71 WRECK

A lot owner reports flaming car, lifeflight, etc. at east entrance? No other details at 12:45PM Saturday. From our location, can see traffic backed up westbound.

If you have details or pictures please send to rwood24@Austin.rr.com

We saw the highway - the accident appears to have been not exactly at the east entrance, but farther down toward the bridge over Barton Creek - the bridge on 71, not within our entrance. Update: 9 PEOPLE INJURED. Apparently someone was turning, was rear-ended, and that vehicle was then rear-ended.

KEYE video, click here

ARMADILLO MADNESS

Another 'dillo trapped!

That's now 1 raccoon, 1 cat, 3 armadillos!

There must be some armadillo graffiti at the armadillo bar - "For a Good Time, dine at Wood's! Dine under the shrubs!" It's a %$#@ PARADE of 'dillos, it seems.

Another ride up Highway 71 with a stinker in the trap in the trunk - about 10 miles... and release. This one was slow to escape the cage and immediately went under the car and a tire. HEY!

I am NOT going to accept suicide after schlepping this varmint this far.

And so, I edged away, and the beast was seen waddling away up a hill.

WET STUDENTS

Friday, August 21, from 10 am to 4 pm!

Back to School Splash - Cool off by the pool and enjoy a day filled with fun and games before the kids head back to school!

We'll have a "Make-Your-Own-Pizza" table, smoothie specials and cupcakes, as well as back to school goodie bags for all who attend.

Please call Liza Bachelder at 533-2363 to sign up!

TRAPPING VARMINTS

After two Armadillos and one Racoon, we'd hope for no more shrub-digging-lawn-ripping. But it isn't to be. I reset the trap and put it in the usual place.

This morning Terri came back from walking the dog with a smile and a "Guess what the Catch Du Jour is?"

Feral or not, my intention is not to catch cats. I am allergic to cats and would be happy to see them all only at a distance.

Kitty was plenty ticked. Can't say I blame it. Released now (like a shot out of a cannon - swear I heard "Thufferin' Thuccotash!" as it ran) with no scratches of vengeance for Trapper Bob.

Here's this cat, apparently successfully avoiding all sorts of predators, only to sniff a can of CATFOOD in that cage thing... (Well, heck, somebody told me to bait the trap with that. It worked before!)

No harm no foul.

It does suggest that one shouldn't set traps and then not pay attention - or go on vacation, because you can't always get what you want, etc.

I am greatly relieved I didn't have to worry about a large snake which might have crawled into the trap.

BATS UNDER EAST ENTRANCE BRIDGE

Richard Finlayson writes: Bob, have you seen the bats under the bridge over Little Barton Creek at the (east) entrance? It’s just like Congress Street Bridge. We were there Monday night at 8:03 and it was a fire hose of bats taking off into the sky.



Note: if you watch this and attempt to watch again you might have to refresh the page - this is the first video I've put onto the blog and I am unsure how well it works.

Note 2: If you go to watch the bats ALSO watch out for traffic which as we all know, can come down toward the bridge at high speed and in the center of the (still unstriped!) road.

LIGHTNING STRIKE STORY

Bob, here’s a photo of the damage. The fire was caused when the charge arced from copper plumbing and/or electrical to the gas line. Not sure which way that charge arced, but it blew a pin hole in the gas line and ignited. The flame ignited the framing. You can see the charred gas line and the burned romex. There’s a copper line running through it that looks to me like an arc point but it’s hard to tell.

My family saved the day! Kristin got shocked as she stood by a sink and knew there was trouble. They kept looking around and started to smell smoke. The boys pulled the attic access and found nothing. My 9 year old remembered another access by her room and whey they pulled that access they could see the fire. My son John grabbed fire extinguishers one after the other and he and Will put out the fire. It wasn’t known that the gas line was involved, it makes my heart stop to think about my boys up there putting that fire out with a gas line leak. We are very blessed that everyone is safe, that my kids knew what to do and did it, and that we didn’t lose the house. Lessons learned? Have fire extinguishers, lots of them. The boys think they used two, but there were three empty canisters up there. Also, store photos and videos in waterproof containers and by the front door. (Not the garage door. Garages are the #1 source of home fires.) I knew where all the family videos were but couldn’t relate that to my son, and when the attic access ladder was pulled down it blocked the closet doors that all the family photos are in. It was also directly under the fire and would have been ruined by water if the fire department had been required to put it out. We have already started the “what if” scenarios to be better prepared next time for things like this. The fire department was great, but it is concerning that they had a hard time finding us. The neighbors report seeing them wandering around at the Overlook Pass and Paraiso Pkwy intersection. They ended up down in the culdesac on Warbler Ledge even though there are large numbers on all the mailboxes. I’m going to call and see what we could do to help them zero in faster next time. We are pretty much put back together and the plumbing, electrical, and losses have been manageable. It is interesting that the DC transformers on items that were plugged in got zapped. Electronics, notebooks, AC unit, garage door openers, etc. All direct AC electronics were fine, but the transformers got nuked.

LIGHTNING STRIKE

Wednesday's rain showers brought with them a little drama. A lightning strike hit a house right across the street from Spanish Oaks, on Overlook Pass just beyond the gate into The Preserve. No other details are available at this time. If I get more, I will repost.

We have friends deeper into the Preserve, and in the past, they have had costly lightning-related electrical issues TWICE. Since both houses mentioned sit below ours, we only wonder...

HIGHWAY 71 DETAILS

Bee Cave Planning and Zoning Commission Chair Terri Wood reports that in a conversation with TxDot today, she was told that the project for highway widening to impact our east entrance has been pushed back, but only a little. Bids will be taken in the fall with work projected to begin in April.

NEW WEBSITE

Speeding Hippie attempts to drive through the Early70s barrier.
I've opened a new website as a pathway to more opportunity locally. Why not take a hobby and turn it into a service? Thus: www.PhotographerBobWood.com

At most I would hope to serve as a local freelancer here in the Austin area. No weddings - not that large a scale... but for real estate pictures, family events, etc., I am there.

There are some good pictures on the site and I hope you enjoy them! Contact info is also there. Have a look.