Lakewood Forest 1

I’ve set up a new weather station that captures current conditions for our Lakewood Forest 1 subdivision and connected it to our website (see the info in the sidebar). This weather station also posts to several other weather websites such as Weather Underground, PWSWeather.net and WeatherCloud. I’ve also added a sidebar link to the LCRA’s (Bob Rose) weather feed information.

Let me know what you think by providing a comment! To provide comments, you’ll need to register for this site. Any member and known acquantences are free to join. All requested signups need to be approved by the site manager (me), so if you are someone I might not know, give me a call or email to let me know how you are connected to Lakewood Forest 1, either as a member or a friend of a member. We get a LOT of “robo-signups” that I routinely have to bulk delete.

I’m going to try posting to this site more regularly to make it the primary source of distributing information to the HOA members.

Chris

Hello from your Lakewood Forest 1 HOA Board of Directors!

This notice is to remind and notify property owners of the upcoming annual HOA meeting that has been scheduled by your association’s Board of Directors. In general, we try to schedule them annually for the 3rd Saturday in June every year, however, this years meeting is scheduled for June 8. This year is an election year for board members.

Dave Tabb is stepping down as Secretary/Treasurer this year as of 5/31/2019. We want to thank Dave for all the time and effort that he has put in to keep our HOA running smoothly. Jim Hale has graciously volunteered to step in as interim Director to fill this position through the remainder of Dave’s term (1 week) and would like to continue to be on the Board for the new term beginning 6/8/2019. He will be on the slate for election along with all the other existing Board members consisting of Chris Smith (President and Director), Abbi Breckwoldt (Vice-President and Director), John Nielsen (Director) and Marty Burger (Director). If there is anyone that is interested in running for a Board position, please let Chris Smith know right away.

We encourage all owners to either plan on attending or complete the proxy form and email/mail/fax it (or drop it by Chris Smith’s house) by the June 7 deadline.

If you are not planning on attending or are uncertain you will be able to attend, please complete the proxy form (attached in both Adobe pdf and Microsoft Word format) and mail, email or fax it back to us ASAP at chriss@lakewoodforest1.org or fax to (512) 777-4075 (or just hand it directly to Chris Smith) by June7. For emailing it back, you can just type in your name, rather than having to print, sign and scan. Completing the form and emailing it back from your email account on record will be your proxy authorization. This will help us establish a quorum to proceed with the meeting. If you don’t, we will need to reschedule and send notices/reminders for a second meeting that will use additional association funds.

The meeting is a great time to socialize, meet your neighbors, hear about what your Board Officers have to share, as well as bring up matters in the owner’s forum.

DATE: SATURDAY, JUNE 8, 2019
TIME: 8:30 am Registration opens
9:00 AM Call to Order
PLACE: Antler Run Community Park
Lakewood Forest 1, Kingsland, TX

Owners of record as of Saturday, JUNE 8, 2016, whose dues are fully paid up, shall be entitled to vote at the meeting. All proxies sent in will remain valid for any required follow-up meeting that is scheduled due to the lack of a quorum for this meeting. Proxies from prior Association meetings are not valid for this meeting.

We are continuing to go all “electronic” for our communications. We have almost everyone’s email address and for the few that we don’t we will put this letter in your mailbox if you are local. For all others, we will post notices on the web site home page and it will be the responsibility of members without email to check the HOA homepage regularly (www.lakewoodforest1.org). If you know of someone that does not have email or did not receive this message, have them contact Chris Smith at (303) 885-8874 to work out a solution. The HOA offers free email boxes to members and their families.

Dave Tabb has sent out HOA assessment invoices. We had an issue with the US Post Office cancelling our PO Box, but have corrected the problem. If your check was returned by USPS, just re-mail your $15/lot fee (plus any donation you might feel like making to the HOA) or hand it personally to Dave or Chris, as soon as possible. Just make out the check to Lakewood Forest 1 HOA at the address below and indicate your Lots in the memo line of your check.

By call of the Board of Directors
Chris L. Smith, President

Lakewood Forest 1 HOA, PO Box 932, Kingsland, TX 78639

DATE OF THIS NOTICE: Wed., May 15, 2019
ALL PROXIES MUST BE RECEIVED AND FILED WITH THE SECRETARY/TREASURER OR PRESIDENT OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS NO LATER THAN Friday, JUNE 7, 2019.

ANNUAL MEETING
SATURDAY, JUNE 8, 2016

AGENDA

ROLL CALL

READING AND APPROVAL OF MINUTES

REPORTS OF OFFICERS

UNFINISHED BUSINESS

NEW BUSINESS

MEMBER FORUM
Members can bring up issues or make comments regarding the HOA. Please keep statements to 5 minutes or less. This time is not intended to be a debate forum. Issues/comments will be recorded and, if appropriate, will be addressed by the HOA Board of Directors at the appropriate time.

VOTE FOR HOA BOARD MEMBERS

Long-time Lakewood Forest 1 community member, Mary Van Liew, passed away on July 28^th. Mary lived in retirement at 200 Doe Valley until she needed to move to assisted living in Windchime five years ago. Lakewood Forest 1 residents can remember seeing Mary faithfully walking her black poodle, Dandy, every morning through the neighborhood. She will always be remembered by the LF1 community as a great neighbor and the most kind and gracious person you could ever hope to meet. A memorial service is scheduled for Thursday, Sept. 7 at 1pm in the dining room of Windchime. A copy of her life legacy follows:

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Mary M. (Birdsall) Van Liew, 97, of Kingsland, Texas passed away, July 28, 2017. She was born to J. Frank and Brittie (Alton) Birdsall on September 20, 1919 in Croswell. Michigan. She spent her school years with her family living in Holcomb, New York.

Mrs. Van Liew married D Van Liew on May 19, 1943. Mary served as Personnel Director of the Neiman Marcus Store in Houston and in Dallas, Texas. She was a graduate of the University of Houston. Mary with husband, D operated a seashell business after retirement. They both were very active in the Kingsland House of Arts and Crafts.

Survivors include several nieces and nephews and many dear friends and neighbors.

She was predeceased by her husband D, mother and father, sister, Donna, brothers, Paul W., J. Frank, Jr. and Lamont.

Appreciation and thanks to the staffs at Windchime, Altus Hospice and Visiting Angels for the exceptional care given to Mary.

A memorial service will be held in Kingsland, Texas in September. Memorial contributions may be made to Susan G. Kormen, Dept. 41831l, P. O. 650309, Dallas, Texas 75265 or St. Jude Childrens’ Hospital, Research Hospital, Box 50, Memphis, Tennessee 38101.

Arrangements are entrusted to Putnam Funeral Home and Crematorium, 145 Texas Avenue, Kingsland, Texas 78639

http://www.putnamcares.com/sitemaker/sites/PUTNAM2/obit.cgi?page=profile&section=info&user_id=1991487

If you haven’t noticed the signs on CR309 yet, the Lakewood Forest 1 HOA has “adopted” CR309 for keeping it clean from trash!

Sue Nielsen got this set up for us with the County, including getting the official signs placed.  The first “Lakewood Forest 1 HOA CR309 Trash Pickup” will be Saturday, April 18th.  Anyone wanting to participate and help with this great community project will meet at Sue and John’s house, 241 Antler Run, at 8 am for donuts and coffee, before heading out to clean up the area from 2900 to the first cattle guard towards Hwy 71.

– Trash bags will be provided.

– Wear your brightest clothing for visibility.

– Bring your own water/beverage and trash-pick-up-sticks if desired (Ace, Home Depot and Lowes sell those 3′ long “Picstix” with a claw on the end).

Please let Sue know at suenielsen24@gmail.com or 512-965-3144 if you are going to help.  Would like to get a donut headcount.

This will be a quarterly event.  So don’t feel to bad if you can’t make it.  It is a service that will always be needed.

The official results are in for the Great Google Earth Challenge and the answers!  And the winner is…….three people!

Based on my calculations, it was 12:02p CDT.  I calculated this based on a website suncalc.net and overlaid there time-based protractor tool on multiple tall objects that I could be sure were perfectly vertical (http://suncalc.net/ ).  There is also a technique using the shadow length to the height of the object and using FindMyShadow.com which I used to corroborate the answer.

I had three answers that were so close to my answer that, given the probable margin of error for each answer including my own, I decided to award to all three people.

• John Nielsen: 11:46 and 17 seconds
• Jim Hale: 11:43a and 20 seconds
• Vicki Moore: 11:00 am CST (which translates to 12:00 Noon CDT)

Two of these answers were based on very detailed logic and analysis, the other I think was a wild guess (but a good one :-).  Vicki’s answer was listed with a time zone of CST (we were on Daylight time beginning March 10) so I gave here credit for a 12 noon CDT answer.  While I wanted some logic for her answer I can only guess that Vicki, having spent her entire life living around her rancher father, just “knows these things” by looking at them 😉

The other two amazing winners were John Nielsen (11:46a and 17 seconds) and Jim Hale (11:43 and 20 seconds).  Jim used one of the other websites that I used to corroborate my official answer, to come up with his.  John Nielsen used AutoCAD and a web tool that computes shadow angles (basically a sundial approach to the problem).

Originally, I was going to award to the one person that was closest to my answer, assuming the “my contest, my rules” theory, but then the thought of getting into an argument with two very analytical people and a rancher’s daughter over my answer being the right one, led me to a much better decision.

That being said, we’ve obviously got some very analytical and observant folks that hang out in Lakewood Forest 1 J

Jim has already indicated his choice of red wine.  John and Vicki can let me know their preference when convenient.

Appeals of these results will be considered, if they are accompanied with beer.

Chris

Jim Hale: 11:43a and 20 seconds
“I found ‘Wheresmyshadow’ [sic FindMyShadow] website and pulled long./lat. Off of google earth (exact location of telephone pole).  Then overlayed the google earth plot and the ‘wheresmyshadow’ plot of sun/time.  Interpolated the time and viola.”

John Nielsen: 11:46 and 17 seconds
“Attached is the goggle picture with azimuth lines drawn based on shadow to object casting shadow.  Azimuth calculated (this all being done in autocad). I only used two areas and averaged them I’m sure there are better objects but I’m in a hurry. Then go to

http://www.sunposition.info/sunposition/spc/locations.php#1

and plug in date and location. Go to the azimuth/time box lower right. Time in 15 minute increments and azimuths in 2-3 degree increments. 3 degrees/15 minutes x 22min 22 seconds of my average azimuth = 1 minute 17 seconds plus 11:45 am at the 126 degree azimuth mark = 11:46 and 17 seconds am. I may not be right but baffle with b*** s*** is my motto, at least today.”

Vicki Moore: 11 am CST

Aaron Richardson: 11:18:49

Linda McMahon (my sister-in-law): 9:45a
“My reasoning for picking the time that i did, was it has to do with the way the way the shadows were facing. You could tell the sun wasn’t overhead and had come up just above the trees so that most of your house was in the sun. The shadow over the roof of your house was facing towards your dock in your back yard.  The shadow off the dock on the left side of your dock (west side) was in the water, and the shadow angle of the trees in the front yard and towards the boat dock in your back yard were all facing left when you looked at the Google Earth picture of your challenge.

This was derived from viewing Chris and Debbie’s house in the picture on Google Earth.”

Heather Smith: 3:56pm

By the way, here is a very manual method to calculate the time of day on which the aerial photo was taken, but it is not easy:

You need to know the height of a nearby object (such as a streetlight pole or a high-tension tower, or a water tower) that is surrounded by flat land.  It must be in the same photo as the one you are considering.

Then:

a) Measure the length of its shadow using the Google Earth measurement tool in feet.

b) Calculate the height divided by the length to determine the tangent

c) Use a calculator to take the Inverse Tangent of the number calculated in (b).  This angle is also known as the “solar elevation angle” i.e. the angle of the sun above the horizon at the time the photo was taken.

d) Note the latitude and longitude of the location, or the Zip Code if you already know this from other sources.

e) Note also the date on which the photo was taken, from the lower left of the photo.

f)  Note whether the shadow is pointing to the NE or to the NW.

g)  Go to http://solardat.uoregon.edu/SunChartProgram.html  to create a “Sun Path Chart”.  Enter the Lat/Long or Zip Code location, the date, the time zone and whether you want the time as standard clock time, or “solar time” (where noon is when the sun is exactly south, regardless of what the clock says).  (You may need to print this out, or twist your head to see it correctly, or get a version of Adobe that lets you rotate it 90 degrees on the screen.)

h) At the left side of the sun chart, enter the Solar Elevation angle which was calculated in (c) above.

i) Follow along this line until you cross the sun path.  There will be two possible times at that angle–one for the morning and one for the afternoon.

j) If the shadow was pointing NW (as noted in (f) above), then read the morning time, since the sun was in the southeastern sky.  If the shadow was pointing NE, read the afternoon portion of the chart.

Obviously, in several of the above steps you are taking approximations, so the accuracy of the time reading is similarly approximate.

Something happened this winter/spring when I wasn’t paying attention.  Google Earth updated the satellite photo of our area!  The prior photo was a horrible picture taken on off-chance month the LCRA had dropped Lake LBJ by 5-6 feet.  When friends and family would look at our area, I would get comments like, “It looks like a lot of beach and not much water.  Where do you go boating?”

I noticed that the new shot was taken sometime late winter or early spring and it’s a really great view of the area and the lake.

So in order to celebrate our upgraded status on Google Earth, I was going to run a contest to see who can pick the closest date and time that this satellite picture was taken.  Unfortunately (or maybe it was fortunate given that I’m supposed to know about this kind of stuff), I discovered that the date is always in the bottom left corner of the image.  So…….drum roll please………it was March 23, 2013!!  Still don’t know the time, but from the shadows it may be morning.  Whoever can give me the closest time of day based on proof via clues in the imagery, will get either:

a)      A 6-pack of Corona or comparable (no jokes please) beer of their choice

b)      A bottle of Red or White Texas wine

c)       A 6-pack of their favorite soda

You can contact me via the information on the website if you don’t have my phone or email information.

For those few folks that have never loaded/installed Google Earth, go to http://earth.google.com   From there just search for your Lakewood Forest 1 property address, zoom in and start dragging around the screen to look for things that might have been unique to that day and time.

Let loose the bloodhounds and get on the trail of clues!!

Good Hunting!

Chris Smith

We have a pretty strong squall line move through Lakewood Forest 1.  Thursday afternoon and evening.  My most accurate rain gauge, which is an unobstructed glass tube over my dock, measured exactly 2 inches of much needed rain.

After the great rains we had in July, we are now getting a steady stream of 100 degree plus days.  The weekends have been VERY busy, most likely because Lake LBJ is getting a large number of Lake Travis boaters that are heading northwest looking for water.  Most of the rental properties in Lakewood Forest 1 and the surrounding area seem to be fully booked as well each weekend.  The weekdays are getting a little less busy as many families are getting ready for schools to start up.

We finally got some badly needed rain in Lakewood Forest 1!   The amounts I measured are based on my most accurate glass tube rain gauge mounted on my dock that is unobstructed by structures or trees.  On the 14th and 15th we got 4.5 inches of rain.  Most of the rain soaked up by the ground on the 14th and did not effect the levels of the lakes by much.

However, this last Sat. 7/20 in the evening we got .5 inches and then we had two more storms move through on Sun. 7/21.  One dropped .5 inches and the 2nd one, in the early evening, dropped 2 inches of rain.  Most of which had a pretty dramatic effect on Lake LBJ levels.  We watched the lake rise about 6 inches before receding!