Movie time in the cemetery

Spotted on our walk through the neighborhood - movie trucks and filming in progress in Oakwood Cemetery.

Our neighbor mentioned the name "Channing Tatum," but I didn't fall for it. Boy, will I feel like schmuck if Channing Tatum was in there, and I didn't even look!

Long Center arch

Lucha libre lunch

Faster Pussycat

Bathroom vintage.

Hut's

Hut's has been serving up our favorite hamburgers since 1969. There are more high-falutin' places in Austin, selling burgers with more exotic ingredients and higher price tags, but for us, there's no place we'd rather grab a grilled one. Add some fries with chipotle mayo and a strawberry shake, and you've found heaven.

Homeless Tree of Remembrance

Palmer reflecting pond

The view of the downtown skyline from the Palmer Events Center reflecting pond.

Swede Hill Wildflower Garden

Globe

Or maybe it's just circles. What do you see?

Kruger's

Kruger's Jewelers is a mainstay of downtown Austin. It's been in its store at 8th and Congress since 1939 and is still going strong.

Leaning

One of the last remaining houses (not a house turned bar) on Rainey Street.

CD Jukebox

There are still some around if you know where to look. This one lurks in the dark of the second floor at Casino El Camino.

Owens Garage

Owens Garage was built by Murray Owens in 1926 in East Austin. Owens operated the garage until 1991. The building was redeveloped in 2013 into a creative space, but the designers kept its original sign. The day we walked by, the new owners were outside and they let us peek inside that orange door to check out a huge black-and-white photo of the garage taken in the 1930s, with cars lined up waiting for service from mechanics clean, white jumpsuits (bet they didn't stay white for long).

Four leaf clovers

Los Loney Harley

We went to see Los Lonely Boys last night at The Roost. We had parked behind the club, and as we were going in, we realized that the members of the band were hanging out in the alley. Apparently, someone else - a biker - must have seen them there too as he was parking his Harley, because when we came out, we noticed this cool little feature on his bike. The band had signed it!

Rocket ship

Heaven is a place on Earth

Barton Springs - east of the pool.

Angelina Eberly

The statue of Angelina Eberly on Congress Ave. From Wikipedia:

Angelina Belle Peyton Eberly (July 2, 1798 – August 15, 1860) was an innkeeper and a hero of Austin, Texas in the Texas Archive War.

In 1836 she met and married Captain Jacob Eberly, a widower. They lived briefly in Bastrop, Texas and moved to Austin in 1839, opening the Eberly House. ... Jacob Eberly died in 1841. ...

In December 1842, Sam Houston ordered the secret removal of the archives of the Republic to safekeeping in Washington-on-the-Brazos. Mrs. Eberly, realizing that the symbols of national government were being removed from the city, fired a six-pound cannon into the General Land Office Building, arousing the town to what they considered theft. The ensuing conflict became known as the Archive War, which was won by the Austinites, preserving Austin as capital of Texas and keeper of the archives.

A statue of Angelina Eberly, created by Pat Oliphant, stands near the place where Eberly helped preserve Austin as Texas' capital city.

Running man

Sculpture from the old Runtex. He's all fenced in now.

Hopefully whoever bought it intends to do something with it someday other than just leaving it at the back of a lonely lot.

Kinetic Sculpture

Kinetic Sculpture at the Mueller HEB. The top portion rotates in different directions with the wind. The sculptor, Jim Lapaso, has created several pieces throughout the city, and each one is mesmerizing to watch.

Free concert at the UT Tower

Spider

Congress Ave. guitar

Mosaic planter

Mueller tower

This is the air traffic control tower from the old Mueller Airport. When I first came to Austin, that was the commercial airport for the city, so I did many drop-offs and pick-ups at that airport. That was back when you could wait at the gate, too, so I remember seeing friends off as they disappeared down the gangway to board their plane, and then watching the plane as it took off. People can't have that experience anymore. It's kind of sad.  

Mueller closed in 1999, when Austin Bergstrom International Airport (ABIA) opened. Bergstrom used to be an air force base. The base was closed in 1993, and the property was redeveloped into the ABIA. The Mueller property was sold to a developer and is in the process of being developed into a residential community, but they kept the old control tower as an homage to the area's history.

Nature's Rorschach test

I see a moose face. What do you see?

Bears

Spotted at the NCAA Swimming and Diving National Championships: bears.

Discussing things.

Cheering.

These vicious carnivores were actually fans for the University of California (the Golden Bears). There were about 15 guys who bought these costumes and wore them to the meet. They are pretty much the most awesome fan costumes I've ever seen anyone wear to a sporting event - and I've been to a lot of sporting events.

I received reports later that the guys wore the costumes down to 6th Street. I would like to have followed them around just to see the looks on people's faces.

8th Street Mural Project

Tulips

(Guest photographer: Johnny Austin)

Ninja Style

Butterflies

Cornice

Lemens Finance Building

The Lemens Finance Building has a couple of stories. First is the story of why the building is still here. In the 1980s, a developer tried to buy the building so he could build yet another bland skyscraper. The owner refused to sell, so they built the behemoth around it. Some thirty years later, it remains - a stalwart reminder of old Austin in the midst of marching development.

The other story is that the building was part of MTVs first attempt at a prime-time situation comedy in 1997. The series was called "Austin Stories," and one of the characters was a columnist at a weekly newspaper (like the Austin Chronicle). The Lemens Bldg. was used as the front for the fictional newspaper.

The city keeps growing.

Spring is here.

Pedicab accordionist

So many questions. When does he play it? Surely, he doesn't try to play and drive/ride at the same time, right? Does he play it at stoplights? Does he use it to draw in customers, like an Italian Pied Piper? How heavy is it? What does he play? Just...why?