Weekly Events:
Wednesdays:  8:00 am-9:00 am Coffee & Conversation at POC Library
Wednesdays: 4:30 pm Boy Scouts meet at Scout Hall in Seadrift
Thursdays: 1:00 pm-3:00 pm- Bridge at POC Library
Fridays: 1-3 pm – Mahjongg at POC Library
Saturdays: 7:00 pm    Friends of Bill W at First Baptist Church, POC
Sat., Nov. 19    Turkey Cook Off Josie’s Mexican Restaurant, Port O’Connor
Thurs., Nov. 24    Thanksgiving Day
Sat., Nov. 26    Poker Run 10:00 am  Josie’s Cantina
Tues., Nov. 29    Medicare Assistance 11:00-1:00    Port O’Connor Community Center
Tues., Nov. 29    Christmas Wreath Making 2:00-4:00 pm    Port O’Connor Library
Thurs., Dec. 1    Port O’Connor Community Service Club 10:00 am POC Community Center
Fri., Dec. 2    Senior Citizens Christmas Luncheon 11:30 am  Port O’Connor Community Center
Sat., Dec. 3    Breakfast with Santa Toy Drive 8:00-11:00 am
Mason Lodge #36, 3494 FM 1090, Port Lavaca
Sat., Dec. 3    Toy Run Arrives Afternoon The Inn at Clark’s, POC
Sat., Dec. 3    Lighted Boat Parade 6:30 pm Down the ICW at Port O’Connor
Sat., Dec. 3    Christmas Tree Lighting 5:00 pm  Seadrift First United Methodist Church
Sun., Dec. 4    Seadrift Community Choir Performs 9:00 am  St. Patrick Church, Seadrift
6:00 pm        First Assembly of God, Seadrift
Mon., Dec. 5    Calhoun County Republican Club 6:00 pm VFW Hall in Port Lavaca
Thurs., Dec. 8    Seadrift Community Choir Performs 6:00 pm  Trinity Shores, Port Lavaca
Fri., Dec. 9    Seadrift Community Choir Performs 2:00 pm Seadrift School
Sat., Dec. 10    Farmers Market 8:00-Noon  King Fisher Beach, Port O’Connor
Sat., Dec. 10    Seadrift Community Choir Performs 4:45 pm
Bayfront Pavilion w/Seadrift Chamber of Commerce
7:00 pm        St. Joseph Catholic Church, Port O’Connor
Sun., Dec. 11    Seadrift Community Choir Performs
11:00 am        Seadrift United Methodist Church
6:00 pm        First Baptist Church, Seadrift
Tues., Dec. 13    Hooked on Books Club  alanehaardt@yahoo.com
Wed., Dec. 14    Seadrift Choir Performs 7:00 pm   Salem Lutheran Church, Port Lavaca

Some of those responsible for that great food: from left to right: Christopher Jones, Cathy Osborn, Samuel Klamm, Cain Roberts.
-Photo by Tanya DeForest

The last couple of weeks of September saw this local restaurant packed with diners and well-wishers after the announcement that Cathy’s Restaurant would be closing for good on September 30. Cathy’s has been a staple in Port O’Connor for many years, with a loyal base of local customers and a steady stream of visitors coming to enjoy her award-winning shrimp.

Cathy’s husband, Jerry Osborn, a shrimper, figured out many years ago when the price of shrimp was so low, that they could make a lot more money from his catch if they had a restaurant. So, 33 years ago the couple rented the old Stryker’s Restaurant and began. A few years later, they built a new building and continued serving their delicious fried shrimp and other great menu items.

Cathy’s had 20 employees, some having been their 7, 10, or in the case of Tasha Jones, 23 years!
In November, the Osborns will celebrate their 43rd wedding anniversary. They have two children, Heather, a teacher at Travis School, and Justin, a lab tech at Formosa. Justin and his wife, Allie, have two children – Tegan and Romy.

Cathy says she is sad to leave her loyal employees and customers, but after the recent deaths of both her mother and mother-in-law, she realized that she and Jerry needed to slow down and live life while they can enjoy it. At the top of her list is spending more time with her grandchildren.

They won’t be completely retired, as they plan to set up a food truck in Port Lavaca’s Calhoun Plaza. Although the restaurant building has been sold, no details about it have been released.

Red Childers, Cathy Osborn & Bob Allen

 
Afternoon Coffee

Red Childers, retired fishing guide (at right) and Bob Allen, retired farmer/rancher, have been enjoying afternoon coffee together for about 20 years. There were once more than a half dozen fellows who met together. With the passage of time, moving away and passing away, the group is now down to usually four regulars: Red, Bob, Jerry Tucker, and Joey Lane.

Cathy says she will surely miss these guys and all the good folks who have been her regular customers for all these years.

With Veterans Day nearing, it is a good time to remember those among us who have so valiantly served our country. This issue we feature three of our Veterans, two from Port O’Connor and one from Seadrift – just three of the brave in our community.

Bob Allen & Noelle Munsey

Two people from entirely different backgrounds, Bob Allen and Noelle Munsey, had the same story to tell about their time in the service. Bob served three years in the Coast Guard and Noelle was in the Navy eight years. Bob had his career put on hold in order to serve. Noelle gave up being with family, friends, and the comforts of home. But Noelle says, “It was truly an honor to serve my country, while it was a sacrifice.”

Bob, a native Texan, is from Victoria County. Noelle, Bob’s caregiver, is from the Midwest. Upon retirement, Bob settled permanently in Port O’Connor some 15 or more years ago. He spoke fondly of his wife, Bell, and recounted how they would spend time together in the great outdoors! They were married over sixty-five years and have one son, Roy. Bob turns 91 in October.

Noelle has been in Port O’Connor fifteen months. While in the Navy she was a RM3 which had to do with ship to shore communications.

While Bob was in the Coast Guard in 1950 to 1953 he served as a Navigation Aid on a lightship. A lightship is a ship designed specifically as a navigational aid for maritime use. Just like the illustration with this article the name of the lightship that Bob served on had the name “Relief” on it. Bob enjoyed talking about his experiences while serving on a lightship.

Both Bob and Noelle served at duty stations on the West Coast. Bob was stationed in Seattle. Noelle was in Palo Alto, California.

We salute their service to our country, land of the free and home of the brave!

The Lightship, “Relief”

Paola Martinez

Meet Paola Martinez. She teaches first grade at the Seadrift School, has one daughter Eliana, and has a story to tell!
Born in the Dominican Republic she is proud of the fact that she “came to America July 3, 1992.” She was seven years old when she started second grade at St. John’s Catholic School in Leonia, New Jersey. It was her first American School.

Fast forward to after her graduation from high school and you will find Paola going into the Navy in 2003. Her first assignment was on the ship “USS Grasp” which was a rescue and salvage ship. This ship was the first ship to come to the rescue when John Kennedy Jr.’s plane crashed on the east coast. Paola was a deck seawoman on this ship. Her job involved maintenance and custodial care. She had several near-death experiences while working on the deck of this ship.

After being certified as a culinary specialist Paola was assigned to the “USS Bomhome-Richard.” Some of Paola’s favorite dishes are lasagna and spaghetti.

After spending four years in the Navy Paola received an honorable discharge in 2007. She spent another four years working as a secretary at Patti Welder Middle School in Victoria. Afterwards she earned an associate degree at UHV. Paola has been teaching since 2020.

About her military service Paola says, “Serving in the military was one of the greatest blessings in my life. It changed my life for the better. It provided structure, discipline, and direction for my life.”

Way to go, Paola!!

Nice Beach Combing Island Weather

Greetings from the island everyone on this nice early Fall morning! As I sit here at my little kitchen table, drinking my first cup of hot black Maxwell House coffee, (having just fed Corky, Jetty, and the chickens/ducks/guineas), I look outside at the darkness and can feel the salty barrier island air starting to get a little cooler now each morning. There are no trees on the island that change their leaves into Fall color; palms and salt cedars (Tamarisk), simply don’t do that, but I can imagine that across the country this beautiful transition is slowly beginning to happen.

Spring is my favorite season of the year on the island, always having just finished the cold blustery months and looking forward to starting my tomato seeds for gardening, but Fall is also a very nice time of year for me out here. I think mainly because the older I become, not that I’m old by any stretch, those hot summer months without air conditioning are brutal, and the forthcoming cooler days are a very welcomed sight. Also, I know that when October arrives, the dreaded hurricane season is nearing the end and I can breathe a much needed sigh of relief.
Fall also provides great beach combing weather, being able to search for washed in treasures of sea beans, shells and whatever else may have decided to come ashore on the sandy beach from the Gulf of Mexico and beyond. I always take Corky with me on beach rides, and let him run and get his exercise by chasing the little sea birds along the edge of the surf. I have to first make sure that there are not any cows roaming the beach, otherwise he loves to chase them, and becomes oblivious to my commands when he is in cow-chasing mode.

Other than the common Cockle seashells, which are very nice large shells that can easily be painted or decorated, there have not been a large variety washing in the past several months. I love finding the scotch bonnets, sharks eye snails, lightning whelks (state seashell of Texas), and other beautiful and unique seashells. But you never know what Mother Nature is gonna provide, so that could change at any given time, and it always does. But it doesn’t really matter, just being able to be on the beach and enjoy the tranquility of it is reward enough.

Well, that’s it from the island for now, everyone take care and have a wonderful day, and don’t forget to have a big bag of treats ready for the little goblins on Halloween.

Clint Bennetsen is a retired police detective who has lived full time on the off-grid Matagorda Peninsula barrier island, off the coast of Port O’Connor, Tx., for nearly 17 years. Clint shares his Island Life experiences and adventures monthly in the Dolphin Talk newspaper. If you have any comments or questions, you can contact Clint at ccbennetsen@yahoo.com or at dolphin1@tisd.net.