Check out this map of our neighborhood.
Be sure to try the zoom and rotate buttons on the left side
Josh D
Sunday, April 27, 2008
Great "Bird's Eye" Views from Microsoft Live Search Maps!
Monday, April 21, 2008
Property Tax Protest
June 2nd is the last day on which you can protest your property taxes.
We got our assessment in the mail the other day, and it seems like our appraisal went down, but our taxes are going up! Can someone explain that one?
Also, the best ammunition for a protest is to have documented comparable sales data. USA Today online has a feature whereby you can enter your zip code and they will display information about recent sales in your area. However, the data for our zip code is woefully out of date. Does anyone else have a good source for comp sales data?
--Rusty
We got our assessment in the mail the other day, and it seems like our appraisal went down, but our taxes are going up! Can someone explain that one?
Also, the best ammunition for a protest is to have documented comparable sales data. USA Today online has a feature whereby you can enter your zip code and they will display information about recent sales in your area. However, the data for our zip code is woefully out of date. Does anyone else have a good source for comp sales data?
--Rusty
Review: Red Onion Market and Cafe
We got some deli sandwiches at the new Red Onion Market yesterday. They were excellent!
This is a very interesting concept - cafe/restaurant/deli/grocery store. Check it out.
For more information, see the recent post here at the Overlook Estates Post.
--Rusty
This is a very interesting concept - cafe/restaurant/deli/grocery store. Check it out.
For more information, see the recent post here at the Overlook Estates Post.
--Rusty
Thursday, April 17, 2008
Collaboration
Collaboration is a very good thing. It allows us to achieve more than we would otherwise be able. I have recently discovered some good web-based collaboration tools that I would like to share with you.
First, and most obviously, is a blog such as this one. It is quite easy to set one up and maintain it. Google Blogger is the easiest I have found, but I'm sure there are others that work quite well.
Other Google tools which facilitate collaboration are Google Calendar (it's how I produce the Overlook Estates calendar at the Overlook Estates web site), and Google Groups. You can create many calendars and many groups. I have 4 calendars that I maintain: Personal, Overlook Estates, Family (where all members of the family can keep abreast of events and family business) and one for stock market events that I am tracking. Calendars can be shared with whomever you send an invitation to, or they can be kept private. And they can be posted on web sites (e.g. Overlook Estates) even though they are maitained at Google.
A Google calendar can set up repeating events, and it can send alerts, either by email or as a pop-up on your screen. They also allow you to invite participants for an event.
Groups are a good way to collaborate with a team. Jill has set up a Google Group for the Overlook Estates Social Committee, and I have set up a group for the family (it dovetails nicely with the family calendar). Again, group membership is by invitation, so you can keep viewing and posting restricted to only those who "need to know." Jill uses the Social Committee group to hold "virtual" discussions for the committee members, and I use the family group for the same purpose.
Perhaps you have noticed on some of the web sites you visit, little links entitled Digg This! or Save to del.icio.us or Share on Facebook. These are colloboration tools which I am not currently using (I tried to use del.icio.us but could not get the Internet Exporer plug in to install, so I gave up on it). I may revist them in the future. If anyone has experience with Digg This! or del.icio.us I would love to hear about it.
I'm not going to get into a My Space or Facebook social-networking discussion. I don't use them. They seem more like time-wasting, vanity site distractions, than usable collaboration tools. But, I suppose, my age provides my bias.
Finally, I want to mention a new web-based tool from Microsoft. It's called Office Live Workspace, and it allows you create and share workspaces with work groups, family members, club members, or whomever you would like to share documents with. It is currently in beta, but seems quite robust and reliable. Like Google Calendars and Groups, you can set up as many Workspaces as you want to manage. I have created one for (you guessed it) the family, one for a team I am collaborting with on a book I am writing, one for travel, and one catch-all personal workspace.
There are several very nice features about the workspaces, aside from the tremendously valuable one of being able to share documents. There are workspace templates (the one for Travel, for example, comes already "loaded" with a Personal Data Form and a Business Trip Itinerary (both are MS Word documents), a Packing List and a Travel Checklist (both are list structures much like MS Outlook Tasks, which can be itemized, categorized, and checked off as the tasks are completed).
Other templates are:
First, and most obviously, is a blog such as this one. It is quite easy to set one up and maintain it. Google Blogger is the easiest I have found, but I'm sure there are others that work quite well.
Other Google tools which facilitate collaboration are Google Calendar (it's how I produce the Overlook Estates calendar at the Overlook Estates web site), and Google Groups. You can create many calendars and many groups. I have 4 calendars that I maintain: Personal, Overlook Estates, Family (where all members of the family can keep abreast of events and family business) and one for stock market events that I am tracking. Calendars can be shared with whomever you send an invitation to, or they can be kept private. And they can be posted on web sites (e.g. Overlook Estates) even though they are maitained at Google.
A Google calendar can set up repeating events, and it can send alerts, either by email or as a pop-up on your screen. They also allow you to invite participants for an event.
Groups are a good way to collaborate with a team. Jill has set up a Google Group for the Overlook Estates Social Committee, and I have set up a group for the family (it dovetails nicely with the family calendar). Again, group membership is by invitation, so you can keep viewing and posting restricted to only those who "need to know." Jill uses the Social Committee group to hold "virtual" discussions for the committee members, and I use the family group for the same purpose.
Perhaps you have noticed on some of the web sites you visit, little links entitled Digg This! or Save to del.icio.us or Share on Facebook. These are colloboration tools which I am not currently using (I tried to use del.icio.us but could not get the Internet Exporer plug in to install, so I gave up on it). I may revist them in the future. If anyone has experience with Digg This! or del.icio.us I would love to hear about it.
I'm not going to get into a My Space or Facebook social-networking discussion. I don't use them. They seem more like time-wasting, vanity site distractions, than usable collaboration tools. But, I suppose, my age provides my bias.
Finally, I want to mention a new web-based tool from Microsoft. It's called Office Live Workspace, and it allows you create and share workspaces with work groups, family members, club members, or whomever you would like to share documents with. It is currently in beta, but seems quite robust and reliable. Like Google Calendars and Groups, you can set up as many Workspaces as you want to manage. I have created one for (you guessed it) the family, one for a team I am collaborting with on a book I am writing, one for travel, and one catch-all personal workspace.
There are several very nice features about the workspaces, aside from the tremendously valuable one of being able to share documents. There are workspace templates (the one for Travel, for example, comes already "loaded" with a Personal Data Form and a Business Trip Itinerary (both are MS Word documents), a Packing List and a Travel Checklist (both are list structures much like MS Outlook Tasks, which can be itemized, categorized, and checked off as the tasks are completed).
Other templates are:
- Class (with class notes, contact list, dates, essay outline and syllabus)
- Essay (with term paper outline, thesis template, and milestone list)
- Event (with invitation, flyer, agenda, attendee list, and to-do list)
- Household (contact list, grocery list, and to-do list)
- Job search (interview schedule, preparation notes, cover letter, and resume)
- Meeting (meeting notes, minutes archive, attendee list and to-do list)
- Project (schedule, participant list, presentation template, and to-do-list)
- School (semester schedule, contact list, and to-do list)
- Sports team (team roster, schedule, snack schedule) to share with parents, team members and fans
Each workspace allows you to create and maintain Word documents, Excel spreadsheets, Outlook Tasks, Outlook Events (for your calendar) Outlook Notes and generic lists (like the travel cheklists above).
The really cool thing about the Office Live Workspaces, though, is that (with an Office plug-in) you can work with Word documents, Excel spreadsheets, and Powerpoint presentations locally, and when you click "Save" they get saved to your online workspace transparently! It's as if you have expanded your hard-drive to include a virtual drive that your collaborators have access to!
It is getting much easier to collaborate and I can't wait to see what the next new thing will be. If any of you have collaboration tips, please share them with us. We will all be much more organized and efficient in this information overload age we live in.
Metro Has Wireless
Check out this article from Impact News.
"In November Capital Metro introduced wireless internet on nine of the Express buses. The Pavilion and Tech Ridge Park and Ride facilities also carry free WiFi. When the MetroRail opens this year it is also expected to offer WiFi."
The link is at the Hill Country Voice.
Read more...
"In November Capital Metro introduced wireless internet on nine of the Express buses. The Pavilion and Tech Ridge Park and Ride facilities also carry free WiFi. When the MetroRail opens this year it is also expected to offer WiFi."
The link is at the Hill Country Voice.
Read more...
Has Anyone Been to the Cafe Blue?
Has anyone been to the Cafe Blue on Lime Creek Road? If so, what is your opinion?
Here is a review from austin360.com, June 10, 2004...
Teak tables and chairs fill the large wooden deck that sits about 12 feet above the water on the northern shoreline of Lake Travis. Arched awnings span most of the deck, sheltering the majority of occupants from the midafternoon sun or the occasional shower.
With the sides open to the elements, though, there is an unobstructed view of the sunset that turns the sky orange above the rolling hills of the opposite shore. Those who sit along the edge of the deck can watch the water echo the colors of the setting sun or look skyward to see the heavens awash in stars.
Read more...
A Yahoo reviewer wrote:
A Mini Vacation on Lake Travis: Cafe Bleu is one of my favorite places in Austin. An open patio style set up gives you a perfect view of the water. The food is pricey, but delicious. I highly recommend the Sangria Margarita, topped off with slices of fresh citrus fruit. Nothing beats taking a break from lake activities and relaxing at this quaint cafe.
Cafe Blue
8714 Lime Creek Road
996-8188
Map
Here is a review from austin360.com, June 10, 2004...
Teak tables and chairs fill the large wooden deck that sits about 12 feet above the water on the northern shoreline of Lake Travis. Arched awnings span most of the deck, sheltering the majority of occupants from the midafternoon sun or the occasional shower.
With the sides open to the elements, though, there is an unobstructed view of the sunset that turns the sky orange above the rolling hills of the opposite shore. Those who sit along the edge of the deck can watch the water echo the colors of the setting sun or look skyward to see the heavens awash in stars.
Read more...
A Yahoo reviewer wrote:
A Mini Vacation on Lake Travis: Cafe Bleu is one of my favorite places in Austin. An open patio style set up gives you a perfect view of the water. The food is pricey, but delicious. I highly recommend the Sangria Margarita, topped off with slices of fresh citrus fruit. Nothing beats taking a break from lake activities and relaxing at this quaint cafe.
Cafe Blue
8714 Lime Creek Road
996-8188
Map
Wednesday, April 16, 2008
Third Annual Leander Clean-Up Day
I stumbled across this today, so I'm sorry that this doesn't give you much notice.
The City of Leander is hosting a clean up day, April 19th 7am to 4pm at 607 Municipal Drive. The notice was rather scant in details, but apparently they will take used motor oil and old tires.
Note: You must have a Leander water bill and a driver's license with matching address to prove you are a city resident.
The City of Leander is hosting a clean up day, April 19th 7am to 4pm at 607 Municipal Drive. The notice was rather scant in details, but apparently they will take used motor oil and old tires.
Note: You must have a Leander water bill and a driver's license with matching address to prove you are a city resident.
.
He Will Be Missed
We note with sadness, the passing of Overlook Estates Resident, Corbit Beasey.
His obituary can be found at The Hill Country News.
His obituary can be found at The Hill Country News.
Sunday, March 30, 2008
Gardening in Overlook Estates
Jill and I had an email conversation the other day and we thought that others in the neighborhood might be interested. -- Rusty
Jill asked Rusty...
Do you know where we can take bagged leaves and trimmings? Jon just got a mulcher to attach to the mower and I "hope" that helps in the future. I saw that Round Rock will take tree trimmings but not leaves. Or if you know a better way to do our yard without this problem for the future that would be great too. :-) Website or whatever. We are really wanting to do our own lawn, but spring clean up always produces lots of "stuff."
Actually I have been meaning to ask you if you have a vegetable garden? I can't remember if you have one behind your wall. I am starting a small 5x5 one and am amazed by how many rocks are in the ground!! Do you think I should be concerned about deer and bunnies eating it up even in the fence?
--Jill
----------------------------------------------------
Jill,
Yes, springtime really produces a lot of stuff -- particularly leaves. I think your best bet is to just put it out with the trash. They will accept up to 6 large bags plus your trash container on pickup day. And it is all biodegradable so no problems at the landfill. And if you use large (4 foot tall) brown paper bags (Walgreen's has them, Home Depot has them) instead of plastic, then it becomes even more environmentally friendly.
We have built a raised garden, but as yet have not utilized it. A raised bed avoids the problem with having to till the soil (I mean rocks) and it is easier on the back when you are working in the garden. We may put out a few things like tomatoes, beans, and peppers this spring, but I don't know if I have the time right now.
We built our raised bed out of the leftover stones from building our wall, but a raised bed can be constructed out of cinder blocks or a wooden frame (treated lumber so it will last a few years). Then fill it with topsoil (cheaper if you order it by the cubic yard and have it delivered).
I doubt that you will have to worry about deer. Although they can jump fences up to 7 feet high, they have to be extraordinarily hungry to go to such lengths. And as our neighborhood develops, I am seeing fewer deer. They will avoid humans if they can. Rabbits probably would be a problem if you plant leafy greens or root crops with leafy greens. You can put up a cheap chicken-wire fence around your garden (it doesn't have to be more than 3 feet tall). Rabbits are more likely to try and get under a fence than jump over it. I have never had a garden in this area (Texas Hill Country, Edwards Aquifer), so it's going to be a learning experience for all of us who try. We will learn as we go and share tips (and maybe produce).
Also, you might want to consider starting a compost pile where you can dump your lawn clippings, food scraps (avoid meat scraps), egg shells, coffee grounds, etc. This will help out with both problems - lawn clippings and garden. We have a couple of compost piles that are mostly grass clippings, and after 2 years, we are seeing the formation of some very rich soil. I am going to use it to amend the garden soil. Leaves can go into it, but try to mix them well so they don't form a moisture barrier. They take a little longer to break down than the grass. Also avoid putting cedar into it. Cedar has a natural toxin in it that takes at least a year to leach out before it is usable as a mulch or compost. That's why it is so hard to get things to grow under the cedar trees.
Check out this site for some ideas and some links to composting reference sites.
--Rusty
----------------------------------------------------
Good tips! I want to make it raised and want to use rocks that are just all over the yard. probably too much dirt will seep through, so I am still contemplating that. We slowly have created a giant pile of rocks though that would be great to use.
Perhaps around some simple garden siding. I wanted to have a play date about gardening and decided I better get busy on the garden!
--Jill
----------------------------------------------------
Jill,
Creating a raised bed with rocks that you have found will work just fine. There shouldn't be much leaching of soil between the rocks. The issue I see with that is if you try to make it out of small rocks, you may have a hard time getting them to "stay put" and stand in a coherent structure without falling. If you have enough large stones, then I don't think you will have a problem. In Kansas where Berna and I grew up there are many stone walls built with only natural stones - no mortar of any kind - and some of them have stood for over a hundred years, held together only by gravity and balance. Placement is key.
Now quit reading email and go watch the KU basketball game (4pm on CBS)!!!
--Rusty
Jill asked Rusty...
Do you know where we can take bagged leaves and trimmings? Jon just got a mulcher to attach to the mower and I "hope" that helps in the future. I saw that Round Rock will take tree trimmings but not leaves. Or if you know a better way to do our yard without this problem for the future that would be great too. :-) Website or whatever. We are really wanting to do our own lawn, but spring clean up always produces lots of "stuff."
Actually I have been meaning to ask you if you have a vegetable garden? I can't remember if you have one behind your wall. I am starting a small 5x5 one and am amazed by how many rocks are in the ground!! Do you think I should be concerned about deer and bunnies eating it up even in the fence?
--Jill
----------------------------------------------------
Jill,
Yes, springtime really produces a lot of stuff -- particularly leaves. I think your best bet is to just put it out with the trash. They will accept up to 6 large bags plus your trash container on pickup day. And it is all biodegradable so no problems at the landfill. And if you use large (4 foot tall) brown paper bags (Walgreen's has them, Home Depot has them) instead of plastic, then it becomes even more environmentally friendly.
We have built a raised garden, but as yet have not utilized it. A raised bed avoids the problem with having to till the soil (I mean rocks) and it is easier on the back when you are working in the garden. We may put out a few things like tomatoes, beans, and peppers this spring, but I don't know if I have the time right now.
We built our raised bed out of the leftover stones from building our wall, but a raised bed can be constructed out of cinder blocks or a wooden frame (treated lumber so it will last a few years). Then fill it with topsoil (cheaper if you order it by the cubic yard and have it delivered).
I doubt that you will have to worry about deer. Although they can jump fences up to 7 feet high, they have to be extraordinarily hungry to go to such lengths. And as our neighborhood develops, I am seeing fewer deer. They will avoid humans if they can. Rabbits probably would be a problem if you plant leafy greens or root crops with leafy greens. You can put up a cheap chicken-wire fence around your garden (it doesn't have to be more than 3 feet tall). Rabbits are more likely to try and get under a fence than jump over it. I have never had a garden in this area (Texas Hill Country, Edwards Aquifer), so it's going to be a learning experience for all of us who try. We will learn as we go and share tips (and maybe produce).
Also, you might want to consider starting a compost pile where you can dump your lawn clippings, food scraps (avoid meat scraps), egg shells, coffee grounds, etc. This will help out with both problems - lawn clippings and garden. We have a couple of compost piles that are mostly grass clippings, and after 2 years, we are seeing the formation of some very rich soil. I am going to use it to amend the garden soil. Leaves can go into it, but try to mix them well so they don't form a moisture barrier. They take a little longer to break down than the grass. Also avoid putting cedar into it. Cedar has a natural toxin in it that takes at least a year to leach out before it is usable as a mulch or compost. That's why it is so hard to get things to grow under the cedar trees.
Check out this site for some ideas and some links to composting reference sites.
Also check out this previous post here at the Overlook Estates Post:
--Rusty
----------------------------------------------------
Good tips! I want to make it raised and want to use rocks that are just all over the yard. probably too much dirt will seep through, so I am still contemplating that. We slowly have created a giant pile of rocks though that would be great to use.
Perhaps around some simple garden siding. I wanted to have a play date about gardening and decided I better get busy on the garden!
--Jill
----------------------------------------------------
Jill,
Creating a raised bed with rocks that you have found will work just fine. There shouldn't be much leaching of soil between the rocks. The issue I see with that is if you try to make it out of small rocks, you may have a hard time getting them to "stay put" and stand in a coherent structure without falling. If you have enough large stones, then I don't think you will have a problem. In Kansas where Berna and I grew up there are many stone walls built with only natural stones - no mortar of any kind - and some of them have stood for over a hundred years, held together only by gravity and balance. Placement is key.
Now quit reading email and go watch the KU basketball game (4pm on CBS)!!!
--Rusty
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