Jade Alford has always dreamed of playing softball at the collegiate level. On Wednesday, November 12, she came one step closer to making that dream a reality. Jade signed a national letter of intent to play softball at Texas Southern University in Houston, Texas. She will join the Lady Tiger softball team after her senior year is complete at Calhoun High School.

Jade, who will graduate with the class of 2015 at CHS, is very excited about the opportunity to play at TSU. Head Coach Worley Barker says, “With the graduation of four senior pitchers, Jade Alford, a solid pitcher/utility player, is expected to have an immediate impact in our pitching circle and our batting line-up. We have watched her over the past 2+ years and have been impressed with her growth and development in circle. She has good speeds and moves the ball extremely well”.

Jade is the daughter of Burke and Lydeia Alford of Port O’Connor, granddaughter of Jesse and Linda Stringo, great granddaughter of Rosalie Bryant and granddaughter of the late Bo and Ruth Alford.
Jade is part of the CHS Sandies varsity softball team and plays travel softball with Texas Uh-Ohs Fastpitch team from Port Lavaca.

Congratulations to our local girl, Jade Alford, and also to Calhoun High Senior McKenna Villegas, who signed a letter of intent to play basketball at Midwestern State University.

Clint & Barnacle

Winter Arrives On The Island

Greetings from the island everyone. Hope all of you are doing well and enjoyed Halloween and Veterans Day. For the 9th consecutive year there were no little trick-or-treaters knocking at my island cabin door; I guess their dad’s boats were all in the shop.

I want to give a big Thank You to all of the past and present veterans out there, without your service and sacrifice, this great country and state of Texas would not have the freedom that exists today. Thanks to all of you!

Well, it is exactly one month until the official start of winter, but Mother Nature apparently wants to start it early. Barnacle and I had to toss on my late Grandma Frieda’s feather comforter a little early this year, as last week saw consecutive mornings around 40 degrees, and with 20-30 mph winds it felt much colder than that. I cannot recall such a cold and long lasting blowing norther hitting the island this early in November. Probably better stock up on propane and provisions this winter, it might be a long one.

The heavens opened up two weeks ago and blessed the island with three inches of rain, yay! We had gone several months without any measurable wetness falling, but now my tanks are full with 1,000 gallons of nice rain water. Plus the occasional rains also replenish the underground well system, water used for all my outside purposes, so the rain is always welcomed.

I was able to stock the propane freezer with a few limits of flounder the last week in October, a food source that I always count on to help me get through the cold winter months on the island. I also use fresh hen eggs to barter with other islanders for deer meat/sausage, to have during the long winter months.

Solitude takes a front seat beginning this time of year on the island. There are days that outside activities are not possible due to the nasty weather, and once the morning chore of feeding the chickens is done, the remainder of those days are relinquished to inside the cabin. I’ll usually watch a little tv, listen to the radio, and read off-grid and survivalist type books and gardening magazines. I recently read a book that was recommended by someone, “An Island To Oneself”, an autobiography by Tom Neale. The book tells of him living several years on an uninhabited tiny island in the South Pacific in the early 1950’s. It was a very enjoyable easy to read book that I could certainly relate to very well.

A few weeks ago I felt a heavy heart when Barnacle woke up one morning having completely lost his sight due to a tumor. He and I are slowly adjusting, and I am happy to care for my best friend and be his eyes for as long as I have him in my life. Please keep Barnacle in your thoughts and prayers during these trying times, and I know that God is watching over both of us.

Well, that’s it from the island for now, everyone take care and have a great day.

Alex Clifton of Port O’Connor

Boy Scout Troop 361 Alex G Clifton has completed his Eagle Project at Boggy Nature Park. Alongside his Scoutmaster Ron Molina, and mentors Louis De La Garza and Rudy Garza, and with the generous assistance of Calhoun County Commissioner Kenny Finster, family and troop members he completed 2 covered picnic tables for public use at the park. He hopes the picnic tables will offer the public a place to enjoy a break for lunch or just to watch a sunset over Boggy.

Alex has been involved in Scouting since a very young age and credits scouting with many of the skills he has today. He has participated in many camp outs and summer camps on his progress toward ranks. He has served his troop as Patrol Leader and is currently a member of the Order of the Arrow. Alex successfully completed a mile swim for a Merit Badge that highlighted his ability as an excellent swimmer.

Alex enjoys cooking outdoors and developed his food service skills working as Camp Staff at Camp Karankawa assisting in serving meals to 200 plus scouts for 3 meals a day. He has been employed in the food service industry since the age of 16. Alex plans to finish school and go to college where he will pursue an career in the hospitality and guest services industry. Alex will be recognized with a Court of Honor Ceremony later this year where he will be surrounded by family and friends as he receive his Eagle Certification.

Covered picnic table at Boggy Nature Park

The City of Port Lavaca and the Calhoun County Historical Commission will be hosting the Lavaca Artillery Battery Silhouette Ceremony on November 22, 2014 at 11:00 a.m. at the Bayfront Peninsula Park in Port Lavaca. The public is invited to attend.

The metal silhouette represents the Home Guard firing on two Union gunboats that fired on this small town on October 31, 1862. Accurate fire from the shore batteries forced the ships to move outside the range of the smaller shore guns before resuming fire. The ships fired again on Lavaca the morning of November 1. A total of 252 rounds of shot and shell were fired by the Union navy, but caused no loss of life in a town suffering a yellow fever epidemic at the time.

“…nobly did both officers and men perform their duty, working their guns as coolly as though on inspection, while a perfect storm of shot and shell rained around them. And this, although yellow fever had decimated their ranks.” – Lt. and Adjutant George E. Conkin.

Calhoun County had a very active participation in the Civil War. The Green Lake area in the Guadalupe River Bottom housed all of the Federal Soldiers who had to leave Texas in 1861. Fort Esperanza and Saluria were destroyed and the Federal troops tramped/sailed past Port O’Connor to take over Indianola. On Christmas Eve 1861, the Battle of Norris Bridge took place and Federal troops marched into Lavaca on Christmas Day.