Real Housewife of Oak Hill

Not just "no", but...

...duck no.

Damn the Luck

The good luck: I had a healthy baby, an easy pregnancy and a relatively fast labor.

The bad luck: I don't get to do this:

Texas Monthly and Alamo Drafthouse teamed up to do an all summer long Rolling Roadshow of ten of the best Texas movies of all time. Giant in Marfa, Texas Chainsaw in Kingsland, Bonnie and Clyde in Pilot Point... you get the idea.

What could be a better next step in summer adventure?! Too bad I can't do it. I mean, I could, but not without some obstacles. Like someone to breastfeed my baby.

Someone go do this - go to all of the movies - and tell me how fun it was. No. Nevermind. Don't. I don't want to know how much fun I'm missing.

What am I saying?! I'm not missing anything. I went on my adventure last summer because I wasn't working. Now my job is to watch my baby sleep. I should have done this a long time ago...

 

But on second thought, if you do go to all movies... go ahead and tell me how it is. I hope it's grand!

And now for the moment you've all been waiting for...

Out with the old.  In with the new.

But do you know what's different about the new?!

I'M IN IT!!!

Last year, I wrote a letter to the editor telling them that their issue had inspired me and that although I couldn't finish, it sure had been fun.  Well, this year, they wrote me and asked if I'd write an article about it to kick off the new list!  Can you believe it?!

So there it is, folks.  In the "Talk" section.  A real live magazine article.  As in in print, published, promulgated.  As in "I kick ass!"

Go get a copy!  And if you want to do anything fun this summer, just let me know!

 

 

Trying to remember where I've been or guess where I'm going?  Check out the list here!

Are you new?  Are you confused?  Start here if you need to catch up from the beginning!  Just don't be confused by the "Next Post, Previous Posts" buttons at the bottom.  Those are eff'ed up.  

Circle of Life

My friend is still in Convict Hill Quarry Park.  Just in case you were wondering.

I won! I won!

I think I may have won Keep Austin Weird Bingo* the other day on the trail!

 

I saw:

a real, live, not dead and flat on the side of the road armadillo

a three legged dog

a lady running wearing rainbow striped knee socks

a guy on a bike who was allergic to the sun as he was covered from head to toe except for his eyes, nose and mouth and not in one of those sauna suits to make you lose water weight

grown up twin boys running together with a gait and form so identical I thought I was seeing double (and I watched for a long time just to be sure as they were young and shirtless)

 

BINGO!

 

* Keep Austin Weird Bingo doesn't seem to exist.  I just Googled it.  That's a shame.  Or is it?!  I could start it!  People have to take pictures of five things that keep Austin weird.  Is it a chronicle of such or a contest?  Do I post all entries or just the best?  How do I decide the best?!  How many times would Leslie show up?  Wait, is Leslie still alive?  I thought I heard he wasn't.  I'll feel really bad if that's true.  Oooohh, I have a lot to think about!

Anyway.  You heard it here first people!  Keep Austin Weird Bingo - officially started by yours truly so don't steal it or rest assured that I, and my attorney Gloria Allred, will be pressing charges.

 

To Do List: Walk the Dog

I'm trying to be better (re: more consistent) about walking the dog.  She's so much more calm if I do.  I got fired up to go to Town Lake - Lady Bird Lake!  I'll never get used to that - , but only made it as far as this neighborhood park.

I stumbled on it last year and just adore it.  It's tiny and wind-y and jungle-y.  The trails are well-maintained and just loop around each other through trees, over rocks, up and down little hills.  And they've only been out of poop bags once.  It's just super cute.  It's surrounded on all sides by houses so it's not isolated although you feel like you're in the middle of nowhere... except that you can hear the cars on Convict Hill.

There is never anyone else there, but I saw two teenagers go in as I was leaving.  I assumed they were going in to short cut to one of their backyards and hop the fence.  I would.  Turns out they came right back out so now I assume they were just going into pee.  I did not see them take a poop bag.

And to further dismantle my theory that there are never any signs of life in my little park, I found this little guy:

His other brother Darryl was on the other side of the rock.  Looked exactly the same.  Weird, huh?! I happen to be one of the few people on Earth who thinks possums are cute so I was sad.  And a little grossed out.  His bones are showing!

Right after this I realized I had lost my keys.  I panicked that I dropped them in the possum. Luckily I didn't.  

There's not a poop bag big enough that could have helped me get them out.

 

• Convict Hill Quarry Park

Got my Celtic on

Instead of blogging or crossing off one of the last things on my List, I did new things!  'Cuz I'm crazy like that!

Had an eyebrow wax downtown which afforded me good parking so I took advantage and strolled through the Barkitecture display on 2nd Street.  I decided I want to build our crazy Basset a dog house... that she will never use because we always keep her inside.  (But wouldn't it be fun?!  I could make it match the house!)  Since it was still early, I walked over to the Gypsy Picnic Trailer Food Festival at Auditorium Shores.  Thirty haute food vendors replicating the vast array of fun trailer restaurants we have around town, most of which I have never been too.  And I still haven't. After making a pentadecagon around the park dodging the lines, I decided I wasn't up for standing around waiting for food that I could get next week with no line; so I skedaddled.

I had also wanted to go to the Austin Celtic Festival today so I headed across town.  Figured I could eat there with presumably 1/3 of the wait.  $15 to get in (kinda steep), but somebody's gotta keep these people in kilts and drinking horns I guess.  Passed up all the "If It's Not Scottish, It's Crap" booths and went straight to the food - let's see... jumbo corn dogs, funnel cakes, mmm... gyros, wraps, oh! fish 'n chips!, wait - bangers and mash?, mince and tatties?! - you had me at bangers! Tried the Mince and Tatties (Scottish Highland beef stew with carrots and onions over mashed potatoes) - take that Gypsy Picnic!  Wandered around, wanted to see the Highland Games, but must have missed them, listened to the Irish music trio Flashpoint, missed a Viking Battle reenactment, bought Irish Soda Bread and shortbread and molasses cookies at the bake sale (it's for charity!), got a cherry-strawberry lemonade as big as my head and went to see one of the dance troupes - main reason I wanted to go.  That and the Silver Thistle Pipes and Drums (which I had also missed). I may not be of Scottish decent, but I sure love me some bagpipes.

The Hill Country Highland Dancers had live accompaniment from one of the pipers from the Silver Thistle so I sorta got two birds stoned at once.  (I decided I really want to learn how to play the bagpipes!  Do you think my husband will divorce me?)  The dancers did several traditional dances from jigs to lilts; it was really fun so I decided that I should take up Highland dancing too... if I can find a bra strong enough to keep my boobs under control.  I'll keep you posted.

I made a lot of decisions today.  I think I need to go take a nap before I decide anything else.

I'm nothing if not thorough

Just noticed the link to the Austin Monthly article is only a link to buy the issue.  It's a good one so I recommend getting it if you can, but for the sake of my adventure, I will list the things I will be attempting to do this summer here.

Ground rules (which are of course subject to change as I am a woman): I have decided that if a section offers several choices of an activity, I do not have to do all of them to satisfy that section (although I might on occasion if it really floats my boat) (which, as luck would have it, is one of the sections...).  I also will not be doing them in the order listed as some have specific dates and times that would render it impossible to complete on time.  As it is, I have 94 days (now 90... tick tock, tick tock) to complete 110 things.  I will bold them as I check them off the list!

Now you can think I'm as crazy as my family does.

1. McKinney Roughs Nature Park or Hyatt Lost Pines Resort
2. Miller Creek Lavender Farm, Hummingbird Farm or Sweet Dreams Lavender Farm
3. Gillespie County Fair
4. Walnut Creek Metropolitan Park
5. The Highball (twist my arm...)
6. Auditorium Shores
7. Walburg German Restaurant  (cue college memories...)
8. Little Lounge Lizards Dance Party
9. Baking cookies on my dashboard
10. Inflatable Wonderland
11. The University of Texas Research Laboratory 
12. Eckert James River Bat Cave Preserve
13. Snow cones!
14. Historic Walking Tours
15. Southeast Metropolitan Park
16. The Old Oaks Ranch Fiber Art Center
17. Frio River or Lost Maples State Natural Area
18. Lake Bastrop South Shore Park
19. Hartman Foundation Concerts in the Park
20. Cibolo Nature Center
21. Washington-on-the-Brazos State Historic Site or Barrington Living History Farm
22. Naegelin's Bakery
23. Airport Diner
24. Float House Austin
25. Fountains/water play areas around town
26. El Mercado
27. The Backyard at Bee Cave (Willie Nelson's famed Fourth of July Picnic to be exact!)
28. Reel Independents Film Series
29. Stand-Up Paddle-Boarding (Lord, help me...)
30. Painting With A Twist
31. Longhorn Cavern State Park
32. Texas Memorial Museum
33. Brushy Creek Lake Park
34. Cabela's
35. Cafe Monet
36. The Dolph Briscoe Center
37. Austin Steam Train
38. Moonlight Prowl
39. Sunset Valley Free Concert Series
40. Congress Avenue Bridge for bat watching
41. Toobing!
42. Frozen yogurt
43. Round Rock Express
44. Butler Park Pitch and Putt
45. Johnson's Backyard Garden
46. Austin Hash House Harriers (I'm tired just thinking about it...)
47. Cosmic Cowboy Tour
48. Capital of Texas Zoo
49. Schulenburg Painted Churches
50. Children's Day Art Park
51. Wildseed Farms
52. Paramount Summer Film Series
53. Pedernales Falls State Park
54. Elisabet Ney Museum
55. Texas Lonestar Rollergirls
56. Jourdan-Bachman Pioneer Farm
57. Festivals!
58. The Benini Studio and Sculpture Ranch
59. Hornsby Bend Bird Observatory
60. Westcave Preserve
61. Dr Pepper Museum
62. Bright Leaf State Natural Area
63. Pace Bend Park
64. East End's Fourth Friday
65. Outdoor Yoga on a full moon
66. Sweet Berry Farm
67. Lonestar Riverboat or Capital Cruises
68. Second Sunday Sock Hop at Shangri-La
69. Drag Queen Bingo 
70. The Liberty
71. Pete's Dueling Piano Bar
72. Rounders Pizzeria
73. Burnet County Fair & Rodeo or Marble Falls Rodeo
74. Breweries (I'll force myself...)
75. Austin Nature and Science Center
76. Dry Creek Cafe and Boat Dock
77. Black Rock Park on Lake Buchanan, Emma Long Metropolitan Park on Lake Austin or Yacht Club Pool and Beach at Horseshoe bay Resort
78. Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center
79. Krause Springs
80. The New Movement
81. Schlitterbahn 
82. Hill's Cafe for gospel brunch
83. Gruene
84. Blue Bonnet Cafe
85. Thunderhill Raceway
86. Deep Eddy Pool
87. The Lance Armstrong Bikeway
88. Inks Lake
89. Pooch Paddle
90. Barsana Dham
91. Union Underground Bowling
92. WonderCraft
93. Campbell's Hole
94. Shakespeare At Winedale
95. Drink wine (this will almost be as hard as the breweries...)
96. Isamu Taniguchi Japanese Garden
97. Vanishing Texas River Cruise
98. Sauer-Beckman Living History Farm
99. Manor Downs
100. Alamo Drafthouse Cinema South Lamar
101. Zilker Park Boat Rentals
102. Sculpture Falls
103. Hamilton Pool Preserve
104. Natural Bridge Wildlife Ranch
105. Star Parties
106. Austin Duck Adventure
107. Flatbed Press
108. Elysium
109. Canyon of the Eagles Nature Park 
110. Natural Bridge Caverns or Inner Space Cavern

I'm gonna need more sunscreen.