More Pride

These lady motorcyclists were really enjoying themselves in the Pride Parade Saturday night.

Pride

It is Pride weekend in Austin. FFP and I stood on Cesar Chavez for the parade from Long Center to Fourth Street. We knew several of the Grand Marshalls and FFP got this picture of one of them, Libby Sikora, waving to the crowd. Libby is a tireless advocate of LGBT young people through Out Youth Austin where she is board chair. She is a delightful lady whose partner is Bettie Naylor, an icon in our community. The crowds yesterday were large for the parade and block party and there was a good crowd for my friend Allan Baker's short plays at the Rollins theater. Our police chief, Art Acevedo, led the parade, walking with a group of officers who wanted to show their support for and in our diverse community.

There Was a Lady Who Lost Her Shoe

I was in a hurry to get to an appointment today so I was cutting across the diagonal walk through Republic Park. As I hurried along, I saw this strange sight of a perfectly good shoe just sitting in the grass by itself. Even though I was in a rush, I felt compelled to whip out the trusty iPhone and take a shot. I really wonder what the story is behind this shoe.

More Tats

Our waitress at the Elephant Room Wednesday night had an impressive tattoo herself. She was only too glad to let me take a shot of it. I'm sure there is a story behind the graphics you see here. Next time we go to the E Room, I'll ask her!

Inked Guitar Player

Dave Biller of the Jazz Pharaohs makes the guitar work. He's sporting some tattoos. Shot at Elephant Room.

A Grand Stairway at The Arthouse

One of my volunteer jobs involves taking photos of the construction progress at Arthouse at the Jones Center in the heart of downtown Austin (7th and Congress, to be exact) and posting them in a blog.

One of the architectural features that I find to be especially impressive is the Grand Stairway which leads from the ground floor to the second. This custom-designed staircase is made out of IPE ("EEE-pay") sections. IPE is a Brazilian hardwood which wears like iron. In order to get them installed, each step section had to be hauled to the second floor by means of six strong men maneuvering it onto a specially-rigged winch. Then they were carefully raised. After all of that, each step had to be lowered into place. A tedious feat, but the end result is stunning.

Here you see a workman doing staining and finish work on the stairway.

Who Would Randomly Mow?

On the hill leading down to the hike and bike trail on Lady Bird Lake, there are wildflower areas. They have these signs that say 'no mowing.' Makes you wonder who would go down there and mow without being told to do it. Surely city workers don't just randomly mow, but are assigned by supervisors! Today is a theme day at City Daily Photo and some of the sites will have looked for funny signs because that is the theme. Click here to view thumbnails for all participants.