Joined: 25 May 2009 Posts: 615 Location: somewhere on 130 miles of beach
Posted: Fri May 25, 2012 7:51 pm Post subject: PINS 5/25/12
"Now when I was just a little boy standin' to my Daddy's knee
My poppa said son don't let the man get ya, do what he done to me"
"Creedence Clearwater Revival, written by John Fogerty himself.... April 1969"
Well, I might not have found any hoodoos today, but I da*n sure didn't let anything, anyone, any of anything get me, just the Island. But that's nothing new. It just might own you and me if we let it. But why fight? If you feel called to do something in this life, by all means, get after it. Unless it involves getting bitten to death by a rogue pack of Padre Island Massaguas involved in a springtime mating ritual. Billy? Why did you have to tell me that!!!!?
With all intentions to get out to what would be an all day site....I awoke feeling GREAT and ready to rock and roll. I made my coffee, grabbed the tank aka the Dodge, and rolled into the sunrise.
And dang was it beautiful, yet again....
And Billy is gonna kill me, but I took a crapload of pictures yet again! How could I not!!!!!
But as always....the trend continued, and some piece of we-all-know-what got "smart".....by cramming his freaking trash into this charcoal bag and abandoning it. Beatdown anyone???
I was not happy.
Until I found some more shark gear! Lol, yes I'm a scavenger.
And thanks to Capt. B......I had the intelligence to get a "stick" which I quickly cut to the desired length and renamed something OH....SO....MUCH.....MORE.....APPROPRIATE.
And the "legend" began in high school, when basically the "race wars" of the decade continued and a small guy like myself had to find a way to protect himself from gangs of 10 "individuals" looking to beat him down.....or just to hit my brothers with. Sorry guys! Now tell me again why kids these days need guns???
And after some long careful thought....I chose to name the "business end" of the B to the I to the TCH stick after someone near and dear to my heart....the cause of "Project Chika".....the cause of us voting on our beach access at South Pac like ten times....the cause of the "Bridge....."---ok we'll leave that alone..... LOL. Hope ya like being on the receiving end there pal....
But I didn't have to smack anything right away, instead I found what I think....to be pumice? Billy??? With serpulid worms fossilized to it!!
Now...more about this patch of grass.
I don't know what it is!
But it has been there for a while now, even in winter just like this....and always served to let me know...."brother, you made it back to the 10.5....."
And what could these be!!?
But the freaking wind and surf didn't care....
So to find out what they could be....as typical, I took a bite!!!
Totally edible if I was hungry enough....
And what flowers!
And since I was now hungry, I went back to the truck and made last month's breakfast creation over again! Better at 1030am than 730am! Tuna fish rocks.
But it was time to do or die, put up or shutup....but this time I at least crammed a water up my a$$ because Billy has informed me that I am going to DIE. Well, with no water back there that is....
And looking like Moses about to part some rattlesnake infested waters, ahem, I mean grasses, I jetted out! And doggone, the sweat was already beading up on my forearms.....
Oh, but if everyone could have a B to the I to the TCH Buster, these things just wouldn't be special.
Armed with my special driftwood from South America stick, I quickly realized this would basically suck.
But soon enough, I saw my destination!!!
So I decided to hit the food court and eat some cactus. Yep-there's issues here with me and eating.
And with a few minuscule and very painful cactus prickers stuck in my tongue, I realized I needed to focus on the task at hand and leave the cactus for.....well.....I guess nothing else eats them either.....
So freaking cool!!!
My destination existed and it was waiting for me!!!!!! Well...me....and the B to the I to the TCH buster.
But why are these tops missing? Did something out there in that wilderness nibble on them? Ate the flowers off? Biiiiiiiilly?
And with prior knowledge than not one...but TWO line camps existed in this location, one destroyed by a storm and the other a replacement, my work was cut out for me.
And I soon found the remains of one of the 3 cabins from the 50's.....
And old fenceline corral corner posts.
Wow....as I listened the wind blow and the grasses rustle....I have never felt so alone but yet so FULL of the life that I have been blessed with. What a place and what a feeling.
Who could have nailed these? Where is that person now?
And I soon found what I hoped for and sought in this area!!!! Yet another of the sacred Coast and Geodetic Survey stations!!!
1939, hello, this is Planet run people over on this thing called SPID...
Or just run over them at the freaking 5 Milemarker....
The history awed me for 30 minutes.....and also the initials....does anyone know who's initials from 1980 these could belong to????
And apparently "Charcoal-Bag" people existed back then too.
Punch yourself in the face back through time. Thanks.
And I soon found the remains of the 2nd cabin/bunkhouse.
And more fenceline.
And I was almost killed as Billy predicts, but not by lack of water. Thankfully, the B to the I to the TCH Buster came through yet again. OH....and lest I forget....thanks Schnexnider. Gosh, it's good to have "friends" in "low places." LOL!
And I came upon what history has not documented for me....but it was hinged??
And full of ants!!!
If only I could have a black butt and a read head. Oh wait, I'm gonna die soon, no point! Sorry.
Wow....guys and gals....this was recorded destroyed in the year 1969.....you are witnessing HISTORY.
And a random drum?
What could it have contained?
And sure enough, I found a doggone backpack.
What remained in it I will go to my GRAVE never to reveal....
And as I faced the infinite eternity of the vast morass of algal flats in the distance, I doubted myself, my purpose, and what could drive me for most of my life to seek these places out, to feel more comfortable here alone surrounded by nothing of my world? To be alone with my thoughts?
YOU TELL ME. How many of US....of YOU....are comfortable when there's not a soul around to help you get past the truth of what you really....really....really and truly ARE in this life and on this Earth???
But as I turned around towards the known, the beachfront, the dune line, people, civilization, society-I realized-it doesn't matter. When we are true to ourselves we remain the same 2 miles behind that dune line or 2 feet from the counter at Best Buy. And I wish the same for all of you, everyone deserves that from this life.
And I put my "Hoodoo" in gear and followed a fenceline from the 50's towards the Laguna, looking for the ghost of Louis Rawalt....
But I found the same pipeline from yesterday! Exposed!!! And miles south!!
And I made it the "Laguna." Only to realize, I was miles away, this was only an inlet of algal flat, and a dune line and Island in the distance was forever out of my reach....
And I think it's hard to figure out this life, what about this vast expanse of Island I call my solace?
So I followed the flat south a half a mile, and then...I picked flowers!
What could they be???
And I soon was attacked by bees and it really....really....REALLY....sucked...so I hauled ARSE shark fishing style back towards the NEW line camp of Dunn.....
And found a gate!
And the remains of the two bunkhouses there....
And the corrals...
And it seemed to me that this place felt occupied. Not by anthing I could see.....but by a feeling of work, accomplishment, of sadness, of missing home, family, and the comforts of those places....
And to finally see the barbed wire I had been hunting all week felt so good.....
And believe it or not, there were shells mixed in with this tar....could it be the vaqueros of this ranch used beach tar from the summer months? Was there such a thing before "Ixtoc????"
But I had to get real, because the grass was THICK inside those old corrals. And the B to the I to the TCH Buster had to come into full Shnexnider induced action.....take "THAT" can't understand a NO to the beach closure from Sopac to Bob Hall!
And I came upon what was the watering hole for the Ranch, and somehow I KNEW going down into it was a bad idea. So what did I do? I went anyway. WATERING HOLE....MEET SENIOR TOWBOAT.
And I somehow was quickly attacked by bees that had made their life's work apparently out of killing the innocent and thirsty....but YEP, I managed to get a taste of it to my parched lips, and darn was that water sweet.....albeit tinged red from the wooden framework under the water....
So I ran, with the help of the B to the I to the TCH Buster, towards the main destination.
And quickly saw the loading shute.
And almost croaked from the history!!!! I stood in this spot as the minutes passed, as the wind blew, as the grasses rustled....just listening for the sounds those cattle must have made as they shuttled through here....I searched the boards for their marks....and I listened to my senses.....
Nothing but the breeze ruffled my nerves further....
Do you love Texas? Your freedom? The places and history our state has to offer? WELL....it's right now staring you in the face. Will you have eyes to see? An imagination to allow reign?
And with these thoughts in my mind, I took a picture.....
NOT FOR YOU....NOT FOR THEM....NOT FOR US....for ME. Just so that.....one day.....when I'm gone.....and if I'm blessed enough to one day have a family and grandkids.....when those grandkids ask what I was like and what I did with my life, my son can show them a picture and they will understand....that some birds aren't born to be caged...that some sailors never stop seeing endless waves.....and that's okay.....
But once again, the Island showed me a different butterfly....the 5th one in one day....but this time I creeped up on after searching the area for snakes with the B to the I to the TCH Buster....and got a shot....
Sorry they aren't better, I need to buy a really fancy camera?
But as I watched from 1.5 feet away....I realized....all this creature needs is this one flower's nectar to sustain and satisfy him....and I....and WE.....need so much, so often???
But like all things, I could feel the Island telling me it was time to move along....and I listened. Because while I haven't always listened to those that know more than myself, I kinda have realized that the Island doesn't "play" that.....
And as that salty sweat ran down my head yet again, my skin felt like it was melting off, I stopped sweating....and then I got the mild chills. And I knew...that those if I don't get tougher-those Naked Indians I'm always looking for are gonna take me to the cleaners.....But after the longest 1.5 hours of my time....I made it with no water and no rationale left to my being.....
And that roar let me know.....you are home.....
But I turned around at a beautiful and never before by me explored....canyon.....and knew....that like all other times...I would be back....
And being about 3/4 mile from the truck, I stumbled to said "tank" and once I got there....it was time to take advantage of that water tank I put in last month!!!
Heck yeah!!!
And I went ahead and gave those Naked Indians a run for their money!!!
WHAT! Although this Naked Indian needs a decent tan....
Hope ya'll enjoyed the report. If I can learn to act "right," I'll let ya'll know. Until then-I'll be somewhere down Island....
-Colin _________________ Protect Padre at all costs for future generations to use and enjoy and never forget our freedoms aren't free.
Awesome post and keep em coming. Crazy how technology means squat compared to those who were out there doing what they had to do to survive. Purpose! _________________ I'm a Mawg: Half Man, Half Dog. I'm my own best friend!
Joined: 06 Mar 2006 Posts: 1932 Location: Corpus Christi
Posted: Sun May 27, 2012 12:34 pm Post subject: Plant Identified To Species
That dune plant with the succulent leaves and weird flowers drove me nuts because its habitat and morphology should have triggered more than a vague familiarity. I busted all my Texas plant books and got nada. Finally, I Googled and found the reason why; it's a fan-flower, most of which are native to the Indo-Pacific. I'd seen related species in Hawaii. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scaevola
I haven't seen a picture of a flower matching the one in your pics, and there were no fruits visible, so I'm not sure which species it is. I'm guessing it's inkberry,Scaevola plumieri, which is known to occur in Nueces and Cameron Counties. Pass the word to the PINS biologists, since Kleberg and Kennedy Counties aren't reported to have inkberry, and since there's a chance it might be some other species with invasive potential.
BTW, the vine with the big, purple, trumpet-shaped flowers is beach morning glory, and the little shrub with the fuzzy blue flowers is a mist-flower. _________________ The Trash Heap Has Spoken!
NNYYAAAHH!!!
Joined: 25 May 2009 Posts: 615 Location: somewhere on 130 miles of beach
Posted: Mon May 28, 2012 6:36 am Post subject:
sikesd wrote:
You have the soul (and wit) of a writer, Colin.
Thankyou David!
Johnny---can't believe you found that out! Wow! So what we have....is a a totally invasive species growing, no, taking OVER a dune at the 10.5....
Strange! And not even remotely native to anywhere near here. Great detective work! _________________ Protect Padre at all costs for future generations to use and enjoy and never forget our freedoms aren't free.
Joined: 06 Mar 2006 Posts: 1932 Location: Corpus Christi
Posted: Mon May 28, 2012 8:42 am Post subject:
Towboat Trash wrote:
sikesd wrote:
You have the soul (and wit) of a writer, Colin.
Thankyou David!
Johnny---can't believe you found that out! Wow! So what we have....is a a totally invasive species growing, no, taking OVER a dune at the 10.5....
Strange! And not even remotely native to anywhere near here. Great detective work!
I didn't say it wasn't native, since there's a possibility it's a species known from Nueces and Cameron Counties, and just not reported from in between. Whether it's inkberry or one of the invasives is yet to be shown.
BTW, ixnay on the tasting what you can't ID. Some of the native plants are poisonous, much less the exotics. Oh, and those tiny spines on the prickly pear are called glochids, which is a word hard to pronounce when your tongue is full of them. I did see some fine edibles in your pix, though. Ground cherries, if you can beat the critters to them, taste like a cross between a strawberry and a tomato (to which they're related).
Oh, almost forgot to ask. Are your forays to the survey markers just for fun, or something you're doing for PINS and/or the mineral rights owners? Hot as it is, if the oil companies are involved, I'd ask them to provide a helicopter, then have them set down at the King's Inn for lunch on the way back. Been there, done that. _________________ The Trash Heap Has Spoken!
NNYYAAAHH!!!
Joined: 22 Jan 2012 Posts: 433 Location: Close to Gates Donuts...MMM MMM
Posted: Tue May 29, 2012 12:38 pm Post subject:
Very interesting read Towboat and good info Trash Heap. My favorite line though was "Punch yourself in the face back through time. Thanks." to the trash dumpers. Good stuff _________________ Fish On!
Joined: 06 Mar 2006 Posts: 1932 Location: Corpus Christi
Posted: Tue May 29, 2012 4:14 pm Post subject:
B-1 83 wrote:
Your pink flower is a variety or specie of Palafoxia
I'm sticking with mistflower, species Conoclinium, and the butterfly on some of them is a Painted Lady. _________________ The Trash Heap Has Spoken!
NNYYAAAHH!!!
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Unless it involves getting bitten to death by a rogue pack of Padre Island Massaguas involved in a springtime mating ritual. Billy? Why did you have to tell me that!!!!? 
Now tell me again why kids these days need guns???
Thankfully, the B to the I to the TCH Buster came through yet again. OH....and lest I forget....thanks Schnexnider. Gosh, it's good to have "friends" in "low places." LOL! 
