Remember to wish these friends and neighbors a Happy Birthday!

Archived in the category: Announcements, General Info
Posted by Joyce Rhyne on 14 Aug 14 - 0 Comments

Aug. 15: Johnathan Pitonyak; Audie Vasquez

Aug. 16: Sue Kubecka

Aug. 18: Mikaela Overton

Aug. 19: Amie Reed; Robbie Hawes

Aug. 20: Bobbye Martin; George Cady; Melanie Vossler; Natalie Harper; Derek Vasquez Jr.

Aug. 21: Jackie Luker; Brandie Baird; Brittney Collins

Aug. 22: Ted Brown; Ryan Hamerly

Aug. 23: Tim Sandoval

Aug. 24: Aireal Pressley; Lloyd Alford

Aug. 26: George Harper

Aug. 28: Dillon Hobbs

Aug. 29: Robert Hanson Jr.; Dian Thomasson; Katy Mitchell; Gary Crone Jr.; Ryan Brown; Martha Hartado; Jessica Stringo

Aug. 30: Robert Maxwell

September 1: Esther Caddell

Sept. 3: Vicki Collazo; Kathryn Stringo

Sept. 4: Margaret Emrick; Marie Harper

Sept. 5: Lisa Stringo

Sept. 6: John J. Shannon; Marcia Storenski; Pat Ekstrom; Monica McClung

Sept. 7: John Perry

Sept. 9: Helen Neil; Roni Ragusin; Marty McDonough

Sept. 10: Jan Taylor; C.C. Collins; Roxie Stringo

Sept. 11: Kevin Coleman; Dwayne Anderson

Sept. 12: Charlie Johnson; Kaleigh Mapp; Derek Vasquez; Jeannie Mapp; L.M. Caddell; Mamie Jo Oglesby

Sept. 13: Gary Gilliam; Bell Allen; Linda Tipett; Alyssa Ragusin; Chezanne Covarrusias; Joanne Mueller

Sept. 14: David Junek; Sandra Orma

Sept. 15: Brandi Hall

Sept. 16: Walker Hawes; Jacob Johnson

Sept. 17: Leah Marie Lucey; Candace Y. Gaines

Sept. 18: John Tyson; Evelyn Lewis; Everado Castro

Sept. 19: Brenda Lovett; Britt Cleveland; Gary Thompson; Leafy Ann Johnson; Joyce Rhyne

Fish Out of Water by Thomas Spychalski…

Archived in the category: Featured Writers, Fish Out of Water, General Info
Posted by Joyce Rhyne on 14 Aug 14 - 0 Comments

Everyone has days where they are having a bad time.

Some of us even have been prey to bad weeks, months and dare I say it, years.

The struggles we all face can be relativity minor or indeed quite severe, but that does not stop the little rays of sunshine that at times can at least prove we have some type of value.

I may have mentioned in this space that I run a paranormal blog called News From the Spirit World.com, which was created in Port Lavaca when I first started the project. Since then articles like the one about the Amityville Ghost Boy photo have made the site a minor (very minor, compared to many internet sites) success.

Last year I decided to connect an internet forum I have run since 2009 onto the site, which was the successor of the forums I had for websites about the show Doctor Who, starting in 2006.

Although the forum was busy in the first year or two, the show was returned to the air after a nine year hiatus; it eventually dwindled down to being like a virtual ghost town. The forum moved on, being renamed Death By Posting in 2009 as I thought it was clever, and although many of the former Who fans showed up at the new location, there are two they went above and beyond in their loyalty.

One was a wonderful woman who goes by Sherlew who is the ever diligent forum moderator and the other is a poster that has had a few handles during the time I have known him but who’s real name is Don.

The reason for the short, and I am sure slightly boring, history lesson is that I was in such a funk, where bad days pile up like rain in a ditch and it was Don who showed me I still had a bit of value.

Don has always been busy with some sort of artistic or craft project since I have known him, be it crafting small figures from Doctor Who, playing the banjo or trying to master juggling or the yo-yo.

Recently Don asked again for my home address, saying he had something to send me in the mail, namely a T-shirt, something he had asked about before when querying my shirt size.

I expected it to be a Doctor Who related shirt from an online shop, but what I got was not only a complete original, but also something that was being created right under my virtual nose.

Don had taken stencils and paint and created a custom T-shirt with the description of the Dover Demon, something that had become a topic of discussion in the forums once it became part of News From the Spirit World.com and over went a thematic change.

Briefly, the Dover Demon was a cryptic creature allegedly spotted three time in 1977 in the month of April in Dover, Massachusetts. The T-shirt image was based on a sketch and description of the creature made by Bill Barttlet at the time of the sightings.

I am not entirely sure what people were seeing around Dover in 1977, but I do know the hand crafted gift was surely one of those things that can be counted among one of the best presents I have ever received and that both Don and Sherlew are two of the best people I have ever met.

They also give a good example of how, if we are true to our true nature and that nature is good, those people can become a beacon of light and hope when we are down.

Cheers Don, and thanks for the pick-me-up, even it was by sending me a ‘demon’ on a T-shirt.

Newly-Elected Officials Attend Orientation

Archived in the category: General Info
Posted by Joyce Rhyne on 14 Aug 14 - 0 Comments

Peggy Gaines of Seadrift and Mary Canales of Austwell were in Bastrop on July 24-25 to attend the Newly Elected City Officials’ Orientation, sponsored by the Texas Municipal League and the Association of Mayors, Councilmembers and Commissioners, and affiliate of the Texas Municipal League. Elected officials from all over the state attended the meeting, which provided an opportunity for newly elected city officials to voluntarily enhance their knowledge of city government and sharpen their leadership skills. In addition, the orientation offered an opportunity to visit with elected officials from across Texas to learn how other cities are coping with similar challenges.

During this event, attendees were offered sessions on topics such as open government, financial responsibilities, council/staff relations, economic development, and media relations. A special presentation on “The Importance of Building a Sense of Community” was provided by TML Past President Dr. Gary McCaleb, vice president of Abilene Christian University (ACU), and executive director of the Center for Building Community and professor of management at ACU.

Created in 1913, the Texas Municipal League is a voluntary, nonprofit organization that provides legal guidance, legislative advocacy, publications, training and networking opportunities to officials from 1,140 cities in Texas.

Trash Service in Port O’Connor

Archived in the category: Announcements, General Info
Posted by Joyce Rhyne on 14 Aug 14 - 0 Comments

Next Roll-Off Bin August 23

There will be some new rules regarding the roll off bin for trash located at the corner of 16th Street and Harrison. As you know, we have a trash bin usually every other month of POCID customers. We are going to have another one on August 23, 2014. We will no longer accept any demolition material of any kind. We will also no longer take any commercial waste either. This is for the needs of our residential customers only with residential waste. There will also be a size limit to the amount of trash. Each customer is limited to the amount of trash that will fit into the back of a pickup or small trailer. This will enable everyone to have a chance to benefit from this service. The gates will open at 8:00 a.m. and will close at 4:00 p.m. or when the dumpster is full, whichever comes first. There will be no early dumping of trash before 8:00 a.m.

Port O’Connor Improvement District

San Antonio Bay Day

Archived in the category: Announcements, Events, General Info
Posted by Joyce Rhyne on 14 Aug 14 - 0 Comments

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