Mart and Mary Ann Maxwell

It wouldn’t take a person long while engaged in conversation with Mart and Mary Ann Maxwell to discover their passion for Seadrift. Only six weeks into their new pastorate at the Seadrift Community Church located next to Dick’s Grocery Store in Seadrift, the Maxwells are eager to serve and want to reach out to any and all that would respond to God’s love. As Mart Maxwell so aptly put it, “We welcome all and we are a “come as you are” church.” Mart added, “Seadrift Community Church has a great group of people.” He noted that he is grateful for the church’s faithfulness and their love for their Lord Jesus Christ. The new Seadrift Community Church located at 912 W. Broadway in Seadrift is almost completed. All that is needed is an A/C unit and the plumbing to be put in. Mart would like to acknowledge the hard work of Wesley and Janie Blevins, Terry Maddux, and Allen Pakluda that went towards the completion of the new building.

Mart and Mary Ann have been in Seadrift for eight years. Mart was ordained a minister in 2005 by the Cowboy Church Association. His vision for Seadrift Community Church is teaching people about the love of Jesus and watching them grow in their lives with Christ. About Seadrift Mart says, “The people of Seadrift are great people. They’re friendly and they care about people and their town.”

Mart and Mary Ann have a son named Martin, and a daughter named Megan, and eight grandkids.

Originally from Sealy, Texas, the Maxwell family was very active in 4-H and the Future Farmers Association. And working in the oil field was a family tradition as both Mart and his son Martin can tell you. Another family trade is diesel mechanics as Mart has a degree in both diesel mechanics and heavy trucks and son Martin now owns his own diesel service company. Daughter Megan lives with her husband managing a ranch. And who was their biggest fan? Why, Mary Ann, of course!

Southern Fall is different than Fall across the rest of the country, it seems slower like it is taking its time, slowly building towards the colder weather like it is distilling a fine Brandy-wine made from the fruits of Spring and Summer that you can sip on a slightly chilly evening on the porch.

I will admit to there being slight skirmish in my mind being born and living for a long time in the Midwest for the falls you can experience up there, but although the crunch of the leaves and the brisk air is wonderful, it also is of course the precursor to Winter and states like Illinois where I was from that means snow, usually in large amounts at least twice during the season and as much as I love the snow as a kid, I no longer find it as ‘fun’ as I once did.

What once were happy days filled with snow forts, sledding, and catching snowflakes on your tongue turned to shoveling, scraping, and bitter cold.

Snowmen to snowed in, snow days off school to horrible commutes to work, and sledding to trying to navigate your way through streets and sidewalks of ice and snow.

Instead, as I’m now pretty much firmly entrenched in the middle-age years of my life, I much prefer the slow burn of the Southern Fall, the days that are not quite as hot as Summer but not quite cold just yet, the perfect temperature that is the domain of Spring and Fall.

Perhaps that is because middle-age itself is where your body goes from full boil to simmer, perhaps before finally reaching low heat, which in itself might explain the retiree population in places in the South such as Florida.

Crops still grow during a southern fall, to the point where the garden will produce crops specifically able to grow in that climate such as lettuce, spinach, tomatoes, and peas, it means that outdoor activities are not limited to ones that can withstand the in-between temperatures of Fall in this climate.

Kids still play in the streets, couples still go on walks, the animals are still sitting in the sun and eating off the land, and business owners that depend on warmer weather are still making money.
A coda to the seasons of the sun if you will, an afterword written in the language that only Mother Nature can truly compose and understand with all its depths. It is another kind of boon during the season of the harvest, but not one of sustenance but of time, time to be outdoors before the chill rising ahead forces us inside.

It is like the hand of Old Man Winter is being held back by a dividing line across the United States and across the world, and for once not the cold dividing line of countries or provinces or states, but one of warmth and growth, one that promises that even on the coldest of cold nights, the light and heat will return if we just believe it can and hold onto hope.

Left to right: Russell Cain, President of Calhoun County Republican Club; Rev. Darren Sanders; Aaron Peňa

The Calhoun County Republican Club held their monthly meeting on September 4 with Rev. Darren Sanders of Faith Temple as featured speaker. Rev. Sanders presented an inspirational and entertaining talk to an appreciative audience.

Also in attendance speaking were Felicia Harral, Vice President of the Intracoastal Republican Women of Texas. The Club is currently involved in promoting Constitution Day in our public schools. She invited all ladies to attend their monthly meetings, the third Thursday of each month, 6:00 p.m. at the VFW hall.

Two candidates who are running in the upcoming elections introduced themselves: Aaron Peňa of McAllen, who served 10 years in the Texas House of Representatives, who is a candidate for Justice of the 13th Court of Appeals, and Delores Drake, a 24-year veteran of the Calhoun County Sheriff’s Department, serving as 911 dispatcher, who is a candidate for Justice of the Peace, Precinct 2.

The Calhoun County Republican Club invites all interested persons to attend their monthly meetings. For more information, contact Connie Hunt at chunt36@yahoo.com.

Kathy and Leonard O’Briant

Home Is Where the Heart Is

For Leonard and Kathy O’Briant their home is exactly where their hearts took them.. back to a little town called Seadrift! After living in the Houston area for forty-five years, everything changed when they came back to make Seadrift their home again. On both sides, their parents many years ago made a living working in the Seadrift area. Leonard’s dad was a shrimper and the whole family helped make a living on their shrimp boat. Kathy’s dad was a farmer and her mom was a beautician. Leonard and Kathy worked together painting homes after Leonard retired. Now they are really retired, but choose to stay active in their local church. They are professing Christians and attend the Seadrift Community Church. Together they have two children, seventeen grandchildren, and one great grandbaby on the way!