Texas

Southern Summer


Me and B.
Savannah, GA

Kayak Cafe tacos with the best scratch lime garlic dressing
Savannah, GA

Beetnix: Warrior One Pitaya Bowl sub coconut for cacao
Savannah, GA

Savannah, GA

Savannah, GA

Savannah, GA

Savannah, GA

The Collins Quarter: Mimosa Bondi Sunrise & Drip Brew
Savannah, GA

The Collins Quarter: The Daily Catch
Savannah, GA

The Collins Quarter: Eggs Benedict on Gluten Free Toast
Savannah, GA

The Collins Quarter
Savannah, GA

The Collins Quarter
Savannah, GA

The Collins Quarter
Savannah, GA

The Collins Quarter
Savannah, GA

The Collins Quarter
Savannah, GA

Savannah, GA


Savannah, GA

Savannah, GA

Savannah, GA

The Paris Market
Savannah, GA

The Paris Market
Savannah, GA

The Paris Market
Savannah, GA

The Paris Market
Savannah, GA

The Paris Market
Savannah, GA


The Paris Market
Savannah, GA

Savannah, GA

Savannah, GA

South Carolina Peaches
Hardeeville, SC

Savannah, GA

Savannah, GA

SoHo South Cafe
Savannah, GA

SoHo South Cafe
Savannah, GA

SoHo South Cafe
Savannah, GA

Savannah, GA

Jones Street
Savannah, GA

Really enjoyed meeting Rosa at RMC Boutique! Shop her fabulous boutique at www.rmcboutique.com


Tybee Island, GA

The Walking Dead Cafe
Senoia, GA

Senoia, GA

"Woodbury, GA": Senoia, GA

"Woodbury, GA": Senoia, GA

"Woodbury, GA": Senoia, GA

Bella needing a road trip nap

B crusin' in the G-Wagen

New Orleans

New Orleans

Irene's Cuisine
New Orleans

Be sure to enjoy the Lemon Basil Vodka Martini at Irene's

Cafe Du Monde
New Orleans

Hotel Monteleone
New Orleans

Hotel Monteleone
New Orleans

Hotel Monteleone
New Orleans

Ms. Monteleone!
New Orleans






Lake Travis, Texas

Quack's Bakery in Austin, Texas

Austin, Texas

Blanco, Texas

Blanco, Texas

Imagine Lavendar Farm: Fairy Homes
Blanco, Texas

Imagine Lavendar Farm: Fairy Homes
Blanco, Texas

Blanco, Texas

WPP: Austin, Texas

Austin, Texas

Austin, Texas








Mayfield Park
Austin, Texas

Mayfield Park
Austin, Texas



The Monument Cafe: Scratch Peach Jam

Cenote: Kale Scramble

Cenote: Eggs Benedict



Toby!



Poteet Strawberry Festival

So Poteet is a little dirtier than I imagined.  I forgot that I was going to a Texas fair and not an Illinois or Florida Strawberry Festival.  But it is not a bad dirty, not in the since of nasty just soil dirty.  Like dirt everywhere!  Of course at a Texas festival there must be a rodeo and not just the strawberries.  John and I even learned how to clog and performed with the San Antonio Fire on the Mountain Cloggers on stage.  It was quite an experience.

The crummiest part of the day:  I was denied entry into the strawberry eating contest because I'm an adult.  Blah. Oh yeah and the rain but we survived.  

Happy to be able to check the Poteet Strawberry Festival off of our 'Texas To Do' list.


Enjoying that Strawberry Wine







I'm quite proud of this photo moment that has been captured!


With Angela O'



Dear Diary

This was an email forward that I sent out to some of my closest friends back in August 2011.  Since the summer has already hit the 100's here for 2013, I thought I would share....  

 P.S. I will admit that it has been a very cool summer & spring this year.  The past few years it was 90 by March 1st!

 ~Angela O'


The is so true.  In fact below read Aug 4th and compare the true temp yesterday August 4th.  I did my SoCo market yesterday and my Iphone started to freak out and say temperature alert and refused to let me use it.  I looked at the current temp at 6:30 p.m. and it was 117 degrees.  Yes that is right 117 degrees…..
angela

Dear Diary,

 Just moved to TEXAS!   Now this is a state that knows how to live!!
Beautiful sunny days and warm balmy evenings.   It is beautiful.   I've
finally found my home.   I love it here.

June 14th:

 Really heating up.   Got to 100 today.   Not a problem.   Live in an
air-conditioned home,  drive an air-conditioned car.   What a pleasure to
see the sun everyday like this.   I'm turning into a sun worshipper.

June 30th:

 Had the backyard landscaped with western plants today.   Lots of cactus
and  rocks.  What a breeze to maintain.   No more mowing the lawn for me.
Another scorcher today, but I love it here.

July 10th:

 The temperature hasn't been below 100 all week.   How do people get used
to this kind of heat?   At least, it's kind of windy though.   But getting
used to the heat is taking longer than I expected.

July 15th:

 Fell asleep by the community pool.   Got 3rd degree burns over 60% of my
body.   Missed 3 days of work.   What a dumb thing to do.   I learned my
lesson though. Got to respect the ol' sun in a climate like this.

July 20th:

 I missed Lomita (my cat) sneaking into the car when I left this
morning.   By the time I got to the hot car at noon,  Lomita had died and swollen
up to the size of a shopping bag,  then popped like a water balloon.   The
car now smells like Kibbles and Shits.   I learned my lesson though.   No more
pets in this heat.   Good ol' Mr. Sun strikes again.

July 25th:

 The wind sucks. It feels like a giant freaking blow dryer!!   And it's
hot as hell.   The home air-conditioner is on the fritz and the AC repairman
charged $200 just to drive by and tell me he needed to order parts.

July 30th:

 Been sleeping outside on the patio for 3 nights now, $225,000 house and
I  can't even go inside.   Lomita is the lucky one.   Why did I ever come
here?
Aug. 4th:

 Its 115 degrees.   Finally got the air-conditioner fixed today.   It cost
$500 and gets the temperature down to 85.   I hate this stupid state.

Aug. 8th:

 If another wise ass cracks, 'Hot enough for you today?'   I'm going to
strangle him.   Damn heat.   By the time I get to work, the radiator is
boiling over, my clothes are soaking wet,  and I smell like baked cat!!

Aug. 9th:

 Tried to run some errands after work.  Wore shorts, and when I sat on
the seats in the car,  I thought my ass was on fire.   My skin melted to the
seat.   I lost 2 layers of flesh and all the hair on the back of my legs and ass . . .
Now my car smells like burnt hair, fried ass, and baked cat.

Aug 10th:

 The weather report might as well be a damn recording.   Hot and sunny.
Hot and sunny.   Hot and sunny.   It's been too hot to do shit for 2 damn months
and the weatherman says it might really warm up next week.  Doesn't it
ever rain in this damn state?   Water rationing will be next, so my $1700
worth of cactus will just dry up and blow over.   Even the cactus can't live in
this damn heat.

Aug. 14th:

 Welcome to HELL! Temperature got to 115 today.   Cactus are dead. Forgot
to crack the window and blew the damn windshield out of the car. The
Installer came to fix it and guess what he asked me??? "Hot enough for
you today?" My sister had to spend $1,500 to bail me out of jail. Freaking
TEXAS. What kind of a sick demented idiot would want to live here??
Will write later to let you know how the trial goes.


Elsie, The Cow


 Meet Elsie, The official Borden Cow.  John and I met her 3 years ago this month when we first moved to Texas.  It was in Fort Worth, the land of the cattle.  Her horns really are that shiny, they are gorgeous in person!  They must have someone polish them daily.




I have heard but not confirmed it's truth that Elsie's husband, Elmer The Bull is actually the Elmer's Glue mascot. 


 







ATX 360 XMAS 2012

The Christmas tradition in Austin is to randomly select and decorate a living tree on Highway 360.  At first, a few trees would randomly be done overnight keeping the decorators identity a mystery.  From what I can tell this had been going on for a little more than a decade.  An old article I found last year reported that a journalist tried to contact the local highway department who had never condoned the act but instead just looked away.  Well it eventually caught on as now more than a hundred trees and growing are decorated in just one quarter mile stretch of the highway.  Starting Thanksgiving week you will find cars lined up the side of the road as its owner is searching for the perfect tree.  In fact, if you haven't put up your tree by Thanksgiving Saturday then good luck to you in finding one that can be seen from the highway!!  Other cities may hop on to the trend but just remember Austin was the original.   KEEP AUSTIN WEIRD.

This is our very first tree:






A few articles if you would like to read up and plan your next Christmas in the ATX !!!






Check out some of the other trees and some of the other decorators that I caught out and about Thanksgiving weekend.  I do apologize that I could not get everyone's tree posted as I had over 300 pictures just from that weekend.  And as of today there are soooo many more trees that have been added.





































A few active participants :-)


























******UPDATE*******
- 2013 CHRISTMAS - 

The FSU one was put up just before the bowl games!!





PSA for Texas Drivers

Anyone who has ever lived or visited Texas can validate that it is a Deep-Texan thing to drive without a care to others on the road.  Seriously the state government really needs to address this.

 1) Try driving in your lane.  NOT over the line so that you are half in your lane and half in the shoulder.  NOT over the line so you are half in your lane and half in someone else's lane.
Anoymous Texas Driver heading from Ennis, Texas to Italy, Texas


2) Turn OFF your engine while pumping gas.  There is an extreme amount of offenders in the Ennis, Texas area.  Just because you are ignorant does not mean that I want to blow up.

 3) If you are on the highway then move over and allow people entering from the ramp to get on to the highway.  This is a big problem in the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex, drivers refuse to let others come in on the entrance ramp resulting in many stopped cars.

 4) Just because you have a truck does not mean that you can use your cow catcher bumper to push your way through traffic.

 5) If there is any moisture on the ground try SLOWING DOWN.  Just because you think that you are invincible does not mean that your car or the others around you are.  
February 2012 Austin, Texas FM2222 at Riverplace Blvd
6)  Please learn how to judge your time accordingly.  Just because you want to pull out on the big hill does not mean that there is no one coming from the other side.  Slamming on your gas pedal doesn't always equate to us being able to slam on our breaks.  Especially if you are on the FM620 hill near Comanche Trial and Steiner Ranch Steakhouse.  

 Come back for regular pictures and updates.  If you have a picture you want to share let me know. Try not include license plates but if you have no choice I can blur them.