If you missed PA Art About (the Port Aransas version of an art walk last week) you don't want to miss the second installment in the spring.

It was fantastic!

I've been to art walks in San Antonio and McAllen, and Port Aransas compared well -- very well.

Kudos to the Art Center for the Islands for putting on PA Art About, and for doing it well.

Kudos to Mother Nature for blessing us with perfect weather.

Kudos to the participants for opening their studios, galleries and homes.

If you missed it, here's how it goes:

First, you rent an electric buggy, then you start making the rounds. We figured on about 15 minutes, mas o menos, per stop.

At each stop you run into people you know and meet people you didn't know, have a little sip of wine, a bite of cheese and on you go.

We lingered a little too long in some places and, therefore, missed a few of the stops. We'll get to them next go round.

We turned in our buggy and ended the evening by dining al fresco at one of the waterfront restaurants. Our nightcap was listening to Sisters Morales, also on the waterfront.

It was a lovely evening and we can't wait for the spring version of PA Art About.

There are some events here that are just plain special, and the PA Art About joined those ranks its first time out. Woo-hoo!

Another special event is the Fall Back Festival this Saturday, and it looks like the weather is going to be even more cooperative.

While PA Art About is free (unless you bought some art, as I suspect some of you did, either that night or will in the days to come), the Fall Back Festival comes with a $30 price tag. That's not a bad thing. It's a fundraiser for the Port Aransas Community Theater. And here's the thing: For three hours you get to taste a variety of great wines, sample dishes from a bunch of Port Aransas restaurants, listen to some fine blues, try your luck at a silent auction and compete for the best costume.

The setting is the la playa area of the Port A USA center anchored by Pelican's Landing. It's another opportunity to meet old friends and make new ones.

Many of the shops in the center stay open, so there are shopping opportunities as well during the festival.

Sandwiched between these two events was the Harvest Moon Regatta, which is an opportunity to watch beautiful sailboats cruise into Port Aransas from Galveston by the hundreds. This year we were treated to the 1877 iron barque Elissa, Texas' Tall Ship, in the lead.

The Fall Back Festival will be followed by what we used to call the "chamber banquet". This event has kicked it up a notch over the past several years, and it is now called "Party in Port A". Ticket prices for individuals and tables have been cut in half in an effort to include more of the community in what is a tribute to the Citizen of the Year. It's become a real Port Aransas party, and the hope is that more people will become involved. If you haven't got your tickets already, you need to do that soon. Monday, Nov. 5, is the last day to buy tickets. The event is catered, so no tickets will be sold at the door. Check out the story elsewhere in this edition for details.

Bottom line: Is Port Aransas a great place, or what?

Yeah, Port Aransas is a great place.

See you at the Fall Back Festival (I'm serving wine, so come see me!) and at the Party in Port A!

It's fall, ya'll! Mary Henkel Judson is co-publisher and editor of the South Jetty.