Amanda Tennant writes:
Last year, Lori Bales asked residents in the neighborhood if they were interested in sponsoring families through The Christmas Bureau. Our family signed up immediately and Lori was sweet enough to go the Christmas Bureau Agency in North Austin and find a family for us to sponsor and I believe for 11 other residents living in the neighborhood.
But because of life changes and family commitments, Lori is unable to do that again this year so I will be going to the agency next week and will be selecting a family to sponsor but wanted to let our neighborhood know that I am more than happy to select families for those interested and can bring back the information to them (the same way Lori did last year.)
You can reach Amanda at the email address below.
atennant@kw.com
Monday, November 26, 2007
Sunday, November 18, 2007
DOG PARTY IN THE GROVE, MORE 'N' 30th ATTEMPT
Boy, you can tell how the development is growing by the number of dogs and owners at this years dog bash. If all goes well - and this is a first for this blog - there should be a look at the party below. Hope you enjoy it. Uhhh... the mystery continues: despite blogger's assurance that it's there, I see nothing. I'll try from time to time to reload it - it DOES exist on my computer archive - but I suspect there's an issue at the blogger home office. Apparently I am not alone - Blogger admits uploading video trouble. I will keep trying just to see it through. At least now there's a load size indicator. That's new. I am hopeful. Ah, but the dreaded processing video follows... and appears to be the hangup. I try again - the 20th time? I wonder if they have a team on this or just one savant with Jolt cola? - who might have had a bad attitude having to work over Thanksgiving (do they have Thanksgiving in India?) These guys should have a look at YouTube. Probably a lot more complicated than it seems: Load file, play file. Or maybe the conversion means lower the resolution (I already did that, to almost-cheese!) Wouldn't you think, as fast as YouTube is growing, that this would be a priority? Well, on the 14th try it loaded right quick. Now we go through the processing part. Place your bets. Results below. In honor of the dogs, I won't let go of this bone. I realize I can load into YouTube and link to that, but in this case I am stubborn as a junk-yard dog. It's a damn SLIDESHOW, not even a video! Should be a piece of cake! Now this is getting to me. I refuse to be beaten. I'm up to about 30 attempts, changing things in the HTML, experimenting, seeking similar HELP stories online.
Saturday, November 10, 2007
THE HILLS ARE ALIVE, WITH THE SOUND OF MOOSIC.
This just in... the picture taken today. Not black deer! Thanks to the Fullertons for the picture! Apparently they were headed to fish camp... uh... hook 'em.
Monday, November 05, 2007
RARE BLACK DEER SIGHTING!
During our walks thru Spanish Oaks we have seen on 2 occasions a Melanistic (black) deer. He is a beauty. Both times we have seen him over by the new section, and normally with a several does. I have attached an article that talks about how rare they are.
Best
Stu Fullerton
4709 Malaquita Br.
Dark Deer
The opposite of albinos, melanistic deer can be found in a small segment of the Hill Country.
By Ben Rehder
Use the phrase “albino deer” in a conversation, and most people will know you’re referring to a white deer, one without any pigment in its hair or skin. But mention a “melanistic deer” and you’re likely to receive looks of uncertainty — even from experienced hunters, hikers and campers. It stands to reason, because these unusual deer are even less common than their albino cousins.
Simply put, a melanistic, or “black,” deer is one whose body produces excessive amounts of the pigment known as melanin, resulting in an animal that’s much darker than we’ve come to expect. Unlike albinism, which is an all-or-nothing proposition (albino animals are either white or they aren’t), melanism is a continuum, with deer that range from chocolate brown to jet black.
While melanistic deer are quite rare across North America, Central Texas, by comparison, has more than its fair share. In fact, according to John Baccus, director of the wildlife ecology program at Texas State University and an 11-year researcher of melanistic deer, there are more black deer in an area comprised of eight Texas counties (Blanco, Burnet, Caldwell, Comal, Guadalupe, Hays, Travis and Williamson) than in the rest of the world combined. Still, don’t expect to step out your back door and see one.
“Even though we have more melanistic deer here than in the whole world,” says Baccus, “they’re still extremely rare. It’s the rarest of the white-tailed deer, even rarer than the big-antlered deer. I get the harvest records every year from the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department, and generally, there are fewer than five of these melanistic deer that are harvested in any given year.”
The question that immediately springs to mind is, What causes melanism? Nobody knows for certain, but it could be that the mutation offers a survival advantage in heavily wooded riparian environments.
Baccus says, “All of these [melanistic] deer have been associated with a drainage in which you have greater subdued light from the trees in the area. A deer that’s darker in color would get a certain degree of camouflage from the dark shadowing.”
Indeed, you might hike past a melanistic deer and not even realize it. Baccus remembers one black deer that his team spotted in Lakeway, near Lake Travis. “This was the middle of the afternoon, bright sunlight, and this deer was back up in some cedar trees. The only way we knew that deer was there was because one of the students picked up on the glistening from the wet nose.”
For hunters, a melanistic deer represents a true once-in-a-lifetime trophy. Even in Central Texas, most avid hunters have never spotted, much less harvested, one. Austin resident Steve Deis is one of the lucky ones. Hunting on a large ranch just minutes west of Austin, he bagged an eight-point melanistic buck on Christmas Day in 1998.
“I’ve always looked for things that are a little unusual,” says Deis. “I didn’t want a normal white-tailed deer with 10 points, I wanted something different, and I guess this was my Christmas present that year.”
Best
Stu Fullerton
4709 Malaquita Br.
Dark Deer
The opposite of albinos, melanistic deer can be found in a small segment of the Hill Country.
By Ben Rehder
Use the phrase “albino deer” in a conversation, and most people will know you’re referring to a white deer, one without any pigment in its hair or skin. But mention a “melanistic deer” and you’re likely to receive looks of uncertainty — even from experienced hunters, hikers and campers. It stands to reason, because these unusual deer are even less common than their albino cousins.
Simply put, a melanistic, or “black,” deer is one whose body produces excessive amounts of the pigment known as melanin, resulting in an animal that’s much darker than we’ve come to expect. Unlike albinism, which is an all-or-nothing proposition (albino animals are either white or they aren’t), melanism is a continuum, with deer that range from chocolate brown to jet black.
While melanistic deer are quite rare across North America, Central Texas, by comparison, has more than its fair share. In fact, according to John Baccus, director of the wildlife ecology program at Texas State University and an 11-year researcher of melanistic deer, there are more black deer in an area comprised of eight Texas counties (Blanco, Burnet, Caldwell, Comal, Guadalupe, Hays, Travis and Williamson) than in the rest of the world combined. Still, don’t expect to step out your back door and see one.
“Even though we have more melanistic deer here than in the whole world,” says Baccus, “they’re still extremely rare. It’s the rarest of the white-tailed deer, even rarer than the big-antlered deer. I get the harvest records every year from the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department, and generally, there are fewer than five of these melanistic deer that are harvested in any given year.”
The question that immediately springs to mind is, What causes melanism? Nobody knows for certain, but it could be that the mutation offers a survival advantage in heavily wooded riparian environments.
Baccus says, “All of these [melanistic] deer have been associated with a drainage in which you have greater subdued light from the trees in the area. A deer that’s darker in color would get a certain degree of camouflage from the dark shadowing.”
Indeed, you might hike past a melanistic deer and not even realize it. Baccus remembers one black deer that his team spotted in Lakeway, near Lake Travis. “This was the middle of the afternoon, bright sunlight, and this deer was back up in some cedar trees. The only way we knew that deer was there was because one of the students picked up on the glistening from the wet nose.”
For hunters, a melanistic deer represents a true once-in-a-lifetime trophy. Even in Central Texas, most avid hunters have never spotted, much less harvested, one. Austin resident Steve Deis is one of the lucky ones. Hunting on a large ranch just minutes west of Austin, he bagged an eight-point melanistic buck on Christmas Day in 1998.
“I’ve always looked for things that are a little unusual,” says Deis. “I didn’t want a normal white-tailed deer with 10 points, I wanted something different, and I guess this was my Christmas present that year.”
Sunday, November 04, 2007
RANDOM THOUGHTS
I wonder how the open houses went? I do know certain large/high-end agents in the vicinity didn't even know about it!
If, as I don't, you also don't take the back road often, you might be amazed at the progress back there! One question is what that pad is - for want of a better description - on the west side? It looks industrial, like a refueling station. Appears permanent too.
There are a lot of visible deer back there at night. Invisible deer are there full time.
It's also good to know there apparently haven't been any new accidents at east entrance/exit and 71 in quite a while!
If you haven't discovered the shop that sells gourmet meals - I think it's called Anja's... in the lower shopping center (the one with Lowes) be sure to check it out -it's almost at the end of the road as you drive west inside the development... the food is very good! We also look forward to new quick restaurants in the HC Galleria!
Interesting to note The Smashing Pumpkins playing at The Backyard - back in, I think it was 1998, they played downtown for free in Minneapolis, and must have drawn 60,000 or more.
If anyone is into what is called high-end audiophile gear, I am too, and would love to form a group of Oakians to visit each other's rigs to enjoy some music... from time to time. Please allow me to pimp myself - I now write reviews for an online mag called UltraAudio: www.ultraaudio.com
Contact me at rwood24@Austin.rr.com if your midlife crisis took you to music instead of the dark side.
If, as I don't, you also don't take the back road often, you might be amazed at the progress back there! One question is what that pad is - for want of a better description - on the west side? It looks industrial, like a refueling station. Appears permanent too.
There are a lot of visible deer back there at night. Invisible deer are there full time.
It's also good to know there apparently haven't been any new accidents at east entrance/exit and 71 in quite a while!
If you haven't discovered the shop that sells gourmet meals - I think it's called Anja's... in the lower shopping center (the one with Lowes) be sure to check it out -it's almost at the end of the road as you drive west inside the development... the food is very good! We also look forward to new quick restaurants in the HC Galleria!
Interesting to note The Smashing Pumpkins playing at The Backyard - back in, I think it was 1998, they played downtown for free in Minneapolis, and must have drawn 60,000 or more.
If anyone is into what is called high-end audiophile gear, I am too, and would love to form a group of Oakians to visit each other's rigs to enjoy some music... from time to time. Please allow me to pimp myself - I now write reviews for an online mag called UltraAudio: www.ultraaudio.com
Contact me at rwood24@Austin.rr.com if your midlife crisis took you to music instead of the dark side.
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