Wondering why the parking lot construction appears to be a never ending project???? Well, wonder no more. A TPWD representative let me know that, hopefully, the construction should end by late August…maybe.
It began late last year and was delayed due to rains. When the weather cleared up the paving continued. But then the rains came again. When the heavy equipment resumed their work again they began sinking into holes in the new pavement. The TPWD representative said that the heavy rains fortified some natural springs under the pavement that compromised the pavement. Back to the drawing board….
TPWD then had to install some special filtering system that would allow spring water to drain from under the pavement and away from the parking lot. So now the work continues and, if the weather cooperates, the lot should be completed near summer’s end.
Alamo Springs Neighborhood Garage Sale! It will be July 23-24th 2010 8am-5pm
MAPS of participating families at the Cafe
Who ever wants to have a garage sale can have one at their own home or join neighbors! I am advertising for everyone, so all they need to do is put signs at their driveway and spread the word!
If they want their address added to the map please call me 612-961-9441 as I will be printing maps for people shopping and I will place a star at the sale locations!
I will be delivering maps to the Cafe and misc participants to hand out to sellers.
Whitetail deer have scent glands between the two parts of the hoof on all four feet, metatarsal glands on the outside of each hind leg, and a larger tarsal gland on the inside of each hind leg at the hock. They also have glands at the base of each antler and in front of each eye. Scent from these glands is used for intraspecies communication, especially during the rutting season.
8-pointer
Males (bucks) possess antlers in Fall and Winter, which are shed sometime between January and March. An occasional doe may also possess antlers. In Texas, hunters take an average of 7 antlered doe deer each season. The antlers (buck or doe) begin to grow out again in April or May, covered with velvet. The velvet contains 1000’s of small blood vessels that nourish these growing antlers. Antlers are true bone, and are the fastest growing body tissue known.
Much research is being done on antler growth, in part, to learn how we can grow BIG antlers on deer, but also to use in the medical field. If we can learn how deer regenerate these things each year, maybe we can learn how to regrow a leg, or arm. The shortening daylight at Summer’s end triggers a hormonal response, which shuts off the blood flow to the antlers, in late August to early September. The dying velvet is then shed by the bucks. Occasionally, a buck will not get the message to stop antler growth and may continuously stay in velvet. These bucks are referred to as “cactus bucks”, since the antlers are usually quite freaky in appearance.
Look around you on the ranch and it’s easy to spot victims of this killer fungus. I drive around and think “what a shame” and “so glad it hasn’t hit our trees in the front”. Regretfully our luck has run out. Our tree nearest the road is effected so now it’s time to do battle.
The following is from Wikipedia regarding this disease:
Infections and symptoms Oak wilt spreads in two basic ways. A transmission via root graft is the most common source of infection, as trees within as much as 15 m (50 feet) of an infected tree can be infected. The second method of infection is via sap beetles. These beetles are attracted to the bleeding sap of the oak tree, as well as the fungus in an infected or dead tree, and so can transfer the disease to healthy but injured trees. This is less common as trees are rarely infected this way unless injured, but it is the only way to jump barriers (rivers, for example) and infect trees in new areas
Oak Wilt leaves
Oak wilt is identifiable by the rapid pattern of wilting starting from the top of the tree and progressively dying down to the bottom, and on specific
leaves , wilting from the edges to the base. Oaks with oak wilt stand out with their dead crown compared to a green canopy in the summer, so much so that oak wilt infections can be spotted from the air. A new infection via beetles instead of root grafts can kill a tree somewhat more slowly, if a branch is infected instead of the trunk.
In early May, the Alamo Springs Volunteer Fire Department was awarded a $15,000 grant from the Lower Colorado River Authority for the installation of a rainwater catchment system. The attached photo shows the 30 foot diameter foundation constructed by Alamo Springs VFD personnel on Saturday, May 22, 2010. Eventually this foundation will hold a 20,000 gallon cistern attached to the roof of the fire house. With the 40 X 45 addition to the old building, we will be able to harvest a large amount of rain water and store it for use by fire trucks. The rainwater will be filtered only and will not be potable. We expect the project will be complete by late June or early July depending on the availability of parts and weather for construction. Then we’ll pray for rain!
UPDATE 7/2/2010
Update 7/2/2010: From Gary Miller. “The system is 100% operational now. The tank holds 20,000 gallons. That sounds like a lot but during an event like the Hope Road fire of last August, we would have needed even more. This system is a major improvement for the fire department and a real asset for the community. We are extremely proud of it and are grateful for all the financial help we received from the LCRA to fund the majority of it.
After it was completed, we obviously did not know when it would rain, so we asked both Comfort VFD and Boerne VFD to help us out with water deliveries so we’d have water to use in an emergency. Comfort brought us ~7500 gallons and Boerne, ~3000. We had half a tank before the rains began. It is now almost 3/4 full [Friday July 2, 4:30 PM]. We figure about 1350 gallons per inch of rain, so 4 more inches of rain will top it off”.
This weather station is affectionately called the "Dave Heider Station" in honor of Mr. Heider's help and support. He is the programmer and head honcho of the WeatherView32 software I'm using with my Oregon Scientific WMR968 instrumentation.
www.weathermarket.com
Alamo Springs Emergency Water Source Program
Alamo Springs Volunteer Fire Department is signing up landowners who would like to have water sources on their property accessible to the fire department in case of an emergency.
Alamo Springs Neighborhood Garage Sale! It will be July 23-24th 2010 8am-5pm
If they want their address added to the map please call me 612-961-9441 as I will be printing maps for people shopping and I will place a star at the sale locations!
fungus. I drive around and think “what a shame” and “so glad it hasn’t hit our trees in the front”. Regretfully our luck has run out. Our tree nearest the road is effected so now it’s time to do battle.
In early May, the Alamo Springs Volunteer Fire Department was awarded a $15,000 grant from the Lower Colorado River Authority for the installation of a rainwater catchment system. The attached photo shows the 30 foot diameter foundation constructed by Alamo Springs VFD personnel on Saturday, May 22, 2010. Eventually this foundation will hold a 20,000 gallon cistern attached to the roof of the fire house. With the 40 X 45 addition to the old 
building, we will be able to harvest a large amount of rain water and store it for use by fire trucks. The rainwater will be filtered only and will not be potable. We expect the project will be complete by late June or early July depending on the availability of parts and weather for construction. Then we’ll pray for rain!
Update 7/2/2010: From Gary Miller. “The system is 100% operational now. The tank holds 20,000 gallons. That sounds like a lot but during an event like the Hope Road fire of last August, we would have needed even more. This system is a major improvement for the fire department and a real asset for the community. We are extremely proud of it and are grateful for all the financial help we received from the LCRA to fund the majority of it.