There is a local couple who every lover of the Texas Coast should get to know. If not them personally, then by way of the gifts their talents have given us.

In 1993 after a thirty year career of teaching and mentoring biology students at Victoria College, Wayne “Doc” McAlister with his wife Martha embarked on a new life, a life on Matagorda Island. Intending to spend just five years they fell under the spell of the island and stayed for ten. Hosting visiting groups and through the environmental education program they developed, they infused the throngs with enthusiasm, wonder and knowledge of the island plants, critters, winds, waves, sand, sea & sky; the conglomerate of natural processes that is the island.

Published in 2004, Life on Matagorda Island takes us into their habitation of this “undeveloped ribbon of sand lying off the central Texas coast”. With Doc’s eloquent, exacting prose and Martha’s unadorned drawings, this gift swells the heart of those who love this jewel of the gulf coast as they share with us the macro and micro cosmos of our barrier island.

The potholed road takes advantage of the linear topography of the island as it follows the slight rise that marks the inland edge of the marsh. Ahead of me Matagorda stretched in a slight southeasterly arc to a vanishing point in the hazy distance. Except for the road and an occasional line of posts that marked cross-fences, the vista appeared untouched by human hands. Neatly detached from the substance and turmoil of the mainland, virgin, unperturbed, suspended in time – an untouchable island universe reposed in all its natural splendor. I could not help but borrow from the vernacular of the astronomers who view the marvel of the galaxies. Dare I gaze upon it, let alone touch it?

But Doc’s first love was that of the Guadalupe River. Born beside it, imprinting on it, bonding with it from source to effluence, from bank to bank through decades of exploration, inspection, dissection, study and observation Doc shares his passion and the rivers beguiling charms with us in another gift, Paddling the Guadalupe.

I have floated every bend, daydreamed through all the meanders, negotiated every swift water, paddled every reservoir, hauled over every portage this river has to offer – every one at least four times, some many more. I have camped along the Guadalupe from top to bottom in good weather and bad. I have run this stream when the water was so limpid the fish had nowhere to hide and when it was so thick and ugly that I could hear its load of silt grating on the bottom of the canoe. I have staggered along miles of riverbed when there was not enough water to float the Naiad, hauled canoe and gear across the quaking treachery of log jams, and dashed down -stream on a rising flood threatening to smash me to smithereens. I have been on the Guadalupe in the heavy doldrums of August when the sound of the cicadas in the willows seemed about to split my head, and I have shivered my way downstream with my breath misting the air while a blue norther froze my stern. I have run the Guadalupe in high exuberance and when I was so exhausted and dejected that I wanted to quit.

By sharing his lifetime’s experience and the many features of the river Doc draws us coastal cousins closer to this aquatic grandparent, the source of freshwater without which our bay system would not exist.

These books are just two of the Texas treasures wrapped nicely cover to cover filled with delightful adventure and effusive information. Other gifts by the McAlisters include A Naturalist’s Guide Matagorda Island and Guidebook to the Aransas National Wildlife Refuge. All must reads for any resident or visitor to the Coastal Bend. Most exciting for those of us already hooked on the McAlister’s magic is a sneak peek at Doc’s upcoming book Don’t Let the Bullsnakes Bite. The first chapter of this eBook which is “about my Grampa, with a retelling of a few of the horrific bedtime stories he told, from his inventive imagination, to entranced grandsons” and is available free on Amazon.

As your enthusiasm and reverence for these sages grow, you will want to meet them and you will have that opportunity on Saturday, September 19 when the Friends of the Port O’Connor Library will host Dinner with Texas Authors. The McAlisters, along with several other Texas authors, will be on hand to chat and swap stories of our common aquatic connections be it Matagorda Island, the Guadalupe River or any natural wonder in between. Tickets are only $25 per person and can be purchased in advance from www.FriendsofPortOConnorLibrary.org, The Treasure Chest and at First National Bank in Port O’Connor.

Article provided by Brigid Berger, Texas Master Naturalist Mid-Coast Chapter

Seadrift School would like to welcome our 2015-2016 new faculty members to our school family:

Margie Ruppelius – Instructional Aide; Kaitlyn Dzuik –Fourth Grade Teacher; Billie Derosia – Fifth Grade Teacher; CoCo Caldwell – Resource Teacher; Dustin Hahn – Resource Teacher; Mitchell Waechter – Music/Band Teacher; Kelly Wehmeyer – Instructional Specialist; Carol Cowley – Counselor/Algebra Teacher

School Starts August 24

The Dolphin wishes a happy new school year to our teachers and students and looks forward to reporting on their accomplishments during the coming year.

POC Service Club will be getting back to the school year schedule along with all the kids and families. We will go back to our bimonthly meetings held the 1st and 3rd Thursdays of each month at the community center in September. Our annual election of officers will take place at our September 3rd meeting, and fall and winter projects are taking shape. Our Christmas Luncheon is just around the corner, and other activities will be needing our attention. Come update your calendar at our next meeting.

The POC Locator Map is tentatively scheduled for installation at Kingfisher Beach in August. We are very excited to show it off to our community. The fall garage sale is scheduled for October 10, 2015 from 8-2 at the Pavilion. A big thanks to the many who have already donated treasures and finds for this sale. We are still taking quality used household items, sporting goods, clothing and furniture to sell. All proceeds go towards our Scholarship awards to POC Youth. If you need to clean up or clean out, or you have items to donate, please call Marie Hawes at 361-920-2322 to arrange for donations.

We are still working on the new club Cookbook. We need more recipes and would love to include yours. Contact a club member to share your favorites.

Does back to school mean a change in your schedule? Maybe now is the time to join the Service Club. Our fall activity schedule has a variety of opportunities for you to volunteer. Come to one of our back to school meetings and check out whether we are the place for you to serve.

So, until next time, be safe, live simply, love openly, forgive generously and remember what famous novelist Herman Melville said, “We cannot live only for ourselves. A thousand fibers connect us with our fellow men.” We would love to help you increase your fiber. It is really good for you!

Houston Volunteers Helping to Clean Fish

Ever wonder what they do with all those fish caught at the big fishing tournaments? Seven big Blue Marlins were brought in for POCO and five for Shootout. Many smaller fish including Dorado, Specks, Reds, Wahoo, and Tuna were also brought in during recent tournaments. So, what happens to all that fish? Well, it is really quite amazing what happens next. Some fishermen do keep their catch, clean them and eat them. More fishermen donate their fish to help others. The Fishermen’s Chapel team, POC volunteers and several service groups from other communities give of their time to clean and fillet these fish. They are packaged and shared in several ways. A huge portion of fish from the POCO tournament went to a homeless ministry, food pantry and back to school outreach at a church in southeast Houston. Disadvantaged families and areas will be served at little expense enabling the ministry to reach more people. A Teen Challenge Ministry helping teens recover from drug abuse and addiction received several meals. A Catholic Family Outreach Group in the Corpus Christi area took a portion to feed families in need and to support a prison ministry. A Fort Worth church gleaned enough fillets to serve those attending a charity fundraiser for outreach to families. A Vietnamese church group fed families in need in our neighboring communities with fish they helped clean. The POC Food Pantry ministry froze many fillets to feed families in need in our area throughout the coming weeks. The fish were used to their fullest. Families, children and individual were blessed and will continue to be blessed by the fish that were caught. The fishermen who donated their catch deserve a big Thank You! All those who volunteers to clean fish, we appreciate you sincerely. Sharpen your knives, we’ll see you next tournament.

We know from Scripture that Jesus once fed 5,000 men, plus the women and children, with a boy’s lunch which consisted of five slices of bread and two small fish. We have calculated that with the donations from Poco Bueno, the Lone Star Shootout, the Shark Tooth, and the Speedy Stop tournaments, we have fed at least 12,000 meals! How? We were blessed with generous donations from generous fishermen and gleaned the tables from the Poco and Speedy Stop tournaments. We bagged that fish and food and have passed it on to many groups. Food was passed out by a Southeast Houston congregation, a Houston Asian church, a congregation in Corpus Christi, a church in Bloomington, and to many people right here in Port O’Connor. All of this food was donated right here in Port O’Connor! Isn’t it great to live in Port O’Connor! We have a lot of great people willing to do what they can to help others!

There is no way I would attempt to thank all the people who were involved in this great mission venture. We cleaned the seven blue marlin (one of which weighed 575 pounds) from Poco and the 11 boxes of trout and reds, the five blue marlin from the Lone Star Shootout (one of which weighed 660 pounds), the 250 pound tiger shark and the close to 40 additional smaller ones from the Shark Tooth Tournament. Speedy Stop provided us the gleanings from their tournament which consisted of a lot of hot dogs and hamburgers, with buns and desserts that were eaten with great enjoyment.

One can only imagine the great joy that we have at the Chapel knowing that we are helping feed our neighbors. We sincerely believe that one day when we stand in the presence of our Lord, there will be people who come and thank us for helping feed them. But, we know that those who have donated will get the same “thanks” because we believe all acts of generosity will be revealed. Thanks for now, and soon you will hear THANKS for eternity!

Our “Christmas” celebration was enjoyed by all. Yes, on August 9th, we celebrated Christmas at the Chapel, complete with decorations, a Christmas party which included a meal, gift exchange, and of course, ice cream! It was a great “Birthday Celebration for Jesus”. It was inspired by our guest Evangelist, Ric Gorden, who wrote a song about all the things that are “wrong” about our traditional Christmas celebrations – the over-commercialization, the greed, the debt., etc. – and suggested that a true Christmas celebration without all these ills would be better served if we chose “August 12” to celebrate the birth of our Lord. We heard a lot of excellent Christmas music from Ric’s new Christmas CD, all new songs that he has written. It was great to have this friend of the Chapel come again and share his talents with us. We will be looking forward to Ric Gorden’s next visit.

Captain Robert will be here for another Sea Academy Class beginning August 21. All who are interested in receiving the benefits of this teaching should contact the Sea Academy at 361/758-6184 or Captain Robert at 361/816-3010.

We are praying for all our kids as they return to school on August 24. We are planning a special “Back to School” Friday Night Youth on August 28. Nathan and Darin are doing an excellent job in providing an evening of fun, food and fellowship for our area kids. We encourage all school age kids to come for an evening that you will long remember. Friday Night Youth begins at 7:00 p.m. and concludes at 10:00 p.m.

Everyone will find a warm welcome at the Chapel. We have Sunday Bible Study at 10:00 a.m.; Morning Service at 11:00; Corporate Prayer with Pastor Joane at 5:00 p.m., and Evening Service at 6:00 p.m. each Sunday. We have our midweek service at 7:00 p.m. each Wednesday and Friday Night Youth from 7-10 p.m. Soon we will be starting our Fisherman’s Bible Institute classes on Tuesdays from 7:00-9:00 p.m. There are many other special events for our Ladies’ and Men’s groups which help make us a very active congregation.

Fisherman’s Chapel is an interdenominational congregation whose goal is to help us live the abundant life Jesus promises and the eternal life for which we were created. One will always find a warm welcome at the Chapel, and all are urged to, “Come, grow with us!”

La Gloria de Dios es más grande que todo el universo. En estos tiempos necesitamos todo lo que nos pueda dar. El espera que nosotros nos acerquemos a él cada día que pasa. Estos meces han pasado rápidamente y pronto vendrá el tiempo en donde tendremos que estar más cerca de él. La naturaleza y los cielos nos hablan y dicen que pronto los tiempos cambiaran. Espero que estemos listos para lo que vendrá. Es útil que tengamos una relación muy personal con Dios. Solos su misericordia podrá traernos la ayuda que vamos a necesitar. Busque a Dios mientras puede ser hallado. Porque vendrán los días en que no lo podrán encontrar. Que Dios los ayude a encontrar su gloria. Dios les bendiga.

Su hermano en Cristo Pastor Jesse C. Alderete.

En este mes estaremos comenzando servicios totalmente en español en el templo Fisherman’s Chapel en los Martes a las 7:00pm. Todos son invitados.

Fisherman’s Chapel
361-482-9485