with John W. Howell
“Wow. That sun feels good on the face, Twiggy.”
“Tell me about it. We haven’t laid out for quite a while.”
“Why don’t we do this more often?”
“You tell me. I don’t know why.”
“Being inside on a day like this is a crime.”
“Well, all we have to do is get Mom or Dad to open the door, and we could do this all the time.”
“I wonder why we can’t open our own doors?”
“We have no thumbs, remember. Besides, the knob is way up in the air.”
“What about a doggie door. You know, I’ve seen them on Instagram.”
“Problem is, all kinds of critters could come in there, too.”
“Oh yeah. I could just see that smart-assed squirrel helping himself to one of our beds.”
“Not to mention that skunk who wanders by now and then.”
“Yeah. In fact, he came by last night. I can still detect his essence.”
“Can you imagine meeting him at breakfast and having a disagreement. No thanks.”
“Great point. I’ll bet Mom would love having a skunk eruption in the house.”
“I think we’d better lose the idea of a doggie door.”
“Oh, hi, Dad.”
“What are you two talking about?”
“Oh, we were just weighing the pros and cons of a doggie door.”
“What? My doorman role is not up to par?”
“It’s not that. We just wanted the freedom to come and go.”
“Believe me, if you had a doggie door, you would miss the pleasure of seeing your Mom and me waiting on you two.”
“You are right. Forget the idea.”
“Done.”
Today is an in-between kind of day. The Holidays are past, and the New Year is in front of us. It is a good time to take a look at the deciduous trees that have finally turned here in Texas. It is also a good time to check in with the volunteers who are busy restocking the seed library. We are catered by Comedor of Austin, and our entertainment is Elsie Duckworth
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Today, we are going to the Lakeway Activity Center to view some of the seasonal storyboards. There is a series of boards along the outdoor path of the activity center. Each board tells a story. Since there are 28 boards, there is not enough room for them all here. I’ve picked a representative sample. We are catered by Ezov Middle Eastern restaurant. Our entertainment is Human Nature,
Menu
Falafel Scotch Eggs – tahini, amba, green schug
Hummus & Pita – tahini, warm chickpeas, za’atar
Crispy Sweet Potatoes – tahini, date molasses, mint
Pan-fried Halloumi – Texas figs, spiced saffron honey, arugula
Traditional Latke -spiced apple compote, embered labne
Jerusalem Bagel – za’atar cream cheese, smoked snapper
Khachapuri – ackawi cheese, egg, lots of herbs
Loaded Latke – fried eggs, ackawi cheese, beef bacon, chives
Sabich Benedict – crispy eggplant, poached eggs, amba hollandaise
Green Shakshuka – frecini, leeks, fennel, poached eggs
Toasted Chicken Schnitzel Sandwich – Challah, Pickled Lemon Aioli, cabbage salad
Steak Shish & Eggs – wagyu beef skewer, two eggs over easy, fried potatoes
The bus is ready. Let’s go
The first board.
History of the tree
Hanukkah.
Holiday lights
Christmas cards
Spirit of giving
Small gift history
The food (of course)
Santa around the world.
The holiday plants.
And the baking.
The beginning of the trail at night.
It is time for food and entertainment now. I hope you have a very Happy Holiday.
&nb
Today, we are going to the lighting ceremony for the Lakeway Walk of Lights sponsored by the Lakeway Parks and Recreation Department. We are catered by Barley Swine of Austin. Our entertainment is Andrea Bocelli.
S’mores fixen’s
Wood fire for s’mores.
The bookmobile.
Craigo’s pizza.
Big screen cartoons.
Ninja Warrior Challenge.
Cookie decoration.
Yup, that says it all.
Hot chocolate and water.
A special place to write and send letters to Santa.
The donut man.
The switch is used to turn on the lights.
Nice crowd.
The Grinch.
Mayor Tom Gilmore starts the countdown to ignition.
Santa and Mrs. Claus head for the switch.
The lights are on.
Here is a preview. More to come.
Time now for food and music. I hope you have a great week.
&
Yes, another miscellaneous view of the neighborhood. Today, we are going to see which holiday decorations are going up after Thanksgiving. They are still few and far between, but there are some. We are catered by the Launderette of Austin. Our Entertainment is Katrina and the Waves.
Menu
TEXAS REDFISH – Old Bay beurre blanc, broccolini, trout roe, crispy garlic
PLANCHA BURGER – American cheese, special sauce, pickles, challah
BRICK CHICKEN – aligot, braised greens
FLAT IRON STEAK – Texas wagyu, eggplant raita, tarka oil, kachumber salad
STICKY PORK RIBS – hoisin glaze, gochugaru, kimchi jeow som, scallion
WHOLE BRANZINO – sliced almond, preserved lemon, herbs
The bus is ready.
Tempeste and The Producer came across these vine snapdragons while walking in the park.
The Axis deer makes an appearance. It is rumored that he is an escapee from a big game farm.
It seems the doe is taken with the Axis deer, but her boyfriend is not so enamored.
A potpourri post is not complete without some trash. Looks like the chase lounge has had it.
Here is a happy holiday pair.
The spirit of the season.
Of course, the Halloween house is making a transition.
These hologram-looking decorations are always interesting to see.
Since these guys went up after Halloween, I don’t think this is a transition.
This mailbox topper is in direct line with a rotating decoration closer to the house. Had to include it.
This doe seems to be asking, “Who the heck are those guys?” Or maybe trying to warn of an apocalyptic deer invasion
The Producer’s begonia.
The Producer’s Bougainvillea and herbs.
Time now for good food and music. I hope you have a wonderful week.
Today we have nothing specific to look at so we will cruise the neighborhood to see what is going on. Hopefully we can catch sight of Thanksgiving decorations. We are catered by Joe’s Bakery of Austin. Our entertainment is Keith Urban
Menu
JOEY ROCHA PLATE – Two eggs any style with side of pork carne guisada, potatoes, beans, sausage or bacon, & two tortiilas
BARBACOA PLATE – Two eggs any style with side of barbacoa, beans, potatoes, & two tortillas
15.25
PORK CHOP PLATE – Two eggs* any style with 4 oz. breaded pork chop, side of beans, potatoes, & two tortillas
MIGA CON TODO PLATE – Two scrambled eggs with corn chips, onions, tomatoes, & jalapenos topped
with cheese, side of beans, & two tortillas
MIGA PLATE – Two scrambled eggs with corn chips & topped with cheese, side of beans, & two tortillas
CHICHARRONE PLATE – Two eggs any style with side of fried pork skins cooked in salsa, side of beans, potatoes, & two tortillas
HUEVOS RANCHEROS PLATe – Two eggs any style with ranchero sauce, side of beans, potatoes, bacon or sausage, & two tortillas
HUEVOS A LA MEXICANA – PLATE – Two scrambled eggs mixed with tomato, onions, & jalapenos, side of beans, bacon, &
two tortillas
The bus is ready
There is a cute mailbox topper. Margaritaville truck.
How about a flying pig that is tied down. (go figure)
Aw Mom and fawn ready for the holidays.
There it is. A Thanksgiving decoration.
Santa, Mickey, and Snoopy after the office party.
A herd of Raideer outside the Activity Center.
Preparations underway for the walk of lights in December.
A buck wondering about the idiot with a camera.
The Producer’s Hibiscus.
Hard to explain. Looks like a post apocalyptic fraternity party.
Let’s finish with a Turkey blow-up.
Time now for music and food. I hope you have a lovely week.
The bus is ready.
Here is the entrance.
We have to walk through a relaxing area of the Activity Center.
Along the building.
Through another gate, and here we are. The dedication.
A welcoming water feature.
The play structure.
An example of the many games available. There is a crank that activates the game.
Climb the little hill and go through the log. Those mushrooms in the background provide sound when struck with a mallet.
Modern-day teeter-totter.
Wind chimes provide a relaxing background.
The Producer was brave enough to climb to the top of the play structure.
Here is a view from up there. Swings, the fountain, and those snake-looking things are more instruments.
The aerial view of the log, mushrooms, and teeter-totter. The flower on the left can be played as well.
On the other side of the fountain is a tortoise sculpture.
As we leave, we see a little more information about the play scape.
Now is the time to relax with the food and music. I hope you have a beautiful week.
We are returning to Lakeway City Hall to view the remainder of artist Adriana Peña’s collection, which is on display there. If you missed last week HERE is a link. We are catered by La Calamar of Austin. Our entertainment is Coldplay.
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