Category: Uncategorized (Page 45 of 46)

Nine amazing women joined me for a challenging / rewarding experience kayaking down river on the Brazos, semi-boondocking and lots of cordial conversation around the campground this past weekend. GloriaB, SandyO, SusanW, BarbaraW, JudyL, NancyL, NancyL (the other one), and CarrieL all braved the steep embankments to launch and recover the kayaks after an invigorating trip down Hidalgo Falls and beyond on the Brazos River.

DianeB stayed overnight Friday and got some running in before leaving on Saturday.  These amazing women made the difficult look easy!

Carrie was the only one with enough energy left over to visit Washington on the Brazos, so we’ll have to do another trip soon just for that purpose. In true TOWNie fashion, some of us made the Southern Flyer Diner stop en-route to home on Sunday.

I love the falls area and loved sharing it with them all!  Check out pictures on our meetup pages.  Linda BW

Note:  this trip report is a combination of contributions by Penny Mudgett and Jacque Austin.

Ten of us ventured to west Texas to attend the Davis Mountains Hummingbird Festival (BarbaraD, ClaireJ, DianaS, JacqueA, JudieT, MarthaC, NancyP, PennyM, SharonB – Taos NM, and VickiG).  We all stayed at Indian Lodge in the Davis Mountains State Park which is a beautiful place and the bird blinds in the park were a great places to see hummers and many other birds.     http://tpwd.texas.gov/state-parks/davis-mountains      The Hummingbird Festival was sponsored by the Fort Davis Chamber of Commerce.  The festival organizers set up ten stations throughout the Ft. Davis area to view hummers and other birds. There were also informative lectures we attended on setting up feeding stations for hummingbirds, the many species of hummingbirds and their history, etc.  There were also bird banding demonstrations at several locations.  Early registration was $79 which included the presentations, two meals, banding displays, and a t-shirt.  The Fort Davis CoC has already committed to holding the festival in 2016.

Thursday morning we visited the Chihuahuan Desert Research Institute (CDRI) located four miles out of Fort Davis.  We walked the Botanical Gardens which features well labeled examples of:  cacti, yuccas, agave, ocotillo, and trees.  The succulent trails had inspiring views and included a bird & butterfly garden with a spring.  We identified the following birds:  canyon towhee, western kingbird, road runner, and rock wren.  Following our tour of the garden, we were! amazed by the contents of the cacti greenhouse – such a variety of needles, colors, hairy growths, and shapes.  (Plants there will be for sale in March.)  Then we enjoyed our lunch sitting in rocking chairs on CDRI center porch while watching hummers:  black-chinned, rufous, buff bellied, and Anna’s.  It was definitely fun!  Two members of our group donated bags of sugar which pleased the staff immensely.     http://www.cdri.org/

Thursday afternoon we completed registration for the festival and attended the opening reception which was at CDRI.  So we enjoyed the rocking chairs again that looked out over the hummingbird feeding stations while sipping wine and tasting hors d’oeuvres.   Life is such a struggle!

Friday morning we were up early (4:30 am!) for the trip to Christmas Mountains Oasis.  We met other birders in Fort Davis and caravanned for 1.5 hours to the Oasis, located between Alpine and Big Bend.  After the bathroom stop (!) we made the trek to the Oasis site over unpaved roads.  Passage is possible in high clearance vehicles and the road is rough, rutted, and quite rugged.  The Oasis has manmade ponds to collect rainwater, plantings and various feeders to attract all kinds of birds.  Penny viewed her first Lucifer Hummingbirds at this site!  Carolyn Ohl-Johnson (she has a great blog at www.cmoasis.blogspot.com) built and has maintained this site for 30 years so many species pass through on migration.  She has added covered seating and chairs to make the viewing more enjoyable and out of the sun.  She also maintains her home, a guest house and “potty shed”.   We identified the following:  hummingbird (Lucifer, black-! chinned, rufous), house finch, Scott’s oriole, blue grosbeak, varied bunting, and dickcessel.  After birding and burning calories and returning in the ruts, we were naturally hungry.  Several of us enjoyed lunch at the soda shop on Main Street.

Friday afternoon NancyP, JudieT, and SharonB toured Fort Davis and enjoyed seeing the sights of the fort.  Others of us attended lectures on Fort Davis Sky Islands and Hummingbird Feeder  – Care and Feeding.  Later in the afternoon we actually saw rain and hail.  We also visited the Caboose, which sells Henry’s ice cream.  Not Blue Bell, but pretty smooth with 15% butter fat.  Folks in Fort Davis are just as eager for Blue Bell to return as we are.  At the soda shop they are actually making sodas with Blue Bunny – so very sad.

Friday night, PennyM, ClaireJ, NancyP, VickiG, and DianaS attended a Star Party at the McDonald Observatory.  There had been thunderstorms each afternoon in the area, but they got lucky that night as the sky cleared up and we were able to see the Moon, Saturn and various star clusters through their high powered telescopes.  They also visited Marfa (we were too early to view the lights) and Alpine where we went to the Museum of the Big Bend which was very well done.

Saturday morning we were off to the Nature Conservancy site, Davis Mountains Preserve to view hummingbird banding.                http://www.nature.org/ourinitiatives/regions/northamerica/unitedstates/texas/placesweprotect/davis-mountains-preserve.xml .   It was amazing and impressive to study all the feeders, cages, and equipment there to accomplish the banding.  Three clusters of feeders (3-4/cluster) were established to attract the hummers.  Then one feeder in each cluster had a cage dropped on it.  One to two feeders in a cluster than had a cover over the holes which would direct the hummers to the caged feeder.  Experienced banders would then capture a hummer, place it in a mesh bag and another bander would process the bird.  The bander would measure the wing length, weigh the bird, check for fat levels on the chest, and apply a metal band (5.4, 5.6, 5.8 or 6.0 mm); then the bird was transferred to the release team.  We all enjoyed the experience of having the bird placed in our hands and then the bird lifting off and flying immediately.

Saturday afternoon we ate again as TOWNies are prone to do and had ice cream.  We visited both bird blinds in DMSP where we identified:  lesser  goldfinches, house finches, white wing doves, ladderback woodpecker, black headed grosbeak, acorn woodpecker, Cassin’s kingbird, rufous hummingbird, and canyon towhee.  After a short break, we attended a presentation on the Hummingbirds of TX.

Saturday evening we attended the closing dinner which was followed by a presentation on Hummingbirds of the US.

Sunday morning we headed east to Austin via Balmorhea State Park.  The scaled quail could not escape us.  We checked out the spring fed pool which already had quite a crowd.  We did learn that summer weekends attract about 3500 visitors.

We all had a wonderful trip and did a great job of supporting the West Texas economy.  It was fun meeting Penny’s comrades (Claire, Diana, and Vicki), Barbara’s sister Martha, as well as Sharon from NM.  If you enjoy seeing and learning about birds (especially hummingbirds) and viewing beautiful vistas, we recommend you try this festival next year.   Penny and Jacque

Just winding down from a fun time in Jonestown at Swift-Fest.  TOWN-Austin was represented well by JacqueA, RachelA, JanB, GloriaB, JanetFB, JudyL and CarolynD.  We set up a booth displaying a few of our outdoor tools (hiking sticks, daypacks, binoculars, hiking boots, flip flops, beach towels, TOWN first-aid kit) and displayed two custom made bucket lights.  We had many interested women visit our booth and gave away about 50 copies of our latest newsletter.  One new TOWNie joined on the spot and several took applications.  We also pleased lots of kids with our lolly pop give aways. We enjoyed 3 live bands ranging from jazz to rock to folk music.

Janet and I went to observe the Chimney Swift drop into the cistern at about 8 pm.  There was a contest to guess how many birds would drop into the cistern.  Last year there were over 400 and some years 1,000 plus and some years less than 20.  It seems to depend on the dry weather conditions.  The count this year was 369.  It was interesting watching the birds circle around for 20 minutes or so, then start dropping into the cistern for the night.

This was the 4th year for Swift-Fest and each year it is growing and evolving.  We were invited to come again next year.   Oh, and yes, some of us ate to maintain our Town-Austin tradition.  We enjoyed BBQ sandwiches and sno-cones served in chinese takout containers.

Carolyn

Eight of us rolled out of Govalle Park at 7:30.  KatyK, DianeN and her husband Mike, CarolC and her friend NancyH, GailP-C  and two Bike Austin Riders, RickB and MichaelC.

We had cool breezes and some clouds.  There were very few riders on the paved trail and it is a beautiful ride.  You could imagine you are in a Hobbit forest, were it not for the occasional airliner coming in to land at Bergstrom.  Carol, Gail and Nancy rode 17 miles and the rest crossed Decker Lane for an additional 5 miles.

We will do this beginner ride again in September. KatyK

What a lovely evening it was! The water was much calmer than a few weeks ago!   We had a nice breeze along the way. JudieT, JacqueA, her neighbor BetsyB, CarolC and I had a leisurely paddle around Red Bud Island. This was Betsy’s first time kayaking and she quickly caught on and had a good time. We visited along the way and JudieT pointed out the various birds, turtles and ducks we saw.  We witnessed a guy catch a huge bass fish!

Afterwards we decided to go to Magnolia Cafe on Lake Austin Blvd. We had a few minutes wait. We were starved by the time the food arrived. We visited about the different series everyone has been watching on Netflix, etc. It was a fun evening!  GailP-C

On July 3rd seven of us (JudyL, Carrie, Gloria, NancyL, LisaS, Marie, June) went to paddle and swim at Cypress Creek Park which flows into Lake Travis.  What a celebration it was with many boaters, fishermen, and zip liners enjoying the lake now that it finally has water.  We really enjoyed the beauty of seeing so many people having fun, watching and waving to the zip liners.  We paddled out into the lake area and decided to go for a swim where everyone got into the water with their PFD, or noodle and hung out in the water for maybe an hour.  The water was so refreshing and clean.  We watched and waved to the zip liners as they screamed while crossing the lake.  The blooming flowers along the shore was a site to see, especially the Mountain Pinks.

After all our exercise of paddling and swimming, or should I say floating, we were hungry and went to The Boat House Grill to eat.  We all had a wonderful time and will do it again.

Happy Summer, June

Sixteen women (JacqueA, MarshaK, JoanB, AnneS, GenevaR, RachelA, SusanW, JanetF-B, BarbaraA, JackieD, JaniceB, SusieA, JenL, DebbieG, NancyL, and GloriaB) joined me on an informative and very enjoyable tour of Jacob’s Well Natural Area (JWNA.)  Hays County purchased the JWNA in 2010 with voter-approved park bond funds.  The Parks Department is working to restore, protect, and preserve the natural area.  Our docents, Jeff and John, were very knowledgeable about the history of the the well and the general area.  Both are Hayes County Master Naturalists and so they had a wealth of information to share.  We toured the North 40 and then we went to the well where we spotted MarilynF swimming with friend Dorothy.

The well is a sight to behold.  What a treasure!  the 12 foot opening descends vertically for 23 feet.   Two restrictions (narrowing) follow through two rooms before the cave continues.  The maximum depth is 140 feet and it is approximately 4500 feet long, with over a mile of explored passages.  Divers have perished in the cave and only professional divers under specific conditions are permitted to enter it. Due to the difficulty, it took four teams of professional divers working together the last time it was explored.

After the tour, all 17 of us went to the Leaning Pear for lunch.  Next time you travel to Wimberley, make sure to stop here.  The food was great and they were very accommodating.

I am attaching the link to the video that was sent on the outing announcement.  If it doesn’t go through on the Yahoo group and you are interested, email me directly and I will send it to you.

Jacob’s Well video:   https://youtu.be/KwSHN0QtlHE

A side note – Just a note about the usefulness of the TOWN Austin stickers on your vehicles.  As I drove down RR 12, I spotted a car parked on the shoulder with a TOWN Austin sticker.  I had passed the car but pulled over.  Almost immediately, JanetF-B pulled up behind the car.  Thankfully Jacque had just stopped for a moment for geocaching,  but it was nice that two cars with TOWN women immediately stopped to check on her.

Thanks for joining me.  I hope to go again someday and maybe the timing will work better for those who weren’t able to join us this time.

Lisa

Lucky day, lucky ladies, lovely weather and just a gentle breeze to waft us on our way.  JudyA, Jacque and HunterA, JaniceB., GloriaB,  AnnaE–possible new member! LindaF, GailP-C, JudieT took off from the Rowing Dock and headed toward Red Bud Island to take advantage of the shade.

The fast ladies took off to the deep and shady parts of the river near the Emmett Shelton Bridge.  Mindful of Judie’s shoulder damage, LindaF and JudieT proceeded around the north side of the island at a matronly pace, planning to meet up with the group as they rounded the bend by the dam.  Judie was recounting her Brownie days when her troop would come far, far out into the wilds of Austin to go sketching at Red Bud Island, when we were surprised by Gail, recognizable  in her Tilley hat, paddling quite fast, to meet us from the south side of the island. She was relieved we hadn’t disappeared without a trace.

This was not her only feat of kayaking rescue!

On their return to the Rowing Dock, Jacque, Hunter and Gail saw a kayaker across the lake out of her boat. Although there were two other kayakers with her, it appeared they weren’t sure how to help her.

Gail quickly paddled across the lake and found that the woman was unable to get back in her boat. Her friends said this was her first time out and they weren’t sure what to do.  Readers:  Take down this information: Gail stabilized the kayaker’s boat against hers and pushed down on the side of the empty boat for stability, as the young woman climbed in on the other side of the kayak.

Usually the breeze in our faces that we grumble about on the outbound trip dies at the time we turn around toward the Rowing Dock, but this time, the “breeze” strengthened until Judie pointed out that there were WHITECAPS on Lady Bird Lake.  Our return was something of a struggle against the wind and waves; Judie got in some good paddling practice as we dodged the wind in a series of small coves along the south edge of the lake.

And we weren’t the only ones struggling!  On her return toward the dock, Gail  encountered two women in a canoe who were having difficulty maneuvering the canoe straight in the heavy wind and current. They ran into low branches and luckily didn’t turn over.  Gail kayaked along with them and provided a periodic push with her boat to turn them in the direction of the dock, and everyone arrived safely to shore.

A TOWNie’s thoughts turn quickly from fun to food–we followed up on Jacque and Hunter’s request for Maudie’s near the Randall’s on Lake Austin Blvd, definitely something for everyone and much appreciated.   LindaF

This morning at 7:30 CarolC and I rode about 9 miles out and back.  The path is mostly level and shady with waterfalls in the creek and lots of bird songs.  DianeN and Mike started with us but went further and faster.  I plan to lead this beginner ride once a month and Carol says she will be back. KatyK

We had  a hot  humid day for a hike on the western end of the Barton Creek Greenbelt but never the less, we had 8 TOWNies that hiked, June, Joy, Lisa, Jacque, Gail, Judy, Anne and Marsha, with Joan meeting us at the end of the hike to bring us cold watermelon.

We started at an entrance on the western end of the trail from Travis Country. We started out hot and humid and finished that way, but along the way we saw an amazing amount of greenery, huge spiders, nice flowers, some bass and some enchanting roaring waterfalls.

Even after a poll, it was not felt that this qualified as a death march.

The hike-keeper suggested that we had only gone 3 miles and burned a measly amount of calories but then it was noted that GPS was not able to be used in some sections so we must have done much more than we all thought!

All 8 hikers returned unscathed and were joined by Joan at the home owners park for the picnic lunch and feast of watermelon. We also fed the ducks and turtles, but it was noted that the turtles were not impressed today by lettuce but gobbled up the bread, risking great insults by the ducks who were also battling over the crumbs.

Until next time………

Happy Trails, Marsha