Sweet gift for me

We came home from a birthday dinner and found that the Paramount Theatre had sent me this nice gift of goodies. Very colorful!

More housing for UT.

Out with the old, in with the new. This old house west of campus is giving way for a high rise, no doubt.

Graffiti alley

The local graffiti artists had a field day in this alley near the University of Texas.

Germanic Co-Op

A little humor in this sign at Deutsch Hall.

Summer flowers

Loved seeing these pretty flowers on a walk the other day.

Puppies on the Sidewalk

These pups were tied to a park bench. No one was around but they had food, water and shade. I did check back on the return side of our walk and they were gone. This is an are where homeless people are usually hanging around so I suspect they may belong to some ot those folks.

Sign Me Up!

This neon sign is in the Texas Chili Parlor. You can get their chili in X, XX, or XXX varieties (as well as vegetarian, pork and venison I believe). But a cold brew is always required.

The Boardwalk

I like this picture of the boardwalk on the hike and bike trail (no boards are actually involved but we call this lovely extension which reaches out over the lake in places the boardwalk nonetheless). That's FFP strolling ahead of me.

There's a Story There

There's a little scene in an Old West Austin garden that seems to tell a story.

Rabid Bat?

I noticed this mural at the Hyatt by the Hike and Bike Trail. Doesn't that bat look a bit, I don't know, off somehow?? Bat watching cruises take off from the docks nearby.

Doug Sahm Mural

This mural between a liquor store and a dive bar on East 11th is definitely Doug Sahm but why he's offering "Lost in Austin" graffiti paint is a bit more of a mystery.

Pop Up Gallery Mural

FFP walks down 8th Street just east of Congress. The abandoned building next to the State Theater may become apartments, office and retail one day. For now it's a pop-up art gallery and a colorful mural has spilled out onto the street.

Veggies and fish --

Loved this combo of fried green tomatoes and cod that we ate at Fixe, one of our favorite restaurants, the other day.

Lotta house, huh?

This huge home is part of Old West Austin. It has a lot of modern elements, though.

My little home long ago

Yes, 45 years ago, I lived in the lower unit shown here - I thought I was so lucky to have that extra window on the side of my "dining room." (A cheap little table on linoleum.) I wonder if that furniture is still in there. We walk by this place all the time and seeing it never fails to take me back to those carefree days when rent was $115 a month. About a year and a half after this, I bought my first house on Shoal Creek Blvd.

If I lost a hammer . . .

Another in our series of lost things around downtown Austin. I'll bet someone was looking for this!

Now that's a lot of pizza!

Well, you'd expect this, what with this location of Domino's being right by the UT campus

Austintatious Artists

The signatures on this mural are a work of art in themselves.

Artistic presentation

The beef tartare at Prelog's is a palette of taste delights.

Red, White and Blues.

Back on July 4th, someone made the Stevie Ray Vaughan statue a bit patriotic.

Holy Guacamole!

The guacamole service at Fonda San Miguel is unique and delicious. Those sticks of white cheese add to the experience.

A dream of a dragon.

We love this colorful dragon at Fonda San Miguel, the nation's premier interior Mexican restaurant. It guards the lobby bar.

A sweet platter of meat

We love this sausage platter offered at the new Boiler Nine restaurant. Three different types of sausage -- all delicious.

ZaZa on the way?

This half of a city block visible from our balcony has been touted as the site for the new ZaZa Hotel for years. It looks like they are finally doing some excavation on it.

The Flatlanders

Jackie snapped this. She says: "The Flatlanders – Joe Ely, Jimmie Dale Gilmore and Butch Hancock – from their June 24 gig at Hogg Auditorium. They rarely play together, but when they do, they’re awesome." Agreed.

Good Evening!

Jackie keeps coming up with sunsets. This one is from July 4th, pre-fiireworks.

Hotel Rooms Coming

Caught the state of the Fairmount Hotel Construction on Cesar Chavez about a month ago.

Stately Cypress Tree

One day I was on the Butler Hike and Bike trail and this stately cypress tree looked so nice with Lady Bird Lake in the background that I felt compelled to frame this picture.

Dogs in the Heat

It is hot here in August and those with dogs should take this to heart. Dogs in the heat (as opposed to dogs 'in heat') deserve your special consideration.

Orlando Memorial

Jackie discovered this memorial to the Orlando shooting victims on the Hike and Bike Trail.

My City's Skyline

There are plenty of skyline pictures in this blog showing soaring downtown office and condo buildings. But, when we saw that the theme day for City Daily Photo was "My City's Skyline" for the first of the month of August, we immediately realized that an image of UT's iconic tower would appear here. When it was finished in 1937, this 29-story, over 300-foot tower had no competition on the skyline except for the Capitol Building itself. (Amazingly the Capitol is about the same height.)

Fifty years ago, on August 1, 1966, a sniper ascended to the observation deck of the tower and killed and wounded a number of people. A memorial is being held today in the Memorial Garden north of the tower with the unveiling of a memorial to those who died that day.

Click here for other interpretations of the theme from around the world.