Pop just came to my door to show me this 51 inch rattler that didn't make it across the road. It had tried to cross from the mitigation site to HEB. A car ran over it just before Pop came in. It makes it more interesting to me in that this afternoon I was in the same area. I was walking around the mitigation site when I saw a small duck that was situated at the edge of the water. It was holding its head up and the eyes were open, but it didn't seem to have enough energy to move. I debated if there were anything I could do. As I waded through the weeds to get closer I was watchful because I have heard all the stories about big rattlers in the area. I decided not to touch the duck and let the creatures of the night adjudicate the issue. The duck was small and this snake was big, but I don't think that was what the snake was after.

Larry Rabe has now removed all but the last few boards on the pier in the marina. I'm not sure what the Phase II board and our board will decide to do, if anything, with the area when the rotted posts are removed. There is talk about a small fishing dock in the area where the boards have not yet been removed or maybe some bird roosting structures.
An insurance adjuster, Alvin Welch, came by last week to determine the extent of our hail damage. He spent a full eight hours here and marked every shingle that showed any hail damage as well as every other thing that he could find. He has not yet finished his assessment, but he tells me he feels we are significantly over our deductible for most all of the buildings. We should know more later this week.
Our roofer, Mike McAdams, was a no show again on Thursday and Friday as he had promised. He still has some repairs to do. If we don't put on a new roof, we may need to do the needed repairs ourselves.
Royce Roy of Bedingfield Pest Control did show up on Friday to treat the termites in 501.
I have found a website that will give us tv listings for the Cobridge service that we have in Rockport. It even gives a little detail about each program. That link is
http://tvlistings.aol.com/listings/tx/rockport/co-bridge-comm-standard?hid=TX68604&zipcode=78381
An interesting thing happened to me last week. I came out of Walmart and put my groceries in my car and pushed my cart to the outside cart storage area. When I reached the storage area, one of the carts already there had a bag of groceries and a handbag in it. No one was around so I pushed that cart back to the store and gave it to the greeter. She said that happens all the time and took the things to the customer service counter. I don't know if anyone ever claimed it. I would think they did.

Mike McAdams did come out to do some of the roof repair yesterday. This truck's logo is not his company's and he came out in his own truck. They put the Henry's roof sealer above some of the bay window interface areas.
There is so much inside work to do to repair all the water damage caused by these leaks. Yesterday, Nancy(507) showed me some damage inside her place from a roof leak in the interior bedroom wall. Mike got on the roof and said the flashing had come loose because a nail came up. It just seems like he should carry some insurance for damages caused by his work. We still have two and a half years left on the warranty, but the roof is a small cost compared to the damages inside.
Our insurance company will send an adjuster out tomorrow to evaluate the damages to the roof and buildings from the recent hail storm. I doubt the total will approach our deductible of $10,000 per building, but it is worth the check.

Larry Rabe continues to replace the rotted window trim. Nearly all the walls behind the trim show a lot of rot. Some like this one are seriously in need of repair, but this could amount to a pricey operation when we consider the overall number in need or repair.
I have called a contractor to come next week to replace a floor joist under 501 that is rotted off at the load bearing end. This is not the only one, just the worst one that I know of. There was also an infestation of termites under the window trim on 501. Bedingfield will be here tomorrow to treat the area.
The excavator that was being used for the spillway has been in the shop since Monday. It may be repaired in time for work to resume tomorrow.
The tide remains high and has brought more trout back to the pier. Last evening I caught trout at every light although they were all in the 10 to 11 inch range. For the last few months the only trout available were off the end of the pier. I had not caught one at the first light since last fall until last evening. On an annual basis this light has proven to be the most productive for keeper trout.

Work began today on the concrete spillway that owners approved at the annual meeting. Here Long Nguyen operates the excavator to dig out the old attempts to stop the erosion. After only a short time the excavator developed an hydraulic leak. The big concrete blob pictured below was uncovered and it may take a bigger excavator to move it out of the the way.

Construction workers have been trying to repair the bulkhead at Moyra Jardon's house. It appears they are trying to put a concrete cap on the shoreguard. The for sale sign is not there anymore. Maybe Moyra has finally sold it. I have not heard from her recently.

The high winds and high tide have done a lot to improve conditions in the mitigation site. The green muck has been pushed toward the road, but it may come back.
I did see my first purple martin of the season today. Just one scout flying by. We will put the houses back up at spring break.
The dumpsters are pretty full after a busy weekend. They had not been picked up by 2:30 this afternoon so I called the dispatcher. They said they were running late, but would be here, but it did not happen. Things are hard to get on a consistent schedule here for everything.
Tony's Lawn Service did not do anything on their scheduled day, Thursday. I called Tony on Friday and he promised to send someone out Saturday since he was sick. However, no one came out. Today he did bring someone out to work on the freeze damaged shrubs and plants.
Mike McAdams, our roofer, came by Friday to say he would be here today to repair all the leaks that are causing damage inside condos. Of course, he too was a no show. Vendors and contractors are on their own schedule here despite what they tell you.
I still get comments about my new boat cover. I got a good deal because he had three different pieces left from previous jobs. I think he did a pretty good job for working with what he had.

An AEP employee came by today to replace the security light at the entrance road. (Always be sure your own shadow is not in the picture.) This light has been out for at least 5 months. We pay a monthly fixed bill whether it is on or not. I do believe this should not be the sole financial responsibility of Phase I. It is just one of the 11 lights that we were forced to pay for for years. We now have it shaved down to the four on our property plus the one at the pier and this one. This entrance road light should be shared, if needed at all. Phase II and their rental office all benefit as the light illuminates the rental sign. I think the cost should be shared three ways. I'll let the boards work on this.
The light was so heavy, he said about 65 pounds, it was hard for one man to handle.
He directed the light more down than the old one was. I had heard from owners in the 500 and 600 building that the light was bothersome on the back of their condos. However, now it may be blinding to drivers driving north on Fulton Beach Road. I drove by this evening and it is really bright.

Frank came by today to haul away the old lumber from the pier in the marina. Frank responded to an ad I placed on Craigslist last month for the old lumber from the pier. He has really been a help. We would have had to find someone to haul it to the dump and then pay a dump fee on top. He even takes the nails out to sell as scrap metal.

Re-remodeling of the rental office at Phase II seems to be completed. I posted the remodel that Rob did a few weeks ago with the steps gone and a sliding glass door. Now the old style is back. Who knows? We have our hands full in Phase I fixing things that are broke.

Both Phase I and Phase II boards have decided that the marina pier is beyond repair. Larry Rabe is taking it apart with the hope that Rob can pull out the posts when he removes our old pier. That work should begin very soon.
Today Benet Stewart, one of the original developers of Kontiki, stopped by to mention that we should probably install an additional post in the middle of the marina. There is only one of the original three left that mark a submerged and capped gas well. With the low tide the pipe is just barely under the water now. The remaining post is the one that can be seen in the background of this photo.
The recent cold weather has made the algae bloom in the mitigation site even worse. It's hard to imagine this as a good fishing spot in the summer, but every year when the weather warms the algae goes away.
The last few warm days have shown the fish are still in the bay. I've seen the winter Texans cleaning good catches.

It was another cold morning at Kontiki today. Tonight's freeze should be the last for a while.

Traffic was backed up today on Hwy. 35 between the airport and Kontiki. One of these vehicles decided to make a U turn on the highway.

On Sunday, the storage building in front of Phase II was moved off the property. The building belonged to the previous owners of the onsite rental operation.

Larry Rabe has begun to replace the rotted window trim. He is moving at a clip that should complete the project in no time, weather permitting.
Even though the mitigation site partially froze over, there was not a major fish kill from the freeze. We did have a lot of frozen pipes. Even though the faucets were set to drip, some of the pipes under the buildings froze because the water was not moving there. Under 507, the supply lines to both a toilet and the kitchen sink had to be repaired.

The fishing ban has been extended and the water temperature is way down there.

Concerned about potential pillaging of speckled trout, redfish and other coastal game fish crowded into harbors, channels and other deep-water sanctuaries to escape frigid temperatures, state fisheries officials extended until noon, Monday, a closure of some areas along the coast to all fishing.
Texas Parks and Wildlife Department had imposed the closure, which affects 21 locations along the coast, Wednesday when it became obvious the days-long siege of freezing or near freezing temperatures would drop inshore water temperatures to levels that would trigger fish to seek refuge in deeper, more insulated waters.
The ban had been set to expire at noon, Saturday.
"This freeze event has lasted longer than was projected earlier in the week and temperatures are not expected to get much above freezing today," said Robin Riechers, TPWD coastal fisheries division director. "We realize an extension through the weekend may inconvenience some anglers and we appreciate their patience and cooperation, but our primary concern is to give fish holding in those thermal refuges a chance to recover."
The fishing closure is limited to only the designated cold-water refuge areas. All other areas are open to recreational fishing.
TPWD officials noted that while fishing continues to be allowed in areas not under the closure order, fish may be taken only by legal means such as catching them on a rod-and-reel. It is illegal to pick up and retain cold-stunned or dead fish, either by hand or with nets.
Agency officials requested the public report any illegal fishing activity in closed areas or taking fish by illegal means to local game wardens or by calling the agency's Operation Game Thief tip line, 800-792-4263.
TPWD also asked anglers and others who observe what they believe are freeze-related fish kills or large numbers of sluggish, cold-stunned fish to report the event by contacting the agency's Law Enforcement Communications offices at 281-842-8100 or 512-389-4848.
Many Texas coastal marine species begin having physical problems when water temperature drops below about 45 degrees. Surface water temperature along much of the Texas coast has plunged below that level, with some shallow-water areas along the middle coast seeing water temperatures below 40 degrees.
Through late afternoon on Friday, reports of scattered fish kills, most of them involving relatively small numbers of fish, had come from the length of the Texas coast. Most of those reports came from the shallow-water areas along the middle and lower coast, where deep-water refuge is less available than along the upper coast.
The lingering cold spell has triggered major concern for the sea turtle population in Texas' inshore waters. The state's near-shore and inshore waters hold increasing numbers of sea turtles, mostly juvenile green sea turtles.
As of late Friday afternoon, wildlife and fisheries staff and volunteers have collected more that 500 cold-stunned green sea turtles, most of them from the lower Laguna Madre.

Even with letting the water outlets drip, the ice has caused some problems and repair work will be needed.

News Release
Temporary Fishing Closure in Place on Texas Coast during Freeze
Feb. 2, 2011
Media Contact: Steve Lightfoot 512-389-4701, steve.lightfoot@tpwd.state.tx.us
AUSTIN – The Texas Parks and Wildlife Department has issued a temporary closure to saltwater fishing along parts of the Texas coast to protect resources during freezing weather conditions. The closure takes effect at noon Wednesday, Feb. 2, 2011 and extends through noon on Saturday, Feb. 5, 2011.
In addition to killing game fish in shallow bay waters, a hard freeze can also cause surviving fish to congregate in a few deeper areas where they become sluggish and prone to capture. Those are the areas the department has temporarily closed.
"The high mortality that a freeze can cause may deplete fish stocks for years," said Robin Riechers, director of TPWD’s Coastal Fisheries Division. "Protection of the surviving fish during the few days when they are especially vulnerable to capture would likely shorten the time period for overall recovery of coastal species, especially spotted sea trout."
Texas has about two million acres of bays and estuaries susceptible to freeze. There were three major freezes during the 1980s, including one in 1989 when the temperature at Brownsville dropped to 16 degrees and an estimated 11 million fish were killed in the freeze event.
Anglers and coastal residents can report any freeze related fish kills or large numbers of sluggish or cold-stunned fish by contacting TPWD’s Law Enforcement Communications office at (281) 842-8100 or (512) 389-4848.
Coastal Areas Closed To Fishing During Freeze Conditions
Effective Noon, Feb. 2, 2011 through Noon, Feb. 5, 2011
Aransas Fulton Kon Tiki All waters and canals of the Kon Tiki development west of a line beginning at a point on the entryway seawall adjacent to the end of the fishing pier (28° 06.04" N; 97° 01.49" W) extending across the entrance to a point (28° 05.99" N; 97° 01.49" W).
There are others listed that I did not print. They include every marina in the area.

The Rockport weather forecast for Thursday evening and Friday morning says we may have a repeat of this 2004 snow event.