My neighbors Parker and Patty are always telling me how proud they are to be a part of Port O Connor, Texas. They say it is a great community and so friendly.

Recently they drove to the Rocky Mountains for a week of fishing, hiking and fun. Their grandson saw Parker studying the road atlas and mapping out their trip. He called his grandpa old fashioned and told him to just use the GPS system on his phone to navigate. So, Parker tried it. He studied the GPS function, practiced the steps, and then carefully typed in his points of departure and arrival. He selected the driving route function and waited for the phone’s reply. Quickly, the navigation program drew out a route, calculated miles and provided a small diagram of the driving directions. It all looked pretty good, and favorably compared to Parker’s pen and paper route, so they decided to try it. They made it fine to their first stopover and liked the route the GPS provided, but on the second day things went a little differently.

In the foothills, they were routed about 17 miles off of Highway 10, down a county road, over a rough FM connection and back onto Highway 10 about 12 or so miles from where they exited. Parker grumbled but thought maybe he misread or miscalculated, so they continued the GPS route. Higher in the mountains, while traveling on a major state highway, they were directed to exit again. Parker paused, zoomed in on the exit route, looked at his trusty road atlas and laughed out loud. Patty asked him what was so funny. He replied that the crazy GPS guide was exiting them 74 miles out of the way, off course through gullies and across small roads and rough terrain only to re-enter the major state highway practically on top of where they started. They both knew that such a detour could mean a couple hours driving on twisty mountain roads. They laughed, reset the cruise control and continued on the road atlas route to their destination.

Coming home Parker and Patty turned on the GPS and consulted it occasionally, but did not veer far from the tried and true method of mapping and planning the shortest route home. Parker shared the story with his grandson. Their grandson was sure they had somehow muddled the use of GPS technology. Parker smiled and said gadgets are great and technology is terrific but 75 miles is still 75 miles and you just can’t replace good old common sense. Then Parker told his grandson that he hoped whatever roads he travels he remembers to take common sense along. It will never be a phone function or a computer program, but will always be useful in getting where you want to go in life. That’s a grandparent lesson for you.

Market Day by the Bay
Saturday, October 11

9:00 am – 2:00 pm
AD Powers Park, Seadrift

Shopping – Drinks – Family Fun

Vendor spaces available: www.SeadriftLionsorg

Sponsored by Seadrift Lions 361-920-1743

Sometimes in a world where information is readily available twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week, we can become desensitized to items we see in the news.

There is so much going on that unless we have something invested in a story, it does not seem to phase us.

Robin Williams was one of those rare voices in the world, a man who not only strove to make people laugh but also was a underrated actor and artist.

Despite the manic and wild aura that ran rampant through his stand up comedy and early roles like Mork from the series Mork and Mindy, even some of his early film work showed a desire to be more then just another funny face.

Long before getting recognition in the 1990’s for films like Dead Poets Society and The Fischer King, films like The World According to Harp and The Survivors showed more then average acting chops and a willingness to step outside the box.

Robin Williams also did brilliant stand up as well, running at break neck speed through routines that will always be able to get me to laugh out loud.

His interviews were the same, making even a normal question and answer session a lesson in improv.

Robin Williams will be missed, but the nature of his death also shows us that no matter how much you have you can never buy happiness.

Rest in peace.

In more local news the radar being used to track local storms has become a bit more advanced.

Regular readers of this space might know that I have a fascination with the weather and also have dual certification as a storm spotter. Once in Port Lavaca and once in the Chicago, Illinois area (There are differences in the classes. Where the Gulf has hurricanes to contend with, the Chicago area is more prone to twisters and high wind and hail events).

Since the Spring, the Corpus Christi National Weather Service has upgraded it’s Doppler Radar to being a dual polarization set up.

To explain what exactly dual polarization is, I will leave it up to the experts at the Corpus Christi NWS Field office, from their initial announcement of the upgrade:

“The old Doppler radars transmitted and received pulses of radio waves in a horizontal orientation. As a result, the radar only measures the horizontal dimensions of targets such as cloud and precipitation droplets. Dual-polarimetric radar transmits and receives pulses in both a horizontal and verticalorientation. Therefore, the radar measures both the horizontal and vertical dimensions of targets. Since the radar receives energy from horizontal and vertical pulses, we can obtain better estimates of the size, shape, and variety of targets. It is expected that this will result in significant improvements in the estimation of precipitation rates, the ability to discriminate between precipitation types (hail vs. rain), and the identification of non-meteorological returns.”

Simply put, better and more accurate weather radar that can distinguish between what is appearing on radar from an actual storm and what is something else entirely, such as tornado debris and birds.

It also allows for better measurement of precipitation droplet size, handy for predicting possible flood conditions.

The new set up also works for distinguishing the precipitation as rain or hail, as well as snow, although the latter of which may not be of great importance in South Texas admittedly.

Lastly, it helps to alert aviation officials and pilots of icing conditions in their flight patterns.

So in short, a major upgrade for an area that can be hard hit by a few different types of severe weather.

BUNCO met Tuesday evening, September 2nd in the back room of the Community Center. Hostesses this time were Biddie Hileman and Sally Jones and they greeted everyone with back-to-school kits remembering their many years of preparing such for their offspring. And Sally Ragusin was the winner of most games and Pat Ekstrom, who keeps repeating her prowess, winner of Most Buncos. Bunco in October will be the 7th at 7:00 p.m. in the Community Center, and three welcoming hostesses will be Diane Cooley, MaryAnn Claiborne and Sally Ragusin. As that group of women have some astonishing imaginations, who knows what will greet the members? For further information about attending this fun meeting, contact Shirley Gordon at our Library.

The Service Club’s cookbooks aptly named, THE END OF THE ROAD! are available at Sisters’ for purchase at a very low price. There are now 3 issues of these delightful books; the first in brown cover, the second in blue, and the third in red! Recipes have been compiled for many years from those of our earlier members to favorites from the latter day members, and each recipe has been tested and re-tested to make certain all ingredients are in the proper amounts, and that each recipe will spur your taste buds! Try them, you won’t be disappointed and they make great birthday and Christmas gifts from our incredible area. And if you’re looking for a particular recipe and want to try it before buying the cookbooks, check out our Library; we have all three books available to try.

Should you find a recipe calling for freshly ground pork sausage, I would certainly recommend Dick’s in Seadrift for acquiring this ingredient. Freshly made, and only $3.39 per pound, its just one of the excellent offerings on display at the meat counter. Butchers Michelle and Jon will be happy to assist you.

Port O’Connor School’s Carnival and Games for Halloween has been changed to Saturday, November 1, 2014, at the School. This is a very fun night as it’s a delight to see all those kids in costumes, often with makeup, and the challenge is to figure out who is who! Additionally, there will be a cake walk in the Cafeteria and games outside following the Costumed Parade.

This begins in early evening, and if you’re a little new to Port O’Connor, this is a Community Event that you don’t want to miss!
Saturday, October 25, 2014 marks the 6th Annual Chili & Gumbo Cookoff at Hurricane Junction as staged by Jim “Hoop” Hooperman. And he is the delightful and thoughtful person who gives the funds derived from this event to a local organization; and this time, it will be the Library Building Fund. More about this event in another section of this paper!

I’ve had a lot of fun writing this column; sometimes I’m really up-to-date on events and other times, I’m just being informative, and often expressing my thoughts and opinions as well! I welcome any comments or news or other happenings for print, I can be reached at 361 798-0560 or kubeckasue@yahoo.com. And thanks for reading!

I hope we all have enjoyed our vacations. The summer is over and it is time to get back to school, back to work, and back to church! Our vacation was extra special for we shared it with my brother and two of my sisters, along with their spouses. We went to a lot of beautiful places, saw a lot of beautiful things, and did things we had never done before – AND Pastor Joane took 999 pictures! We will be glad to show them to you! We sincerely appreciate Hermano Jessie and Hermana Angie filling our shoes while we were away and to all the faithful congregants and many guests that attended. Thank you! And, now itis time to get back to work!

Our ladies have just attended a great Ladies Convention in Kerrville. Together with about 1,000 other women, they praised the Lord, enjoyed each other’s company, and got out of town for a few days! Just ask those who attended and plan to go with them next year!

We have started using our Retreat Center as a multi-purpose building. David and Kelly have started a Youth Bible Class each Sunday from 10-11 a.m. in Room #3 of the Center. All those from 11 – 19 years old are welcomed to attend, and the course of study will be centered around the development of relevant life skills. We find that kids have a difficult time adjusting to the constantly changing world and need foundational skills to help them build successful lives. These classes will help them advance into leadership roles with their peers. Everyone is welcomed!

Soon we are hoping to begin a Bible Study for those who speak Spanish. Those who would be interested in this study should contact Pastor Erny as soon as possible so materials can be on hand for those coming. We thank God for the growth that we are experiencing and want an opportunity to minister to everyone in this community in some way.

Our thoughts are also going toward the Holiday season and Thanksgiving and Christmas food baskets for the needy of our community. We have been able to help put food on otherwise empty tables for the last many years, and with the continued support of this community, our churches will do it again! The Port O’Connor Benevolence Fund and its active committee members work through the Chapel. Last year we noted at least a 50% increase in the cost of the food that we gave to our needy families, so we need your help. Canned foods can always be brought to the POC Hardware Store or to any of the churches, and they will go into these boxes to help. Monies can be given to any of the churches for this project or be deposited in the local bank to fill in where needed to make the baskets complete. Thanks!

Pastors Erny and Joane are planning a missions trip to preach a revival for an American Indian Church in Coolidge, Arizona, at the end of this month. We ask for your prayers that the Lord will use us to be a special blessing to these folks.

On Sunday, October 5, the Reverend and Mrs. Apolonio Garcia will be with us to share exciting news of their new church plant in Hallettsville. The Reverend Garcia has moved his family from Yoakum to Hallettsville, changed his employment, and dedicated his efforts in establishing a Gospel Center in Hallettsville. We will be receiving the report of his efforts and be receiving an offering to help him with his vision. All will be encouraged and blessed with this ministry and are invited to attend.

October 3-10, 2014 is the date of our next Sea Academy classes at the Chapel. The instructor is Captain Robert, who has been teaching classes at the Chapel since about 2000. These classes will prepare the student to be a “boat captain”. All interested persons should contact Captain Robert at 361/816-3010 or the Sea Academy at 361/758-6184 for further information and to register for this course.

Fisherman’s Chapel is an interdenominational congregation that is committed to helping create a Christian witness in this community. Everyone will find a warm welcome at any and all of our services, which are Sundays: Bible Study, 10:00 a.m.; Morning Service, 11:00 a.m.; and Evening Service at 6:00 p.m. We also gather on Wednesdays at 7:00 p.m. and offer Friday Night Youth from 7:00 – 10:00 p.m. Everyone is welcome and all are urged to, “Come, grow with us!”