76 THE COASTAL BEND MAGAZINE • Late Summer 2018 TheCoastalBend.com Port Aransas IT WAS SHOCKING AND TERRIBLE, what hap- pened to the most popular coastal village and island vacation destination on the Texas Gulf Coast—our beloved Port A, full-time home to about 2,000 families, and part-time home to thousands more. What was undeniably a“cleansing”event, for both the natural and business environments of the island, also swept away some of the charm with which so many of us grew up. Rock Cottages and Laughing Horse Lodge, for example, are rumored to soon be replaced by an ultra-modern, semi-service hotel operation—which is fine—but represents two more panels lost in the tapestry of old school Port A. One property has proven an unshakable fortress on Mustang Island since it was built of Civil War barracks planks in the 1880’s—the Tarpon Inn, which has survived something like a dozen tropical cyclones, including at least four of Harvey’s magni- tude, took a serious strike last August, but reopened less than eight months later. The charm has been preserved, the rooms are better than ever, and not a single modern convenience slipped through the door during the reconstruction of the Tarpon Inn. For those of us lucky enough (ahem) to have gotten to know ole’Ed Ziegler, and listened to (sat through) his interesting and inspiring (oh boy) tale of how he made it from selling shells (that he pilfered from Mother Nature) on Port Aransas beach, where he lived as a young man, and fought his way to the top of the island’s dining scene—a self-made some- thing-or-other who can fry up one helluva jumbo shrimp—then you certainly have enjoyed a meal at his famed Moby Dick’s on S. Alister St. It is safe to say that everyone was thrilled and inspired to see Moby’s come back as fast as it did, along with the never boring Ed Ziegler—a Port A national treasure. Halfway through the summer tourism season in Port A, the three months of the year when over half of business income is earned for most establishments, the status of less than 40% of the city’s overnight rentals being open for business has delivered a sting of about 20% to restaurants and retailers, compared to a normal summer. But the Blues criers are few and far between. Most business owners complain more about not being able to find workers than customers, and tell us ONE FINAL WORD ON HARVEY — AND THAT’S THE END OF IT. that they are being supported by both new and old customers who are taking the drive up the island for the day, but can only find a place to stay in the city or on North Padre. Of all the large condo properties on Mustang Island, the ones that account for the largest segment of overnight rentals, the board of Aransas Princess should be congratulated on plan- ning best for the worst, and as a result reopening for business ahead of just about everyone else. We will have more on just how they did it, and the lessons to be learned from them, in our Fall edition. The sad mountain of debris from Harvey damage, a part of Port A life for months, is now gone and forgotten. A once beautiful home along Station St. was lost, but the neighborhood is starting to look better than ever. Last fall, efforts were concentrated on cleaning out and getting the lights and water back on in Port A. Happy family memories are being made again at Moby Dick’s, with all credit to its tough-as-nails and semi- cantankerous founder, the legend-worthy Mr. Ed Ziegler. Business returned to normal at Palmilla Beach resort and golf club. The grand reopening of The Tarpon Inn, Port A’s old‑ est building and business establishment, since 1886.