Sayonara, Dean

Above: a screen shot from Sandy Feet's "Sandcastle Inn" webcam where we just fixed the camera angle. Below: Sammie and one seagull on the beach.

Hurricane Dean just went inland at 20.5 degrees latitude near a village called Poza Rica (1:00 CDT). It’s all over now except a few waves coming ashore, not as impressive as the surfers hoped, but maybe eight to twelve feet on the outside – and I’m not swimming out there to check for ya!

The Island is nearly deserted now, and most of the government stuff has been ordered to “stand down” and head back north. The list is rather impressive – and before I go further, some people did object to my last posting about the bureaucrats but as I said, it was the weather model arguments and not the great emergency preparation itself, from top to bottom.

· Six C-130 military cargo planes

· Activation of all surrounding Coast Guard and Navy helicopters and vessels

· 3,000 urban transit and school buses

· An unknown number of Texas National Guard troops (perhaps 1,000 vehicles)

· 80,000 barrels of gasoline

There is much more than this list, such as the overtime from local officials, the TxDOT, and all Border Patrol. The 80,000 barrel statistics sounds a little funny – perhaps gallons is more like it because that much fuel would be 3.4 million gallons, or about 420 semi truckloads of gasoline. Regardless, I’d like to thank all the officials and worker bees.

Now could somebody please tell all the tourists it's OK to come on back?

Clueless Bureaucrats

Thanks to SciGuy over at the Houston Chronicle, we're starting to sniff the massive emergency ops in Texas and detect a noticeable stink. The Governor down to all the locals have been maintaining that Hurricane Dean could smash into Texas late Wednesday, and have mobilized even more equipment and manpower. The reason is because two model tracks come to Texas, as is shown in the above graphic (thanks, Eric!).

As SciGuy proves, the two tracks coming to Texas either (1) aren't models or (2) so dumbed-down as to be useless. What the heck is going on? Or as SciGuy asks in his blog, "Anyone else found hyperbole with regards to Dean in the last week?"

Seeds of the story seem to come from two immediate sources, a spokesman for the Brownsville Weather Service and Lieutenant Governor David Dewhurst, the latter of which shared the news on Fox TV (see a pattern here?). The offending quote from the Brownsville NWS reads:

"We're in full swing. There are still a couple of models that show us getting a direct hit."

What a load of pure, unmitigated crap. I should have known better last night when mysterious, anonymous bloggers were preaching on the Weather Underground blog that "Dean is shifting north right now; Texas WILL be hit." Then this morning I read the Valley Morning Star, our local newspaper, and about blew coffee ('Tracking storms no exact science,' Amanda Harris, August 20, 2007). You guessed it, Amanda quoted a spokesman for the Brownsville Weather Service.

Conspiracy or not, it does appear that from top to bottom, the emergency planners were struck by an intense lightning bolt of dumb-ass. Get over it, folks, there is no three-story wall of water coming to flood SPI this week, and Hurricane Dean is headed for landfall south of Cozumel and then south of Tampico, Mexico. You don't have to justify spending tens of millions of my tax money on some kind of stupidity and folly.

Decisions, Decisions

Should I stay or should I go now
Should I stay or should I go now
If I go there will be trouble
An' if I stay it will be double

So come on and let me know
- The Clash, 1981

Today is Sunday, the day I had selected to make a choice as to whether to boogie from the Island. So far, the models and forecasts all push Hurricane Dean further to the south into deep Mexico. You do have to read the fine print, which notes that all hurricanes wobble and inexplicably change course; the final landfall could be off by 50 miles or more. So far, I'm staying, although Monday and Tuesday could be bellwether days.

So far, the Town is under a state of emergency, the County has a call for voluntary evacuation, and even the Governor and President have taken special measures in anticipation of Dean. A bunch of boats and RV's left the Island yesterday, although I'm not aware of any businesses closing. Most renters will honor cancellations and repay deposits or re-book reservations, so ask if you're feeling nervous about things.

TROPICAL UPDATE. Most models now put Dean 250 miles south of South Padre Island, so as the SciGuy at Houston Chronicle says, we might not even feel tropical storm force winds. Science Dude also notes that due to eye-wall replacement cycles, Dean is currently weakening - but don't count on that as the storm approaches Cancun and Cozumel, which was raked by Wilma and many other famous cyclones - they've just finished reconstructing the shoreline there.

The reason for the shift in Dean's forecast track is because of the strong upper level low which can be seen spinning in the middle of the Gulf of Mexico, as well as a massive area of high pressure filling in behind it. [This loop requires a ton of memory and a high speed connection, so for a low-res still picture click here and go to Gulf of Mexico-water vapor.] You should see the leading NW edge of Dean in this picture.

Once across the Yucatan, Dean is expected weaken sustantially and then gain some strength before making landfall again near Tampico, Mexico.

The Hurricane Lantern

SOUTH PADRE ISLAND. Islanders began preparing for Hurricane Dean today with some plywood and shutters going up. For the third or fourth day straight, most models indicated the lower Texas and upper Mexico coast as the likely target after crossing the Yucatan Peninsula. So I started some preparations, had the truck looked at (what the heck is that noise?), and got ready for plywood duty.

While is seems inevitable that the hurricane would hit us squarely in the face, it should be said that Dean is several thousand miles away – 500 miles east of Puerto Rico. These storms get so large they basically make their own weather and go where they want to go, like the biggest Brahma bull in the barn. Even the experts say that predicting any tropical cyclone over 72 hours is highly uncertain to almost be meaningless (sorry, Town Emergency Team). Here’s why:

As indicated in the attached graphic at the top, an upper level low is circulating over Florida and the Bahamas. Since cyclones spin anti-clockwise, the upper low will prevent Dean from moving much to the north because of its spin that would push back on it. This low is predicted to remain about the same force and make a parallel track to the west, just like Dean. So no change in the upper level low in relation to Dean as they both move, Dean will continue marching a little north of due west.

Ah, but what happens is Dean slows or the upper low slows, or the upper low moves way in front of Dean? That could result in major changes to the forecast track. Indeed one of the best hurricane models called GDFL predicted that Dean would fall behind the upper low; due to the spinning action, Dean would be shot right to New Orleans like a circus clown out of a cannon.

What happens if Dean weakens over the Yucatan and the ULL collides with it, for some reason or other? This could result in a “super-cane” such as the move and the book, The Perfect Storm. Such a massive storm would probably be blown towards Florida by the subtropical jet. But we can only surmise and use the best current predictions we have. I’ll update this later tonight.

History Channel Updated

After a brief hiatus, the SPI Historical Committee is getting back into full swing. See the lastest on the link to the left.

Dead Zone

Well I guess SPI is safe from the dreaded "Dead Zone" that formed off the Brazos River outfall in the Gulf. That blue color means freshwater from recent rains and because freshwater floats on top of saltwater, you can measure it from outer space, very cool. The blob has slumped a little south in our direction, but has diluted as it progresses. Such a vast pool of freshwater could put the damper on local fishing and make the water look pooh-brown like the Brazos, but I don't think that the oceanographers ever documented hypoxia occurring - such as the huge dead zone off the Mississippi which truly cannot support marine life; the Mississippi dead zone is more noted for agricultural runoff that causes algal blooms, bacteria, and loss of oxygen.

Plus, if we get one or both of the tropical depressions or waves in the Gulf, the wave action should break it all up pretty well.

On the topic of wave action, Gene Gore is heading over to Hawaii to check out Hurricane Flossie surf, and should have a report about Labor Day or so.

America Spanks Itself

I guess this is stepping back into the political fray, but it is an important issue to bring up: the immanent crackdown on illegal hires at businesses in the US. Homeland Insecurity leader Chertoff announced that these rules could cause some problems in industries such as agriculture, retail, apparel, and construction but said he had no intention of punishing Congress for not reforming the immigration laws – if you believe that, I have a second bridge to sell you in Death Valley, or maybe an island off Alaska with nobody living on it.

It is coincidental that this is happening just as the housing equity market ended up in the toilet, causing central banks all over the world to have to inject hundreds of billions of dollars into reserves so as to keep the market liquid – this liquidity is needed because like oil in an engine; if you don’t have it then entire engine would seize up. Gosh I hate it when I predict these calamities and they prove more than half true.

The funny part about all this is that many of the same folks who voted against Bush’s immigration proposals have huge holdings in agriculture, construction, hotel services, and in a round-about way are employers of illegal aliens! Obviously, the need to placate voters was much stronger than their personal bottom line, for which we I suppose should be very grateful. The word “altruistic” seems a little awkward, however.

So right when Congress votes to expand farm subsidies for vegetables and fruits (most goes to cotton, corn, and soy beans) there’s nobody left to pick the stuff. Immigrants are either vanishing into the underground cash economy or are headed back home. If remittances such as wire transfer money back to Mexico are any indication, they are at an all-time low. Things don’t bode well in Mexico, which has a double-whammy of rising corn costs for tortillas (thanks to our subsidies and ethanol policies), more people sneaking BACK into Mexico, with resulting gang warfare – I mean, what jobs really are left down there? Even modern, “safe” Monterrey is sprayed by gangland bullets every day.

In a perfect storm, of course, proposals to erect a wall along the Rio Grand could have the effect of keeping illegal immigrants inside the US. I don’t get it. Housing is tanking, agriculture is taking a tremendous hit, and once again we have that sinking feeling that we got it all wrong.

Poke Salid Annie

The Dog Days of summer set in with a vengeance after a rainy and cool year so far. Lucky us, we at least have a little sea breeze and the temperatures are actually lower than in many other parts of the nation. Today also marks when the hurricane predictions were updated by University of Colorado and NOAA: 13 to 15 named cyclones between now and late October. As Jeff Masters remarked over on his blog at Weather Underground, that’s a bunch considering we only had three fizzlers this year, with Chantal being the last. To add further complexity, the tropics are dead quiet, absolutely nothing.

But as Dr. Masters also said, the conditions are right and two weather models already predict a tropical depression in the Caribbean or Gulf forming by this coming Tuesday – although another two do not. Obviously, it’s the time of year not to be complacent. Conditions are perfect right now.

The surfers bemoan the lack of waves and wish for something to happen way offshore to send us some decent swell. They even invented a game called surfboard polo, they are so bored – doesn’t that sound wacky? In the meantime, I’m making sure the fish in the skinny surf are as well fed as possible by fishing with barbless hooks. It’s quite an art, although I think the brown surf crabs are getting more than their fair share.

Theories abound as to why ennui and extreme danger can coexist at once, on these hot subtropical days. One is that all the politicians and the President take off August and bring their hot air back to their constituents, instead of leaving it up in D.C. You’ve heard the old hat that a butterfly in Africa could beat its wings to create a slight downdraft, which turns into a thunderstorm and then a hurricane. I beg to differ: it’s all that bellowing by politicians that creates a “giant sucking sound.”

Inside joke, a cyclone has very low pressure and by definition, sucks air. As my mind wanders, no doubt fueled by lack of big contracts to work on this week, I recall a meeting of several days ago with Town management about bay issues. During casual conversation Raul Morales mentioned that most of the buildings on this Island were substandard because they did not have blow-through walls on the first story, in case a hurricane came along – either that or they needed at least three rebar rods in cement block walls as opposed to one every five feet. So I had to mention I had a 1970 beach house on telephone poles and he nodded approvingly. “The force of the water is tremendous, but you just let it go and you will be safe. Did your house sway very much?”

Laughing, I said the house was bucking and snorting like a mustang but nary a crack in the tile floor or sheetrock walls, even in an estimated 86 MPH gust. Not that I’d want to ride that rodeo again.

Let's Help Rebecca

Thanks very much for this message from Jason Moody of Town staff:

Account Opened for Rebeccah Morrison

You may have missed Rebeccah Morrison’s friendly hello when entering the South Padre Island City Hall.

Recently, she suffered a serious illness and as a result has been absent from work. To help off set medical costs, an account has been opened in her name. Those desiring to make a monetary contribution can do so at the following bank:

First National Bank of South Padre Island

709 Padre Blvd.

South Padre Island, Texas 78597

Rebeccah H. Morrison

Account # 626-538

(Rebeccah is the Receptionist/Secretary at City Hall)

Air Signs

Being a Gemini helps, I guess, being an air sign. I love watching the clouds especially in the summer, especially if they form thunderheads like this one off Boca Chica, the shoreline between South Padre Island and the Rio Grande at Mexico. Nothing dramatic as you can see, but there was an anvil and some heavy rain to the south – we got a few drops here. Summer sea-breeze showers are notoriously short-lived and local.

But to me it is power. The amount of energy expended in a 15-minute thunderstorm burst could well be similar to a nuclear bomb. Can you imagine is we could harvest that power, including the static electricity that causes the lightning? Did you know that lightning can heat the air into a state called “plasma” which is as hot as the sun? Anyway, that hot, expanding plasma is what makes the sound of thunder.

No water spouts today, which I’ve rarely seen here but more common in Florida and the Bahamas. One thunderhead blossomed over the mainland, possibly Los Fresnos, and became a meso-cumulus storm, or MCS. That means it has lots of big 15-minute storms that converged into one very large party animal. At least there’s some drama, as this time of year we should be hot, dry, and no clouds at all.

Have you’ve visited our island very much? You might have noticed that storms form off the coast, jump right over the island without raining more than ten drops, and then go “kaboom” once one the mainland. I don’t have all the answers but I can say I talked with some ozone modelers up in Austin who said that inland bay systems such as Laguna Madre are quite complex, and can have a profound effect on the weather. Of course, they lost me when they talked about micro-climate stability index, flow reversal, salinity, and the Ricardo Effect.

Hey, I’m just a silly old air sign!

Lucky Us

As I sit here, pondering still upon the vagaries of mankind and local politics, I am reminded of two things. First, how lucky we are. That’s a borrowed Flickr ™ picture of Amazing Walter with the caption “I’m the Lucky Man.” I have to feel good inside just seeing that beautiful water and a true smile. It is true, for all the stories, threats of immanent destruction, and disaster, we are truly blessed – very lucky indeed.

The other thing I was contemplating was a huge pile of cardboard boxes containing my new desktop computer. This old dog-of-a-Dell has made it almost five years, an incredibly long time with life in the fast lane. If you knew how much money I made off this old clunker – all honest and no hacking - you’d probably want to steal it. Gosh, I can’t even think to remember all the passwords and accounts I have all over the world. But alas, it has taken to turning itself off and going to sleep whenever it wants, just like an old dog.

Thank goodness it doesn’t need to go outside to pooh.

But maybe with a new email address I can just start over again like a Phoenix rising from the ashes, and hey, the spam should be pretty low for a while. It’s almost like being a virgin again, if guys can do that kind of thing.

As you may have caught in some recent postings, I’ve pretty much downplayed the political stuff, mainly on account I’m going into my second childhood and children don’t need no stinking politics. I want to learn, grow, and ask innocent questions. I want to see people smile and look deep into blue-green water. I consider myself to be a very lucky man, too.

Rebecca

This is a prayer for Rebecca. I don’t know her very well other than she is the receptionist at the Town Hall and I don’t even know her last name. But gosh, I must have called her on Town business at least a couple hundred times. She was cool, fun, factual, and quick.

Unfortunately, Rebecca seems to have had a stroke and was rushed to the hospital. I don’t know more than that and if you know more please chime in here. She hasn’t been at work in many days.

I swapped some email with Michael Montgomery who used to be in media relations or whatever they call it now. He said she was one heck of a gal, and he worked with her for quite a while.

“Man that truly breaks my heart about Rebecca. I sat right beside her all day, every day. That poor girl had more problems than all of us combined, and would never let it show.”

As I promised, I’ll try to find out more about Rebecca and how she is doing today and some more on her past. It is the least I can do. If she needs help I’ll pass the word.

Update: Ann at the front desk says Rebecca is OK and going to make it fine, some loss of movement on the left side but it talking and undergoing therapy. After an evaluation sometime next week they'll see what the next steps are. So pray for a speedy recovery, and thank you.

Letter to Tara; Housing Boondoggle

Dear Tara,

In the rough and tumble politics especially on a small Island sometimes we forget to challenge the ideas and not the person. I must confess, I have done my fair share of bashing on the 3-2 Board of Aldermen votes in which you participated. You know, being a mom, dentists, wonderful person, and Alderman must be a bunch of work and it is easy for us seagulls to sit in our beach chairs and call the potshots. But you are special and I've talked with many people over the last two days and it is time to cut some slack. So I went through my stuff and deleted bad things and then cruised the new SPI Forum and tried to do the same there, including bashing some really unrealistic requests and "facts" over there. Like you, I'm tired of all this hooey and it is time for me to confess and say I'm sorry Tara. I am being totally honest there. What some people are saying is so despicable they should or could be sued, or at least have to go to the time-out box (how about Houston, that'll fix them!). You said not to do this Tara but I'm my own man and I AM man enough to admit my mistakes.

* * *

In a New York Times article today Countrywide Financial (login required for NY Times) said that the housing economy was the worst since the Great Depression, driving the markets down by at least two percent and more to follow after the opening bell tomorrow. The story wouldn't be significant if Countrywide hadn't said that (1) housing prices have gone down, a fact not seen seen since the Depression, and (2) people with good credit were defaulting. Several hedge funds have already tanked because of "sub-prime" lending but when folks with good credit go down, it will drag the economy.

Yours truly predicted this and said that while the South Padre economy seems bullet-proof, signs are that the economy is very sick on our Island, since land flipping it the main trade in stock aside from bars, shops, and restaurants. Several huge deals such as ZOL and AZUL have been mothballed, and new projects on paper or under construction are on tenterhooks no matter what the management companies claim. If it wasn't for the Monterrey money coming in with large doses of cash, this Island would be in the toilet already. That's the buffer that can cushion a softer landing for us.

I can't think of a batter way to control land use on this Island except for the economy to tank for about three years. Oh yeah baby, I was there in the mid-1980 Texas Depression. That one was caused by a bunch of illegal bankers such as Tony Sanchez - the same rube who wants to drill for oil in the Laguna Madre. Just about everyone will agree that Tony was and is a complete and utter asshole and he same reasons for defaults are valid today as then.

Allez bon temps roulet!

The summer rolls on in an unusual cycle of rain, weekend tourists, and periodic sun, punctuated by weekend fireworks. Ah, life is good here on the Island with some of the better body surfing seen in what should be the flattest Gulf waters of the year. Knock on wood, no hurricane whirly-girlies yet – I’ll never forget moving here and a week later having to buy plywood and a ladder to get ready for Miss Emily.

This is the time of year when you don’t see the Sons of the Beach very often, except Sandy Feet has been around most of the time to manage her most excellent Sandbox Inn rental. Nice kitchen there in the picture, eh? Many are off at working, at clown camp, on the sandcastle circuit, of up north in places like Ohio. The dearth of ukulele players forced us to even cancel an invitation to play on Good Morning America on TV. I sure wish we could have done that!

Surf fishing has been a little slow because the same wind and waves that give us passable surf are horrible for fishing – one really wants calm, “trout green water” for fishing. One thing I thought was curious was an almost complete lack of bait in the surf. Usually there are immense schools of sardines, mullet, and baby jacks cruising up and down the beach on the tide, but I haven’t seen that this year. You’d think with less shrimping going on there would be more bait, and thus more trophy fish chasing the bait. Maybe the bait is all off the fourth sandbar or at the Coral Lounge.

Choppin' With My Ax

Well here's a story that might be SPI relevant in a few months, Sammie playing guitar in some joints. I've been practicing the ole guitar-box for sure. All I need is a pickup and an amp with a good high-pass filter because plastic strings make too "twapping" sound.

Then I "plays de boogie."

I ONLY play the blues if I'm feeling really funny and farcical. Nope, the boogies is pretty fast stuff, sometimes with a slide and sometimes deliberately out of key - it is the Merinque of late-1940's and early 1950's boogie and Swing music. I'm going to see if any of those Bongo Dogs are interested because I just love a fast boogie. Hey, if you like Reggae with the back-beat I can still boogie that. What, you want to Punk it up?

Only problem is, the Lord don't let me sing.

I mean I can and will, but like Leo Kottke (major machine-gun guitar player) said "my voice is like geese farts on a hot muggy day." So I guess I'm trolling for a "girl with lots of sax" or starting with the Island talent. You know, South Texas up to San Antonio was once known as a major blues and boogie area, but all that died out in the 1970's.

I think people might like it The boogies (Bugle Boy of Company B) won WWII and lasted until rock but then even stranger and eerie boogies came from the re-discovery of black music. Voodoo Chile by Hendrix and Stevie Ray Vaughn are leading examples. Wish I was that good, dern it!

If it doesn't raise hairs on the back of your neck, well it probably not worth the effort. It is to me, just maybe, if I come out of my shell.

De Trut Mon!

Humans are always concerned about the Truth, a term called "de Trut" in out-island Abacos (photo courtesy of some nice visitors to Elbow Cay, Bahamas).

So I wrote this blog entry in response to some folks who really want the Truth as opposed to opinion, hearsay, rumor, and opinion, but fail to grasp the concept of what "de trut" really is.

Of course on a small island such as ours (gosh we need more Junkanoo costumes like Miss Sally models here) the bad stuff such as rumors, lies, wild opinions, and so forth are rampant as pelican on a herd of mullet. But to say that a particular source including your truly myself is a source of truth is a losing endgame ... because anybody will tell you there's no such thing as the Truth.

Sorry to belabor the issue, but truth (lower case) is a myriad of views and opinions and approaches in itself, which can be legal, philosophical, medical, engineering, physical, and heck, about any science, religion, snake-oil salesman, or blow-hard that happens to travel down the road. It turns out that gossip has a key function for us monkey-like people because (1) we love gossip and (2) gossip helps us learn the truth!

What is best about our human/monkey system is that we love to expose the gossipers we don't like as being untruthful rubes and liars. No I'm serious, you can trash all those lofty goals of plausibility, cause and effect, reasonable doubt. If you pick up a rock in your hand and say "this is a rock" I can debate you as to it's "rock-iddity" if you want. I think we've been doing this since the Neanderthal days.

In closing, it is strange that as we have more knowledge base and mental power than ever, we have less and less of a grasp on "de Trut."

"Vanishing Beaches"

On Saturday, July 14 a big bunch of honchos will be attending a conference forum headed by US Congressman Solomon Ortiz called “Vanishing Beaches.” This ought to be a good topic because our beaches certainly are doing that. Plus, I think Hon, Ortiz might take back some suggestions for the Subcommittee on Fisheries, Wildlife and Oceans of the US House of Representatives. Anyway, the meeting is packed with some experts so be there at 11:30 a.m. at the La Quinta Inn and Suites, 7000 Padre Boulevard, South Padre Island if you dare. Warning: go early because it’s a July weekend; you know the drill and security might be tight.

One of the speakers is Jody Henneke who I worked for in a previous lifetime or at least so it seems. That was when I was line staff at the, gawd this is such a brain test, Texas Air Control Board, Texas Natural Resource Conservation Commission which then became the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality … note that she now works for the General Land Office and I’m a consultant. The GLO hasn’t changed its name since 1836. I haven’t changed my name since 1956. It will be good to see Jody even if we had some spits and spats in the past.

I don’t know for sure, but one understated purpose for the meeting but a few months ago it was to help shake loose some federal money to help restore the beaches of lower South Padre Island. State and local funds just aren’t cutting it and we’re way out of cycle now. One minor hurricane and the beach abutting four to five BILLION dollars of property will be solid gone, except down by the jetties.

See you there?

Them Extreme Oyster Sailboats

A story in the New York Times about the commercial fishermen of eastern Long Island inspired me to write about "them extreme oyster sailboats." It's a very good story about the Bonackers who were of Dutch ancestry and worked the fields, oyster beds, and pound traps of the area for centuries. Since the bays were shallow they needed skiffs that could carry a lot of weight, and until the invention of the motorboat all were powered by oar and sail. The most famous was a boat called a "Sandbagger" named Annie, which is now at Mystic Seaport.




Given the light winds of summertime, these craft were often ridiculously over-powered with huge sails. The boats literally raced to the market ... the practice later evolving into yacht racing as we know it today. The formula for today's outrageous 12-meter racing boats were based on exactly this model of the Sandbagger.

Some history references note that Sandbaggers originated near New Haven, Connecticut so as to supply oysters to the New York market. The New England Sharpie was its roots in design, a simple workboat often powered by sails on two masts as a "cat" rig. For some reason, a single mast replaced the two small ones and the sails got bigger and bigger.

The Sandbagger design quickly spread out Long Island Sound and then the coast of the US to Florida and the Bahamas. It is one of the few real American inventions as far as sailing technology. Their distinguishing characteristic was a very long boom, the horizontal wood on the bottom of the main sail. When working the oyster beds the sails were "scandalized" so as to reduce sail area, but when it came time to race, up went all the sails. Thus the sails could be worked by one or two oystermen but raced with up the 12 or 15.

The name is rather misleading, with many sources saying that bags of sand or gravel were used to help weigh down the windward side to prevent from tipping over and capsizing. I suspect oysters were used instead, but the interesting aspect was when raced they used hiking boards, sometimes stuck out as far as 12 feet. Thus you might have two or three boards on the windward side to keep the boat level, and maybe two or three men or women on each board - really nothing but a stout 2-by-twelve. My thinking is that the captains called these folks "sandbaggers" because their only function was for their weight!

As the technology spread southward, each area developed it's own take on the sandbagger. Here's an interesting resemblance from a Pamlico Sound sailing skiff:


The above picture is possibly a working oysterboat configuration rather than as a racer, but the resemblance of the bluff bows, wine-glass stern, and center-board for shallow water is there, along with the gaff-top rigging. For racing, these boats could be easily fitted with topsails above the mainsail and a flying jib with a bowsprit extension. A few can still be found in the Pamlico and Amerle sounds of the Carolinas. Some sailing configurations were sprit-sailed and loose-footed as well (meaning no swinging gaff or boom). All were very fast.

The design headed down the coast, as farmers and watermen looked for other fisheries. The Florida Mullet Boat is another example that survives even today. The most interesting adaptation is found today in the outer islands of the Bahamas such as the Abacos, Exumas, and Turks and Caicos. They are quite extreme and share the very long boom that can be longer then the boat itself:


Number 11 there is The Rage, a restored Abaco Racing Sloop (click picture for larger detail). Gone is the bowsprit but the mast was lengthened with a Marconi (triangular) rig; the wine-glass stern is still evident since the roots of the Sandbagger of the early 1800's. As a concession to the slightly deeper waters of the local waters, a modest keel replaced the centerboard as well. But they still race these historical sloops on Regatta days and even use those outlandish hiking boards.

Many yacht clubs and regattas still race the Sandbagger designs even today, thanks to some very good boat builders who could restore them. All these boats are built from wood although some today are fiberglassed on the outside. When I say these boats are "extreme," folks who sail them will tell you that the forces from those sails are so great that boards could pop right off the hull.

All because of a few oysters on Long Island Sound.

Beach Safety, Continued ...

I think I have started a discussion about beach safety and have sent emails and talked with a bunch of people. Naturally there are lots of opinions and views but the one saving grace is that this really isn't a political issue. Absolutely nobody wants SPI's image to be tarnished by a bunch of drownings. I will re-post when I figure out a place and time for an informal meeting, which is probably Monday if I can work the thang right. I'll ask Jose over at SPI Brewing if we can have the upstairs, how about that? Lemme know.

Are Palm Trees Evil?

We certainly do! See those brown snaky and fluffy branches that don't look like green palm fronds? Those are the sex parts (yikes, teenagers!) that spew out pounds and pounds of allergy-producing pollen. Please excuse me while I sneeze.

So anyway I visited the local doctor to refill some medicine and he asked if anything was going on, health-wise. I indicated my allergies and those freaking palm trees. He agreed, saying he had never seen the palms do the teenager thing in June. "Go swimming a bunch and snort some saltwater." Forty-five bucks in co-pay and he tells me to ....

Then we were talking with our good friends from Dallas, a veternarian and his wife, complaining the we had allergies fairly bad and the dogs were even sneezing too. "Are you kidding? I'd love to be allergic to palm trees! It takes years to become allergic to things like that. Frankly I'm jealous - you get live here and be allergic to palm trees. You poor, poor folks."

*

FROM THE GOOD NEWS DESK: Lori bagged a job with the local school district instead of driving an hour into the big city every workday. She is so happy she's on Cloud Nine. Her drive is now not maybe ten minutes. Hey if she's happy, I'm a happy camper too!

Bongo Dogs

I had to laugh because some people thought the Bongo Dogs were a species of critter like the mysterious Padre Island Chipmunk. "How do they taste?" asked one commenter. As shown in the photo with four of the nine Bongo Dogs, these are real nice people, not "the other white meat."

And wow they're be playing in town again on July 3rd at Wanna and 7th at Palm Street.

Cathy on the trombone on the left, now she is cool because she's got at least three toads to play. I always play a toad when the Bongo Dogs are in town. Again, not what you think! Here's a nifty small one and yes you can buy a huge toad online.




Umm, they croak like a toad and sometimes are called "frogs" because we're having too much fun to tell the difference. Some of the Bongo Dogs songs just beg for a toad, I tell ya. There are many kinds of similar percussion instruments including beans and hollow tubes with ridges on them that produce a similar sound - what you do is rub the ridges.

Anyway, come on down and enjoy the Bongo Dogs. They're all music teachers, studio musicians, or both. They always play impromtu and really can wing it. And Cathy lets me play her toad!

More Chipmunks Spotted!

This little honey was found down by Isla Blanca Park after dark and boy is Alvin here in trouble! We now think it is more of an endangering species than an endangered one. Watch these little mischievious rascals.

SPI Chipmunk Dilemma

OK, I asked around town and yes there are chipmunk-looking critters that live in the wild part of Isla Blanca Park. Being inquisitive, I checked several authoritative resources regarding the "rodents of Texas." All locals said they had a racing stripe and looked like a chipmunk but you only saw them dashing across the road or scurrying off somewhere.

I checked out the Gray-Footed Chipmunk but that mostly lives in the pine forests of west Texas and in New Mexico and such, and didn't look right.

But I did find the Texas Antelope Squirrel, which is shown in the above picture. Looks rather chipmunky, maybe? Nice racing stripe? Anyway, they like desert environments but are thought to be closer to Val Verde and other West Texas counties. Who knows?

If you do know, well stop holding back. If we need to save the Texas Antelope Squirrel I want to know I've got the right name. See you in the dunes!

More on Beach Erosion

Today I did a wee bit of research on the coastal barrier islands of Texas and came up with some rather bizarre stuff. Not being a scientific journal with anything to prove, feel free to Google the subjects yourself.

First stop was a very large development in West Galveston which is being protested because the developers plan to flatten down the dunes and a major dune ridge; three geologists testified against the project but apparently Galveston leaders are more interested in more tax base and … well more tax base. The geologists warned that flattening the island and creating marinas on the bayside would create “blow through” zones in a hurricane. Sounds vaguely familiar.

Second stop was a 1993 Shiner-Mosely document that said there’s plenty of marine sand everywhere near SPI, based on a literature search, core-samples, and all kinds of high tech stuff. Wow, aren’t we paying the same company $600,000 today to say the same damn thing? Fourteen years and they’re still sucking the hind teat!

Third stop were some geology studies done by various federal agencies who characterized our Island as being in the “destructive” phase. The jetties, currents, subsidence, and sea level rise means the beach will disappear no matter what we do; a case study on Hurricane Allen of 1980 was most informative.

I could NOT find a single peer-reviewed study of any man-made devices that would slow or stop beach erosion in the US. This includes jetties, groins, geo-tubes, offshore artificial reefs, or even continuous dune systems. My conclusion is that none of them work, and if we want a back we’ll have to pony up about a million bucks a year just to keep what we have, such as by dredge renourishment.

Nice Rainy Day

I was totally ready for a nice day of thunder and rain today, and summer can be so darned boring in the Dog Days.

I counted the real estate for-sale signs and there's 4 on Oleander and six in the neighborhood, but those properties already on the market have been sitting for at least six months. Weird, they used to flip like a deranged breakfast cook on pancakes!

Bongo-Dogs tonight if the rain stays away. There's a big one down in Mexico but so far it's stayed away.

Let's Go Fishing!

I don't get to fish as much as I like but these puppies here are a true passion. Today was fix & mend day for rods and reels, including some new guides and some reel work. So I was doing some final epoxy glue work outside and was impressed enough to take a picture. All are spinning rigs:

• On the left, the medium-heavy pole for offshore and heavy surf lures, braided line 60#
  
• My new 7'6" hi-tech rod with in a medium-light configuration and a new Shimano
• The light action set-up meant for the bay and some surf - a redfish rig
  
• An ultra-light rig meant for no more than 6 pound test line - a speckled trout rig
  

Lot's of folks spend thousands on their fishing habit but I'm right proud of my four sticks here. I have a garage full of old fishing junk but these are my babies.

Oh, and behind the rods is my wife's new boy-toy, a brand new VW with a ragtop.

See ya on the water.

Update on Hurricane Season

Dr Jeff Masters, inventor of Weather Underground, writes in his latest blog that the second half of June will be very quiet. This is good news to the extent that SPI sees more tropical storms in the early season than later, such a August and September. In those latter months, hurricanes develop in disturbances off the African coast.

Early season is dominated by cold fronts that become stationary in the Gulf of Mexico. That is not happening, and wind sheer is quite high - meaning that any cyclones would easily get ripped apart. So far this year, the season was characterized by about four extra-tropical cyclones that developed over Cuba, the Bahamas, and South Carolina.

So far we've been lucky because this is our prime time for hurricanes in lower Texas. Two years ago Emily came in on July 8, so when we get past mid-July we're pretty much out of the window of opportunity. However, no telling about wave damage to our beaches, which was severe even with a whimpy sub-tropical named Barry on June 1. That storm was over 1,000 away and developed waves that went clean up to the dunes on June 3.

Knock on wood, bruddas and sistas!

South Padre Island: A Primer

Mermaid courtesy of Sandy Feet

After reviewing where my traffic is coming from I found out that a whole bunch comes from places where I don’t have friends, such as Europe and Canada. If you read this blog you might think we’re headed for some kind of disaster! No way, South Padre Island makes for an incredible vacation experience and for the few like me, you might fall in love and want to stay here forever.

Sure, many people are now booking trips in cooler destinations such as Maine, Minnesota, and coastal West Coast for a summer trip. It can get 100 degrees F in Texas in the summer but South Padre is usually a dozen degrees cooler thanks to a sea breeze blowing over 80-degree water. If cooler is better, October and November is the slow season here but we also have the fall bird migration and possibly the best weather of the year then – plus all the rental rates are lower. In December the “Winter Texans” show up with a large contingency from Canada and the upper Mid-West.

But what’s there to do here? The fishing and birding is nothing short of spectacular, and there are loads of opportunities such as to actually feed giant sea turtles in captivity. The surfing is great spring and fall, punctuated by an occasional tropical storm in the summer. Yours truly here wrote that the body surfing and body boarding is probably the best anywhere, since the sandbars extend so far into the Gulf of Mexico.

What I do is surf when the waves are big and fish the surf when the waves are small. This is quite cheap and very fun, everything from small whiting to tarpon and large shark right here (no worries, no nasty shark incidents lately). On the bayside you might want the services of a guide to locate sea trout, redfish, or the mysterious snook; most half-day charters are $300 USD for 2-3 people for a half a day.

But wait there are quite economical excursions to view the bay dolphins, which are a different species from the ocean dolphins. Many have names and one named “Mikey” is a legendary fish stealer around the charter boats. Others excursions such as “Fins to Feathers” do much more personal trips for dolphin and professional birding; former President Jimmy Carter took this service and enjoyed it immensely.

Mexico: our area is the eastern gateway to Mexico. Passport and visa regulations seem to be in a state of flux, but my wife just loved her “girl trip” into interior Mexico on one of those huge touring buses. Sanborne Travel is highly recommended. They take very good care of you and it is completely safe – but as a word to the wise, do not eat the fresh goat cheese unless you know you can handle it. Otherwise, a walk across to Garcia’s over the bridge into Matamoros can be quite memorable.

The lower Rio Grand Valley also boasts tens of thousands of acres of nature preserves, many accessible and within and hour or two of South Padre Island. For those who rented a sports utility truck with big tires or four-wheel drive, you can drive over 20 miles of beach all the way to the Mansfield Cut, a pass that separates north from south Padre Island. The naked beach, if you are so inclined, is about 10 miles north of the last beach access headed north.

What do we locals do? We always have some madness happening like a fundraiser or a Saturday night at the only beachside club called Wanna-Wanna, with the jazzy horn band called the Bongo Dogs or a Jimmy Buffet band called the Beach Bums. Every once in a while we find some construction wood and driftwood and head out to the north end of the beach (outside Town limits) for a bonfire on the beach, which can be quite satisfying especially with a moon. Otherwise we locals are frantically trying to make money because you don’t make any in the off-season.

Oh, I forgot to mention building sand castles – we have several world champion sand sculptors right here on our island. The “will you marry me?” design is very popular.

Suggestion: book trips like Tuesday to Tuesday, mid-week. The reason is the weekends are be hectic during the peak summer season and we all stock up for the weekend and cook at home then to avoid the maddening crowds. Days during the middle of the week can be fantastic, with lots of “elbow room.”

No, it’s not the Bahamas or Hawaii, but it is a unique experience if your expectations are middling, and if the travel costs are reasonable. We’ve been to both hallowed destinations and we still live here, right here on South Padre Island. Come on down, as we say in Texas.

Global Warming Religion

I’ve been following the topic of global warming for about a decade now and it amazes me how it almost seems to have evolved into a religion. I respect all value systems and religions and stuff but honestly, some aspects of commercialized global warming are downright alarming. Some websites like http://www.driveneutral.org/ will even trade you some credits for driving that SUV or any vehicle you have. Some plant trees to offset your emissions, home, car, or business. It’s a huge industry not unlike those mega-churches.

The idea that one could measure emissions in one location, like here in Texas, and then offset it by growing a seedling in some far-fetched country such as Surinam is almost surreal and makes absolutely zero mathematical sense. I wish I could remember the story but one writer compared that kind of thing to the practice of paying money to get absolved of some sin – it makes everyone feel so much better, but it didn’t do a damn thing. It was a Medieval thing, I suspect.

Even the rock band ColdPlay is making the same pilgrimage. I can’t make any sense of this: if one was going to reduce global warming, shouldn’t one stop using so much fuel and plant a tree?

It is becoming obvious to me that all these offset credits are a scam, worse than a chain letter as to the accounting. Huge consulting and trading firms now make tremendous profits, not to mention that many of the PHD types make well over a hundred thousand a year just to sell their product. Huge blogs such as the Grist are even in on the game.

I’m not going to call them on the carpet or say bad things about them, but honestly folks, all that commercialization and cheerleading is a little over the top.

Wonderful Weekend, Barry

Wow, here's most of the conspirators including Nancy's mother, all having a great time on the beach. Thanks to Nancy and Sandy Feet for all the fun. The detail on the sandcastle isn't great here but we maybe had 12-15 towers or stacked mud-pies or whatever ya call them.

Notice one key detail. There's water on the beach - all over the beach. It's ponded and we have a moat around our sandcastle so it was safe (thanks again, Sandy).

I'll tell you the truth we were backed up almost to the dunes. The high tide was near eleven o'clock but here about three in the afternoon, there is still water up to the dunes. The beach was getting tore up pretty bad especially in drainage areas that looked suspiciously like rip-tides offshore.

That's rather shocking because the moon tide wasn't that big. Nope, it was some swell waves from Tropical Storm Barry darned near to Tampa, Florida, not even a puny hurricane. That's a little scary.

But another day, small waves, and a lower high tide and everything is back to normal. Now I got my glasses, my renewed driver's licence, and a day I can go fishing in the surf before it blows 25 again ... well it couldn't be better. They say there's some big fish eyes in the surf now!

Happy Birthday Lori

Well it’s birthday time for us, with an anniversary thrown in, so it ought to be a great weekend. We just want to be will our friends and neighbors and hang out, no big deal although I’d better DO something about our 25^th Anniversary next year. I’m thinking the Bongo-Dogs and a chocolate fountain. We’re buying each other some rather expensive French doors for the bedroom, since the old one, a high quality Anderson, is rotting out. Any chump change left I’m buying a boat even if it’s a freaking john boat – them there thermal/hurricane/super-duper doors are expensive.

Saturday we’ll be at Wanna and then on Sunday some sneaky girls are going to take us to “the beach,” whatever that means since there’s 30 miles of it. The Beach Bums start around 8-something on Saturday and … and what happens at the Wanna stays at the Wanna, OK?

Honestly, I haven’t been quite this happy in quite some years. I was thinking when I really was happy and I remember being a MAN and hitchhiking to Block Island and its ferry with nothing but a back-pack and a duffel bag. My destination: a job as a dishwasher at the Narragansett Inn, which served three meals a day. Free meals, free lodging, miles of beach and trails … and almost no pay but I really didn’t give a flop. I was sixteen years old and on my own. I kind of feel like that today.

I love you Lori.

Silence of the Tree Frogs

The last few years I was used to hearing hundreds of tree frogs and their distinctive chirp at night, especially after a real good rain last we had last week. I counted maybe two or three soundng males the last few nights.

There are toads, frogs, and a few kinds of lizards down here including a black skink. They seem to diminish every year. Last year I had two toads living in the garage downstairs and now none. What happened?

I sure hope this isn't a sign of what scientists have been saying for several years, that the frogs are disappearing at a rapid rate. Strange fungus and loss of habitat may have taken their toll.

I sure hope not. Last night I couldn't sleep so I checked on the tree frogs once again about two o'clock. Two peepers vocalized. Is it the feral cats, global warming, or what?

Instead, the cicada buzzed even more loudly, knowing they and their fellow insects can take over the world no matter what.

More Hummers Than Ever

I have never seen anything like this, perhaps at least 50 humminbirds fighting over my feeders now. It feels like the Alfred Hitchcock movie 'The Birds.' They roost in a tall bush next to the house, sometimes six on a single twig! There is no way to count them other than to look at the bush and then the feeder and make a guess. They have a distinctive yee-hee-hee-hee language that when dozens do it all at once can be quite disorienting. I'm putting out at least a pint of sugar water every morning now, sometimes to a very demanding client! It's a good thing I change the feeder everyday because old sugar left in the bottle can ferment and turn into alcohol - can you imagine that many drunk hummers? Fortunately, none have decided to move in the house yet.

History Blog, BATF Updated

I have updated the History Channel about South Padre things historical, with some cool picture from the late 1940's including a rare amphibious water taxi.

I also "updated" the Bay Area Task Force, or BATF, as in I resigned. That sure made a splash, and I hope no enemies.

What is weird is everyone wants a reason, motivation, or explanation. "Are you pissed off? Are you sick? What's the real reason?" Hey man, I'm a private citizen, ya know! I just up and quit. I've put in over a year and a half of voluntary citizen service.

It wasn't like I was elected or anything, and my understanding was that these citizen committees really need to be re-appointed every year anyway. It wasn't like I was elected Mayor and one day I woke up and said "well shucky-jive, I feel like quitting today."

I will continue to volunteer and give back to the community. I just felt like taking a breather from an advisory board. OK?

A Real Hummer

Dozens of hummingbirds showed up yesterday so I put up two feeders. Most are the ruby throated ones, mainly females, although we think we saw several other kinds as well like the Buff Belly. Scarlet Colley came down the street to check out all the warblers in the Tepaguaje trees so I brought my coffee over to say hello and tell her about all the hummingbirds. She mentioned that they were probably part of the on-going migration ... and amazingly, identified about six new warbler species for me, all within the space of ten minutes. She wanted a Cirrulean Warbler, which is solid blue, but we saw a rare orange-headed one instead, which pleased her very much. She asked about the Town elections and I told her "it was a real hummer" and the results were:

• Tara Rios
• Kirk Mills
• Courtney Hayden

"I guess that means Rick Ridolfi lost" she concluded, "that's a shame, because he had so much knowledge and clout." But she went on to say the new Board members would be a great team, and maybe Rick ought to run for Mayor sometime. Then she rattled off several more warbler species that for the life of me I can't remember, but one had a green head and the one with the orange head came even closer to us.

As she drove away I walked back up onto my porch and saw five hummingbirds sitting around the feeder, all peacefully drinking and not fighting, the latter which they usually do with great gusto. It was a vision to remember.

Your Local Taxes

It is high time somebody said that it was NOT high taxes that are running people off this Island. Sure, your evaluation might have skyrocketed over the last ten years but poor, poor you. Compared to living in the Austin area our local tax bill is about half.

Yep that's right, we paid more on a $100,000 house up there than a $200,000 house down here. I find it ludicrous for people to say taxes are running people off the Island. Sure, I feel bad if you are on a fixed incomed or retired and only figured your seaside estate was only worth $30,000 when you bought it. These folks are few and perhaps always lived in a marginal lifestyle.

What really bothers me is that folks want lower city taxes, as in the Town of South Padre, yet want al kinds of new services. About ninety percent of your local tax bill is county, school, and some other taxes. The Town tax bill is almost nothing. Yet some people want to capitalize this for their personal grandeur or some other very strange reason.

Get off it, as we see right through the political shennanigans. Your tax bill is fairly mild. Yes, the Town finances a disproportionate amount of offshored County and school revenue, but how else can you you tax people equitably? To add to the mix, your tax bill can only go up like five percent a year, no matter HOW it is appraised or valued. I am not familiar with the exact conditions of this cap but I suspect that something is deeply wrong with the "taxed off the Island" argument.

It's a political ploy. People come and go as their families mature, a few members die, and the youngsters move about the US. It's that simple. If it gets like living on the Island is a pain in the hootch you move elsewhere. It has very little to do with taxes. It is trivial compared to a hurricane.

Now insurance, I can believe that story. A ton of insurers are dropping coastal policies just because of the hurricane issue. I want a roll-back on my damn insurance and KEEP continual coverage even if The Big One comes. We've got three to five billions of dollars of property down here, and we need it all covered by insurance.

Strangely, nobody wants to talk about this issue, especially the people who say taxes are driving people off the Island. They are completely berserk.

ber·serkly adv.

Word History: When we say that we are going berserk, we may not realize how extreme a state this might be. Our adjective comes from the noun berserker, or berserk, which is from the Old Norse word berserkr, "a wild warrior or champion." Such warriors wore hides of bears, which explains the probable origin of berserkr as a compound of *bera, "bear," and serkr, "shirt, coat." These berserkers became frenzied in battle, howling like animals, foaming at the mouth, and biting the edges of their iron shields. Berserker is first recorded in English in the early 19th century, long after these wild warriors ceased to exist.

Pelican West Incident

Last week a local man died as a result of a fistfight outside a brand new bar which just opened, Pelican West. Rumors are flying everywhere, and lack of information is driving people crazy. According to the Brownsville Herald article, Mike Marques was involved in an altercation and two out-of-town men have been charged. He ended up in the hospital and several days later was taken off life support.

The rumor, which is quite ugly and could well be untrue, is that the two men involved in the incident were employees of PNG Onshore, the company doing the seismic testing in the Laguna Madre. Indeed, the Town has received calls saying the not only is PNG killing the bay, but now they're killing the locals. Intentionally.

Folks, do not believe everything that you hear, especially when the facts haven't been collected.

One can understand the rumors because resentment against the seismic testing has been building for a long time. An overwhelming proportion of locals hate it with a deep and festering passion. Some equally disturbing rumors are that some local watermen have taken to cutting seismic cable and destroying buoys ... which if so would cause the company to have to stay here longer. At the same time, rumors have been building that PNG and its contractors may have been involved in other crimes as well. None of this appears to be true, except that some watermen do admit accidentally hitting the buoys because there are so many of them.

It might be an inescapeable fact two contractors who possibly worked on the seismic crews may be charged with deadly assault or some kind of murder charge. That doesn't look very good, I'll have to admit.

Tiki Time Again!

Thanks to Sandy Feet for composing this ...

The turtles are returning to SPI to nest and that means it’s time to get ready for the second annual Lighting of the Tiki Torches Flotilla, scheduled for Friday, May 18 at just before sunset. The reigning King and Queen Sargassum, along with their court of local kayakers, will paddle the entire length of the island, lighting tiki torches all along the bay. Upon arriving at Palm Street Pier, they will be greeted by drummers, hula dancers, ukuklele players and a special performance by the Bongodogs. This is a perfect excuse to break out the Hawaiian shirts and grass skirts and get ready for summer!

There are multiple ways to participate -- all of them FREE:

Kayakers: Meet at Ted’s Landing at 5:30 if you are up for the whole trail, or join in at any point along the way. A trailer provided by The Beach Service will help you get your kayak back up to Ted’s after the ceremony.

Bayside residents: Place your (unlit) Tiki Torch in the bay and the King and Queen of Sargassum will light it from the ceremonial torch. Contact organizer Nancy Marsden to get your location on the Tiki Trail Map.

Everybody Else: Walk to the nearest by access point to cheer on the flotilla and pay homage to King & Queen Sargassum! Then head over to Palm Street Pier to participate in the festivities.

The Island Drummers and hula dancers will be on hand to welcome the flotilla at Palm St. Pier. At 7:45 the sunset ceremony begins, culminating in “the calling of the turtles” (on a conch shell, of course!) as the island officially welcomes nesting sea turtles and the beginning of summer. Following the ceremony, the Saturn Street Strummers will break out their ukes as warmup for the ever-popular Bongodogs and their unique blend of Texmex Puro Caliche Island music.

The Bongodogs appearance at the Tiki Festival should come as no surprise. "Above all, we are citizens of the Island and lovers of the sea" says David Cassady, the Bongodogs bassist. "We hope that our involvement will inspire others to take an interest in the sea turtles...".
David, his wife Cathi, and Dave Lorhy are all Bongodogs and avid divers. "Cathi and I have had some great turtle experiences in both Belize and Hawaii" said David, "but last year was probably the best! We all three traveled to Mexico to do some diving and had many wonderful close encounters with these very friendly creatures."

"This one took a particular liking to Dave!"

"We hope everyone will come out to support this event. See you there!"

The Bloggy Boyz

I sometimes hang out on the Bahamian blogs and forums, especially those for the out-islands known as the Abacos. The most interesting was the Bloggy Boyz, an irreverant dude who told it like it was - sometimes too much like it was, but always dead-on true. Apparently, he's closed down his shop and left only one post left saying "The End." Bummer.

I hope I can use the name like for a rock band or something.

Signs, Sign, Everywhere A Sign!

On Friday I sent the Town Manager a note regarding visibility on some of the street intersections, especially the side streets. It’s probably not a big issue except where a condo developer puts up on right next to a stop sign, such as on my street. But in some instances signs have sprouted up on the intersections, not to mention the folly of planting palm trees and large shrubs so you can’t see the oncoming traffic. We might have made some progress on regulating signage for certain businesses, and have made some folks mad because of selective or over-enforcement, but there are all kinds of signs and I’m not a fan of any of them, except as required by TxDOT.

The visual clutter from signs detracts from our efforts to beautify the Island. Think of all the kinds of signs we have today, as they have been reproducing like rabbits:

• Realtor signs
• Election signs
• Beach rule signs (three kinds of them!)
• Dog poop signs (but no plastic bags?)
• Ordinance signs
• Security company signs
• No parking signs on trash dumpsters
• Landscape signs
• Slow children signs (hah!)
• Crappy old billboards

I could go on, but it appears that some folks want more signs, such as for “No Parking.” The most recent one to spawn in the “way-finding” sign so people can find the beach. I know that is a well intentioned and reasonable idea, but I just hate signs – and if you can’t find the beach with both hands, given the Island is only four blocks wide at most, I feel quite sorry for you.

Don’t get me wrong, the TxDOT allows for signs at indicate public establishments such as county parks, the Convention Center, boat ramps, and so forth. Those can be helpful but should be few in number as possible, such as when you come over the Causeway onto the Island. Those are true way-finding signs.

And I wouldn’t mind just a few signs out in Tompkins Channel to tell the boats to have NO WAKE, but that’s maybe it.

I admire folks like Ladybird Johnson of LBJ fame, who helped kick butt and clean up the signs and billboards and make junkyards and trash areas get covered by fences. In some Austin suburbs, thousands of real estate signs a month are collected because they are illegally planted in the right of way. The realtors know that code enforcement officers take off the weekends, so it is quite a cat-and-mouse game.

Sorry folks, I’m taking down my “Elect Somebody” signs in my front yard right now.

Kinky's Back in the Saddle

According to a recent Houston Chronicle story, Kinky Friedman is back to what he does best - writing, playing music, and raising money for stray dogs. I wish he'd come down to South Padre again. As to his Governor's election campaign he says "We won this race every place but Texas. And that's not bad." You have to love him though ... glad to see he's got back his mojo.

Jack Up Rigs and Trends

If one thing is true, the Port of Browsnville is a major area for refurbishing shallow-water jack up rigs. What;s a jack-up rig? Well as the picture above suggests, there are usually three giant legs that are all the way up when pulled out to sea, and then they set the legs down on the sea floor and litterally jack the rig up like 40 feet in the air. Then the workers can set drilling pipe into the ground with that fourth "tree" looking thing, with is called a winch tower or Christmas Tree. Photo credits go to Michael Martin of Canada regarding his pictures here, including the "Nabors 659" being towed out by Crosby Towing Service on March 8, 2007.

Inland jack-up rigs are quite smaller and deepwater rigs (over 1,000 feet of ocean depth) are monsterously huge, costing billions of dollars such as Thunderhorse. These concepts are useful because we've gotten a very strong signal that they're going to turn our area into an oil Boom Town. Here's another photo by Mr. Martin of all the big offshore and puny inshore rigs down by Amfels in Brownsville.



So what's the deal? Today's Houston Chronicle predicts massive increases in marine oil and gas exploration, perhaps because of a rah-rah Bush attitude. Other financial and oil and gas experts are not so quick, including this article that says that many of the oil and gas rigs are disappearing overseas because of lower costs and higher daily lease contracting rates, so there are few rigs to really do anything meaningful as far as "saving" us from imported oil. [Editor's note: the second article can be seen as extremely gloomy - basically, we're screwed, so don't hurt yourself.]

As we roll into hurricane season this June I'll be with you, watching like a hawk.