore Villas #24 2/2 $1150

Portono #705 2/2 $1800 furnished

13913 Sea Anchor 3/2/2 $1400

15702 Finistere 3/2/2 $1350

Leeward Isles #5204 2/2 $1200

3834 Priscilla 4/3/2 $2500

13765 Eaglesnest 3/2/2 $2300 pool

Superior Service, Outstanding Reputa�on since 1999

14945 S. Padre Island Dr. Corpus Chris�, TX 78418

(361) 949‐2131 (877) 269‐2131

www.rentpadreisland.com

www.coldwellbanker.com

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Open Sunday Nov 11th 2‐5

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