Beet-a-terrific!

Lots of color in these beets at the Farmers Market on a recent Saturday.

Snow sliding, Austin style

This lady was enjoying the little bit of snow we had on a recent day.  She got in some good slides on top of the garage across the street before she threw in the towel.

Keeping the Peace

On Martin Luther King, Jr. Day at the Capitol Grounds some kids climbed on a cannon while some of Austin's finest visited nearby.

Lone Star in Glass

This lone star in glass (that's my reflection on a warm January day in Austin in a short-sleeved polo) is on the Goodman Building, a commercial building near the Capitol that was probably built in the 1890's as a grocery store by one Jacob Goodman. The first floor was a grocery until 1924.

A Most Unusual Sound

We stopped in the Elephant Room last Tuesday and heard John Doyle and Stanley Smith jamming. John played clarinet (the regular B-Flat one) as well as jug and this horn in the picture: a contralto clarinet. Some amazing sounds and tunes from these two.

My Texas Chili Parlor Favorite

Occasionally we walk up to the Texas Chili Parlor near 15th and Lavaca and each order our favorite. Mine is usually Freida's Enchiladas, cheese enchiladas covered with your choice of chili (my choice is meat 1X) with rice and sauteed veggies. I usually get a beer but on this occasion I had water.

Hard to argue with that

These ladies were in attendance at the MLK Birthday rally this Monday.

Steep hill, no problem.

These kids were having fun running up the hill at the State Capitol the other day.

Same boat now

These ladies were carrying signs at the MLK Birthday rally.  I like the sentiment. To wit: "We may have all come on different ships, but we're in the same boat now."-- ML King, Jr.

Irony on MLK Birthday

You don't have to look far for irony in real life.  See that statue of a soldier on a horse overlooking the crowd?  That's a Confederate solider and this rally is taking place on Martin Luther King's birthday on the state Capitol grounds.  

Drinking Music

We were walking up Guadalupe next to the UT campus the other day talking about how that stretch (called "The Drag") wasn't what it used to be with all the retail space in the condos and apartments in the West Campus area. Well, at least Hole in the Wall, a venerable beer and music joint, ts hanging on.

If it isn't moving, paint it

This abandoned shoe was at the graffiti park below Castle Hill. A visitor to the outdoor art walks by and, in the background, someone works on a temporary masterpiece.

Playing Possum

This little fellow was peeking out of a tree on Butler Trail around Lady Bird Lake the other day. Possums (opossums to more educated folks) are nocturnal but this one was watching the passing parade from a high perch in bright daylight.

Dead Honored

A small shop on West Lynn called El Interior sells items from Mexico and Guatemala. This Deay of the Dead figure was outside recently.

Feeding time

We went for a walk around the lake today and strolled past the feeding site for so many ducks and swans.  They were definitely getting their fill.

Fallen Leaves

What looks like fallen leaves is really a design in the sidewalk near the pond behind Palmer Events Center in Butler Park.

Colorful Home

Walked around the Hyde Park area in December with a friend and snapped this house.

Remains after Rain

After some rains and high water on Shoal Creek these remnants of blankets and clothing remained in the trees. We were walking on the Shoal Creek Trail near Fifth Street.

Ominous Clouds

We were walking on South Congress the other day and the sky looked so strange. Also...has that tree heard about the Capitol View Corridor?

What's up, Doc?

Lots of colorful carrots were on sale at the Farmers Market one recent Saturday.

Regal roots

These root veggies were being offered in their own custom boxes at the Farmers Market the other day.

Anonymous Pioneer Woman

We were walking around the Capitol Grounds recently and decided we had never featured  this sculpture. It is just a 'pioneer woman.' I guess they wanted a female statue and couldn't come up with anything better than a hardy pioneer Jane Doe with her baby on her hip.

Current Railroad Bridge Graffiti

Noticed just before the end of the year that this was on the railroad bridge over Lady Bird Lake (as seen from the Pfluger Pedestrian Bridge). You can track back some other iterations by starting here.

Mural Evolution

This mural on 8th just west of Congress has evolved over the years. This is a portion of what's there currently.

On the Move

One day in December I saw this Edsel Station Wagon on a car carrier. At first I thought they were cars for a movie but the others were various other vintages so I decided they were just cars being moved. Maybe they load up a carrier in California and move cars here for the many who arrive every day to live in Texas.

Sign Makes it So

Yep...this sign identifies the Hope Outdoor Gallery and, I guess, the stencil cutout will keep graffiti from obliterating the sign!

Out with the old...

We walked by the Hope Outdoor Gallery at Castle Hill on Baylor Street last month and saw someone painting over a section. The abandoned concrete from a failed condo project that has attracted graffiti for years now has a name and is considered a gallery!

Home to the Armadillo

There are some relatively new apartments on South Lamar and the bottom floor houses some retail and a couple of restaurants. Some armadillo sculptures provide a whimsical Austin decoration.

Another great quote

Some philosophy from the quotation rocks at The Long Center.

Say, yeah well, you know . . .

Two of our best friends gave us a gift certificate to Antonelli's Cheese Shop and we used it to buy this tasty assortment of meats and cheeses for the Austin Symphony's Pops Concert. Great eating!

Our Favorite Picture of the Year

Today is a new year and traditionally City Daily Photo participants reprise their favorite photo of the year. We got a new camera late in the year, a digital SLR Nikon 5100. We have a point and shoot camera we keep near our balcony door and FFP was shooting the sunrise with it when I got him in the act with the new camera. We ran this for the December 1st theme day (Looking Out) but we also chose it as our favorite of the year after considering these. You can visit other cities and see the bloggers' favorites here.