Meet Us Anywhere!
  • Home
  • Blog
  • Photos
  • Recipes
  • Where?
  • Who?
  • About

Keeping Austin Weird

3/29/2021

1 Comment

 
"Keeping Austin Weird" is a pop-up slogan across the city. One example is the quirky passion for BMX biking. For over 25 years a community cooperative has voluntarily shoveled tons of earth into hundreds of sculpted dirt mounds in every shape, size, and pattern to form 9th Street BMX - a favorite hangout for the Watson crew. A creative "Adopt-a-Park" Program run by the city allows BMXers of all ages enjoy and maintain these places with zero cost or compensation. Weird, huh? 
Wyatt starting small...
...T showing the way

Hiking

Lady Bird Lake

Picture
Like most great cities, Austin was built along the banks of a river. Back in 1960 a dam was constructed on the Colorado River - not to be confused with the great southwestern river of the same name that carved the Grand Canyon - to form the "Town Lake", a reservoir created as a cooling pond for a new power plant. During the 1970's the unkempt shoreline of the lake was converted from a public "eyesore" to a beautiful city park through efforts sparked by First Lady, Lady Bird Johnson. Shortly after her death in 2007, the lake was renamed in her honor. Today it is a favorite recreation spot of Austinites, teeming with bikers, hikers, kayaks, canoes, and paddle boats year-round. The 10-mile Ann and Roy Butler Hike-and-Bike Trail circles the lake with a combination of mostly crushed granite pathways, stretches of concrete and bridges, and most-interestingly a beautiful boardwalk on the south side of the lake that would be a great model for the banks of Boston's Charles River.  

Mayfield Park & Nature Preserve

Adjacent to a beautiful sculpture park in Laguna Gloria (more about that next time) is the 23-acre Mayfield Park & Nature Preserve that combines a historic cottage, botanical gardens with Koi pools, free-roaming peacocks, and a network of hiking trails through a lake-side wildlife habitat. The park is free and open to the public; is great for kids and is a favorite Austin venue for special occasions. 
Picture
Picture

Bastrop State Park

Picture
With no disrespect to Santa Nancy, wanted to create a way for Wyatt, 5, and Ellis, 3, to give a holiday gift to Mother Nature. The plan to make natural bird feeders began with a hunt for pine cones that we could dip in peanut butter and coat with birdseed. Trouble is there are no pine trees anywhere in Austin! We headed 30 miles east of Austin to the 6,600 acre Bastrop State Park - home to the famous "Lost Pines," an isolated region of loblolly pines and hardwoods. This time of year the place was deserted, but they were still collecting the $5 per person entrance fee at the gate. We easily gathered dozens of beautifully-shaped pine cones and enjoyed a leisurely hike through the woods on a beautiful early-winter afternoon. Days later we were elbow deep in peanut butter and birdseed on our AirBnB patio workshop with. the boys.

Picture

Grackles Grackles Everywhere

Picture
In addition to the vibrant sound of its active music scene, the other sound that is quintessentially Austin is the omnipresent "grackle", a large, lanky, long-legged blackbird that often sports a long v-shaped tail. These birds are everywhere in Austin and their distinctively loud and incessant calls are the soundtrack to any time outdoors. We especially like it when they make their dramatic upward-sweeping calls.  

<< Previous Post
Photos
Next Post >>
1 Comment
PATRICIA POIRIER link
3/31/2021 08:20:49 am

Thanks for the posts feels like I am there with you . Stay safe Love you both! Patty

Reply



Leave a Reply.

    The Journey Begins Here
    Use the "Next Post >>" Button at the bottom of each post to step through our story chronologically.

    Countries

    All
    Austria
    Croatia & Montenegro
    France
    Germany
    Hungary
    Italy
    Malta
    Portugal
    Spain
    Switzerland
    USA

    Archives

    August 2021
    July 2021
    May 2021
    April 2021
    March 2021
    February 2021
    January 2021
    December 2020
    November 2020
    October 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    October 2019

    RSS Feed

    AuthorS

    Nancy McCabe &
    ​Richard Curzi

Menu

Home
Blog
Photos
Recipes
​Where?
Who?
About

Social Media

Unsubscribe
© COPYRIGHT 2019. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
  • Home
  • Blog
  • Photos
  • Recipes
  • Where?
  • Who?
  • About