Hand over hand, foot over foot

Venturing forth both to a new favorite place nearby & gaining confidence, bravery & ability. We don't need to go far for adventure & beauty.

Date-Off

So, our good friends & neighbors challenged us to a date-off this weekend: who will have the most creative night out on the town?

We went with a Texas-theme & scrambled to hit as many stops as possible.

First stop was at Academy Sports to pick up some fishing line & sinkers. Then on to get some top-notch truck stop barbecue (Rudy's).

Photo via m.chiuuu photostream

Then we drove through the hills of West Austin, over the Pennebacker Bridge, parked the car & hiked up the top of the bluffs overlooking Lake Austin & watched the stars & the blinking lights of the radiotowers & city below us.

photo via fattytuna photostream

Thirsty, we headed off to Deep Eddy Cabaret for some Lone Star Beer, a game of pool & the best jukebox in town.

Photo via Jacob Cuthbertson's photostream

We wrapped up the night be walking down from Deep Eddy Cabaret to a small dock on the water's edge for a little late night fishing. We came away empty handed, but happy, as we held hands, walking back to the car, the moon bright above our heads and the trees rustling in the gusty wind.

I wonder what our friends ended up doing for their night out...

Runway at Night

One of my absolute favorite places in this world is a runway at night. I love the rows & rows of tiny colored lights heading off at all kinds of odd angles in the absolute blackness of space. I love watching the bottom-lit planes taking off and landing. I love the excitement of a journey about to begin and the anticipation of smiles, hugs & homecomings.

Recently, I was stuck on a plane, waiting for clearance to take off. And waiting. And waiting. But I did not mind. I was glued to the window, fogging up the glass & taking it all in. I tried to take pictures, but the lights were too small, the space too immense. I played around with the settings and then finally, I think I got it right. It does not look exactly like what's on the ground, but the feeling is just right.

A walk in the park

This morning, M & I went to Central Market on 35th Street to pick up what turned out to be many, many bags of groceries. Before I buckled her into the cart, though, we took a turn through the little park behind the store. M walked up & down the steep embankments to the wet pond, we greeted a few dogs & little old ladies, then stood on an arched bridge & fed the ducks (so many different kinds here this winter!)

It's a tiny urban park, but you'd never guess it from these photos.

Grackles & ducks: