Views of the Neighborhood – Water features

Today is another slow one in Lakeway, so we will visit some features folks have placed in their yards. I had hoped to get photos of the water bubbling in fountains, but most are not turned on for our visit. Fountains of a certain size have been restricted due to the lack of rain. We will make the best of it with food catered by Bangers of Austin. Our entertainment isBrad Paisley

Menu

Bratwurst – Our take on the most classic of German sausages. Mild, perfectly balanced & delicious. Topped w/ sauerkraut & grain mustard. Served w/fries. 

Spicy Italian – A classic Italian sausage w/ plenty of fennel and a whole lotta red pepper. Topped w/ sautéed to order, peppers & garlic, & fresh basil. Served w/fries.

Drunk Chicken – Beer Serrano Peppers, Red Pepper Flakes, Cilantro & more beer. Topped w/ garlic aïoli & grilled onions. Served w/fries.

Jalapeño Cheddar Brat –Our world-famous bratwurst w/ some jalapeño & cheddar cheese mixed in. Topped w/ spicy peppers & grain mustard. Served w/fries.

Chicken & Apple – Brown sugar, nutmeg & cinnamon make this a classic. The applesauce & brandy we fold in at the end makes it a legend. Topped w/ garlic aïoli & grilled onions. Served w/fries.

Hot Andouille Sandwich & Fries – Sliced down the middle. Crisped on the griddle. Served on a toasted Martin’s potato bun, dressed NOLA style w/ mayo, lettuce, tomato & house-made pickles. Served w/fries.

Duck, Bacon, Fig – Dried figs, plumped in port wine w/ honey & bacon. Topped w/ fig chutney, grilled onions & garlic aïoli. Served w/fries.

Banger’s Classic Hotdog – An all-pork hotdog made by hand. Topped w/ grain mustard & house made relish.

For Resa

Vegetarian B.L.T. – Vine-ripened & sun-dried tomato sausage infused w/ cheese curds. Topped w/ shiitake mushroom “bacon,” sliced tomatoes, shredded iceberg & garlic aïoli. Served w/fries.

Portabella Mushroom Sausage – Topped w/ grilled asparagus, charred kale & fried shiitake mushroom “bacon” & dressed w/ house-preserved lemons & garlic aïoli. Served w/fries.

Picture of an old time school bus

Let’s go.

We start off with what appears to be a glorified birdbath.

A sleek modern feature. Yes, that is water bubbling.

A nice ceramic bubbler.

A grand fountain behind the gates. That little sign says Trespassers will be shot (Just kidding)

A nice-sized fountain but no water today.

Girl with sombraro and no water.

Another behind-the-gate fountain.

This is usually a pleasant water feature, much like a waterfall.

A large size fountain to complement the house

Little cherubs holding up the two-ton basin.

Our final stop is a nice lot overlooking Lake Travis. We will have our brunch here and enjoy the music. I hope you have a great week.

 

71 comments

  1. circadianreflections's avatar

    Those are some pretty water features. I have one but, the pump broke and it’s on my list to replace. I have a little solar pump in the bird bath in the back yard. I love listening to it and see it spray…it’s so relaxing.

    Liked by 2 people

    1. John W. Howell's avatar

      I had a pond in California and the waterfall made the greatest sound. I loved being in the backyard.

      Liked by 2 people

  2. GP's avatar

    Most house these days have a water feature. Mine has two. Whenever we finally get a downpour, we develop two small lakes in the back yard.
    I can’t decide between the chicken and apple or Duck, bacon, fig. Any suggestions?

    Liked by 2 people

    1. John W. Howell's avatar

      I’m sure both are good. I have had chicken and apple and it was great. Of course, bacon could be the big decider. Yeah go with bacon, duck, fig. 😊

      Liked by 1 person

      1. GP's avatar

        It does sound delicious!

        Liked by 1 person

  3. srbottch's avatar

    Quite a menu. I’ll order brats. Love the fountains. Have a great week, yourself, John.

    Liked by 1 person

    1. John W. Howell's avatar

      Thank you, Steve. You as well.

      Like

  4. Jill Weatherholt's avatar

    I’ve always loved the relaxing sound of a fountain. Definitely some beautiful ones! Thanks for the tour, John.

    Liked by 1 person

    1. John W. Howell's avatar

      my pleasure, Jill. I was so rushed yesterday that I didn’t send you a musical smile. Happy Sunday to you. *sung to the tune of Running Bear by Johnny Preston

      Like

  5. Gwen M. Plano's avatar

    The water features are so lovely. When we lived in Branson, we looked out to a lake – extraordinarily beautiful. Moving to the high desert, our new home had a poorly cared-for water feature. After a lot of work, it’s now a garden. 😄

    Liked by 1 person

    1. John W. Howell's avatar

      Yes I remember your posts about the garden. About time to get out there and plant, isn’t it?

      Like

      1. Gwen M. Plano's avatar

        Yep, this week for sure. 🍅🥕🫑

        Liked by 1 person

  6. Annette Rochelle Aben's avatar

    I love the waterfall feature!

    Liked by 1 person

  7. Charles Yallowitz's avatar

    Cool fountains. Though I’ve always been a little creeped out by cherubs. Think I’ll give that one a wide berth.

    Liked by 2 people

    1. John W. Howell's avatar

      I would as well. 😁

      Like

  8. Liz Gauffreau's avatar

    I agree with you, Charles, about the creepy factor of cherubs.

    Liked by 1 person

    1. John W. Howell's avatar

      I agree too.

      Liked by 1 person

  9. Liz Gauffreau's avatar

    I do enjoy a good Italian sausage!

    Liked by 1 person

    1. John W. Howell's avatar

      You can’t go too far wrong with Italian sausage.

      Liked by 1 person

  10. Dan's avatar

    Those are some fine-looking fountains there Ponce. Let me know when you find the big one with the “special water”.
    Happy exploring!

    Liked by 1 person

    1. John W. Howell's avatar

      Sure will. Thanks for the reminder on what to look for, Dan.

      Like

  11. Darlene's avatar

    These are all very lovely. There is no water in the fountains of Barcelona right now either due to the drought.

    Liked by 1 person

    1. John W. Howell's avatar

      We need rain . . . all of us.

      Liked by 1 person

  12. Dan Antion's avatar

    Our water features are much less interesting, John. We have half a dozen bird baths. But they all have their customers.

    I can’t pass up the Spicy Italian deal.

    Liked by 1 person

    1. John W. Howell's avatar

      I don’t blame you on the spicy Italian deal. 😁

      Liked by 1 person

  13. noelleg44's avatar

    Thanks for the Brad Paisley song. My grandson loves it! The video especially. I’ll have the jalapeno cheddar brot – while wondering about the water bills for those water fountains. We had one at our old house – a huge ceramic pot, which we unfortunately had to leave behind.

    Liked by 1 person

    1. John W. Howell's avatar

      I’m glad you liked the song. I like Brad Paisley songs for sure. Luckily the fountains are recirculating so only a little is lost in evaporation. Thanks for coming along, Noelle.

      Liked by 1 person

  14. Dale's avatar

    I was ready to choose the first brat, then I kept reading and they all sound good! Fountains are so lovely within a garden – but I can appreciate the need to turn them off when rainfall is low (not our case, tell you what!) I just love Brad Paisley. He is so much fun! Happy Sunday, John.

    Liked by 1 person

    1. John W. Howell's avatar

      Brad is a lot of fun. Thanks, Dale. Happy Sunday to you.

      Liked by 1 person

      1. Dale's avatar

        Love him.
        And thank you. 😊

        Liked by 1 person

  15. The Coastal Crone's avatar

    Nice fountains even without water. All you would find in our yard is a small bird bath we try to keep filled. Lake Travis made a great spot to stop and have brunch. Bratwurst was great! Have a good week, John!

    Liked by 1 person

    1. John W. Howell's avatar

      Thank you for coming along, Jo. Here’s wishing you a good week too.

      Like

  16. Debbie's avatar

    You’ve got some nice-looking fountains here, John. I’ll just use my imagination and listen to the gurgling water! Some of these are so massive that they should be outside museums, don’t you think?

    Liked by 1 person

    1. John W. Howell's avatar

      I think so. The houses look like museums though. 😁

      Liked by 1 person

  17. Unknown's avatar
    Anonymous · ·

    Great music to go along with a fun ride looking at the fountains and water features. Wonderful!

    Liked by 1 person

    1. John W. Howell's avatar

      Glad you liked it. 😊

      Like

  18. Jennie's avatar

    These are fountains on steroids! Beautiful, John.

    Liked by 1 person

    1. John W. Howell's avatar

      They are, Jennie. 😁

      Liked by 1 person

  19. T. W. Dittmer's avatar

    Those are some nice water features, John. Hopefully they’ll be able to run them all soon. Have a good week, my friend.

    Liked by 1 person

    1. John W. Howell's avatar

      Thank you, Tim. Have a good week as well.

      Liked by 2 people

  20. Pit's avatar

    Sorry to criticize, John: you can’t serve Bratwurst with fries. It has to be potato salad. 😉

    Liked by 1 person

    1. John W. Howell's avatar

      I would avoid that restaurant if I were you.

      Like

      1. Pit's avatar

        Or just change the sides.

        Liked by 1 person

        1. John W. Howell's avatar

          It is the restaurant menu

          Like

  21. coldhandboyack's avatar

    Looks like people haven’t quite fired up all the water features for the season.

    Liked by 1 person

    1. John W. Howell's avatar

      That could be as well.

      Liked by 1 person

  22. Resa's avatar

    Thank you kindly for the special menu selections!
    I’ll try the first one.

    Would sure love to see all those fountains with the water on.
    No shortage of rain or water here.
    Could use some sun.
    🌞ẋ 🌞ẋ 🌞ẋ 🌞ẋ

    Liked by 1 person

    1. John W. Howell's avatar

      We have plenty of sun. Will share.
      🌞X 🌞X 🌞X 🌞X

      Liked by 1 person

      1. Resa's avatar

        Thank y🌞u!
        🐂🐂🐂🐂

        Liked by 1 person

        1. John W. Howell's avatar

          You are welc🌞me. 🐂🐂🐂🐂

          Liked by 1 person

  23. robertawrites235681907's avatar

    Hi John, I prefer the ones with the cherubs and the girl in the hat to the modern fountains.

    Liked by 1 person

    1. John W. Howell's avatar

      Thank you, Robbie. 😁

      Liked by 1 person

  24. Teri Polen's avatar

    Sorry to hear you’re still in need of rain, John. Looks like the lake is really low.

    Liked by 1 person

    1. John W. Howell's avatar

      Yes, it is 30 feet below normal.

      Liked by 1 person

  25. John Hric's avatar

    I hope you get some rain. And I hope the farmers get some rain too.

    Liked by 1 person

    1. John W. Howell's avatar

      Yes I hope so.

      Liked by 1 person

  26. Author Jan Sikes's avatar

    I love the trickling sounds of water in a fountain. Hope some rain comes your way soon. Thanks for sharing!

    Liked by 1 person

    1. John W. Howell's avatar

      I love water too. We did need rain. Thanks, Jan.

      Liked by 1 person

  27. Sorryless's avatar

    You have some fantastic grub selections going on. I think I would go with the Duck, Bacon and Fig. And that Sombrero girl . . it’s oddly fascinating!

    Liked by 1 person

  28. Lauren Scott, Author's avatar

    I’ve always loved fountains, John, and these are beautiful. The menu looks yummy too! Thanks for the tour and tunes!

    Liked by 1 person

    1. John W. Howell's avatar

      Always happy to have you join us, Lauren.

      Like

  29. dgkaye's avatar

    Wow, fountains are a popular staple it seems. Surprising not one was running, lol. I’ll have the chicken and apple. 🙂

    Liked by 1 person

    1. John W. Howell's avatar

      It is a surprise for sure. Thanks, Debby.

      Liked by 1 person

  30. kethuprofumo's avatar

    It is a pleasure to know that there are so many various forms of fountains in your area, dear John. May them bring freshness in hot days. :-)🍤🍤🍤🍻

    Liked by 1 person

    1. John W. Howell's avatar

      We hope that the water comes back to them. I saw a fountain today that did have water in it. It was such a nice sight. 😁

      Liked by 1 person

  31. intrepid8's avatar

    Love the water features! Thanks for sharing!

    Liked by 1 person

    1. John W. Howell's avatar

      Thanks for the visit and comment.

      Liked by 1 person