If you consider your family’s gumbo recipe to be the best there ever was, or if you’re one of those Texas cooks who excels in the preparation of chili, Jim Hooper invites you to show what you can do at the 5th Annual Chili and Gumbo Cook Off on Saturday, October 26, 2013 at the Hurricane Junction. The annual cook off will be a lively affair on the grounds of Hurricane Junction, located on 15th and Maple Streets in Port O’Connor. Cooking teams can have up to four members; they can be friends, family members, or representatives of an organization.

Cook Off Rules:  Preparation and cooking must be done on a propane-butane stove that you bring with you.  There will be electrical capacities set for the usage of fans etc., but ALL COOKING MUST BE DONE IN YOUR AREA AT THE HURRICANE.  There will be NO beans in the chili and NO rice in the gumbo.  Entry fee is a mere $20 per team BUT only 1 chili or 1 gumbo per entry is allowed per team.  If any team wishes to prepare and enter both items, the cost will be only $40.

An illustrious panel of judges will be there to do a blind taste test. (Aren’t all judges supposed to be blind?) As Hoop will be the Person In Charge, there will be no favoritism or special gifts sent to the judges by any entrant prior to the judging.

The public is definitely welcome to come by and see their favorite team of cooks in action and give moral support to each.  Additionally, bowls to sample the many entries will be available from our man Hoop.   Setting up the individual cooking areas will start at 9:00 a.m. and the judging should commence about 4:30 p.m. inside the Hurricane.  Following the judging, the final bidding on the Silent Auction will commence.  And if those items for the auction are anything similar to last year’s, the winning purchaser will definitely go home happy. Once again, Hoop will donate the funds from this event to our Library’s Building Fund.  So, we invite anyone with a yearning to compete in a cook off to contact Hoop for entry forms, and everyone else to come watch, taste, and enjoy a good time.  If anyone is unable to be present on that Saturday, please remember that all donations towards the building fund can be delivered to Hoop personally at the Hurricane or to Shirley Gordon, our Librarian, at our Library on 6th and Adams Street.
-Sue Kubecka

Clint & Barnacle

Fall, Rain & Mosquitoes Are In The Air

Greetings from the island everyone. Hope all of you are doing well and have benefited from the rain that has fallen from the sky lately.

I went pretty much the entire summer here on the island with no real measurable rain, and now in the past two weeks I’ve gotten 9 inches. The rain was very much needed for my water tanks that provide my inside water use, and also for the underground water well for outside needs.

My water well is only eleven feet deep, so if we go an extended period of time with no rain, especially during the summer when evaporation is worse, the underground water level can and will drop below my well casing, meaning that I cannot pull up fresh water. Fresh water is vital for existence anywhere, especially out here where it would be very labor intensive to haul it from the mainland.

Of course with all the rain and standing water, comes the dreaded devil-winged mosquitoes. They haven’t been too horrible around the house, mainly because I keep the grass mowed and use a propane fogger, but if I drive around the island through standing water or tall grass, they swarm like crazy crack demons. I just keep a supply of OFF on hand for Barnacle and myself, and grin and bear it.

The recent rains have made for cooler weather though, and the mornings have been very enjoyable with a light north breeze. You can tell that Fall is approaching and will officially be here in a few days, thank goodness.

I so enjoy the Spring and Fall seasons out here. There is like a spiritual quietness on the moonlit nights, the salty Gulf breeze faintly kissing your skin. The gentle sway of the hammock on afternoon naps, lost in thoughts of mermaids stopping by for a visit. HEY! – An island guy can dream/fantasize once in a while, can’t he?! I also enjoy sitting by the fire pit on those cool Fall and Winter nights, transfixed on the colorful flames and the crackling sound of the burning beach driftwood. Occasionally twirling the spiked stick that has a marshmallow attached to the end, smelling the sweet gooeyness (possibly not an actual word) of melted sugar that it becomes. Not to mention venturing out on those cool October and December nights and sticking a few flounder to have for supper. Yes sir, life could definitely be worse. Thank you Lord for this adventure.

Well that’s it from the island for now, everyone take care and have a great day.

Clint Bennetsen is a retired police detective and now lives full time on Matagorda Peninsula Island, writing a monthly column for Dolphin Talk, telling of his life and adventures. To contact Clint with questions or comments, you can reach him at ccbennetsen@yahoo.com or dolphin1@tisd.net.

Clint’s Fire Pit for the cool fall and winter nights.

Free Hot Dogs, Drinks and the Art Poster Contest

On Tuesday, October 1st, businesses and residents of Port O’Connor are being invited to join forces with thousands of communities throughout the Great State of Texas for Port O’Connor’s Night Out Against Crime. Port O’Connor’s Night Out Against Crime is being sponsored by the portoconnorwatch.com and co-sponsored by the Calhoun County Sheriff, George Aleman.

All communities throughout the State of Texas have been assigned Tuesday, October 1st to celebrate National Night Out, which is sponsored by the National Association of Town Watch. Texas is the only state that celebrates a Night Out during October; all other states celebrate on August 6th. This was determined by weather. We all know how hot Texas can be during August.

Port O’Connor’s Night Out Against Crime is designed to: (1) Heighten crime and drug prevention awareness; (2) Generate support for, and participation in, the portoconnorwatch.com and in local anti-crime efforts; (3) Strengthen neighborhood spirit and community partnership with Calhoun County Sheriff’s office; and (4) Send a message to criminals, letting them know neighbors of Port O’Connor are organized and fighting back.

From 6:00 to 9:00 p.m. on October 1st, residents of Port O’Connor are asked to lock their doors, turn on outside lights, visit and spend the evening outside with neighbors at the Port O’Connor Elementary School. There will be Fingerprinting for children, Hot Dogs and drinks for all, visit with local officials, ride of the Fire Trucks and the Art Poster Contest will be judged and winners announced. First Place winner receives a $100.00 WalMart Gift Card; Second Place $50.00; and Third Place a $25.00 WalMart Gift Card. Let’s all get out, meet new neighbors, and have fun.

Join portoconnorwatch.com to become a part of our community who wants to watch out for our neighbors. Go to the internet; type portoconnorwatch.com, and join our watch; there is no charge for becoming a member.

Volunteers are still needed for the event. To donate, volunteer or to learn more about Port O’Connor’s Night Out Against Crime, call Leon Brown at 361-649-5969, or send an email to Leon at lsbkaw@tisd.net.

If you are among those who enjoy feeding hummingbirds but think the time for that has past, you need to know that the little guys are around again, and would appreciate some nourishment as they prepare for their southern migration.  Each hummingbird stays until it has enough fat reserves to continue its migration south. Depending on the resources here and how much it needed to add to its weight, that could take from just a couple of days to a couple of weeks. Once the weight is reached they wait for favorable migrating conditions, which usually means a dry day with north or north-east wind. That is why we often see a very marked drop in hummingbird numbers right after a front.

You might expect to see some hummingbirds in our area until November, but there are a very few hummingbirds that spend the winter here in our area. Local birder, Petra Hockey, leaves her feeders up all through the winter and usually has one to three birds visiting them regularly. Throughout the years she has had many interesting and unusual species visit her yard in the winter months. “There is just something about a hummingbird to cheer up a winter yard,” Petra says.

Perfect Hummer Food Recipe:

One part sugar to four parts water – stir until sugar is dissolved

Measure examples:
One cup of sugar to four cups of water
3/4 cup sugar to 3 cups water
1/2 cup sugar to 2 cups of water.

Bring solution to a boil to kill bacteria and slow spoilage –

Allow to cool.

Fill feeders just enough for a day or two of use. Extra solution may be refrigerated if used within one week.

Do not use: raw sugar, agave syrup, brown sugar, molasses, artificial sweeteners, or anything other than white sugar; these cause various problems for hummers. Adding red food-dye coloring is unnecessary and might be harmful. The red on a feeder is enough to attract hummers. DO NOT USE HONEY as this can kill hummingbirds.
-Audubon.org

Kit is a one year old black Chihuahua, a bit shy at first but warms up quickly to you. A tiny thing, she’s huge on personality.

A Dachshund/Chihuahua mix about 4 years old, Rascal is a compact bundle of love with some really distinctive ears. Make his day by making him part of YOUR life.

How about a shaggy dog named Shaggy? A terrier mix about a year old and weighing in at 20 pounds, he has a terrific personality along with that blonde hair, truly a delightful fella.

Come see Shaggy, Rascal, Kit, and all the other animals at the Port Lavaca Animal Shelter, 201 Stringham Drive (across from the rodeo arena), Monday through Saturday, 10 to 2, or call the Calhoun County Humane Society, 553-8916.

You can also view him and other animals ready for adoption on line at www.calhouncountyhumanesociety.org

Thanks and we’ll be waiting for you!