By Elinor TinsleyOn Saturday, May 9, 2026, the Texas Crab Festival held one of its most popular crowd pleasers, the Wiener Dog Races.  The Texas Crab Festival has been featuring this event, in all its different forms for over 20 years, with more than a few groups heading up this event.  Last year Bay Vue…

Lacing up their running shoes for a morning of coastal fitness, participants gathered on Saturday, May 9, for the annual Texas Crab Festival Fun Run. This year’s event brought a wave of fresh energy with a shift to a brand-new venue: Camp Margaritaville Resort. Two of the oldest runners who placed, highlighted below in the…

Practical Disaster Prepping, Part 4We can live over three weeks without food, some of us a bit longer, but only about three days without water. Almost any major disaster can shut down municipal water. Even if the waterlines and tanks are intact, without the power grid the pumps fail and water tower tanks empty quickly.…

As long as the earth’s surface is not completely covered with water, there will be boat groundings; that is, the boat is no longer floating free but instead is stuck on the water’s bottom. There are two types of groundings: soft groundings and hard groundings. This article will discuss soft groundings. Hard groundings occur when…

Surface water temperatures are holding around 79 degrees. The big story this past week has been the wind — and plenty of it. Water clarity remains about average for East Galveston Bay west of the Stingaree, but conditions become noticeably murkier the farther east you move past Big Pasture Bayou. With the strong winds, the…

The private recreational angler red snapper season in federal waters will open May 22 rather than the typical June 1 opening. This change was made to provide a longer window for saltwater anglers to enjoy coastal fishing and include the Memorial Day holiday. “As always, our goal is to give Texas anglers as many days…

In Honor and Remembrance of our friend and Bolavarian….Karen, passed away April 12, 2026 at home surrounded by family and her precious dog, Charlie Mack. Karen was born on May 14, 1955, in Perryton, Tx. August 19, 1972. She married the love of her life Jerry Don Riddles. Together they shared 54 years of playful…

Filling up your gas tank used to be a rare moment of forced peace. You stood there in the quiet hum of the station, perhaps checking your oil, cleaning a smudge off the windshield, or just staring blankly at the horizon while the numbers ticked away. It was a five-minute meditation in an otherwise busy…

Here we are in Tampa, arrived early on Saturday morning. The flight was delightful, even though it was only 5am. Southwest has assigned seats now, so when we got to our seats (me in the middle), next to me was a young woman with her not too happy 3-month old. I secretly cringed, but after…

The week of May 19 to May 25 marks the expansion of the American West via landmark legislation, breakthroughs in global aviation and telecommunications, and pivotal declarations that altered the course of civil rights and the Cold War space race. May 19 May 20 May 21 May 22 May 23 May 24 May 25

Long time readers are familiar with my many Close Calls, some of which involved my Dear Mother, the guardian angel who snatched me away from an early demise on a number of occasions. In her memory, and for new subscribers who may have missed the first iteration, here is the new and improved telling of…

Practical Disaster Prepping-Part 3 The simplest and least expensive option is to stay with family or friends who live far enough away that a local disaster won’t affect them. Make it mutually beneficial. They agree to host you in an emergency, and you agree to host them. This could be immediate family or an aunt,…

After years of low Sunday attendance, the shift to a Thursday through Saturday schedule was all about creating the best possible experience for our guests and supporting the vendors who make the festival so special. By moving our third day to Thursday, we hoped to create a dedicated “Locals’ Day” – the perfect opportunity for…

Each May during Teacher Appreciation Week, a group of volunteers headed up by the Bay Vue Methodist Women have been providing the staff at Crenshaw School a Teacher’s Appreciation Luncheon.  Along with the BVMW, other church members and members of the Lazy Ladies Aerobics class, these fine folks sign up to bring a tableful of…

There is a specific, cruel type of retail karma reserved for the person who runs into the store for “just one thing.” You know the feeling. You’re in the middle of cooking dinner and realize you’re out of eggs. You don’t even grab a cart; you just walk in, snatch the carton, and head for…

Survival is the “preservation of one’s own life under conditions of immediate peril.” To preserve one’s own life at sea requires the ability to live through extreme conditions of emotional and physical shock, and hardship for an indefinite period of time. When faced with an open water survival situation, it is important to remember that…

That’s what I’m here for, that’s what it’s all about! Where do I begin? Well, I’ll start off with good ol’ Mother Nature. She turned another request/prayer into reality. No rain! Even some (a lot) of sunshine on Saturday. I actually had to un-layer a bit. Thank you Mother Nature! Of course I’ll be talking…

The middle of May has historically been a season of monumental shifts in the American landscape. From the earliest days of colonial settlement at Jamestown to the expansionist fervor of the Mexican-American War and the transformative judicial rulings of the late 19th century, this week marks several “firsts” that defined the nation. May 12 May…

While the live music is loud and the crowds are cheering at the crab races, there is a quieter—but equally thrilling—excitement building next to the T-Shirt booth. The Texas Crab Festival Silent Auction will be open, and this year, the selection is as vast as the Bolivar horizon. Whether you’re a seasoned collector, a coastal…

When we think about disaster preparation, the first step is to decide whether to stay or evacuate. This may sound odd, but we need to make that decision now, before the disaster strikes. Most people wait too long to decide and risk getting caught in massive traffic jams or trapped by rising water, fire or…