bay area observer 9-29-2011

By Rebecca [email protected]

La Porte’s first annual Airplane and Auto Show was a great suc-cess this past Saturday as more than 1500 visitors packed the grounds of La Porte’s Munici-pal Airport. This year’s show featured air-planes and biplanes from years past, as well as newer models. Antique automobiles from 1966 and earlier were on dis-play to the delight of local car enthusiasts. Event organizer La Porte Flight Line LLC’s Gideon Jones was excited to bring the show to the area. “Biplanes mark an important part of avia-tion history along with antique autos,” he said. “We want to ed-ucate people who may not know about these types of aircraft and instill the value of aviation and its impact on our lives, includ-ing their necessity for national safety as well as inspiration for air and space travel.” All types of planes were invit-ed to be on display, but biplanes were judged and given a special people’s choice award. The au-dience judged antique autos. Both biplanes and antique autos were awarded in three levels. In addition to the beautiful biplanes and antique autos, at-tractions at the show included musical entertainment, a model aircraft display, and food and

merchandise vendors. An exciting addition to this unique event was the PT17 Stearman airplane rides, which were available to everyone for a fee from Lone Star Flight Museum Staff Carlos Ortiz and

Emily McGowan. NASA Astronaut Steven K, Robinson made an appearance and signed autographs for kids and adults. Robinson flew on four Space Shuttle missions including Shuttle Missions STS-85, STS-95, and STS-114 on Discovery and STS-130 on Endeavour. He is a member of the Experimental Aircraft As-sociation, and was a welcomed guest to the Air show.Gideon Jones said of this new event, “We’re so thrilled to partner with the City of La Porte and bring this event to the area. This is a great opportunity for us to share the history of air and auto, show off the La Porte Airport and support our active military troops.” Attendees were asked to bring care package items for the troops in addition to a small admission fee, and volunteers came from all areas to help out. They were Boy Scout Troop 514 who helped with public

parking and the North Shore Sr. High Air Force Junior ROTC who helped with airplane park-ing. Major Jeanette Young and Retired Master Sergeant Lynn Wright were in charge of the ROTC personnel in attendance.

The Brownie Troop of Deer Park helped with care package items for the troops overseas. Troop Leader Cindy Reitenour led the group. Approximately 72-75 boxes of care package items were col-

By The BayEl Jardin BAYFEST October 1st, 2011Beachfron ParkEl Jardin

Come Join The Fun October 2nd At The Beachfront Park In El Jardin! Rodeo Committee • Lots Of Great Food • Cheap Beer • Kids Games • Raffle • Helicopter Rides • Live Music • Fun For Everyone Of All Ages! For Directions And More Information Please Visit www.eljardindelmar.org

FUMC Fall Festival First United Methodist Church - La PorteSaturday, October 19 a.m. to 4 p.mCraft Show, Silent Auction , Kids activities. Contact Rebecca Dudley at 281-478-4673 or [email protected]

2nd Annual Saltwater Derby Sept. 30, 2011 • 6 a.m.Outriggers Restaurant SeabrookFish Times: The tournament will start at 6:00 a.m. on Friday, Sep-tember 30, 2011 there is NO early check-in or captains meeting. You may be on your spot anytime before 6:00 a.m. The fishing will end no later than 3:00 p.m. You may launch from any public ramp on the bound-ary waters.You can enter and pay online at http://www.ci.seabrook.tx.us. Rules are on the City of Seabrook website also, or enter and pay at Outriggers restaurant in Seabrook.

PUMPKIN PATCH Oct. 1 - Oct. 31First United Methodist Church in La Porte9601 W. Fairmont Pkwy281-478-4673Mon - Fri 10-6Sat - 8:30-6:00Sun - 12:00-6:00

LPHS Class of 1971 ReunionSat. October 8thCall Don Davison for information409-944-1311

GriefShare Recovery SeminarBayshore Baptist ChurchLa PorteSundays at 5:45p.m.GriefShare recovery seminar and support group meets at Bayshore Baptist Church in La Porte Sundays at 5:45Pm beginning September 11, 2011. The church is located at 11315 Spencer. GriefShare is a 13-week program featuring nation-ally recognized experts on grief and recovery topics. Seminar sessions include the Journey of Grief; The effects of Grief; When your Spouse Dies; Your Family and Grief; and Stuck in Grief. For more informa-tion call Bayshore Baptist Church at 281-471-0332/www.bayshorebc.org. Please feel free to contact if you have questions or would like more information.

Codependents Anonymous Meeting Up the Street ClubWebsterWednesdays & Fridays6:30 p.m. The ACME CODA bookstudy meets Wednesdays and Fridays at the Up the Street Club at 6:30 p.m. in Room 4. The club is located at 508 Nasa Rd.1 near corner of Wal-nut in Webster in the strip shopping center behind the auto repair shop. Our group works to overcome co-dependence by learning to: esteem ourselves appropriately, make func-tional boundaries, own our individ-ual reality, identify needs and wants, and live in moderation. We will be using Pia Mellody’s “The Intimacy Factor” and “Facing Codependence. For more information call 281-286-1431.

INDEXCommunity.......................2Airshow............................3Local News.......................4Obituraries.......................4Editorial/Opinion.............4Sports...............................5Classifieds........................7In The Garden...................8Cuisine..............................8

VOLUME 2, NO. 39 LOCALLY OWNED & OPERATED THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 29, 2011

The Bay Area ObserverCommunity News For The Galveston Bay Area

La Porte Airplane And Auto Show Filled With Fun And Excitement For All Ages


During Monday night’s regular meeting La Porte City Council adopted a 2011-2012 Fis-cal Year tax rate of $0.71 per $100 valuation. By unanimous vote. For the past 23 years La Porte’s tax rate has remained at $0.71. This rate consisting of maintenance and operation rate of $.605 and a debt service rate of $.105 for a total tax rate of $.71 per hundred dollar valuation. La Porte’s tax rate is under the effective tax rate of $0.716 per $100 valuation. City council voted 7-2, to deny the repeal of an exemption from the collection of sales taxes from telecommunication services. Mayor Louis Rigby and Mike Mosteit opposed. Finance Di-rector Michael Dolby said. “This city’s sales and use tax consultant noted that the city did not have an ordinance on file with the comptroller’s office, which repeals the exemption for taxing telecommunication services. Telecommunica-tion services and mobile telecommunication services in Texas are exempt from sales taxes unless the governing body of a municipality passes an ordinance repealing the exemption.” Modifications to the City’s medical plan were approved by a vote of 5 -4 with some excep-tions to increases to employee premiums. These will be considered at a later date. Changes to the plan were based on recommendation of the Chapter 172 Committee. Increases in out-of-network deductibles from $2,000 to $3,000 for the city’s HealthFund 1000 Plan and from $1,000 to $3,000 for the PPO 500 plan were not approved, and one change which would increase monthly premiums for active employees on the PPO 500 plan was not approved. Mayor Louis Rigby, Tommy Mo-ser, John Zemanek, Dottie Kaminski and Daryl Leonard voted in favor and Mosteit, Chuck En-

gelken, Jay Martin and Mike Clausen opposed An amendment to the city’s ordinances to in-crease fees for the Sylvan Beach Fishing Pier was unanimously denied. Staff was instructed to bring more information before council. And the amendment will be considered at a future date. A public hearing was held in regards to a con-demnation of a substandard building at 1307 E. Main Street. Council voted 8-1 to continue a public hearing regarding the condemnation. Mike Clausen opposed. A discussion regarding pedestrian and ve-hicular safety measures on Main Street, which included but was not limited to traffic signals and cross walks resulted in a unanimous council vote to direct staff to move forward with an appropriate traffic signal plan to provide safety measures on Main Street. Klotz & Associates gave a presentation to council on drainage benefits for the City of La Porte from the Pasadena Convention Center im-provements. City council discussed, but took no action on the item. Council took no formal action concerning the zoning of group homes, such as community homes, residential personal care homes, living centers and assisted living centers, and sent the issue to the Planning and Zoning Commission. Council heard staff reports from Perdue, Bran-don, Fielder, Collins & Mott regarding delin-quent tax collection process, a CIP Update from Tim Tietjens, Stacey Osborne, Mike Boaze, Da-vid Mick, Jeff Suggs, Alex Osmondand Steven Barr. Marc Campos of Celanese Corporation gave a presentation to city council on their project to convert natural gas into ethanol. No action was taken on the item.

La Porte City Council Adopts 2011-2012 Tax Rate of $0.71

812 S. 8th St.La Porte, TX. 77571

281-471-1430

Seabrook City Council Approves Reduction in

Travel Funds For Council By Rebecca [email protected]

On Tuesday, September 20th, Seabrook City Council approved the first reading of an amendment to the city’s Comprehensive Land Use Matrix and related definitions by unanimous vote. The matrix places categories of use under zoning classifications, such as residential, commercial, and light industrial. Council voted 4-0-2 to amend the item to return the land use matrix to the Planning and Zoning Commission and to direct the commission to designate Recreational Vehicle Parks as a use in the matrix and to find a proper zoning category for RV parks. Mayor Glenn Royal and Kim Morrell recused themselves from the vote. The item will be treated as a separate ordinance during a future meeting. Prior to approval of the amended land use matrix a public hearing was held, but no comments were received. Council voted to approve a reduction in travel and miscella-neous funds for city council members to attend local meetings and events by unanimous vote. The motion was amended several times before a final reduction in the travel budget from $15,000 to $10,000 was approved. During a previous council meeting the figure was increased from $8,300 to $15,000. A remaining $5,000 will be transferred to the city’s police department for pur-chasing. A special events permit, parade permit and special permit for the use of golf carts for the parade and to transport guests with special needs for Seabrook’s 50th Anniversary Celebration on October 21-22 was approved by unanimous vote. There is no fee as this is a city sponsored event. Other items on the Consent Agenda passed unanimously and included; approval of the July, 2011 Community Development Report, approval of the August, 2011 Public Safety Report, ap-proval of the proposed Res. No. 201 1-14, “Adoption of Revision and Amendments to the Bylaws” for the Seabrook Economic De-velopment Corporation, approval of the proposed Res. No. 2011-15. “Establishing Fund Balance Policies”, approval of the second and final reading of proposed Ordinance No. 2011-13, Establish-ing a Civil Service Classification System & Related Provisions. Council Member Mike Giangrosso was absent.

Antique Cars from 1966 and Earlier Were Judged By The Audience

Carlos Ortiz (Pilot) and Emily McGowan Take A Ride on the PT17 Stearman Bi-plane

Airshow Organizer Gideon Jones and NASA Astronaut Steven K. Robinson Mingle With The Crowds as Steven Signs Autographs

Continued on page 3

THE BAY AREA OBSERVER THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 29, 2011

COMMUNITY

P.O. Box 305 • Seabrook, Texas 77586Phone: 281-907-3140 • Fax: 866-596-8973

Email: [email protected]

Opinions in this paper are those of the authors and not necessarily those of the news-paper. Any erroneous statement which may appear will be corrected if brought to the attention of the publisher. Liability for errors is limited to the reprinting of the cor-rected version. Submissions are encouraged by mail, by fax, or by email to [email protected].

Editor & Publisher...............................................Rebecca [email protected]

Associate Editor....................................................Carolyn [email protected]

Contributing Writer....................................................Jay [email protected]

Sports Writer...............................................................Keith [email protected]

Aerospace Writer......................................................Robert [email protected]

Sales Representative.........................................Beverly LawrenceLa Porte/Pasadena/Baytown • 281-793-7961 • [email protected]

Sales Representative..............................................Charlotte HornLa Porte/Pasadena/Baytown • 281-507-8257 • [email protected]

Sales Representative...............................................Ann BrunkowSeabrook/Kemah/Bay Area • 832-434-3363 • [email protected]

Sales Representative...........................................Michelle DudleySeabrook/Kemah/Bay Area • 832-875-1236 • [email protected]

The Bay Area ObserverServing the communities along Galveston Bay.

LPPD Remains Optimistic About National Night Out Festivities

National Night Out will be hosted by the La Porte Police Depart-ment on Tuesday, October 4th. The event will involve both an open house at the Police Depart-ment, which is located at 3001 N. 23rd Street, as well as an assort-ment of neighborhood block parties. The Police Department’s Open House will take place from 6:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m. and will be open to the public. Representatives will be present from several military branches, regional safety organizations, area law enforcement & emergency services, and various local citizens groups, such as the Youth Explorers and Po-lice Academy Alumni Association. Donations of food, drinks, and an array of snacks will be furnished by, Beacon Credit Union, La Porte Police Officers Association, Shell Credit Union, JSC Credit Union, and Kroger Grocery Stores. Local entertainment provider ‘Lil Jacks’ will also be supplying a pair of moonwalks for chil-dren to enjoy as well. The Open House will begin with a formal dedication of the Police Facility in honor of the City’s first police Chief, upon which the facility will be formally named the Herbert F. Freeman Jr. Police Administration Building. Neighborhood block parties will also add an atmosphere of posi-tive community spirit to the night. Some of the neighborhoods who anticipate hosting block parties as part of National Night Out include Shady River, Bay Pointe, North-Side (Jennie Riley Center), and Fairmont Park West, while apartment complexes who have expressed interest include Seville Place, Plaza at San Jacinto, College View, Fairmont Oaks, and Harbour Bay. Although the event is close at hand, there is still time if either you or your organization would like to become involved in the festivi-ties. If your business, club, or neighborhood group would like as-sistance in joining the National Night Out event, please contact the La Porte Police Department at Support Services Division at 281-842-3162 or 281-842-3183. Also, if you would like to host a block party, the following link will lead you directly to the City’s block party request form: www.laportetx.gov/civica/filebank/blobdload.asp?BlobID=6643

www.eatatlaredos.com

Homemade TortillasFresh Local SeafoodOld Family Recipes

For To-Go Orders Call

281-291-8080

2119 Bayport Blvd.(Hwy. 146)

Seabrook, Tx. 77586Hours:

Monday - Saturday10:30 - 8:00

Sunday - Closed

Serving homemade Mexican food in the Bay Area since 1969

LAREDO’STEX-MEX CAFE

The Evelyn Meador Library, a Harris County Public Library, will offer a free computer classes to teach beginners computer typing and keyboarding. The class will be held Monday, October 3, from 10:30 am until 12:30 pm. Need to learn the keyboard? Do you want to brush up on your skills and speed? Come to our program and find out about the right technique and practice online. This class is limited to 12 people and requires registration. Please call or visit the library to register. The library’s phone number is 281-474-9142. Harris County Public Library will make reasonable accommo-dation for persons with disabilities. To make a request, notify the Branch Librarian at 281-474-9142.

Free Typing & Keyboarding Class

The Evelyn Meador Library, a Harris County Public Library, will offer File and Folder Management I class on Tuesday, Octo-ber 4 from 1:30 pm until 3:30 pm. This class focuses on providing tips to organize your com-puter’s hard drive. Learn to name, move, delete, rename file and folders in Windows 7. This is a two-day class. You must attend Part I in order to register for Part II. This class is limited to 12 people and requires registration. Please call or visit the library to register. The library’s phone number is 281-474-9142. Harris County Public Library will make reasonable accommo-dation for persons with disabilities. To make a request, notify the Branch Librarian at 281-474-9142.

Free File & Folder Management Computer Class

The Evelyn Meador Library, a Harris County Public Library, will offer Microsoft Word II on Tuesday, October 4 from 6:30 pm until 9:30 pm. We will cover lots of features of MS Word 2007. You must have attended Part I in order to register for Part II. This class is limited to 12 people and requires registration. Please call or visit the library to register. The library’s phone number is 281-474-9142. Harris County Public Library will make reasonable accommo-dation for persons with disabilities. To make a request, notify the Branch Librarian at 281-474-9142.

Free Microsoft Word II Class

Evelyn Meador Library Happenings

Help Restore Coastal Prairies

Armand Bayou Nature Center (ABNC) will host its fifth annual Prairie Pandemonium event on October 15, 2011 from 8 am to noon. This is a community based event where local citizens join together to transplant thousands of native grasses and wildflow-ers into ABNC’s restored prairies. In recent decades, ninety-nine percent of the critically imperiled coastal tallgrass prairie habitat has been lost. Large scale volunteer plantings such as Prairie Pandemonium help give ABNC’s prairies a jump-start to a native state of abundant wildflowers and grasses. Sign-in will begin at 8 am and the workday will conclude at noon with a free lunch, t-shirt, and door prizes. Volunteers should be 12 years of age or older. Volunteers under 18 must be accompanied by an adult. Tools and work gloves will be pro-vided. Pre-registration is required to participate. To register, contact Kelli Haskett at [email protected]. Join us in restoring one of the last remaining stands of coastal tallgrass prairie in the Houston area! Armand Bayou Nature Center is located at 8500 Bay Area Blvd. near Red Bluff Road in Pasadena, TX. The Center is open Wednesday through Saturday at 9:00 AM. On Sundays the Cen-ter opens at Noon. The last admission is at 4:00 PM. The gates and parking lot close at 5:00 PM. Admission fees are $2 for se-niors over 59, $4 for adults, $2 for children 4 to 12, and children under 4 are free. Visitors are encouraged to wear sturdy shoes and be prepared for changing weather conditions. More informa-tion about Armand Bayou Nature Center is available at abnc.org

Don’t miss Second Chance Pets Annual Fundraiser Dinner and Silent Auction “There’s No Place Like Home” on Thursday, Oct. 13 from 6:30 to 9 p.m. at Lakewood Yacht Club, 2425 NASA Parkway, Seabrook. Tickets are $35 per person and tables for 10 are $300. There will be a cash bar and local talent Mickey Hobbs will bring his smooth “old school” vocals for entertainment. Call Carol Burton at 281-990-9337 for ticket information soon be-cause tickets go fast. We have the best silent auction steals in town! This year fea-tures Vera Bradley items, local gift certificates from restaurants and vets, dazzling jewelry, and collectible space shuttle items – many of which have actually traveled IN the space shuttle! If you wish to become a “Friend” to SCP with a monetary (cash) donation you will be recognized in our program. The Bronze Level is $100, the Silver Level is $250, the Gold Level is $500 and the platinum level is $1000. To donate a new item for our silent auction just drop it off at Petco on Saturdays from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Second Chance Pets is an all-volunteer, non-profit animal welfare organization dedi-cated to providing unwanted and abused animals a second chance through foster care and pet adoptions. Since SCP’s incorporation in 1994, close to 7000 dogs, cats, puppies and kittens have been placed in the local community. For more information call 281-286-3535 or visit us at www.sec-ondchancepets.org. SCP is a 501 (c) (3) animal welfare organi-zation, Tax Number: EIN 76-0463217.

Second Chance Pet volunteers and Farpoint Theatre performers get into “character” for SCP’s annual “There’s No Place Like Home” Dinner and Silent Auction. Top row from left: Wicked Witch: Carol Stevenson, Tin Man: Kay Dominguez, Scarecrow: Suzanne Bloom, Cowardly Lion: Steve Kirk, Wizard of Oz: Peter D. Kinser and Good Witch: Jo McGinnis. Bottom row from left: Flying Monkey: Johnny Williams and Dorothy: Tonia Miller.

Second Chance Pets Dinner/Silent Auction

The Evelyn Meador Library, a Harris County Public Library, will offer a free File & Folder Management II class on Wednes-day, October 5 from 1:30pm until 3:30 pm. This class focuses on providing tips to organize your computer’s hard drive. Learn to name, move, delete, and rename files and folders in Windows 7. This is a two-part class. Students must attend Part I in order to register for Part II. This class is limited to 12 people and requires registration. Please call or visit the library to register. The library’s phone number is 281-474-9142. Harris County Public Library will make reasonable accom-modation for persons with disabilities. To make a request, notify the Branch Librarian at 281-474-9142.

Free File & Folder Management II Computer Class

Free Internet Basics I Class The Evelyn Meador Library, a Harris County Public Library, will offer a free Internet Basics I class on Thursday, October 6 from 1:30pm until 3:30 pm. Internet Basics I covers how the In-ternet works, how touse a search engine, and how to perform various tasks using the Internet browser. This is a two-part class. Students must attend Part I in order to register for Part II. This class is limited to 12 people and requires registration. Please call or visit the library to register. The library’s phone number is 281-474-9142. Harris County Public Library will make reasonable accommo-dation for persons with disabilities. To make a request, notify the Branch Librarian at 281-474-9142.

The Friends Book Shop is operated daily by volunteers to fund activities/programs outside the scope of county funding for our users. Donated book, magazines, DVD’s and records help our orga-nization work with the Evelyn Meador Library for the citizens of the Seabrook Community. Come by to find just what you might need. Our 3 for $1.00 cart is just outside our door. The book shop is open the same hours as our library. You can find your ear buds and flash drives at the book shop.

Come Buy At The Friends Of Evelyn Meador Book Shop!

Evelyn Meador Friends Book Shop

1520 S. Shaver • Pasadena, Texas 77502

Store Hours: Tuesday -Thursday 8:30 - 5:30 • Friday & Saturday 8:30 - 6:00 • Closed Sunday & Monday713-472-0997

www.pasadenahabitat.org

Support Continuing Efforts To Protect Texas Rivers & BaysAsk Your Legislators To Support

The Texas Bottle Bill In 2013Visit www.TexasBottleBill.com

or www.BottleBill.org

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 29, 2011 THE BAY AREA OBSERVER PAGE 3

Continued from page 1

LA PORTE AIRPLANE AND AUTO SHOW

Salon La RougeHair, Nail, Massage & Facials

Salon La RougeLet me design you a

new look for Summer!

Lisa K. Cook: Owner/Master Styl ist281.474.2528 • 902 Hardesty • Old Seabrook

lected for the troops. They will be packaged on Sunday October 2 at Noon at The American Legion Post 490 by the Auxiliary Unit. La Porte Texas Airplane & Auto Show will present a check for the postage to the Auxiliary.

Awards were given to the following:1st Place Car

1928 Buick Speedster Owners: Mark & Linda McClure

2nd Place Car 1949 Willis Jeepster Owners: Ted & Jennifer Penland

3rd Place Car1947 Chrysler New Yorker Owners: Benny & Diana Moore

1st Place Bi-plane 2000 Hatz Home Built Owner: David Guillot

2nd Place Bi-plane1967 DSA-1 Lyc 0320 Owner: C L “Bloke” Maurer

3rd Place Bi-plane2003 Pitts Special S2S Experimental Owner: Andrew Connolly

Radio Controlled Airplane1/3 Scale Newport 28C1 Best of Show

Owner: Doc Morris from Bomberfield Radio Control Club

Two raffle drawings were sold and and the two winners were Phil-lip Smith of La Porte and Carol Fleming-Jones or Houston.

For more information about the Air Show visit www.laporte-texasairplaneautoshow.com. You can contact the Lone Star Flight Museum in Galveston atwww.lsfm.org

Kristen And Her Dad Check Out The Steadman Bi-plane But Opt Out Of A Ride

Visit us on the web at www.bayareaobserver.com

or join us on FACEBOOK

Trey Choate of Pasadena Enjoys The Show With His Grandparents the Larsons of La Porte


Cities and towns along the Texas Gulf Coast boast a wealth of history. From the rumors and myths of our very own mer-chant pirate Jean Lafitte to the playground for the rich and fa-mous of the roaring 20’s, our rich history is quickly being left behind and giving way to the age of advanced technol-ogy, keeping us connected to the world but often out of touch with neighbors and our com-munities. Fortunately for those of us liv-ing in the Galveston Bay Area we have a few residents who are helping us to remember our past, as we forge ahead into the future. In La Porte, local historian and past president of the La Porte Bay Area Heritage Society Ann Malone along with author Dan Becker have captured La Porte’s colorful history. They have written the newest addi-tion to the Arcadia Publishing’s popular Images of America se-ries called “Around La Porte”. The book contains more than 200 vintage images and memo-ries of days gone by. The his-tory of the city of La Porte and its neighboring communities is laden with important events and personalities. Pioneers began settling the area 10 years before Texas won its independence from Mexico. The land that was to become the cities of Morgan’s Point, Shore-acres, Lomax, and La Porte was home to such Texas luminaries as Gen. Sidney Sherman, Gov. Ross Sterling, Andrew Jackson Houston, and James Morgan. Seabrook also has a rich his-tory. Seabrook councilman Don

Holbrook and owner of the Seaside Gallery and renowned photographer Ruth Burke took on the task of documenting Seabrook’s history. Their book simply titled “Seabrook” also features more than 200 photos of Seabrook’s beautiful lakes, hiking trails, quaint shops and breakfast inns. It also reaches back into history to the toils of the Attakapa and Karankawa In-dian tribes to the treasure-laden tales of the pirate Jean Lafitte. NASA is also mentioned as is the story of Seabrook’s incor-poration in 1961, and its fear of annexation by La Porte. “Around La Porte”, and “Sea-brook” are both available at area bookstores, independent retailers and online retailers. For more information about “Around La Porte” contact the La Porte Bay Area Heritage Society at 604 Park Drive in the Old Train Depot at Sylvan Beach or call 281-471-0493. For “Seabrook” call Ruth Burke at Seaside Gallery in Seabrook at 204 Kirby Road or call 281-326-9200.

PAGE 4 THE BAY AREA OBSERVER THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 29, 2011

EDITORIAL /OPINION

LOCAL NEWS

Rusty’s Corner When We Ask the Wrong Question ....

By Rusty Cates

Pundits and politicians pontificate on how divided we are. Our Congress, with its continued failure to complete even the most routine of the nation’s business, seems determined to prove the point. We are told that there is an epic struggle going on with some demanding “Big Government” to address all our problems and others, even more adamant, that only “Small Government” can save us. But the politicians never tell us what these terms mean. In fact, like brand names, they have no practical meaning; only the abil-ity to evoke emotion. Just like the sellers of soap and toothpaste whose products have the same ingredients in different packages; these policy purveyors want us to believe that our values and beliefs are more different than they are. Consider, “Small Government.” How small should it be? Do we, like Grover Norquist, want it to be the, “size where I can drag it into the bathroom and drown it in the bathtub.” Somalia has been government free for decades; no regulations, no schools, no police, no courts and no protection from marauding warlords. Is this the kind of libertarian paradise Americans want? Of course not. What about “Big Government?” President Gerald Ford said, “A government big enough to give you everything you want is a government big enough to take from you everything you have.” Do Americans want this land of liberty turned into Stalinist Rus-sia? No, we want our liberties to flourish. We want our government to work without the childish bicker-ing and blaming that has become a substitute for problem solv-ing. We want clean air and water. We want courts to offer justice;

where might does not make right. We want our mail delivered and agencies staffed with competent public servants when we need them. We want our children to have a quality education that opens them to new possibilities. We want to believe that we are still the land of opportunity and that the bottom rungs of the ladder of success have not rotted away. We all want to build an ever better America, as did our parents and their parents. We want roads and bridges that are sound and adequate. We want police to serve and protect our homes and businesses. We want to know that firemen and EMT’s are there to save our lives. We want to know that help is on its way when disaster strikes. None of us want waste. None of us want a government that stifles either personal or corporate innovation. None of us want to see hard work discouraged or sloth encouraged. Nor do any of us want to see the waste and destruction of grinding poverty enshrined or the poor left to die of hunger or disease as in a third world country. In short, we all want our government to do what we need it to do as efficiently as possible. We want, as our founders wanted, “To secure the blessing of liberty to ourselves and our poster-ity.” Yes, there are differences of degree and direction about specific policies but those are just the kinds of differences that demo-cratic institutions are designed to work out through compromise, consensus, and acceptance of the majority’s will with respect for the needs of the minority. It serves the partisans to exaggerate our differences and pro-mote their brands. It serves us to remember that we have far more in common than divides us and those who want us to forget that serve only themselves. It’s just a thought.

Rusty Cates is the owner of Coffee Oasis at 4650 NASA Parkway (At Kirby) in Seabrook. He can be reached at [email protected] or better yet, stop by Coffee Oasis , find a cozy corner and enjoy a great cup of coffee or wine.. Visit www.coffee-oasis.com for a list of the great entertainment that can be seen almost any day of the week!

LINDA K MARTIN

Linda K Martin, 58, of La Porte, Texas, went to be with our Lord on September 21, 2011. She was born on August 2nd, 1953 in Pasadena, Texas to Wilbert Blank, SR. and Edna M. Martin. She was preceded in death by her parents, Mr. & Mrs. Wilbert H Blank and younger sister, Brenda Segura. Her daughters Lori Jarvis and husband Fred of La Porte, Texas, Rhonda Snyder and husband Matt of La Porte, Texas, sister Sandra Fletcher and hus-band Sonny of Pasadena, Texas, brothers Buddy Blank and wife Sharmin of Santa Fe, Texas, Kenneth Blank and wife Debra of San Leon, Ronnie Blank of Pasadena, Texas, grandchildren, CJ, Tyler, Rebekah & Rhonda Jarvis and Tori & Kylie Snyder and numerous Nieces and Nephews survive her. Linda, we admire your courage and strength. We love you and miss you. You will remain in our hearts forever. Visitation was on Friday September 23rd 2011 from 6:00 PM to 9:00 PM and services were held on Saturday, September 24th at 10:00 AM.

OBITUARIES

Come Relax With Friends In La Porte’s Historic Main Street District!

Hours of Operation

Mon. – 6am to 5pm Tue - Thu – 6am to 9pm

Fri. & Sat. – 6am to Midnight

223 West Main Street • La Porte,Texas 77571 • (281) 867-1700

Gourmet Coffees & TeasMicro-Brewery Ales & Beers

Boutique Wines

Wi-Fi

Fresh Baked Breads, Muffins, and Cupcakes

www.mainlydrinks.com

Entertainment

Monday - All Evening, Half price wine specials on selected bottles from our wine list.

Tuesday-5-8 PM, Wine Down Tuesday - $3/glass Wine Specials Wednesday - 7-11 PM, Singer/Songwriter Open Mic - Host: Christie Glaser

Thursday - 8-10:30PM, Celtic Music - Irish Session

Friday - 8-10:30PM, Live Music - S. Hawley Stafford

Saturday - 8-10:30PM, Live Music - Reyna Bruizella

We have been blessed with the support of some very talented mu-sicians who are being very generous with their time and talent. Many venues add a cover charge and increase their prices when they have performers in order to pay the musicians. We have lim-ited that in our efforts to continue to be the best value in these challenging times. Currently, these talented local musicians play at Coffee Oasis for tips and a share of our proceeds Still, as the Good Book says, “a laborer is worthy of their hire”. Please be generous when the tip basket is passed and with your purchases so that we can continue to share this bargain with you.

Education /Self Improvement

Monday - 6:30-8:45 PM, Gulf Coast Poets Critique Group

Monday - 7-10:30 PM, Chess Scrabble Club Wednesday -10-11:30 AM, French Meet-Up Thursday - 7-10:30 PM, Chess Scrabble Club

Sunday - 3:30-8:30 PM, Poetry Works Workshop

Community Activities

Tuesday - 6-7:30 PM, After 9 Women’s Group

Wednesday- 6:30-7:30 AM, St. Paul’s Men

Thursday- 6-7:30 AM, Men’s Bible Study Group

Friday- 7-8 AM, 60 Men Prayer Group

Find out more about these or other activities on our calendar at www.coffee-oasis.com

This Week At Coffee Oasis4650 NASA Parkway | (At Kirby) | Seabrook | TX | 77586AROUND TOWN

A Tale of Two CitiesLocals Reclaim History Through Photographs

Rachel Carter, Ann Malone, Lola Phillips, Dan Becker and Mary Gay Enjoy Refreshments As the Authors Sign “Around La Porte”.

Don Holbrook and Ruth Burke Sign Copies of “Seabrook” At Arlan’s Market.

Charlotte Beaugreaux, Isaac Silos, Martha Silos and Sabrina Silos. Martha Is A Decendant of Tom Beazley, One Of La Porte’s Original Residents


A Very Special Thank You To Our 2011 Sponsors

Tournament FormatFour-Person Scramble (best ball). Cost includes: Green Fee, Cart, Range Balls, BBQ Dinner, Goodie Bags & Drinks. Trophies given out for 1st, 2nd, & 3rd places and for Hole Challenges.

RaffleWe are having a Raffle for golfers on the day of the event. If you would like to donate a service, goods, tickets, or other items to promote your business, give Kenny Martin a call.

October 1, 20111:30pm ~ Shotgun Start

Bay Forest Golf Course 201 Bay Forest • La Porte, Texas 77571

2011 LPPOA Charity

Golf Tournament

Visit www.laportepoa.com for entry forms

For more information contact :

Kenny Martin at 713-213-6083or email [email protected]

SPORTS

By Keith Schul

The big game had no shortage of excitement last Friday with La Porte pulling out the win 34-31 over Deer Park at Bulldog Stadium. The game featured three 14 point leads for the Bull-dogs and the Deer came back each time and ulti-mately forced overtime. Overtime started with Deer Park driving inside the La Porte 10 yard line and the Bulldogs held and forced a Deer field goal to make the score 31-28 Deer Park. La Porte took over and Senior Quarterback Josh Vidales threw a backwards pass to Sophomore Receiver Taejon Wearen who reversed to the other side of the field and stepped out of bounds at the Deer 5 yard line for a 20 yard gain. On the ensuing play Junior Running Back and star of the game Keith Whitely ran to the right and pushed a blocker out of the way, diving in for a 5 yard touchdown and La Porte victory. The game started with Deer Park deferring to the second half and La Porte received. Sopho-more Vic Holmes had a great return and La Porte

started out near midfield. The Bulldogs pro-ceeded to march down the field with the run and a wildcat package with Whitely taking charge. Senior Chad Sutherland punched in a one yard touchdown run to open up the scoring. Two possessions later Deer Park took over at the 50 yard line and Senior Running Back Dem-etrius Banks took the hand off to the left side; La Porte’s Senior Defensive End Tyrone Graves knocked the ball loose and Junior Cornerback Malik Graves picked up the fumble and returned it 40 yards for the touchdown. La Porte lead 14-0. Just before halftime Deer Park took over near midfield and drove down the field with passing from Senior Quarterback Austin Rainer. On fourth and goal Rainer scored on the quarterback sneak to make the score La Porte 14 Deer Park 7. Deer Park started the second half at their own 20 with Banks taking the snap to the left and Chad Sutherland knocking the ball out. Senior Defensive End Blake Turlington recovered at the Deer 10. A couple plays later Whitely took it

in for the score and made it 21-7 Bulldogs with 11:07 left in the 3rd Quarter. After trading quick possessions Deer Park took over at their own 23 and Rainer had two big passes down to the La Porte one yard line. Deer Park Senior Running Back Justin James carried the ball into the end zone making the score 21-14 La Porte. In the 4th quarter Deer Park had the ball at their own 46 and La Porte Senior Linebacker Cameron Whilley intercepted and returned the ball to mid-field with a Deer Park personal foul moving the ball inside Deer Park territory to the 36. La Porte responded with a flea flicker and Vidales throw-ing to Senior Receiver Aaron Nance-Garrett for a 36 yard touchdown. Deer Park had been put-ting 10 players at the line of scrimmage and La Porte made them pay for their aggressiveness. The Bulldogs lead 28-14 with 5:46 left. Deer Park wasted no time driving down the field and Senior Fullback Clay De La Garza took a pass in for a long touchdown making the score La Porte 28 Deer Park 21. La Porte was forced to punt and Deer Park

took over at their own 20. Rainer drove the Deer down the field and completed a 11 yard touch-down tying the game at 28. The nail biter ended in overtime with La Porte victory. Deer Park made some good adjustments at halftime moving to quicker passes to keep the La Porte pressure off of them. La Porte’s defense carried them causing three turnovers leading to 21 La Porte points despite Rainer throwing for 340 yards and two scores. Deer Park Senior Re-ceiver Eric Luna torched the Bulldogs for 132 yards on 6 catches in a losing effort. Keith Whitely willed the Bulldogs to victory with 103 yards and 2 scores. La Porte showed great discipline in staying away from the big per-sonal foul penalties that have plagued them this season. Deer Park out-gained La Porte 408-201 in total yards, but the turnovers were the key to La Porte victory on this night. Deer Park moves to 4-1 on the season La Porte (4-1) takes on Channelview (4-1) and their awesome no huddle spread passing attack at Bulldog Stadium in two weeks after a bye week this week.

La Porte Orange & White ReportFinal La Porte 34 Deer Park 31 Postgame Analysis

Keith Schul is the owner and writer for La Porte Bulldog Football Blog at http://lpbulldogs.blogspot.com. You can also follow along on Twitter @lpbulldogblog

La Porte Police Recommend High Involvement To Protect Our Children From Internet Dangers

Multiple psychological studies have revealed in recent years that the Internet is a bigger attraction for our children than television. Surveys have shown the majority of children between the ages of 10 and 14 spend more than an hour on the Internet each day, with far less of their time being in front of a television. This trend reveals that the internet is now one of the most influential sources during a child’s development. As parents, educators, and men-tors, the La Porte Police Depart-

ment stresses that we must remain actively involved in the lives of our children. If we only teach our kids how to handle strangers on the street, we are simply not do-ing enough. We must also teach them what to do when strangers approach them on the Web. The good news is that there are things we can do to protect our children online. The La Porte Police Depart-ment has programs in place to educate parents and teachers about staying safe from predators

and cyber-bullies in chat rooms, on their cell phones & hand-held devices, and on popular social networking sites like MySpace and Facebook. For additional in-formation on how to protect your children from child predators, and for other Internet safety tips, you can visit the FBI’s Innocent Images Project at: http://www.fbi.gov/innocent.htm Children are indeed our future. Therefore as a community, we ultimately have the power to de-termine the future to come.

POLICE NEWSChild Drowning Mourned In City Of La Porte

On September 23rd, 2011 at approximately 9:26 a.m., La Porte Police Department Officers, along with La Porte EMS and Fire Department personnel were dispatched to the 10300 block of Catlett Lane in the City of La Porte, in reference to a possible drowning of a 2 year old child. The child had been discovered in a back-yard swimming pool by family members and was found not breathing. CPR was immediately attempted by a family

member and soon taken over by emergency personnel as they arrived on scene. The child was initially transported to Bay-shore Hospital, but was later pronounced deceased by medical officials. The incident currently remains under investigation by the La Porte Police Department.

The La Porte Police Department unveiled its new D.A.R.E. Program Vehicle on Sat-urday at the La Porte Airplane and Car Show. D.A.R.E. stands for Drug Abuse Resistance Education and the 30 year old highly acclaimed program is designed to give young people the skills they need to avoid involvement in drugs, gangs, and violence. The 2010 Dodge Charger was purchased new using money seized from drug dealers and outfitted through generous donations of products and services from business in and around La Porte. The most striking feature of the vehicle is its custom paint job depicting the many unique features of La Porte as well as real to life images of emergency responders at work within the community. The custom paint job was done courtesy of La Porte’s own Coup-land Signs and represents over 50 hours of donated time from the company’s owner and resident artist, Chuck Coupland. “This car is designed to draw and keep the attention of the D.A.R.E. Program’s target audience and it really showcases the City of La Porte” said Chief of Police Ken Adcox. “We are really proud of it and grateful to the many area businesses, like Coupland Signs, that helped bring this car

to life”. Other businesses that donated products or services to the new D.A.R.E. vehicle include, Charlie Hinds Paint & Body, Discount Tire Co., Stanley Parts & Equipment, Texas Honor Ride, R&R Kus-tom Kar Stereo, La Porte Police Officers Association, Best Buy Stores, Viper, and Blue Knights Texas VII. The D.A.R.E. car will be piloted by La Porte Police Department’s D.A.R.E. Of-ficer, Yvonne Stanley. Officer Stanley is a 16 year veteran of the La Porte Police Department and has served a total of 12 years as the City’s primary D.A.R.E. of-ficer. Stanley expressed both excitement for the program’s addition of the D.A.R.E. car, as well as an immeasurable level of gratitude for the vehicle sponsorship base, stating that “From the very beginning of the vehicle’s design process, I really hoped we could go beyond depicting just the Po-lice Department, but also reflect several of our local land marks in a positive light.” Stanley added, “The City of La Porte has so many things which we can all be proud of, and the local artist who completed the final design really captured the pride of La Porte in the finished product.” For car enthusiasts, the new vehicle is equipped with a 5.7-liter HEMI V-8 en-

gine with a fuel-saving system that shuts down half of the cylinders when cruising at light throttle. A bit different from the standard off-the-lot version, this Char-ger has been modified to accommodate full-service police duty, with heavy-duty anti-lock brakes, front and rear stabilizer bars, a two-mode police-specific stability control system and 18-inch performance tires on steel wheels. Inside, the front cabin has been modified to serve as a mo-bile command center, with a police inter-face module for easy integration of police computer equipment. The D.A.R.E. car is also equipped with a full mobile the-ater, located in the vehicle’s trunk; from which educational program videos can be shown. Look for the agency’s new 2011 D.A.R.E. Charger along local roadways and show Officer Stanley you support the D.A.R.E. program through a friendly smile, wave, or honk of your own horn. For more information on La Porte Police Department’s D.A.R.E. program, please call 281-471-2141 and ask to leave a mes-sage for Officer Stanley. Also, if you wish to learn more about the national D.A.R.E. program, log onto their website at www.dare.com.

New LPPD D.A.R.E. Vehicle Hits The StreetsLa Porte Police Department D.A.R.E. Officer

Yvonne Stanley displays agency’s latest addition


VINTAGETHRIFTVintage Emporium

1904 El MarSeabrook, Texas

(Across from Kroger)

SHOP RESALE!Do you love the thrill of the hunt, the rush from getting a great bargain and the excite-ment of bragging to friends about your savings?

Resale and consignment now represents one of the fastest growing segments in retail.

And if customers keep their eyes open, they can find some real treasures as well as quality clothing at a great price.

Whether you call it “thrift-ing”, “going green”, or “re-using and recycling”, it is an old concept reborn into a struggling economy.

And it just makes good

sense.

SAVE MONEY

& SUPPORT YOUR

LOCAL COMMUNITY

University of Houston-Clear Lake named Rick Short as dean of the university’s School of Human Sciences and Humani-ties. Short began his tenure with the university Aug. 1.“Dr. Short brings in more than 25 years of university-level education, research and clini-cal experience,” said UH-Clear Lake Senior Vice President and Provost Carl A. Stockton.Short, who holds a doctorate in human development and psy-chological services from Uni-versity of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, comes to the uni-versity from Middle Tennes-see State University where he served as an associate dean for the College of Behavioral and Health Sciences and professor of psychology as well as asso-ciate dean for planning, evalu-ation, assessment and research for the College of Education and Behavioral Science. His extensive background includes serving as assistant executive director of education for the American Psychological As-sociation in Washington, D.C. and associate professor and di-rector of the Center for Learn-ing, Evaluation and Assessment Research at the University of Missouri-Columbia. He also has been a faculty member at the Penn State University and

Auburn University.“I look forward to the opportu-nity to working with the staff and faculty in the School of Human Sciences and Humani-ties,” said Short, who received his bachelor’s and master’s de-grees in Texas. “UHCL is an excellent university, and it’s good to return to Texas.”In addition to being a fellow for the American Psychologi-cal Association, Short also re-ceived the High Flyer Award

for Excellence in Teaching from the University of Mis-souri College of Education and the Jack A. Bardon Award for Distinguished Service from the APA Division of School Psychology. He has served on the American Psychological Association Commission on Accreditation, as president of the APA Division of School Psychology, and as chair of the American Psychological As-sociation/National Association of School Psychologists Inter-Organizational Council.Publications for Short include co-authoring five books such as “Comprehensive children’s mental health services: A public health approach” and “Making psychology in the schools in-dispensable: Critical questions and emerging perspectives.” He has also published several book chapters and many jour-nal articles in his field. “Dr. Short has a strong record of teaching, service and funded research and publication,” said Stockton. “In addition, Dr. Short is a licensed psycholo-gist and school psychologist.” Stockton added his thanks for those serving on the search committee and to Professor of Family Therapy Leslye Mize who served as interim dean during the past year.

University of Houston-Clear Lake welcomed Rick Short as the new dean of the School of Human Sci-ences and Humanities. Short took the reins as dean Aug. 1, after the retirement of Professor Emeritus Bruce Palmer. He comes to univer-sity from Middle Tennessee State University where he served as as-sociate dean for the College of Be-havioral and Health Sciences.

New Dean Takes Lead In UH-Clear Lake School

EDUCATIONFour SJC Students Take Home

Scholarships From Pasadena Rodeo

San Jacinto College recently awarded four students $500 scholarships, funded through the 2011 Pasadena Livestock Show and Rodeo. Current SJC students Kyle Laque, Tierney Leopard, and Ko-rie Mire, and future student Caise Roese were selected based on their activities with Future Farm-ers of America, 4-H, and other agriculture-related organizations. They were presented with their scholarships during the recent San Jac Night at the Rodeo, an annual event that raises proceeds for the San Jacinto College Foundation in support of student scholarships.

SJC Partners With Houston Eye Care Professionals To Deliver Free Exams

And Glasses To School Children A group of Houston eye care professionals are teaming up to combat problems associated with lack of vision care by pro-viding free examinations and eye glasses to area school stu-dents grades K-12. Introduced last year as a pilot program, See to Succeed aims to assist the overall goal to in-crease literacy rates, as well as quality of life. Coordinated by the Houston Department of Health and Human Services (HDHHS), partners include San Jacinto College (SJC), Univer-sity of Houston (UH) College of Optometry, Essilor Vision Foundation, Wal-Mart, Berkley Eye Center, Luxottica Group Foundation, Eye Care for Kids, and Memorial Area Assistance Ministries. The See to Succeed program allows for the free screening, examination, transportation and delivery of eye glasses to first-12th grade students across the Houston metroplex region. Vi-sion prescreening will be con-ducted at the schools. Students, who are identified as needing additional eye exams will be transported to the Vision Part-nership project located at the West End Health Center for further care during one of four weeks throughout September, October, and November. If a student needs glasses, he or she may choose a pair of frames to be customized and delivered to his or her school at a later date. “Experts say there is a preva-lence of 25 percent of all school

children in the United States who need eyeglasses,” said Debra Clarke, eye care technol-ogy program director at San Ja-cinto College. “Vision problems are directly linked to literacy, and literacy is directly linked to prison population. We need

to catch vision problems early on, so that a child’s literacy im-proves, and in result, improves his or her school and college education.” The HDHHS Foundation has committed a financial contribu-tion for overall costs of See to Succeed, including educational materials and support staff. San Jacinto College will pro-vide technical support for all aspects of the program, as well as volunteers, medical staff, and opticians, while UH Col-lege of Optometry will provide doctors, volunteers, and rooms at the West End Health Center. Eye Care for Kids will provide vouchers for special needs fol-lowing the event, and Luxotti-ca’s OneSight will fill in gaps in the weeks that SJC and UH are not participating, as well as loan equipment to the clinic. Berkley will supply doctors and oversee full orchestration of all optical needs; Wal-Mart will process the lenses for the glasses; and Essilor will provide frames, cas-es, cleaning costs, and staffing. “The partnership that has been formed to make sure that chil-dren who need glasses in Hous-ton area schools, get them, is nothing short of amazing,” said Judy Harris, project director for See to Succeed. “Each organiza-tion involved has gone above and beyond in contributing re-sources to make sure that this program is a success and that our children have the tools that they need for success.”

Stephanie Osana from Sharp-stown Middle School tries on a pair of new glasses at the West End Health Center following a free examination by eye care pro-fessionals through the See to Suc-ceed program. Coordinated by the Houston Department of Health and Human Services (HDHHS), See to Succeed is a partnership among San Jacinto College (SJC), University of Houston (UH) Col-lege of Optometry, Essilor Vision Foundation, Wal-Mart, Berkley Eye Center, Luxottica Group Foundation, Eye Care for Kids, and Memorial Area Assistance Ministries. Photo credit: Jeannie Peng-Armao, San Jacinto Col-lege marketing department.

Chavez Only College Student To Qualify For Chefs Under Fire Contest

San Jacinto College student Manny Chavez qualified as the youngest contestant, and the only college stu-dent to compete in the Chefs Under Fire regional competition, held recently at Rice University. Chavez fared well in the contest against others who are professional chefs with much more working experience. Chavez qualified for the regional contest by submitting an essay and video showcasing his culinary skills, and the final contestants were determined by a public vote. Chefs Under Fire is a Texas-only com-petition in which contestants prepare plated dishes onsite under a time restriction with rules similar to the internationally popular Iron Chef contests. Photo credit: Rob Vanya, San Jacinto College marketing department.

JUST 4 KIDZ BOUTIQUEChildren’s Resale • New & Gently Used Items

10814 Hughes Rd.Houston, Texas 77089

(Sagemont Area)

281-464-8050 Consignments Accepted

Judy Tijerina - Owner • [email protected]


NY STATE LAND Rivers & Small Lakes for Sale; 27 Acres- Salmon river area -$39,995. Oneida lake prox-imity 16 Acres, $29,995. Over 100 new properties offered, Call 1-800-229-7843 or visit www.Lan-dandCamps.com

$106 MONTH BUYS land for RV, MH or cabin. Gated entry, $690 down, 90 days same as cash, Guaranteed financing, 1-936-377-3235

ABSOLUTELY THE BEST VIEW Lake Medina/Bandera 1/4 acre tract, cen-tral W/S/E, RV/motor home/house, OK only $830 down $235 month (12.91%/10yr), More information call 1-830-460-8354AFFORDABLE RESORT LIVING on Lake Fork. RV and manufactured housing OK! Guaranteed Financing with 10% down. Lots start-ing as low as $6900, Call Josh, 1-903-878-7265

REAL ESTATE

$106 MONTH BUYS land for RV, MH or cabin. Gated entry, $690 down, ($6900/10.91%/7yr) 90 days same as cash, Guaranteed fi-nancing, 1-936-377-3235ABSOLUTELY THE BEST VIEW Lake Medina/Bandera 1/4 acre tract, central W/S/E, RV/motor home/house, OK only $830 down $235 month (12.91%/10yr), Guaranteed financing, more information call 1-830-460-8354AFFORDABLE RESORT LIVING on Lake Fork. RV and manufactured housing OK! Guaranteed financing with 10% down. Lots start-ing as low as $6900, Call Josh, 1-903-878-7265

10.1 ACRES, Duval Coun-ty. Mesquite and brush. Deer, hogs, quail. Private roads, locked gate, $29,500. Toll-free 1-866-286-0199. www.westerntexasland.com

NEW MEXICO- New of-fer lender short sale. Sacri-fice, 140 acres just $59,900. Spellbinding ranch at 6,000 ft elevation. Mature tree cover, beautiful physical characteristics on year-round road with electric. Special financing offered by lender as low as 2.75% fixed. Call NMRS; 1-866-414-0535

HOT DEAL 3 Bedroom, 2 bath repo sale. Bank repo just $17,900 cash price, will consider financing. Call:1-830-755-4922; RBI#33557

WEST TEXAS - Mule deer, Brewster County, 334+ acres, $88,584. White tail, Terrell County, 240+ acres, shared well, $84,231. Owner financed, 1-210-734-4009; www.western-texasland.com

DRIVER-100% Owner Operators. Paid weekly. Practical miles. Unique fuel surcharge program. Own truck or lease purchase. CDL-A with Hazmat re-quired. Call 1-800- 496-4696. www.drivefaf.com

DRIVER - $2000 Sign-on bonus! Start a new career. 100% paid CDL training! No experience required. CRST Expedited. 1-800-326-2778, www.joinCRST.com

DRIVER-GOOD MILES! Regional truck drivers start at 37¢ cpm with 1+ year(s)experience. Home every week. Affordable family benefits. Call 1-888-362-8608 or visit www.Averit-tcareers.com EOE

DRIVERS-OWNER OP-ERATORS and Fleet driv-ers Texas and Oklahoma with CDL-A. $3,000 Sign-on bonus! $1.28 per mile. Return to Texas every 6-8 days. Call 1-800-765-3952

EXPERIENCE FLAT-BED DRIVERS: Regional opportunities now open withplenty of freight and great pay. 1-800-277-0212 or www.primeinc.com

FAMILY COMPANY LOOKING for Class A flatbed drivers with 1 year experience. Should live within (30 miles) 1-20 cor-ridor between Sweetwater and Dallas. Top pay, bene-fits. Home 40/52 weekends. 1-877-724-4554, www.wvtoftexas.com

BUSINESS OPPORTUNITIES

CLASSIFIED ADSCLASSIFIED DISPLAY RATE......................$8.50 p.c.i.(Classifieds display ads can contain a border and bolded letters)

CLASSIFIED LINER ADSFirst 20 Words (initial insertion).................................$7.50 First 20 Words (subsequent insertions).......................$4.50Additional Words............................................10 cents each

Classified deadlines are 10 a.m. each Monday

Lot For Sale

75 x 110On The 16th

Green - Wildwood Resort. 18 Hole

Golf Course, 360 Acre Lake, 24 Hour Security.

$8,000281-793-7961

LOTS & ACREAGE

REAL ESTATE

Beverly Lawrence

Mary Kay Consultant

Shoreacres281-793-7961

Free Facials & Great Career Opportunities!

Bayshore Humble Construction

Building, Remodeling & Repairs

Handicap tile, shower, bath with tile seats.

Clean or re-grout tile walls & floor.

New stainless steel grab bars installed.

Ray Garcia281-471-4947

SERVICES

LOCAL SERVICE DIRECTORY

www.paululee.com281-471-0123

Paul U. LeeFuneral Home

Family Owned & Operated

Sign up for updates

If you’re looking for good service, please visit these local businesses!

LEOPARD REALTYCOMMERCIAL & RESIDENTIAL

701 S. 8th - La Portewww.LeopardRealty.comHorace - 713-858-4716 Jason - 713-299-2607

800 South Broadway • La Porte281-471-1241

www.medicineshoppe.com

$2 Deliveries

Immunizations

Diabetic Shoes & Supplies

Neal Broussard, R.Ph.

M-F • 9:00 - 6:00 • SAT. • 9:00 - 1:00

P.O. Box 951• Seabrook, TX. 77586713-302-0255

www.roy-alenterprises.com

Sherrie Roy

Let us do your school, company, organization or church shirts in silk

screen, embroidery, vinyl lettering, or

rhinestones. We also offer full service printing.

We Specialize In Custom Rhinestone Apparel

No job is too big or small!

Teen Driving SchoolTeen & Adult Driver’s Education40 Year’s Experience in teaching and Drivers EducationFamily Owned & Operated - Wide Variety of Vehicles to Drive

$10 OFF Any Student Enrollment

$10 OFF Any Six Hour Adult Class

281-479-26445018 Luella Ave.

Deer Park, TX. 77536www.teendrivingschool.com • [email protected]

HOUSE FOR RENT

1 Beroom, 1 Bath, 2 Window Units

$400 per month plus utilities$400 deposit

510 1/2 South UtahLa Porte

Call Tony281-704-5480832-267-5122

52 Issues a YearPaid subscribers receive the Bay Area Observer by mail.

FOR ONLY PER YEAR

Fill out the information below and mail in with your payment in the amount of $25.00 made payable to:

The Bay Area Observer • P.O. Box 305, Seabrook, TX. 77586

281-907-3140Name:_______________________________________________________________________________________________

Address:_____________________________________________________________________________________________

City:_______________________________________________ State:__________________ Zip:_____________________

Phone:_______________________________________________________________________________________________

VISA MASTERCARD

Credit Card #:__________________________________________ Exp. Date:_______/_______ CVV #:______________

Signature:_____________________________________________________________ Date:_________________________

3 digit code on back of card

$25

SUBSCRIBE

BAY AREA OBSERVER

TO THE

FOR RENT OR LEASE

EMPLOYMENT


Rubies, Rubies, Everywhere: What’s up? By Stennie Stirling [email protected]

Hummingbirds are tiny flying, bejeweled, magical, mysterious creatures that fill me with a sense of awe and leave me spellbound. Their unique figure eight wing pat-tern enables them to fly for-ward, backward, sideways, up, down, upside down and hover in one place while feed-ing! Their body temperature is normal for birds, 104 - 111 de-grees F., but can be lowered to 55 degrees F. to conserve ener-gy when sleeping or in a torpid state. When in a torpid state their heart rate is lowered to 50 beats per minute, while awake and resting 250 beats per min-ute, but while flying and feed-ing it can sour to 1,250 beats per minute! There are 18 spe-cies of hummingbirds found in North America. Of those, the Ruby-throated hummingbird is by far the most common in the Galveston Bay Area and is the marathoner of humming-birds.

Ruby-throated Humming-birds at about 3.5-3.75 inches long and weighing about 0.11 oz. are the only North Ameri-can hummingbirds known to fly over a large water mass, the Gulf of Mexico. The remain-ing 17 North American species migrate over land. Around the middle of August,

Ruby-throats begin to arrive along Galveston Bay area from their breeding grounds from as far as north as Cana-da and linger for days on the Texas coast. During this time, they feed intensely, fight con-stantly, putting on fat, dou-bling or tripling their non-migrant weight, and no doubt increasing their muscle mass! The Rubies are preparing for a 600 mile non-stop noctur-nal flight across the Gulf of Mexico. During the weekend of 9-24/25-2011, Kurt John-son, a fisherman/birder in Port Aransas, reports “many, many hummers heading to Mexico flying right along the tops of the waves, several pulling up short to examine my bright orange popping cork”. Their fall journey ends about 15 - 18 hours later when they arrive on the Gulf Coast of Mexico’s Yucatan Peninsula. Talk about fuel efficiency! By the middle of October, most Ruby-throats have left and will spend the winter from Mexico to Costa Rica. This fall, bird watchers are reporting unusually high num-bers of Ruby-throats at their feeders. From Brownsville to the Galveston Bay, birders reports 10- 20 rubies building up at each of the 5 – 10 feed-ers they maintain. A group of Rubies will disappear within a few days; then within a day or two their numbers build up to the previous 10-20 per feeder again. I captured this feeder frenzy image in an attempt to count the number of birds at my feeder. One ruby watcher reported that there were so many birds in the Rockport area that Rockport stores were completely out of sugar for two days! He had to drive to Aransas Pass for sugar and

then bought 30 lbs. So why so many Ruby-throats this year? Ornitholo-gist, naturalist and birders speculate that the drought and fires have greatly reduced the naturally available humming-bird fall food sources. This lack of widespread food has concentrated the Ruby-throats into residential areas along the coast where nectar plants and feeders are being maintained. You can still help our tiny

avian trans gulf migrants fuel and fatten up for their long journey by putting up and maintaining humming bird feeders now. Hummers seem to be attracted to red feeders. Red food coloring in the sugar water is not needed and may even be harmful. A four to one, water/sugar mixture is recom-mended. Boil the water, while the water is still boiling add sugar, and stir until clear then let cool. Fill the feeders with

about 1.5 cups of sugar water and change every three or four days. If some large feeders are filled and not consumed within about a week, the sugar water becomes sour and the feeder hard to clean. After the middle of October when the Ruby-throats have mostly gone, it is a good idea to leave a feeder or two up all winter. Winter bird report re-cords indicate eight species of Hummingbirds have occurred on the Upper Texas Coast. Last winter I had, Black-chinned, Buff-breasted, Rufus, Calliope and a very likely one time sighting of a Broad-tailed Hummingbird. In the spring from mid March to mid May, Rubies concen-trate on the Gulf Coast of Yu-catan, fatten up and return to the Texas coast via another, nocturnal trans Gulf flight. They don’t linger on the Texas coast in the spring, however, they stay only long enough for a snack or two as they can fuel up along the way as they fly overland to their breeding grounds farther north. Stennie Stirling Meadours first became interested in birds when she moved to LaPorte in 1972 and found a Pileated Woodpecker and a Great Blue Heron in her yard and a Yel-low Warbler in the screened in porch.

Stennie Stirling Meadours Birding Bio

Stennie Stirling Meadours began serious birding on the UTC (Upper Texas Coast) over 30 years ago, and is still severely addicted! During that time she established the Ar-mand Bayou Christmas Bird Count, and has led many field trips for Houston Audubon Society and the Houston Out-

door Nature Club on the UTC, her favorite place to bird. . She helped establish the Bolivar Bird Sanctuary and established and participated in Bolivar Bird Surveys from 2002 until 2007. She has served the UTC birding organizations in sev-eral capacities on the Houston Audubon, Houston Ornithol-ogy Group of the Outdoor Na-ture Club and Armand Bayou Nature Center.

During her 12 years living in Austin, she started the Hornsby Bend monthly surveys, which continue today and served on the Travis Audubon Board. In addition, she coached and chaperoned a Rough-wings (8-13 year olds) teams in the Great Birding Classic from 1999 to 2008, then again in 2011. Recently she taught a birding Mini Course to students at Westbrook Intermediate School and currently is spon-soring the Westbrook Birding Club and coordinating activi-ties and bird sightings with a Ninas & Crias youth group in Yaxha, Yucatan. Ms. Meadours has also trav-eled and birded extensively in Mexico, Central and South America as well as one trip to Kenya. The only thing she enjoys more than seeing birds is shar-ing them with others!

Boot Barn Shoe Repair(Crepe, Neoprene, Leather)

112 W. 7th St.Deer Park, TX. 77536

“We Make Them Look Like New”

281-479-6633

Tues - Fri 9-6 • Sat 10 - 1

We clean, shine, recondition and reglaze

Seabrook Massage& Herbal Merchant

Moor Mud Therapy MassageNew!

Your 90 min session will begin with a relaxing dry brushing over the back to ex-foliate and prepare the skin for the rich black mud. A warm towel will be applied over the entire back and set with heat packs to allow the Moor Mud to deeply penetrate the muscle. The mud will then be removed with hot towels and followed up with the ultimate back and body massage focusing on all your sore muscles. Benefits: Healing, Rejuvenating, Relieves Fatigue, Aches and Pains, Detoxifies

Only

$90

1214 Moskowitz • Seabrook Texas 77586 Open: Tues-Fri 10am-6pm • Sat 10am-4pm

281-942-9102 please check the website for other specials

www.seabrookmassageandherbs.com

1-Hour Swedish Massage & Peppermint Foot Scrub

Includes a relaxing 1 Hour Swedish Massage followed by a rejuvenating foot scrub to exfoliate and revitalize your feet. Hot towels included Only$80

Clear Lake Park Building (lake side) • Wednesday, October 5 • 7:30PMWould you like to learn about African Violets? Do you have one with problems? Bring it and join us for an informative program and refreshments. We meet the first Wednesday of each month at 7:30PM.Clear Lake Park Building (lake side). Anne Greer - (281) 326-5843

NASA Area African Violet Society

Robbie Jobson, Piemaker

281-777-0455

Live, Love, Eat Pie

After 4P.M.

Photo by Joseph Kennedy

Photo by Stennie Stirling Meadours

Male Ruby Throat

Ruby Throats Fueling Up For The 600 Mile Trip Across The Gulf To The Yucatan Peninsula

Female Ruby Throat

Ingredients

Makes 1 quart

• 4 large egg yolks

• 2/3 cup honey

• 1/8 teaspoon salt

• 2 cups half-and-half

• 1 cup buttermilk

• 2 Tablespoons lime zest

• 1 cup avocado puree

CUISINEAvocado Honey Lime Ice Cream

DirectionsWhisk together eggs, honey and salt in a medium bowl. Bring half-and-half, buttermilk and lime zest to a full simmer in medium saucepan. Remove from heat. Cover and let steep 2 hours and strain into another medium size saucepan and bring to a simmer again. Add 1 cup of the simmering cream mix to the egg-honey mixture while whisking (to avoid scrambling the eggs) and then return the egg and cream mixture to the sauce pan. Simmer over medium-low heat, stirring constantly until custard thickens enough to coat spoon and thermometer reads 170°F to 175°F, about 4 minutes (do not allow to boil!). Strain into clean bowl and allow steam to escape before covering and chilling until cold (at least 3 hours and up to 1 day). Process custard in ice cream maker according to manufacturer’s instructions. Add avocado puree half way through freezing. Transfer to bowl or tub and freeze until firm, at least 3 hours and up to 3 days. You can find this and other recipes using honey at the National Honey Board website. www.honey.com

And Now For Something Completely Different. Remember that avocado is a fruit.Push gua-camole to the back of your mind and think about the wonderful creaminess of avocado. Think about how avocado can pick up the flavors of the other ingredients in the recipe. Then make a batch of this ice cream.

Place Your Ad Here!THE

BAY AREA OBSERVER281-907-3140

Place Your Ad Here!THE

BAY AREA OBSERVER281-907-3140

Why is Planting for Pollinators Important? Whether you are a farm-er of many acres, land manager of a large tract of land, or a gardener with a small lot, you can increase the number of pollinators in your area by making conscience choices to include plants that provide essential habitat for bees, butterflies, moths, beetles, hummingbirds, and other pollinators. Invite pollinators to your neighbor-hood by planting a pollinator friend-ly habitat in your garden, farm, school, park or just about anywhere! You can download a pollinator friendly planting guide for your specific eco-region by going to www.pollinator.org and clicking on planting guides.

Planting For Pollinators

The La Porte-Bayshore Garden Club will meet, October 13th at the First United Methodist Church of La Porte at 9601 West Fairmont. Coffee meet-&-greet starts at 9:30 AM and the meeting at 10 o’clock. Speaker for the day is Liz Pearsall, local teacher & artist, Windale Studio. The program is entitled, “Flowers & Water Drops”. After the meeting, a light lunch will be served. Visitors are welcomed. Call 281-471-0602 if you would like more information.

La Porte Garden Club To Meet Oct. 13th “Flowers & Water Drops”

Herbs - they are not just a pretty face! Come and learn what to plant, how to grow and how to use herbs at a presentation given by Ginia Keene Mattern, Master Gardener, at Seaside Garden Club on Wednesday, October 19th at 12:30 pm at Carother’s Coastal Gardens, 502 Pine Gully Road, Seabrook 77586.For questions: 281-474-4825

Seaside Garden ClubHerbs - They Are Not Just A Pretty Face!

IN THE GARDEN

bay area observer 9-29-2011

Documents