Community Chat

[Puzzle Piece]

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@Kachina624 wrote:

@Puzzle Piece  When we lived in West Texas, my son and his buddy would go out in the desert looking for spiders, scorpions and rattle snakes.  I've got a huge mounted rattle snakeskin somewhere in my garage.  They were adults so I had to assume they knew what they were doing.  I never heard of there being javelina.  It probably was too cold in winter.

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Apparently the Javalina population has exploded.  Now, what would I do with one if I encountered it?  As for the other critters you mentioned, I could faint just thinking about it. 

[Spurt]

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@Puzzle Piece wrote:

@Spurt Spurt, which of the Hill Country towns/cities is the nicest or the most trendy in your opinion?

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@Puzzle Piece

For me Fredericksburg is the nicest---it has the charm of older buildings and also more conveniences, cute shops, good German food......If your into outdoor activities it has hiking at Enchanted Rock and Cross Mountain....Gillespie County Fair Grounds with a big Arts & Craft Show the day after Thanksgiving, and sometimes in the spring too, they celebrate Oktoberfest, Christmas activities....  It's probably the most popular with visitors too...

....

http://www.fredericksburgtexas-online.com/

https://www.virtualtourist.com/travel/North_America/United_States_of_America/Texas/Fredericksburg-87...

http://fbgtx.org/calendar.aspx

http://www.visitfredericksburgtx.com/

http://www.visitfredericksburgtx.com/shopping/

Comfort is quaint but really small.....

http://www.comfortchamber.com/

http://www.texasescapes.com/TexasHillCountryTowns/ComfortTexas/ComfortTexas.htm

Kerrville doesn't have the charm JMHO.....more modern buildings, there is a nice State Park there with cabins, hiking trails etc, they have a Folk Life Festival.....Home of former NFL QB, Johnny Manziel.

https://www.bing.com/videos/search?q=kerrville%2c+texas&qpvt=kerrville%2c+texas&FORM=VDRE

http://www.kerrvilletx.gov/

http://www.kerrvilletexascvb.com/default.aspx

If you venture closer to San Antonio (and want the convenience of still living close to a large city if you need it, )----there's Boerne (pronounced Burn eeee) which has really grown....cute shops, some older buildings there....a bit more trafficky......newer subdivisions have been built around there in the surrounding area....

http://www.ci.boerne.tx.us/

https://www.bing.com/videos/search?q=Boerne%2C%20tx&qs=n&form=QBVR&pq=boerne%2C%20tx&sc=8-9&sp=-1&sk...

http://www.city-data.com/city/Boerne-Texas.html

Marble Falls ---a large lake is right there...people boating....cute town but most of the unique shops have left in favor of boutiques.  At Christmas they have a lighted display near the river.

http://ci.marble-falls.tx.us/213/About-Marble-Falls

https://www.bing.com/images/search?q=marble+falls+texas&qpvt=marble+falls+texas&qpvt=marble+falls+te...

I wouldn't recommend living in Johnson City, TX---nice to visit there---nice State Park, you can take a tour of LBJ's ranch/boyhood home, but the business district etc well it looks to be a city on the decline....they used to have some nice shops and a real unusal trendy restaurant most including the retaurant have closed.....

http://www.hill-country-visitor.com/Cities/JohnsonCity.html

[Spurt]

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@Puzzle Piece wrote:

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@Kachina624 wrote:

@Puzzle Piece  When we lived in West Texas, my son and his buddy would go out in the desert looking for spiders, scorpions and rattle snakes.  I've got a huge mounted rattle snakeskin somewhere in my garage.  They were adults so I had to assume they knew what they were doing.  I never heard of there being javelina.  It probably was too cold in winter.

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Apparently the Javalina population has exploded.  Now, what would I do with one if I encountered it?  As for the other critters you mentioned, I could faint just thinking about it. 

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@Puzzle Piece @Kachina624

I think you son and his friend need a new hobby---I wouldn't want to hunt for those critters and they could be dangerous one too

Love Roses....just don't plan any trips to Big Bend, TX......I'm sure you'll encounter spiders.(if near or in your home an exterminator will help remedy that)....We saw a big one in a recreational park here, it made a web in some bushes....but it's not like it jumped out on us on the walking trail.......If you go out to look at wild flowers in the spring be alert for snakes. If you live out in the country you might also see snakes/scorpions.....but there are ways to get rid of them....

Javelinas are in more arid conditions (west Texas)......like I said only saw those in Big Bend West Texas....and we went there in November.    I would just turn around and walk away if encountered.....sounds like they won't attack unless attacked as when dogs tried to attack them....The ones we encountered at The Lodge we left them alone and they  left us alone....

 In Texas, the javelina is found in the more arid or semi-arid parts of the state, with most occurring in the South Texas brush country, the Trans-Pecos' desert grasslands, and the Edwards Plateau's oak-juniper woodlands.

Javelina have long held an undeserved reputation for ferocity. They have poor eyesight and will often remain around humans longer than other wildlife when startled. When cornered, they can defend themselves very effectively with sharp canine teeth or "tusks". Many dogs have been crippled or killed when trying to attack javelina. Yet aggressive encounters with humans are very, very rare. , javelina can be very troublesome to landowners when they become habituated to homes and human activities. They often sleep in caves, and cave like areas, and seem to find the crawl spaces under homes attractive. They may cause significant damage to yards and sprinkler systems because of their habit of rooting for food.

[Spurt]

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@Puzzle Piece wrote:

@Kachina624 The Javalenas are in Southern Arizona.  Tarantulas!!!! I can't imagine that nor any scorpions. 

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@Puzzle Piece @Kachina624

I've only seen 2 tarantulas---  One was brought in by my High School Science Teacher....he had found it in East Texas....he put it in a cigar box and passed it around the room.  He said they are not aggressive towards humans.....you have to attack them before they will defend themselves.....But they are creepy.....

The second one was in Gorman Falls, TX....wierd place 1/2 of land was plush with greenry and a water fall and river......across the road desert like landscape with cactus and a tarantuala was running across the dirt road....

Either one of you seen a walking stick....my cousin lived out in the country and I saw one at his house....

[Kachina624]

@Puzzle Piece  I had a friend that lived in Wimberley in the hill country and loved it there.  She built a cute little house on a hillside just up the road from the Blanco River.  It's a good thing she was on a hill because this river rampaged during their most recent flood.  When I saw it, it was clean and sparkling clear.  The whole riverbed was a solid slab of granite and it was beautiful.  It looked like you could wade across it.

[Kachina624]

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@Spurt wrote:

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@Puzzle Piece wrote:

@Spurt Spurt, which of the Hill Country towns/cities is the nicest or the most trendy in your opinion?

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@Puzzle Piece

For me Fredericksburg is the nicest---it has the charm of older buildings and also more conveniences, cute shops, good German food......If your into outdoor activities it has hiking at Enchanted Rock and Cross Mountain....Gillespie County Fair Grounds with a big Arts & Craft Show the day after Thanksgiving, and sometimes in the spring too, they celebrate Oktoberfest, Christmas activities....  It's probably the most popular with visitors too...

@Puzzle Piece  Love Fredericksburg, I had the best donut I've ever eaten at a bakery on Main St.  It was the size of a saucer.  They have many little houses called "Sunday Houses".  The German farmers would come into town on Saturdays and they built these cottages so they could stay over for church on Sunday.  They were the origional "tiny houses".  Charming.

They also have the Admiral Nimitz Museum which the guys, young and old, eat up.  My son and I climbed up to Enchanted Rock.

[Spurt]

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@Kachina624 wrote:

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@Spurt wrote:

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@Puzzle Piece wrote:

@Spurt Spurt, which of the Hill Country towns/cities is the nicest or the most trendy in your opinion?

---

@Puzzle Piece

For me Fredericksburg is the nicest---it has the charm of older buildings and also more conveniences, cute shops, good German food......If your into outdoor activities it has hiking at Enchanted Rock and Cross Mountain....Gillespie County Fair Grounds with a big Arts & Craft Show the day after Thanksgiving, and sometimes in the spring too, they celebrate Oktoberfest, Christmas activities....  It's probably the most popular with visitors too...

@Puzzle Piece  Love Fredericksburg, I had the best donut I've ever eaten at a bakery on Main St.  It was the size of a saucer.  They have many little houses called "Sunday Houses".  The German farmers would come into town on Saturdays and they built these cottages so they could stay over for church on Sunday.  They were the origional "tiny houses".  Charming.

They also have the Admiral Nimitz Museum which the guys, young and old, eat up.  My son and I climbed up to Enchanted Rock.

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@Kachina624 @Puzzle Piece

Oh yes that bakery--- stuff WAS fabulous.....I'm not a sweet eater, but my favorite, oh those Butterfly pastries were scrumtious !!!!  My friends and I agree despite all the fancy and trendy bakeries we have in my town they couldn't hold a candle.....Sadly they closed the bakery and it's now an Amish Furniture Store....

BTW @Kachina624 

Didn't you love Dooley's....the old fashioed 5 & 10....they even have some of the favorite stuff I bought as a kid....The Midnight In Paris "perfume".....some of the old toys.....all the old sewing stuff......brings back lots of fun memories.......

[Spurt]

@Kachina624

We've had some interesting "adventures" at Enchanted Rock......great place to go star gazing ......

One funny thing is one of our NBA Players, Tony Parker, has a clothing line, he and fellow Spur, Boris Diaw, who is an amateur photographer, went to Enchanted Rock to do a photo shoot (both players are from France and I guess they thought it would be an "exotic" Texas location to share with his French countrymen)---

[Spurt]

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@Kachina624 wrote:

@Puzzle Piece  I had a friend that lived in Wimberley in the hill country and loved it there.  She built a cute little house on a hillside just up the road from the Blanco River.  It's a good thing she was on a hill because this river rampaged during their most recent flood.  When I saw it, it was clean and sparkling clear.  The whole riverbed was a solid slab of granite and it was beautiful.  It looked like you could wade across it.

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@Kachina624

Oh Wimberly....so sad for the people, the loss of life and property....that storm was of epic proportions...Glad your friend built on a hill. Some parts of the town are still just slowly recovering....others were up and at 'em pretty quickly and in one news cast urged people not to stay away, come and support Wimberly and come visit their shops they were open and ready for business---people of town have great perseverance and determination ,---the people wrote a blog to capture some of the flood stories. I used to enjoy Wimberly our favorite shops were The Blue Willow, Kiss The Cook, and an antique store....they also had shops where the proceeds went to an animal rescue group (they had a lot of feral cats there)..They used to have Wimberly Market Days (craft antqiue and other vendors)..the town changed and that was before the flood of 2015,  last time I was there it was mostly western shops and western merchandise or shops totally  changed merchandise (lots of clothes) ........from what I understand Kiss The Cook is still there.....not a go to place for me and my friends anymore we were disapppointed on our last visit....

[straykatz]

Why wouldn't people turn on their heat?  It's not like we don't have the ability to heat our homes her ein TX.  No reaosn for pipes to freeze, even if they are in the attic.