Hey everybody, this is one of Austin's most interesting and fun events
for the buck. $10. for 2 days of looking at beautiful ponds all over Austin.

http://www.austinpondsociety.org/tour2006/

You will not be dissapointed!!

LL

Libralove wrote:
Hey everybody, this is one of Austin's most interesting and fun events
for the buck. $10. for 2 days of looking at beautiful ponds all over
Austin.

http://www.austinpondsociety.org/tour2006/

You will not be dissapointed!!

LL

Reporting back on the Austin Pond Tour 2006. The tour was a great
success financially -- over $9k. The ponds were, as usual, very
beautiful and amazing to see from Leander-Liberty Hill to Georgetown and
to deep South Austin.

However, I was less than enthusiastic about the organizers and
volunteer's relationship with the public and the neighborhood people
where the tour creates a lot of traffic and signs.

One neighborhood man with a baby in carriage was turned away by a money
collecting ticket taker for the Austin Pond Society with an admonishment
"NO FREE POND PEEKS!" after I had told him to go to the pond around the
corner and ask to take a look for free. He came back upset from being
turned away.

He was not going to the any of the other ponds all over town, only the 2
there near his house where he was baby carriage pushing, so why should
he have to pay the full 2-day price to look at two neighborhood ponds
was my thought?

The Austin Pond Society lady volunteers (some of the women with personal
agendas counter to friendliness and generosity)and some have reminded me
several times, since I complained about this, that it is the Austin Pond
Society against cheapskate men of the world who try to see ponds for
free by giving me a couple of examples that have occurred almost every
year of people making up tales of lost tickets or whatever. LOL

I was told by one board member as recently as yesterday that the board
believes basically that if we let one or two people get over by cheating
or seeing a pond for FREE "there could be millions more right behind
them". LOL Think ants crawling into a sugar barrel pond of koi and water
lilies...

I know from knowing this specific board from the inside out for the past
two years, I am not very impressed with their friendly community spirit
and public service attitude. From time to time, some board members
operate it more like a "for profit club" and to promote their own pond
related businesses and agendas without regard for community friendliness
and public relations.

Let's see if they do indeed fix the Zilker Garden ponds (leaking, etc.)
like they mentioned they planned to do with all this money at recent
board meetings. I am counting on it, since they are in dire need of
repair and the Austin Pond Society has plenty of money to fix them ALL now.

Then I will be ready to applaud the group again -- as long as they let
the neighbors into the nearby ponds for free (as long as there is no
ongoing feud with a specific neighbor or something) which is something
to be sensitive to with a ticket or not. This is another excuse they
use for making everyone buy a ticket.

If you didn't go this year, you missed a good bunch of ponds, so try to
go next year as I probably will, but I will not volunteer to take
tickets or help. I was told it was Ok for me to let the neighbor man in
for free, I just could not tell another volunteer ticket taker to do so
-- even as I was on the board. So why bother to help out for free? No
free pond peeks and no free volunteer work from me. Okay?

It was to be at the discretion of each volunteer ticket takers -- and
female, tall, blonde society Nazis could make any call they wished to
keep cheapskate men with babies from free "pond peeking". LOL

I was told by one board member that if they allow that sort of
accommodation for neighbors next year, they may require an ID with an
address if a neighbor wants to visit a pond for free. Yes, carding
people to peek at a pond or two for 5 minutes is real friendly. Doncha
think?

How much money could they possibly lose if a couple of people got in for
free to a couple of ponds -- by lying or giving a false neighborhood
I.D.? LOL Geesh...

They are never people who would buy a ticket to see the whole tour
anyway. If they are that poor or that cheap... The logic of their
thinking escape me.

But don't worry, Austin, no cheapskates are going to take advantage of
the APS. You can count on that!

Yep, that's friendly! :P Austin, Texas is a friendly pond gardening
town. Right?

LL

Libralove wrote:
He was not going to the any of the other ponds all over town, only the 2
there near his house where he was baby carriage pushing, so why should
he have to pay the full 2-day price to look at two neighborhood ponds
was my thought?

Because it's a fundraiser and those are the rules? If they're his
neighbors, he could easily come by some other time and look at the
ponds, right?

I was told by one board member as recently as yesterday that the board
believes basically that if we let one or two people get over by cheating
or seeing a pond for FREE "there could be millions more right behind

Obviously not millions, but how many would you think it's ok?

Then I will be ready to applaud the group again -- as long as they let
the neighbors into the nearby ponds for free (as long as there is no

I think that ought to be a decision of the pond owner. After all, it is
their house.

It was to be at the discretion of each volunteer ticket takers -- and
female, tall, blonde society Nazis could make any call they wished to
keep cheapskate men with babies from free "pond peeking". LOL

You really shouldn't call these people nazis. It demeans the word and
its meaning and it's too harsh an insult, don't you think?


--
Victor M. Martinez
Owned and operated by the Fantastic Seven (TM)
Send your spam he
Email me he

Victor Martinez wrote:
Libralove wrote:
He was not going to the any of the other ponds all over town, only the
2 there near his house where he was baby carriage pushing, so why
should he have to pay the full 2-day price to look at two neighborhood
ponds was my thought?

Because it's a fundraiser and those are the rules? If they're his
neighbors, he could easily come by some other time and look at the
ponds, right?

Yeah, I always like to walk around the corner, knock on a door where I
saw there was a tour a few days ago and ask to look in their backyard
pond. Neighbors whom I have never met love that when they are cooking
dinner, feeding the baby, or whatever... Sure, you go ahead and do that
if you feel comfortable.

This is a neighborhood event and most of these people were not even
asked if signs could be put up and lots of cars could park all up in
down the street. At least 37th street agrees to allow Austin to come and
make a traffic jam on their street every Christmas for FREE -- but not
with this event.


I was told by one board member as recently as yesterday that the board
believes basically that if we let one or two people get over by
cheating or seeing a pond for FREE "there could be millions more right
behind

Obviously not millions, but how many would you think it's ok?

Maybe a half dozen (which I have never experienced and I have sat at
tables for two years) would be Ok in my view. I have only even seen a
couple of people each year ask to look at the ponds in their
neighborhoods where I sat who did not want to attend the entire tour.
Would that be a problem for you, Victor? To let a neighbor spend 2-3
minutes looking at your pond without paying $10.?


Then I will be ready to applaud the group again -- as long as they let
the neighbors into the nearby ponds for free (as long as there is no

I think that ought to be a decision of the pond owner. After all, it is
their house.

There was never any question that the pond owner could disallow anyone
he or she wished. That's like a big, Duh! Your excuses sound so familiar.


It was to be at the discretion of each volunteer ticket takers -- and
female, tall, blonde society Nazis could make any call they wished to
keep cheapskate men with babies from free "pond peeking". LOL

You really shouldn't call these people nazis. It demeans the word and
its meaning and it's too harsh an insult, don't you think?

You know something, Victor, from your concerns here. And love of the
RULES at all costs, I think you would make a perfect volunteer for this
group. Go to a meeting and sign up for a board position. They are having
trouble keeping board members.

They truly need help as some positions are never filled and the ones
that are turned over frequently because the work is for free! So if you
can work for them for free, can you allow a neighbor a free pond visit.

If NOT, please go to Zilker on the 3rd Monday of every month and join
up. You'll fit in well with this group and they need you. Maybe you can
wear a little holster and badge or something and keep those guys with
baby carriages out.

You sound like you will fit like a glove with their philosophy of
friendliness and public relations with no excuses for free pond peaks.

Cheers! LL

Libralove wrote:
Would that be a problem for you, Victor? To let a neighbor spend 2-3
minutes looking at your pond without paying $10.?

Not at all. As a matter of fact, when our garden was in the Garden
Conservancy's tour a few years back, our rule was that neighbors could
come in for free. As a courtesy because of the extra cars they would
have to deal with.

group. Go to a meeting and sign up for a board position. They are having
trouble keeping board members.

Thanks, I already serve on one non-profit board.

You sound like you will fit like a glove with their philosophy of
friendliness and public relations with no excuses for free pond peaks.

Whatever.

--
Victor M. Martinez
Owned and operated by the Fantastic Seven (TM)
Send your spam he
Email me he

Victor Martinez wrote:
Libralove wrote:
Would that be a problem for you, Victor? To let a neighbor spend 2-3
minutes looking at your pond without paying $10.?

Not at all. As a matter of fact, when our garden was in the Garden
Conservancy's tour a few years back, our rule was that neighbors could
come in for free. As a courtesy because of the extra cars they would
have to deal with.

See, that! My feeling as well. So we are on the same page -- you and I
after all.


group. Go to a meeting and sign up for a board position. They are
having trouble keeping board members.

Thanks, I already serve on one non-profit board.

Good for you. That's the spirit! It's important to give back to the
community.

You sound like you will fit like a glove with their philosophy of
friendliness and public relations with no excuses for free pond peaks.

Whatever.

Yeah... whatever. LOL

Cheers to You! LL

Libralove wrote:

Victor Martinez wrote:

Libralove wrote:

Would that be a problem for you, Victor? To let a neighbor spend 2-3
minutes looking at your pond without paying $10.?


Not at all. As a matter of fact, when our garden was in the Garden
Conservancy's tour a few years back, our rule was that neighbors could
come in for free. As a courtesy because of the extra cars they would
have to deal with.


See, that! My feeling as well. So we are on the same page -- you and I
after all.


group. Go to a meeting and sign up for a board position. They are
having trouble keeping board members.


Thanks, I already serve on one non-profit board.


Good for you. That's the spirit! It's important to give back to the
community.


You sound like you will fit like a glove with their philosophy of
friendliness and public relations with no excuses for free pond peaks.


Whatever.


Yeah... whatever. LOL

Cheers to You! LL

LL, I missed the tour this year, but I've been to
the previous four. Two of those four years, there
was a pond within a mile of my girlfriend's house
that I wanted her to see. Both times, the
volunteers let her in for free. Most of the
volunteers I've dealt with in those four years
were just wonderfully friendly people.

"Official policy" should probably be what official
policy is, but letting a neighbor in for a free
peek should be considered cheap advertising. If
it's done with a "nudge, nudge, I really
shouldn't, just this time, don't tell anybody"
then everybody could go home feeling good.

Don't give up, girl. If you do, the *******s win.

DT