What R-U Doing Tonorrow...July 25, 2011    Designated as The Great American Backyard Campout.(sponsored by the Great American Wildlife Federation). Start packing now for the FREE BACKYARD CAMPOUT. What a great treat and inexpensive. Time to plan your Backyard Campout with your family. Pitch your tent, enjoy friends and family, watch the wildlife and listen to night sounds in your own backyard. All that and sleep under the stars.           You and the family can put up the tent for your Campout                How about building a place to shower?                                                                                       Enjoy the Wildlife!!!!!!                                                                                    A fe... 06/24/2011

                                   Building a Home in the Unincorporated Area Of Comal County Texas ?                                       THE MOST BEAUTIFUL AREA OF THE TEXAS HILL COUNTRY                                                                                                                                    PERMITS YOU MUST HAVE This comes to us from the Comal County Engineer's Office - Thomas H. Hornseth. P.E., Comal County Engineer if you are going to build a home in the unincorporaed area of Comal County Texas. Comal County Engineer's Office.                       NEW HOME CONSTRUCTION IN THE UNINCORPORATED AREA COMAL COUNTY TEXAS                                                                                     Four Permits that are Required !   You can obtain informati... 06/22/2011

                                                    Neighbors Watching Out for Neighbors If you don't have a  Watch Group it is easy to start one. Neighbors need to start looking out for each other. Protect your neighborhood. l.  The objective is to keep vandalism out of your neighborhood.2. Start a neighborhood walk-around with neighbors. Evenings are the best time and you'll get your   exercise.3. Going on vacation have your newspaper stopped.4.  Have the post-office hold your mail until you return.5.  Don't leave keys in your automobile.6.  If you see something that is not normal call the police. They can patrol your neighborhood more often.7.  With school out kids are wondering the neighborhoods, don't entice them, put bicycles etc. away.8.  Close your curtains at night.9.  Check wi... 06/06/2011

                                                                           What does Memorial Day and Canyon Lake have in common?  FUN...FUN...FUN  SAILING? Check some of the activities planned this Memorial weekend.Canyon Lake Yacht Club is located on the north side of Canyon Lake.                                                                                                                                                                    Regatta Memorial Day Weekend Regatta May 28th & 29th - Memorial Day Weekend RegattaThen on Monday May 30th be sure to hang around for the big Memorial Day Fish Fry.Complete details, Registration form can be found on the Special Club Racing page athttp://www.lcyc.net  Go to this website for information for the Regatta and the Fish Fry. What else can... 05/25/2011

                                                                   Buying or Selling a home?                                            Are you a first time home buyer? Are you a seasoned buyer? How would you know if there are hidden deficiencies in your home?How could you even consider buying a home without a home inspection?Would you not want the seller to have these items repaired before you buy the home? If you are spending thousands of dollars for a nice home that you and your family will live in for a number of years, why not spend a few hundred dollars more to know exactly what you are buying. REPEAT...KNOW EXACTLY WHAT YOU ARE BUYING.. The home may look good (visual observation) this is what drew you to this particular property. Do you really know what is up in the attic? What a... 05/15/2011

                                      Carl Gone Wild for this Wild Wednesday Blog - MAY 11, 2011 I got out my trusty weed whacker, chain saw and tree pruner saw out over the weekend. Didn't seem like the trees needed trimming but with Ceil's help pointing where to cut look what we accomplished in just a couple hours.          (The Hill Country White Tail Deer love to pick around tree limbs. We even have firewood for next winter)                                                               Carl's Thought Provoker Tips                                            Tips:1.   When you remove a limb from an oak tree in my opinion it is best to cover the cut with prune paint or tree wound dressing.        2.   Cut branches so that they won't rub on your roof.        3.   Clean out the clutter w... 05/11/2011

                                                                  Texas Wildlife Trails                                                        A wild ride through Texas and its FREE   (Besides wildflowers and butterflies you may just see some feral hogs, the Texas state bird the Mockingbird and maybe a Bobcat lurking in the background or Texas deer).   Join the Celebration with Free Trail Maps! Hop in the car, grab your binoculars and camera, and travel the back roads of the Texas great outdoors. TEXAS is celebrating the completion of the Great Texas Wildlife Trails by giving away free large colorful trail maps that make it easy and fun to plan a driving trip to go wildlife watching anywhere in Texas. The Great Texas Wildlife Trails is a statewide network of wildlife-viewing trails. The... 04/27/2011

Life is all about change and Oh how we have changed in 60 plus years. My childhood memories on this Wild Wednesday here at Active Rain. Where I've been and Where I'm Going.                                                          Looking Back and Moving Forward 1.  My Mom used to defrost  hamburger on  the counter and I used to eat  it raw sometimes. Our school sandwiches were wrapped in wax paper and carried to school in a brown paper bag (not in ice pack coolers). I had never heard the name e-coli. We usually got peanut butter and jelly unless we had some leftover ham from Sunday lunch   and five cents for milk. 2.  My Mom used  to cut chicken, chop eggs and spread miracle whip on the  same cutting board with the same knife and no bleach, (no I don't remember getting food poisoning. S... 04/20/2011

This is exactly why we love living at Canyon Lake Texas. Here it is April 18th, a beautiful Monday and I came home hungary and find two nice ribeye steaks ready to put on the little grill. Ceil and I sat outside, enjoyed the evening, drank a glass of tea and when the ribeye steaks were ready we had a baked potato and salad for supper (we say supper at our house). What more could a tired old home inspector ask for after a hard days work? Maybe a repeat Tuesday would be nice.                                               "Living and Love Living at Canyon Lake Texas"                                              What did you have for supper or dinner? -------Buying a home at Canyon Lake or Comal County, call Carl Winters - License #3630 for your home inspection -  830-660-0131----Your Hill ... 04/18/2011

 Why we love living along the Guyadalupe River     "Things to See and Do along the Guadalupe River"..... A wonderful ten mile car drive or you can float, your choice. Be sure to put this on your calendar for a great April experience. If you decide to take this River Road drive you will drive onto River Rd. from Loop 337 in New Braunfels TX.  From San Antonio exit Ruckle Rd. to Loop 337 - From Austin Exix Hwy. 46 to Loop 337 (follow the signs) River Road drive is a approximatelly ten scenic miles between Loop 337 in New Braunfels and Canyon Lake Dam (crosses the Guadalupe River four times). It is a nice drive or you may decide to use an inner tube and float down the river. Many folks float a popular stretch of the river between Sattler and New Braunfels. The river flows from Canyon Dam d... 04/06/2011

04/05/2011

Some help has finally arrived for this once nice lake view home here at Canyon Lake Texas. We have driven by this home so many times and remarked it was in such disrepair.                                       THE DECK FINALLY GAVE WAY TO MAKE WAY FOR A NEW DECK   All About Decks                                                                 It's that time of the year when folks want to sit out on the deck and enjoy the outdoors. This is a property that once was in nice condition but left to deteriorated. Recently the old deck which was built wrong thirty years ago finally gave way. Fortunately there were no injuries.           A nice young man, a family member to the owner, is now going to rebuild the deck along with the entire home. I will be showing photo's as this long, slow proces... 03/25/2011

TEXAS' MOUNTAIN LAUREL - A TRUE TEXAS BEAUTY - It's here in all its Glory. It must be March-the questions about the purple-blue blooms hanging in clusters and having the wonderful scent of grape chewing gum have begun! No mistaken the scent of the Texas Mountain Laurel. We start our Mountain Laurel's from seed.  Here is a pic of the red, hard seed that has popped from a brown pod. The red seed is very hard. I scrape the seed on concrete about 12-15 times to help break the outer seed cover and then I soak in hot water for about an hour before I plant. If we did the process right the small Mountain Laurel plant will be about 8-12 inches next season.                                                         The Mountain Laurel doesn't take much care since it is native to the limestone soils ... 03/13/2011

Do you sometimes walk into your bathroom and find your toilet has been running since you left early morning?That means lots and lots of water has been wasted. That means a higher water bill. Maybe a leaky hook-up coming into the toilet also needs to be replaced.                                                                     An Easy and Inexpensie Fix You can purchase a repair kit and do it yourself... (diy). The kit will contain everything you will need. This will save you lots of $$$'s. I just recently put in three new  water saver toilets in our home. The old toilets were almost fifty years old and I replaced with the water saver type. You can purchase everything you need at any of the big box stores. Check your hose - if need repair go ahead and replace it. Especially if you liv... 03/09/2011

Leave trimming trees to the professionals around "powerlines" http://www.pedernaleselectric.org There is "no charge"; it is a provided service by PEC. If you use PEC Pedernales Electric Coop for your energy supplier here is some IMPORTANT INFORMATION. If you notice trees growing into your power lines don't forget to call Pedernales Electric Cooperative (PEC). You can just make this request on line by going to www.pec.coop. and they will send someone out to safely clear the limbs and vegetation away from your powerlines.   Don't worry about the safety of your trees they will take precautions to avoid damaging your trees. They are careful to maintain the trimming saws etc. with disinfectant to prevent the spread of oak wilt and other diseases. Trimmed trees are also sprayed with pruning p... 03/02/2011

How the Sun Worshippers Search... For their next home!  I am a southern girl...more specifically, a Texas girl and that would be a title I wear with pride!  I have lived on both coasts and points in between, but I was born in Texas and that is where I have spent the majority of my life.One of the major draws of the Texas lifestyle is the sunshine! I am also an optimist, always looking for that bright spot...or sun spot...in every situation and so when I read something positive about my region in a national publication, naturally it motivates me to share!   Yesterday I was reading my REALTOR magazine and there was an article called “Most Sun = Most Searched” and it referred to the top 10 locales that were search on Realtor.com last year. It was touting nine of the ten cities as being “Su... 02/22/2011

 by Carl Winters, Complete Inspection Service (since 1994) February 7, 2011 Thought Provoker!                         Now is the Right Time to Buy a Home                                 ________________________________________________________________                                          "Living and Love Living at Canyon Lake Texas"                                                       How does a home inspection benefit you? You have heard many times your home is your castle; your dream home; yours 24//7/365 days a year. A place to eat, sleep, gather with the family, friends and a great investment. Guess what? It still remains all of the above. The great part of all of this there is a dream home out there for everyone. Another avenue to find that dream home is utilize the internet. T... 02/07/2011

Snow Day at the Lake!!!   After several days of below freezing temperatures (which is not normal for Canyon Lake Texas) we awoke today to a Winter Wonderland and an official “Snow Day” with the kids home from school, businesses closed and roads closed. Canyon Lake Texas is a rural resort community on the Guadalupe River in the Hill Country region.  We are used to highs in the 60s and lows in the 40s this time of year.  So everyone gets excited when the temps dip and even more so when the white stuff from above covers our area. It has been a fun day of fireplaces, hot chocolate, snow play, video games and of course madly posting snow pix on Facebook to share with our family and friends!  We are silly, I know!  Those of you who live with these conditions every winter and in much more quan... 02/04/2011

A date to remember. See it can happen here at Canyon Lake that is on the edge of the Texas Hill Country. Here are some photo's for proof.                                                                                                                                   Don't forget the Three P's....Pets, Plants and Pipes Since we have been frozen for a few days, when your pipes begin to thaw be sure to walk around and inspect your pipes for leaks. Don't forget to put out water for your dog.                              "Memories of the Big Freeze at Canyon Lake TX February 11, 2011" *Carl Winters, Advanced Home Inspector License #3630. (since 1994), Member of Active Rain Real Estate Network. Localism News for Canyon Lake, TX. If you are moving to Canyon Lake TX or surrounding area and loo... 02/04/2011

A couple months ago I did a blog with many photo's showing off our new library here at Canyon Lake TX...Tye Preston Memorial Library. Now let me tell you there is nothing boring about this library, yes there are books and may I say lots of books. It's not just a library it is a place to learn, meet and greet folks in the community. Here is an example of some events that are offered at the Tye Preston Libraary for February. Before I forget we want to say ALL WINTER TEXANS ARE WELCOME. If you are just now arriving be sure to get by and visit with old friends and make some new friends. It definitely is a great place to hang out.                                                                                                             Example of Events for February 2011 Welcome Winter Texa... 02/01/2011