About Nueces County, TX

PORT ARANSAS, Texas - Gulf Access Base has the 200 acre McDermott facility on the Corpus Christi Ship Channel under contract with plans to close on the property in December of this year.

“This facility is the only one of its kind on the western Gulf”, says Sam Canterbury, Partner in the project. “The facility is highly stabilized with 4,700’ of bulkhead with up to 46 ft of water including a 1,650’ X 500’ slip. We are located only 150 miles from Alaminos Canyon operations which will allow operators to cut transportation costs more than half in many cases.”

Plans for the facility include leasing dedicated secure parcels of 1 – 100 Acres as storage, staging, and base operations for deepwater operators in the western Gulf. Load in, load out, fuel, water, and provisions will be available. Port security and controlled parking will be provided. Space for suppliers and service providers is also planned.

“As the deep western gulf is developed by both old and new players, a support center of this type has become necessary” according to Canterbury. “We have the location, improved space, and water depth to meet the needs of the industry now and in the future.”

For more information contact:

Tommy Moore, 361 463 6388

tmoore@GulfAccessBase.com

Website

PORT ARANSAS, Texas - The Port Aransas South Jetty featured a great story on the new Southern Living Idea House at Cinnamon Shore. The doors opened on Saturday, June 6th. Mary Judson (Editor and Co-Publisher) reports that 282 people toured the home in the first two days.

I visited the home last week and it is a masterpiece. Port A visitors will clearly want to add this to their "to-do list" this Summer Season.

The (06-04-09) South Jetty Article appears below with permission:

The Idea House sponsored by Southern Living magazine opens Saturday, June 6, in the Cinnamon Shore residential development. It is one of two Idea Houses built for the magazine this year. The other is in Georgia.

Admission for tours is $5 per person, $2 of which will go to the Port Aransas Education Foundation. Volunteers for the organization, which raises private money to fund programs, activities and equipment for Port Aransas Independent School District teachers and students, will lead the tours through Sept. 27.

The house will be open 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Wednesday through Saturday, and 1 to 5 p.m. on Sunday.

Built by Keystone Company of Port Aransas, the home is the subject of a short feature in the June edition of Southern Living. A 30-page feature on both the Port Aransas and the Georgia Idea Houses will appear in the magazine’s August issue when an online feature will also be posted on the magazine’s Web site.

Estimates by the magazine are that some 12 million people will see the house either in the magazine, in person or online.

Derick Belden, executive editor of Southern Living Homes and Gardens, said among reasons Cinnamon Shore was chosen for the Idea House was because its editors recognize and appreciate the uniqueness and beauty of Port Aransas, the beach and the Cinnamon Shore project.

Cinnamon Shore, near the southern city limits of Port Aransas off State Hwy. 361, is a master-planned New Urbanism development. Jeff Lamkin, CEO of Sea Oats Group, is the developer.

New Urbanism refers to neighborhoods designed to reduce traffic and sprawl, with residential, business and recreational points within walking distance.

A 64-acre mixed-use community, Cinnamon Shore, upon completion, will include about 300 homes and condominiums, a town center with shops, restaurants, hotel and office space, parks and recreational amenities, and pedestrian friendly streets that interconnect the entire community.

About the house
• Views of the Gulf of Mexico from all floors - located 300 feet from the beach
• Accommodates several families, sleeping up to 16 people
• 5 bedrooms, 5.5 baths plus loft. Approximately 3,700 sq ft.
• Wood walls, ceilings and floors
• 2 master suites; all bedrooms with a private bath
• 3rd story loft area with built-in bunks open to a game room
• Multi-story ceiling in the family room open to kitchen for family living
• Multiple porches with Gulf views
• 2 outdoor fireplaces in the courtyard and on screened porch
• Separate canoe house with guest quarters above
• Viking appliances throughout

PORT ARANSAS, Texas - The School Board Meeting this Wednesday night will likely be viewed by a packed house. The issue of whether or not the District should add Football and Volleyball to the existing althelic program has been a hot topic for several months.

The Corpus Christi Caller Times featured a story today and interviewed several key "players" in the debate. The meeting will be this Wednesday at 6:00pm at the Port Aransas ISD administration building (100 S. Station St.). The Caller Times article is here.

Have you ever wondered what the difference is between a condo, and a town home? Well, if you answered yes to this question, you are certainly not alone. In fact, I was surprised to realize that most people do not know the difference, there seems to be much confusion and debate on this subject even between professionals. I thought it would make for a great educational blog regarding this subject to clear up these common mis-conceptions.

According to the Realty times; A condominium buyer owns their unit, plus a percentage of the surrounding property, including land and amenities on the property. Residents are members of a homeowners' association (HOA) and pay a monthly fee to the association in exchange for maintenance of the common property. Each condominium complex has a master deed which outlines the percentage of ownership. That percentage determines residents' monthly dues to the association. Condominiums come in a variety of styles, from two- and three-story buildings apartment-complex style to luxurious high-rise properties with views of the surrounding city. The terms of condominium ownership sometimes are cloudier, because owners share more common areas (for example, stairs and hallways) than town home owners.

A town home buyer owns their unit, as well as the ground underneath that unit. Each town home has its own roof and (most) have their own address. For example; (123 Any street,) as opposed to a condo address ( 123 Any street unit 1A) Town home residents also typically belong to a homeowners' association (HOA) and pay monthly fees in exchange for the general maintenance of common outdoor areas. Town homes sometimes include single-family home amenities such as garages and backyards ( maybe, very small backyards), in which maintenance is the responsibility of the owner and not the association.

So, now that your aware of the difference between a "condo" and a "town home maybe we should explore the pros and cons of these type of ownerships versus a single family property...

More of this series coming soon!

Something happened this week that brought to mind the technology that we use on a day to day basis that most of us, probably never think about. One of those wonderful things is the very useful but sometimes terribly mis-used text message. I know that it is very helpful and also saves alot of time, especially when your in a big hurry and can't bear to get tied into a phone conversation with that chatty agent who has nothing better to do that talk about her uncle Bob's hip-replacement surgery. LOL, that was a joke but on a serious note I thought it would be a great idea for a list of some do's and do not's of texting...Most of these "should be" common sense but apparently, (after the ordeal this week) I learned some of us may be a little slower than others....so here it goes!

Text messaging 101...

1. Keep them short and sweet. If you need to write someone an in-depth message, send an email. Otherwise, give them a ring or see them in person. Long texts can be confusing or tough to respond to.

2. Consider your wireless costs.If upgrading to a different mobile plan includes unlimited texts and you're an avid text messager it maybe worth the extra cost,but above all consider the person your texting 500 times a day. Make sure that your texting habits is coherent to their plan as well as your own.

3. DON"T text while driving. LOL, okay This one falls into the common sense thing I was referring to in the beginning of the blog. Do I need to go into the why nots of this one? Okay, If you insist!

4. Be conscience of the tone of your text. It is extremely difficult to discern tone in text messages, same as in e- mail. What seems to you to be a completely innocent message may be grossly misinterpreted by the recipient, causing certain discomfort if not irreparable harm. Also, consider that your point may not be getting across though text message and your receiver may not understand (or worse, may mis-interpret) what your trying to convey to them. So, do yourself a favor, take the plunge and pick up the phone for important issues.

5. Be conscientious of others' schedules.Don't assume that because you are awake, not working, not busy, or (in extreme cases and we all know this person) NOT sober that the person you're texting is as well. Many peaceful dreams have been interrupted by the recurring text messenger that has no boundaries about who, when, and where they text.

6. Texting should remain casual. Texting can be fun but it should be for casual conversation. Use it to say hello, change of plans, etc...do not use text messaging to send out; into outer space, every thought that pops into your head. When you put something out there,try to remember that it is out there and it cannot be taken back. There is no guarantees who besides the person you are sending this to will run across your personal message. In these cases PLEASE use your phone to call the person or better yet have a good old face to face.

These are good rules of thumb that comes to mind, please feel free to add your on. I would be interested to hear your takes on this subject.