Free Fall Leads to Soft Landing

Right now a lot of folks feel like things are in a bit of a free fall. The stock market is again in turmoil. Nobody is sure where the bottom will be. That’s not a good kind of sensation.

Not all drops are bad though. Some drops are thrilling and exhilarating and make people want that feeling again and again. That feeling is what has brought some of our guests at The Commons back for repeat visits. They come to Port Aransas to meet up with family and parachute out of a plane with a little help from Skydive South Texas. Their landings on the sandy Port Aransas beach leave them thrilled to their core.

One couple stayed at The Commons this summer while making their 3rd jump. Here’s a video our friends at DeWitt Productions captured of one of their jumps:

Turtle rescue in Port Aransas

Turtles are often found in the Port Aransas area, and the story of one turtle rescued earlier this summer has a happy ending made possible by the expertise and resources available in Port A.

In June a large 190 lb. green turtle was found floating in the Lydia Ann Channel tangled in monofilament. When it was rescued, they thought it was a male but it later proved to be a female green turtle when she laid eggs!

She was not badly injured and was quickly returned to the sea after having a satellite tag attached. Satellite tagging of sharks was one of the things kids attending the UTMSI Science Camp this summer learned about, so we already knew something about how an interesting collaboration between marine scientists and rocket scientists can really give a boost to our understanding of aquatic life.

At the UT Marine Science Institute Open House this past weekend, Tony Amos talked to the crowd about the turtle rehabilitation work they do. They rescue and rehabilitate hundreds of turtles each year. When possible they return the turtles to the ocean after inserting identification tags under the skin. When turtles are found they can be checked for an i.d. tag but those tags do not transmit data like the one used for the green turtle. Turtles encounter a variety of hazards, mostly of human making. The monofilament the green turtle was tangled in was an example he showed the crowd at the Open House.

He filled the crowd in on how that satellite tag on the green turtle yielded some startling new data just in the past few weeks. The turtle had been tracked moving south along the Texas coast, and then suddenly turned and went across the Gulf, past the Florida Keys, and to Bimini! They had never known that green turtles would migrate from Texas to the Bahamas before. Because the satellite tag data is publicly available, anyone can now track the green turtle’s whereabouts.

The UT Marine Science Center is the home of the Animal Rehabilitation Keep which rescues stranded wildlife (from turtles to birds and everything in between) and provides education about the importance of preserving the richness of the environment that is found along the Texas coast. Most of the research areas are not generally open to the public, but if you’re in Port Aransas be sure to make the Wetland Education Center one of your stops. You’ll probably be amazed at the richness of the environment surrounding the island.

Watch Out, This Bird has Teeth!

One of the more popular places to visit in Port Aransas is the Leonabelle Turnbull Birding Center. With a raised boardwalk and an observation tower, it offers great views of a large wetland area and all the wildlife there. Depending on the season, you can catch sight of herons, egrets, spoonbills, pelicans, ducks and many other birds. This spot is just one of the reasons that Port Aransas was recently named America’s Birdiest Small Coastal City for the second year in a row.

But birds are not the only wildlife worth looking for. There are two resident alligators, fondly named Boots and Bags by the locals. Usually you have to be a very early bird to see the gators, but recently our good friends with DeWitt Productions, Inc. were able to get this great video footage to share with us and all of the fans and friends of The Commons.

We hope you enjoy watching it. And next time you visit The Commons for a weekend (or a week) be sure to schedule a morning trip to the birding center.

Vacation Townhomes in Port Aransas

Island Living near Old Town and the Beach.

Attractively priced at $225,000

Fishing with friends
Walks on the beach
Cookouts and lemonade stands

• Huge commons area
• Large 20′ x 35′ pool
• 2 cabanas and grill areas with private gathering spaces
• Free WiFi
• A short walk to the beach

Easy living
Green building
Solid and lasting

• All units 3 bedrooms or 2 bedrooms with den
• High wind resistance engineered to meet Cat 5 wind rating
• Perimeter of each unit of insulated concrete (ICF)
• Quiet low-noise living spaces with low energy usage

The Commons at Seashell Drive – Contact Us Now!

For Sales, please contact Jimi Ballard, Developer
jimi@commonsporta.com
(361) 288-2519

For Vacation Rentals please contact Life In Paradise
mdore@centurytel.net
(800) 204-2781

Why Vacation in Port Aransas?

Vacation Getaway to Sun and Fun

Its summer here all round the year… breezy and fresh. If you want to get off your front porch at The Commons there are a lot of things to do

The Coast

As a beach community on the Texas coast, Port Aransas enjoys a climate that allows for year round enjoyment. The broad sandy beaches of Port Aransas may be the first thing people think of  but the fishing, birding, kayaking [both ocean and bayside], golf on an Arnold Palmer designed links course, and good food all keep bringing people back year after year.

Getting out on the water couldn’t be easier – Dolphin encounters, sunset cruises, fishing charters, kayak adventures and just plain old wave jumping keep people coming back.

Getting Outdoors

Swimming in the ocean or pool, biking on the beach for miles, lounging in a hammock, visiting Winton’s Candies for an old-fashioned candy fix, eating a Thunderbird at Café Phoenix, having guacamole made tableside at La Playa, buying fresh caught shrimp off the PollyAnna  — you won’t lack for things to do!

Going into Town

Getting around town can be by car, trolley, beach buggy, bike or foot. The trolley can be flagged down just outside The Commons on 11^th, and taken on a circular loop around town The trolley is quite a bargain at $.25 a ride! Beach buggies and bikes are available for rent from various places in town, and are a fun way to see and be seen. View the Trolly Schedule

Grab Your Binoculars

Birding is year round on Mustang Island, with the excitement increasing during peak migration seasons. Port Aransas has created several birding centers, and there are weekly guided birding tours at the Leona Belle Turnbull Birding Center. List of birds to see in Port Aransas are available in the Port Aransas Visitor Center.  Some folks prefer boat watching, and head to the ship channel for the best viewing of huge oil tankers, cargo ships, fishing boats, sail boats and pleasure boats. View nations flags here.

Education

The UT Marine Science Institute recently opened the Wetlands Education Center to help people understand Mustang Island’s ecosystem. There are self guided tours that explain how sand dunes protect a barrier island, why salt marshes are so ecologically productive, and help identify sand dune and salt marsh vegetation.

Additional Vacation Activities

Check out another source for finding fun here.

Further afield are other fun choices – you can help with turtle release on North Padre , visit the Lexington and the Texas State Aquarium  with a stop at Snoopy’s Pier for a fried fish fix along the way.

Local newspaper is found here

Something Irresistible

There’s just something irresistible about owning a beach home.

For thousands of years and all over the world, people have built homes on or near the beach to live in or vacation at. And knowing how popular beach property has always been, many smart owners buy beach homes as investments. There will never be a shortage of people wanting to own property on the coast.

This, despite the fact that from so many perspectives, it makes no sense at all to build on the coast. In fact, I can think of several reasons right off the top of my head why it might not be smart to build on the Texas Coast.

Here are four easy ones:

• The weather, while great for outdoor fun, can be really hard on buildings. Sun, wind, salt, and dare I even say the word – Hurricanes?
• People too, can be hard on buildings, especially when they get just a little bit crazy while vacationing at the beach.
• Winters are getting colder, summers are getting hotter, and energy costs are going through the roof.
• And the island ecosystem that we all love so much is unique and very fragile.

But build on the beach we do, just like people do all over the world. No matter what might be said against it, there is just something irresistible about owning a beach home. So then the question becomes, “How can I be smart about how I build on the coast?”

At The Commons, we have the answer – and the answer is ICF. For those of you who are new here, ICF stands for Insulating Concrete Forms, and it is the extremely smart, sustainable home construction technique that sets The Commons apart from almost any other property on Mustang Island. We chose to build The Commons Townhomes with ICF because we believe that it is the only way to build on the coast. In fact, given what we know now about ICF, after having researched it, rented it, and even lived in it ourselves, we think you would be crazy to build on the coast with typical stick construction techniques.

Strong statement? You betcha! But I’m not just going to throw it out there without backing it up. Over the next few weeks, I will be posting a series of articles about ICF and why this green building technique is uniquely suited for any type of construction project on the coast. Here is a preview of the topics coming your way soon.

• Built to Last
• Quiet and Comfortable
• Energy Efficient
• Earth Friendly

I hope you will come back to read my next posts and let me know what you think.

We’re Building Again!

What a busy December it has been!

We’ve been wanting to get a new building under construction for quite some time now. Finally we broke ground the first week of January.

This next building is our first triplex at The Commons and features a slightly different floor plan from all our previously built units. The new Units 101, 102, and 103 still have 3 bedrooms, 2.5 baths and the same fun, beach-style design as our other units. They are slightly wider and not quite so deep so the downstairs, open floor plan will be even more open looking with a full island separating the kitchen from the dining area.

Building 1 Floorplan

Of course, these units will have the same green building construction and design features as do all The Commons Townhomes including our standard ICF walls for superior strength, insulation and soundproofing. The more we learn about ICF (Insulating Concrete Forms) through talking with others, reading, and most importantly – living with ICF at The Commons – the more we are convinced that ICF is the only way to build on the coast. I’ll be posting a series of articles soon about the advantages of ICF, particularly for coastal and second home properties.

And speaking of ICF, we are really excited to be working with a new supplier and installer for the ICF walls. These guys are fast! We are already several weeks ahead of schedule compared with our track record on the first two buildings. If you’re interested in seeing how ICF walls are put together, we have posted some mid-construction photos on our Facebook page at http://facebook.com/CommonsPorta.

But if you want to really learn about them, stop by The Commons for an in-person look. But you better hurry, once the walls are finished and the siding goes on, ICF looks just like any other wall. The beauty is definitely more than skin deep.

Brrrr! Winter’s Coming Soon

I know, I know, why am I talking about Winter when it’s barely Fall? Besides, with an average high of 90 degrees, September still feels a lot more like Summer than Fall, much less Winter. But school has started so Summer is officially over. The Fall season is completely different here from Summer and Winter is completely different from Fall. If you want to understand Port Aransas you have to understand its seasons.

Unlike the manic Summer season, Fall in Port Aransas is slow and quiet. The beaches are mostly empty, the stores and restaurants are no longer crowded, the town seems to just take a deep breath and relax. Fall in Port Aransas is my favorite time of the year (more on that in a future post). But Winter is a completely different.

Port Aransas in the winter takes on a different feel from the summer. The temperature averages about 60 degrees, cooler than summer but much warmer than say, Rochester, NY!  There are a great variety of activites on the Island. Bird watchers from around the world come to see the Whooping Cranes and add to their life lists. Bay and Ocean Kayaking are popular in the winter months. Fishing is great, either from the Jetty or a boat in what is often called the Fishing Capital of Texas. Shell collecting is satisfying (especially after a short boat ride to St. Jo’s Island to the north). Art classes let you make your own souveniers  (check out Art Center for the Islands http://www.portaransasartcenter.org ). Bike riding can keep you fit. Community Theater keeps you entertained.  Plain old beach walking is a popular favorite. And how about some of the finest golf on the coast? http://www.newportdunesgolf.com.

All of those features are what bring in our most prominent visitors of the Winter, the people we fondly call Winter Texans. Retirees or those fortunate enough to have very flexible work schedules come to Port Aransas to escape the harsher Winters of places like Michigan,Wisconsin, upstate New York, and even Canada. They start to arrive in December, bringing with them a different feel, a sense of community that stays here with them for 2-3 months.  The beaches are full again, the restaurants busy, the Island is alive – but without the manic feel of Summer vacation. It’s a pleasant feel and many Winter Texans return to the same location year after to re-connect with friends from previous Winters.

Last Winter was our first real Winter season at The Commons and we attracted a great community of Winter Texans. One of our Winter Texans taught art classes here. She’s returning again this winter, along with some of her friends. Although most of our units are booked for several months, we still have some availability that should be filled with new members of the community. Perhaps you should join them. We’d love to see you at The Commons.

What’s for Dinner?

Swimming, surfing, digging in the sand, all day fishing trips, and the hot, hot summer sun. All that fun really works up an appetite. And the last thing anyone wants to do on vacation is spend too much time in the kitchen cooking. We have a solution that is quick, easy, and pleases everyone.

It’s Taco Bar time!

It’s so simple to lay out a Taco Bar buffet. There’s something for everyone: carnivore, vegan, dairy intolerant, gluten free, corn intolerant, atkins dieters and just plain picky. Put out a spread that allows your guests to customize according to their own preferences AND you’ll be out of the kitchen quickly. [It’s great for those days the fishermen don’t catch any fish…]

Here’s a list of items to offer:

• Corn tortillas
• Flour tortillas
• Beef or bison picadillo
• Chicken breasts, pre-grilled and diced
• Refried beans
• Diced avocado
• Guacamole
• Chopped tomato
• Lettuce
• Grated cheese
• Grated soy cheese
• Spicy salsa
• Mild salsa

As you can see, it is a pretty simple array of items to lay out. The surprising part is how satisfied our guests are with this meal because they make their tacos just the way they like them.

Add some limeade for the kids and fresh margaritas for the grownups and you’re all set, except for . . .

What’s for dessert?

Easy peanut butter, chocolate chip cookies.

Mix 1 cup sugar & 1 cup peanut butter, & 1 egg. Then mix in 1 teaspoon baking powder. Optionally add 3/4 cups of chocolate chips. Roll into 1 inch balls, place on a baking sheet and flatten. Bake at 350 for about 15 minutes or until golden brown.

Yumm!

Forbes ranking for Port Aransas?

Innovation? We got’cher innovation right here!

Forbes magazine recently published its list of the 10 Most Innovative Cities and right on its heels was a Kiplinger’s Personal Finance magazine article on the 10 Best Cities for the Next Decade. Of course, Kiplinger defines best as “most innovative”. Granted, they only focused on large cities, so it’s not surprising that Austin was #1 on the Kiplinger list and #2 on the Forbes list. But it got me to thinking – how would my favorite, sleepy little beach town, Port Aransas, Texas, stack up if anyone at Forbes or Kiplinger were “innovative” enough to check it out?

Here’s my take.

Forbes said; “Over the last year residents of Austin have patented inventions including a laser-guided nail clipper for dogs and cats, an electronic fishing reel system, a fertilizer that also functions as a pesticide, and a gadget that can detect explosive chemicals with microphones–along with about 2,900 other ideas, the second-most per-capita of any metro area in the U.S.”

Ok, perhaps we don’t have 2,900 ideas – heck, we barely have 2,900 full time residents. If you look at ideas per capita, we only need about 15 good ones and we’ll have Austin beat hands down. Besides, who needs a fancy nail clipper for pets, just run ‘em on the beach and they naturally wear their nails down. An electronic fishing reel system? How long do you think that expensive toy would last in our salt air? Pesticide in fertilizers? You’ll have to ask “fido” about that one. And as for explosive chemicals and microphones – I’m sure I saw something like that on stage at Sharkey’s last Saturday night.

Kiplinger said, “Austin is arguably the country’s best crucible for small business, offering a dozen community programs that form a neural network of business brainpower to help entrepreneurs. Now overlay that net with a dozen venture-capital funds and 20 or so business associations, plus incubators, educational opportunities and networking events. Mix all these elements in what many call a classless society, where hippie communalism coexists with no-nonsense capitalism, and you’ve got a breeding ground for start-ups.”

Now, to be real honest, I’m not sure I understand even half of what that said. But I do think I’ve come across a “neural network of business brainpower” in action recently. The other day, I heard two guys talking about how to make a fishing lure using metal screws, eyehooks, crazy glue and an empty beer can. Most of the conversation focused on how to make sure the beer can was empty. Of course, this was taking place in one of Port Aransas’ finer “business incubators” – The Back Porch Bar. And that part about hippies and capitalism mixed together? Heck, 90% of Port Aransas residents are hippie refugees from the big city just trying to eke out enough of a living to feed their fishing habit. That’s no-nonsense capitalism with a purpose.

I do think Kiplinger hit on the most important factor in ranking its 10 Best Cities when they said, “Don’t discount the fun factor.” Granted, Austin is a pretty fun place to hang out, especially when SXSW or ACL Festival is on. You can’t beat it for the live music scene. But what to do the other 48 weeks of the year? Seems to me that a whole lot of Austinites spend their summers and weekends on the beaches of Mustang Island. Now, what does it tell you when people who live in the “Most Innovative” and “Best City for the Next Decade” voluntarily spend their free time someplace else?

You can decide for yourself. Me, I’m hanging in Port Aransas this summer.

Regards,
Jimi

Posting from:
The Commons at Seashell on Mustang Island, Port Aransas, Texas

http://commonsporta.com/