by Betsey Harper
As most of you have seen, the geese are gone from Mills pond. After the first and second round up of waterfowl, there was only one lone goose left. His name is “Baby G” and he is a cross-breed possibly between a Brown Chinese and a White Embden or Czech. He was younger and a bit more determined than the others and stayed away. This story is about him.
Continue reading A Happy Ending • Baby “G” Reunited with Parents
Wells Branch Memorial Day Casino Night Wells Branch MUD presents its annual Memorial Day Casino Night Saturday, May 25 from 6-9pm. An adult only evening of gaming for our residents, this event is for ages 21 and up only and IDs will be checked at the door. Join us at 2106 Klattenhoff Dr. as the Community Center is transformed into a casino using professional tables and dealers. Stick around following the gaming for more fun and the opportunity to “spend” your winnings on a variety of prizes.
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WB Bird Walk Monday, May 27Come spend your Memorial Day Morning (Monday) with Sharon Richardson & Wanda Holcombe on a Wells Branch Bird Walk • Members of Travis Audubon Society
· 7:00 am Meet at Wells Branch Pond (Wells Port Street side)
· Journey around the pond area….Identifying birds together as we go along
· Bring your own Binoculars & Bird Books & Phone Apps
· Proceed to the Backyard of Wanda & George Holcombe for Coffee/Tea and healthy treats • 14900 Yellowleaf Trail
· Continue to identify birds on the trail going towards the main park
· Will also take time to attempt to identify animals, insects, flowers, etc that we encounter along the trail
· Join us at anytime that “fits” into your morning schedule
· 9:00 am • Finish back at the Pond….
If you have any questions…please contact one of us directly by email “off the WB Listserv” or by phone:
Wanda Holcombe • 512-619-3469 • wandah70@gmail.com
Or
Sharon Richardson • 512-699-8397 • srich816@austin.rr.com
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Memorial Day Open House Come out and swim for free! No tags required!
KF Pool
2106 Klattenhoff
Open Swim • 1:00-9:00pm
Willow Bend Pool
2801 Sauls Drive
Lap Swim Only 5:30–7:00am,
12:00-2:00pm
Open/Lap Swim 2:00–9:00pm
As many of you know, we try and post photos of all the events in Wells Branch. We hope you’ll take time to visit our Facebook page and view our pictures. Feel free to tag photos or add your own to the event albums. If you’re not on FB, the links below will allow you to view the photos without joining. Once on-site, click on any picture and it will enlarge and you can view as a slide show.
If you’d like reminders of upcoming events, visit our WBNA Facebook Page and “like” us. You’ll receive notification of upcoming events and posted pictures, important reminders for the neighborhood and sometimes even lost or found pet notices.
Here are a few of our most recent events along with a bonus album of WB Photos by Roberto White, a collection of wonderful shots of our neighborhood throughout the seasons. Enjoy!
Disc Golf Course Grand Opening Photos
May Planting of the Butterfly Garden by American Heritage Girls – Photos
2013 Spring Youth Fishing Tournament Photos
We’re so fortunate to have so many things to choose from right here in our neighborhood. This Saturday, we’ve got the WB Garden Guild Tour of Gardens from 9:00am-1:00pm, the WB Disc Golf Tournament with tee-offs from 9:00am-12:30pm and we can finish up the day with a wonderful Open Ears Concert and fundraiser at St. Andrews beginning at 6:00pm!
Garden Tour • Everybody is invited so please come, ask questions and enjoy the tour!! It’s so much fun to see all the different styles of gardening we have in WB. Make sure you bring some water and snacks with you as it looks like it’s going to be a warm day.
Disc Golf Tournament • Ready for some disc golf? Come to the Wells Branch Disc Golf Course Grand Opening, Saturday, May 18, from 9:00am – 12:30pm.
Register to receive a Wells Branch branded disc, a reusable water bottle, and a $5 gift certificate for discnation.com. Pre-register by calling 512-251-9814. ($10 if you pre-register or $15 the day of the event). Not sure if you want to play? Come out and walk the beautiful new course!
The event is for FUN, not for competition, so no prizes for the winners, but we do have door prizes from local businesses, such as a family pack from Branch BBQ.
Open Ears Concerts Fun!Raiser with The Studebakers
On Saturday, May 18, 2013, at 6 PM, St. Andrews at 14311 Wells Port Drive, will hold a fundraising event to help continue the Open Ears Concerts series, support other arts events, and supplement the audio/visual systems at the church. Music will be provided by The Studebakers and other special guests. The Studebakers – Jill Montgomery, Becky Cavanaugh, Sharon Maner, Randy Seybold, and Marilyn Rucker – bring back the marvelous melodies and lyrics of the songs of the 20s, 30s and 40s and deliver them with the clarity and close harmony that made them such big favorites in those years. Fun and frolicking is guaranteed for all!
Soup Nuts! – Some of the best amateur chefs around will astound you with their creations. Sample all for free, and then vote with your dollars.
Baker Street – After the soup, wind your way toward the music, and purchase desserts to go with our delicious fair trade coffee.
Admission – $5 suggested donation in advance, $10 at the door. Simply go to our website (below) and click on the Donate link. When you confirm your order, type “Open Ears Concerts Fundraiser” in the Special Instructions window, and bring your receipt with you to the show.
www.staopen.org/events/open-ears • openearsconcerts@gmail.com
Submitted by Steve Weikal
St. Andrews Presbyterian is hosting a conference, Insights on Aging for Boomers and Beyond, on Saturday May 4, 2013 from 8:00 am until about 4:45 pm.
Those of us organizing this program recognize that we and our neighbors could use some help in navigating the choices we have to make as we and our families move beyond middle age. We have discovered that there are quite a few resources out there. There are people willing to share what they have gone through. We hope to begin sharing these insights with our neighbors.
Conference Objectives
To give attendees an overview of the issues and resources available to an aging population
Who Should Attend?
Those whose parents are healthy but aging
Special Keynote Presentation
Presented by Jim Comer, Author of:
“When Roles Reverse: A Guide to Parenting Your Parents”
In 1996, Jim Comer returned home to Texas after 30 years to care for his father, who had suffered a stroke and his mother who had Alzheimer’s. Parenting his parents was a life-changing choice that led to a successful speaking career, a re-discovery of real family values, and the writing of When Roles Reverse: A Guide to Parenting Your Parents. Jim helps others learn from his difficult, demanding and often hilarious experiences, as he became an overnight parent. His goal is to encourage families to plan ahead and talk candidly about the decisions they face. From his 14 years of care giving, Jim helps audiences deal with challenges and find joy in showing up for their parents.
Admission is $10 per person which includes refreshments and lunch. Click “HERE” to register.
The annual Wells Branch Pioneer Festival celebrates Texas history Saturday, April 27, Noon – 5pm. The Pioneer Festival is centered around the historic Gault Homestead, the 1850s-era cabin in Katherine Fleischer Park and will feature fun and educational activities throughout the day so residents can experience a taste of life in 19th Century Texas.
There will be lots of FREE FUN for the whole family. Free pony rides, a petting zoo, photos with a Texas Longhorn and live music. Free demonstrations and exhibits include weavers, spinners, corn shelling, syrup making and butter churning, antique bikes, and antique coins, just to name a few. There will also be fun things for the kids to make and take.
This year, Pioneer Fest will feature a special appearance from award-winning story teller Donna Ingham. Make sure to be there between 1:30 and 2:30pm inside the Homestead to hear some of the best stories of Texas history you’ll ever hear! Thank you, Wells Branch Community Library for this contribution. More about Donna Ingham.
In addition, refreshments offered by the Wells Branch MUD and the Wells Branch Soccer Assn. will be available for purchase. There will be roasted corn, turkey legs, funnel cakes, hot dogs, sausage wraps and cold drinks.
If you would like to volunteer or have a craft or activity from that period for demonstration, contact Virginia Almon at 512-633-0253 or almonfamily@gmail.com.
Bring the whole family and join us for a day of living history right in our own backyards!
From Renee Sendelbach –
Community: a group sharing common characteristics
I would say the members of our community in Wells Branch share many common characteristics with one another, but never in my wildest imagination could I envision the love and support that is shared for one another here in our community.
As many of you know, the past 2 years have been tough for our family, with the past 6 months being the icing on the cake of toughness. I cannot even begin to thank everyone who took part in some way at the fundraising event my friends put together to benefit our family. The outpouring of love and support was magical and I know a thank you doesn’t even touch the love I feel from all of you.
From the bottom of our hearts,
The Sendelbach Family
Follow Renee’s blog at-
Writing little bits of life living with stage IV cancer:
Submitted by Sylvia Brito
Renee Sendelbach is a Wells Branch resident who has Stage IV breast cancer that has moved to various parts of her body.
Her friends and family are hosting a benefit walk in her honor. Due to her hardships and the current treatments she continues to endure, we want to assist her on her daily routines that we all take for granted. She’s been working hard at learning to walk again after her brain surgeries, and by donating and showing your support we can assist her and her husband with the daily turmoil of cooking and cleaning that comes with running a family. We hope you’ll join us for this benefit and help celebrate her triumphs.
Dust off that Halloween costume, bring the family and come enjoy the beautiful Spring weather. We’ll have face painting, food, treats and eats. And a prize for the BEST COSTUME!
Details:
Get Dressed up in your favorite Halloween costume as we walk a lap around the park (about a ½ mile) to show your support. After the walk, there will be lots of fun to be had – games, food, bounce and more!
Prize for Best Costume
Fun for all: Face Painting, Games, Photos, Food and Drink
Suggested Pledge Amounts: $20/Adult; $10/child
For your donation we’ll give you a Renee bandana, bottled water and tickets for the games and food.
Saturday, April 20
10:00 am – 1:00 pm
KF Park • 2106 Klattenhoff Drive
You can send a check or money order to:
2409 Spring Wagon Lane, Austin, TX 78728
make checks out to Sylvia Brito
or pay online at fundly.com/walk-for-renee
Email questions to: walkforrenee@yahoo.com
If you would like a flyer emailed to you to hand out in your community, please let us know.
Donate now at http://fundly.com/
To read more of her story, visit her blog: http://
We had an incredible turnout yesterday for the combined Bulk Trash, Hazardous Waste, Habitat for Humanity, Easter Seals, Shredding, and Drug Take-Back event. 237 households turned out with MANY making four and five trips! It was great to see everyone!
We filled two 16 ft. trailers (with side walls) and the back of a flat bed truck with hazardous waste, three and a half slide-off dumpsters with bulk trash, and the equivalent of another slide-off was collected for metal recycling. Habitat for Humanity packed their truck to the brim by 2pm and we filled the Easter Seals truck by 3:30pm. Ed & Kay Peterson made a final run to Goodwill after we closed!
The Medication Take-Back program was a HUGE success! MUD Board President Donna Howe and her team of U.T. pharmacist students collected 75 lbs. of meds (approx. 15,000 pills) for incineration. Next Drug Take-Back is October 12.
The guys from IESI/Progressive were wonderful! Very professional and courteous! We came pretty close to filling their truck with shredding. They even took the 37 lbs of pill bottles collected for destruction! I have coupons for their on-site shredding facility if you missed out on this event. Email me at info@wbna.us and I’ll be happy to drop one off!
EXTRA Special Thanks to the WB MUD Board for allowing us to hold this event quarterly and for all of their support!! Thanks go out to Ed & Kay for coordinating with Habitat for Humanity and helping EVERYONE load their bulk trash, Habitat & Easter Seals donations and for sorting through it all. Many thanks to MUD Staff, Braxton & Fred, and Gus Kohn for loading the hazardous waste. Thank you MUD Board Directors Tom Cheshire for signing folks in and getting them to the appropriate location, and Janet Maxey and MUD District Manager Shirley Ross for lending their support as well. Most of all, thanks to all the residents who came out and used these services!
Great job, All!
As a reminder, the MUD opens their maintenance yard the second Saturday of each month for Bulk Trash Disposal. Hazardous Waste collection, Easter Seals & Habitat for Humanity are held every quarter (Jan, Apr, Jul, Oct.) on the second Saturday in conjunction with the Bulk Trash Collection. The next Drug Take-Back will be held in October. Shredding services will be offered once a year in April.