Views of the Neighborhood – Halloween Part Three

October 18, 2020October 17, 2020 ~ John W. Howell ~ 82 Comments

Welcome to the third edition of the neighborhood tour of Halloween decorations. Today we have hickory smoked ham, scrambled eggs, hash browns, and pecan sticky buns. The drink today is Veuve Clicquot champagne served in Baccarat flutes. I have also been asked what kind of accommodations are on the bus. We have leather reclining chairs, personal entertainment centers, a full kitchen, a full bar, A Bose Soundsystem, 300 G internet, WiFi, and restroom facilities. The bus is equipped with air suspension and can run on multi-fuel as well as full electric.

Hop aboard. We also have ZZ Top playing for our enjoyment.

Here we are with a couple of pirates. Looks like the one is getting ready to do something.

Here we have an elaborate display. Spiders on the house and Tombstones in the yard. (Not to mention the string of skulls on the wall.)

A couple of friendly ghouls.

Several things that are scattered in the yard. That big skull to the left is my favorite.

Nothing like a big orange spider and big web to welcome visitors.

More tombstones and an assortment of ghosts with a purple spider on the mailbox.

A dancing ring of ghosts and a masked ex Wal-Mart greeter.

Here are a few keep out signs. (They must know me)

A big pile of who knows what.

So that’s what it is. (Um, not sure I know any more than I did.)

That is our tour for today. I hope you enjoyed it. Stay and have some more champagne and listen to the music. I hope you have a great week.

Views of the Neighborhood – Halloween Part Two

October 11, 2020October 10, 2020 ~ John W. Howell ~ 78 Comments

Today we are taking another tour of the neighborhood in search of Halloween decorations. I know you may be getting tired of them. Trust me; there are some unusual ones.

So get on the bus. Today we are serving Mai Tai’s or Mimosas in quart jars with fresh fruit; Omelets made to order, Belgium waffles, and candied bacon. For our entertainment, we have Bon Jovi and Sugarland.

Here we have a large spider who has obviously taken over this bush. No, I’m not going up there.

Here is something out of Craig Boyack’s imagination. I don’t think I’m going to bother their mailbox.

Two ghosts as far apart as they can get. It might be a domestic dispute problem.

Here is a friendly spirit. I think he can keep his Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups.

This poor guy has been chased up a mailbox tower by an undead dog. I think he would be wise to let the dog have the hat.

Here is what happens around Halloween if you leave your car parked in one spot for too long.

Another shot of the rear of the car parked too long.

A happy couple who have just finished their swim.

Someone cautious about wearing a helmet while riding their bike. Too bad the car was so big and heavy.

It seems that bullies come in all shapes and sizes. We need to report this guy.

A couple of pals hanging out with a giant.

I hope you enjoyed the tour. You can hang out a while and listen to music. I hope you have a great week.

Views of the Neighborhood – Halloween Preview

October 4, 2020October 3, 2020 ~ John W. Howell ~ 90 Comments

Since we are getting close to Halloween I thought it would be a good idea to check around the neighborhood to see if folks are getting into the spirit. Come on along. Today we are serving hard cider and donuts. We also have Bob Seger and the Silver Bullet Band playing on the bus.

Looks like everyone is asleep. We’ll have to come back to see them when they are awake.

Looks like Mickey and Minnie Dracula are ready.

Love the spider web. Those witch’s hats a very colorful

A black cat and pumpkin headed skeleton are enough keep me off the lawn

Another spider web and a skull in the flower bed.

Another sleeping monster. Yes we will come back before Halloween

I hope you enjoyed the tour today. You can stay around and have more cider and listen to the music. Here is a Night Moves video

Views of the Neighborhood – Limestone

September 27, 2020September 26, 2020 ~ John W. Howell ~ 79 Comments

You know how hard it is to find neighborhood subjects during a pandemic? Well, real hard. It is a good thing we have our party bus and plenty of bloody mary’s today, cause today we are going to go look at limestone. I know, I know. Not the most exciting thing for sure, but we all like each other, and I have booked Big and Rich to play for us.

Lakeway has an abundance of Gen Rose limestone, and some of it carries traces of fossilized plants and animals. Unfortunately, The Producer and I could not find any fossils. It is believed the limestone was formed in the Mesozoic Era. For those without a calendar, that was about 108 million years ago.

So hop on the bus, help yourself to a bloody mary, grab a breakfast sandwich, and let’s go.

Our first stop is to look at a house that has been finished in Cordoba Cream limestone.

Views of the Neighborhood

Here is the side of a Target store with two kinds of limestone. Cordoba Cream on the top and Walnut on the bottom

A closer look at the Target store.

A couple of big chunks of limestone.

Here is a small stratum of limestone.

Some bricks made of Cordoba Cream limestone.

Views of the Neighborhood

Here is a hillside of undisturbed limestone under the turf retained by limestone blocks

Another hill of limestone. You can see the stratum lines even though they are covered in dirt and vegetation.

A fence made of limestone blocks.

Another block of limestone.

A wall made of smaller bricks of limestone

An exposed stratum of limestone.

A huge stratum of exposed limestone.

Milled blocks of Limestone as a landscape feature.

Another feature.

A fountain made of limestone.

Finally, our tour ends with another home finished with Cordoba Cream limestone

Views of the Neighborhood – Deer Check

September 20, 2020September 19, 2020 ~ John W. Howell ~ 78 Comments

I thought we would cruise around and check the deer. We have our faithful bus companion, and it is loaded with brunch and bubbly. Views of the neighborhood Photo by unsplash

Hop aboard, and let’s see what we can find.

Views of the Neighborhood

Our first sighting is of a mama deer all by herself. I hope everything is okay in the deer household.

Here are a couple of this year’s fawns. Their camouflage spots are beginning to fade.

A young buck wondering what this yellow thing is doing here.

A middle-aged buck having a stroll.

Then there is grandpa. I wonder if we could get him to turn and show us his rack. “Hey, Grandpa.”

Wow. All the previous photos were taken by The Producer. She actually called to the buck, and he stopped and turned. I guess he couldn’t resist a pretty woman.

A whole family taking advantage of the rain refreshed grass. This is the only picture I took on this trip.

Views of the Neighborhood

This is an Axis deer who escaped from an exotic ranch nearby. Originally from southern India, Nepal, and Sri Lanka, the axis deer was introduced to Molokai, Hawaii in the 1860s, Maui years after that, and Texas in 1932, intended as a game animal. Some escaped the ranches like this one. There are over 6000 roaming free in Texas. Photo by the Producer.

I hope you enjoyed our little safari. Feel free to refill those containers with bubbly but remember no drinking and driving. Have a safe and healthy week.

Views of the Neighborhood – Greenbelt

September 13, 2020September 12, 2020 ~ John W. Howell ~ 74 Comments

Today we are going to check out the Greenbelt and see the effects of the recent rainfall. Since we can walk, we’ll leave the bus at home. Here is a margarita in an insulated to-go container. All set? Let’s go.

Views of the Neighborhood

To start, we can see the flowers are in bloom.

Beautiful vinca.

A good sign. The creek is running.

I thought these puffballs looed nice.

Some yellow flowers.

A small view of the falls.

A view of the spillway.

The producer took over and climbed down the rocks to get a better shot.

The rest of the photos are taken by The Producer since the access points are a little too dangerous for a senior citizen.

Great shot of the falls from below.

The Producer’s camera is so much better than mine. That falling water is captured in a standstill view,

Another shot of the falls from the lower level.

On the way back, a lonely heron was doing a little fishing. He wouldn’t come out, so The Producer caught him with a water reflection making him visible.

We found this plant with strange clusters of purple berries.

Another plant with pumpkin-colored trumpets.

Well, that is the tour today. I hope you enjoyed it. Save your container for the next time. Have a great week

Views of the Neighborhood – COVID Accomodation

September 6, 2020September 5, 2020 ~ John W. Howell ~ 83 Comments

With nothing better to report in the neighborhood, I decided to go out and do a personal investigation of how restaurants, stores, and small eating places are handling the COVID situation. This is not a Pulitzer Prize-worthy post, but hey, beats a blank page.

So I got the bus. We have a keg of margaritas, salsa, chips, and a restroom. I think we are good to go. Hop on and keep your social distance.

Views of the Neighborhood

Our first stop is the local food chain. They have curbside down to a science. You order on-line, you arrive, text the number on the sign, your groceries are delivered to your car.

A local pizza restaurant lets you order on-line then call a number when you arrive.

This shop has take out only.

These guys have take out, pick up, and delivery. I could see calling for a couple of cones delivered. Don’t ask the driver how he kept the ice-cream from running down the cone.

Pick up, take away, and delivery here as well.

The ubiquitous SubWay. Take out only.

Views of the neighborhood

Sushi to go.

Here is our vet. Pull in. Call the number, and they come to get your dog or cat or bird or whatever.

Our library has a curbside pick up too.

Here we are at the Papa Murphys. You order online, arrive, call the number, and out comes your ready to bake pizza.

Here is a pet food supplier that offers curbside or delivery. pay no attention to that idiot reflected in the glass. He obviously has a lot to learn about picture taking.

Well, it looks like the shops are doing the best they can during this challenging time. Thanks for going along. We still have some refreshments left, so if you want tho hang out for a while, you are welcome.

Views of the Neighborhood – Potpourri Part Two

August 30, 2020August 29, 2020 ~ John W. Howell ~ 91 Comments

Yes, again this week some random shots that have nothing in common.

Views of the neighborhood

At least I’m not going to ask you to walk around. We will take the Bentley Turbo Convertable dealer loaner for a spin. So grab a water and we’ll be off.

Views of the neighborhood

This is a shot of Lake Travis in a drought condition. The water is usually up to the sand and rocks in the foreground. Rain needed.

Views of the neighborhood

I couldn’t pass up a photo of First World trash. A grill waiting for trash pickup always strikes me as unusual.

Views of the neighborhood

Most will remember the photo of the steel cactus a few weeks back. It looks like the lack of rain got to it too. (I know, weird joke)

Views of the Neighborhood

What better thing to give as a present but a Mercedes Sedan. Personally, I would rather have a Bentley.

I have to explain this one. Those are downspouts and gutters which have been painted and are waiting to be reinstalled. This house used to be an unsightly color of brick and the owners decided to paint it themselves. I’m glad they waited for 100-degree weather to begin the project. I expect to see two heatstroke victims at some time.

This is a very sad photo. This big ole ape is crying out for a new owner. Seems like an ignoble ending for such a giving toy.

Views of the neighborhood

This one I can’t explain. Yes, that is a baby bottle nipple waiting for its owner to claim it. There is a pretty ruffled turkey making sure that whoever claims the nipple is the rightful owner. A few beads are also up for grabs.

Well, that’s it for this week. Thanks for coming along and I guess we learned that this Bentley is not big enough for all of us. Maybe a big yellow bus next time. We can put a jug of margaritas in the back.

Chips and salsa too. Have a great week.

Views of the Neighborhood and a Surprise

August 23, 2020August 23, 2020 ~ John W. Howell ~ 92 Comments

Another slow day in the neighborhood, so I thought I would catch up on my top of the mailbox photo collection. Just as I was finishing up, I came upon a surprise.

Views of the neighborhood

The car in the foreground is a 1954 Cheverlot Bel-Aire. The one with the hood up is a 1967 Pontiac GTO. The green one is a 1956 Plymouth Belvedere. I was on a road with no pull-off and a truck behind me, so this was as good as I could get.

Views of the neighborhood

So, back to the mailbox toppers. Here is an eagle that made me cautious in taking the photo.

The sun makes it hard, but this is a bright metal bowl.

Here is a cute bowl of succulents.

Kind of mid-century modern.

Big ole yellow bowl. The sign says its a wildlife sanctuary. (In the middle of a subdivision? Right. I guess it makes the owner feel better.)

A non-descript rock. Looks almost like sandstone.

Here is that cute raccoon-like figure. I couldn’t resist.

Big gothic bowl. Looks like something used in sacrifice.

Perkey cat. Can’t help but smile.

An urn that looks like a fire should be burning in it.

Little white bird.

This is a pig but hard to tell. You can see I’m coming up on those cars.

I hope you enjoyed the tour. We had some rain today, and I wanted to take a photo of the rain gauge, but Twiggy kicked it over before I got to it.

Views of the Neighborhood – Potpourri

August 16, 2020August 15, 2020 ~ John W. Howell ~ 97 Comments

Since there are no events in Lakeway, finding things to show becomes more difficult over time. Today I thought I would just tale some random photos and label the post potpourri. Seems like an easy way out. Thanks for joining me today.

Views of the Neighborhood