Views of the Neighborhood – Potpourri

~ John W. Howell

As you can see from the headline, we are going to see different things today. We are catered by Salty Sow in Austin. Our entertainment is Pink who is appearing here in Austin at the Austin City Limits festival and agreed to stop by.

Menu

STARTERS

TRUFFLED DEVILED EGGS Salty Sow bacon bits

SALTY SOW CHARCUTERIE + CHEESE BOARD all the fixin’s, toasted baguette

ROASTED BONE MARROW bacon + gruyere crust, toasted baguette

TRIPLE-FRIED DUCK FAT FRIES cold bearnaise, 110-minute egg

CHICKEN LIVER MOUSSE IN A JAR apple gelee, pickled red onion, toast

SALAD

BRUSSELS SPROUT CAESAR SALAD candied almonds, dried cranberries, parmesan

ROASTED ORGANIC BEETS goat cheese, pistachio vinaigrette

VEGETABLES

YUKON GOLD MASHED POTATOES neck bone gravy

BBQ HOMINY  BROCOLINI toasted pecan brown butter, pecorino

COLLARD GREENS smoked ham hocks

CHEESE GRITS

QUINOA + LENTILS

CRISPY BRUSSELS SPROUT LEAVES  golden raisins, pecorino

MAINS

CRISP CHICKEN THIGHS fried smashed potatoes, neck bone gravy

CANDIED PORK BELLY collard greens, pot licker, soy balsamic syrup

RANGER CATTLE WAGYU CHEESEBURGER  add pork belly · add egg
caramelized onions, gruyere cheese, pickles, Salty Sow special sauce, duck fat fries

SLOW COOKED BEEF SHOULDER mashed potatoes, glazed local carrots, fried egg

PETITE BONE-IN FILETS mixed mushrooms, red wine sauce

SMOKED PORK CARNITAS add guacamole tomatillo salsa, tortillas, bbq hominy

GENUINE BLACKENED REDFISH quinoa + lentils, smoked tomato, chipotle tabasco lemon butter

DESSERT

CHOCOLATE TRUFFLE CAKE whipped cream, raspberry sauce

BUTTERSCOTCH BUDINO salted caramel, sweet crème fraîche

BANANA FOSTERS BEIGNETS vanilla ice cream

INNISKILLIN VIDAL – ICE WINE Niagara peninsula, Canada, 2019

RECCHIA recchioto classico, veneto, italy, 2016

Picture of an old time school bus

Let’s get on the bus

Our first encounter is with an Axis Deer and a middle-aged white-tailed buck. Rumor has it the deer escaped from a local exotic ranch years ago. A native of India the Axis was introduced to Texas in 1932. Looks like he has made friends.

I tried to get closer but no dice. At least we get a view of the back of those beautiful antlers.

The dawn brings a demonstration of affection among the high schoolers.

Dawn also brings a group of does having coffee.

We’ve seen this peacock before but now the mailbox and it has had a redo.

I call this “Chair at Dawn.” I guess the trash pick-up gave a pass to this one.

Here is a photo of my favorite quiet place in the greenbelt. It was taken last year.

Here is the place today. You can see we need rain badly.

I thought this manzanita tree looked good nestled in the Oak and touched by the sun.

A shot of the circulating fountain in the greenbelt. Another favorite.

Whew. This was a fright. Even though we may think of Halloween this is a regular feature on a new resident’s mailbox. Not sure of the message here. Borrowing a cup of sugar is definitely not in the cards.

Gotta love the elephant. Didn’t want to do a string of mail toppers but couldn’t resist this one. I wonder how long before it is spray-painted blue.

Our final stop is to admire some of our doe neighbors. The darker one could be a melanistic deer which are all black and makeup about 8% of the population. The Producer is unsure so we’ll just admire the difference.

That is the tour today. I hope you enjoyed it. Now sit back and enjoy the food and music. I hope you all have a great week.

93 thoughts on “Views of the Neighborhood – Potpourri”

  1. Shows what I know. I’ve seen a few references to ACL, and I assumed it meant Austin City Limits. I wondered why they’d be featuring Pink; now it makes more sense.

    Like

  4. I always enjoy your potpouri Sunday views. When I saw the first photo, I thought the deer were lawn statues until I read your description. Toilet-papering houses is still a “thing”?

    Liked by 1 person

  7. I love the deer! That grotesque looks like it should be on top of Notre Dame Cathedral along with the gargoyles. Pink is an amazing performer. Thanks for the tour.

    Liked by 2 people

  11. A fun tour, and I’ll have the petit filets. Going all out today! The chair reminds me of the chair that Penny brought in off the street in an episode of The Big Bang THeory that was full of bugs – which Sheldon discovered when he sat in it.

    Liked by 2 people

  12. Thanks for the delicious eats and wonderful music.
    Those deer, though! The Axis deer is absolutely gorgeous. And yeah, no asking for sugar from that neighbour! Not the most welcoming of mail toppers 🙂
    That is a fright to see how low the water is. Ironic that it is raining here as I comment.
    Hope you have a lovely Sunday.

    Liked by 1 person

  13. Another great tour, music, and food. I always love seeing the deer and mailboxes. Hope you get some rain soon. We are dry in in the 80s here.

    Like

  14. No doubt Pink put on a great show. That girl has a set of pipes! Lovely views from around the ‘Hood. Your deer resemble large versions of our squirrel hoodlums, damaging gardens from one end to the other. Still they do provide some interesting entertainment.

    Liked by 1 person

  16. Nice “odds-and-ends” tour, John. Wow, you really do need rain! The before and after shots of your favorite place are just shocking — here’s hoping Mother Nature offers you some moisture soon.

    Liked by 1 person

  17. The coloring and spotting on the white-tailed deer are lovely. One of my pet peeves is when people stick their old furniture and other random stuff out on the sidewalk. My mom once stepped off a sidewalk to avoid something similar in the way and fell and fractured her ankle.

    Liked by 1 person

  21. Great snapshots, John. I wouldn’t want to be the mailman delivering to 14 Gargoyle Lane. You have quite the spread for us. It was hard to choose, but – Deviled Eggs, Brussels Sprout Caesar Salad, Wagyu cheeseburger and chocolate cake.

    Liked by 1 person

  23. What a cool and eclectic collection of photos. Quite the tour this week, John.
    I have to say I was a little thrown by the “roasted bone marrow” on the menu. Um…may I just say, “YUCK!” 😆

    Liked by 1 person

  27. I love your tours John. Beautiful shots of the deer. I cracked up at your ‘chair at dawn’, hilarious. Quite a fancy menu today! With the redfish, broccolini, truffled eggs and no dessert, I’m aready full 🙂

    Liked by 1 person

  31. Back in the day, if you were TP’d you were popular. That gargoyle is year-round? Hmmm… I wouldn’t go there on Halloween. And, your greenbelt that needs water is a very sad situation. Thanks for the tour, John. A potpourri is always fun.

    Liked by 1 person

Comments are closed.