Category: Uncategorized (Page 43 of 46)

Sunday, March 20th was a perfect day to hike Bright Leaf Preserve, a private property located in northwest Austin just off 2222.  This 216 acres was a gift made by Georgia Lucas to TPWD.

Eight of us (AnnaE, CarrieL, GailP-C, Joy and Chris Stone [friends of Jacque’s], JacqueA, JudyA, and MarilynF) met at Bright Leaf for a 3.21 mile hike.  The outing ran from 9 am until noon, which included 1 hour and 46 minutes of walking.  What do you imagine the TOWNies were doing for 1 hour and 14 minutes?  Think standing and talking and taking photos!

We examined and discussed:

Bushes – yaupon holly, Lindheimer silktassel, button bushes, inland sea oats, and sumac (evergreen, fragrant, flame leaf)

Trees – escarpment cherry, ash juniper, live oak, Texas red oak, Texas and Mexican buckeyes, and Texas mimosa

Birds – Golden-cheeked warbler, herons, and red-tailed hawks

Flower Blossoms – cedar sage, black-foot daises, and bracted twistflower

Limestone – Glen Rose formation and Balcones formations and granite

Nostoc – an ancient cyan bacterium similar to seaweed, which is nicknamed gorilla snot

The view of Lake Austin

Yuccas – twist leaf, red yuccas, sotols

Texas Prickly Pear – tunas and the cochineal bug

Native and Non-Native Plants

Georgia Lucas’s home and her Kitty Condo for her 40+ cats

Plus – leaves, star moss, berries, fossils, galls, bluegill fish, and snakes, rabbits, and lizards.

Don’t you wish you’d been with us!  I will schedule this hike again soon.  Thanks to all of you for joining me!

Jacque

What a fine day to be outside and watch the birds watching us! The day started a bit overcast, which usually is not the best lighting for birding. Within the hour, the skies cleared a bit, the winds increased slightly, and cooler air moved into the ponds. The following folks joined NancyP and JacqueA for the outing: CarrieL, JanetFB, and LorettaD (and helpful husband John).

The ponds (1 east, 1 west, and 2) are all in good condition, although JanetFB and I thought pond 1 east looked a bit red and questioned the cause. We did not make it to pond 3.

A list of birds seen includes: great blue heron, American coots, cormorant, red-winged blackbirds (females), gadwalls, Northern shovelers, lesser scaups (350 estimated), redhead, blue-winged teals, buffleheads, ruddy ducks, mergansers, least grebe, American wigeons, Northern cardinals, yellow-rumped warblers, grasshopper sparrows, killdeer, and mourning doves.

For our first trip of the season, we were pleased with the variety we saw. I will report our findings to e-Bird.

A huge bunch of thanks to LorettaD and husband John, who tried to help start my battery, which opted to die on the road between pond 1 east and pond 2, and then stayed with me until Gentleman Simon from AAA joined our happy gang. Thank you to NancyP, CarrieL, and JanetFB who returned to visit and stay until Simon had the battery installed and my faithful car purring once more. I learned a useful battery tip: if the battery cells are dead, no amount of charging will help your situation.

Thanks for joining NancyP and JacqueA! And watch for upcoming bird outings.

Ten women and one husband migrated to the Texas coast to claim their own weekend winter sanctuaries across the island of Port A. Although we did not all stay in the same place, we all crossed paths like Whooping Cranes, free to explore and eat lots of fish.

Aboard the Wharf Cat, we traveled 50 miles north to Aransas Wildlife Refuge where we got some good views of the wintering Whooping Cranes! Other birds — Brown and White Pelicans, Egrets, Herons, Cormorants, Gulls — were sighted along the way. A couple of dolphins surfaced and swam beside the boat.

On shore, we listened to speakers on various topics of interest. And even though Spring migration hasn’t started yet, the group I toured with saw about 30 kinds of birds at a few of the island’s many birding sites. We shopped at the art shows, and of course we all ate plenty of really great, fresh seafood!

One of my favorite activities was just walking along the beach on undisturbed St. Jo’s island. I could have stayed for hours and walked for miles picking up sea treasures. Maybe next year we’ll do Sand Fest!

Until then, Happy Birding!

Carrie

SusanWalters, Anna and I had a really nice hike on the Hamilton Greenbelt.  What you missed: 2 waterfalls, 2 geocaches, 2 fried deviled eggs, 2 maids a milking, and 1 sweet ice tea pie at Lucy’s on the Lake.

JudyL

We had a raucous crowd of 11 women today at the Austin Zoo. The weather was absolutely perfect, and the animals were amazing. The adventuresome women included Tina, Amelia, JoanB, LisaS, CindyF, Gloria, SandyO, Geneva, Rachel, and Teresa, a friend of Gloria’s, and me.

We saw many animals including lions, tigers and bears. Oh, my! We also had a chance to see many primates, tortoises, and peacocks. The number of animals and variety was just amazing. Not to be left out, were the wolves.

We had a chance to see the new cougar cubs and to watch the bear-feeding demonstration. I am pleased to announce that no TOWN members were used as bear bait.

There was so much to see that we never had a chance to stick too close to each other, but amazingly, in TOWN tradition, we all met at noon for a picnic lunch. The sunshine was warm and the air was cool, which allowed us to bask both in the shade and sun in great comfort. We were also able to go on the train ride and see the sights of the countryside. It was a perfect day to share with the great TOWNIES.

Until next time . . . Happy Trails.

Marsha

What a glorious weekend with TOWN women!

We had many weekend campers, many hikers, some birders, some fishing, some biking, lots of campfires, a historical tour, a singer songwriter, great community meals including delectable desserts, frozen concoctions that helped us hang on, a short stint in jail, a hostage situation and an okra ordeal.

If you have never visited Palmetto State Park, you must go experience the beauty of the park, and save time to visit nearby history-rich Gonzales, which is famous for the “Come and Take It” cannon from the 1836 conflicts with Mexico.

A huge THANKS to all who camped, made the trip down for the day, and who stepped in to contribute to a very pleasant weekend. I especially enjoyed meeting some newer members and guests. Can’t wait to do it all over again!

Participants who came for a day were JennyF, JanB, and JanetF-B. Campers included members LindaW2, AdelaR, JudyL, JudyT, PeggyP, SandyB, JacqueA, SandyS, LindaBW, KayS, AnnaE, MargieS, GloriaB, SandyO, SusanW, MarilynF, CarrieL and guests Darlene and Paula.

LindaBW and MarilynF

Greetings, and sorry for the delay in getting out a brief report for the Leaders’ Outing that was held on Sunday, January 24th, but the weather has been too nice to be inside!  Twelve women were able to attend the outing, although additional members qualified but had a scheduling conflict or distance precluded participation.  We started at the Austin Nature Science Center where we looked at some exhibits, saw some rescued wildlife, and took a short hike.  We then headed over to Red’s Porch.  The weather was lovely and we were able to enjoy a leisurely lunch on the porch.

The Leader’s Outing is held annually to recognize members who contribute to making our club active and growing.  To be eligible to attend the outing, you only need to lead two outings per year or bring in two new members.  All our events are led by members who volunteer.  If you would like to lead an outing but are unsure about the process, please contact any Board member.  We can help you lead your first outing.

If you have an outing in mind, please volunteer to lead it. Let’s make 2016 a fun-filled year!

Thanks again to those who took an active role in 2015.

LisaS

Game night was lots of fun, starting with tacos and guests bringing many snacks and desserts.  Eleven of us and one dog enjoyed the many savory snacks which Townies never lack.

Townie ladies are the best and so much fun with lots of laughs.  Some played Chicken Foot, Hand and Foot — sounds like we like foot games:) — and also a card game called 31.  Most of us lost our “honor” playing 31, and the one person who said she didn’t know how to play the games beat the socks off our feet!  HMMMM!!!

So much fun, and we’ll do it again in February.  See you then.

June

Some TOWNies began arriving at McKinney Falls on Thursday, and they were twitching with excitement as they changed the anode rods on various Casita trailers.  More folks arrived on Friday, and we had a very nice campfire that evening.  Saturday was filled with hikes, games and visiting before the evening activities.

JudyL connected with a couple (Jen and Erich) whose Casita had been stolen, and they brought a treasure trove of equipment to give away.  They wanted some good to come from their misfortune, and table after table was filled with items.

One group went birding and saw a woodpecker, turkey vulture, northern cardinal, tufted titmouse, Carolina chickadee, white-winged dove, mourning dove, American crow, chipping sparrow, blue jay, robin, red-shouldered hawk, Swainson’s hawk, warblers, great blue heron and a great egret.  On the way home, JanetF saw a coyote inside the airport compound and two American kestrels on the wire off 183 before the McKinney Falls turnoff.

As always, the dinner was amazing!  Jen, Erich, and BruceB joined us for dinner, and we probably had about 45 people at that point.  Although it was cold, it wasn’t sleeting this year, and it was toasty in the dining hall.  The gift exchange was lively but civil — items were stolen but no one was hurt or arrested.  Please be sure to ask JennyF to model her new outfit when you see her.

Individuals probably have some tall tales that they can add to this brief report.

Mark your calendar: the next Holiday Party will be January 6th-8th, 2017!

LisaS

Thirty-seven terrific TOWNies spent all or portions of November 14-22 in Big Bend. Eleven women camped in tents or RVs. And twenty-six shared lodge rooms. Two women brought their respective families. We were very busy as you can read below!

Among our activities were: horseback riding in the back country, visits to Boquillas del Carmen in Mexico, hiking, a Rio Grande rafting trip, back country exploration via off-road vehicle, night sky viewing at Dugout Wells, campground breakfast provided by the campers, birding, happy hour provided by Jenny and Jan, geocaching, and dinner at the Starlight Theater in Terlingua to celebrate MarilynF’s 69th birthday.

Some of our hiking trails included: Mule Ears, Pine Canyon, Lost Mine Trail, Grapevine Hills, Oak Springs, Cat Springs, Chihuahuan Desert Nature Trail, Sam Nails Ranch, Homer Wilson Ranch House, Closed Canyon, Rio Grande Village, Boquillas Canyon, Tuff Canyon, Cottonwood, Ward Springs, Castolón, Blue Spring, and The Window.

Mammals we spotted included: black bears, a ring-tailed cat, a mountain lion, coyotes, and foxes. And birds seen included: Verdin, Red-Tailed hawk, Mexican jay, Cactus wren, Canyon wren, and Canyon towhee.

Below are the Happy Thoughts shared by some of the women:

LisaS – What a wonderful trip, full of beautiful sights, fun and fellowship! The sheer size of the park could be overwhelming, so it was nice to share it with close friends. It was great being able to go out with small groups on activities of interest, but I also loved the group dinner, the campground breakfast (an amazing spread!), and the happy hour. Thanks for all your effort to make this such a successful, fun, and safe trip.

SusanW – I enjoyed spending time in Cottonwood Campground and the Chisos Basin Campground with the wonderful group of campers. Each time I visit, I try to go someplace new (Pine Canyon) and someplace old (Ernest Tinaja). I enjoyed not having any reservations and I was able to go when and where I felt like going. Weather was perfect and I’m ready to go back with all you TOWNies!

JoanB – The trip to big bend was incredible. The immense vastness swallowed sound and stress and allowed only relaxation. I loved it and plan to return. Thanks to Marilyn and Jacque and all the other women who shared their experience and fellowship with this first timer!

MariaM – Planning challenging hikes and going on them. Horseback riding. Excursions to Boquillas del Carmen. Social gatherings like breakfast in the campground, happy hour, and Starlight cafe in Terlingua.

LisaMcM – So hard to pick a favorite experience, but I have to say third time is the charm! My third trip to Big Bend and I finally got to dine at the Starlight Theater with my family and the wonderful ladies of TOWN. The chili was worth the wait.

PattyE – Loved the Santa Elena canyon tremendously… Beautiful… Boquillas crossing and town were both unique. The town offered a rural setting that I had never experienced in Mexico in the past.

KarenP – I most enjoyed the beauty and diversity of both the scenic surroundings and the amazing women who are TOWNies!

MarshaK – I think my most favorite time was the sound of the wind. Mesmerizing but uplifting.

JuneA – I loved the Boquillas Canyon Trail with the people painting the beautiful landscape, the little boat parked across the Rio Grande with the Mexican singing. His beautiful voice was echoing through the canyon.

AdelaR – I had a great time. Big Bend is a beautiful place; the only thing, I wished I had gone 30 years ago before I got so old so I could do and visit every part of the park.

And JacqueA – This was my third trip and Dug Out Wells is my favorite destination with its peacefulness and calm. Perhaps my master naturalist training is paying off, as I noticed the greater diversity in the BBNP geology this trip and was amazed at how much I had overlooked. Each vista takes on a different perspective when viewed at different times of our 24 hour day.

Thanks to everyone who shared their thoughts and to everyone who participated in the trip!

JacqueA