Tag: Views of the Neighborhood

Views of the Neighborhood – Harvey Update

~ John W. Howell ~ 67 Comments

I started out to capture the after photos of some of the places that I have featured on my blog. As you’ll recall, almost all of the photos shown were colorful and full of fun. After taking a number of the after shots, I simply stopped. Seeing these places as they appear now doesn’t capture the spirit of our town. The photos depict loss and sadness and are difficult to view. These are places of business and people’s homes and as such very personal spaces. I do not feel comfortable with an invasion of those private moments of challenge that a photo would represent.

Sadness is not what is left of Port Aransas. We still have the spirit to rebuild. I’m going to wait until the new, colorful, and fun Port A emerges. I’ll tell that story when available.

In the meantime, I will focus on the best we have to offer.

The Poly Anna

Here is a shot of the shrimp boat Polly Anna. The owners John and Molly rode out the storm and were able to bring her back home. She flies her flag proudly.

Texas Flag

Over the destruction in the marina flies the symbol of the spirit of our town and state. The flag stands for hope and the promise each of us must make not to give up.

Thank you for reading.

Views of the Neighborhood

~ John W. Howell ~ 74 Comments

We are so happy to finally be able to go back to our home in Port Aransas. The water, electricity, and sewer are all functional. None of the repairs have started, but the house is livable. We need to say goodbye to Austin

This first picture is of the State Capital building in Austin

The spirit of Texas is reflected in the inlay of the floor directly below the dome. You can see the inlay pays homage to the five countries who at one time ruled the Republic of Texas. Counter clockwise from the top left is Spain, Next is France, next to Mexico, which is next to the Confederate States of America, and finally The United States of America.

The dome is directly above

Here is a memorial to those who lost their lives in the Alamo.

A photo of the downtown from Mount Bonnell which is the highest point in the city.

We cannot leave Austin without paying homage to its weirdness. The photo below shows a group on a pub crawl which is a mechanical device that all the participants need to pedal.

Austin and Port Aransas

So now a photo of the dawn over the Gulf in Port Aransas taken on Saturday morning.

Another shot taken Saturday

I will be able to show you some before and after shots of the community. It is still too soon, and people do not need me taking up space shooting photos around town while they are trying to restore their lives.

We all need to remember those who are in the path of Irma. Thank you for joining me, and it feels good to be home.

Views of the Neighborhood – Austin

~ John W. Howell ~ 62 Comments

Since we are still in Austin and looks like we will be for another week at least, this edition of Viewscomes from where we are since the views of Port Aransas are not very pretty.

Views of the Neighborhood

Here is a shot of the capital building taken from 5th Avenue and Lamar which is close to where we are staying.

Lucy and Bailey are used to a morning walk on the beach so if you don’t mind here is a pictorial of our morning walk in Austin. This is a shot of the city looking East back over our shoulders.

The first thing Lucy and Bailey had to get used to was the crosswalk.

Here is the crushed granite trail looking West. Not sand but close.

This is a view of the trail looking back toward the East

A watering station. Bailey says, “Pass.”

A lovely little creek running under the path

A shot of a golden lab hitting the water.

This is Town Lake which runs on the South side of the trail. The Golden Retriever is on the right and boaters way off to the left.

I was surprised to see Poison Ivy warnings.

Views of the Neighborhood

This is the East end of Town Lake

Fluffy white dog in the water.

All I need is the air that I breathe.

This is a platform for viewing Town Lake. The graffiti says SLEEPY and on a hot day this looked like a good nap place.

Historical information about Town Lake (Shoal Creek) and the founding of Austin as the capital

The most Eastern bank of Town Lake

Some turtles in a muddy flooded creek.

Another shot of the Eastern edge of Town Lake.

Hope you enjoyed the walk.

Views of the Neighborhood – Evacuees in Austin

~ John W. Howell ~ 78 Comments

This post normally has views of Port Aransas, but in case you don’t know we have evacuated from there to Austin. We still do not have information on the condition of our home, but we are all safe. I had intended to take photos of the state capital and other sights, but the rain has been quite heavy making it difficult to get around. I hope you like the tour of our current neighborhood.

Views of the neighborhood

This is the apartment building of our youngest. (Yes, we Bogarted our way in.)

I thought this was an interesting window. It is in the AT&T store window, advertising that they support the University of Texas.

Austin is a pet-friendly city. Most stores have water bowls for thirsty dogs.. You can see how the wind is shaking the glass behind.

Of course, Bailey only drinks Perrier.

Where we live on the island the West Elm store is 180 miles away. This West Elm was 180 steps.

As I mentioned pet-friendly. Bailey said she was busy on Saturday

This will give you an idea of the buildings downtown. The Whole Foods store is to the left and not pictured.

I couldn’t help thinking of Dan Antion. City equals graffiti.

Here is a real work of art. Um well, it is a work anyway. This is an old building on some pretty expensive real estate. Lucy and Bailey love to go under that tree in the rain.

Here is the Austin train station. (Doesn’t look like much does it?)

Austin train

Yes, Dan. That is the Amtrak locomotive with sleeper and baggage car.

We hope to be able to go back to Port Aransas soon.

Views of the Neighborhood – Fence Art

~ John W. Howell ~ 62 Comments

Driving around Port Aransas I generally see things that I want to photograph. This week the producer insisted we record some of them. This post is called fence art for reasons you’ll see in a moment.

Fence Art - Port Aransas

I know you can’t see this very well from this distance but I wanted to give you a perspective. This is a fence adorned with items the homeowner picked up off the beach

Fence Art - Port Aransas

A little bit closer will give you a better idea.

Even closer shows you the objects and the weathered wood. Crocks anyone?

Here is a simple decoration made out of floats

I thought this gate had the look of an old jail. I also like the diving gull on the left. (it is not real)

Here is a fence made out of galvanized steel with some fish painted on the surface.

A closer look.

This is a small digression. In the old days there used to be a thing called air mail. This mailbox is about twenty feet in the air.

Fence art has to included fishing nets.

And big ole pieces of rope.

This is at the end of a cul-de-sac. I’m not sure this one would qualify as art, but I just imagined that it was put here after the first drunk ran through the fence behind.

I hope you liked the little tour of some of the fence art here in Port Aransas

Views of the Neighborhood – Potporri

~ John W. Howell ~ 40 Comments

This week I thought I would show you some photos that were taken with the hopes of being a series that would be good for a Views of the Neighborhood feature. Well, they just didn’t pan out so if you will bear with me I present them as stand alone shots. I hope you like them

I was going to do a series of gull and pelican “swooping” over the crossover. The pelicans never showed up.

Views of the Neighborhood

I wanted a series of funny things people sculpt or write in the sand. Here is a good octopus.

Views of the Neighborhood

Either Jess has a high opinion of himself or a very devoted friend.

Views of the Neighborhood

Here is a Blue Heron flying past our backyard. I think he was scoping the place out for lunch.

Views of the Neighborhood

I really like this one. “I love you…uh what was your name again?”

Views of the Neighborhood

We had a little seaweed and someone figured it would make a good monument.

Views of the Neighborhood

This is the kind of maintenance needed for the beach. This one is for Dan AntionViews of the Neighborhood

Here is a shot of Peggy doing her morning “Beg the fisherperson for a tidbit,” routine.

Views of the Neighborhood

I always seem to be drawn to sky and sea photos. Here is a morning with clouds.

Views of the Neighborhood

I’ll leave you with a morning before the rain.

 

Views of the Neighborhood – Art Center

~ John W. Howell ~ 64 Comments

This week is the first Friday that the new Art Center is open. It was a grand gathering with wine and finger foods. How about we walk around together.

Art Center

The Art Center is now finished. Here is the parking lot.

This is a shot of the OPEN sign showing the cars in the reflection.

Here is a look from the front door.

An alcove with lots of jewelry

An artist who does lovely paintings of local animals.

Another view of the interior

Music was provided by Jack Grant, Arnold Govella, Bill Averbach and more.

A shot of another alcove

There are also ceramics (Hard to shoot against a window)

List of the patrons.

I thought the cocktail tables in the shape of pallets were cute

Another photo of ceramics.

This is Amy Sullivan who was juried and awarded a Merit Show Artist designation.

Her winning entry is the fish on the right.

This airplane painting is beautiful.

Had to get a shot of the wine bar and servers.

This chandelier at the front is stunning in person. I hope you enjoyed our evening at the art center.

Views of the Neighborhood – Charlie’s Pasture

~ John W. Howell ~ 60 Comments

Today we are visiting The Port Aransas Nature Preserve which encompasses 1,217 acres in an area formerly known as Charlie’s Pasture. The area was named after early resident Charlie Bujan who allowed the locals to graze their cattle on his property. The Port Aransas Nature Preserve includes nearly 3 miles of crushed granite hike and bike trails and boardwalks over the algal flats. Amenities include the pavilion, sheltered overlooks, picnic tables and restrooms.

Birders look for waterfowl (Black-bellied Whistling-Duck, Cinnamon Teal), grebes (Least included), heron and egrets, cormorants, shorebirds (such as Black-necked Stilt), and flaming pink Roseate Spoonbills.

So here is a view of Charlie’s Pasture. Hope you like it.

Charlie Pasture

The entrance.

Charlie's Pasture

A long view of the pavilion.

Information about the preserve is on the post.

A view looking back from the information post. Notice the Farley boat and retired oil derricks.

Closer view of the pavilion with water behind.

Swallow nest in the rafter of the pavilion

A view of one of the hiking trails from the pavilion

Closer shot of the warning sign. Yes, snakes are here. Best to wear boots.

Shot of the water located on the hiking trail

Going to the Charlie Fishing pier. Notice the receptacle for old fishing line.

A little closer view of the four oil derricks on Harbor Island. For those who have seen my Views posts before, the ferries (Which I have pictured often) Run to Harbor Island from Port Aransas and land to the right of the derricks. A sign regarding wakes reminds us that large freighters move through the Corpus Christi Channel.

A look back toward the shore from the fishing pier. Notice the houses in the background. They are permanent residences.

A shot of a fisherman and the Corpus Christi Channel channel.

A photo from the pier by the fisherman. This is looking North West. Charlie’s pasture is on the left.

Views of the Neighborhood – City Services

~ John W. Howell ~ 65 Comments

My producer and I were discussing the number of services that were available for residents of our city. We have a population of 3,300 and it is amazing the number of services available in Port Aransas. We decided to detail them here. We left off trash and brush collection as well as police and fire since those are available to most cities. We did not include those activities available exclusively to tourists too. I hope you enjoy a recap of those amenities available.

Port Aransas Services

This is our community theater.

The new art center (under construction)

The Museum

The Computer Center.

The weekly newspaper

Chamber of Commerce

Animal rescue

And since the Producer is also involved in Boxer rescue we have extra pictures of dogs…

And these adorable kittens. Our shelter is a no-kill shelter, so all the rescues have an opportunity for a new home.

The Library. (Which is expanding)

A wildlife refuge named Charlie’s Pasture. Here is the pavilion with bay water in the background

The Marine Science Institute

The public pool with new water slide.

Port A parks

Skate park

Port A pParks

Baseball fieldParidise Pond

Paradise Pond

Roberts Point Park

Robert’s Point Park

I.B.Magee Park

I.B. Magee Beach Park

The Birding Center

Marina

The marina

The airport.

Views of the Neighborhood – Deep Sea Tournament

~ John W. Howell ~ 63 Comments

Deep Sea Roundup

 

Last week the 82nd Port Aransas Boatman Deep Sea Fishing Tournament took place. There are three divisions, Bay/Surf, Deep Sea, and fly fishing. Anglers competed for two days, and winners were announced on Sunday.

The Deep Sea Roundup began in 1932 as the Tarpon Roundup and has grown from a handful of Port Aransas fishing and hunting guides pitting their skills against one another to the largest family fishing tournament on the Texas Gulf Coast.  The Roundup attracts fisherpersons of all ages and skill levels.  Deep Sea Roundup draws over 800 contestants annually. Here are few pictures to give you an idea of the activities.

Deep Sea Roundup

This is the central pavilion where fisherman can take a break.

A family posing for a picture as they dock

A nice Wahoo

The news team from Corpus were there.

Here the news team interviews the guy with the Wahoo

One boat’s catch

A shot of the tote board will give you an idea of the number of fish groups.

The game warden team were there as well.

A volunteer helps with a tuna.

This is the official length measure spot.

This boat is powered by 1050 horsepower.

The volunteers pose for a photo.

A boat with a couple nice Red Snappers. The volunteer takes the name of the angler and the boat. The fish are then taken to weigh- in. In the right foreground, you can see the elbow of a volunteer and tail of a fish on the way to weigh -in and measure.

Wind sock champ

This is a shot of the winner of the wind sock division.

Hope you enjoyed the Tournament.