Being a native of the Ozark Mountains who had not spent much time on the Gulf Coast, I had never heard of Key Allegro. However, when I was walking along the Rockport, Texas, shoreline, I could see a lovely area across the water that looked like a picturesque marina, that would be a good place to take some photos. So I followed the little road that hugged the Rockport shoreline, until I crossed a small bridge, and found myself in a place called "Key Allegro" (
www.keyallegro.com ). Those boats I was seeing were moored at the Key Allegro Yacht Club. Driving along the island's main boulevard, I discovered that there were numerous canals throughout the island, all of them lined with luxurious homes, and many with private docks for storing small watercraft.
Those lucky folks who have a larger boat, can use the docks around the Key Allegro Yacht Club for mooring their vessels. Judging from the heron that is serving as a sentinel on the dock, there appears to be a workable balance between the humans and herons on the island!
It was pretty obvious from the uniformity of the trees, signage, and landscaping that this was a well-planned, sophisticated residential community. Being the curious person I am, I "googled" it, and found out some of its history. The early settlers called it "Nine Mile Point", and the island was first used commercially by the Cushman Meat Packing Company, in the late 1860's. Then Austrian Fran Frandolig, a horseman who had delivered cattle to Cushman Meat Packing Company, homesteaded the property after the Cushman company vacated the land in 1878. Frandolig and his family established a large fig orchard and vineyard. They sold their fruits, vegetables, and wines to the citizens of nearby Rockport and Fulton. The Frandolig family sold the property shortly after 1901. Then the severe hurricane of 1919 leveled everything on the island, and returned it to its uninhabited state. Its mud flats were used by duck hunters and fishermen. In 1958, the local navigation district began to do dredging in the area to facilitate water vessel navigation, and offered the property up for development. The island was purchased in 1961, by Carl C. Krueger, Jr., who had a vision of what it could be. He started selling lots, built a beach house, built a water system, and cut canals into the island structure. To get people interested , Mr. Krueger even invested in a dolphin show---hoping people would come and see the dolphin perform, and maybe see a parcel of land they wanted to buy. "Allegro" is a musical term that means "lively", and perhaps the lively dolphin show was enough to get the ball rolling on the development of the location. After a few years, the sparsely populated island became a resort community with a cosmopolitan flair.
After getting the opportunity to photograph a beautiful sunset on Key Allegro, framed by its manicured palm trees, I realized that this gorgeous PLANNED community --- that went from mud flats to landscaped waterways--- was an illustration of one of my First Place 4 Health (
www.FirstPlace4Health.com ) memory verses. Jeremiah 29:11 says, "For I know the PLANS I have for you," declares the Lord, "PLANS to prosper you and not to harm you, PLANS to give you hope and a future." Isn't it nice to know that even when we may be sloshing through the "mud flats" of our lives, God still has a PLAN to turn our life into something of beauty??!! That gives me "MILES OF SMILES"! Tricia
