A Day in the Life...

See what it's like to own at Cinnamon Shore.

Dr. Marylin Goodwin, a Gulf-front homeowner at Cinnamon Shore South and founder of a beach cleanup non-profit, has loved Port Aransas beaches since she was 5 years old—and she turns 75 next week. “That’s a long time,” she says. Now, she and husband J.B. Goodwin of Austin host family and friends at their one-year-old beach home at Cinnamon Shore, shown above at left. They have immersed themselves in the Cinnamon Shore community, too.

“We have met every homeowner, know their children, and even their favorite ice cream,” she says. “All the neighbors know we have an open-door policy.”

A Day in the Life...

There’s no typical day at Cinnamon Shore, as Marilyn and J.B. tailor the experience for different guests. But here’s how they might spend a Saturday:

Mornings: “I start every morning with a sun salutation and sometimes even greet the sunrise!” Marilyn says. She may swim or do Pilates, but she usually walks the beach, always picking up any litter someone left behind.

 Afternoons: Activities range from fishing or shopping to relaxing on the beach or at one of the pools at Cinnamon Shore.

"It all depends on who is with us at the time," Marilyn says. "As you might imagine, we have had a great deal of company considering it is our first year in our new beach house. For some groups, we like to go fishing -- mainly in the bay, but often just in the surf. Other families love to have a day at the beach. We put up our sun shade, bring chairs, and spend the day in the surf and the sand."

Some of the Goodwins' guests take kids to the aquarium in Corpus Christi, while others shop Port A boutiques or take a class at the Art Center. But everyone stays close by. “Why would we ever want to leave?” asks Marilyn, who often ends her afternoon with another walk on the beach--still on the lookout for any litter she can pick up.

Evenings: “We usually always end with a campfire and s'mores, regardless the age group,” Marilyn says.

Invested in the Community

Cinnamon Shore offers a new chapter for Marilyn after a career teaching for 20 years at public schools and then 25 years on the university level in the field of special education. "Because I am retired now and have a wonderfully generous husband, I spend about 80% of my time there," she says. As she's enjoying time at her and J.B.'s new Gulf-front home, she has channeled her passion for the beach into a new, grass roots group she founded: Pitch in Port Aransas (PIPA).

"Trash on the beach, or anywhere for that matter has always been an issue for me," she says. "I can’t understand why anyone would litter, when other options are available."

On a guided beach nature walk with a Port A resident, she saw first-hand the harm that plastic bottles and other debris can cause the native wildlife. "[The guide] picked up an empty, plastic bottle with a dozen, tiny, dime-size holes in it. No one could guess how the holes got there," Marilyn says. The guide explained that sea turtles often mistake floating trash like the bottle for jellyfish and eat it, which kills them. "That was my epiphany!  I had to do something," Marilyn says.

Grass Roots Effort That Make a Real Difference

Marilyn did online research, talked to friends and family, and joined Keep Port Aransas Beautiful. "It is a great organization with enormous efforts," she says, pointing to the trash bag stands and trash bags it provides to encourage beach cleanup. But Marilyn observed that average beachgoers were unaware of where bags are located. Convinced more people would do their part if they only had a bag handy, she launched PIPA.

"Our mission is to get the trash bags in the hands on the beach," she says. "Over Labor Day, we passed out over 200 bags, and we handed out flyers to inform people why it's important to "pitch in" and where the bags are located. The response was unbelievable!"

Beyond a new PIPA web site and Instagram account, Marilyn is encouraging Cinnamon Shore homeowners to adopt beach markers--with a pledge to help keep that section of the beach clean.

 Photo: Courtesy Pitch In Port A's Instagram Page

Cinnamon Shore already grooms and manicures its beachfront, but in Texas, the beaches are open to the public, and not every passerby cares as much about keeping the beaches free of trash as Marilyn. 

Leaving Her Mark

While she starts her day with a walk, stooping down to pick up any litter, she usually ends the afternoon with another beach walk, trash bag in hand. It's just one way she's leaving her mark on the beach town she's loved since childhood. Now PIPA is working toward tax-exempt status that will help incentive the project. "[Then we can] give out rewards to participating families," Marilyn says. "We all can make a difference."

True to her crusading spirit for keeping the Port A beach pristine, Marilyn names the "new trash bag stand at beach market #59" as her favorite new amenity at Cinnamon Shore South. "Oh yeah, and the pool!" she adds. But it's an afterthought, because as gorgeous as the new, cabana-lined pool is and as lovely as her new beach home is, it's the beach itself that has Marilyn's heart. It's what drew her to Cinnamon Shore in the first place, and she wants to help keep it clean.

Learn More About Pitch In Port A

Follow PIPA on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/pitchinporta/; visit the PIPA Web Site: https://www.letspipa.org/
Contact Marilyn directly at [email protected].

INTERESTED IN JOINING THE CINNAMON SHORE FAMILY?

Find out how you can become a homeowner like Marilyn and J.B. Goodwin! See available properties HERE and learn more about Cinnamon Shore Realty HERE. To talk to an agent at Cinnamon Shore Realty, email [email protected] or call the office at 361-749-1851.

Published by Jennifer Chappell Smith
Thursday, October 28, 2021