Well, today, gang, we will go out into the Lakeway neighborhood to see if there are any new and different mailbox toppers. It has been over a year since we checked them out, so it is about time. We are being catered by Café No Sé in Austin. Since I still have not figured out how to post a YouTube video in the Classic editor mode of WP, our entertainment will be all of us humming Bohemian Rhapsody in five-part harmony. No, I’m not going to Block.

Menu

avocado toast

soft boiled egg, crème fraîche, arugula, aleppo carrots

smoked salmon bagel

salmon, hard-boiled egg, pickled onion, tomato, caper scallion cream cheese, everything bagel

lemon-ricotta hotcakes

apple-thyme chutney, pecan butter, maple syrup

café scramble

roasted wild mushrooms, Fresno pepper, spinach, fresh ricotta, sourdough toast

sweet potato hash

two sunny eggs, crispy pork belly, kimchi, mustard greens, jalapeño, kale

cowboy breakfast

two sunny eggs, bacon, confit pork, borracho beans, tomato, roasted jalapeño, cilantro butter

So what are we waiting for? Let’s go.

Our first is this cute smiling snail. Lots of color.

I thought this blue bowl was attractive. The sun was in the wrong place for this photo.

A colorful turtle who is not too pleased to have his photo taken.

Totally realistic-looking tortoise.

A casual frog who looks like he made friends with a tagger.

This colorful plant and blue bowl made a nice combo.

I thought a lamp with a topiary inside was a bit unusual.

A rusty bird. You have to zoom in to see the three feathers on the left side of his head. His beak is on the right.

I call this the Wimbelton frog. He’s making a fist as if he just got a match point.

A comfy bunny.

Old world pot with daisy.

Loving frogs with umbrella. Looks like the rain has stopped.

Little tiny bird with a chick.

Today we are going out to view some of the lawn ornamentation that is around Lakeway. Yes, we have brunch catered by Bangers in Auston. Also, if you want, you can view a video on how they make their sausage. There is a link below. Today’s entertainment will be me playing the wax paper comb since I can’t get YouTube videos to play.

Menu

House-Made Montreal style Bagel 

House-made Plain or Sesame seed Bagel. Served w/ cream cheese & house-made jam.

Avocado Toast

Grilled peasant bread topped w/ fresh avocado, roasted tomatoes, sunflower sprouts & a hard-boiled egg

The Corned Beef Hash Sausage Sandwich 

House-cured 6 day corned beef ground w/ potatoes. Stuffed it into a beef middle & smoked for 8 hours. Sliced, seared & put on a Martin’s potato roll. Topped w/ an egg, American cheese, sauerkraut & Russian dressing. Served w/ a side of spicy shoestring potatoes.

Want to see how it’s made?

Banger’s Bennie 

English muffin topped w/ braised pork belly, poached eggs, hollandaise sauce & spicy shoestring potatoes. Vegetarian upon request

Super Deluxe Breakfast 

Two over-easy eggs, house-cured bacon, miso & cola smoked beans, toast & house-made seasonal jam

So let’s get on the bus and go.

Our first stop is a couple of mariachis musicians.

Next is the sign advising of the fawns in the area. It is accompanied by a very strange lawn ornament. It looks like a weight that could be used in the water to anchor a buoy.

Here’s the place to visit to raise your spirits with sign sayings, a flag, and some kind of monster on the front porch.

A nice windmill to test the theory of perpetual motion.

A pot, a rocker, and a frog. It might be a good prompt sometime.

A galvanized woodpecker.

A blue bunny and some salvia.

Two more bunnies, salvia, vinca, and agapanthus.

Hanging baskets, wind chimes, bird feeder, rain chain, and gnomes house.

Birdbath, pink bunny, gold bunny (on the rock), vinca, and sea glass.

Solid steel birds of paradise.

What looks like a Halloween decoration is actually a football throwing target.

The motherhouse of all lawn ornamentation. Mushrooms to the left. All kinds of things to the right.

The best lawn ornaments of all. Twins waiting for their mom to come back.

I hope you enjoyed the tour and will have a super week.

As you can see form the headline we are going out to find stucco houses. You may ask the question, “What’s so special about stucco houses?” The answer is     Stucco houses are very much in the minority here in central Texas. Most of the homes are built of brick and stone. The style is most commonly called Hill Country Architecture. Stucco houses on the other hand come in many styles, so today we are going to have a look at a few. Of course, will need to have brunch which will be catered from Forthright Cafe in Austin. Our entertainment is Bette Midler.

Menu

AMERICAN BREAKFAST
two fried eggs, sourdough toast with jam, hash-browns & choice of bacon or sausage
BREAKFAST SANDWICH scrambled eggs, cheddar, ham, sriracha aioli
served on brioche Texas toast
sub gluten-free toast
PORK BELLY CHILAQUILES  corn tortillas tossed in salsa Roja, two sunny eggs, crispy
pork belly, pickled onion, queso cotija
7-DAY PASTRAMI REUBEN SANDWICH JNL Barbecue smoked pastrami, caraway sauerkraut, gruyere cheese & Russian dressing served on marbled rye with a side of fries
add fried egg
CHICKEN & WAFFLES boneless fried chicken thigh, maple bourbon butter,
pecans, maple syrup & powdered sugar
PASTRAMI HASH shredded pastrami, potatoes, onions, peppers with
sunny side up eggs, queso & salsa doña
FORTHRIGHT BENEDICT pork belly, poached eggs with cherry tomato confit,
arugula and hollandaise served on English muffins
BRUNCH BURGER double 3oz patties, fried egg, bacon, American cheese,
caramelized onion, hash-brown, pickles & hollandaise
on challah bun

Top Shelf drinks from the bar

So let’s get going.

This first house is one The Producer would love to have. It is run down a little but looks like it has great bones. All stucco Hacienda style.

This house we have seen before. I decided to include it as an example of Modern style with stucco and stone. Also, the paint color is always a hoot.

Another Hacienda style.

This one is interesting and it can be a “your guess” as to style for this all stucco home.

Hacienda style again with modern touches.

A classic Hacienda style.

I couldn’t help myself on this one. No stucco, no stone, and quite unusual. This house is being renovated. Notice the LED lights. We wonder about the color choices. The two bump-outs are just sides and not painted yet. We are betting they are going with the gutter color.

A classic Hacienda style.

An example of the Italian Renaissance Revival.

Contemporary style

Mediterranean style with large Magnolia in front.

Hacienda style.

Hacienda compound.

Contemporary style.

Mid Century Modern.

Well, that completes the tour. Have some food and listen to the music. I hope you have a great week.

Don’t you find it hard to resist going into a new house to have a look around? Sometimes you want to look but don’t want to get caught. Well, today, you can look all you want and have no fear. No one is going to catch you. So, yup, our trip today is to a new house in the neighborhood, and we are going to have a look. Many thanks to The Producer for the idea. She saved my bacon again.

We are being catered today by The Magnolia in Austin. Our entertainment is Orleans.

Menu

The Economical
Two eggs* any style and Two Breakfast Sides (Home Fries, Black Beans, Fruit, Toast, English Muffin)
Bacon Sausage Ham

Love Migas
Eggs or tofu scrambled in spicy LOVE butter (fresh garlic and serrano) with tomato, onion, bell pepper, tortilla chips, and jack cheese. Served with black beans and choice of flour or corn tortillas.

Chicken and the Egg
A cornmeal jalapeno pancake topped with ancho chicken, mixed cheddar/jack cheese, and two eggs over medium. Served with black beans, avocado, pico de gallo, sour cream, and lettuce on the side.

Huevos Rancheros
A grilled corn tortilla topped with two eggs, Arbol sauce, and mixed cheddar/jack cheese. Served with rice, beans, and tortillas on the side.

Eggs Zapatino
Scrambled eggs on a toasted English muffin, smothered in our legendary queso. Served with home fries.
Bacon Sausage Ham Avocado

Eggscape
Two eggs* over medium served on a mini-mountain of seasoned home fries and sausage, topped with cheddar/jack cheese.
Toast or English Muffin 2.00

Order from the top shelf bar selection

Hop on the bus, and let’s go.

The first photo takes us back in time to 2019. The lot is for sale.

The next photo moves us up a bit. Although a little difficult to see, this is an aerial shot of the lot and the foundation. The house is situated to the rear of the lot (Left-hand side of the photo). Does anyone know how to land this thing?

Here we are at the new build. The first thing to notice is it is a flat-roofed house. Also, I have to confess I don’t have any specifications on the house so I can’t give you square feet, numbers of bedrooms and baths.

The entrance is going to be pretty impressive. We have a close-up photo below of the right side.

A three-car garage.

Looking back toward the street. Those rocks will be put to good use.

Here is a view of the part of the air handling system. I also think there is going to be a fireplace. This photo is at the entrance on the right side.

This is the view from the main floor. The house has two floors. This one could be called the ground floor.

A little confusing, but this is a shot of the kitchen island. That whole section will be the kitchen. To the left are a pantry and a laundry room. That view of the lake is to the right of the photo.

The same view but gives you an idea of where the kitchen is in relation to the entrance.

We are now in the lower level, looking toward the lake from the primary bedroom.

The primary bedroom looking from the walk-in closet through the bathroom. The bath has a walk-in shower plus a soaking tub.

This is the swimming pool on the lower level. It will be connected to the house.

Another bedroom on the lower level. Someone left a window open in the recent rain.

Last photo on the lower level. Here is the main double vanity sink layout. The walk-in closet is to the left. There is also a large area that looks like it will be a family room on the lower level. The photo I took did not come out for some reason. Oh well, maybe we’ll come back when the house is nearer to being complete.

A closer look at the laundry room. You can see the water and dryer vent roughed in.

A last look out toward the lake. The kitchen is on the left. There is another bedroom on the right of the photo.

Well, that’s our look around. I hope you liked it. Now sit back and enjoy the music. I hope you all have a great week.

Here is the schedule of events for the Fourth. Today we will be going to the parade. Since the City of Lakeway is buying hot dogs, chips, and drinks, we won’t need to cater for this event. Also, there are a few bands in the parade, so we won’t need outside entertainment. The parade is going right by us too, so we won’t even need the bus. How easy is that? One disclaimer. There were so many entrants in the parade I had to make judgment calls on who to include. I hope you enjoy it, and Happy Birthday to The United States of America.

The first responders presented the colors.

Reserve military band

World War Two Veteran recognition. A replica of the monument in the Freedom Park

Cheerleaders

The bookmobile.

Rolls Royce

Native American recognition.

The drumline.

Lake Travis Mountain Bike Team.

The cub scout float.

A flyover by some local pilots and being joined by a jealous bird.

I can’t even tell you why dinosaurs were in the parade.

Here are the hot dogs getting grilled.

Here is where we can sit down to eat the hot dogs. So make yourself comfortable, and I hope you have a fun holiday.

Today we are going to go out and search for color. Because of the deer population here in Lakeway, blooms are very near and dear to our hearts. Most do not survive the deer munchies. Finding color then is serious business. Lucky for us, we do have Crape Myrtles, which add substantially to the visual scene.

Today we are being catered by Provision in Austin. Our entertainment has had some trouble getting here so let’s hope for next week.

Brunch menu

No way you have room for dessert

We are serving Quivira sauvignon blanc for the white and La Spinetta Il Nero di Casanova sangiovese for the red. Of course, you can also order top shelf cocktails.

Hop on the bus, and let’s get going. There will be a quiz at the end of the tour.

Flamingos, a ray of sun, and white crepe myrtle.

Here is a red crepe myrtle just beginning to bloom.

A beautiful white crepe myrtle.

Some wildflowers at the side of the road.

Pride of Barbados in bloom.

That is the tour.

The Lakeway Parks and Recreation people have set up a great summer program called Rhythm and Reels. For the next three Fridays, starting at 7 PM, there will be food, treats, and games for the community’s enjoyment. Corn Hole, Giant Jenga, Spike Ball, Can Jam, Ladder Ball, and much more. Residents are encouraged to bring lawn chairs and picnic blankets and pick a spot to lounge. Then enjoy the games. There will be burgers, fries, and ice cream too. In addition, a full feature film will be shown starting at 8:30. What is nice we are all invited too. Even though the event was held on Friday, the staff agreed it would be okay for all of us to visit using the time warp feature of the bus.

The event features food from P. Terry’s of Austin. We have burgers and fries on the menu.

Dessert from IceCream2U

Our entertainment will be The Lost Pines. Austin’s premier bluegrass and classic country band who joins us as a trio.

The movie is The Sandlot. In the summer of 1962, a new kid in town is taken under the wing of a young baseball prodigy and his rowdy team.

So let’s get on the bus and take a time warp back to last Friday.

The event announced downtown Lakeway.

There’s the food truck. Place your order

The bandstand and screen for the movie.

My kind of pop-up Persian rugs and all.

Safe lawn darts.

A field of corn hole games.

Kan Jam disk for a Kan Jam game.

Giant Jenga for the steady hands.

Spoon and egg game.

Ice cream would go well with the 92-degree heat.

A big ole bounce house and the drink station.

It looks like the trio is tuning up to play, so we better grab our lawn chairs and settle back for a night of entertainment. Enjoy the food, music, and movie. I hope you all have a terrific week.

A video of the full band playing their original Maybalee.