Port O’Connor teacher Erin Gayler was named one of the Top 20 Elementary Educators of Texas, Region 3 Education of the Year. and TEA Master Teacher.

She is pictured here with Port O’Connor School Principal Kelly Wehmeyer.

Drive on down to the west end of the seawall on Bay Avenue in Seadrift and you will see that the new seawall project has begun! It’ll be worth the wait (since Hurricane Harvey!) and won’t we be the envy of the Texas Coast! Pictured are John Mendiola and Michael McClees. They are part of the construction crew of S.R.Trident. S.R.Trident is based in the Corpus Christi area. John and Michael are pile drivers. Michael says, “We are happy to be here!” If he only knew how happy we are that he and his crew are here!

Right now the crew is cleaning up in front of the existing seawall removing debris and they are preparing to pour the concrete wall panels that will be used to make the new seawall. The project is scheduled to take 285 days. -Tanya DeForest

Outstanding 4-H members and volunteers were recently recognized at the annual Calhoun County 4-H Achievement Banquet.

In 4-H, star awards are the most prestigious award that a 4-H member can receive. The Bronze Star Award is given to junior-level 4-H members (grades 3-5), the Silver Star Award is given to intermediate-level 4-H members (grades 6-8), and the I Dare You and Gold Star Awards are given to senior-level 4-H members (grades 9-12).

The 2023 Bronze Star Award recipient was Keeley Brumfield from the Lakeside 4-H Club in Seadrift, and the Silver Star Award recipient was Beth Boone from the Town & Country 4-H Club in Port Lavaca. The 2023 “I Dare You” Award was presented to McKenna Guevara from Port O’Connor’s club, Intercoastal 4-H, and the Gold Star Award (presented by County Judge Richard Meyer) was awarded to Justice Epley from the Lakeside 4-H Club in Seadrift. The 2023 scholarship was awarded to Madyson Lovett from the All-Around 4-H Club in Port Lavaca. The Friend of 4-H award was presented to the Matagorda Bay Mitigation Trust. The Honorary 4-H Member award was given to Karen Lyssy. The Meritorious Award was presented to Ashley and Chase Evans.

On behalf of the Calhoun County 4-H organization, we would like to congratulate this year’s award recipients and thank our volunteers and community for their support. -Amy Boone

Patrick Buhler

It’s been over a year ago, but for Patrick Buhler it’s like yesterday when he experienced his life-changing experience. You see… Patrick Buhler died in the ambulance, and like Lazarus in the Bible, he came back to life after several attempts to reactivate his heart. He had a massive heart attack that left him with the use of only 20% of his heart. Now Patrick’s heart has been restored to 40%.
Patrick is so grateful to the EMS that he visits the Port Lavaca EMS station often taking them food gifts while expressing his thanks. The two EMS heroes that were with him the day of his heart attack were James Warmuth and Joe Robert Perez. Pictured from left to right are James, Patrick, and Joe.

Just like the background of the picture that says “teamwork” it took the teamwork of James and Joe to save Patrick. Joe had to pull over the ambulance to help James reactivate Patrick’s heart when it stopped. It would stop eight more times on the way to Citizens Memorial Hospital. All this time Patrick was unaware of what was happening. He wouldn’t find out anything until he came out of a coma days later.

Patrick is originally from Victoria and has lived in Calhoun County specifically in Port O’Connor and Alamo Beach for 12 years. He is one of eight children of Barbara and William Buhler. Patrick has done carpentry all his life. For the past 12 years he has had his own company called PB Fencing and Deck. The reason Patrick loves to live by the water is because he’s been around it all his life. His family used to have a bay home in Port O’Connor on the corner of Washington and Jackson Street.

Patrick wants to thank the staff at Citizens where he was hospitalized, and he extends endless gratitude to James and Joe who came that day from the Seadrift EMS substation. Patrick also wants to recognize the Port O’Connor Volunteer Fire Department who were there with him until James and Joe were able to come. Patrick wants to note that because of the proximity of the Seadrift EMS substation it saved his life.

Whistling Ducks, Heat And Tar Balls

Greetings from the island everyone!  I hope that all of you are doing well and hanging in there with this brutal heat.  Being on my 24th year total on this barrier island, this is the driest and hottest summer I’ve experienced.  The dim light at the end of the tunnel is beginning to brighten just a tad though, meaning that Fall, cooler weather, and hopefully plenty of rain, is slowly making its way towards us.  With each passing Island Life article, it gets closer.  Umm, YAY!!

The Whistling ducks, aka Tree ducks, have made their summer trek to the barrier island.  They arrived several weeks ago, and make the island a stop-over every summer, nesting in the open fields.  There’s no doubting where their name comes from, as they make a distinct whistling sound when flying overhead.  On occasion I’ll see them sitting on a fence post, but for the most part they stay hidden in the tall salt grass fields.  I’ve never actually seen their baby ducklings, but I’m certainly hoping to one day.   Another part-time island animal that I enjoy watching.

With school starting pretty much everywhere, I’ve definitely noticed a decrease of weekend islanders visiting the island.  Of course, the brutal heat has  probably also played a part in people not wanting to venture out here.  In addition, the cabins that rely on rain water for their only source of fresh water usage when they are here, are most certainly either completely out or very near so with the extreme lack of rain this summer.  So the absence of fresh water, a must-have element of survival, could also be why people are not coming out.

I’ve always had a dual fresh water setup, catching rain water for my inside the cabin needs, and a water well for everything needing fresh water outside.  And at least 6-8 times this summer, I’ve needed to slowly pump well water into my rain tanks, due to the lack of rainfall coming off the roof and filling the two tanks, totaling 1,100 gallons, that supply my inside fresh water.

A few weeks ago, I noticed an unusually large amount of tar balls washing up on the barrier island beach, anywhere from quarter size to car tire size.  I don’t mean just a few here and there, but you literally could not take several steps without that gooey mess getting on your feet.  I had not seen this amount of tar in many years out here.  I contacted Texas Parks & Wildlife, to make them aware, and apparently the tar balls were coming in all along the Texas Coast, for unknown reasons.  I was advised that the GLO ( General Land Office ), would be contacted and made aware of the tar.  But the good news is, as of being on the beach on Aug 9, there was NO additional tar washing in, and the majority of the older stuff had since been covered by incoming sand.  I’m certain that an offshore pipeline must have sustained a break and leak.

Well, that’s it from the island for now.  Everyone please take care, stay cool, and always be thankful for the wonderful people in your life that make you smile, and make your days a happy place.