Giant Texas Gators Do Not Attend J.D. Granger's Trinity River Vision Boondoggle's Rockin' The River Inner Tube Happy Hour Floats

Giant Texas Alligator

Alma, the Songbird of the Texas Gulf Coast, currently crooning at various venues in the Port Aransas area, sent me an email this morning in which there were dozens of photos that were identified as either REAL or FAKE.

I'd seen some of the REAL or FAKE photos previously. But I'd not seen the photo of the gator being strung up.

The gator photo's caption said "TEXAS GATOR: REAL."

Yikes!

That is one big reptile.

A couple years ago, before it became safe to swim and float in the Trinity River, a 10 foot alligator left the safety of the Trinity River to go for a walk on Trinity Boulevard, slightly north of the river and my abode, where it was hit and killed by a passing vehicle.

It is because of these type tales that when I go on one of J.D. Granger's Trinity River Vision Boondoggle Rockin' the River Inner Tube Happy Hour Floats I super dose myself with alligator repellent.

I super dose with alligator repellent even though I'm sure the Trinity River Vision people put alligator and water moccasin trapping nets on all sides of the Rockin' the River float zones.

Still Icebound In Texas & Now Thinking Of Going Swimming With The Icicles

A long long time ago I used to be able to go swimming in what is now my ice pond. The fountain that spouts water into the pool has caused really big icicles to form.

I am really hoping that the icicles begin to melt tomorrow.

Right now it is the hottest it has been here in days. 19 degrees.

Snow is predicted to be possible from now until tomorrow.

Up in my old hometown in Washington, right now, it is 48 degrees. The Scrabble Queen of Washington is escaping those frigid Washington temperatures tomorrow by going to Hawaii.

Meanwhile down in Port Aransas, on the semi-tropical Texas Gulf Coast, Alma has had to give up her regular flip flops and put on real shoes due to it being 40 degrees in Port Aransas. Houston is scheduled to possibly get some snow. I have not heard if the snow is predicted to make it all the way to Alma.

Back here in the D/FW Metroplex the usually hot Elsie Hotpepper turns into Elsie Coolbean in this icy misery.  I've heard from Elsie erratically ever since we went into the DEEP FREEZE. Usually I have heard from Elsie Hotpepper several times by this time in the day. I hope she did not try and do some saloon hopping in these dire conditions and suffer some icy woe.

Al Gore has been in the news explaining how the worst winter weather in decades is just one more sign of Global Warming. I think I actually voted for him.

Alma the Songbird of the Texas Gulf Coast & Coach Potato Productions Sings For You

You are looking at Alma, Songbird of the Texas Gulf Coast, in mid-warble, singing from her new deluxe apartment in the sky, in the town of Port Aransas, where Alma is currently headquartered, running her Coach Potato Productions Corporation.

I met Alma sometime late in the last century, or early in the current century. around the same time I met Gar the Texan, in this bizarre thing, the nature of which I had never experienced before, called the D/FW Singles Newsgroup.

There were a lot of what I would call "marginal" personality types in D/FW Singles. Gar the Texan and I and Alma (and others) would have fun, at times, tweaking their hyper-sensitive sensitivities.

My favorite escapade in D/FW Singles was what came to be known as the Donisagate Scandals. Alma sort of got caught on the wrong side of Donisagate, at first. Then she figured it out. Donisagate started in a saloon in North Dallas, the name of which now escapes me. Donisa and I had left the saloon. And then got called back. And that is when Donisagate began. I was oblivious of the fuse that had been lit that night, even though I lit it, til the next morning.

I wonder where Donisa is now?

In the past week Alma disbanded her Havana Dreams duo, firing her conga drum drummer, Luis. I would not have said anything til now, but I think Alma is well rid of that skeezy-sleazy Luis guy.

This week Alma mastered the art of the solo making of a music video. Below is Alma's "test" effort, singing a Neil Young song called "Sugar Mountain."  I must add, regarding the video, Alma said she should have combed her hair, put on makeup and adjusted the lighting. But it was a test, so who cares....

101 Texas Degrees While Visiting Fosdic Lake, Port Aransas, Harlingen, Corpus Christi, South Padre Island & The Brazosport Area

As you can see, on this the last day of July, we have hit the predicted temperature of 101. The HEAT has melted the humidity out of the air, so there is no Heat Index saying the temperature feels hotter than it is.

I had intended to get outside and make my way to the Tandy Hills around 3. But, there was little breezing going on, and the sun had already heated it up out there to 100, so I decided to go to my favorite reading spot at Oakland Lake Park and read for awhile, while glancing up at Fosdic Lake.

It seems every Saturday there is something happening at the Oakland Lake Pavilion. Today it was some sort of party, part of which involved smacking a pinata hanging from a tree.

A surprising number of Texans were out in the HEAT aerobicizing. But, not wimpy me. I was under shade enjoying reading. I'd tell you what book I'm reading, but it's sort of embarrassing, so I won't.

I was in need of a peaceful break because the morning had been spent virtually visiting the Texas Gulf Coast. I went to Port Aransas, but did not see the Songbird of the Gulf Coast, Alma Squillante.

The furthest south I made it was to Harlingen. Cool town with a lot of palm trees and parrots. I also like Corpus Christi. I need to move back near saltwater.

I enjoyed South Padre Island. I can see why this is where Elsie Hotpepper heads whenever she gets a hankering to find a new husband.

And then, heading back north, almost to Galveston, I visited the Brazosport Area, where good fishing and beaches can be found, but I caught none and did no swimming.

I did have a really good swim really early this morning though. And likely will have another one tomorrow morning on the first day of August.

Marilyn Einstein From Alma The Songbird Of The Texas Gulf Coast

Alma, the Songbird of the Texas Gulf Coast, currently headquartered in Port Aransas, soon to possibly be singing and playing her guitar on America's Got Talent, sends me, regularly, interesting emails. I long ago learned to open all incoming Alma email. Alma has a highly evolved sense of humor and a highly honed eye for what is interesting.

Like the picture you're looking at here. It looks like Albert Einstein, you know, the really famous, really smart guy who told President Roosevelt that it might behoove America to build an atom bomb.

Now, if you stand up and start backing away from your monitor, while keeping your eyes on Albert Einstein, you will see him gradually morph into another really famous, really smart, American icon, Marilyn Monroe.

I've no clue how this optical delusion works, but I thought it was cool and felt compelled to share.

Alma Sleeps Through One Of The Worst Fires In Port Aransas History

Yesterday down south on the Texas Gulf Coast, the town of Port Aransas had one of its worst fires ever.

Alma, the Songbird of the Texas Gulf Coast, currently a Port Aransas resident, has been suffering a bad bout of insomnia, which went away hours before the fire blazed, with Alma sleeping through the conflagration and its accompanying sirens. Even Alma's large family of Guard Dog Chihuahuas slept through the flames and noise.

The wind-whipped fire totally destroyed 6 houses and left 2 others heavily damaged. The fire zoomed through the Private Marina neighborhood before the sun was up.

No one was injured.

Dozens of firemen from all over the area converged on Port Aransas to help the local firefighters. Fire departments from Corpus Christi, Ingleside, Portland, Rockport and Aransas Pass showed up to assist.

The fresh water hydrants had to be aided by water pumped from the ship channel, due to the high winds.

I have not made it down to Port Aransas since Alma took up residence there. I'd love to hear Alma sing at one, or all, of her various venues.

Alma Sings Sunset Sounds In Port Aransas

Alma, the Songbird of the Texas Gulf Coast sent me a cool picture this morning that I felt compelled to share.

In the picture Alma and her conga drummer, Luis, are playing at Sunset Sounds at Patsy Jones Amphitheater at Roberts Point Park in Port Aransas.

That is the Lydia Channel behind Alma, with a big freighter going through the channel. While Alma was singing and Luis was drumming Mother Nature was blowing gusts up to 52 mph.

Below is Alma's America's Got Talent YouTube Audition....

I Got Poked Today, Among Other Things

It's an hour to go before I go to Brazil and watch some Survivors. To get in a semi-Tropical mood I'm in my own personal Kava Bar right now. Google it. I can't be expected to explain everything.

It's been a day. Turns out a tornado did touch down in the neighborhood Tuesday night, well almost my neighborhood. A few miles north, in Colleyville, a F1 touched down for a half mile or so, ripping off roofs and doing other damage. The killer tornado up in Oklahoma turned out to be an F4. That's a powerful tornado.

This morning, after I blogged about Only Child Syndrome, Gar the Texan pointed out that our new President is sort of an Only Child, in that he was one for 8 years til a step-sister came along. Gar wondered if 8 years solo was enough time to cause the syndrome.

I don't know, but it concerns me. I really can't picture Barack Obama having an Only Child type temper tantrum. He is likely one of those rare souls who managed to escape succumbing to Only Child Syndrome. But, how can we know for sure?

That Facebook thing, that I accidentally signed up for a few weeks back, continues to vex me. Today I got poked again, several times, in Facebook. I have no idea what that means. I am also being strained in my brainpan by a Facebook Scrabble game. I seem to be absolutely no good at this game.

I went walking at Oakland Lake Park today, talking via cell phone to Tootsie Tonasket while doing so. Tootsie's domestic situation continues to make Peyton Place sound like Sunday School.

Alma, the Songbird of the South Texas Gulf Coast, is making Port Aransas sound better and better. I like the idea of it being a pirate enclave, where descendants of people like Jean Lafitte roam about. That and saltwater with big waves, sandy beaches and blue sky all sound good. Plus Alma has made it clear that most people run around half nekkid all the time. That is my preferred dress mode.

I had intended to blog about the latest iteration of the Fort Worth Heritage Park debacle. Maybe I'll get around to that tomorrow. That and an amusing thing I read about Texas in that book I'm reading about America's first serial killer. If you've never heard of this fascinatingly bizarre true crime story, go here, and read the Wikipedia version.

People who think our current economic woes are unique, need to familiarize themselves with the Panic of 1893, which occured during the time frame I'm currently reading about. That Panic also involved shady financial dealings. Go here to read the Wikipedia article about the Panic of 1893.

The relaxing benefits of visiting my tropical Kava Bar are starting to kick in. I don't know why people consume dangerous drugs, like alcohol, or prescription meds, when there are pleasant safe herbs like Kava and coffee available. It perplexes me.

Port Aransas Sunrises, Alma & the Puget Sound

That is sunrise at Port Aransas, this morning, sent by Alma, the Songbird of the South Texas Gulf Coast.

I have not seen the sun rise or set on saltwater in a long time. I do not remember the last time. I did see saltwater last summer, that being Puget Sound, but you do not see the sun rise or set on Puget Sound.

In Western Washington, the sun rises over the Cascade Mountains, not Puget Sound. And when the sun sets, it sets over the Olympic Mountains, not Puget Sound.

It is still spectacularly scenic, though. I remember being in a bar/restaurant in Pike Place Market in Seattle, while the sun was setting over the Olympics, with the barkeeper leading the bar patrons in a series of ooooohs, awwwhs and the sunset becoming ever more spectacular.

My best sunset ever was not a sunset. It was a moonset. On Lake Powell. The night is very dark on Lake Powell, the stars very bright. My first night on Lake Powell the moon slowly set, dropping behind the canyon wall. The instant it totally disappeared an eerie purple glow lit up the top of the canyon. It lasted for at least a minute. I had never seen anything like it.

I am hoping to go down to Port Aransas this spring, to see Alma and a sunrise or two. And to have some real seafood. I have never been further down the Texas Gulf Coast than Galveston. I loved Galveston, pre-Hurricane Ike.

Alma Sings at the Tarpon Ice House in Port Aransas Thursday

Alma will be singing tonight at the Tarpon Ice House down in Port Aransas. I can't tell you how much I wish I could be there.

Alma will be singing about 7pm to 10ish pm Island Time at the Tarpon Ice House 103 Roberts (by the VFW Hall on Alister at Beach Street) Port Aransas TX 78373.

Grab a sweater and come on down to the Tarpon Ice House.

We'll be burning pinion wood in the chiminea and tipping ice cold brewskys in this outside venue. I'm doing this one for fun so we'll just see what mischief we can get into! Don't waste your time at the lame-o local imitation coffee house. They just want your money. Trust me when I tell you this. Just come to the Tarpon Ice house where you can be yourself. We love that!

I'm playing for tips so bring your $1s (bigger bills always welcome) to help me make rent. I want your money, too, but I really care about you. I will sing my butt off for you! This is free music, so anything you can contribute will help! It's the slow season in Port A so I don't have to tell you what that's like! You'll have fun and my friends, known as the locals, will hopefully all come out and you will see why I love them so much! There's no place like Port Aransas and I'm feeling the love today for some reason! :-)

Come - Be Yourself.

Alma Sings Tonight at the Tarpon Ice House in Port Aransas

When Alma aka The Songbird of the South Gulf Coast has a singing gig she sends out an email announcement. The way Alma describes it it always makes me want to go.

There is a place on Lake Eagle Mountain called Augie's Sunset Cafe that is what I picture Port Aransas to be like. I don't know if Augie's Sunset Cafe survived flooding a couple years ago. It was in very deep water.

Anyway, below is Alma's Tarpon Ice House singing info. If you're in the neighborhood you'll likely want to go. I'd go, but my neighborhood is about 400 miles north of Port Aransas. I love the part about 'island time' and 'leash your doggie if it is skittish'....

Alma will be opening for Al Barlow at the Tarpon Ice House on Saturday November 8, 2008.

103 Roberts (by the VFW Hall at Alister and Beach)Port Aransas TX 78373

5pm to 8pm-ish Island Time

Come join us early and secure your good seats to watch tonight's show. Alma will be opening at 5pm and singing until Mr. Barlow starts. She will be doing all her old favorites and re-introducing new material she's worked up in the past few weeks.You can bring your doggie. Leash the doggies if they're skittish.

You can meet the friendly and interesting Port A locals who call the TIH their second home. The lovely Sheila or Julie will be your bartendresses. These wonderful ladies have a talent for knowing just when your beer is iced down to perfection! Join us and relax and chill in this unique open air venue. If you get hungry, there are a coupla restaurants where you can take a break and eat or you can call the Port A Pizzeria or Thaiphoon and they can deliver munchies to you. Alma recommends the chicken wings and the green chicken curry. Her favorites.

Then stay and have some more ice cold beer and listen to the very cool sounds of Al Barlow. Alma will be hanging around to meet you and check out the show.

If you have TOO much fun, they will call you a cab. The fare is only $5 anywhere in town.What a deal!

So, come on down. They'd all love to meet you! It beats hanging around the house and watching TV. It's another gorgeous day in Port A and of course, it will be another gorgeous night!

Alma Returned to Port Aransas Safe From Hurricane Ike

Alma is safe back in Port Aransas, her cottage on the gulf intact. Read on for Alma's account of her encounter with Hurricane Ike. And scroll way down if you want to see a photo of Alma's Boyz who survived Hurricane Ike with her.....

Hey you Guys,

I've posted all of the Hurricane Ike News from Port Aransas emails in my MySpace blog. The MySpace post includes emails I received in response and responses my long-time pal, Durango, received from posting them on his blog.... I've also included lyrics from one of my favorite songs by Blue October that was playing as I drove from Harbor Island to AP. I hope you like....

I woke up and went to the Stipes Store by the ferry and got my caffeine and ice for what has now come to be regarded as that damn meat and cheese. Why did I even bother? I just can't see food going to waste. Maybe I starved in a past life...who knows?. They were doing good business for the people getting ready to leave and the locals that were staying. They were selling massive amounts of ice, beer, sodas, gasoline, water, etc.

I got on Cotter to go home when I ran into my new "friend" from Oceans of Seafood who was waiting for the owner to come down from his residence next door and open the restaurant. They would be open for lunch. We chatted briefly and he told me I was the only left on the Island freaking out. But he did say that the Island was starting to flood from the West side at Shorty's Pasture. I don't understand how everybody could be so calm. I told him I would be checking out the beach and he suggested I go the Cotter Street way as Beach Street was already flooded. I checked out the beach by the Jettys and couldn't find a way to check it out so I followed a truck past the Marine Center and yo, there beyond some little Dunes you could see that the sea was already to the Dunes there. It looked like the sea would be over the Jettys very soon. After I took in the sight, I drove to the Beach St. access road and parked amoungst the surfers who had clogged up Beach Street in search of some good waves. I went home and my "new friend" was looking at my car. They weren't able to figure out what was wrong with it and left.

After mostly taping containers shut (mostly to make myself feet better) even tho that would have diddly effect on anything carried by the sea, I went to eat lunch at the Beach and Station Street Grill. They were doing fair, steady business to the locals who decided to stay and me. I was taking a brief lunch break at the only place that was open. I had a bowl of their killer gumbo with some toasted, crusty french bread and came back home.

I watched the news as they were now saying that Hwy 361 was flooded in places and that the road on Harbor Island (the other side of the ship channel once you take the ferry) was also flooding. I feared that I would be stuck here with the crazy locals who showed no fear or respect for the Hurricane. I then doubled my speed which resulted in discovering my deodorant didn't work and getting my nice white blouse filthy. I was now just tossing things in the car, crying and freaking out that I would lose whatever remained in my "cottage". I finally came to a point where I said, "it's in God's hands" and put the dogs in the car and hit the road.

The water in the ship channel was as high as I've ever seen it. The little ferry boats were valiantly taking passengers back and forth. I must say, it was one smooth ride considering. I thought for sure that we would be jostled about by "rollers". Rollers are large rolling waves. They are the kind of waves that could and might make you sea sick. When I'm outside on deck standing on the boats when there are rollers I instinctively reach out for something to hold on to. The deck hands laugh as they've told me that there are people who step on their brakes. As if that would do anything! It's kinda funny. But, no...no rollers, just a quick current of water filling up the channel. No dolphins. Just birds taking advantage of the disoriented fish.

As I drove past Harbor Island, past the Fin and Feather, past Hog Island, I could see that the fishing encampments and bait shops and RV Parks were all already flooded. I mean water all around them. I drove on past the ghost town of Aransas Pass. I drove on the highway and drove past North Beach and the sea had already flooded most of North Beach where I usta live. There was water already surrounding the little shack where I lived a year ago. Water was almost up to the Sea Lab. I drove over the Harbor Bridge, made my way on the Crosstown, tried to find a doggie crate at the Greenwood Walmart but they were out, tried to go to PetSmart but they were closed, went to the Everhart Walmart and they only had a large doggie crate. I had to leave the boyz in the car each time I went in a store. It was awful and I felt terrible. I was now $60 more in the hole. I finally made it to my sister's in near hysterics. It's all too much. I suffer from anxiety and got off my Klonopin, so by now I'm thinking that maybe I still need them. My hands are shaking and I hate this.

My sister was calm and I love that family so much. The kids were sheer joy to be around. My nephew is phenomenal. He's Pre-K but he can already read. It's amazing. My niece is so gentle and kind to animals and my dogs warmed up to her like I've never seen them warm up to anybody before. They actually loved the whole family. They were nervous, too. Even tho they were having the benefit of a backyard, all they wanted was to know where I was, laid by the back door whimpering and once we brought them inside and put them in the new crate I got on the way in, they calmed down. They had to be in a crate because Jack, my sister's little terrier didn't cotton to having 3 other dogs in his territory. It's only natural. We had to put my dogs outside when her dogs were inside and vice versa. We spent a nice day watching the Weather Channel and cartoons on Nickelodian.

My sister in Houston had it bad. It was scary and they lost power. They were debating whether to come down here after they learned they wouldn't have electricity for up to TWO WEEKS. I hope they do come down. It's intolerable without AC.

I tried to sleep but it was difficult. The dogs would whimper when they couldn't see me. So, at 1am, completely exhausted, I covered their crate with a Sponge Bob blanket, and lay down on the couch where they could see me. I turned off the lights and when they finally settled down, sneaked off to sleep in my nephews Harry Potter bed. When I finally slept, it was not a good sleep because I kept getting up everytime the dogs made noise. I didn't want them to wake everybody up. The dogs were just totally discombobulated not being in their own home. And I'm sure they could read "my energy" as I was worried I'd lost everything. When they settled down, I crashed so hard it seemed like 5 minutes when I woke up 5 hours later. I stayed up for an hour and went back to bed and slept til 9am. It seemed like 5 minutes.

I saw a report where somebody on some jettys in the area (didn't hear where) tried to help somebody in trouble, got swept off the jettys by a giant wave, and was washed out to sea. Wow. I read on my phone that a tree fell thru the roof and killed someone who was inside sleeping. I read where a 67 year old man refused to leave Surfside. They found him drunk in the morning. He drank his way thru Ike. A woman delivered a baby during the storm at a shelter. She was assisted by a specialist in geriatric psychology who hadn't delivered a baby in 20 years. The police reported thousands of calls from frightened people who had changed their mind about riding it out. And, of course, people were rescued from their attics and roofs.

Saturday morning, we mostly watched Sponge Bob and Mighty B cartoons and giggled and laughed. Drank good coffee and had papa con huevo tacos for breakfast. My niece and I tried to keep the dogs calm. We ate some good snacks. My sister cooked up some good stuff. And I tried to work up the energy to shower and get ready to come back to Port A. I was completely drained. I drank copious amounts of coffee but it did nothing. I was depressed and very tired. I tried to take a nap, but it just wasn't gonna happen. I started at 3pm to try to pull myself together. By 5pm or so, I had broken down the new dog cage, downloaded a Hannah Montana song (See You Again) into my laptop, gave the CD (it was the only song I liked) to my niece, rounded up my stuff and loaded it in the car. With her help, we loaded the dogs in the car and I was headed home.

I decided to pay my Cricket phone bill. Just remember, you get what you pay for. I stopped in AP for some chicken. Everywhere I looked I saw tired people. Many, I'm sure wondering how they would make up the money they spent making sure their families were OK.

There were reports of people en masse returning generators and other stuff they bought at Home Depot (and the like) since they didn't use them. The problem with this storm scenario is that people spend grocery, rent, utility, etc. money to survive the storm. To save their families. In other words, spending money they don't have. I would do the same thing. It's this kind of stuff that makes people decide they will hunker down the next time this happens. With our luck down here, next time, it will be "the Big One" but we won't listen to the hysteria mongering media. I am about $200 in the hole and my mental health took a beating.

Yes, I am safe. Yes, it could've just as easily hit here. Just 100 miles South and I would've lost everything except for what I loaded in the car. Yes, I am lucky. I have a home to come home to. I have a job to come home to. I still have all my crap. This great place to live is still here. The 1st cold front of the season blows in tomorrow so that signals the end of Hurricane Season. Yes, I am still alive. My family is alive. My Port A friends are gonna razz me good for over-reacting (in their eyes).

This Hurricane thing is terrible and I fear it will take me time to sort thru the emotions. I was just throwing stuff (literally) and now must clean house before anything comes back in the house. Maybe that, too, is a good thing. I can now set up the table for my desktop computer like I always intended to, at least for the next 2 weeks as I try to deal with this ginormous electricity estimated bill. I have an interview for a second job at a very nice resort hotel. I have gigs coming up at the Tarpon Ice House and Sips and my coffee work continues at Sips. I will probably just take all that damn cheese and meat back. There's no way I could ever even eat that much meat and cheese. I can see me constipated and farting for the rest of my life with that cheese.

My work is cut out for me.

To respond to the folks on Durango's blog...no, I don't know where the Mustang Towers are. I'm sure I've seen them, but I don't think I dropped papers there so don't know where they are. Maybe they're called something different? I dunno. I haven't see the beach today yet. I'll cruise by before I go back to CC to return my bro-in-law's car. I hope my boss, Joanne, did okay. They drove inland.

I would like to thank all of you with your kind words of care. I am so overwhelmed and touched by the concern. Robert, Chuck, Durango, Carol, and Nancy come to mind. It touched my heart that you care. Funny, Dallas got more Ike rain than we did. IT DIDN'T EVEN RAIN HERE. The mosquitoes, tho, are mutants and we could solve the energy crisis by saddling them up and riding them!

The Boyz are each laying down and sleeping soundly surrounding my sitting butt as I type this. They are exhausted. The cat, Selena, was howling loudly at the door a few minutes after we were all huddled in front of the AC. The heat index here today was 106 degrees. And people wonder why the locals wear minimal clothes. I look forward to the cold front and the change in season. We have a forecast of - get this - rain for the next 3 days. Oy.

So, I am eternally indebted to my sister. I regret that I had to be an additional burden to my sister who already has a family to care for. It was quality time with my niece and nephew that I adore.

I come from good people. I love Port Aransas and would be devastated if I couldn't live here. There's just something about this place.

And yes, I realize that I am lucky (all things considered)....

love,
alma

Friday Morning Hurricane Ike Update From Alma In Port Aransas

Hurricane Ike is expected to hit land by late today or early Saturday morning. We are expected to have heavy winds and rain here in the D/FW zone by around noon.

Meanwhile, this morning I got a fresh update from Alma down in Port Aransas on the Texas Gulf Coast, on her preparations to deal with the incoming storm surge.

Alma's email.....

Hey there friends....

I just woke up. I was watching Lettermen interview Jessica Simpson (I like her. I don't care for her singing, but I think she gets a bad rap) when they cut in with an update. They scared me pretty good with this storm surge talk. So, there I was in the middle of the night putting my XP desktop and PA in the car and rearranging the clothes already in there from doing laundry yesterday. It was hard to fall asleep as my brain wouldn't stop and part of me is in fear for my life and part of me is in denial. YOU try to sleep with that in your brain!

I didn't sleep well. This morning at 8am, I woke up. I feel like crap. Tired. Sick. I need caffiene. I walked outside to see who was gone. All my neighbors are still here, probably sleeping soundly. I called a Stripes store to see which, if any were open. Someone answered! I thought everyone would be closed and gone. She calmly explained to me (like I was retarded) that the storm is not hitting here. They will have some high tides and dinky tropical storm winds but we are OK. We get tropical storm winds with just a normal thunderstorm. And folks, we do. The thunderstorms here sound like the end of the world. I've been thru some on North Beach (on the north side of the Harbor Bridge where I usta live) where we got 14 inches of rain and I had to wade to my car in knee deep water after a "thunderstorm". I will be heading there to a Stripes to get a much needed Vanilla Frappacino (my big weakness and indulgence - and substitute for booze) so I can think and wake up and get on with my preparations.

I don't want to be sitting here alone with my boyz freaking out in fear as the storm howls and I breath in uncertainty whether this little shack will hold up or not. I wish I could be as cavalier as my neighbors, but I just cain't.

Things I'm taking -

Papers like my birth certificate
My songbooks
the PA
my XP desktop and printer
Data CDs with valuable information
My guitar
My boyz (I can't find Selena)
Clothes
The Cheese and Meat in my ice chest (I will add water and maybe a coupla Fraps, a coupla burritos))
My laptop
Dog Crate and the Sherpa for Papi Chulo (he'll probably be in my lap, he scares easy because he's so tiny)
My backpack (already has stuff like driver's license, my Disaster Card so I can get back into town)
A bit of dog food
And that's about it....

I will unplug eveything. Turn off the AC. Leave the TV. Tape shut all the rubbermaid containers filled with stuff. Shower and pack the bathroom stuff. Turn off all the lights. Put Gorilla tape along the lower half of the windows (OK..that's just to make me feel better). Our drains on Oleander drain to the Bay, so conversely, I think water will be pushed back up those drains as the path of least resistence to the sea and flood us that way - that's just my thinking. The "locals" are not leaving the Island. I feel like I'm overreacting but I'm scared. I told my sister I will be outa here by 2pm. I will try to take the Ferry if they are still going. It's the fastest way to the mainland. I feel the irritable bowel kicking in. My boys are blessedly calm and sleeping right now. They normally sleep when I am at work and this is when i am normally at work I haven't seen anything on TV yet and I'm glad. Sometimes I think they like to scare us. Why are the Island people so damn calm?

I will bring everything in from the outside and stack it on top of the containers. My porch will be bare bones. This is the porch with the heavenly seabreeze. I never did get to sit out there and chill with a beer.

I have been living here since 05-27-08. Almost 4 months. I drove by Sips and they are all boarded up. Oceans of Seafood is boarded up across the street. Sips is right on the Marina. Maybe 100 feet from water. I will drive down Beach Street right after my Frap and see where the sea is now. I promise I will not set a tire on wet sand.

Well, that's all I can think of at this time. I won't write again until I am on the mainland at my sister's. I have to unplug everything and pack up the modem, etc.

I feel very nervous and still can't quite believe this is happening tho I've been writing about it for a coupla days now.

More later cuz this ain't over.

love,
alma

Hurricane Ike Update From Alma Down In Port Aransas

I got an update from Alma tonight. She has not evacuated. She is prepared for high tides. Her account of today is good. Alma is a singer and a writer. She's good at both. If you want to hear Alma sing, go here. If you want to read what Alma's writes, scroll down.

The first refugees arrived here in Fort Worth today. Sandbagging is going on in anticipation of a lot of water in about 2 days.

Below, Alma's message from tonight, from the Texas Gulf Coast, awaiting Hurricane Ike's landfall. Towards the end of her message Alma thanks those of you who kindly offered her a place to escape to.

Dear Everybody....

Well, I woke up around 5:30am yesterday, got ready and as I stepped out the door, I laid down my laptop and grabbed Selena and threw her inside so I wouldn't have to catch her later. I walked to work, opened the door and damn...didn't have my laptop. So, I practically ran back home when I realized I had laid it down by my front door and left it there. I'm so nervous, I just left it there! It was still there. Most of Port A was still asleep. I was already tired and exhausted with worry so I called a cab to run me back to work. I didn't want to be totally sweaty before my day even started. The taxi driver (now we know they are a different breed subject to having unorthodox beliefs) was convinced that the storm was not going to hit here. Me, not being so sure, tried to convince him it was at least a possibility. He mentioned the Weather Underground as saying we were being fed misinformation by the press (he called it lies). I dunno... I've been thru a few hurricanes as a kid and they were scary and unpredictable. He said Ed at Moby Dicks was having a Hurricane Party that night. I dunno...I know that's the typical Port A mindset, but I'm not that much a "local" yet. I'm still scared. I don't wanna party.

All day as my boss, Joanne and I baked, frosted, and sold giant cinnamon rolls at half price (she figured the electricity would go down and they would spoil so we may as well sell them half price) people came in to get breakfast and coffee. The poorer of us were worried. The rich basta... I mean-rich folks would come in almost giddy that this storm appeared to be headed right for us...no big deal they would laugh. They had insurance. In the meantime, people like me were quietly freaking out. My boss had just unpacked her antiques into her new home. I had a broken car, a $700 electric bill forcing me to move, 3 dogs I am responsible for, and was in denial I would lose all the crap I own. It's mostly crap, BUT IT'S MY CRAP!.

I was already so worried and exhausted. As I baked and frosted, and waited on customers, my boss was out delivering/donating the giant cinnamon rolls to the Police Dept, City Hall, the Chamber of Commere and later in the afternoon, we tried to take a bunch to the Ferry Boat workers, but we were turned away by their security guard who said it was against State policy to receive gifts (this I know is a lie...this is policy only for the Port A Ferry guys all because I gave a newspaper to one of them and they were reading it on the boat in the wee hours of the morning and Mr. Howard happened to see him and he didn't like it...there were no cars on the boat but he just didn't like it). Anyway, I was a bit miffed because these are some of the most unappreciated workers I have ever seen. They work 24/7 in EVERY kind of weather. Should a Hurricane hit, they cannot go home and are shipped to safety on the mainland until just after the storm passes. They then go back to work to bring across rescue and infrastructure personnel back into Mustang Island. I almost cry when I see the skin on the ones that work on the "Death Shift" (from about 2pm to 11pm..the hottest part of the day and then they have to deal with drunk tourists who pee - yes they do - and vomit on the boats - don't ever walk on those boats barefoot...). I will fire off an email to Austin TxDot when this is all over and go over Mr. Howard's head. He's an inconsiderate basta...I mean...person who can't seem to get a grip on their staffing problems so they work to death the reliable workers they call in to work inhumane overtime. These guys routinely work 12 hour days in every weather and most inhumanely, the hot, brutal Port A summer sun.

Since we figured the food would rot when the power went off (we know this because the power sometimes goes off for no apparent reason and during silly little rain storms), my boss gave me a price and I benefited from some cheese and meat. And okay a little Champagne...I don't even really drink and may just take those back....But they also go to ruin if they get too hot.

In the meantime, a new "friend" from the Oceans of Seafood offered to look at my car. I was elated as no one had offered to do so before. He came by and chatted earlier in the morning, had some coffee and picked up my key. After my boss left for the day, I washed all the baking pans and normal day's dishes and since I hadn't heard from him, went across the street to see if he had an ETA. What had happened was that his boss had enlisted him to go board up his house in Rockport and he wouldn't be able to help me apparantly. He simply left the key there for me pick up, but never explained anything. He doesn't have a cell phone they said.

The workers at Oceans of Seafood saw me with 2 bags of cheese and meat and concluded I stole it. I could tell from the look on the face of the little girl who works there that still views me with mistrust in her eyes.... I explained (even tho it's none of their business) that Joanne and I had come to an agreemnt on price and I bought those things. I am certain they will be eager to report me to her (she's getting this email and I know she knows what's up). That's okay....they should tell her if they suspect thievery, it's just not what's happening here. So, I bought $5 worth of prawns (I got 2 meals out of it) and called a cab.

After I put all that stuff on ice in my ice chest, I came home and slept. Depressed, tired, and frustrated, I was not able to go on without some sleep. I woke up and called my sister, Clara, who said they still didn't know where this thing would hit and that they could lend me her husband's car. Thank God! They brought it over from Corpus around 7pm as I was throwing away a whole lot of paperwork from the Newspaper job and just crap I hadn't gone over.

After they left and after I threw a whole bunch of stuff away, I just couldn't deal with it any more for the day. I heard my pal, Luis the congero (he plays the congas) playing with new acquaintance Mark at the Tarpon Ice House 2 doors down. They sounded great! I decided to take a break from the worry and angst and go tell them they sounded GREAT!

So, I walked over and OMG there were a bunch of people I knew just laughing, drinking beer, and grooving on the sounds. I was greeted by the barking of Hanna, the bar dog. It's how she greets all the customers there. She usta belong to one of the pirates but he drinks a bit and Hannah decided one day she preferred to belong to Paul and she's lived at the Tarpon Ice House ever since. My pal, Phyllis said I should sing and even tho I protested that I was in the middle of packing to evacuate, well, before I knew it, I had a guitar on my shoulder and was singing into the mic. So much for packing.

After I sang, Paul, the owner, was very nice and complimentary and said I should play there in about 2 weeks. I couldn't just leave after that and stayed and relaxed and drank 2 whole Shiner Bocks and laughed with Phyllis and my neighbor, Sara, and her boyfriend, Jack (it was his guitar I used) and grooved to the music and around midnight, staggered back 2 doors down and went to sleep. Yes, I staggered after 2 beers. I don't normally drink much of anything.

In the morning, the storm had veered and they were saying that it would hit just South of Galveston/Houston. So, my sister had decided to wait. I was very happy about that and found it to be good sound judgement. Sara was telling me that the last storm, they evacuated and after $500 later in hotel, gas, etc, no storm ever hit. I slept for a coupla more hours and got up and went to eat breakfast at Cancun Restaurant. I don't normally eat there. I prefer Taqueria San Juan because I think the food's better, but I was in a quiet mood and I end up visiting with the whole family, kids and all, whenever I go to San Juan and opted to go where I could just eat and be still and quiet. I got sick on their food. I knew I shoulda gone to San Juan...

After breakfast, I decided to wash as many clothes as I could so that I could take as many clean clothes as I could when I evacuated. The Wash Board (the nicest washeteria I've ever seen...immaculate and the water is scalding HOT) was boarded up and closed. I rode the Ferry (the first time in about 2-3 weeks) and the Ferry workers told me the storm had slowed to 8 mph and they didn't know where it was going anymore. Great. So, I went into AP (Aransas Pass) but they were under mandatory evac and their washeteria was closed, too. I went to Ingleside and found my other washeteria open. I don't know how many loads of clothes I did, ate some fried chicken at the Good n Crisp, and came back. I had a nice chat with a TxDot Ferry Guy I hadn't talked to before, bought more ice for all that meat and cheese and the little bit of champagne in the ice chest and drove down Beach Street to check out the beach.

The water is already up to the dunes. I managed to carefully park for just a minute amongst all the surfers. The Gulf was wild, the waves were beautiful and furious. The day today was obscenely beautiful. Just like 911 seven years ago. That, too, was a beautiful day in Dallas. Clear bright blue skies. I was driving to my temp job at Doctor's Hospital on Forrest when an incredulous DJ told us of a report from the wire about a plane going into the World Trade Center. I got to work and by the time I got to my worktable (I was posting payments for Lab Corp - it was a terrible temp assignment, but when you're a temp, you go where they send you). I would sneak to the bathroom just so that I could sneak into the doctor's offices and watch their TV and their reports of the terrorist attack. It was eerie at home. I lived under one of the flight paths at Love Field. Those planes were a part of my life. They were just 1000 feet off the ground when they flew over my apartment so that it was plunged into shadow everytime a plane went over and that was about every 20 minutes. There were no planes flying over for some time. It was a quiet reassuraqnce that things were returning to a somewhat normal when flights returned to Love Field. But I digress....

So, I am home now. I am going over to my sister's tomorrow sometime. We are out of that "cone" of Hurricane trajectory for the time being but that could change. I will put everything on chairs so as to elavate it as best I can before I leave. They are projecting 4-6 foot seas here and that's taller than me so I am taking no chances. I will take what I can't part with (tho the locals here in Port A insist we have nothing to worry about and I will lose nothing, they say). Yea... we'll see.

So, we did not go to the Ranch in Blanco. If we did, we'd be heading right into the thing. I will pray for my sister in Houston as they look to be on the Southern end of the storm according to the latest projections. I don't worry that much about her because she has an unbelievably nice house made of brick and she lives about an hour inland. It should make landfall sometime between Friday night and Saturday morning. Port A is deserted. Everything is boarded up including my little "cottage". We are told we will get just tropical storm level winds. Hell, we see those during our thunderstorms.

On the way back from the beach, on Beach Street, all the restaurants are boarded up and closed except for the Beach and Station Street Grill. The Gaff, an un-air conditioned, pirate hang-out that's been here forever was busy with customers. The Stripes convenience store in front of my "cottage" was boarded up and closed, as was the IGA Grocery store. Luis sez it's all for real once the IGA boards up. I guess it's real.

So, I look forward to visiting with my sister and my adorable niece and nephew and riding this Ike out. My sister has a very nice house I feel totally safe in and I'm looking forward to the visit. And her delicious cooking. My sistah can cook I tell you! The traffic on the Ferry is light. Most boats have left the Port A marina. And the skies are so bright and clear and blue it's hard to believe there's such a storm out there.

So, that's the latest. We haven't dodged a bullet yet...

Many thanks to those who read my email posted in my long-time friend, Durango's blog. I so appreciate your offers of refuge. It does my soul such good to know there are caring people out there who would be so generous to someone they don't even know. You are good, kind people and you renewed my faith that people are basically good, especially when things get tough.

Me and Gomez, Viggo Mortensen (you can call him Viggo), and Papi Chulo (my boyz, the chihuahuas) are okay for now...we'll be headed for the mainland sometime tomorrow.

Thanks again! More later cuz it's not over.

love,
alma

Hurricane Ike Update From Alma and Port Aransas

Hey Durango....

I'm at work closing the store at noon. I'll be leaving here sometime during the night, tonight. A friend is looking at my car to see if we can start it, if we can't I will have to borrow my bro-in-law's car, but I will get off the Island no matter what. I'm hoping for a Northern landfall so we are spared the floods and winds. I'm hoping we have somewhere to return to. I don't want to wish it on anyone, but I just don't want it here. I'd write more but things here are quietly insane. Everyone's trying to be cool, but inside we are all freaking out. The lines to the Ferry are going to be terrible. There will be a mandatory evacuation for 8am tomorrow morning. Please pray for me....I plan to return here to live if it still exists. This is just a giant sandbar after all.

Love ya...thanks for being my friend.
alma

Hurricane Ike Heading Towards Alma in Port Aransas?

Incoming from Alma, way down in Port Aransas on the South Texas Gulf Coast, regarding the possible visit to her town by Hurricane Ike.

It's an interesting Alma account of the mood of the locals as they fear the worst and hope for a good outcome for all of the coast.

Wow....here we go again. Please remember we live here because it's a wonderful place to live. I moved here about 3 months ago and have not been happier. It's not problem free, but I love walking everywhere, the clean air (my allergies have all but disappeared) and the fact that I already know so many of the locals and feel like I could retire here. It feels like home to me. Maybe I lived here in a past life...who knows?

I opened Sips Coffee & Wine at 7am today just like any other day. I had one weird, crappy customer first thing, so the mood set was not a good one.

He must be a local. The locals are um...different here. Mostly, you'll find they are rednecks, hippies, or pirates. There is a particular personality type that tends to move here. You have to be a little bit pirate to fit in. I mostly am old hippie and just a smidge pirate. But, I do love my old country music. Hank Williams and Patsy Cline rule.

St Jo's Island just on the other side of the Channel was in fact, a pirate cove and there is legend about a dagger buried with Jean Lafitte's treasure to guard it. Neither have been found. I believe many of those pirates' descendents have settled in Port Aransas and their families are the town founders. There is a Port Aransas accent I've noticed in the locals' men folk. It's a little bit Spanish, Texan, and something else I can't place. I've met some fo' real pirates and they talk with that "arrrrrr" sound you hear in cartoons and caricatures. I like them. They are true originals and have been nothing but nice to me. Make no mistake these people are survivors and no one wants to hear any whining. I'm a whiner.

Yet today, all the customers had the same question (as if I had an answer). "Well, what do you think it's gonna do?" We look at each other with worried faces and say, "well, it doesn't look good. All we can do is pray". It was the same everywhere I went today. I rode the local trolley car to the Post Office (remember my car died about 2 weeks ago) and the lady trolley driver asks me, "Well, what do you think it's gonna do?" I gave my standard answer.

After I mailed a payment, I walked down to the IGA Grocery Store in town, bought a few groceries and another pair of those $5 sandals they had on sale after the busy summer season and the woman at the register asks me...well I think you know what she asked. I gave my, by now, standard answer.

As for me, I am fixing to (that's pretty Texan of me to say) see what I can do to reserve a Uhaul or Budget moving truck, the little one. If that fails, maybe I can rent an SUV or some other kind of truck in case I have to evacuate. I have to bring my 3 chihuahuas, my music gear, my computers, clothes, and as much as I can load out of this little "cottage".

So, I am writing to ask each of you to please say a prayer for me, my dogs, and Selena the cat. We, here in Port A, are praying for it to go way south to some uninhabited part of the Gulf Coast. No one here wants to wish it on anybody else, so we are praying that it goes way south. If it hits north of us, rain (flooding) will not be so bad. If it goes far enuf South, the same results are expected. But it looks like it's headed straight for Rockport (a very cool, picturesque place to live just 10 miles from here) based on the latest maps. But as we know from all the recent storms, the damn thing could do many of a number of things. So, we are trying to stay positive as some of the town has already started boarding up buildings. The trolley lady has already made arrangements for her trailor to get moved to Corpus. Oceans of Seafood (the restaurant and fish market across the street from Sips) is having a Hurricane Seafood Sale. I may go get me some of that. There's a front headed here which could divert the storm. We just don't know.

So, I'd be grateful for any positive thoughts, prayers, chicken sacrifices, whatever you can do with your most powerful thoughts to help me and the boys and Selena.

Thanks in advance and I'll keep you posted on this latest misadventure.

Take care....
love,
alma

Beached Whale Killed on Texas Gulf Coast

Alma, the Songbird of the South, just emailed me with a story from her zone, that being the Corpus Christi, Port Aransas zone. On Mustang Island, yesterday, beachgoers came upon a stranded 30 foot long, 10 ton sperm whale who had run itself aground on a sandbar.

Whales do this when something is badly wrong, as in an illness, or just old age. Onlookers surrounded the whale as it thrashed about. Eventually people from the Texas Marine Mammal Stranding Network showed up. It was decided to tranquilize the whale and then haul it to shore before euthanizing it. And then perform a necropsy to learn what was wrong with the whale.

Alma also included a link to Texans' comments about the stranded whale with Alma commenting about the comments that "some people are obviously insane."

Some of the comments-----

"Bad tomatoes?"

"Bad fillet."

"Bad sushi"

"They did not use euthanasia for the whale....they gave it tranquilizers and then bled the animal in the surf."

"They should try blowing it up like in the one video on the internet were a whale beached its self and there was no way to remove it so they used dynamite to blow it up in to smaller pieces but used to much and the whole thing just blew into a bunch of small chunks and got a whole lot of people covered in whale body parts."

"THING IS, THESE IDIOTIC SPECTATORS AND THEIR KIDS ARE STANDING TOO CLOSE TO THIS STRICKEN WHALE WHEN THEY COULD'VE GOTTEN INJURED. PARENTS, WHEN ARE YOU GOING TO LEARN?"

"Under what authority exactly did the police and lifeguards have to "clear the area". If people want to take the risk of getting close to a stranded 30 foot sperm whale in a public area, they should be allowed to do so."

"LOL go play in the freeeway."

"Well, that's American's for you!"

"It was Bush and the Republicans fault!"

"Hey dudeI just wanted a few steaks for the bbq. As Homer would say "MMMMMMM Whale burgerrrrrrrr.......", the whale died, its tragic, people are curious, and if it were up to me I would have eaten him."