Category: Uncategorized (Page 31 of 46)

Due to the flooding and continued rain, the Rowing Dock was closed, so we did not kayak as planned on Wednesday, October 24. Instead six Town Austin women Linda F, Judy A, Diane N, Gloria W, Maria, and I met at Shady Grove for a bite to eat, refreshments and a good visit.

Maria drove in from Georgetown in the rain to meet up with us. It was a slow night at the Shady Grove and our waiter, who referred to himself as our “Dude” was very attentive to taking care of us. We toasted to another fun kayaking season. We appreciated that Diane N, could assist in leading several kayak dates.

The next kayaking season on Lady Bird Lake will be April 10, 2019.
Gail P-C

Trip Report  –   Guadalupe River State Park Campout
October 11-14, 2018

We had a lovely gang at the State Park: BeverlyT, JanetF, LindaB, JudyS, JennyF, JanB. SusanW,
GloriaB, SandyS., MarieW, JoanC, SandyO, MariaV, NancyL, MarilynF, and KayS all gathered for
all or part of the weekend.

The weather was sticky but bearable, with intermittent showers to cool us off; the ground was
wet, and we noted tiny bluebonnets sprouting. This park did not experience a rain bomb last
week, but nevertheless the River was brown.

JennyF and JanB led us on a short hike from our camp to the River and back. The cypress trees
are so old and so tenacious, some standing in the swollen waters of the River, that their over-21
-feet diameters were astounding. The marks on their bark from generations of climbers and
jumpers tell a sweet story.

Other trails being closed, we felt fortunate to participate in the scheduled guided hike at the
lovely Honey Creek State Natural Area. Our guide, Mary Lasher (I think) interpreted several
habitats to us on the multi-acre Rust Ranch. She showed us gamagrass–an ancestor of corn,
plant communities interdependent with fallen oaks, and rock fences around long-overgrown
pastures.

Honey Creek itself was running fast, streaming beneath lily pads and around rocks. The water
was clear and sparkling. The canyon carved by this year-round stream is marked with huge
cypress and oaks. The creek, our guide said, springs from a cave, and is currently threatened by
development. Here is an article on that threat: https://therivardreport.com/honey-creek-apristine-
hill-country-stream-could-soon-see-treated-sewage/

Our campfires were lively (as usual) and we all benefitted from the hard work of Gloria and
Susan: One coordinated delicious beverages and the other cooked the potatoes for the pot
luck. Everyone enjoyed the variety of potato toppings and the crispy skin.

Not to be outdone by the Saturday night dinner, LindaB and JanB and JennyF pulled together a
leftovers breakfast of fresh eggs and bacon with (guess: Potatoes).

Personally, I feel kinship with this park due to the miracle of a girl cat rescued by the hand of
our Judy and myself, the cooperation of a friendly and understanding superintendent (who did
us a special favor by opening Honey Creek Preserve to us), and re-learning to ride a bike.
Muchas gracias to KayS, JanetF, and NancyL for coaching and encouragement.

See you all at Goliad, and sooner.
M.

Seven intrepid TOWN ladies kayaked the beautiful Ladybird Lake this evening. The water level was high but water was not being released from the dam.

Participants were JanisK, JanneB, CarolynH, GloriaW, NancyL, AnnaE, and DianeN. There were several groups of rowers to dodge. We saw a white heron with a fish in it’s mouth, a green heron, wood ducks, and coots. Gloria and Anna picked up trash (thanks). We all enjoyed the peace of the river.

Last kayak outing of the season is in 2 weeks, on 10/24.  Come join us!

Diane

Those of Little Faith missed a great evening in which the seasons seemed to be changing right in front of us.  JanisK alerted us that the Rowing Dock would be open when we worried about rain, AND that the Stratford entrance was closed for ACL set-up.  Big worry–a family of four planning to come and SusanW was bringing friends, a crowd!

Both crowds were the same crowd :  StephanieM and her friend ChrisH who live in the Los Angeles area were here visiting her parents Casey and LizM who are long-time friends of SusanW.   By the time The Leader arrived at the Rowing Dock, GloriaW and AnnaE and JanisK had already collected payments and filled in paperwork.  The Rowing Dock staff was wonderfully efficient and we were on the water quickly.

The Swan, single now (anyone know why?) saw everyone off in a long string toward Redbud Island, with Anna and Janis in the lead over smooth water, and quiet.  We did not need to hide from the sun as it was a cloudy day, which seemed to brighten the colors of the rocks and trees along the way.  We saw two great blue herons, a quantity of beautiful wood ducks, and a few turtles were sunning themselves: tiny ones at the top, small ones at the bottom and they delighted Chris.  He and Stephanie had a week of Austin activities planned.

The lure of the Hula Hut claimed Anna and Janis; it would have been great to hear more about her kayak tour of Venice,  and GloriaW and LindaF met with MariaV at Shady Grove.  Bonanza! On this occasion, Maria brought with her drawings of the house prototype for the intentional community she is developing.  Can’t wait to hear more.

Stay tuned:  On Oct 10th, DianeN will be leading.  SECOND TO LAST KAYAK TRIP OF THE SEASON, so mark your calendars for the 24th, and think about joining us for dinner to celebrate, even if you don’t want to paddle:  8 pm Shady Grove.

Well, we made it!  No rain for us.  Six of us (CarolynD, ChristineF, JackieD, Jacque, JanneB, and Nicole) gathered to hike 4+ miles in about 2.5 hours at Bright Leaf Preserve.

Bright Leaf Preserve is 216 acres of private wooded land where only docent guided hikes are allowed.  And luckily for us, we had two of those docents!  The acreage was purchased in 34 parcels by Georgia Lucas.  In her will, the land was given to TPWD and later passed to the Austin Community Foundation.

TOWNies always visit and talk a lot and this outing was no exception.  Lots of conversations ensued as we hiked, crossed two creeks, and managed not to fall on wet rocks and leaves.

We identified:

plants                   Lindheimer Silk Tassel, Escarpment Cherry Tree, Evergreen Sumac, Ashe Juniper, Cedar Sage, Texas Redbud, Texas Buckeye, Star Moss, Flottina, Twist Leaf Yucca, Nipple Cactus

scat                      yes, poop – raccoon and coyote

reptiles                turtle

nostoc                  a tasteless, ancient seaweed, nicknamed gorilla snot, which hydrates when moist

galls                      produced by oak trees when insects stimulate the bark ! and leaves

cochineal bug     these produce white fluff which contain a natural red dye, used during the Revolutionary War for the Redcoats to dye their red jackets and to create carmine red ink

Included in our hike was a stop at Ms. Lucas’s weekend home where we checked the view of Lake Austin and enjoyed an ice cold water break.  Ms. Lucas had 40+ cats who lived in the KittyCondo and were protected by her dalmatian.  To celebrate her mom’s birthday, Ms. Lucas would serve canned cat food in crystal bowls at a large dining room table and invite the 40+ kitties inside!

The finished our hike in good shape and as I turned into my driveway, the raindrops started following.  I enjoy seeing Bright Leaf each season so we’ll do this again.

Thanks to the ladies for joining me!  Jacque

We had a great time – two TOWNies (RachelA & LisaMcM), one prospective member (BrendaT), and my cousin from Georgetown (MaryH)  attended.

The tour was led by one of the foundation members (Gary Spivy, lifelong resident of Liberty Hill and current town historian) who was there when the sculptures were created.  He had some great stories to tell and kept us all entertained for the hour-and-a-half tour.  We also met several other foundation members who were on site getting ready for the sculpture festival on October 13th.

The weather was perfect, cloudy and cool.  One member had to leave before lunch, but the rest of carpooled to Dahlia’s Cafe for some scrumptious home-style food.  The timing was perfect, as a rainstorm started just as we got our lunch.  By the time we were done eating and visiting, the storm had passed and we were able to return to the park and part ways without getting wet!

Next time we’ll include the geocaching too!

RachelA

15 semi-amphibious TOWNies dodged intermittent rain and at least one windy incident this past weekend at beautiful Lake Livingston State Park.   Some took unintended detours trying to navigate various GPS routes so our travel times for arrival were a source of comical discussions Thursday and Friday.  We did, however, squeeze in a ton of fun adventures.

Marilyn led kayaking; Beverly led a short hike on the Lone Star Trail; Gloria and Bev got to leave their travel bugs at the forest and Jacque took lots of photos of unusual mushroom sightings for further research.

We enjoyed meeting new-ish members Carol, Maria and Mitzi.  LindaK kept us mostly dry with her Clam and some got to test out SandyO’s new truck. SandyS brought her famous rum cake to enjoy after a delicious meal of grilled hot dogs cooked by our very own Susan and fixins’ supplied by all.

Sweet Joan brought discount coupons from REI (yay!) and Adela brought Max and Annie to keep us company. JudyS was only able to stay a day, but made the trip down from Dallas.

We saw and heard beautiful wildlife including herons, egrets and woodpeckers….nothing better to me than seeing what Mom Nature has to offer!

A great big THANKS to all who participated. We will plan another trip there in the cooler months soon so that others may join in and enjoy all East Texas has to offer!
LindaBW

We had a fun time kayaking on Lady Bird Lake. It was a leisurely paddle around Red Bud Island. It was a warm evening with little breeze. Being in the shade helped overcome the warm temp.

There were six TOWN-Austin women, Diane N, Judy A, Gloria W, Peg G, Lisa M and me, who joined to kayak.  It was relatively quiet on the lake. Diane N brought her new kayak, that fits inside her vehicle!

Afterwards, we went to Hula Huts for a bite to eat and beverages.  Lisa M, was unable to join us but sure glad to meet her kayaking.  We shared experiences of recent travels. The discussion  got lively as we discussed modest ways to pee outside and tips on traveling with less undies.

Hope you can join us next time on Lady Bird Lake, Wednesday, September 12.
Gail P-C

It was a fine surprise to see Gloria W. at the picnic tables while we handled our paperwork.  The conversation had already started with Anna E. At the last minute our group was rounded out by Peg G. for a lovely cruise on a sweltering afternoon.

Once on the water, the temperature drops, and all troubles are forgotten.  The Tom Miller Dam is the  frequent destination of these paddles; the route is deemed the shadiest.

Peg’s trip to Ireland, the music, the sights, the food, etc., was a great topic on the water and among several of great interest at supper . . . on the other side of the Tom Miller Dam at the Hula Hut.

Four is a perfect number for supper, so is six, or eight.  The group is a continuous variable, conversation added to and shaped by those who are there.  It should be you, too!  If you haven’t come in a while, if you are new to TOWN and are thinking about coming, or if you have always wanted to TRY flat water kayaking, then make a note that we go out the second and 4th Wednesdays of every month.  The season will be over at the end of October.  The staff at the Rowing Dock helps us into the boats and out, the only hard part.

Next outing is the 22nd of August.   LindaF

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It turned out to be perfect weather for a morning hike at Wild Basin on Saturday.  Six Townies joined me (Jenny, Jan, Jackie, Jacque, Janet, & Nicole).  We love Js!

We hiked the Creek loop for a total of about 2 miles.  We took our time looking at the various plants and grasses and practiced our plant id skills.  We also looked for and listened for birds and shared some history and interesting facts about Wild Basin and the adjacent Vireo Preserve.  The creek crossings were mostly dry, but we got to see some water still trickling down at the water fall.

After we got back to the trail head, we visited a while and talked about various outings coming up and made plans for some more hikes.  I enjoyed hiking Wild Basin with you.  Let’s do it again soon!

Happy Trails!

CarolynD