Child's View

The electrical boxes around the Palmer Events Center are decorated with little murals painted by the children of the Austin Transportation Department. This one represents the nearby park, Lady Bird Lake and the skyline.

The Triangle is Strong

Today is theme day for City Daily Photo. The theme is: Triangles. Triangles are a strong shape. That's why you see them on bicycle frames like these for rent on Barton Springs Road. I considered using a picture of the girders of a construction crane or other construction and other triangles I found in logos and such but this seemed most striking. See other interpretations from the City Daily Photo gang here.

Rent and Ride

That's Barton Springs Bikes, by the way. You can rent a nice red one. Noticed bicycles built for two available, too.

Peter Pan Mini Golf

Peter looms over the Peter Pan Mini Golf on Barton Springs Road unaware of the threat entering stage right. He seems proud of his crocheted 'bra' for Breast Cancer Awareness Month.

Clever Decoration

Chuy's has always been known for clever decoration using old collections of stuff. Noticed the other day that the one on Barton Springs sports old speakers from drive-in movies on its railing. Remember those? They would hang in your car window and bring a crackling sound track to the movie on a giant screen while everyone else sat in their cars watching with you but in their own little cocoon.

Sculpture (and Crepe Myrtle)

This interesting sculpture and the crepe myrtle blooming beside it is in front of the Doughtery Arts Center on Barton Springs Road.

Opera Building

This building (on Barton Springs Road across from the Long Center and Palmer Events Center) houses the Heller Opera Center and the James Armstrong School of Music. (There is a Preece Recital Hall inside, as a matter of fact.) Besides housing administrative offices for Austin Lyric Opera and a rehearsal hall and recital hall, there are practice rooms for the music school.

Austin's Les Amis du Vin at Gypsy

FFP and I occasionally go to a Les Amis du Vin (friends of wine) event. But there are often conflicts. We always read through the events and we noticed their annual "orphan's dinner" which was held last night at an Italian restaurant on Barton Springs Road called Gypsy. People who aren't still doing family events (or maybe they've escaped from same or even bring the family!) get together for an event during the holiday week. FFP snapped this picture of me (pink sweater second from end on left) and some of our companions at this dinner. We had Italian wines, too numerous to mention, but we especially liked a Bolgheri which had the most delicious vanilla nose...you could almost just smell and skip drinking. But, of course, we didn't and had a sip or two with multiple little courses ending with the cheese and fruit one you see.