Views of the Neighborhood – Adopt-A-Beach Clean up Day

February 10, 2019February 9, 2019 ~ John W. Howell ~ 81 Comments

Yesterday was a statewide Adopt-A-Beach Winter Clean up day sponsored by the Texas Land Office. Here in Port Aransas, the temperature was 40 degrees with an 18 mile an hour wind. Felt more like 34 degrees and spitting rain to boot. There were some brave souls who turned out to pick up litter and small plastic pieces

More than 512,000 volunteers have removed more than 9,495 tons of trash from Texas beaches since 1986. The next statewide cleanup is scheduled for April 20th.

I hope you enjoy the tour.

A shout out to a sponsor.

The check-in table.

The wonderful people who set up the event and make sure all the volunteers have everything they need. (I know it looks like they are standing in Minnesota)

Nothing like a friendly fire to help keep warm.

A Texas Land Office truck.

Here is a form ready for check-in.

Volunteers get a calendar if they wish.

Some nice patches for your down jacket.

A favorite place that fire.

Someone has built a sand tribute to Jesus. Although a bit random, we see sculptures frequently. The sand becomes an excellent vehicle for expression.

A volunteer hard at work. Notice the raging waters behind him.

More volunteers braving the cold and picking up a bag, data card to record the type of trash, and a pencil.

It is tough to leave the fire but we must.

Here is the score for the day. We think there is a mistake in identifying the crab trap tag as from Tennessee since that is a landlocked state. It might be Louisiana.

Views of the Neighborhood – The Eight Wonders of Port Aransas

February 3, 2019February 2, 2019 ~ John W. Howell ~ 59 Comments

Of all the treasures in Port Aransas, the Museum has selected eight which have been labeled The Eight Wonders of Port Aransas. I thought it would be fun to take a look at what the museum considers the eight wonders.

Number one is the Lighthouse. Construction started in 1854, and the first light went on in 1857. The beacon could be seen as far out as seven miles into the Gulf. It was an operational lighthouse for Ninety -nine years before decommissioning. (photo courtesy of The Port Aransas Museum)

Number two is the jetties. There are two and were built to stop the erosion of the ship channel. Work was begun in 1862, but it was not until 1910 that the jetties were constructed finally strong enough to withstand the sea force.

The third is the Tarpon Inn. So named after a popular gamefish that is now extinct from the Port Aransas waters. The hotel was built in 1886 just when it was clear that the jetties would be successful in protecting the ship channel from deterioration. The channel meant new visitors and new business opportunity.

I couldn’t get the Tarpon Inn in one shot so here is another

The fourth wonder is the University of Texas Marine Science Institute. Established in 1941 the institute has educated thousands of scientists on how to move marine science forward. Here is a picture of the educational center.

The fifth is the Port Aransas Museum. It is housed in a building that was initially a “kit ” home built in 1914. It has been moved three times around the island. It served as the life-saving station from 1916 to 1925 and then a private residence for seventy-seven years until donated to the museum.

The sixth is the Farley Boat Works. Founded in 1915 the works made boats that could withstand the heavy surf around Port Aransas. They were used primarily as fishing boats. The works continued to make boats until 1970. In 2011 the Farley Boat Works began making crafts once again.

The seventh is the Chapel in the Dunes. It is atop the highest dune in Port Aransas. It was built in 1937 to serve as a devotional place for the Carter family. It also became the center for ice cream socials for the children of Port Aransas held by Arline Carter know as the “Angel Lady.”

Photo courtesy of The Port Aransas Museum

The eighth wonder is the Last Farley Boat. The last boat to leave the boat works. It was a finished hull bought by James Mayfield a local shrimper. He was going to have the shell made into a new shrimp boat. He never got around to it and instead inverted the hull to form a roof on his shop.

I hope you have enjoyed a glimpse of the Eight Wonders of Port Aransas

Views of the Neighborhood – Potpourri

January 27, 2019January 26, 2019 ~ John W. Howell ~ 84 Comments

Today is a sampling of some things. I started with the idea of face boards and then got a little distracted with other things along the way. I hope you enjoy today’s tour.

Here is a face board for a storage facility. You can also see their Farley boat.

This is in front of our vet’s office

Stingrays is a restaurant and bar

This is the Gaff’s face board. Notice that annoying fender in the way.

The fender belongs to the Gaff staff car

Of course, there are belt sander races this weekend. No, we are not going.

I love this blessing box.

A little lending library too.

The front of a gift shop.

Oceans of Seafood. A bar and restaurant.

A reminder of what can happen if you are not careful.

Coastal Ed’s Gold Cart rental

The tackle shop

The souvenir shop

A dolphin in the parking lot. Blown off the building by Hurricane Harvey.

A giant chambered nautilus sharing the fate of the dolphin.

Wilton’s Candy board

Winton’s door showing the water line of Harvey.

This one is for Craig Boyack and his Voyage of the Lanternfish pirate fantasy story.

A lovely story of the Sand Dollar.

Views of the Neighborhood – Bollard People

January 20, 2019January 19, 2019 ~ John W. Howell ~ 63 Comments

Last year I featured the bollard in Port Aransas being covered by crochet wraps. There were about thirty the previous year and more than one hundred and thirty this year. The creator of this display is Diana Vondra and a host of helpers. They are being called the “Bollard People for reasons you will see in a moment. There are some photos, and I could not put them all in this post. Also, the sun was at an Eastern angle so for you to see the faces I had to manipulate the photos a little.

Here’s one that looks like a superhero.

This is a view of the way they look when you drive up.

Another shot of a group of them.

Wise one.

Pink.

Looks like an ode to Saturday morning.

Mama in her curlers.

Delighted.

Dignified.

Lost.

Happy.

An author I’ll wager.

Hates to wear glasses.

“May I take your order?”

“Put all the money in this bag.”

Frosty’s youngster.

The sister.

Do Bee.

Ladybug.

Grandma.

Of course, they are from Minnesota.

Views of the Neighborhood. The Birding Center is Being Rebuilt

January 13, 2019January 12, 2019 ~ John W. Howell ~ 56 Comments

I was pleasantly surprised to read that the repairs to Birding Center had begun.

As a reminder, this is what the center looked like after Hurricane Harvey.

Another shot.

A whole new boardwalk is being installed. My understanding the cost will be North of $600,000.00

The old boardwalk went straight out into the lagoon. The new is making an extreme left-hand turn

It continues along the shore for quite a ways. I hear it will then turn right and go into the lagoon.

I took a shot of some pink spoonbills to the right. Too bad I’m so far away.

I have passed this sign before and wanted to let you know the different kinds of birds that make this area their home. Thanks for coming along. I’ll do a return visit when it is finished. I think it is going to be something.

Views of the Neighborhood – A Ship in the Channel

January 6, 2019January 5, 2019 ~ John W. Howell ~ 56 Comments

A beautiful day. Here is a shot of the beach at about eight o’clock Saturday morning

The Producer and I decided to check out the shipping channel to see if any boats were on their way to the Gulf. Sure enough, that orange thing way down there is headed our way.

You can see the Port Aransas/Aransas Pass Ferry making it’s way to Port Aransas.

This is a shot of the Port Police boat.

Now we are getting somewhere. The ship is almost upon us.

There she is, The Eagle Kinarut a crude oil tanker built in 2011 and currently sailing under the flag of Singapore. She arrived in Corpus Christi on January 3rd and passed Port Aransas on January 5th. If you would like to know her exact position right now click on this link

Obviously riding high after unloading her cargo.

Now heading for the Gulf. Till next time.

Views of the Neighborhood – Winter Sunday

December 30, 2018September 15, 2020 ~ John W. Howell ~ 64 Comments

The days between Christmas and New Year are pretty low-key around the neighborhood. I thought I would give you two views of the Gulf while the sky is overcast and the wind is blowing. The temperature was in the fifties. All in all a winter day.

A shot of the Gulf from the boardwalk. Shows the dune in its winter shade of brown as well.

A shot from the ground level. The Gulf is churning.

Views of the Neighborhood – The Enchanted Forest

December 23, 2018December 22, 2018 ~ John W. Howell ~ 50 Comments

As Christmas approaches, Port Aransas celebrates the season with its annual Enchanted Forest sponsored by the Department of Parks and Recreation. The forest is put up in the community center and is a collection of trees decorated by local businesses and organizations.

The community center welcomes folks from around the country to the Enchanted forest inside.

A family from Oklahoma had a swell time.

Enchanted Forest

This is a backdrop for Christmas card photos.

Tiny display in the corner.

Each tree was done by a separate organization. The signs below identified the group.

More trees. The lights on the floor gave the feeling of a path through the forest

Looking back toward the entrance.

A polar bear

The Port A Strong tree.

Three snowmen. The center was pretty dark, but my iPhone made it appear lighter.

a golden tree and a tree of stars.

Frosty of course.

Thank you for coming along and a very Happy Holiday to all.

Views of the Neighborhood – Middle and High School Art Show

December 16, 2018December 15, 2018 ~ John W. Howell ~ 53 Comments

Every year the Art Center of Port Aransas has n art show featuring the art of high school and middle school students. The competition is juried and open to students from Port Aransas, Flour Bluff, and Seashore Academy. I thought you would like to see the level of art being taught in the local schools. I don’t have too many comments as the art can speak for itself.

Let’s start with the sixth grade. Where you see a ribbon that student’s piece took a prize

Another view.

Art Show

Seventh grade.

Eighth grade

Ninth Grade

Tenth Grade

Eleventh Grade

One view of the Twelfth grade

Another View of the Twelfth Grade.

High School and Middle School Art Show

The Best in Show is the purple ribbon.

As you can see there is a large turnout. Here in Port Aransas art is taken very seriously. I hope you enjoyed the walk through the Art Center.

Views of the Neighborhood – A Little Like Christmas

December 9, 2018December 8, 2018 ~ John W. Howell ~ 48 Comments

Port Aransas is looking a little bit like Christmas, so I thought I would do a quick run through town and see what evidence I could find of holiday preparations