Visions of sugar plums danced in everyone’s heads this holiday season in our Cherry Creek neighborhood. So many people did an outstanding job on their holiday decorations! Many of the houses glimmered and twinkled with beautiful lights and fanciful glowing creatures. Upon entering our neighborhood, one would see a winter wonderland where giant toy soldiers stood guard at a sparkling house with brightly- colored snowflakes. I almost felt the frosty snow crunching under my feet and heard the jingle of sleigh bells while strolling through the neighborhood on a winter’s night. One homeowner’s lawn was overrun by mischievous longhorns and a cowboy Santa wishing us a “Merry Tex- mas”. The creative, Texas-style decorations and hand-painted bovines were amazing! Another yard was aglow with gigantic lollypops, candy canes, glittery gifts and shining polar bears. Many beautifully- decorated yards received votes to win the 2011 Cherry Creek Winter Holiday Decoration Contest, but here are the three houses that received the most votes. First place in the Holiday Decoration Contest goes to 9309 Silk Oak Cove. Second place goes to 3217 Silk Oak Drive, and third place goes to 9301 Silk Oak Cove. Thanks to all who participated in the contest and helped to make Cherry Creek a “holly jolly” neighborhood this holiday season!
2012 Membership Drive is now underway!
Our 2012 Membership Drive is now underway, so please take a moment to send in your $60 dues checks.
As you all know, our major expenses throughout the year are for maintenance and improvement of the landscape and lighting at the entrance to Cherry Creek on Brodie Lane. Currently, a group of board members is working to repair and/or replace the lights at the entrance monuments. We hope to have that project finished within the next month.
We were thrilled this past year to have several new neighbors volunteer for committees and we especially thank our Gardening Gals, who have ably taken over Yard of the Month ! They spent many hours selecting the winning yards, interviewing the homeowners and writing great articles for the newsletter. Thank you Val and Beth !
Another first in 2011 was the patriotic display of American flags at the entrance to CCOBL. This is a service provided several times a year through Bowie High School, with the installation provided by our VP, Carla Trautwein and her husband, Ken. Hope you all are enjoying this as much as we do !
We will also be holding our Annual Meeting at the end of February and will announce the date, time & location on the marquee, so please keep that event in mind. It will be especially important because we are looking for new board members and officers. Per our Association bylaws, board members are to serve two years terms. Several board members have already served over this time and we need neighbors to step up and help fill these positions. We need your fresh ideas and enthusiasm. It is crucial to keep our association in compliance with our bylaws and articles of incorporation, as well as to maintain our non-profit status with the IRS and the Secretary of State of Texas.
Generally, it is the job of the President or Vice President to provide the agenda for board meetings, to manage those meetings and maintain the Association’s records. The Secretary takes notes at the meetings and writes up the minutes for approval at the next meeting. The Secretary also checks our post office box at the Mockingbird Station, logs in dues payments and delivers the checks to the Treasurer, who makes the deposits. The Treasurer also prepares a balance sheet for the bank account and reports on same at board meetings. The board as a whole discusses any issues or complaints brought to our attention by neighbors and votes on what actions to take, including sending out notice letters to homeowners who are not in compliance with deed restrictions. If you have any questions, please email the board@cherrycreekonbrodie.org and we will get back to you.
Other duties of the board members include organizing Association events
such as our Annual Meeting, Easter Egg Hunt, Neighborhood Garage Sale, Fourth of July Parade & Celebration, National Night Out and Christmas Lighting Contest. Board members also serve on various committees, including the Landscaping Committee, who manage the lawn service company, assisted by non-board members who enjoy gardening.
Please check the Membership Drive form further along in the newsletter for a list of the committees you might like to join.
Everyone please give this serious consideration, as the more folks who volunteer, the more we can accomplish for our neighborhood.
Have a wonderful February and we’ll see you at the end of the month at the Annual Meeting.
Sincerely,
Barbara Statum, President
2011 Cherry Creek Winter Holiday Decoration Contest!
Visions of sugar plums danced in everyone’s heads this holiday season in our Cherry Creek neighborhood. So many people did an outstanding job on their holiday decorations! Many of the houses glimmered and twinkled with beautiful lights and fanciful glowing creatures. Upon entering our neighborhood, one would see a winter wonderland where giant toy soldiers stood guard at a sparkling house with brightly-colored snowflakes. I almost felt the frosty snow crunching under my feet and heard the jingle of sleigh bells while strolling through the neighborhood on a winter’s night. One homeowner’s lawn was overrun by mischievous longhorns and a cowboy Santa wishing us a “Merry Tex-mas”. The creative, Texas-style decorations and hand-painted bovines were amazing! Another yard was aglow with gigantic lollypops, candy canes, glittery gifts and shining polar bears. Many beautifully-decorated yards received votes to win the 2011 Cherry Creek Winter Holiday Decoration Contest, but here are the three houses that received the most votes. First place in the Holiday Decoration Contest goes to 9309 Silk Oak Cove. Second place goes to 3217 Silk Oak Drive, and third place goes to 9301 Silk Oak Cove. Thanks to all who participated in the contest and helped to make Cherry Creek a “holly jolly” neighborhood this holiday season!
9401 Tea Rose Trail
If Edward Scissorhands had a penchant for gumdrops, his yard might very well look like that of Jody and Jack Jennings of 9401 Tea Rose Trail, winners of September’s Yard of the Month!
We should all be grateful of the effort Jody and Jack put into their yard, because it is the first yard prominently on display to all who enter the neighborhood. In fact, their home was the builder’s model home for precisely that reason. Their yard positively influences people who are looking to buy a new home in our neighborhood; therefore it helps to increase our property values.
Since purchasing the home 17 years ago, Jody and Jack have maintained the bushes and trees they inherited from the original landscaping, and have also included some additions such as colorful crape myrtles. It is clear from talking to the Jennings that they gave much thought to each new item placed in the yard, paying particular attention to ease of maintenance, water needs, and suitability to this area. But don’t think that ease of maintenance is really on top of their list because they shape each and every bush almost monthly using electric trimmers, which takes a lot of time. We tried to convince them to try some fun animal topiary shapes since they already have the precise sculpting skills of Edward Scissorhands—maybe we will see a bear or rabbit-shaped hedge in the future?
The Jennings diligently maintain their yard and have used Dillo Dirt, an environmentally friendly compost made by the City of Austin to fertilize their landscape. Even though it is not as prominently on display, the Jennings work just as hard on their beautiful back yard bordered by crape myrtles with white, light pink and fuchsia blossoms.
Besides bragging rights, Jody and Jack are also recipients of a new perk (or maybe we should call it a “perc”) to winning the YOM award, a $20.00 gift card, generously donated by Steve Baer of the Texenza Coffee shop nearby. A special thanks goes to Texenza, a locally owned cafe near the Randalls that is only a 6 minute walk on the trail at the end of Tea Rose Trail– check it out!