Off Topic: Shoal Creek Fields

Shortly after we first adopted our dog, Mindy, back in 2008, I discovered a very special piece of land near my house. Nearly any time of day, regardless of the weather, you could reliably find people there walking, playing, flying kites, laughing, connecting - and you could also reliably find solitude, too, if that's what you needed.

Mindy and I visited frequently. We made friends there that I still spend time with today. We took lots of photos, including the ones in this post. And together we developed a love for this magical place, a place where wildflowers grew rampant, where there was enough open space to give the wind (and the dogs) room to play.

Eighty acres of undeveloped land in the middle of a city growing as fast as Austin was bound to meet its demise at some point. Over the years, I'd heard rumors that it would be developed "soon," but the rumors never grew legs - until recently. A few months ago, developers' names started to be bandied about, and there was talk of grocery stores and movie theaters and gas stations. Here. On top of this.

And this.

And this.

I'm not naive enough to think that there is anything that can be done to stop the development of my beloved land. But I'm hoping you'll consider supporting a group of people that has formed to ensure that any development that does occur here is done sustainably and preserves as much as possible the soul of this beautiful space.  If you are on Facebook, you can support this group, called the Bull Creek Road Coalition, by "liking" their Facebook page. There will probably be more ways to help later - please watch the Facebook page for updates. We need to protect as much of this...

...as we possibly can.

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Dog Days of Summer

Summer is here. It is HOT. Too hot to be outside in the late afternoon.

But Mindy and I both needed exercise, so I decided to take her to a leash-free park we'd never visited before, right off Far West. It's basically a 1/3-mile (or so) loop around a moderately picturesque, but non-functional (as far as swimming is concerned) body of water that has some purpose related to flood and water quality control. There are several signs around the perimeter asking people not to let their pets swim in the pond.

This is all fine and good in theory, but if you have a pup that loves to cool off in the water and it's 93 degrees out, as it was at the moment, this is basically akin to putting me on a running track that is built around a cupcake shop and telling me, "NO!" every time I start jogging toward the door. I managed to keep Mindy out of the main body of water, but I finally relented and let her cool her paws in about 1/8" of water that was running across a paved area. I looked away for just a minute, then I heard a "ploop, ploop, ploop" that sounded distinctly like it was much more than 1/8" of water. Mindy was nowhere to be seen.

I jogged down to where she had disappeared, and some movement caught my eye. I parted some really tall reeds not far from the pathway, and saw this:

Somebody explain to me why this dog hates getting a bath?

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Spring has Sprung!

Oh, it's that lovely, lovely time of year again in Austin, that delightful - but far too short-lived - season we call spring.

I took advantage of the wonderful weather on Sunday by...staying inside and doing my taxes. Sigh. Being an adult kind of stinks sometimes. But we did sneak out for a short break and visited our favorite Dog Park.

We saw tons of familiar faces, both furry and human, and throughly enjoyed our three loops around the park. The bluebonnets and other wildflowers are out in full force - if you're looking for a spot for the obligatory spring bluebonnet photos, this is your place. Here are a few of mine:

OK, not a bluebonnet, but very pretty! I actually don't know what this is - does anyone else?


Everything's better with bluebonnet on it (yeah...slogans have a way of sticking in my head. Forever.)




Kodak (TM) Picture Spot.


Mindy absolutely refuses to look at the camera for photos.
She'll sit obediently, then nonchalantly look the other way every. single. time.


More camera avoidance.


I'm done sitting now, Mom! Let's go plaaaaaaay!

Hope everyone else is enjoying this fantastic weather!

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Dog Parkin' (and Mystery Dessert)

Mindy and I just got back from a lovely fall run out at our favorite dog park. We haven't been to the dog park in months - in part because Mindy, being her usual exuberant self, accidentally knocked somebody over out there when she was running around like a crazy-dog and it kind of freaked me out. Also, I took up swimming this summer, which usually had to take place during prime Dog Park hours. However, now that it's cooling down outside and we can finally venture out and run without feeling like we're going to suffocate, I think it may be time to start going back. I'd forgotten how much I love this space, a relatively peaceful retreat right in the heart of the city. And, of course, Mindy loves it, too.

You coming, Mom?

The real reason I'm blogging, though (because I'm instead supposed to be getting ready for a wedding), is because I had this fabulous dessert last night and I really, really, really want to know what it was. The nanny of some friends made it, and all I know is that it's supposedly South African and the main flavors are chocolate, mint, and coconut. It's got a pudding-like texture and, for reasons I can't for the life of me figure out, is predominantly orange. And it has a cookie-like crust that is bright white. Anyone have ANY idea what this is or how to make it? My friend was going to ask her nanny for the recipe, but I'm not sure whether she's going to be able to get it.

Anyone?


Oh, sweet mystery.

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