The Spicewood Experience

How many of us know about this sweet museum right in our midst?

We began with a private docent-led tour and finished with a group of nearly a dozen other citizens of all ages and country-wide origins.  We all enjoyed spirited history telling of our local settlers and we continued on to learn about the geology of the area and how it impacted the building of the state capitol!

Add on the paleontology, the Mormon mill reconstruction, the period clothes, the rooms filled with items of recently passed historical items!

On this visit we chatted with Darlene Oostermeyer, a vice chairman on the board of directors and with board member Danielle Meredith.  You will love their insights on the museum's history as much as we did!.

Marble Falls did this right and you need to come visit!

 This might make you either want to go back to elementary school or be a parent of a child at Spicewood Elementary!  We chat with principal Kara Gasaway and assistant principal Tiffany Brantley about the great innovative programs, their staff, and some of the daily highlights that make their days happy for the young ones!

They mention many October events including the annual Trunk-or-Treat and how it’s managed and open for our participation.  Puzzled?  It's what we do when the kids are far apart yet closer together for the seasonal rite!  Find out what is expected and how to join in!

Volunteer Coordinator Lisa Baker and Education Connection Executive Director Amy Wilke chat with us about the importance of helping young people to read to get ahead.  Their reach into 14 school districts speaks to the importance and recognition of educators to this program.  The adage of "Reading is Fundamental" is crystal clear when one understands the need is greater before a child reaches the fourth grade.

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We had the honor and pleasure to visit with Dortha Bittle, who is 102 and Spicewood's oldest resident, and with Doris Phillips, 95, and Spicewood's oldest teacher.  They attended school at our 2-room schoolhouse (now the Community Center).

We did not have enough time to record their wonderful stories of early life and hope we return soon to learn even more.  Did you know early Spicewood had a cotton gin and corn mill?  What happened to the old school bell?  This is a fun episode into life in the 1930s!

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This is our thank you episode and we chat about our guests and recap of their stories. 

Also, we tested a remote power source for future episodes. (The test was a success!)  We tried to mention everyone who chatted with us and their contributions to our community.    Thanks everyone! 

Now that you know about us, we think that our next episodes are exactly what you need to get a better picture our area!  Thanks to our listeners who made suggestions about some of the episodes we published!

Frank and Gail

Whether at the barber shop, church, or amongst neighbors, weather is always on our minds.  But do we have a real reason for the Spicewood Split?  Is global warming a real thing?  Are groundhogs going to be outsourced by artificial intelligence?

Kristine Kjolhede manages to keep our anxieties low and expectations high for our local cloud-gazing community.  It was fun to tap into her professional experience and discover that she stares into her backyard to make her own on-the-fly decisions like we do.

We loved the hour spent with her vs. the 3 minutes that meteorologists typically give us on TV.  What a breath of fresh air!

Eudora Welty has nothing on the stories and legacy of Wayne, our Spicewood Post Office Sr Clerk.  He was happy to spend an hour with us and graciously offered stories of early goings on at the PO, Spicewood, and his long family history.  You will smile and appreciate his knowledge of local and family history.

I apologize for the glitches here and there that were a result of the unnecessarily quick set up before we sat down to chat but it all worked out.

This is a report of the annual event.  It is a celebration of the legacy by citizens of Spicewood as they relate over a hundred years of family history.  The families gather to bbq all night and bring their favorite side dishes for all to enjoy.

The Community Center is originally a one-room schoolhouse that has been renovated and hosts many Spicewood events but this one brings all the original founding families together.

This is brief episode may summarize the anxiety between the podcasters (Frank) and the attendees at the Homecoming event.  Truly, the event was wonderful and the interviews presented were exactly what we needed.  We just needed more of them!

Thank you, Curtis, Sophia, Kennedy, Nick and Nathan and Yaya Kennedy!  The time passed too quickly and we hope to see and hear from you again!

We think that this center exceeds all expectations our citizenry may have for a trauma-related event.  It serves four counties and cooperates with other facilities and counties in our state.  You and I can be proud to support their services.  Their thrift store also amazed us and has the dual purpose of adding funds to the center and supporting the victims and families back on their feet.  As with any major emergency service, we hope that you or any loved one will not require a visit or stay at the facility, but if it happens, you will be in caring and capable hands.