December - Balcones Woods Neighborhood Association

Balcones Woods
Newsletter
December 2014
Santa in the Park, It’s That Time
Balcones Woods will host the annual
Santa in the Park holiday celebration on
Saturday, December 20, between
10:00AM to 12:00PM. Please come join
us at the Clubhouse, 11204 Alhambra.
December 20, 10AM
Santa in the Park, Clubhouse
January 27, 7PM
Annual Neighborhood Meeting, Clubhouse
Maintenance project manager, contact:
[email protected]
Neighborhood Watch, contact
[email protected]
Help with Santa in the Park, contact [email protected]
Santa will arrive at 10:00AM to hear
Christmas wishes. Hot cocoa, apple cider, cookies and candy canes will be
served.
Please donate cookies and baked goods
for the event. We all know that Santa
likes a good cookie. These can be
dropped off at the clubhouse
at 9:15AM when we will be setting
up. Youth Social would like to send out
the call for help decorating the room. If
you can assist, please contact Jennifer
Heinzke
at [email protected], or
show up at 9:15AM for set up and to
drop off treats.
Season’s Greetings
Balcones Woods Admin. Board
[email protected]
President, Chris Grunska
Vice President, Dan Dworin
Op. Committee President, Ray Spivey
Co-Secretary, Robbie Chance, Rachell
Jackson
Board Members
Robbie Chance
Jason Childs
Dan Dworin
Rachell Jackson
Jodi Schrobilgen
Operating Committee
[email protected]
President, Ray Spivey
Vice President, Harrison Smith
Treasurer, Allison Dady
Secretary, Evelyn Saucier
Directory, Frank Cedeno
Newsletter, Rachell Jackson
Maintenance, Dennis Cecil
Neighborhood Watch, Joe Zygarlenski
Pool Personnel, Scott Dady
Fire Prevention, Joe Zygarlenski
Social, Rosa Bowen, Peggy Miller,
Annette Bohne, Jeannie Pinkman, Dan and
Jane Burstain, Victoria Field, Darla Smith,
Nancy Norman
Sports Courts, Carol Lockley, Darla Smith
Swim Team, Jack Butler
Website, Victoria and Nick Field
Welcoming Committee, Elaine HeinzkeHennig
Youth Social, Jennifer Heinzke, Allison
Dady, Leah Gibson, Sue Rubio, Kristine
Dugan, Shelly Mitchell, Holly McKee, Erika
Knox
Balcones Woods Club, Inc.
11204 Alhambra
Austin, TX 78759
Website: www.balconeswoods.org
Balcones Woods Club, Inc., takes no responsibility for the content, promises made, or
the quality/reliability of the products or
services offered in all advertisements.
Newsletter
For comments, to submit articles or for ad
information, please call (512) 342-1982
or e-mail [email protected]
Annual Neighborhood Meeting
Every year, a general meeting of the homeowners is held to elect
members to the Board of Directors. Later this month or in early January, you’ll receive a ballot to vote for new Board members. Your
vote is important. You can mail your vote or bring it to the annual
meeting on January 27, at 7PM.
Plan to attend the annual meeting so you can be more effective in
what happens in our neighborhood in the coming year.
If you or someone you know would like to be on the Board of Directors or serve as the Operating Committee President, email Dan
Dworin, [email protected].
Online Tennis Court Reservation
By Darla Smith
In October, we switched from a paper sign-up system to an online
system for reservation of the Balcones Woods tennis courts.
Many residents have already signed up and used the system. Feedback has been positive. The system allows you to reserve a court up
to a week in advance.
For information on how to have access to the system, please email
[email protected] .
List Your Small Business
List your services and skills in the Newsletter.
Drop a note to [email protected] describing your service, like yard work, pet care or babysitting.
Neighborhood Resources
Spanish Tutor, middle/high school: Allison Assunto, [email protected]; 512-567-8010
Pampered Chef consultant: Pat Stivers, 512-970-6679, pamperedchef.biz/
patstivers
Avon representative: Lou Ann Devetter, 512-345-9713
Arbonne Representative and personal trainer/wellness coach: Michelle
Spears, [email protected], 512-514-3067
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Casino Night 2014
By Darla Smith
The 2014 Balcones Woods Casino Night was a
smashing success! Over 140 neighbors attended, breaking last year’s attendance record by
40%. The word is out! No one throws a party
like Balcones Woods.
Everyone enjoyed the great food. The beer, margaritas and pina coladas were flowing freely.
Poker, craps, roulette and several black jack tables were full as everyone tried to beat the bank
and win great prizes.
Remember, what happens in Vegas stays in Vegas, but what happens at Casino Night is shared
with ALL your neighbors! A good time was had
by all!
Keep Your Pets Safe Over the Holidays
Source: ASPCA
The holidays are a time of celebration with the family, even the furry members with four legs. Here are
a few holiday items that could cause your pet problems if eaten.
Chocolate. Depending on how much your pet eats,
chocolate can cause vomiting, diarrhea, seizures,
hyperactivity, increased thirst and urination, and an
increased heart rate.
Xylitol, sweetener in candy and gum. Causes a drop
in blood sugar, resulting in depression, loss of coordination, and seizures.
Table food. Bones can splinter and cause blockages.
Greasy, spicy, and fatty foods can upset the pet’s
stomach.
Mistletoe and holly berries. Can cause gastrointestinal upset (vomiting, nausea, diarrhea), cardiovascular problems, and lethargy.
Alcohol. A pet can go into a coma, possibly resulting in death from respiratory failure.
Aluminum foil and cellophane wrappers. Cause
vomiting and intestinal blockage.
Poinsettias. Very low in toxicity, but might cause
mild vomiting or nausea.
Christmas tree water or runoff from potted plants.
May contain fertilizers that upset a pet’s stomach.
Stagnant water can be a breeding ground for bacteria.
Decorations like ribbon or tinsel. Can become
lodged in intestines and cause an obstruction.
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Casino Night
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Bill Hennig Retires from Maintenance Committee
Elaine is proud of what Bill’s accomplished. She recalls,
“When they planted Mountain Laurels in the green belt
on Alhambra, he would drag garden hoses from the club
house to the green belt to water the trees so they
wouldn't die. . . . He would even go to the pool after it
closed on a Friday night and vacuum the pool so it
would look clean for a swim meet the next day.” He
treats neighborhood property as if it were his own.
James Browder of Goodwin Management worked closely
with Bill on many projects. James
said, “Many of the tasks performed by Bill went unnoticed
when he performed them. From
wrapping the drinking fountains
for freezes and unwrapping them
for an odd warm week in the winter, to adjusting the irrigation
clocks to accommodate events;
Bill did all he could do to ensure
the community enjoyed the facility
to the fullest.”
To volunteer is to contribute your work and yourself
unselfishly, without expecting any reward. As Maintenance Committee Chair for the past several years, Bill
Hennig has done just that. Now he’s stepping away and
giving others a chance to take over.
The Maintenance Committee role description is, generally, “Maintain and repair property belonging to Balcones Woods Club.” Simple words, big job. “Bill Hennig has
been one of our neighborhood’s most valuable assets—
not only is he friendly and a great
neighbor but he’s kept our pool
working and maintained our community center,” said Ray
Spivey. “For many years, he did it
single-handedly. Most Balcones
Woods residents will never know
how much money Bill has saved
them.”
How did we get so lucky?
One day on his regular walk in his
old neighborhood, Bill was blocked
from continuing by an aggressive
dog that was on the loose. That was the last straw for
Bill. He returned home and told his wife Elaine, “OK,
we’re moving.” They wanted to live in a neighborhood
with restrictions that were enforced and that protected
people. They chose Balcones Woods.
Bill and Elaine moved to Balcones Woods in November
2004, four months after their son Mark Heinzke moved
here with his wife, Jennifer, and their two children, Cohen and Eden. Soon they were all involved in the neighborhood and volunteering. Mark was already on the
Covenants Committee, which Elaine later joined. Bill
was encouraged by Grant Hennig to chair Maintenance.
Projects Galore
What’s happened since Bill took over as Maintenance
Chairman? Lots. The new clubhouse was built, the
sports courts resurfaced twice, the pool replastered, a
canopy built over the kiddie pool, landscaping and much
more.
Ray Spivey commented, “He might fix a bathroom sink
at 7:00 in the morning or coordinate a repair on the
swimming pool pump over a weekend. He’s been amazing.”
Now What?
When I asked Bill what he’ll do with his time after retiring from his volunteer job, he said with a chuckle,
“Nothing.” He quickly repaired that to say play with his
grandkids, work in the yard and act as a consultant to
whoever takes over. As Ray said, “He certainly deserves
the break.” But we will need to tap his data base of
knowledge about how things really work, like how much
to torque the fixtures for the diving board.
Bill’s commitment and the quality of his work show in
everything he did. Thank you, Bill, you’ve made Balcones Woods a better place to live.
By Rachell Jackson
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Then and Now, Times Remembered
By Angela Hicks
Nothing says happy holidays like a busy airport! Crabby passengers. Long lines. Over-zealous TSA agents. Expensive,
stressful dining. Cancelled flights due to inclement weather. I rarely travel by air anymore, unless it's really really
worth it (like Costa Rica in January). When I do, I’m often in
an involuntary trance while waiting to board my flight.
Thoughts take me back to Austin's original Robert Mueller
Airport, conveniently located in central Austin just east of
Interstate 35. When I say just east of 35, I mean actually
touching 35. The western edge of the airfield
was bordered by the highway. Longtime
Austinites like me fondly recall the terrifying
exhilaration of driving a car directly beneath
an incoming jet. So close, that if you had an
open sun roof and a ladder, you could almost
touch the landing gear.
rassment by making a public scene. Imaginative ideas included one or more of the following: mismatched Goodwill clothes, blacked out teeth, werewolf masks, kazoo bands,
squirt guns, cascarones (confetti stuffed eggs), bull-horns for
timely announcements and large obnoxious signage. Once
the laughter died down and baggage was collected, everyone
piled into the car to go have some REAL fun on Manor Road
and The Drag (Guadalupe Street). Even if you didn't actually
stop to eat, drink, dance, or hear music, it was part of the ritual just to see what was going on.
It became obvious that Robert Mueller Airport was too small. Most of the building
stayed the same, but one very wide indoor
hallway was added. It rose slowly, like the
world's longest handicapped ramp, and ended at an indoor cul-de-sac with several
boarding gates. The outdoor escalator on
wheels was retired because planes could
finally pull up directly to the building. Southwest Airlines and their go-go bootwearing airline stewardesses were the new
kids on the block.
If you were actually going to the airport for
air travel, you took a different route. Have
you wondered why Airport Boulevard
doesn't go to the airport? Well, it did - - until
the airport was moved to ex-military-base
Bergstrom in 1999 (current location). We
drove on 183 to North Lamar, Lamar to AirWhat I remember most about the long overport, Airport to 35, south on 35 to Manor
due remodel was one particular piece of art
Road, then east to Mueller. It took about 15
that was installed to class up the place: A
minutes, but we allowed extra time to cruise the Angela Hicks
GIANT ANT FARM. No kidding! Imagine a very
parking lot of New Manor Apartments. Rumor
thin, enormous aquarium, built directly into the
had it that New Manor was "clothing optional". Everyone
wall, filled with kitty-litter sized sand and thousands of leafcalled it Nude Manor Apartments. If you were lucky (?) you
cutter ants making tunnels. Now you know why I choked
could peek through the fence from your car and have a good when I heard about the multi-million dollar art project being
laugh.
created for the latest Bergstrom Airport improvements.
It was an honor to drive your friends to the airport. Parking
was a cinch. Way easier than noon on Sunday at HEB. The
entire mob would go into the one-room building for checkin. No need to search for the right airline gate because we
had ONE check-in, ONE airline (Braniff), and ONE waiting area with doors leading outside to the patio and tarmac. You could wait on the covered patio area, or go up on
the roof for a better view of the single airplane coming in for
a landing. Arriving passengers disembarked via tall moveable escalators, walked across the runway and easily found
their way into the building. Departing passengers would
then leave the patio, walk out to the plane, and wave goodbye
while ascending on the same escalator. Friends and family
would stay outside, watching and waving, as the plane taxied
away and took off. You didn't leave until you actually saw the
plane lift and slowly shrink into the distance.
Sometimes we just went to the old airport to goof off. On the
north end of the airfield, there was a spot to park and get
out. We would lay on our backs and cheerfully endure the
roaring thunder of landing airplanes, sometimes screaming
as loudly as we could just to see if we could still hear each
other over 140 decibel jets (answer: NO). There was also
another airport for smaller private planes nearby. A friend of
mine worked on the tarmac, wearing a cheerleader like uniform and waving orange batons to direct pilots. We squealed
when we heard she’d parked Billy Idol's plane! She also
parked Governor Dolph Briscoe's plane, but it was much less
exciting.
I really enjoy sharing my version of Austin's history with my
neighbors. As we travel together into the holiday season, I
hope you experience some beautiful memories too. Time
really does fly (airplanes too).
It was also an honor to pick up arriving friends and family at
the airport. The goal was always to cause maximum embar-
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