Island Summer Blazes On

Greetings from the island everyone. I hope that all of you are doing well and staying hydrated and keeping cool in the shade, during these heat advisory days that we have been having lately. Poor Corky spends most of his time in a dirt area on the shaded side of the house, constantly digging down to find that cool spot to lie down in. I’m expecting him to hit water down below anytime now. Such is island life without benefit of air conditioning. How does the saying go. . “what doesn’t kill you only makes you stronger”. . . well I sure hope so!

Working early mornings and late evenings when it was cooler, I finally finished my third garage out here, 12’x26’, in hopes of one day using it to protect a tractor that I would love to have out here. Rigged with a front end loader, shredder and post hole auger, I think I could stay busy and make the payments on it doing island chores and projects for fellow islanders. Maybe one day soon.

On Thursday evening several weeks ago, I took a ride down to the Big Jetties and found me a good spot to sit and watch the beautiful boats fishing the Lone Star Shoot Out tournament. They were leaving POC and heading offshore into the Gulf in search of the biggest blue marlin, billfish and other species to weigh in for big dollar prizes. I loved watching the 53 boats heading out, and I try to do it every year.

Well I added something to my small animal island farm just here recently. . I am now the owner of 10 Indian Runner/Mallard mix ducks! They are mostly solid black, but in the sun a greenish/purply tint can be seen on their wings and head. The Indian Runners cannot fly; they walk upright kinda like a penguin. I got them two wading pools and they love getting in them and splashing and bathing. They just wander around inside the fenced yard in a group, munching on grass and laying in the shade. They love eating watermelon and I primarily feed them high protein chicken feed laying pellets. Thank you, Mary Jo, for giving them to me.

I’m continuing to go to the mainland two times a week to visit with Dad and spend the day with Mom at the nursing home. She has good days and bad, and I never know which it is until I get there. But it doesn’t matter at all, I’ll always be there. She loves going to Skillets for her pancakes, the best anywhere according to Mom, and I take her for errands and to load up on snacks. My older brother and sister, Rex and Sherry, also spend several days a week with Mom and take her to Seadrift to visit, and my little sister from California, Darla, comes down to spend time with her as well.

Oh my gosh, I so badly need rain out here on the island. I know that POC and Seadrift have gotten a few nice showers recently, but those showers have bypassed the island. Everything is so dry right now, and without rain the sand on the island and dune roads is getting soft and deep. A few weeks ago I was pulling my riding mower on a 4×6 trailer behind my golf cart and got stuck in a soft and deep area of sand. Even after unhooking the trailer and pushing it aside, I still was stuck. Thank goodness some fellow islanders were here during the week and helped me push it out. Nearing the end of summer, there are less people coming out to the island. Always obstacles to overcome out here.

In closing, I want to say good luck and do well to all of the kids starting back to school. This summer is going by so quickly it seems. Thank you to all of the wonderful teachers and supporting staff that help guide these children in their education. You are the best.

That’s it from the island for now; everyone have a great day and take care and stay cool.

Lilian Stubbs

Her life is a “living legacy” that hard work brings success. Going on 95 years old, Lillian Stubbs can tell you stories of what life was like “back in the day.” Lillian and her husband Van and children came to Seadrift in 1961. That’s almost 60 years ago! And it was in 1961 that Hurricane Carla came, too. Lillian and Van had just started to build a motel next to their home on the bayfront, but Carla put a temporary hold on their plans.. Their home was destroyed by the storm.

They then rented a house and started again to build that dream of owning a motel. After building the motel, there seemed to be no stopping of what they would do next! They constructed apartments next to the motel and bought what used to be a little house next door to rent. Across from the harbor they acquired a restaurant. On the highway they owned a building that at one time included a bar, washeteria, and a liquor store. They owned a trailer park that was near the old water tower. Lillian single-handedly oversaw the renovation of an old building she inherited on Main Street.

About her life she has this to say, “I enjoy living here because I want to live by the water and not in a large city. I enjoyed the bay because I loved to fish and at one time ran my own boat.”

Her contributions to the community include giving to her local church and civic organizations. If you happen to see her around town, be sure and let her know you read this article. She’ll be tickled, for sure!

This article is 6th in the Seadrift Legacy series.

Port O’Connor is seeing a real building boom; seems everyday there is another lot being cleared, if not a whole block. This community that was once know as “The Best Kept Secret” has really flourished. The Chamber welcomes all the newcomers into our little community and hope they enjoy our piece of paradise, get involved and help keep the wonderful atmosphere that has appealed to all who have decided to make this their home.

The community has always worked together as one and looking forward to having more help in making Chamber sponsored events as successful as always. Still to come this year is “Trunk or Treat”, “Scavenger Hunt”, Lighted Boat Parade” down the ICW, “Christmas Lighting Contest” and last the “Annual Chamber of Commerce Christmas Party”. All these events are free; it takes volunteers to accomplish the work to make this happen.

Hopefully next summer, there will be some very nice and reliable playground equipment added to King Fisher Beach for children. This is one of the projects in the works, for the community; it will be a great addition to the beach. Hundreds are enjoying the new beach this year.

Monthly meetings are the 2nd Monday of each month, 6:30 pm at the Port O’Connor Community Center.
If you would like to be on agenda, please contact us before meeting: 361-983-2898.

Check us out on portoconnorchamber.com–Facebook or Instagram.

New & Renewed memberships
Steve & Susan Gumina-

My love affair with Texas started in 1992, when I was unhappily moved from my birthplace of Chicago, Illinois at fourteen years of age, after quite a few years of family turmoil and chaos that is not the point of this article, to El Paso, Texas.

What is the point of this article is that that all too brief period was one of the first in my life where I felt accepted by my peers and, removed from the cesspool that was and is the Chicago public school system, I even got great grades minus art, which for anyone that knew me might seem odd, but I had issues showing others my self created visual art out of nerves and just being a kid.

I loved that period of my life, even though it did not last very long as it gave me a lot of confidence and self-belief that even though I am far from perfect in those areas now, I was severely lacking in them prior to living in El Paso.

So I felt sorrow when I saw the news about the mass shooting in a Wal-Mart there early this August, as the town was to me what was best about America as I recall being one of a smaller amount of white students at the high school and there was never any trouble, never any racial divides, just people getting on with their lives.

However, due to a small percentage of our population who cannot deal with life’s pressures and problems without a violent reaction, there are quite a few people who passed this month prematurely in horrendous crime scenes, rather than getting on with those lives as I once saw the citizens of the city do with great aplomb.

Now, there is a problem, you can blame it on guns, but those, regardless of a debate that should be taken up on background checks for certain arms, those are just the tools used, not the entire cause, that lies in the life and mind of the shooter.

I think the mental health issue is the largest hurdle to be addressed, as well as identifying and reaching out to those that may feel out of touch or disenfranchised with the people and the society around them, making sure that we are not leaving anyone behind nor tying their hands when it comes to good and up kept mental health.

Mental health and getting help for psychological issues needs to no longer be stigmatized so people from all walks of life can get help when they need it, before the trend strikes again and more people are killed or injured.

Mass shootings have been occurring with alarming rapidness of frequency for quite awhile and while both political parties can debate till the end of the Earth on who is to blame, who inspired who, and what party has the best issues to point fingers at or the superior salve for the burn, it is almost irrefutable fact that anyone killing that many people and then usually dying themselves is in a poor mental state.

The faster we can identify and get to the roots of those issues, the faster we will probably save hundreds of lives.

Native Americans From Calhoun County

1 – 2:30 pm – Port O’Connor Library