I have a special perspective on the phrase: “Blood is thicker than water,” a saying who’s origins can be traced all the way back to 12th century Germany, because although I did and do have blood relatives out there, most of them I have not seen since 1996 after my mother’s death.

Going into the why of the last part of the above paragraph would take tons of time, effort, and words, as well as meaning giving the readers of this column insight into personal spaces better left untouched or at least better off talked about at another place and time.

Due to the above, I was always prone to say that you could have ‘family’ outside of your blood and although at first it may seem at odds with Scott’s statement I maintain that both are true.

You can have people in your life that are as close as blood relatives to you, more so if as said your past leads you to search outside your bloodline for closeness and a sense of belonging.

I’ve also found that the reverse can be true at certain moments and that blood can indeed be thicker than water and no matter how close you feel to someone you may never be as close as their sister or mother.
This can cause complications because as tight as this ‘family’ can feel you might find there are certain subject matters and boundaries that you are forbidden to cross.

Mostly I’ve found these to be matters of health or the heart, and I’d add politics and religion to that list but conversations on those subjects can break any relationship, no matter how thick the blood might be.

Coming from that angle, the phrase seems to hold true, but this is only because in my humble opinion that is how society has programmed us to think that certain subjects are better off being ‘kept in the family.’

For example, I know a lovely woman in Oregon who was adopted and is ten times closer to her adopted parents than her real ones.

In her case, it is a matter of familiarity and who did what for whom, in other words if you act like mom, look like mom, and talk like mom…you are indeed mom.

Similarly, my ex’s son once told me that he knew I was not his real father but he at the time still looked at me as being his dad.

These questions have been rattling in my mind as I have temporarily (or longer) as noted in last month’s column become a caretaker of sorts and it was for one of my best friends elderly father and an exchange between me and the son had me ruminating on that old phrase.

Personally for me at times it all leads to brief moments of being sad, knowing that I’ll never be as connected to a group as others are to their family and when it comes to things such as holidays not always having a place to be.

On the other hand, it means that I don’t deal with some of the massive headaches I see come from that closeness as well.

Perhaps the secret is in the mixing and the mixture and maybe the dynamic can change if you stir really hard…as long as you don’t mind the sore wrists.

An AMAZING Warrior’s Weekend is in the books! We were talking and all agree that this was the best WW ever and that is saying a lot considering how many great ones we have hosted!!
We want to thank all of our Sponsors for both the Warrior’s Weekend Field of Honor and Warrior’s Weekend itself. You are amazing!

We also want to thank all of our Boat Captains! We did not have anyone left at the dock and were not scrambling to locate others. You showed up and did amazing. For those that did not get a Hero, we so appreciate you and your commitment. We hope to see you again and will do our best to make sure you have someone next year. We could not do this event without you.

Thank you to all of our incredible volunteers! Everyone worked together beautifully to make this weekend happen. It is amazing to witness.

Thank you to the City of Port Lavaca! It was our first year there and not our last. You opened your arms to these Warriors and it is not taken lightly. We hope to continue and grow this great relationship.
Most importantly, we want to thank our Warriors. Thank you for all that you have sacrificed and allowing us the opportunity to let you know that those sacrifices were not forgotten or ever will be. We are already missing our family and we start working on next year this very coming weekend. Can’t wait to see you again!

We will announce when Warrior’s Weekend XIX will be in the very near future. Signups will be on June 1st, 2025

Ron & Sherry Kocian

In the annals of the history of Calhoun County and the rest of the Gulf Coast, dredging has been an integral part of the economic development of the region. In the field of dredging, the name King Fisher stands out for his impact on that industry through the company he founded. King Fisher Marine Service, Incorporated was owned and operated for 58 years by King and his wife Jewel. Together, from its founding in 1940 at Port Lavaca, Texas, they built King Fisher Marine into the largest dredging and marine construction business in Texas. The company flourished, eventually becoming the largest home-based, family-owned dredging business before it was sold in 1997.

Jewel served as the Secretary-Treasurer of the company from 1940 until 1982 and a member of the Board of Directors from 1940 to 1998. Thus King and Jewel, both lifelong residents of Calhoun County, who married on August 13, 1937, remained devoted to each other and to the development of a business that meant so much to so many. It was an amazing cooperative venture of two people who have left their mark on the region and the state.

King Fisher’s father was in the seafood business, operating a fleet of shrimp boats. That experience gave King the knowledge of the bays and waterways when he was a young man. Because of this background, King in adulthood entered the marine industry, utilizing his knowledge of the waterways as he operated the dredges, rugs, and crane barges that formed his company as it grew to be the largest dredging company in Texas with over 300 employees. When he sold the company, he counted himself blessed to have had his whole family involved in King Fisher Marine. This family connection was a source of immense pride for the Fishers.

Not only was King Fisher Marine Service an employer that gave the people great job opportunities but the company made important contributions to the economic development of the county and the Gulf Coast, as well as the State. One significant accomplishment was his development of the “walking spud” for dredges, a process which improved the efficiency of a dredge in “walking” down a channel. Under King’s leadership, King Fisher Marine dredged well over a quarter of a billion cubic yards of material for the United States Corps of Engineers as well as for private industry. The company also laid almost two million feet of marine pipeline and drove approximately 300,000 pilings.
This practice represented an innovation that enable the dredging of the Gulf Intracoastal Waterway to become vital to the economic development of the economy of the whole country. Originally built as a protection to inland transportation, it is now a multipurpose waterway with a varied user base, ranging from commercial transportation to recreational fishing and boating. The commercial aspect is the most important which has spurred economic growth in the coastal regions. King Fisher Marine Service made an outstanding contribution to the marine industry. That contribution resulted in King Fisher’s being honored by inducted into the Smithsonian Rivers and Harbors Hall of Fame.

The GIWW has made it possible for side channels to provide access to areas like Port Lavaca, Houston, Corpus Christi, and Victoria as well as other coastal towns and cities. It has enabled also the local economy to attract large commercial enterprises in Calhoun County and adjoining neighboring counties such as Victoria and Jackson counties attracting large corporations such as the Formosa company and other commercial giants, providing tremendous opportunities for jobs.

In addition to the economic and industrial of the area, the value of GIWW was shown forcefully during World War II when 70 ships were sunk in the Gulf of Mexico alone, those ships were contributing to the war effort by transporting vital supplies and men to aid in the war effort. The value of the commercial and military activity in the Gulf was recognized early in World War II by the Axis powers, principally Germany.

Jewel Fisher was involved in the war effort after the attempted burning of the causeway which connected Port Lavaca to Olivia area was deemed espionage by the FBI. A surveillance system then was installed in the Calhoun County area on the bay front with a wooden tower for observation. At a height of 25 feet, the tower was directly connected to the headquarters of the military bases at San Antonio. Jewel Fisher was one of the volunteers who responded to the military’s call to help monitor the station and report any activity that might concern the military and the prevention of enemy activity.

Not only was King Fisher Marine a vital part of the economy of the Gulf Coast, King demonstrated forcefully the use of dredged material to improve areas like the beaches. Fisher restored 2,000 feet of beach at Port O’Connor at his own expense, thus bringing “King Fisher Beach” into reality and showing Fisher’s dredging acumen and his community spirit.

This feat was not only a boon to Port O’Connor but it represented an advancement in the use of dredged material to benefit an area. Such material would normally have been consigned to a site dedicated to disposition of such material but, in this case, was used to replenish the beach at Port O’Connor. King Fisher Beach became one of white sand, one that was both beautiful and safe, an asset to the growth of Port O’Connor and the recreational attraction of the area.

King Fisher then made arrangements with the U.S. Corps of Engineers to include a clause in all subsequent contracts for dredging at the site of Port O’Connor that any dredged material would be used on King Fisher Beach to make sure that the beach was stabilized continually. As a result, the Corps of Engineers has made it a practice to use in future contracts the provision that usable dredged material be used in beneficial ways.

In addition to “King Fisher Beach,” King Fisher was instrumental in raising La Belle, La Salle’s ship which sank in Matagorda Bay in 1686 and was lost for over 300 years. The Texas Historical Commission led the effort to recover artifacts from La Belle, especially the cannon from La Belle, and enlisted the aide of King Fisher Marine to accomplish that task. Many of the artifacts recovered from La Belle now reside in various museums such as the Texas Maritime Museum in Rockport and the Bob Bullock Texas State History Museum in Austin. King Fisher Marine Service played an important part in the preservation of the history of La Salle’s expedition. The recovered artifacts are a testament to the history of La Salle’s expedition. The recovered artifacts are a testament to the history of the bays of Calhoun County and their place in the annals of Texas history at large.

Both of these enterprises reflect the Fisher’s devotion to their community and its health, as well as setting a standard for responsible use of the material from dredging operations.

The honors that accrued to King and Jewel Fisher are many and varied. Those accolades represent their achievements on a local, regional, state, and country scale. King was inducted into the National Rivers Hall of Fame and the Pipeliners Hall of Fame. In 2000, King was named one of Calhoun County’s 25 Most Influential People of the 20th Century by the Port Lavaca/Calhoun Chamber of Commerce. In 2004, the Chamber also gave King and Jewel Fisher the Man and Woman of the Year Award.

King and Jewel Fisher were treasured citizens of Calhoun County and the Gulf Coast. Upon King’s passing on January 7, 2005, in its Senate Concurrent Resolution No. 3, the Texas Legislator cited King Fisher for his “tenacity, integrity, and construction expertise” as the components of his invaluable “contributions to the economic development of the State.”

One of the best sensations on earth is the first crisp breeze of fall hitting your face. While I’m not sure when we Texans will experience that this year, the Fall Equinox is upon us nonetheless. One of my favorite aspects of fall is watching animals behave in ways unique to the season.

Like in spring, many animals become more active compared to their summer and winter behaviors. Many are preparing for the winter, taking advantage of the bountiful food and resources summer has provided.

Some animals that live in cold environments may hibernate in the winter. This is when an animal’s heart rate slows down, their body temperature drops, and their breathing becomes shallow. This allows them to conserve energy so they can survive during the harsh winter. Animals prepare for hibernation by gorging on as much food as possible, to gain as many layers of fat as they can to keep warm. In Texas, due to our mild winters, we have very few true hibernators. Some animals that hibernate in North America include black bears, groundhogs, chipmunks, salamanders, and certain bats.

Many birds, bats (some migrate while others hibernate), monarch butterflies, and other animals migrate south to escape the cold and find food and resources in warmer climates.

Many animals have other adaptations to survive winter. For example, white-tailed deer grow thicker coats with guard hairs and an undercoat, and they retain fat to keep warm. Squirrels are another example. We’ve all seen squirrels with chubby cheeks, using them to store as many nuts as possible for winter. Fun fact: squirrels don’t remember exactly where they’ve stored their nuts, but they can use their sharp sense of smell to locate them. Squirrels also eat more in the fall to gain weight for the cold months ahead.

Amphibians have adaptations for the cold as well. Frogs and toads are ectothermic, meaning they rely on external heat to regulate their body temperature. So how do they survive winter? Since their body temperature adjusts to their surroundings, they don’t need to prepare in the same way as mammals do.
Aquatic frogs move to the bottom of lakes or ponds and enter a state of hibernation or swim slowly in the water. Land frogs dig themselves underground or burrow into small cavities below the frost line. Some frogs even freeze entirely during winter and thaw out in the spring—still alive! This is possible because the frog freezes and its liver converts glycerol into glucose, which pumps through its body, so ice crystals will not form. Although this protects its major organs from freezing, up to 60% of the frogs’ body water can turn to ice!

Lastly, we get to talk about everyone’s favorite animal group… Insects! Just kidding, I know they’re not everyone’s favorite, but many people will be glad to know that they are not nearly as active in the fall and winter months. Insects don’t suddenly disappear, but they are generally less active and some will burrow deep beneath the ground.
Many insects are mating at the end of the summer and early fall to ensure that their generation can live on. Insects like mosquitos and dragonflies lay their eggs in water, which will survive during winter, and hatch in the spring.
Thanks for reading about the fascinating behaviors animals display in the fall. I hope we get to experience cooler temperatures soon, as fall is officially here!

CALHOUN COUNTY HUMANE SOCIETY
106 HALEY LANE
PORT LAVACA
361-558-8916