Last week we closed on our northwest Austin house, so now we are actually spending time in downtown Austin. The weather has been lovely with cool mornings and warmer afternoons. Bill and I have been taking advantage of this perfect weather to walk / run on the hike-and-bike trail around Lady Bird Lake. We are noticing some “regulars” on the trail now…and soon other people may be saying the same about us!

More birds are floating on the lake this week. I assume these are ducks migrating south for the winter. I’ve spotted white cranes and even a few swans. I am curious to see if more birds arrive in the coming weeks, and if they stay here for the winter or continue south. The flocks of birds seem to be able to avoid getting hit by the many crew teans that are still practicing. Some of these teams are already on the lake before sunrise…brrrrrr!

Since I was working from home (aka “The Apartment”) on Thursday, I watched a little of the Veteran’s Day parade. I love parades. This one formed on the bridge and marched up Congress Avenue to the Texas state capitol. I was hoping to take a photo of the local chapter of the Korean War Veterans to show my father but I did not see them in the parade.

Fall also means football in Texas. We went to TWO football games last weekend. Actually, the  Westwood vs. Anderson high school playoff game on Friday evening was my suggestion. (I  need to clarify that this is not because I like football. I had completely forgotten about the UT home game on Saturday.) Fortunately we decided to drive to the high school game over at House Park, which is about two miles from our apartment. A cold front with some rain blew through right before kickoff and the temperature dropped by more than 20 degrees. We were freezing and left after half-time. Westwood lost their game…and so did UT on Saturday evening.    

p.s. to my friends in the Northeast: Yes, fall is just starting here. The leaves are beginning to turn.  Nighttime lows are in the 50s and daytime highs are in the 70s.