As if there were not enough going on today, we had a major water leak. Jack Gibbs knocked on my door just after 11 and asked if I knew we had a water leak. I did not. He made his dog, Daisy, get into the back seat and drove me around to the leak beside the fire hydrant. Daisy is a very large dog and does not like the back seat. As soon as I got out she hopped back into the front seat. Larry Rabe had been on a parts supply run, but when he returned he called a friend with the City of Rockport. Within five minutes a worker named Darren arrived. Here he is shutting off the supply valve. You might recognize the shadow. It's not me. I was holding the camera.
Darren used a pump to get the water out of the hole and called in for help and the supplies he needed.
In less than an hour they had dug up the water line and found the problem. Four rusted bolts had totally come apart and allowed the lines to separate. The four new shinny ones can be seen in the picture above. Our meter did record all the lost water as part of our monthly total. I noted that the current reading was 157795. I'll check it again tomorrow at noon to see what our normal 24 hour usage is. I'll try to get the city to give us credit for the wasted water since it was their fault, but in the past they have not been too lenient in a case like this.

Work started yesterday on the wall repair under and around the windows of 506. This is the fifth unit that has needed this repair.
The vertical support around the windows was so rotted that window trim could not be securely attached. This had to be replaced.
The areas under the windows was severely rotted. You almost had to be there to see how bad it was. This was caused by rain leakage around and under the windows through the years.
The final touches are being done today. The wall will have to be stuccoed and the inside of the bedroom wall will have to be taped floated and textured and painted to match. Murlin purchased his new windows from Lowes some time ago, but it was difficult to find a contractor to do the work. I have found I can count on Jack Gibbs crew to be able to do most anything we need at reasonable prices.

Work began yesterday to remodel part of the maintenance building to be used as an office for the new property manager. The metal garage door was removed.
The contents were removed to be stored elsewhere.
The inside rotted walls were removed and the residuals of the old fire that nearly destroyed the original building shortly after it was built, could be seen. Notice the new studs that were attached next to the partially burned ones. All the blackened parts that can be seen were a result of the fire.
By late afternoon the new facade was taking shape with a door and windows. They hope to be nearly finished today. Jack Gibbs has a three man crew working on it.
The board is continuing to accept applications for the manager job and interview candidates. We have advertised in the Rockport Pilot and Herald. One candidate yesterday said she had worked in real estate for a former owner here(204), Shirley Shires.

Larry had to deal with another water line break yesterday. As the palm trees get bigger and the water lines get older, the roots seem be causing more and more havoc.
The water has cleared up considerably and the tide has been low. This makes for interesting fishing off the pier as you can see clearly if anything is feeding under the lights at night. What I have noticed is the trout have been staying out of the brightest parts of the lights and lingering at the edges. Sometimes this poses a problem in throwing a lure far enough to reach the trout. I did catch a keeper Monday evening on a clear DOA, but others were small. I did catch a record, for me, flounder in the mitigation site. I was using a gold spoon. I should have taken a picture. How this 5 inch flounder got that spoon in his mouth was a real trick. Actually he had mainly just the hook, but even that was a stretch.
Some owners have asked about new screen doors. We used to have Rudy Nava do them for $120. I have not been able to contact him, but Rockport Glass has been doing some for $227. I contacted Fowler Lumber and they will sell one for $104 without the center spreader bar or for $124 with the bar. For owners who need one, this may be the best price at this time.

Randy(308) sent this report on their fishing trip this weekend. Terry Coufal wrote this in his client journal.


Today I had another good repeat client Randy Schulte. Today he brought his two grandsons 11 yr old Coulton and 7 yr. old Conner. These young men have never caught a keeper red before so I was anxious to fix that. Today was one of those days where we had to work hard for them. Conner caught the first fish but it was not a keeper, Then Coulton got us going with a nice 22 in fish. Our bite stopped so we moved on. No bites so another move. Our next stop Coulton added another nice 25 in fish. Conner finally got his first keeper as well with a nice 21 in fish. We had to make several moves grinding them out one at a time. But with hard work and patience both Coulton and Conner each caught their limit of reds. On our last stop Coulton actually fell out of the boat which quickly earned him the nickname "Splash". For such young guys both Coulton and Conner hung in there and did a great job today. It was great seeing Randy with his grandsons today. I think he was definitely a proud grandpa today. Great day with a great family. Today brought back memories I have as a child fishing with my dad in Parkers Cut in Matagorda, one of my dad's favorite spots. Miss you dad. Today's photo is of Conner with his first keeper red and Coulton and Randy sharing the moment with him. And of course the final catch of the day photo. I think the smiles says it all !!! Im blessed to have played a small part in it.

Steve(702) sent this picture of his latest catch. Notice the clarity of the water.

My streak is finally broken. I went out on the pier last evening and I told Pop the fish better bite pretty quickly because it was cool and the wind was howling. I used a free lined DOA shrimp and immediately caught about five very very close to being legal trout. I probably could have pinched the tail of one and one would have made it with his mouth open, but I didn't want to break my streak with a barely keeper. Within the next fifteen minutes I caught a 17 inch and two 16s. Now it was getting pretty cool and that was enough fish for me. My dilemma was whether I wanted to stand out in the weather to fillet them. I thought about it a while and decided a little fish smell in the condo would not be a bad thing. I put the leftovers in my perch trap this morning, but so far no perch. I did fry some for lunch and will take some to Alice Faye's tomorrow.
We have had 23 owners who have asked to have the routers installed in their condos. Kevin is really staying busy trying to obtain the equipment.
Now here is a news flash. As I'm typing this the Corpus news is on and I'm half listening. I just heard that a fugitive from Georgia was arrested in Rockport today on a whole litany of charges, not the least of which is as a sex offender. I had talked to a contractor working here about someone to do some painting for us. Yesterday morning at 7:30 my doorbell rang and this guy said he was here to apply for a painting job. He came in and we talked a while. He was dressed nicely, but I was not totally comfortable. I gave him a job application and told him to bring it back later, but told our board that I would definitely do a background check before having him on our property. Guess what? Yep, he will not be back in Rockport for a long long time. His name is Ward Currier. He actually gave me a flyer with his correct name and phone number. I think I'll google his name and see what I find.

Tel came by yesterday to do a winter fertilization of our lawn. He walked the whole property by himself pushing this spreader. The forecast was for a lot of rain today, but we got no more than a trace.
The red tide is getting worse. This morning there were a number of large dead mullet floating in the water behind the condos and washed up on the HEB beach. Menhaden can be seen swimming circles and gasping under the lights at night.
Fishing off the pier has seen ideal conditions, but just no keepers. I have had a number up to 14 and three fourths, but not a fifteen. They are, on the average, slightly larger than they were last month. Interestingly, most have been females whereas previously, they were largely males. I don't know what to make of that.
Kevin Johnson has been busy installing WiFi routers in condos that requested them. The owners who have had them installed report they are very happy with the stronger and more reliable service.

Our HOA board met this afternoon to determine their officers for the coming year.

President-Ray Luna
Vice-President-Pete Velasquez
Treasurer-Steve Bernhard
Secretary-Jeannine Vater

The next board meeting has been set for 10 a.m. on Sunday November 27th. The location has not been decided.

While Jack was here he used his excavator to dig out the area where our boatwash drain is located. It was so silted in the drain exit was below the ground level and the water backed up on to our concrete drive area. He also cleaned out the area in front of the drain pipes that lead from the HEB property. This will allow water to flow again between the two areas. This has been blocked for years. He then cleared a channel behind the maintenance shed to allow water to drain back into the mitigation site and not stagnate behind the shed. These were all needed maintenance issues and he did them at no extra charge over his bid to repair the bulkhead.
This greater egret enjoyed the restored water flow. Small fish moved in to feed on the disturbed organisms and the egret fed on them.
There were washouts under previous repairs as well as two areas of bulkhead that needed repair. Even though this was not in his bid either, he repaired them at no additional charge.

Tuesday morning Jack Gibbs came out with his crew to repair our mitigation site bulkhead. The mini-excavator was used to remove the material behind the wall.
Some of our salvaged posts were water jetted behind the rebuilt wall.
Finally, this $400 pile of stabilized sand was used to backfill behind the wall. The sand hardens like concrete.

We have some indication of red tide here in Rockport. I have seen several Menhaden struggling at the surface. This one pictured had died and was resting on the bottom.

A couple of weeks ago Steve(702) and I went into Copano and did not get a bite all day. The next day Steve and his cousin, Chuck, went south towards Estes and found the reds there. Steve never goes two days in a row without finding the fish. He really knows what he is doing. This red still has the Gulp that it hit stuck in its mouth.

From day one we had a similar sign posted at the corner of 608. At that time Phase II was officially a motel and we shared no facilities and were protective of our property. Some fifteen years later when it became popular to market the properties as Kontiki Beach Resort, the sign was removed. After seeing Phase II guests come across the crossbridge this summer with their tennis equipment and swimming gear, it was time to resurrect the old signage. Some guests make their decision as to where to lease a one bedroom primarily on price. They believe they can save money by staying at Phase II and still have use of all the amenities of both Phase I and Phase II. I would think that if we redo our tennis court and expand our pool, there could be even more who visit our property.
It was nice to see Richard Krnavek here last week. He has worked for Sandollar Security the last six years. He was working on the television cabling in the 400 building. He worked inside maintenance here for many years and knows all the ins and outs of what is needed for maintenance inside the condos. He even told me that some of the cable splitters are above the kitchen light fixture. I did not know that.
The pier is now fully functional. We had one big light out on the end. Yesterday Paul(505)drove to Lowe's in Aransas Pass to purchase the lamp and installed it for us. I had tried to find one at Ace and Probuild last week and then went to my blog for December 11, 2010 to find that I purchased the last lamp at Lowe's.

As usual Larry Rabe had another busy day today. Here he is replacing the supporting lumber for the deck railing on 303. Some of these were not done when the decks were rebuilt three years ago. The 300 building has three of these and the 100 building has three also. There are quite a few on the 500 building.
Here he is replacing two window screens on 107 and 102. I have no idea where the old ones disappeared to. We have some inventory on the most common sizes, but this size is on only on a few condos.

We had a horrific fire in downtown Rockport last Thursday morning at 3a.m. The winds were high and the fire could not be stopped. Two people died in the fire. This is directly across from the Rockport Harbor and the Sea Shell Shop. I counted 12 vehicles parked in front. The cars had only metal parts left. There were no tire remnants or anything else left from the cars.

I called Kevin Johnson this morning to tell him we had a weak WiFi signal in the 700 building this past weekend. He came right out and found that one of the small transformers that powers the signal had failed. He had it up and running in no time.

I'm still getting a few questions about the location of the annual owners' meeting. This is the Rockport Yacht Club not to be confused with the Key Allegro Yacht Club. It is located behind the aquarium at Rockport Harbor.

This really nice article about our very own vice-president, Ray Luna, appeared in a San Antonio newspaper. Of course, we already knew what a great guy he is and what a fine family they are. We are fortunate to have them as owners at Kontiki.

Inspiration is a tricky emotion. We can almost always describe the manner in which we decide to act on it, but far too often, we have a difficult time describing the feeling itself.
Paradoxically, its complicated principles actually accentuate its value to us. Not only is the idea of being inspired ever so mysterious and enlightening, but inherently just as empowering and strengthening.
That “flash” of influence can be imparted in many forms and fashions – through art, people, experiences and religion. But regardless of the source, we can always rely upon the end result being significantly impactful, allowing for the capture of the fortitude necessary to reach even the highest of personal and professional goals.
Ray Luna is, and has every right to be, proud of a great many things. But he is probably more proud to be able to say that for him, that “tricky emotion” is not so tricky. For him, inspiration is much more about the enablement and less about the mystery.
Luna is one who knows about the strength and empowerment that can be summoned when inspiration – or in his case, the multiple sources of inspiration – is the primary driver of success.
Having parents who are members of the Greatest Generation unquestionably is an immeasurable benefit. And that’s exactly the way Luna sees it. Regrettably, few are even familiar with the term, “Greatest Generation,” much less have had his connection to and upbringing from parents who are members of the iconic group.
Growing up the youngest of six children, all of whom attended Catholic grade schools and high schools, Luna remembers relying upon every ounce of character and virtuosity his parents had to offer.
After serving in World War II, Luna’s father, Armando, began working for a local glass company in San Antonio to support his family. It took significant sacrifice, dedication, resilience and unmatched work ethic in order to provide everything the elder Luna felt was necessary for his wife and children – and that included the spiritual and religious foundation that went part and parcel with Catholic schooling.
It was during those early, impressionable years when Luna remembers first feeling that motivating sensibility of being inspired.
“I remember my father always being strong and really working hard,” he says. “I think all my brothers think of him like that. We watched how hard he worked and believed that was the way to be. I got a lot out of that in my dad.”
Luna, along with his three brothers, went to Central Catholic High School, while his two sisters attended Providence High School. All excelled academically, as well as athletically. Luna focusing on and lettering in football.
After graduation, Luna enrolled at St. Mary’s University. His older brothers, however, felt compelled to follow in the footsteps of their father and joined him at the glass company – undoubtedly as a result of the profound impression their father made on them as they witnessed the hard work and allegiance he had given to the glass company over those many years.
Luna, on the other hand, wanted to involve himself in something different at the time – something a college degree could offer.
But after a brief, yet “satisfying” experience in college, Luna became clearly aware that the type of hard work best suited for him may not be academic, but rather, the more challenging type inspired by his father: the type that took significant sacrifice, dedication, resilience and an unmatched work ethic.
Immediately after Luna’s discovery, he began working with two of his brothers, Joe and David, at the glass company where they were employed. But without any glass experience, Luna had to accept an entry-level position.
The year was 1993. Luna was newly employed. And fortunately for him at that particular time, he was beginning to feel that motivating sensibility of being inspired again. And Luna definitely parlayed that sensation beyond moving up within his new company.
Soon after his hire, he and his high school sweetheart, Debbie, got engaged and then married. At that time, their life was humble, as they lived in a modestly sized apartment and were conscientious with their finances.
But that humbleness didn’t apply to Luna’s career aspirations. He felt committed and obligated to move himself up the company ladder sooner rather than later. He worked hard, learned even quicker and soon found himself, along with Joe and David, ostensibly running the glass company.
After being married for several years and having significant corporate years under his belt, Luna and his wife found themselves blessed two times over, as they became the parents of a daughter, Solei, and a son, Esai (middle name, Armando – after Luna Sr.).
Luna now remembers “that commitment to achieve inspiring me to want more – for myself and for Debbie, Solei and Esai.”
His confidence as an experienced company supervisor soon evolved into an appetite to go it alone as the owner of his own glass company. Luna and his brothers knew wholeheartedly that they were the engine that drove the company and kept it running.
In the beginning, they made the sacrifice, and had the dedication, resilience and unmatched work ethic to make it happen.
In December 2003, the decision was made. Management was furnished the requisite two weeks immediately after. Joe and David needed a slight nudge and a smidgeon of prodding, but on March 1, 2004, Champion Glass, LLC formally became the product of the hard work of the Lunas – in both generations.
Today, Champion Glass has 50-plus employees and a fleet of 20 trucks, and it sits on 1.5 acres of real estate on the city’s South Side.
“I’ve always been motivated by certain famous quotes,” Luna says. For example, “The danger is not to set your goal too high and fail to reach it; it’s to set your goal too low and reach it” – that is one of many he says he looks to from time to time.
I think a lot of people can appreciate the value of an inspirational saying. But I believe Luna, along with his brothers, will say there’s motivation that’s received from the people immediately around you.
“We take a lot of pride in that we are brothers working together,” Joe Luna says, “and we learned a lot about everything from our dad.”
Getting any business to the point of success – particularly when you started from scratch – is extremely challenging and arduous. But “no goal is too high” when we’re routinely pushed forward by that “flash” that’s neither complicated nor tricky, but rather, the inspiration that is familiar and close.
Motivational quotes are great, but I believe Luna and his brothers are gracious and proud to have received inspiration from the source that, in the end, they look to as the one that gave them that “flash” from the beginning.

Today was not nearly as busy as yesterday although it was close. Here's how yesterday went.
7:30 met with Rabe to plan out the day
7:45 visited a condo that we just received a key for and treated for pests
8:00 checked out the pier for a final punch list of items to be completed
8:12 contacted Jack Gibbs about work to be done here
8:20 emailed B&R Electrical about the punch list for the pier.
8:33 Got a call from B&R. They promised to be here in the late afternoon. They didn't show up, but called today and came out.
8:45 met with Tel about lawncare and tree trimming
8:55 met with Kevin Johnson about WiFi service
10:15 ordered more paint from Performance Paint. They will deliver this afternoon
10:45 got a call from a friend who wants to rent in January
11:02 called Fowler Lumber to order $300 worth of supplies. They will deliver.
11:25 called Albert Mendiola about his bid to repair wall rot on 500 building
11:40 received a call from someone named Jeff who wanted to apply for a job
12:42 Travis Gibbs came out to inspect foundation of 300 building.
1:20 Fowler Lumber delivered the lumber, but forgot the hardware. Overcharged us for some trim.
1:35 Contacted Mary Lynn at Black Dog about a mistake I found on their bill
2:02 discussed with Travis what he found under the 300 building
2:15 Fowler Lumber truck driver returned with the hardware he forgot to leave, but had the wrong size box. Showed him the error on the invoice
3:23 Scott called to see how the day was going.
3:54 Tom Durfee called about coming out to work on some deck railing rotted wood.
4:30 Fowler driver returned with the larger boxes of screws and corrected invoice.
4:40 talked with Josh Carter about dredging of the channel
5:30 Mark delivered paint that I had ordered.
6:27 talked to Gerald(303) about some work needed at his condo.

Has anyone noticed the item on our meeting agenda about a resident manager?

Our lawn crew has been here the past few days doing the fall trim on our palm trees.
The final result looks really good.

It's that time of year again. The owners' meeting is near and the emails are flying. It never fails that as the meeting gets closer the critics, who have remained silent most of the year, start beating their drums and looking for anyone who will listen to their sensationalized stories of half truths and conspiracy theories. Yesterday most owners received an email from an owner outlining the ineptitude of our administration as perceived by a small handful of disgruntled, mostly newer,owners. Interestingly, our board president, vice president, secretary, nor myself were included as an addressee in this email. If "many" have issues with our leadership, maybe "many" need to address their issues to our leadership. Few have a full grasp of all the work that goes into running an operation as large as Kontiki. What most often results is good people decline to be involved and a dearth of effective leadership is evidenced. I have personally had to endure abusive and sometimes vulgar verbal attacks this year as I attempt to serve the membership. This can lead to the situation we found ourselves in in the not to distant past when we hired Steve Edgar and his Texas Community Management to take over our operations. What a disaster, but it could happen again.
One of the items mentioned in this recent email concerned the roofing. The roof was completed for just less than the amount paid to us by the insurance company. We could not recover any depreciation because the project cost was less than the amount paid. The only way to recover the depreciation was to either incur a cost exceeding the awarded amount or to participate in a fraudulent scheme as proposed by one roofing company who bid the project. That company later made the news about its less than honest activities.
Another item mentioned was the posts from the old marina pier. I have had a very difficult time getting rid of the old posts. I posted them as "free" on Craigslist and didn't get a taker, but did get my email address into a spammer's list. Some we had to cut up and put in the dumpster and some were given to whoever asked for them.
Another item addressed was the lift station pump. That has been my most difficult project of the year. I'll give a more detailed report at the owners' meeting, but the problems continue as this morning I found out that our old pump, given back to us by PEECO, that Scott took to Houston three weeks ago to be rebuilt is not even our original pump. We were given the wrong pump. Early on we had a bid of just over $21,000 to rehab the pumps and panel, but the board tried to be frugal and work with what we have. Four different electricians have tried to figure out our control panel problems and I think it is now repaired, but the pump has to be rebuilt or a new one imported.
We try very hard to do the right thing on a daily basis, but despite our best efforts, some seem to feel the need to offer critiques and criticism without knowing the whole story