texascavers Digest 5 Dec 2012 22:59:04 -0000 Issue 1673
Topics (messages 21077 through 21092):
Re: end of the world
21077 by: Steve Keselik
21079 by: Gill Edigar
21082 by: Benjamin Yasui
Re: End of the world Party
21078 by: Gill Edigar
Wake
21080 by: Denise P
21081 by: Denise P
50 YEARS Special Offer
21083 by: Carl Kunath
Seeking Texas grotto information for the Texas Caver newsletter
21084 by: Speleosteele.aol.com
50 Years of Texas Caving
21085 by: Mixon Bill
21087 by: Mixon Bill
Re: Call for musicians
21086 by: vivbone.att.net
Re: 50 Years of Texas Caving special offer
21088 by: Logan McNatt
Ezell's Cave clean up
21089 by: Ron Ralph
Re: Interdisciplinary-Hydrologist/Soil Scientist Medford Program Lead
21090 by: Louise Power
Time to renew NSS Combined Federal Campaign status: 2012 Conservation
Activities - Got One?
21091 by: NSS Announcements
El Paso Cave Man
21092 by: Preston Forsythe
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----------------------------------------------------------------------
--- Begin Message ---
I'm pretty sure this is a multi day event so take your pick
On Mon, Dec 3, 2012 at 10:36 AM, Mixon Bill <bmixon...@austin.rr.com> wrote:
> There are two different correlations between the Maya longcount and the
> Gregorian calendar. 13 0 0 0 0 being December 21 is the favorite in the
> press, probably because of the coincidence with the winter solstice.
> (Actually, the longcount changes at sunset on the previous day.) The other
> has it on December 23; this one is preferred by Austin's Mayanist and
> one-time caver Barb MacLeod. Those disappointed that the world has not ended
> can party again the evening of the twenty-second, which is, conveniently, a
> Saturday. -- Mixon
> ----------------------------------------
> A chicken is the egg's way of making another egg.
> ----------------------------------------
> You may "reply" to the address this message
> came from, but for long-term use, save:
> Personal: bmi...@alumni.uchicago.edu
> AMCS: edi...@amcs-pubs.org or sa...@amcs-pubs.org
>
>
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--- End Message ---
--- Begin Message ---
I think the Mayans, like most of the American Indians, were not
usually in too much of a hurry. Take you time with the celebrating.
I'm going casual for this one.
--Ediger
On Mon, Dec 3, 2012 at 8:04 PM, Steve Keselik <skese...@gmail.com> wrote:
> I'm pretty sure this is a multi day event so take your pick
>
> On Mon, Dec 3, 2012 at 10:36 AM, Mixon Bill <bmixon...@austin.rr.com> wrote:
>> There are two different correlations between the Maya longcount and the
>> Gregorian calendar. 13 0 0 0 0 being December 21 is the favorite in the
>> press, probably because of the coincidence with the winter solstice.
>> (Actually, the longcount changes at sunset on the previous day.) The other
>> has it on December 23; this one is preferred by Austin's Mayanist and
>> one-time caver Barb MacLeod. Those disappointed that the world has not ended
>> can party again the evening of the twenty-second, which is, conveniently, a
>> Saturday. -- Mixon
>> ----------------------------------------
>> A chicken is the egg's way of making another egg.
>> ----------------------------------------
>> You may "reply" to the address this message
>> came from, but for long-term use, save:
>> Personal: bmi...@alumni.uchicago.edu
>> AMCS: edi...@amcs-pubs.org or sa...@amcs-pubs.org
>>
>>
>> ---------------------------------------------------------------------
>> Visit our website: http://texascavers.com
>> To unsubscribe, e-mail: texascavers-unsubscr...@texascavers.com
>> For additional commands, e-mail: texascavers-h...@texascavers.com
>>
>
> ---------------------------------------------------------------------
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--- End Message ---
--- Begin Message ---
Who's bringing the Kool-aid?
On Mon, Dec 3, 2012 at 9:16 PM, Gill Edigar <gi...@att.net> wrote:
> I think the Mayans, like most of the American Indians, were not
> usually in too much of a hurry. Take you time with the celebrating.
> I'm going casual for this one.
> --Ediger
>
>
> On Mon, Dec 3, 2012 at 8:04 PM, Steve Keselik <skese...@gmail.com> wrote:
> > I'm pretty sure this is a multi day event so take your pick
> >
> > On Mon, Dec 3, 2012 at 10:36 AM, Mixon Bill <bmixon...@austin.rr.com>
> wrote:
> >> There are two different correlations between the Maya longcount and the
> >> Gregorian calendar. 13 0 0 0 0 being December 21 is the favorite in the
> >> press, probably because of the coincidence with the winter solstice.
> >> (Actually, the longcount changes at sunset on the previous day.) The
> other
> >> has it on December 23; this one is preferred by Austin's Mayanist and
> >> one-time caver Barb MacLeod. Those disappointed that the world has not
> ended
> >> can party again the evening of the twenty-second, which is,
> conveniently, a
> >> Saturday. -- Mixon
> >> ----------------------------------------
> >> A chicken is the egg's way of making another egg.
> >> ----------------------------------------
> >> You may "reply" to the address this message
> >> came from, but for long-term use, save:
> >> Personal: bmi...@alumni.uchicago.edu
> >> AMCS: edi...@amcs-pubs.org or sa...@amcs-pubs.org
> >>
> >>
> >> ---------------------------------------------------------------------
> >> Visit our website: http://texascavers.com
> >> To unsubscribe, e-mail: texascavers-unsubscr...@texascavers.com
> >> For additional commands, e-mail: texascavers-h...@texascavers.com
> >>
> >
> > ---------------------------------------------------------------------
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> >
>
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>
--- End Message ---
--- Begin Message ---
It's been damned close to 20 years since I've been to La Linda. And I
miss it so....
--Ediger
On Mon, Dec 3, 2012 at 12:05 AM, Steve Keselik <skese...@gmail.com> wrote:
> There will be an end of the world party dec 21 at LaLinda Texas on the
> Rio Grande down stream from big bend national park.This should be a
> good chance to visit the area and party like there is no tomorrow
>
> ---------------------------------------------------------------------
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--- End Message ---
--- Begin Message ---
Hello-There is a wake for Nathan Parker planned for December 15. It's at 6pm at
2100 Metcalfe Road in south Austin. Please pass the invite on to everyone. Hope
to see you there.
-Denise
--- End Message ---
--- Begin Message ---
More info:
This will be a celebration of the wonderful things in the life of Nathan
Parker. Keeping in mind his spirit of camaraderie, revelry, adventure, and,
importantly, drinking, you can look forward to an evening of indulgence and
sharing. Please save this date.
What can I bring? A dish to share (standard caver potluck style). There will be
a grill and Terry offered burgers! Bring pictures of Nathan or trips he was on
to put on a projector we'll have going. Kari will have a cocktail bar going,
please bring beer or feel welcome to contribute libations to the bar.
https://www.facebook.com/events/118477461645350/
From: pepabe...@hotmail.com
To: texascavers@texascavers.com
Date: Tue, 4 Dec 2012 03:45:34 +0000
Subject: [Texascavers] Wake
Hello-There is a wake for Nathan Parker planned for December 15. It's at 6pm at
2100 Metcalfe Road in south Austin. Please pass the invite on to everyone. Hope
to see you there.
-Denise
--- End Message ---
--- Begin Message ---
>>> Special Offer <<<
50 Years of Texas Caving
>From this moment until midnight on the 21st December 2012, 50 Years of Texas
>Caving (AKA The Encyclopedia of Texas Caving) can be yours for only $40.
>That's right, $40 shipped via media mail to your location anywhere in the 50
>States.
Note: In case there has been a slight miscalculation and the world will
actually end at some later date, the sale will automatically be extended
through the end of the month.
If you already have this impressive volume, you are to be congratulated. If
you have been in a cave these past few years and are now slapping your face and
saying, "Man! How could I have let that slip!" Now is your chance. How about
a copy for your friends and relatives who often roll their eyes and ask, "Why
on Earth do you go into those dark, nasty places?" (Mind you, they should be
referencing caves and not your favorite bars.)
As a bonus, this is a huge book weighing nearly five pounds and is therefore
useful as a zombie-swatter in case you are without silver bullets, wooden
stakes, LAWS rockets, etc. when that fateful moment arrives.
Send your check to:
Carl Kunath
50 Years of Texas Caving
3720 Ransom Road
San Angelo, TX 76903
For additional information and sneak previews of certain portions, visit:
http://pages.suddenlink.net/carl-kunath/50_Years/50_Years.html
--- End Message ---
--- Begin Message ---
Good morning, Texas cavers,
Our new editor of the Texas Caver, Jill Orr, is seeking material for the
next issue. I have volunteered to seek a couple of paragraphs from each
grotto in Texas and have a regular column about grotto "goin-ons". I just
dashed out the two paragraphs below about my grotto. Please, would the
chairperson of each grotto, or someone delegated by the chairperson or who just
wants to do it, send me a couple of paragraphs about their grotto? I'd really
like to get these by next Sunday. I'm leaving for a caving expedition to
China on Dec. 16 and have a lot to get ready.
DFW Grotto
The Dallas-Fort Worth Grotto is about 52 years old. It meets once a month
at the Dallas REI on the fourth Wednesday night of the month. The meetings
last two hours with an hour of it being business, announcements, trip
reports, and upcoming caving trips, and an hour devoted to a presentation,
almost always a narrated slide show. After the meeting most people go to a
nearby Taco Cabana restaurant for fellowship and talk of caving past and
future.
Members of the DFW Grotto are conducting a project to thoroughly explore
and map Spring Creek Cave, Kendall Co., Texas, one of the dozen longest caves
in the state. Its members go caving in a multitude of places such as
Texas, Arkansas, New Mexico, Arkansas, TAG, Kentucky, Mexico, China, etc. The
current grotto chair is Steve Webb, with the chair-elect being Natasha
Glasgow. Besides Steve Webb as chair in 2012, the vice chairperson (in charge
of
grotto programs) was Natasha Glasgow, secretary Charles Goldsmith, and
treasurer Diana Tomchick. Other incoming officers are Jay Jordan - vice
chairperson, Jake McLeod - secretary, and Diana Tomchick will remain as
treasurer.
Thanks for your help with this.
Cavingly yours,
Bill Steele
PS - Editor Jill Orr is looking for someone with each grotto to "ride herd"
on grotto members to get articles
written and sent to her. I'm going to do so for the DFW Grotto. Jake
McLeod, if you read this, know that I'm going to ask you to write one about
becoming a caver in Texas. You sure have done that over the past six months.
--- End Message ---
--- Begin Message ---
I have a supply of Carl's 50 Years of Texas Caving book, and I highly
recommend it. Along with the recent AMCS things, I'll have a few
copies of 50 Years at the UT Grotto meeting tomorrow night for $40,
which is a very good price for a 500-page hardbound book full of color
illustrations.
Books are heavy. It will be nice if some kind soul helps carry what
isn't sold back to the vicinity of the Posse after the meeting. -- Mixon
----------------------------------------
A chicken is the egg's way of making another egg.
----------------------------------------
You may "reply" to the address this message
came from, but for long-term use, save:
Personal: bmi...@alumni.uchicago.edu
AMCS: edi...@amcs-pubs.org or sa...@amcs-pubs.org
--- End Message ---
--- Begin Message ---
Here's the review I wrote of the book in 2007. Note that you can now,
temporarily, get it for a lower price, as announced here today. --
Mixon
50 Years of Texas Caving. Carl E. Kunath. A&K Enterprises, San
Angelo, Texas; 2007. 8.5 by 11 inches, 526 pages, hardbound. $50.
(Order from the author at 3720 Ransom Road, San Angelo, Texas 76903.
Add $5 for U.S. surface shipping. For other postage, ask carl.kun...@suddenlink.net
.)
Wow! Five hundred pages. Six hundred illustrations. Two hundred
thousand words. Nearly five pounds of heavy, coated paper in a hard
cover. Could this be a fifty-dollar book that is actually worth
fifty dollars?
This book nominally covers the period from 1951 through 2000, but
there are some notes from earlier years, and some data from later
years appear in tables and elsewhere, including a short epilog. The
main chronological section contains year-by-year summaries of two or
three pages each. Then there are capsule histories of the sixty-nine
Texas caving groups that have existed over the years. Next is a
Serious Side section covering things like cave science and
conservation, Texas cavers' work in Mexico and New Mexico, cave
diving, and accidents and fatalities. A Lighter Side section
describes famous parties and recounts humorous tales about things
like vehicular misadventures. Finally there is a long section with
histories of Texas's ten greatest caves and one cave in Mexico with
which Texas cavers have been heavily involved, especially in
restoration.
The book is to some extent organized around the history of the Texas
Region of the NSS, now called the Texas Speleological Association.
The amount of research is impressive, with information from the
Texas Caver, the archives of the TSA and the Texas Speleological
Survey, and many interviews and other sources. Jerry Atkinson wrote
a lot of the groups section, and some others contributed portions of
the book, notably in the science chapters. Interesting old letters
are quoted or reproduced.
The illustrations include about 375 photos, two-thirds of them in
color. The colors in some of the older photos look a bit faded, but
generally the photographs are well printed. A wide net was cast for
photos, and we see such things as a yearbook photo of the 1958
members of the Kerrville Speleological Society at the Schreiner
Institute (now Schreiner University, where the International
Congress of Speleology will be held in 2009). Especially noteworthy
are photographs in the greatest caves section, many by the author.
There are cartoons scattered throughout, and the other drawings,
many in color, include things like posters and newsletter covers. A
few of the photos and cartoons have been childishly censored, even
to the extent of digitally amputating a middle finger that would
have been a whole eighth of an inch long on the page.
I had read snatches of the book as I was doing the final page layout
following the author's specifications. Before writing this review, I
borrowed a set of unbound press proofs while the finished books were
on their way from China, thinking that I really ought to read some
more of it before I wrote a review. I ended up reading the whole
thing straight through. In doing so, I noticed a few redundancies,
but this might actually be a good thing, because I imagine most
readers will skip around in the book, picking out the parts most
interesting to them and, perhaps, never quite getting around to the
history of the Central Catholic High School Grotto (1972–1973).
While, inevitably, I could quibble with the punctuation here and
there, the grammar is exceptional, and everything reads smoothly. I
noticed one clearly typographical error in the whole book. (I
believe Jerry Atkinson deserves much credit for proofreading, too.)
In these respects, this book must be in the top percent or so of
cave books.
Carl Kunath is a bit of a curmudgeon, and it doesn't take a very
close reading to see that he thinks Texas caving, and the Texas
Speleological Association in particular, have gone all to hell since
the good old days. To some extent, he is justified. Certainly there
haven't been any recent discoveries like Caverns of Sonora or
Natural Bridge Caverns, which became two of the country's top show
caves. The main responsibilities of the TSA, the Texas Caver and the
annual spring conventions, have been hit or miss. He doesn’t give
much credit for the more popular, if unofficial, Texas Caver
Reunions that have been held faithfully for the past thirty years.
The book seems to be best about the earlier times, when Kunath was
himself more involved and knew most of the smaller number of active
cavers. Of course, the older days will be most interesting to the
reader, too, because they are less familiar to most of us. Kunath
also tends to assess the quality of grottos based on their esprit de
corps and whether they celebrate their anniversaries, rather than
the actual activities of their members. I suppose that is a natural
bias in a historian.
I don't expect to live to see another history of an NSS region as
good, or even as extensive, as 50 Years of Texas Caving. The answer
to the question in the first paragraph is yes.—Bill Mixon
----------------------------------------
A chicken is the egg's way of making another egg.
----------------------------------------
You may "reply" to the address this message
came from, but for long-term use, save:
Personal: bmi...@alumni.uchicago.edu
AMCS: edi...@amcs-pubs.org or sa...@amcs-pubs.org
--- End Message ---
--- Begin Message ---
Alright, all you musically inclined friends, cavers and associates of Nathan
out there- Nathan needs a good lively New Orleans style 2nd line parade at his
wake. Whose in? No experience necessary. I can have several shakers,
tambourines, kazoos and what not on hand for those who don't have a trumpet on
hand, but would like to participate.
Contact me off list if you can join the tribute. We'll have a rehearsal next
Wednesday Nov 12, which is an off-grotto Wednesday for UT cavers.
-Vivian Loftin
--- On Mon, 12/3/12, Denise P <pepabe...@hotmail.com> wrote:
From: Denise P <pepabe...@hotmail.com>
Subject: [Texascavers] Wake
To: "TexasCavers" <texascavers@texascavers.com>
Date: Monday, December 3, 2012, 9:45 PM
Hello-There is a wake for Nathan Parker planned for December 15. It's at 6pm at
2100 Metcalfe Road in south Austin. Please pass the invite on to everyone. Hope
to see you there.
-Denise
--- End Message ---
--- Begin Message ---
Carl Kunath's special offer of $40 for his book 50 Years of Texas Caving is a great deal that would make a long-lasting Christmas present for
your caver friends and/or yourself.
As a bonus, anyone who orders the book can receive a free set of all available print copies of The Texas Caver magazine from 1970-1999 (approx.
100 back issues still in print). The set weighs approx. 5 lbs and takes up about 12 inches of shelf space. _If requested_, one set will be
shipped free (in U.S.) for each book ordered. Contact me for further details.
Logan McNatt
512-462-9581
Austin, TX 78745
--- End Message ---
--- Begin Message ---
Cavers,
A reminder that we need your help! The Texas Cave Management Association
(TCMA) will be having a work day to spruce up one of our properties, the
Ezells Cave Preserve in Hays County. We plan to prune limbs, cut weeds,
haul off junk, and just generally make the property more attractive. We
need people, saws, loppers, weed eaters, gloves, and maybe even someone with
a trailer willing to carry all the debris to the landfill. Bring your own
drinks and snacks for the work, but TCMA will treat all volunteers to pizza
and drinks after we are done.
The date is Saturday, December 8, 2012. The time to meet is 9:00 am. Meet
at the 1500 block of Brown Street, San Marcos. Cell number for the day:
512-797-3817 (Ron Ralph).
If anyone wishes to enter the cave after the work is completed, the Preserve
Manager has agreed to that. All visitors to the Preserve will be asked to
sign a liability waiver. Please give Ron a call if you get lost or would
like more details.
Thanks for your support!
Directions to Ezell's Cave Preserve
Roughly 1500 Brown Street
If coming in on IH 35 from the north or south, take exit 202 (Wonder World)
and turn west passing the Valero and over the railroad tracks.
At the traffic light, turn right on Hunter Road or FM 2439 (north), then
left on Dixon (across from Jack's Road House), then jog right on Blevin and
go past the Habitat for Humanity houses that back up to TCMA property.
Turn left at the next street (Clara) and left again at the next intersection
(Brown).
Ezell's Cave Preserve is the first jungle on the left.
--- End Message ---
--- Begin Message ---
If we have any interdisciplinary-hydrologist/soil scientists looking for a
permanent/full-time job (a rare commodity at this time in the federal gov't),
here's an opportunity. Good pay and benefits; beautiful and historical part of
the country; lotsa places for all kinds of outdoor activities including hiking
the Pacific Crest Trail; rafting the Wild & Scenic Rogue and other nearby
rivers; and yes, we have caves and active grottos. And the beaches are just a
few hours away through the Coast Range. Also, bird watching; hunting (birds,
elk, deer, etc); fishing, snow skiing, etc. We also have active art and theatre
communities.
COME ONE, COME ALL!
The following vacancy can be found on USA Jobs after the opening date below.
OR Merit-2012-0048
Interdisciplinary-Hydrologist/Soil Scientist
GS-1315/0470-12
Bureau of Land Management, Medford, OR District
Permanent / Full-time
Open: Tuesday, December 4 2012
Close: Monday, December 17, 2012
--- End Message ---
--- Begin Message ---
2012 Conservation Activities Needed
The NSS needs your input. Each year the NSS must file an application
with the Combined Federal Campaign (CFC) in order to qualify to be
listed in the CFC donation database. The hardest part of the
application is to document the nationwide NSS Conservation activities.
Please take just two or three minutes and send Scott Fee (scottfee at
bellsouth dot net) an email that includes the following:
1) State the activity took place
2) Closest City or the County
3) 2012 Date (Prefer month, day and year)
4) Very Brief description.
Example: California, Orange County, May to July 2012: Over 20 members
removed dozens of large trash bags of litter and rusting metal from
xxxx cave, sinkhole, river, stream, or highway.
Ideally, please include how many volunteers and what you did. Any
statistics like number of bags, hours spent, truckloads of debris,
etc. are a welcome addition. That is it! Shouldn't take two minutes
to convey where, when, and what! This will help the NSS Document caver
conservation activities throughout 2012 in the USA!
Established in 1961, the CFC is the largest workplace charity campaign
in the country and the only campaign authorized to solicit and collect
contributions from federal employees in the workplace. Through this
effort, nearly four million federal employees and military personnel
are able to contribute to the organizations of their choice during the
annual charity drive, which runs from September 1 through December 15.
Please distribute this in any caver related forum.
-Scott Fee
(Birmingham, Alabama)
scott...@bellsouth.net
--- End Message ---
--- Begin Message ---
Here is some Yahoo news from west Texas.
http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/sideshow/cave-man-el-paso-texas-144559675.html
Preston in KY
--- End Message ---
