Pedernales Falls State Park - OR Bust!

All great adventures begin with an adventure.  Did I write that?  My adventure started a few days before we left to go to Pedernales Falls State Park when my geocaching buddy, Aaron Barbee gave me a utility trailer.  He told me it needed TLC and it did.  I love this trailer.  I poured my sweat into it to get it ready to haul camping gear and firewood 225 miles to the campsite close to Johnson City, Texas.

The Trailer

I added $200 worth of new tires, straps, and wheel bearings to make sure it would handle the trip. Always keep an eye out for auto parts store coupons; they come in handy.  I was so excited to leave, I forgot my tent and 2 containers of camping equipment.  When we camp, it is as if we are the Dugger family, taking anything we might possibly need and more.  I blame the small amount of Boy Scout training I had for this behavior.

I pride myself on making few mistakes and to say I made a few mistakes on this trip would be a bald-faced lie.  The trip was one mistake on my part after another.  I was determined to relax and I must have taken a brain-relaxer, because it was as if I was back in 9th grade algebra - I was dumber than a box of rocks.

Being the guy that I am, I stopped about every 30 minutes and checked the trailer load and wheel bearing temperature.  The drivers side was getting warm, but nothing serious.  The 4th time I checked it was in Bastrop and we stopped and ate a bite at the Dairy Queen there.  After we were done, the bearings seemed cool, so off we went… and then my bride got a phone call from my son-in-law informing me that while picking-up our doggies, he discovered our left-behind equipment.

My Bride loves me even though I am a bit of an oaf at times.

"That's it.  We have to turn back."  I stated.

"But we are 200 miles from the house!"

"I know, but we can't camp without what is in those two boxes."  I exclaimed, feeling failure wash over me.

"Well, if we drive all the way back, I am not going to camp."  My bride said, voicing my disappointed sentiment.

Ready to roll?  Yikes!

So, I wheeled the trailer and Jeep around and pulled into a Valero gas station to top off my tank.  That is when I noticed the drivers side wheel was about 10 minutes from falling off.  The bearings were completely gone and the wheel was wobbling.

"Aye Curumba!"  I yelled out in a vile torrent of butchered Baytownian Anglo Tex-Mex!

"If we would not have stopped when we did…"  I said and we both thanked the God we serve for the phone call.  All I can figure is it is divine providence that I left the supplies, or I could have lost that tire at 60 mph.

Bastrop Auto Works

I drove slowly back east on SH-71 and seeing a garage, I pulled into Bastrop Auto Works - Foreign and Domestic Specialists and met the nicest guy named Rene Rizk, who is the owner/manager.

"If you can drop the trailer Mr. Marshall, I'll have it ready for you in the morning and it will handle like new - I promise," were his exact words or something like that.

So, off to Wimberley my bride and I head.  Wimberley, Texas to my bride is like going to heaven.  I did not do everything wrong my friend.  We chummed around town and finally got a room at the excellent Square Inn, right on the square.  It is a real nice place ran by a single mom of triplet teenage boys. I highly recommend it.

Square Inn, Wimberley, Texas

The next morning, we made our drive back to Bastrop and Rene's son took our denaro, as Rene was fishing for Spec's and Red's in the Gulf this fine morning.  Hitching up the "like new" trailer, off we went for our camping trip and true to his word, the trailer performed like it was supposed to.

Arriving at Pedernales Falls State park, we learned I had lost my $20 deposit and had to pay the full price, since I didn't give the State of Texas a 72 hour notice I was going to have a bad trailer spindle.  Oh, well, just pass it off as another minor inconvenience and move on down the campsite.  Number 64.  The Ranger whispered it was highly coveted and a few days later, a woman asked when we were leaving, as they wanted our spot.  I felt pretty smug after that.

Camp site 64!

We had almost everything set up before my daughter and son-in-law came rolling in with the tent and our missing containers of camping gear - and our 4 little doggies!  Oh joy!  What a fantastic rescue they put on for us!  We cooked food on the campfire and swam in the Pedernales River over the next two days.  While in camp, we listened to my DVD's of the Cornell Hurd Band, Hank Williams, James Harmin, Wayne Hancock, and Bert Wills.  It just didn't seem right not to listen to Country and Blues music around the campfire.

Baytown Bert  AKA Pedernales Bert

My bride and I camped the last two nights by ourselves and even made a mandatory trip over to Marble Falls to eat at the Blue Bonnet Cafe - an absolute must and thanks to my friend Buddy Casto, we even made a trip over to see the Castle Avalon on the mountain.  By the way, it was 100 degrees outside and it is April for crying out loud!

100 degrees in April?

In the Park we saw deer, turkey, 3 short-nosed gar - hiked the 4-mile Loop trail, did a bit of geocaching, cycled, cooked meat on a stick over a campfire, and had a wonderful time.  An amazing sight was looking up through the netting on the tent at night at the millions of stars - after taking a good warm shower in the clean Park bathrooms of course!

Beautiful Pedernales Falls State
Park

I don't want to conclude without mentioning that I left my cell phone charger and had to nurse my usage carefully - but remembered to bring 3 cameras.  I warned everyone repeatedly about the raccoons at nighttime and then I left a case open and the rascals destroyed a bit of foodstuffs including coffee and grape jelly.  I clumsily stubbed my great toe in the shower. I brought 4 pair of binoculars, which we didn't use, but forgot the tent.  Then on the way home, my Jeep caught a rock in the windshield.

I did however percolate French Market coffee with chicory over the fire in my Dr. Strangelove coffee cup and by golly it was American and delicious!

Drinking chicory coffee out of my Dr. Strangelove cup seemed fitting!

New Trees Planted In Jenkins Park!

It is no secret last year's drought killed a lot of trees in Baytown.  Fortunately, we didn't lose 1800 homes to fire, like what happened to the good folks in Bastrop.  After the city decided for safeties sake to cut down a number of trees in my favorite park, I appealed to Mayor DonCarlos and Parks Superintendant Scott Johnson to find out what we could do to re-foliate the park. 

We went for a walk in the park today and came across this little fellar on one of the trails.  The trees appear to be live Oaks, Elm, Pine, and a couple more.  I love this park and from the look of activity around us, a lot of other people do too.  My hat is off to the Mayor and the Parks Super for the great job they did and are doing!

 Mayor DonCarlos approached Exxon-Mobil and they generously donated $5000 for new trees!  He contacted me to help round up some folks and with anticipated enthusiasm - I went off camping!  Literally and I didn't get back in town until all the planting was over!  With dead cell phone and battery in hand, I did what I could to let them know the second I got back, the error of my ways.

Both fine Baytownian civil servants were gracious enough to forgive me, as I had my lovely bride on vacation and afterall, her happiness is paramount to my comings and goings.  So, to show proof I was actually not out goofing off, here we are enjoying Pedernales Falls State Park.

The Baytown Photo Club is Trashy!

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Yes, the Baytown Photo Club is trashy and they are proud of it.  Every quarter, they gather behind DeZavala Elementary school to begin picking up trash on Tri-Cities Beach Road.  Whenever I can, I join them and do my share.  Today we picked about 15-20 bags of garbage, plus all kinds of other stuff and a few unmentionables - as always.

Super Stop in Baytown May Be Over-Charging!

Has anyone else suspected or noticed the older Middle Eastern fellow who man's the counter at the Super Stop SHELL gas station at N. Main & E. Cedar Bayou Lynchburg Road punches the keyboard on the register instead of scanning the item and will "accidentally" over-charge?

I've called the guy out on it twice and I won't go in the store now. Try it yourself. Know the cost of an item or two or three, figure the taxes and watch to see if you are being scalped.

Do it routinely at any convenience store by the way. If they do not scan your items, it is a sign they might be doing fancy math in their favor.

 It's not just me.  Here is what other people are saying about the place:

 - Yes, price diff everyday..I quit going too.. sad part is how many people go there and totally unaware.... makes u want to put up signs... wonder if BBB would work? Nah:.. he's making too much to care.

-This guy also been know to run "8 liners" in the back of the store also.

-Most do this that I have come across. I've tried to stick to Exxon stations for this reason. They have consistently been stable on prices and they scan everything plus there prices are usually cheaper especially on tobacco products.

-Call the comptrollers office. Sounds like a case of tax fraud. They WILL investigate. They probably have a way you can report anonymously. They will go in, hang out and watch them to catch them not ringing the products properly.

-Especially the ones that have separate registers for cash and credit

-I have noticed it going on there for several years now. You definitely have to watch him IF you go in that station. I usually try not to go there because of this reason.

-I called the guy on it one night and the next time I came in he did it again. I walked out without paying the second time. I don't go back.

-Hate that store !! Prices are never consistent and they always overcharge on everything !

-Hillboys Chevron on 146 does the same thing as well as steal from the cars stopping through.

The Amazing 4G Androd Smiffle!

Has anyone else noticed how short many people's attention span is due to them pulling out an electronic "communication device" and staring at the screen.They're becoming brain dead.

It doesn't matter if you are trying to explain or “conversating” that flesh-eating organisms are imminent and in fact on their very leg . They will never hear you, or return to the conversation when they finally look up... If they look up. I think this is dependent on battery life of said electronic communicator, all of which have catchy Brand names people can’t resist bragging about.

If they email you from their “smart” phone, you even get an advertisement letting you, the email user, know what kind of device the brilliant sender is using. For example”

“Sent by the incredible 4-G Android 4G Smiffle by Verizon are always available for shoes. in brilliant 4G!!!”

As long as that 3-D Liquid Crystal Diode 2.5 inch screen is anywhere within reach, a normal conversation is all but impossible - well, it is impossible, unless that is, you can text this person. Then you will have instant access to them, as this is a social devise, designed to help everyone communicate.

Get four of these folks in a room and it is totally silent as they connect with each other on a "social network."

“Ha ha haaaar! That stupid idiot only has 3G!” My fellow co-worker said to anyone listening (I was the only one in the room who didn’t have my attention on a device, but before I could reply, he was gone again. “I pity the fool!” I thought I would exclaim and I did, but it fell on deaf ears, as I didn’t text it.

Whatever happened to simple con-ver-sat-tin? Heckfire, whatever happened to conversing?

A Mountain Lion in Baytown, Texas?

A cougar, commonly called a puma, panther, catamount, or a long-tailed cat.

Rumors of a large mountain lion-like cat in Harris or Chambers County, Texas surface every so often with many credible eyewitnesses, including my wife and one of her best friends.  Two friends of mine swear to the fact that they are here.  Some call them panthers, others know them as pumas, or long-tailed cats.

Where the big animal was spotted walking behind the houses on El Rancho in Chaparral Village, Baytown, Texas.

Behind my house are over 70 acres of woods and yesterday, my wife and her long time friend were sitting on the patio when they spied a large, tawny colored animal "walking like a cat" on the pipeline behind the house.  "It was as big as a dog and had a tail."  My wife told me and her friend concurred.

"The dogs were on the far side of the yard and didn't sense or see it and we jumped up and ran for the back fence.  It disappeared into the woods without a sound."  My wife explained. 

Another view of the pipeline lane behind Buffalo Trail in Baytown, Texas.

My longtime friend Barbara Pugh has seen them many times, as she grew up around Baytown and Beach City and swears locals there know they are here.  It was not all that long ago that reports of big cats were again sighted out by the dump.  I saw a bobcat there a few years ago and my brother saw a bobcat run across Barkuloo Road in between Chaparral Village and Crockett Elementary. 

A Bobcat like this one was spotted crossing Barkuloo Road close to Crockett Elementary and Chaparral Village by my brother.

This is the same stretch of woods where the pipeline is that may or may not harbor a "long-tailed cat."  We often hear a large pack of coyotes yipping and howling when a train blows it's horn, but they are elusive and I've never actually saw one behind the house.  It just goes to show that large animals can coexist with us and we don't know they are around.  Coyotes also can and will kill a pet, as will feral hogs.

Feral hogs and coyotes both frequent the woods behind Chaparral Village, but are rarely seen.

I know one fact that no one can dispute and is possibly connected with the big cat sighting.  Not a week goes by without someone placing signs to report a missing dog in Chaparral Village.  Occasionally one is found, but most often, the pet is never seen again.  We lost one like this here about 15 years ago.  It ran into the woods and vanished without a sign.

Signs are common in Chaparral Village of lost pets.  This one was taken the same day as this article was published.

We have seen and heard feral hogs on the pipeline and I once saw a great horned owl perched on the wire behind my house.  My dogs will stand by my back fence at night and bark and bark, facing the woods and I often take a powerful flashlight and scan about, but never see anything except rabbits.

I have not seen a rabbit in two months.  Do we have a long-tailed cat out there?  I have not seen one, but others have.  I plan to place a game camera out very soon and see if I can't get a photo or two of what our intrepid visitor looks like.  In the meantime, we watch.

Airplanes/Gone With The Wind - Levi McAllister

Councilman Bob Hoskins - Unified Land Development Code

Good Evening Bert, I hope this has been a great weekend for you and your family. My wife and I recently enjoyed visiting with our Daughter who is attending UT at Austin and then we ran over to San Antonio to visit with our Son and his family. So its been a busy week for us.

Unified Land Development Code

I wanted to send you some thoughts on the Unified Land Development Code that the Baytown City Council passed this past Thursday. The Council voted to approve the ordinance that will repeal the Chapter 130 "Zoning" of the Baytown Code of Ordinances and adopted the new Zoning Regulations to be included in the Unified Land Development Code (ULDC). This has been in the works for over two years by a comprehensive committee of Citizens and Community leaders. They had an overwhelming task put before them and the outcome with this ULDC will set a higher standard for the profile and aesthetics of our City. Not only does this ULDC address future buildings (commercial and/or residential) but it also designates what will be built in and around our neighborhoods.

I encourage all Citizens to go to the City of Baytown web site and read through the ULDC so everyone will know what has changed. The document is somewhat long but has many categories of reference for Citizens, builders and commercial/industry. This I feel will contribute overwhelmingly to improving our City. When I ran for City Council, there were a number of people that informed me that they wanted the City of Baytown to improve the way the City looks and this ULDC is a step in the right direction. It has built in protection for the Citizens and their homes by including buffer zones in areas where there is a close balance with commercial and residential. It also lays out certain rules that everyone will have to play by and will not play favoritism to some and ignore others. Everyone will be on the same playing field in future development in the City.

I commend the Planning & Zoning Committee for their work. This is one of those items that will start paying dividends in the future and will make our community look great.

City of Baytown Recycle Program

In recent City events, portions of District 5 had the opportunity to be the test cell for the City of Baytown Recycle Program. The goal of the program is to decrease the many tons of garbage that is going to our landfill. One way to curb that is to start a recycling program. This has been widely successfull and especially in District 5. In some areas, the City has provided residents with a 96 gallon container for our recycle material. My family and I have been utilizing the program and have found that we certainly have more recycle material than garbage. This was very surprising. When we only had the blue containers, we were limited with how much we could recycle. Now with this large container we have more than enough capacity for a weeks worth of recycle materials. The City also determined that with this recycle program, there no longer is a need for twice a week garbage pick up. I tend to agree. Our home seldom has a full garbage can for garbage pick up and that is in a 30 gallon container.

The important issue is the fact that there is less tons of garbage that is going to our landfill. That makes the program very rewarding and is better for the environment. I have heard from several people both pro and con to the program. But most of the issues are pro - for the program and once a week garbage pick up. There were some strong cons to the program such as the health conditions caused by leaving garbage in a container for 6.5 days. I recenly had my Son and his family visit during Thanksgiving and when I had to take a soiled diaper out to the garbage can, I realized what some of the Citizens concerns were and why they want to maintain the twice a week garbage pick up. Therefore I am still on the fence with this issue.

As you send out information to your "Baytown Bert" readers, I certainly would be interested to hear from them and how they feel about the recycle program and the once a week garbage pick up. Thank you, Councilman Robert C. Hoskins
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Baytown Embraces Masonry Construction Trend

Texas Masonry Council: Baytown Embraces Masonry Construction Trend; New Requirements Aim to Boost Long-Term Value

The Baytown, TX City Council has approved this Houston-area city’s first-ever masonry requirements, as part of a strategy to enhance the refinery town’s tax base, image, and quality of life. Baytown joins a growing list of more than 150 Texas cities that have incorporated exterior masonry construction requirements into community planning, according to the Texas Masonry Council. 

 

Baytown, TX (PRWEB) February 27, 2012

The Baytown, TX City Council has approved this Houston-area city’s first-ever masonry requirements, as part of a strategy to enhance the refinery town’s tax base, image, and quality of life, notes the Texas Masonry Council, which advocates masonry planning as a strategy for sustainable development.

The masonry requirements for both new commercial and residential construction are included in the city’s new Unified Land Development Code (ULDC), which the City Council approved on Feb. 23, 2012, culminating a three-year review process.

In adopting the ULDC, Baytown, pop. 72,000, joins a growing list of more than 150 Texas cities that have incorporated exterior masonry construction requirements into community planning, according to the Texas Masonry Council.

The City Council appointed a six-member ULDC Citizen Task Force to prepare and recommend a unified land development code. The Task Force first met January 15, 2009 and has held over 70 public meetings to date. The city’s Planning & Zoning Commission also has held more than 25 meetings on the ULDC.

Under the adopted ULDC, new construction in Baytown will be required to have the following percentages of masonry materials on exterior walls:

•     Non-residential – up to 80 percent on the front and up to 70 percent on sides, with trade offs for increases in landscaping for a lower percentage of masonry;
•     Single-family Residential – minimum 60 percent;
•     Multi-family Residential – 60 percent of first floor walls, 30 percent of all walls above.

Baytown is best known as a center of petroleum refining. It is home to three major refineries, including one of the biggest in the world, owned by Exxon Mobil. The refinery operations support hundreds of spin-offs and smaller businesses in Baytown. There is also a growing health care industry and retail/restaurant sector in Baytown.

For much of its history, Baytown offered a diverse mix of housing for a broad demographic range of residents. In recent decades, however, the newer planned communities of Kingwood and Friendswood, both funded in part by major oil companies, attracted many folks who might otherwise have settled in Baytown. As a result, the quality of the housing mix in Baytown has declined, according to several studies.
The city began revising its land use regulations as part of its strategy to: level the playing field for developers; restore diversity and quality to the housing stock, and grow the tax base, said Kelly Carpenter, Baytown’s director of Planning and Development Services.

“One of the charges of the ULDC process,” Carpenter said, ”was to find ways to have higher standards for development in order to improve the quality of life and grow the tax base. We felt masonry requirements would help achieve those goals.”

A University of Michigan study of masonry ordinances in four Illinois towns concluded that such ordinances result in: 1) higher overall property values; 2) growth in the tax base, lessening the tax burden on residents; 3) continued population and housing growth, and 4) no significant impact on affordability for either renters or buyers of housing.

Research also has shown that masonry (brick, stone, concrete block) provides greater protection against fire, and windstorms, such as tornadoes and hurricanes, than non-masonry siding products.
Rudy Garza, executive vice president of the Texas Masonry Council, said, “Texas has a rich history of building with long-lasting masonry products. Masonry is part of the Texas heritage, and by embracing masonry planning, local officials and civic leaders, such as those in Baytown, are helping to build a strong legacy for their communities.“

ABOUT THE TEXAS MASONRY COUNCIL
The Texas Masonry Council represents the masonry manufacturers, suppliers, and contractors in Texas. The TMC assists communities seeking to enhance their appearance and long-term sustainability by incorporating masonry planning into their development plans. Visit http://www.masonryordinance.com.

Baytown's Mayor Don Carlos 2-23-12

Baytown, Texas Gator Ride Is A BP MS 150 Recommended Ride!

The 23rd year of the Baytown Family YMCA Gator Ride has changed for the better! The Gator Ride is scheduled for Saturday, March 3, 2012.

Our ride site is located across the street from Bicentennial Park located at 119 Lee Drive. We have the 62 and 43 mile rides that go over the Fred Hartman Bridge, and the 51 and 33 mile rides which do not go over the bridge. We also have the Lisa Guy Memorial Family Ride for all ages which is 6.2 miles.  Please click on the tabs above and receive more information plus pictures from last year's ride.

7:30 am - 62 mile ride starts
8:00 am - 51 and 33 mile rides start
8:30 am - 43 mile ride starts

9:00 am - 6.2 mile Lisa Guy Memorial Ride starts

After your ride, stay and enjoy activities at the Start/Finish line.

The Start/Finish Line is across from Bicentennial Park located at 119 Lee Drive, Baytown, TX 77520.

Register online for the 2012 Gator Ride 

Download the registration form for the 2012 Gator Ride!

Questions? Call 281-427-1797
Gator Ride
Saturday, March 3, 2012
Benefiting the Baytown Family YMCA

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Dying Trees Felled In WL Jenkins Park!

Big trees are down all along the Jenkins Park gravel well-traveled trail which connects WL Jenkins Park with JC Hollaway Park.  They were dead due to the drought and marked in the same hot pink color which for the last few years has brought folks together to fight breast cancer.  In the case of the trees, the bright color meant just the opposite.  Doomed to the earth.  I love this park and hate to see it defoliated.

They lay everywhere like fallen sentinels and the skyline and buildings outside the park - which were recently hidden from view, are now obscenely exposed.  At least that is the way I view it and I am sure others who daily use this refuge from concrete and asphalt are equally dismayed.

I understand only the trees, which could fall across the path, were aggressively chain-sawed down.  I know it and understand the reasons behind it and I applaud the Parks Department for being proactive.  We have very good parks and Scott Johnson should be applauded for keeping them up.  You can't go too one of our parks without seeing city workers doing maintenance.

Two weeks ago I wanted to follow the chain-saw gang around, but didn't want to pass the "Keep Out!  Men at Work!" barricades.  They were felling trees and with each crashing sound, I envisioned an Ent soul ascending toward the heavens.  Maybe Fangorn was in there somewhere - who will ever know?   I had to wait until today to see the damage, as I worked a long string of 12-hour days at the Plant where I live most of the time.

As of today, the plan is:  "Those that can be moved easily near the trail will be removed.  Those deep in the woods will be left in place to let nature do its thing."  Personally, I would like to see some seedlings going in as soon as possible, but there is no plan at this time to replace the fallen majestic pines of Jenkins Park..

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Michael Sievers Refinishing Guitars in Baytown, Texas!

My son in law is quite the guitarist and he decided to refinish 3 of his electric guitars.  I thought I would watch and learn.  His name is Michael Sievers and his email address is:  Msievers09 AT gmail.com  Substitute the AT with an @ and that's it.

Michael Sievers refinishing 3 guitars in Baytown, Texas.

I am always amazed when I can see what some people can do.  I pretty much repair computers and shun manual labor as much as possible.  The white one hanging in the background is a Fender Stratocaster.

All sanded down and ready for the next step!

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Troy Houston - Chris Robinson - Where Are You Now?

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My Bride received this one dollar bill in change and I wonder what the story is on it?

Troy Houston - Chris Robinson - Where Are You Now?

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