Board of Trustee elections will take place on November
15 at 8 pm at the annual
Property Owners’ Association meeting. Revision of the Covenants will
also be discussed. Every member is urged to attend. Those who cannot be there
are earnestly requested to fill out a proxy ballot form and deposit it in the
POA drop box before the meeting. Your vote counts! Without a quorum of 57 votes,
officer elections will require a rescheduled meeting.
Native Namesakes: Crushed Mexican Spiders? Not Quite! (The Story of Cochineal)
“
Oh, you’ve pricked your finger,” followed by the offer of a Kleenex
tissue, is always the reaction of visitors to the Wildflower Center when I
pick a Dactylopius coccus from a cactus and squeeze it. Fortunately, the plant
I usually choose is of the spineless variety. I had to be more careful when
taking the accompanying photo in my yard.
Dactylopius coccus, otherwise known as cochineal insect, lives on Opuntia
microrhiza. The female is a black scale insect about a quarter of an inch
long. She inserts
her proboscis into the fleshy pads for nourishment. Several females tend
to feed together under a protective white cottony cover. The poor males are
tiny
flying insects that do not eat. Their short life of a week is spent mating
with as many females as possible. They are native to Mexico and parts of
South America.
When squashed the little insect releases carmine acid which effectively repels
other insects, especially ants. The acid is the basis of a beautiful crimson
dye which is used in food, cosmetics, and textiles. In Scotland, we used
it to color cake frosting. As she poured a few drops of the rich red liquid,
my
mother said it was made from crushed Mexican spiders, so she was almost right!
For centuries, the Aztec and Mayan peoples appreciated the value of the beautiful
dye. It was Mexico’s second most valuable export after silver. When the
Spaniards arrived, they were amazed at the brilliance of its color, there being
nothing similar to its intensity available in Europe. They quickly slapped
an embargo on its export from Mexico and would only trade it with their friends
which did not include England, to the detriment of its textile industry. Cochineal
was soon adding a new depth of color to the silken gowns of court ladies, the
robes of cardinals, and the red coats of British military officers, but, because
of the prohibitive cost, not the ordinary soldiers. Recent tests have proved
that the red in a kilt worn by Bonnie Prince Charlie during his botched attempt
to regain the British throne in 1745 was cochineal.
The Spaniards extended their monopoly by spreading a rumor that the dye was
derived from seeds. This had early explorers on the lookout for the source
literally barking up the wrong tree! It wasn’t until 1777 that a French
naturalist was able to spirit some infested cactus pads off to Haiti whence
they went to South America, India, Portugal, and the Canary Islands, which
became an important producer. In 1787, British Captain Arthur Phillip sailed
to Australia to found the penal colony of Botany Bay, since America was no
longer available for dumping convicts. At Rio de Janeiro, he picked up some
cochineal-laden cacti. This was the beginning of the worst invasive-weed infestation
in Australian history. Dactylopius coccus had to be reintroduced in 1912, followed
by Cactoblastis cactorum (cactus moth), before the cacti’s costly march
across Australia was halted.
By the 1870s, the popularity of cochineal waned with the arrival of aniline
dyes derived from coal tar. Now that these synthetics are considered carcinogenic,
natural non-toxic cochineal is once again in demand.
It takes 70,000 insect bodies to make a pound of cochineal dye. If you are
interested in trying, go to a very informative website, www.allfiberarts.com
and type “cochineal” into the Site Search. • ©2006
J. Marie Bassett
Keeping GWW beautiful: Understanding
our covenants
This new feature of our newsletter
highlights a covenant or bylaw in order to
clarify residents’ understanding of our architectural guidelines.
It is important to recognize that, while
our CCRs (Covenants, Conditions and Restrictions) do limit our
individual freedoms regarding
use of our land and property, they are our guarantee that the physical
appeal of our neighborhood, and our ability to enjoy a high quality
of life here, will be maintained for our immediate benefit and
to protect the value of our investment. In this issue of the GWW
News we look at Article 6.2:
(excerpt) “...No structure or improvement, including but
not limited to buildings, fences, walls, landscaping, pools, exterior
lighting fixtures, security and emergency communications systems
and radio-television antennae, shall be placed or altered on any
Lot until the plans and specifications therefore and the builder
which the Owner intends to use to construct the proposed structure
or improvement have been approved in writing by a majority of the
members of the Committee. The Committee may, in reviewing such
plans and specifications, consider any information which it deems
proper, including, without limitation, any permits or percolation
tests which may be required by the Committee or any other entity;
information relating to the question of whether any proposed improvement
would unreasonably obstruct the view from neighboring Lots; harmony
of external design and location in relation to surrounding structures,
topography and finished graded elevation; and the identity of the
builder which an Owner proposes to use to construct the proposed
structure or improvement. ...”
Residents are respectfully reminded to talk with the Administrator
or a member of the APC before making improvements or changes to
their property. A downloadable form entitled “APC Request
for Approval Form” may be obtained on the Resources for Residents
page of the GWW website (“+” sign button at the top
of the page). The intended purpose of this article of the CCRs
is to ensure that changes made to an existing property will not
adversely affect present and future neighbors to the lot in question.
An online, for-reference-only, copy of our CCRs will be posted
on the GWW website by November 15. • Editor |
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An Outdoor Nativity Tour will be open
to the public at the Wizard Academy from Thanksgiving to Christmas. Details
for this free event will be sent
out to
those on the GWW email list and posted on the GWW site as they become
available. • Editor
A fax and a fix Two members deserve
our gratitude for their generosity and willingness to help the neighborhood.
Beth Blanchard donated a used
fax machine
to replace a broken fax machine in our GWW office. Matt Davey repaired
a leaking shower at the pavilion, thus saving us the cost of hiring a plumber
for this
task. Thanks to them both. • Editor and Nova Birchfield
Statements from the candidates for the Board of Trustee election
• John Anderson: “I have previously served on the Board and
APC. While
on the BOT, I was project leader of a great team that planned and executed
the project to build the Pavilion and renovated the Recreation Area.
I am concerned that the BOT needs to take a stronger position in protecting
and improving
the value and quality of our homes and our community.
We all made a choice to live in a neighborhood which is protected by a
Property Owners Association and a set of Covenants. I believe it is the
responsibility
of the Board of Trustees to actively support and enforce the Covenants
in a fair and consistent manner. It is also the responsibility of the Board
of Trustees
to encourage and guide the Architecture Protective Committee to monitor
and
enforce Covenants.
I want to make Goldenwood West a better place to live, a place you can
be proud to raise your family, entertain your friends, and protect and
enhance
your
investment. For many of us our homes are our single largest investment,
I want it protected.”
• Sue Ponder: “I joined the Board of Trustees in January of
this year and have been learning about the business of the Subdivision
and how it is
administered. Now that I have gained that experience, I look forward to
applying it over the next two years. Also during this past year, I served
on the committee
that studied the Covenants, Conditions and Restrictions that govern our
Subdivision. That committee’s purpose was to recommend to the Board
of Trustees changes that combine all six of the sections into one comprehensive
document. The committee
has submitted its recommendations to the Board who will present the revisions
to the Property Owners Association at large. I am passionate about seeing
this project through to completion; I know that a more uniform and streamlined
document
will help us all to understand and appreciate the guidelines that keep
our neighborhood the wonderful place it is.”
• Audrey Pudder: “I am running for the Board of Trustees because
I want to make Goldenwood West a better place to live, a place you can
be proud to
raise your family, entertain your friends, and protect and enhance your
investment. For many of us our homes are our single largest investment
and I want to protect
my investment as well as my community’s. As a Realtor, I have seen
what happens to a neighborhood’s property values when HOA’s
go inactive or don’t enforce covenants. Goldenwood West has so much
to be proud of: our community center; large lots with gorgeous oaks that
you can’t find
anymore in Hays county; wonderful people and a caring community. My husband
and I recently remodeled our home because we believe in this community
and our investment.
The POA Covenants go into great detail “to provide for development of
the highest quality to enhance the value of the investment…” I
believe it is the responsibility of the Board of Trustees to actively
support and enforce the Covenants in a fair and consistent manner.”
• Julie Richards: “I have lived and participated in our community
for over ten years. It is my belief that decisions regarding how we are
to manage
our budget and covenants should be one to accommodate the interests of
all property owners as a whole. In moving to our rural community, I anticipated
being governed like one, not a “Circle C” type strong-arm
or making our covenants more restrictive than intended. With your vote,
I
will do my
best to keep our monthly dues to a minimum, to work within our budget
and oversee our Architectural Protective Committee (APC) on their interpretation
of our
covenants.”
New GWW residents Jake and Barbara Bradley
are parents of a new baby girl, born in early October, and Eric and Mindy
Russell’s son, Reid, was born
on October 22. A warm welcome is extended to these young residents. Congratulations
to both families. • Editor
Board of Trustees News
New appointment to APC Brandon Nichols was appointed by the BOT to replace
Eric Russell, who resigned for personal reasons. Eric’s long hours of
service and dedication to our community are very greatly appreciated.
Election of officers Three Trustee positions are up for election on
November 15, to serve full two-year terms beginning January 1, 2007,
and ending
December 31, 2008. Four members have been nominated and other nominations
may be made
in person at the meeting. Approval must be obtained verbally or in
writing from nominees before they may be included on the ballot.
Votes may be cast in person or by proxy. If you are unable to attend
the meeting, you may assign your proxy to another GWW-POA member who
will attend
the meeting
and file and vote your proxy. You may assign the proxy to Nova Birchfield
and drop it into the POA box at the GWW mail station. Nova is the Administrator
and will vote your proxy as instructed.
All proxies must be in writing and filed with the Secretary, Margaret
Paine, at or before the appointed time of the meeting. Proxies dropped
at the
mail station or received by the Administrator before the meeting will
be filed
by the deadline. Margaret will be available at 7:30 on the day of the
meeting to receive proxies. Proxies must be filed with Margaret before
the meeting
is called to order.
The next meeting of the BOT will be on January 3 at 7 pm at the pavilion.
News from the APC
The next two meetings of the APC will be on November 15 at 6:30 pm
and on December 6 at 7 pm at the pavilion. Residents with questions
for the
APC
are always
welcome to attend the meetings. POA members and visitors may speak
during the public forum at the beginning of the meeting.
News from the GWW Water Board
The next meeting of the GWW Water Board will be on November 27 at
7:30 pm at the pavilion.
If you have any problems or concerns feel free to contact ECO,
our water system management provider, at 512-335-7580. If you are
unsatisfied
with
the response
you get from their customer service department, our service representative,
Jesse Kennis, invites residents to contact him directly via email
at: jkennis@ecosources.com.
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Personal: To the Good Neighbor on RM1826 on Tuesday 3 October:
I’d like
to thank you for your offer of assistance which was greatly appreciated but
fortunately not needed. I am sorry I didn’t recognize you. The gentleman
with me asked that I pass on his apologies for rather brusquely asking you
to move on. –J. Marie Bassett
Helpful Information
For useful reference information, such as a listing of area churches and telephone
numbers for important local contacts, please go to our neighborhood web site
at www.goldenwoodwestpoa.org or contact
the webmaster.
This newsletter published for:
Goldenwood West
Property Owners’ Association
16200 Westview Trail
Austin, TX 78737-9068
(512) 858-9528 office
Administrator@GoldenwoodWestPOA.org
www.GoldenwoodWestPOA.org
Please direct comments,
articles, email subscriptions
and inquiries regarding
advertisements to the above address.
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