Nightmare? Where?

We were cutting through one of the lesser know streets in Old West Austin the other day and caught a glimpse of this shadowy figure on a porch. We'd already noticed that the name on the mailbox was F. Krueger. And yes, it's Elm Street.

Austin Bike Zoo

These amazing contraptions are part of the "Austin Bike Zoo." It requires a lot of people to pedal it. Here you see it in a resting state at the Honk Texas Band Fest in Republic Park last weekend. A lady was taking a photo of them, like I was.

Blast of Color

Noticed this lovely potted plant display (and daring choice for door color) in Old West Austin the other day. Azaleas don't really love the soil here so planting them in the ground requires a lot of soil amelioration (or out and out replacement) but lots of people solve their desire for the spring darlings with pots. In Dallas (where the soil is quite different) I remember seeing huge displays of them in parks. Not sure what's in the smaller pots but the overall effect is lovely.

Art? Golf? Mutant Nutria?

Austin Museum of Art at Laguna Gloria currently has a bunch of artist-designed mini-golf holes. This one is a riff on nutrias. At the other end the ball ejects from a well-placed orifice. They have placed a number of brown golf bowls there. Yes, well....

Music Festival

No, SXSW ended the weekend before this last one. But last weekend HonkTX Community Band Fest took place around town. They had a small parade culminating in performances at Republic Park on Sunday. These bands have crazy instruments and costumes, but they do swing. I believe these guys were from Massachusetts. Yes, here they are. The local Minor Mishap Marching Band was the host for all this madness, I think, and the Austin Bike Zoo showed up, too. Minor Mishaps have been featured on this blog and the Bike Zoo, too.

Capitol 10K

Yesterday was the Capitol 10K. We never got closer to the festivities than this shot from our balcony. It's late in the race and Auditorium Shores is swamped with people who've finished and those on Cesar Chavez look more like walkers to me. Supposedly this race is the biggest 10K in Texas or one of the top five 10Ks in the U.S. I'm a walker myself and I don't do that in large groups. But this is great fun for many. I was reading this week how the land between us and the run will begin to be developed, perhaps starting late this year. I may have to be less lazy about taking a shot of this run in the future.

Quinceañera Photos

Some Latinos make quite a fantastic celebration when a girl is fifteen. Yesterday on the Captiol Grounds I think this young lady was getting some photos made for her event. Personally such traditions (like wedding extravaganzas with brides in flowing gowns) make me squirm, but lots of people love them. The young girl seems to be giving directions, but she also seems ready to climb that tree in her jeans! Settings around the Capitol are often used for photo shoots.

Tipping Cows?

Remember all the cows? Well when they disappeared from public spaces they were auctioned off. Someone who runs a business on Exposition bought this one but back in February I think it was a victim of shifting soil and was at a jaunty angle. Haven't noticed lately whether they got their yard art secured better in its new home.

Exotic Meats

Tomorrow is the downtown farmer's market. In the mix is Dai Due where you can buy exotic meats and items of the butcher's art to take home and also something to eat on the spot. Get there early, though, or no dice. I had the Antelope Taco last Saturday. Yum. If you are Vegan, then head over to Kala's (I think it is) where vegan soups, tamales, samosas and curries are available. (Bought some wonderful soup from them last Saturday.) Something for everyone! Or everything for the omnivore.

Spring, fully sprung

We had a pretty mild winter. Spring came early, almost all at once, instead of slowing unwinding with bulb plants and redbuds, then fruit blossoms and mountain laurels then wild flowers. We finally got some rain and the wildflowers especially loved it. These are actually growing in someone's yard in Old West Austin.

Band Bus?

Shot this early during SXSW. I think someone was sleeping in it, too, if I remember correctly

SXSW Traffic

You see the strangest vehicles during SXSW. While standing and waiting for a movie to begin we noticed this guy waiting in traffic. No, I don't know what it was promoting.

Rock on, SXSW!

Linda and I were standing in line to see a film at South by Southwest one day last week and saw these two guys ""hitting some licks" in the middle of East Sixth Street. They were supplanted by some street dancers after a few minutes. I took this shot with my trusty iPhone.

Kenya Clan

Jackie shot this at the concert she attended on City Hall Plaza on Wednesday. Love it! She says:

I was really taken with the beautiful family holding the Kenyan flag. I couldn’t tell if they were related to the band members, or just there because they are Kenyan.

Austin really becomes international during SXSW. Especially the music part but even during film I saw a wonderful film by a Swede about a Detroit musician who conquered South Africa while being forgotten in the U.S. (Searching for Sugar Man.)

Art Acevedo and Sauit Sol

A report from Wednesday evening from our faithful correspondent Jackie:

We had such a delightful evening – early dinner outside at Taverna and then over to City Hall for a free concert by Sauti Sol, an awesome band from Kenya that had nearly everybody dancing....here’s one shot with Art Acevedo. The band leader said “The police in Austin are not like the police in Kenya. You don’t like to meet them.”

Interactive Interaction

We don't do the SXSW Interactive festival except insofar as it overlaps with film. (We don't do music for that matter except so far as it leaks into the atmosphere downtown.) But our friend Steve (he's married to our frequent contributor Jackie) attended Interactive this year. This is a photo from one of the well-attended (sold out?) sessions. Notice the projected giant hand holding a smart phone.

Pedicab, anyone?

The pedicabs were lined up and transporting attendees from the Austin Music Awards as fast as they could load them up at Austin Music Hall last night. All part of the fun at South by Southwest.

Bodies on the Street

At the risk of getting hits from people looking for something other than the 'fine art' this blog usually promotes, I offer a picture of some folks our friend Jackie encountered on the way home from dinner last night. Not sure what this has to do with music/film/interactive/comedy/fashion (the things I know they are trying to cover now in this SXSW festival) but Jackie encountered this uruly crowd of body-stockinged people who were eager to be photographed. According to Jackie: "They were advertising some sort of noninvasive liposuction (oxymoron?) called coolsculpting." She says they were trying to lure people to a WEB site to win an iPad3. (Which we all know is actually and simply 'the new iPad.') Why is that gadget the prize of choice for such come-ons? SXSW is becoming the hot bed of promotions of all kinds. This same group was projecting some film of people disrobing on the side of a building when we walked home.

Instant Coffee Shop

SXSW brings lots of temporary buildings to vacant lots. This is a pop-up coffee shop. Unfortunately they weren't open or maybe I could have gotten some free coffee! I think it was a promotion of HBO for the new Lena Dunham series "Girls."

Light Show

FFP woke up early Sunday morning and amid the rain noticed a fantastic light show being reflected on the Frost Bank Tower. I popped a camera on the tripod and opened the door and shot some pictures. Posted a couple on facebook, too. We are pretty sure they were practicing for a SXSW closing night when they thought no one would be looking. We will see.

Natural Music

Today's Sunday forecast is a little dismal (thunderstorms) but last Sunday was beautiful, cool and sunny. And Kellye Gray and Rich Harney entertained us with great arrangements of standards at Umlauf Gardens and Museum.

The Lineup at South By Southwest

Linda and I spent part of our day Saturday standing in line at South by Southwest to wait for films we wanted to see. The crowds at this point will pale in comparison to the ones next week when the music program starts. This photo was shot inside Austin's Convention Center.

Sunshine and Art

Forecast for today is rain which is too bad for SXSW film and interactive. But last Sunday at the Umlauf Sculpture Garden near Zilker it was a bright, cool day for listening to music and seeing Charles Umlauf's work surrounded by the grounds of the museum.

Natural Grandstand

During the kite festival lots of people just come to have a picnic, meet and talk and watch kites. The boulders in Zilker are filled with people doing just that. This is one spot where you probably won't have an errant kite or string in your space.

Poverty is Deadly

On Auditorium Shores there is a small tribute to people who died on the street. Our friend Jackie noticed butterflies in the tree that with the memorial at its base (click picture to enlarge). " I did a little research at the House the Homeless site and deduced that the butterflies represent citizens who have died in poverty in Austin/Travis County.

Swan and ?

We are always looking at what nature offers us in and around Lady Bird Lake. Our friend Jackie snapped this picture, thinking she was just getting a nice composition of swans and ducks. Upon further inspection, she says:

I thought we just snapped a couple of swans, but looking more closely, the smaller one looks more like a young snow goose. Doesn't have the swan's black outline around the beak.

Bird watchers? (Click on the picture for a larger image.)

Kites and Trees

Yesterday as we walked on the trail by Zilker Park a young woman asked why there were so many kites in the trees. We explained how many were flying during the festival the day before. Here's a picture I snapped on Sunday when most of them were still free. Errant kites were seen in trees at least a mile away yesterday.

Flying High

Family-friendly, fun, chaotic mixture of wholesome activities, picnics, dogs, people, strollers, bikes and, of course, kites at the annual Zilker Kite Festival. It was very hard to capture the spirit of it and how many people and dogs and kites there were. Finally settled on this one. Click on the picture for more detail.

Will you? Will you?

Someone hired a couple of sign painters to block out this request last night on the parking garage below our balcony. When I got up it was still there and I had enough light to take a photo. I will be listening around the building to hear of the outcome.

Spring in Texas

Spring arrived a few weeks ago, no matter what the calendar says. The Mountain Laurels were pumping out a grape jelly smell that this bee appreciated greatly. Our friend Jackie took this last Sunday.

Your Town Car, Sir

Shot this in February on a temperate day. The owner was apparently enjoying the public park at the Mueller Development.

Fuse Box

Today is the first of the month and, hence, theme day at City Daily Photo. The theme is electricity. I've chosen to show a little detail, usually unnoticed in daily excursions, of a fuse box that apparently works a street light on the pole where I noticed it. All around us are thousands of meters, fuse boxes, wires, switches and transformers that bring us power and control it. We don't think much about it until it goes out.

Click here to view thumbnails for all participants in the theme day.