Work began today on the entrance road repair. A ditch was dug across the road to allow a stronger high pressure sewer line to be laid. The old line was not leaking, but it was problematic to cover it with concrete and then find there was a problem. A conduit was also included for the security cameras. The road curb was
taken up. I got differing accounts as to why. The crew was busy replacing the curb and actually making the road a bit wider.
For those familiar with Texas high school football I will note that the Texas High School Coaches Association president, D.W. Rutledge checked in today. He was towing a sparkling new boat. He said he planned to be here a couple of days in 501. However, in the early evening he packed back up and left. They said they had to get back to San Marcos to the office to take care of association funds that were at risk because of the current economic conditions.
The winds are still light and the water looks pretty clear. Paul(505) along with his family and I went out to Paul's Mott again yesterday. I did finally catch an 18 inch trout. That's my first keeper trout in over a month. I had worked on the boat a bit in the morning and it ran fine.

The white lines in the grass show where the cables will be laid for the security cameras that will be installed soon. I understand that half of the maintenance shed will be used as a security center.
Late yesterday afternoon the concrete supplier came up with some more concrete and had it delivered. The area behind the 700 building is now finished.
I heard from Bradley Phair(former owner of 208) a few days ago. He said he had gone with guide Marvin Landers Friday a week ago. The four of them did catch 11 trout, 2 reds and one flounder.
I tried yesterday morning with perch and DOA and did not get a hit. Today I went out with Paul(505) and we tried live shrimp and only caught one small trout, one skipjack and one gafftop. We went all the way to Paul's Mott. The wind finally gave us a break yesterday morning so we at least had a good boat ride. However, we encountered a fuel problem and had to return slowly. The ethanol in marine engines is a real problem. I had a problem last Sunday and I just removed the gas water separator and emptied it and all was well. Today that trick didn't work. I'll have to drain the carburetors tomorrow and see if that helps.
I helped Ron take down the Purple Martin house today. The martins have been gone for a couple of months and won't return until spring.
Today's Rockport Pilot lists Aransas County's most delinquent taxpayers. I saw guides Don and Petra Schultz on the list as well as an attorney the association has used in the past, Reese Rozell. Even Air Mart, who does a lot of work around here, owes just over $5,500. They print this list every September and I would guess it helps collect some taxes.

Work began on pouring the concrete before sunrise this morning. These pictures are as bright as I could adjust my camera for. I was leaving to go fishing and I could not wait for more light. 120 yards of concrete had been ordered. By noon 140 yards had been delivered and a lot more was needed. The concrete company had other commitments and I guess they will come back tomorrow and bring the rest. It appears to be about 85 percent complete. It will take 5 days to cure. I counted a crew of at least 16 people working on this at one time.

Experience is a tough teacher. Someone decided that we could stop the beach sand from eroding into the bay by damming up the area around the start of the pier. So what happens? The sand erodes directly into the channel. Its kinda like "dammed if you do and dammed if you don't". We have tried this before and all we succeeded in doing was to fill up the channel with sand very quickly. It costs $6,000 to fill the beach with sand and a lot more to dredge out the channel. Now, it would seem like we could just dredge it back onto the beach. That won't work. When a channel is dredged, the spoil must be placed on private land. Our beach is not owned by us. It belongs to the State of Texas. We pay an annual fee just to use it.

Mother Nature is returning our breakwater to us in pieces. Two of these giant whalers washed up on our property after the storm. They could be a real navigation hazard. As pricey as they are, I would pick them up and store them for the repair job. One of them may have rammed an electrical conduit. The outside lights to the 600 building and the power to the fish cleaning stand have not worked since the storm.
The tide is very high today and more breakwater damage will possibly occur. I don't think the shoreguard solution was ever intended for water that is 8 feet deep. I would take it down only to a depth of maybe six feet and then reuse the removed material to construct an L on the south end to prevent silting and eliminate the problem caused by the extra depth. But then what do I know? My time in the Army Corps of Engineers doesn't count for anything. I attended the Army Corps of Engineers school at Fort Belvoir, Virgina so long ago whatever I learned was long ago forgotten.

Fishing must be tough all over. When I pull up the perch trap, I really draw a crowd. Notice the pelican with one leg. I guess when you have only one leg, you have to be more aggressive. This one came up and tried to get his beak into the trap opening. Actually, that's pretty smart. The perch can't figure how they got in so they can get out, but the pelican sees the opening right away!

I had not seen the injured pelican since the storm. Today I learned that Jaime and Lisa called Parks and Wildlife last week and they came and picked him up. I had called TPWD the last time we had an injured pelican and they said I had to catch it first. That was not going to happen. This pelican was much less wary and would actually chase people in hopes of getting a bite of food. I'm sure he was easy to catch.
The Kontiki kitty is not doing as well. I had not seen him in several days. Yesterday he showed up hungry and hurt. He has a big wound on his back. Perhaps a dog took a bite out of him. The bleeding has stopped, but the wound is open. He moves around pretty slowly.
The old mailboxes were taken down last week. I saw Nora, our postperson, come by today. She opened my mailbox for me and I had a load of mail. Justin told me later that Lisa had a key for me. Nora said that when a key is lost the whole lock has to be replaced. She said the Post Office will do it for about $20.
Remodeling work continues all around. It appears that 406 is about finished. 108 is not finished, but I have seen no activity there. Rob and his crew are working on 707 and 711. A realtor from ERA was here taking pictures yesterday. I guess another condo is going on the market.
The strong north wind continues to howl as it has for over a week. Fishing has suffered. The water temperature is only 77 degrees, but the fish are not in a biting mood. All I catch off the deck are hardheads.
Saturday, Justin and John went to the jetties, the Fina docks, and Estes flats without a keeper to show.
Merlin(506) went to Estes and the areas around there on Friday and Monday. The total catch was three reds and one 23 and 1/2 inch trout. They used only live mullet.
Randy(308), Scott(702) and I spent four hours in north Aransas Bay on Saturday. We used Gulp, DOA, and gold spoons. The only bite was a big Gafftop that took a crab shaped Gulp. We had no other action. Sunday, we put in at Cove Harbor and tried every place from there to Hog Island and back. We did catch some small trout and reds and finally one keeper trout and a 25 inch red. The red hit the gold spoon and the trout hit a Gulp. I was using DOA and didn't get a keeper. Both keepers were just off the intracoastal just south of Lindsay's Landing, an old abandoned marina. We did see several white pelicans on both days. This is really pretty early in the year for them

Work had been ongoing on pouring concrete on the south parking area of Phase II. Today, work began on our entrance road. The plan is to do all the area in front of the 700 building and then one half of the entrance road at a time to allow traffic to continue. Justin said the cost will be about $3.15 per square foot. That provides a five inch think covering. Both Rob and Justin tell me their understanding is that the rest of the parking area is to be topped with asphalt. The asphalt is only about $1.75 per square foot. The parking area consists of about 50,000 square feet. My memory was that we would concrete the whole area. The parking area will be the last to be done and maybe available money will impact the direction taken. I really would like concrete.

Friday afternoon the condo sinks and tubs started to gurgle. We all know what that means. This was the scene Saturday afternoon. What a mess. Affordable Plumbing came out Saturday evening and worked quite a while to open the sewer. They claimed there was sand in the lines. I doubt that seriously.

Here is one last note on Ike. The picture shows a section of the Phase II pier that was removed by the high tide. The Phase II pier now has only two lights, but the rest of the pier is so damaged it is roped off and not available for use. I have no idea what plans there are for the future of this pier. Very few other piers along Fulton Beach Road had any damage. The Phase II pier was just too old and not well maintained. Maybe we will build a super pier in conjunction with Phase II. Of course, its not about the size or length of a pier. The lights make all the difference. There are people fishing right now off the crossbridge. They are catching good size croaker. They were there yesterday too. Since they drive up, I doubt that they are staying here. Actually, that area is part of the mitigation site and is supposed to be closed to fishing. Most people don't know what a mitigation site is or why we have one.

Here is Kim standing on a finger pier. At the highest point the water level was about a foot higher than seen here. The high water mark is easily seen by the effect it has had on the grass. Even the bushes on the north side of the 700 building are starting lose all their foliage as a result of saltwater exposure.
The tide remains pretty high now as is usually the case at the vernal equinox.

More Ike pictures from Kim.

Here are some Ike pictures sent by Kim(308).

Edd Bowers '43 Remembered
Memories of Edd
Share Your Memories
Alumnus and longtime coach Edd Bowers '43 dies in Texas
Memorial: Sun Sept 28; 4 p.m. Herrick Chapel Reception: Following service, Grinnell House Edd Bowers '43, a Grinnell alumnus and former coach, was a Pioneer in every sense of the word. Bowers died Tuesday, Sept. 16, 2008, in Grapevine, Texas, at the age of 86. Bowers has divided his time between his homes in Rockport, Texas, and Grinnell. Bowers grew up in Montezuma, Iowa, and entered Grinnell College with the class of '43. He did not graduate until '47, due to intervening World War II service as an officer aboard a minesweeper. As a Pioneer athlete, Bowers earned eight letters, competing in football, basketball, track, golf, and tennis. In his second year, Bowers played on the conference co-champion basketball team that finished 10-2. He also captained the 1942 team that upset Iowa State, 37-30, in the first game played in Darby Gym. After graduating from Grinnell with a degree in economics, Bowers earned a master's degree at the University of Iowa. He served as a high school coach in Mt. Pleasant, Iowa, for nine years following his graduation from Grinnell, where he led the football team to an undefeated record. His teams were consistent contenders. Bowers went on to serve as athletic director and football coach at Iowa Wesleyan College for four years before returning to Grinnell in 1960. Upon returning to Grinnell, he quickly improved the Pioneer football program. After a 4-4 season in 1960, the Pioneers tied for the conference championship the next year with a 6-2 record and won the title outright in 1962 with a 7-0-1 mark. Bowers, whose overall Grinnell record is 71-88-2, credited his players. "I had a group of good athletes in those early years, and that makes a coach look good, if you make it fun and have some luck," he said. "Winning those championships was thrilling, but actually I had the most fun developing teams with lesser athletes. There was great satisfaction in seeing average players improve." Bowers also coached baseball, wrestling, and tennis. He enjoyed assisting John Pfitsch in basketball and occasionally filled the top job. With 19 years at the helm of the Pioneer football team, Bowers held the record for the longest tenure as football coach. In 1980, when Bowers stepped down as head coach, Provost Waldo S. Walker said, "Edd has earned an important place in the history of athletics at Grinnell, and the College is grateful to him." Bowers' love of golf — as coach, player, and official — was well known. He coached a championship team in 1973 and several top-division finishers before his second "retirement" in 1992. An intense player himself, Bowers could still shoot in the 70s in his seventh decade. He won the state seniors championship in 1983. Bowers was inducted into the Grinnell College Athletic Hall of Fame in 1995 in the hall's first year of existence. The Iowa Chapter of the National Football Foundation and College Hall of Fame honored him earlier this year with the Distinguished Iowan Award. . He was also elected to the Iowa Wesleyan Hall of Fame. Bowers is best known as a coach, but he was also proud to call himself a teacher. Good coaches, Bowers liked to say, aren't necessarily good athletes. They're good teachers. He told The Grinnell Magazine in 2005 that his background as a teacher was the reason he succeeded as a basketball and football coach. It was his wife, Eleanor Chleboun Bowers '42, who first encouraged him to pursue a teaching career. He taught math and science while she taught social studies. They passed their love of teaching on to their family. Two daughters (Cynthia Bowers Fulton '69 and Deborah Bowers Johnson '72) and a granddaughter are teachers or school administrators. "It's such a worthy profession, and it's often very rewarding," Bowers said. The family also includes a son, Edd W. Bowers Jr. '74 (Wally), who was coached by his father while he was at Grinnell. Bowers said Wally was a great athlete. Furthermore, Bowers also coached his son-in-law, Gary Johnson '71, for four years. Through the last years, Bowers spent much time coaching and teaching his extended family, including six grandchildren and seven great-grandchildren. When Eleanor passed away in 2000, memorial gifts provided the funding to establish a scholarship in her name. Because of Eleanor's passion for education, Edd and his family wanted the scholarship to go to students who planned to teach—preferably in history. A service will be held at 4 p.m. Sept. 28 in Herrick Chapel, with a reception to follow in Grinnell House. The family requests no flowers; gifts may be made to the Eleanor Chleboun Bowers '42 and Edd W. Bowers '43 and '47 Teaching Scholarship* at Grinnell College. See Memories of Edd to read what students, faculty, and friends have shared, or share your own memories. * Gifts to the scholarship may be sent to Grinnell College, Office of College and Alumni Relations, 733 Broad St., Grinnell IA 50112. (Please indicate the Bowers scholarship in the memo line or on accompanying note.) You may also call 866-850-1846, or make your gift online.
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Jim Sikes called this morning to give me the sad news that Edd Bowers passed away early this morning. Edd had been hospitalized in Grapevine, Texas where his daughter Debbie could watch over him. I will post more details as I receive them.

I'm sure everyone had a lot of questions about last week's hurricane and its impact on Kontiki. This blog had 111 individuals log on 484 times. That's almost 5 times each. There were hits from 17 states and 27 cities in Texas. As it turned out we were quite fortunate. I left about 6 p.m. on Friday. I saw the Fulton fire truck try to come in our entrance road and turn around because of the high water and I thought it was time for me to leave.
Jim(210) and his son arrived at Kontiki at about 7:30 p.m. on Friday. They had no trouble getting in, but the next morning they had no way out. Rob and Justin came by in their trucks and it was not problem. Kim(Randy 308's) daughter and her husband spent Friday night also. Kim has taken some pictures that I will post when she sends them to me. Jim said the water was under the buildings on the harbor side and under the 700 building. That is not real unusual. It does, however, generally kill the grass and other vegetation from the salt content. He said it was to the top of the bulkhead on the bay side. There was absolutely no rainfall and the peak recorded wind gust was 28 mph. Jim took his plywood down on Sunday and left.
Scott(702) did not have any power at his house in Houston. He had come down on Thursday to take things out of their condo and then had to return on Sunday to bring back the cold stuff.
I heard from Rita and Marv. They live in Pearland and also had no power. They are staying at one of their kids condo's in Port Aransas.
I talked to Justin today. He said that as far as he has heard the annual owners' meeting will be the first weekend in November. Since November 1st is a Saturday, I assume he means the weekend of November 7th and 8th. He said a notice will go out to owners within the next two weeks when a date is selected.
Today was Ron Layton's 39th birthday. Ron is our onsite groundskeeper.

In the last two hours the water level has started to come up. The parking lot is dry and just me and my boat are here. The sun is out and the winds are at the breezy level.

I know there is a lot of interest in the weather conditions here. However, there is really nothing to report at this time. The sun is bright, the tide is slightly above normal, and the north breeze is keeping the predicted tidal surge at bay(pun intended). The local forecasters say this will not be a big rain event and winds will be no worse than we get in spring time thunderstorms. Of course as soon as I write this things may change.
I mentioned yesterday that I had a concern for security with no one around. As it turns out, Pop will be here all day today and tomorrow. He is staying in Phase II room 214 so he can keep an eye on things.
I talked to Betty Brackle(103) in Nebraska yesterday. She said she is not planning to come down this winter. She is planning on some knee surgery in Lincoln. She said she may come down in the spring.
The only catch this morning was 21 inch skipjack. That was fun. I tried to feed it to the injured pelican, but it was too big. I cut it in half for him and he still struggled and suddenly, before I could intervene, another pelican took it away. I gave him the smaller half and he put that away. There is a lot of pelican activity in the bay today. Maybe the fish are stirred up. The noon news from Corpus showed a flooded roadway with tailing red fish in the ditch next to the road.

The weather will probably change around here soon. Right now there is nothing remarkable. The wind and tide are not out of the ordinary. There is still a prediction for three to five foot tidal surges by tomorrow. Right now the water is not even breaking over the bulkhead.
Only four bayside units are not boarded up, including mine. Rob said they used 250 sheets of plywood at $15 each.
The fishing today has been unremarkable too. So far only two hardheads. The injured pelican probably thinks from his perspective the fishing was quite good. He ate both hardheads and a whole bunch of perch. He is becoming more aggressive when he is offered food. He really goes after it and sometimes the hand that feeds him too.
Joe(709) is here. I understand that Reuters has contacted him about taking some photos if the opportunity presents itself. I would post some more photos, but there is not much to photograph at this point.
I tried out the new Chinese buffet today. It is in the shopping center near Ace Hardware. It was quite good and pretty crowded for the middle of the afternoon. The staff is all Chinese. They do things with shrimp that I have never heard of. The lunch buffet is $6.50. The downtown area is about half business as usual and half boarded up and closed. I guess half are making the right decision.
The last time we were boarded up and no one was here, we had some theft. I put some extra long screws in the front door striker plate today. Some units have flat screen televisions and those are often the target of theft.

Boarding up is mostly complete. Rob had a crew working most of the day. The second picture is of Manuel working on Keith's place(508). He said he's known Keith for 25 years, but I heard he is getting $275 plus materials. The third picture is the Schulte family working on their place(308). Jim(210) had all his precut siding and hardware under the downstairs bed. Rob put it up for them. Alan(108) came in this evening to work on his place. Wally(406) and Gus(203) are here also. Junior(502) has almost finished. I hear that Justin says he will do some more tomorrow for $150 plus materials if the owner requests him to board up their place. I should probably be putting up plywood too instead of taking pictures and visiting. I'm not convinced how much good plywood will really do. If we get a large storm surge, plywood won't help.
These pictures that I post can be enlarged by clicking on them.

Plywood has arrived and boarding up has begun.

I was asked to see if I could find a new owner for this boat. It's a '97 model Cajun that is 23' 10" long. That's about as big a boat as you will see in the bay.
The talk here, of course, is all about the storm. I've had a lot of calls and emails from owners today. I know nothing more than what is on the weather channel. The tide is relatively high. Some owners are coming in tomorrow or Thursday to board up. Locally, the lines have been long to buy plywood and supplies. The beach roads at Port Aransas are already closed. Schools in Aransas County are closed until next week. Everyone is willing to err on the side of caution.

I know our board is sensitive to liability issues, but this one bothers me. For some time now this fillet knife and large fork have been under the barbecue pit where they can be easily reached by a small child. I should probably throw them in the trash myself, but maybe someone wants them there.

Another condo is now listed.

Home Find a Property Rentals Our Agents New Developments Our Company Our Community Contact Us 2292 N Fulton Beach Road #203 Enjoy Panoramic Views..from this Kontiki Beach Condo located on beach of Aransas Bay. Beautiful sunrises in the morning, prevailing breezes from the bay. With 1233 sq. ft. of living space. Recently painted on the outside. Amenities: In-ground pool, tennis courts and boat launch. Call Jackie Shaw or Sandy Swanson for details MLS #110214 Priced to sell at $335,000.00! sales@keyallegro.com Key Allegro Real Estate Company 1798 Bayshore Dr. ~ Rockport/Fulton 6607 Hwy 35 North ~ Holiday Beach/Lamar 361.729.3691 800.348.1627 E-mail: sales@keyallegro.com We proudly serve the towns of Rockport, Fulton, Lamar, Holiday Beach, Aransas Pass, Austwell and Tivoli and neighborhoods including, but not limited to, Bahia Bay, Cape Velero, City by the Sea, Harbor Oaks, Key Allegro, La Buena Vida, Neptune Harbor, Oak Terrace, Peninsula Oaks, Rockport Country Club, and South Beach.

With a hurricane looming, it might be a good time to note that the Texas Windstorm deductible has been increased this year. As I recall our deductible last year was about $5,000. This year the least amount allowed will be 1%. Since our property coverage is about $7,8000,000 that means the first $78,000 is our expense. I have copied the data below from the TWIA website. This has not been communicated to all owners, but I guess it will be in due time.
Commercial
Insured Item: All commercial, including Farm and Ranch Barns, Miscellaneous Farm Property, Apartments, Townhouses, Condos			Available deductibles:
			Standard Deductible - 1%, 2%, and 5% (with $1,000 minimum) per item, per occurrence.
For full details, see TWIA Instructions and Guidelines Manual pp. 21-22 and 24-25.

This looks good. The old pump house is gone and the new mailboxes are up. Owners voted about ten years ago to tear down the old pumphouse and now its gone. I believe a cover will be erected over the boxes. I have no idea how the keys will be handled.

This boat owner has figured out how to use the poorly designed boat docking facilities. He tied two ropes to the port side dock and one rope to the starboard side. This is awkward, but it works. The only trouble is, it uses two slips! However, this is the only boat in the marina so I guess its OK.

Becky sent this notice to me today. It was sent to school district employees. Pam Gillis is Jerry Hill's sister. Jerry worked here at Kontiki for us for many years. I had posted some time ago that his mother was not doing well.


To: District Employees
Subject: Funeral Services for Doris Hill

I regret to inform you that Doris Hill, mother of Pam Gillis, passed away this weekend. Visitation will be held tonight from 5:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. at Charlie Marshall Funeral Home in Rockport. Funeral services will be held at Charlie Marshall’s at 10:00 a.m. tomorrow morning (Tuesday, September 9, 2008).

I mentioned last week that the Pilot had a story about the new waterpark that is planned. Here is what the Corpus paper had to say about it. Randy(308) sent this to me.

CORPUS CHRISTI — Developers are planning a water park in Rockport that they say could open as early as Memorial Day 2009.

The Blue Lagoon Water Park & Resort would sit on about 20 acres at the northwest corner of the State Highway 35 bypass and Pearl Street (Farm-to-Market Road 2165) in Rockport.

Those 20 acres are among 40 owned by Carlos Peña of San Antonio, an investor and developer on the project. WaterPark Experts, Inc. based in Seguin, will work in conjunction with Alamo Grid Construction LLC in San Antonio to build the water park and resort.

Bill Womack, president of the construction company, said he anticipates construction will begin next month. Haynes Realty Co. is handling the commercial property sales around the planned water park.

Plans include a 3-acre family entertainment center with a movie theater, miniature golf course and batting cages. The water park would include slides, pools, rides and a man-made river built to wind around native trees. A wave surf pool for surfers, nature trail and about 50 bungalows with room to build another 150 units also are part of the plan.

The surrounding acreage also has room for future expansion and commercial businesses such as a hotel and restaurants.

City Manager Tom Blazek said he recently learned of the project and believes it can have a positive economic effect on the city. Developers have not yet submitted an application to have the land rezoned from single-family residential to a general business zone, Blazek said.

That could take about six weeks and would require a public hearing. The City Council and planning and zoning commission would need to approve the change.

Developers are scheduled to give a presentation on the project on Tuesday at the Rockport-Fulton Area Chamber of Commerce meeting.

Diane Probst, chamber president and CEO, said the water park would draw tourists to the city and surrounding area and create more than 300 jobs.

"This just gives a bright outlook for 2009," Probst said. "It just really adds to the tourist experience."

The area next to the Phase II pier that suffered erosion damage from hurricane Dolly has been repaired. This area is owned by board president Richy Ethridge and he is trying to sell it as part of a package. Its always problematic when an association's resources are used to improve a CEO's private property. It was explained to me that this area is used to access the Phase II pier and therefore we have an interest in keeping the area repaired. The light pole in the picture is also on the private property and Phase I pays the energy bill because we derive a benefit from the light's operation. As I wrote the last time this area was repaired, maybe this is not being billed to Phase I at all. It may be hard to separate out the cost when the Phase I beach is always repaired at the same time.

It still dismays me to see our expensive breakwater falling apart when just a little bolt tightening would have prevented this. I am told that the shoreguard used is indeed about 20 feet long and that was not the cause of the failure. There is no way to repair this in house. I would not repair it until a study shows why the channel has filled in so badly. Then a comprehensive plan can be implemented to repair the breakwater and address the channel problem at the same time.