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361-949-7700 editor@islandmoon.com The Island Newspaper since 1996 Facebook : The Island Moon Newspaper
November 7, 2013
The Island Where Coyotes Howl and Shrimpers Drag
Around The Island
By Dale Rankin editor@islandmoon.com By Dale Rankin
It’s the Locals Season here on our little sandbar as things slow down between the summer Tourist Invasion and the onslaught of Winter Texan Season. The streets, especially in Port A are mostly bereft of humanity; or as our friend Barnacle Billy says “Dead as Disco” and friends, that’s about as dead as she goes. A few early arrivers from up north have found their way down but so far the Early Birds are still safe from being eaten – and we all know how much those Winter Texans like that Early Bird. We know it’s the Winter Texan season when the South Texas Bluegrass Band starts tuning up over at Island Italian and so far we are bluegrass free – but the Orange Blossom Special will soon be winging in on the northern breeze. There’s a lot going on Around The Island folks so left get crackin’.
Flutterbys Bying Fly Last weekend the local office of the National Weather Service put out this Doppler image showing butterflies headed down Mexico way. In case you forgot a group of butterflies is known as a rabble, flight, or swarm so we’re going with rabble. This rabble of butterflies was tracked as it pushed into the region along the front edge of a cold front that moved through South Texas last Sunday. It was the fifth Cold Front of the season so we’ll name it Edge for our butterfly friends who rode it in. At first we thought they might be pulling our leg – you know like tracking Santa Clause – but it turned out to be true. They tracked the rabble across the south side of Corpus Christi and into NE Kleberg County - which has been known to attract some rabble before. If this were a Rupert Murdoch paper we’d run a headline that said “Rabble Invades Island! Run for your very life!” But it isn’t so we won’t.
La Posada The La Posada season is upon us so get out there and make sure your boat motor will start and get an early start on trying to unsnarl that cobweb of Christmas lights you found under your tacklebox. We’ve included the parade registration form in this issue and the kickoff party is just a few weeks off. It’s time to Posada Baby!
Coyote ugly Island coyotes are running wild so be careful. Maybe it’s the cool weather or maybe they’re just warming up for the arrival of that smorgasbord of little yappy dogs the Winter Texans bring down. The good news is that the Island Burglary Season has yet to kick into gear so we got that going for us.
Car 54 where are you? We’re getting a lot of complaints about response times from our PD of late. We checked and there has been a change of protocol on car accidents. The police will still respond, but in the case of minor accidents - no bodily injury they will not investigate or declare which driver was at fault. They will check license, insurance and registration, and give drivers information for DPS but it will be up to the drivers’ insurance carriers to sort out the blame. That’s sure to be a lot of fun.
Eagle Ford At last count there are about 250 active rigs in Eagle Ford Shale each costing an average of $8$10 million. Drill Baby Drill!
Island ArtWalk The next Island ArtWalk is set for Johnny D’s on Saturday…….more info here… The tide is up, the dolphins are back in the canals, the beaches are beautiful and so’s the weather. So far half of we Islanders are above average at just about everything. So get out there and enjoy the beach and remember to tell the Winter Texans when they arrive - your vacation is our life! Say hello if you see us Around The Island.
Next Publication Date: 11/14/2013
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Year 16, Issue 499
A night on the Polly Anna
The Last of the Island Shrimpers John and Molly Nixon are the last of the breed
By Brent Rourk Editor’s note: Once upon a time Island marinas were full of shrimp boats which plied the offshore waters of the Gulf. But time, economics, and mostly government intervention has reduced their numbers. Now there is only one. The Polly Anna which calls Port Aransas home heads out each day during shrimping season with John and Molly Nixon aboard and returns to the dock where the fresh catch is sold to the public right off the boat. The Nixons carry on a proud and time-worn tradition of generations of shrimpers who went down to the sea in boats. Island Moon writer Brent Rourk went along on a recent overnight trip. This is the first of two stories on his trip. Recklessly I bounce off the walls in the main cabin of the Polly Anna while clutching my camera, struggling to maintain my balance. It seems that the Polly Anna is rocking more than ever and now with a pounding headache lack of sleep I am not a good candidate to be testing my footing.
Leaving Port Aransas, heading out to sea. All photos by Brent Rourk
It is after 1:00 a.m. and the shrimp trawling nets are being pulled up. Though I tried to sleep for three hours, the rocking of the boat and my wandering mind had kept me awake on the outbound journey; taking me back to conversations that John Nixon and I shared earlier in the evening.
John was exposed to the rigorous demands and romantic joys of shrimping as a youngster. He admitted that it had always been an interesting venture, something that was never far from his mind. The independence, the adventure, the money- earning capacity, and the water all spoke to him.
Reflecting about John and Molly
John is 70 now. His father was a deckhand and then ran a shrimp boat after World War II, so
But how does one go from liking shrimping to building huge trawlers by hand? John’s work experiences led him to that end. After high school John went to welding school and later became a welder for Chicago Bridge and Iron in the 1960s. At one time he worked on the Hancock Building. Hard work and working with his hands were no strangers to John. Later he worked for Reynolds and then in the late 1960s he returned to Port Aransas, the dream of
Islanders Vote 3-1 Against Destination Bayfront
Sign Up for the 39th La Posada Boat Parades Has Begun
John and Molly are quite a pair; strong, motivated, determined, wise, tough, resilient, caring and more: How does a couple in their Golden Years still find the drive to run a shrimp boat? How many more years will they tackle that work? I had many questions.
Islanders voted overwhelmingly against the Destination Bayfront project, the ratio of negative votes in the two voting precincts on The Island was more than three to one. The total number of voters who cast ballots on The Island was not available at press time, the percentages were: Precinct 40 76% against 24% for. Precinct 81 was 79% against 21% for. Islanders cast a total of 877 early votes. Citywide 25,996 votes were cast with 12,126 of those coming from early voting. Citywide 15,975 votes were cast against the $44.6 million project and 8670 for; a negative ratio of 35% to 65%.
Islander Stalked by Coyotes on Whitecap
By Brent Rourk It’s time to sign up for the 39th Annual La Posada Lighted Boat Parades on Friday, December 6 and Saturday, December 7. Boaters who want to be part of the parade can fill out the registration form T-shirts and other included in this issue items with this and drop it off at the La year's La Posada Posada Kickoff Party at Scuttlebutt’s on Tuesday, logo will be available soon. December 3 or send it to Brent Rourk – 15606 Gypsy Street, CC, TX 78418. Keep a copy for yourself. You can also e-mail a copy to Brent at brentrourk@yahoo.com. La Posada continued on A4
Game Warden STORM By Amanda Stoner Lance Team Investigating Vincent Lake Corpus Christi I was jogging this morning (Sunday) around Boating Accident 5:30 by Whitecap and Dasmarinas I had my Big Shepherd with me and a 4 month old Lab. My Shepherd started growling turned around and wouldn't move forward. I couldn't figure out why until the Coyote came into the street light. We had a coyote following us about 25 feet back and I had no idea.
I ran out to the middle of Whitecap in the median yelling/screaming at the single coyote. At this point when I stopped running three more from the other side of the road came out, they were within 10-15 feet of us and howling. I now had a 360 view of my surroundings and called 911 for help. I do have a CHL and carry so at that point I felt my life was endangered and if I had to shoot them I would have. I informed the 911 dispatcher of this along with how many there were, how close they were and that they were getting closer. She responded I will send an officer. I did not have one officer show up. I stood my ground and my German Shepherd stood in front of me Coyotes continued on A5
shrimping never far from his mind.
John builds the boats His first stab at boat building by hand produced a 42-foot shrimp boat named Polly Anna (after their daughter). After successfully crafting the first Polly Anna, John worked at Rockport Yacht Supply and then built a 68-foot Polly Anna. Not done with boat building, he then built the 80 foot Ms. Molly (after his wife Molly). Finally, he constructed the 100 foot Polly Anna that he and his wife now captain. He built it in his yard and literally had to cut it in half to get it to the water. Think about that for a minute. He built the 100-foot Polly Anna from sheet metal then Shrimp continued on A9
Update on Island Projects
Deal Underway for Sale of State Land on The Island
Schlitterbahn construction on schedule, new Island waterline on the way By Dale Rankin Less than two weeks after the Texas General Land Office put the brakes on a deal to make 3860 acres of land in Kleberg County part of Padre Island National Seashore (PINS) a new deal is taking shape that, if completed, would put the land under the control of Nueces County. The new plan calls for the land, with an assessed value of $3.2 million and located just north of PINS, to be purchased from the state by a local non-profit group with the use of private money and a federal grant, owned by Kleberg County, and managed by Nueces County, possibly under the direct control of the Nueces County Coastal Parks Board.
Two members of a newly created state forensic reconstruction and mapping team (STORM) helping Corpus Christi-area game wardens in their investigation of a boating accident that injured five persons Sunday on Lake Corpus Christi. The accident occurred about 4 p.m. near where the Nueces River empties into the lake. According to Game Warden Capt. James Dunks, an aluminum center console boat with seven people on board collided with an unknown fixed object. Of the five persons transported to a local hospital, two were flown out by helicopter. After the accident, the operator of the boat was able to beach the craft near a residence and some of the occupants yelled for help. The Nueces County Sheriff’s Department and game wardens responded to the scene. The team was working Tuesday afternoon to locate the object the boat struck. After that, using state-of-art digital mapping equipment, the team will produce a 3-D video model of the accident.
Trash on GLO land Precinct 4 Nueces County Commissioner Joe McComb announced the deal at the Tuesday night meeting of the Island Strategic Action Committee which was attended by State Representative Todd Hunter who has been at the center of discussions aimed at keeping the land in state hands. Also in attendance were representatives from the offices of State Senator District 27 Eddie Lucio and U.S. Representative Blake Farenthold. The land is located in each of their Island Projects continued on A4