It is time for me to leave Austin and return to the driveway. I have had a great time here, and I am sad to leave. But as Tracey Chapman would sing, “Leave tonight or live and die this way.” Continue reading
Category Archives: Austin
Want Versus Will
I’ve been having an amicable discussion with my older (retired!) brother Don about whether or not I have the will to adhere to the kind of budget that will be required should I decide to retire soon. Continue reading
On Super Bowls, Statehood, and Snipers
It was a cold, blustery day yesterday in Austin. Down to the low 40’s with a stiff 20 mph north wind. I was determined not to let the weather ruin one of my only two weekend days, so I put on my fleece pants, three layers of shirts/coats, fleece gloves and hat, and walked for almost five hours. Continue reading
Full Circle Back to Weird
After sitting parked in my parent’s driveway for two weeks, I was getting a bad case of “driveway fever.” There are only so many trips down to the local Walmart, or through the many fast food drive-thrus lining the main street of our 5,000 resident town that I will allow myself to make. And my dear parents mean well, but Continue reading
Hasta Luego, Austin!
Here is “The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly” of my month-long trial run at full timing in the Austin Pecan Grove RV Park. (It’s every new RVers rite of passage to use that title just once, right? ) Continue reading
New Discoveries in Old Places…
I spent my last weekend of my month in Austin finishing up my list of things I wanted to see while here. The first was the LBJ Presidential Library. I have made it a goal to visit all of the libraries, or at least as many as possible. Continue reading
Austin Extreme Eats!
Time for a “Foodie Post!”
By far one of the biggest treats about my month here in the Pecan Grove RV Park has been the variety of incredibly unique delicious food offerings, from the brew pub over the fence to the long row of inexpensive outdoor dining options along Barton Springs Continue reading
One Enchanted Evening
As much as I have been loving my time in Austin, I needed some time to escape the “Barton Springs Scene.” I enjoy the energy of being immersed in a “university town,” but it can start to feel a little like my graying hair is being blown back by all the “awesomeness” from the twenty-something population. So I wanted to get out of town for the weekend when the Zilker Park crowds reach critical mass. Continue reading
Hill Country Blues
Anyone who traveled to the Texas Hill Country to see the annual bluebonnet bloom this year was no doubt sorely disappointed. Oh, sure, there are a few rows of them lining the highways and entrances to the State Parks, but nothing like the endless fields of fragrant blue that we experienced last year. Continue reading
Hippie Hollow — More “hollow than hip” these days
During my time at UT, I had a group of sun worshiping buddies that would purposefully arrange their spring classes to fall on Tuesdays and Thursdays, just so they could spend MWF baking at the lake.
It was all about the tan back then, and it is a wonder none of us died from skin cancer. Slathering Hawaiian Tropic “SPF Zero” or worse yet, baby oil mixed with iodine was standard procedure to achieve a dark golden bronze that would make even John Boehner envious. It was a ritual to pack the ice chest with tequila, pineapple juice, and ice, as my five buddies and I would take turns driving the car pool to Lake Travis. Continue reading