On a day on which rain and strong winds were a real possibility, two TOWNies took a chance, seized the moment and pushed off from the Rowing Dock.
How did we get so lucky? JaneC and LindaF enjoyed the smooth and nearly empty Lake, dogs playing in the water, amazing clouds, beautiful cliffs, trees, etc. and even had a chat with visitors from Long Island here for their daughter’s Percy Jackson camp. Jane knew all about it, to their delight. Camp Half Blood.
TOWNies know all about the pleasure of nature AND friendship AND some exercise. Furthermore .. . . there was food! Even divided in half, our hamburger at Shady Grove was great, and we got to continue talking! LindaF
It was a hot weekend that included threatened site cancellations, lost sunglasses, a birthday celebration, and a new game with no rules and rubber chickens.
Campers were SharonR and her daughter BandiD, JudyB (visitor), LindaW, LindaBW, SusanW, GloriaB, BeverlyT, and SandyO. Sharon R, LindaBW, LindaB (visitor), and I arrived on Thursday.
Friday we were expecting the others when I got a phone call that a couple of our ladies had just received cancellation emails. In a panic, LindaBW and I headed to the office. Thankfully, the emails had been sent in error so all was well. The night before SharonR had lost her glasses. The next morning she found them on the ground by her picnic table, stepped on. She did manage to bend them back to some extent.
On Friday, LindaBW lost hers. She found them in her toolbox after she got home on Sunday. Linda BW’s husband surprised her, but not us, by coming to the park Friday night with a birthday cake and presents. We had fun celebrating with Linda and Tom.
In other activities, our ladies kayaked, some fished and actually caught fish, toured the other parks on the lake, visited Collin Street Bakery, and made purchases at a nearby garage sale.
On Saturday night we had a potluck which, as typical of TOWN, was delicious topped off the SharonR’s Strawberry Banana Nut ice cream. I think we would allow her to do that again. Of course, we started our evening with Gloria B’s margaritas and pina coladas.
After dinner the ladies broke out one of Linda BW’s birthday presents, a Flicking Chicken game. Don’t ask! Sunday morning we ventured down to Miss Peggy’s, a nearby cafe, for breakfast and afterward parted ways.
Laughing in the face of danger- 13 intrepid TOWN ladies (among those 13 were Anna, CarolynD, CarolynH, CarrieL, GailPC, KimW, LisaM, MarieW, SandyB, and SandyO) faced off with wild west bandits, zombies and various other bad guys at Safe Range.
Some ladies are very impressive crack shots – I personally would recommend them in the face of a zombie apocalypse!
As it turns out Thursdays were not only ladies day but bring your own refreshing adult beverage night-good to know!
It was a hot and humid evening, but once on Lady Bird Lake, the temp didn’t seem too bad! There were 8 TOWN-Austin women JaniceB, Gail P-C, DianeN, LindaF, NancyL, JudyA, AnnaE, JacqueA and her 3 young cousins, McKenna, Grayson, and Marshall.
Marshall had fun fishing from his kayak and meeting another guy fishing. Jacque hung with Marshall as he tried to find the perfect spot to fish. McKenna and Grayson kept up with the rest of us and McKenna commented several times how in shape we all were. We enjoyed their enthusiasm being on the water and how much they loved coming to visit cousin Jacque who keeps them busy with activities.
We kayaked toward the city and encountered many stand up boarders and kayakers. A confident swan came right up to several of our kayaks.
We got a workout against the current, on the way back to the Rowing Dock. Linda F witnessed a rescue at sea: some people paddling a huge swan apparently couldn’t make it back to the dock, so they were towed in by a pontoon boat. It was a comical sight!
Afterwards most of us went to Maudies for Mexican food. Fun to sit outside, visit and laugh. Hope you can join us next time Wed, July 27.
Gail P-C
LindaW, DianaH and I took to the water Saturday morning in Bastrop to paddle the little stretch of the Colorado River between Fisherman’s Park and Tahitian Village. We met up and got on the water about 10:30 a.m. We noticed pretty quickly that the wind was a bit strong, but, fortunately, with enough twists and turns in the river, it wasn’t a buzzkill. We stopped for a dip and a bite to eat and ambled along. The water was a bit higher than normal and moved at a faster clip, so we finished, I guess, by around 1:30 or 2:00.
We saw a couple of osprey – I could watch them all day – and the usual blue heron and egrets. There was quite a bit of flood debris, including this huge tree balanced on the railroad support. The biggest thing I noticed was that the takeout was really hit by recent flooding. It was, for some unexplained reason, a bit of a challenge to get the vehicle close to the takeout spot. But, fortunately, with some help from Boy Scout Troop 188, as well as some sweet-talking by Linda, we were able to get loaded up and on our way.
We had a fun time and hope you all can join us next time!
We had 16 TOWNAustin women/friends participate in kayaking on Wednesday, June 29th at Lady Bird Lake: PaulaB, Diane, CarolC, Jacque, JodieT, JaneC, OuidaW, JudyA, Virginia, AnnaE, Lois, LindaF and friend DebbieW, NancyL and friend KristyE, and Gail. Good turnout! It was a beautiful evening to be on the water. We had some cloud coverage that helped with the heat.
LCRA was releasing water, so the current by Red Bud Island was strong. Part of the group did pursue paddling around Red Bud Island despite the pushy current; others leisurely paddled along the shore; and some kayaked up to Red Bud Island and back. Lots of visiting and exploring occurred along the way. The traffic on the water was minimal. We were back to the Rowing Dock before 8:00 pm.
Everyone had a good time. Afterwards, 9 members of the group went to eat outside at Shady Grove. The food and conversation were good.
Despite the afternoon storms and crazy traffic, there were 22 women in attendance, including 3 guests.
Our speaker was Sonja Sommerfeld, Photo Editor for Texas Parks & Wildlife Magazine. Sonja started her presentation by sharing what her job involves, then provided tips on nature photography and how to become a contributor to the magazine.
Sonja’s job description:
Sonja is one of three Photo Editors for the magazine and the only woman, so she is sent out on all of the women’s events. As Photo Editor, she spends 75% of her time in the office and 25% out in the field doing photo shoots. Her assignments are mostly at state parks, and she often is required to hike, paddle and camp out in tents (which she loves) to get her photos. Currently there are 91 state parks, with more in the works. Editorial scheduling is done 12 months in advance, and manuscripts are due 3 months prior to the month’s issue. The magazine’s Editor, Louie Bond, comes up with a theme each year. 2016’s theme was State Parks, featuring iconic state parks. The theme for 2017 is the 75th Anniversary of Texas Parks & Wildlife Magazine.
Sonja is responsible for:
– Sending out photo assignments to contributors (240 current contributors),
– Searching for specialty photos from various sources, including social media,
– Doing page layouts 2 months prior to monthly issues,
– Establishing and maintaining relationships with photographers,
– Selecting photos for publication (sorting through 100’s of photos to select a few to use),
– Sending out “photo wants” list to interested parties,
– Enhancing photos using tools like Adobe Photoshop and Lightroom,
– Going out on assignment to shoot photos (the fun part!).
Tips for improving outdoor photos:
*Rule of Thirds* – divide your frame into thirds and capture the image on 1/3 of the frame, rather than straight in the center.
*Leading Lines* – angle your shot using something like a railing or a road to draw the viewer’s eye through a photograph. Strive for movement.
*Viewpoint* – shoot at ground level, or below or above an object. It’s more interesting than standing and shooting at normal height.
*Depth of Field* – use aperture setting on the camera to focus on objects and blur out the background. Close in on the subject.
*Monthly Tips* – Earl Nottingham, Chief Photographer for TPW magazine, provides monthly photo tips in the magazine.
How to become a contributor:
Anyone can contribute articles and photos to the magazine. Contact Louie Bond or Sonja.
Here’s a few helpful tips for contributing:
– Assignment Relationship – Let them know your style and establish a relationship. Get on “Photo Wants” lists for your particular specialty.
– Photos are paid for at the rate of $40 for small photos and $700 for covers.
– Check submission specifications – see what is required regarding format.
– Check art direction of assignment to make sure your photo is the right fit.
– Go for creating emotion and making the photo interesting by using the above photo tips.
– Avoid over staging a photo – it should look natural.
– Check for rules regarding copyrights, private property, famous landmarks.
– For cover shots – vertical image, need space for title placement and captions.
Sonja ended the presentation by giving all of us a copy of the July TPW magazine. She welcomes emails if you have any photo questions .
Well, if this hike wasn’t a death march (in the true TOWNie tradition of JennT) with the heat and humidity, it was pretty close.
Seven of us (BarbaraS, CarolC, CarolynD, Dawn, Gail, Jacque, and JeanetteS [member from TOWN-Bastrop] with her picture-shy dog Casper) gathered at the horse parking lot for McKinney Roughs Nature Park. We failed to see actual equines but saw plenty of scat evidence. Our goal was to hike about 5 miles and stop for lunch at the Lost Pines Resort.
We started on the Roadrunner trail (0.8 mi) which took us to Coyote Road (for 1 mi). Hiking and, naturally, visiting, we investigated plants, and Dawn spotted a dead caterpillar being eaten by ants. We rescued the caterpillar (photo is attached). We found the intersection for Deep Sandy, but the trail was closed due to water damage. So we continued walking Coyote Road to Pecan Bottom trail. The group took a break while I investigated the closed trail leading to the cut-off for Hyatt Regency Lost Pines Resort, our lunch destination.
Locating the gate to the Hyatt, I found the entrance to be piled with branches against it, left from recent high water. CarolynD selected the faster, more efficient approach and verified with the McKinney Roughs staff that the trail to Hyatt was definitely closed. So, we opted to not be rule breakers and not go to the Hyatt for lunch.
We continued hiking Pecan Bottom (1.0 mi), which intersected with the Buckeye trail (0.6 mi). This is definitely the steepest route in the park. We located Meditation Point, had lunch, relaxed a bit, and of course talked. However, CarolC was convinced that we had not been at Meditation Point, so four women continued to locate it and three of us headed to the trailhead.
Our total distance hiked was 4.07 miles with a moving time of 1:42 at an average of 2.4 mi/hr. Time on the trails was about 2.5 hours. It was not the hike I had envisioned, but it was definitely fun, and we enjoyed visiting and getting to know each other better.
Thanks to all six of you (plus Casper) for joining me. Lead a hike — we’re a fun group!
Four of us (CarolC, Jacque, KathleenG, and Sallie) gathered at Bright Leaf Preserve for a docent (Jacque) led hike. Many of the varieties of wild flowers we saw during our spring hike were no longer blooming.
We hiked 3.25 miles according to my gps and 4.05 miles according to my Fitbit. Hmmm. The hike took about 2 hours.
Photos are attached. KathleenG spotted the tarantula. The Button Bush photo is not particularly good, but I do love that plant. The Balsam Gourd has very bright gourds this year.
Join us for the next Bright Leaf hike, which will be in the fall.
Five of us hiked this morning, finishing by 10:30, but it was still quite warm. (Afterwards the air conditioning felt soooo perfect!) CarolC, CarolynH (with six year old granddaughter Mamie), Gail, and Sallie joined me for this effort.
We hiked 2.15 miles with a moving average of 1.7 mph. The creek was full and moving well, and the waterfall was lovely. And let’s give young Mamie lots of credit — she hiked the entire way, spotted water striders, and carried her own binoculars.
Attached are several photos. The Mountains Pinks were in full bloom. The scat (1.5 inches long and 0.5 inches wide) is from a road runner.
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