One must maintain a little bit of summer, even in the winter. (Henry David Thoreau)
A Little Bit of Summer
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Category Archives: Nature
Supermoon over Austin
Clear skies over Austin made for perfect viewing of last evening’s supermoon. This third and final supermoon for 2014 was also considered a harvest moon since it was the full moon closest to the fall equinox. Autumn hasn’t really made it to Central Texas yet, but the forecasters say we will have a hint of cooler weather soon.
It’s My Park Day: 2014
The non-profit Austin Parks Foundation sponsors It’s My Park Day as a spring clean-up day for our city parks. This year I volunteered at Republic Square Park, home to the Downtown Farmers Market and Movies in the Park.
Wooldridge Square
Earlier this month, Austinites celebrated the reopening of Wooldridge Square Park on Guadalupe between 9th and 10th Streets. This one-acre block is one of the four public squares from the original city master plan. The park was named for Alexander P. Wooldridge who was Austin’s mayor from 1909 to 1919 and lived on the north side of the block. The park had been closed for the past year for restoration work to update the irrigation system and replace the sod.
Waller Creek Boathouse
The Waller Creek Boathouse recently opened at the end of Trinity Street, just east of the Congress Avenue Bridge. This new two-story facility on Lady Bird Lake is part of an overall Waller Creek redevelopment plan extending south from Waterloo Park down to the lake. The shorefront land has been re-landscaped and new docks have been installed.
The boathouse is owned by the City of Austin Parks and Recreation Department and managed by the non-profit Austin Rowing Club. ARC offers amateur and competitive rowing for juniors and adults and hosts several regattas including the upcoming Head of the Colorado (October 27, 2012) and Heart of Texas Regatta (March 2-3, 2013).
A friendly ARC member showed me around the upstairs floor, which has a reception desk, offices, and a large room for indoor ergometer rowing classes. She said that soon a small cafe will be installed and the back overhang will be extended to fully shade the upstairs deck.
Sculls and equipment are stored downstairs. One bay houses Congress Avenue Kayaks, which has kayaks for rent and offers “Learn at Eleven” classes every morning for beginning kayakers. Future plans include bike and stand-up paddle rentals.
One Tough Cricket
A cricket has been living on our balcony for the past two weeks.
Austin typically has an abundance of crickets around now, but this year we are experiencing a little cricket plague due to a warm winter followed by a warm spring. As locals all know, crickets especially like to hang out by grocery store entrances after dark.
But this particular one has chosen our balcony as his home.
This is pretty amazing since we live on the 20th floor, although I’ve heard that crickets have even been seen on the 36th floor penthouse balconies. One evening Bill and I watched as a cricket climbed up the side of our brick building, completing one floor in less than a minute. So 36 floors might not take too long for a very determined, in-shape cricket.
I’m also amazed that our little friend has lived so long. Somehow he has managed to avoid being eaten by the bat colony living under the Congress Avenue Bridge. He hasn’t starved to death either. I hear him out there at various times during the day so he doesn’t seem to be traveling down to the ground to get food. But I don’t really know how he spends his free time.
Bring on the Rain
A line of thunderstorms approached downtown Austin about 6:30 PM this evening. Bill and I watched as the dark clouds headed our way from the northwest suburbs.
Heavy rain mixed with some hail hit the downtown area for about an hour. Bill and I just sat on our couch and watched. Some of the lightning strikes were close by: I saw one bolt hit the top of the Austin American-Statesman building and another one strike the field at Auditorium Shores.
By 8 PM the storm had moved south of downtown and we even saw a bit of a sunset. Temperatures had dropped from 93 to 73 during just one hour (brrrr!). That storm probably brought an inch or two of much-needed rain to central Texas and more precipitation is forecast for the coming days…
Zilker Botanical Gardens
Zilker Botantical Gardens are located on 31 acres in the northwest corner of Zilker Park. Back in 1962, Austin City Council reserved this area just south of Lady Bird Lake at the request of local garden clubs. A unique partnership was formed which is still in effect: the city owns and maintains the property while the Austin Area Garden Council, representing 31 local garden clubs, provides educational programs and assists with planning and maintenance.
The main Garden Center building was completed in 1964 and contains meeting rooms, restrooms, and a small gift shop. Garden clubs sponsor lectures and plant shows or sales. Rooms can also be rented for receptions or parties.
In the late 1960s, the Japanese Garden was designed and built by Isamu Taniguchi who was 70 years old when he took on this project. Water trickles down the hillside in little streams and collects in koi-filled ponds which spell the word “Austin”…but that’s something you wouldn’t notice unless you knew to look. Mr. Taniguchi saved the cedar tree trunks from the site to build the Bridge to Walk Over the Moon.
Dinosaur tracks and the skeleton of an ancient turtle were found in the northwest corner of the gardens in 1992. This discovery led to the creation of the Hartman Prehistoric Garden. A large bronze dinosaur statue of an Ornithomimus guards the island here.
If you look very carefully, you might still see turtle tracks over near the waterfall.
The expansive Rose Garden is a popular spot for wedding pictures and ceremonies. The rose bushes are labeled and the garden is designed so that it’s easy to walk between the raised beds.
Zilker Botanical Gardens contains some interesting historical features. The Butler keyhole window in the Rose Garden came from the 1887 home of local brick manufacturer Michael Butler. This structure is a popular backdrop for wedding, prom, and quinceanera pictures.
A metal footbridge connects the Japanese Garden and the Rose Garden. This is one of original bridges which crossed over drainage ditches on Congress Avenue in the late 1800s.
Wandering around the Zilker Botanical Gardens is a delightful way to spend an hour or two. Even at the height of last year’s drought, the gardens felt cool and refreshing. In any season, there’s nothing like time spent in a peaceful, fragrant garden to refresh the soul.
Back Home Again
I am glad to be back home in Austin. I was away over spring break, visiting family and friends. Yes, I missed SXSW last week. Bill stayed in town for SXSW Music and Film. You can read his movie reviews at billandbillmovies.com.
When I arrived earlier today, the Austin airport was crowded with musicians and tourists waiting to catch flights out of town. Everyone seemed to be playing or carrying guitars. Carolyn Wonderland and her band were performing on the terminal’s upstairs stage…one last Austin music memory for some, but more like a “Welcome Home” sign for me.
This afternoon I happily resumed my daily jaunts around Lady Bird Lake. I see that the city still has cleanup work to complete from SXSW. Fences are still up from the concerts at Auditorium Shores and litter needs to be fished out of the lake.
Spring came to Central Texas during my absence. The trees were bare when I left but most have sprouted shiny green leaves now. Bluebonnets are in full bloom along the Hike and Bike Trail.
Temperatures are warmer now and I can tell that Austin had more rain last week. Children are once again playing in the fountain over at Butler Park. Hopefully the other downtown fountains will be turned on too, now that our drought restrictions are easing.
More rain is predicted for tonight and tomorrow as a cold front approaches our area. But, hey, it’s good to be back home again!
It’s My Park Day: 2012
Each year Austin Parks Foundation sponsors It’s My Park Day at city parks and public lands. In 2011, over 2,000 volunteers participated in 72 projects all around the city.
This year I joined about 25 other volunteers at Auditorium Shores on the south side of Lady Bird Lake. Our leader Bill Fraser explained that he has been this park’s “adopter” for the last several years and works closely with city officials on maintenance projects and future plans for the large expanse of land.
After gathering for a group photo, the volunteers split into smaller work crews. With assistance from city workers and a backhoe loader, several crews fortified the shoreline with rocks and gravel to prevent erosion.
My crew was assigned to spread fine gravel to level out an eroded section of the leash-free area. Our crew shoveled the gravel into wheelbarrows, dumped it along the shore, and then raked and packed it down so the gravel wouldn’t slide into the water. We were very grateful when a muscular guy (who was finishing his morning run) offered to handle the wheelbarrows for us.
Our work was completed in about 90 minutes and soon dogs were once again frolicking along that section of the lake.
The weather and scenery were beautiful and I enjoyed talking about Austin with my crew members. But I must admit that I was a little jealous of another crew’s assignment: to pressure wash and scrub the famous statue of Stevie Ray Vaughn.
