Texas General Land Office Adopt-A-Beach Fall Cleanup will be Saturday, Sept. 24 at three sites in our area. Details to come in the Dolphin’s next issue. For info now: www.texasadoptabeach.org

BUNCO! The next Bunco Party will be Tuesday evening, September 6th at 7:00 p.m. in the back room of the Community Center. Call Shirley Gordon at the Library for further information, 983-4365. This is an amazing group of fascinating women that play Bunco each month; ages ranging from 20’s to _____! We all have a great deal of fun, checking with everyone to see the latest trip, story or event in their lives. Our hostesses will be Biddie Hileman and Sally Jones; in the past they have provided great surprises, so this should be a Fun evening.

The Service Club and the POC History Book Committee are searching for a picture of the ranch house on the LaSalle Ranch preferably back in the 40’s. If anyone has a photo in their possession and will lend it to be copied, please contact either Sue Kubecka, 798-0560 or Janet Johnson, 983-4733.

Though fishing tournaments seem to occur every weekend this Summer, the best is yet to come. And that is the Grand Slam Memorial in honor of Chris Ragusin. It will be held on the 7th and 8th of October. Do mark that weekend on your calendar. You won’t be disappointed!

School started Monday to the delight of many mothers and the mixed emotions of their children. Please watch out for them as you drive through our intersections; the kids will be somewhat excited about their classes and may not be paying full attention to cars.

Last month I mentioned that Hoop had a new writing on his sign at Hurricane Junction; “Save Water, Drink Beer”, and following the morning that the slogan was exhibited, we had a small rain shower. Well, this is the end of August, and we’ve had no rain for a long time. So, Hoop, can you come up with another slogan that will produce rain? Or do you know a rain dancer?

Returning to POC after several days’ absence, you tend to see everything in a different light. It’s almost as though each tree, house, store, boat has a black line around it; it’s so much clearer. You really see the brightness of colors on a house, the wonderful green of a flowering bush, or, for me, the stack of books in the Library waiting to be reshelved! Now that’s a welcome!

suekubecka@yahoo.com
361 798-0560

If the reader wishes to add any news at any time to this column, please contact me at the above address or telephone number. And thanks in advance.

This will be a somewhat shorter column than usual; we’ve been out of town, New Orleans, on my annual birthday trip. Generally, New Orleans is warm in August, but this year, it wasn’t warm, ‘twas HOT! One weatherman said, 93-95 degrees, another said 100! I believe that one! But the trip, as usual, was totally delightful, except that I got hooked on pralines! Wound up buying two pounds; the first was annihilated before leaving town! There is always so much to see and do in that delightful City; even spending a month there, you could not see it all, especially in the French Quarter. But I’d sure love to try!

Prior to leaving Port O’Connor for New Orleans, I thought I’d work on those wonderful “love handles” that won’t go away. Watching my beautiful daughter-in-law grow even more slim as a result of teaching Yoga classes, I took out a book from our Library on Yoga. Titled Yoga For All by Bharat Thakur, the book is beautifully illustrated with excellent photographs showing each exercise. Sections of the book are divided into various exercises for different parts of the body, and another section describes the benefits of meditation. Sadly, I’ve still got the “love handles”!

The First Love Cookie Club book had such an intriguing title, I took it home. Actually, I took it to New Orleans, but read only two paragraphs! This is the third book in Lori Wilde’s Twilight Texas series; the other two are entitled The True Love Quilting Club and The Sweethearts’ Knitting Club.

Take one plump teenager in love with an older neighbor boy, a caring grandmother with a special Christmas Tradition, in a small community with concerned residents near the Brazos River called Twilight, Texas; shake them up and forward nine years and a book with that warm feeling evolves.

Our heroine, Sarah Collier, the overweight teen who is underloved by parents, grows up, slims down, moves to Manhattan, writes a special best seller novel under the name of Sadie Cool. Several years later while struggling with writer’s block on her next book, she receives a startling letter from a young girl in Twilight, Texas. The letter pleadingly invites Sadie to Twilight’s Christmas Celebration. Deciding to attend and arriving in her hometown, Sadie soon discovers that the young letter writer is the dying daughter of Travis Walker, the object of Sadie’s teen-age crush. And the book continues from there with the intrusion in the lives of both Sarah and Travis by the seven members of the Cookie Club.

This book is one of those heartwarming “gotcha” kind of stories; it makes you feel good while and after reading it. Must remember to put it out with our Christmas display at the Library.

We’ve just received a wonderful donation by a caring individual; a number of dvds for children. Among the group is Lilo & Stitch 2, a Walt Disney film. It’s certainly gratifying to receive donations of books and needed dvds from concerned members of this Community.

We have a number of books, both hard cover and soft cover, available for sale; at the prices of $1.00 for hardcover and $0.25 for the soft. They make excellent companions when you go on a trip and don’t want to worry about a due date from our Library. Do come and check them out! You won’t be disappointed.

“When an old person dies, a Library burns down”
Karin Gillespie

School is back in session and summer is almost over. Labor Day is fast approaching, which usually signals a drastic slow-down of our visitors to Port O’Connor. We really are suffering from the lack of rain along with most of Texas. We need to continue to pray for rain; God will listen.

Brother George Yarbrough’s preaching is bringing the congregation closer to the Lord. Both the morning and evening services on Sunday are filled with members and visitors. This past Sunday, Brother Raymond Grant led the congregation in singing “This Is My Father’s World” and “Because He Lives”. Brother grant inspired the children with the Children’s Sermon, and the parents gave a big ovation. The Choir sang the beautiful Gospel song, “The Eastern Gate”. It was a very worshipful Sunday!

The Church A Cappella Choir rehearses every Sunday afternoon at 5:00 p.m. and invites anyone who enjoys Christian music to join them in their rehearsals. The Choir will be traveling to Palacios in October to sing for the Senior Adults at their Retreat at Palacios Baptist Encampment.

Sam Craig, recording artist, music evangelist, missionary and Christian youth camp director, will be at the church on October 16. Sam will be singing and preaching on Sunday morning at the 11:00 a.m. service. Sam has just returned from a missionary journey to South America.

The Church’s Pastor Search Committee is still diligently and prayerfully reviewing resumes submitted to them by prospective pastors. The men of the Church are meeting early each Tuesday morning to pray for the Church and the Committee. God has a man for the Church Shepherd and prayer will help the Committee find him.

Everyone is invited to the Church Sunday School or Bible Study hour at 9:45 a.m. every Sunday morning. A new class has started for the young adults and reports are that it is a very exciting and inspirational class. The Bible teacher is John Yearwood. If you are a young adult, married or single, you are invited to come at 9:45 a.m. for fellowship with John Yearwood and this fine class in Fellowship Hall.

See you in church Sunday!

Beniciano “Ben” “Shorty” Garza, 92, of Seadrift, passed away Saturday, August 20, 2011. He was born August 24, 1918, in Sandia, to the late Locario Garza and Simona Villarreal Garza. He was a retired mechanic and a member of St. Patrick’s Catholic Church in Seadrift.

He is survived by his wife, Odilia Garza; daughter, Dalia Martinez and husband Jose Sr. of Corpus Christi; son, Fidenco “File” Garza and wife Ciara Estraca of Seadrift; brothers, Manuel Garza Sr. of Port Lavaca, and Juan Garza of Floresville; seven grandchildren and 15 great-grandchildren.

He was preceded in death by his parents; sons, Reynaldo Garza and George Garza; sisters, Rosa Navarro and Jesusa Estrada; brothers, Nicolas Garza, Predro Garza, and Simon Garza Sr.

Funeral Mass was celebrated on August 24 at St. Patrick’s Catholic Church, Father Ty Bazar officiating. Burial followed at Seadrift Cemetery.

Pallbearers were his grandsons Joey Martinez, Michael Martinez, Raul Mendez, and Gilbert Rios, and nephews Lionel Navarro Sr. and Luis Angel Garza Sr.

Honorary pallbearers were Bonifacio Gonzalez and Neal Gray.