Category: Uncategorized (Page 21 of 46)

Hi All,

The day started as so many do, with a clearing sky, good company, and under the watchful eyes of Junko, the heralded canine who escorted Lisa F, LisaS, Kim and Marsha on a 4.4 mile Greenbelt hike that evolved into a morning of panic and snappishness on my  part.

Due to a hip injury,  I wanted to hike in an area that was  less climbing and loose rocks. Oh, the best laid  plans….

We started at a different site and as we went along,  I THOUGHT,  I had memorized trail markings but only to be left totally lost and confused on the way back.  Normally,  that is not a problem but I had to be back on time for church as I was lector.  Yes, we got lost.  I left messages for pastor and fellow  congregants, but no one called  back.  Google trails, Run Keeper and Find Your Car Apps all proved futile as we wandered in the wilderness, looking for a burning bush, a trail marker or Starbucks.

Regardless of the direction, the seldom-used  game trails looked the same, as I began to be concerned about my obligations to my church this  morning.

A bird flew over and we thought it was a vulture,  serving as a harbinger of what was coming.   But no, it was a green heron.  Then we looked for squirrels as we started needing  food.  Then we all began plotting on who was the weakest link and would not be missed….

The mark of civilization appeared,  electrical lines, and we followed that back to a well-known  street,  albeit far from our cars.   So, we called Wrong-Way Carolyn to rescue us as I needed to be back for church obligations and Kim cannot do walking on the streets.   Carolyn went the wrong way despite my beautiful explanation of location.   Eventually,  she located us on the street, weaving with fatigue.  I hopped a ride,  as  did LisaF, but LisaS, Kim, who was a reason to call the Wrong-Way Carolyn, walked back.  I hurried home, not even changing clothes  and dashed to church with 107 seconds to spare.  I wonder if Lisa S and Kim made it back….

Until next time….

Happy Trails,  Marsha

Hello all, 

We had 7 TOWNIES  today, Sarah, Effie, Carolyn,  Maria, LisaF, Jenny, and Marsha  who were all protected by courageous Bella, the lone canine companion today.

We completed the 4.6 mile trail today that featured never-traversed trails before by Sunday hikers, using little known trails that were created by man and beast to connect the better traveled trails.

We were able to make it down to the creek today and there was enough water for a doggie splash pad, but Bella had too much pride to splash in shallow water.

As we traveled west along the creek, Bella alerted us to a vulture that was about the size of a small car, easily noticed as it flew away with a distinctive flap of wings. What the vulture was enjoying as a breakfast we could not see, but then we thought maybe our pace was slower than usual and the vulture was just waiting….

We were able to see the start of spring with blooming wood violets and Lantana as the cardinals flitted about chirping and looking for nesting materials. 

Until next time……

Happy Trails, Marsha 

Hi all,

 We had a group of talented women, Kim, Sarah, Carolyn, Effie,  Debbie and Marsha, today on the Sunday hike that was joined by 4-wheel drive canine friends Abby and Bella. The 3.5 – 4.7 mile hike, depending on whose tracker was being used, was exceptionally slippery today with light rain.

 I knew the day was going to be unusual when a mockingbird serenaded us as we began a slow descent into the woods, watching each footstep to avoid sliding on the rocks.  The mockingbird’s song turned into a chant of laughter. We were not deterred and kept on our way.

The path was exceedingly slippery, but it seems that our TOWN women had talents I was unaware existed.  As we navigated and slipped over the rocks, it was noted that Kim was performing some excellent ballet moves, the allegro, that was very graceful as her little legs moved quickly. Effie, longing to be 6 foot tall, practiced her stretch with allonge, while Carolyn had one leg extended in an arabesque move that left us all spellbound,  perhaps with laughter, but regardless,  we were spellbound.  Sarah was frisky today and practiced her 2 feet in the air, assemble, showcasing years of hidden talent. Debbie still recovering from surgery maintained a steady adagio pace that brought dignity to the winds. 

There were several groups that passed us and gave us wide berths followed by curious glances. I am sure they were also mesmerized by the performance and not secretly laughing at us.

As you can see,  neither Abby nor Bella nor myself participated in the ballet moves as we all charged forward as an old plow mule returning home to the barn at the end of the day.

None of us sustained injuries or falls and we all returned home safely. The next performance for Ballet TOWN will be next Sunday.

Until then…

Happy Trails,  Marsha 

Hello all,
On this morning’s hike we had 5 TOWNies – Marsha, Jacque, Carolyn, Lisa and Effie along with 3 very energetic canines – Sheba, Junko and Patchy.

We had a very peaceful, quiet hike today as the weather was mild and the leaves were damp. At one point we came across some aromatic blossoms on a wild plum tree – or bush? And we had to stop for a moment to take in the scent.

We followed behind Marsha, as usual, not knowing exactly where we were or where we were going, but trusting that she would lead us through the woods and eventually back home – completing a total of 4.4 miles today.

What a great way to end the week!

Happy Trails, Effie

We had birders galore, bikers aplenty, and hikers all around the park! I even heard of a bald eagle sighting by some bikers!  What a diverse and fun group!  And of course there was the camping by rv’ers and tenters alike. 

Some visited the Spoetzl Brewery in Shiner; others visited the Gonzales jail with only 1 reluctant inmate….

It seems the rest are still on probation from previous years and thus on their best behavior.

There was one vehicle key rescue with a TOWNie locked inside after she climbed in a window to retrieve the keys…at least that’s the story I heard! Even the swamp monster was present for our night time walk!

The climax of this outing is always the dutch oven meal.  Thanks to all preparers, chefs, fire tenders and our resident margarita maker….all was amazingly delicious!

If you have not attended this annual start to the camping season, please try to schedule it in next February.  We missed all of you not able to attend!

I and hopefully others will post pictures on Meetup…check them out!

Once again I have realized how very blessed I am to have you all in my life….Thanks for the wonderful time!

See you outdoors soon!

LindaBW

Hey All,

Twelve folks {DianeN, JackieD, Jacque, JanetFB, Janne, LisaM, LoisK (+ husband), MaryVE (+ brother and sister-in-law), and Shelia} met at Mary Moore Searight this morning to enjoy a Beginning Bird Walk with Travis Audubon.  Due to a hiccup in Audubon plans, that hike has been rescheduled for March 7^th.  So we did our own birding hike and walk.

Thanks to 12 set of eyes, we saw:

15           Double-crested Cormorants

1             Great Egret

1             Red-shouldered Hawk – heard

3             Carolina Chickadees

4             Black-crested Titmice

1             Ruby-crowned Kinglet

3             Northern Mockingbirds

3             Chipping Sparrows

1             Yellow-rumped Warbler

9             Northern Cardinals

Kudos to each of you for assisting the others to see birds.  And thanks for your patience and willingness to continue on with our own birding and hiking despite the absence of TAS folks.  I do appreciate JanetFB and JackieD for leading the gathering.  And I did enjoy our conversations about nests, moth environments, and scat.

Next time! Jacque

Hi all,

We had a rowdy group of 10 TOWNIES and 5 fearless dogs. Effie, a.k.a. Nanook, Jacque,  Lisa,  Kim, Carolyn, Debbie (back from surgery), Sarah, guests Marlena and her mother Glenda,  and Marsha were joined by Junko, Bella, Abby, Sheba, and Patchy who was visiting at Camp Grandma. 

 Going down the big hill and entering into the woods I saw a quick movement in the woods that was reminiscent of a coyote shadow.  The hikers were alerted and the dogs were told to beat on high alert. As we traveled downhill  to complete our 4.1 mile hike, a noise continued to the west of us. It seemed to be following us and on occasion I could see a glimpse of movement. I am sure it was a Coyote as deer do not follow people. The dogs seem to be oblivious of it, so maybe it was a 10 foot squirrel that was following us. I will place my money on the coyote as there was a smell of musk and dirt that lingered. 

 We shorten the hike today as I needed to take a slower pace. The group was tearful about the lack of miles, but both Kim and Lisa were able to stoically hold the tears in check and not cry over the slower pace and the lack of hills.  The other hikers were not a stoic and a few tears were shed.

Until next time. 

Happy Trails, Marsha 

Twelve ladies met to play Rummikub, Mexican Train, and Catch Phrase and the competition began. Many had fun learning that charcuterie was not a board game, but assortment of meats, crackers, cheese, fruit, peppadews, etc. Lisa and Joan brought their own board and showed us a beautiful presentation of what a charcuterie board should look like. I will post a picture on Meetup. Lots of chatter and laughter continued the entire evening until time to depart. TOWN ladies are the best!
June

Hi All,

The new year, 2020, started with a gaggle of TOWNIES, or is it a herd?, that gathered at Northwest Rec Center to start the year with stories of past holiday cheer and plans for the future. The past year is long gone and is now only a glowing ember in our memories as the TOWNIES prepare for a new year of adventure. We started this year talking about bats, but more to come…..

This is the first meeting led by President Marilyn and so far there is no mention of impeachment.  Yet.

Marilyn is placing heavy emphasis on getting everyone involved as there is some activity that will hopefully appeal to everyone over the course of the year. We currently have 62 members with 6 new members, so far, for this year.

We had some guests today and we hope that they join the gaggle of TOWNIES. 

We reviewed future speakers,  with excitement building and  as the list was presented, applause spontaneously erupted.  Events, past and future were reviewed.  See website for specifics. 

Our speaker, Karen Hoffman Blizzard, gave a nice presentation on Frio River Bat Caves and the flying inhabitants- bats. And more. 

The night finished with thoughts of our flying friends,  the bats, as well as thoughts  of future adventures. 

Until next time…….

Happy Trails, Marsha 

Hi all,

For our morning hike today we had one canine, Junko and 7 hikers – Kim, Lisa, Carolyn, Maria, Effie and guest Magdelena led by our fearless leader Marsha.

The greenbelt was particularly slippery this morning, but Marsha was undaunted and proceeded to lead us up and down steep hills for 3.9 miles, at times veering off the trail to create her own path. Fortunately all 7 hikers and our single canine managed to hang on to make it back unscathed!
Until next time….

Happy Trails Effie