Archives for February 2018

Why This Slice of Texas Hill Country is America’s Top Wine Region

Written by Cathy Hale | February 28, 2018

This past weekend, hundreds of folks flocked to Spicewood Vineyards for its 10th Annual ‘Pair It with the Claret’ chili contest. Chili connoisseurs were tasked with the delicious job of figuring out which homemade chili best paired with Claret.

For Lake Travis residents, this event is practically right in your backyard. That’s because you have access to one of the top wine regions in the country. In fact, the Texas Hill Country is the largest AVA (American Viticulture Area) in Texas, which means it’s a designated wine grape-growing region distinguished by its geographic features.

To celebrate our local wineries and vineyards, we’re taking a look at fun facts about the Texas wine region nestled in the Texas Hill Country, which happens to be a hop, skip and jump away. So, cheers!

Birrell Street Insanity: How Will Lakeway Grow The Oaks, Police Facility & Lakeway Town Center Phases?

Written by Cathy Hale | February 21, 2018

If you live or work in the Lakeway area and you shop at The Oaks or the adjoining shopping centers, you know the action on Birrell Street is ridiculous. This is the road that runs between Lakeway Town Center and the US Post Office to Medical Drive (Lakeway H-E-B). Hundreds of cars per day are using this access road zipping to and from The Oaks.

And it’s not just this road. It’s happening in the parking lot of the Lakeway Town Center in front of Thai Spice and the newly opened Hops & Thyme.

When you pull into a parking spot there, you may as well bring a tent and camping equipment. You’re stuck for a while. Speed bumps were installed to make it safer or less attractive for shortcuts, but that’s not changing a thing.

That said, the development of The Oaks and the Lakeway Police Station continues, and Lakeway Town Center phases are expanding to include Lakeway Plaza Partners III and IV, which means more and more traffic will head this way.

Are there plans to make Birrell Street the world’s shortest toll road?

Of course not. But seriously, folks — how will Lakeway grow its infrastructure to figure this stuff out?

Before we take a look ahead, let’s take a quick look back at how the area at FM 620 and Lohmans Crossing Road evolved.

Lakeway’s Hops & Thyme Beer Garden & Brasserie Opens Today

Written by Cathy Hale | February 14, 2018

In August 2017, we shared the exciting news that Lakeway would have a new beer garden — Hops & Thyme — located in Lakeway Town Center II at 2125 Lohman’s Crossing Road.

Well, the time for celebrating is here. Cheers to craft beer, Lake Travis!

Hops & Thyme is officially open for business today from 11am-11pm. With 42 beers on tap, 20 wines on tap and a delicious menu of small plates, all we can say is, “It’s about thyme!”

Lake Travis Mompreneur Gina Provopulos is Reinventing Holiday and Floral Decor

Written by Cathy Hale | February 8, 2018

When you see a beautiful floral centerpiece, you might say, “Wow, that’s pretty!”

When you see a centerpiece designed by Gina, you’ll say, “OMG! I CAN’T EVEN BELIEVE IT!?! HOW DID SHE DO THAT?! QUICK, GRAB MY CAMERA! CALL ALL OF MY FRIENDS AND TELL THEM TO COME OVER AND SEE THIS! (Then your brain explodes with glee.)

Gina Provopulos — you can call her Gina P. — creates some of the most magical, over-the-top and fabulous decorations for all sorts of events in the Lake Travis area. And she’s been doing it for years. Lake Travis residents first experienced Gina’s gift for decor when she would decorate her kiddo’s classrooms for parties and special events.

Lakeway Elementary school parents may remember the jaw-dropping moment of walking into a classroom Gina decorated for a Christmas party. We aren’t talking a few balloons, and some decorations like you’d expect at classroom soiree — we’re talking fabric draped over each little desk chair with coordinating ribbons and ornaments hanging from the ceiling.

And then there’s the 80-foot magnolia leaf garland Gina made for one of the LWE fundraisers. Sure, she had to climb up and down a 7-foot ladder a million times to cut the leaves down, weave them and then hang them back up, but in Gina’s world, that’s no biggie.

Now imagine what this kind of creativity could look like in your home? W-O-W.

Snail Mail and Package Delivery Woes in the Lake Travis Area

Written by Cathy Hale | February 1, 2018

Snail mail like graduation cards and prescription deliveries are being stolen from home mailboxes…

Amazon packages are arriving ripped open and not as a result of typical shipping damage…

Security cameras are catching people stealing boxes right off someone’s front porch and driving away…

This is a disturbing trend that’s been gaining momentum across the nation and unfortunately, the Lake Travis area is not immune to it either.

What’s worse is people caught in this frustrating loop of mail theft or tampering spend time and energy trying to handle these issues responsibly through the proper chain of command, yet despite best efforts, nobody can get satisfaction.

This isn’t an isolated “neighborhood concern,” because it’s happening all over the place — in Steiner Ranch, Lakeway, The Hills, Serene Hills, Dripping Springs, Spicewood, etc.

We see daily posts on social media networks and neighborhood websites about missing packages, missing mail, deliveries to wrong addresses, no deliveries at all. It goes on and on and on.

We’re exploring this topic in hopes that the Lake Travis community can get some parcel peace of mind.
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Archives for February 2018

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