National Night Out potluck dinner a grand success GWW’s first annual
National Night Out party on Tuesday, August 1, brought out many residents to
meet neighbors, visit with local sheriff’s department and VFD officials,
and enjoy some truly wonderful food. Over fifty residents attended the event,
and many folks expressed an interest in having more neighborhood potluck
suppers.
Sheriff’s Deputy David Peterson, was present to speak to residents
about issues affecting our neighborhood, and answered questions from the
group about
road maintenance, traffic flow and home security.
Considering that the event was held on a weeknight, one of the biggest surprises
was the variety and excellent quality of food brought by residents to share.
The spread was reminiscent of an old-fashioned southern family reunion. Entreés
such as fried chicken, confetti meatloaf, seafood pasta and stuffed manicotti
were complimented by colorful and exotic salads, dips and vegetable dishes.
Brownies, cookies, pies and other desserts rounded out the first-class fare.
Finally, those who stayed for the later portion of the evening were treated
to a live performance of Scottish fiddle tunes by resident Kathryn Paine,
an accomplished musician who lives here in GWW. Professional musician Jim
Halfpenny,
another resident present at the event, invited folks out to his CD release
party later in the week. • Editor
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| < Deputy David Peterson
(wearing cowboy hat) visits with residents about crime prevention. |
| Senna lindheimeriana. > |
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Native Namesakes: Senna Lindheimeriana
At this time of year, when not plagued with drought, our backyard sports
an abundance of bright yellow blooms of Senna lindheimeriana. Its velvety-soft
leaves are the source of one of its common names, puppy-dog ears. A member
of the pea family, it is also referred to as velvetleaf senna, velvet-leaf
wild sensitive-plant, and Lindheimer’s senna. It is a favorite of the
birds, and its dried leaves, brewed as a tea, cured constipation in early
settlers.
Senna lindheimeriana is one of 48 plants that bear the name of Ferdinand
Jakob Lindheimer, a most extraordinary, fearless, and gifted man. He was
born circa
1801 in Frankfurt-am-Main, Germany, to a wealthy family, related to “Europe’s
most celebrated writer,” Johann Wolfgang von Goethe. After attending
university at Bonn, Lindheimer began teaching at the Bunsen School in Frankfurt.
Political unrest lead to the closure of the school in 1832, and two years
later Lindheimer sailed for New York. From there, he made his way to Mexico
where
he managed a banana and pineapple plantation and distillery in a German enclave.
It was during the 16 months there that his interest turned to botany.
Realizing that hostilities between Mexico and Texas were imminent, Lindheimer
joined a volunteer group of freedom fighters and was involved in the defense
of Galveston after the Battle of San Jacinto. Following military service,
he bought a 10-acre farm near Houston. In the winter of 1839-40, he took
a botany
course under George Engelman (whom he knew from Frankfurt) in St. Louis
and began studying the flora of Texas. He became so passionate about botany
that
he sold his farm and entered into an agreement with Engleman to supply
preserved specimens of Texas plants.
Lindheimer traversed the Lone Star state in unbelievably harsh conditions,
enduring heat waves and floods, serious injuries and thievery. On the frontier,
he would go for months without seeing another human being, hunting to keep
himself alive. The isolation probably did not bother this eccentric man.
He is said to have ignored anyone who said to him, “How do you do?” because
he believed that the greeter did not really care how he was, so did not deserve
the courtesy of a reply!
In 1844, Lindheimer met Prince Solms, the leader of the Adelsverein immigrant
company, who asked him to guide the first group from the coast to New Braunfels,
where he also settled and married Eleonore Reinarz. In 1847, he was named
to direct a Botanical Garden at New Braunfels on the banks of the Comal
River.
In the house he built there, Lindheimer edited and published the Neu-Braunfelser
Zeitung.
Now known as the Father of Texas Botany, Lindheimer died in 1897. It is
estimated that during his lifetime he gathered close to 100,000 specimens
of Texas
plants, collections of which can be seen as far afield as Paris and St.
Petersburg. •©2006 J. Marie Bassett
Welcome Committee Planning continues for formation of a Welcome Committee
for new residents in GWW. The Committee has issued an invitation to residents
to
help in one of two ways: as a greeter, or as a baker. Pairs of greeters
will rotate with other members of their group to visit new residents,
welcome them
to the neighborhood, and deliver baked goods and useful information.
Bakers will be on call to rotate with others in their group to provide
a homemade
food item which can be given to our new neighbors.
Most of our residents are very active, so casual, neighborly visits may
not always be possible. The Committee is hoping for a big response for
both types
of help. If these tasks can be shared among many, each volunteer will
only be called upon occasionally. Residents who would like more information
about this very worthwhile activity are asked to contact the editor.
•
Editor
Simplify your life It’s time again to cull through garages, closets and
attics for items which are cluttering your life and would be better used by
another. Two garage sale dates are being organized as community-wide events,
possibly in coordination with Radiance and Goldenwood. Since we are not on
in a high-traffic location, participation by a large number of the lots here
can increase our attraction for shoppers from Austin and Dripping Springs.
Folks participating in the October 7 garage sale will set up their items for
sale at their own homes, and signs and a map will direct shoppers to their
locations. The organizer for this event is Nova, and she may be reached at
577-7737. The October 28 garage sale is being organized by Gina Crouchet and
will be held in the grassy area outside the pavilion, similar to last year’s
sale. Contact Gina at 858-4108 or 789-6094.
Participants need to contact the organizers of these events to be included
in publicity and to share the cost of the newspaper advertising. If
you only have a few items, consider joining with one or more neighbors
and
enjoy visiting
while you convert those unused items into ready cash and someone else’s
treasure. • Editor
Any ceiling fan installers among us? Two of the ceiling fans in the
pavilion at the common area have been broken and require replacement.
The POA
will be purchasing new fans, but would like to save the cost of hiring
an electrician
to install them. Any resident interested in volunteering their time
to do the
installation is gratefully encouraged to contact our Administrator
at 858-9528.
This week the editor, while returning to the neighborhood at 1 am,
discovered that all fans and lights were on in the pavilion and the
main gate was
open wide. Everyone is asked to be more vigilant about folks using
the common areas
past permitted hours. Neighborhood rules state that the pool and
pavilion are not to be used after 11 pm each evening. This is to
protect these
areas from
misuse and damage, as well as to protect the quality of life for
our residents who are adjacent to the common area. • Editor
Snake safety Several snake sightings have been reported in GWW in
recent weeks. Possible reasons include loss of habitat due to construction
in RimRock, the
extreme drought. One resident discovered a small rattler when a
guest drove away after having been parked at the road in front of her home.
Two young
children had just entered the car, unaware of the snake underneath
the vehicle.
The Texas Department of Parks and Wildlife’s Texas Junior Naturalist
web page offers the following information: “Understanding what snakes
look for in suitable habitat can help you know when to be wary. Understanding
their behavior will help you know what to do if you encounter one. Snakes
like tall grass...
• Keep the lawn around your home trimmed low.
• Remove any brush, wood, rock or debris piles from around the residence
- they make great hiding places for snakes and their prey - rodents.
• Always wear shoes while outside and never put your hands where you cannot
see them...
Snakes do not prey on humans and they will not chase you, in fact they
usually retreat or escape if given the opportunity. The danger comes
when they
are either surprised or cornered. Do not play around with a dead snake,
they have been known to bite and envenomate.” (TPWD)
Our resident environmental info source, Tom Watson, added the following: “Snakes,
like all reptiles, are cold-blooded so as the evenings and nights
cool down they will migrate toward warmer surroundings, such as roadways,
porches, sidewalks,
concrete fabrications, large rocks and other such structures that
store heat from the daylight hours. This will happen for the next couple
of months while
the daytime temperatures remain warm and the nights cooler until
the diurnal temperatures are such that they go into dens for the winter.
So when outside
at dusk and night folks should use lighting and be alert. I would
recommend that walkers/joggers carry a flashlight and keep an wary
eye on the road and
road margins ahead. Avoid killing snakes unless one presents an
imminent danger as they will flee if given a chance. They will avoid
areas of human activities
unless forced there for survival.” • Editor
Board of Trustees News
New appointment to BOT Vice President Dena Seligman tendered her
resignation from the Board for personal reasons. Her dedication
and years of service
to her neighbors are gratefully acknowledged and appreciated.
The BOT appointed APC member Julie Richards, who was in attendance
at the meeting, to serve the remainder of Dena’s term, which will expire in
December of this year.
Annual membership meeting This year’s annual membership meeting will
be held at the pavilion on Wednesday, November 15, at 8 pm. Two of the items
on this year’s agenda are Election of Trustees and revision of the Covenants.
Trustees whose terms will be ending are: Rick Bondurant, Sue Ponder, and Julie
Richards (completing Dena Seligman’s term of office). Written nominations
for the BOT may be submitted to the Administrator or a BOT member no later
than October 31. Members may also be nominated at the annual meeting, if
the nominee is present or agrees in writing in advance.
The process for revising covenants, as well as proposed changes,
will also be discussed at the meeting. All residents are strongly
encouraged
to attend.
The BOT has scheduled an additional regular BOT meeting on October
4 at 7 pm at the pavilion to address items which could not be
covered at
the
September
meeting because of a very lengthy agenda. The next regularly
scheduled meeting will be on November 1 at 7 pm. As always, members
are welcomed
and encouraged
to attend.
News from the APC
New appointment to APC Brandon Nichols has been appointed by
the BOT to serve in the position on the Committee created when
Julie
Richards
assumed
a position
on the Board. Brandon has demonstrated an interest in the organizational
activities of the POA by attending several APC meetings, and
his willingness to serve
the community is very much appreciated.
The next two meetings of the APC will be on October 18 and
on November 15 at 7 pm at the pavilion. Please check with the
Administrator
before attending
the November meeting, since this is the same day as the Annual
POA membership meeting, so the APC’s meeting may be rescheduled. 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 Wednesday
September 27, at 7:30 pm at the pavilion.
Water conservation The Water Board extends its thanks to
everyone for conserving water over the Labor Day weekend,
and asks that
we all continue
to conserve
water until we get a plentiful
amount of rain that mitigates the current drought conditions.
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.
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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