The BBQ Grabbers of Zilker Park

Just outside Barton Springs, near where the Zilker Zephyr train goes under Barton Springs Blvd., there is a group of picnic tables and a barrel bar-b-que pit. Over the years, I and others have noticed a pattern.

If it is a weekend or holiday of any kind, this area has been claimed by a lone scout-ranger-table-grabber for a larger group. The table-grabber will show up in the early AM hours, and sit there by his or her lonesome self for about 7 hours until his or her group shows up to party.

It is funny, and it never fails to impress me, and make me laugh a bit at its consistency.

I will award a nice fruit basket to anybody that can get a picture of those tables on a weekend without any people around. To prove it was a weekend, include in frame a copy of the New York Times with the date legible to recieve your fruity prize.

Sunset in Zilker Park

We were out and about and caught a beautiful sunset from the Great Lawn in Zilker Park. You can see the Frost Tower, Austonian Condos, Austin 360 Condominium Tower, among others. The photo is looking Eastward from Stratford Drive, near the Zilker Botanical Garden. The light you see is the reflection of the setting sun which is over the hills behind us.

The lawn area is great in the summertime to visit between 8:30 and 9:30 - cooler temperatures and that stunning view of downtown. I have taken to running sprints down there, as opposed to longer duration runs around the Hike and Bike Trail. My doctor, who is a triathlete recommended this spot as being a good combination of wide open space, and soft impact-absorbing grass to save the knees from undue strain.

This spot is near the top of my list for "Love Living in Austin, and You Should Check It Out" spots.

Alma Desnuda - Musicians from San Francisco Living their Dream

These guys were out at Barton Springs Pool in Zilker Park last week, playing an acoustic set and having a great time. They are a band from the Bay Area, travelling across the country for a couple of months, and generally having fun.

They met each other in Spain, of all places, and realized they had a shared love of music. The stars seem to be smiling on them because they have released an albumn, were 'donated' a 13 person touring van, and are shacking up for free here in Austin at the home of a television weather man.

Our kids really liked the music, and were given a free copy of their CD. We have been listening to them, and enjoying the heck out of it. Good luck guys!

Alma Desnuda Website

AT&T Uverse in Austin, August 2010 Update

(August 18, 2010): Our Uverse went down for a week. That hurt, because" I write, like, blogs and stuff." It was a bit of keystone cops trying to get it fixed. Support was very responsive on phone, responsive in sending someone out the next day to try to fix. He was not able to do it because it was an underground problem. He handed off to somebody else who was then transferred to another part of Austin before getting to us, so our repair job floated in limbo for 3 days. After several calls, they apologized and came out and fixed it. Not a fantastic process, but the people seemed committed to doing their jobs well. All in all a "B+" for attitude, and a "C" in execution. We threatened to go out and get Clear Wireless. I still might want to do that for our Internet, and keep the TV service.

This is an update to a previous post: http://www.austinlife.org/2008/08/at-uverse-in-austin.html

Boudin Creek neighborhood and the Railroad

I was out with the family this weekend, driving through the Boudin Creek area between Lamar Blvd. and 1st Street. Anybody familiar with downtown Austin knows the train bridge that bounces over the Colorado River, and heads up along the MoPac Expressway. This shot is taken about 1 mile South of downtown, looking North along the railroad tracks.

You can see downtown in the background, and some good old fashioned urban vandalism in the foreground.

It would be an interesting walk to follow the tracks from South Austin, up to downtown. It is a completely different perspective on the city.

-Kevin

Downtown View from Near Bergstrom Airport

This is an interesting view of downtown from HWY 71 near US 183 in South East Austin near Bergstrom International Airport. The downtown buildings dominate the Colorado River basin within which Austin is situated, and provide interesting viewing from different vantage points around town.

This view is somewhat surprising since we don't normally think of downtown as being that close, or that visible from this part of town. I was just driving back from the airport and caught a glimpse of the buildings and remembered that I had my Panasonic Lumix camera sitting on the seat next to me.

Waffle House sign provides a little Texas flavor to finish off the composition.

Cheers,

Kevin

Zilker Hillside Theater

Zilker Park lies right at the heart of Austin geographically, and resides there metaphorically as well for many Austinites. Just a stone's throw away from Barton Springs (literally across the parking lot) lies the Zilker Hillside Theater.

Currently they are showing the musical "Annie" four nights a week through mid August. The theater itself is a green hillside looking down into a stage enclosure, which can comfortably seat about couple thousand audience members.

Performances are free, and vary from music to Broadway.

Fountains in Downtown Austin

Kids love playing in the new fountains downtown. They light up after dark, and shoot random blasts of bubbles and jets. Austin has made significant investments in park facilities in the last 5 years. This is one such location, which just opened up about 18 months ago. This location is directly adjacent to the Long Center and Palmer Auditorium, in the former footprint of the Austin Coliseum.

I remember seeing the Beastie Boys in concert on this very spot back in 1988. Never imagined this back then.