Jan 05 2018
By STEVE HATHCOCK Special to the PRESS When Kay and I had our Beachcombers Museum/Bookstore/Coffee shop we would have people from all walks of life stroll through our doors with many of them bearing gifts. Over the years we accumulated everything imaginable such as spiny oysters gathered from the legs of oil rigs, fossilized fish, mammoth …
Permanent link to this article: https://www.portisabelsouthpadre.com/2018/01/05/rio-history-from-the-belly-of-a-whale/
Dec 29 2017
By DINA ARÉVALO Port Isabel-South Padre Press editor@portisabelsouthpadre.com People tend to become a bit reflective as a year begins to draw to a close, and that’s no exception inside the four walls of the Port Isabel – South Padre Press offices. So, what can I say about 2017? A lot happened this year. Some good, some …
Permanent link to this article: https://www.portisabelsouthpadre.com/2017/12/29/2017-the-year-that-was/
Dec 29 2017
By STEVE HATHCOCK Special to the PRESS John Singer, arguably our Island’s best known beach-comber and finder of great treasures, was shipwrecked on the shores of Padre Island sometime in the late 1840s. He is said to have made his living the first year by crafting shingles from a cargo of cypress logs that washed ashore …
Permanent link to this article: https://www.portisabelsouthpadre.com/2017/12/29/rio-history-all-washed-up/
Dec 22 2017
By DINA ARÉVALO Port Isabel-South Padre Press editor@portisabelsouthpadre.com In 1897, 8-year-old Virginia O’Hanlon asked her father if Santa Claus was real. I’m sure this is a question many parents face with some apprehension. Virginia’s father, Dr. Philip O’Hanlon, suggested she pose the question as a letter to the editor in New York City newspaper, The Sun, …
Permanent link to this article: https://www.portisabelsouthpadre.com/2017/12/22/writers-block-merry-and-bright/
Dec 22 2017
By STEVE HATHCOCK Special to the PRESS Last month’s high tides have created some of the best beachcombing conditions we have had in a long time. The best place and time for shelling, is along the wrack or trash line just after high tide. The shells found here are generally of a higher quality and have …
Permanent link to this article: https://www.portisabelsouthpadre.com/2017/12/22/rio-history-beachcombing-tips-2/
Dec 22 2017
By STEVE HATHCOCK Special to the PRESS Sue Canny emailed me a while back to ask about some bricks she and her friend found while beachcombing at Barracuda Cove, which is located directly across the channel from the southern tip of Padre Island. “It was low tide and the muddy bottom was covered with big, white …
Permanent link to this article: https://www.portisabelsouthpadre.com/2017/12/22/rio-history-the-brazos-depot/
Dec 15 2017
By DINA ARÉVALO Port Isabel-South Padre Press editor@portisabelsouthpadre.com It was an early Christmas miracle — snow in the Rio Grande Valley! Early last week, local television forecasters began preparing the Valley for an incoming cold front. It would come in at the end of the week, they said, and drop temperatures by a couple dozen degrees. …
Permanent link to this article: https://www.portisabelsouthpadre.com/2017/12/15/writers-block-snow-day/
Dec 08 2017
By DINA ARÉVALO Port Isabel-South Padre Press editor@portisabelsouthpadre.com Sometimes it’s the small, unexpected surprises that can most make your day. And there’s perhaps no better time for a little moment of joy than December, when the Christmas spirit seems to make everything brighter and better. In fact, it was a quick moment after a Christmas-themed event …
Permanent link to this article: https://www.portisabelsouthpadre.com/2017/12/08/writers-block-from-grinch-to-glad/
Dec 08 2017
By STEVE HATHCOCK Special to the PRESS Jeff Erkenbrack and a friend were in the process of demolishing a six inch block wall to make room for an expansion of Running Etc., a sporting goods store located in Virginia Beach when they found the first artifacts: a collection of vintage beer cans. They continued jackhammering until …
Permanent link to this article: https://www.portisabelsouthpadre.com/2017/12/08/rio-history-who-dunnit/
Dec 01 2017
By STEVE HATHCOCK Special to the PRESS The inconvenience caused by our little “purple balloons” (Portuguese Man of Wars) pales when compared to the impact that the giant Nomura jellyfish has made on the fishing industry of Japan. The venom of this behemoth blob, which can exceed 450 pounds, can ruin a day’s catch by tainting …
Permanent link to this article: https://www.portisabelsouthpadre.com/2017/12/01/rio-history-invasion-of-the-jellies/
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