Kevin is so sweet

Kevin is so sweet to take me on all my geology field trips.

He puts up with my fossil and rock hunting trips...and I LOVE HIM!

-Julie

Cool Geology

These are some pictures from our trip to Canyon Gorge showing some of the cool geology revealed by the flood waters. The first picture is of dinosaur tracks. The next two area of different types of gastropod fossils. The last one shows ancient ripple marks from a time when this area was at the shoreline. The area shows a series of transgressive and regressive sedimentary facies.

-Julie

Canyon Gorge

The Canyon Lake Gorge is a beautiful and natural insight into the geology and hydrologic dynamics of glenrose limestone in Comal County near Canyon Lake. The Gorge was created, or "cut" when floodwaters escaped over the Spillway at Canyon Lake during the Flood Event of 2002.

• The Flood of 2002 was the first time that floodwaters flowed over the Emergency Spillway since the Reservoir was completed in 1964.
• The upper part of the Guadalupe River Watershed received more than 35 inches of rain in approximately one week. The runoff poured into the Guadalupe River and emptied into Canyon Reservoir, which was already above normal due to recent rains at the reservoir and because there was substantial flooding downstream.
• When the floodwater was at peak flow, it was moving at about 67,000 cfs*. Normal flow from the reservoir is 350 cfs.
• The amount of water that flowed over the Spillway was about 3 1/2 times the amount of water that the Reservoir holds.
• Water continued to flow over the Spillway for approximately 6 weeks.

Kevin and I got to go on a special tour of the newly formed gorge. It is not open to the public and much research is being conducted in this pristine setting.

-Julie

It's that time again...

We saw our first 2 baby deer of the season. Actually, Laz found them. I was scared he found a snake, but it turned out to be these twin fawns. They were ADORABLE. Mom found them a good spot with lots of shade in a lot where nobody lives in the house right now.

They had just been born that morning I think.

After a few minutes, one of them took its first steps. It was really awkward and didn't know what to do with its longs legs! We had the dogs up with us by then.

Moses may have touched noses with one of them.

My annual wildflower picture

This year, the wildflowers in Texas were not so good. There were hardly any bluebonnets, which makes my annual picture of Laz in the bluebonnets difficult. I did my best with what Mother Nature gave us this year. Finally, I went to our neighbor and asked if I could take a picture with her flowers.

-Julie

AWARE - Always Wanted a Riding Experience

This Spring, Kevin and I volunteered at AWARE, a ranch that offers classes for horseback riding to improve muscle tone, balance, posture, coordination, and motor-development as well as emotional well being in children and adults.

Kevin and I worked with Gage, a super sweet 3 year old. He was a blast to hang out with, and his smile can just light up any room.

Pictured here is Tracey, the instructor, Ashley and myself (sidewalkers), Gage (rider) and of course, Casey the horse.

Lazarus at ThunderPaws Canine Solutions

Lazarus and Moses have been going to training at Thunderpaws Canine Solutions. Lazie is learning new skills for his Therapy Dog training, and Moses is brushing up on some general training and obedience. Lazarus is attending a Canine Good Citizen class and is hoping to earn his certificate deeming him a "good citizen," although we already know what a good boy he is. He loves his class, and especially his teacher Hepzibah. He has reviewed sit, down, stay, stay while down, staying while standing, staying with distractions, loose leash walking, heeling, wait, park it and more! Kevin and I are VERY proud of him. He is also enjoying our walks even more now as I am bringing treats along to reward his good behavior.

We are still trying to find a treat that really interests Moses and gets his attention for training. Moses has perfected "settle" because he was heavily rewarded for it at his session last week. (It helped that he was "dog" tired from tons of play the night before).

This is a picture of Kevin and Laz in the "training room" at ThunderPaws.

Julie

Time to go home!

This is a picture from the airplane just as we were taking off from Oklahoma City. It was a clear day, and I got some good pictures, and some not so good ones! I was glad to get home to see my boys.

Julie

Cattlemen's Cafe

One of the very best places to eat in Oklahoma City is Cattleman's Cafe. My coworkers and I went there for dinner on Friday night. Pictured are Kelly, Dan, me and Dave. It was good, but it is pretty hard to impress a bunch of Texans! YUMMY!

Julie to Oklahoma City

For a meeting, I traveled to Oklahoma City with my coworkers in Kaare's plane. It is a Cesna Caravan. I believe it seats 8-10, and it rode quite nicely. We even needed oxygen once we got over around 10,000 ft. We got to wear noise canceling headphones that were very relaxing. Once I turned on the noise attenuation, I felt very relaxed. The flight from San Marcos to Oklahoma City Wiley Post Airport took about an hour and 45 minutes. It was my first trip with our crew on a work excursion.

Julie

Boston Trip

I got back from my trip to Boston yesterday. I was in Boston for the Annual Meeting of the Association of American Geographers. I also got to go to Maine which is the 48th United State I have been to which leaves only Idaho and Alaska as states I have yet to visit. The trip was short but nice, but Lazie was especially happy to see me-- and it helped that I brought home a bag full of Black's BBQ that I picked up on my way home from Austin Airport. The photos are of Kinnebunkport, Maine; Boston Common; and an aerial photo of Boston that I took from the plane on my way home.

Kevin

Testing out Kayaks

On Sunday, Julie and I decided to test out some different kayaks at a local store's Open House. It was a lot of fun, and we both did really well with maneuvering and getting into and out of a number of different kayaks. We mainly tried single person sit on-top-models, but I did try one inflatable model which was very nice, but not for me. We also tried a two person kayak for a short time period, but Julie complained nearly the whole time about the possibility of tipping. While we were able to paddle very fast, the front-seat griping was not worth it. Anyway, here is a photo of us trying out different models.

Kevin

Laz at School with Dad

Hi everybody!
Now that I am in training to be a Canine Good Citizen and Delta Dog, I have been getting more rewards like coming into school today! I love walking around campus meeting people and sniffing things. I even got to watch Dad sign off on somebody's thesis-- whatever that is? Mostly, I have just been hanging out with Dad in his office, but we did meet Mom for lunch and I got to go swimming at Rio Vista Park.

Your pal,

Lazie

Canoe Trip on San Marcos River

On Saturday, Julie and I participated in the 1st Annual Jim Kimmel Honorary Canoe Trip. This was organized by the department of Geography and tied into the Common Experience theme of Texas State which is "A River Runs Through Us." Dr. Kimmel, pictured in the red inflatable kayak, is an expert on the San Marcos River and led us through a six mile stretch of the River which has been designated a State Paddlers Trail near Luling. Our group numbered about thirty and we looked like a flotilla at the beginning, but the group spaced apart along the route. The trip took about 2.5 hours with a 15 minute stop for Julie to have a snack. Julie and I shared a canoe. I was in the rear and charted our course and Julie provided useful front propulsion. While we felt a bit guilty for not bringing our water dogs on the trip, our feelings of guilt quickly subsided after we saw cottonmouth snakes swimming along the bank of the river. At that point, Julie made a proclamation about only swimming in river water close to the springs or the source of the water where fewer water snakes congregate. After we had finished the canoe trip, our group stopped in for a meal at Luling City Market which is widely considered one of the top barbecue joints in Texas. We shared a heap of brisket and pork ribs which was excellent! It was a great day.

Kevin

Easter!

He is risen...
He is risen indeed!

We had a nice Easter. We ate dinner with Ellen, Ross and Jack, and Ellen prepared an "Easter Egg Hunt" for the boys. Jack was an excellent finder of Easter Eggs and Laz and Moses needed a little help!