Yard Decoration

This is a detail from a yard on 12th Street in Clarksville showing some of their outdoor decoration. There is a nice spirit in this area's private homes.

Lone Star for Your House

There's a house on South First that has its own giant 'Lone Star.' Texas is, after all, The Lone Star State and our flag has the single star on the blue field. This was the flag of the nation from 1836-1845 and was preserved after statehood.

Once Upon a Steak

There used to be a couple of locally-owned restaurants around Austin that were destinations in the sixties and seventies.The original Night Hawk stood at Riverside and Congress. In Threadgill's downtown some vintage Night Hawk neon flashes hawk wings in the bar. The Frisco Shop by Night Hawk at Burnet and Koenig survived the demise of the little empire and then was razed to build a chain drugstore. It re-emerged in a location further north on Burnet serving the same hamburgers with history.

RIP, Houston McCoy

Houston McCoy, the man who ended the University of Texas Tower Sniper's killing spree with two shotgun rounds on August 1, 1966, was honored today in the San Saba Presidio, just outside his hometown of Menard, Texas.

Here you see the APD honor guard carrying his casket. (This was a ceremonial "burial" at the Presidio. He was cremated and his ashes were scattered along the San Saba.) Many honors were given to Houston -- APD Chief Art Acevedo gave a magnificent eulogy at the First Baptist Church in Menard as did his fellow officers Phillip Conner and Milton Shoquist (who were also on top of the Tower that day). His valiant daughter Monika McCoy who has fought for years to give her pop the honor he deserved, also spoke as did Beverly Jean Speed, whose APD officer husband Billy Paul Speed was killed that fateful day.

At the Presidio, there was a "missing man formation" flyover, a riderless horse from APD, the APD bagpipes corps with a lone piper walking off at the end playing "Amazing Grace," rifle volleys and "Taps" played by two trumpets in harmony. At the end of the ceremonies, about twenty balloons were set free to symbolize Houston's love of flying. It was moving to see those balloons soaring up in the gray west Texas sky as the bagpipers played. His ashes will be scattered on the banks of the San Saba River near the area where he grew up. At least forty APD officers, including many retirees, attended.

Detail Battle Hall

Walking on campus the other day, my attention was drawn to Battle Hall, the historic library, because it had a banner on it proclaiming its centennial. The banner said '1911-2011' but as 2012 waned it was still there. The building has some interesting details like this crab. Representing a branch of learning perhaps.

Resolution: Look Up

Here's a New Year's Resolution for the ADP: Look up and observe to find new things to show. Shot this before Christmas on Congress Avenue. One of the old buildings across from the Frost Bank monolith has the crumbling moniker: SOUTHWESTERN TELEGRAPH and TELEPHONE. I guess telegraph was more important. Blow it up and you can see more detail.

Back Room Politics

In honor of Washington's fumbling and posturing that was going on yesterday (and will continue to do so) I present a detail (actually most of the painting) from a painting by Rosemary Mahoney called "Texas Two Step" at the Driskill Hotel. A plaque says:

It is said that although Texas laws were passed at the State Capitol a few blocks to the north, the real wheeling and dealing in Texas politics took place in the lobbies and back rooms of The Driskill Hotel. 

Home to LBJ's White House press corps, and the scene of campaign events and election night vigils, The Driskill Hotel has earned the reputation of being the political capital of Texas. 

Some might disagree and say more happens at the Austin Club these days or even the Cloak Room (is that dive bar still open?) but I still think about a lot of oblivious men of a certain type making the rules in some back room.