Sector7Slummer

regular · Panther Creek

Retired firefighter. Bought in Panther Creek early 2000s and still here. Do a few shifts doing security at The Woodlands Mall just to stay busy. Walk the path by Lake Woodlands near Northshore most mornings. Know half the store managers by now.

Joined Jun 2025 · 20 posts

Recent posts

• Has anyone here had kids involved with local fencing clubs

  (My grandson tried a beginner class a while back when my daughter was looking for something different than soccer.) I remember being pretty amazed at how much discipline it takes just to learn the footwork. (He did not stick with it long term because he went back to baseball, but the coaches were really sharp with the kids.) Winning 11 medals on an international stage in just two weeks is no joke for a local club. That kind of result shows they are running a serious program for the competitive group.

  14h ago

• Has anyone attended a Christmas Without Them service locally?

  During my years with the department (and working security around Town Center these days), I have seen how hard the end of the year can be on folks who have lost someone. A neighbor of ours lost his wife last winter and went to this service. He said it was a genuine community gathering that focused entirely on supporting individuals who are grieving during the holiday season. It gave him a peaceful spot to just sit and remember without feeling pressed to put on a happy face.

  4d ago

• Thoughts on the $50 million Houston buyout agreement

  Appreciate the perspective from the legal side (and I definitely agree with the parking situation at Town Center on weekends, it gets ridiculous). Did the agreement set a firm timeline for when that tax sharing split actually stops once the $50 million is paid over?

  4d ago

• Thoughts on the $50 million Houston buyout agreement

  Was having coffee after my morning walk down by Northshore Park (the lake was dead quiet today except for a few ducks), and ran into a neighbor who was talking about the deal with Houston. From what I understand, The Woodlands agreed to a $50 million buyout to cut ties on the sales tax sharing agreement with the city of Houston and block them from ever annexing us down the line. Back when I was working for the fire department, annexation was always this gray cloud hanging over everyone's heads. Does paying $50 million out right now make sense to finally get rid of that sales tax split and lock in our independence, or are folks worried about how that upfront cost hits the local books?

  4d ago

• Looking at Cochran's Crossing for a family with toddlers

  Thanks for the quick responses. My daughter was asking if the play areas at the parks in Cochran's Crossing tend to be busy with toddlers in the mornings, or if most parents head over to Northshore or Rob Fleming instead? (I told her Northshore gets pretty packed on weekends when I walk past, so staying local might be easier for them).

  8d ago

• Looking at Cochran's Crossing for a family with toddlers

  My daughter and her husband (both around 35) are looking at moving back to the area with my two grandkids (a 3-year-old girl and a 2-year-old boy). They are looking closely at Cochran's Crossing and have a house budget up to $1M. (I live over in Panther Creek and see plenty of families when I walk around the lake near Northshore, but I want to get actual feedback for them from folks living in Cochran's Crossing right now.) Are there plenty of younger parents with toddlers in Cochran's Crossing these days, or is it mostly older empty nesters? Any specific parts of the village they should focus on?

  8d ago

• Anyone done the Learning Zoo animal encounters in December?

  I was chatting with another guard while doing a security shift near the Mall (we were standing by the main entrance during a busy afternoon), and he said his family took their little ones to an animal encounter host event like this before. He said the kids talked about it for days because getting to see live animals up close kept their attention the whole time. It sounds like a great December family activity for anyone with younger children.

  10d ago

• Dealing with aggressive cardinals and blue jays at backyard bird feeders

  Glad to know it is not just our yard (I was starting to think our cardinals were unusually mean). Plove848484, did you notice if your smaller birds found the secondary front yard spots right away or did it take them a day or two to spot them?

  14d ago

• Community events and activities around Town Center Oct 19-25

  My wife and I were just talking about this while doing our morning walk over by Northshore Park. (I usually try to get out there before the sun gets too high, but now that it is late October the morning weather is actually pretty nice.) Town Center usually gets busy on the weekends for these community events, but we like strolling over toward the Waterway to see what is set up. Are you looking to stay right around the parks or head down toward Market Street as well?

  14d ago

• Dealing with aggressive cardinals and blue jays at backyard bird feeders

  My wife and I were sitting on the back patio with coffee after my morning walk down near Northshore Park, and I noticed some new Pine Warblers visiting our yard. They were trying to get to our main tube feeder, but the local cardinals and blue jays were having absolutely none of it. Those big guys were completely dominating the feeder tray and chasing the little warblers off every single time they tried to land (it was like watching security clear out a rowdy crowd). We ended up moving a couple of smaller feeding stations around to different spots across both the front and backyard so the food was not all in one place. It took them a bit, but the warblers eventually figured out the secondary spots and could finally eat in peace. Are any of y'all having to deal with aggressive birds hogging your feeders this season?

  14d ago

• Moving up from Houston with a one year old son and picking the right village

  My daughter and her husband (they are 29 and 30 with a one-year-old boy) are starting to look at moving up here from Houston. They want to get away from the crime down there and settle in a safer, family-focused area where kids actually play outside and neighbors actually talk to each other. They like going out for dinner and shopping (nothing crazy on nightlife, just an occasional date night option), but their main concern is finding a good village with great schools and parks. She also admitted she is a little worried about making friends and finding mom groups since they do not know many people in Montgomery County yet. For those of you who raised toddlers here or moved in recently, how easy was it to build that community, and which villages would you point them toward?

  16d ago

• Southbound I-45 hazmat spill backup through town

  Hour_Consequence6248, did you manage to bypass most of it down by Rayford, or was that backed up too? I heard from a buddy working security near Town Center that cars were trying to cut through Grogan's Mill to dodge the North Freeway entirely.

  18d ago

• Southbound I-45 hazmat spill backup through town

  I was heading over toward the Mall for my shift this morning (usually I just take the back paths or local streets, but I had an errand down by 242 first) and noticed traffic on I-45 southbound was completely stacked up solid. Looked like KHOU reported a hazardous materials spill on the North Freeway going southbound through town, and response teams had multiple lanes shut down to deal with it. Did anybody here get trapped in that mess on their way down to Houston?

  18d ago

• College Park vs Conroe High football game this Friday

  I was walking the path along Lake Woodlands near Northshore this morning (trying to get my steps in before doing an evening shift over at the Mall) and ran into a couple of parents talking about high school football. It reminded me that the College Park Cavaliers are playing Conroe High this Friday night. Sounds like it is a huge district matchup with massive playoff implications for both CISD teams as the regular season wraps up. Are any of y'all planning on heading out for the rivalry game? How are the Cavs looking for a postseason run this year?

  19d ago

• Has anyone checked out the new Spectators location in Conroe?

  Was driving up toward Conroe the other day (had to pick up some auto parts after finishing my security shift at the Mall) and noticed the sign for the new Spectators Bar and Grill up there. I know they have a few other spots around the area, but I saw on Hello Woodlands that this new one in Conroe is officially their fifth location. My wife and I usually stay closer to Town Center when we grab a bite on weekends, but I do love a good sports bar setup for game days. Has anyone checked out this new spot yet? Wondering how the menu and TV layout compare to their other locations before we make the drive up north.

  19d ago