Stomp on Garbage

Caught a detail of this mural when the trash was out.

Coming Soon...A Downtown Trader Joe's

It's not open yet but it's promised within a few weeks. This store will be in the retail area of the Seaholm Development. Our friend Jackie sot this on a recent walk. We have two other Trader Joe's in Austin but we are waiting to shop when we can walk there. This is just a few hundred feet from our front door.

A Sign?

I've been laughing at mutterings of apocalypse then I look out our living room window to see this in the sky. A sign?

Fiddling While You Buy Food

At last Saturday's Farmer's Market in Republic Park, FFP caught this fiddler busking for tips on Fourth Street.

Variety Tomatoes

FFP shot this last Saturday at the downtown SFC Farmer's Market. The dark ones are very unusual, I think.

National Athem

Caught the people at the front of the starting line of the Turkey Trot listening to the National Anthem.

You Can't Make This Up

On November 21 FFP got up a bit earlier than I and grabbed a camera that was by the windows and captured this. We are currently in New York City (I hope) and I'm queuing this up show you while I'm away.

Rodriguez

Some real stories are so much like fairy tales that they seem like fiction. In the SXSW film festival in March we saw "Searching for Sugar Man" and walked out of the film (1) charmed by the early seventies recordings of Rodriquez we'd never heard before; and (2) amazed and almost disbelieving of the story in the documentary (which is, however, pretty darn accurate as far as I can tell). You can catch up on the story here or check out the movie site here. But last night we caught up by attending a Waterloo Records in store and then a sold out packed concert at Antone's. All I can say is that I wish I'd had his records when I was buying Dylan and Janis because they feel like a piece of that era that was always missing.

Shopping for Breakfast

On a morning walk a few days ago we saw this fellow near the Congress Bridge on Lady Bird Lake. He was waiting patiently, I think, for a likely breakfast to appear.

Lamar for Cars

One day we were walking on the Pfluger Pedestrian Bridge (which takes peds off this dangerous traffic bridge, the Lamar Bridge connecting North and South Lamar) and I noticed how crisp and beautiful the reflection looked in Lady Bird Lake. It was early morning and the light was just perfect and the lake very still and the reflection looked almost sharper than the actual bridge. Sometimes you see the same things over and over and then one day the light is different.

Geraldine.

This is Geraldine the Rainey Street Guinea Fowl. She has her own facebook page.

The Interitance

Jackie shot this a few weeks ago and comments: "As we were walking home from dinner at Bess’ Bistro last night, the Austin Bike Zoo was getting ready to perform Midsummer in Motion at Republic Square Park. The Inheritance, 'an Eastern European folk / experimental dance band' was playing what sounded to us like a polka. We didn’t stay for the show." 

We walked through the park several times as the Bike Zoo performed, too, without taking it in. Once we almost became a part of the show because the park is a short cut we often use coming home at night.

National Championship

The University of Texas has had some struggles in sports of late but earlier this month the golf team clinched a national title and the tower glowed orange to commemorate it. Thank to Jackie for shooting this from downtown. Later when the team is home they light it up again with window lights forming a big '1' for the national championship.

Republic of Texas Biker Rally

Every June motorcycles rule for a weekend in the Capital City. On Friday night they take over Congress Avenue for a parade and then a sort of impromptu convention and street fair. Snapped this Friday night after taking in the parade and then a set of jazz at the Elephant Room. Zoom, zoom! And, yes, that's the Capitol in the background.

Green Heron

Jackie got this picture of the grown up version of the Green Heron that we showed yesterday by doing a little bird watching near our sighting.

Baby Heron

This baby seemed a little mystified. We think (hope) Mom was off getting some food. Caught this shot on the north shore of Lady Bird Lake. Jackie says he is probably an immature Green Heron and that the they are summer visitors.

Shy Moon

Much has been made of the moon lately as it achieved its perigee unobstructed by earth (full) a couple of nights ago. Night before last I was sad that the clouds were hiding it when it peeked out for a look. Closer than usual or not it made an interesting picture.

Purple Party

Last weekend we attended the Long Center Purple Party. It's a multilevel, multifaceted party held around the non-profit public center's anniversary with a VIP dinner, a performance (this year it was an Elton John cover group backed by a symphony and choir) and an after party on the City View Terrace. I shot this there with the ring lit for the occasion and the lights of some food trucks that provided refreshments for youngsters (and some oldsters) dancing to music I couldn't classify. It was a lively benefit gala.

Lady Tattoo

SlimFest for SlimCare

Slim Richey, eminent guitar player and leader of several bands including the Jitterbug Vipers seen here, was hit by a car not long ago while loading after a gig. Fortunately he got patched up but the way medical bills get paid in Austin for musicians has nothing to do with the President's plan at the moment. Yesterday at Threadgill's World Headquarters outdoor venue scores of musicians played; fans donated $10 and up; T-Shirts, posters, and CDs were sold; a silent auction peddled donations from fans and venues. I'm not sure it made a dent in the bills, but a good time was had by all.

That's singer Sarah Sharp on the left, drummer Masumi Jones in the middle and Slim on the right. If the sign hadn't said 2012 and if everyone wasn't shooting pictures with phones and digital cameras, you might have thought you'd gone back in time with lots of venerable music and venerable players. Back many decades even since a lot of the groups were playing music that reflects other eras like the Vipers (who describe their style as "danceable jazz music from the thirties and forties.")