It is wonderful to see people contributing their skills and time to improve the shared spaces we all enjoy. Quite a productive workday was held during morning hours despite the August heat. The community garden is getting a fresh start for the fall planting. Kudos to all the volunteers for their dedication and hard work!

The POC Community Garden especially thanks Bobby Allen and Eddie Debowski. Their efforts with the mower, mindfulness, and hard work made a significant impact on the garden’s appearance. Thanks to them and everyone who pitches in to make the community a better place!

The annual meeting on September 24th is a perfect opportunity to celebrate the year’s demanding work and discuss exciting plans for the future. The new shade structure will make a fantastic spot for the gathering of existing members and anyone interested in joining. Please mark your calendar to attend.

Darla Miles
darla121#hotmail.com

“Beacon of Light…Anchor of the Community”
Library News:
POC Library Hours: Phone Number: 361-983-4365
Sunday – Monday: Closed
Tuesday – Friday: 10:30 AM – 5:00 PM
Saturday: 9:00 AM – 1:00 PM

September is library card sign up month. It is like a golden ticket to endless opportunities, whether you are diving into new skills, exploring stories, or tackling misinformation. Libraries offer such a rich variety of resources, from makerspaces to digital collections, and having a library card opens all these possibilities. Plus, with access to books, e-books, and audiobooks, it is easy to keep your mind engaged no matter where you go.

THANK YOU to Our September Donor-
The Anderson Family donated a lovely statue and painting to the library. We appreciate your generosity.

Wednesdays:
o 8:00-9:00 AM – Coffee & Conversation – We made a pot of coffee espresso-ly for you.
o Bingo – The fun follows the 8 AM coffee event every Wednesday. Thank you to our generous sponsors.
o LOTERIA (Mexican Bingo) to follow bingo.
o 1:00-3:30 PM – Mah Jongg – Today’s forecast: 100% Mah Jongg.
Thursdays: 1:00-3:00 PM – Bridge – There are two kinds of bridge, rubber which is normally played at home for leisure, and duplicate bridge which is used for competitions.

Friends of the POC Library:
There are many exciting volunteer opportunities at your local library. Volunteer to assist with or participate in the upcoming boat show. This could involve anything from setting up booths, baking, or selling baked items for the Friends’ booth. It is a fantastic way to support the library while enjoying the local event. Also, every second Saturday of each month provides a wonderful chance to engage, contribute and feel connected through participation with the library’s Children’s Program. Volunteering for these events not only supports the library but also fosters a strong sense of community and involvement. If you are interested, reach out to the library for more details on how to get started!

A tremendous thank you to Ron Simpson and Dwayne Fishbeck who participated in the Port O’Connor Red Snapper Roundup Fishing Tournament for their generous donation to the Friends of the Port O’Connor Library! Their support means so much and helps ensure the library can continue offering valuable resources and services to the community. It is wonderful to see such community spirit and generosity in action. We are all grateful for their contribution!

The Port O Connor Friends of the Library are holding a raffle to raise money for library activities
including a planned expansion that will allow patrons even more opportunities. Raffle prizes will include lodging in POC, guided bay fishing trips, a kayak and more. For additional details see the Friends of the Library table at the Boat Show. Tickets will be $50 individually or 5 for $200. These will be on sale by board members until the crawfish festival in April when the drawing will be held. If you have questions or need a ticket, see us at the boat show or check out our Facebook page!

Children and adults participated in Paint the Sidewalk in front of the library on Saturday, September 14th. The chance to express creativity and artistry was exciting and rewarding. They drew and painted with sidewalk chalk and the results are visible right away. It was quite a cheerful activity that made the environment feel even more welcoming than it already is!

Mark your calendar for the next event on Saturday, October 12th, Fun for Fall.

A big thank you to Beacon 44 RV Park, Doug and Mary Jo Walker, and the annual Cornhole Group for their generous contribution from the Labor Day tournament. Your donation to the Friends of the Library Children’s Program is deeply appreciated and will make a significant impact on our community’s children. Your support is truly valued!

Submitted by Darla Miles. Friends of the Port O’ Connor Library, Publicity Committee/Historian
www.friendsofportoconnorlibrary.org
Facebook Page: Friends of the Port O’Connor Library, Inc.

Super Saturday Children’s Programs
Please note that the 2024-2025 Children’s Program Dates fall on the second Saturday of each month from 10:00 – 11:30 a.m. Mark your calendars for fun at the library!
• October 12th Fun for Fall
• November 9th Friends of First Responders
• December 14th Christmas Party
• January 11th Game Day
• February 8th Super Bowl
• March 8th St. Patrick’s Day
• April 12th New Growth
• May 10th End of the Year Party

As I write, our nation once again pauses to remember the lives lost on September 11th, 2001, in the tragic events at the World Trade Center in New York City, the Pentagon, and aboard 2 American and 2 United Airline flights. Reflecting on that day, three groups of people come to mind: The terrorists, the victims, and the heroes.

The unprecedented act of ideologically driven hate by the Al-Qaeda jihadists – the terrorists – brought me to my knees. I had never witnessed such callous hatred as when three aircraft full of people crashed into the towers, and the Pentagon disappearing in balls of fire. When those towers dropped out of the sky I wept as I also do now, reflecting on the day.

The attacks that day took the lives of 2,977 people. These victims were husbands, wives, sons, daughters, neighbors, business associates, friends, and 441 first responders. Among them was my friend, Irv Isenberg, who responded to the call for help from Williamsville, New York, 420 miles away from NYC. Irv would join the huge group of first responders from all over the country in a search for survivors. Five years ago, on November 11th, he succumbed to cancer linked to his service after 9/11. His wife, referring to Irv as a “silent super-hero,” wrote, “A week before his death in Roswell, before he became comatose, I asked him if he was sorry that he responded to the site. He said, ‘No, I would go again today if the tones came out. Those people needed us.’”

I will never forget the American spirit which shines brightest in such times of testing. The bravery of those on flight 93 who were able to fight the terrorists on board forcing them to crash the plane into a field far from its intended target. The bravery and selflessness of first responders who ran into those towers and other structures to help their fellow man are unforgettable. The courage of boys who became men that day, donning the uniform of military service to set things right, is inspiring.

As a nation, we remember some aspects of the day through various, but many have forgotten too. Among the forgotten is the God we turned to in the days and weeks after 9/11. We sought His peace and comfort until the shock began to wear off. He is worthy of honor in good times and bad.

Today, after standing with, and representing first responders at the Patriot Day Service in Port Lavaca, I returned to Port O’Connor to read to the first-grade class at POC Elementary. Before I read to them, I asked them what they knew about this day. Some knew a lot. I asked them what they knew about hate and celebrated the fact that they knew nothing of hate – I praise God for their innocence. I told them that on that day I saw the greatest demonstration of hate mixed with the greatest outpouring of love as first responders ran in to help others because it was the right thing to do. I expressed my hope that they would grow up to be people like that.

You should have heard them as each one shared what they wanted to be when they grew up – all revolving around helping others. Such beautiful hearts reflect the future heroes of our nation. Let us take a lesson from them about love and hate.

The day the towers fell was a dark moment into which the light of the American spirit shone brightly. Our future as a nation depends on the survival of that spirit in and a return to the God we ran to on that day.

We’ll talk again soon! Bro Rich

The City Waste Water Treatment Plant over the years has become overwhelmed with its capacity due to population increases over the years as well as water influx during heavy rain events. It was decided that we construct a new facility with increased capacity to alleviate this problem. We acquired grant money to build this new facility which amounted to $1.8M. Bids were received to accomplish this project, however, these bids came in at $3,8M, nearly $2M over. We found ourselves woefully short with no options to obtain the additional funds. The design engineers came up with a plan that could get our plant back in a condition that could carry us 5/8 years into the future with our current facility by rehabilitating our current waste clarifier to bring it back to original production numbers and adding a new Chlorine contact chamber. After much discussion it was the decision of council that we should take this option with hopes that we may in the near future acquire additional funds through grants to complete the original plans for the new facility. I might add that the rehabbed clarifier and Chlorine contact chamber will be able to be used in the new facility.
Councilman Kenneth Reese

One night, several years ago, I heard what sounded like a horse neighing. Being in the suburbs at the time, I knew it wasn’t a horse, but actually the sound of an Eastern Screech-Owl. I rushed outside to find it, grabbing my spot light as I went, and started to shine to light around the tree branches. Screech-Owls are quite small, so I knew it might take a moment to get the light on it. When I finally found it, I was amazed at how well it blended in to the tree bark behind it. If I hadn’t known it was there, I would never have spotted it.

Many animals have the amazing ability to match their appearance to their environment. Camouflage in the natural world is also called cryptic coloration. This ability acts like a defense mechanism for animals that allows them to disguise their appearance, masking their location, identity, and movement. This provides an advantage for the individual, concealing them from possible predators and sometimes prey.

Camouflage itself is created differently depending on the species. Some animals use feather or fur coloration to match their environment, but these have very different properties. Feathers or scales can be replaced fairly quickly and regularly, but fur can take weeks or months to grow. Animals with fur are more likely to be camouflaged by season; for example, the arctic fox is brown during the summer months and white during the winter.

Another consideration for camouflage and how it is created is if the animal is a social or solitary animal. The black and white stripes on a zebra make it stand out, but because zebras congregate in large herds, it can be impossible for a predator to pick out an individual animal.

Easily the most common example of background matching is the chameleon. Many people think the chameleon is able to change their skin color and pattern to match whatever their background is, but that actually isn’t true. Chameleons have a group of patterns and colors that they can display by changing hormone levels and nerve impulses in their skin, creating the blended colors that we see.

Other reptiles, and some insects, use camouflage as a warning. Warning colorations signal to potential predators that the animal is toxic or dangerous. An example from our area is the coral snake. With brightly colored rings, the coral snake is alerting other species to its toxic venom. Interestingly, the coloration pattern is so well known that there are other species, like the scarlet king snake, that attempt to mimic the colors and patterns.
For birds, camouflage can be vital to their survival. Raptors blend in to surprise their prey, while birds that don’t want to become prey want to be less conspicuous. Camouflage can also be important for nesting birds, who are vulnerable while siting on their nests. Many ground nesting birds have feathers that match the colors of the ground where they live, whether it be forest, beach, or marsh. American Bitterns have stripes lining their necks; when they extend their heads up all the way, they look just like the marsh grass around them.

As birders, we often emphasize the value of learning bird calls and songs, and this is a prime example for why that is so important. We are often out birding and we stop when we hear a bird call; we always hope to see it, but often we can’t find it because of how well the bird blends in to its environment. Next time you’re out, take a moment to appreciate the colors of the animals you see, and think about how those colors provide protection for the animal. Animals are amazing, and we can learn a lot from them!