Category: Uncategorized (Page 14 of 46)

Dear TOWNies,  Eightteen ladies camped at Goliad State Park from 11/4/21 to 11/7/21:

Dawn Hoyt Kidd, daughter Mary Dawn a/ka MD and beautiful pup named Lake who is deaf;  Koby Fell and Stephanie, Lisa McMillan with Sassy and Maria Vidal; Peg Gavin; Gloria Blagg and Flo Madsen; Susan Walters with Beverly Travis; Shelia Shelley without Jacqueline (who couldn’t make it because her 100-yr-old  mother had to go to hospital); Kim Fisher with Linda BW; Diane Nunes with Nancy Likos and we are so happy for the return of Sandy Smith with Silky.  We had a lot of fun by the wonderful camp fires, the river bonding with new and old friends.  Linda BW built the best fire ever on a cool Friday night.  We had dinner by the fire and the ladies surprised me with a birthday cake and sang to me.  Thank you all, that was truly special. Saturday morning Linda loaded up her trailer and shuttled us all to the drop off point. It didn’t take long before one of our friends (not mentioning any names, LOL) dropped off in the river.  She only got 1/2 way, and didn’t get her hair wet.  That was a good thing as it was a little cool.  We agreed this was the quickest flotilla ever at just over 2 hours.   After this everything else is a blurr for me.  My Ray called to tell me he was in a car accident and being taken to ER.  His breathing was very labored and he was in a lot of pain.  The hospital said he broke his T-12 Vertebrae.  He is doing better today and continues to heal, but that one really scared us all.  So thankful it wasn’t worse.

Thank you all for joining us at Goliad SP and annual Flotilla.  It was awesome!  Lisa McMillan

Hello TOWNies,  It was a beautiful morning for a hike today.  In the 50’s when we started out, sunny when we finished and dry the entire time! The 8 TOWNies in attendance included Marsha, Lisa, Jenny, Kim, Carolyn, Jody, Janice and myself.  As well as 2 very playful, energetic canines Junko and Pachi.  We chatted endlessly as we crossed meadows, climbed and descended hills to complete a brisk 4 mile trek. It was mostly uneventful until a few of us wearing caps failed to spot a low hanging tree limb and walked right into it!  Fortunately no serious injuries but Marsha suggested we might want to swap our caps for helmets in the future!

Happy Trails, Effie

Hey TOWNies!  Do we look like we were having fun?  Yes indeed!  JaniceB is the photographer.  From the far left:  Baby’s head, Mamie’s whole body, KathleenC, Jacque, Sheba’s cute rear end, FionaC, Pepper in the tree, AnnaE, Saffy sniffing PegG toe, and PegG.  This group does well together.  We won’t hike 11/24 due to Thanksgiving holiday activities.  Lots of visiting today:  how clear the creek water was, wet feet vs dry, holiday plans, dog agility classes, dog doors and crawling through when a key is missing, tennis shoes purchased since last Wednesday, Beatle’s music at the Arboretum Thursday night on the Lawn by the Eggmen beginning at 6 pm – look for AnnaE, 2022 member applications – PayPal or hard copy, special hiker today who skipped work to join us, to travel or not for the upcoming holiday, turkey vs beef vs vegan, where have all the birds gone, how can dogs disappear from sight so quickly, booster shots, trading clothing, etc.

We plan to hike again Wednesday, Dec. 1^st.  Come join the fun!  Jacque

Dear TOWNies,

Seventeen ladies camped at Goliad State Park from 11/4/21 to 11/7/21:   DawnK, daughter Mary Dawn a/ka MD and beautiful pup named Lake who is deaf;  KobyF and StephanieN, LisaMcM with Sassy and MariaV; PegG; GloriaB; FloM; SusanW with BevT; SheliaS without Jacqueline (who couldn’t make it because her 100-yr-old  mother had to go to hospital); KimF with LindaBW; DianeN with NancyL and we are so happy for the return of SandyS with Silky.

We had a lot of fun by the wonderful camp fires bonding with new and old friends.  Linda BW built the best fire ever on a cool Friday night.  We had dinner by the fire and the ladies surprised me with a birthday cake and sang to me.  Thank you all, that was truly special.  Saturday morning Linda loaded up her trailer and shuttled us all to the drop off point.  It didn’t take long before one of our friends (not mentioning any names, LOL) dropped off in the river.  She only got 1/2 way, and didn’t get her hair wet.  That was a good thing as it was a little cool.  We agreed this was the quickest flotilla ever at just over 2 hours.

After this everything else is a blurr for me.  My Ray called to tell me he was in a car accident and being taken to ER.  His breathing was very labored and he was in a lot of pain.  The hospital said he broke his T-12 Vertebrae.  He is doing better today and continues to heal, but that one really scared us all.  So thankful it wasn’t worse.

Thank you all for joining us at Goliad SP and annual Flotilla.  It was awesome!  LisaMcM

Hi all, We had 8 women today, Jenny and her niece Gail visiting from Oregon,  Effie,  Jacque,  Debbie, Lisa, Jody, and Marsha who were protected by Canine Protection Services,  Junko and Sheba. We covered 4 miles, after we walked in the cul-de-sac to make it 4 rather than 3.9.   We had a little quicker pace today, per reports by the hikers, but the cool weather spurred us on to the next curve in the road.  We were very happy that Gail joined us as she was able to confirm some of Jenny’s exploits in the past.  The water was flowing rapidly,  only matched by the cheerful flow if conversation.

Until next time….. Happy Trails, Marsha

We had a chilly morning at the start. But with the sun out the temp kayaking was comfortable. We had 8 Town Austin women,  Debbie B, Jody R, Anna E, Gloria W, Judy A, Linda Foss, Karen K, me and one guest Debbie W who braved the cool temp! We had some wind and the water was a bit choppy. We kayaked toward Red Bud Island against the wind and current with hopes the wind would be at our backs on the return. This was Jody’s first time kayaking and she caught on quickly. Anna E, Gloria W, Judy A,Karen K and Debbie W were in the lead and kayaked around Bud Island. The rest of us kayaked to the edge of Red Bud and enjoyed floating and visiting. It was a crisp, clear morning and there were few people on the water. We all had a good time and no one was cold. The wind was at our back and we returned with the current. The Rowing Dock staff were so accommodating with getting the kayaks ready, helping us in and out of the kayaks. Afterwards we decided to have lunch at Maudies on Lake Austin Blvd. That is one popular place. We had a 20-30 minute wait but the time passed quickly visiting. Once seated we followed a tradition that Linda F started a few years back.  We go around the table and each person has an opportunity to share with everyone what they have been doing, trips taken, caring for grandkids, loss of a fur baby, activities they are involved in, hopeful future travel plans that were canceled due to COVID, getting a new fur baby.  It is always fun to be on Lady Bird Lake with a wonderful group of women!            Gail P-C

Camping just fails to describe all the fun and activities we enjoyed Thursday, October 21 – Sunday, October 24 at Pedernales Falls State Park!

Twenty-five members, two spouses, members’ friends, three kids, and eight pups joined the party.  AllieKat (with her pup Juliet Elise), AngieB, CarolJ (and pal Jelly Bean), CarrieL (and son Aaron), ChristineF, DebbieH (with pup Bailey), GailW (with her husband Bill), Jacque, JanetFB (with pups Barnie & Gilly), JaniceB, JennyF, JudyS, June (with darling Dolly), KobyF (and daughter Mikayla), LisaMcM, LoisJ, MariaV (with her friend CorrinaN and Corrina’s daughter Xidmara), MarieW, MaryVE (and new pup Rosie), ReneW, SandyB, SharonR (with her husband Billie and geocaching pal Cache), SheilaMcC, SusanW, and TammyM attended the outing.

We started arriving and sitting up camp Thursday and visiting each other.  Members shared sites with both tents and rv campers.  Our sites were spread throughout the electric/water area.  That night we had the invasion of the Rowdy Raccoons at site #37.  Upon exiting my Casita Friday am, I saw empty chip bags and cans, an empty egg carton, and lots of empty plastic bags.  Then TammyM spotted torn venison sausage and bacon containers and noticed the Wagyu steaks were missing.  So… those naughty Racoons left satiated.

Friday morning activities included walking, hiking, visiting the falls, and birding.  Eight of us drove 10 miles to Johnson City for cell service and surprisingly found ourselves eating at the local Dairy Queen and having Blizzards.  That afternoon – more visiting, etc.  In the  evening about 15 of us attended the park ranger’s presentations of Astronomy 101 and Stories in the Stars.  ChristineF gleefully portrayed a swan during the programs!

Saturday morning the walking and hiking began, as well as swimming and wading at the Falls.  That evening almost everyone gathered at site #37 for a non-pot luck, laughing, visiting, eating fruit and dessert, and Bingo games led by AngieB.  SusanW was the spinner.  We all had cards and candy corn pieces were our place holders.  AngieB led us through five games and awarded prizes to the winners.  Such fun!

Sunday am, ladies were walking, some departing, and some stayed another night.

Thanks everyone for coming!

First let me say that, for all you can imagine of past occasions, frolicking about the bridges downtown, 1st St., Lamar, and even onward to Congress, that downtown is QUITE FAR FROM THE ROWING DOCK!  Curtail the available time by half an hour, and a strong wind in our faces; there were four truly doughty paddlers setting off from the Rowing Dock at 5:30 on the 13th.

We were determined to make it to the Seaholm water intake facility, and the work is already beginning.    This is the large gray building just east of the Lamar bridge, on the north shore of the lake.  It is going to be part of a long-awaited adaptive re-use project that is being overseen by the Trail Foundation and the Austin Parks Foundation, and Austin Parks and Recreation Department.  Called the Seaholm Waterfront, the first drawings show paddlers approaching a watery landing, with people scattered about enjoying the access to the water, and inside, places to sit and of course, a coffee shop.  Not for nothing is Austin being called The New Seattle.

Fiona C, on her first outing with TOWN, proved amazingly up to the challenge, Carol C not reclining this time, experienced Gloria W and I, leading from behind, all managed the slog,  but counting on the wind to take us back to the Rowing Dock with a little less effort.  As if that ever happens.  Three of us were anticipating the soft serve ice cream at Jason’s in Rollingwood, only to discover when we finally arrived, this branch is closed.  By the time we remembered Panera, down the road, the storm was threatening & we all skedaddled home.  LindaF

Hi all,  We had a nice group of 5 women today, Jody, Debbie, Jenny, Janice and Marsha,  who braved the wild woods today with no canine protection.   It was harrowing at times without the dogs, screams radiating from the depths of the canyons.  The screams were actually from the hikers  as we tackled hills today, resulting in us having to scoot at times to secure safe travels over the terrain.  We chatted continuously until we reached the hills and if I am not mistaken,  I thought I heard some lack of enthusiasm and possible cursing of the day I was born. We traveled only 3.4 miles but we felt valiant anyways since it was a hill day.

Until next time….. Happy Trails, Marsha

Hi all,  We had a nice group today of 8 TOWNIES,  Effie, Janice, Jacque, Kim, Leigh, Jody, Kathleen and Marsha,  joined by canine protector Sheba, who finished 4.2 miles in hot and humid weather, mimicking summer heat blast, rather that any cool fall weather.  Carolyn was unable to join us as she was recovering from babysitting her two grandsons last night.  To ensure that we did not succumb to weakness from the hike, we went to Effie’s house to share brunch.  Carolyn did show up bearing champagne, perhaps a new tool for babysitting?  Carolyn did stay upwind from us as we reeked from the hike.

Until next time….  Happy Trails, Marsha

NO SUNDAY HIKE  ON OCTOBER 24TH.