foomamablumbie

Here is the plan for the new pool. Make suggestions now or forever hold your peace!

This one of the species of the weird fish that Randy and others saw displayed in the bait shop: a Gar. According to this article in the Texas Wildlife Magazine, there are four species of this fish in Texas.  Only one is the Alligator Gar even though a lot of people mistakenly call all of them by that name.  We won’t do that!

Gar used to be considered  nuisance fish but now people go after them for sport.  They can get quite large.

But the real question for us:  do they bite people??  The answer according to Texas Fish and Wildlife is no.    The Texas Fish and Wildlife website is full of good information:

There are many anecdotal reports of alligator gar in central Texas reservoirs, from San Angelo and Abilene to Waco and Austin, but Texas Parks and Wildlife Department fisheries biologists have never confirmed one from any of these reservoirs. Most likely, gar observed in these systems are longnose or spotted gar. Learn how to identify the different gar species.

So now we know:  the ones in the bait shop are longnose gar.

The Tye Preston Memorial Library is conveniently located just around the corner from our house, in the shadow of the dam. It’s a busy, welcoming place. Mom (Darlyne) and I stopped by to get library cards and ended up staying an hour. There is a butterfly garden, some sort of bubble contraption that I loved, a little art museum, and comfy recliners situated with a view of the beautiful bird feeding/native planting area. The recliners have cup holders AND many ports for charging your stuff. Rows of computer bays. Many meeting/conference/community rooms. Their calendar is full: kids programs, many adult interest classes, a “lunch and learn” event every Wednesday featuring a variety of lecturers, and various community services have office hours posted. So that’s all wonderful but the part I liked best was how happy they were to see us. After hooking us up with our cards, a happy woman ushered us to the gift shop to get our free tote bags. Several people welcomed us. The library had a lovely kind energy. I highly recommend it. Tomorrow night is an astronomy program; let’s go!

Maggie (daughter of Suzy), her husband Chris and their puppy Leeloo are currently living in the little log cabin that comes with the lake house while Chris attends training at the Randolph Air Force Base in San Antonio.  They got married last February (2018) in Arizona.  We have been so lucky to have them here!  They both have been a real help with the move-in and setting things up.  I don’t know what we would have done without them.

Maggie and Chris met in Phoenix playing kickball where Maggie had lived since she finished her studies Arizona State University (MSW). She worked in Superior Court of Arizona for 8 years. In her last position she helped establish the first Homeless Court in the state of Arizona in Maricopa County, a problem-solving court utilizing community service to resolve low-level civil and misdemeanor offenses helping remove barriers and ending homelessness.

Chris is from the small town of Bethel, Connecticut, and ended up in Phoenix with the Air Force working as an air traffic controller. Last year he was promoted as an officer: Second Lieutenant. We’re so proud of both of them!!     [justified_image_grid ids=”54,198,197″]