The News From Lake Tawakoni

The New Job

2012-02-11T07:37:00.000-08:00

I have a lot to learn.
So far, in just over a month, i have visited with the city manager/city secretary for about 20 cities spread from new london to rice, attended a few city council meetngs, and mostly just listened to the challenges and issues facing Rural Texas.
The folks at GrantWorks have been very supportive, dont seem to mind my silly questions, and are in the business of helping to solve issues facing small communities.
I have also seen a lot of new country. Just yesterday, i did a little over 400 miles, many of the roads i had never been on in my life.
I very much enjoy listening to the trials and triumphs of small communities, and from time to time, sharing the experiences I had in beng responsible for the day to day operations of two city halls since 1996.
Melanie said last night, after listening to what had gone on during the day, it's good to see you having fun and helping again.
That, and the people i worked with, are what I miss about city work.
What i like most about the new gig, I can now do those same things, for so many more communities.
See ya out there

Exciting news!

2011-12-18T11:45:00.001-08:00

I traveled to Austin last week to meet with GrantWorks and I will start with them, on a part time basis, in January.I will be covering this part of the state and I am very excited. GrantWorks and I go way back. They are a great bunch of people who are dedicated to helping communities in Rural Texas, and the two communities I worked for benefitted greatly from their services.Thanks for the chance Bruce.

We beat the freeze

2011-11-29T13:26:00.001-08:00

We picked about 8 gallons of green tomatoes, bell and jalapeño peppers before the freeze and Mel and I spent a lot of time canning all kinds of recipes the last coupe of days.Also had a great conversation with a man I have done several projects with in the past and we will be meeting within the next two weeks to talk about our business plan.

Great game- congrats Longhorns

2011-11-26T15:29:00.001-08:00

It was a great game. Case McCoy gutted it out and delivered the big plays at the end. Cold and windy at the lake today. Did get the leaves changed out in the composter. We still have lots of peppers and tomato on the vines. Might have to pick soon, we might be headed for our first freeze of the year.

Beat The Hell Outa tu!

2011-11-21T06:37:00.001-08:00

In commemoration of the last (at least for the near future) meaningful game between the Aggies and Longhorns...
Traditions die hard but memories last forever

Me and dad...

Honey Do's and travel photos

2011-11-20T09:23:00.001-08:00

Bully having fun

Colorful Colorado

Skyline Drive Arkansas/Oklahoma

Grandparents grave at Shady Point, Oklahoma

Buffalo at Carson State Park, South Dakota

We are home just over a week now. So far, we have managed to clean the two ponds, start raking leaves (a long process), got the boat back from the shop and into the slip, unpacked and began completing our business plan.
Here are some photos from the trip...

Snow on Cumbress Pass at sunset

Rushmore

Couple of more from Colorado

2011-11-16T09:00:00.001-08:00

Grabbed a couple of shots on Mel's camera...

Aspen on Platora Road

That's me in an ugly spot on the Conejos

Back at the lake!

2011-11-14T07:46:00.001-08:00

Melanie, Bully and I returned home Friday after seven weeks and 7000 miles on the road. We traveled to New Mexico, Colorado, Wyoming, South Dakota, Nebraska, Kansas, Arkansas and Oklahoma. We had a ball.Will be posting a few photos.We did go to Greenvile and filed our assumed name certificate for our new business venture today.

New Beginnings

2011-09-27T13:30:00.000-07:00

I have taken a lot of time off in writing this blog. I stopped during some very troubling times around City Hall but since this is my last day of public service, I no longer have to worry about folks who "read between the lines".
Melanie and I have a business model that we will pursue, in one form or another, starting in January of 2012, and we will be taking about three months off.
We plan to do some projects around the house, some traveling, and just relaxing.
The girls at the office put on a very nice reception last week and then a farewell lunch today. I will miss them very much.
Here is a shot of "us girls"
See ya around...

It has been a while

2010-08-04T09:28:00.000-07:00

It has been a very busy summer at the Lake. We only know of one more gang coming this summer.
The fishing lately has been very good. Trolling up white bass is very easy right now and we are getting better and catching the hybrids and stripers because they lead to

We have been taking the new master of the house, Bully, on the boat quite a bit. He hangs out in the shade and we do get him in the lake each outing and he had a ball hanging out with grandson Josh in the tube

I will get some pics of the DC trip posted soon

Azalea's blooming at the house

2010-04-22T12:26:00.000-07:00

The azaleas between the house and garage are really showing off right now.

Spring in East Texas

2010-04-20T07:48:00.001-07:00

The flowers in the yard are starting to bloom

New favorite Bully Shot

2010-04-14T20:01:00.000-07:00

My long weekend with three women

2010-04-14T13:56:00.000-07:00

Takes a lot of guts for a married man to write that headline for his blog...
I had the chance last week to help out with a turkey hunt near Clarendon, and when son in law Ryan called and told me the details of the event, I was pretty nervous. I have hunted spring turkey in the past, but not in recent years and am in no way qualified to actually guide anyone. After spending a few minutes with Ellen, Sherry and Karla, my fears were removed.We then settled in to two and a half days in a wonderful setting- complete with cowboy cooks, a Texas Troubadour, a late evening thunder/hail storm, and lots of gobbling spring turkeys.
Ellen is a regional director for the National Wild Turkey Federation and an accomplished caller and stalker. Those three go bear hunting with bows so we quickly realized all they needed was to be pointed in a decent direction. Son in law Ryan had Karla with him as Ellen, Sherry and I tried to put Sherry on her first bird.
Ryan and Karla scored first as she bagged a nice gobbler by 8 a.m. It took me and my girls a good 26 hours to put my two new friends on a bird. Sherry fired one shot and collected a mature gobbler and Ellen connected maybe 15 minutes after I left her alone. Ryan kicked my butt in putting them on birds.
We had a lot of laughs, ate very good food, saw lots of critters and shared our hunting and fishing stories. Although we saw deer, quail, exotics animals I can't name much less spell, turkey, horses, longhorns, real cowboys, a rainbow, and a beautiful ranch, I have a visual that I cannot get out of my head.
Getting ready for our first set up before daylight Sunday, and getting guns and vests loaded for the hunt, I kept seeing freshly painted red fingernails.
That was a first for me in the field and I have spent lots of hours in lots of fields.
Those three hunt for the same reason I do. They enjoy being with friends, appreciating the sights they see and the people they meet. They want to leave their cares and concerns behind and see if they can do all the things necessary to get up close and personal with their intended target on their own.
We had a great time.
I'd be their direction pointer any day.
I just hope they don't ask me to go bear hunting with a bow. That's not a sport for sissies like me.

Karla with her bird

Sherry (right) and Ellen with Sherry's First Turkey

The "Tres Pinatas" at the Waterfall

Kicking Back with Nanny

2010-03-26T08:56:00.000-07:00

I know none of you parents have ever seen this scene before. Just woke up- still cuddling and watching cartoons.

Crappie- Kinda

2010-03-25T16:53:00.000-07:00

Water temps are still too cold for crappie- but we are getting a few of the early birds. Joey, Allison and Case were here last week and took home 18- I cleaned four after work today, including this almost 16" female.

Tawakoni Sunrise

2010-03-09T15:13:00.000-08:00

Got on the water early Saturday and was treated to this sight...

Lessons I learned last week...

2010-03-08T19:31:00.001-08:00

I had a “Hoy Day” last week.

I drove to College Station, towing a trailer, with a dog by my side.

Just like Dad would have done.

Those of you who know me, know I am mechanically challenged. My favorite line around my guys in maintenance is “tools make me bleed”.

Dad probably never ended one of his hundreds or projects, without at least loss of one drop of blood. To him, it probably meant sacrifice, to me- just pain or failure

So, I was on a mission. I took Mom to her second cataract procedure, but really, I was there to accomplish a project, fraught with danger, and possibly loss of life or limb.

I was bringing back to West Tawakoni, a 34 ton log splitter. The guys I work with around here have access to all the fire wood they want, if they are willing to work. To them, a gas powered, hydraulic log splitter, was a dream come true.

To me, instant severance of limbs, or death.

The first time we attempted to move to move the log splitter , ended in complete disaster. I ended up basically watching my brother remove two, very flat tires, from the trailer the splitter was attached to and taking them back to the lake to be repaired. That was after many heroic efforts to fix the flats ourselves, but only ended up in the demise of a come-a-long and other failed attempts.

Now, it was a challenge. I was going to load a log splitter, mounted on a trailer, onto a trailer, attached to a Suburban, and I planned to do it by myself.

Glenn offered to help. I wanted to at least give it a try.

After mounting (or some resemblance thereof) the two tires I had taken to be fixed, I quickly learned one fact. There was no way in hell I would be able to pick up the trailer that has the log splitter attached, and walk it onto the trailer attached to the Suburban.

This is the point “Dad” took over.

Frustrated, but also knowing there were tractors and all kind of tools at my disposal, I (me and my Dad) created a plan.

First, I would remove the flat bed trailer from the Suburban and tilt it leaning back. After that, I would “scotch” all four trailer tires with a brick or a piece of firewood, just like I had seen Dad do it several times before. Then, I would back the Suburban next to the trailer, attach a chain from the Suburban frame to the hitch on the log splitter, then just haul it onto the trailer.

It worked, just like it was supposed to. Splitter came right onto the trailer, weight of the splitter raised the trailer to a height that could be dealt with, I reattached the trailer to the Suburban, and two days later, guys were having a ball using a splitter to make firewood gathering a little less work.

My brother, after I texted him I had loaded the splitter onto the trailer, congratulated me. I wouldn’t blame him for a second for thinking I paid somebody $100 to pull it off.

I have spent much of the time since November of 2006, missing my dad. Last Wednesday, at his farm house in College Station, I felt his presence again.

Dad taught me what I need to know.

At my best, I listen

At my worst, I do not.

There are a lot of things happening in my life right now.

Personal and professional.

Right now, I am going to focus on the lessons I learned a long time ago.

Cloy, Lake Tawakoni, March 2010

Cool Truck Wrap

2010-02-28T19:36:00.000-08:00

Tanner Tabor, the tournament director for the King Cat Tournament Trail, drives the pickup. If you look closely, the camo pattern is made up of crappie and brush. For a crappie nut like me... that is cool

Cabela's Winners

2010-02-28T18:17:00.000-08:00

C.J. Blankenship of Topeka, Kansas and Ryan Gnagy of Tecumseh, Kansas with a total weight of 120.6 pounds.

Here's a shot of the winners. It was a hectic three days. Clearly, everyone was surprised at the conditions. As little as five days prior, several had caught well north of 200 pounds. It was tough as, again, 21 of the 39 teams were from out of state. Guides from Santee Cooper. Jeez- our little tournament has come a long way.
In case you haven't noticed, a lot has happened in the city park. We hope, by late summer, to be able to host a 150 boat tournament rain or shine as our boat ramp will be installed and have been promised help with rock for all the roads. At Saturday's event, the Mayor cooked the beans, three council members helped served meals, two guys from maintenance cooked, two more helped set up and tear down and we raised $912 that will go back to the park. That's why I have chosen to live and work in small towns for the last 31 years. A few committed people who come to common agreement that we can do something fairly well and make it a success. And, we are getting better at it. If you have suggestions, lest us know. Heck- maybe one day we will just plan a big ol fun tourney, our group will serve brisket and fish...
Thanks for your kind words. Met a lot of good folks on the TFF

New Lake Tawakoni Record Catfish

2010-02-23T15:03:00.000-08:00

Jered Mounger of Creator Guide Services is the lake record holder with a 73.70 pound brute. He will be fishing the Cabelas King Cat Classic here this weekend. Jared caught the fish on cut shad. Melanie and I met him at the recent NTTC tournament and I told Mel she had better get her photo taken with Jered as that may be the closest we come to a lake record fish

Congrats Jered

Lamont's Caught a Nice One

2010-02-21T15:25:00.000-08:00

Fish on- Get the Net!

Lamont (my neighbor and co-worker) and I took advantage of a nice day Saturday and tried for a big catfish. We might have had three or four bites when he hooked up with this fish. Did't have scales but it was 32 inches long.

Photo before the release

More Tawakoni Snow Scenes

2010-02-11T17:02:00.000-08:00

Mel and I jumped in the car to take a drive through the park to see the snow scenes. We had at least 8 inches today.

The Butterfly Garden at the City Park

Our house

Tawakoni Snow

2010-02-11T09:09:00.000-08:00

A backyard shot from today. The birds are having a ball. Somewhere out there, is Lake Tawakoni

North Texas Catfish Results

2010-02-08T11:39:00.000-08:00

The North Texas Catfish group held their tournament headquartered at the State Park Saturday

Here are photos of the winners

Fist place team of Ayers and Nobles with 133.35 pounds

Second was Dupree and Dupree with 125.35 pounds

3rd was Petree and Mounger (the current Tawakoni rod and reel record holder) with 124.55 pounds

4th were Carpenter and Willis with 115.4- pounds

5th were Newsome and Newsome with 110.80 pounds

big fish winners were Hauth & Watkins with a 55.90 blue

Congrats to those anglers

Bud Light Bass Trail at Park

2010-02-06T10:58:00.000-08:00

The Bud Light Bass Trail held a tournament today at the City Park. They have a nice stage for the weigh in. They will be back the first saturday in March

New killer lake house guard dog

2010-02-05T08:19:00.000-08:00

You better be careful if you dare take one step on our lake house property because we have a new, killer, guard dog.
None of that is true, but we do have a dog living with us now. Bully, a soon to be 12 year old Llewellin setter, was a gift from me to son in law Ryan when he was a puppy.
He now has complete control of his new house and the two people he allows to also live there (Me and Mel), has his favorite piece of sitting (sleeping) furniture and is loving being an inside dog. While we have had a couple of incidents, he is training us well.

Aransas Pass Lighthouse Weekend

2010-01-29T07:19:00.000-08:00

Johnny, Merikay and Fred enjoying the sunset

Last week, Merikay and Johnny came to the lake and picked us up and we drove to San Antonio. On Friday morning, we met up with Mel's dad Fred, her brother Mike and took off for Aransas Pass. We got to stay in the lighthouse, owned by Charles Butt of HEB fame. It was a wonderful trip. Lots of food, lots of fishing (not catching), lots of good-fresh-gulf shrimp, and Johnny and Matt got pretty good at catching blue crabs on dead shrimp. We caught a bunch of young redfish, nothing of legal size. Enjoy the photos (remember- click to enlarge)

White Christmas

2009-12-24T08:16:00.000-08:00

Melanie and I traveled to Ashburn, Va. yesterday to my sister's house, just outside of DC. We are having a white Christmas.

Christmas Lights

2009-12-18T17:11:00.000-08:00

Lamont and Sandy, our almost across the street neighbors, again took the top prize in the area Christmas lighting contest. I have two photos, one of the winning display and one of ours. I think Mel and I got hosed by the judges...

Thanksgiving at Clarendon

2009-11-30T13:59:00.000-08:00

We got to spend a few days on Ryan's Family Ranch near Clarendon. The group included Melanie and I and neighbor Lamont Jenkins of West Tawakoni; Kim, Ryan, Kody & Josh Hodge of Amarillo and Joey, Allison and Case of Fort Worth.

Kody barreling down a canyon as we started a short hike. He managed, unlike me, to get down the first draw without falling.

Besides eating well, we spent a lot of time outside and had a chance to do some turkey hunting. The highlight of the trip for me was Kody decided he wanted to try his hand at turkey hunting. After getting permission from his dad, I taught him some safety concerning a shotgun, had him fire it a few times and he was ready to go. The first time out, we did not see a bird but we did get up close and personal with a few mule deer does. Saturday morning Kody and I got up early and set up near a corn feeder and He bagged his first turkey- well- he actually killed two with a single shotgun shell. He was very excited and it is a memory that will last with me forever. The previous morning, I killed a pair of turkeys, also with one shot, as Case, in full camo, went hunting with me. Case was very excited during our hunt. Joey and Allison had spent some time with him last week at home "practicing" hunting and he was a real trooper.

Case and Josh helping prepare the Thanksgiving meal

Kody posing with his two turkeys

Ryan's Tawakoni Visit

2009-11-10T14:55:00.000-08:00

Son in law Ryan Hodge had a short, fast visit to the lake last weekend and we did get in an hour or so of drifting for catfish while he was here. Also ran the juglines and caught more than enough fish for the annual "Suaray to Luray" pheasant chase in Kansas next week.

Ryan is cranking while the net woman (Melanie) gets ready

Ryan with another catfish headed for the fillet table and then on to Kansas to feed pheasant chasers

Halloween at the Lake

2009-11-02T12:51:00.000-08:00

We had a neighborhood Halloween Party Saturday and set up across the street at Sandy & Lamont's house. We had hot dogs and candy for the kids and just sat out and enjoyed a wonderful, full moon evening. Merikay and Johnny brought Marcy and we had a lot of fun. We hope to continue our efforts in the future.

Boat Ramp Progress- Butterfly at Garden

2009-09-29T08:41:00.000-07:00

The first concrete pour for the sidewalks and pads for picnic tables and the pavilion will take place this afternoon. Shown here is the coffer dam for the boat ramp itself. Met with the contractors this morning and had to stop on the way back to City Hall for the butterfly shot at the garden at the City Park.

Birthday Weekend for Josh

2009-09-22T07:50:00.000-07:00

Case waiting on Nanny at the City Park in Gainesville

Case made his second Josh Birthday Weekend trip this past weekend. I picked up case Friday in Fort Worth and we met Nanny in Gainesville at their wonderful City Park.

Saturday, Josh had his birthday party at a Nature Center in Amarillo and then it was on to the Maxor Family picnic at a park in Amarillo where the kids had a great time playing on the bounce houses. Back to Gainesville Sunday to meet Joey and Allison. Great trip with Aunt Kim, Uncle Ryan and the three grandsons.

Why didn't they have these things around when my kids were young- Case enjoying a movie, probably Scooby Do, in the car

For those who don't know, our 3 grandsons (from bottom) Josh, Case and Kody

Josh holds the rabbit while Kody holds Case

Bounce House fun at the Maxor Family Picnic

Another great Joshie Birthday Weekend

Rain and Missy's Striper

2009-09-15T06:46:00.001-07:00

A view of the sunset looking up the Caddo Inlet

Missy showing off a striper she caught

The weekend rains kept Melanie and I inside. The sunset shot followed a nice shower Sunday and the other shot is Melanie's sister Missy and a striper che caught during her last lake visit.

Short Case Visit

2009-08-17T11:16:00.000-07:00

Making Sausage Bread with Nanny

The New Funny Face by Case

We went to Fort Worth after work Friday and picked up Case and took him home on Sunday afternoon. He had a laid back weekend, spending most of his time playing with Nanny. He did take a short break from the serious work of making sausage bread to show off his new funny face. That face reminds me of the goblins on Nightmare Before Christmas. It was great to have him arround.

Butterfly Garden at Park

2009-08-14T06:29:00.000-07:00

Was driving over to see progress on the new boat ramp and spotted this big guy having lunch at the garden we planted this spring at the City Park...

Barbecue

2009-08-09T09:21:00.000-07:00

A better photo of Mel's 23 and a half inch hybrid.

We had Johnny & Merikay, and neighbors Lamont & Sandy over Saturday evening. Filled the grill and froze several meals in advance. It was a great day. Today, the most energy I will expend will be helping Tiger Woods come from 3 back.

Found the Hybrids Saturday

2009-08-08T12:09:00.000-07:00

Johnny and Merikay came for a visit this week. Early Saturday morning, Melanie, Johnny and headed for the dam and we ended up keeping 7 hybrids. Big fish was a 23 and a half inch caught by Mel.

Case comes for a Short Visit- Kody's Fish

2009-07-31T07:25:00.000-07:00

Swimmers having fun

Kody performing his world famous "butt buster" for Nanny & Case

Kody & Case playing on the couch

Kody with a Sand Bass he caught Monday

Joey had an outpatient procedure done on Thursday so Mel drove over to Fort Worth, picked up Case and she, Case and Kody went to Hurricane Harbor and spent the day. They came back to the lake and out for a boat ride-swim we went.

Kim, Ryan, Kody, Josh & Stef

2009-07-31T07:12:00.000-07:00

Stef and I

Josh catching his dad with a fish net

Kody driving the boat

On our way back from Colorado last week, we stopped off in Amarillo, grabbed the grandsons and headed back to the lake for their summer visit. Lots of swimming, boating, fishing, eating and visiting ensued. Stef made her 4th summer visit in five years- not bad for a college student from Belgium--- here's a few shots...

Ctiy Awarded Police Officer from "Obama Dollars"

2009-07-29T06:25:00.000-07:00

I have spent a considerable amount of time this spring and summer chasing the American Recovery and Reinvestment Funds and that chase paid off Tuesday as the Department of Justice announced the City will be able to hire a police officer, paid for by "stimulus" funds.

West Tawakoni was one of 31 Texas law enforcement agencies awarded funds to replace police officers who were laid off by budget cuts. In a locally controversial move last summer, our City Council eliminated two city staff position, one of them a police officer.

Here is a story from today's Greenville Herald Banner...

West Tawakoni to receive federal funds

By DANIEL WALKER
Herald-Banner Staff

WEST TAWAKONI — The City of West Tawakoni has been awarded $117,000 under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.

West Tawakoni was the only Hunt County entity to be awarded funding by the program. “We’re real excited. This is going to make a big difference in the community,” said West Tawakoni city administrator Cloy Richards. “We’ve been chasing those Obama stimulus grant dollars all summer and we finally got one.”

The Obama administration on Tuesday announced $1 billion in grants nationwide to help keep police officers on the beat during the economic downturn. The aid announced by Vice President Joe Biden and Attorney General Eric Holder was highly sought after. For every $1 to be delivered, another $7 in requests were unfunded under the grant program, Community Oriented Policing Services, commonly called COPS.

“We figured we only had a 12 and a half percent chance of being funded. We are tickled to death that the City of West Tawakoni was able to obtain a slice of the stimulus pie,” Richards added.

West Tawakoni, which currently has four police officers, had been forced to eliminate a police officer position during the 2007-08 fiscal year due to budget shortfalls Richards said and the money will put that officer back on the streets.

“We had been running a deficit and had no way to fund an officer,” Richards explained. “It upset quite a few members of the community,but we had no choice. This will get us back to nearly full staff.”

Richards said the city can hire the fifth police officer immediately and he expects the city to act quickly. The grant will fund the officer position — including pay, healthcare, retirement and benefits — for three years with the city responsible for the fourth year.

“As excited as I am about the grant, I’m a little overwhelmed by the grant owner’s manual I just downloaded, it’s 81 pages long,” Richards added.

According to the Department of Justice, West Tawakoni’s application was ranked 18th of the 385 Texas entities that applied for funding. Thirty-one entities in Texas were approved and 196 new officers will be hired in the state.

Colorado...

2009-07-27T12:01:00.000-07:00

The State Flower of Colorado and one of my favorite wildflowers- the Columbine

Sunset at LaManga Pass

The Cumbres & Toltec train blowing its horn at a crossing (we had Case and Joey on the phone and they heard the whistle loud and clear)

The cookout fire just below Platora

Brookies ready for the camp fire

Melanie Fly Fishing

Me at the Homeowners Park at HORCA named for Dad

Elk Creek is still swolen from runoff

The Conejos Valley from the observation turnout on Highway 17

A welcomed guest to our cookout taken from Elk Creek

Me with the sign for Dad's Mile on Highway 17- Yes Mel and I cleaned it although his friends have been doing a great job of keeping it clean

For eight years, our immediate family shared a lot of memories and good times in Colorado. Mom and Dad bought a house, and, as usual, opened it to everyone they knew and even some they barely knew.

It has been five years since Melanie and I have been to HORCA (located between Chama, NM and Antonito, CO on Colorado Highway 17) and it is an amazing place.

Melanie and I arrived late Saturday afternoon and took the drive up Spruce Hole to take in the view. Sunday we went to the Conejos Community Chapel and connected with a lot of friends mom and dad had there and Sunday afternoon we started fly fishing the creeks and the Conejos River. I don't really count fish but people always ask "how many did you catch". Tuesday morning I was the first one in on the Elk Creek Trailhead so I started from there instead of hiking in, past the other fishermen. In three hours I probably released 35 or so and ended up with the final four small brookies Melanie and I had reserved for a cookout. In two and a half days of fishing, probably 50 trout were caught and all but eight were released. The largest I landed were a pair of 14 inch "twin" rainbows but, as ususal, a nice brown, maybe around 20 inches, got away from me in the fast currents of the Conejos about 75 yards north of the 17 bridge at the end of an S curve in the river. I had him to withing 10 feet or so, but when he saw me, he shot to the main current and we had about a split second standoff, I felt a shake of the head then felt the tippet break.

We drove over 250 miles just in the Conejos Drainage in three and a half days, going back to see all those places where so many happy memories were made. I heard the stories again of how admired my Dad and Mother were and are and what they meant and mean to the people they know.

I hope to return to chase the trout, see the leaves in the fall and just soak in that aroma of pines, camp fires, and clean mountain air.

So, to Robert and Jean, Dan and Martha and a couple of others who welcomed us back- thanks. We hope to see you soon.

(Remember- click the photos to enlarge if you care to do so)

Mel's Here to Stay!

2009-07-13T12:08:00.000-07:00

She got word Thursday she has been hired at Bland ISD. It is 35 to 40 minutes from here but it is a lot closer than Midland. WoHoo!

Big Tomato

2009-07-10T11:13:00.000-07:00

Recent lake visitors have been enjoying the tomatoes, peppers, squash, zuchini from our small garden but I had to share this very large tomato I picked yesterday. Our tomato plants must love their lakeside home (they are a couple of feet from the water). That is my hand hidden behind the monster.

July 4th Weekend

2009-07-06T08:58:00.000-07:00

The Gang Sunday evening

Jana's big sand bass

The new fish cleaning station

The Qualls gang invaded Lake Tawakoni over the weekend. Johnny and Merikay and their four children and nine grandchildren spent the weekend, along with Melanie's dad Fred, his youngest daughter Emily and her friend Emma. We did not have room for everyone so all three trailers at the city park housed a bunch of people.

We had three boats so people spent a lot of time swimming, tubing, wakeboarding and of course there was a gotta catch fresh fish for a fish fry fishing trip. Jana and John caught some big ol sandbass and we got the brand new table pretty bloody as we cleaned 76 sand bass. We fed 32 people fish Saturday and then everyone loaded up boats and headed to Mrs. Stanley's firworks show on the lake.

Sunday we had a barbecue for 20 or so on a new barbecue pit Melanie bought and put together (by herself) for me.

Johnny and his son John built the very cool new fish cleaning table that has running water, electrical outlets and lights. That thing will last forever and is very much appreciated.

It was hectic and Sunday evening some folks that were still around wanted to take a ride out and watch the sunset. I stayed behind and ate some leftovers and just kinda chilled.

We had a good time, no one got hurt (well, a splinter here and a boo boo there) and as usual, the only person who showed inappopriate behaviour was me.

Tiffany's Hybrid

2009-06-30T14:30:00.000-07:00

My sisters' daughter, Tiffany Thompson with her big hybrid she caught during their recent Lake Tawakoni visit. She was just as excited when she caught it as she is here posing.

The Virginia Bunch Invades Lake Tawakoni

2009-06-26T12:52:00.001-07:00

My sister Dinetha brought her family to the lake for a couple of days of tubing, fishing, bird watching and visiting. Shown here are (from left) Nathan, Dinetha, Mom and Tiffany. They managed to catch enough fish for a fish fry and tried fried green tomatoes for the first time (they liked them). This was just a practice run as there were only 8 in that group. July 4th we have 21 on the way.

Weekend Shots

2009-06-15T07:00:00.001-07:00

(From Left) Alex, Stephanie, Matt and Terry take a break from fishing

The fish finder shows what they were catching

I thought we fed birds

That's more like it

Summer is here and the lake house has been busy. Since June 4th, there have been 2 nights that Melanie and I have been "home alone". This past week, Johnny and Merikaye were here and they did a lot of work around the house (hanging new rope lights, power washing decks). Johnny and his friend Tim and I went out Wednesday and kept 58 white bass. On Friday, Melanie's brother Matt, Terry, Stephanie and Alex came in from San Antonio for fishing and boat riding and they took home enough fish to feed 36 people.

All is quite until Father's Day when my sister and her gang come to Tawakoni from Washington DC.

Birthday Weekend

2009-06-08T11:17:00.000-07:00

Feeding the Catfish at the Athens Fresh Water Fishery Center

Case, Nanny and Emmalie getting ready for a ride on the tube behind the boat. The two kids rode alone together and had a blast

Joey and Case, Shane and Emmalie and Koby and Asia all came to the lake this weekend. The guys were doing a "daddy day care" weekend with their kids and they spent Friday night and Sunday night with us. They camped at the Tawakoni State Park Saturday night. Melanie worked around the house Saturday while I acted as though I had taken benadryl all day and Sunday we drove over to Athens to visit the Texas Fresh Water Fisheries Center and do a little shopping. Thanks for all the birthday well wishes from friends, family and coworkers. Here's a few photos from the weekend

Tawakoni Sunset and Gardenia Tree

2009-06-01T11:04:00.000-07:00

Although we cannot take any credit, we have a wonderful gardenia tree in the front yard and it makes everything smell great

Saturday evening Sunset on Melanie's first day back as a full time resident

I wrote back in August that Melanie had left to work in Midland and that was a sad time. But, time heals all and she's back at home. She was basically packed and ready Friday night and we made it back Saturday in time to hit the lake for some fishing. We had a great time Sayturday and Sunday and di not manage to get a lot of work done but we needed the break.

Butterfly Garden Doing Well

2009-05-26T09:36:00.001-07:00

For those of you who saw the unplanted garden at the City Park, this is a shot only six weeks later. The garden was planted April 15 and this is hot it looked Memorial Day.

Austin, College Station and Crappie

2009-05-22T07:30:00.001-07:00

Saturday Crappie at Anchor Inn
Monday in Austin

This was one of my usual crazy weeks. Saturday morning I went to Anchor Inn and kept 9 crappie, including that 14 1/2 inch male. Sunday afternoon, headed to Austin for a fulld ay of meetings on Monday and then went to spend two nights and a day with Mom in College Station. We had a crappie fry Tuesday night as Glenn and Suzy, Mom and I were joined by family friends Pat Griffin and Jim Anderson.

Looking forward to Memorial Day as Melanie flies in tonight and home for good Sunday week.

More yard shots

2009-05-15T06:19:00.001-07:00

Baby squash
Hollyhocks

Since the spawn crappie season is about to wind down, I have been spending a little more time in the yard. I planted a small garden this year with squash, zuchini, peppers and tomatoes and we are already starting to see young fruit on squash and jalapenos. The hollyhocks are in the "back-back" yard near the lake. They were brought here from Merkel and like their new home.

Daylillies

2009-05-14T06:11:00.000-07:00

The daylillies in the front yard started blooming this week. With all the recent rain, things are looking great around the lake.

Lake is Full again!

2009-05-07T08:06:00.000-07:00

About four and a half inches of rain Sunday did the trick as Lake Tawakoni is now full again. This shot of our boat dock on Monday means I need to move the boat back home from Anchor Inn.

Balmoreah...

2009-05-07T07:52:00.000-07:00

Hummingbird on the nest at park
Swimming with Josh and Case at Balmoreah

We took a family trip to Balmoreah State Park last week. Put 1,435 miles on the Suburban and just had a wonderful time. Picked up Joey and Case in Fort Worth on Friday, met Melanie in Midland and continued Southwest. Kim, Ryan, Kody & Josh met us at the park Saturday. The feature of the park is an artesian well that surfaces near Balmoreah and runds 1 million gallons of water per hour. It feeds a very large swimming pool where you can swim with fish and turtles. We spent a lot of time feeding fish behind the cabin, watching a snake eat a catfish, feeding chipmunks, and bird watching. We also traveled to the McDonald Obersvatory and Marfa (no- we did not see the lights). Joey was the official photographer for the trip and as soon as he gets over a bout with kidney stones, we will get some better photos of the trip.

Slab Me Silly Jigs

2009-04-30T06:18:00.000-07:00

The jig of the day- loved the lighting on this photo

The big girl of the day

I wrote a long post on the Texas Fishing Forum recently that described what I have learned crappie fishing this year. Anyway, the post prompted a couple of responses. A guy on the forum goes by the handle SlabMeSilly. He makes crappie jigs and custom rods. He ran a sale I ordered a few and yesterday headed to Anchor Inn after work. It was raining cats and dogs but I had a great outing and kept a limit and everyone on the same jig- not just the same color but the same jig. Anyway, a couple of cool crappie photos

A Spring Texas Weekend

2009-04-27T06:19:00.000-07:00

A cobbler in the making- Dewberries!

The racing stripe crappie

The crappie are still biting. Caught a limit Sunday including a racing stripe crappie, then went home and did housework and watered the garden and noticed the dewberries were ready to pick. Johnny and John came Friday afternoon and they went home with 38 crappie and a few catfish. Didn't take pictures of the Big Red and Blue Bell but they were enjoyed as well.

And this is why I like the HOME Program

2009-04-21T13:41:00.000-07:00

After all the stupid new rules, after all of the arguing and losing the fights concerning the rule changes, we still chose to participate in home for one reason only. Besides Habitat for Humanity, HOME is the only national program designed to meet the basic needs of housing. And this photo, accompanied by the tears you don't see, tells the tale. Before today, the Mayor and Rhonda had never met. She will not forget this day and neither will I.

Happy New HOME Owners

2009-04-21T13:23:00.000-07:00

Here is the West Tawakoni Mayor Pete Yoho with happy HOME owner Rhonda McKeehan

West Tawakoni Mayor and Economic Development Corporation President Pete Yoho (left) hands the keys to a new HOME to Basil Stamper

Today was one of those days in Public Service that make all the bad days worthwhile. The Mayor got to hand over the keys to two homeowners to their brand new homes. This is a federal program from HUD and administered by the State. Locally, the program was sponsored by the West Tawakoni Economic Development Corporation and the local match efforts came in the form of cash and labor assistance by City Employees.

Just a back yard shot

2009-04-17T14:04:00.000-07:00

For those who read the blog and have not been here...

15 Inch Crappie

2009-04-16T07:53:00.000-07:00

So, April 15th was a lot of fun considering it is tax day. At ten, a group of city employees plus two volunteers planted a hummingbird-butterfly garden at the City Park. I took off early and headed to Anchor Inn to catch crappie. Ended up with 21 including this 15 inch, 2 and a half pound female

Butterfly-Hummingbird Garden

2009-04-16T07:48:00.001-07:00

The planting Crew

Garden Before Planting

As a part of a small parks project, we were able to plant a garden in the City Park. The maintenanc crew built the garden and April 15th a group of volunteers planted. While we were finishing up the planting, we had our first butterfly visit.

Crappie Part Deaux

2009-04-09T06:14:00.001-07:00

Looks like yesterday's post but different batch of fish. Kept 14 fishing after work yesterday. The spawn should last another couple of weeks.

Crappie Time

2009-04-08T06:32:00.000-07:00

Went to Anchor Inn after work yesterday and these 17 crappie (and a yellow bass) are ready for the fillet knife. Melanie, Joey, Case and Allison will all be at the lake this weekend and I am excited about that.

Tawakoni Crappie & Birds

2009-03-30T06:41:00.000-07:00

We ran into this flock of birds as well

Lamont with a beautiful couple (male is on the left)

Lamont and I fished Sunday. It was a rare, beautiful weekend day with little or no wind.

Spring in East Texas

2009-03-26T13:00:00.001-07:00

I have several things I love about East Texas but spring has to be near the top of the list. I had a meeting tday in Nacogdoches and took these shots of azaleas at a small church. Ours at the house have just started to bloom so you will see more later.

More from Spring Break

2009-03-24T14:58:00.000-07:00

Some kids at the boat dock asked if I wanted their extra goldfish to use for bait. I told them I would take the fish and give them a nice home in our fish pond. Case had a ball getting them out of the bucket and into the pond. So much fun that his dad and I had to catch them back out of the pond and back into the bucket so the process could be repeated.

The columbines in the yard are doing their part for Spring

Case spent some of his spring break helping Nanny make macaroni salad. Since he made it, he ate more than his share of it.

Spring Break Fun

2009-03-23T07:49:00.000-07:00

Joey with one of 23 Crappie caught Thursday

Case with his Lightning McQueen white bass

Melanie was home for 8 glorious days and we had a ball. Spent a lot of time catching crappie and cooking.

We saw Kody, Josh, Kim & Ryan at the Great Wolf Lodge on Tuesday (their spring break trip) and Joey, Allison and Case spent Tuesday & Wednesday nights with us.

On Thursday, Case, Joey and I went to the 2 mile bridge and tied up to a column. We took his Lightning McQueen fishing rod, put a minnow on the hook and tossed it overboard. In a few minutes, Joey looked at the rod in the rod holder and it was doubled over. He and Case managed to land the fish and we got a photo or 2.

I got to take the week off and it was just a wondeful 8 day period at Lake Tawakoni

Cabelas King Cat Classic Winners

2009-02-28T15:39:00.000-08:00

5th went to Josh Cummings and Roy Ewing with 95.40 pounds

4th were Randy Jones and Ronald Teague with 97.60 pounds

3rd went to Tommy Roedell and Wes Brogan with 119.45 pounds

2nd place went to Cody & Billy Mulenix with 148.95 pounds

1st Place with 189.90 pounds and 1st Place with the Big Fish of 56.20 pounds was the team of Mickey Petree and Steve Nelson

The West Tawakoni Economic Development Corporation hosted their 2nd Cabelas King Cat Tournament at Lake Tawakoni Saturday, Feb. 28th. The wind was howling and it was cold but 48 teams entered and all made it back safely.

HOME construction underway

2009-02-26T12:27:00.000-08:00

Construction started last week on two homes here under an affordable housing program administered by the State of Texas.

Spring Coming to the Lake

2009-02-23T09:18:00.000-08:00

I wish I could post some crappie photos but I have only caught 9 so far this year. Last week, Joey called and told me to go to woot.com and order a new digital camera and throw my old one in the lake. Here are some early spring flower shots from the front yard.

Going to be a busy weekend coming up as the Cabela's Catfish tournament will be held at the City Park. Will post some big ol' catfish pictures next week.

2009-01-31T14:47:00.000-08:00

Got to do a little fishing on the last day of January 2009 and we did pretty good. Lamont, Steve and I cleaned 14 and I let this big cat go after a couple of pictures. The gulls around Anchor Inn got their free meal of catfish rib cages. Sure was a great day to be outside.

Christmas Contentment

2008-12-18T11:41:00.000-08:00

Had to share this one of Case at his new house with his Christmas Tree...

Party time...

2008-12-18T11:27:00.001-08:00

we had a birthday to celebrate as well as Anette turned a "significant" age and Brandi tried her best to not get in the picture.

Police Chief Jack Schultz presents Ash Harmon his certificate as Officer of the Year

Well, we had our annual Christmas lunch Wednesday at City Hall and it was a lot of fun. We ate too much and handed out our service awards and our Employee of the Year is Lamont Jenkins. You saw him in an earlier post as a deer hunter.

More from Clarendon

2008-12-10T12:48:00.000-08:00

Melanie and I with Josh and Kody

An albino wild turkey

You can click the photo to enlarge it and if you do you will see a fairly rare sight in nature in the bottom photo. The albino hen wild turkey was pretty cool to see. The other shot is Melanie and I with the Amarillo group while on our adventure to the water falls.

What Goes Around...

2008-12-08T15:33:00.001-08:00

Grandson Josh enjoying water fall icecycle
Mule deer doe watching her yearlings

The Happy hunter with host Ryan

A happy hunter Lamont with his buck

Sunset on the High Card Ranch

This is a story of paying it forward and then getting paid back. Each summer, daughter Kim and her husband Ryan host foreign exchange girls through a project of the Amarillo Downtown Lions Club (Ryan is the president). The last three summers they have brought their girls along with sons (grandsons) Josh and Kody.

This summer, the fun had just started when my boat had a serious engine problem. My neighbor and co worker Lamont loaned us his boat and we were able to show them a good time on the lake. Before Ryan left, he told Lamont he would get him on his dad's ranch for a deer hunt this year.

Last Thursday, Lamont and his wife Sandy and I traveled to the High Card Ranch southwest of Clarendon and it was a trip Lamont will always remember. In less than an hour he bagged a buck that weighed about 300 pounds and had a 21 inch spread. Not being a deer hunter myself, I just knew the thing was huge. Lamont said not only was it the biggest deer he had ever killed in years of deer hunting, but it was the biggest he had ever seen.

After the deer hunting was over, we took the gang on a hike to the water falls on the ranch and did some turkey hunting (Ryan and I Both bagged a turkey), saw lots of wildlife and some awesome sunsets and stars. Melanie drove over from Midland to join us and we just had a great extended weekend.

Pay it forward... you never know

Many thanks to Ryan and his family and the cowboys at the High Card for a wonderful weekend.

For those who don't know this, you can enlarge the photos by clicking them.

More from West Texas

2008-11-17T11:46:00.000-08:00

Missy got a wonderful shot of a Mexican Brown Eagle and a mule deer doe between Fort Davis and the McDonald Observatory

Melanie and I feeding the fish at Balmorhea State Park. Our grandsons are going to take that trip with us soon.

West Texas Trip

2008-11-17T11:23:00.000-08:00

Steve, Paul and me

Me with some blue quail

This is me, Steve and Leslie aboard Steve's hunting jeep

The weekend of November 10, I took a couple of days off and traveled to Midland to visit Melanie. We spent the weekend with Mel's sister Missy and her boyfriend, Paul. We also spent some time with Steve and Leslie. We traveled to a ranch near Balmorhea and spent the night, went on a quail hunt and a sight seeing tour. The next night we stayed at the State Park in a cabin and traveled over to the McDonald Observatory to watch their star party. It was a great weekend, met some neat people and saw some beautiful scenery and wildlife.

Generator Delivered

2008-10-29T09:16:00.001-07:00

Losing electrical service causes a lot of problems but, soon, we will still be able to make water as a standby generator was delivred for our new water plant this week.

Water Plant Expansions

2008-10-29T09:02:00.000-07:00

Our new water plant, which has been on line since October 19, has a sludge tank and up until now, we have been paying a company to haul off sludge. Not any more, as we had a water truck delivered to a makeshift loading ramp.

Bella Vista Paving

2008-10-14T12:23:00.001-07:00

Hunt County Precinct 3 came through in a big way Tuesday as they hauled in oil sand for paving at Bella Vista.

Canyon Lake Weekend

2008-10-14T12:20:00.000-07:00

Went to San Antonio last weekend and Debra let us use her lake house. Met Melanie, Missy and Paul there. We spent quite a bit of time in the back yard watching the stars and sailboat races.

Water Plant Barbecue & Tour

2008-10-06T11:22:00.000-07:00

We had a nice crowd of folks who toured the new water plant Friday. City employees, the contractors, city council members and the Mayor all enjoyed a great barbecue meal pepared by Jack and Rob and then got a tour hosted by Lamont of the new plant.

Amarillo Weekend

2008-09-23T11:25:00.001-07:00

The Texan at Childress

Case and his cheering section

Josh showing off his bowling style to Kody and Nanny

Josh and Kody playing in their back yard

A 5th birthday party for Josh turned into a chance to see Melanie. I picked up Case Friday morning and headed for Amarillo. We had a great time in the car and many, many verses of Old McDonald and Itsy Bitsy Spider. He traveled 700 miles with me in a four day period and did not shed a single tear. The party for Josh was Saturday (bowling) and Sunday we took the boys to the Discovery Center and park. They had a great time. A few photos from the trip

Rental Trailers at City Park

2008-09-17T08:15:00.001-07:00

While at the water plant recently, I shot this photo from our sludge tank of the RV rentals traielrs that are available at our City Park. Nice view isn't it?

Ike Waves at Tawakoni

2008-09-17T08:13:00.001-07:00

Ike didn't really cause any problems here at the lake but did make waves as he blew by. We had less than an inch and a half of rain. This is the area of the lake that leads into the cove by the house.

Found a few photos

2008-09-11T06:23:00.000-07:00

Case contemplating his next bite

Breakfast at Nannys' table

He enjoys playing in his pool

Didn't remember having these photos of a recent visit by Case to the lake. His parents were busy packing and moving so he came to "chill" with Nanny and Paw Paw

Sad Day at Tawakoni

2008-09-03T09:41:00.000-07:00

My best friend and fishing partner left for Midland today. Melanie will be working at Midland High and living with her sister Missy. The job market in the area was very tough this year and her going there was the best short term and long term solution that was available at the time. We packed up the suburban last night and she just left a few minutes ago.
In our 33 years together, we have gone through some seperations while she was in college, while I worked here for a month before she was able to finish the school year in Merkel, but this is truly tough because of the distance between here and there.
I hope Midland ISD honors what they are getting. She is a remarkable woman and I will miss her very much.

Some summer fun in Tawakoni

2008-08-18T08:22:00.001-07:00

Tawakoni Sunset
Nanny & Josh swimming
Josh having fun on the boat
Tawakoni Rainbow

Our house was a pretty popular place this summer as lots of family and friends came by for visits. Recently, Stefi, a recent college graduate and a resident of Belgium, came with Kim, Josh & Kody. This was Stef's 4th visit to Lake Tawakoni and she is quite a fisherman. We did not catch very many fish this time but she told me it was just a reason for her to come back for another visit. Earlier this summer, Kim, Ryan and the boys brought two other exhange students for their first Tawakoni experience.
Stef sent me the photos I requested, but not one of her at sunset. I will bug her about that later.

Joey is in China, Short Case & Allison Visit

2008-06-27T08:06:00.000-07:00

We got to see Case and Allison earlier this week as Joey is in China on an educational exchange trip (see justforcase.blogspot.com for a couple of photos). While on a snake killing expedition to a neighbors' house, Case got a bug bite and his hear was really swollen. It did not damper his fun with Nanny and PawPaw.

Great Lake Weekend

2008-06-23T11:48:00.000-07:00

Melanie and I enjoyed a rare weekend at home alone this past weekend. Gots lots of housework done, worked in the garage (does that ever end) and kept 36 white bass for the freezer. We have another free weekend coming up! Weather was mild (for a Texas summer) and we enjoyed jumping in the late when it got too hot to fish.

Water Plant Progress

2008-06-23T11:44:00.000-07:00

We are now inside 8 weeks from the completion date of the new water plant. The crews from JR Sheldon & Company of Pilot Point have been steadily progressing to get the project done on time. We can't wait to fire that baby up.

Father's Day Weekend

2008-06-16T08:54:00.000-07:00

We had a houseful as Merikay and Johnny's kids and their kids came for a lake weekend. Lots of boating, tubing, swimming, eating and a little fishing took place.
It was a good weekend, everyone helped out quite a bit. Even had close to an inch of rain Saturday. Lake is still above pool level and Melanie and I need to get busy and catch some fish as our freezer is looking pretty empty right now.

Nice rain last night

2008-06-10T06:25:00.000-07:00

We picked up 1 1/2 inch of rain last night and the lake is already over the spillway by 3/4 of a foot.

Lake Tawakoni Online

2008-06-10T06:14:00.000-07:00

There is a good local forum at this address http://www.laketawakoni.com/ go check it out

Water Plant Progress

2008-06-03T12:13:00.001-07:00

The Water Plant operations building is now going up. As soon as they finish the block wall, the electrician can get in and start installing controls. Still looking at an August completiton date.

Hybrid Stocking at Tawakoni

2008-05-29T11:40:00.001-07:00

Texas Parks & Wildlife stocked 190,000 hybrid striped bass into Lake Tawakoni Thursday. The fish will be legal size (18) inches in two years.